reefnet | HA131A | Voice

[ Between the rescue mission that never ends, a raging storm trapping him in jail for several days solid with increasingly unhinged humans, a giantass bird statue falling on him, and of course the physiological changes wrought by the island that have left him bizarrely weakened... it's all finally catching up to him. His voice is hoarse with exhaustion when he replies, but with a distinct note of pleased surprise. ]

Harley? This place got you too? [ Objectively it's not exactly a good thing, Harley being stranded here now too, but: ] I'm choosing to take this as a sign that we're unequivocally meant to be together.

[ How romantic! Silver linings and all. ]

K! [It may be one letter, but it's said with an excited squeal. There is just one thing that temporarily pumps the breaks as she notices his callsign.] Wait, did they give you a new number? If you're not my K, you hafta tell me. I dunno if that's an android thing or a cop thing or just a thing I saw on TV but it's gotta be true. This could be one of those weird clone islands like that movie with that guy in it and I wanna unequivocally be with the right guy.

[And this is why she votes for cheesy handles.]

If I wasn't your K, how would I know you?

[ Since they're not originally from the same universe. This warrants serious consideration, and he's quiet for a moment as he performs some mental calculations. He's thinking less clones, and more multiversal possibilities. ] Unless all our alternate universe selves are also together? [ ~~It's probably more likely than you'd think.~~ ]

Oh, and this is just the callsign assigned to my radio, I didn't choose it. I haven't figured out how to change it. It's a bit on the nose, isn't it.

Aww, imagine a whole bunch of alternate multiversal us runnin' around and gettin' together. Now that would be an even bigger sign we were meant to be.

[She is definitely picturing for herself a sea of Ks and Harleys holding hands in various outfits and hairstyles ~~although nothing quite that pink comes to mind~~. Romantic notions are a good distraction from falling into a rabbit-hole of wondering if maybe she is/also is a clone/alternate version of herself. Much better than serious consideration.]

So just a callsign, huh? That's a coinky-dink. Easy to remember though. Guess we're good to keep each other! [Her voice is warm. Considering it was very much the desired outcome, she really didn't need a lot convincing.] Are you okay, baby? You don't sound so good...

Hope none of them have to deal with vacation interruptus like this. [ Yes, focus on the romance, don't think about anything likely to cause an existential crisis. For K's part, he's endured enough of those to last him several lifetimes. As for her question, it's actually weirdly complicated to answer. ]

I'm fine. I've been stuck here a few weeks already.

This place has changed a few of us — prevailing theory's that it brings everyone to a regular human baseline. Me included. Can't access any of my abilities from the Meadous, I'm weaker than I should be and unusually tired a lot. And you just missed a huge thunderstorm that lasted several days. All of this is to say, I think... maybe I'm getting my first robo-cold...

[ Which is utterly bizarre for someone who's never experienced physical illness before (the closest being those psychosomatic headaches). But it could explain how poorly he's been feeling. ]

Did you just wake up? What's it look like where you are? If you see a cabin anywhere, steer clear of it. The owner's a real nudnik, [ —between Harley and Alfie, he's picked up quite a bit of Yiddish at this point, ] likes shooting us if we get too close.

Poor sweetie-pie! [One can hear the pout in her voice. Honestly, she'd be happier to focus on this unprecedented opportunity to play nurse and dote all over him but that tiny problem of not knowing where either of them are right now begrudgingly keeps her from devolving into medical questions and baby-talk. A quick hold on that, she hopes.]

Yeah, I woke up on the beach a li'l while ago. I can see the thunderstorm's been through, place is a wreck. You've really been here weeks without me? Where are you?

[She tries to make a mental note about the cabin but she's mostly just tickled about the added bit of Yiddish.]

[ The whole physical illness experience is so baffling that he'd be grateful for any help in the matter, to say nothing of enjoying being pampered like that for the first time, too. ]

Not by choice. No one even knows how or why we're brought here. Tried contacting you and Zephyr both but nothing goes through... I don't think they can reach us here.

