14 // audio // HAHAHAHADRUGSHAHAHA

[40410]

[ Alex has tried and failed to find Sofia, and her room is a little more bee-filled for his trouble. His other options? Metal guy. Who knows where he lives? Sinclair. Armed. He'll be on his guard. No good, no good, where does he go?

The hunt for the murderer's still afoot, right? The spliced-up murderer. What might he leave lying around his room? Something bright? Something delicious? It's worth a shot.

He'll have to be careful. Not show his hand too soon. Might get thrown off the case.

So he leaves the video off.

...Because without the video there's no way to tell that he's different. Riiight. ]

Nao-to?

[ ...ESPECIALLY NOT if his voice is tense and a little bit singsong _{shut up}. ]

Nao-to...?

((ooc: action tags are welcome; he's using a wall comm on the tenth floor.))

Comments

video; 1/2

[detectiveace.livejournal.com]

[ superfluous post, superfluous commentary, nothing's really catching her eye over the network today. just as she's about to give up and scour the library, something catches her eye.

or ear, to be exact.

it takes her about ten seconds to realize that 1) it was Alex speaking, and 2) he was saying her name. ]

video;

[detectiveace.livejournal.com]

Alex? Are you well?

[ because obviously something's up. her first thought being "oh my god the Queen is doing something again." ]

audio;

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ A nervous little laugh is the answer to that. Heeee's not well. He's fully aware of that fact. But plasmids'll glue him back together again. Plasmids'll keep him ticking along.

His reply is quick, a little stuttering. ]

Yeah - yeah. I've got information. Information. On that [ the next word has an out-of-place note of excitement ] splicer who killed that man. Mmmhm. Mmhm. Soso where is he? Where's his room?

video;

[detectiveace.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I do not have that information. However, I do know that he was recently killed.

[ sketchdar is goin' pretty strong right about now. ]

So dealing with him can wait. [ figuring out what's going on comes first. pause: where to start? ]

...Have you recovered your memories?

audio;

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ She doesn't know?

She doesn't - she doesn't know?

Nononononononono he can keep his head, he can! Really. Even with the air screeeeaming at him that he's so fucked ]

Shhhh! Shhh!

[ fuck the air, seriously, it never says anything helpful. ]

You can you can find out, though, right, you can find out? 'Cause detectives - they're good at that. Finding places. Things. C'mon. C'mon.

[AUDIO]

[echo-of-utopia.livejournal.com]

[ Are there custom ringtones for mansion comm devices? Because if so then Lamb's Alex alert just went off. She's been searching for him for a while; that is, searching in the sense of making sure she was the one who spotted him first if it came to an encounter.

Her room? With Alex and Sinclair and lions, oh my! ...wait, what? she had the feeling that sleeping around, that is to say ~sleeping in other empty rooms in the mansion~ would be a good idea for the time being.

Her theory was confirmed when she returned to fetch some notes she left behind and found her room full of snakes again, except that this time they all had the same colour, were smaller, could fly and were also bees.

To get to the point, all that's left to confirm is whether Alex is already beyond the point of pheromone-guided redemption. ]

Alex? Is that you?

[AUDIO]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ She replied? She replied? He wasn't expecting that. But what... it's all a bit confused. He whispers loudly, so that whichever Sofia it's not won't hear. ]

Are you the good doctor, or...

[ a pause; shiiiiit what description does he even use for...? He's not even sure whether 'good doctor' refers to his Sof' or to Mirror Lamb, because the latter forced all these plasmids on him - but she gave him so many plasmids - but she forced all these plasmids on him - but she gave him so many plasmids - ]

Are you the good doctor, or the Nurse Driver doctor...?

[AUDIO]

[echo-of-utopia.livejournal.com]

[ That is a very confusing and quite possibly foreshadowingy description. Mostly just confusing though. So... second verse, same as the first. ]

This is Sofia.

[ ...she said in her least threatening and not-snake-throwing-est voice possible. ]

[AUDIO]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ Hnh shit she's not as likely to give him plasmids but (hey she's alive!) a guy can try with a hushed, hopeful: ]

...'m still your patient.

[action]

[timisnotme.livejournal.com]

*Tim's had a nice long time to be Tim. So now a fully rested and refreshed Masked Man is ready to head to the forest like a good little minion. That is until he sees Alex. Alex literally looks like he's falling apart, not to mention he's talking to someone on the communicator all sing-songy and crazy like. Did the Operator feed him Prozac?*

Alex? What are you doing?

