IC-Chapter 1-Never Get Old(Rawlings/Yeager/Bill Johns/Jim)

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Well, there aren't really any wrong questions. This is a roleplaying opportunity for you. You might find out something relevant, or you might not. You might not even recognize something relevant if you hear it. When you want to move forward, let me know and [b]Jill[/b] will return with dinner.

[Philulhu]

OOC,I'm happy to move on and hope something registers with Bill! :)

[Mr. Handy]

At around 6:30, Jill returned with Chinese food for the three of them. There was plenty of wonton soup, beef lo mein, and General Tso's chicken.

[Philulhu]

Bill tucked into his share of the food. He'd tasted better but he guessed for students, it was filling and cheap.

Between mouthfuls, he said to Mary, "The 'experiment' that is due to take place tomorrow night? What's happening with that?"

OOC,[i]Sorry in advance if I've got my dates mixed up, the experiment is due to take place 'tomorrow', isn't it?[/i]

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,You've got it right. Tonight is Thursday, and the experiment begins Friday night.

"That's right," replied Mary, "it starts tomorrow night at 8:00 and lasts the whole weekend. I'm signed up for it. It's run by Dr. Gregory Anderson, who's Brian's dad. I'm not sure what exactly it'll be about. All I have to go on is what I saw on the flyer."

[Philulhu]

"Have you got a copy of the flyer?" Bill asked Mary conversationally, "I'd be interested to know what it's all about."

[Mr. Handy]

"No, I'm sorry, nobody was handing them out or anything," said Mary. "I saw it posted on the bulletin board in the lobby of Logan Hall. It's probably still there, but they'll be closed up for the night by now." Bill recognized the building as the one containing the History Department, though by his time it had been renamed Claudia Cohen Hall.

[Philulhu]

"So what made you decide to give it a go?" asked Bill conversationally, helping himself to more of the food.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, there is the fifty bucks they're paying each of the volunteers," said Mary. "College isn't exactly cheap, and that'll really help out. It also sounds interesting. It's a study about sleeping and dreams, and it does make me curious."

[Philulhu]

Bill thought back to his own student days and considered how far $50 would stretch. It would pay for quite a few nights out and a number of text books as well.

"Is the study looking at any particular aspect of your dreams?" he asked.

[Mr. Handy]

"Dr. Anderson asked me questions about my dreams when he interviewed me," said Mary. "One thing he said stuck out. He asked me if I had ever been able to control my dreams. He called it lucid dreaming."

[Philulhu]

"Strange..." mused Bill. "Why do you think he wanted to know that?"

[Mr. Handy]

"That's what puzzled me about it too," said Mary. "I have no idea...unless...maybe that's what the experiment's about. Lucid dreaming, that is."

[Philulhu]

"I don't understand," said Bill. "What advantage does being able to control your dreams give you?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't get it either," said Mary. "I mean, I can see that it would be cool to be able to do that. People would pay good money for the ability to dream about whatever fantasy they wanted, sure, but I don't see why it would be such a big deal otherwise."

[Philulhu]

"You mean like Total Recall?" said Bill without thinking. He looked at Mary and Jill and realised what he'd said. "It's, ah, an arthouse film," he said, "About a guy who dreamed he was on Mars. It sorta went pear-shaped after that..." he trailed off, looked down at his food and continued to eat. He was getting tired and his concentration was starting to waver.

[Mr. Handy]

"That sounds a lot like We Can Remember It for You Wholsale," says Mary. "It's a story by Philip K. Dick. If someone made a movie based on it, I'd like to see that. Have you read anything by him? His stories are so strange and bewildering. You're never sure what's real and what isn't."

[Philulhu]

Bill clicked his fingers and said, "That must be why the story seemed so familiar," he said. "I've read a couple of his books..." he trailed off again. He'd read the novelisation of Blade Runner but had no idea how it matched up with the original story. "... I'm sure some of them would make for interesting films."

He glanced at his watch, trying to remember how long it had been since he'd seen Jim.

[Mr. Handy]

It was almost 6:30 PM, and Jim had been gone for the better part of an hour.

[Philulhu]

Bill placed his chopsticks on his plated and smiled, thanking Jill and Mary for the food. "Look," he said, "I'm going to take a turn around the block, see if I can find my partner." He glanced at his watch again. "I shouldn't be more than 10 minutes - keep the door locked until I get back, ok?"