Thirty Third PSI

[a_gentle_boy]

[Well. It had been a day or two since being rescued from Westport, and Lucas finally felt well enough to return to his daily activities. After the first day of binging, the thought of eating more food had been slightly nauseating, actually. When he's finished with school, he will make a call about something that's been on his mind since returning.]

[voice, public]
Ah. Hi, everyone. This is Lucas. Um. First off, I'd like to say thanks to whoever it was that brought us all back. . . . I really don't want to think about what would have happened to us if you hadn't come. I think Vince said your name was Mr. Doctor...

The other thing is, I'd like to talk to the people who were in Westport last year. Did any of you take a look around for more clues . . . ? I guess no hazmats means no clues, and I don't really mind that, but. I know I didn't find anything important. . . . There were a few things, though - Some things that were odd. There wasn't a church or a library. And, Kay, do you remember the television in the house you hid in last year? I went back to the same house, and . . . there wasn't anything there. But I know it was the same. The place where the TV had plugged into, it was missing entirely.

. . . I'm not sure what any of this means, but it might be important to think about.

Comments

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

[What's this? He may not really know what any of that is yet, except for what he's gleaned from other conversations that've occurred over the phones recently on the subject. But this is the first time he's heard so much mentioned.

Might as well try and see if he can glean a bit more.]

Excuse me. I myself was spared from most of the events that just occurred, but I'm also relatively new to this town. And I'm apparently quite behind from most of the others as to what's been occurring. Would you, perhaps, mind telling me exactly what Westport is?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course! I'm sorry, I forget that new people don't know about the things that've happened . . .

[Lucas himself has managed to accumulate three different complete sets of Westport clues by dint of being close friends with several of the primary investigators, and is probably as good a person to ask as any.]

Um. About a year ago, or a little less, a road to a neighboring town called Westport opened up. Something about a summer bash, but it was really just a trick to get us there and trap us. We stayed for about a week. . . . I guess the most important thing to say were that there were . . . things that kept attacking us, to try to kill us. We called them 'hazmats'.

The other thing is that we found a lot of clues while we were there about the potential history of Mayfield. Things like the drone, Jane Smith, used to be a real person, too, and that Officer Grady -- or Evan Olney -- was once fighting against the town as well.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

I see.

[And he really does. So the town could, when whoever controlled it willed it, open up into other areas. Or perhaps create an illusion of doing such. And confirmation that the drones had been, and still could in part be, real people. And apparently one of the current people imprisoning them had been a traitor to his initially cause. Also important.]

And these "things" that attacked you...they've only ever appeared in Westport?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh. No. In Mayfield, they follow the commands of Lucy Smith.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

[So whoever is running this operation does have shock troops of their own. Oh, you can't see it, Lucas, but he's smiling at that. He really could start quite an interesting conflict if he could somehow do enough damage to cause Lucy to send them out.]

So they're servants of our captors, then. And they aren't human, themselves? If I could have a description of them, I would certainly appreciate it.

[Because even though he'd like to see them, he'd like to see if he could figure out a way to hurt them even before his own first, personal conflict with them.]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

They look human, but there's nothing underneath their suits. They're just walking sacks of poison gas. They carry axes and more gas with them, and just touching them is enough to be badly burned.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

[Mmm. Gunfire, explosives, and fire are the things that immediately come to mind on how to combat them. Of course, for now he expects that whoever runs this place has an infinite number of them, so actually fighting them would prove futile. He'll need to find other means to help neutralize them if he can ever draw them out.]

Thank you. You have my appreciation, especially as it sounds like you must have had quite the week this past one.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Don't thank me. This is something that everyone needs to know . . .

And it wasn't that bad, really. To be honest, it was just a little boring after I stopped thinking the hazmats would show up every few seconds.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Mmm. As unexpected as it would be for most people, we often times find ourselves preferring danger to boredom.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh. Um. I'm pretty OK with being bored . . .

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Are you certain? Surely, when you are too bored you find a way to entertain yourself. To find stimulation, do you know? Perhaps not danger, but surely something to relieve it.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Well, of course, but that doesn't mean I'll take danger over boredom . . .

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Oh?

Let me ask a question then. When you were there, even though there wasn't evidence of immediate danger, did you choose to simply stay where you were, or did you go and explore?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

That's a very narrow way of thinking, isn't it? If all actions had to be classified as 'danger' or 'boredom', then I guess you could say I'd pick danger. For that situation, I think I was choosing the chance to get information over no chance without thinking about how dangerous it might be.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Well said!

However, that doesn't eliminate the fact that danger is in fact present in any action really taken to get something accomplished, although in smaller or larger degrees depending on the task.

But then again, it really is just personal difference on how we label what we do.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I guess you're right. The safest thing to do would just be to lie in bed all day and wait until you die peacefully, right . . . ? But I wouldn't want that, definitely.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

No one does. What joy in life would there be then, if we were to just sit and waste away?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Now that I think about it, though, it's probably bad for your health. Maybe you'd die sooner . . .

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Ah, but which would you rather have? A long life of hiding, or a shorter one doing that which you love?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I meant lying in bed all day was probably bad for your health.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

Ah, forgive me then, I misheard.

But I suppose all I'm saying is that danger, as long as its in a certain moderation to what you can handle, is acceptable and natural.

[Or, in his case, danger to an outrageous degree caused by him that engulfs everyone else is downright fucking awesome, but he won't say that just yet. He'd prefer to show everyone here how he feels on that issue in a little while.]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I guess that's what 'stress' is, right?

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

A very good way to put it.

You're quite a bright young man. Might I have your name?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I'm Lucas. It's nice to meet you.

[sturmbahnfurher.livejournal.com]

A pleasure, Lucas.

I am known as the Major.