[Tessa Mabel Cole continued from This is not a War]
Everyone knew there were drones over Arizona.
You couldn't see them in the sky or anything, the feds were way too smart for that, but you could see where they'd been if you knew where to look. There were holes in clouds that shouldn't be there, or occasionally the sun might seem to be glinting off of nothing. You'd hear noises like a plane, but there'd be no planes around; the signs were everywhere, as long as you knew what the signs were.
Tessa had been reading about the signs for years.
The problem with these drones was that, according to the feds' own laws, you couldn't really do anything about them, not even if you knew they were there. As long as they were in your airspace and not on your property, they weren't technically trespassing, and you couldn't just go shooting them down. You were meant to just sit there and let their infrared x-ray microwave future cameras look down your chimney and watch you undress.
Needless to say there were people who weren't too happy with this arrangement, and they'd figured out ways to deal with them that didn't end up with anyone in FBI custody, being shipped off to some secret prison in Cuba with a bag over their head.
When it came to drones, there were two basic types. The big drones, the ones they used in the Middle-East were called Hunter-Killers, and those had all kinds of fancy communicators and satellite feeds and whatnot to keep them going. If one of those came for you, there wasn't a lot you could do except hope that they messed things up and "accidentally" blew up a school full of brown kids instead of the house you were hiding out in.
No, those things weren't to be messed with, but the little ones were just spy drones, and those communicated using good old-fashioned radio waves. Radio waves that the good folks who made up the Arizona survivalist community had all sorts of ways of jamming, blocking and subverting.
The way that Tessa had in mind was by building a spark gap transmitter.
From how that smug government stooge had talked, it was clear the collars were radio activated. When they talked about how they'd blow them up if the kids didn't do what they said, it was clear that that required some sort of external signal, and radio was the obvious choice. A spark gap transmitter would stop those signals coming in, and once Tessa had done that, these false flag faux-terrorist fucks wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to her.
She hadn't built one before, since they were technically illegal (and what a shock that the Government wouldn't be permitting its citizens to build devices that would prevent drones from hovering above their heads) but she had a good understanding of the theory behind them, and thought she remembered the practical details well enough to rig up something that worked, as long as she could find the parts.
She reeled off a list of them in her head as she trudged across the grass. It was her mantra.
"Wood. Wire. Nails. Hammer. Motor. Batteries. High voltage source."
Most of what she could find would be at the vehicle depot, but it made sense to leave that for last. All that stuff would be heavy, and she wouldn't make things any easier on herself by having to cart it around the island with her. No, she would gather everything she needed first, and then once she was fully equipped she would make her way there.
She'd spent a good quarter hour pouring over the map, planning her route. Much less time was spent on any of the other contents of her bag, except to note that the Claymore Mine she'd been given was manufactured by the U.S. army. But oh no, that was all just some big coincidence, wasn't it?
Tessa had snorted. Like hell it was.
Call Me Maybe
trigger warning: transphobia
Call Me Maybe
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler frogue. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Enzo missed their phone.
Of all the things to be upset about, that shouldn't have been high on anyone's list. Yet, of all the things from this fucked up situation that they found really, truly getting to them was that those jackasses had taken their damn phone.
Would this whole death-murder-die business be better if they had it?
To be honest, on the overall balance of things? Yes, actually. It really kind of would. Not like, by huge amounts or anything, but it would at least let Vincenzo feel like they were doing something in SOME way worthwhile. Worthwhile in an incredibly morbid and gallows humour kind of way, but sometimes all you had was laughter.
"Imminent death problems!"
Enzo dropped dramatically to their knees.
"STEVE STILL OWES ME FIVE BUUUUCKS!"
...Well, script needed work. They'd get there.
And now they were visiting the 'ar', if the sign was to be believed.
Enzo didn't really know if they wanted to go inside or not. Drinks weren't really their thing. Maybe it would be worth giving the place a once over, just to make sure it was safe. With a deep breath, they wedged their hands into the front pocket of their hoodie and walked around to the other side of the building.
Oh hey, that was... a girl. Her name- uh... her name was... right, right, Tessa! Not somebody they really knew very well. Cochise wasn't a big enough school for there to be too many mysteries amongst the student body, but hey, social circles were a thing, and she wasn't in Vinny's. In any case, she was, or maybe had been looking over her map. Which was a good idea and something that Enzo probably should have thought of actually doing some time ago.
They raised a hand, wiggled it in a tiny little wave. "Yo."
Of all the things to be upset about, that shouldn't have been high on anyone's list. Yet, of all the things from this fucked up situation that they found really, truly getting to them was that those jackasses had taken their damn phone.
Would this whole death-murder-die business be better if they had it?
To be honest, on the overall balance of things? Yes, actually. It really kind of would. Not like, by huge amounts or anything, but it would at least let Vincenzo feel like they were doing something in SOME way worthwhile. Worthwhile in an incredibly morbid and gallows humour kind of way, but sometimes all you had was laughter.
"Imminent death problems!"
Enzo dropped dramatically to their knees.
"STEVE STILL OWES ME FIVE BUUUUCKS!"
