video 01 | Aortic Aneurysm

[clussy]

(You know who is not going to react to this situation decently no matter how many times it's explained to him? Eddie. You know who doesn't have a good game face against fear? Also Eddie. He's alone, he needs an adult, and he's pretty sure they don't restock on inhalers here. He knew he didn't need it, not technically, but he also knew that his lungs were contracting at a rate that lead to hyperventilating and as far as he was concerned, that was exactly what an asthma attack was all about. He was having an asthma attack. Maybe. His body was thinking about it.

By the way, he's definitely just been staring at the video for a couple of silent seconds, his jaw working back and forth as he just tried to remind himself that he was actually capable of breathing. This kid......)

My mom's going to fucking kill me.

(The words are whispered under his breath and he would think twice about swearing if he realized how many adults might be watching this video. He was enough of a loser that he could get the whole communication device thing, really, that was fine. But he wasn't quite able to wrap his mind around the full extent of it all.

After a second, he decides fuck it. He needs his inhaler. It goes up, he gives it a few shakes, and takes a deep, deep breath in with it. Holds. Holds.

Then his whole body deflates, his eyes rolling up. He closes his eyes and thinks about how he would talk to the police in Derry. Ha. If that wasn't the biggest fucking joke ever. When he speaks next, his voice is pitched higher than before, that typical 'I'm trying super hard to be polite and endearing' voice that he uses to call his mom 'mommy' when he's real apologetic. He's not even trying to be a suck up. The kid's just scared.)

Um. My name's Eddie Kaspbrak. I'm Sonia Kaspbrak's son and I definitely need to be home for dinner which is like, in an hour. So if anyone can help...I would really appreciate it.

.....God, I really hope this isn't that creep who was taking all those kids.

Comments

video;

[shiro2hero]

[Scared kid? Time for instant Responsible Adult Mode.]

Hey... hey it's all right. Your name's Eddie? I'm Shiro. You can hear me all right?

[Keeping his tone calm and measured. Reassuring and steady. Normally, he'd suggest taking a deep breath, but -- hey. Inhaler. Probably not the best course of action.]

Did you just arrive?

video;

[clussy]

(Eddie has deeply mixed feelings about adults. He's at the age where they still had that Authority over him and yet he knows enough to realize that not every adult meant well for kids.

But this guy is talking in one of those nice voices that Eddie knew not all adults had. The kind of nice voice the cops on tv had. He clutches his aspirator hard.)

Yeah, Eddie. (He swallows around that little ball of iron-clad fear that had notched itself at the back of his throat.) It's um- it's nice to meet you, Shiro. I can hear you all right.

(Not tinny at all like when he uses his mom's house phone. He could see him in color too. Pristine color.)

Yes. They fixed my arm. It was broken-.

(It didn't matter anymore, not really, but he couldn't get over that almost more than he couldn't get over the whole space-time jump thing.)

Is this- are there other people here? Are there a lot of kids? (He should probably ask that. Just in case.)

text

[inconsequence]

[So what's with this sassy, lost child? Did this place have a deficiency of them? Did whatever has taken the place of the Ingress think that the place needed more worthless human children to wander, depraved and worthless, until something terrible inevitably happens?]

[Whatever the case, it is not his species that tempts their hand, but his words.]

A pity. You won't be home for a long while yet.
Assuming you ever return home at all.

text

[clussy]

(Eddie instantly decides he does not like the text option. At least not right now when he's still feeling paranoid about where he is and the potential threat of someone who wanted nothing more than to hurt kids his own age.

He is a pretty worthless human child though. Like, even more than most normal human children.)

When you say a long while do you mean a couple hours, a day, or...more.





Okay so more.
Yeah. That's great but my mom will literally tear apart the entire country to find me and it won't be pretty.

TEXT; ENCRYPTED

[squadgoals]

Be nice.

text

[shiro2hero]

Chara...

text;

[skelepun]

[Just what this space station needed. More unsupervised children.]

how old are you, kid?

text;

[clussy]

(This gives him some pause. Again, he doesn't like this texting thing. That first notion that someone can see him but he can't always see them.

It was unsettling. All the same, he replies.)

I'll be twelve in November.

(It was September when he left his world. He's just about to be twelve any day now though- depending on how the calendar system worked here.)

[voice]

[ryuuzaki]

[Have an English guy who often speaks in a rather flat tone even on the best of days.

This is not one of his best days.]

You probably won't be going home for a while, but it's nothing any of us can control.

Whatever it is you like to eat [(a weary sigh)]... we probably don't have that.

[voice]

[clussy]

(It's just like a phone call and Eddie can deal with phone calls. Even if it is a little weird to be getting contacted by so many strangers at once.

