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Passengers: Theo Crawford and inmates old and new
Location: All over the Peregrine
Date: Ongoing, during the month of April
Summary: Part two of speaking with inmates about his escape plan
Warnings: Theo's dirty mouth, who knows what else.

[Theo was still working on his escape plan, but a wrench has been thrown into the works thanks to Silco's departure. No other inmates really expressed interest in joining Theo, though some had volunteered to help, or at the very least, not let the secret out. But with still no one on his side, Theo's anxiety over the plan was only getting worse. He'd be more than glad to do it on his own, if he thought he could, but there were a lot of wardens and only one of him.

The Peregrine has had a few new faces arrive over the last few weeks, which meant it was time to get to those inmates while they were alone, or no more than in pairs, and out of the earshot of any wardens. Theo will be approaching inmates he hasn't spoken to yet in places like the mess hell, waving them into the Chapel as they pass the hall, or if they were alone in places like the dorms or the observatory. A paranoid person to begin with, Theo will be doing a lot of double checking and looking over his shoulder as he approaches any inmate.]

Hey. I need to talk to you real quick. Keep your voice down.

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[ Theo will find Rhys in the mess hall, absently poking at his gluten free vegan meatloaf and some kinda green vegetable as he scrolls through his comm. He doesn't look up. ]

I'm kinda busy right now but I can take a break.

[Theo sits down opposite Rhys, facing the door so he can keep an eye out for anyone who might walk in. He takes a steadying breath before speaking.]

I have an idea that can help get us out of here, if they do one of those port stops again. But it needs several inmates in on it to work. Interested?

Edited (phone tags :S) 2022-04-22 13:33 (UTC)

[ Rhys does look up, one eyebrow raised, more condescending than quizzical. ]

Yeeeah. I don't know if you have poor short term memory or something, but I was part of the last prison break and it went really badly.

[Theo did hear some of those details, and knows how it landed them all a short stint I. solitary. That idea unnerved him, but it was worth the risk.]

Yeah, but-- Okay, how far did you plan ahead? Or was it a spur of the moment thing? Cuz I'm trying to work something out, but the more inmates on board, the easier it'll get to pull off.

Uh, a ton?

[ Okay not a ton, but enough for the amount of info they had. It didn't change anything. ]

And then what? We are really far out dude, if I can't get back to my system and point in time, there's no way you're getting back to yours.

[He looks skeptical, but if they really did plan all that out, that was bad news considering how it turned out with them all back here in solitary.

At the mention of returning home, Theo shakes his head and waves it off swiftly.]

That's not what I want. I can't go home. I mean, I could in theory go back to somewhere else in the same world, but-- [He shakes his head again.]

I just want to get out of here. And if the next stop we make has civilization this time, I'm going for it. We don't know how many chances we might get, so we can't let another slip by.

[ "What about the whole being dead thing?" Rhys wants to ask. He doesn't know the details, but at this point figures there must be some kind of tie between being in the vicinity of the ship and keeping his ability to breathe, and frankly he's not too eager to find out the hard way.

But he's curious about what Theo has planned here, not just because he wants to know what this guy thinks he could do better, but because information can make for valuable currency. ]

All right. I'm not saying I'm in yet, if you've got plans to get out of here they better be water tight. But I'm listening.

[Theo looks a bit frustrated, since a surprising amount of inmates weren't into this idea. The less involved, the harder it was going to be to execute. He runs a hand down his face, thinking got a moment.]

Okay, so. There's this plant in the greenhouse. I've been workin' in there for awhile, and I've been cultivating it. Soon, there should be enough that I can make clippings and hand them out to inmates without it being too noticeable.

[He takes another look around, making sure the area was still clear.]

It's poisonous. Can knock a person out with just enough skin contact. I think it's an ingredient in those sleeping pills they got in the infirmary, y'know? The ones that give you really wild dreams. Anyway, we get these safely into the hands of inmates, then we can use 'em on the wardens when the time is right.

[ As far as plans go, it's not the worst Rhys has heard, but it's the lack of endgame to it that makes him not want to get on board with it all. That, and things had changed since his last escape attempt, he had information now that he didn't back then that could've influenced his decisions.

