SS572S | VOICE | D009

[2199]

[American, vaguely East Coast, female, an adult voice with a harsh cadence; she speaks in the dull tone of someone accustomed to terse military communication.]

This is Sierra-Sierra-Five-Seven-Two-Sierra, requesting Libra. I say again: Sierra-Sierra-Five-Seven-Two-Sierra, requesting Libra. Requesting November-Sierra-Charlie. Requesting... Requesting unknown station.

Possible India-Foxtrot-Tango bleed. Proceed with caution. Do not interact with any nonhuman organic life. I say again: do not interact with any nonhuman organic life, under any circumstance. This priority overrides all other orders. Authentication: Deep Waters.

Report... Report. [A long sigh. Something like fatigue creeps in, but it's quickly banished.] Reporting buildings on the horizon. Will attempt reconnaissance.

Please hail if assist is needed. Location unknown, but... well, if I can hear you on this thing, I should be able to get to you.

Sierra-Sierra-Five-Seven-Two-Sierra, over.

Comments

[2199]

Then I don't see any reason to refuse a potential ally, regardless of our... differences in experience.

But could I ask how old you are?

[ichoosefight]

You can, but it makes me even more suspicious.

[ You can practically hear the glare. But it's already on the record, so it's not like she can hide it. ]

I'm nineteen.

[2199]

And why is that?

So you're an adult. Good. How long have you been here? It seems I'm late to the party.

[ichoosefight]

It's been 9 days, and everybody I talk to seems to think I'm a helpless child. It gets old. Especially hearing it from people who've gotten themselves captured or shot.

[2199]

You're college-age. I had a job at fourteen. I don't need to tell you that people are prone to underestimation. [Of women. She doesn't say it; as far as she's concerned, it doesn't need to be said. Like a ghost, saying the words aloud will just summon more sexism.]

Who was shot? By what? Are there hostiles?

[ichoosefight]

Thank you.

[ Steph has been through so much more than anyone could consider a child, but people have been dismissing her for so much of her life that it gets to her really easily. She has to remind herself sometimes that at least these people have the excuse of not knowing her. ]

Sameen was hit by a crossbow a few days ago. We don't really know anything about them for sure. There were drones too, knocking people out and dragging them to some kind of holding facilities, but they don't seem to be affiliated. Those stopped after five days.

We haven't really found anything to give us a solid explanation of anything. Just bits and pieces that don't fit together yet.

[2199]

[Sorry, wait-]

Drones? Bees? How- how big?

TO994M; voice

[cactusy]

Nah, unmanned aircraft. A few feet wide.

[2199]

Ah. A drone because they move in swarms, slaved to a the one controlling them?

[cactusy]

If you wanna be poetic about it, then yeah, I guess.

[2199]

I'm just trying to understand why they're called that.

How many have you encountered here?

[cactusy]

Seen a couple, heard a couple more. Not for a few days, though.

[2199]

Could you be more specific? How many days? What do you think made them stop?

[cactusy]

Uh-- five, I think.

[Seven, but dying threw off her internal rhythm a little.]

Others have talked about seeing them since, though, so maybe-- four, since someone's been spotted or kidnapped by them? LO4 shorted one of 'em out; others might've been taken care of in the same way.

[2199]

Thank you.

How long have you been here?

[cactusy]

A little over a week, I think. Same goes for a lot of other people; when I woke up here, no one was talking about having been here longer.

[ichoosefight]

What? No, not bees! They're just called that. Probably because they're kind of like bees.

They're, uh, flying robots. Like helicopters. You have helicopters, right? They're usually the size of, like, a pumpkin.

[2199]

I see. My year of departure is one-niner-niner-seven.

[Like that explains anything-- but in a more present world, it's supposed to.]

Who have they knocked out and where were the victims taken?

[ichoosefight]

Oh. Huh.

[ 1997 is pretty close to the year she was born. Not sure why that seems stranger to her than being from 2001 or 1985, it does. ]

2009 for me.

Um, Martin Blackwell and Detective Cohle. Cohle was taken to a place on the northern shore. Martin was more east-central mountain region. They were drugged, but we weren't able to find out exactly what was used.

The holding facilities unlocked when the drones went down, so I think whatever was powering them all ran out.

[2199]

[Moss suspects this girl reacts poorly to authority, and yet-] It may be best to stick to callsigns. We don't know that this channel is secure, do we?

[She doesn't know who Martin Blackwell or Detective Cohle are, anyway. Though the fact that there's a detective here is promising.]

Have there been any signs of experimentation, or are people just being held?

[ichoosefight]

It probably isn't, but it's a little late for that. There's been contact with an unknown party off-island, and if someone is listening in those names have already been shared. But yeah, fair.

[ She is, believe it or not, a pretty level-headed and reasonable person! Just not when people get patronizing with her. ]

No signs of any other interference at all. They got dumped in a cage and left there. Almost died from dehydration, too. I know, um, [ What was the callsign? ] L-O said it seemed like they were being steered, but it looks more to me like an abandoned system. Maybe an old security system, or some kind of policing deal? It feels like there's a missing human element that's supposed to be there.

[2199]

[Moss breathes a big sigh of relief this girl isn't like she was when she was 19.]

You're saying... it seems like people have moved on from this place. We're... remnants.

[...]

I don't know if that's good or bad news.

[ichoosefight]

Oh I'm sure it's bad. It always is.

I'm not up on everything that's been found, but there's the wreckage of at least one plane. I haven't found anything residential myself, yet.

[2199]

Have a little hope. Things might be better than you know.

[She didn't wake to find the cold of Terminus, the white hole hanging in the sky. Things are, in fact, pretty good, but that's classified.]

Describe your current location, Bravo-Tango.

[ichoosefight]

"Hope for the best, expect the worst". At least with more people it should be easier to get an idea of what we're working with.

'East jungle' is really as specific as I can get you. I'm working on putting together a map, but the tiny screen isn't a lot to work with.