listen to the mission and I'm telling the tradition [CLOSED]

[machine_god]

Who: Jade Harley, Pink Dave, Orange Dave, Jack Noir, Eridan Ampora, John Egbert, Kanaya Maryam, Protoman
What: Second verse, same as the first; SHODAN never learns and will always try to play god.
Where: Gibson, yet another medical facility. SHODAN likes those.
When: TODAYyyyy
Notes: this is the hideousness/hiveminding/robobits reaction thread.

Comments

[machine_god]

SHODAN brought Jade over to her workbench, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"The most. Simple of what I have. Cre-cre-created are. Nanites that will allow. For a bio-synnnthet-tic neural network, linking h-humans into paral-lllell processing with. Machines."

She showed Jade a long syringe filled with silvery fluid.

It happened so fast. She moved the needle and jammed it into Jade's throat, then withdrew it and backed up a step. Within a few moments, she could feel the connection happening, feel Jade's will blossoming at the corner of her own.

She pushed, hard, weaving her will through the girl's.

It's better this way. You'll be happy this way.

It wasn't nearly the same as what Sollux went through. There was no godlike feeling of power, no drowning in a vast network, but SHODAN'S will was powerful, and her suggestions difficult to ignore - particularly as, once again, Jade's knowledge began to expand to match SHODAN'S own.

And everyone else will be happier too. There will be no war, no strife, no fighting... you simply need to bring them to me. All of them.

[memorymodus]

She looked at SHODAN and then back at the syringe, moving closer to examine it. Really, it was like something out of those old science fiction movies, the kinds that always seemed so fantastic. She had watched them frequently when she was younger, and to see something like it in reality was fantastic.

At least, until it hurt.

She hadn't expected that; her hands grasped at her throat, trying to fix the feeling of wrongness. She was bleeding, and she hadn't fully grasped why. no no no no whats going on, what's happening?

She could feel someone else inside her, and the sheer force of will was frightening. No, I can't, I don't want-- she shut her eyes, trying to make everything go away. As tempting it sounded, Jade wanted to fight, wanting things to go back to normal. I want to-- no...no, I don't!

[machine_god]

What? Resistance...? What was this?

Sollux had not resisted; Sollux had succumbed like someone freezing to death, falling as though into a sleep. This...

She had only her human mind, not the power of an entire sector of the station behind her, only herself and her nanites.

She pressed harder. She told Jade's muscles to relax, then reached out and wrapped her arms around the younger girl, stroking her hair.

Shhh. Everything will be alright. No pain, no hurt, just quiet. Soon I'll make you a goddess too, like you were before. Shhh.

[memorymodus]

i have to....

She wanted to fight, but it was so useless. After all, didn't she want this? She wanted it so badly, the ability to help people, she had missed it. Now that she had it back, there was no reason to fight. She listened to the voice in her mind, her hands slipping from her throat, relaxing slightly.

I have to help them, right? They're always upset. I just want to be what I was before...can I help everyone?

[machine_god]

Of course you do, she purred. They're all so lost, so helpless. You can help them. You can make them better. You can help everyone.

She slowly let go.

Bring them here, one by one, and we'll help them. All of them.

[memorymodus]

Jade had completely forgotten about her injury, about the terror she'd experienced earlier. It was clearer to do what the woman wanted, and fighting was stupid anyway. She nodded once, slightly.

Everyone.... Thoughts of pink Dave raced through her mind, all the memories of his past resurfacing. To erase his scars...that would be a good idea. And Jack, and orange Dave, and John and Karkat and Vriska and Jin and Chell...

I can do that. Will you help them be happy...?

[machine_god]

They'll be happier than they've ever been in their lives she says, filling those words with warmth and light. We can fix him here, she reflected the pink Dave back.

And they'll all live in such harmony...

[memorymodus]

Jade relaxed completely, letting herself take in those words. She could fix him; this was good, she wanted to fix him. She could find all of them and help them.

We'll be happier, and better. I'll help, I can find them...

She could do that. Her mind spun with all sorts of ideas, how to twist people into showing up, how to force them if they wouldn't. It wouldn't take much, she decided. It would be helping. They would thank her.

[machine_god]

Very good...

Let's bring them here. And in the meantime, I'll make you better. Come with me. I think we can fix your eyes... and your arms... make you stronger.

You'll like that.

[memorymodus]

Okay. I want to be stronger, I want to help. But what do you mean, fix...?

[machine_god]

Shhh.

She leads Jade into another room, then helps her onto a low table. She slowly works on shutting off pain receptors, turning down motor functions, and then, at last, pushing Jade into unconsciousness. Or so she hopes. Better if the girl doesn't struggle.

[memorymodus]

She realizes, almost at the last moment, what's going on. Jade refuses to let herself fall unconscious -- her mind is slightly panicked again, and the realization that she can't leave doesn't help. The world's getting dark but she wants to fight it; the last time she was knocked unconscious, she'd fallen out of a tower. This wouldn't happen again.

No, I-- I don't want this, I can't! Please no, no...

[machine_god]

Stay awake if you wish. But I think you'll find it upsetting.

She lets Jade stay awake, if she wants, but she keeps the clamps down on things like pain and the ability to move. Just to make certain, she straps the girl down, in case she loses her control.

And then she gets her scalpels and the gyroscopes, designed to stabilize joints and limbs, to give a rock-steady aim. The ends of the thing twitch and wiggle like living beings, because they almost are - symbiotic mechanical life forms.

It won't hurt. But you may be afraid.

She starts to work, then, cutting flesh, putting gyroscopes in joints. There's no pain at all. But it isn't pleasant...

[memorymodus]

She's instantly regretting this -- What is that? -- but can't go anywhere, which makes it more frightening. Jade can't help but stare in horror. That's her, those are pieces of her body and she can't do anything about it. The fact that it doesn't hurt scares her more than anything.

Where's the pain, I don't understand, what's happening--

Her entire body is tense with fear as she watches, she wants to scream but can't. Her thoughts devolve into incoherent rambling, terrified pleading.

[machine_god]

SHODAN just gives reassurances - automatic, and with no feeling whatsoever. Feelings are weapons, tools to be used, things to be manipulated in humans to get them to do what you want, so she offers only that level of generic comfort, plus a steady stream of instructions on how to use the damn things. That goes with the holographic omnitool placed in Jade's right arm as well, a narrow strip that projects any tool she could need.

Then, with needlelike precision, she begins work on the eyes, clamping them open, carefully using a pair of clamps to take the first one out whole, neatly clipping the optic nerve and placing it in a nearby jar. Efficient. Neat. Precise. Perfect.

[memorymodus]

Even though there's no emotion, it's helpful -- Jade's panic subsides somewhat, taking in the instructions, trying not to concentrate on anything else. She puts her thoughts elsewhere, and it almost seems to work. She's still scared, but no longer trying to escape.

It'll be okay, it'll be okay...

She repeats the words like a mantra, mentally shrinking from the clamps. She screams the words in her mind, because it helps somewhat, as she tries not to think of things. It could be a dream, but she knows it's not a dream. She can't see any more, and the words are shaky -- it'll be okay, I think...I... -- as she realizes that she's scared of the dark. Scared of the blackness, and the inability to realize what's around her. She'd been practically blind before, but never without light. Now it just frightens her, the words trailing off.

Not the dark, not the dark!