Daily Logs 7-26-14

I. Mal gets plastered and Naara comes to the rescue
II. [Retcon] Erik realizes too late that going to Roca for his knife was a mistake
III. Terrence and Zef have realized something is up, and don't know if they can trust Erik or not. Either way: it's their responsibility to do something about it.



I.
Mal: *is in the cafeteria place thing, with a tray of half-eaten food and a short glass of whiskey*
Naara: *Enters the cafeteria, goes to get some food, but smiles to Mal as she enters*
Mal: *blinks at Naara and waves back*
Naara: *Gets her food, and goes over to Mal's (I'm assuming) empty table* Mind if I join you?
Mal: Not at all. Please.
Naara: *Sits down* So, how're you?
Mal: I'm all right. I got in a bit of trouble the other day *laughs*
Naara: *Raises place where eyebrow would be... Shouldn't she have eyebrows? Everyone else does...* What happened?
Naara: *Raises place where eyebrow would be... Shouldn't she have eyebrows? Everyone else does...* What happened?
Mal: Oh...I don't think I should talk about it...that's what got me in trouble in the first place.
Naara: *Confused* Talk about what?
Mal: Exactly. *taps the side of his nose*
Naara: *Frowns* That isn't very helpful.
Mal: In other news, I let someone borrow my red pen. He handed it back while I was still standing there, but it was orange...I think he's a magician.
Naara: *Frowns* Really?
Mal: Yes. It was my only red pen...What about you? How are things going?
Naara: Fine... Asides from a feeling of uneasyness, and having to deal with somone with a missing pencil and a cup which appears to have changed colour...
Mal: Hmm...Nothing of yours gone missing?
Naara: Nothing I'd miss, no.
Mal: *arches an eyebrow*
Naara: *Quizzically* What?
Mal: So...then you /have/ lost something?
Naara: ...No? Because if I'd miss it, I'd have noticed that i'd lost it by now.
Mal: Hmm...fair enough. *sips the whiskey*
Naara: Seriously, what did you do that got you in trouble?
Mal: I don't want to say.
Naara: Why, what's the worst that could happen? *Nosey*
Mal: I could get fired?
Naara: ...*Flatly* Seriously?
Mal: Probably.
Naara: ... *Mutters* F**king hell...
Mal: *shrugs and sips more of the whiskey*
Naara: So that's why you're getting drunk?
Mal: Who said I'm getting drunk?
Naara: You're drinking whiskey.
Mal: And? *sip*
Naara: People generally drink to get drunk.
Mal: *lifts the glass and suddenly finds his hand is empty*...*stares inquisitively at his empty hand*
Naara: *Blinks, and hand instinctively goes to her gun* What the-?
Mal: Maybe I haaaaave had a bit much...*squints at his empty hand*
Naara: *Looks around, even under the table* No. Because I'm sober, and if you'd dropped it, I'd have seen or heard it.
Mal: *still squinting at his hand when the alcohol hits his brain*...*slack face...faceplant on the table*
Naara: *Tries to catch his head, but fails* Damnit! *Reaches to try and pick Mal up* C'mon idiot, lets get you to bed.
Mal: *groooooaaaan*
Naara: *Slips under one of his shoulders and lifts him up so he's leaning on her* Seriously, why do you drink if you just crumple like that?
Mal: *mumbles something about being able to hold his liquor better in the past*
Naara: Really? You must be out of practice *Tries to lead him out of the cafeteria and towards his bedroom*
Mal: *is carry/dragged to his dorm room*
Naara: Want me to call a doctor?
Mal: Nnnnn...not dyin'
Naara: *Raises place where eyebrow would be* Really? You don't sound too good.
Mal: *snooooore*
Naara: *Reaches his room, and gently lowers him onto the bed, trying to get him into the recovery position*
Naara: *Ensures everything's ok, then departs, dropping into medical to get somoene to check on Mal later/in the morning*



II.
