video | 004 | day 54

[retrograding]

[Because the broadcast is a video, Jet Star comes on the screen with his hair somewhat tamed and his eyepatch in place. His expression is as calm as ever, and the video is steady. The only evidence that there might be something wrong is the sound of clattering and a somewhat distressed voice in the background - but Jet ignores that for the most part to address his audience.]

I have one very simple question for the people of this town today, and I like to think it isn’t an unreasonable request. Two friends of mine, Party Poison and Kobra Kid, have not been home for a while. Has anybody seen either of them? They’re rather hard to miss. Party Poison has red hair, and Kobra Kid is blonde, the former is short and the latter is tall --

[Fun Ghoul suddenly appears over Jet's shoulder, scowling at the communicator.]

One's fuckin' stupid, and the other one's twice as fuckin' stupid. Give 'em the real facts, Jet. Two days! [He holds up two fingers in front of Jet's face just in case you assholes forgot how to count.] Never gone this long without sayin' shit, ask that raccoon-eyed piece of work what she did with our boys--

[And he cuts himself off to disappear into the background again, sending something else crashing to the floor. Jet watches Ghoul stomp off with a sort of sad expression, and when he looks back at the communicator, the look sticks.]

We aren't accusing anyone of anything. But if you are out there, either of you - or if anybody knows where they might be, please let us know.

Please. Thank you. [And the feed cuts off. Jet has some calming to do, excuse him.]

Comments

[magnets]

[ Jesse's face is a bit squinted, mildly apologetic under that consideration. ]

Killjoys?

[retrograding]

Killjoys, yes. The other two members of our crew. [ He looks worn out already. ] Have you seen them, Jesse?

[magnets]

[ He gives a shrug. ] Can't really say. I didn't know either of 'em. Saw the red-haired guy on the network a couple'a times but I ain't seen him recently.

How long they been gone?

[retrograding]

Two days. [ Jet sighs. ] It isn't looking good. The search won't end until I am completely sure, however.

[ A beat. ] Thank you for answering. I had worried about you, as well.

[magnets]

Well, yeah. If they haven't checked in in that long, they're prob'ly dead. [ He's just being realistic. Well wishing isn't gonna help anybody too much here. ]

Worried. [ It's almost a question rather than a statement. ] I ain't really one for wanderin'. 'Less they snatch me up for somethin' else, I'm here for good, looks like.

[retrograding]

[ ... Jesse. Jet actually flinches, but that's the only sign of his composure flickering. There's a moment, and then he privates the feed. ]

We're already dead. It wouldn't be much of a change. [ It's said a little too coolly. ] I haven't heard much from anyone lately. It isn't too strange to be concerned that those I consider friends may be dropping off the charts.

[magnets]

I ain't talkin' dead, like, all metaphor-like. I'm just sayin', they take people sometimes, and some of 'em don't come back. They get tired of us or they don't. It ain't up to me, it's up to some whacko scientist up in some lab somewhere, playin' God where he doesn't really have the place.

[ He rubs tiredly at an eye, knows that Jet's getting weary of him here but, well, he's just stating the facts. gosh you're cranky when you're not high ] It ain't me you gotta be throwin' your concerns at, y'know, it's your Killjoy buddies.

[retrograding]

[ He actually snorts. ] Metaphor. Funny.

Did you forget that I consider you a friend, Jesse? [ He wouldn't be surprised. ]

[magnets]

[ More squinting. ] Is it?

I ain't stupid, y'know. I get it, you're real sweet on me, [ for whatever reason that it sounds like he can't comprehend, ] but I'm just sayin' you don't gotta bother. Christ, don't you got enough of that goin' around already? No wonder your hair's so big. It's full'a worry. You're like an old maid.

[retrograding]

Did I say you were stupid? [ Jet asks mildly. ] I wouldn't worry about who I worry about, Jesse Pinkman, as I'll worry about who I want, when I want. [ And that's almost weirdly cheerful. ]

And no, I didn't intend for that to be a metaphor, shockingly enough.

