re_alignment | [Video] [Originating from Vectorian Temple]

[Sissel wasn’t an easy one to surprise, but he had to admit, this was one of the last things he expected. He’d already woken up unconscious once, but that was after his death. And now he was...doing it again? How does a ghost die again? You’d think once would be enough. It wasn’t made easier being surrounded by giant...things that called themselves Acolytes (whatever that meant) and told him he was on a planet called Cybertron.

Now...either he really messed up traveling through some phone lines...or there’s something bigger going on. He basically took everything the Acolytes said at face value, and when they left, something finally sunk in. Something that confused him far more than being stuck on some ‘planet’ that wasn’t Earth.

He could move.

His hands fiddle with the device he was given, a little too jittery than what should be considered normal, and when the feed clicks on, you’re greeted to a rather confused man in sunglass-sir what is your hair even.]

I’m alive.

[Yes, thank you Sissel.]

I’m alive and I shouldn’t be.

Is there anyone on the other side of this? I really need to get back home. I don’t have a lot of time.

[He’s got less than 8 hours left of his ‘afterlife’, he’s got to make them count.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Were you close to any of them?

[He's just curious now. If he's stuck here, he might as well talk to someone who might remember him.]

Well, I know basic things like...a dog...

But I can't read.

Not in such a way that they were from the same reality I am from, but Ratchet was a good mech. There's others that could be next.

[She frowns at this and then shakes her helm; nothing to do about it.]

That's interesting... And reading is a lot more useful than necessarily remembering what a dog is [whatever it was], and I assume learning how to read again would be complicated or take time?

[She wasn't sure how humans learned things, though, of course, if he only had eight hours - just over a joor, so short, learning to read again wouldn't really matter or even be a good use of time.]

I wish I could tell you on any of that. I'll say knowing how to read is a lot more useful than knowing what a dog is.

They never stop barking.

[MISSILE.]

Missing clues to your death might be very possible if you can't read, yes. Do you have someone to help you?

... Barking? Noisy, I take it?

[It's what she can figure out it ought to be.]

[He shakes his head.]

I only just found out before I came here. It posed quite the problem.

...Yeah, that's a pretty good way to describe it.

Seems like it. [She frowns.]

I have no idea if we remember anything if... when we can go back where we belong, but if we do, perhaps you could re-learn reading here, so you can use it when you get back?

[Besides the fact that it might make things easier for him overall while here.]

You know, that's not a bad idea. Even if I forget back home, it's not like it will change my fate any.

[A ghost could only do so much.]

I'd just have to find a teacher.

Well, there are some humans, or what looks like humans around. I know some of them are from Earth, but most of them are children.

Some of us cybertronians have been to Earth and stayed long enough it was worth learning the languages, I'm not one of them however.

That's very helpful, miss.

[He didn't really know her gender, but most pink things back home were related to girls, and the voice matched as well.]

My name's Sissel by the way.

[Close enough, and who knows what that mode of address gets translated as... But it's obviously nothing Elita notices.]

Nice to meet you, Sissel. I'm Elita One.

And if you do end up for any length of time here [Let's just... work with that assumption.] it would obviously be easier if you could read. Even if you probably necessarily won't need to, if you can stick with the video and voice function on the Link...

But I've always believed in using all possible tools available.