The God of the Artificial: a TADC self insert fanfic
Be warned. This is blatant self-indulgence. This is why my blog is titled "disaster obsessions." I'm just making it exist so it doesn't drive me crazy. Enjoy, if you want!
PART NINE: The Breakroom
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...
The cast of characters stood in front of the stage the following morning, as they so often did. Lupa, feeling somewhat better though not particularly great, approached Caine.
"When are the next character awards?"
Caine turned to her excitedly.
"Why, I'm glad you asked! There're tonight! So, for the day, you all will be managing yourselves, like last time."
Jax raised his hand like a kid in school.
"Yes, Jax?"
"Can we get guns again?"
"Not this time! I'm leaving you entirely to your own devices. So use that polished smooth brain of yours and come up with an idea on your own!" Caine replied, wagging a finger at him.
Most of the characters were completely fine with that, intent of doing what they did on their free time. Jax turned away, disappointed, but noticed Lupa lagging behind and turned back to her.
"Hey, you comin' Lupa?"
Lupa looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you in a minute, there's something I want to ask Caine."
Jax shrugged and walked off.
Caine got close to Lupa when she turned back around to talk to him, and seeing him so close so suddenly caused her to jump.
"You have a question, Lupa?"
"Uh, uh yes, I do," Lupa said, her ears twitching awkwardly. "Sooo... in-house things.."
Caine looked at her quizzically.
"Alright," she said, "I have a request. For a new room."
"Oh! You don't like the one you're staying in?"
"No, no, I do! I mean, a room for all of us. A break room. We already have assorted couches and chairs. Could we have a space where we can cook and make drinks? Nothing fancy, just... a space for us.. like a break room."
Caine visibly thought about it.
"Hmmmmmmm. Bubble, what do you make of this request?"
Bubble appeared and stuck his tongue out.
"Sounds like the creature wants some creature comforts!"
"Creature comforts!" Caine exclaimed. "Why that's it! That will surely make the human characters happy. Lupa, you are brilliant!"
Caine snapped his fingers, and a new room appeared, set into the wall next to the entrance of the hall of rooms, up on the catwalk.
"A break room for you and the other crew members!" Caine presented, whisking her over to the new room quite suddenly. "It has all the couches and chairs of your lounge space, with a stocked kitchen that has an island for some reason, and pantry, and an open bar for any of your human needs."
"Or human desires," Bubble added.
"Bubble, you really need to stop speaking like that, you'll scare the guests," Caine said, as if Lupa couldn't hear him.
"This is perfect! Thank you, Caine!"
"Why of course!" Caine said, his attention snapping back to her. "I hope you and the others enjoy it! But now, I really need to get going. I have a character awards ceremony to plan, and I need to look my best. I'm sure my rating has gone up since last time!"
And he and Bubble instantly disappeared as if into thin air.
...
Lupa managed to get everyone into the break room. They sat at the combo island-bar while Lupa and Zooble began fixing things to drink.
Bribery wasn't hard. You wanna eat? You wanna drink? You wanna spent time with the others in an environment that isn't trying to kill you or possess you or traumatize you or send you to hell? Yeah, sure I'm down.
Jax wanted alcohol. So did Ragatha. But Gangle, Kinger, and Pomni took up Lupa's offer of hot chocolate.
"So, Lupa, you weren't there when we asked each other about our previous lives," Zooble said, shaking up a drink while Lupa began cooking milk.
"At the bar during the speedrun, right?"
"Mhm. Why don't you give us your backstory?"
Lupa hummed passively for a moment, not looking at any of them and not saying anything. This was her hesitating, wondering if this was the right crowd to tell the truth in. After a sigh, she began speaking.
"Well... I spent my life collecting lore," she began, stirring the milk. "At first it wasn't on purpose, but I just couldn't imagine an uneventful life after a certain point."
"Ooooo, sounds like something I'd like," Jax said, leaning on the bar and staring at her dreamily. She didn't notice.
"The last few years before coming here, I was a midshipman for the merchant marines. I was trained in shiphandling, navigation, and security."
"Wow, that sounds... intense..?" Ragatha responded.
"She's so cool," Jax hummed.
"Does that mean you traveled overseas?" Gangle asked.
"Yeah, I did," Lupa replied. "My academy wasn't uh.. like the other military divisions. I belonged to the only one that would send cadets into active combat zones."
When Lupa noticed the others were surprisingly quiet, she turned around and saw them all staring at her, including Zooble.
"What? Guys, that was the fun part. I hated all the time I spent on land. Being at sea, sent from place to place, completing missions, working with other governments, exploring foreign ports and cities, that was the exciting part. And we had a lot of freedom out there, compared to on campus." She returned to stirring the milk. "I worked really hard to be cleared for my eight-month sailing. I couldn't wait."