...Well, script needed work. They'd get there.
And now they were visiting the 'ar', if the sign was to be believed.
Enzo didn't really know if they wanted to go inside or not. Drinks weren't really their thing. Maybe it would be worth giving the place a once over, just to make sure it was safe. With a deep breath, they wedged their hands into the front pocket of their hoodie and walked around to the other side of the building.
Oh hey, that was... a girl. Her name- uh... her name was... right, right, Tessa! Not somebody they really knew very well. Cochise wasn't a big enough school for there to be too many mysteries amongst the student body, but hey, social circles were a thing, and she wasn't in Vinny's. In any case, she was, or maybe had been looking over her map. Which was a good idea and something that Enzo probably should have thought of actually doing some time ago.
They raised a hand, wiggled it in a tiny little wave. "Yo."
((Melanie Beckett continued from Nature's Predators))
She probably couldn't do this.
She'd forgotten to immobilize Cameron's foot, for one. After a lifetime of soccer, it wasn't like she'd never seen a foot injury before, and it sure wasn't like she'd never sprained her own ankle stepping in a divot or just landing on her foot at the wrong angle. So what she knew and should have known was that the first thing to be done was almost definitely to keep the foot tied up so it wasn't flopping around, but instead, she'd started Cameron moving almost right away.
No big deal, really. She didn't beat herself up about things like that.
But like, it didn't paint her in the best light as actually being a responsible individual. She wasn't about to let Cameron keep hurting just because her brain had been out of sorts for a while.
Mel had cracked open the first aid kit in her bag when she'd remembered and found some bandages. They had looked clean, and while she guessed she appreciated that and Elmo, it had seemed again a little wrong to feel grateful to the terrorists for providing her with free stuff. So she didn't. It was good that the bandages were there. Nothing more. They'd taken her cell phone and her mom's camera, anyway, so the trade sucked.
The only thing left to find had been something solid that she could use to keep Cameron's foot still inside the wrappings. She'd considered the flashlight (too useful), the tins of crackers (too unwieldy), Elmo (no), and just adding yet another item onto their list of things to find (that seemed like the best bet).
She'd been in luck. The B housing block had looked like a tornado had hit it. When they had reached it, she had eased Cameron into a sitting position against one of the walls and investigated the rubble strewn around. After finding a broken chair leg - one that hadn't rotted through completely with time - she had ground it against the wall until the broken end smoothed out a bit. Best not to have the splint splinter. Then she'd wrapped and bound the foot.
Well, she was no medic. Only thing to do was hope she'd done all right.
A glance through the broken windows had shown that there seemed to be no one there, though she couldn't have been sure that was no one still hiding in the other rooms or the hallway or whatever. She'd just have to check back later. They'd have to loop back around and cross the bridge eventually, anyway - there was no way they could make it down the slopes on the map in their condition.
The ocean would have to wait a bit, though. She had a good inkling of where to find ice.
They made their way slowly towards the pub, Mel still cushioning some of Cameron's weight. She wasn't liable to collapse or anything, but she was increasingly beginning to think that a makeshift cane or crutch would also be a great addition to the list. Struggling to get anywhere also tended to put a damper on any conversation, although she'd tried her best to make small talk (tattoos were still great; she sorta regretted not getting one now that getting a job was the furthest thing from her mind).
Seeing the back of somebody with a hoodie disappearing around the corner of the pub presented a dilemma. Figure out who that was, find ice, figure out that was... She shifted her weight a bit under Cameron's for only a moment of indecision before impulse took over.
"Hey!" she shouted, cupping one hand around her mouth, Cameron's pickaxe still in a loose grip in the other. "Coming in behind you!" Best case, she could do both.
She probably couldn't do this.
She'd forgotten to immobilize Cameron's foot, for one. After a lifetime of soccer, it wasn't like she'd never seen a foot injury before, and it sure wasn't like she'd never sprained her own ankle stepping in a divot or just landing on her foot at the wrong angle. So what she knew and should have known was that the first thing to be done was almost definitely to keep the foot tied up so it wasn't flopping around, but instead, she'd started Cameron moving almost right away.
No big deal, really. She didn't beat herself up about things like that.
But like, it didn't paint her in the best light as actually being a responsible individual. She wasn't about to let Cameron keep hurting just because her brain had been out of sorts for a while.
Mel had cracked open the first aid kit in her bag when she'd remembered and found some bandages. They had looked clean, and while she guessed she appreciated that and Elmo, it had seemed again a little wrong to feel grateful to the terrorists for providing her with free stuff. So she didn't. It was good that the bandages were there. Nothing more. They'd taken her cell phone and her mom's camera, anyway, so the trade sucked.
The only thing left to find had been something solid that she could use to keep Cameron's foot still inside the wrappings. She'd considered the flashlight (too useful), the tins of crackers (too unwieldy), Elmo (no), and just adding yet another item onto their list of things to find (that seemed like the best bet).
