01 // Video

[pale_blue_arrow]

[Brendan took the explanation he got when he arrived about as well as could be expected, all things considered. It wasn’t the Promised Land, but it was a step up from home – not a big accomplishment, there – and much as he wasn’t keen on playing social butterfly, it was best to get the lay of the land when it came to the people. And hey, at least the powers that be were nice enough to patch up his glasses. Other than looking tired and deadpan, he’s practically good as new; at the very least, he’s composed as he looks into the camera and sets it up, though it takes him a moment to get the angle right.]

Sorry ‘bout the lack of technical skills. Not used to these things just yet. My name’s Brendan Frye. I’m a sophomore, though I somehow lucked my way into some AP classes, back home at least. I don’t bring a lot of skills to the table, here. Thought I was done with other people’s home-brewed chaos and frankly I don’t see myself getting too involved if I can’t figure out a way to not be one more burden for the people with real powers. All I got’s some healing and just enough strength to be useful, maybe.

I know nobody here owes me answers and I’m not looking to get in with anyone’s cliques; got no need to make waves and zero interest in that. Basically I’ve got some questions about school here, I wanna know what laws are different from back in California and if the cops around here are worth a damn – ‘cause they were crooks back in San Clemente – and if anyone can offer any bits of advice, that's all I'm after.

[With very little fanfare and no goodbye, he snaps the camera feed off. Whatever his feelings are on this superhero business, and he himself isn’t a hundred percent sure on what he feels, he’s playing it close to his chest for now.]

Comments

[siriusly]

Eh-?

Oh...Mm, yeah. Sometimes people leave. It's the same way they come? The Porter, I mean. I...don't think there's any rhyme or reason figures out yet about it, but... [a small, puffed exhale.]

[pale_blue_arrow]

That's a little disconcerting. [He's not sure how to factor this into life here. How is he supposed to make contacts and figure out what's going on if the key players in all this can leave without warning?] This is gonna take some getting used to.

[siriusly]

[boy, tell him about it; he's just trying to catch up on two whole missing years!

encouraging:] Lots of folks here work hard to figure it out, or just make sense of stuff here. I'm sure lots of smarter people than me will be happy to help. [hastily, after he realizes how that sounds:] N-not that I wouldn't! I'll be happy to help, too, of course! I only meant...scientific questions and stuff...

[pale_blue_arrow]

[Wow, that's more energy than Brendan wants to deal with. He sighs slightly.] Hey, take it easy. I'm up not on science, I can't help in that department either. Before things took a sharp swerve and I ended up here I was probably going to be some kind of Lit major and it's not like that's gonna fix anything here.

[siriusly]

[a beat.]

Lit? You're a writer?

[pale_blue_arrow]

More literary analysis, actually. Find the subtext in Shakespeare, the themes in Tolstoy, that sorta thing. I may be shit at a lot of stuff but words are the one place I don't have problems. [Considering he was in a college level English course but normal level everything else.]

[siriusly]

[another beat, punctuated by a thoughtful sound.]

...You know, something like that could help lots of people here. The imPorts. We're not all coming from the same time and place, and we all think or talk differently.

It...may be weird and confusing here, but you could find something.

[pale_blue_arrow]

Hmm. That's actually a solid idea but hell if I'd know how to implement it; I got some official job assigned when I got here, dunno how to swap it for something else. But it sure beats sitting on my duff with nothing to do. Guess the question now is, where to start? [He knows the demented slang of San Clemente and can get through Shakespeare just fine. The idea isn't without merit, especially since it'll help him get in touch with more people and keep an ear to thr ground for trouble around here. Where it will sink or swim is in the implementation.]

[siriusly]

Oh that-- [a little laugh.] Don't worry about that. If you want a different job, you can take one. That's definitely not forced. Some of the things they come up with to assign people isn't...isn't that great, ha...

Luckily, each town has an imPort representative! I bet they know all the rules to switching properly. I gotta see about doing that, too. I can probably pick up some stuff for you while I'm at it.

