65 - Action/Phone

[ceasetoexist]

[Action – 502 Ricardo Street]
[If you’re passing by 502 Ricardo Street, feel free to notice that there is a giant, capsule shaped device of some sort on the front lawn of 502. It seems like it’s a container of some sort, a door in front of it swung open wide, allowing anyone to peer into a space not much bigger than a small closet. The device, itself, gives off a sense of unease, as if you could be trapped in there forever if you even set foot in it and closed the door.

There’s also the fact that Pokey has managed to restrain the PorkyBot he got as a regain a couple of weeks back and is proceeding to try and paint it a shade of blue to match his own. The process is not going well.]

I just told you to hold still and this’ll go quicker.

I don’t wanna! I look awesome just how I am!

Yeah, but you don’t look like me!

This is stupid! It’s not even the right shade of blue!

Yeah…I couldn’t find it at the hardware store. Now shut up and stay still.

[Action – Bodine Fashion]

[Here’s a new sight. If you happen to be in the clothes store today, you’ll notice two boys who look nearly identical to one another, although one seems a bit darker shade of blue and has an obnoxious, whirring red light on its head.

But the light gets covered up every now and then as Pokey puts a hat on the PorkyBot’s head, then trying one on his own.]

What do you think about this one?

Laaaaaaame. Super lame.

Okay, you’ve said that about the last three. We’ve gotta pick one of these.

But I don’t wanna wear a hat! Hats are for creepers and old people having a mid-life crisis.

That may be true but it’s that or cut the light off the top of your head. Which do you want?

….Let’s try that one.

Yeah. That’s what I thought.

[Phone]

So. There’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time, and I want to see what other people think of it.

For those of you who haven’t been here too long, about two Halloweens ago a bunch of us got a pamphlet talking about the operation of a virtual reality device. The conclusion I’ve always come to, and I think most did, is that the manual is referring to whatever is running Mayfield. However, I think I may have come to a different conclusion than others. Most people probably think we’re stuck in the virtual reality created by it.

I think we might be part of the virtual reality, especially after hearing what happened at the end of the last load of bullcrap when they were performing atrocities against God on people. You guys were told to destroy part of the town to distract her, right? Well, what if that was because she could only focus on repairing the damage to the town, and not whatever the surgeries were doing to revive people? She had to choose one or the other.

Alright I know that sounds obvious but what I mean is: what if the….let’s call it “the repair function” is set to be the same for us and the structures in the town. And we can assume the structures in the town are part of the virtual reality system, instead of being trapped in the virtual reality system. And there’s been several instances where they’ve given us an indication that we function as a power source for the town, in some weird way. They gave us one, sort of, last March, and they gave us one during Christmas. This last load could show that whatever energy we produce isn’t done individually, but somehow split between us as a whole, since some of us needed to be hurt in order for others to revive. It’s like a balancing act.

I’m just saying it seems odd to me that that would be the case if we were entities separate from the virtual reality construct. This is just a theory, and a quick one and I could give more evidence for my supposition, but I’m going to stop now. I want to know what others think, and what others might have to defeat the possibility of we ourselves being some form of virtual reality construct, since I know while I know a lot I don’t know everything here.

It’s just something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

Comments

[ceasetoexist]

...Naw. It's not quite a weapon that way. It's a bit more specific. More like a trap, than anything.

[strike_you_out]

[Not all that concerned, Slugger believes he can escape any trap.]

What would happen if I went in?

[ceasetoexist]

Don't go in!

[You would not believe how fast a fat boy can be at this point, as he grabs you by the shoulders. The look of absolute terror on his face seems out of place, even for someone as easily cowardly as Pokey.]

Please. Please.

[strike_you_out]

[At that he nearly stumbles backward into Pokey. Catching himself, he turns around, his smirk gone.]

Alright, I won't.

Who is it supposed to trap?

[ceasetoexist]

Dunno.

[A shrug.]

