reefnet | EJ003X | audio

No - that's a good thing. Dawn's a bad person.

[ Sorry, Dawn. (Not sorry, Dawn.) At least other people will be prepared if she's brought here, too; they won't let her claw her way to the top of whatever sad pyramid exists. ]

I'm okay. I just gotta go back - and it sounds like everyone else does, too.

I see. Then I guess I should say I'm glad to be the bearer of good news. [ A short laugh; a curious pause. ] Would you mind telling me more about her? You don't have to - I know it's not my business - but back home I was a police officer. If she's dangerous, I'd like to do what I can to protect people from her. At least, it'd be nice to know what we're dealing with, if she does come here.

[ There's a very, very small noise, an amused inhale at "sounds like everyone else does, too". ]

Yeah, you're telling me. Thing is, I don't think anybody knows a way to get back home, or we wouldn't be here. Nobody's even sure how we got here. [ Or - some people think they're sure, but none of them have proposed a theory that Lalo is fully on board with. ]

Sorry, getting up to speed. Finally hearing the others' responses to you. Looks like you've got the rundown already. My name is Ben, by the way. Officer Ben De Guzman.

If there's anything that hasn't been covered already that you want to know, feel free to ask me. I'm happy to answer any questions I can.

[ The hair on the back of her neck raises. There's a quiet stretch of time, and all that comes back when she replies is: ]

You probably don't wanna know. She was a police officer, too.

Ah. I see.

[ There's a pause on his end too. Then, gently, quietly, but very seriously, contrary to "Ben's" typical upbeat tone of voice on the network: ] That is... all the more reason I'd like to know, if I'm being honest with you. Bad cops give the rest of us a bad name, and there are too many of them out there.

Edited 2023-06-19 00:14 (UTC)

[ He has a kind-sounding voice - but so did Dr. Edwards, and it didn't stop him from tricking her into doing something terrible. Beth can't bring herself to trust Officer De Guzman's gentle words. ]

The kind of stuff all bad people do. Using other people to get what they want.

Ah - I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business. I won't press anymore. Just don't like seeing people get hurt, you know? But I know the type. And hey! If I hear anyone who introduces themselves by that name speak up on the radio, I promise you, you'll be the first to know.

[ Trying to pump her for more information right now seems like a lost cause - especially with this cover, if she doesn't trust cops. If her conversations with the others on the network are an indication, she's clever, and will probably notice if he tries to get too much from her too soon. Better to let it go. At least for now.

He's quiet for a long time, trying to decide if he should tell her he was the guy who went to the cabin and was killed with his own weapon. He doesn't want to. In fact, it enrages him to listen to everyone so casually discuss his business like this, when he can do absolutely nothing about it. And if she wants to go to the cabin and get herself killed - shit, man, that's her business.

And yet. And yet. He did go there to get information, didn't he? What's the point of going to get information if it's not shared? Not like most of the island doesn't already know what happened anyway. It might give him back some sense of control to feel like he gets to talk about what happened to him, the way he wants to talk about it, instead of it being so flippantly tossed out in the open by other people.

Besides, it might bolster his credibility with her. Or anyone else listening. Maybe. ]

Hey. Ah. Listen. One thing. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you're going to the cabin, there's something you should know.

But first I think you should be sitting down, if you're not right now. [ He's heard her talking about "walkers" and zombies and people coming back from the dead, but what she's describing sounds like something more out of a late-night B-movie than anything he could conceive of as real. Still, maybe he'll skip over the "coming back to life" part, for now. Her reaction to that seems like it could be extremely unpredictable, given the things she's saying. ]

Thanks.

[ If someone's keeping an eye out for Dawn, that's one less thing she has to worry about. And that, she assumes, is that - until Office De Guzman starts talking again. ]

You can just tell me. [ I think you should sit down feels like what you say to someone before you tell them their dad died - which, too late, she saw it happen. She's in a pigheaded mood at the moment, inclined to believe she doesn't need coddling. ] I'll be okay.

You're welcome. [ A sudden idea; a spark of inspiration. ] Hey - mind returning the favor? You don't have to, if you'd prefer not to get involved, but there's someone I'm looking for too. I've got some questions for him.

[ Well, if she doesn't want to be coddled - all right! She can get what she wants. Lalo's not the coddling type anyway, although "Ben" can be. ] I've been up there. To the cabin.

That thing, whatever it is that shoots people - it growled at me. Right in my ear. Not a normal growl, either. It was like its own language. A growling language. I don't know if you've been able to see it for yourself yet, but these radios we've got, they can translate what people say to you automatically, even if you don't speak the language. Like magic! They translated what he said.

Our friend in the cabin is promising a "slow death" for anybody he catches up there. I hope that can influence your decision not to go, but if you're determined to go anyway... be careful and watch out for snare traps. There's a whole row of 'em leading up to his cabin. Look for bent trees. Be careful in the brush. Maybe test for traps if you can.

Edited 2023-06-19 17:30 (UTC)

[ What the fuck is wrong with you, gently steering her right at the cabin? ]

[ listen bro

hear me out

every time someone new goes up there, we get a little more info! she dies, gets revived, comes back with MORE INFO about cabin gremlin.

that we can then use.

to go up there and...

kill him? make out with him? bake cookies with him???

it's a genius plan if you think about it man ~~and you're a fucking sociopath~~ ]

Edited 2023-06-19 19:06 (UTC)

Depends on who you're looking for.

[ But, you know, maybe. Probably. And here's hoping that Dawn and her people never come here.

The details he gives are...well, she doesn't know what to make of it. They sound like Daryl, in part, but what doesn't sound like him is enough to put her off going. He growls, sure, but only someone who wasn't paying attention would need a translation. And promising a slow death is the kind of cruelty he'd only throw out if he was really, really upset - she's almost certain.

Still, she's curious. ]

Did you see any rabbit snares? Or just the kind that catch people?

His name is Gustavo Fring, usually goes by "Gus". He speaks with a Chilean accent; very distinct voice. Soft-spoken, but he speaks with purpose. You'll know him if you hear him.

I have reason to believe he may have information pertinent to a case I'm working on back home, and I'd like to speak with him about it. I'd like to give you more details, but... well, it's an ongoing investigation. Giving out too much could compromise my ability to solve the case when I get back. I hope you understand.

[ There's a beat. ]

The kind that catch people.

Edited 2023-06-19 19:41 (UTC)

Can't that wait until you go home?

[ It seems like a weird priority to have, let me know this guy's here so I can work a case happening someplace else. But if she's learned anything lately, it's that some cops are weird. Weirder than Rick ever was. ]

Oh.

I still just wanna speak with him! My thinking is, if I can just talk to him here, where he knows he can't get in any trouble with the law, and he knows it's just a talk, perhaps he'll be more comfortable sharing what he knows, if he does turn out to know anything.

But hey. Like I said, I know it's not any of your business. And if you're not comfortable with it - don't worry about it. I can manage on my own. Thank you, for taking the time to listen, anyway.

[ Not like he's not going to stalk the radios for any hint of Gus on the off-chance he does somehow show up anyway. But it makes perfect sense to Lalo. Cops on a power trip, in his experience, don't always care about what's logical or makes sense or is actually productive, they care about Catching Bad Guys, a/k/a cool guys who do cool things and aren't lame like cops.

Her little 'oh' makes him exhale softly. ]

Mmmm.

[ A thick swallow. ]

There's one more thing.

Edited 2023-06-19 20:14 (UTC)

Okay.

[ She'll keep an eye out - that much, she's planning on. Whether she says anything depends on Officer De Guzman. ]

What is it?

EJ003X | audio | night 011

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