COMMENCE EXPERIMENT

[bathymetric]

Fun fact: Did you know that the Pacific Ocean has a surface area of 62.46 million miles? That's not even accounting for depth.

You awaken to a sharp jolt, like you've just hit the drop on a roller coaster. Then it passes, and you're in a bed, suddenly very clearly awake. Is that right? Were you asleep? Your memory is a little fuzzy as you come down off the adrenaline, but it puts itself into place soon enough. This is not, as one might say, your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she sure isn't here.

The positioning of the bed inside your new room gives you a very clear indication of where you are - or at least, where the building is. Above you is a decent-sized window looking out on... well, the ocean. But not in a fun beachside resort way, to say the least. Fish swim by pretty frequently, here to keep you company - but they cannot hear your screams, and do not seem particularly bothered if you tap on the glass unless they're right by it. It's thick, man.

On the bedside table, you'll find two things: a key card with a number between 1 and 25 on it (no points for guessing which one is on whose, unfortunately), and a small handheld device, a little like a smartphone but mostly like a blackberry? Remember those? Anyway, accessing it will reveal only a scarce few functions: a list of profiles, a map of the building, and a very ominous set of rules. You might try to ignore that last one! Unfortunately, you'll find them in a frame by your door. And in a frame somewhere in every room of the place, if you go out exploring at all. The tablet also has a message for you when you open it:

Greetings. Please take an hour to become accustomed to the facilities, then proceed to the meeting room north of your dormitories. Attendance is mandatory. - The Professor

But hey, it... it also lets you play Snake! Who doesn't love Snake, huh?

Anyway, head out into the halls! Make some new friends - or maybe enemies, wouldn't that be exciting? Look around a little! Just make sure to be back for whatever this meeting is - after all, you want a chance to face off with your captor, right?

Comments

[shieldsister]

[Aela doesn't seem entirely taken aback that he knows her name somehow, but he's quick to explain himself and what little surprise was apparent on her face disappears quickly.]

I would, yes.

[So she'll come over and take a seat next to Birkin, looking over at the device. Thank you for making this simple and not getting into the whole "how can you not possibly know about this sort of thing" debate.]

Does it have information about everyone here?

[fivestagegod]

It seems to. Like I said, I haven't met everyone here, but I'm assuming that this is either actually everyone or someone's messing with us. We'll know in a bit, I guess.

[What with the whole attendance being mandatory thing.

He'll shift a bit so she can get a better look at the device, though, scrolling through a few of the profiles slowly enough that she can get a look.]

How useful any of this information's going to end up being depends on the person, from what I've seen. Some of it's good, some of it's pointless.

[He'll stop on his own, though.]

Only fair, since I've obviously seen yours.

[shieldsister]

Fascinating...

[This is definitely the sort of technology that could revolutionize the world, and it's just been handed to them all so easily. Aela studies the images as they scroll by, focused on those more than the words until Birkin stops on his own profile.]

William Birkin. [Most of the rest of the profile isn't anything she really gets, but hey, at least she's got a name now.] You have my thanks for explaining this. How do I get this one to work?

[She holds up her own device.]

[fivestagegod]

Here, look.

[He'll walk her through turning it on and what have you, showing her using his own; it's not too far out of his wheelhouse, at least.]

You get to the profiles here; the rules are here, though they're the same thing that's posted all over the building, so you're not missing anything there. This is a map of the building here.

[He shrugs a bit once that's out there.]

It's a bit further advanced than I'm used to, but it's not too bad. The strangest thing for me is that it's handheld. Normally you'd need an entire, larger device for something like this, nothing you can just pick up and carry around.

[shieldsister]

[bless william birkin, which is a cursed sentence and hopefully the only time i will ever have to write it.]

We don't have anything like this at all. Not even the Dwemer had anything this advanced. Being able to contain so much information in such a small device would certainly interest the mages.

[And most people who are here for more than just fighting, but she hangs out with the Companions and all we care about is the quality of our mead and how fucking cool the last fight was.]

What is a "virologist"?

[fivestagegod]

I'll tell you if you tell me what a Dwemer is first.

[shieldsister]

Haven't heard of them? I can't say I'm surprised. Most of the things I assume everyone will know are things that no one recognizes.

[At least she sounds mildly amused about it by now.]

