redshiftrp | video; @Qubit

Entry tags:

video; @Qubit

[ Note: This goes up probably a day or two before Shepard's public health PSA. ]

[ Hey look guys, Qubit's in good spirits for once! Not great spirits, since he's pretty sure he's coming down with something, but good. Even in the video, he sounds kind of congested. ]

Afternoon, Anchor, Qubit here. Just wanted to give you an update on the spycam situation - and it's good news this time. I've gone through the data with a fine-toothed comb, several times, and found no indication that anything recorded by those cameras has left the station. As far as I can tell, this was the work of a single party. They haven't been passing it along to someone else.

That's the good news. The bad is, we're still not sure who that party is, or what they were trying to accomplish. The actor or actors responsible are still at large, and until we know how they're getting in and out of the station - or indeed whether they've left at all - I'd encourage everyone to - to -

[ He turns away from the camera just in time to sneeze loudly into his elbow. ]

To remain vigilant -

[ Another sneeze, then three more in quick succession. He waits a second to be sure he's done, then sniffs and returns to the camera, blinking a few times. ]

Terribly sorry, where was I. Right - remain vigilant, and look out for one another. We will get to the bottom of this. Over and out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Objectively, Ben realizes these developments are a good thing. Emotionally, they're not making any of this easier for him, but he's had a few days to come to grips with all of it. He's got a lot better control of himself than he had on that first terrible day when it was all such a shock. ]

So do you have a solid reason to suspect it isn't one of us, who set all this up? You're making it sound like an outsider or some creep lurking in the halls, not the guy sitting next to us at the mess hall.

[ Nods. ] I do. The equipment in that cave is old. It's actually slightly outdated, compared to what we've found elsewhere.

[ His guess is that this stuff was thrown away after an upgrade and subsequently appropriated by some industrious dumpster diver, but that's neither here nor there. ]

There's fragmentary footage going back at least five years - possibly as far as fifty, though the oldest files are unrecoverable. But in any case, this has clearly been going on since well before any of us showed up.

[ Ben wants to believe Qubit is right. He wants so badly to trust him and believe it and stop worrying that there is a traitor in their midst. He really would like that. But his paranoia is too strong to be swayed by just that. ]

Jobs can be inherited. People can take over where others have left off. Maybe there are cycles of people brought here, and every time one or two of them are spies, pretending to be just as lost and confused as the rest of us, but spying on us, using the same setup that was already there. We don't know just because it was installed before we were here that none of us have been using it.

[ Qubit puts a hand on his chin, weighing that idea. It's not entirely impossible, but none of his evidence suggests it. It's more conspiracy theory than hypothesis. Still, for Ben's sake, he won't dismiss it out of hand. ]

All right, let's run with that idea for a moment. The power logs indicate that station was only reactivated a few weeks after the first new arrivals, so it would have to be someone who arrived early on.

I thought about that. It's pretty tempting to say it's safe to trust anybody who showed up later than that. But they could be reinforcements, sent to help out the original scout or whatever you'd call them.

[ It's possible to use 'rationality' to convince yourself not to trust anybody and Ben's brain is tending that way at the moment.

But despite his increasing paranoia, he's not a complete cynical monster. When Qubit sniffs again, Ben adds: ]

Are you... feeling alright?

[ Reinforcements, huh? Okay, there's no proof of that either, but - he's trying to poke holes in the theory within its own logic, which doesn't call for evidence. That way he can demonstrate that such a theory is not just unfounded, but also irrational.

He only catches himself sniffling excessively, though, when Ben points it out. He waves off the question with one hand. ]

I'm fine. Mild head cold, most likely.

Edited 2019-10-27 00:22 (UTC)

Well. I hope you feel better soon. And thanks for the update. I don't mean to be Mr. Doom and Gloom over here. I'm just - having a bit of trouble with the trust thing.

[ For certain definitions of 'a bit'. ]

Be nice if my powers just let me know when somebody isn't telling the truth, huh? I bet that would save us all some time figuring this whole thing out.

[ Instead he got murder tentacles - nobody's first choice when it comes to superpowers. ]

[ Oh, they're ditching the thought experiment? That's just as well, really. Also, as superhero names go, he prefers "Lazarus" over "Mr. Doom and Gloom" - but that is completely irrelevant and kind of silly. ]

I suppose it would. That'd have its own drawbacks, though.

