Skipping Stones

[m_max_headroom]

Carry me back home
000 1101
Faulty typewriter

Every path took him to another room. A lot of rooms were empty, sheets impeccable on the beds, curtains drawn on the windows, and that little fold out lamp by the bed folded cozy to the wall. It was a Max-ball in a pinball machine, flickering on and off channels as if the televisions were on the fritz,

Comments

[wirelessflower]

Sometimes, Hana could get so absorbed in the things she was seeing as to ignore the solid world around her. It didn't happen much here- there was so little of it- but when she was sorting through what there was, trying one more time (and one more, and one more, and one more) to find some lock that could be undone, or some link to the outside, she tended to stay in her own room, where people wouldn't surprise her.

This had evidently just ceased to work, though none of the fellow inmates she knew was the cause of the disturbance- something was wrong.

[m_max_headroom]

Blip! Max Headroom onomatopoeia-ed his way into the next room. It was more appropriately a pop-fizzle but blip is equally appropriate. He "cheesed" out of the television set at the next fine patron of the devilish hotel. And though he'd never seen the woman before, there was something slightly familiar about her presence, as if he'd met her before on some long abandoned cable.

"Hello hello hello! I'm M-m-max Headroom! And because the the the cheap devils that locked-d-d us in here couldn't af-af-af-afford a mint on the pillow, I'm completely complimentary, mentary complimentary."

[wirelessflower]

Hana stared fixedly at the television set. Obviously this wasn't anything like a real broadcast, but it wasn't much like anything else she'd ever experienced either. It did, however, seem to be talking. On its own initiative.

HELLO, she transmitted- she'd sensed no evidence of any kind of surveillance device, so that seemed the most promising avenue of communication.

[m_max_headroom]

Max pulled a confused face, glancing around for a moment before looking back at her. He gave her a suspicious look and would've stroked his chin if he had the means. Finally, unable to draw any other conclusion but the obvious he took on a goofier expression giving a week, "Eh-heh." He smiled at her, baring all of his teeth.

"How how how exactly did you, did you do that?" he asked, tilting his head amused.