She'd been in luck. The B housing block had looked like a tornado had hit it. When they had reached it, she had eased Cameron into a sitting position against one of the walls and investigated the rubble strewn around. After finding a broken chair leg - one that hadn't rotted through completely with time - she had ground it against the wall until the broken end smoothed out a bit. Best not to have the splint splinter. Then she'd wrapped and bound the foot.
Well, she was no medic. Only thing to do was hope she'd done all right.
A glance through the broken windows had shown that there seemed to be no one there, though she couldn't have been sure that was no one still hiding in the other rooms or the hallway or whatever. She'd just have to check back later. They'd have to loop back around and cross the bridge eventually, anyway - there was no way they could make it down the slopes on the map in their condition.
The ocean would have to wait a bit, though. She had a good inkling of where to find ice.
They made their way slowly towards the pub, Mel still cushioning some of Cameron's weight. She wasn't liable to collapse or anything, but she was increasingly beginning to think that a makeshift cane or crutch would also be a great addition to the list. Struggling to get anywhere also tended to put a damper on any conversation, although she'd tried her best to make small talk (tattoos were still great; she sorta regretted not getting one now that getting a job was the furthest thing from her mind).
Seeing the back of somebody with a hoodie disappearing around the corner of the pub presented a dilemma. Figure out who that was, find ice, figure out that was... She shifted her weight a bit under Cameron's for only a moment of indecision before impulse took over.
"Hey!" she shouted, cupping one hand around her mouth, Cameron's pickaxe still in a loose grip in the other. "Coming in behind you!" Best case, she could do both.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Iceblock. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Cameron Herrig continued from Nature's Predators
So she was done a foot. Not the greatest start to the rest of her life, however long that was going to be. On the plus side she had...shit...what did she have? It seemed unlikely that she was going to get her hands on a bike, she didn't have her guitar and she had no body paint. In summary she needed new party tricks, being the one-legged woman at the ass-kicking contest wasn't going to cut it. As things were Mel was helping, she wasn't able to put any weight on her foot or ankle so having someone to lean on allowed her to still keep up a good pace.
It was also a comfort thing, someone she knew however little. Someone to travel with and co-operate with. It was better than travelling alone. Cameron didn't know how she would have coped with being alone.
They had managed to craft a splint at least and were heading to get ice. Proper first-aid was looking to be a priority considering the life and death, she wouldn't be able to run though. That had the potential to turn into a problem.
"Good idea." Cameron grinned as they hopped after the figure with Mel's help. "Don't need them shooting us by accident."
All the same Cameron would have loved to have her pickaxe. If only for comfort.
So she was done a foot. Not the greatest start to the rest of her life, however long that was going to be. On the plus side she had...shit...what did she have? It seemed unlikely that she was going to get her hands on a bike, she didn't have her guitar and she had no body paint. In summary she needed new party tricks, being the one-legged woman at the ass-kicking contest wasn't going to cut it. As things were Mel was helping, she wasn't able to put any weight on her foot or ankle so having someone to lean on allowed her to still keep up a good pace.
It was also a comfort thing, someone she knew however little. Someone to travel with and co-operate with. It was better than travelling alone. Cameron didn't know how she would have coped with being alone.
They had managed to craft a splint at least and were heading to get ice. Proper first-aid was looking to be a priority considering the life and death, she wouldn't be able to run though. That had the potential to turn into a problem.
"Good idea." Cameron grinned as they hopped after the figure with Mel's help. "Don't need them shooting us by accident."
All the same Cameron would have loved to have her pickaxe. If only for comfort.
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Tessa lifted her arm, her body mirroring the boy's, and gave him a wary nod of greeting, not taking her eyes off of him.
She'd recognized Vincenzo Gatti the second she'd seen him. He was a familiar figure from school, prancing around, pretending he knew what it meant to be a girl. He was a pantomime woman, but of course nobody was allowed to tell him what a fool he was making of himself with his sad make believe, since apparently anyone had the right to decide they were whatever they felt like on any given day of the week. It wasn't really his fault, of course, and Tessa didn't blame the boy. He was a kid, it wasn't like he was in any position to be making any kind of decision about who he was. it was his parents who enabled him, who allowed him to go out dressed how he dressed, who bought him the clothes, probably.
Tessa'd never passed comment on it of course, she knew better than that, but she'd certainly passed judgement.
All things considered though, she was happy to see Vincenzo. As fruity as he might have been, the boy was hardly threatening. He had maybe half a foot on her, but his little twig arms certainly made him look like he weighed a good twenty pounds less, and if he had a weapon he certainly didn't seem to have any intention of doing anything with it.
"Yo," she replied.
She'd recognized Vincenzo Gatti the second she'd seen him. He was a familiar figure from school, prancing around, pretending he knew what it meant to be a girl. He was a pantomime woman, but of course nobody was allowed to tell him what a fool he was making of himself with his sad make believe, since apparently anyone had the right to decide they were whatever they felt like on any given day of the week. It wasn't really his fault, of course, and Tessa didn't blame the boy. He was a kid, it wasn't like he was in any position to be making any kind of decision about who he was. it was his parents who enabled him, who allowed him to go out dressed how he dressed, who bought him the clothes, probably.
