TEST DRIVE #10 - Cetacean Pool and Ten Forward

[tenforward_m]

#1

Option 001. Cetacean Pool/Aquatics Lab: Of all the places in the world, you open your eyes and you find yourself in a medium-sized aquatics laboratory, filled with various living specimens along with various science officers bustling about trying to maintain order. There's much to explore here (and hopefully, in the crew's opinion, not break), but the main attraction is the large pool at the far end of the lab; enormous but tanklike in appearance, it contains several dolphins happily swimming about, seemingly without a care in the world.


2

Option 002. Aboard the Enterprise, Ten Forward: You have no idea what just happened. One minute you were home, and now you're on a spaceship, in the middle of a crowded room. It looks like a bar. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens.

You've managed to land in Ten Forward a long bar with barstools and a bartender, tables sprinkled throughout, and the far wall is nothing but windows out to space. It looks like a nice lounge, low conversation making the room hum.

Better ask some questions and find out where you are, or just tap the closest person on the shoulder and try to make friends. The bar is open.

Comments

[evolutionaryman]

Scott stared at her, then stared downward at the child now clinging to him. He started to pat her head, and then she said...

"Daddy?" He stared wildly at her, then at Emma, and gaped.

"Wait, what?"

[evolutionaryman]

"I just got here, yeah. From home." He glanced at her. Hadn't tried to leave? What? "You think you could build something to get people home, and you haven't? Why not? How long have you been here?" Was she experiencing space dementia?

He stared at her as she spoke and he wondered for a moment if she was crazy. "A space... dirigible? And interesting pen? "

He was lost, very lost.

[diamonds_are_forever]

Emma sighed and rubbed her temples. "Miss Frost is inaccurate. I am now Mrs. Summers, though that situation may be over, soon." She went back and forth about changing back to her maiden name. Faith Frost sounded awful.

"Faith, darling, please come back. That's not your father. He's just. . . similar." Her voice sounded regretful. It was too bad Faith missed Scott. She was better off without him.

[evolutionaryman]

Scott blinked, then nodded slowly, unsure how that had happened. And, okay, then. Erm... he blinked at her and then around them. He gently patted Faith's head, and blinked down at her.

"Sorry?" He still had no clue where they were, or what was going on, but at least he was now confused about what was going on with her, as well?

"Ah... how long have you been here?"

[agathaheterodyne]

"Well, I figured Tarvek and Gil would have found me by now, and they need the practice working together, so I am content to wait. So long as they don't kill each other without me there to referee, there is no law of physics those two couldn't bend to their will...if only they would put their devious minds to a common goal, rather than to bickering."

Not that there were many laws of physics that could stand up to her but that was neither here nor there.

"Anyway, most people I've met seem content enough to be here, once they've settled in. For me... there is so much technology I've never seen before. Even if they wont let me near the engines and stopped me from taking apart the walls, there is still so much to LEARN! I mean look here," she waved to the dolphins. "Dolphins. On a dirigible. But however they're adapted.... I've yet to be able to fathom," she whispered, not intending the pun.

"I mean, if this were back at the university or on Castle Wulfenbach, I'd expect them to have suits to keep them moist and a way to travel the ship, or devices to help them speak human... but here... as far as I can tell.... they're just dolphins. I've never seen a pure dolphin before! Can you just imagine? A science so strong it is indistinguishable from nature? I mean, even human constructs tend to have stitching, or mismatched eyes or... something... that shows you they weren't born naturally. But these... whatever was done to them... seamless. Flawless." No, it has not occurred to her that they were just... dolphins.

She glanced back. "Yeah, I met someone and he thought it would be more useful to build a pen. I did offer him a nice death ray, can never have too many of those, but he preferred a pen that changed ink depending on your mood. I warned him it would have a slow learning curve, but he still seemed so surprised when it asked him his mood..."

[fuckingblind]

Harmless so far. What if he suddenly decided to be a little less than harmless?

Danny doesn't generally use it. Hell, half the time he doesn't even keep it on him. He knows most of the places he goes to by heart. Outside of helping him find his way, it lets other people know that he is, in fact, blind. He doesn't like people knowing it though. He doesn't like the pity.

"Nice to meet you, Trunks."

[fighting4afuture]

Then Trunks would take it upon himself to deal with it. Insane cosmic power or no, not much could take a hit from a pissed off Super Saiyan.

He's not pitying--he knows that looks are decieving, and a disability doesn't necessarily mean that he would like anyone to think of him that way. Trunks knew he wouldn't. And one of the strongest people he ever knew had been missing an arm.

"Nice to meet you too, Danny." He smiles. "Would be nice if it were under better circumstances though."

