5th (lack of sleep note) one's very own black tape. Audio at first.

[11calls]

[This post is audio, and it's coming from Alex's office and she sounds a little... forced amused.]

Okay, so I know this is way later than we thought it'd be happening, but you know given the whole half the population coming down with the virus that was released in May, and then half of us getting kidnapped in June, it makes sense that it would be. But yeah, Pokemon Go is finally a go. Go out and play it! Go Team Red! That is a lot of "goes" in one statement! [There's a little laugh, but it's not full on Alex's. As for the team, it's not Alex has biases, it's just that she's Team Red, guys.]

On a more serious note, I'm hoping that some of our really techy people will take a look at this video and tell me if there's any sign of like CGI or whatever beyond something that we would be able to use back home. [There's no CGI or anything, it's real.] I already know that it's not been used if it's from my time or whatever. Even if you can't, I'm hoping that there's a way that this thing is like IP stamped or something by who sent it to me back home, so I can prove it's them. [Because fuck Thomas Warren.]

I'm not filtering the video away from anyone, but I should warn you that it's a bit... [Alex is just going to flounder here for the right word which isn't very Alex.] Creepy. It's creepy and sort of...demonic. But I promise it's not a jumpscare video, and it was taken back home and it just showed up on my device here. [Which is why Alex is at her office making copies of it, because she knows that it's going to be a thing.]

But I really do appreciate any help you guys can give me with it. [Please ignore the slightly desperate tone in her voice, she may have watched this multiple times already today.]



[Alex has cut the part of the video that's just a minute of what seems like nanny cam footage with nothing happening. So, when the video starts on the network, it's got some sort of night vision filter, so it's easy to see in the darkness of the bedroom. There's a bed pushed against the window and a person sleeping in the bed. The camera lingers in on a shot of a foot out from beneath the sheets, before it starts to pan up the leg of the person in the bed.

Then it stops, and the camera moves instead to the corner of the room. There, in the shadows of it, there appears to be something moving. It's large, overly so, even though it's stooping down. It's a mass of black that's darker than the shadows, and there's long, spidery arms that stretch down to the floor and shake. The camera lingers on the demon for a minute, and it's also clearly watching the person in the bed. If anyone makes the effort to lighten the footage (Alex hasn't yet, because she's creeped out enough already she doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize what data they find) they'd see much more detail on the demon: how it looks like a gnarled tree, the large and hungriness of its eyes, and the twisting length of it's fingers and the crazed over-sized smile.

The camera looks away from the demon and then back to the person in the bed, the camera slowly moving up her body until it lingers on her face. Because yep, that's Alex's bedroom at home, and that's Alex. The video stops after you can see her face, and then Alex switches it to video in her office so she can be seen, even if she looks a little pale in the bright light of her office.]

I'm fine. It happened back home months ago now. Other things happened, a lot of other things happened. so I couldn't fully investigate it at the time, but now that I've got it, and I've got you guys I figure no time like the present right? But yeah, that's actually my apartment back in Seattle, a day or so before I ended up here. Well, got my memories from home anyway. I am just seriously hoping that you guys can help.

[And a muttered:] Someone owes me a million dollars if you can't.

Comments

un: ambiguity, audio

[interconnectedness]

Is this really your best idea, Alex?

audio un:pnwsalex

[11calls]

What's wrong with it? People here have the resources we don't have at home, Simon.

[Look, she'd really like this to be fake, okay? It was in her bedroom.]

[interconnectedness]

You can't always trust everyone.

[11calls]

I don't, but I don't think anyone here is going to hurt me with this, Simon.

[It's not like she hasn't put things out on her show that would hurt her way worse.]

[Private and a while later.]
I want to ask you to look at something, but I don't want to upset you.

[private]

[jolting]

Well. I definitely understand why you'd have trouble sleeping.

[private]

[11calls]

Yeah. Two years of dreaming this. And this wasn't even the worst demon in my nightmares, honestly.

[But she's not going to mention to the Helvetion, because yeah. She's just glad that wasn't in her bedroom.]

[private]

[jolting]

I'm sorry. I don't really feel like my treatments are helping you.

encrypted text # un: skyenet

[evite]

( skye's response is delayed by a few hours. while she's enthused about pokemon go in the woods — and perfectly willing to sign up and rock the red team swag — her attentions are a little more focused on doing the absolute best she can with the video sample she's received. and, to be fair, 'the absolute best' is decent, but it's nowhere near what it could be if the systems in riverview were anything like what she was used to back home. she does manage to lighten the footage, snapping a few poignantly creepy screenshots of the demon tree, but beyond that? it'll take some time.

for now, though: )

alex, this is fucked up.

encrypted text # un: pnwsalex

[11calls]

[Well. Fuck. That's literally all Alex can think for a minute as she stares at the better shots of the demon, and somehow she's not at all surprised to find out that it does in fact look pretty much like what Cheryl described, and of course what Tall Paul looked like in her dreams.

This is fun.

So, instead of sending back what she's sure is a rather shaky audio, she just texts an extremely rare thing in and of itself.]

