lastvoyages Inbox

[forensicks]

[Walter has recorded a video message from the point of view of someone who has just come through the door into his cabin and sees Walter at his desk in the chair turned around to face the viewer. He gives a little salute-wave.]

Didn't get me. But nice try.

Comments

[abrightboy]

They always touch the inside of our heads, obviously, but... the dream one was internal. This is external.

[forensicks]

No. No! Wasn't it all, you die in the dream, you die in real life?

[abrightboy]

Yes. Which. Thank god that isn't always true. But the manipulation was being done from inside. It had to be; we were entering other people's dreams. Melding our own into them. How else could your grandmother be in Claremont Psychiatric?

[forensicks]

[Immediately harsher:]

My grandmother is apparently perfectly capable of appearing in contexts that aren't dreams. Has there seriously been some kind of internal/external flood distinction no one told me about this whole time?

[abrightboy]

...I don't know. It's just something I've observed. ...What other contexts has your grandmother appeared in? Or do you just mean the visitor flood?

[forensicks]

Yeah, that, I—I just don't get it. Why is fog appearing around us some weird external event a way that visitors wouldn't be?

[abrightboy]

The visitors physically took our place, so they had our access and privileges while they were here.

[forensicks]

I just don't get it. Dreams are basically like breaches to me, and I heard the other day you can get death tolls from those too.

[He sighs.]

What I told my grandmother was to stay out and about, where there were plenty of witnesses and exits. Not hide somewhere she could be cornered.

[abrightboy]

...That's good advice in prison.

[forensicks]

...

[A tiny noise. He almost snapped. He's trying to be patient but he is pretty sure Malcolm's about to confirm "prison, unlike here"...]

[abrightboy]

[He hears the noise.]

That's not where you told it to her, was it? How did you tell her that here? By note? Did she have to solve a riddle to read it?

[forensicks]

I told her that with an actual note, yeah.

[abrightboy]

Did she take your advice?

[forensicks]

Yes...?

Look, this isn't about me being right and you being wrong. I just really don't get where "safe in your cabin" is coming from after two floods in a row.

[abrightboy]

I didn’t think your advice to your grandmother was exhibit 6 in cabins aren’t safe; I thought it was a tangent. But I’ve been through more floods than you have and the ones you’re talking about penetrated cabins from minute one.

[forensicks]

So... is this something you actually do? And always did?

[abrightboy]

….Advise people concerned about danger where to go that is probably less dangerous?

[forensicks]

Lock down in your cabin specifically. Pardon my skepticism when almost nobody, no matter how cooperative or aware of their not so positive experiences with their special person, spent the special person flood in Zero as Zhao Yunlan so kindly pointed out after the fact.

[abrightboy]

That would make me pretty remiss in my duties, wouldn’t it? I’m supposed to try to protect other people. Especially you. If you want me to.

[forensicks]

...I don't think you want to hear what I have to say about the degree of rigor you bring to patrols.

[abrightboy]

Okay. That’s the only way to protect people. You’re right. You know what, Walter? Do what you want. I gave you the information that I had that you could use to protect yourself if you chose to. You’re an adult. You can choose to or not. But if you choose ‘not’, you can’t really blame anyone else for you being in the totally avoidable danger. Call me if you need anything, but if you just want to tell me how much better everyone else is than me? Go fuck yourself instead.

[He hangs up.]

[forensicks]

[Walter's pretty stunned by this, though it's not really easy to hear in the remaining moments on the feed. He says to himself:]

...Well, I knew he didn't want to hear it.

[Man, he doesn't know what to do with this. He wants to throw Malcolm's pathetic reaction to Annie's arrival in his face so bad, but it feels like Malcolm is getting too close to the truth of Walter's thoughts, and those get darker every day. Besides, he's also conveniently ignored the reminder that his then-inmate then-boyfriend didn't end up with his serial killer counterpart in Zero. Positive or negative, Malcolm always focuses on whatever he needs to hear.]

you're the one who said you have to be out and about protecting people, and though I pride myself on creativity I don't know what else that could have possibly meant. Whatever!

Text

[abrightboy]

And I was offering to protect you, just then, which you said is what you wanted. To be safe. For me to demonstrate that I care about that. I don't know what else THAT could have possibly meant, but if you want to explain, I'd be glad to listen.

Re: Text

[forensicks]

So do you lock down in your cabin during "external" floods outside of specifically scheduled trips or not?

Re: Text

[abrightboy]

I don't if I can help get others to safety or if I don't know where one of my people is and I need to find them. Otherwise I do.

I'm in my cabin right now.

So do I need to find you? Is it possible to get you to safety?