the network

[Someone's breaking in this here video thing, because it's backward tech far behind what she's used to but she can understand it. Leia's hair is just in a braid on one side, and it's clear that she didn't intend to be doing this. Anyone who's seen her house, or who lives on her street can probably tell that she's sitting on her front stoop, and she's holding an open box with a bright blue ribbon. Inside the box there's a silver tube, and she lifted it up slowly.]

Is this supposed to be a joke?

[Her voice is deadpan and calm, even as she removes the saber and flicks the switch on, activating the blue blade.]

My brother is the jedi, not me. Does this mean that you have him somewhere? Or Ben Kenobi? Or someone else?

[She can't help that her hope is up a little about Luke, even if the saber is a different color than the one that he made after he lost his hand (and saber) to Vader.

Still the lightsaber in her hand feels right, like an extension of herself and if she closed her eyes she could still feel it with senses that she had locked away long ago. Now it was like someone (or something) had ripped the bandages off of them and she didn't like it one bit.]

( the following message from dr. charlotte rousseau is on the phone network + transcribed via text on the message board. )

Hello again, Wayward Pines. You've had a couple of days now to work through the things we explained to you on Thursday. Now, we're opening the floor to you — for your questions, and hopefully to begin the dialogue that will help all of us figure out how to peacefully coexist.

yOU KNOW WHAT SUCKS? like. i mean. okay that waS a f engeral. question. don't like.
f you if you say vaccuums liMke some kIND o f smrtaASS. im gonna tell you. So listen the fridge up!

men. men suck. all men. zero exceptions.

they are LYING LIARS that LIE? and you trust them an D THEY JUST>? they just leave? and they breaK YOUR entiRe hearT?!?! and the Y aRENT EVen worth SHIT! ok? they warent worth SHIP! so like. dont even lose spilled milk over them and

stfuff.

becAuse even when you

if you donT even fall for them but you just need them? they arent there! you'R e just on y o ur own! so dont even trust anyone!

HELLO DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI READ THIS !!!!!!!

DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI YOU ARE USELESS GET OUT OF THE STUPID SHOP AND READ THE MESSAGE FROM THE HUMAN MACHINE

OR I WILL SMASH YOUR BIRD DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI

YOU ARE A TERRIBLE CASTER

DA VINCI

DA VINCI

DA VINCI!!!!!!!!!!!!

( AN ART )

well i for one am glad that the town hall gave me another way to procrastinate on my homework :)

[ Yeah, he totally just spent the last few hours doing this. ]

Um. Hi! Hello. Bit of a long shot here, but has anyone lost a black baby chocobo recently? ( careful listeners would probably notice an intermittent chirping in the background. ) She just sort of - showed up on my doorstep this morning in a box with ribbons and everything so maybe she isn't lost after all... still, just thought I'd ask in case anyway.

( a slight pause, almost hesitant, and then he adds: ) I'm takin' care of her for now, so don't worry. If she's yours, let me know!

Hey, wait. Not yet, hold on. You can't come yet, I have to call somebody fir--whoa! _{[A stifled intake of breath. A pleading note.]} Oh, come on, give me a break. Not yet!

<sub>[The message starts with a Jack's voice drifting in and out of range, like somebody caught between talking away from the receiver and turning into it. Urgency threads through the words.

There's a distant squeak of bed springs, another hissed breath.]</sub>

Ohhhh, I see something! _{[That urgency ramps up to something closer to awe and terror of the unknown.]} It's pink in there! I can see it moving around! I forget what I'm supposed to do! I was just getting used to having Eggbert around and now he's falling to pieces on me.

_[Faintly:]

Oh, shit...

_{[Even fainter, the sound of a delicate, barely audible cheep.]}

What the hell is that? You gotta come over and bring the dog food or something-- Wait. _{[Now there's a sudden silence as a perplexed somebody realizes this isn't the private call he thought he was making. Goddamn phones, where's a moogle when you need one?]} This isn't even the right line! Lemme try that again.

_{[That there is the definitive 'click' of a hang up.]}

There's people in the hospital without clothes.

[ It's Lantar. There's no one else in the town with that flanged voice. He suddenly sounds like he's been chain smoking for a few decades now though. ]

If anyone's got shoes, pants and coats to spare, you guys think you can drop them off here? I'll be in the lobby.

[ Ellie has been pretty good at keeping fairly occupied since she got to this weird ass town. Mainly by exploring, looking for people she knows aren't here and playing video games for the first time. It's gotten harder though, especially since she got back her memories of Joel and what she was supposed to be doing before she came here, intertwined with strange memories of this place that make little sense.

And then came the snow. Ellie hates snow. Not because it makes traipsing through the town more difficult - she's used to traipsing through snow. But with the return of things she's glad she remembers now, also comes things she wishes she didn't remember. She needs distraction.

And the strange domesticity of her new house just isn't doing it. So, a few important books in hand, she decides to finally give this weird phone thing a try. ]

Uh. Hey. Okay, so I'm guessing most people are tired of moving snow or stuck inside staring at four walls, thinking about stuff that makes no fucking sense, so - time for some distraction.

[ She clears her throat, and there's the sound of flickering pages. ] A prisoner's favourite punctuation mark is the period... It marks the end of his sentence. [ A chortle of laughter. ] Oh man... The first time I used an elevator it was really uplifting, then it let me down.

[ More laughter. ] These are pretty good, right? I once heard a joke about amnesia, but I forget how it goes. Haha, still a good one.

Don't trust people that do acupuncture, they're back stabbers. [ There's a short pause, Ellie frowning, before she adds, unsure: ] That... Yeah, okay, you got me. I don't get that one.

[ What the fuck is acupuncture? ]

You guys tired yet? 'Cause there's snow way these puns are that bad. [ Ellie grins, proud. She made up that one on her own. You're welcome, Pines. ]