what. is up. my doge.

[epimethean]

Who: Wheatley (epimethean), Michelle (tenaciousc), Cain (cava), Caroline (caroline_says). Anyone else who happens to wander into this esteemed tech firm (that's you, maybe)?
Where: Prometheus
When: The week of November 18th and beyond???
What: Catch-all shenanigans for the poor saps that work for this esteemed company.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

WE LAST LEFT OUR HEROES in the throes of cubicle purgatory, mired in the daily grind, trying very very hard to pretend like they're not part of a crazy government past-life conspiracy. Is the stability of an actual job in one's field really worth the agony of co-workers all up in your business? How does someone like Wheatley even survive in real life? Will Michelle ever get her stapler back?

TUNE IN TO FIND OUT.

Comments

i am taking these thread starters *immensely* seriously, can you tell?

[tenaciousc]

[#1- Spoiler: No, No she won't.:]

[But she couldn't let it pass without at least trying, so when Michelle gets the opportunity she makes her way to Wheatley's cube. (Savor the moment, Wheats, I'm guessing women don't visit you very often.) Peering in, she taps on the wall to get his attention.]

Wheatley?

[#2- freaking earworms:]

[That tune just won't get out of Michelle's head. It came to her in what she's pretty sure was one of those pulse-echo things; she remembers a radio near her, playing it on loop, and the song keeps getting wedged in her brain again at odd moments. She's humming it now as she heads for the copy machine with a handful of papers.]

[ooc note: if you don't feel like clicking, the link should be the version of Still Alive that plays on the radios.]

i am a very serious roleplayer myself

[epimethean]

[Wheatley is apparently struggling with some plug or another under his desk--hearing his name and the accompanying noise causes him to jerk upward and smack his head right on the underside.]

Ow--!

[It's another moment before he extricates himself, and, upon seeing who it is, he quickly becomes visibly embarrassed.]

Sorry, sorry, I was just...knocked my phone charger out of the plug. Everything--what can I do for you?

[tenaciousc]

[The smack of him hitting the desk causes Michelle to wince in sympathy.]

Are you okay? That sounded. Bad.

[epimethean]

Fine! All fine!

[Look, he's going to casually lean against his desk, even, to emphasize how fine he is. Super fine.]

So, uh. What brings--what brings you here? Down...here...to...programming land?

[So smooth.]

[tenaciousc]

"Programming land?"

[Even though his flustered awkwardness is honestly pretty funny- she's just here to ask for her stapler, what's the big deal?- Michelle does her best not to laugh at the poor guy. She is smirking a bit, though. Can't help it.]

Nothing major, I'm just here about the stapler.

[epimethean]

[He sort of visibly winces at how not-smooth he really is, but the cringe only lasts about a second before he's on to the next thing--the fact that he does not actually know where her stapler is.

How does this happen to him.]

Right! Of course, said I would--I said I'd get that back to you, didn't I? Let me just--

[Wheatley all but dives into one of his desk drawers, rummaging around but eventually coming up empty.]

I think I might have--have left it in the copy room, I'll go--I'll go get it, sorry about that.

sorry so slow again- work + bit of a tag block

[tenaciousc]

[Michelle sighs and gives a "what can you do" kind of shrug. She'd be lying if she said she were completely surprised.]

I'll come with you. There was something else I wanted to talk about, anyway.

[Also he probably needs a babysitter.]

no worries!

[epimethean]

Sure, sure.

[He sort of waves her on with a sheepish grin. Inside he is definitely thinking boy I sure hope it's in the copy room. It's probably in the copy room.]

About...uh... [At that, he lowers his voice and glances behind them. Can't be too careful.]

The network stuff, or--or something else?

[tenaciousc]

[No one's paying a lick of attention, but she lowers her voice too.]

Numbers stuff. Tell you when we get there.

[Unless there's someone in the copy room, in which case I guess they're just screwed. (There's no one in the copy room.)

Michelle leads the way, occasionally glancing back to make sure he's still following her. Who's coming with whom, again?]

[epimethean]

[He barely notices that she's leading the way until he's behind, then he walks a little more quickly to catch up. Luckily it's not a very long trip to the copy room, and he glances out the door after them just in case.]

So, uh, what did you--what'd you need to talk about?

BUT RIGHT. He's supposed to be looking for her stapler, which he gets right to, opening and closing drawers and cabinets when he doesn't spot it on or near the copier.]

