1st Gear | Video

[deusrexmachina]

[The feed clicks on as Rex sits back in his chair, goggles hanging down around his neck and arms folded across his chest. He looks a little annoyed.]

Okay. So. Back of a giant turtle. War against some dude whose name we're not supposed to say. Get a job. The basics of the situation, right?

I gotta admit, ending up in some city that looks like it's part of an MMORPG was not where I thought I'd be after my day got off to such a great start. But seriously, who would think that? And not gonna lie, I did wonder for a while if maybe this is all some whacked out dream after taking a hit to the head in the middle of a fight.

[He shrugs, sighs and runs one hand back through his hair before sitting forward.]

Anyway. Since it seems like I might be here for a while...

My name's Rex Salazar. I happen to be really good with machines if anyone knows of any job openings around here that have to do with stuff like that. I've also done work as a bodyguard before. Fighting monsters and catching criminals? Got tons of experience with all that, too. I'm been assigned a place in the Metal Sector if that helps.

[Going quiet a moment, his frustrated expression becomes thoughtful. Maybe even a little hopeful.]

Also, while I realize this is probably a long shot? If there's a guy by the name of Six here, I'd appreciate it if someone would let me know if he's around. Doctor Holiday, too. Both or either of them. Or anyone from Providence, really.

Comments

Video;

[alphatar]

[Even in Keeliai, Saturdays can get lazy and Korra's been spending the better part of the evening playing mahjong, poking at the network occasionally. Seeing the new face, she falls into the habit of greeting despite not working at the Welcome Center anymore.

Her feed flicks on and she's got a bowl of ice cream, spoon hanging out of her mouth as she tries to multi-task between this and her ongoing game.]

If you're good with machines and that kind of stuff, you should talk to Tony Stark. He runs Stark Industries and is usually looking for foreigners to hire.

[Finally, she finishes her game to actually look at Rex.]

Hate to break it to you, but I don't think either of those people were here. I don't think do anyway. Maybe a Holiday. [She can't keep up with all the doctors, psychologists, and scientists that come through. But Korra finishes the ice cream on her spoon before placing it back in the bowl.]

Korra, by the way.

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

Stark? I--

[WHOA. HOLD UP. You'll have to excuse the sudden brain stall because hello bonita.]

--uh.

[Focus, Rex. C'mon. And stop staring.]

Right. Stark Industries. I'll...keep that in mind. And maybe someone else knows for sure about Holiday. Hopefully.

Nice to meet you, by the way, Korra.

[Video]

[alphatar]

[That pause gets chalked up to it being the first day. It happens. Still, Korra carefully scooped out another spoonful of chocolate ice cream, and refrains from shoving it in her mouth.]

Nice to meet you too, Rex. The company's in the Fire Sector, but the Welcome Center has maps of Keeliai and it's in the center of the city. You can't miss it.

[But she can't help but smirk.] But monster hunting and criminal catching is actually a good thing to have around here, so you got that going too.

video;

[watcheslanterns]

[Rapunzel's head is tilted slightly as she looks at the screen with a curious expression.]

What's an MMORPG?

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[Okay, so Rex isn't all that pleased about being here, clearly. But he's two for two on having pretty girls respond to him, so that has to count for something. ...never mind the fact that it's more the terminology he's using that's getting attention, here.]

It's a kind of game that a whole lot of people play all at once online. Players can get together and go on quests together, slay monsters, form guilds, things like that. Some people can get seriously addicted to playing, though.

[Not that he's ever been one of those people. Nope. Not at all.]

[Video]

[watcheslanterns]

Online...

So it's through some kind of machine, right? [She's gotten some basic knowledge about video games, but it's pretty limited.]

video;

[denyamenti]

[ Have a seemingly harmless teen peering at you through the screen. ]

I'm very sorry to say, but Doctor Holiday was here and then she, ah, left once again.

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[Wait. What.]

[Rex stares at the screen, tensing up, recalling that Korra said something earlier about the possibility of someone named Holiday being around, but not being sure and--oh god, did something bad happen?]

Left? What do you mean left? Like left the city and went back where she came from or went somewhere else?

Re: [Video]

[denyamenti]

Ah, she was here for several months and had agreed to help me with taking on some schoolwork, or at least a stand in for it. But not long ago her suite was emptied and she was nowhere to be found. There's...

[ Bakura looks away from the screen as though uncertain; of course it's all an act, but he's skilled at portraying his host. ]

Well, there's some discrepancy in what people believe happens at that point. I might not be the best to ask, I haven't been here nearly as long as many people.

video;

[demon_brat]

[ There's a slightly tired-looking twelve-year-old at a console, but he looks focused enough to give at least some credibility to the question. ]

How good with machines?

