video; un: fiona

[cachemoney]

[Fiona is a little out of breath, like she just hustled very quickly away from somewhere. Which she did, but that's neither here nor there. The background behind her is some innocuous wood panelling; she's in a house.]

Okay. So. Crunch time. Things are getting nuts out there, if you didn't notice. We are gonna wind up super screwed if we don't hop to figuring out what the hell to do.

[She holds up a vial. It has some alien writing on it, as well as a familiar symbol on the label.]

We found this inside the hospital. A shit-ton of them, actually. So who wants to find out what Zymandis asshole is responsible for this mess and beat an antidote out of them?



[ ooc. PS, maya, hanzo, and mccree might show up in your threads. feel free to threadjack as well! ]

Comments

[moneyballer]

Adam Bristol was the first to catch the virus, that much we know. Everybody does.

[He looks into the camera, nodding.]

He was a teenager who went to the hospital for an ear infection, and...

[Asher shakes his head to either side.]

I don't know what happened between the mall fiasco and now, exactly, but...

He's out cold. The feds got him.

[Connect the dots.]

Not dead, just unconscious.

[pummelling]

And the Taraxa, once they leave their hosts--

[take everything with them, leaving the minds wiped completely; blank slates, at best, vegetative at worst.]

Shit. This is big, Asher. You were with Miles when you figured that out, right? You two have to tell everybody about that.

[moneyballer]

Yeah, we do.

[Some things just happened on the way back home.

Unfortunate ones.]

I'm on it.

[upshur]

Hey.

[moneyballer]

[Guess it's about time for that.]

Hey.

[upshur]

[ Just like it's about time that the two of you announced you were shagging dating. ]

You're a lot better at talking to people, but I've got your back.

[pummelling]

And there's the man of the hour.

Hey, Miles.

[upshur]

Hey, Jin.

[ And without missing a beat: ]

I'm glad someone loves you.

[cachemoney]

[INTERNAL SCREAMING STAY ON TOPIC]

[pummelling]

[ ]

[upshur]

[ LISTEN, IF YOU HAD REAL FRIENDS YOU'D UNDERSTAND, FIONA. ]

[upshur]

Okay. Mushy bullshit aside, how are you holding up on your end?

[pummelling]

[In the time they've known each other, Miles Upshur-- made of hard truths and sharp words, the no-nonsense single-mindedness of a man after the truth--has never, ever proven to be overly sentimental.

The words, then, hold that much more significance. Miles really means it.

Jin smiles, sheepish. Even when it's a good thing, it's a little overwhelming to hear something as forthright as that.] I think both of us needed it right now. [In other words, he's glad to be the one who loves Asher, too.] Thanks, Miles.

[AND NOW THAT THE SOAP OPERA FIONA'S TRYING TO CHASE OFF IS OVER--]

I'm fine. Can't believe we didn't find anything after my Oscar-winning performance, but I'm all right. Just trying to get my head around all the information the team's found.

[upshur]

[ In fact, that is literally the only sentimental thing you're going to get from him. It might have also doubled as a sort of apology for decking Jin at the nondenominational holiday party and basically ignoring him after that. ]

It was worth it to see you foam at the mouth. It feels like this mission has been moving faster than we can get a handle on.

Maybe I'm looking too far into it, but that sort of thing feels purposeful.

[pummelling]

[If Jin held that against people he would probably have no friends. He'd already forgiven him-- one of those things where you don't realize it's happened until you remember being offended in the first place. Or, uh. Being punched.]

And how convincing it was when I hit both Lucina and Asher without actually hurting them? [ (WRESTLING CHANTS) THIS IS REAL THIS IS REAL] That was good.

You're not looking too far into anything, by the way. All the crazy theories people've been making have been, more or less, the truth. How d'you think it's purposeful?

[upshur]

I should know better by now. [ About "crazy theories", he means.

He'd walked into the middle of some psychotic revival of the CIA's mind control and remote viewing program, after all. Brain slugs, Zymandis, and a zombie outbreak are not far from the truths he can accept. Not anymore. Still, Miles's brow knits when Jin asks him how, and when he speaks, it's hesitant. He hates giving voice to something without supporting evidence, even if he does lead a life based on instinct rather than pure rationality. ]

Audentes wants to help. ALASTAIR, as far as we know, wants to help. We're sent here, with that goal in mind.

[ A grimace. ] It puts us in direct contact with a viral outbreak and the hysteria and fear that comes with it. We're going to wind up divided between helping the people here and having to help our own. We're not an army. I'm worried we don't have the resources to handle that, and that -- I don't know. Zymandis is probably aware of that, based on our previous work.

[moneyballer]

You're not that bad.

[Surprisingly, he means it.

If anyone is bothering to pay attention to them both, they will notice that Asher looks at Miles with an earnest sort of fondness, as if he holds him in high regard.]

You just come on a little strong.

[upshur]

That's sweet, but you're still doing most of the talking.

[ Asher, no. Don't look at him like that; not when he looks so severe.

AND WITHOUT BREAKING EYECONTACT, HE MARKS THIS CONVO AS PRIVATE, FOR NOW. ]

Asher, if it's really Taraxa, I -- it's not going to be good.

[moneyballer]

I know, dude.

[He takes a deep breath.]

Because that'd mean Adam's gone for good.

[Asher had never quite seen someone who had lost their humanity in the way Mrs. Bristol had. Although they only got to speak to her for a few seconds, she just seemed so tired.]

What the hell are we supposed to tell his mom?

[upshur]

I don't know.

[ There's something - terse, uncomfortable - in his voice at the thought of going back to that house, to that woman who's waiting for a son that might never come home. He's worried about her, but it's like he had told Asher, he's not the personable one.

He feels a little swept away with the tide on this one. He won't admit that to anyone, however. That's not how he works. ]

If it were up to me, I'd never tell her.

[moneyballer]

You wanna know what the worst part of all that was?

[He bites the inner corner of his mouth before continuing to speak.]

It's that she knew.

[Here, his emotions get the best of him, as they often do.]

It's like she knew she'd never get him back. She's all alone in that house! Growing old... God, I can't even imagine how shitty that would be.

Husband dead, kid holed up in some basement with a bunch of psychos who don't even really know who he is? It's fucking terrible.