A few of us have set up base at an abandoned airfield in the southwest of the island. There's distilled water, soap, steady sources of food — I built a fishing weir. [ He sounds proud of that fact until something occurs to him that leaves him a bit deflated: ] Probably destroyed by the storm. I'll have to rebuild it.

Anyway, I'm on something of a rescue mission. Helping bring someone who got injured to the airfield. Once we figure out where you landed, I'll come get you — it might even be on the way? [ He sounds so hopeful. Little does he know. ] Any notable landmarks around you? The air traffic control tower's the tallest landmark near the airfield.

Hey, it's okay. When you date a former villain, you don't have to worry about playin' hero so much. You take the rest of the Swiss Family Robinson back to your big impressive base and get some rest. [He really does sound like needs it.] I'll come to you! Of all the island joints in all the oceans in all the multiverse, I walked onto yours. Hard part's gotta be behind us, right? I'm sure I'll find ya in a jiffy. [Of course, Harley's own hopefulness has always bordered on self-delusion.]

Oh! OH! [She does actually see something notable.] Stuck in the beach! It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's-- yeah, it's a plane. Or part of one. Total wreckage. Is that near your airbase? I'mma check it out!

[ Sounding practically (and exaggeratedly) heartbroken now: ] You're ditching me? I promise I'm fine. Staying at the base'll just make me as stir-crazy as the humans I'm with were when the storm stranded us. Not an experience I want to repeat.

[ Resting sounds incredibly boring right now, unfortunately. He's antsy and needs to be productive. And she must not know him very well if she genuinely thinks he'd be happy just sitting back while she faces potential danger (and adventure!) without him, womp womp. ]

Plane wreckage... there's a few known places with wreckage, but not too close to the airfield. [ He's also pretty sure none of those reported have been close to the beach. He may need to refer to the maps Randvi and Steph have been working on just to make sure. ] Though the storm could have shifted them around too. Be careful. And tell me if anything else stands out to you while you're looking around.

I'm doin' the opposite of ditchin' you, silly. I'm makin' right for ya as soon as I get a sense of where that is and where I am. [Though she might get a little distracted along the way.] I just don't want you gettin' yourself too sick. Who knows, a cold could end up more like the plague with a first-time immune system. I need my boyfriend alive so I can smooch him to death.

I'll for sure let ya know what I can see from the broken plane. Maybe if there's somethin' you recognize, we can meet halfsies!

Don't worry. It's not even a real cold because androids can't get them. [ Grumble grumble. ] Just something here negatively affecting my programming, like the headaches I used to get, before... [ Actually, let's not talk about what Gabriel-turned-Sylar did to him; it's still upsetting to think about what happened to him and Harley both. He sighs heavily. ] Electrical storm just made it worse. It made everything worse here. Rivers flooded, places destroyed, things falling from the sky, people hurt...

[ A pause. ] Makes me miss Gotham. [ Now his morose tone is genuine. ] So much for getting a place together.

[Unfortunately, this being a problem in his programming is more of a worry because unlike a cold, Harley has no idea idea how to treat it.]

Hey, I wanna be wherever you are. Even if the sky is fallin', Chicken Little.

And that is the most important part. It's just, you know, the plans we had...

[ The prospect of actually having a real home together in Gotham is a big deal to him, even more than he's let on. Losing that (however temporarily... hopefully only temporarily) is hard. But he'll suck it up soon enough, he always does. He'd rather not bring Harley's mood down. ]

Well. If we have to be stranded on a weird island where barely anyone seems to believe the multiverse exists, or that androids and aliens are real, the attitude here's very human-centric, at least we're stranded together. [ His smile is audible in his voice. ]

We'll get back. I promise. In the meantime, if we hafta build ourselves a cozy jungle bungalow for two then we will.