Still, he sees an opportunity here, though it's not going to be one that works in Theo's favor. ]

And how many inmates are we talking here? Who else have you told about this?

[That frustration only increases with that question.]

Most, honestly. And almost everyone asks the same damn thing! But if everyone agrees, then there won't be an issue.

[He sighs, realizing he needs to keep his voice down. Not that there's anyone around, he's just nervous.]

If the next port is another backwater forest, forget it. But if there's a city, some civilization? I'm not wasting the opportunity.

[ "Most." That would give Rhys plenty of room for deniability if he turncoated here, and with that "if" in there that probably meant not everyone he'd spoken to had agreed.

He tapped metal fingers against his chin, pretending to consider Theo's plan while really considering the risk-reward of full stop ratting him out. ]

If you can figure out a way to administer the poison without it getting all over our hands and taking the whole ship down for an unscheduled nap then I'm in. You might wanna start looking into finding a surplus of gloves now though, who knows when we'll be docking next.

Yeah. Gloves from the greenhouse. Forks from the mess hall. Store 'em in a spare sock or something. Once I hand them out, I'm not responsible for how it's handled from there. Be careful or you'll just knock yourself out.

[Theo points to the back of his own neck.]

Hit 'em here, and they'll already be groggy by the time they figure out what happened. Otherwise you might just have to grab their hand or something. Wrist is better. Somewhere where the skin is thin.

[Another area check before turning back to Rhys.]

I can hand out pieces once we they announce we're landing somewhere. I can't make potions or anything here, so we'll have to make do.

[ Jerry spends a decent amount of time in the dorms, mostly because there's less warden activity here, and he doesn't mind the company. He's slept in more cramped places with even more people.

When he's approached he's not doing much — in fact, he's just sitting and staring at a wall, contemplating testing how long he could sleep before someone forcefully tried to wake him up.

He gets bored.

He squints at Theo in confusion — at least that's what it looks like when Jerry squints, and he complies and lowers his voice to an obnoxiously hoarse whisper. ]

Uh, okay. I don't have any drugs. I mean, I think maybe one of my shirts has some of that red flower powder stuff on it, which is awful, but I hallucinated for like a whole day. But other than that I got nothin'.

[That was not a response Theo was expecting. He goes to say something, stops, thinks for a second, before finally forming a sentence.]

I would honestly be shocked if you did have any, since we have nowhere to get drugs in the first place. [A beat.] Kinda.

[He looks around again, one last check to make sure there was truly no one else around.]

Look. I think I can get use a way out of here. Or a chance to. It won't be easy but I think it can be done. You hear about the port stop we made a couple of weeks back?

Kay, we're comin' back to that "kinda".

[ Just putting a very important mental pin in that. The only thing more important than the procurement of drugs right now is escape, so his interest is immediately piqued. ]

Yeah. We were helping the ship that's way more decorated and cooler than ours. Thought about catching a ride on it but that plan went down the pooper when I realized it was another ship like this one.

[Theo nods at that idea. It crossed his mind, too.] That ship was huge, though. Probably woulda taken them awhile to catch you if you were sneaky enough. But I guess it doesn't matter now.

That "kinda" is what I want to talk about. It's part of the plan I'm tryin' to make. I work in the greenhouse, and there's a plant in there that can knock a person out just by touching it. Oil on the leaves, right? Depending on how much you use, it'd work for a few minutes to a few hours. I found this out the hard way.

[Theo had a nice nap on his work table in there, thanks to this.]

No shit?

[ Jerry didn't think to consider the greenhouse. ]

Didn't think the greenhouse would have something like that. Seems awfully convenient. Suspiciously convenient, even. [ His face cracks into a wide grin. ] My favorite kind!

[ Oh right, low voices. Ahem. ]

You experience any side effects after you woke up? Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea? I'm all for getting the fuckarooni outta here but...

[ He doesn't want it to be dangerous for the Wardens, is what he doesn't say, but kinda totally says. ]

[Theo's normally pretty paranoid, but he hadn't considered the plant being put there as some sort of tempting trap. He considers it for a moment, but shakes his head.]

