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[Someone's posted a link to a recorded video message to the network. Slightly blurry, it's focussed on a single grey figure, who is far too close to the camera to be seen clearly until she takes a couple of steps backwards, when it resolves into what anyone who's seen one can identify as a troll, between the skin, the yellow eyes, and the obvious yellow horns curving up out of way too much black hair. She looks off-screen at something out of frame, and smiles, revealing a whole lot of very pointy teeth.]

On? Go?

[There's a weird bubbly sound to the words, almost a chirp underlying them, and a weird glubby glottal stop before some of the es. Someone says something in response, although it isn't clear, but it must be confirmation, because the next thing that happens is that the figure straightens up, looking seriously straight into the camera.]

I am Feferi! Come to Earth. Lost... fronds? Looking. One like me but yellow.

[Something inaudible off-camera again]

Friends. Not good with words. Important L-EAV-E M-ESSAG--E IF S--E-EN!

[The language changes, to something much more alien, recognisable as Alternian to anyone who's heard enough of it to recognise it.]

(H-ELLO! This is Feferi! Someone glubbed they heard someone who looked JUST LIK-E SOLLUX was seen in...) Los Angeles? (That's a really weird name! If anyone who knows me sees this video floating around, L-ET M-E KNOW IF YOU'R-E ALIV-E! I might not be able to stay in one plaice for long, though, so leaving a message might be a good idea! I hope it was you, Sollux. I've been looking for you for AG-ES!)

[She steps forward and to the side, and the room behind her is a little clearer; it's what clearly used to be a very sterile lab, although now there's a lot of mess everywhere, mostly broken lab equipment and some amounts of what might be blood. A TRIDENT symbol is clearly visible on the wall, before the feed cuts off and the video ends.]

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[In Alternian, although he has, to his great dismay, picked up what Sollux has described as a bit of an accent from speaking basically exclusively in English for nearly a year:] Holy fuck, Feferi, is that seriously you?? You're on Earth? I mean – shit, yeah, Sollux is here, he's with me, he's gonna absolutely flip his shit, but when the hell did you get here?

[All Alternian, all the time, slightly dubious because that accent is odd] KARKAT? Yes, I am here! I have been here for as long as Sollux, in fact.

[A pause, and a slightly less bubbly tone.] I came down with him, but... I lost him. I have been looking for him ever since, though.

Oh my shit, are you seriously telling me you've been here this entire time too?? What the FUCK, Feferi, where have you even been, I've been here for like half a sweep – you could have – we could have ...

[He takes a sharp, unsteady breath in, but he moves the communicator away from his face halfway through like he's trying to hide it. There's a little pause before he says anything else.]

Okay, I – shit. Shit, okay, do you know where LA is? Los Angeles? Can you get here?

I couldn't find Sollux and I was on my own and it could have been REALLY DANG-EROUS if SOM-E P-EOPL-E knew I was here, Karkat! So I stayed in the water. I'm SORRY! I didn't glubbing know you were here -EITH-ER!

[She's not really angry with Karkat, just circumstances. She can't help sounding kind of sharp, though, because it has been a really bad half a sweep for her, too.]

Yes! I have been glubbing with a couple of humans, and one of them found it for me on a map!

[He wants to snap back but he knows she's right – she didn't know she could have gotten help any more than he knew that Sollux was in trouble. But just knowing that this could have come to his attention – CONDOR's attention – any sooner is making his insides twist painfully even though he's beyond glad to know that she's here now.]

Okay. Okay, cool, just – troll me when you make it to land and I'll come and meet you, just try not to let any humans spot you because if you straight up walk out of the fucking sea or something they'll probably collectively freak out about it and contact the human authorities. I'm gonna try to tell the human authorities you're not a danger to Earth, but they might want to interrogate you or some shit anyway – human interrogate you, I mean, they just ask you questions without torturing you or anything.

I can't contact you after I leave here. I don't have any way of doing that, at least not that will survive water for that long!

[And then she takes a deep breath, because she has more important worries than human authorities, and as nice as it is to hear from Karkat she hasn't spoken to Sollux yet.]

