I'm still not good at creative titles

[forwearemany]

Who: Legion, Pidge, Keith, Wash, Knight, Kaworu
What: Stripping the buildings of every last usable piece of metal they can find
When: Very Early August
Where: Umui
Warnings: Probably none

(Hey guys, want to spend a nice day on a horrible plague island collecting bizarre metal?

...That is not, precisely, what Legion says when they send out a message to some of their allies, but it’s pretty much what they’re going to be doing today should anyone choose to accept the invite.

They’ll be waiting at the mana pool on Umui, taking the opportunity to charge a little as they wait.)

Comments

[braceforimpact]

[Kaworu likes Legion. He doesn't really dislike anyone, of course, but Legion is someone Kaworu finds more interesting and less.... difficult, as they're less emotionally reactive and volatile than the humans around them.

So he was happy to volunteer himself to help with dismantling the 'dead' automatons he'd found for them to begin with.

He floats a foot or two above the ground, his hands pressed into his pockets.]

I heard there was one of those that still works. Is that true?

[He didn't go check it out because he didn't want to talk to it. He doesn't actually care about the island's sordid history or present dangers much, you see.]

[forwearemany]

(The feeling is mutual: Legion also likes Kaworu.)

Affirmative. They are designated Arum-25.

[braceforimpact]

I see.

[Kaworu smiles back at the machine, in the process taking some time to thinks about that.]

They're different from you.

[Just a fact.]

[forwearemany]

(Headtilt.)

Elaborate.

[braceforimpact]

[?]

You said 'they,' but all the others are broken, like the ones we came for.

[This isn't really answering Legion's question.]

[forwearemany]

Affirmative. We are using 'they' in the singular sense, to refer to an entity without gender.

(It's not, but they're assuming Kaworu doesn't want to answer at this time, so they won't push it.)

[braceforimpact]

I see.

[He is trying not to make assumptions here. He knows a lot less about machines than he does about humans--and as most people have probably figured out, he doesn't actually know a lot about humans.]

I thought that's what 'it' was for.

[That's what humans use for Angels. And Evangelions. And animals, although animals have a gender... anything that isn't human, perhaps. But Legion isn't human, and neither is ARUM-25.]

...well, anyway. I guess this island was also populated by humans...

[He stares out over the dead ocean for a moment, pensive. Then he glances at Legion, smiling again.]

What do you plan to do with the parts?

[forwearemany]

Though functional, the pronoun it implies lack of personhood.

(They chatter.)

We will sort them according to potential usefulness, and store the majority in the lighthouse with other materials harvested from this island, so that all can access and benefit from them.

Additionally, we may use some metal sheets for construction.

[braceforimpact]

[Personhood. Humanity. Are they the same?

.......... probably.

He could have figured that out on his own. Should have figured it out on his own.]

Building things.

[He sounds amused.]

You really were made by humans.

[A pause. A long one, actually. It takes him a few seconds to spit it out--the realisation he wouldn't have had if he hadn't exchanged those words with Legion.]

....

Do humans use 'they' for machines like you?

agent washington | i guess ota?

[counterblows]

[There's a hitch in Wash's lungs that hints that he might be getting sick; considering it's sickness that killed these people, allegedly, he's not interpreting that as a good sign. If that's the case, his capacity to operate at ideal physical strength is going to be waning unless they can do what these people never could, and fix it.]

[He's never really been one to wallow. He takes what he can do and then does it. If that means stripping buildings and digging through flowers and roots and clods of soil in search of usable materials, then that's his weight, and he'll pull it, same as anyone.]

[Wash doesn't waste much time on pleasantries. While he does wait for the rest of the group to congregate by the mana pool, he makes short work of stripping the buildings for metal the moment the group reaches the first ruin with enough to justify dismantling. His motions are brisk and efficient; he doesn't stop unless someone addresses him first.]

[forwearemany]

(Legion does not breathe, but they've noticed the onset of illness too-in their case, a sudden difficulty in temperature regulation that results in an increased need to rest.

They are attempting to assist Wash when they begin to experience such a need.)

Washington-Agent. We are beginning to overheat.

