001 ★ [ Video/Audio/Video ]
[ Very early in the AM, a short video feed appears on the network. A few seconds in length, it's just a face and nothing more.
A few minutes later, a new transmission begins, this time with voice alone. ] Testing. Testing.
The time is 4:45 AM on an unknown clock. Testing. [ A short pause, and then it cuts a second time. That would seem to be all there was to it, but half an hour later, the previously briefly glimpsed face returns. This time the angle is off, the young man's head a short distance away; he must have the NV in his lap, the shadows of his fingers visible as he accesses the various controls.
Off camera, a gruff but curious voice speaks up: "I told ya, all the others like you can see it when yer doin' that. Ain't no privacy at all. Turn the damn thing off."
The young man's reply is quite calm. ] I won't learn how to use it if I don't do this.
It's very early in the morning. The number of people awake to listen will be low. [ "But--" ] If it leaves a record, both of us will be gone by the time it's received.
[ The view changes for a moment as he flips his NV over and some of the scenery can be seen: one of the many underground transit stations, secured from the darkness for the evening. The young man's company is visible for a moment as well: a homeless man wrapped in patched clothing and newspapers, hunkered down on a bench opposite him. ]
I can leave now if it affects you that much.
[ The vagrant's answer is lost, because the transmission ends for a third time and doesn't resume ]
A few minutes later, a new transmission begins, this time with voice alone. ] Testing. Testing.
The time is 4:45 AM on an unknown clock. Testing. [ A short pause, and then it cuts a second time. That would seem to be all there was to it, but half an hour later, the previously briefly glimpsed face returns. This time the angle is off, the young man's head a short distance away; he must have the NV in his lap, the shadows of his fingers visible as he accesses the various controls.
Off camera, a gruff but curious voice speaks up: "I told ya, all the others like you can see it when yer doin' that. Ain't no privacy at all. Turn the damn thing off."
The young man's reply is quite calm. ] I won't learn how to use it if I don't do this.
It's very early in the morning. The number of people awake to listen will be low. [ "But--" ] If it leaves a record, both of us will be gone by the time it's received.
[ The view changes for a moment as he flips his NV over and some of the scenery can be seen: one of the many underground transit stations, secured from the darkness for the evening. The young man's company is visible for a moment as well: a homeless man wrapped in patched clothing and newspapers, hunkered down on a bench opposite him. ]
I can leave now if it affects you that much.
[ The vagrant's answer is lost, because the transmission ends for a third time and doesn't resume ]