☣001; VIDEO → VOICE☣

[virogenic]

[ the wearable has been activated with a jitter, the brief flicker of video showing nothing but a shadowed figure. what can be gleaned is that this figure is intimidating in stature and musculature, but no facial features can be seen. and as quickly as that, it shuts off

Comments

audio; encryption 100%; visible to Alex Mercer

[namesnotprowl]

[Someone asking after M? Well, that's bound to be trouble. At least Barricade was already in ultra-paranoid mode. He puts on his vocal filters to sound human and encryptions to keep the conversation - and his location - private. Well, mostly private.]

Similar boat, if not the same. Luckily Hypatia runs a fairly tight ship'n we keep up with each other for the most part.

Think I heard the name, once; been a few months, though.

[He's also going to quietly start heading out, tracking Cross's ID. Wherever you are, there's going to be a problem, he's certain.]

blah blah errythang...

[virogenic]

[ cross blinks at the message; another private one? with... multiple viewers. huh. he's in no mind to mess with things of that nature now. his own voice filter still enabled, he finally returns a message. ]

Noted. I'm not sure I like the sound of that. [ more or less, the dead should stay dead, himself included. he sighs briskly. ]

That's all right. Don't go digging; he's ... not a stable man. [ and the last thing cross wants is more blood on his hands. ] The fact that you recognize the name at all helps more than you know.

it's always better complicated~

[namesnotprowl]

[Barricade prefers playing his cards close to his chassis when he can, and it's better for him to keep people that might contradict him out of this for now. He can deal with whatever comes after, later.]

Oh, it's not so bad. Second chance for some. Get to make amends or make up for things they've done. [What sort of things have you done, Cross?]

[He puts on his best concerned tone. Play the confused and helpful cop.] Is he really that dangerous? He didn't seem all that bad when we spoke. And he hasn't caused any trouble 'round here, t'my knowledge.

the woes of military men...

[virogenic]

... [ those words hit pretty hard, but he fills the silence with a soft bark of laughter. ] This is not how I envisioned Purgatory.

[ that next bit takes him off guard. this time, the silence is more obvious. ] Is that right. [ a statement, not a question. ] That's interesting. I'm very glad to hear that.

even more woeful than friendly fire?

[namesnotprowl]

Well, trick question; not all of us died to get here. Some, but not all. Don't have to die to get a second chance, after all. [Or a third chance, in his case.]

[See, now that's the kind of reaction he'd expect from someone telling Optimus Prime that Megatron doesn't want to destroy the Earth this week.] I'm really not surprised. We're all just tryin' to get by here. Guess that even includes Mr. Mercer, too.

PERHAPS............

[virogenic]

.......... [ what. just. what. that throws the theory for a loop. ] I. [ he laughs; nothing overpowering, but even through the filter, his disbelief can be heard. ] I don't really understand. This is too fucked up.

[ way to sound professional. oh well. ]

...It's really that bad here? [ more shock. surely nothing can be as bad as manhattan... and mercer had no qualms about starting shit there... ]

[namesnotprowl]

[Did he just blow your mind, Cross? He's just getting started.] Is it really all that strange? Being plucked from the arms of the Grim Reaper to live on a space station that might be parsecs from anywhere you know?

[Just so nonchalant.]

... It's not that bad at all. Why would it have to be bad here for that? [Oh, Barricade's sure that he knows why, but there's two that can play at this game.]

[virogenic]

...Yes, actually. That's what I'd call extremely strange. [ so deadpanned. ]

--because if it's bad enough that Alex has to watch himself, then it's an irreversible situation. [ simple as that. alex isn't the type to allow anything to back him into a corner, after all. ]

[namesnotprowl]

I'd call it a boon, really. A chance to start over, do things better. But then, I guess I'm just used to it. [Verbal shrugging!]

I doubt it's entirely irreversible. But a lot of the people here come from other dimensions. No way to know how powerful they are unless they're provoked, and that's a good way t'get hurt. [That and some of them prefer to lay low to keep the torch-wielding mobs from springing up.]

[virogenic]

...Starting over, huh. [ he's thinking about it, even if it kinda weirds him out. ]

...I'll believe that when I see it.

[namesnotprowl]

Yep. Get t'learn from your mistakes where ever you were before and not make 'em again. [Heavens know that Barricade's doing it himself.]

Sure that you'll get the chance sooner or later.

audio; private.

[dx1118c]

[he saw this before setting off after Cross, takes a moment to say something privately to Barricade--]

I'll deal with this. [it's his gentlest way of saying don't get involved. though he makes his own ID available for tracking, again only for Barricade privately, just in case.]

audio; private.

[namesnotprowl]

All right. But if you get offlined I'll be very disappointed.

[His way of saying stay safe. He'll definitely be tracking that ID, but he'll stay out of the way and out of sight.]

audio; private.

[dx1118c]

Not planning on that. [he figures pretty quick that offline == die. and excuse him for cutting the feed so quick, but there's some ass to kick.]