He can almost hear his mom screeching about the dangers of that. But he's desperate for some answers.)

...Oh. But I...

(What, Eddie? Did you really think you were going to be some exception just because you were a kid? He was a real idiot if he honestly thought that.

The next part is ...actually somehow a whole lot easier for Eddie to deal with. He's a kid. Kids liked food. Simple as anything ever was.)

Wait, seriously? So like, no ice cream? (Can you hear the tragedy in his voice?)

VIDEO;

[squadgoals]

Hi, Eddie. My name is Shepard, and I've got some good news, and some bad news.

Good news is, your mom is not going to kill you. The forces that brought you here have more or less grabbed you directly out of space and time—if we manage to get you home, it'll be exactly like you never left. No punishment, guaranteed.

Bad news is, we don't know when that last part will be. But, luckily, we're pretty set up around here—you've got time, and you're not in any danger.

No creeps kidnapping, either. Is that a little better, at least?

VIDEO;

[clussy]

(Fiery red hair. Eddie sees a face, freckled with wide eyes, can almost hear a voice, then it's gone. Didn't he know someone with red hair before?

...It makes him feel weirdly calm towards this adult. This Shepherd. What a weird name for a lady. Eddie discovers pretty quickly he doesn't care that much about her name though.

Whenever adults said that there was good news and bad news? The bad news was almost infinitely worse.

........Except. In this case. Well. Eddie visibly sags with relief, dropping his head back.)

Oh thank God. (If there were ever a creature to strike true fear into Eddie? It was his own mother. Adults were still, in his opinion, the scariest things he has ever dealt with. He picks his head back up.)

Is this like one of those communes that doesn't really have a government?

(On that note of danger, Eddie felt a little reluctant to believe her. Kids were always in more danger than adults ever seemed to realize. His eyes fall.)

...Yes, I guess so. Are you a cop or something?

audio;

[shashka]

[ the voice that comes over the line is an affable one, with a southern-sounding accent. but then again, voices can be deceiving.

strangely, though, he can almost relate to the fear of mothers (not that he'd known the woman in question was his mother at the time, but still)... ]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say everyone's already explained what's going on, kid.

[ a pause. ]

I'll also take a wild guess that your mother wouldn't be too happy with your language.

[ it's lightly teasing, of course. he's not the worst with kids, after all. ]

audio;

[clussy]

Yeah, basically.

(He still feels like this is all a bit wild, but at least he isn't using his inhaler anymore. That's been set aside for now.

When he's called out for swearing though? Eddie gives a squeak that's audible through the phone. He is absolutely not used to adults teasing him. Swearing was one of the big bads you could do around them and Eddie covered his mouth for a second. Shit.)

I....You won't tell her, will you?

(He half-shrieks into the device. Thing is? Eddie's still of that age where he just assumes adults have this interconnection among one another where any adult at any time could reach one another.)

I don't swear ever. I was just-. Scared.

(That was a fat lie. His mouth was awful but why would he ever tell that to an adult?)

video

[wallride]

A creep? Hey-- hey, Eddie. It's okay. No-one bad brought you here. Just, uh. Science.

[bad. bad explanation.]

Just take a moment to calm down, okay? I know it's hard, but you can do it. Where are you?

video

[clussy]

The guy who was- there was all the missing kids...They were all around my age.

(Eddie explains a bit breathlessly. He feels like he should know more about the situation. Hell, he can practically see the missing kid posters in front of him, but the names are all fuzzy and- they did find the guy who had been doing it, hadn't they?)

Science. Like NASA science?

(NASA had only just been established in 1958 but it had been a big enough deal that Eddie understood them to be Very Important and Generally Good.)

Okay- I'm. Sorry. (He is sorry because it isn't even real, it's bullshit, but he can't help it.)

Um. (If he wasn't looking right at the guy, he'd feel a lot more hesitant about revealing his location. But.)

I'm here? (He moves the camera because he doesn't actually know where he is- but it's pretty obvious the moment he turns it around. He's at the Ingress Memorial. It was a quiet, clean looking place. Perfect for a breather.)

video;

[greyate]

[ She doesn't usually do video feeds but she feels it's probably important to do so with this kid. He's clearly on the verge of freaking out and needing an inhaler already made this a trepidatious situation.

She tries to put on a comforting smile -- or at least a kind one if nothing else. ]

Hi, Eddie. I'm Jean.

[ A beat, ]

There's no easy way to say that we can't help you get back home. At least not now. We're all pretty much stuck here for the time being.

[ Which has been weeks now. ]

video;

[clussy]

(Another flash of red hair and it still doesn't belong to who he thinks it should. But Beverley was forgotten about long before he came here so there's no real chance just yet.

