exsilium | 02. [video]

[The face of a man about sixty-five years old appears on screen. He's squinting at the blasted device through glasses that he's very glad he kept, but he would still struggle to make a text post at the moment---not with his old prescription. The voice is rougher, but still recognizable as Billy's to the few people he knows.]

Please answer this question for me: it's urgent.

Is extreme accelerated aging a known side effect of the transporter? I have several other hypotheses about my sudden condition, but this is the first I should test. And if you know of any cures for this condition, I'd appreciate a pointer. I'm drawing up my own attempts at a cure, but there's not much I can do with our limited supplies.

[He sighs wearily.]

I calculate that I'll age to the point of death within the next 36 hours, or sooner if it accelerates further, so there's not much that I have to lose.

((ooc: The aging is a canon event caused by his own tinkering at home gone wrong with a delayed reaction. And there's a canon medicine that would likely be at the Hold, but he hasn't a clue.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Most people aren't really -- aware of them back home either. But they're the cause for plenty of messes. It could also be a spell, or any one of hundreds of things but don't worry - we'll figure it out.

[He starts up the EMF, trying to detect any suspicious activity.]

I'm a fair hand with a machine, even like this. Let me know if I can help you at all.

Here - [he hands him the EMF] just walk around with it, lemme know if the gage moves more than what it's doing now.

[Free him up to look for sulfur residues - not that this is a demon's textbook MO, but what does he know? He's only dealt with one and he's heard of at least two here.]

Got it.

[He circles the room, awkwardly stepping over the half-finished projects he hasn't had time to put away. He really should've done more cleaning, but bending over was a bit of a pain at the moment. After a while's search, he sighs and places the device on the bed.]

Nothing unusual.

[No sulfur either. Well, at least they're crossing possibilities off! God he misses the internet.]

Is there anything here that's in any way displaced? [Maybe someone slipped in a hex bag - but to find one here seems like a long shot.]

[Billy squints around the room---his old glasses still work, but the prescription's no longer sufficient.]

Not that I can see---not that I'm seeing very much in the first place!

[He runs his hand awkwardly along the shelves, counting off tools. Everything seems normal. Except a missing wheel for a wheelchair.]

The tools are fine, but there was a wheel that---ah!

[He stumbles and falls safely onto the bed.]

I think I knocked that over in a panic this morning.

-- are you ok?

[This place doesn't exactly seem senior safe; he moves to pick up that wheel and put it safely away. He doesn't need you breaking your neck before he can figure out what's wrong.]

I'm fine, I've been through worse.

[Billy waves off the concern and uses his umbrella-cane to push himself upright.]

So there's not likely to be a trace of paranormal activity? That will mean I need to consider my other hypotheses.

We're not finding it yet, at least. I only know how to look for things in my world, they could work differently here.

[Encouraging, he knows, but in his experience it's always paranormal.]

What's your other hypotheses?

[He lowers his head, exhausted. These bald spots are...man, he's going to look rough in 40 years.]

I was forced to restore my age when it was reversed artificially in the past. The device worked, but it was untested. That could be one source.

A week later, I was exposed to negative proton energy. I was fine for several months after this, but it could be a delayed reaction. [Does it make sense? No. But it's canon.]

[...woah woah woah be kind, rewind!]

Your age was artificially reversed? How?

Evil invaders. My Earth is attacked all the time, and the enemy had the power to reverse time by reversing the rotations of the planet. I lost about ten years.

I had to reverse-engineer their method to fix things, but I might've failed.

-- you could have started with that.

[This is definitely a lead.]

What kind of invaders are we talking about here? How do you reverse the rotation of the planet?

Aliens. I don't know exactly where they're from. But they somehow made the Earth rotate backwards, reversing time---it took a heavy load of magic, apparently.

[He still has a distaste for the word 'magic', and he omits things where he can to avoid being caught out for who he is.]

My device accelerated my body's aging to restore me to an age where I could be taken seriously in my work until we sped the earth back to its rightful place.

Can you recreate that device here, reverse it -- again?

[Aliens. That's crazy even for him.]

That's what I'll try.

Thanks for all your assistance anyway. I can take it from here.

You sure? I'm pretty handy -- maybe I could give you a hand with it.

[One that isn't shaky with age.]

I'm sure. I have a friend who was there when it all happened. He'll probably be coming soon.

[He forced a reassuring smile.]

Thank you, honestly.

Alright -- [He's not convinced but he's lost in this] gimme a call if you need anything else.

I will if I need to. Thank you.

No problem. I'll uh -- let myself out.

[With a final nod he retreats towards the door.]