002 | Video

[shuckit]

[ when thomas appears on the video, he’s looking dirty and entirely worn, and that stain in his hair might be blood, jussayin. though his clothes are completely fresh, looking newly bought from the store, and there’s a lump on his left shoulder of a bandage wrapped there beneath the cotton. clean as that looks, thomas seems half-dead, otherwise, speaking with a completely blank voice. his skin looks too pale and blotchy, probably because this message wasn’t the first thing he did when he got street side. that was collapse against a wall somewhere and have a lot of Emotions. which we aren’t going to talk about. ]

If anyone was trying to get to me the last day, sorry, I wasn’t around. [ he pauses, swallowing, and looks at some empty spot in space just underneath the phone, eyes distant. ] Took a trip home, for a week and a few days.

[ it was a bad week and a few days. it was an entirely horrific week and a few days and thomas is nearly considering just staying here, not going back. but he can’t leave the others. not there. with what the world is now, and the few sparse memories he’s gotten back, he’s lost hope that any of them will find a ‘home’ in the world again. but he’ll still get them somewhere safe. he has to.

thomas clears his throat, attention snapped back to the camera, and he rolls his left shoulder experimentally - it had been agonizing who knows how many hours ago, and thomas had been sure he was dying of infection, and now he feels even better than before. it’s ridiculous. and a little infuriating. but that’s a different topic. ]

How many of you came in with some kind of illness? [ the Flare. he’s seen what it does, and he knows what will happen to him, Newt and Minho if it starts working in them. But the other two have been fine, for months here. ] Have you seen the symptoms stalled, or has it kept going? If it was contagious, has it spread, or did the government shanks in that lab put something in your system to contain it?

[ as much as he hates the idea of them messing with him, and of the nanites they put in their blood, if it keeps the Flare contained, he’ll accept it. and if there was something these people did to hold off the Flare, you bet your ass Thomas is going to be looking to take it home with him. sry not sry, his world needs this a lot more than yours does, jerks. his expression sours some, this comment half muttered. ] And how many of you have a world that’d kill for whatever they’re using here?

Thanks.

PRIVATE TO JEMMA SIMMONS;

I don’t think I can give you a sample, now. I’ll look for some others, still. Sorry.

PRIVATE TO MAZE RUNNER CAST;

We need to talk.

Comments

[ video ]

[hostage]

[ANSWERING NONE OF THE QUESTIONS. Just asking his own.]

Did you get sick?

[ video ]

[shuckit]

[ well, this question should be expected, given the post he made, so it's not surprising. ]

Yeah. Something that's been going around. [ that last part a little sardonic. 'going around' is a vast understatement. more like 'driving the human race into extinction ]

[rathercommon]

[ She bites her lip a little bit when she sees him. He looks...rough, no question about that, and it's not Kitty's habit to kick people when they're down, unless that kicking will get them back onto their feet. But, well...He's broadcasting. That means he's ready to talk. Right? And besides, she just wants information, not kicking. No kicking. ]

What were you infected with? Do people need to avoid you?

[ ...Kitty has also largely abandoned any attempts to act dumb. Doesn't have the patience for it. ]

[shuckit]

[ oh hi creepy girl with secrets, he's not sure how much he really wants to divulge to you. but the one part that everyone should know, he'll answer. ]

depends on how well whatever the government puts in us works. [ newt and minho have been fine here. no half zombie people in the last couple months. ]

video + text

[kinesia]

[ First there's relief.

Then something close to panic. Thomas looks like he's lost blood. A lot of blood, or else been sick, maybe. ]

what happened why do you look like that ?

[ And then like a second later. ]

where are you ???

[shuckit]

[ there's a slight upward quirk at one corner of his lips. he hadn't seen grey in what feels like forever. he glad he's still here. hopes he stays here. ]

A lot happened. I'm fine, Grey, don't worry about it.

[ he tries to force a reassuring smile, but thomas isn't that great at it. ]

On my way home. You don't have to freak out, man. I'll see you soon.

video;

[lurings]

[ there is the slightest line of worry between her eyes but eff emotions, she conceals and doesn't feel. (she doesn't conceal everything. those eyes, man, they worried.) ]

I assume the nanites would halt the infection. Though a doctor's visit couldn't hurt. [ a beat. ] I came in bleeding to death, the medical advancements here are pretty huge.

video;

[shuckit]

Yeah... I might do that.