All he knows is that seeing that kind of hair makes him feel weirdly secure. Seeing a young face? Even more secure. This girl isn't his age, no, but she doesn't look like an adult either.

It puts Eddie at an awkward middle where he doesn't know how much is too much in terms of being polite. He hasn't talked to many teenagers or young adults.)

Uh. Hi Jean. It's nice to meet you.

(He thinks. He doesn't seem quite able to meet her eyes though he does keep trying at least.)

That's-. Yeah that's what people keep telling me. What exactly are we doing here anyway? Like.

(Why are they here, he means.)

action | finds weeping hyperventilating child bc chara nbd

[lefthandfree]

He’s passing nearby when he catches the sound, faint but distinct enough that he halts mid-step to reassess the noise. The clear distress is no less alarming the second time. While he knows of many others having been around this place (universe? time space?) far longer than he, his assumption since arrival about the Avagi had been that, at least for the time being, there was little reason for anyone to fret in their current surroundings.

It really doesn’t help that a far too familiar wheeze echoes alongside the panic.

Quick to trace the source, he’s surprised to find the young man huddled defensively on the open floor of the memorial, inhaler grasped tightly in his hand as if the small thing could ground whatever fear seems to have overtaken him. Instinctively he approaches, slowly kneeling so as not to startle him, before speaking out.

“Hey, pal. You, uh, you okay there?” Easy does it, Barnes. Just like you used to.

[clussy]

Absently, Eddie is aware of two things: his lungs are on fire and his bike had just fallen over. The wheel was spinning slowly from the impact, rusty clicking as it came to a full stop. His chest shudders with violence and he balls his fists up, crushing them into his eyes to will his panic away.

This wasn't just because of what Chara said. Well, yeah, it definitely had set him off but now he was just having an anxiety attack about everything in his situation. He was that raw, animal-scared where he could practically feel the snare around his ankle.

What was he supposed to do?

It's not until he sees from the edge of his vision kneeling that he realizes he's got company. Eddie furiously rubs at his face and swallows a deep breath. He couldn't be caught crying like some candy ass. Not by anyone.

He sucks in a harsh breath and when he drops his hands, he's ...not crying but it's painfully obvious that he's only just barely keeping himself from crying more. His face is tear streaked, his eyes red and wet.

"I'm fine," he insists with a crack right down the middle of his voice. He considers the man in front of him, eyes darting warily across his face before dropping to his lap where he had his aspirator clutched in a white-knuckled grip.

"I just fell is all."

video;

[sonywalkman]

Hey kid--Eddie, right? I, uh. Really don't want to be the 50th bearer of bad news, but...

[ Man, hearing it like this hurts more than it should. Hits home harder than usual when he thinks about home in the context he used to. Is it because he's been here? Because he's still dealing with his own loss, or because this kid actually has someone back home to worry about him?

(And a "creep" taking kids? Well. It might have worked out okay for him, but that feels way too familiar. He couldn't just let this sit.)

God, this is weird. ]

I think Mom may be waitin' up a while.

video;

[clussy]

(At this point, Eddie has been reduced to a sulking shell of the panicking boy he had been in his initial video. It's better than having a full-fledged asthma attack ("asthma attack") but this kid's got some weight on his shoulders as far as worry goes.)

Yeah, it's Eddie. (His voice is somehow smaller now than it had been before.

His mother would be more than worried about him. Enough that it makes him a little queasy to think about. He hopes to god the whole time-frozen-back-home thing is right because if it isn't, he's pretty sure his mom will never let him leave the hospital until he's thirty.

Eddie just sighs and nods.)

Yeah, I guess she will be. (He bites the inside of his cheek.) I hope she doesn't know I'm gone. She'll give herself a stroke otherwise.

(He hesitates a full half minute, drawing his eyes up to actually look at this guy properly. Assessing him with the critical eye of a kid sizing up any adult. He looks slightly wary.)

Do they have microwave meals here? (That sounded like the stupidest question ever but somehow it helped because it would be an easy solution to one of his fifty worries.)

video;

[shadowblends]

Hi there, Eddie. My name's Kurt.

[Ordinarily, Nightcrawler might say something about a kid cursing, but to be honest, he can understand the frustration (and fear).

He dips closer to the screen, iridescent eyes narrowed with scrutiny.] Are you all right? [Meaning the whole being on the verge of hyperventilating and/or possibly having an asthma attack.]

There's no point in me saying the same thing that plenty of others have. [A sudden motion and the camera jostles, which the azure-skinned boy attempts to fix right away. His tail flickers into view for a moment then slithers away just as quickly, one hand reaching up to curl beneath his chin, brow furrowing in contemplation now.