I think it's an ingredient in those sleeping pills they got available in the infirmary. You ever take one? They work, but the dreams they give you don't make it worth it. In a small dose, I didn't have that anyway. I was only out about 15 minutes, I think. Groggy as shit for awhile, but otherwise fine.

[Shockingly, Theo isn't out to kill any wardens. He doesn't know why. He never used to be so careful with others' lives.]

We might have to up the dose for some of 'em. People who aren't human, who are strong, y'know? I'm not the greatest test sample. [Theo is 5'8" and literally around 110 pounds. Which is up from when he first got here.] But at worst they take a long fuckin' nap.

15 minute knockout from a small dose is one thing, but if we're gonna use it to escape that's a whole other story, bro. That's going to be various different types of doses for different wardens, which might get fugly.

[ Jerry isn't a superhuman or anything, but... ]

I'll test it. I may not have fancy super strength or whatever but if anyone knows how to take a drug like a champ it's yours truly. We should work on a dose for the smaller peeps, the medium and bigger peeps, and then...non-human stronk peeps might be a little harder to test for but we can work that out with a little bit of experimentation, I think.

[ He rubs his hands together with a gleam in his eyes. ]

I'm in like a thong up a buttcrack, dude.

[No time to comment on that delightful simile (though it does get a raised eyebrow), Theo looks a little torn.]

"Doses" is going to be hard to calculate. I agree, but it's not like I have equipment here to make potions or anything. All I can do is cultivate the plants so that we get enough to hand out to inmates. You're just going to have to catch a warden unaware and hit them with it. An arm, the back of the neck... [He shrugs.] All I need is a way for the inmates to handle the clippings without knocking ourselves out first.

[Testing, though, is probably not the worst idea. As he said, he's not a good test sample as it is, and just testing it on himself would be some bad science anyway.]

I can definitely test it on you. Take track of how long it works for, if you feel anything else. We're definitely going to have to adjust doses for some of 'em. Loki. Lucifer. [The latter is the most troubling.]

(The observatory is usually quiet and sparsely populated; nor can you deny the view. Amanda sometimes hides here because it is easy to, though it's hard not to feel very small staring out of the window. Sometimes she likes that, and sometimes she doesn't. The sudden addition of Theo makes it more interesting at the very least.

The way he keeps looking over his shoulder makes her look too, gaze flickering back toward the door.)

Why? (Spoken at normal volume to mess with him; jittery thing, isn't he? They are the only two people here.)

[Theo is another person who haunts the observatory often, his place to be left alone to read and research and enjoy the view. Once not long ago he wouldn't have liked the idea of feeling like a speck in the universe, but lately, it was a more comforting thought.

When Amanda speaks up at normal volume, he winces slightly and waves a hand at her to stop.]

I just said-- [He lowers his own voice again now.] Because. Can't let the wardens hear. I think I might have a way to help us get out of here they next time they try to land this thing somewhere.

What wardens, (with amusement now, and still at a normal volume, because again, they truly are the only two people here. But following that she decides that she'll be nice and play along. The memory of his anguished face from the simulation is still fresh in her mind, making her feel displaced.)

Sure. (Also, she's curious. She lowers her voice.) What did you have in mind?

They can walk here at any second! Come on. [Paranoia, it's no fun at all. It's also what made it difficult for Theo to try and hatch this plan to start with - needing to trust the other inmates, people he barely knows at all.]

In the greenhouse - I've been working in there - there's a plant that can knock people out. I think it's what's used as the ingredient in those sleeping pills they got in the Infirmary. The leaves are oily, and all you have to do to get knocked out is get some on your skin. You get what I'm sayin'?

I get it.

(And she's interested, very much so, eyes glinting in the dim light. Due to what happened to them in the simulation, the way that she behaved, and treated his grief,) Why're you telling me this? (Feels like a fair question.)

[After their encounter in the sim, Theo has found Amanda to be the most difficult person to approach about this. Even tougher than having to civilly speak to Travis. He knows it wasn't real, but it felt so real, and it was hard to tell his brain to separate the fiction from reality.

The way this is demonstrated is with how far back he stands from her. But with his mistrustful nature, it might not seem out of the ordinary.]

Cuz a few months ago, we landed on a planet. It wasn't a great place, it was pretty empty, but next time might be different. Next time might have more civilization, and it'll be a chance to get the fuck out of here, finally.

