exsilium | An Extra Life [Open]

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An Extra Life [Open]

| SUBJECT 73207, RETRACE INITIALIZING...
| EVERETT FULCRUM FOUND, PHYSICAL EXTRACTION COMMENCING IN 3... 2... 1...
| EXTRACTION COMPLETE, RETRACING VITAL QUINTESSENCE DEPARTURE POINT...
| FINAL SYNCHRONICITY READY.

| PRESS START.

[The last thing Sonic remembers is poison. He'd felt poisoned, sick, something... His head throbbed, he was sick to his stomach, stumbling, and staring down the twitching, reanimating bodies of his little friends in the square. Now oversized green eyes squint open against clinical, bright lights.]

[What happened? Where WAS he? Thanks to the method of reanimation the Initiative used, he had no notion of what had happened to him after that. In a way that was a merciful thing, but someone will eventually have to tell him, as paces in the observation room of the medical ward. They're not letting him go just yet. Just in case they pulled him too late, and he's still a carrier.]

[Video]

[The backdrop behind Sonic a glowing blue wall, a forcefield that wraps a corner. Looks like he's in some sort of confinement field.]

Oh man... I dunno what those guys did to me, but my head's a mess... hey, is everyone all right? What happened after the animals went berzerk? I don't really remember... it's all fuzzy...

[Action]

[Certainly those who know him, would have found out that he'd been various iterations of dead in the past twenty-four hours. And of them, certainly those who wanted to can see him now. They'll just have to talk to him through the false glass of a forcefield.]

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[ She's never seen someone like this before; that's enough to garner her curiosity in a city like this one. He doesn't seem to be in the best shape, either, causing Holly to feel a pang of sympathy. ]

You were attacked by the animals?

[ She still wasn't sure what had happened, why the animals had gone berserk like that, but she wanted to find out. ]

I WAS bitten, yeah. But they didn't hurt me that bad! Not bad enough to keep me in here... [He grumps. Impatient hedgehog is impatient. He really really wants to get out of that box.]

They were falling sick. I dunno, maybe I caught it then. I don't remember much before blacking out.

So it was some sort of disease?

Yeah. They all got sick and just... kind of lost the will to live.

[His ears fold back, remembering the little critters' listless bodies on the cold stone floor.]

But it didn't... I don't think it worked that way with me.

It must act differently between species. [ That being said, she still didn't know what to make of this talking ... hedgehog? ] Mind if I ask you a personal question?

Huh...? Oh yeah, sure, shoot.

What's your race called?

I'm a hedgehog. [The reply lacks its usual enthusiasm because, well... Not really feelin' it today.]

What about you?

[ A slight pause; it would be easy enough to lie, considering there's no video feed or anything, but fair's fair, and at least this guy isn't a human. ]

Elf.

You know, we didn't have your type where I'm from.

[ There'd been hedgehogs, all right, but not talking ones. ]

I bet you get that a lot.

Usually I make people guess. It's hilarious. I've been called everything from a weasel to a cactus!

[ There's now a tone of amusement to her voice? ]

Really? A cactus? Were they blind?

I guess they couldn't get around these things. [He lifts and lets fall his top spike with a soft rattle of quills.] But a blue cactus? Really?

Yeah, really. That's why I asked. I mean, I think it's pretty obvious. [ That you're not a cactus, at least. She's not sure she would've got 'hedgehog' straight away. ]

[Hey, he looks a little like... Tori shakes her head, then focuses on the backdrop.]

Whatever happened, it looks like it ended with trouble for you.

[He looks kind of scruffy right now, yeah. He scratches behind an ear, jostling a quill that's already frayed and out of place.]

Sure looks like it. These guys aren't sayin' too much yet. They wanna make sure I make it. Problem is, I dunno what it is they're so worried about... maaaan, I hate being stuck!

[Said non-sequitor because it's constantly in his mind. He frowns at the forcefield behind him.]

[Huh. For someone who reminds her so much of Shadow, this guy is really different.]

Not someone who likes to feel trapped, huh? [She can relate to that, though probably in a different way.]

[He paces a little, still carrying the phone at conversation level.]

You can say that again! But I'm really only staying here 'cuz I don't wanna break their stuff tryin' to get out. They keep me in the dark, though, and I can't guarantee that's not gonna happen!

[Huh, maybe he's not so unlike Shadow after all.]

So, uh... I don't know if we've met before. I'm Sonic.

I don't think we have, though you remind me a great deal of someone I knew. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Sonic. My name's Tori!

[Tamora looks absolutely flabbergasted. Wait-- does this mean they are capable of regenerating here? This isn't even a game at all, let alone their home games; how is that even possible? After staring a moment, she schools her expression into something slightly less shocked.]

Sonic? [An almost incredulous shake of her head, and then she ventures a bit of a smile. He doesn't seem to remember what happened, which is a bit of a double-edged blade. Well, one thing at a time.] Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?