Tessa'd never passed comment on it of course, she knew better than that, but she'd certainly passed judgement.
All things considered though, she was happy to see Vincenzo. As fruity as he might have been, the boy was hardly threatening. He had maybe half a foot on her, but his little twig arms certainly made him look like he weighed a good twenty pounds less, and if he had a weapon he certainly didn't seem to have any intention of doing anything with it.
"Yo," she replied.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler frogue. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
The situation was now Awkward.
It wasn't often that Vinny found themselves at a loss for what to say, but in this scenario, they well and truly had no idea what to say. Having explosives strapped around one's neck (and all the attendant fun and games coming with said leashbombs) was pretty much hell on small talk.
'How's the weather?'
'Oh, fine, fine. Sunny with a chance of death.'
...Enzo missed their phone.
Probably, they were best off just leaving the conversation at that. Vinny didn't know Tessa, and given the circumstances, there were more pressing concerns than just being rude. Like, sure they could stay and try and pick the brains of someone they knew virtually nothing about, or alternatively, Enzo could dedicate time to actually tracking down people they were close to- and holy shit they had actually just had that actual thought.
Well, Enzo felt like a horrible person now.
Gee, someone not being in their personal circle apparently now meant fair game to just walk off and leave them. How messed up was that? Trust aside, not being friends was no reason to abandon someone on Death Island. Hell, maybe Tessa neither wanted or needed Enzo's company, but that didn't mean they shouldn't at least ask.
Of course, just as they opened their mouth to speak again, someone called a warning from behind them. Crap. Just when they were trying to deal with one person, someone else was coming along-
"Sardine!"
It wasn't often that Vinny found themselves at a loss for what to say, but in this scenario, they well and truly had no idea what to say. Having explosives strapped around one's neck (and all the attendant fun and games coming with said leashbombs) was pretty much hell on small talk.
'How's the weather?'
'Oh, fine, fine. Sunny with a chance of death.'
...Enzo missed their phone.
Probably, they were best off just leaving the conversation at that. Vinny didn't know Tessa, and given the circumstances, there were more pressing concerns than just being rude. Like, sure they could stay and try and pick the brains of someone they knew virtually nothing about, or alternatively, Enzo could dedicate time to actually tracking down people they were close to- and holy shit they had actually just had that actual thought.
Well, Enzo felt like a horrible person now.
Gee, someone not being in their personal circle apparently now meant fair game to just walk off and leave them. How messed up was that? Trust aside, not being friends was no reason to abandon someone on Death Island. Hell, maybe Tessa neither wanted or needed Enzo's company, but that didn't mean they shouldn't at least ask.
Of course, just as they opened their mouth to speak again, someone called a warning from behind them. Crap. Just when they were trying to deal with one person, someone else was coming along-
"Sardine!"
Sardine?
Anyway, forget about getting shot for a second. Mel appreciated Cameron backing her up and even giving her a reason for doing what she'd done mostly on a whim, but having to think about every mundane action in the light of whether it would put her in physical danger or not was, again, what the terrorists wanted. Even if she'd tried to bury most of her knee-jerk rebellion under getting Cameron to a more stable state, she wasn't going to just roll over and let them win that easy.
Moving carefully more for Cameron's sake than in actual caution, Mel made her way towards the voice, around the corner to almost immediately come face to face with two others.
Oh hey, it was Enzo and Tessa. Enzo played soccer (like, on the actual team), and she'd always vaguely thought of Tessa as a kindred spirit in most of the ways that mattered. Definitely not the worst people to run into - the fact that she didn't have anybody in mind as terrible to run into didn't change that. Running into a terrorist on the loose, maybe. A wild terrorist, rampaging on the Serengeti.
Mel flashed them a grin, only muted a bit from her usual.
"This is a kinda terrible hiding spot if you're playing sardines." A short pause, as she remembered the obvious. "Plus, yelling."
She jerked a finger over her non-Cameron shoulder. Might as well launch into it. "We were just on our way to raid the pub. You two don't happen to have ice, do ya?"
Anyway, forget about getting shot for a second. Mel appreciated Cameron backing her up and even giving her a reason for doing what she'd done mostly on a whim, but having to think about every mundane action in the light of whether it would put her in physical danger or not was, again, what the terrorists wanted. Even if she'd tried to bury most of her knee-jerk rebellion under getting Cameron to a more stable state, she wasn't going to just roll over and let them win that easy.
Moving carefully more for Cameron's sake than in actual caution, Mel made her way towards the voice, around the corner to almost immediately come face to face with two others.
Oh hey, it was Enzo and Tessa. Enzo played soccer (like, on the actual team), and she'd always vaguely thought of Tessa as a kindred spirit in most of the ways that mattered. Definitely not the worst people to run into - the fact that she didn't have anybody in mind as terrible to run into didn't change that. Running into a terrorist on the loose, maybe. A wild terrorist, rampaging on the Serengeti.
Mel flashed them a grin, only muted a bit from her usual.
"This is a kinda terrible hiding spot if you're playing sardines." A short pause, as she remembered the obvious. "Plus, yelling."
