RADIO FREE ELLIE: 1st Broadcast.

[ascocarp]

WHO: Ellie and YOU.
WHAT: Ellie is bored and playing with a ham radio.
WHERE: Anywhere with a radio.
WHEN: After the TDM, for various values of 'after' when time is variable.
NOTES: It's Ellie, so casual discussions of violence are de rigueur.

[The broadcast begins a little fuzzy as Ellie messes with the dials and utters indistinctly to herself.] Can I- uh- yeah, okay. Cool. Hello? Wait, no, that's... [More fuzz and murmuring.]

[Eventually, she seems satisfied. Now, how do radio broadcasts go? She remembers the ones in Boston's military QZ go...? God, she never paid any attention in that class. Her voice comes in clear, and it's obviously a young person speaking.] Uhhhh, nine-hundred hour... fuck it, the sky's fucking broken. Callsign... Daniela Star.

[Right.]

So, like, is there anybody here that goes by William? Or Will? Not Bill. Heh, those guys are assholes...

Oh! Also, has anybody seen any frickin' trees? Like real trees, with branches and shit. I found some potted plants, but they were all plastic. What about animals and stuff? I don't mean the freaky shadows, fuck those assholes. Like actual living breathing animals.

But... y'know, speaking of the shitty shadow fuckers, does anybody know how to, like, beat them? I saw somebody do it, but they had like a full suit of armor. I tried it and my hand almost fell off. They're cold.

...Maybe that's it. Anybody seen any fucking suits of armor laying around?

Comments

[ascocarp]

The stuff is old and used and nobody's around using it. That usually means they died. Or left, I guess, but I dunno where they'd go.

[skaa]

Same place we'll go if we find out what happened to them. ( dead or left, where they've gone they can follow. hopefully. )

[ascocarp]

Yeah, I'm trying to not die, but follow your bliss, lady.

[skaa]

( lady makes her feel old. fuck how old is she? )

If I find a way out, I won't leave you behind.

But you're right. You shouldn't take the risk without a real answer. ( that doesn't mean Vin won't. )

[ascocarp]

[Older than Ellie; that's all that matters.]

...Thanks?

Yeah. I mean, I'm as curious as the next guy, but it's not that big a deal. I wanna figure out how to get the fuck out of here.

[skaa]

Sometimes knowing what happened helps you know what to do. ( oh my god she is so fucking old. )

Where is home for you?

[ascocarp]

Usually? Knowing how shit got fucked up is just sad.

...Uh. America, I guess? [Once, she would have said Boston. Saying Colorado sounds overly optimistic. Why not just be vague.]

[skaa]

( is anyone from her world? )

Is it nicer there than it is here? ( it's probably a strange thing to ask, but she's curious about where people come from. )

[ascocarp]

Uhhhhhh. Depends on what you think is nicer. There's more food, and... people. But I think this place's safer.

[skaa]

That's probably saying something, considering this place is still dangerous.

What was it like in your home?

[ascocarp]

It was a shithole.

[She doesn't super wanna talk about it!]

What's it like on your fucking... planet. Thing. Whatever.

[skaa]

The same. ( but she doesn't mind talking about it. )

The world is ending soon. Everyone knows it is. We're trying to prevent it, but... just like here. It's a lot bigger than us, and it's hard to see how to fix it.

[ascocarp]

...Huh. Ours already ended. [She can't help letting that slip out.] Why- why's yours ending?

[skaa]

And you're still alive? ( that's.... a thought to consider.

the next part she hesitates on. ) I was tricked into freeing something. I don't know what it is, but it's going to end our world.

[ascocarp]

[In her shittiest spooky voice:] Noooo, this my ghoooooost.

...Well, that sucks. S'weird to think of, like. Everything being one person's fault. Uhh, shit, that was shitty to say. Sorry.

[skaa]

That must be exhausting to be dead and still going. ( there is some amusement there.

but it dies quickly. ) No it's okay. It's true. Most everyone knows it, too, but we were all tricked.

What happened with your home?

[ascocarp]

Yeah, it's sort of a... dead end. [Sooo, she's having fun with this.]

Still sucks, though. Sorry.

Oh, uh. People got sick. Almost everybody died.

[skaa]

( there's actually a surprised laugh on her side. it's really been awhile since she's heard a good joke. )

It happens. Just can't really give up.

Some of you were able to survive it, though? ( they must have since she's talking to Ellie. )

[ascocarp]

[Her time has come. Like hell Ellie's gonna let this go. Can you hear the flipping of pages? Ellie's browsing a book-] Hey, hey, what's up my nose? boooooogers.

[Anyway.] Yeah, exactly. You just... I guess everybody just has to keep going.

Yeah. Not many. Less every day. People are stupid, and it only takes one fuckup.

[skaa]

( if her husband were here to hear books being treated so...

Vin on the other hand sounds amused, half laughing as she tries to get back to serious conversations here. )

How long has it been like that?

[ascocarp]

Oh, before I was born. Like twenty years, I think. Twenty one?

[skaa]

That's a long time for your world to keep going.

How did you survive? ( it's a genuine question, but there might be information she can take home too.

if she ever goes home. )

[ascocarp]

[She doesn't say I don't think we have 20 more left. Instead, after a pause...]

Carefully.

[skaa]

\( that one word seems to carry a lot in it. )

Pretty much like how we'll have to survive here. ( she brings the conversation back towards the present. she doesn't want to press too hard about something that's probably a difficult topic. and if it's not, it's still not polite to pry too much. )