The Dwemer - or dwarves - are a race of elves that mysteriously vanished entirely a long time ago. They left behind incredible machines capable of a great many things that mages are still studying to this day. Most of those machines are intent on killing anyone who enters.

[i'm so sorry about skyrim.]

[fivestagegod]

Got it. Not how Tolkien wrote about it, but he was an overrated hack anyway.

[Birkin.]

He's a writer, before you ask. He liked to write stories about the sort of stuff you're explaining. Good to know it didn't work anything like that in real life.

[Anyway.]

A virologist is... Well, I'm a doctor, basically. I study and research viruses. Diseases and things like that.

[shieldsister]

[An author who writes stories about things that don't exist, huh... Well, not entirely unheard of, it's just harder to come up with fantasy stories within a fantasy world so Skyrim doesn't have many of those. Despite having 337+ books. Don't worry about it.]

Ah, I see. I imagine most are not simply cured by Hawk Feathers or praying at a shrine.

[I AM SO SORRY ABOUT SKYRIM.]

[fivestagegod]

If they were, I'd be out of a job and I'd have to seriously re-evaluate my life. I don't believe in any gods that might or might not be out there.

[shieldsister]

Is religion not particularly significant where you're from? I doubt there's anyone in Skyrim who doesn't believe in the Divines.

[fivestagegod]

Not really. We don't have proof of any sort of god out there, so we choose whether we believe or not. A lot of people don't.

[Something's kind of bugging him about that, though. Hell if he really knows what, but there's something about it that irks him.]

Some of us invoke the name of God in our research, but that's less a profession of faith and more an indication of how powerful or influential we think our work is going to end up being. Call it arrogance if you want, I guess.

[shieldsister]

I see. These other worlds certainly are strange.

[But she's not particularly devout in her devotion to the Divines, so it's probably fine. As long as we don't mention the Daedric Princes, at least.]

Are you familiar with places like this? Buildings that are underwater?

[fivestagegod]

Not underwater, no. But one of the places I work is entirely underground, so there's not too much of a difference in the end.

[shieldsister]

As long as this place doesn't start leaking, I suppose you're right.

[joking about dying nbd........ and speaking of that.]

What do you make of the "rules"?

[fivestagegod]

Unless this "meeting" we're all in for changes things, people are absolutely going to start dying eventually.

[jesus, birkin.]

[shieldsister]

Agreed. The rules lay it out plainly and someone is undoubtedly going to decide they need to attempt it.

[what, like that was weird at all???? no, birkin's totally right, don't worry about it.]

[fivestagegod]

That's probably the point. This thing is listed as an "experiment", after all. I don't see what kind of experiment it could be other than a social one. See what gets people to snap in new and interesting ways, either for fun or profit.

[shieldsister]

Hardly a field of study I can find admirable, but I can see where someone would be very interested in these results.

[People have always been curious about what makes people tick and a whole group of weirdoes reacting to extreme stress like this certainly does seem like something someone would be interested in.]

How long do you believe this "experiment" will last?

[fivestagegod]

...Until enough of us are dead, probably.

[shieldsister]

[A nod.]

Unfortunate, but that does seem likely. There's little we can do besides speculate right now, but perhaps the Professor will shed some light on the subject.

[fivestagegod]

That's one option. The others are all varying degrees of "he'll say some things that are slightly informative, but not enough to actually be useful", "he's going to make us grovel", or "he's going to intentionally piss all of us off."

[shieldsister]

I can't say I'd be surprised by any of them. I wonder if he will show himself in person. That would invite someone to break one of his rules as well as every bone in his body.

[fivestagegod]

I assume that's why that's there, actually.

[He'll gesture a bit toward the large screen at the far end of the room.]

The Professor probably has a different sort of device with him, one that he can talk to. The device will send the images and sound of him to that screen there, so we can see and hear him even if he's far away. That way there's no risk of anything happening to him. I'll be surprised if he's in the building.

[shieldsister]

As long as he has a way to watch us, there isn't any reason for him to potentially put himself in danger. I see.

[She stares at the screen, trying to imagine exactly how this works before writing it off as "it's magic" and returning her attention to Birkin.]

Thank you for the explanations you've provided.

[There isn't exactly a way to express "thanks for explaining this like I'm five without being condescending" but that's the sentiment here.]