01 | Video

[virusbusting]

[Right from the start, this video feed is very shaky. Not wildly, but like someone's pressed 'record' and forgot it. After a few seconds of swinging, a hanging ceiling light comes into focus, only to swing away as the device is once again moved.]

C'mon, stay up! ...Hah, there!

[It stops once again, this time showing a boy's face. It might look familiar to some, even if the eyes are the wrong color, or the design on the headband wrapped around his forehead might even be recognizable.

If not, nothing wrong with that. He looks happy at getting his phone to stay up.]

Hi! This is recording, right? The guy that gave it to me sorta explained it...he said if I asked around the network, I'd find more answers, so here I am. [A pause.]

Um...I'm Lan Hikari and I'm new to the country...or this part of the country, anyway. I have no idea what I'm doing here and could use some help with...anything. Like getting home. Or getting ahold of my mom or dad so they know I'm okay.

Or fixing this. [He retrieves an offscreen object, bringing a second device into the camera's view.] It got busted somehow, and last time I tried to fix it...

[It turned out badly. But he'll just imply that for now, shrugging before ending the video feed.]

Comments

video

[glitterateur]

Where're you from? You can probably visit the city in this dimension!

video

[virusbusting]

This...dimension? I'm in a different dimension?

[That explains a lot of things...but also creates so many more questions.]

Densan City...

[glitterateur]

Oh yeah this is a totally different universe than the one you're from! Don't worry, you'll get used to it. [That was said way too casually and too quickly.] So is Densan city on the east coast or the west coast?

[virusbusting]

[How can you say that so casually Mabel? Even he, who usually accepts things as they come, is having a bit of a hard time with this.]

It's um...I don't really know. West, maybe?

[glitterateur]

Thaaat's gonna be harder 'cause all the teleportation machines do big east coast cities! But I know people who've gone to California on road trips and stuff and there are are people with portal powers.

[virusbusting]

California? Where's that?

[Obviously not on the east coast.]

[glitterateur]

It's on the other side of the country! It's where Disneyland is? You might not have it in your universe.

[virusbusting]

Disney...land?

We might have a...Disneyland, but I've never been there. What is it?

[Sorry Mabel, he'll figure out they're talking about different countries soon enough.]

[glitterateur]

It's a theme park! With rides and food and people dressed up in costumes and it's super fun. There's one in this dimension and you have to go.

[virusbusting]

Oh! I'll try to visit when I get more used to where I'm at right now. It's in California?

[glitterateur]

Yep! And there's another one somewhere in the middle of the county? Which is weird 'cause it should be in Florida. So if you got assigned to live in Heropa don't bother looking for it.