OO1 }{ AUDIO }{ CALLSIGN: MZ114C }{ DAY 17

[somethingintangible]

[ The voice that comes over the network is a young woman's - late teens or early twenties. A little deep, throaty, but still obviously belonging to someone quite young and female.

It's shaky though, like the person on the other end of the radio is really struggling. Maybe like she's even been crying, although it's hard to tell. She definitely sounds distressed, though.

This is also clearly someone who has never actually used a walkie talkie before, as the message periodically cuts in and out. Maddy was mostly able to figure it out by playing with it, but she's not used to having to keep pressing the button down. You don't do that with touch screens! ]

Um... Hey...

I don't know if anybody can hear me. Or if [ brief silence; she has lifted her finger off the walkie so whatever she says is missing; her voice picks up again later-- ].

--name is Maddy Perez. My mom's name is Sonia Perez, my dad [ she lifts her finger again, so her dad's name isn't heard ] -- I go to East Highland High School. I think I'm lost. I don't know where I am. I need help.

[ There's a pause; this time, it's not because she lifted her finger. There's distraught breathing on the other side of the radio. ]

Please, somebody help me! I'm lost. I don't, I don't know where I am. I -- I think I'm in a jungle or something? I'm not sure where to go next.

[ Then there's a quiet, sound -- sniffling, and a mechanical huff of someone breathing into the walkie too hard. ]

Comments

[doomcame]

I've been through a crisis like this before. I can tell you, the shock passes and you're capable of much more than you might think. Everyone is.

[Taissa's become so good at publicly wringing encouragement and inspiration from the "official story" told by the Yellowjackets team that her voice in no way indicates the darkness behind the latter half of her statement. She does genuinely want to help Maddy, she's just also prepared to say whatever it takes to do so.]

[somethingintangible]

Yeah? You think so?

[ She doesn't sound totally convinced, even though she wants to believe what Taissa is saying. Capable of more than she might think? She doesn't get it from Taissa's voice, but Maddy's mind still jumps involuntarily to Cassie when she thinks about people being capable of things you never would have thought possible.

She tries hard to steel herself. There's no point in thinking about that right now. Not when she's trapped in the fucking jungle. ]

This is just... this is a fucking lot, you know? Like, what the fuck is happening? How did I get here?

[doomcame]

I do.

[She's not faltering.]

I wish I had some answers for you. We're all going through this together. The people here seem to be from across the world with no memory of how we got here. Do you remember what you were doing and where you were before this?

[Not that there's been a pattern yet, but maybe shifting the conversation towards home and her life before this will help Maddy feel better for the moment.]

[somethingintangible]

Yeah, uh. I remember. But that just makes it make even less sense. Fuck. [ !!! ] Wait, sorry. I didn't mean to --

[ She sighs heavily ]

I was just in this fight with my friend.

[doomcame]

It's alright.

And I'm sure it's unrelated unless your friend owns a private island. [Maybe some levity?] If you want to talk about it, though, I've been through my own share of teenage drama. [And then some, if you can call fighting over your very survival "drama."]

[somethingintangible]

[ Maddy laughs. It's short and hollow, but genuine. ] I mean... I guess. I don't really know. It seemed like the most important thing ever until I wound up here.

[ Deep breath. ] I'd... I'd like to talk about it. But maybe not in public. [ Not everyone needs to know her business, okay. Especially when she doesn't even know who might be listening. ] Can I message you? Privately?

[ She feels kind of weird about just messaging random adults without asking first, okok. ]

[doomcame]

Of course.

[somethingintangible]

Thanks.