etrayalogs | don't put it in your mouth

Entry tags:

don't put it in your mouth

WHO: Connor, Accelerator, Laura & Damian
WHEN: early July
WHERE: around etraya idk probably the hospital at some point
WHAT: nanomachines and children trying to figure out what the heck happened there
NOTES\WARNINGS: possible (attempted) android disassembly, but otherwise v innocent, v goofy.

[it didn't take long for him to notice the new arrivals. Connor hasn't had a true mission objective since waking in the hospital (aside from his own side missions that were mostly his idea) and he's been grasping at straws to understand the planet more. the substance that left people drenched coated the ground around them, for example, had to be investigated. he'd knelt down and brought the (potential) biohazard to his mouth to analyze.

which was a terrible idea!

machine recognizes machine. hundreds of them, in fact, explode into his mouth and he can do nothing about it. they coat the inside of his mouth and tongue. system errors pop up in a flurry in his HUD, then everything settles. diagnostics detect foreign objects, but they aren't traveling anywhere else and they won't leave, either. the small bugs start first: calling known contacts over the network and promptly hanging up, partial texts sending and deleting themselves. he tries to control it, but every diagnostics repair is almost immediately overrun with a new bug and more errors. then his body temperature regulation becomes unpredictable and drops or skyrockets without notice, or his vocal processor glitches.

after 24 hours, he's fed up. after 5 days, his battery is fed up, too. by running constant self-diagnostics he's found that his battery is being drained at an alarming rate. he's tired. before deviancy, fatigue always pointed toward needing to recharge, or refueling with Thirium. he's found that fatigue can be because a lot of things, annoyance included. emotions are tiring.

the nanomachines multiply and drain him more; he's their own personal breeding ground and there's nowhere for them to go. he isn't a human to preserve, there's nothing for them to do except multiply and feed off of his battery. he's on his way -- somewhere. he isn't sure. the map he's created malfunctions constantly, until he stumbles. he didn't think his battery was that low. constant errors flood him and he's reaching for anything to keep himself up (it doesn't work). it's a slow fall, at least. he's able to send out an SOS (god knows to who) before he shuts down.

well, sort of. it's more of a stasis. he can be found unconscious on the ground, partially propped up by a building wall somewhere in the city center.]

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[One imagines the fall Connor had done was something like

Regardless, it was not her that received his SOS. It is actually just pure luck that she happened to be on her way back from getting an obscene amount of candy bars (all shoved in her backpack) when she notices Connor laid out against a wall, much like a drunken frat boy who is not actually drunk, nor a frat boy. That's not good. After a moment of round-eyed, baffled staring, Laura moves quickly to Connor's side and gives him a hard shake.]

Connor, what happened?

... How do I tell if you're alive?

[She looks infinitely worried as she sends a message to Damian with her coordinates, as well as a picture of... what looks like a totally passed out android. The message is something along the lines of 'do robot people do this normally?'. Should she take him to a doctor? Her father is a very heavy body, so she thinks she can probably manage it for a distance... Is it bad to drag an android by a leg? Should she be doing something particular? CPR? Electrocuting him back? Maybe looking at little wires?]

( laura did not receive the SOS, but damian did. it didn't arrive with coordinates or any information useful for locating connor, but damian has functioned with less before, so he's fine functioning with this amount now. he's on his way out to find him, decked out in full robin gear when his earpiece goes off again, and he gets - a picture of connor, down on the ground, from laura.

perfect.

at the very least, they have both seen him in and out of his uniform, so he doesn't have to go back and change. instead, he's quickly making his way directly to the wall where he finds connor against it, and laura hovering nearby, doing laura things. he has a tablet in hand with WAYNE ENTERPRISES on the back of it, which he's pressing to laura's chest in lieu of handing it to her while he drops down to look over connor.

raises a hand, to slap his palm against his cheek. )

Did you find him like this?

[Let us all just be thankful that is a relatively calm situation, all things considered. It would be in poor taste to explain the scene being the equivalent of someone with their hands on their hips trying to figure out why their lawnmower isn't working... but that's what it is, even if there's a little added concern about it etched into Laura's brow. Connor is her friend; she doesn't want to lose any more people than she has, even if they're only just getting to know each other as mutual captives on this strange planet.

