💣 001 | audio

[devoutish]

[There's the sound of fumbling and a little bit of unintelligible muttering before any real words are spoken - the communicator isn't hard to figure out, but it still takes some practice to get the hang of.]

-- this button here, and then-- oh, there we go. Have I got it? Hello.

[Alfie's voice is deep and rumbly, and very Cockney. He switches on the video next. It's zoomed in too close on him to give any real clues to his surroundings - there's just the back of a couch and a blank wall visible behind him - but his clothes are clearly old-fashioned.]

Fucking fantastic, these things. Looking at your little images on the screen, it's like you're really there. Yeah, wonderful picture quality. I'm very impressed. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, should I - bigger and bolder seems like something of a trend here. I discovered one of your supermarkets earlier this morning. Fucking hell, the size of that place. Entire aisles set aside for nothing but ketchup; for ice cream. Hats off to the future, eh?

[And since he's actually wearing a top hat, he goes ahead and tips it.

But despite his conversational tone, his eyes are deadly serious. He narrows them a little, as he peers closer at the screen. He seems calm and affable, sure - but if you look behind that front, it's clear that he is very much not happy with how his day is going.]

Right. How many people am I speaking to, right now? Is it just those who've been brought here like me, or do I also have the pleasure of the army's company?

[Because he would like to have words.]

Comments

[devoutish]

Of course. Naturally. Why wouldn't he?

[Can you feel that sarcasm, Piper?]

[socialactivillain]

I'm going to take a wild guess here that you're not a big fan of the government.

[devoutish]

Are you calling me an anarchist?

[socialactivillain]

Should I be?

[devoutish]

I wouldn't say so, no.

[socialactivillain]

What should I be calling you, then?

[devoutish]

Alfie Solomons. And how about you, mate?

[socialactivillain]

Hartley Rathaway. Though most people call me Piper.

[devoutish]

Piper. Are you one?

[Most nicknames have reasons behind them, after all.]

[socialactivillain]

Not professionally.

[devoutish]

But unprofessionally? As a hobby, in your free time?

[socialactivillain]

Something like that.

[devoutish]

And what are you professionally?

[socialactivillain]

Currently? A music therapist. Which I'm still not entirely sure is a real job.

[devoutish]

That's what you were assigned. Yeah? What you were told to do here. Do you really consider that your profession?

[socialactivillain]

...Well, I don't really work back home. I spend most of my time doing non-profit volunteer work.

[devoutish]

How do you get your money?

[socialactivillain]

Er. My family.

[ He at least sounds embarrassed about it. Nothing like loudly and actively detesting capitalism while simultaneously being from one of the richest families in the Twin Cities. ]

Which, frankly, is why I spend so much time doing charity work. It's not right that some don't have to work when others are barely scraping by.

[devoutish]

Well, I can see why you were brought here.

[If the government wanted a hero, clearly this guy was a good choice.]

Are you settling in, or are you itching to leave?

[socialactivillain]

[ He doesn't think of himself as a hero, at least not in that way. He's just an angry socialist, doing his best to undermine capitalism and the upper class. ]

I miss home, of course, but I'm settling in here fairly well.

[devoutish]

Has it been years for you? I am hearing years more than I'd like.

[socialactivillain]

No, only a couple of months. But I've heard years from others, too.

[devoutish]

A couple of months I could do.

[He'd still rather be home, but he could see himself enjoying this place if he knew he'd go back to his own world soon. It's too bad he doesn't have that guarantee.]

Yeah. A couple of months I might even like.

[socialactivillain]

At least it's an interesting place to be stuck, and there's plenty to do to keep busy.

[devoutish]

Things besides the jobs and the registration, I should hope