ataraxion | TWENTY FIVE: VIDEO

[It's familiar, a video from her number opening on the SEC offices. Her appearance is immediately notably different though: hair shorn to a buzz over her scalp, skin incredibly pale, black of her tattoos stark, and she looks like she's been losing sleep and weight for a while. None of that's surprising, considering how things have been going, and it's doubtful what she has to say will be either.]

Those of you that don't know already, I'm Tyke, head of security. I'd give you the regular spiel, but this isn't the time. The shit with the doors is getting worse. As far as we can tell it's getting all of them, lifts, departments, and it's hitting comms too.

[Which might make it a matter of luck if enough people even see this, but she has to try.]

If you're moving around the ship, you need to be prepared. Stay in groups. Carry rations and water with you. Contact the network if you get trapped - don't try individual numbers, some messages are getting redirected or not getting through.

[There's a pause, almost like she might be done, but she looks undecided, a frown pinching her brow. After a moment she takes a breath, something even grimmer in her expression as she continues.]

But we need to be more prepared than that. I'm advising everyone get down to medbay, if you're not working on this. We're approximately a week out on the jump. [A beat. She doesn't really want to spell out how bad this could be.] You need to know what happens if we're locked out of medical when it comes, there are recordings.

[Not a nice place to end a message, and it's noticeably abrupt, the way she reaches to cut the feed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Kate doesn't look much better, even though she has her hair. Drawn and pale, she keeps her head propped against the wall like it might be tough to hold it up otherwise. ]

Hey. Good advice about carrying supplies. I'm trying to get a group together to find the source of the stasis fluid, and I was hoping you could recommend some people from your department. If you know anyone who isn't totally ruined by this right now, it'd be useful to have more people. Especially with departmental access when we run into locked areas.

Most able-bodied we've got are working on rescuing people.

[But she isn't going to actually protest the idea of a stasis fluid hunt, even if she thinks it might be a wild goose chase. Things have changed around the ship before. Maybe they'll get lucky.]

Richard's still good. Emma, I think. Fenris, Edgeworth, maybe.

[She frowns, shakes her head slightly, not clear if she just doesn't know or is having difficulty remembering, but something frustrated either way.]

You can't get any of them and you find something, call me, I'll come down.

[ Kate nods. ] That's priority. Takes more energy than searching, too. Keep an eye out while you guys are roaming around, just in case? I'll get who I can from the rest of the passengers and leave you guys to it until we find something. [ If ever. She's not really quite as optimistic as she sounds, but it's worth a shot and focusing on the doubts isn't going to sign anyone up. ]

Anyway. I like the hair, by the way. [ It's not a tease, her smile's too crookedly genuine. ] Seriously, you're rocking the GI Jane thing.

[She nods at the first part. It's a compromise, and a reasonable one. Any verbal acknowledgement of that is tripped by the comment on her hair, though, and she lifts a hand as if bidden by the reminder, running her palm over the short buzz.]

It was falling out. [Shaving it had been practical.] I don't know who that is.

TWENTY FIVE: VIDEO

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