YL078T | Voice | Night 009

[doomcame]

[Taissa has woken up in a new place much farther than ever before. It's too warm, even for night. The tropical trees growing just inland of the beach only confirm that this is considerably south of New Jersey. Her clothes are soaked through and she doesn't remember being in the water. Was there a shipwreck? There must be other boats nearby. The coast guard, or somebody, should be out there.

She picks up the only thing outside of herself that she has found on the sand so far. It looks like some sort of emergency radio. She listens to only a snippet of a message before calling out herself, but it sounds enough like military jargon to give her hope of timely rescue. She attempts to sound calm through her shock and confusion. Loud and clear.]

Hello? Who am I speaking to? This is Senator Taissa Turner. I seem to be lost and in need of assistance.

[Also in need of a quick transceiver tutorial, clearly.]

Comments

AP251C | voice

[desperate_times_right]

[Senator? What the fuck? Chloe’s been keeping quiet on here because she doesn't know what's going on and none of it seems to have anything to do with her, but that startles her enough to reply]

Like an American Senator?

[doomcame]

Like an American Senator. Newly elected to the state of New Jersey. [Meaning that she hasn't been sworn in yet. Usually she wouldn't broadcast who she is after an episode of lost time, but washing up on a beach has her thinking she's finally in over her head. A title drop might get her out of here quicker. Besides, if there really was an accident that brought her here, she still has time to spin this as a head injury. If she hasn't already had a head injury.]

[desperate_times_right]

[Ugh, why did she say anything? Lose your gun, fall in a river, wake up somewhere that's almost definitely not Malaysia with no idea where your partner is and a bunch of guys trying to kill you, and immediately take responsibility for the life of an American politician (she figures this woman is legit because if you were pretending to be an American politician you would pick a cooler state). Way to go, Chloe.]

Are you on the beach or further inland? Do you know how to tell direction by the moon?

[doomcame]

Just that it moves from east to west. [It had been their luck in her past experience to have not only a compass, but other markers to use.] I'm at the beach. Where are you?

[desperate_times_right]

I was on a beach, facing north, near a big old plane cockpit half buried in the sand, but I've been tracking some trail markers someone left. In the jungle, southwest of my original position.

I can make my way back to the beach if you can tell which direction you're facing.

[doomcame]

A plane...? [There's something in the way she says the word that betrays how tense she's become at the mention. Her mind races at the possible implications of potentially having survived a second plane crash in her lifetime.]

I'll need time. [She says, more curtly than she means to, so she takes a breath before adding.] Just a little bit, to moongaze.

[It wouldn't take long, the moon moves relatively fast, about the length of its diameter in an hour. With little else to do but look look up at the sky, she can manage it in less. The only problem is that it feels uncomfortably close to sitting on her hands.]

What do the trail markers look like?

[Better to pass the time in conversation than be left to her thoughts. Also, if they're certain weird-ass symbols, she's out.]

TO994M; text

[cactusy]

State senator, not US senator?

[doomcame]

Correct.

[Listen. She's just trying to get the attention of a rescue team here.]

[cactusy]

Kind of low profile for a kidnapping. No offense. Any enemies in high places?

[doomcame]

None taken. [A little offense taken. She's worked hard to get to this point in her career, thank you.]

My former opponent doesn't have the power to pull off a kidnapping. I hadn't actually thought of it as a possibility until now, actually.

SS572S | voice.

[2199]

Please use callsigns on this network, Yankee-Lima. It isn't a secure channel. [Does she have the authority to make this call? Mind your business.]

Could you describe your location? Over.

[doomcame]

[Well, it sure sounds official either way.]

I'm on the beach. The part that... reaches out, like a small peninsula. There's a treeline not far from here. And mountains in the distance.

[She has a feeling that's not very helpful, but there's not much that can actually see from here.]

[2199]

[Hmm.]

What is the tallest vantage point you can see from your current location?

[doomcame]

I'd have to enter the jungle. [Words she never expected to say in her life, for sure.] I can only see the mountains from here, there's nothing close.

[2199]

Do not enter the jungle.

Do you know how to find cardinal directions by the position of the sun?

BT612L; voice

[ichoosefight]

Welcome to the club, Senator. That describes just about all of us.

I'm Stephanie.

[doomcame]

I'd like to cancel my membership if that's alright.

If you're Stephanie, then I'm Taissa. [Shhh, don't tell the military lady we're not doing callsigns. Survivor club benefits.]

[ichoosefight]

[ She should be doing them! She just doesn't really see the point. Considering these walkies with their callsigns were given to them by an unknown stranger, probably their kidnappers. ]

Aww, don't cancel! You'll lose all your member benefits, like sleeping on the ground and boiling water in a tin can you found in some bush.

[doomcame]

I've had enough previous experience to know that it's overrated.

[ichoosefight]

Been stranded in the woods before?

Sorry this is late - was waiting for him to get closer to her in terms of time w search requests!

[salamanca]

[ A Senator, eh? That gets Lalo's attention right away. He perks up on the other end of the walkie. ]

Senator? Yes, hello. This is Officer Ben De Guzman. Laredo PD.

You're in need of assistance, you said. Are you hurt at all? What provisions do you have? Can you see anything? Or anyone?

No apologies, nature of the game. And dying keeps one busy.

[doomcame]

[Texas. People here are from all over. Was this some sort of tourist venture gone wrong? At least he's out of his jurisdiction. Time to sound like she hasn't helped dispose of a body in recent memory.]

I'm not hurt, thank you, officer. I don't have any provisions yet but I'm meeting up with-- [Nope, she still can't do it. "Alpha Papa" sounds way too much like "Big Daddy".] --another stranded person in the morning. It's too dark to see much of anything but the beach right now, but I seem to be spending the night alone.

Ain't that the truth!

[salamanca]

[ "Alpha Papa"!! Oh, what joy that would have given him to hear. He would've laughed his ass off. ]

Mmmm. Glad to hear you've got a plan, Senator. Forgive me, but I have to ask - since you're gonna be alone for the night, do you know how to make a fire? If you don't, I'd be happy to walk you through it, as well as I'm able to. Might be hard in the dark, but together, I'm sure we can manage.

And uh, hey, this person you're meeting up with - they have any water with them? Do you know? You're sure they're safe, right? You never know who you could be talking to on these things. Always makes me nervous when the newbies show up that somebody might try to take advantage.

[doomcame]

I may not know exactly who I'm talking to, but they don't either. I'm a big girl.

I can start a fire if I can manage to find enough dry material. It might take me awhile. [She's never had to camp in a tropical forest before now.] Someone suggested collecting rainwater for now, but do you know if there's any freshwater inland? Trust me, I don't want to risk dehydration.

[salamanca]

Si, si. That's true. The way you say that, you've got me thinking that maybe I should be a little scared of you. What kind of person am I talking to right now, Senator? Do I need to get a big strong man to protect me if we ever meet in person?

There are several rivers on the island. If you can get to one, that would be the best place to set up a camp. Only drinking rainwater will keep you alive, but it won't be pleasant.