[ not because he thinks there'll be much for them to look at, but because, if they have something that counters the disease, he wants to get his hands on it. if he can keep hold of it next time they send him back, he can give it to Brenda, Jorge and the others. ]

Know any good doctors?

[raincheck]

Are you all right? [ steve's seen worse, but that doesn't mean he isn't concerned. ]

[shuckit]

[ physically, he's fine. mentally, not so much, but he's not commenting on either, really. ]

Hungry. I'd probably sell Newt for a bacon cheeseburger right now.

MAZE RUNNER FILTER;

[runout]

... Been to the Scorch?

MAZE RUNNER FILTER; forever

[shuckit]

Nice place, think I might set up a vacation home. [ so so so dry. he hates everything. ] D'you remember me getting shot?

video.

[glowsferatu]

In many cases these "government shanks" won't have to do anything at all. The Porter has a tendency to to bring in the dead and injured healthy, they won't be any good to her otherwise.

[ in other words, she had a four-inch hole through her abdomen that closed immediately when she arrived, as opposed to the months of healing it took back home. but she's not about to say that. ]

Still, if it's an illness you're worried about, it may be best to consult a doctor.

video.

[shuckit]

Lachesis, you mean. And she fixes it every time? Nothing missed?

[ because even slightly letting this disease out is going to mean everyone is zombies and that's not okay. ]

Know any good ones?

AUDIO.

[selfimage]

That would make two of us. [ pausing. ] The gone part, not the gross, horrific illness part.

As for that, I could make a few guesses, all of which begin and end with convenience.

AUDIO.

[shuckit]

Yeah? How was your trip? Have a nice flight?

Because Lachesis wouldn't want one imPort turning the rest of her toy soldiers into cannibals? [ he shrugs. ] Maybe. Not that I'd put it past The Powers That Be to bring on the apocalypse just to see what happens.

[ basically, WICKED. basically everything that thomas sees WICKED as. do terrible shit just to see what the lab rats will do. ]

video; private

[munies]

[ she just clicks on her feed and nods, not liking seeing Thomas like that again, but she's not particularly worried either. not about his health, at least. ]

Let's talk. Tell me what happened?

video; private

[shuckit]

Hey. [ a lot more stiff than how he'd said it the first time he'd greeted her here, but no angry. nah, he's not there yet. ]

A lot. Some shank shot me. [ which might have been an attempt at humor if his voice wasn't so dry. ] Can I meet you somewhere?

[ without the others, is what's in between the lines there, but he doesn't even want to say outloud that he's excluding them. but he needs to figure this out just with the two of them - him and teresa. ]

private.

[gluestick]

You look like you've been through hell. Take it you've gone to the Scorch and gained timed on me.

[Newt feels guilty for being glad that he hasn't had to experience it. Something in him hopes he never has to, but he knows he has to. Knows he will intrinsically somehow.]

Where are you at? I'll meet you at the house.

private.

[shuckit]

Pretty good name for the Scorch, yeah. I wouldn't be too jealous about it.

[ 'hell', that is. no, newt, don't be guilty. don't be guilty at all. ]

On my way there. Try to keep Grey from klunking himself. [ and when he gets there, like grey's pretty much going to be right on him, making him sit in an armchair, so newt might find him half passed out there with mute ninja train boy hovering close by. ]

text

[aggressiveapathy]

STD?

[shuckit]

[ .....april. ]

yep. you got me.

audio

[bioshift]

You're sick?

audio

[shuckit]

Sort of. I guess.

Audio

[somethinghidden]

Uh, I know it's been a week since our, um, run-in. I don't know if you remember it, but anyway. Again, I wanted to say sorry... for the way I reacted, because I know it was... fucking stupid, really. And I don't know that means anything to you, and maybe it's unfair of me to ask since it's clear you're in a bad ways. You don't look all right, but. Did you really go back... to the world you came from?

audio; and no worries about changing it! im just being a slowpoke ;;

[shuckit]

[ he has to think for a second, as memories of this place are still flowing back, but yeah, he remembers him. the guy from the corner store. ]

Don't... worry about it, man. Really. [ really. he doesn't have the kind of mental fortitude to be reassuring right now. he listens to the rambling, and nods some, following along. he doesn't mind answering the question, he's just... not in an awesome mood. ] Yeah. Right to the second I left it.

[ right before chuck died in his arms. it wasn't a great welcome home. ]