Laura squints at the tablet while Damian is busy, turning it around in her hands.]

Yes. He's not dead, is he?

[... He kind of is. But Dead in the way that a Ninetendo DS can die. It's fine.]

Not in a traditional sense.

( but he doesn't know how to access connor's system to see if he is alright. if this is just a battery malfunction or something else. the slap doesn't get any results, so damian presses his thumb against the LED on connor's temple, and when that does nothing, moves hands around the back of his head, looking for a port he can use to access his system. he could try wirelessly, but this feels - a little safer, for the moment. )

But he's never been alive in a traditional sense either. It may be a battery malfunction.

A battery malfunction.

[She kind of understands, at least to some degree. Cars have batteries in them that can die. So do phones. She has had to charge the one she has now more than once since her stay here. It's very annoying to have only 10% when you want to listen to music through the day, instead of what people are saying.

She crouches down and lifts Connor's jacket flap, as if a big port will just be there on his person.]

Can we plug him in?

That's what I'm checking.

( there's a port at the base of his neck, but it's not one damian is familiar with. does connor have bluetooth connectivity capabilities? damian knows he can connect to other devices, but is it through the same method damian would utilize, or is it something else entirely?

hm.

maybe they should bring him elsewhere, instead of messing with his hardware out here. so he pulls himself up to his feet and grabs onto one of connor's legs. )

Do you know where he's been residing? If not, we can bring him to the manor.

... I do not.

[She sounds a little disappointed in herself. She should have known where Connor lived, because then it would be easier to help in the great likelihood that trouble happened, especially since he's a friend. A uniquely manmade friend, but a friend nonetheless. (And anyway, she's somewhat manmade herself.)]

I will grab his other leg.

[It'll be easy to drag him, anyway. Do androids get harmed by being dragged around? She'll have to keep an eye out. Anyways.]

( right. dragging connor off to the manor it is. luckily, connor and laura both already know who damian is, so there's no need to try and hide any of it. one arm wraps around connor's calf and holds it against his side, while the other grabs his ankle, holding tight. it's a long walk, but they have time - and they can handle his weight between them. )

The manor it is.

[Two kids dragging an unconscious (???) robot down the street is not something expects to see when they happen to step out of their apartment for a quick coffee run, but that's what Accelerator is seeing as he turns the corner.]

....................

[Is he seeing this correctly? For a second he debates just turning around and walking away but uhhhh he should... probably say something. Since it's Laura, Robin and Connor.]

The fuck.

[He sighs heavily regardless, ambling over to them. He's going to lean over, eyeing Connor, who definitely appears to be robo-dead at the moment.]

What the hell are you two doing?

[Laura looks up, her brow pinched just slightly with urgency and concern.]

We are dragging Connor. He might be dead.

[LAURA-]

Dead is a terrible word for it. He was never alive to begin with.

( ever the scientist, robin continues dragging connor despite accelerator's presence, and just. continues going on, )

I believe his battery may have burned out, but I can't confirm that out here. Grab an arm.

( help them drag the dead body, accelerator. )

[.............. Why isn't an adult supervising these two. That's his first thought.

Accelerator's second thought is that Laura is concerned, so he should do something instead of leaving them to whatever this is. He maneuvers around the kids, hitting his choker switch before moving to crouch down next to Connor's dead/deactivated body.]

Both of you stop for a second. I can check his power.

He seemed very alive to me.

[He may have smelled very different from a living person, but he was very good to her in ways a lot of other living human people were not. So when Accelerator mentions checking on his power, she perks immediately.]

Can you?

Here- [She grabs him by the face with both hands and lifts him up slightly, squishing his cheeks as she turns his pleasantly ~~dead~~ sleeping form toward Axel.] I can hold him up for you.

( he could ask why laura is holding connor up by his face. he could also ask how accelerator intends on checking on connor, but damian already has an inkling of how he's planning on it.

instead of offering any feedback, he simply - drops connor's leg down onto the ground, leaving his hands at his sides instead.

if accelerator is going to take care of it, damian's not going to argue. )

[Laura is trying and that's what's important here, okay.

(Accelerator makes a mental note to maaaaybe give these two pointers on how to carry a dead/unconscious/deactivated body later.)

