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Who: Mosley (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
complices), England (unionjackoff) and some surprise guests.
When: OOC: 1/6, IC: 5/3 at 10 PM
Where: The research tower, where nothing ever bad happens ever.
What: England's been hired by CERES as a Test Subject. They've finally come to collect.
Rating/Warning: Heavy gore and death. This log is the product of player and mod contact. Please feel free to contact the mods at any time if you would like to interact with the NPCs. We're always open!
[ At night, the research tower is a beaming beacon of light in the middle of a rather dark district. The surrounding buildings power down and with the medical facility and the police department being just a bit too far away, it leaves the tower as one of the only open buildings during the evening within a wide span of city blocks. To some, this is a reassuring sight. To others, it is not.
As scheduled with England, Mosley will be one of the lone figures in the lobby of the research tower this evening with most of the staff having gone home hours before. Instead of standing and waiting by the elevators as is typical of him, he is sitting on top of the reception desk, legs crossed and swinging underneath him as he waits. The only sound in the lobby is the slight buzzing of the lights overhead and the steady thump of his feet hitting the back of the desk. He seems to be busy with his CereVice.
The other figure in that lobby tonight is a reception-bot, sitting behind Mosley at the desk and staring straight at the door. Once in a while, it glances towards Mosley but otherwise keeps staring at the door. They both seem to be waiting for something. ]
complices), England (unionjackoff) and some surprise guests.When: OOC: 1/6, IC: 5/3 at 10 PM
Where: The research tower, where nothing ever bad happens ever.
What: England's been hired by CERES as a Test Subject. They've finally come to collect.
Rating/Warning: Heavy gore and death. This log is the product of player and mod contact. Please feel free to contact the mods at any time if you would like to interact with the NPCs. We're always open!
[ At night, the research tower is a beaming beacon of light in the middle of a rather dark district. The surrounding buildings power down and with the medical facility and the police department being just a bit too far away, it leaves the tower as one of the only open buildings during the evening within a wide span of city blocks. To some, this is a reassuring sight. To others, it is not.
As scheduled with England, Mosley will be one of the lone figures in the lobby of the research tower this evening with most of the staff having gone home hours before. Instead of standing and waiting by the elevators as is typical of him, he is sitting on top of the reception desk, legs crossed and swinging underneath him as he waits. The only sound in the lobby is the slight buzzing of the lights overhead and the steady thump of his feet hitting the back of the desk. He seems to be busy with his CereVice.
The other figure in that lobby tonight is a reception-bot, sitting behind Mosley at the desk and staring straight at the door. Once in a while, it glances towards Mosley but otherwise keeps staring at the door. They both seem to be waiting for something. ]
no subject
England appears at 10 pm sharp, dressed casually. he's long since gotten off from work and changed out of his fancy waiter's uniform into slacks and the typical cardigan that he usually wears. even with the weather always sunny in Cerealia, he's wearing something which could be considered stuffy. at least he left the tie at home.
he'd actually arrived a few minutes before 10, in order to psyche himself up. England has no idea as to what CERES has planned for him this night, but he doesn't think it will be good. the words test subject bring images to mind, and none of them pleasant. he isn't worried about the pain, just worried about the resulting effects. as a being that has never died before, that, too, is a scary thought that he must take into consideration. he has to keep reminding himself that this is necessary, a way to get him involved with CERES. of course that has been England's goal all along, to gather information. whatever he sees here tonight will be cataloged for later.
because of the uncertain nature of this meeting, England gave strict orders to his fairy friend to stay at home, and promised it that he would return soon. England doesn't know how soon, but, he knew he'd come back eventually!
?so when he walks into the research tower that night, it is with outward confidence, and inward trepidation. he sees Mosley sitting on the desk....... swinging his legs...... what a weird guy he is]
Good evening. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.
no subject
In person, Mosley is perhaps stranger than he is via text. The bleach white hair, and equally as white skin makes him nearly blend into the background of the sterile lobby. He's expressionless, voice flat and unwavering. It's a wonder someone so static could be... well, who he is. ]
There's always work to be done, Mr. England. You needn't worry about me. Have you eaten? I can have some sandwiches brought up with us. Just tell me what you prefer and they'll be there as soon as possible.