[ Tony could tell. He could hear a lie in your heartbeat, see it in your body temperature. And an empath like Cole could probably tell, too - but Qubit's not about to suggest it, even in jest. It'd be wrong to try and force him to vet everybody, just as it was wrong when Survivor did it to Burrows. ]

Wasn't aware you had powers, though. What do they do?

Don't they always?

[ He says it with the kind of familiar, amused weariness that comes from knowing a range of people with powers, all of which do, in fact, have drawbacks. Some are, of course, more serious than others. Diego really got off the easiest, Ben thinks, when it comes to his powers. Being able to aim super well is pretty damn innocuous. Not like Five, getting stuck in the future, or Klaus, hounded by ghosts every second he's not high... ]

Oh yeah. Guess that didn't come up, huh? Actually, I don't know if you have powers, either.

[ Is he stalling? Absolutely. Not because his powers a secret or anything, it's just... hard to know exactly what to say. He takes the time he needs to choose the right words and then answers: ]

I can open a portal to another dimension sort of... in my body, and there are these creatures on the other side that I've got a connection to. If I summon them, they reach through me. Mostly to rip people in half. Pretty limited range there when it comes to problem solving.

[ He says the words deliberately, carefully. It's a much more neutral presentation of his powers than Qubit would have gotten if he'd asked a few months ago. Ben's really trying to take Cole's advice and work on his self-image and challenging his assumptions about those creatures. Just because they react violently to being exposed to a world that is so different from their own doesn't mean they're evil. They're just... wild animals. Horrible, repulsive, nauseating wild animals.

(It's a work in progress). ]

They're sort of like giant octopi, but the nightmare version. If you want to get any tentacle jokes out of your system, knock yourself out, but I guarantee I've heard them all.

Edited 2019-11-02 22:50 (UTC)

[ Haha, tell me about it. Qubit's main drawback is that human touch is painful! Or, well, maybe that's more of a side effect. Whatever, it's fine.

Any thought about his own powers goes right out the window, though, because as soon as Ben says "portal to another dimension," he has Qubit's complete attention. (Disclaimer: you brought this on yourself, dude.) There's some visible yikes at the part about ripping people in half, but other than that, he's fascinated.

He waves his hand impatiently - tentacle jokes, really? We're adults here, thanks. ]

Ben, that's incredible! - Er, not the dismemberment aspect, obviously, but - you can open this portal here? In Anchor?

[ All in all, Qubit takes the information a hell of a lot better than most. Ben is starting to learn that people in this place are pretty good at accepting the unusual, even if it is also dangerous. He'd never encountered so many others who weren't immediately freaked out just by the idea of his powers.

Even though it's better than fear or revulsion, Qubit's enthusiasm is a little unsettling. Ben does his best to ignore those squirming feelings inside him and just answer. He'd mentioned his powers casually and now it's on him to deal with the fallout, honestly. ]

Yeah, I can. I've had to a few times. Mutant cows and zombies and those nanites, that sort if thing. Not on people.

[ He wants to be crystal clear here that he's not some kind of uncontrollable murderer who is going around rending people limb from limb for kicks. ]

Being here hasn't changed my powers at all.

[ Ben wants to ask again if Qubit has powers, too, but his fascination and eagerness to talk about Ben's powers is too intense to interrupt right now. Maybe he'll ask again in a few minutes. ]

Edited 2019-11-05 04:59 (UTC)

[ Okay! Okay. So he has enough control over the nightmare squid portal that it doesn't pose a risk to the others, from the sound of it. Which is good! That's good. Excellent, really. It means he can focus less on the nightmare squids and more on the portal, which is the part he's most keenly interested in. ]

Astounding. And that's despite the volatility of local spacetime? A stable portal ought to be impossible. So why yours, and not mine...?

[ He's really just thinking aloud here, glancing around for something offscreen - after a second he finds his tablet and starts poking away at it. He may not have had the equipment to run a full battery of tests, but the ones he could perform were pretty conclusive. His teleportals don't work here, and possibly never will, at least not in their current form. How do you fold spacetime when spacetime won't hold still? ]

You say this portal forms inside your body? How does that work, how do you activate it? Is it bidirectional? The sheer amount of energy you'd need -

[ An important thing to know about Qubit is that he's, like, upwards of 75% mad scientist. He's definitely getting that particular manic look in his eyes. ]

[ Ben feels... a little uneasy, when Qubit grabs a tablet and starts taking notes. But he sets that discomfort aside, for now. He hadn't missed the way Qubit said not mine, which implies there are portals that are his. He has powers, and from the sound of it, being in this place is making them not work, or else go haywire. Ben can see how that would be a frightening experience, how Qubit want to feel in control of the situation by doing research.