[pale_blue_arrow]

I got saddled with some job called 'Escape Room Attendant'. I have zero idea what an Escape Room is but I know from experience that I can't juggle two jobs at once unless I want to start skippin' school for one of them, which people tend to take a dim view of, obviously.

That'd be greatly appreciated, Mr...?

[siriusly]

[he's muttering escape room? under his breath when the question is asked; after a beat he snaps back to attention:]

Oh-- no 'mister,' just Manabu. Sorry, ha... Nice to meet you.

[pale_blue_arrow]

Nice to meet you, too. It's good to get a bit of direction while I'm finding my feet here. You been here long, Manabu?

[siriusly]

Ah, mm, well-- [a weak laugh.] Sort of. The date I appared was 2015, but somewhere in summer, something happened...and now I'm suddenly here, two years in the future.

I don't think...that's very normal. Not in that way. When other people disappear and reappear, they'd gone home...

[pale_blue_arrow]

...are you okay? [Brendan's empathy levels are usually pretty low, but flickering into the future sounded like the kind of thing that twisted a guy's psyche permanently, and he wasn't heartless.]

[siriusly]

Oh-- [pushing a more optimistic tone:] Yeah, don't worry! It's...weird, but it'll be okay. So far so good, nobody I know is hurt...and, and I figure the ones who are missing are safe at home. It's like-- [quickly racking his brain.] Like...like a different station. Sort of. I moved around a lot anyway, and it's not the first time warp I've had to deal with, so...

But! Anyway, what about you, though? It's all kind of weird and a lot...are you okay?

[pale_blue_arrow]

I'm always okay. It's just my default state of being. [He normally answers 'how are you' with 'status quo' but under the circumstances, that'd be a lie, all things considered.] Sounds to me like you're the one getting the rougher end of things.

[siriusly]

N-not really. I mean, it's kind of the same for all of us. And like I said, I've had to deal with time travel before, so it's okay. [yeah. YEAH!!!!!] Once I get my bearings, I'll be able to work extra hard to help people out, for as long as I'm here. That means you, too!

Oh, so-- if you're new, you're still here in Heropa? Unless you teleported elsewhere already.

[pale_blue_arrow]

You oughta take some time for yourself. Nobody's meant to be nonstop. Besides, I can fend for myself. I've done it before.

Yep. Heropa, government housing 001. It's bland but it's air-conditioned so I can't complain.

[siriusly]

Heeeh...that's easy to remember. Then I'll hand over what I find to you. Sound good? Or...stick it in the mailbox and address it for...[checking user ID...] Brendan? Is that right?

[pale_blue_arrow]

Either is fine. And yeah, it's Brendan. And seriously, you're a little bit of an odd bird, but you seem alright. Don't work yourself too hard, alright?

[siriusly]

[an agreeable sound is cut short.]Eh-? What, why do you think that? I'm not odd...It's not weird to work hard...

[pale_blue_arrow]

It's not smart to work hard all the time. You'd be like a candle burning at both ends. And it doesn't seem to me like things here are rough enough right now to call for that. [He'd comment that it is, actually, pretty odd to work hard for random people, but he might need this guy or his services later, so he refrains from more honest comments.]

[siriusly]

Sure, but... [defensive:] but I have two years to catch up on! And all my stuff is gone, and the progress I made on academy applications, and...

...

[beat.

sigh.] It is a lot of work... Jeez...

[pale_blue_arrow]

...I got nothin' else on my plate. Can I help?

[If he's going to mine Manabu for information, it's best to have the guy owe him one. Also, Brendan is starting to go mad from boredom, and being alone with his thoughts is never a good thing for him.]

[siriusly]

Eh-? But-- [hesitation. doing things alone isn't always doing things right; that's the sort of thing he'd argue for if the tables were turned.

still, it's a little embarrassing:] Mm. Okay... How about a trade. I'll find out how jobs get shifted around nowadays, and...and I'll take whatever you can dig up on how the police have been working with imPorts for the past year or so? That's what's tricky, not walking back into things blind...