[ video ]

[hostage]

So here's the thing, right. I mean, yeah, the Initiative kinda kidnapped us. But they say they didn't do it on purpose. And I believe them, 'cause nobody in their right mind would wanna recruit me into their army on purpose. Some junkie loser. Ask anybody who saw me my first few weeks here, okay, all shitting in my pants scared and useless with the shakes. I couldn't hold a gun steady if my life depended on it.

So they didn't exactly bring us here on purpose. But what do they do when we end up here?

[He raises his hand to the camera, counting off on his fingers:]

They patch us up, bring us back to life. Hey, that's a big deal for some of us, ain't it?

They give us some swanky ass apartments. Yeah, we got roommates, but do you see what the rest of everybody's living in? We got some damn nice cribs in comparison, yo.

They give us money. Just like that. Like, "here you go, go buy a sandwich."

They give us weapons. You ain't never been a prisoner if you think that's something they'd do if they meant to keep us prisoner. Okay, nobody arms a prisoner. They'd be taking away our weapons if they were trying to hurt us all on purpose. And look at this shit -

[He holds up his own gun for the camera, popping the magazine out so the poison darts inside are visible.]

- All high tech. They ain't just giving us sticks to go out and defend ourselves with. This is some quality craftsmanship.

[He sets the gun aside.]

And you hear how I said "defend ourselves"? Yeah. Those U.E. sons of bitches are coming after us. They bombed the shit outta this place we're living in like my first week here. I mean, look around. You can see what they done to this place. To the people in this world. And they got the technology to do that to our worlds, too, unless we do like the Initiative says and go on missions and fix this shit.

And you know what else? You got a problem with the Initiative, you can just talk to 'em. Yeah. They ain't gonna hurt you. I was having some problems when I got here, so I went and talked to them, and guess what? They gave me everything I asked for! That's all it took. So yeah, maybe they can't send you home right now. But they'll help you out best they can.

Look, we're pretty much their only hope here. They wanna do right by us. So just... stop talking about dumbass rebellions and start - I don't know - communicating.

Comments

[breakablegirl]

It can wait. [A stiff, almost-smile.]

[hostage]

Yeah. Okay.

[He's probably relieved. He can't really tell. He's mostly sorry.]

[breakablegirl]

Okay.

[An unsure twitch of her lips.]

So I guess..

[hostage]

[Awkward. Jesse shifts from one foot to the other, giving the room a look-around since he didn't pay much attention when he walked in. Wow, it sure is Claire's bedroom. She probably wants him out of it, huh. Only... he feels like he should say something more. Except he doesn't know what to say. He wrings his hands, thinking, then looks back to her.]

You know, if you wanna, like, talk about it...

[breakablegirl]

I'm okay.

[And she really seems to be. She's looking at Jesse with a tiny sad smile on her lips and not shying away as much anymore. She's a lot calmer than before.]

Thanks. Really. I, uh, it feels good to get some of that off my chest. [A beat.] I just hope I didn't freak you out or..

[hostage]

No, no, no. I'm not freaked out.

[That's a sincere assurance, but he doesn't want to confess what he is feeling, so it comes out strained. He folds his hands almost like he's praying, pressing them to his mouth while he considers the next words.]

It's, um... I know how it is? I mean, not exactly. Not with, like, superpowers. But I know, um... kind of what you went through.

If anything's S5 spoilery it's okay. I GIVE SPOILER PERMISSIONS.

[breakablegirl]

[Her mostly genuine I'm okay face fades to light concern.]

You do?

[She moves to sit back down on the edge of her bed, leaving an empty space next to her in case he wants to sit down. Claire wants to hear it, but she isn't going to push.]

it's totally S5 spoilery turn back now ye sweet baby angels who know not the pain of S5

[hostage]

[Jesse doesn't sit. He paces, picking at his hands and staring at the floor all the while. He would really rather not be talking about this, but it's more important that Claire doesn't feel so alone, and he wants her to feel like she can come to him for help, which won't happen if she thinks he's - well, who knows what kind of person she assumes he is, but it's clearly someone less experienced with this shit.]