So, selflessly, Ben sets aside his discomfort with feeling examined and does his best to answer Qubit's questions. He can handle this, everything is just fine. ]

It does. It's somewhere around my stomach. There's a buffer zone, where the... matter, I guess, doesn't interact. They come out through my clothes but they don't get torn up and... I don't, either. Even if it, um - pretty much feels like it, every time.

[ Ben gives a little shrug, as if he hadn't just admitted the very pertinent fact that using his powers feels like being torn open, that it's excruciatingly painful, every single time he does it. ]

I- don't really know how it works, or why yours haven't been. Maybe it's because the portal is always there, just - open or closed. It doesn't need to form, it's - constant. I was born with it there. Asking how I activate it is like... asking somebody how they tense or relax a muscle. I just open it. As far as I know, it's only one way.

[ If he were being totally honest, he would mention that he thinks maybe sometimes he's seen the other side of the portal, in his dreams, but... Qubit has this look of intensity on his face now and Ben just... omits that. ]

It doesn't need any energy. I mean, it sort of wears me out, using my powers, but it's not like I have to... plug myself in, or whatever.

[ Yeeeeah, his impression about the nature of Qubit's powers may not be correct, but Ben has nonetheless read his motives with like 95% accuracy there. His broken powers have slowed him down to an agonizing degree, and on top of that he can't get his signature invention to work, either - but it's not frightening so much as infuriating. The whole situation has been playing hob with all sorts of insecurities that he was supposed to be over by now. He's an adult, for God's sake!

So having a lead - something that might lend him some insight into why his shit doesn't work, or even help him fix it - really invigorates him. Sorry, Ben. ]

No, it definitely needs energy. That just means it's not getting it from you. Something on the other side, perhaps...?

[ He taps his fingers on the table, thinking. He's noticed that he and Ben are using slightly different definitions for the same terms - to Qubit, an "open" portal is extant, and a "closed" portal is not. Creating a portal incurs a huge energy cost, but maintaining one is considerably less expensive. ]

To me, it sounds more like your portal is constantly open, and what you're really controlling is whether it's passable. But that's only speculation. Maybe with a couple of tes-

[ Mid-word, Qubit suddenly breaks into a coughing fit, and it's close to ten full seconds before it subsides. Hey genius, maybe you shouldn't talk so much with a sore throat. ]

[ Ben's uneasiness twists a bit tighter at Qubit's response. There's an air of preoccupation about him right now that is, objectively, only a little rude at worst. But all the same, it's making Ben tense as hell. He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning as Qubit corrects him about his own powers - without seeming to even notice that's what he's doing - and then nitpicks at the wording Ben is using to talk about them. Open, passable, does it really make a difference? When he does bring up his powers, he speaks about the portal as if it were a door, to make it easier for people to understand. It's all just approximations, anyway. The experience of it is a lot harder to put into definite words.

That mild irritation, however, is drowned out by an icy deluge of shock when Qubit brings up the idea of a few tests. He doesn't get through the whole word, but Ben knows what he was saying.

He waits for Qubit to finish coughing; it doesn't sound great, and Ben's pretty sure the guy is kidding himself about it being a mild head cold. There is something still and impassive and walled-off about Ben's face, now. Like he were some kind of statue, more than a person. He doesn't rush, waits until Qubit has his breath again before he answers, simply: ]

No.

[ There's no heat in it, but no apology, either. He doesn't offer explanations or excuses. The one word is eloquent enough on its own as far as he's concerned. There will be no tests.

Since there can be no possible confusion about that, Ben considers the matter settled and says: ]

That cough sounds pretty nasty. They've probably got cough syrup at the med-bay, if you need it.

[ Surprised, Qubit doesn't respond right away. Just... "no"? Just a flat, unconditional no? He probably does need to take something for this cold (if it is a cold), but don't change the subject, Ben.