She jerked a finger over her non-Cameron shoulder. Might as well launch into it. "We were just on our way to raid the pub. You two don't happen to have ice, do ya?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Iceblock. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
The phrase was something about closing a door and opening a window.
She couldn't walk properly without help, but now she had found a friend, a good one. Cameron smiled. "Sup, Human?" She disengaged herself from Mel and hopped forward to give Enzo a hug with her eye arm. It was a good feeling to have someone she was close with nearby; it wasn't a knock on Mel at all. Enza was just one of Cameron's best friends, having them around made everything feel less heavy. For a split-second Cameron could almost convince herself that everything was alright.
It wasn't though and it wouldn't be again.
Depressing and sobering facts about her new life aside, things had taken a step up. Cameron trusted Vinny unconditionally. So that wasn't an issue going forward. Tessa she wasn't as comfortable with; she knew of the girl, she played guitar and was into art so Cameron obviously knew her through that. She was nice enough, Cameron didn't see her being a bad presence and was happy to have her with them. If they decided to all join up they'd a group of four. Safety in numbers was a theory for a reason.
Cameron gave a small nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, I may have bailed down some stairs."
She couldn't walk properly without help, but now she had found a friend, a good one. Cameron smiled. "Sup, Human?" She disengaged herself from Mel and hopped forward to give Enzo a hug with her eye arm. It was a good feeling to have someone she was close with nearby; it wasn't a knock on Mel at all. Enza was just one of Cameron's best friends, having them around made everything feel less heavy. For a split-second Cameron could almost convince herself that everything was alright.
It wasn't though and it wouldn't be again.
Depressing and sobering facts about her new life aside, things had taken a step up. Cameron trusted Vinny unconditionally. So that wasn't an issue going forward. Tessa she wasn't as comfortable with; she knew of the girl, she played guitar and was into art so Cameron obviously knew her through that. She was nice enough, Cameron didn't see her being a bad presence and was happy to have her with them. If they decided to all join up they'd a group of four. Safety in numbers was a theory for a reason.
Cameron gave a small nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, I may have bailed down some stairs."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Cameron. Damn-diddly-yes it was Cameron. One of Enzo's best friends, period and hell, there may have been better situations to run into her, but beggars couldn't be choosers and Vinny had their cap in their hand right about now. Point was that they could work with Cameron being here, they could actually - shit, how were there any words to properly describe it? Cameron was just reassurance, flat out. She didn't always get Vinny, but she tried to get Vinny, and that counted just as hard.
Another girl from their year was with Cameron too - Melanie, someone that Enzo knew decently, if not super close to. They played soccer together now and then, a couple of kickabouts around campus and one or two around town. She'd - what with Cameron being favouring her leg and the comment about taking a trip, clearly been helping Cameron out, which Enzo definitely appreciated. Help their friends and that scored big points in Vinny's book. What could they say? They were a simple person.
Flagrant lies. Vincenzo thought they had a vine about that one, actually.
"Oh you know, great as always," Vinny breezed past Melanie picking up on sardines, because that wasn't how they rolled, and then shrugged. "Haven't been inside yet. I guess you might get lucky, Longjohn."
They tossed a glance over their shoulder, back at Tessa, and then returned their attention back.
"It's good to see you, Sardine. Let's get that foot elevated at least, right?"
Another girl from their year was with Cameron too - Melanie, someone that Enzo knew decently, if not super close to. They played soccer together now and then, a couple of kickabouts around campus and one or two around town. She'd - what with Cameron being favouring her leg and the comment about taking a trip, clearly been helping Cameron out, which Enzo definitely appreciated. Help their friends and that scored big points in Vinny's book. What could they say? They were a simple person.
Flagrant lies. Vincenzo thought they had a vine about that one, actually.
"Oh you know, great as always," Vinny breezed past Melanie picking up on sardines, because that wasn't how they rolled, and then shrugged. "Haven't been inside yet. I guess you might get lucky, Longjohn."
They tossed a glance over their shoulder, back at Tessa, and then returned their attention back.
"It's good to see you, Sardine. Let's get that foot elevated at least, right?"
This was not a tone that set Tessa at ease.
She herself had avoided, assiduously, becoming mired in despair and fatalism. Her eyes had stayed dry and her mind, insomuch as she could control it, had stayed away from her parents and from thoughts of what they were doing, how she missed them, what she'd said to them last and how they'd react to hearing about this. They wouldn't hear about this, not if Tessa had her way. She'd be back in Kingman before any of this hit the airwaves and there was no point in assuming anything else.
Sad thoughts were wasted thoughts as far as Tessa was concerned, and she needed all her brainpower for the problem of how to get out of here. She couldn't afford to squander it on sentimentality.
Still, the tone of her fellow students was far from reassuring. She hadn't expected them to know the truth of their situation, of course, but this easy joviality was something else entirely. Was it shock, or simple denial? It certainly was not, she decided, remotely helpful.
Tessa eyed the three of them with unease.
