001 | Day 150 | Video

[notthefirst]

[Mary's expression is somber when she turns on the feed, she's more than aware that waking up to this kind of situation doesn't bode well. Still, her voice is remarkably calm with a hint of good natured humor. ]

Well, this is a first. I'm no detective, but even for a kidnapping this is a strange set up. Points for ambiance, though.

[She pauses.]

Is this a kidnapping, though? I'm not quite sure what the objective might be. If you've mistaken me as a rich heiress, I'm afraid you'll be very disappointed.

[She flashes a small, if uncertain smile.]

And if I'm to be used as some kind of leverage, I'm afraid you'll be similarily disappointed. Perhaps it's best if we just lay all our cards on the table and see where we're at. Shall we?

Comments

[somereliance]

[The first thing that catches his attention, well beyond John's usual habit of noticing pretty women, but the first thing is that smile. It does something entirely unsound in medical terms. Making his heart skip a beat. He shakes off the effect, but decides that he should probably offer some words of comfort...]

I'm afraid we don't get many answers this way. Hello.

[John offers his best 'I'm a reliable sort of fellow' smile in return.]

[notthefirst]

John.

[That smile warms and widens, relief and worry fighting control of her expression as she peers at him.]

Hello. What on Earth is going on? Tell me there's no bonfires awaiting us. Or is the rescue already under way?

[somereliance]

[There is a conflict of interest created with that. John hasn't seen someone smile at him in that way in a long, long time. It pulls at his gut and makes him realized for the first time in months, just how alone he does feel.

Self sufficient would have been the better term for it. But lonely lurked just in the background. Waiting for his guard to drop.]

I'm not, bonfires? [The darker part is. There is no reason that she should know his name, even if it was a lucky guess and one of the most common names in the world.] I'm sorry, have we met?

[notthefirst]

[She gives a small laugh.]

Well, I would say so.

[The smile lingers for a moment before she realizes he's not joking.]

It's me. Mary.

[somereliance]

[There is a line in there, something about knowing he'd never forget a face like hers. And it's cheesy and horrible and he won't say it.

But it's entirely true.]

I'm.. sorry, I don't. [It's just possible that the kidnappers have messed with his mind, or hers. But to what end?]

I don't know who you are. [There is a sadness to John's tone, and a gentleness. He wouldn't lie to a total stranger.]

[notthefirst]

Right.

[It may have sounded almost like an apologetic acceptance, except that it's more stunned. Mary is hardly going to accept that as an answer. She takes a deep breath, her tone getting more determined.]

Did they whack you on the head? Are you suffering from a concussion? Because I know this sounds incredibly vain, but you're not allowed to forget me, John Watson.

[somereliance]

Something tells me that would be impossible. The forgetting you part. [Okay, he did cave and use the line, but it was still very true.]

I don't really remember how I got here, but there are no signs of physical injury. I suppose I may have been drugged.

...how much do you know about me?

[notthefirst]

[She doesn't quite smile. Mostly because this isn't John's sense of humor at all. Instead she looks more than a touch concerned.]

Loads. I think you'd be surprised.

[somereliance]

My threshold for surprises is pretty high right now. Can we meet? [John just blurts that out. Apparently some times he can still surprise himself.]

[notthefirst]

Of course we can.

[She smiles at him.]

Name the time and place.

[angelofhope]

I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure if there's any real word for it. But kidnapping does seem to be close enough. [Remiel waves into the camera, smiling.] Hi! Don't worry, you're not the only one around here. There's a pretty good sized group, if you know where to look.

[And if the building isn't playing keep-away.]

[notthefirst]

Hello. [He seems to be in fairly good spirits for being kidnapped. Which is much preferable to terrified.] So a kidnapping party, then?

I'm Mary, and you are?

[angelofhope]

Yeah, I guess you could say that. [He chuckles.] I'm Remiel. Nice to meet you, Mary. Did you just get here?

[notthefirst]

Remiel. I like that. Well, just woke up here seems more accurate. Any idea what we've done to deserve these kind of accommodations?

[She's done a lot of course. But she's never heard of anything like this.]

[angelofhope]

I'm afraid not. [Locking up a number of dangerous people, not to mention several archangels, seems like a recipe for trouble, whatever the intention of the people involved.] There isn't a pattern that I can see, among everyone here. It's like we're being randomly grabbed.

[notthefirst]

How long have you been here?

[angelofhope]

[Remiel considers.]

A little more than a week, I guess. It's hard to figure time out in here exactly. There aren't any calenders laying around.

[notthefirst]

'Course not. That would be too helpful.

[She lets out a small sigh.]

Anything else I should know?

[angelofhope]

Hmm, well. [What are the basics?] Don't be afraid to call for help if you need it. Folks are pretty friendly, around here, and lots of strange things happen. This phone you were given will reach most or all of us.

[hung_garian]

Maybe they're just lonely. Everyone's gotta make friends somehow.

[notthefirst]

Well, while this is a memorable first impression, it's not a good one.

[hung_garian]

Didn't your mom ever teach you not to judge a kidnapper by its cover? First impressions aren't everything, sweetheart.

[notthefirst]

Oh, believe me. I know that better than most.

Loneliness can be excused, abduction cannot. How long have they been courting your friendship?

[hung_garian]

Ooh, a while. Five months, maybe - they're certainly persistent, I'll give 'em that. They don't give up easy.

[text]

[could_be_dangerous]

One look around you ought to have told you this isn't about money. You'd have to be an astonishingly rich heiress to offset the costs of constructing this place and keeping us confined here. We all world, but a quick survey of the local populace dispels that theory rather neatly. If we were to be used for leverage or ransom, our captors certainly wouldn't have risked giving us potential access to the outside world, much less any semblance of personal autonomy. Too dangerous. Damaged goods don't sell. On the other hand we do have communication devices and we are given a free run of the facility which suggests something entirely different and frankly rather obvious.
SH

[text]

[notthefirst]

Well, hello, Sherlock. Right, so not a case of mistaken identity then. So we're prisoners. Lovely. Have you spoken to John? He doesn't remember me.