[ video ]

[hostage]

[The video's shaky when Jesse starts transmitting. He's at the baseball diamond and it's the middle of winter and he's shivering, dressed for a New Mexico summer in a hoodie that's barely thicker than the t-shirt he's wearing underneath it.]

I'm here.

[He's saying that to the NV, but his attention is away from the camera, directed to the road.]

Where's a goddamn taxi...

[He stops walking for a second and raises the NV so he can talk to it properly.]

I'm here. I'm okay. How long's it been? What year is it?

Comments

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[momchester]

[Oh my god she's so relieved she might just cry.]

You're back- you're okay.

video/private;

[hostage]

["Okay" is relative.]

Yeah.

video/private;

[momchester]

[She runs her hands through her hair, stressed.]

Uh- are you okay?

video/private;

[hostage]

I'm fine.

[...Not at all. He sounds worn and hollow.]

Sorry if I, um... Were you worried? I'm sorry.

video/private;

[momchester]

Don't apologize. Don't. It wasn't your fault.

But what happened to you? Did you just vanish, or...

[Or die. Get killed, more likely.]

video/private;

[hostage]

I went home. Nothing happened, I just... I got sent back.

video/private;

[momchester]

Good. Good.

[Less than good, but so much better than the alternative. Now for the question everyone from her world dreads asking.]

What happened back there?

video/private;

[hostage]

Nothing. I dunno. Vacationed in Mexico, lost my job, got a new one.