2nd Cut -- [Visual - reflective surface] -- [around 7:00am]

[twopercent]

[Visual, much like Paul Ben's last night, of what is actually a fairly nice room with plush carpeting and wallpaper. And Jack, completely naked, who has managed to pull the desk he's cuffed to over close enough to the wall to awkwardly scrape his numbers into the wallpaper with the metal edge of the cuff. It's crazy, but there's nothing else he can do... and being crazy is pretty low on his list of concerns now.

It's clear Jack's been in a fight recently from the scrapes, bruises... and he's also completely missing an arm, although it's clear that's a much older injury from months and months ago. He also has a few incongruous burn marks and is half-soaked, as is the carpet around the desk. In short, he just does not look in good shape at all, painfully sore and and close to passing out from exhaustion and lack of sleep.

There's nobody else in the room, though, and no obvious immediate danger.]

Listen. I'm not sure how much time I have. Whatever's coming, though... they think we don't have a chance. Not even close. Just trying to make it easy for them to take over. I still don't know who... or what it is.

[bitter laugh, thinking back on his initial confrontation]

Crazy bastard.. caught the bullet.

The General's probably out there, trying to get more intel on the network now. Sounds like they don't have anything to do with it... and want to know more. Who's involved, how many. I can hold out... but make sure they don't uncover anything out there.

[God, what else. Jack racks his brain trying to think of anything else useful to pass along -- but there wasn't much, and his mind is muddled, wild memories jostling up against current reality.]

If you get this message, let me know you copy. Not keeping the channel open long... I'm scratching out the number before they come back.

Comments

[twopercent]

[And if you think Jack is going to tell the truth at all here... well.]

Sure. Just might be a bit of a wait.

[chalicejoker]

Hell of a wait. You sure there's no other way out?

[twopercent]

Doesn't look like it. Don't worry about me, I'll pull through.

The General really likes the sound of his own voice... maybe if I'm lucky he'll even come back for another talk and let something new slip. [Trying to put an optimistic spin on it, even if it's a complete farce, is hard.]

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime would like to buy the optimism, but he can't really do that entirely.]

He also seemed to like guns. Don't push it.

[twopercent]

Heh, pretty sure he doesn't need guns anymore. [Jack's upbeat facade cracks a bit on that note.] Police chief either if what we all heard was right.

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime caught that crack.]

What do you mean? They shot that guy, they didn't do anything else to him that I saw...

[Hajime knows a sudden oncoming memory when he saw Paul die meant he could have missed something, so now he's concerned.]

[twopercent]

He's fast, too fast. Strong, too. [Jack shakes his head, trying to clear his memory. The past few hours haven't been kind to him and he still hasn't slept.] Nanomachines? No... I don't know.

[chalicejoker]

I know some people have experienced physical changes as part of this. You think he could have had something like that happen?

[twopercent]

Something different... but it's just a hunch, for now. They don't... ...didn't... know about the network or the numbers we're using.

[chalicejoker]

But if they know now, maybe they're tapping into whatever's letting it change people. Or maybe they knew how to do that before, and the network was just extra.

[twopercent]

I guess it's possible. I don't know.

Listen, I should go. I don't know how when they're going to be back. Be careful out there, huh?

[chalicejoker]

Right. You be careful, too. Let us know if you need any help after all.