capeandcowl | 4 [video] Wild Tiger's comm

So, uh. [awkward neck-scratch. He's never done this before] It's polite to let people know if someone's gone back home, right? Man, I should have done this sooner, but first I was waiting to see if he'd come back, and then all the stuff with buses and powers and weird things, it sort of flew right out of my mind. But, uh...Nathan Seymour's been gone for a couple of weeks and hasn't come back, so I guess it's official. Maybe he'll be back after a couple of months again, maybe not - but just so people know.

[he's walking through Nathan's posh flat while he records his post] I guess that makes me the last bastion of Sternbild in this place. I've moved my stuff over to his apartment, so in case anybody's looking for me, I'm going to live here and take care of his loose ends now. Like, you know, his...really nice car. [that's the one thing he's not sad about at all] Not that I was in a rush to get out of the free apartment because you know, that's a really nice perk, but as long as I was keeping the suit over here, may as well park my ass here too, right? No reason to let a perfectly good apartment go to waste.

...anybody want to visit? It's pretty swanky. He has good taste. Don't tell him I ever said that, though.

Whew. Using the video-phone would be so much easier if I could get it to work with my PDA like back home. Oh well. Uh - Wild Tiger, out. [salute!]

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Man, I hope he comes back. I know it's a cliche, but this place just isn't as much fun without him. Thanks for letting us know, huh?

Yeah, no problem. I figured it was up to me since I've been over here to get my suit every other night and knew when he left. Sorry about the delay, though.

Geez, it's been a while. How's things, Spider?

Nah, you did the right thing. Sometimes people pop back in after just a couple of days, and then you feel pretty silly for raising the alarm so soon.

Eh, can't complain, there's always things to keep me busy. Are you holding up okay? Seems like your friends keep coming and going all the time -- that must be pretty rough.

Oh yeah, I'm fine. Nathan will be missed, but it's not like I'm not going to see him back home sometime. The only real adjustment I've had to make is going back to working without a partner.

[...and the temporary power loss, but that's best left for a private conversation later]

That's right, you worked with that Barnaby Brooks guy, right? I don't think we ever talked, but you see everybody around on the network at some point.

That's him. I keep forgetting he was here before. Man, it would be great to look back and see some of that - the old videos and stuff - but every time I try, something about the network gets messed up. It's like the computer broke at some point or something.

Oh, yeah, earlier in the year there were some massive network glitches -- supposedly -- and the Porter ended up replacing the entire system. Sometimes you can get back into the archives if you're lucky, but most of the stuff we can get to now is only a few months old.

Now, whether the glitches were some outside forces or Lachesis herself, that's another question entirely. She's one twisted sister.

Whoa, really? That's nuts...this Porter thing is way stranger than I even thought. I find out more about it every day.

You and me both, pal. [Shaking his head ruefully.] You and me both.

Guess I'm not going to find any old videos of my daughter, then. [siiiigh] Oh well.

Well, hmm, let me think about this. You could try asking one of the good hackers on the network whether they can retrieve any data for you. You'd probably have to pay for it, but it's worth a try, right?

Yeah, I suppose. But then, part of me wonders if it would be depressing. I suppose that's a gamble I'd have to take just to see some mementos, huh? [says the guy still wearing his wedding ring five years later]

It's your call, man. I mean, I'd probably go for it, but no one ever accused me of having well-honed skills in emotional preservation.

Heh! Most of us heroes have something like that going on, don't we?

Who knows? It might help those random bouts of homesickness. Or make it worse. Guess you don't know until you try!

[Quietly, by his standards:] Bittersweet mementoes are better than no mementoes at all, huh?

...yeah. Pretty much.

I spent most of my last paycheck on the motorcycle Max built for me, I hope the hackers don't charge too much.

I'll keep my webs crossed for you. And hey, if I can help by putting in a good word with someone, just drop me a line. Mind you, in some cases it'd probably be help more if I didn't, but you never know when someone's got bad taste.

Heheh, thanks. I'll keep it in mind.

4 [video] Wild Tiger's comm

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