▓ １３ Ｐｔｓ．► video. ► !t's l!k3 a de5ert in h3r3

[throwsdown]

 [First, the screen is black, and there's the sound of scuffling, possibly half-dragged feet.

Then the comms unit tilts and whirls — turns upward to reveal a sweat-drenched kid's face, slightly wild hair in need of a trim and plastered to his forehead. He doesn't seem to pay the screen much mind, looking ahead in what appears to be a random, dim hallway. Not very far from home base, but enough that he clearly should have thought this through better. But then, Takeshi hasn't noticed that, now that he's found himself in a particularly hot spot... well, the power suit's not blocking out the heat anymore (not like last month, but he doesn't even realize the ship is making things worse--); in fact, it's making things way worse, and it's clear by the pale skin and the nauseated face that it's actually giving him heat exhaustion. Probably didn't help that he was chasing after something for a few minutes before that, using up valuable coolness and energy.]

Sorry... I thought — I thought I saw a lady, but maybe it wasn't a lady. Maybe it coulda' been any kind... But I saw them go in the hallways... I wanted to stop them 'cus if they go too far, they're gonna get lost...

[He breathes heavy, blinking just as heavily. His head hurts, and he wants to get mad, but he's also kinda' tired. He finally addresses the feed, wiping at his face with a black-gloved hand, all leather, all heavy, grimacing his lips at the discomfort. He blinks hard and forces himself to refocus, even though he feels a little dizzy. Dizzy, but more determined. Or something close to it. He speaks a little louder:]

S'hot out here. They're gonna... get into trouble.

But I dunno' where I am now.

My power suit's... not... M'getting hot. I don't remember getting hot like this before. I think my suit's broken.

Did anyone see a person run in the hall? Did they see anybody? Maybe someone found them. I swear, I saw a person. I don' want them to die — people die and get lost too much. Like Chase... Don't want the monsters to get them. Someone tell them not to go no more.

Comments

video;

[sweetmotherofgod]

Take it off. Right now.

video;

[throwsdown]

[He stares for a moment like she's speaking in another language. Maybe because at this point, the suit might as well be a second skin to him his armor, whatever the title is that bounces around from day to day in the kid's brain. He manages an eloquent reply:]

Huh? What?

video;

[sweetmotherofgod]

[Okay, words. More words. It's hard to put them together when she's busy KILLING HERSELF WITH WORRY]

Take your suit off, Takeshi. You need to cool down as soon as you can and taking it off will help. I know it's scary, but it's very important.

video;

[throwsdown]

But, m—mom, if someone hits me — if someone hurts me, I can't fight... without...

[He trails off, prodding at the high collar of the suit sheepishly.]

[majestyofthethrone]

Where are you? I'm going to come get you.

[throwsdown]

[He squints a bit at the words, but eventually he manages to get it all figured out.

She wants to get him?]

I dunno. I'm in a hall... I was leaving my room and I sawed — I think someone's lost out here...

[majestyofthethrone]

Do you know which hall?

1/2

[handelaar]

[!!!!!!!]

Take it off!

[handelaar]

[And then he looks over everything else. Oh. Heather already said that.]

Listen to your- mom.

[worry >>>> awkwardness right now]

[throwsdown]

[He flustered. Even more than heat does to a person.]

Mom —

But. There's monsters. I can't — what if monsters come? I can't fight without m'suit.

[northerner]

Takeshi.

[ seriously, concern in robb's voice. ]

Is someone coming to get you, and help you take your suit off?

[throwsdown]

[He curls his limbs closer to himself, quiet.]

Y-yeah.

Yeah.

But — I need my suit. I need it on. M'not strong enough without my suit...

[northerner]

What makes you strong comes from no suit, or armor. You're strong on your own, Takeshi.

video.

[striking]

Takeshi, do you have any water?

[ katniss tries not to look worried, but she's not that great at lying with her face, and her concern for him is written all over it. but maybe she can pass it off as concern for the person in the hall, when the truth is she could care less about them. ]

video.

[throwsdown]

Water... N-no, I don't. I thought I'd catch them. I'm so fast, I coulda'... but I didn't — and now they're lost out there all by themself.

video.

[striking]

I... can go looking for them, if you want. You just worry about you for now.

[mindtricks]

[ he's already been told to take off the suit — and he doesn't like it. it's right there for anyone to see, and anderson might not know the context in its entirety, but she can put one and one together and get two.

and she can help. ]

Do you want me to come and make sure no one attacks while you're out of your suit?

[throwsdown]

I dunno. I... Miss Sera might help me, but I don't want her in danger. S'scary out here.

Can... Can you come protect us both?

[He doesn't want anybody hurt.]

[mindtricks]

Where are you?

[ maybe she shouldn't be indulging this, but — whatever gets him out of the suit. ]

voice

[slurpeesinhell]

Yeah, I saw em too. Couldn't catch up, though—they were too fast.

[Whoever owns this rough new voice, he's taking care to sound untroubled.]

voice

[throwsdown]

You saw, too?!

[Finally, someone who understands — this is important!]

They — maybe, maybe they don't know it's bad out there. It's really bad.

[slurpeesinhell]

Sounds like it. Thanks for lettin us know.

[He could back off out of concern for stepping on this kid's mama's toes, orrr he could gently circumvent everyone else's advice. Easy decision.]

You're lookin a little melty, though, little man. Might wanna undo a zipper or somethin while we think about gettin you someplace that don't feel like an oven. [Preempting a little hissy fit:] You don't gotta take it all off, just loosen it up a bit. —I took the sleeves off my suit cuz I was sweatin too. Check this out.

[A brief video clip shows off exactly what he's described: a man's bare arm, jumpsuit sleeve shorn off just past the shoulder seam—and part of his torso as he fumbles around with the awkward selfie angle. He has on a vest too, and some kind of strap across his chest.] See? DIY air conditioning.

voice »

[hypospray]

[ everyone's already beaten him to the punch on telling him to get the suit off, and he thinks that maybe he's a little more thankful for that than he should be. it doesn't change that takeshi shouldn't have been in it in the first place ( or that hell, if he was in it, why in the hell his suit wasn't apparently working right ).

he's quieter than he could be here, because he's not about to yell at him or anything. ]

You tell whoever's coming and meeting you where you are to bring you to medical after you get out of that suit of yours. You look— that suit ain't doing you a bit of good right now.

[ a pause. ]

And the rest of us can go yell at the person running off. I might even be the one who does that.

voice »

[throwsdown]

O-okay.

Will you try to find the person?? I didn't see what they — what they looked like, but I know they ran in there, and they're probably hot and sweaty too...

voice »

[hypospray]

Promise me you'll do it.

[ that's not fair and he knows it but at the same time, he really is concerned. ] I'll right on it. Might be better to send someone from security down there, but we can't have them hurting themselves and getting too hot like you are. Could just tell them medical feels almost like a freezer. No chance of getting hot and sweaty here.