Dr. Archie Hopper aka Jiminy Cricket | Once Upon a Time

[contocricket]

[OPTION 2]

It had been a long, hard week in Storybrooke. With the possibility of things ramping up again (hopefully not another Dark Curse or worse), everyone had decided that the person they needed to talk to for answers wasn't the sheriff, wasn't the mayor (who was currently AWOL anyway), wasn't the Charmings, but was the town psychiatrist/conscience. And many of them were not satisfied with a "I don't know, but panicking isn't the answer."

He'd tried getting in touch with the Charmings to give him something to work with, but the royals had been evasive and wouldn't look him in the eye. Something bad was brewing in Storybrooke for sure.

He closed his eyes as he took a sip of whiskey. At least he was finally home and he had a few hours before people would start knocking on his door or calling his cellphone. Stars bless Sunday mornings in Storybrooke.

He set his drink down, initially missing the side table he kept by the chair. Huh. Apparently he'd pushed his chair back quite a bit when he'd dropped down into it. He'd have to get up and fix that. Those his chair didn't seem quite as comfortable as he knew it to be. Probably because he was so tired.

Pongo gave a whine, pressing close to his legs.

"I'm okay, boy. Give me a second while I--"

He cut himself off as he opened his eyes and looked at where he was. He wasn't home at all. He was at a table in some sort of futuristic bar by one of the large windows. He slowly turned his head towards the window to look out to see empty blackness periodically pierced by distant stars.

The Dalmatian gave another whine as Archie absently reached down to scratch the dog's ears.

"I don't think we're in Storybrooke anymore, Pongo."

[sf_girl_friday]

((ooc: I'm squeeing over someone playing Danny))

Janice was still processing what had happened. One moment she was buried in PADDs, trying to finish up her paperwork and the next she was in a lounge on another ship.

She was about to ask the bartender what was going on when she heard a familiar voice. Or one that she assumed was familiar. Scooping up the PADD that had tagged along with her, she turned toward the speaker.

Kirk. Although he wasn't in uniform for some reason when they both had been on duty moments before. Moving toward him, she glanced around to see if any other members of the crew were nearby but it seemed that they were the only ones that were in the lounge.

Or she was the only one... as Jan drew closer, she realized whoever he was, he wasn't Kirk. But the resemblance was enough to cause to falter, staring for longer than she should before she snapped out of her shock. "I'm not sure where we are." Jan was certain that it was a ship but it wasn't the Enterprise. "Or how exactly we got here."

[goldencobra]

By the large window was a small boy. Well, almost a man now. He'd grown a lot since his first arrival on this ship. He was spending part of his time simply looking out at the stars and the other part thumbing through notes and books before him. Henry didn't like PADDs.

But the name 'Pongo' caught his ear and he turned. Smiling, he packed up his belongings and thrust them into his backpack, moving to sit down next to the psychiatrist and ex-cricket.

"Hey Doctor Hopper. You're right to think we're not in Storybrooke." He offered his hand to Pongo as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

Archieeeeeee

[seekingcrocodile]

He spends a lot of time here, still hoping that he'll be able to find some real alcohol on this ship (he's heard rumors! He knows it's here somewhere and he refuses to ask Gold for any), but at least he's got something that tastes close enough to the real thing than he can pretend most of the time. Also he spends a lot of time here because he's got nothing else to do, and doesn't understand technology, but bars and drinking he does understand.

He sees the cricket -- what's his name, Dr. Hopper? He hasn't seen the man since he held him prisoner on his ship over a year ago -- and hears the name Storybrooke to confirm that this is in fact someone he knows. By now he's figured out that not everyone comes from the same time, or even the same Storybrooke, so he doesn't know if this man will even know him.

Either way, he can be helpful, and attempt to make up for the fact that he was holding the man prisoner on his ship.

"You're not even in the same time as Storybrooke. It would seem we're several hundred years in the future."

[contocricket]

"Henry?"

Archie watched as Pongo gave Henry's hand a sniff before licking it enthusiastically. However, he was more focused on how much Henry had apparently changed along with what he'd called the former cricket.

"You haven't called me 'Dr. Hopper' since I told you it was all right to call me 'Archie' in our first session. And you're...older. What's going on?"

Re: Dr. Archie Hopper aka Jiminy Cricket | Once Upon a Time

[savedbylove]

Emma was at a table eating breakfast when she saw Pongo first and then Archie. She smiled. It had been a long time since she had seen Archie.

"Archie?" She said, standing up, and going over to the pair, leaning down and scratching the dogs ears. "It's good to see you, and no you're not. You are aboard the starship Enterprise."

'Sup, Hook?!

[contocricket]

Unfortunately for Hook, Archie did know him and did remember. He tensed as the pirate spoke to him, Pongo starting to get to his feet. He quieted the Dalmatian before they caused a scene.

