poly_chromatic | 1 [voice]

[Maybe the amplified ticking that only just stopped had gotten to her. Maybe the reality of her situation took five days to hit home. Whatever the reason, Penny doesn't sound particularly chipper. One might go so far as to say that she sounds outright shocked.]

Oh my god. This is all completely real, isn't it? Not just the City, but all of it. What Hammer said, the death ray, Billy, dying, coming here... all of that actually happened.

The City and the dying--that I can deal with. Death happens like everything else, right? But Billy's a supervillain... a real villain with a death ray and everything. And Hammer's supposed to be a hero and he actually told everyone that we slept--oh god. Laundromat-frozen yogurt-shy Billy has a death ray and Captain Hammer's a total... a total jerkface, and he never did care about the homeless, and why does that bother me more than Billy being Dr. Horrible? But Billy--Dr. Horrible--didn't actually shoot anyone, and Hammer made the death ray explode...

And then--

[There's a long pause, but the recording continues. Penny's quieter when she speaks again, as if she's not talking directly into her network device.]

That really happened. All of that happened.

Billy's sweet and a supervillain, Hammer's--and then what happened to the shelter when the death ray exploded? Who else...?

[Another pause. This time the pause stretches into silence until the device times out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, sounds like it.

Anything I can do? Do you need to talk?

I don't think so, but thank you so, so much for offering, really. No... actually, there's one thing. What's your name?

Derek. I'm Derek Morgan. I know you f-... we met awhile back. It seems like a long time ago but really it isn't, I guess.

It's nice to meet you, Derek. Re-meet you. Sorry I don't remember you from before.

It's alright. Forgetting happens more often than not in between going and coming. We just get to become friends again is all.

Then that's not so bad. I definitely wouldn't mind being friends... y'know, again.

I'm not a bad guy to be friends with. And you were always a good one to me. So it's nice to meet you... again. I run the Youth Center here in town, teach self-defense classes if you ever need them, and work on the Police Force when they need me. But most of the time you'll find me at the Youth Center if you ever need anything.

Sounds like you keep busy, Derek. I'd really like to visit the Youth Center... check it out, see what you do. If you ever need help, just ask, okay?

Come by anytime. We're always open and if you ever feel like helping out, we'll take that too. Where are you staying? You need a place to stay? Got a few open rooms here if you do.

Well... they haven't kicked me out of the welcome center yet and the room I'm in hasn't been needed by anyone else, but I'll definitely remember that. Thank you so, so much.

You're welcome. I've missed you. I'm glad you're back, even if that makes me a little selfish.

That's really sweet, and not selfish at all. I like it here.

Yeah, I think I remember you saying that before. Is here better than back home for you?

Really? I'm glad I didn't change to much on you.

You know what? It is better, in a lot of ways. I mean, even if you don't count the part where I'd be dead there, the City has a lot going for it.

[He's silent for several moments. She was always so positive, and still is. Which was probably one of the reasons he'd always liked her so much. She reminded him of someone back home that he cared for very much. And to be honest, Derek was oftentimes so dark in his own mind that he needed a little light here in there.]

Yeah. I guess it does have a few things going for it. And I'm glad you aren't dead.

[She'll assume that silence is the result of hitting "record" too soon and not thinking.]

Me too--not that it's a completely bad thing, because it has to happen eventually. The City, though! Did you know that homelessness, poverty, and pollution aren't even issues here? It's like a crazy utopia.

A crazy utopia aside from the curses.

[His grin is audible in his voice now.]

Okay, besides those and the evil overlords. So maybe not so much a utopia and more a place with completely different problems?