EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



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

Comments

[vaccination]

Yeah. There's nowhere else to go here unless you want to maybe stumble into more goddamn monsters.

[hostage]

I shoulda stayed in Hawaii. Just stayed there 'til they figured out a way off the fucking moon, at least.

[vaccination]

Probably. But at this rate I don't know when we'll get out of this place.

[She misses going outside whenever she feels like it. Space lost its novelty a week in at this place.]

What's Hawaii like? Just sand and beaches?

[hostage]

Sand, beaches, jungles, sunsets...

[He sounds so wistful.]

It's beautiful, yeah.

[vaccination]

I wanna see a beach one day. A real one. [She's sure she could get one in the VR room, but that's cheating. And there's not really anyone willing to go on missions with her right now, especially not to a beach. One day.]

I'll pass on the jungles if there are lions and tigers in that shit.

[hostage]

Nah, they're touristy jungles. It's safe.

We're going when I get outta here, okay?

[vaccination]

[This is Ellie trying to not sound too excited, but it slips into her voice anyway.]

What, really?

[hostage]

Hell yeah. Shit, I wanna get as far as I can go.

[vaccination]

I'm in.

... but just so it's out there in case I haven't mentioned it before, I'm not really a good swimmer, so. Uh. I'll be staying away from any water.

[hostage]

Want me to teach you?

[vaccination]

If you think tossing me into a body of water counts as teaching, I'll bite your ear off.

[She feels the need to establish this.]

[hostage]

Oh my god. No, seriously, I wouldn't, like ever.

[vaccination]

Just checking. Joel was teaching me back when we were in Exsilium, which is why I can float, but that's about it.

[hostage]

Don't worry, I'll teach you right. Teach you how to surf, too. They got huge waves out there.

[vaccination]

Whoa, surfing? That's--[SCARY AS FUCK]--seriously? Like, I'm pretty sure it's going to take me forever to learn how to not drown.

[hostage]

Come on, you think I'm gonna let you drown? You'll pick it up.

[vaccination]

I know. [She does wish it was Joel teaching her, because that had been fun when it wasn't frustrating. Just like with the guitar lessons. But she has a feeling neither of those things are going to be happening for a long time.]

It's just--scary. I barely even got to the deep end of the pool, let alone the ocean. It's so big, who knows what the fuck is in there? What about sharks?

[Big surprise, the girl has very little understanding of the ocean.]

[hostage]

The water's so clear, you'd see a shark coming a mile away. Don't worry about it. And we won't go deep, not 'til you're cool with it.

[vaccination]

Alright. [She'll trust him on that.] When you're out, we're doing this. Screw everyone else.

[hostage]

Deal.

[vaccination]

And now I'm even more pissed off at these motherfuckers keeping you in there. [She'd kill to go right now.]

[hostage]

[Same.]

I'd say tell 'em, but they'd probably arrest you.

[vaccination]

I'd like to see them explain that one. And deal with Joel.

[hostage]

He's pretty scary, huh.

[vaccination]

Sometimes. He's just been through a lot. He's had to be tough.

[Which is why she can't be too upset at him for drawing into himself when he's hurting. It's difficult for him to be vulnerable.

Doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt her, though.]

You don't need to worry about him being scary at you.