TEST DRIVE #16 - Turbolifts and Ten Forward

[ten_fwd_mods]

Option 001. Trapped in a Turbolift: This space travel thing is new to you, and you're starting to think the ship is purposely out to get you. A turbolift is just a grandiose name for an elevator, which should be the safest way to travel after all! But someone out there is out to get you, you're sure of it. Because the next thing you know, the lights flicker and the lift grinds to a stop. You're trapped, with whomever was unlucky enough to be in the lift with you.

It could be hours before you're rescued. These turbolifts span the entire massive ship, and don't just travel straight up and down. No, they can travel horizontally, vertically, sometimes even diagonally. You could be stuck between any deck now. There is a small access panel on one of the smooth walls, but how good are you with getting these things to work? Let's not forget that sudden stop tossed everyone around a little, and people could be hurt. Time to put your emergency thinking cap on, and make friends with the people beside you fast. You could be the only way back to freedom.

Conversely, you could slide that pack of cards out of your pocket and start a rousing game of gin rummy. Really it's up to you.







Option 002. Ten Forward: You have no idea what just happened. One minute you were home, minding your own business, and now you're on a spaceship in the middle of a crowded room! It looks like a bar. There are people eating and drinking, some in uniform, others not. Some are clearly aliens, and some of the food is looking rather strange too.

You've managed to land in Ten Forward. A long bar with barstools and a bartender span one side of the room, with a bank of strange computers on that same wall. It looks like people are ordering food and drinks from them. Tables are sprinkled throughout, and the far wall is nothing but floor to ceiling windows with a view out to space. It looks like a nice lounge, low conversation making the room hum.

Better ask some questions and find out where you are, or just tap the closest person on the shoulder and try to make friends. The bar is open.

Comments

[disneydescendant]

Henry scowled. "I'm not going to hurt you!" He sounded offended at the idea and took a step back. Or at least tried. There wasn't much room in the turbolift after all. "What do you want me to cut you for?"

If Gold hadn't been so forward, Henry might have caught the mention of genetics. And, mixed with the mention of Xavier previously, been able to surmise that Gold thought himself a mutant. But as it was, all the boy could think was his grandfather wanted his grandson to hurt him. And Henry wouldn't do that. Not for anything.

[mutationsprice]

"I was going to show you how I healed people." He replied as he closed the knife and put it away. "It's not magic. It's just something I was born capable of doing. The same with my ability to spin gold. I'm just manipulating things to get to the end result. There's really nothing magic about it." He sighed and went back to leaning against the wall. "I apologize for offending you. That wasn't my intention."

[disneydescendant]

Henry shook his head. "You're not making any sense. You're telling me what I already know but it's wrong somehow." He scowled in confusion, leaning against the opposite wall. He'd process the apology later when he wasn't so damned confused by the situation. Did he dare show the man what he could do? Or would he dismiss that as the same born with power?

[mutationsprice]

"How is it wrong? Perhaps if we can sort out the differences in how we think things should be, we'll figure out who we are in relation to each other?" It was the only way he could think of how to currently solve their confusion over each other. Lay out what they each considered facts, and then see where they matched up and where they differed. Then perhaps they'd actually gain honest answers instead of further confusion. "Should I go first, or would you like to?"

[disneydescendant]

Henry thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up with an idea. Pushing a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. When unfolded it appeared to be a photograph of many people, including both Henry and Gold.

"This is my family. Plus a few add ons. There should be maybe one person on here you don't recognise. Possibly two. Why don't we start here?"

[mutationsprice]

He accepted the picture and studied it silently for a moment, a faint frown coming to his lips. "It might be simpler to tell you do I do recognize instead. How did you get such a family picture?"

[disneydescendant]

Henry wasn't sure what to make of that first sentence so he simply went onto answering the question. "Magic. A woman called Chari gave it to me last Christmas. It would have been impossible to get otherwise due to some people dying before others were born."

He paused, hating the fact that the picture was out of his grasp as it was very important to him but he wanted to trust that Gold wouldn't do anything untoward. At least on purpose. "Who do you recognise?"

[mutationsprice]

He nodded quietly in response to the answer. "Besides myself, you and Emma. There's a man who looks like my late father, Malcolm. There's two women who look like my past wives, Emilia and Isabella, and the man beside you...he makes me think that may have been what my boy, Bailey, would have looked like upon growing up." He stared at the section that held him just behind the woman and younger man for a few more seconds before holding the picture out for Henry to take back. "If you'd like to see, I have a picture of Isabella, me and my son just before we were separated."

[disneydescendant]

Henry nodded, gladly taking the photo back but not folding it away yet. He looked at the people Gold mentioned. Yes they made sense but the names were wrong slightly.

"Sure. I'll look at your picture." He was very unsure and skeptical and hoped they'd get out of this turbolift soon enough. He was too scared to try apparating himself just in case he made it worse and ended up dead or something else stupid.