[magnets]

It was, like- You know, implied. [ He's pretty sure. He rubs at his face some more afterward. ] Whatever, man, do what you're gonna. Make your hair grow.

- Well, then, I don't get it, cuz we're all walkin' around and breathin' and shit. So we ain't dead yet.

[retrograding]

Try not to read too far into my words, mijo. I know it's tempting to do so, but there are some times where I do say exactly what I mean. [ And he WILL make his hair grow, so shut up. There's a pause.

It's been a while since Jet has wanted a drink this badly. ] Ah, no. You're alive. We - as in my crew. We are dead. There is nothing for us where we come from. [ He turns the camera away a little. ] I tell this story so often and it always seems as if nobody believes me.

[magnets]

Well, how'm I supposed to pick that out? Half the time you're all up on the metaphorical bullshit, man. [ It's not cruel, it's just matter-of-factual. Jesse can't figure this shit out, meng. ]

[ Does he feel bad about Jet's expression, about his reaction at nobody believing his stories? Sure, of course he does, feels the utmost of guilt squirming in his gut. But the dude's saying he's dead, and that's a whole other can of worms to open. ] So- What, you're like a ghost?

[retrograding]

[ It's a good point, but he ignores it for now, because he has more important things to explain. Not that he really knows where to start. ] Maybe, though I'm unable to walk through walls, so I'm not sure.

I am alive now, by the definition of the word. But if I were to go back - if they were to go back - there would be nothing. I'm still not entirely convinced this is not our afterlife.

[magnets]

An afterlife with a bunch'a livin' people?

[ But Jet's not exactly one to pull jokes like this or whatever, it's not even really funny at all. There's a lot of weird shit happening around Kore and he's not so blind that he hasn't noticed some of them. People coming back to life is a whole other thing that's disturbing for reasons he can't even get into. ]

[ So maybe his voice is a little challenging when he asks, ] How'd you die?

[retrograding]

That would be why I'm not sure that it is the afterlife. [ But no, he's not joking, and he still hasn't moved the camera back on his face. Simply: ] I was shot in the chest.

[magnets]

How d'ya know ya died for sure? They could'a just caughtcha right before it happened, y'know? Done some medical magic and gotcha right back on your feet before you know it.

[retrograding]

They could have, yes. [ He shrugs. ] It would explain why I'm living here. Laser shots are generally instant, but they could have brought me from seconds before. It's a haze.

Either way, I'm still dead when I go home. My crew is still dead. That's not something that will change.

[magnets]

Lasers. You got done in by fuckin' lasers.

[ He sounds mystified by Jet, for more reasons than just the lasers, yeah, but that's just a nice touch on the top of the fuckin' cake. He leans forward a little, eyebrows furrowing. ]

So you'da been dead if it hadn't been for gettin' kidnapped. [ He shrugs a shoulder, lost. ] How the hell d'you come ta terms with that?

[retrograding]

Laser guns, yes. [ And Jet shrugs again. He doesn't know. ] Death is a constant. When you're surrounded by it, it isn't so terrifying.

Besides. I had already accepted death a good week before it happened. It wasn't hard, for me.

[magnets]

[ It's easy to imagine Jet being so zen about something so big, and it's getting played out right before his eyes. It's not shame that Jesse feels for his actions in the past, not exactly, but Jet's definitely not the one of the two who broke down in tears when it came to a clash, the back of Jesse's skull and a gun barrel. ]

[ He raises his chin at Jet, regards him questioningly. ] How come?

[ How come you accepted death, how come it wasn't terrifying or hard, take your pick. ]

[retrograding]

[ He thinks about that, trying to come up with a good answer. ]

Our crew. There were four of us here. [ ow. ] But there was another, from home. A little girl. She doesn't have a name yet. She hasn't picked one. But our Girl was the fifth part of our crew. [ Our family. ]

She was taken from us. And we were prepared to do whatever we had to do to get her back. We knew we were going to die going in. It didn't matter, so long as she was safe.