[ And as if on cue, the elevator immediately opens for the both of them to go inside. Coming along, England? ]
no subject
Ah, I had dinner, and then tea just a short while ago. So, I'm not hungry. [even if he was, England believes he probably wouldn't be able to keep anything down. he's too nervous. thank god he's a good bluffer, one of the best] Thanks, though.
no subject
Quite prepared, aren't you? What do you imagine we'll have you doing tonight? I always like to ask, to get an outside take on the situation.
no subject
I've had a few ideas. [he finally says after thinking for a couple seconds] Trying new products, or ViViD levels, maybe testing space-travel or weaponry... I imagine whatever it is, it would be for the benefit of the colony.
no subject
I can promise you that this is for the benefit of the colony. No levels or weapons tonight but if you're still willing, we'd love to have you aboard later on. It's actually quite hard to find someone willing to test out ViViD levels which, I suppose, is why they're so prone to the problems they run into. Hm, should probably work on that, huh?
[ The elevators ding open then and Mosley heads right out into the hallway. There's a reception desk right across from the elevator doors but no one is sitting at it right now and to their right is a set of larger wooden doors. Mosley heads right to them, opening one and letting England follow along.
Welcome to Mosley's office! Right across from the doors is a large wall of windows, overlooking all of Cerealia and even past it, towards the jungle. There's a desk there, with it's back to the windows and it seems to be Mosley's main workplace. The rest of the walls are lined with bookshelves filled to the brim with books in a vast array of different languages. To their right is a small seating area with couches and a coffee table and to their left is a refreshment bar. On the floor of the room is a big blue rug with the CERES logo.
Mosley heads straight towards his desk, sitting at the chair behind it and gesturing for England to take a seat at one of the chairs in front. ]
no subject
ah, enough staring. he nods a thanks to Mosley and takes a seat in the chair in front of the desk]
no subject
Now, you're more than welcome to sit here and read through this if you'd like but I assure you it's all very simple. These documents are to protect the both of us from harm, within it includes medical release forms so if something were to happen to you during a test, we have your permission to bring you straight to a hospital. It also includes a confidentiality agreement considering some things you might see while working with us are things we would not like our business rivals to know, haha! It's all pretty standard fare, but as you know, legal jargon does tend to be very ... thick.
[ A look towards the massive size of the pile. ]
You'll have to mark off your initials certain places but they're all marked and then you can add your signature to the last page. I've already signed it, so after this we can get right to work.
no subject
But the thing is, England already knows what he's getting into. Perhaps not every component, but he knows it's bound to hurt him somehow. And that's not the part that worries him.
He flips a few pages in, skimming one until he finds a place to initial. Like Mosley said, what he sees is standard, a medical release form. Then his eyes flick back up to the white man]
Business rivals? [a light smirk] Are there other companies competing with CERES? [because CERES had their name on everything in Cerealia, it seemed]
no subject
Mr. England, the galaxy is far and wide and much larger than your scope of things. It is without doubt that there is some company out there that wants to have what CERES has and will use any means to take it. We've very lucky to be the dominant force here on Tellus but before Cerealia and after Cerealia, there will always be a CERES out there and someone who would prefer if we weren't.
no subject
he chuckles nervously as he looks for more places to initial. dammit, man, he scolds himself. you're not thinking clearly, get your head in the game! this is no time to lose concentration]
...Of course. I wasn't even thinking about the rest of the galaxy. [that makes him wonder, though, how far does CERES' influence reach? is CERES only on Tellus, or were there outposts on other planets? sheesh, space-travel... he feels like he's in an episode of Doctor Who, or something.
man, how cool would that be?
England finally comes to the last page and there it is, the line for his signature. he stares at it for a few seconds, mouth going dry, heart thumping in his ears. there was still time to turn back, to get cold feet. but England's pride is too great to back out now. he feels the need to do this, to get involved, to learn some of CERES' secrets, and this is the only way he knows how. he is no stranger to doing things alone.
each moment that passes seems like an eternity. at last, he is penning his name, England, Arthur Kirkland in neat, tight cursive. then he adds the date, the third of May. his stomach lurches and he sighs, placing the pen down once he is finished]
no subject
That looks to be in order. Now, I need to explain something to you. As CERES has explained before in our interactions with you and the other residents of the colony, you've been extracted here from your world to Tellus as pieces of code and with code comes to ability to rewrite it.
[ He pauses, to let that sink in. ]
Legally, I have to inform you of this after you've signed the document. It's explained in our little contract here what has just transpired but it is also my job as the liaison between CERES and the public to also explain these matters to you during this exchange. Part of our confidentiality agreement is the rewriting of your code. Not to an extreme amount, no, but only so you are incapable of actually sharing what happened and what will happen today to anyone but a representative of CERES. Namely, me.
[ Mosley reaches forward to grab that nice looking pen from earlier. He presses it to a piece of paper to write and yet, unlike with England, no ink comes out. ]
This pen is a tool to rewrite it. As you wrote your signature, it tapped into your code to edit the parts of you that are relevant to this exchange. Of course, it does not work for me since I am not code. But for you, it's an entirely different matter.