Since Laura is helping, he's going to shut off his reflection in his hand before jabbing Connor's forehead. He's an android, but he's based off of humans and uses a battery, so he must have something reminiscent of bioelectricity.

And he does! Or at least, Accelerator can track the flow of power around his body using the vectors of the electrons. Except instead of moving around to his organs (or equivalents) as one would expect it's all... going to his mouth?

Looking confused, he lifts his hand slightly.]

... The hell? Open his mouth.

[Without a moment's hesitation, she pinches his face between her hands.

Like so.

His mouth proceeds to fall open.]

( he can lug around bodies, if he really needs to. he's carried around grayson's unconscious body when he's been particularly stupid. it's just also - he's slightly less concerned with not injuring connor physically, given what he's made of. and if connor gets a few cuts and bruises, that's his fault for collapsing in public like that.

not that it matters any. because accelerator is jabbing at him, laura is squishing his face as if he was just a doll to be played with, and damian is standing out of the way while also squinting into connor's mouth. like he's expecting to find something there, since for some reason, accelerator is. )

[They're all doing their best!! Unfortunately for Connor, their best is this.

Laura is very helpful and Accelerator doesn't hesitate to just... grab Connor's tongue. Not because he's an android and he's tough, but because he's kind of grown up being indifferent towards a person's personal space, particularly when they need medical help.

And oh boy, is he getting some total nonsense when he does. Complete bewilderment is written all over his face as his brain analyzes the vectors that he's sensing. It's only a second or two of calculating before he offers an explanation to Damian and Laura.]

His battery's fine, but power is being rerouted to a bunch of nanomachines in his mouth. It's like a shitload of parasites, but with electricity instead of nutrients from food. [From his tone, despite being familiar with extremely advanced technology, he was not expecting this. Ugh, and they're moving around a lot, too.] Those fuckers are congregating towards my fingers for some damn reason. I'm going to pull them out.

[Which is to say, he's going to make some alterations to his reflection, then manipulate their vectors to drag them onto his hand.]

Edited 2024-08-15 19:13 (UTC)

Nanomachines?

[Laura's brow furrows as she keeps Connor steady and somewhat upright.

Then she immediately looks at Robin.

Because if anyone is going to immediately recognize what that means, it would be him.]

¿Qué son esos? Like — robot bugs?

[It's the closest thing she can figure, from her limited time in the world outside of Transigen. If it was mentioned there, it certainly wasn't anything explained to her in any meaningful way.]

Sí.

( he could offer a hand. but considering damian doesn't see anything but accelerator clearly does, he'll leave it in the hands of the boy with the ability to manipulate vectors which, apparently, also translates into being able to read them. damian makes a mental note to dig further into what he's capable of at a later date. in the meantime, he focuses on explaining to laura, since she's looking to him for that. )

Pequeños robots. ( with his head tipping towards accelerator, so he's aware the next bit is directed at him, just in case it wasn't clear. )

Be careful. We don't want them negatively affecting you.

Edited 2024-08-20 21:26 (UTC)

[the basic sensations come first. wavering on the fine line of stasis and a low-power mode, Connor stirs. all energy is targeted toward his senses and brain power, none is catering toward what makes him seem human. synthetic skin had begun to pool away from exposed areas and parts of his face. where he'd usually have a temperature and regulated breathing to appear human, there's nothing. he's unnaturally still.

as soon as Accelerator had investigated and the nanomachines redirected their energy, he began catching parts of conversation as his system woke up.

immediately, he tries to shift his weight so it isn't all leaning on Laura. but he's slow, and waking up to a bunch of teens hovering around him while nanomachines dart for safe passage to a human body is -

odd. they care. they care enough to help. did he leave that much of an impression?]

They're not going to harm you.

[it's funny. he doesn't need to breathe, but he feels out of breath. his voice is softer, less solid.]

Thank you.

[As soon as the nanomachines have moved onto him Accelerator mercifully releases Connor's tongue, pulling his hand back and staring down at it. Damian's got a point, so he's taking measurements while making some minute adjustments to his reflection just in case.

But unlike with Connor, the robots seem to just be settling down. He isn't picking anything hostile up from them, so he holds off on crushing them.]

..... He's right, they aren't doing anything.