Apparently it's something I make in the future. Not sure what it's supposed to trap.

[strike_you_out]

[As much as he'd like to trust you, Pokey, that answer doesn't sit well with him. He turns to the capsule again.]

Then maybe we should bury it.

[ceasetoexist]

[Dammit Slugger no. He puts his hands in his pockets, curling them into small fists, and hoping Slugger doesn't notice.]

I think that's kind of a waste, you know? I mean, if we ever do have to deal with some psycho here who is just too massive a threat, we could force him into it. Like if the Mage comes back.

[strike_you_out]

We can dig it up. I'll help.

[ceasetoexist]

Yeah, but we may not have the time. It makes more sense to keep it up here than to have to dig it up.

[strike_you_out]

Keep it here? Where anyone can walk into it?

[ceasetoexist]

I'll make sure they don't, jeez.

What, you wanna move it to the back yard then?

[strike_you_out]

That's a start.

[He sizes it up, thinking about how best to transport it.]

How will you keep them out?

[ceasetoexist]

Well I dunno maybe if they're in my back yard they deserve to get stuck.

Why do you care?

[He feels bad the moment he snaps, but he doesn't take it back, not this time.]

[strike_you_out]

...Because.

[Without elaborating, he'll slowly reach a hand toward it to close the door.]

[ceasetoexist]

Don't!

[And he is just scrambling to grab your arm and stop you, Slugger.]

[strike_you_out]

[His arm remains extended in the air but he stops moving. Just by your reaction, he can tell that there's something really messed up about this device and that he should be very careful.

As calmly as he can, he looks at Pokey and asks]

Can we close it?

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey just stands there, just still holding your arm. He's quiet a moment, trying to figure out what to say, before he speaks again. He has to be careful, because if you figure out what he intends to use it for at all, he doesn't doubt you'll close it as quick as you can.]

...I don't think so. If you close the door, I don't think you can open it again.

[strike_you_out]

[Hesitantly, he'll shift his attention away from the door to place a hand on an outer wall of the capsule.]

Can we roll it?

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey nods his head slowly at that after a moment.]

Rolling should work, long as we go at the side that doesn't have the door on it.

[strike_you_out]

Right.

[Slugger steps around to one side of the capsule and places both hands on its smooth surface. If they roll from this side, the door itself won't touch the ground so long as they're careful. Then, he starts to push against it until the capsule begins to move.]

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey gets beside Slugger as they push, quiet as the Capsule begins to roll. He's silent the entire time, just hoping Slugger is finished questioning him about the Capsule once they finally start getting it into the back yard.]

[strike_you_out]

[Not often does Slugger use deliberate trickery, but he's carefully trying to guide the capsule along a circular path that would put it close to the house. Craning his neck around it to see where he's going, he'll nod toward a spot against the house.]

Over there?

[In that spot, and with the way they have the capsule facing, the open door will be right up against the house wall, hopefully a deterrent for keeping certain people from crawling inside.]

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey doesn't notice the path they're taking at first, but he does notice how close it is to the house. Shit. You know, don't you Slugger?]

Sure. Works for me.

[He'll let it stand for the moment, to try and not arouse suspicion.

If he ever needs to move it, by himself? Well, good thing he could probably nudge it along with Josephine.]

[strike_you_out]

[He's not stupid. He knows damn well that if Pokey, for whatever reason, ever wanted to crawl into the capsule, he'd find a way of doing it. Whether or not Pokey has actual plans to do so, Slugger isn't sure. But knowing Pokey the way he does, just knowing the way Pokey thinks of himself, he can be sure it's a possibility.

With the capsule carefully parked close to the house, he removes his hands and turns to face the yard. After a quick break, Slugger speaks again, though not about the capsule...]

I think you're right. About us and Mayfield.

[ceasetoexist]

[Pokey nods, leaning against the side of the capsule as he looks up at Slugger.]

....Do you think it matters that much?