Was the story about the stairs true? Tessa had her doubts. It was the sort of thing wives told their doctors when their husbands were beating them, and would have been suspicious at the best of times. Here, in this state-run violence dispensary the odds of someone being injured in a simple accident seemed very low indeed, and Cameron's empty little laugh did nothing to reassure her.
Why were they lying? What did they have to hide? What had they done?
Vincenzo offered help, but Vincenzo was an idiot. He couldn't even tell his own gender, of course he couldn't tell he was being lied to.
Someone clearly had to be an adult here, and if all of these children were busy playing pretend, that someone would have to be Tessa.
"Bullshit," she said.
"You 'bailed down some stairs'? I mean, that's totally the most likely way to get an injury here, right?"
She took a step away from the trio, her hands at her sides.
"Pull the other one."
She herself had avoided, assiduously, becoming mired in despair and fatalism. Her eyes had stayed dry and her mind, insomuch as she could control it, had stayed away from her parents and from thoughts of what they were doing, how she missed them, what she'd said to them last and how they'd react to hearing about this. They wouldn't hear about this, not if Tessa had her way. She'd be back in Kingman before any of this hit the airwaves and there was no point in assuming anything else.
Sad thoughts were wasted thoughts as far as Tessa was concerned, and she needed all her brainpower for the problem of how to get out of here. She couldn't afford to squander it on sentimentality.
Still, the tone of her fellow students was far from reassuring. She hadn't expected them to know the truth of their situation, of course, but this easy joviality was something else entirely. Was it shock, or simple denial? It certainly was not, she decided, remotely helpful.
Tessa eyed the three of them with unease.
Was the story about the stairs true? Tessa had her doubts. It was the sort of thing wives told their doctors when their husbands were beating them, and would have been suspicious at the best of times. Here, in this state-run violence dispensary the odds of someone being injured in a simple accident seemed very low indeed, and Cameron's empty little laugh did nothing to reassure her.
Why were they lying? What did they have to hide? What had they done?
Vincenzo offered help, but Vincenzo was an idiot. He couldn't even tell his own gender, of course he couldn't tell he was being lied to.
Someone clearly had to be an adult here, and if all of these children were busy playing pretend, that someone would have to be Tessa.
"Bullshit," she said.
"You 'bailed down some stairs'? I mean, that's totally the most likely way to get an injury here, right?"
She took a step away from the trio, her hands at her sides.
"Pull the other one."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler frogue. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"Sure, don't mind if I do."
A heavy thump sounded as Mel thrust the flat top of the pickaxe into the earth and leaned a bit on the handle. It was far too short to be any real help, but at least this way, it was carrying its own weight. She'd have to give it back sometime. Maybe Vinny could hold on to it; it was Cameron's, after all, and the two of them seemed pretty close.
"I attacked her," she said in the cheeriest tone she had. "Yep, right when I woke up. I just started whaling on her with my bare hands, until I broke all sorts of things - all three of her ankles, my knuckles, all the bones in my hand - I'm in a full arm cast right now," she added, wiggling the fingers of her free hand at Tessa.
"Then she decided to come with me, 'cause, uh... it was a stick-up." Finger gun for emphasis. "And I took all her cash."
Mel paused, and the grin that had slowly spread over her face while she was talking faded.
"Not trusting each other when nothing's even happened yet," she said, "that's what they want."
A heavy thump sounded as Mel thrust the flat top of the pickaxe into the earth and leaned a bit on the handle. It was far too short to be any real help, but at least this way, it was carrying its own weight. She'd have to give it back sometime. Maybe Vinny could hold on to it; it was Cameron's, after all, and the two of them seemed pretty close.
"I attacked her," she said in the cheeriest tone she had. "Yep, right when I woke up. I just started whaling on her with my bare hands, until I broke all sorts of things - all three of her ankles, my knuckles, all the bones in my hand - I'm in a full arm cast right now," she added, wiggling the fingers of her free hand at Tessa.
"Then she decided to come with me, 'cause, uh... it was a stick-up." Finger gun for emphasis. "And I took all her cash."
Mel paused, and the grin that had slowly spread over her face while she was talking faded.
"Not trusting each other when nothing's even happened yet," she said, "that's what they want."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Iceblock. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"Good to see you too human," Cameron said, grin still plastered to her face. "that sounds like..." She trailed off following Tessa's comments. That killed the mood dead. They hadn't even been awake for half a day and already one of them was turning into a paranoid nutjob. Things were going great.
Luckily Mel made things didn't get too heavy. Cameron couldn't help snorting at her response. She knew she shouldn't have and she tried not to, but the whole scenario she was describing was so ridiculous. If that was what Tessa thought had gone down or some other plan they had thought up between them she was going to be disappointed.
"Yeah, it's not like we're planning to rob you using Elmo." Although that would have been an equally amazing image, running up to someone slamming Elmo into their face and then running off with their bag. A drive-by Elmo'ing.
Bitches don't fuck with Sesame Street.
Cameron hopped around using Enzo as support until she ended up facing Tessa. Quieter than before she spoke.
"Nothing happened, I just fell."