[Something like TEN MILLION WEEKS AGO]
Erik: *It's a quiet evening on the Legacy. Two days have passed since the memories have returned, and Erik, unable to put it off any longer in good conscience, sighs, and addresses the computer* Find me Roca, please.
Computer: Glinn Roca is in her quarters on Deck 7.
Erik: Naturally. Thank you. *cracks his neck, and stands up to go out and Confront The Serpent In Its Den. He walks there at a slow place, as if to delay the inevitable. Even his knock is slow, if even and determined*
Roca: *passed the door from her sleeping room to the main room, wearing some kind of Cardassian dressing gown, and, since she’s near enough, hears the knock* Eh? *stops* Enter?!
Erik: *palms open the door, and leans against the frame. Despite the casual posture, his body language is taut, arms crossed.* Evening. I believe you owe me a knife. *a slight tremor goes through him when he actually catches sight of her as the not-quite-cured PTSD threatens to make him turn and run*
Roca: I- *watches him over, recognizing the changes in his body language and voice* Yes. I thought about leaving it in the mess hall with the rest of the stuff I didn’t own. But decided against it. *shakes her head*
Erik: *grits out* It is a very nice knife. Thank you.
Roca: Do you want to come in? *turns for the boxes with her emergency rations – or what’s left of them – and kanar, which is where she left the knife* *the boxes are at the other side of the room, near the couch. Her quarters are neatly tidies up with a few seemingly random inaccuracies that she keeps in mind thoroughly, just in case someone searches her room. The quarters are at 34°C degrees, even 2°C higher than Cardassian room temperature*
Erik: *is struck by the billow of heat from the room, eyes flicking back and forth between the odd shadows. A drop of sweat runs slowly down his brow, his knee throbbing with sudden agony. His weight is on the other leg, so he can't step forward, or back* I...don't... think so. *chokes out. The pain in his knee is echoed in a pounding just above his right eye*
Roca: *snorts* Suit yourself! *returns with Erik’s knife in hand, stopping at the sight of his altered posture* *tilts head* Are you all right? *do I have to watch my back?*
Erik: *blinks sweat from his eyes* Put the knife down. Please. *his voice is imploring, with an echo of fear and... confusion, as if he's not all there*
Roca: *eh… does actually have an idea of what’s going on. One she doesn’t like* Of course. *steps to the couch and puts the knife down, showing her hands with spread fingers, palms up* It’s gone. See? I’m unarmed.
Erik: *thump, thump, thum. Knee and head pound with his racing pulse* Shit. Shit. *I thought I was over this. Oh, fuck.* *Erik stumbles forward, and lands on the bad knee* /Shit/.
Roca: *there, it got worse* *comes closer slowly, but speaks with a firm voice* You should probably call in medical. I will see to it that you get your knife back some other way. *person number three of her list of Amnesia-friends she won’t talk to any more…*
Erik: /No/. Fuck. Not medical. *pushes himself back, and forces himself back to his feet, bracing against the wall* Don't you see? *wipes sweat from his forehead with his arm* Then /she wins/. She /takes/ from me. Again. Never. *shakes his head, rapidly, as if to clear the pounding, though it does not go away*
Roca: No. *I don’t see, should I? Who even is she? Jecett?* But whatever, do you need help?
Erik: *grimaces* I'll be... fine. If it kills me. *slowly sinks back down, back pressed against the wall, and puts his head in his hands* Just... wait.
Roca: *stops in front of him and bends down with one arm over her upper body to keep the dressing gown in place* I can’t see anything wrong with you. *reassuringly* Your /body/ is fine, you won’t die.
Erik: *has firmly buried his face in his knees, now, so fortunately, does not see her approach, which is probably for the best since he would probably attack her. As is, he almost jumps out of his skin at her voice, and clenches his teeth to suppress a more physical reaction* Ah. Ha. Ha. Yeah. That helps.
Roca: *is on her guard since she knows PTSD, and slightly jumps at the sound of /his/ voice in return* All right. No medical, you said. Mh, but let’s get you out of here.
