005 — video. [laptop]

[argents]

[ Today's Skype connection features the interior of a modest living room, where Haro sits in a rather handsome pile of blankets on the couch, apparently watching television. Futuristic technology, and all he's done is acquire his mother's taste in terrible crime shows. Occasionally, over Banagher's shoulder, he'll belt out an enthusiastic: Subject in custody! Custody! 10-4! Followed by a convincing recreation of a police car's siren. ]

I don't think I've ever skipped that much class by sleeping and not felt really awful about it. Trade-off for finding out you're not going to die of an echoed back disease, I guess. Or be at risk to give it to anybody else, so... I'm just glad everyone else is going to be okay after all.

[ Despite being blunt about it, he's relieved. Really relieved. Slept his face off for like two days relieved. ]

Anyway, this appeared here when I went to Tuning Towers the first time.

[ Reaching over, Banagher picks up a white and gray helmet of some kind. When he slips it on, it sounds sturdy, but lightweight. He rights himself in the webcam's view and reaches up, hitting a concealed button on the right side. A red visor seamlessly hisses closed over his face. He hits it again, and it rises back up. ]

All the robot pilots in comic books and cartoons have pilot suits, right? I guess this might have been part of mine. Same colors and everything. There's some kind of symbol on it — here, let me switch. Does anyone recognize this?


[ He's written his number on a sheet of graph paper to post it to the network. ]

It's a long shot, I know, but if I really am remembering some kind of Earth from the future, a company that's made it all the way out into space might have gotten an early start, somewhere. [ Idly, he hits the visor button again. Yes he's still wearing it. ] Not much seems that impossible anymore.

Comments

[espigeonage]

I guess. Think about this too much and it's just a mass of frustration. More will or won't come, but not right now, right?

Think of wings when?

[argents]

You never know what you might be in for when you try to cause echoes, so... it's either waiting, or taking a shot in the dark, yeah.

Back in the DD.

[espigeonage]

Oh. Was I talking about that? It's all pretty hazy. I don't think I was all there for most of it.

[argents]

Oh. No, it's okay. You were probably just dreaming. It was hard to tell.

How do you feel now?

[espigeonage]

[yes, good, move on from wings, he doesn't want to talk about them. Or he does, but it would be bad.]

Fever dreams kind of suck. I don't think I've ever had any I liked. Not that I'm sick very often...

Pretty good! You wouldn't know it's still here at all. Guess I've finished acclimating.

[argents]

I've never had one! That I've remembered. But I almost never get sick either.

Good, I'm glad.

[espigeonage]

Lucky, then! When I've had much of a fever I've tended to fixate on something or other and think it into the ground. Once it was a song that just came out. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is still like the one song I can't stand!

[argents]

Overexposure is dangerous. When I get sick I just sleep for three days straight and then I'm back to being pretty normal. Ever since I was little, it's been like that. My metabolism takes no prisoners?

[espigeonage]

Hah! I'm usually fine for years, if I'm sick it's just for a day, but from time to time something hits me hard and it's fever dreams for a couple days. Different strategies, huh?

[argents]

Even immune systems have their own way of going about things, yeah. I'd hate to be sick with a cold for weeks, I know that much.

[espigeonage]

Oh totally. I have friends like that and I feel bad for them but... not really anything can be done for that, right? Just sympathy and this or that, can't train their systems to be more like mine.

[argents]

Sympathy and junk food are what I use. (I know you're not supposed to have junk food, but sometimes it's a spirit thing when you're sick.) Movies too.

[espigeonage]

Things like that, yeah. People like company. And being thought about when they aren't about.

[argents]

Of course! I figure if I can put my metabolism to any kind of use, it's going to be that.