(Untitled)

[starsmedic]

September 23, 2001
1943 h

There's a telephone call to the S.T.A.R.S central dispatch & information office.

The question is, is anybody there to pick it up?

Comments

[memory_blank]

Well, there's one person, at least. Yoko's been kicking around the base fixing up a few programming bugs in the base's computers. (and trying to make coffee, but, uh, it wound up smelling really burnt.) When the phone rings, she waddles her way over and picks it up.

"Moshi-moshi! Er, uh, hello. STARS headquarters, Yoko Suzuki speaking. How may I help you today?" Ignore the Japanese slip. She just got off the phone with her parents a few hours ago.

[starsmedic]

There's a loud crackle of static and what sounds like a gasp.

Then, an equally loud clatter - probably the phone being dropped, and a gunshot report.

Becky's voice from somewhere in the distance, far enough away so Yoko might have to strain to hear but definitely her,

"He didn't do anything to you."

[memory_blank]

What in the world- agh, gunshot! Yoko winces and strains to hear what's going on on the other end.

"Becky?! Becky! What's going on? Where are you? Who didn't do anything? Becky, please! Answer me! Hello!"

Is Yoko stressed out? Hell yes.

[starsmedic]

There's a conversation going on, and it's between her and a man. It's kind of hard to hear what they're saying, as the static is nicely tuning out the important bits, but it ends in a very loud banging noise, a beat, a klang and then a rumbling that can't be anything but footsteps running away from the dropped handset. Then...

[all_scarry_eyed]

Then there's the sound of air, and then a gentle catch. And then again.

Krauser's not really interested in the phone right now. The air's full of blood, come on. He'd need it to catch his attention somehow. Or something.

[memory_blank]

Yoko's still calling into the phone, though her voice has slid up about half an octave. It's more of a questioning tone than a 'omg panic' one, but not by much.

"Becky? Becky, are you there? Hello? If you're there, please answer me. What was all of that noise? Who else is there? Hello?"

[all_scarry_eyed]

"Oh, hi," Krauser says pleasantly. "Sorry, Becky can't come to the phone right now. She's a little busy. I could take a message, or maybe pass something on. She's still in earshot."

[memory_blank]

Yoko inhales sharply. "Who is this? Whoever you are, tell me," she says quietly. And oh, the panic is evident in her voice. "What have you done to Becky?"

[all_scarry_eyed]

"Don't worry about me," he says, checking the phone display for the name, "just passing through--hold on a minute, I'll ask." He discreetly covers the receiver with a hand and calls up the stairs. "Hey, Chambers? What'd I do to you? Inquiring minds."

[starsmedic]

The response is a fleeting, baleful stare and the loud *WHUNCH* of a thin wooden door being broken off its hinges to allow her access.

No witty banter for you!

[all_scarry_eyed]

"-nah, sorry, she's running around causing property damage now. Must be a chick thing. Something I can help you with?"

[memory_blank]

"Y-you can tell me who you are, for one thing. A-and I'd appreciate it if you didn't say things like that about women!" Because, y'know, Yoko IS ONE and all. "I-it's quite rude!"

"H-how would you like it if I insulted you?" Is she nagging Krauser? Why yes she is! Wow.

[all_scarry_eyed]

"President C. A. Graham, and you say that like causing property damage is a bad thing. You must be new to the job.

"Can't say I'd care, really."

[memory_blank]

"M-mister President, sir?!" Why would the President be stalking Becky? That doesn't even make any sense! Yoko silently begins recording the conversation so somebody could let her know just if it was the President. Like Leon or Hunnigan or Chris.

"I'm not new. I've been here just as long as anyone else." Except not, but hey, that doesn't include prior experience. "Why are you trying to hurt Becky?" Triangulating the damn signal's gonna take a few moments. If it even works, that is.

[all_scarry_eyed]

"That's what I said. Oh, yeah? How are you liking the job?" He pauses, listening for a moment, glancing back to measure; from the blood pattern on the floor, she hasn't yet noticed she's injured. "I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out why someone I thought was a loyal agent took out a security guard and now she's breaking into a--would you look at that? She ran right by a perfectly good fire axe."

The United States Commander-in-Chief disapproves of this heedlessness.

[memory_blank]

"O-okay, so..." Oy. Now she's got the feeling she's being toyed with here. (No, really?, says the narrator.) "B-Becky wouldn't do anything like that. She's really good at her job."

"Y-you can't be the President. I-if you were, the Secret Service would be the ones chasing Becky. So... who are you, really?" Somebody's quicker on the uptake than some people have given her credit for.