007 - Video (possible acrophobia description warning)

[iamtetsuo]

[The feed clicks on to an extremely high view, focused partly on Tetsuo's face, the wind blowing his white hair erratically around. He's perched vulturelike on the support structures of one of the taller buildings in downtown Nonah, above the top floor, waiting for the wind to die down enough for him to talk.

And that's not even what he's here to talk about. Both hands are visible, and the camera is held very still; he's either got it perched on something or is holding it up with his powers.]

So, I've been thinking... We're all made out of elements and stuff, right? Carbon, nitrogen and water, things like that. All that boring shit they make you learn about in school.

[Apparently water's an element now. He pauses.]

But that's what I don't get. Ever since I really started to think about it... I keep coming back to it, you know? How we're all made out of a small list of ingredients...

[Sorry to anyone with a fear of heights - he reaches out to tap the comm and the camera moves dizzyingly downwards, providing a nice scene of lower building roofs, cars no larger than colorful beads, some trees... It pans out out to give a dramatic view of the rest of Nonah as he continues.]

But that same list makes all of this, too! What's the difference? How's something alive the same as stuff that can't be?

Comments

voice

[lastnerv]

Probably not.

What brought this on? You don't really seem like the type to get existential on the network. [That's totally his thing, Tetsuo.]

voice

[iamtetsuo]

Yeah, that's right. I don't really give a damn about any of this existential crap... It's just... something someone said. Since then it's been driving me nuts. Thought it'd be an easy answer, since they got all the other ones.

voice

[lastnerv]

So what will you do now that you know there isn't a good answer? Just let it go?

voice

[iamtetsuo]

Like hell! There's gotta be one!

voice

[lastnerv]

Of course not. You're not the kind who quits, are you? Well, guess you better start studying biology then!

voice

[iamtetsuo]

Or I'll keep asking until someone CAN answer it.

[Study biology what's he look like]

voice

[lastnerv]

...Uh huh. There's a pretty thin line between "being persistent" and "being annoying", you know. Just saying.

voice

[iamtetsuo]

I'll tell you what's annoying - a lot of 'who knows' or 'souls maybe' or 'something to do with biology'. I shouldn't have to study this stuff.

voice

[lastnerv]

[Flatly.] No, of course not. Other people should just know whatever you want to need and it's not your fault if they don't.

voice

[iamtetsuo]

[aggravated sigh on the other end.]

They should though.

...

If I gotta even consider studying this shit - [From his dismissive tone, he considers that unlikely]- just 'cause scientists can't do their damn jobs, that's really not my fault.