EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



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

Comments

[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.

[payback]

Probably. But sometimes you do what you have to do to survive at the time. And sometimes they force it.

[hostage]

[He shrugs, not quite able to agree but with no desire to argue.]

[payback]

[She can still let things go sometimes and she's not going to press this enough to make him more miserable - she's conniving, not malicious. Backing off from what looks to her like a terribly unhealthy lifestyle, too. It feels like pressing too hard would start to seem judgmental and that would probably be counterproductive.

It's not really her business anyway, right? Right. She reminds herself.]

Anyway, I'm glad you're not dead. Or undead, whatever.

[hostage]

Yeah, I'm glad you're alive, too.

[He glances around at the mess of his room and breathes a short laugh.]

...Wow. I look totally psycho right now, don't I.

[payback]

I wasn't going to say anything. [Beat.] It's definitely a man's room.

[hostage]

It is not usually like this, I swear. I was just, um, preparing for the worst. Next time you're here, I promise it won't look like a landfill.

[payback]

What exactly have you prepared for here?

[hostage]

[He gives another glance around and snorts.]

I don't... even know.

[payback]

It's a zombie booby trap field. Something like that?