[He perks up when he hears Tamora's voice.]

Calhoun? Eheh, hi. Sorry you gotta see me like this... hey, you know how the joke goes: you oughtta see the other guy!

[Sonic. SHE WAS THE OTHER GUY.]

Don't worry, I'll get outta here soon... something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.

Don't apologize; let's just say you look better in blue than green.

[She makes a bit of a face then--yeah, she was the other guy, but that's... ultimately neither here nor there. She pauses, then puts a filter on the rest of the conversation. It's not news she really wants to have to give, but she's not the type to sugar-coat things.]

I'm presuming you're probably not allowed visitors. You really don't remember what happened, do you? [It's not really a question--the answer is pretty obvious.] I don't really know if I should say you owe me a drink or if I owe you one.

[He notices the shift to PRIVATE, but doesn't say anything until she's done speaking. He has his suspicions already, and she hasn't even said anything salient yet but her tone speaks volumes.]

You know what happened? Did I, I... okay, tell you what. No matter what you tell me right now, when I get out of here tonight we can go buy each other a drink.

Normally I wouldn't, [drink that is] but uh... these aren't exactly normal circumstances.

All I know is how it ended, actually, but I can say it wasn't my proudest moment any more than it was yours. Frankly I'm surprised to see you--usually 'zombie' isn't an affliction people recover from.

So I really was a zombie? I had a feeling it was somethin' like that. I started feeling sick after the little guys started moving around again. I thought I was seein' things!

[He'd HOPED he was seeing things.]

And you... stopped me, didn't you? [He pauses, green eyes carting to the side for a moment, then he gains a wan smile that doesn't look quite right on him.] ...Hey. Thanks.

[Well. He's taking this a little better than she expected.]

I knew those critters were bad news, but I don't think anybody had an inkling just how bad. [Obviously none of them were familiar enough with House of the Dead to know better. Oh well.

[She doesn't like that smile, though. She's worn one like it a few too many times: it's a veiled apology hidden beneath a layer of shame. She knows all too well how it feels to have screwed up, and to have let people down in the process.]

You don't have to thank me--it's my job to keep people safe, regardless of what, or who, presents the threat.

For what it's worth, it's good to see you pulled through. Taking down a familiar face never gets any easier.

[She really wants to ask about how regeneration works here, but she's not sure how to phrase it that won't sound suspicious. She's already having a bit of a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that she's on the other side of the screen. She's not sure why Sonic doesn't seem to realize he's a program, a game character, but maybe that's how things work in other arcades. It isn't her place to change his perspective.

[She can't deny the curiosity, though.]

Pulled through? These guys tell me I didn't! They brought me back! It's kind of a common thing here, but I didn't think they'd keep me in a breadbox for a full twenty-four hours afterwards. I dunno, maybe it has to do with how they fixed me up or--

No, no wait. I was a zombie, right? So... yeah, they wanted to make sure that didn't happen again, I guess.

[It's kind of weird to speak about yourself posthumously. It's the refuge in audacity that keeps him from getting too weirded out here.]

Wait, they... [She pauses, unsure of how to even begin to wrap her head around this. Outside of your home game, the engine isn't programmed to allow you to respawn, but... on this side of the screen there's no contingency for that sort of thing at all! Players only get one life. So she's really not sure what to think now.] How... did they do that?

[She sort of rubs her head then, waving a hand.] I guess it's really not important, in the end. [Whatever happened, there's no way to know how consistent it is. She's still not convinced death here isn't permanent; zombies are kind of a special situation.]

I dunno the specifics. But hey, guess I can't complain too bad; it beats being a zombie.

Hey. I gotta know one way or the other... I didn't hurt anyone like that, did I?

Right, ultimately all's well that ends well, really. I feel like asking for the nitty-gritty's just asking for a migraine to go with it.

[She hesitates then, frowning. She's not one to sugar-coat things, but sometimes she wishes she had a better knack for it.]

I can't really say what happened before I found you, but I can tell you I didn't see you injure anybody beyond repair. I saw you throw a guy against a wall before I... distracted you.

I guess that's the best I can ask for... Thanks. I mean, who knows what would a happened if you hadn't been there.

[Again, the tone is cheerful but in a conciliatory way. He scratches at the back of his neck nervously, then thinks of something and gains a small smile all over again.]

So... about that drink.

[She shakes her head.] I already told you: thanks aren't necessary. I was just doing my duty. I would hope that anybody'd do the same. [She offers him a bit of a smile.] But yeah, about that drink. Tell you what, when you get out of that breadbox, the first round's on me, and we'll take it from there, okay?

[Really, she's relieved. Even if she doesn't quite understand what exactly happened or how he survived (or was brought back?), she's never relished in taking a life. Killing cy-bugs is one thing, but killing people (even if they're hedgehogs) is an entirely different beast, and one she always hates to have to tangle with the idea of.]

You got it! I'll send you a message as soon as I'm outta here.

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An Extra Life [Open]

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