[network] @hotstud_xxx; video, Day 116 [audio]

[rubikscomplex]

[House is at the school and there's time to actually play the piano. There is also a conspicuous lack of depressed vampire in the area. Well, that's fine. Probably. He doesn't want to deal with Beckett again. Anyway, there's news to report and music to harass people with.]

Hello, Snowhellions! Dr. House here with tunes to fill the soul with gladness. Stay tuned for an important announcement after about blood. Blood. It's what's inside. Maybe. This one goes out to all the nosiest members of Norfinbury.

[The first song for madame's and monsieur's pleasure tonight is a piano cover of Billy Joel classic with House singing. It makes a point, he thinks.]

I'll take requests now. And great news about the blood thing: We've got specks inside of us. Who said the kids didn't need to get that program? Kesara found a microscope, Quark found some binoculars we could use for the objective lenses, voila! Extra magnification. Not electron-microscope level, but MacGuyver couldn't do better. So. Blood. My guess is still nanobots, maybe something to do with the MN? But four different people, four different worlds, three humans, one... troll, no powers except some sort of smell-o-vision. Took a few different samples, cleaned the lenses, cleaned the sample slides, same results. It's definitely something in the blood, not just an artifact. Kids confirmed they saw the specks independently in all samples without me telling them what to look for.

Next step is to get this piano to bleed again and have a look at that. Anybody near the house with the other piano?

Comments

[advanced]

[Smart. Well deduced. That means he's doubly dangerous.

There's a hesitation.]

No deal. I'll find the information another way.

[rubikscomplex]

good luck, james

[Shot in the dark. John, Joseph, and Jacob are to follow if that doesn't get a reaction. Then it's onto the other variations of common 'J' names he can think of. Wilson might be on his mind...]

[advanced]

[He freezes, staring at the name on his tablet like someone has just sent him a death sentence.

He knows. He knows, and Bucky's first instinct is to run. To flee, to hide. He can't, there's nowhere to run to here and he can almost feel the target itching on his back. The question is if this man already knew, or if Bucky betrayed himself by choosing J and giving a clue. Stupid. His subconscious steered him away from true randomness after all.

It's too lucky to be a guess, right?

His hand is sweating as he holds the tablet tighter and takes a gamble.]

That's not my name.

[Bucky. His name is Bucky.]

[rubikscomplex]

no?
you wanna help me out, then?

[advanced]

[His heart is thudding rapidly with adrenaline fuelled fear, but it's slowly calming. Either this man knows him and is pretending he doesn't or he really was just guessing. Either way he needs to lie and try and turn this to his advantage.]

I will trade you my name for the information updates.

[rubikscomplex]

long as you've got an id to verify it, buckaroo
not my first rodeo

[advanced]

I don't have an I.D.

No belongings when I woke up here.

[rubikscomplex]

not even your clothes?
golly
that's a rude awakening

[advanced]

Smart.

I have clothes. Nothing else.

[rubikscomplex]

is there an "ass" you wanna attach to that first part?

[He knows what he is, Bucky.]

welp
there's a surefire way to find out your real name
i just have to kill you
obits always do the real names
the admin knows all

[advanced]

[Like HYDRA, like SHIELD, like... so many faceless organisations, all of them with intelligence networks and spies everywhere, all of them hunting him. The Admin are just another branch of the same tree.

A tiny wry smile touches his lips behind the camera. Either this person does know who he is and is mocking him, or he's just a smart-ass with a lucky guess.

It doesn't matter, he's not giving out his name and they've reached an impasse.

So he just hangs up.

But he'll be watching, checking up on House, making certain of who is and what sort of threat he presents.]