[He takes a steadying breath, running a hand through his hair.]

We can use the plants on the wardens. All ya have to do it hit them with some, get enough on their skin, and it should be enough to knock 'em out. It's gonna be tricky since we'd be fucked if we touch it in the process, but I think it can be done.

What, and go live on a planet we know nothing about?

(She doesn't know if she prefers that to what they have right now. Both seem like bad hands; admittedly, one would come with far less security. But neither have John, so what's the point.)

You want other inmates to help you with this. (It's compelling, admittedly. She can see what he's going for here, and the information about the plants is good to have in her back pocket. The sidelong glance she gives him is bemused.) What's in it for me?

-Don't say my fucking freedom, (because she doesn't even know what she'd do with it.)

[Her last line causes him to stop, as he was about to answer something to that effect.]

You don't want out of here? [He looks frustrated, shaking his head. Why were so many inmates willing to stay?]

If you're not interested in getting out of here, what the fuck else can I offer?

[In an effort to get her on his side, he can at least offer up a few details about last port.]

The last place we landed was pretty empty. Visited a little village. If the next place is like that again, I'm-- waiting. [Theo urgently wants to escape, but also doesn't want to get stuck in some backwater fishwife village either.]

If it's also like last time, though, they'll tell us what it's like ahead of landing, and we'll spend a few days there. It can give us some time to feel the place out.

(In all honesty, Amanda isn't sure what she wants. She's still contending with the fact that she's alive to have moved onto what she could be doing about it. She doesn't answer his question, simply stares, and pushes her hair out of her eyes, tucks it back behind her ears.

Thinking.)

I want a favour.

(Not to be fulfilled now, but to keep, in her back pocket. Perhaps this is testament to how well she thinks his escape plan is going to go. Or maybe she's wrong, and as uptight as the wardens of the Peregrine are, they don't care once you're off the ship and out of reach.

Time to find out.) Then I'll help.

[He looks perplexed.]

What? Really?

[He shrugs lightly, palms out. What can I possibly offer?

Maybe she'll forget about it and port will be soon, so he'll be gone and not have to worry about it.]

Okay, fine. What?

That's for me to know, and for you to find out.

(She's smiling, as she extends her hand.) Deal?

[In a very teenager move, Theo rolls his eyes a little, but ultimately shakes Amanda's hand.]

Sure. Deal. A favor to be called upon at a later date, I guess. For whatever that's worth.

Perfect.

(Now we're talking business.) What's the plan? We gather these plants a couple days before?

[A nod.] Yeah. Otherwise it'll just dry up and it's useless. Last time, they announced our stop only a few days before we landed, so it should be enough time to take care of it. That, and we wanna make sure this is a place we actually want to stay in. Can't let this shit go to waste.

Also gotta hand 'em out accordingly. Some wardens are gonna need a bigger dose than others. Like we're gonna need more for Lucifer than, say, Viktor.

(Thinking, planning, it gives her fuel. Makes her pulse race,) You'll need gloves to collect the plant. (And,) Do you have some way to store it, safely?

(Cross-contamination would be... bad.

But also:) Viktor is off-limits.

The greenhouse has a few extra sets. Until I find a better solution, I've just been keeping them pressed between two gloves to keep them from drying.

[That last bit gets a confused frown from Theo.]

Wait. Whattaya mean, "off-limits"? No wardens are "off-limits". They're wardens. But if he or any other of 'em aren't around, or don't get in the way, we won't have to do anything to them. We won't have the time or resources to hit 'em all.

(Seems like a disaster waiting to happen, really. He should find a container. Something from the kitchen could be taken and not missed, but she doesn't suggest it- she waits for him to finish speaking, instead.)

He's my warden, (is what she says instead, with deliberation, as if he's slow on the uptake.) So don't fuck with him.

I'll deal with him myself.

[Amanda earns an eye roll and a shrug, but at least he's in agreement. Mostly.]

Okay. I won't make promises if he gets in my way to stop me, but I won't go out of my way to poach him, either. Agreed?

(Amanda bristles, hopefully imperceptibly, but it's probably the best deal she can get for Viktor.)

Agreed.

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