Also, please explain:] Someone was taking children?

video;

[clussy]

(Eddie has had a lot of experiences lately that inspire some well-deserved surprise in the sight of something so strange looking. His first reaction is probably not the nicest reaction and that's to gasp and jerk away from the screen at first.

His hands are covering his mouth but in a strange way, the oddity of Kurt's appearance makes Eddie forget that he was having a total breakdown.

What's weirdest of all is how Kurt doesn't strike Eddie as a monster. There isn't fear on Eddie's face so much as wide-eyed shock. He'd been told blue people and nonhumans were on board but oh boy, this went beyond his wildest expectations.

Eddie forces his hands back down into his lap and bites at the corner of his lip. He was being spoken to- and from what it sounded like, this guy meant pretty well so maybe he should stop being so rude.)

Uh- yeah. I'm- I think I'm going to be okay. Sorry. I wasn't expecting-. I'm not used to blue people.

(He says this with a weak little smile.

The sight of the tail however startles Eddie again but as quickly as it startles him, Eddie becomes far more interested. Blue skin = weird. Blue tail = awesome and weird.)

Do you have a tail? (That was comic-book levels of cool.)


...Oh. (Right. The kids. Eddie's awe fades rapidly and he picks at the edge of his shorts.) Where I come from, kids my age and a little older were going missing a lot this summer. Most of them were never found or if they were- (He grimaces. Does he really need to say more?) I thought for a second maybe this was- but. I don't think it is. I think it was taken care of.

video;

[gainedlove]

[Another small face pops up on the screen--about Eddie's age, if of a darker skin and far messier hair. Frisk puts on the most reassuring face they can, and their voice is soft when they speak.]

Um, 'm Frisk. Um, were you...you got told about th' time stuff, right? W-we're really tryin' hard t' fix everything!

video;

[clussy]

(Eddie is admittedly a little relieved to see a face a lot more similar to his own. The teenagers he met seemed like okay enough people but to have someone this much closer in age? Eddie couldn't help but automatically relax, even smile a little bit.

Not that kids his own age couldn't be messed up. But right now, he'd take what he could get.)

Hi Frisk. (That's. A weird name- but he doesn't say that out loud.) Yeah, I think so. How time doesn't move back home, right? Or is there something else?

video;

[otiosity]

Oh don't worry about it. Technically, all of us had to be home for dinner an hour ago. I actually had to be home for dinner over a year ago. But take comfort in the only slightly comforting, more disconcerting, fact that people back home don't seem to notice you're gone. No fucking killing is going to happen.

Well, hopefully not. But I won't judge other people's family traditions.

[THE MOST HELPFUL.]

video;

[clussy]

(Give Eddie a minute. He's not used to adults swearing freely around him like that but more than that, he's not used to girls swearing around anyone period.

He is also in shock that this woman had to be home for dinner over a year ago. A year.)

Thank God. (Is all he manages after a beat, his voice small and filled with raw childhood relief. Everyone knew that the true horrors of being a kid was the horror of getting in trouble.)

No, she wouldn't kill me, but I'd probably spend the rest of my known life in a hospital getting x-rayed for space diseases. Which...I'm sure exist.

(WARY LOOK.)

Have you really been here for a year?

text;

[culver]

It is okay, Eddie. Nobody is going to kill you. You can calm down. I do not think you will be able to get back to your mother for a little while, but they are working on fixing that.

There is a garden that has some vegetables in it. And there are nutrition blocks. I can make dinner for you if you are hungry.

text;

[clussy]

Not to sound pessimistic but are you sure? Someone said something about volcanic monsters and people killing people.

(.....However the prospect of an actual proper meal calms Eddie down almost instantly.)

...Really? I kind of am hungry.



What's your name?

video;

[coercive]

[Laura generally doesn't bother with the network. It's too loud and full of things that don't interest her. Seeing someone close to her age gets her to pay attention. It's his obvious fear and the fact that he openly curses that keeps her attention.]

You are safe here.

[She pauses, and her head tips off to the side. What's that puffy thing he's using?]

I will protect you.

video;

[clussy]

(With all of his encounters so far, the last thing he expects to see is a girl almost his exact age staring back at him. People said there were kids but so far, he'd mostly met teenagers. Not kids.

What quiets him, stills his raspy, stuttering breaths, is her seemingly immobile conviction that she will protect him.)

You will?

(Except he...somehow believes her. Believes her more than the adults who told them that they would keep him safe, believes her more on account of that natural, intrinsic trust of another child.)

...Why? (They didn't even know each other. Shouldn't she worry about protecting herself?)