[ voice ]

[hostage]

[No video. Getting to be a habit with him these days, but really... who wants to see him looking like he does right now? Thank him later. If he sounded bad before, he sounds much worse now. The way someone would sound when they've spent a week vomiting. That's why he keeps the message relatively short and sweet.]

I tested the, um... the verstatsi. The U.E.'s drug.

In case the obvious needed stating: don't try it.

Full report coming once I can get my ass outta bed, but I can tell you it's about half-opiate, half-synthetic. The comedown's a total bitch and I ain't just talking like regular use. I mean like one shot and you're gonna need another fix in a few hours unless you like spending the next few days worshiping the porcelain god. Seriously, I'm a professional and this stuff... is bad. I don't think we got a lotta samples around here but take my word for it and don't mess around with it. I done H. This is worse than H. Way worse.

So that's your little P.S.A. and don't roll your eyes 'cause this ain't some D.A.R.E. bullshit, yo. I'm serious.

Comments

voice

[fintastic]

You mean you actually took some to find out what would happen?

[ Master of the obvious. Still... ]

[hostage]

Yeah.

[fintastic]

Are you okay? I mean obviously you are okay! But do you need anything?

[hostage]

Nah. I'm getting better now.

[fintastic]

Alright then, but make sure you're drinking plenty of water! And if you do need something, just say so.

[hostage]

Yeah, thanks. I'll make sure I get lots of water.

[fintastic]

Okay, good. [ A pause. ] And thanks, I guess? That was sort of dumb thing to do! But at least we learned something from it.

[hostage]

Nah, thank me if I actually do something useful with it.

[fintastic]

But it already is something useful! Now we know what to expect if we ever need to cure some of it!

[ Cure? She's not sure that's the right word. Close enough. ]

[hostage]

[It isn't quite right, but it's the word he uses, too. He'd like to think of it like that, anyway. May they all have better luck curing their disease than he did his.]

Once we start getting the death toll down, at least...