[network] @Mnemosyne; video; Day 105, afternoon [open]

[bookofnope]

[He breaks, gasping, up through the ice of oblivion and into the cold air. Darkness, heartbeat, breath -

It comes crashing back, and for a moment he is back to the first time, back in that scratch of a grave under the broken floor of the old warehouse, scrabbling through rotting wood and frozen dirt, sucking in an aborted cry as consciousness returns but heartbeat and breath do not, and he remembers death - but the cry comes out in a rush of air, and he breathes again before he knows it. His clawing hand meets not earth but plastic. The body bag. The morgue. Norfinbury. He's alive.

The bag slides open and Beckett sits up, blinking damp eyes at the familiar light of the funeral home morgue. He's alive. More time stolen from the grave. God, what a gamble - was that what it was? Dying hasn't changed anything. Still mortal - he frowns as a quiet, nagging cough rises in his throat, though at least the paralysing nausea that had hounded him for days is gone. There's a ravaging hunger in the pit of his stomach instead, but an ordinary hunger, a natural reminder of a week without food rather than supernatural need. What had he expected? A miracle, a release, an end -

- no. Why did he think that? Not an end. That's the whole point. This isn't immortality - this isn't a reward, this isn't what I wanted, do you hear me? - but here he is.

Slowly, not without bitterness, he finds himself smiling.

But no answers, either, none that he can immediately see. His tablet, in the backpack at his feet, is beeping urgently, but he takes his time reaching for it. There had been something, though the memory is hazy, through a veil of pain and dizzy confusion and... something like grief, which he finds, to his vague distress, that he can't place or explain. Something had come for him, just as House and Rydia had said something had come for them. Blood-red. Wings. An angel.

Angel. Oh, God.

No more waiting. Without even going for the tablet, he shoulders his pack and makes for the door. He needs real shelter, food, water, rest... and a lot of thinking. He has a lot of explaining to do.]



Day 105, afternoon, video


If nothing else, I can say it wasn't quite as bad the second time around.

[Hello, Norfinbury. There's your snarky vampire back. He looks much better, too, despite standing out in the snow - mostly healthy to begin with, if you can believe that, but also calm, almost satisfied. Yes, he's sure you're all going to have a lot to say about that.]

I see I've missed quite a bit. Do we still have any murderers at large? I should have looked for Handsome Jack in the morgue, come to think of it. My apologies. I was rather preoccupied.

[Understandably so, he imagines. But speaking of that... he doesn't quite frown, but his expression grows a little distant, a little sombre.]

I know what I saw when... whatever it was came for me. And the recording seems to confirm it. But perhaps it was different for the rest of you. I'd like to know, if you don't mind. There are pieces here that almost feel like they are coming together.

Comments

Audio | @Rdua

[blessedmaiden]

Leviathan's nostrils, you're back...

[She would like to be upset and yell at you, Beckett, Rydia barely moved from the building you left her in since your death, but in the end she's just... relieved. And you have no idea how mad with herself she is right now.]
I swear, you goblin head, you... [She pauses, sighs with frustration and shakes her head before speaking again.] Sorry, ignore that. And... I don't know if Jack and Joker are still around and I don't know how your experience was because I refused to watch it.

[bookofnope]

It's good to hear from you too, Rydia.

[Yes, he sounds amused, but there's a warmth there that takes any sting out of it. Almost like he's gently trying to figure out just how mad she really is. But yes, it's good. Coming back to the knowledge that there had been violence and he doesn't know all who is involved had been unsettling.

And he owes her a bigger apology than most. In fact...]

I can hardly blame you, though I don't think it was - quite as bad as yours. I wasn't very coherent, really, especially not towards the end... and anyway, here I am now.

[He's pleased with that. You can hear it in his voice. He feels like he'd gambled and won.]

[blessedmaiden]

I… you… [Oh, Beckett, she would like to be angry with you, you deserve it so much! You deserve her anger so much but, no, she’s not angry as she would.] Don’t you dare to do that again. Please.

[She had been out of touch with almost everyone in the city since his death so all she knows is that everyone is moving downtown to find Jocker and that Jack is dangerous and still around… She just doesn’t understand why people are turning against each other when they’re all in the same situation and should cooperate to find a way out.]

