[ 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

[hostage]

Nah, it ain't a chemistry thing. It's like this anti-drug program the police run at schools in America, trying to get kids to stay clean.

[inthejunk]

...Oh. Why didn't you just say? It makes more sense like that.

[hostage]

It's dumb. Whatever.

[inthejunk]

Trying to keep kids off drugs?

[hostage]

It don't work.

[inthejunk]

It does if you behead them...but that way isn't exactly a good solution either.

[hostage]

Jesus...

[inthejunk]

So what does H really mean? You seem pretty familiar with how opium works. If it's something like that...shouldn't these people have been dying from it anyway?

[hostage]

H is heroin. And you only die if you don't do it right.

[inthejunk]

Seriously? Man. The gym teacher lied to us. Then again...well. It's better not to do drugs at all where I lived.

[hostage]

It's better to not do drugs wherever you are. Even if it don't kill you, it's still bad.

[inthejunk]

I guess?

[Pretty noncommittally. Spoken like a kid who's rarely even had the chance, and even then didn't actually try it.]

Why'd you do it, then?

[hostage]

It feels good. They never tell you how good it feels.

[inthejunk]

Is that all? Lots of stuff feels good. But most of it won't kill you.

[hostage]

Nothing else feels that good. Nothing in the whole damn world. Not sex or falling in love or anything. That's why most people... They'd give up anything for their next hit.

[inthejunk]

[Well, that's shocking. Falling in love is supposed to be the most important thing anyone can ever do. How could drugs possibly even compete? How could they win?]

...Are you sure you should be working there, dude?

[hostage]

What? In the lab?

[inthejunk]

Around that stuff, yeah.

[hostage]

I'll be fine.

[inthejunk]

Yeah, 'cause you sound totally fine.

[hostage]

I know what I'm doing.

[inthejunk]

It sounds like you've done it before.

[hostage]

I'm clean now.

[inthejunk]

What does that mean exactly?

[hostage]

Means I'm not using.