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ Falling apart is right. Alex has welts and sores like they're going out of fashion, all up the right hand side of his face and neck, and covering his arms. A lot of his skin looks almost dead, a blotchy mess of angry red and sickly yellow and the purple of a bruise. He can't seem to keep still, but keeps tapping his foot and rubbing his hands together. His eyes aren't glowing any more, but they're jaundiced and veiny and, when Alex turns his head, they don't quite focus on the man, but on the air a few inches in front of his mask.

It takes him a few moments to recognise Masky. His voice is suspicious. ]

Why does he want to know.

[timisnotme.livejournal.com]

You're dying.

*He says it flatly. He's been around death enough to know. He can tell that Alex doesn't have long to go.*

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ Not what he wants to hear. ]

I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not!

[ He rounds on Masky, shakes the long, bloody icicles out of his hands. Like somehow Alex's being stronger will make the guy wrong. ]

I'll sew myself back together! I've got a long, gloooowing needle and thread waiting for me, I just [ a step forward ] just have to find it! [ another, his teeth bared. ]

[audio]

[41810.livejournal.com]

[Have a very startled]

Oh, God.

[audio]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ he knows that voice and what he says next is urgent, it's important, and it's just this side of a threat - ]

Don't run away!

[audio]

[41810.livejournal.com]

[He's quiet for a few moments.]

<sub>I'm not going anywhere.

What the hell have you done to yourself...?</sub>

[audio]

[40410.livejournal.com]

I've got it under control I just need to keep just take a bit more just a bit more just to keep me in one piece.

[ So there! ]

[action]

[worldentire.livejournal.com]

[Guess who's stalking you, boyo. Hope you're ready for a very, very abrupt awakening here pretty quick.]

[action]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ He's not ready, but the narration suspects that won't do much to discourage a certain fine Southern gentleman.

Alex is stationed at one of the hallway communicators on the tenth floor, and he's looking distinctly worse for wear. Weird ropey, tumory shapes are starting to show under skin that's mottled with the colours of bile and bruises. And there are sores and blisters all over him, not to mention many slightly-bloodied holes in his clothes where the ice shards punched out.

He's still chatting away with his good buddy J, but he's twitchy as hell, clicking his fingers, rubbing his arms, glancing about. ]

[action]

[worldentire.livejournal.com]

[He's done this before, see, and he knows how it works. He leans around the corner ever so slightly, making sure he sees exactly where Alex is. And then, he gets to work.

Kneeling, he starts pulling out clips, making sure they've been fully loaded. Replacing them, he pulls out three large grenades, loading them into the grenade launcher beside him. He leans over again, taking careful aim... and shoots the two proximity mines near Alex, and the third frag grenade at the door beside him.

Might as well have the element of surprise.]

[action]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ Thnk is one mine deploying on the floor near him, and he looks quickly around, wondering what it was.

He spots the studded, yellow-lit shape, and then thnk goes another and he realises this is really not a good sign and he blurs on the air as a deafening explosion takes out the door.

He can feel the air heating behind him. But Alex is already through a different doorway and crashing into the far wall of an unoccupied room. He stays there for several seconds, just rasping in breath and making noises of panic. Then he manages to turn around, towards the room's door, shaking the icicles out of his hands so that he can defend himself. ]

[Action why not]

[jesusing-clown.livejournal.com]

[Best timing for a walk ever. Allen is at the other end of the hall watching Alex, concerned because holy hell is that not right. After a few moments, he'll step a bit closer]

Alex?

[Action that let's say is a bit before Sinclair's for reasons that will become evident. :D]

[40410.livejournal.com]

What?

[ The "holy hell not right"-ness will most likely only be exemplified when Alex snaps his head around to look at Allen (or more specifically at the air above Allen's left shoulder). That movement clearly displays a face disfigured by sores and weird lumps, the skin discoloured in tasteful shades of jaundice-yellow and bruise-purple. His arms and hands, for the record, are decorated to match. ]

[Action works for me o/]

[jesusing-clown.livejournal.com]

[Oh my god that's so-

Oh wait, no he's seen worse. You think rotting sores look bad on skin, wait til you see them on souls. A little surprised, but not as horrified as he should be.] What are you doing?

[Action \o]

[40410.livejournal.com]

[ Sores on souls? That sounds like nine kinds of ohgod.

...is what goes through the narration's mind, but not what goes through Alex's, primarily because he can't read Allen's narration. ]

Trying t to find something. Trying to hunt it down.

[ He turns his face back to the blank screen, searching it with his eyes. ]