"Uh, exactly how old are you again?" Jax asked with narrowed eyes and a raised brow.
"You went to a school that would send it's students overseas into war zones?" Pomni asked in shock.
"Yeah. I mean, not like, purposefully, or anything. They sent us everywhere in the globe. But yeah, sometimes ships go through areas of conflict or pirate waters. The risk is just a part of the deal you sign up for. And, like I said, that's the fun part." Lupa glanced over at Pomni. "Surely you had some fun or interesting stories from your work or school."
"Uhhh," Pomni said, breaking eye contact and tapping on the counter, "not... really..??"
"C'mon, Lupa," Jax urged, "tell us one of your war stories!"
Lupa chuckled at him, turning down the heat on the stove.
"I don't have any good ones," she replied. "I was not in a particularly conflict-heavy area... but, if you want stories, I can definately scrounge up one or two."
"Well.. you can't just say that and not tell us," Zooble said, amused.
"Alright, well... I guess... picture this. There is a ship, a big one, painted military grey. Her purpose is a supply tanker, a part of what was called the Auxiliary Fleet. She made the long journey across the rough and stormy Atlantic ocean and was now in her mission location of the Mediterranean sea," Lupa described, gathering four mugs and setting them on the bar before the characters. "It's 4am one winter morning. I woke up to the ship's gentle nudge. Her usual hum, emanating from her belly, rumbled with an anxiety I had never heard from her. From experience, I knew that the creaking meant we had shifted in speed. I responded to her call by getting dressed quickly, making sure to tuck my knife and pen where they belonged on my leg, and to throw my red light over my neck. It was still pitch black outside... not a single ounce of light pollution." She poured coco powder and sugar into the mugs individually. "As a cadet, I had no real responsibilities that held any weight, but my officer was content to post me as a lookout."
The other characters listened intently. Ragatha had leaned in, her hands over her mouth in suspense. Pomni stared, eyes wide as she listened. Gangle had paused in her drawing and seemed to be hiding behind her notebook. Even Jax was... more attentive than usual, sitting against the bar and not making any snide comments. As Zooble finished up the drink they were making for Ragatha, they too stayed quiet and interested. Kinger sat still with his eyes closed, almost appearing asleep if it weren't for him slowly fiddling with his hands. Lupa continued with her story.
"See, there's a funny thing about warships," she said with a tone of suspense... and amusement. "It's that you can't see them when they don't want to be seen. Most people think ships are a lot more high-tech than they are, but it's just not true. When a warship didn't want us seeing them, we couldn't. And, when they didn't want to be seen, it was often because they were hunting."
Lupa bared teeth in her smile and growled softly when she said that, then drew back and laughed, her ears flattening for a moment.
"Aha, ahem, anyway... I knew the hunters were nearby. We were looking for them on purpose. They were our allies we were sent to refuel. Stealthy, silent, quick for something built of steel, a ship on the hunt could go unnoticed. In a witching-hour dark such as the time I was up on the bridge, one may pass right by them and never know they were there. I knew the hunters were nearby. But there is something... deeply disturbing... about knowing one of the most dangerous, powerful vessels in the world is coming straight for you, almost invisible to the human eye. I watched her radar return for thirty minutes, slowly encroaching on our position, before seeing her with my naked eye. And once I did, that disturbance within me deepened further, slinking from my chest to my stomach," Lupa described, using her hand to show the feeling of her creeping anxiety moving down into her stomach, causing a chill to run down Ragatha's spine and Gangle to whimper.
"Was it a submarine?" Jax asked.
Lupa smirked at him. "Quite the opposite."
"Let her tell the story," Zooble whispered at him, smacking his shoulder lightly.
"Geez, alright!" Jax whispered back. Lupa smiled at them and continued storytelling.
"The only indication of her, the beast that stalked us, was a tiny amber light gently bobbing on the horizon. If one didn’t know, they wouldn’t realize they were mere miles from a massive, catastrophic warship. A hellraiser, a savior, a beast on water, a mother that carried death on her back and in her chest. One, tiiiny eye, yellow-orange in the night, unblinking, staring right at me. I remember, I walked out onto the bridge wing to meet eyes with her in clarity, the wind ripping through my hair and clothes." Lupa pointed into the middle distance, making finger-guns and eyeing down the 'sights' she created with her thumb. "'I see you, beast,' I remember thinking, 'My ship is old but she is wise of it. And she told me about you'."
"Ok, you have to admit," Jax chuckled. "That was cringe."