Please, don’t sugarcoat it for me, I bet it was horrible. Did… did you at least find your answers? Because when I tried I found none…

[Was it worth it? For once she’s not happy that someone accomplished their goals, yet she’s still glad he’s there.]

[bookofnope]

[He deserves it so much. But he would like to think that eventually, she understands. Perhaps, just now - he thinks in the same strange reflection that's been surfacing again and again since he woke - she understands better than he does.

He shakes his head.] Please. When have you ever known me to try and spare anyone? It was painful, but so was running a hundred yards in broad daylight. I've been through worse. [It's not a lie by any means, though he does concede, in the end:] Which is not to say I plan to do it again. In fact I...

[He trails off. What is he going to say? That he's still trying to piece together everything that made him do it in the first place?]

I might have found - something, at least. If what others tell me checks out, about NIMA appearing in the same form to everyone who watched.

Video | @Summoner

[ninjainviolet]

[ Hello person she has never spoken to before. ]

I'm not sure what's going on with Jack and Joker. [ Her efforts to find the latter have been hindered thanks to the change in travel time. ]

As for the rest... I didn't watch what happened. I couldn't. [ Out of respect - despite his wishes for the contrary. ]

[bookofnope]

No? [There's disappointment there, but a very impersonal sort. It's information he was after, not sympathy. But after a moment's peering at the screen, he's thoughtful again, eyes shuttered behind his tinted glasses.] It can't have been easy to watch. But it was about time everyone had a chance to glimpse NIMA, if they chose to.

[ninjainviolet]

No. [ She pauses for a moment. This seems important to him. ] I can watch it now, if it'll help. I didn't out of respect, but...

[ Maybe she'll see something... ]

[bookofnope]

Respect? [He gives a discontented snort.] I transmitted it for a reason. But come to think of it... you might as well. As much of it as you can without damaging your tablet. I'd be interested to know if watching a recording over live feed changes anything.

@lockhart; video

[powersouls]

[Tifa doesn't really know Beckett, so she feels a little strange confirming this for him. But she did watch it. She hesitates briefly, tucking her hair behind her ear before she responds, her voice a little uncertain and quiet.]

I thought I saw... It looked like Angel.

[bookofnope]

[As it happens, a confirmation from a near-stranger is actually better than one from a friend, for his purposes. So it did look like... briefly, a few emotions flicker in quick succession behind Beckett's tinted glasses. Surprise, uncertainty, a guarded grimness, and eventual vivid interest. Personal issues aside...]

Tifa, isn't it? Thank you. That's very useful to know. I admit I wasn't expecting to find out that anyone has shared my perceptions.

[powersouls]

Maybe it's...

[She pauses for a moment, considering.]

Something connected to your memories, like those anomalies were.

[bookofnope]

I would think so, except... I know of Angel's wings, but obviously neither I nor anyone here has ever seen them. So not strictly a memory...

[He trails off, eyes narrowing in thought.]

But something real, either way. Externally real, that is, materially. Not a personal hallucination, or the result of the mind trying to make sense of something.

@gardenGnostic; video

[eclecticbassist]

Brian's really happy you're back!

[ That's pretty much all she has to say; Jade's just happy that he's happy. Seriously, he was so visibly excited and it was the cutest thing ever!! ]

I don't think he knows how to put that into words, but he just... seems different today. In a nice way. Because you're back!

[bookofnope]

[By instinct, Beckett begins to respond with a raised eyebrow, as though to question - but the expression fades halfway through and Jade gets a ghost of a grin instead.]

So you two are still travelling together. I'm glad to know.

video; @zd

[swatsflies]

[They are at the grocery store, and Zell is taking a moment to respond to the video as the others grab fruits and breads to pack up. Zell looks tired, but at least he's smiling.]

You came back. [It would be weird if he didn't, right? Looks like lately the odds of someone he knew coming back from the dead was starting to increase for the better.] Yo. I didn't really watch what happened, but Kain did.

[bookofnope]

You did say "when".