That could be a nice alternative. [ And if they ever find the necessary tools, it could even become a reality. More options for privacy at the airfield wouldn't be bad either, since both offices may already be spoken for. ]

I think you'll like Randvi and Senku. They established the airfield base. Senku's a genius scientist and Randvi's a viking, she considers the airfield her village. That mainly means everyone there's under her protection. And mine, of course. [ When he's there. He does want to check up on them in person and make sure all's well, but he still intends to find Harley afterward. ]

[After a standard "SOS" Morse code message publicly on the network, Harley follows up quickly with a message to K:]

Hey! All's hunky-dory. That was just a test by the Emergency Harley Quinn Broadcast System. If you hear it again though, I'm in trouble for real and need help. Not now though. I'm at the crash site and I found some vodkaaa and some grenadiiine... I made myself a shot of what I'm gonna call a "Dirty Harley". Just needs some sweetness, some soda or juice... It's not a really cool viking science base but this place'll do for the night.

[ In the interim K's been asking around and performing the mental calculations ~~compensating for his player's dumbness whoops~~, and long story short he's realised that wreckage is a known landmark! One that he can get to. Things are definitely looking up. ]

Oh, that was you! How'd you do that? Very handy, but I hope you won't have to do it again. I have good news, pretty sure I've figured out where you are so I'll be there soon. Even sooner if you're able to meet me halfway—

[ And he'll send over his in-progress ASCII map of the island; far from complete, but it's accurate enough to (hopefully) keep Harley from getting too lost. Her current location is marked with an "H". He goes on to describe what he knows of the surrounding area and the general direction Harley should start heading in when she's ready, ideally so they might be able to meet up somewhere around where Squalo previously discovered the caldera (with a warning not to actually enter the caldera), since that's where Senku plans to head soon with K. It's on the way to Harley's location, so win/win.

He does have some Concerns, though... ]

Just alcohol? Have you found anything edible yet? I'll be bringing extra supplies, but it could still be a few days before we reach each other.

Oh, yeah. I found this gizmo that screws into my walkie-talkie. Pretty neat, but I was hopin' it'd have a longer range on it if not free wifi.

[Harley spends some time looking over the map and listening to his directions. She keeps wanting to be impressed that they've managed this much but then reminds herself that he's been here for longer than she has. An easy thing to forget when she keeps feeling like she just saw him. It's sad for her to imagine him here alone, even though his motley crew sounds pretty fun. She tries to not let it distract her from remembering the details she'll need to meet up.]

Not really much here in the eats department. But tomorrow's a new day! I'm gonna search this plane more in the AM and then head your way. Bring some Funyuns though just in case it's a bust?

[ On the one hand, the plane wreckage is probably extremely dangerous to be climbing around in. On the other, it may be her best bet for finding necessary supplies... He can only hope the island hasn't nullified her athletic capabilities the way it has so many of his own. ]

Interesting. A few people have found radio add-ons like that, but I think that's the first emergency signal. First one I've heard used, at least.

Can't promise Funyuns, but I can promise seasoned fish fillets cooked to smoky perfection over a campfire. How's that sound? [ Alas for the lack of oil and butter, but at least there's an abundance of tasty herbs, wild onions, edible mushrooms, and the like. It's no homemade pizza like he'd learnt how to make for her, but it's still enough to make a decent meal. Plus! ]

And fruit skewers. Bet they'd pair well with a Dirty Harley. [ There's barely suppressed laughter in his voice as he adds: ] Bet I would, too.

[Oh, poor, sweet K. She keeps the groan inside of her head and juggles with how much to lie.] Fruit skewers would be extra refreshin' in this heat. [She hates fish, but she hearts K.]

Does that mean you been havin' lonely nights without my... mixology skills? [Her grin is very nearly audible.] 'Cause I could get you a shot of Sex on the Beach if you're thirsty.

[ RIP Harley, welcome to fish jerky island. 😔 Good thing there'll also be bacon and pork roasts soon on the protein front, with any luck. ]

I've been having lonely everythings without you. Since I sleep more now, I also dream more, and your mixology skills have featured a few times. [ No electric sheep for this android. He gives a thoughtful hum. ] You read my mind. But I think I'm gonna need more than a shot.

HA131A | Voice | Day 23

audio | KD201D

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Later that night!

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