Lupa put her arm down, looking at him disappointedly, and turned away to fetch the hot milk to pour into the mugs. Literally all of the other characters immediately snapped at Jax, causing a short squabble that ended with Ragatha saying, "Don't make me duct tape your mouth shut again!"
Lupa couldn't help but laugh at that, and her cheerfulness calmed them all back down, especially as she filled up the mugs and put the milk back on the stove. The characters asked her to continue as she searched the kitchen for spoons.
"Uh, alright... well, as I returned indoors to compare what my eyes saw with what the radar saw, I instantly forgot the most haunting factor of such a powerful ally. A hunter that large is never alone. Warships like those hunt in packs. I remembered that when I saw another amber light in the far off distance, slowly closing in from the opposite direction. I glanced down at the radar to try and find it, but then remembered, ah. Yes. Nothing is more powerful in the dark than stealth. And, funny thing about warships. You can't see them when they don't want to be seen."
Lupa found the spoons, finally, and put one in each mug, starting to stir the hot milk, coco powder, and sugar together.
"That feeling in my stomach temporarily went away when I remembered that we were actually really well protected. The huge vessel to our port was likely five times the size of the one closing in on the starboard side. And, on the radar, I was just glimpsing a third coming up right behind us. Like a wolfpack, they closed in on all out vulnerable sides. It honestly took a lot to remind myself that these were not my enemies.. in fact, the opposite. That huge beastly ship was our ally, and her pack was there to protect us."
Lupa finished up stirring one of the mugs and slid it to Gangle, who tapped her ribbons together excitedly.
"My officer, the navigator, he commented about the warships occasionally. Those who knew nothing about them saw them in terms of money and manpower. Those who knew just enough, they revered them for their power and capabilities. But those who knew a little too much... they saw them and knew why they were there."
Lupa slid another mug over to Kinger. He didn't move, so Lupa awkwardly grabbed his hands and put them on the mug. He said, oh!, and began sipping at it eagerly, still not opening his eyes.
"There's no real conclusion to this story. It's moreso an experience. As the sun rose, I could see the outlines of the huge ship and her accomplices. The amber lights faded as the sun bathed them in orange and gold, revealing them. The beast of the seas was an aircraft carrier, nuclear powered, hauling along some of our finest jets. She was taking a break, being in the Med. She, and the destroyers guarding her (and the submarine somewhere, but we never saw it), had just left the Red Sea, which is where most actual conflict at the time was, other than certain areas off the Pacific. We completed out mission without a hitch though! Carrier came in, hooked up our hoses, drained us of fuel, and off she went. Had had to go into port after that to restock."
"Wait wait wait," Jax said, shaking his head. "Let me get this straight, your ship was a floating gas station for the United States Military."
Lupa shrugged and nodded, siding mugs to Ragatha and Pomni. "Yeah. I mean, Italy and Spain too, when they were nearby and needed our help. But yeah."
"That's... pretty cool. Can't say I'd do it.. but sounds like you liked it," Zooble said.
Lupa shrugged again. "Some days were better than others. What made it worth it to most people was the money. Six figures fresh out of college, and if you go through my school, there's no student debt."
This sparked some kind of outrage in Jax, Zooble, and even Pomni, a little but. Not exact at Lupa, but definitely at what she said.
"And you want to be HERE?!" Jax yelled at her. Lupa's ears fell back.
"I hated it there. I liked being at sea, but I hated the school. Some parts of it were ok, but overall, it was hell."
"At least Caine hasn't sent you to actual hell... yet," Pomni muttered.
Lupa sighed and shook her head. "You won't get it unless you've lived it. It's not a feeling I can just explain."
"But, you're so good at telling stories," Gangle said softly.
Lupa sighed and looked away from them. "I mean.. yeah, but. Telling stories is what I was always good at, it's what I do, but, it wasn't what I was trained for. I've been trained to handle stress and the unknown.. not trained to explain how I feel about things I don't really know how I feel about!"
"Well, good news for you then!" Caine appeared behind the bar, causing all characters to jump and Jax to start choking (no one helped him). "The new and improved character awards are almost upon us! And I hope to see you all there very shortly!" And as soon as he was there, he was gone again.
The crew looked around at each other in silence. Then, Lupa smiled and shrugged.
"Just another day in paradise, huh?"
hey so. by the way. That was a true story.
Soooooo I felt like showing a little bit...
This is the actual video I took that morning. By the end of the video, I'm fully zoomed in. I was enthralled by the fact that literally the biggest warship we have is basically invisible. So cool and sketchy.
This is what it looked like as the sun was beginning to rise!
And THIS is her pulled up next to us, our hoses connected so we can refuel her. Hope you like!