001. [video]

[taughthonesty]

[There are a few notes scribbled onto the network every now and then, most of them too quickly written to be legible. A few select words can be made out if you squint at them long enough: "City", "Electricity?", "Les", and "Dark".

A few minutes later, a video feed crashes into existence.] Agh, dammit. [David picks up the notebook blank side

Comments

1/???

[cowboy_newsie]

[It's the Les that tips him off at first. Jack sees the name out of the corner of his eye as he halfheartedly scans the NV, and does a doubletake when he notes the semi-familiar handwriting. His heart automatically leaps-- but of course, it won't do to hope. Why should he hope? There's no way it can be who he thinks it is. There's probably hundreds of Lesters throughout America, let alone the world, let alone all sorts of time periods. To assume it's his Les, and therefore his Davey, is just setting himself up for disappointment. There's simply no way, because it's been three months and two worlds and none of his friends have shown up; why should now, in this time, in this place, be any different?

Still. He watches with bated breath.

[cowboy_newsie]

Yeah, that's . . . yeah. Pretty much. Dunno why, but . . . maybe it's somethin' to do with the strike, Dave, I don't know, nobody knows why anybody's picked. There's kids here, there's people our age and guys in their fifties and everybody, rich and poor and dames and guys and everyone.

[He leans back against his wall, drawing one knee up to his chest, pushing his hair back away from his eyes-- it's longer, he realizes, than David remembers it. He's different than David remembers, even if his best friend can't see the pain yet: he's wearing clothes from the future, jeans, a hoodie, a t-shirt beneath that. He looks thinner, more worn, and realizes he's glad he hasn't yet turned on the lights in his room; maybe they'll disguise the more superficial changes as well.

Not that he doesn't want David to notice. But just-- not now. Not when he's still enjoying thinking about the past, about 1899.]And the force-- the Pull, everybody calls it, real original and all-- it does thin's to people. Changes them. Makes them . . . you know those

[taughthonesty]

Something to do with the strike. [He repeats it under his breath with a slight shake of his head. And David thought that he was good at 'rationalizing'.

He looks over his shoulder, holding the NV with one hand and massaging a temple with the other. This is all one huge headache, and as much as he'd like to believe Jack - and that's a lot, considering how much he doesn't want to be here - every fiber in his body is screaming not to.

Chewing on his bottom lips, he listens to Jack silently, just digesting the information. His eyes return to the notepad the moment Jack's last words are spoken.]

Really? You can prove it? [And maybe there's a bit of hope in his voice, a part of him hoping to find some kind of sense in all of this.]

[cowboy_newsie]

[Jack nods eagerly-- that's more acceptance than he thought he would get-- and disappears for a few seconds. There's a few background noises as he rummages through his room, and then he returns, pocketknife in hand.]

Okay, just watch--

[He pauses, takes a breath and, with not a wince, not a shudder, slices open his palm. Holding his bloody hand up to the NV, he scowls, wipes away the spare blood-- and smiles in grim satisfaction as the cut slowly begins to seal itself up. In a few more minutes, all that will be left will be a red scar.]

It's gettin' faster. You shoulda seen last week, it took ten minutes for it to start healin'.

[taughthonesty]

[His eyebrows are just having a field day, going up and down. He waits patiently, his head resting against the wall. When Jack returns to the feed, he sits up a bit, eyes immediately going to the knife.]

'Watch', what do you mean 'watch'--?!

[In his haste to sit up, David almost drops his NV. He scrambles to right the feed to make sure what he's seeing isn't some sort of trick of the light.]

Getting faster?! Jack, just what the hell is-- How-- What in the world are you doing to get yourself cut open?!

[cowboy_newsie]

Wouldja calm down? I weren't doin' nothin'. I mean-- I broke my arm, and that's how I found out. I'm startin' to heal faster'n faster-- it took me three weeks to get over me broken arm. It's fine now, see?

[He waves his completely-cast free, apparently unhurt right arm.]

But it's because o' the Core. Most everybody gets somethin' weird that happens to him. There's a girl with wings, and there's a few like me, who get better quicker, and, uh, there's a guy who can move stuff with his mind, that's weird . . . all sorts, Dave.

[taughthonesty]

[He grinds his teeth together, trying to calm his nerves.]

Jack... Jack, you... This is...

[He presses his palm to his forehead.] I think I need sleep.

[He moves his hand to peek at the feed from behind it.] So does this mean that I-- I'm gonna get... screwed up, too?

[cowboy_newsie]

[He laughs softly, though it's a wearied sort of sound.]

I dunno. Probably. It's not so bad, you know. But don't worry about it, okay? I mean-- ain't like it's gonna happen now.

[taughthonesty]

Mmn. I'm more worried that it's gonna happen at all.

[He resumes rubbing at his forehead.] So where are you now?

[cowboy_newsie]

Home. I got an apartment, me and this guy, Sirius-- you'll like him, Dave, he's just like the guys at home. And-- oye, you know what? You got one too. They give you a whole apartment here, all on your own, free for a month. Can you believe it?

[taughthonesty]

For a month? But, ah, there are other places to stay, right? Not everything is as... broken down as this place, right?

And you've-- god, you've been here for a month, right? How have you been? Besides, you know, cutting yourself and breaking your arms.

[cowboy_newsie]

Yeah, yeah, there's a ton. Believe me, it's easy to make money here, all you gotta do is be smart and they'll hire you. They even give ya money to start off with!

And I've been . . . [A slight hesitation.] --fine. Fine. 'M goin' to school and everythin', ain't you proud? Takin' history and math.

[taughthonesty]

That's-- that's good then, yeah. I'll have to make note of all that. You know where to get it?

[He cracks a small smile.] Math and history, huh? What, are they telling you about this magical city and how it came to be?

[cowboy_newsie]

Talk to this guy, this lawyer, Edgeworth. He's in charge o' all that.

And yeah, actually, they are. And history o' Canada, but nobody gives a damn about that part, cuz Canada ain't never done nothin' interestin'.

as a Canadian, I have to agree whole heartedly B)

[taughthonesty]

[He nods.]

So, what happened? Did it just pop into existence, or did it always exist, or something? I mean, if there are people from different times arriving here...

SO IT GOES, BRO.

[cowboy_newsie]

No, it's . . . somethin' to do with this Core. Like-- a hundred years ago-- round our time, actually-- the city were made. And then round 80 years ago, this Core appeared, and killed everyone, and made the Darkness-- you'll see when Dawn hits, Dave, the city changes. There's no monsters, there's no broken down buildin's, nothin', it's just like New York. But anyway-- so then the Core started pullin' people, and here we are.

I think.