He can't leave it at that, not yet. He didn't even get a chance to finish! ]

Ben, wait! It'd be nothing [ cough ] - nothing invasive. I understand that it's painful to use, but - what if I could help you fix that? For heaven's sake, don't you want to know how it all works?

[ His voice grows more urgent - not quite pleading, but pleading-adjacent. Doesn't he realize how important he is? Ben might hold the key that could let them all go home...! ]

Edited 2019-11-08 20:09 (UTC)

[ The fact that Qubit thinks Ben is refusing just because his powers are painful to use is a pretty neat demonstration of the fact that Qubit really, really doesn't know him, at all. As if he couldn't put up with a little physical pain. As if the pain he felt ever made a difference to anyone except him, and perhaps Klaus if he was sober enough to notice.

Abstractly, Ben notices that somewhere in the last few moments his heart has started racing. On the outside, he looks much the same. Perhaps a little more still than usual, but no other sign of the way fear and nausea has wormed their way into his guts.

His voice is much quieter as he repeats, just as briefly: ]

No.

[ Ben knows that tone of voice Qubit is using. The exact one. The one that tells him it's worth putting up with just a little more pain, just a little more sadness, just a little more hopelessness, for the good of his family, for the world - for his own good, even if he doesn't see it yet.

How many times had Pogo spoken to him in that voice, summoning him for another training, or series of tests, or mission where he would come back covered head-to-toe in blood? Reginald hadn't used that voice on him, very often. But most of the time, Reginald didn't ask for cooperation. He knew he would get it one way or another.

Worst of all is the fact that he feels so guilty, just for this small thing. He doesn't want to know how it works, and he's fairly positive Qubit couldn't do anything to impact his powers one way or another. But just shutting him down is so much harder than it ought to be.

He ought to explain a little, perhaps. Not much, but enough that Qubit understands this refusal isn't about him at all. But talking out loud is really not appealing right now. Needs must. Ben cuts off the video, switches to text. He'll maybe manage it, if he doesn't have to speak, if he knows Qubit isn't looking at him. ]

Best case scenario I'd have a panic attack and worst case scenario I'd accidentally kill you. I don't want to do that.

[ No. There's no retort, no reason, no justification. Just unconditional refusal. In that brief moment before Ben hangs up, Qubit abruptly notices how still he's gone... and remembers a couple of things Ben told him earlier.

I've got some, like... stuff about cameras and being spied on and whatever. I had a codename back in the day, but it was 'The Horror' ...

This isn't coming out of nowhere, he realizes. What happened to you, Ben?

... And in the same vein, nice job, Qubit, you got too excited about the science and forgot to consider the part where the "subject" is a human person with feelings. Again. It takes him a moment to formulate his reply. ]

All right.

I apologize, Ben. I overstepped there.

[ Ben's relief when Qubit backs off and stops trying to convince him is so intense it's like a physical force. He's glad the camera is off now so Qubit can't see him slumping forward, burying his face in his hands for a few seconds, just breathing and getting his head sorted out.

Who would've thought it would be so hard, such a tiny act of resistance? Harder than psychotic gunmen and ravenous zombies and mutated cow monsters? ]

It's okay.
You didn't know.
And you didn't do anything wrong by asking.
I just can't.

[ A brief pause and then he adds: ]

I'm sorry.

No need to be. You didn't do wrong in saying no, either. That's your right.

[ Informed consent is the ground rule of ethical research. Ben's chosen not to consent, so that's the end of it.

... Not to say Qubit isn't disappointed, but he'll get over it. There's always another way, always. And finding it is what he does. ]

Take care, Ben.

[ There is still so much unresolved here - Ben still doesn't know exactly what Qubit's powers are, whether he'd always had them or not, and a dozen or more other questions. But he's in such a state now that continuing the conversation in any way feels impossible - so he is grateful once again when Qubit reassures him he's not going to bear a grudge over this, and gives him an out to end the conversation.

Another time, perhaps, he will explain his reaction. Another time, he will make it up to Qubit and learn more about him. Right now, he's going to just.... find the book he was halfway through reading and bury himself in it until he forget he is himself for a little while.

But he isn't going to do that without saying goodbye. ]

Thank you.
I hope you feel better soon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

video; @Qubit

@lazarus | video --> private

video (private)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

--> text

--> text

no subject

no subject

no subject