"Hoo--Killian," Archie greeted nervously, correcting himself. Killian. The man went by Killian now.

To be honest, it wasn't pure chance that kept them from seeing each other. The pirate made the cricket nervous as he was a reminder of that time aboard the Jolly Roger.

[goldencobra]

Well that explained a few things. Henry sighed, stroking Pongo absently. "We've been transported here against our will. There's a man calling himself Q and he's very powerful. Even more so than Da--than the Dark One." No need to confuse the man either further.

"Welcome to the the starship Enterprise NCC 1701-D. Also, a few hundred years into the future."

He'd deal with the man's confusion about the situation first, then talk about timelines.

[contocricket]

Archie gave a wince as Pongo's tail smacked into his legs enthusiastically when the dog wagged it. (Really, was it any surprise anything breakable was kept above Pongo's height?)

He then looked at Emma, stunned. "A starship? Like...outer space?"

Definitely not what he'd expected.

[contocricket]

The obvious interruption of "dad" before swapping it to "the Dark One" was strange. Archie freely admitted to not being the smartest guy in the room, but he was good at listening and figuring out what someone might have said.

Why would Henry refer to Gold as "dad"?

"We're on a spaceship?"

[goldencobra]

Henry nodded. "Yup. It's pretty cool. We're not the only ones either. There's people from Storybrooke but also people from so many other worlds. It's just a shame we forget when we go home."

He pondered for a moment. "You could find a lot of work here, Doctor."

[contocricket]

"There's no need to go fishing for clients for me," Archie weakly joked. "Especially if I'll only end up forgetting them if I get home."

[goldencobra]

"You should ask Ezri. She's been fishing around in my head the way I'd expect you to even since I got here. Though, I was a different person back then. I've grown up a lot."

That would more likely confuse the man than anything else but Henry couldn't think of anything better to say. He wanted to stay clear of the timelines for as long as possible.

He promises to behave from now on (as long as your name's not Gold)

[seekingcrocodile]

"You have no cause to be concerned. I do not mean either of you any harm." Even back then, it had all been Cora's idea. He hadn't even known that there was someone else in town who might have information he wanted. "I doubt this means much now, but I would have released you if Belle had not done so."

[contocricket]

"I can't argue with that. Last time I saw you, you were a bit younger. Why is that?"

[goldencobra]

Henry sighed. He had to now, didn't he? "Well, sometimes we don't come here from the same point in time that others did. What can you tell me about the events that had happened in Storybrooke before you left?"

Lucky cricket!

[contocricket]

Archie wondered if that would've been before or after he'd gotten what he wanted. Well, it was a moot point now. Or at least Archie was trying to convince himself it was.

"I'm relieved to-to hear that though g-given what's happened in Storybrooke since my...stay...on your ship," he began slowly, trying to control the urge to stutter, "I know that w-would've been unlikely."

[contocricket]

An alternate timeline? Like what Hook and Emma might've changed when they went back to the past? Or was this Henry just from his own future?

Ugh, he was barely thinking about it, and time travel made his head hurt.

"Ah, well, a lot's happened. Um, your mother--your adoptive mother--had asked me to take you as a patient because she was worried about you seeing her as the Evil Queen from Snow White's story and that the town was under a curse which actually was the truth," Archie explained slowly, watching Henry for a reaction. "Emma broke the curse when she woke you from the Sleeping Curse Regina accidentally put you under when you ate an apple turnover intended for Emma. She and Mary Margaret were sent back to the Enchanted Forest for a while and Gold and Regain brought magic back to Storybrooke, and you, Gold, and Emma even found Gold's son Neal, your father.

"Later on you were captured and taken to Neverland. Both of your mothers got you back with Hoo-Killian's help along with Gold and Neal, but Gold ended up getting killed by Pan and everyone was sent back to the Enchanted Forest for a year except you and Emma. Because you were born in the Land Without Magic, you couldn't go back, so Regina cast a spell to change you and Emma's memories to believe that Emma had never given you up. We ended up coming back to Storybrooke with no memories of that year because of a second dark curse which was cast by your grandparents to bring us back in order to stop the Wicked Witch. The Witch, Zelena, had tampered with it so we wouldn't remember and she could cast a spell to go back and change the past."

He ran a hand through his hair and picked up his drink, freezing as he remembered it was alcohol and setting it back down. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Killian got Emma to remember but there wasn't enough memory potion for both of you. However, Regina managed to break the second curse and restore your memories. She also managed to stop Zelena. Unfortunately Neal died because he brought back Gold, and the price was his life. Then we had friends from the kingdom of Arendelle end up stuck with us for a while because of the Snow Queen, and...well...things were calm for a while, but Ursula and Cruella are now in town...and they brought back Maleficent."