EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



_“ Hey, it's me. Wait for the thing. _”

Comments

[hostage]

I was sleeping.

[Like that's not obvious. He flops back against the pillow, huffs out a breath as he gathers up his strength, then rolls over to reach for his pipe.]

[payback]

You sleep really hard. [A judgy glance around - more at the mess than the vices on display.]

You know, I don't really understand your thing, but is there an actual purpose to leaving those out? [Gesturing at the hypos.]

[hostage]

[He pauses to glance at the needles, then hisses another "fuck" under his breath.]

That's - Jesus, I'm sorry. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't run out.

[He puts the pipe back down and starts clearing the needles away, though he's doing a bit of a shaky job of it, given that his fingers are still numb.]

[payback]

[This is intensely not comfortable. She waffles around a little and then reaches out and touches one of the needles with very obvious gingerness.]

What was in these?

[hostage]

[As out of it as he is, he can still sense her discomfort - or he's been trained, at least, to feel guilty about exposing non-users to this stuff. He glances at her and immediately lowers his head.]

It's, um, K. Tranquilizer. I was starting to get a little - I just needed to be brought down. So I could sleep. 'cause it was getting intense. Sorta needed to even out, you know?

[He grabs away the needle Rin's reaching for and sweeps it and the others under his bed.]

[payback]

That's dangerous! I mean, isn't it? Shouldn't you toss those out?

[hostage]

Nah, it ain't dangerous. I mean, as long as you're on something soft when you're shooting up, 'cause you go out like a light in two seconds.

[He sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for the pipe again. He looks about ready to roll over and pass out, which is why he's packing another rock into the bowl.]

Sorry if I scared you.

[payback]

[So weird. Rin watches all of this with unnerved interest: the needles, swept under the bed. The pipe. Bizarrely reminded of Hyakurin for an instant.]

No, I mean... shouldn't you toss the needles...

[hostage]

Huh? Ah, nah. I gotta recycle 'em. I'll fix 'em later.

[He picks up his lighter, then seems to remember his manners and looks back to Rin.]

Do you mind if I - Or, like, do you want to..?

[payback]

No. [This is deeply perturbing to her, in actuality. But from the fixed expression on her face she kind of does want to watch.]

[hostage]

[He looks uncertain about that, but if she's saying she doesn't mind, he'll go with it. Smoking meth isn't like weed or even cigarettes. There's not really any smoke at all, nothing to breathe secondhand. There's not even a smell, since his product is so pure. When he heats the bowl, the crystal inside starts to vaporize, and it's the vapor he inhales.

It doesn't look pleasant. After he takes the hit, he clenches his jaw and grinds his teeth a little. When the rush passes, he sets the pipe aside and glances at Rin with eyes that are much more alert now - and a little ashamed.]

[payback]

[She stares back quite baldly. Then his shame sinks in a little and she averts her eyes slightly in response. She doesn't need to watch that pain like it's under a microscope.]

Why do you do it? [Okay, she heard his rant before but she barely listened to it.]

[hostage]

[He returns the pipe and lighter to the floor, then rubs at his neck while he considers the question.]

Because, um... I want to? I mean, I dunno. I can kick it anytime I want. But I don't get the point in kicking. It's not like I got anything else going on.

[payback]

What does it feel like?

[hostage]

It's like...

[He mimes a little, trying to explain it in a more scientific way than usual, so it doesn't sound like he's trying to push it on her. He ends up pressing his hands together into a V-shape, mimicking a zooming camera.]

...everything gets super sharp. Clear. And, like, interesting. Like it's in focus, HD resolution. And whatever you're doing, you get real into it and you got energy - like a lot of energy. Like I couldn't sleep for days while the zombie thing was going on, and that was the point. Like, stay up and make sure you don't die. So I took more than usual, right, and that's why I needed to tranq myself after. 'cause I needed to come down and rest.

[payback]

[She can understand the appeal of that.]

I think they're cleaned out, you know. The zombies I mean.

[hostage]

[He nods a few times.]

Yeah, I made sure. I mean, before I let myself sleep. But it's good they're really gone. I was a little worried, like, false alarm, there's more. But yeah. Good.

[payback]

It's kind of funny. I mean this can't be local to here do you think? The Initiative must have brought in someone who's really bad news.

[hostage]

Yeah, well, I mean... Most of us here are gonna be bad, right? We're here to kill people. This messed-up shit is gonna be like a constant.

[payback]

... I don't think people who kill people are always evil.

[hostage]

[He gives her a look like he's trying to figure out how much she's bullshitting and whether this is some test.]

[payback]

I mean it's an evil thing to do. But sometimes you have to. Besides, some people just need killing.

[hostage]

Maybe.

[payback]

I mean, that's pretty extreme cases. But it happens.

[hostage]

I think there's always another way. Not always a better way, but another way. It don't have to be death all the time.