Have I Got a Deal for You

[thinkingfire]

I hate to make my introduction this way, but current circumstances have forced me into a bit of a bind. My name is Professor Martin Stein, and I'm rather hoping someone here might be able to provide a bit of assistance in a matter of what is sadly quite literally, life and death.

In the interest of preventing a rather sizable nuclear explosion--and I do realize this is a long shot, but would there be anyone present who has been fortunate enough to survive some sort of incident such as being involved with an exploding particle accelerator or nuclear reactor of something of that nature? The matter at hand is...rather urgent.

Comments

[itsananimalthing]

There's been a few Jaunts that had radiation issues, so yeah. There's a few of us. Including me. What do you need a person with radiation experience for for?

[Since he kind of neglected to explain that part.]

[thinkingfire]

Well, it's admittedly rather odd, but, to make a long and frankly unbelievable story short, I require a sort of merge partner in order to stabilize myself every so often. You see, I was exposed to a great amount of strange radiation myself, and if I do not find a suitable partner before too much more time has passed, I will, well, explode. I fear for what might happen to everyone else in the blast; if my calculations are correct--which they should be--it will be the equivalent of a nuclear warhead going off, which I do not think will be good for anyone here.

[itsananimalthing]

[There's a pause, then something like a mental snort.]

That's probably a big, shitty sort of thing, yeah. Let's not let that happen.

[Aren't you lucky you're talking to someone who knows what a nuclear warhead is?]

What's this merge thing? And what's that do to keep you from blowing up liminal space?

[thinkingfire]

It's actually quite simple. I touch hands with a compatible individual, and then we fuse into one being.

Rather, we fuse into one body, and my consciousness hangs around in the proverbial wings while my merge partner actually controls the body.
It's been tried in other fashions, but this is the most stable arrangement.

[itsananimalthing]

[ ... that actually sounds really unpleasant. Sharing brain and body-space with someone you only just met? And don't necessarily trust?]

How much control do you get? And how long you gotta do it for?

[Because if it were a permanent thing, the Trumps probably would have wound up bringing the person he was bonded with, not just him, so he can at least guess that it can't be permanent. (He can hope it can't be permanent. Ugh.)]

[thinkingfire]

Sadly, I get little or no control over it. I'm merely a passenger.

But the preventative effects should be instantaneous the moment the merge takes place...at least, that's how it's always worked with previous partners. If not, I have to question the wisdom of our hosts in bringing me here at all.

[itsananimalthing]

[There's a long pause before Riddick replies, as he runs through various scenarios and flips through the other conversations going on in relation to this request. Then he finally replies:]

Aw'right. Come find me and we'll talk in person. My door's a wooden sliding thing, by the rock shaped like a bird's head. I'll leave it open.

[thinkingfire]

Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr...?

[He's fishing for a name. And he's looking for that door even as he speaks.]

[itsananimalthing]

Richard B. Riddick. I don't think you'll have heard of me.

[Nobody ever has, which is something of a relief, honestly.]


((we can continue in action spam here, or hop over to my top-level?))

[thinkingfire]

I can't say that I have, Mr. Riddick, but it's good to meet you.

((I'm heading over to the toplevel now!))

[itsananimalthing]

I'll let you decide that for real after you've actually met me.