[video]

[hischair]

My people have been given the run of the City Labs via my authority, Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise, at the discretion of the anonymous faction that rid the City of its former captors.

That means anyone who wants to get some actual work done can report here to sign up for the Starfleet Program. Physicists, engineers, sciences, medicine if you're interested in expanding your field — all the sections are going to be geared toward improving our technology and getting us out of here. I've had a look around and for twenty-first century restrictions, it's not too bad. Let me know who you are and what you specialize in, so I can keep track of who's going to be coming and going from the facility. You don't have to be a member of Starfleet to sign up for a job, but it's not exactly light work and if you're not a fan of doing things the hard way, I wouldn't bother. We might have to try building our own equipment from scratch, for that matter.

Oh, and does anyone know where I can get a cheap motorcycle from? Thanks. Also, Stiles, I've got some free time if you do.
 

[PRIVATE TO ENSIGN CHEKOV ; separate starfleet comm frequency]

Hey, I'd like to meet up with you when you're free. I need to go over a couple of things with you about the City, I'd rather do it in person.

Comments

[skintoskin]

I thought you were from, like, outer space?

Sounds like a science fair. Kinda.

[hischair]

Technically I was born in space aboard medical shuttle thirty-seven that had been assigned to the starship USS Kelvin, but I grew up in Iowa normally enough.

Science fairs are always fun, especially if stuff blows up.

[skintoskin]

Oh.

Right.

Is anything likely to blow up at your... event?

[hischair]

I really hope not.

[skintoskin]

That sounds boring.

But, you know, I can come and look at stuff, like you said.

Do you really think you can find a way out of here?

[hischair]

I think it's never worth giving up. Trying to get home is better, if you ask me, than taking a backseat just because you were told to.

[skintoskin]

Hey, nobody told me to take a back seat, Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Lots of people have tried to rally their knowledge, circle the wagons and all that shit, but it doesn't get them anywhere, except maybe punished or dead.

Though... some people don't seem to stay dead. I dunno how that works.

[hischair]

Did I implicate you? I don't even know you, I was giving my opinion. You might want to be a little less defensive by taking everything someone says to heart.

[ Level and indifferent as he keeps his tone, the last part twists his lips. ]

I know people here don't stay dead.

[skintoskin]

Oh, a generalization thing. Gotcha. Sure.

[Blink.]

Personal experience, Captain?

[hischair]

More than I'd like, yeah. Had any yourself?

[skintoskin]

Did you die or was it someone elese who died... and came back?

Personally? I haven't died yet.

I think.

If I did, I don't remember it and that's fine with me.

[hischair]

You always ask people you just met their private details?

[ Arching a brow at you, kid. Half-amused, half-exasperated. ]

[skintoskin]

[He's seen a lot of arching eyebrows in his time, so not a problem.]

Sometimes. Depends on my mood and the mood of the other person, and whether or not the topic is relative to a curse or some emergency situation or you just... want to talk to someone who isn't a god, trying to control your life.

[He shrugs along with the smile, which is slightly apologetic.]

I'm not a diplomat.

[hischair]

Diplomats don't necessarily have common sense, they've got nothing to do with it. Asking someone what happened to them, to that degree, is invasive no matter how you try and excuse it. What kind of person even throws up information when they're asked point-blank by a stranger?

[ Shaking his head dismissively. ]

You've been talking to a lot of over-sharing weirdos, sounds like.

[skintoskin]

[There is a brief pause while he thinks about this, then Neil speaks in a way some wouldn't think he was capable of. He isn't being sarcastic or trying to be funny or shrugging it off or dismissing the man with a 'Fuck you, anyway!' He sounds... like an adult...]

Okay. Consider this, Captain.

There are a lot of... weirdos here and a lot of people who are freaked out about being away from home, their family and friends and anything that's familiar to them.

People ask questions on the network and people can say 'no', you know. It isn't required that you have to contribute anything. But if you want to talk to someone, just to remind yourself that you aren't alone in this fuckin' nightmare... We're trapped with crazy, powerful people. The circumstances aren't normal.

[His voice is quiet now.]

You get it, right?

[hischair]

Really. [ Settle down, says his new frown. ] None of that attempted lecture makes it okay to ask someone you don't know if they died. "Get it"?

[ The kid doesn't sound much like an adult to Jim. Those he's known haven't needed to inform him of any given situation like that, so he has no compunction in being blithely frank to someone years his junior (eighteen, maybe pushing into his twenties) trying to apply to an already sturdy sense of self. Jim is, even stuck in this place, confident enough to hold his ground. 'People ask questions on the network and people can say 'no', you know.' Smartass little shit. Did Jim ever sound like that? God, he hopes not.

For good measure, he keeps his tone conversational. Any extra bite and he wouldn't put it past the boy to start harping on about being victimized despite having prompted someone outside his self-aware radius to feel a little overwhelmed by the direction the conversation had been taking. ]

It also doesn't help your case to start preaching about how tough life is on behalf of the masses, it makes you come off like the only special snowflake who's noticed. For the record, this isn't having a go at you, you're biting my head off.

Relax, not everything's centred around bitching you out.

[skintoskin]

[Wow. If Neil knew what Kirk was thinking... Well, he doesn't, so it doesn't matter. He can't help it. He starts to laugh, but not at Kirk.]

'Special snowflake'? Shit, I haven't heard that in, like, ever. And I was preaching?

[He shakes his head a little. His voice is quiet and he sounds tired.]

I don't represent anyone but me and I wasn't trying to bite your head off. I was trying to be nice. And I know damn well that the universe doesn't revolve around me. It never has and never will.

[He sighs. Small chuckle.]

You know? Checkov thinks the world of you. I'm still working on 'why', but I don't know you, as you've pointed out. I think we've got off on the wrong foot, but right now, I'm too tired to care.

Good luck with your recruiting, Captain. I doubt I'm who you're looking for.

[He reaches to sign off. Kirk can stop him if he wants, or not.]

[hischair]

Yes, you were preaching. [ — he did ask. ]

You don't have to work out 'why', his reasoning is his own. I don't think we've got off on the wrong foot, Neil, I'm pretty sure we're just not going to get along if you're too tired to talk after neglecting to apologize for a thoughtless faux pas. I really do have more important things to be getting on with, so don't worry that you've made a lasting bad impression today. I'm not.

You're Mr. Chekov's friend, but that doesn't automatically mean you're going to be mine and that's okay. See you around, man.

[ A casual flick of a thumb ends the feed. ]

[skintoskin]

[Wow. Could that attempt at communication with his friend's 'boss' gone any worse? Maybe he should've just been his usual, cocky self, sworn more, been unintelligable or just ended the conversation sooner. Guess he'll never know, now. He's been roundly dismissed. He turns off the feed.]