[counterblows]

[The rhythm of constant work is soothing in some respects, but like any other organic, Wash can't keep going indefinitely. He's not Carolina; he can't push himself to his absolute limit and then some. He's not Texas either, though she'd had the benefit of an inorganic body.]

I'm starting to feel it too. [He straightens and lets drop the latest sheet of metal he was set on towing from the rubble.]

You've also got it?

[braceforimpact]

[Kaworu is tireless, but he feels.... different. Breathing is strange. Not harder, exactly. But less automatic. He feels something wrong about it, and about his head.

He does not connect this to what anyone is talking about.]

Got what?

[He looks up at the sky, perplexed. Are they talking about the sun?]

.... heat?

[forwearemany]

Uncertain. However, we would prefer to avoid damage from excessive overheat.

(Maybe it's time for them to take a break for a little bit?

They look at Kaworu.)

This island was a quarantine. The pathogen that inflicted its previous inhabitants has resurfaced.

[counterblows]

[It takes some getting used to, as a rule. Wash hasn't had the flu since he was a kid; most gene flip generations had funny reactions to typical childhood illnesses. And after his departure from official UNSC frontlines, he didn't have to worry about catching the odd cold, working in Freelancer.]

[Unfortunately, the minute difference between a healthy soldier and a sick one is usually just enough to get him killed.]

[He glances at Kaworu, mostly assessing. Maybe slightly curious. If he has some sort of immunity...]

You don't feel it?

[braceforimpact]

I don't think so.

[Kaworu looks amused, and bemused. He is also wrong. But he still thinks they're talking about being too hot? He looks at Legion.]

I thought you were a machine.

[forwearemany]

(They chatter.)

Arum-25 has indicated that synthetics are also susceptible. It was likely sickness that destroyed the others.

[thermalwind]

[By now he knows he's sick. Legion's message is met by asking politely for one of his team to come along. His explanation is well, he's sick, and when he's having weakness she'll take over his load.

She can also needs to know what they're dealing with. While he still has time to teach. He appears at the mana pool like a ghost. He sets to work the moment they're all there and hit a ruin.

Getting to work lets him stop thinking so hard on everything crowding around inside his head. He uses his blade to strip metal away. The biggest pieces he can easily slice in half for easier carrying. Sometimes he uses his blade with glowing purple lines. Other times he cuts with a long white-edged black blade. He works like a machine.

But he checks up on the rest of the team periodically. He breaks away from his own tasks immediately the moment someone calls for help. It's as if being sick changed some rule in his head. ]

[forwearemany]

(Legion is, as always, quite willing to have more people join their group, so Pidge is welcome.

At some point, instead of someone calling for Keith's help, Legion will come over to lend some help of their own. It doesn't matter whether or not they were asked-they're quite aware at this point that just about everyone is ill to some degree, and are more than a little worried.)

[thermalwind]

Thanks. [He says it and pauses to rub his right arm. It has been going numb off and on lately. Keith turns, reaching up and gripping the top of a piece of metal.]

...Can you loosen the sides of this? I think we can get it in one go.

[forwearemany]

Yes.

(And they'll get to work. Even sick, they're still pretty strong.)

[thermalwind]

[He braces himself against the wall and waits until their grip is good too. He pulls back with both his hands. Halfway his right hand goes numb.]

Hold. Numb spell. I’m getting really tired of this. [He releases the metal and pulls off his right gauntlet. He massages the forearm with deft fingers.] Should clear in two minutes.

I’ll resume then. ...Shouldn’t get too bad until I’m at my limit.

[forwearemany]

(They're making decent progress when Keith has to stop, but Legion doesn't seem to mind.)

You are ill. It is to be expected.

(In the meantime, they sit down. This is, perhaps, an unusual behavior to anybody who knows them: as a being that does not get tired, they typically only do so when prompted or when necessary.)

[thermalwind]

[He glances at Legion and sits down beside him. He works the muscles in his arm.] Yeah. I am. I don’t know how fast it progresses through people...but it’s bad enough I won’t work without a partner.

[He leans forward and works both his legs. His right hand shakes with mild tremors.] How long do you need to rest?

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged.

(They chatter.)

We do not need to rest, however, in our current state taking the opportunity to do so is wise.

(Basically they're just waiting for Keith.)