sixwordstories | (no subject)

Palmer! How are you??

I have been having a great time! I even got a new snowsuit!

So far so good.

[He held up a packaged wrapped in snowman covered paper, a series of colors glowed on the other side.]

I got this for you!

A couple of other little things, too, but this is the main attraction.

I'm doing good.

Glad you're having fun. Nice outfit.

*Palmer grins and offers up a package of his own, with snowflakes on a green background. Inside are a black cowboy hat and a couple tie-dye bandannas.*

Ooh, thank you! *He smiles and starts to open it.*

I am glad to hear that.

Thanks! I got you something.

[Mei holds out a Christmas Apple with the chracters for "Good Fortune" carved in it.]

It is just a little something, but from where I am from we give people apples on Christmas Eve and I thought you should have one.

Thanks! I've got a Christmas ornament for you. *He hands her a snowflake made from wire and beds.*

[There is a happy distorted gargle of sound that comes from Revenant as he opens the box and discovers its contents. He is promptly now an assassin synthetic in a black cowboy hat.

Inside Palmer's box there is a very large, bioluminescent spider that has made a funnel like web in its box. Its patterns glow, slowly fading from green to blue to orange to yellow and back again.]

Thanks man. This is awesome.

That guy? Found it in the games and thought of you.

[He reached into his chassis and pulled out two vials with corks stuck in the top. Inside one is a very spiky looking alien cricket that makes a very unsettling chirp...and in the other was a much smaller spider that was at least 50% fangs....and spinerettes? The fangs were spinerettes and venomous. Nasty little bugger.]

I found these two in the drop ship. Little guys were trying to become invasive species.

[He offered the tubes.]

Merry Christmas.

*Palmer grins an unnervingly large grin at the glowing spider, then puts his hand above the box and sends down tentacles that envelop the unlucky creature before it can bite. The tentacles slowly start eating through its exoskeleton and into its flesh, absorbing everything in its way.

*Before long the spider is gone, and Palmer turns his attention to the vials. He opens the one with the cricket and pops it in his mouth like candy, then pulls the smaller spider into his skin.*

Mmm, tasty. *He looks at his fingernails thoughtfully for a moment, then turns them into that bioluminescent exoskeleton and watches them glow.*

Now then, you wanted to see what I could come up with? One second, man, lemme think.

*What he comes up with has spider limbs, a torso like a dog or a cat, a lizard tail and horribly human eyes in an insect face. It spits webbing and chirps and glows with hypnotizing patterns.*

Oh?

[His optics glowed with interest. He watched, tying one of those tie dye bandanas around his neck and fluffing it up. Yes, he looks amazing if he does say so. Look at his new gear.]

Oh man...that's sweet!

[His gravelly voice was impressed and happy.]

Well, I mean, it is a horrible monster nightmare creature, which is what you are going for, right?

That's a pretty sweet combo.

It would be great at Raves. Do you have raves on Earth? Or is that space tourism party thing?

Oh wait...I don't even know if you can talk as that neato critter.

Rrriy! Rrray! *Sorry, proper communication will have to wait until he's human again. He can wag his tail, though, so he does that.

*Before long he's changing back, although he keeps the color changing for his nails. It's too cool not to hang on to for a little while.* That electronic music thing? Yeah, we got those.

Awww! Thank You! I love it!

Did you get anything special from anyone?

Keeping that dazzle awhile? I don’t blame you. You just did some awesome art, my friend.

Some cool animals, that was nice.

Yeah . . . thanks, man. I try to come up with cool stuff.

Mission accomplished. Let me know what else you think of. Or if you want to take that one for a test run.

I'll see if I can think of anything else interesting.

I’m sure you will. You’ve got a real talent for it.

Thanks, man. I try. *He grins.* Which do you find cooler, tentacles or bug legs? Or both?

Cooler? That’s a toss up, I think. I say both but it really depends on what you are using them for. Tentacles snap less. So they might inch ahead in that regard, but big legs are just seeet looking.

I wonder if I could . . . *He shifts his arm into a tentacle, then replaces his fingers with bug legs and clacks them together before changing back.* Probably wouldn't work as well as fingers, but it sure looks cool.

Whoah! That’s sweet.

Yeah, less durable. Not practical, but very awesome.

Nice job, man.

Thanks.

I appreciate all the new ideas you've given me. *He fiddles with the glow in his fingernails, changing the pattern.*

Always happy to help, you know.

It's appreciated. *He lengthens the nails into claws, rainbows strobing from base to tip and back.*

I bet that little trick is gonna be a hit at parties. Or as fish lures. Or both.

You know of any parties I could go to where this would be normal? Or where I wouldn't have to worry about infecting people?

Nowhere it would be normal but hell, I don’t even think I know a single normal person.

We could have a party. You can’t infect me. Hmmm...I wish I didn’t hate every other Synthetic I have ever met or we could have had a seeet shindig.

But that’s only like...two other people so...there’s that.

Is there anyone but me you do like? *A wry smile.* I suppose next time people you can't stand have a party I could try joining that. Won't matter as much that I can infect them, right?

Yeah...a little...I dunno? One but she hates my guts for good reason. I...I killed her parents.

[He paused. Could that be the slightest hint of regret? Very slight.]

It was before I was free, you know? I...I was only supposed to kill the father...but the mother tried to stop me and I was...very efficient.

But that’s also the mission that caused my programming to glitch. It made me realize someone had...mad me their slave and had me doing their dirty work regardless of the choices I would have made if I had free will.

So...yeah. I don’t hate her, but she hates me. I hassle her all the time, yank her chain whenever we’re squad mates in the games. Why? I dunno.

But for what it’s worth...I would not invite her to a party for people I can’t stand. I wouldn’t want her to end up the same way.

Listen to me, all wishy washy over some dame who hates me.

Does she know that? That they were the start of your rebellion? Might be worth mentioning if not.

No. It never came up. Would it matter?

I don't know. Maybe knowing you were a slave until then would change her priorities. Maybe not.