Erik: Wouldn't recommend touching me. Might break your neck or something. *voice is shaky, and muffled through his knees*
Roca: *snorts, but doesn’t come closer* Can you walk? Computer, increase light.
Erik: Not likely. Bad knee. *Could drag myself out on my stomach. Hah.*
Roca: Mhm. *nods while the room gets brighter* I won’t let you alone in here. *if that’s your plan. Bad enough you can actually see my room, I’ll have to rearrange my stuff /again/* But I won’t harm you. Can I get you something while you recover?
Erik: I'm afraid it's you I'm recovering from. *coughs* Coffee would be nice.
Roca: *snorts* I’m fine as long as you’re recovering /eventually/. I don’t want a room mate. *walks to the replicator without completely turning her back on Erik, but confident enough to walk relatively relaxed* *needs a moment to scan the replicator menu for coffee and finds several ones, but goes for black, then returns with the cup*
Erik *reaches out a blind hand to grab the coffee* Thanks. Consider this exposure therapy for me.
Roca: *snorts a laugh* Consider yourself invited to visit whenever you feel too well. *sits down a few meters down the wall, but next to him*
Erik: *nods* Brilliant. We can cook together. *grim chuckle*
Roca: *smirks* I’ll see to it that I get a kitchen on floor-level, just for you.
Erik: I've got a zero-g knee brace somewhere. Don't bother yourself.
Roca: Even better. I liked your cooking. …Not sure if your PTSD goes as far as attacking me with poison, though.
Erik: That requires a degree of conscious malice far beyond me. I'm all about muscular spasms.
Roca: Then you’re not very much like Tomato, are you? *stops briefly because /now/ the UT translates his “name”* Heh!
Erik: *grimaces* Indeed not. *slowly pulls himself up the wall, the coffee cup drained* I think I will go. *his eyes are still closed* It's easier with you than with Vekal. Her voice is too close to her own. *shakes his head*
Roca: *watches him, but stays seated to provide a firm, steady sound coming from the same source* Just one or two steps to your right, then around the corner. It’s still open.
Erik: Oh, I know. I'm pretty good at blind navigation. Two years of vent crawling. *turns, takes two smooth steps, and, only slightly tripping over the door frame, exeunt Erik and Issues*
Roca: *gets up and picks up the coffee cup (unless he took it with him)* Don’t forget to stop by. *sarcastic, but not entirely unserious*
Erik: I never forget. *disapears into the lifttube*



III.
Zef: *in his office in the basement, working on his computer which has not yet disappeared, got himself a coffee pot from the mess hall which is placed on his desk*
Terrence: *trudges in, his hair disheveled after digging his fingers into it over and over today. One of his fists kneads a blue stressball, and he just looks edgy and frazzled* Hey. Thought you must still be down here.
Zef: *startles when Terry enters and straightens, closes a program, but relaxes when he sees it's him* Yeaah. *nods* Erm, been searching the system for abnormal stuff all day. *nothing so far* You okay? *concerned; rhetorical question actually, because no and that he knows*
Terrence: *flops down on whatever chair he can find* No. I just. *grunts* This is /stressful/. And /stupid/. And I've been to Security a million times and been like "someone's taking my stuff" and they're like "nope we have tapes no one has been in your office" and yet /somehow/-- *scoffs*
Zef: *there are two chairs in front of his desk* Weeeell... maybe they can't have any tapes of someone stealing your stuff? And well. People deny a lot lately.
Terrence: *sighs* My secretary's been acting kinda weird. Lots of people are. *glances at him* You're not, though. *half-smile* I guess /I/ am.
Zef: Well, erm. *shifts posture* No, I'm not, because... it happens to me too. *doesn't want to point out that his coffee machine is missing, but it is* Things just disappear. Or change color. *inhales, holds his breath for a second and exhales slowly*
Terrence: /Ugh/. My stress ball used to be /red/. *squishes it, hard* And my secretary looks at me like I'm crazy and asks if I'm all right and wouldn't I like another cup of tea and my medications? I don't /take/ medications, Zef. *sighs* But maybe I should start...
