"Thiis iis stupiid."

"Look, Scratch gave us a budget to work with." Dave explained. "We can't afford a lot of actors, so you need to be in it."

"Thiis moviie's got jack shiit to do with our mission." Sollux protested.

"We have to establish ourselves first. Get people's attention before we start throwing shade at Skaianet."

"But why do II have to be the maiin character?"

"Because we cast Feferi as the love interest." Dirk interjected from the other side of the room. "It'll be more authentic looking that way."

"Also, look at you." Dave gestured.

"You just gestured at all of me."

"Yep." Dave grinned. "We discussed the plan, your perfect for it."

"II stiill thiink thiis iis stupiid."

During the brainstorming session after the conference call, a plan had come into shape to generate distrust in Skaianet and hopefully turn Hollywood against the Reality Anchors as well. First, Scratch would use his resources to "acquire" some of the beta model Reality Anchors for them. He would send them, along with the seed software, the original simulation tool the had manifested their fictional world, to this safehouse. With them, they could construct locations, edited people's appearances, record from infinite angles, and produce impossible special effects, pretty much for free. They could beat Hollywood at their own game with no experience. Hopefully, if the movie succeeded, Hollywood would get frightened about the threat posed to their film making hegemony once this tech was in the hands of every amateur filmmaker. Further, once they'd established themselves and had peoples attention, their next work would be far more subversive, in some fashion exposing the technological dangers, what was done to them, and Skaianet's evil plan.

It was a long shot in Sollux's opinion. They were effectively promoting the Reality Anchor to one segment of the public, while hoping the film industry would get scared and lead a counter-VR movement. Dave seemed so sure that's what would happen, what if he was wrong? What if they accidentally made the Reality Anchor more popular, by showing people you could make movies with it? What if no one gave a fuck about the movie and they were just wasting their valuable time? That last bit seemed most probably to him. Dave's first script "My Extraterrestrial Girlfriend" was not inspiring much confidence for him. He imagined a troll-title for the film:

In which a typical human male encounters an attractive alien woman, they fall in matespritship, are best by nosy neighbors and inept government agents as well as his human ex-matesprit, comical misunderstandings, an interplanetary incident, and eventual happy ending.

Typical human male might not be the right words for it though. While it would still be his acting, his appearance in the simulation was going to be edited to make him more attractive. Dave said it would make attractive people jealous upset, which he suspected was a veiled insult about his real appearance, but he couldn't be bothered to start a fight about it.

Dave walked out to the kitchen to mull over some details with Dirk and Jake, and Sollux sank deeply into his seat on the couch, doing nothing in particular with his cell phone as he mulled over the technical commitment he was also burdened with. He'd be responsible for configuring the virtual sets in the simulation as well as rigging a lan server to link the multiple Reality Anchors together. He checked his texts, the last one was from this morning.

"The equipment has been appropriated. Expect a delivery tonight." - S

Scratch worked fast, seeing as the plan had only been hatched late last night. He'd texted back to inquire as to how Scratch got his hands on the Reality Anchors so quickly, but there'd been no response.

"What's wrong Sollux?" A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind the couch. Sollux leaned his head back, recognizing Aradia's voice.

"Just thiinkiing about thiis moviie. II really don't thiink thiis wiill work."

"Well, if it doesn't turn the Hollywood people the way we want, oh well. We still establish ourselves for the anti-VR movie afterwards."

"Use VR to make antii-VR propaganda?" Sollux questioned her logic. "We'd just look liike hypocriites and fuckiing tools."

"Well, no." Aradia stopped him. "Not with VR. We'll make it the normal way. People make amateur films all the time, right?"

"Yeah, but iif iit's not a VR fiilm, who's gonna giive a shiit?"

"I suppose you have a point..." She let go of him and turned around, leaning against the back of the couch. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Fuck no. II would have brough them up last niight iif II diid." Sollux admitted. "S'why II'm biitiing the bullet and goiing along wiith thiis crazy scheme." Aradia smiled.

"Thank you for trying."

"II fiigure II can't just keep goiing at liife half-assed liike II was. Gonna give thiis a full-ass effort." He paused. "Wow, just realiized how stupiid that sounded. Please diisregard."

"Deal."

The doorbell rang. The house never had visitors. Sollux could only assume this was the delivery Scratch warned of. He was the only one who knew they were here. That they knew about. The two of the answered the door to find two heavily mismatched men waiting, with a U-haul truck parked on the street. One of the men was tall and bulky, not quite with a bodybuilder's physique, but certainly an athlete's. He had a shaved head and wore an LA Lakers #15 jersey and blue shorts. The other man was short and svelte, wearing a black suit, purple bow tie, and purple trillby. A small "IV" pin, glinting gold, was pinned in the hat's rim.

"Mr. Captor. Miss Megido." The small man tipped his hat before nodding to the large one, who began walking back to the truck.

"Who are you?" Aradia asked.

"I am an associate of the Doctor. You may call me Clover." The man explained as they watched the large man unload a large crate onto a furniture dolly. "We shan't be long, just dropping off the equipment you ordered." The three of them parted to either side of the door as the large man pushed the crate inside, then silently returned for another.

"You work for Scratch? How much do you know?" Sollux asked.

"Quite enough." Clover grinned.

"So you know what's iin these crates iis high end tech we aren't supposed to have. How'd Scratch get them so fast?"

"By the time you made the plan, the Doctor had already had them in his possession for several days.

"Are you trying to say that he still sees the future?" Aradia raised an eyebrow.

"Heavens no. I'm merely saying one need not by psychic to possess foresight." Clover watched the other man wheel in the second crate. "Especially if they are a most excellent host." The large man returned to the door.

"All set." He said, almost a growl.

"Good. Well children... the Doctor sends his regards." Clover tipped his hat one more time, before the two turned on their heels and started walking back to the truck.

"You diidn't answer me!" Sollux yelled at them. "Yeah, he got them a few days ago, but HOW diid he get them?"

"Shenanigans, Mr. Captor." Clover stepped into the u-haul's cab. "Let us simply call them, Shenanigans."

Gamzee & Tavros: Engage Shenanigans.