Luckily Mel made things didn't get too heavy. Cameron couldn't help snorting at her response. She knew she shouldn't have and she tried not to, but the whole scenario she was describing was so ridiculous. If that was what Tessa thought had gone down or some other plan they had thought up between them she was going to be disappointed.
"Yeah, it's not like we're planning to rob you using Elmo." Although that would have been an equally amazing image, running up to someone slamming Elmo into their face and then running off with their bag. A drive-by Elmo'ing.
Bitches don't fuck with Sesame Street.
Cameron hopped around using Enzo as support until she ended up facing Tessa. Quieter than before she spoke.
"Nothing happened, I just fell."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
"'That's what they want'?" Tessa shook her head. "Wow. Wow, you really do not have a clue, do you?"
The space between them seemed to widen, the few feet between them becoming a massive, yawning chasm, and Tessa was hit by a sudden shock of vertigo. The world span, the building behind her seeming to enter their orbit, as her eyes met Mel's.
"Let me break this down for you, okay? They have what they want. Everything they set out to do, they've done. That whole thing about seeing us turn on each other, mistrust each other or whatever, they don't give a fuck about that, okay? You want to prove that people will turn on each other you can go film a Macy's on Black Friday, you don't need to pretend to be a terrorist. This is about proving that they can take whoever they want from wherever they want, whenever they want. They've got a bus-full of schoolkids from Arizona in the middle of the day, and now you think they give a shit what we do?"
Tessa rolled her eyes.
"We could be shooting each other or fucking each other or singing kumbayas and these 'terrorists'..." she made air quotes with her fingers "...wouldn't give two shits. They're probably too busy patting each other on the back to even watch what we're doing at the moment, and frankly I don't care either way."
She jabbed a finger at Cameron.
"Y'all don't wanna be straight about what happened to her, that's your prerogative, but don't tell me to trust you just to foil these 'terrorists'' nonsense, made-up 'agenda', okay?"
The space between them seemed to widen, the few feet between them becoming a massive, yawning chasm, and Tessa was hit by a sudden shock of vertigo. The world span, the building behind her seeming to enter their orbit, as her eyes met Mel's.
"Let me break this down for you, okay? They have what they want. Everything they set out to do, they've done. That whole thing about seeing us turn on each other, mistrust each other or whatever, they don't give a fuck about that, okay? You want to prove that people will turn on each other you can go film a Macy's on Black Friday, you don't need to pretend to be a terrorist. This is about proving that they can take whoever they want from wherever they want, whenever they want. They've got a bus-full of schoolkids from Arizona in the middle of the day, and now you think they give a shit what we do?"
Tessa rolled her eyes.
"We could be shooting each other or fucking each other or singing kumbayas and these 'terrorists'..." she made air quotes with her fingers "...wouldn't give two shits. They're probably too busy patting each other on the back to even watch what we're doing at the moment, and frankly I don't care either way."
She jabbed a finger at Cameron.
"Y'all don't wanna be straight about what happened to her, that's your prerogative, but don't tell me to trust you just to foil these 'terrorists'' nonsense, made-up 'agenda', okay?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler frogue. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Tessa wasn't hearing anything of it. Vinny's smile slid a little. Pretty good way to make their mood start to sour was talking shit about their friends, and where'd Tessa get off on calling Cameron a liar, anyway? This was Cameron, one of Vincenzo's best friends, and just as importantly, had no sensible reason to lie. They trusted one another, right? The other possibility was that Cameron was lying straight to Vinny's face, and the idea was so ridiculous that Enzo would have laughed if it didn't piss them off. Well - that wasn't one hundred percent true. Enzo would have laughed if the sight of Cameron wasn't the sole bright spot in what was shaping up to be a very fucked up time indeed. Could they really be blamed for attempting to salvage a little bit of good cheer?
Before Enzo could bite Tessa's head off, though, Melanie neatly covered for them, drawing attention to just how little sense the accusation made and going a fraction of the way towards restoring Vinny's good- no good wasn't really going to cover it- Vinny's better mood. Yes, nice job Melanie. They got into a fight and then stuck around together? That was the cute implication, the funny one. The crueller and more disconcerting one, however, was what Tessa was actually getting at. Some other kind of fight. Cameron was injured because she'd got into a confrontation and been hurt as a result... and the other person? They were lying dead on the ground back somewhere.
Thinking like that turned Enzo's stomach, and drove a fizzing spike of anger deep into their core. Tessa wasn't calling Cameron a liar. She was calling her a murderer, or at least hinting around the edges of it.
And she just kept talking.
They folded their arms.
"Listen, Roswell. I don't care about the conspiracy theories. Maybe you're right about them, hell if I know. But that-" they jerked a their head back at Cameron. "Is one of my best friends, and you're talking shit. And not only are you talking shit, but you don't even have the guts to come out and say what it is you actually mean," the words felt like poison in their mouth. "So either 'be straight' and say that you think she got hurt killing someone, or, if that's all of a sudden not what you meant, then shut the fuck up."
