* ⎯⎯ EX MACHINA

perhaps he’s slurring his words, or perhaps vorna is just incapable of understanding them beyond a slew of syllables. it’s getting worse, the spinning. all she hears is blue, and suddenly that’s all she can see. a seed planted in her mind,in more way than one. and his skin changes, tinting deep and blue likes the oceans of her planet. and it’s not enzo anymore, it’s her eldest brother, the one who used to make her do exercises to ‘make her better at holding her breath’, which really just meant holding her head underwater until the bubbles stopped. 

she steps back, no words, just a defensive pose. the knife in her arm unsheathes and she awaits an attack, her teeth bared. the man she’s staring at is not her friend, but instead the family she’d feared since she was young. 

.

enzo’s own vision had become so obstructed that he didn’t notice the shift in her demeanor. maybe if he had been programmed to read vitals other than his own, then he would’ve picked up something too. but it was only until his focus sharpened, when his questions were met by silence, that he frowned. something inside of him nibbled at his instincts. maybe fear, worry, maybe it was a mixture of both. whatever it was, it made him slowly, almost painfully, curl his fists as if ready for a fight.

“vorna?” he asked, forcing his tone to be calm and stable. “are you okay? whatever you’re seeing, it’s the particles. the effect should go away soon.” he didn’t blame her for distrusting him, for seeing something that was not really there. enzo just hoped the effects subsidize quickly - he was prepared to fight his biological response, but not his friend.  

“Oh dear! That is, indeed, not optimal!” Breville says cheerfully, their eye-indicators narrowing to bemused half-circles. Enzo is staring at his hands like they were doing something they weren’t supposed to, but he’s not quite as addled as some of the others. That’s fortunate. “It’s those pesky biological bits, I suppose! But not to worry, stick with me and I’ll inform you of what’s real and what isn’t. How are your logical functions currently doing?”

“do you mean you don’t see the shapes in the air, or get blurry vision yourself, breville?” the man asked, brows furrowed. he was asking, rather than out of just curiosity, out of jealousy -- enzo had always thought himself invincible, so now that his systems ( designed to isolate setbacks like these ) were failing, he was a tad annoyed. “unaffected for the most part -- my judgement, including my sense of orientation, feels mostly unaltered. i believe that it’s instead my trigeminal, vestibulocochlear and optic cranial nerves that took a hit.” 

         he continues to busy himself with the equipment in need of repairs,      ignoring the shift in lighting. he’s been around these ships for nearly half a lifetime, he knows how to keep himself on his feet. the dimness of the light does not dissuade him much either, perfectly capable of working in darker conditions. a light sigh escapes him as he examines the damage.  ‘  i would hope so, but whatever reasons, it seems like ——  ’

        tergi is cut off mid sentence by a noise, and his eyes flick from left to right and back again to try and figure out the source. it’s not a sound that makes him happy. then the lights die completely.  ‘  damnit,  ’  he mutters.  ‘  ninety seconds my ass. what have they done this time  ?  ’  he looks back at enzo, a frown in his features,  ‘  you alright  ?  ’

used to ships emitting all kinds of sounds and lights prior to landing, enzo didn’t think anything of the blinks of red. he knew this to be specific for this ship’s programming. that was his train of thought, and it prevailed even once the ship had begun shaking ever so slightly ( maybe some aircrafts just had smoother landing procedures than others ). 

   but then the numbness kicked in, making enzo frown; the sonic stabilizers in the system made him feel his body heavier than usual. thankfully he had known these kinds of injuries in the past, well enough not to panic at the loss of sensation. still, it was weird. 

  “is it really that bad?” he asked. if it made tergi curse, then it probably had to be. “me? oh, i’m okay. though, hmm... i think i have lost command of my automated parts. was the ship supposed to interfere with this too?”

“Unfortunately, since we are touching down on a planet that has never explored before, we have no previous logs for guidance! So we are relying on long-range scans that we are analyzing to the best of our ability – thankfully, we have many people on board with very excellent abilities!”

So they won’t be totally in the dark. But there will be… unexpected things. Which, Breville supposes, is par for the course when exploring uncharted territory!

They nod sagely at Enzo’s description of the breadth of his supplies. “That all sounds excellent!” How fortunate that they were assigned such a thoughtful and well-prepared crew member! “I feel very reassured by your extensive preparation. Might I ask for an inventory list?”

he let out a short breath, nodding along to their words. it was easy to let oneself be suddenly flooded with worry -- truth be told, this mission felt different, and so enzo was not entirely sure he felt the usual degree of confidence. but as bold of an idea as it were, the crew -- himself included -- would have to let faith carry them along. 

   but once that strange sensation died down, enzo felt himself begin to feel the intrigue and excitement of witnessing a new planet get to him. it was like opening a present ( what could possibly be waiting for them? who knew ! ) talking about the inventory made him even more giddy, though thanks to enzo’s own character, the shift wasn’t too noticeable. 

    “thank you, captain. i am glad to be of help to you and the rest of the crew. as for inventory, my own automated system includes ten weapons, ranging from blades to blasters -- though, the exact details about the models are classified, per company policy. aside from this i can confirm  that we have an arsenal consisting of six clubbing boomerangs, two messers, one bec de corbin, five shovels, ten sonic blasters, two identity discs, twelve combat jackets, fifteen phasers, three arc guns, ten plasma blasters, five gravity guns, one shrink ray, two particle beam weapons, one colander, one scoop and twelve handheld shields. i have distributed it all in quasi-equal amounts and stored throughout the ship. that way we are not left weapon-less and exposed if one area of the ship becomes compromised.” 

cabbie’s ‘eyes’ dilated as he considered the question. he’d run many calculations before deciding to depart. and no matter the result going still seemed like a good idea to him. but perhaps that was because he held to allegiance to the corps and was bored of driving the same types of routes. “they might. but i do not think they will relieve me of my duties. i am too valuable of an asset. as for everyone else, that is irrelevant.” 

“i have to believe that ‘hot garbage’ is in reference to waste that has not been collected within the proper timeframe but is being stored in a location that is not cool enough to prevent decay. thus: hot garbage. i cannot smell so i cannot fathom why this is so bad other than it’s uncleanliness.” 

“i understand, sir.” as upfront of an answer as that had been, enzo nodded, understandingly; there was, currently, no worry or fear getting to him ( not yet, at least ). it wasn’t that he justified the nebula corps’ judgement, but that no part of him had fully grasped the implications of cabbie’s answer... maybe once the underlying unevenness of the resolution sank in. 

   “oh, the smell is in fact awful. i personally still don’t understand why there’d be a delay in the recollection of said trash. if all due processes for its disposal were running smoothly, i don’t see why this trash should be left to spend more than a few hours in an incorrect storing facility. but i can’t say i’m familiar with all garbage disposal methods across all systems. maybe it’s a predominant issue on earth, most commonly?” 

“no, but i’m sure i could strong arm him into it. he’s really the only one on this crew competent enough.” she crosses her arms over her chest, as if impatient already, “friction modifier.” if he was looking for some appreciation or gratitude he wasn’t going to get any. although, secretly, she was relieved. 

enzo nodded along to vorna’s words -- he didn’t doubt her, not even a bit. in his head, he made a note of asking tergi for help if he needed it. the scenario seemed unlikely, but still. “it’s always good to have a capable technician around, especially now. who knows what the ship -- and ourselves -- will look like once the mission ends.’