It's around here somewhere, by the way. Your stapler, I mean.

[tenaciousc]

I'm sure.

[With that slightly passive-aggressive comment out of the way, Michelle busies herself looking for the stapler as well while she talks.]

I thought you might be interested, since we talked about them before-- I think I got one of those pulse things a few days ago. There was a little more to this one.

[epimethean]

[No it's here it's TOTALLY HERE WHAT DID HE DO WITH THE STAPLER. At the very least, it looks like they have an excuse to be in the copy room, in the event of anyone getting suspicious. Not that they'd have any reason to be, but...better safe than sorry.]

Oh?

[He turns to give her his full attention--Wheatley thankfully hasn't received one in some time, but the discomfort hasn't quite gone away.]

Not anything too world-shattering, I hope.

[tenaciousc]

[She leaves off the search for the missing stapler to face him.]

No, but interesting. I was in a room...

[she speaks slowly, calling the memory back up]

No, more like a cell. No way in or out... It was called a "relaxation vault," I think. It didn't look too relaxing.

woop here we go sorry for the wait

[epimethean]

["Relaxation vault" barely leaves her mouth when something seems to click into place, leaving Wheatley staring past Michelle as he more-or-less zones out.

It comes on like a creeping headache but accelerates all at once, the images flashing in front of his eyes before he even knows what's happening--long corridors, flickering lights, rows and rows of doors in cell-block arrangements, catwalks and jungle and ruined containers with light streaming from holes in the ceiling, which somehow he knows to be impossibly far away.

And then, in the next instant, gone, with only those words burned into his mind. He knows what she's referring to, and he doesn't know how or where the pieces fit, but he's positive that none of it is good.

The echo ebbs and he's left there in disbelief, at a loss for how to even answer.]

Ohhh, no. Oh, no.

no problem~

[tenaciousc]

Wheatley?

[Michelle takes a step towards Wheatley, instinctively starting to reach out a hand to steady him. As it becomes clear he's not about to pass out on her, she lets her hand drop; but concern remains clear in her voice and her creased brow.]

What's wrong?

[epimethean]

[Having gone so long without an echo, suddenly receiving one in the middle of the office of all places, and it's left him a little breathless and a lot mortified. It suddenly seems incredibly hot in the copy room.]

It's--I know what you're talking about. Just now, I saw it.

[And he knows what that means, sort of. It means that there's a chance they're remembering the same place.]

The outside, though, I think. Lots of--lots of doors. And not in very good shape, either.

[tenaciousc]

You saw it?

[So he must have had an echo- and they're remembering the same place! She doesn't know how often people's echoes are related, but it must be important, right? Michelle straightens up a bit, her worried expression fading.

She's still a little concerned about his reaction, but mostly she wants to know more.]

It didn't look wrecked from the inside. A lot of glass and concrete... really sterile.

[epimethean]

It could be--maybe it's a coincidence, if they looked that different.

[He's sure that the echo was set off by the name of the place, though, and he can't imagine that Relaxation Vault or Extended Relaxation Center, or whatever is a very common title for something.]

All overgrown, mine was.

[tenaciousc]

[She shakes her head, frowning thoughtfully.]

I don't think so.

[She's of the same mind as Wheatley: the name is what set him off, and for now, the simplest answer is that it is the same place. But how do you account for the discrepancy in appearance? If the outside is wrecked, there'd surely be some damage indoors...

If only they had a little more to go on! Michelle sighs and starts digging through drawers again.]

It's not here.

[epimethean]

[Wheatley seems mostly uncomfortable in the face of this revelation--all it's done is create more questions. Perhaps the same place, but different times? Did...whoever he was know whoever Michelle was? And what was that place, anyway? Too many implications that he'd rather not think about.]

Sorry, what's not...?

[Oh. Oh right. His mind is not on the stapler anymore.]

Oh! The stapler, yeah.

[He tries to shake off the echo and starts scanning the copy room until his eyes settle on a shelf that's predictably out of his reach.]

There it is, up on the shelf, I'm...not sure how it got there, actually.

[tenaciousc]

[Michelle looks up, and shakes her head. Wheatley how did you even-?]

I think I can-

[She's not much taller than Wheatley, but standing on tiptoe she has just enough reach to grab the rogue office accessory where it's sticking over the edge of the shelf.]

There we go. I should get back to work.

[Her prize in hand, she heads for the door, pausing at the threshold to look back.]

Hey- let me know if anything else comes up.