EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



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

Comments

[hostage]

I'd like that.

[He's trying not to sound sad, but... He sounds sad.]

[vaccination]

You don't think it's going to be that easy, huh?

[hostage]

Where I come from, you could never pull any of this shit. Holding somebody for weeks without pressing charges, telling 'em they must be guilty 'cause they're asking for a lawyer... When they first arrested me, Sonya said they'd torture and starve me. Sure as shit wouldn't hear anybody with the police saying that back in my world. There ain't even laws here, so how could I have broke any?

And solitary... Solitary's a big deal. You don't just throw anybody in solitary.

[He sucks in a breath.]

I think all this... It ain't about what I did. It's about what I can do. I dunno what the answer to that's gonna be. All I know's they don't give a shit about me being "healthy". They wanna control me.

[vaccination]

[There's a small sigh and a sniff as Ellie listens. She hates that there's nothing she can do. Jesse's outnumbered and not even Steph seems to be in his corner.]

Fuck that chick.

You're not any more dangerous than anyone else out there. You didn't start a goddamn mutiny. You didn't even kill anyone. No one was fucking complaining when we went to the UE.

[hostage]

Yeahhhh. People always love me when I'm useful to 'em. And when I'm not anymore, then...

[vaccination]

Then they treat you like shit.

Is Saul doing anything?

[hostage]

[Yeah. Apparently telling everyone Jesse's a rapist.]

Saul's covering his ass is what he's doing. Knows a lost cause when he sees one.

[vaccination]

I'm sorry. [She wonders how quick Steph would drop her if she ended up having to kill people here, or do something else terrible. She loved her, but she said she loved Jesse, too.]

If I knew what to do, or if I could, I would. You know, do something. [She can't really do anything right now aside from be angry on his behalf.]

[hostage]

[Oh, Ellie...]

Hey. You're like one of the only people who's still talking to me. You're already doing something.

[vaccination]

You shouldn't be alone. I don't know about you, but I hate being alone.

[And by hate she means it terrifies her. She hopes they're not alike in that regard.]

[hostage]

It's the worst, isn't it?

[If anything's going to make him actually lose his mind, it's this. But he doesn't want to scare her.]

[vaccination]

Yeah. At least they let you keep your tablet.

[hostage]

Yeah, thank god.

[vaccination]

Just don't break all of it. [No more exclamation point wars.]

[hostage]

I almost smashed it when I saw that shit Sonya put up.

[vaccination]

Me too. And the responses from the shit-for-brains that ate it all up.

[hostage]

Christ. What if I really was crazy? Something like that... Like, what if I blamed Tempest for it? I mean, I know she didn't put Sonya up to it, but it sure as hell coulda looked like it. I hope that bitch don't pull that shit with all her clients. It's asking for trouble.

[vaccination]

I don't think she cared. She just wanted people to dogpile you. I can't believe she has fucking influence here.

[hostage]

Me neither.

[vaccination]

I'd like to see her face if some nutjob went after you because of this. She'd be the one locked in a fucking room. [If Ellie had any say in it, which she wouldn't.]

[hostage]

Nah, she'd pin the blame on somebody else. I know her type. Nothing's ever their fault.

[vaccination]

You and me can't be the only ones that see how terrible she is.

[hostage]

We probably ain't, but when somebody acts like they're in charge then people believe 'em.

[vaccination]

The other one isn't as annoying. Roslyn?

[hostage]

She stopped Chloe from killing me in my cell so that ain't so bad.

'cept for the part where it's her fault I'm here in the first place.