Zef: *headshake* No, well. I mean, you're not imagining things. She's just... a lot of people act like nothing's going on, but that just isn't true. They laughed at me, told me I'm overworked. I don't know /why/ they're denying it, but... something's /very/ wrong. *concerned (for Terry and because of the whole situation) and scared*
Terrence: *rubs his free hand over his eyes* Maybe we're seeing things. Maybe there's a chemical leak somewhere.
Zef: We... meaning you and me and... several others, yeah?
Erik: *a blonde man with thick-framed black glasses and a short-sleeved button down peeks in through the door* Hey, folks. Either of you seen my laptop? It seems to have walked off.
Terrence: *looks over his shoulder at Erik* Schroding? *glances back at Zef* Speaking of several others-- *to Erik* You're not the only one.
Zef: *startles and doesn't relax this time (also a part of him wants to wince at hearing Erik's name, but that makes no sense at all...?)* /Who?/ *gets up*
Erik: Oh, bloody flipping hell. I've got a STACK of TPS reports, well, a virtual stack, and I need to have them finished and printed by the end of the day. Because of Steve. Damn Steve.*chuckles*
Terrence: *flops a hand at the free seat next to him* Might as well take a break. *to Zef* This is Erik Schroding. I've mentioned him before, right? He works for my ex.
Zef: *frowns thinking, mumbles* … maybe you did. *to Erik* I'm Zefram Sanders, Building Superintendent. *in case you didn't know! Which is unlikely. But still*
Erik: *beams* Wonderful woman. Great- *decides to not say whatever he was going to say* -attitude. She wouldn't demand something unreasonable like a whole STACK of TPS reports like Steve would. *grins at Zefram* Oh, pleased to bits to meet you, I'd shake your hands, but I /just/ moisturized.
Terrence: *rolls his eyes at Erik's praise for Molly, but lets them talk*
Zef: Oh no, /please/ don't bother.
Erik: *cheerfully plops down in his chair* Well, since I moved cubicles last week, there's literally nothing in my cubicle except a big empty space where my laptop usually sits, so I know it's not there, so I guess I'll take a twenty minute break tilll it reappears. Worked the last three times.
Terrence: *perks up* You get your stuff back? I just lose it! *squeeze squeeze squeezes his stressball*
Zef: *grabs his coffee cup in a tensed motion and sips coffee*
Erik: Well, last time, it reappeared in the ceiling tiles on floor six, but fortunately, I was up there anyways looking for my stapler. So I found it no problem!
Terrence: *grunts* Zef is looking for abnormalities in the computer systems, but it's always the same--people laugh at us, or tell us we're imagining things, or there's nothing to worry about. It's getting old, because I /know/ my pencil is gone.
Zef: *winces, puts the cup back down* … *huffs* Yeah, well. That.
Erik: *cheerfully* Well, I know no one /stole/ the laptop and stuck it up there because then I'd have to break their knees. Besides, the layer of dust on the ceiling tiles was like, an inch, and totes undisturbed, so it had to have teleported. Have we talked to, uhmmm... the eggheads in Material Transfer? I was /just/ writing up a tech manual on their mark four device.
Terrence: *pause* That's...a really good idea. I can't believe I didn't think of that! It's a bad experiment! *so relieved*
Zef: We don't have the technology to teleport things. *frowns, sour undertone* How would that work?
Computer Glitch: *Zefram's Chair Promptly Vanishes. Erik's laptop appears underneath him, and he will likely land on it*
Zef: Ack-- !! *falls, because that he didn't expect and lands hard on said laptop*
Terrence: *scrambles in alarm* Zef! *trips around the table*
Erik: *is about to reply when suddenly there is the crack of at least 170 pounds of human landing butt first on a laptop* *spots the edge of one of the stickers on the back of his case, and yanks the laptop out from under Zef* You found it! *It doesn't look very good*
Zef: Ouch... *still sorting himself out when Erik approaches him to grab his laptop and Terrence at the same time coming around the table; doesn't get up but crawls backwards quickly because that's more convenient than the other option*
Terrence: *kneels down next to him* Zef? Are you okay? What--? *shakes his head quickly* Okay, if we don't have people working on teleporting, what the heck was that? We were both looking at you, nobody stole your chair!