You said Sollux was there too! Is he okay? I haven't heard from him at all.

Yeah, he doesn't know enough English to use an Earth computer, and he's ... Well you know TRIDENT had him, right? They fucked him up really bad. [pause.] If you can't stay in touch maybe you should talk to him now.

I can't stay in touch, but I can arrange to meet you anyway! That isn't difficult. I can always swim up to see the moon, and if you can meet me somewhere there aren't many people it should be fine.

[And a very long pause, because this is exactly what she has worried about for this last year and she's trying not to get even angrier, and although she really does want to talk to him for the first time in a very long time, she needs to know these things first.]

How bad is he?

... Pretty bad. The humans patched up most of it but they put shit in his head, right, and they don't exactly have any troll brain mutilators on this planet, so they couldn't take it out... He's getting better but sometimes he doesn't remember stuff – like, fuck, he's been talking about you but I didn't even know he meant that you came down with him. I don't know if he knew he meant you came down with him.

[There's a couple of smashing noises, before Feferi's voice comes back on. She sounds a little strained.]

If he is there, I would like to talk to him very quickly! I probably can't stay much longer than that, though! I think someone has realised I am here.

Edited 2014-02-07 01:05 (UTC)

Fuck – fuck, okay, I'll go get him, wait there – [He cuts off, and wastes no time in finding Sollux and telling him what's going on – "Dude, you're not going to believe this, okay, but you have to listen to me, just – it's Feferi, okay, she's been trying to find you" – and then turning the communicator back on and holding it out to him before he can argue or ask any questions.] Just listen, okay – Peixes I swear to god you'd better still be there –

JUST ABOUT!

[The communicator gets shoved into Sollux's hands, and it's clear even as he holds it that he doesn't comprehend what's happening. His expression is vacant and dazed for a moment, staring at Karkat and then the screen, the contradiction of terror and relief overcoming him at once.]

[His ears fold back, and his expression contorts with grief-stricken disbelieve. The scarring around his eyes is terrible, the metal puncturing his skin can easily be seen even from this view.]

FF?

[He sounds immediately like he's going to cry, choking on his own words as he tries to address her. Everything he understood about the situation has changed in a matter of moments.]

FF, oh my god, where are you? You can't be there Feferi, oh god...!

Edited 2014-02-07 01:49 (UTC)

[She can see him, now, and Feferi very nearly puts a fork through the monitor, and her expression freezes cold just for a second because as angry as she is at TRIDENT for all the things they do most of the time, this is personal. But she doesn't have time to waste being angry, not if she wants to talk to Sollux, and as hard as it is she stays cheerful because that's what he'd expect, right?]

SOLLUX? Sollux, it's okay! I am really here, so LIST-EN TO M-E, I don't have much time!

[As the anger slides away, instead she just feels responsible; she should have looked harder, been faster, done better. She stays smiling anyway, even though there's obviously the sounds of things breaking somewhere nearby.]

I'm coming to see you soon, so wait for me a little longer, okay? We can glub properly in a bit!

You're going?

[It obviously scares him - to find her and have her slip through his fingers so quickly feels like more than he can stand. He wants to be able to touch her, to hold her, to do anything to make this seem like something more than a fleeting fantasy of his, but all he has of her is stuck behind a screen.]

I'm sorry...FF, I didn't know, I couldn't remember...FF, don't let then get you, please.

I would stay if I cod!

[Her old speech habits come back at the worst possible time. She presses a hand against the corner of the monitor; it's the closest she can come to touching him right now, and it's nowhere near enough, but it's what she's got right now. It hurts to see him so upset, but she can't comfort him from here.]

You have NOTHING to be sorry for, Sollux! Don't apologise. Believe me, if they catch me, they'll regret it!

[He trills at her, a sound that is both fond and distressed. His thumb rubs over the screen because it's all that he can do.]

I missed you.

[It's quieter at the rest as he stares back at her, at a loss for what else to say in these crucial moments.]

Please come back.

Edited 2014-02-07 02:23 (UTC)

[She smiles properly, this time, and chirps back, a little sad but mostly just fond.]

Missed you too. Nothing can keep me away, I PROMIS-E!