[This does mean he has a hand full of nanomachines now though, which is a little awkward, and Connor gets a questioning stare. This whole situation is pretty bizarre.]

[Laura blinks, then leans in (probably uncomfortably close) as Connor proceeds to wake up. She probably also his his face squished in her hands for a moment, but then she's letting him go to be his own individual. His own very alive, not dead individual! The thrill of success lights up her face, along with some relief.]

You're not dead! We thought you could've been.

Who put robot bugs in your face?

I am very good at threatening people. I won't stab them, but they won't know that.

I knew you weren't dead.

( given his whole point about the whole, never being properly alive thing. you know. laura goes off about threatening people, and damian turns back towards her, mouth twisted in a scowl. )

If you're going to threaten someone, you'll need to make your intent clear first. With your stature, no one is going to take you seriously without first proving your capabilities.

( says robin, age.. almost 14, who isn't all that much taller than laura as-is. do you know how many teeth he had to take before gotham's rogues would take him even mildly seriously. )

Kneecapping them would be a good first step.

[belatedly, Connor reaches up to touch his jaw, running a finger over his lips. his tongue feels around in his mouth for any remains of nanomachines and he's glad to know that there are no traces left of them. he stares back at Accelerator, a mixture of a blank stare and embarrassment, before his gaze moves to Laura to answer her question. it isn't going to be an answer any of them like.]

It's my own fault. I was analyzing the liquid that some new arrivals were covered in. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.

[he hasn't stood up yet, isn't even sure if he's able to, and remains sat on the ground. the nanomachines had sucked away at his battery, and he needs to get to his charging station badly. with what energy he does have, he reaches to pat Laura on the arm gently as an extra thank you and manages a sly smile at Damian.]

Were you worried about me?

Edited (wording teehee ) 2024-09-01 04:47 (UTC)

[Connor's embarrassment doesn't go unnoticed and Accelerator raises an eyebrow, wanting to know more but oh god, these two kids. Why.]

.......................

[Quiet as Laura and Damian speak up, Accelerator maneuvers the nanomachines to the back of his hand before reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a small sigh. Someone needs to sit those two kids down and explain that there are better options than jumping straight to threatening people.....

Dropping his hand, he turns his attention back to Connor. He still has some questions, and there's the matter of getting him back to whatever he uses to charge.]

Come on. [Grabbing Connor's arm, he's hauling him up onto his feet. He's absolutely having to use his ability to do this, there's no way he'd be able to do that if his choker was in normal mode.]

[Laura oh-so-quietly files it away:

Kneecapping. ✓

Connor does her the service of distracting her away from Damians terrible advice.]

Of course I was worried. You're my friend. Friends are supposed to worry about each other.

[She's a shorty, but she'll try to help Connor not fall over on his face (again).]

I wasn't. At worst, we would have had to drag you to find your... charging station.

( given he's assuming connor has one, at least in case of emergency when things like this may occur. )

You'll need to tell us where it is, on the chance you idiotically touch things you shouldn't be touching again.

[up and at 'em! he steadies himself once he's on his feet, but finds himself bracing one hand on Accelerator's shoulder. he's careful not to put too much weight on him, his hand is large enough that his fingers are basically at his neck. he wants to address the kneecapping, but

he's exhausted. Laura's help is appreciated, too. he's taking advantage of any and all support offered. he thinks back to Markus and how he must have felt, how any android cast or thrown away felt.]

It's in the - my apartment. In the future, I'll be more careful when analyzing samples from new arrivals.

[aka he is not going to stop touching things.]

I'm very grateful to you three.

[Accelerator would be falling over at this point if he wasn't using his ability. As it is, he just runs the calculations to adjust for Connor's weight, so his scrawniness isn't an issue.

Aw, he's quietly thinking that Laura's reply is adorable. And that Damian could learn a thing or two about empathy from her. They should hang out, if they aren't doing that regularly already, so she rubs off on him.

(What, these are totally normal dad thoughts for a fifteen year old to be having, shut up.)

He shifts a little, prepared to help Connor back to the apartment complex so he can recharge, but pauses.]

It wasn't a big deal. But... why the hell were the nanomachines in your mouth?

[Can we address how weird that is? Because it's weird.]

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don't put it in your mouth

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slams in here

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