EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



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

Comments

[legal_eagle]

What do you mean by that?

[hostage]

I mean God gave it to me, outta everything else He coulda chose. It's mine, and it's helped me a lot, so... so I guess I'm glad.

[legal_eagle]

God also gave you that great big forehead. You grateful for that?

[hostage]

Hey, I'm gorgeous.

[legal_eagle]

Sure, to your mama. [But that's not said meanly; she's almost - almost - teasing him.] Just saying, not everyone's grateful for their gift. But you're grateful for yours.

[hostage]

It used to piss me off, yeah. Okay - sometimes it still does. But I could ask the Initiative to change me if I wanted, but I don't, 'cause it wouldn't be right.

[legal_eagle]

Why not? If you don't mind the twenty questions.

[hostage]

It'd be like lying to myself.

[legal_eagle]

If I'd inherited my granddad's ability instead of my mom's, I wouldn't see myself as being all that different.

[hostage]

That'd be different.

[legal_eagle]

How?

[hostage]

'cause you'd be inheriting it. That'd be who you are. It wouldn't be you pretending to be somebody you're not. It's totally not the same thing as me going to the Initiative and having 'em mess around with me.

[legal_eagle]

Hm.

You know, back home, people would kill to get their hands on someone with a gift like yours.

[hostage]

[He shuts up for a second there. Then:]

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

[legal_eagle]

[A nod. After a moment - ]

Half wish we had someone. It would make my job one fuck of a lot harder, but...It might be better.

[hostage]

What do you mean?

[legal_eagle]

My home, you have a useful gift - like healing, say, or teleportation, something like that - it's a quick path to an easy life. And that's pretty bullshit. You win the genetic lottery, you automatically do okay, no matter how hard you work, no matter the content of your character.

[hostage]

Somebody like me, though... Somebody like me only makes that worse.

[legal_eagle]

If you're corrupt, yeah. Or if you're corrupted. If you're decent, though, if you sell to those who can earn enough - that'd be better. At least then it'd be on merit.

[hostage]

If the people making fat stacks are the ones already stomping all over everybody, then even if I do that...

[legal_eagle]

Got it backwards, kid. People stomping all over everybody are the ones making fat stacks. Cause and effect are reversed.

[hostage]

Whatever. What I'm saying is, all I do is make 'em stronger 'cause they're the ones who can afford it, not the little guy.

[legal_eagle]

Tell me, Pinkman: when's the last time you saw the little guy getting what he deserved just 'cause he deserved it?

[hostage]

It still sucks.

[legal_eagle]

Well, what would you do about it? Say you came to my world. What would you do?