Before Enzo could bite Tessa's head off, though, Melanie neatly covered for them, drawing attention to just how little sense the accusation made and going a fraction of the way towards restoring Vinny's good- no good wasn't really going to cover it- Vinny's better mood. Yes, nice job Melanie. They got into a fight and then stuck around together? That was the cute implication, the funny one. The crueller and more disconcerting one, however, was what Tessa was actually getting at. Some other kind of fight. Cameron was injured because she'd got into a confrontation and been hurt as a result... and the other person? They were lying dead on the ground back somewhere.
Thinking like that turned Enzo's stomach, and drove a fizzing spike of anger deep into their core. Tessa wasn't calling Cameron a liar. She was calling her a murderer, or at least hinting around the edges of it.
And she just kept talking.
They folded their arms.
"Listen, Roswell. I don't care about the conspiracy theories. Maybe you're right about them, hell if I know. But that-" they jerked a their head back at Cameron. "Is one of my best friends, and you're talking shit. And not only are you talking shit, but you don't even have the guts to come out and say what it is you actually mean," the words felt like poison in their mouth. "So either 'be straight' and say that you think she got hurt killing someone, or, if that's all of a sudden not what you meant, then shut the fuck up."
The mood had changed.
Mel had been about to open her mouth and launch into another spiel about who knew what - probably about what was in her control and what was not, what she thought about the terrorists versus what Tessa thought and whether that really mattered or not and-
And here came Vinny, picking up on something that she hadn't, in fact, even begun to consider, a blind spot that she now realized she wished had stayed blind. Even Cameron had hinted at it, under the guise of them using Elmo to commit a mugging.
It had always been easy for her to take responsibility and paint herself as a bad guy or an idiot's straw man; she had never cared much about the consequences, had never felt anything but amusement for Astrid's death glares.
She saw what Vinny meant now. That there was another idea that wasn't ridiculous in its maliciousness or incredibly dumb, an idea that made far too much sense - that maybe she and Cameron had been working together, were purposefully lulling the other two into a false sense of security, to strike at them when they least expected it. That they might have already done so before, with a small hiccup in the execution. That was... that was too serious. Too real. She had somehow picked the silliest interpretation impulsively and not even considered the rest.
All of her thoughts came together at once. She didn't want to act like this was real. That was the point. She'd succeeded in a way, up to now, to cocoon herself in enough disbelief that the darker possible implications of Tessa's words had passed her right by.
They were stranded on an island with explosive collars around their necks, their lives at the mercy of the ones who held the triggers. She was probably going to die. That was what she was willing to accept as real. The rest - the distrust, the mind games her classmates played or would play, the divisions they made amongst themselves - she refused. Despite Tessa's words, she doubled down. Acting like that was real made it real. Accepting what the terrorists had set up would lead to doing what she'd told herself they wanted her to do. Better yet, it would lead to doing what she didn't want to do.
Say she was wrong.
Say Tessa was right. Say the terrorists didn't care.
She was still going to give them the biggest middle-fingered fuck you she could.
Vinny had the serious stuff all about covered. Mel just scratched her head with her free hand, said "Sure" and shrugged and shot Tessa a small smile, because now she was sure what she wanted and, selfish as it might be, that was all that mattered.
Mel had been about to open her mouth and launch into another spiel about who knew what - probably about what was in her control and what was not, what she thought about the terrorists versus what Tessa thought and whether that really mattered or not and-
And here came Vinny, picking up on something that she hadn't, in fact, even begun to consider, a blind spot that she now realized she wished had stayed blind. Even Cameron had hinted at it, under the guise of them using Elmo to commit a mugging.
It had always been easy for her to take responsibility and paint herself as a bad guy or an idiot's straw man; she had never cared much about the consequences, had never felt anything but amusement for Astrid's death glares.
She saw what Vinny meant now. That there was another idea that wasn't ridiculous in its maliciousness or incredibly dumb, an idea that made far too much sense - that maybe she and Cameron had been working together, were purposefully lulling the other two into a false sense of security, to strike at them when they least expected it. That they might have already done so before, with a small hiccup in the execution. That was... that was too serious. Too real. She had somehow picked the silliest interpretation impulsively and not even considered the rest.
All of her thoughts came together at once. She didn't want to act like this was real. That was the point. She'd succeeded in a way, up to now, to cocoon herself in enough disbelief that the darker possible implications of Tessa's words had passed her right by.
They were stranded on an island with explosive collars around their necks, their lives at the mercy of the ones who held the triggers. She was probably going to die. That was what she was willing to accept as real. The rest - the distrust, the mind games her classmates played or would play, the divisions they made amongst themselves - she refused. Despite Tessa's words, she doubled down. Acting like that was real made it real. Accepting what the terrorists had set up would lead to doing what she'd told herself they wanted her to do. Better yet, it would lead to doing what she didn't want to do.
Say she was wrong.
Say Tessa was right. Say the terrorists didn't care.
She was still going to give them the biggest middle-fingered fuck you she could.
Vinny had the serious stuff all about covered. Mel just scratched her head with her free hand, said "Sure" and shrugged and shot Tessa a small smile, because now she was sure what she wanted and, selfish as it might be, that was all that mattered.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Iceblock. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.