I know it is. Some creepy asshole recorded me in my room and there was a demon. This is not the best thing that ever happened to me.

[That may be the weakest bad joke Alex has made, but she's trying as she's just going to keep staring at the screenshots..]

[evite]

wait a second
you didn't take this nanny cam shot?
some jackass snuck in your room and somehow didn't get eaten by the evil twin of grandmother willow?

( wow, karma really missed an opportunity here. )

how are you even a functional person right now?
like, i'm pretty sure i'm going to have nightmares, and this is just a video clip

audio; un: j.calhoun

[bardish]

So, uh. Just out of curiosity! Are you 100% sure that thing isn't here?

[11calls]

[Thanks Jeff for giving her something brand new to worry about.]

I don't think so. I mean, I've been here eight months and I've never seen anything like this here.

[But she'd also only ever had nightmares of it back home so...]

[bardish]

[ YOU'RE WELCOME, HE'S A PAL LIKE THAT. ]

...oh, okay. [ T R Y I N G to keep any skepticism out of his voice, but he finds your reasoning dubious, because, like, hey if the demon's watching you sleep, then you wouldn't know, because you'd be sleeping, so it could still be happening, even if there's no creepy stalker with a video camera and-- ]

Good. Cool.

un: aeacinos; audio

[illusionistic]

Such a cowardly beast to prey upon those weaker than it and from the shadows no less.


[ He doesn't even know Alex and he sounds pissed off just a little bit. There's a small growl from him as well. ]

I have seen such things in my world, but I do not suspect it is the same thing.

[11calls]

Yeah, they don't care. I mean, it's a threat against me, but I'm not it's normal target.

[And that's all she's going to say about that.]

You come from a world that has demons too?

[illusionistic]

In a sense, yes. They are not exactly born as demons. My people are...being turned into them, by a virus of sorts.

audio, un: r.lynch

[somnioergosum]

[Ronan mostly just listens to the first part because well, he wants to make sure this woman hasn't lost it from that mess from before. Then she says demon and his anxiety sets in. Then he sees the thing, the color close to nothingness, and bent like--

When he replies his voice is sharp.]

Did you bring it back?

audio un:pnwsalex

[11calls]

[Alex just sounds... very confused.]

Bring it back? How would I bring it back? It was in my apartment in Seattle. As far as I know, there's been no sign of anything like it here in the eight months I've been here.

[somnioergosum]

I don't know. It could go inside you and only come out at night for all you know. Do you still record yourself sleeping?

[Holy invasive questions, Ronan.]

video | @arcarius

[angelic_archer]

I can't tell from the footage, but it doesn't look like any of the demons I hunted back home. [Alec's expression is intense, frustrated since the footage isn't good enough for him to get an accurate assessment of what the demon might be.] My friend or my husband might know what it is.

It doesn't help with what happened then, but my family and I haven't found any demons in Quarantine since we arrived.

[11calls]

You guys... hunt demons? This is what it looks like after the footage is lightened.

[Look, Alex's voice may have perked up a bit, and she sends him some of the shots that Skye lightened up so that you can actually see what the demon looks like: gnarled over, super tall, long arms that go to the ground with sharp fingers, hungry big eyes and a huge smiling mouth.]

[angelic_archer]

Yeah, we did. Jace - the blond that's helping me with the club - and I grew up training to hunt demons.

[Alec switches screens, watching the video, trying to place the demon from all the ones he's fought or read about. When he switches back, he's scowling faintly before he gives her an apologetic look.]

I don't recognize it as one I've seen , but there are dozens of different types. And there may be differences because of different realities. I'll have Jace and my husband look at it. What are you trying to find out about it? You're not going to try summoning it, are you?

audio; un: finn

[bythehand]

[ Well, he can't help with tech stuff worth a damn, but he can... pepper in a conversation about something fun and not horrifying in hopes that it might help her feel better at least? That's Finn's strategy. Since it seems like a lot more informed people are on the case for part 2. ]

What's the difference between the teams?

[11calls]

[Oh god, Finn, you're so the best right now, and Alex's voice sounds a bit strained, but she tries to keep it light.]

Okay, so Team Yellow is officially called Team Instinct. The philosophy behind it is that you close your eyes and instinctively bond with your pokemon and you trust in that instinct to lead you through everything. It's sort of for people who have faith that everything will wind up okay in the end.

Team Blue is Team Mystic and their underlying principles are logic, intellect and calmness. They're about not giving into emotion.

Team Red is Team Valor, and their philosophy is passion and strength above all else. But I've got to level with you, Finn. I just picked Red because it's my favorite color.

[bythehand]

I didn't think they'd have whole philosophies. [ This is very galaxy brain meme, if he knew what the galaxy brain meme was.

He hovers in this strange thought space of wondering if the team he picks should match up with his actual real life feelings about things, because he doesn't really subscribe to a favorite color or anything. But it's a lot of thought work to put into a phone game, so. Nah. ]

I'll probably just join Red. You usually have good taste.