Erik: *examines the damage. The screen is cracked in half, and cracks spider across the plastic casing. He expirementally presses the power button. There is a noisy sparking, and the keyboard catches on fire*
Zef: *teeth clenched, because ouch that hurt* Well, I don't know what it was, but I'm /very/ sure that /some/ people don't want us to find out... *gives Terry a firm look* So I don't wanna mention it to just anyone. Wanted.
Terrence: What are you looking at /me/ for? I'm good at keeping secrets! *wait, am I? It has to do with my job...no, or, it doesn't?*
Erik: *while they chat, has pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket and is prying apart the smoldering case*
Zef: Yeah, that you are, I know, and it's not what I meant. Anyway. *shifts his posture carefully, holding out an arm for Terry, indicating that he'd accept help getting up* We lack the tech for teleports or projection and stuff, that can't be it, I wouldn't know how.
Terrence: *does help him up, concerned* *and then glances at Erik* Um...should you be touching that? It's not going to explode or anything...right?
Erik: No, no, relax, it's just on fire a little. I need to pull out the SSD. TPS reports, remember? *pries the case open, and pulls out a silver rectangle, disconnecting a cord, before dropping the broken laptop on the ground to smolder out* And hey, teleportation is easy. Something about quantum entaglement. To be honest, I didn't really grok the manual, I just wrote it.
Zef: *gets up* *and glances at Erik as well, generally stressed and miffed, bad day!* *straightens his clothes*
Terrence: *goes around Zef to make sure there's no blood anywhere on him, then looks back at Erik again* Wait so...it's really possible that this is all their experiment gone wrong? Teleporting? *grunts* Well, I don't know why /I/ don't know about their experiments.
Erik: Well, that's why they're egg-heads, right? Probably report straight to the CIA or, uh, whatever agency. DARPA? Yeah. But they still have to have grunts write their tech manuals. *pounds his chest proudly with one hand*
Zef: *no blood, only a rough landing and totally spoiled mood* Ah, so how /are/ they teleporting stuff? If that's so easy.
Terrence: Well, since no one tells the COO anything, I have no idea. Quantum entanglements or something.
Erik: *taps his nose* Confidentiality agreement. Plus, I totally don't understand it. Mark four does some weird thing with flipping quarks. I guess this is probably Mark Six or something because Mark Four could only teleport things up to the size of complex protiens.
Zef: *harsh sigh* *with his chair gone sits on the desk*
Terrence: Well, I wish they'd keep their experiments to themselves, losing pencils is /frustrating/. *sits down next to Zef*
Erik: Somehow, I don't think this is all on purpose. *adjusts glasses* I'd talk to them, but I've never actually, like, met them. I don't even know where they are. I just get their files.
Zef: *breathes deeply... and again*
Terrence: *eyes widen* There's a room--! A few doors down from my office. For the longest time I thought it was a closet, but I couldn't figure out how to find the door, so I asked the cleaning lady once because I like to clean my own things. And she said she didn't know what I meant, there's no door to any room there.
Erik: And I thought I was the paranoid sort. It's probably a walled off ladies bathroom. Science knows we don't need one on this floor.
Zef: *frowns at that, pondering; half turns, reaches out for his mouse and shuts his computer down*
Terrence: *rolls his eyes* Zef /does/ have plenty of women working here, you know.
Erik: *coughs, indelicately* Don't make me pull up my reports on asymmetrical distributions of gender across the facility, because I /so/ will.
Zef: *gets up and gets the office keys out of a drawer, holds them out for Terry*
Terrence: *looks a little confused, but stands to take the keys* Zef..?