There's somebody who wanted to kill me, too. Someone, um... It's not really important who he is, I guess, 'cause he ain't here. He wasn't like a serial killer either, just... a regular killer? He killed a lotta people and then me, so it's like... Yeah. That's all. I'm just saying I know how it is.

[He looks at her for a reaction, his mumbled, mostly incoherent explanation apparently concluded.]

dundundun D: (lol I'm not badly spoiled, I'd stumbled on big hints of this. But no idea who does it)

[breakablegirl]

[Her frown gets deeper and deeper until she has to glance away. Things he'd said the first time they hung out started to click into place. When he's finished she's still and quiet for a minute.

Claire looks upset. Like. He just told her that he's dead. That there is no choice for him. He's here or he's dead. It breaks her heart.

She gets the reason he's said some of the things he's said now.]

Jesse.. You're-? [She gets it, but she just has to confirm.]

[hostage]

Dead. Yeah.

[He shrugs like it's no big deal.]

It went so fast, you know? I didn't feel anything.

[breakablegirl]

[NOPE SHE'S STILL UPSET. DON'T YOU SHRUG AT HER.]

Same. .. I mean, the first time I- [:||| THEN SUDDEN CHANGE OF TONE AS SHE STANDS UP.]

..You know what? Let's go do something.

[hostage]

[He likes the change of tone, but he's surprised by it.]

What? Do what?

[breakablegirl]

[SHRUG.] I don't know. There's got to be some places that are less apocalyptic-chic here, right?

[hostage]

Uhh... Not really. It's all kinda like this unless we're back in time somewhere.

[breakablegirl]

...

Oh well. C'mon.

[She's just overwhelmed with the urge to do something and get out of here so she's gonna just tug on your arm and start walking out.]

[hostage]

Oh, uh. Okay.

[It doesn't take a whole lot of tugging to get him to follow. He was feeling a bit caged anyway.]

[breakablegirl]

[She leads the way with a purpose. Her goal here is try to get him to forget about, uh, being dead and have fun with her. She also needed to do something or else she was going to either shut everything out or do something stupid. ..Not that doing something stupid isn't a big possibility now.

Claire doesn't know where they're going but she'll know when they get there.]

So! .... I guess there's some big party coming up.

[hostage]

[It's funny because he really just wants to cheer her up. He's been coping with his own situation for a while now - in less than healthy ways, but regardless... She's the one with a serial killer hanging around her.]

Oh, yeah. I think I'm supposed to do something for that.

[breakablegirl]

[Dododo, walking. Sort of.. With no real direction.

It's kind of a normal situation for her. Well. Relatively. She's accustomed to everything sort of being the end of the world. Especially when it comes to Sylar.]

You think? [Side-look.]

[hostage]

[He's cool with walking. He lights a cigarette and smokes it while they wander.]

Cookies. I think.

We're supposed to dress up, right?

[breakablegirl]

Ah.

[The cigarette smoke reminds her of her birth-mom sob. She doesn't mind.]

Right. Masquerade. Which could be fun. I haven't dressed up since.. [My father's funeral?] This stupid sorority mixer I went to. [Where she nearly got impaled by a flagpole thanks to an invisible girl named Becky trying to ruin her life.] I guess there's no legal drinking age here, huh.

[hostage]

Ain't no law at all.

Wait - how old are you?

[He's been running on the assumption of "over 21".]

phone tagging. it's the cool new thing to do.

[breakablegirl]

Uh. [She sort of wants to lie. But she doesn't.] Nineteen.

[hostage]

Oh.

[Noted. Yep.]

I don't think anybody around here cares anyway.

[breakablegirl]

[Noted and filed under Legal.] I always thought the whole being old enough to join the army but not to drink was bull anyway. [Someone's hatching a conning plan for MONEYZ.]

How old are you? [So casual.]