video | day 71

[voliere]

[ Okay, so figure out the things you know, Elizabeth. List them off for sure.

This is solid ground. She knows - it's a little disorienting, really, because as stable as Columbia is, you're always aware you're on what is essentially a giant hot air balloon. Sort of. Not really. The physics are complicated.

She's in a church. It's devoid of the imagery she's used to, though. No Prophet, no Lamb, no False Shepherd. No Booker. No men trying to capture her (yet). And no tears, or at least, none she can see at the moment. The thing on her wrist is a little like a voxophone with a screen, she's thinking, squinting at it thoughtfully. It had spoken to her a few minutes ago, but she hadn't been able to get it to play again. In fiddling with it, she's managed to start recording herself, though she has no idea that she is on camera.

Alright. So that's figured out. Now to find Booker. He has to be here - did she accidentally bring them somewhere? They'd just been outside the Hall of Heroes - she had heard gunfire, and then she was suddenly here. What's going on? ]

Mr. DeWitt? [ She calls quietly, the camera only half on her face as she opens the door to the outside, frowning. ] ... Booker?

Comments

[voliere]

Oh. So people find their way out, then! Somehow.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

That's... debatable. There's some reason to believe that those who disappear may be taken away by the people who run this place. For experiments.

[voliere]

For - excuse me, experiments? [ Oh. Oh, wow, that's not something she wants to hear. She's not frightened, but her expression does shift into something a little more concerned. ] Are... are you sure?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I'm sure. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced some of these... experiments myself, when they affected the whole town.

[voliere]

What exactly will they do to us?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I know it sounds unbelievable at best, but the last time they did something, it was to turn all of us into...

[A sigh.]

Supernatural beings. Feel free not to believe it. I wouldn't.

[voliere]

[ >:c Now that doesn't sound real at all, and her fear dissipates somewhat. She purses her lips, displeased. ] Supernatural beings? You're pulling my leg, mister, I wasn't born yesterday. You had me worried!

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Look, I don't believe in that stuff, either. But there are people here who can do some awfully strange things, and for a week, I was stuck as one of them. Ask anyone around here, they'll tell you.

[voliere]

[ ... Well, he doesn't sound like he's lying. She's still frowning. ] I suppose I'll have to wait and see, won't I? Since I assume they will not stop just because I have arrived.

Any other unbelievable things I should know about? [ And pass on to Booker. ]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

There are cameras in every room. I guess that's not unbelievable, just... unpleasant.

[voliere]

Cameras? [ Ewww. ] In every room? I can't imagine they would put one in a restroom.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

When I said every room, I meant every room. The way I see it, they don't much care about privacy.

[voliere]

[ BUT HOW IS SHE SUPPOSED TO CHANGE CLOTHES ] That's disgusting! Hasn't anybody tried to cover them up?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Sure, you can throw a towel over them. Just don't try breaking them, because they sneak in and fix them. It's a waste of ammunition.

[Not that he's ever shot a camera. That would be ridiculous.]

[voliere]

[ ... That sounds a lot like a Booker thing to do. ] I suppose it's better than nothing. A waste of - do you own a gun?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Yeah, I do. Why?

[voliere]

I was only curious. [ Maybe she'll be a little more cautious, now. ] I'm not sure that - oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Elizabeth.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. I'm Meyer. I'd welcome you, but, as you may have noticed, this isn't exactly the kind of place anyone really wants to be welcomed to.

[voliere]

[ She laughs a little at that. ] No, no, I don't think that it is. It's nice to meet you as well, Meyer.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Where're you from, Elizabeth?

[A pause.]

And when?

[That's always a strange question.]

[voliere]

A city called Columbia. The city in the sky, had you heard of it? [ A beat, and then: ] The year is 1912, but I'm starting to see this may not be the case for the others.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

A city in the sky? No, I've never heard of it. It's 1923 where I'm from, though -- you're one of the first people I've met here from a time close to my own.

[voliere]

[ 1923... wow. That's pretty close, but it's still the future, and it distracts her enough to want to ask every single question in the world. ] 1923 - what's it like? Are there televisions? Cars? How have they grown? There was no need for cars in Columbia, but I've read all about them.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Plenty of cars. A lot of people have them -- it's not uncommon anymore.

[voliere]

That's amazing - what else has changed?

Though - though I suppose if you've never heard of Columbia it may be different. You may come from a world in which Columbia never existed, which would mean a world, literally, of a difference.