[ He sets down the pen and folds his hands again, looking back to England. ]
If this is upsetting to you, you're more than welcome to express it here. That's why I brought you up here early, just in case you had questions.
[ He lifts a hand to check his watch then. 10:34 PM. ]
We have a bit of time before we have to go, after all.
no subject
he should have just tried to sneak into the bloody place as opposed to attempting infiltrate it]
...Can't say I'm surprised. [by now, his smile has faded, replaced by a cool stare. he can't even complain, because he signed the damn paper himself. he literally rewrote his own code, or gave CERES the authorization to do so] I suppose the only question I have for you, then, is, what other parts of me did it change? And will there be any other changes in the future?
[Mosley has been fairly honest with him up until this point...]
no subject
CERES has only prevented you from speaking about certain topics. A gag order, but in a literal sense. We don't have any incentive to stop you doing anything else without prior agreement. You offered yourself, CERES accepted. Simple as that.
[ He drops his hand again, returning to his eerily still position. ]
As a test subject, you've given up a certain amount of agency to CERES. Of course, it's only collected during prior agreed times. You're welcome to live your day to day life just as you usually do but for instance, tonight, we'll be using you for something we've had planned for a while. Something I'm quite excited about! You won't be able to talk about what happens to any of the other residents of the colony but think of it like a job. You've worked in government before, Mr. England, surely you don't spill your secrets over a beer at your local pub? It's the same logic there, but in a literal sense. We won't ask more of you unless you offer it.
no subject
so CERES has found a way to keep their secrets. it's quite clever, actually. but still irritating. he closes his eyes for a brief moment, inhaling through his nose. he needs to calm down, to remember his mission. even if he won't be able to share what he sees, some good will come out of this... maybe?
when he opens his eyes again, England looks much calmer]
It's not like I was planning on discussing this with anyone in the first place. No one I associate with would be pleased to hear that I volunteered to be a test subject.
no subject
That's something to deal with in your own time, isn't it? Do you have any more questions about tonight before we start?
no subject
I still don't know what it is, exactly, that we're doing. So that is my next question, I suppose.
no subject
I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise but tonight, it's less about you as a person and more so needing a body to fill in for something. When I explain to you and your fellow residents that there are certain things that occur on this planet that you don't need to involve yourself in, I mean it with my whole being. To keep Tellus, and by extension Cerealia, as stable as it is, there are certain things CERES has to constantly do in the background to keep things afloat. It's part of my job.
Now, the need for secrecy is important here. There's a certain practice native to this planet and the... well, I'll call them what they call themselves -- Gods -- have asked us to uphold in exchange for our living here. We didn't for quite some time because of... a variety of different reasons. Lack of volunteers, lack of acceptable volunteers, the entire practice being distasteful. That kind of thing. In turn, we kept their Bridge here so they would be incapable of demanding what they had been.
[ And now, he looks kind of annoyed. The monotone breaks then and he actually does sound peeved. ]
Of course, with her being free once more and you're part to blame for that, Mr England, they're demanding what they feel owed. Now, we have to give into their demands or they'll do something irrational like flood the colony and kidnap everyone again. I don't want that to happen, nor should you, which is why your offer comes at the best time for both of us!
[ He stops then, thinking over what he just said. ]
Oh, I suppose I didn't give you an actual answer, did I? Well, to put it to a point. The Bridge and her rag tag group of idiots wants us to do something for them because we're living here. If we don't do it, they'll kill everyone because no, they are not benevolent and as trustworthy as everyone seems to think. I've seen those shrines! Why do you think we leave them there? Because if we touch them, bad things will happen. Ugh.
Either way, we need you to solve our problem and we will pay you lots of money for helping us. Does that sound good, Mr Engand?
no subject
[of all the things Mosley could have answered with, England was not expecting this. What even was this? He listens, dumbfounded, eyes growing wider with each new revelation. Briefly, he is reminded of his conversation with Chibi and the ghosts, and how CERES is proving themselves to be involved with more than just science. This... This is kind of getting out of hand.
For a moment, England feels numb. He's drawing his own conclusions, and they are not good ones. Not that he ever thought they would be. He knew this whole ordeal wouldn't be good.
It takes him a moment to realize that Mosley is asking him a question, and he returns from his daze. So many questions to ask, where does he start? When he speaks, his voice is tight] Are you suggesting... A sacrifice?
no subject
Well, that's a bit jumping the firearm but I suppose that's what typically happens in other universes, yes?
[ He lifts a hand to show a small gap between his pointer finger and thumb. ]
A tiny one. Don't worry, it'll be as quick as I can make it.