[mutationsprice]

Gold pulled his wallet out and unfolded it to remove a picture with worn edges. He held it out for Henry to look at. "That is Bailey, his mother and I at the amusement park...just a little while before I lost both of them." Strange in a way how a life could end up going so wrong so quickly. They'd been so happy when that picture had been taken. To think that little over an hour later he'd be canvasing the park searching for any sign of his wife and child, not knowing what had happened to either of them.

[disneydescendant]

Henry looked at the photo and noticed that the boy did indeed look like the Baelfire he had met in Ruby City, just with different clothes. But then the words sank in and he looked up at Gold. "Wait, Belle is Bae's mother?" He couldn't help but use the names he was used to as well as sound like it wasn't possible. Baelfire had told Henry himself that Milah was his mother after their punch up. What on Earth was going on?

[mutationsprice]

"Yes. She was." He replied as he pulled the picture back to replace it back into his wallet. He gave Henry a bemused look as he put the wallet back into his pant's pocket. "Who else would be his mother? I had no children with my first wife."

[disneydescendant]

Henry groaned and slid down the wall of the turbolift, sitting on the floor instead. He carefully pocketed his own photo then threw caution to the winds by conjuring up a notebook and pen. Without saying a word to Gold, he opened the notebook and started writing. This was all too much to take in at once and he needed to organise his thoughts better. Where the hell was his storybook when he needed it?

[mutationsprice]

That was curious. He shifted to push himself from the wall and make his way a little closer to where Henry now sat.

"How did you do that, if I might ask? The ..thing with the pen and notebook, I mean."

[disneydescendant]

Henry continued writing. It was note form and he'd have to rewrite it later but it would get it out his head. Without a pensieve, it was the best he could do. But he managed to give a one word answer to the man's question in between the extracting of information.

"Magic."

[mutationsprice]

"Ah. Personal sort of magic...or can other people learn it?" He asked after a moment's consideration. "It looks like a rather handy trick to have up one's sleeve." He followed with as if needing to explain the reasoning for the question presented.

[disneydescendant]

Henry didn't answer for a moment, finishing up his fourth page of notes before looking up. "I would say you taught it to me. But you're not the man I've grown up knowing. You're some strange alternate, possibly mutant, version who may or may not actually be my grandfather." He stood up now, glad to have the information in an easier form to access. "But I suppose I could teach you. It would be weird as hell, but possible."

[mutationsprice]

"I am a mutant. We can establish that as a fact. It's what I meant by my abilities being genetic earlier." It was a bit disheartening to learn that the boy wasn't from his world, and thus his experiences had no impact on his. At least not yet.

"It's curious how similar our worlds are. I'd be willing to learn about your 'magic', if you're willing to try teaching me about it." It'd be interesting to see if he was capable of learning and performing it that was for certain. Not to mention, it'd give himself something to occupy his time here on this ship.

[disneydescendant]

Henry jotted a few things down in the notebook. "Indeed." He pondered something for a moment. "So...you weren't born Rumplestiltskin and yet you still use the name?"

He looked between Gold and the doors for a moment. "And when the hell are we getting out of here?"

[mutationsprice]

"It's a code name. There are people out there that if they knew my actual name would make my life even more miserable than they have." He considered the second question for a minute and went to poke at the console for a few moments. "Perhaps it's an electrical issue. Those can be tricky."

[disneydescendant]

"What do you need a code name for?" Then he realised that was a stupid question and shook his head. "Never mind."

He looked at the console for a moment then said. "I suggest you step back." Then he summoned his Keyblade and smashed it in with all the force he could muster in such a small space. A moment later, the doors opened enough for Henry to slip out and he did so, holding them open for Gold to follow.

[mutationsprice]

That had been rather unexpected. He kept himself as flat against the lift wall as he could manage as the weapon was summoned and used against the console. Only pushing away once Henry had moved to depart.

It was a bit tricky, but he managed to get his cane and himself through the gap in the doors. Once out he took a few paces away from the lift and Henry, leaning his weight on the cane he held in his right hand.

"Thank you. What was that? More magic?"

[disneydescendant]

Henry did his best to pull the doors open as far as he could so Gold could get through more easily. He'd noted the cane earlier but hadn't bothered commenting on it.

Once Gold was through, he nodded at the question. "Of a sort. Perhaps now we can find somewhere more comfortable to continue our conversation." He paused, adding a little nervously. "A-Assuming you want to?"

For all Henry knew, this man had just indulged his questions because he had no choice.

[mutationsprice]

"Let's see what deck we've gotten out onto, then we can figure out where we can go from here. I'll admit I'm a little curious about you and your world still."

The magic was also curious, but not quite as curious as learning there was a world out there that held people akin to twins of you living such different lives. He'd heard such was possible, but never really expected to encounter such himself.

[disneydescendant]

Henry nodded. "Lead the way." After all, this Gold had to have been going somewhere when he went into the turbolift in the first place so Henry assumed he knew the place better than he.

He was also curious, as was his natural state of being, and he quickly scrawled a note on a torn out piece of paper from his notebook apologising for breaking the console before following Gold in whatever direction he took.