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[Though this kid looks like he's about five or six years younger, the question's a fair one. Might as well answer it.]

Really good. I can do some pretty fast work when it comes to physical repairs. I've done some reprogramming before, too. Caused a few overloads on purpose. You know, whatever needed to be done at the time, depending on the situation.

[runawayandroid]

You too, huh? Are you good with machines in a normal way, or a special power kind of way?

[deusrexmachina]

[Huh, so someone is finally asking. Rex wasn't too sure anyone would, but then again, he can't be the only one around here with powers, right? If heroes are what this place needs, who knows what other people are packing.]

Well, I am from a family of scientists and I do happen to be really good with my hands...

[He realizes how bad the second part sounds after saying it, but oh well. Not like it's a lie, after all.]

[video]

[fuckchild]

Looks like we're all stuck here, yeah. You said you've fought monsters?

[video]

[deusrexmachina]

Yeah, I have. Technically not everything I've fought has been a true monster. Some of them were more like...just out of control wild animals, really.

[But he's got no problem calling some of his worst enemies monsters. Nope.]

But still. Creatures with tons of fangs, claws, multiple heads... You get the idea.

video

[chittybang]

Nice to meet you, Rex! My name's Asami. What kind of machines do you normally work with?

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[...wow. Give him a sec here while his brain catches up to his raging teen hormones.]

Nice to meet you, too.

[He may or may not be leaning casually on the edge of the console now, trying to look a little more laid back than he initially appeared.]

Depends on the situation sometimes, though usually I work a lot with my own. I'm actually a field agent with a global organization back home - that one I mentioned, Providence. I'm really good with repairs on a lot of machines, but I can also do a lot of damage when I have to. I've overloaded gun turrets before, taken control of air transports, stuff like that.

[Bragging about his skills to a beautiful lady? Him? NOOOO, why would you think that?]

video

[sizzle]

If he's around then I haven't heard of him, or any doctor named Holiday either.

[ Though out of all the weird names he's heard here, those might take the cake. ]

But what is an MMORPG?

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

Someone else said they knew Holiday, so hopefully they can fill me on what happened with her.

[Given the Doc's somehow been here and is now gone again to who knows where, Rex is starting to think it's a good thing no one here knows Six.]

[He has to smirk at the question, though. Interesting how some people here haven't had access to much in the way of modern day technology. Or what he knows to be modern day tech, anyway.]

It's a kind of game, played online by a lot of people at once. Made up places, monsters, weapons... It's a fun escapism thing.

video

[looksfine]

It is a pleasure to meet you, Rex Salazar.

If you are searching for a job that employs the use of 'machines', then I might be able to offer some assistance.

[She might know a thing or two about robots herself...considering...she is one.]

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

[...that voice. It's clearer and a little softer without occasional fluctuations, but there's still a slight synthetic quality to it. The basic sound, the inflection... It's similar enough.]

[The corner of Rex's right eye twitches slightly.]

Who and what are you?

video;

[escarabajo]

Well, you got part of it. There's some stuff with separate planes of reality in this place that gets really... screwy, and the Dreaming plane is one of them.

[Alternate universes. Can't get enough of 'em. And as he sees someone's already explained Holiday's absence, he skips over that much.]

Welcome to Keeliai, Rex. I'm Jaime-- if you're still looking for something to do, I help out at a garage in the Metal Sector a few times a week. The owner's really nice, and it's a pretty all right place.

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

I'm kinda familiar with the whole parallel universes thing. Had a guy drop in on my version of Earth from some alternate version a while back, ended up making a big deal out of how the nearby town was like his hometown, but missing some important stuff.

A Dreaming plane, though? Gonna take me a while to get my head around that.

[As is, he's still trying to convince himself that some of what he's seeing and hearing is real.]

Jaime, huh? Nice to meet you, dude. Who's the guy who runs the garage?

video;

[spiderkid]

Providence, Rhode Island? [Was the first, totally unhelpful thing Miles thought.] I'm not sure if there's anyone around here from there. But I think somebody mentioned the other day somebody named Holiday leaving.

[Video]

[deusrexmachina]

Sorry, dude, guess I should have been more specific. Providence is a global organization I work for back home.

[Or at least that's what they were still calling it when he left. He wasn't sure if they were going to rename it after a mess involving...well, management changes. Details, though.]

Yeah, sounds like Holiday was here for a while, then left. Or just disappeared. I'm not really sure which. You know anything about where people go when they check out of here? Is it back home again?