[There's a lot of noise in the background now, though, and she looks away over her shoulder, although whatever it is doesn't seem to bother her much.]

I need you to pass a message to Karkat for me, though, or put him back on to glub.

[He shakes his head slightly, and doesn't move to pass off the phone. He's unwilling to sacrifice any of the remaining time he might have.]

He's...he's here, what is it?

There's a beach in the city where you are called Abalone Cove, according to one of the humans I know. Can he meet me there in 3 days at the night-time high tide? I will come ashore then, if he can!

[Karkat IS INDEED still here, although he doesn't lean over to make himself visible on screen. He changed the link to video for Sollux because he figured it'd be harder for him to tell himself it wasn't real that way, but he doesn't want Feferi to get a glimpse at the colour of his blood in his eyes when there isn't time to for him to explain or justify it.] Okay, I got it, I'll be there.

I will see you there then! And I want to see Sollux before I glub with ANYON-E!

[The breaking noises in the background stop, and are replaced by a lot of muffled shouting. Feferi's teeth are all on display now, and it's only a grin because there's nothing else to call that expression; she gets a better grip on her trident, and turns away from the monitor.]

Time to go! See you soon!

Bye...

[It's barely mumbled as Sollux stares at the screen, heartbroken to see her go even if there are promises of her return. He can't shake the fear that he'll never see her again.]

[He feels like there is more he should say, but he doesn't have the words.]

[She just has time for one last comment, although she's still looking at something else off-screen. She sounds utterly serious, for once, even though she's still grinning.]

Still flushed for you!

[And then she's moving, trident raised high, towards something behind the monitor, and it all goes dark.]

...are you inside a TRIDENT base?

Yes! Why?

Well...do you need help leaving? Or do the blood spatters mean you're fine?

No, fine. Not mine! Mostly empty.

[She sounds pretty cheerful about the whole thing, honestly.]

[Poor translation software stilt's Legion's voice, but their Alternian is reasonable.]

Sollux - Captor - safe. Status?

[She's talking quite quickly, in Alternian.]H-E'S SAF-E? R-EALLY?

Who's status are you asking about? Mine or his?

Yours. Location - Captor - will - be - provided - upon - confirmation - your - status - non-hostile. Query: your - knowledge - organization - CONDOR.

I'm not hostile, unless you're with the humans who own this base! I'm F-EF-ERI! I don't know much about CONDOR, though. I've only surfaced recently, and I haven't learned much!

Acknowledged. CONDOR - is - law - enforcement - agency - enemy - TRIDENT. Query: location?

Law? Are you with them?

Yes. Sollux - Captor - currently - in - protective - custody. Location?

Why is he in custody?

Rescued - from - TRIDENT - facility - possible - recapture - or - elimination - attempts. Location?

Edited (italics not courier) 2014-02-07 00:35 (UTC)

UND-ERWAT-ER! I think they said it was called the Pacific ocean? I don't know how to tell you where!

Query: familiarity - with - computer - systems? Attempt - broadcast - location - team - will - be - dispatched.

Addendum: we - are - Legion - terminal - of - geth.

[There's some muffled conversation going on in the background, which ends when Feferi says "I KNOW!" in english.]

I don't know how to do that! Why would you need to send anyone out? There's no-one here any more but me, and I can leave on my own!

Guide - to - CONDOR - base - Sollux - Captor - recovery - data - TRIDENT - safety - remaining - civilians.

Query: identity - others - with - you?

[A very long delay before the answer, and another muffled conversation.]

It's not a problem any more! I have made arrangements to find my own way ashore! And there is no-one else here any more. They just left. But if you want the data here, then if you can tell me how to tell you where I am, I will.

We - can - hear - others - in - background. Query: identity - of - others?

NO-ON-E! -Everyone who was here has left now! And I don't know their names, so there's no point asking me!

That - is - unlikely.

To - facilitate - local - cohesion - we - will - not - investigate. This - line - of - inquiry - now - irrelevant. Suggest - contact - Karkat - Vantas - alias - Reaphook - to - identify - location - Sollux - Captor.

We - wish - you - luck.

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