You suppose it might be better to ask these guys what that thing is before you have to find out the hard way.
"Um, what is that thing?""This? This is the branding gun. We'll mark your skin with it. You'll be branded, so to speak. Betray the brand, and bad things will happen."You aren't sure whether that really explains much, but you suppose you've got no other choice. You expose your belly and clench your teeth in preparation for what is to come. You look down as you see the guy with the instrument drop to one knee and place the business end of the branding gun right above your belly button. You close your eyes and hold your breath.
[
-2] You now know what getting shot in the stomach feels like, though you're not sure you ever wanted to find out. Despite your best efforts, you are caught unprepared by the pain. Not the fact that it's there, but the magnitude of it. You keel over in agony, curling up in a fetal position as you wait for the horrible pain to end. It doesn't, at least not to a significant degree. You are, however, dimly aware that you are now lying in a small pool of your own blood.
"Okay, sweetie, that was step one. Now we do the cauterization! Wouldn't want you to bleed to death, would we?"You shiver as one of the guys rolls you on your back, another two holding back your arms and legs to prevent any unfortunate movements as the gun is poked into your abdominal wound.
[
-3] As the really painful feeling of your pierced abdomen is supplemented with a very pronounced sensation of burning, you blissfully pass out when the smell of your own burnt flesh reaches your nostrils. You feverishly dream of heated discussions about the proper use of quality power tools, beginning with reasoned arguments on both sides about whether a Marigold multisaw really is superior to a Hampton Technologies combination plasma cutter in matters of construction, however it soon devolves into people calling each other factory rejects and idiot naturals who haven't lifted a proper tool in their life, then somebody comes in and starts spouting random phrases that support both sides and invite any interested party to join him on a shopping trip for some shoes so real-looking, you almost can't tell that they're not from natural markets. It's all downhill from there.
However, before you can try to break up the awkward silence, you wake up. Your belly feels really sore, and you seem to be in an office of some kind - it's pretty dark in here (though a window lets some light in), and you're pretty sure you've been lying on a desk. You can see three of the guys from the guideways here, though where the others went you're not at liberty to say.
One of the guys appears to be messing with some kind of antiquated communications device - it looks familiar enough to you to guess at its purpose, if not its exact nature, it's probably one of those pre-network things. Another guy appears to be looking up a manual on medical treatment, occasionally adjusting a dial on his suit while a third appears to be napping contently. The entire room looks to be depowered, so you suppose you're still in the magnetic rail network somewhere, though it's difficult to say more.
You may focus on one item of news per unit of time, obtaining additional information on this subject.
- Magnetic rail accidents "most certainly not accidents", pundits claim, experts corroborate.
- Exemplar Chemical Corporation environmental executives perform daring escape from pursuing authorities.
- World's largest cake completed in Skandi City, Skandis overjoyed at contribution to world culture.
- Follow-up report: Leaden Claw in stable condition, expected to survive.
- Antarctica loses reservation status, is now world-status park, increasing revenues expected.
Name: Jasmine Thyme Model 376
Gender: Female
Attributes: heightened senses of taste and smell, increased manual dexterity, improved intellect, unobtrusively good looks, improved interpersonal ability, slight owner fixation, cranial netlink implant.
Skills: skilled chef, proficient at maintenance and repair, proficient at making smalltalk.
State of Mind: agitated due to the fact that you don't know where you are exactly or where your mistress and her companion happen to be currently.
Notable Physical Abnormalities: branded.
Author
Topic: (SG) Less Than Perfection - now dropped (Read 25879 times)