Erik: *checks his watch* Oh, science, I have to run. Gotta pick up a new laptop from tech support, gotta stick in my SSD, gotta finish my work... *springs up* Toodles, Terr-terr, Zefram. *flounces out*
Zef: I-- *was about to explain some kind of excuse for why he has to go and... but never mind* Erm? *blinks, taken by surprise*
Terrence: *splutters* /Terr-terr/? *too incredulous to even say goodbye*
Zef: Oh-kay? *frowns, glances at the keys but doesn't keeps them in his hand* Well... so? *speechless*
Terrence: Uh...what do I even need these for..? *holds up the keys*
Zef: Well, I... was about to go. I wanted to ask you to lock my office after you left.
Terrence: Are you okay? *blink blink*
Zef: Yeah. Just. *pause* Miffed. *right!* Who does this guy think he  is!? I never met him before. And by tomorrow the whole faculty knows that I'm searching the computer system!? *suspriciously*
Terrence: *raises his eyebrows* Oh. I didn't know you didn't want me mentioning that, sorry man.
Erik: *either didn't notice or already forgot*
Zef: This is scary, Terrence! I don't know what's going on. No one's beaming our stuff away and if so, they'd have to be really advanced /and/ they'd have to have purpose. But things can't disappear just like that. /Something/ that we take for granted... isn't. *clueless shrug* It's been altered. Or was never what we thought it is.
Terrence: *swallows* Wh-what? What? Do you think we changed reality with one of our experiments here?
Zef: *shrugs* No idea. But I know the laws of physics and that doesn't fit in.
Terrence: *shivers* I don't know if...I want to think too much about it. But...do you think our people are in danger? *has to be responsible*
Zef: *notices the shivering and breathes deeply, only now realizing what talking about altering the laws of physics and all that might mean for Terry...* Oh! I'm sorry, sorry. I was just, I was angry, but. *shrugs, lower softer voice, more concerned* Mhhh, yeah well, I don't know if we're in danger, but I'm afraid we could be.
Terrence: *shifts a little closer to Zef so they can talk quietly* Then we have to find out what's going on.
Zef: *nods* Damn right. *shifts closer as well* Do you know if Mr. Levrance denies it?
Terrence: *shakes his head* No, I don't know. I can find a way to find out. I doubt Molly is in any conspiracy, not if it could hurt someone...
Zef: She erm, didn't deny when her paper disappeared right in front of our eyes. More or less. We talked a few days ago.
Terrence: *thinks about this* Okay. I can talk to Mr. Levrance and Molly if you want to talk to ah, the medical chief.
Zef: *nods slowly* Yeaaah, well, Leslie didn't deny it either. I was about to tell you, but... Anyway, she's aware. And Loise, I think, she's on our side. Some of my staff aren't.
Terrence: *grunts* So...we'll talk to people and then talk again tomorrow? Evening maybe?
Zef: I don't want to talk about it, actually... but... mhhhhh... *sideglances, thinking*
Terrence: I can talk to people, then. *likes talking*
Zef: *looks at him* But it could be dangerous. I mean... nothing bad happened and maybe I'm just, am I paranoid? Like, really? *frowns* But this /is/ all weird...
Terrence: *said in a hissed whisper* Your chair /vanished/ from underneath you. Something very weird is happening, okay? So...we'll find people we trust.
Zef: Yeah. *slight hesitant nod* I guess we have to. But take care, okay?
Terrence: *shrugs* I do what I have to. *reaches out to clap Zef on the shoulder*
Zef: *okay o_o pulls him into a hug if he can* Yeah, just keep in mind that it doesn't include disappearing, okay?
Terrence: *hugs him back with a laugh* I'm not a pencil, or a chair. I'll be fine. *releases him* Good night, Zef, take care of yourself. *grins*
Zef: *that's what you say /now/, but I wouldn't be too sure...* Right. Good night, Terrence, you too. Ah and y'know, if there's anything wrong let me know.
Terrence: *nods* I will, you know it. *heads out with a wave, seeming far less stressed now that he has a plan to combat the extremely stressful situation*
Zef: *leaves his office soon after and heads for the dorms, no more work for today x_X*