[And now prepared to be amazed, Zell, because Beckett actually smiles at you. Well, grins, anyway, all flashing fangs and self-satisfaction, but it's very definitely a happy expression.]

I rather thought he would have. Is his tablet operational? I understand the effects of the transmission on the hardware were as expected.

[swatsflies]

I did. I'm glad I was right.

[He really is! He might be grumpy and drinks blood, but they are part of the same team.]

His tablet broke and wasn't functioning after that. He found a new one eventually in the post office. [Eventually being the keyword here. Took a bit to find a new one because they were distracted by someone not taking care of themselves and getting sick.] I checked up on Rhys and them. They are doing good and Dumpy is with someone nice.

[bookofnope]

I might not have bet on it. But... [But the fact is that he did. Beckett lets that direction to the conversation trail off. He's uneasy at the thought that he went into what he did without being in any way certain of revival. Risking Final Death is one thing, but going all the way... but the fact is that he did.]

I have spoken to Angel. Thank you for that, again. [This is easier. He speaks with sincerity and relief.] You said his tablet blew out completely? Interesting. That's more extreme than what happened in previous times.

@Ecks | text

[ecks]

I did not watch. I did not want to break my tablet. It is not as bad to die the second time?

[bookofnope]

[He only knows Ecks by reputation, but it's a question that deserves an answer.]

The experiences probably aren't comparable. The last time I died was in another world, after all.

[ecks]

I have never died. Before I came here I didn't know anyone who had died and could describe it.

[bookofnope]

And you're curious. [He clearly can't blame her, from his tone.] Of my latest go, most of what I remember is a great deal of confusion and pain. The death involved in a vampiric Embrace is - [an intensely private, intimate experience, even for vampires less guarded than Beckett. He may be feeling considerably more forthcoming than usual, but he isn't quite there yet] - not really something that can be described.

@CaptSteveRogers; video

[starsandtights]

[Steve is some awkward mixture of relieved and pissy.]

Glad you're back with us. ["Glad" is not what he sounds like, but he doesn't sound like he's lying or being sarcastic either.] Did you get what you wanted? [He frowns at Beckett for a few moments then adds, almost a non sequitur—] Rydia was upset. Really upset.

[He sighs, shedding some of the pissyness.]

I wish you had looked for Jack in the morgue. He was there two days ago but the weather turned bad and I can't get there safely to check if he's still dead. The Joker, at least, has been apprehended, he's in Al's custody.

[bookofnope]

[Awkward, indeed. Steve is... tricky, always tricky. Much as Beckett wishes he could dismiss him - well, he's not stupid, bringing up Rydia as he does. It's a very effective shot.

And he doesn't know if he got what he wanted. He's not sure what he wanted.]

Well, isn't that a pleasant surprise. [It's a little wry, but not sharp. He might be smiling briefly.]

I got - something. I'll know more when all of the evidence is in, which is where you and Ms. Carter come in if you care to. And I've heard from Rydia, yes. [Completely neutral, that. Whatever she says is between the two of them.]

But I do sincerely apologise for not thinking of it. I only looked at the tablet once out of the building. You say Alphone has the Joker? Of all people to drop something like that on?

[starsandtights]

Don't be an ass, Beckett, of course I'm glad. [Steve's tone isn't sharp, either. More a mild, worn aggravation.]

Peggy might be more help, she watched, I didn't. But she told me what she saw. Something about an angel?

Well I hope Rydia gave you a piece of her mind. [His mouth twists unhappily.] It was a bad night for her. I've never heard her sound so. Hopeless. Like maybe none of us were going to get out of here alive. [This is the part he's going to have trouble letting go of. Beckett did that to her, even if it wasn't his intention.]

[Steve shakes his head. It's aggravating not knowing Jack's status, especially knowing Beckett was right there, but there's no part of Steve that would try to blame him for it.]

Not your fault, you didn't know. And I'm sure you had other things on your mind. If wishes were fishes, and all that.

[Steve's jaw tightens.] Not ideal, no. But Al's the one who caught him, him and America. America's headed off to get House's things back to him. Not a lot of other people downtown who can help. I'm hoping he can hook up with Kain's group and they can give him some backup.