04 - video

[winn]

Who: Winn and you!
Broadcast: y!
Action: on the Tourist!
When: August 2nd

[ some of you may have noticed that winn has been uncharacteristically quiet for the past...16 days. he's not really sure how to address the elephant in the room - he knows these two weeks and change have been hard on the people he loves but for him it's like no time has passed and the dissonance is hard to bridge.

it's a good thing he has a not at all unhealthy coping mechanism set in place. ]

You know, if we're entertainment on a reality show, the least they can do is give us like a recap - you know your basic [ in a tv announcer impression ] here's what you missed on the Fleet - or - last week, on the young and the Drifting - [ he rubs the back of his head before shaking it ] Well, maybe talking about the 'least they can do' isn't such a great plan...first order of business - what'd I miss? Second order of business - if you or anyone you know has ever fallen into an unexplained sleep here or at any other kidnappy world - I'd appreciate it if you'd answer a couple questions, they're a text attachment at the bottom. Sorry if it's been done before, I'll gladly take a link to any previous research as well as fresh data. Third order of business -- hi. [ he gives the camera a little wave and a nervous chuckle ] Um. Yeah, I'm, I'm fine, I should've opened with that but if you know me the order isn't really gonna surprise you that much and if you don't you're probably really confused right now and looking for the off button - it's to your right, right on top, there you go.

That's it, I guess....good morning, Drifters - don't forget to drink your coffee! Winn out -

<br />1. <b>date and duration of sleep</b>: self explanatory.<br />2. <b>surrounding events</b>: when it happened were you or your sleeping acquaintance going about your daily lives, experimenting with anything, uncovering anything?<br />3. <b>results</b>: did waking result in new memories, loss of old ones, a change in personality or attitude, were you or your sleeping acquaintance at a different physical location (ex: new planet, back at your ship, new kidnappy world), were there any physical differences or after effects, if so how long did they last, anything you can think of that changed - put it here.<br />

[ except he's not all the way out. hank and cisco each get the following message to their personal numbers ]

I need to discuss something in person. My place? [ he can't really leave kitty yet ]

Comments

private text.

[benames]

Like the whiskers I gave you?

now you're the tom cat of the ship

get it

ship?

kitty?

private text.

[winn]

I dunno how to break it to you man but the only whiskers I woke up with were made of hair growing out of my face. guess the girls foiled your plan!

but I like the speakers, thanks.

private text.

[benames]

I call them Ray and Charles

I'm on my way, man, give me five

can't believe they ruined the cat thing it was dope.

private text.

[winn]

bring me your planet notes and I'll let you draw it again and even walk around like that all day

action »

[benames]

[ he walks in with a little binder ]

Ok so I have most of it here but I'm pretty sure I have others stacked somewhere in the lab. yo -

[ he tosses a little bag of potato chips at them. so they might be stale but they're still chips ]

good to see you joined us on the flip side, sleeping beauty.

action »

[winn]

You are a gentleman and a scholar, Cisco Ramon -

[ he grabs those chips, and stands up to clap his back with a smile. sorry about the mess, there are notes everywhere. ]

Yeah well you know, touchy, feely, I caught on pretty fast so I thought I'd catch up on my beauty sleep.

[ he hates every second he's been out, and everybody knows it, so why harp on it? ]

action »

[benames]

And I have the best hairstyle on the fleet.

[ though it's growing too long for his liking ]

Well, these are the checks I ran on you while you were sleeping, I just checked your vitals were up to speed. Last time a friend of mine was in a coma he woke up a speedster.

[ suspicious look ]

No new super powers by any chance?

action »

[winn]

[ winn's having the same problem. he really should find out who cuts hair around here people already confuse him and cisco he doesn't want to exacerbate the problem. ]

No such luck, at least none that I've noticed. Actually far as I can tell I'm completely unchanged which doesn't seem to happen a whole lot with these comas so either I'm not noticing something...

[ he gives cisco a meaningful look or he was put down cuz he was onto something. ]

action »

[benames]

Or they did that for the same reason they made me into Cisquita Ramon. Could be that they wanted the ratings, you know, all the people who care about you worried - they're dicks man, they feed off emotional responses and they don't give a damn how they get them.

[ he takes a seat ]

Any useful answers from the survey?

action »

[winn]

Everyone was changed by the comas. More memories from home, more memories from other kidnappy places - I didn't get a lot of responses, but they all say the same thing. And -- I don't have a single new memory. It could be them messing with us, it could just be random - but if it's not, it means they have a weakness and I touched it.

action »

[benames]

did you have any dreams?

[ he starts pacing, chewing on the end of his pencil ]

I mean, anything that you can remember? it doesn't have to be about home, any images? sounds?

action »

[winn]

All I really remember is -- a feeling. Feeling weird, uncomfortable, wrong. I dunno, last thing I remember I was walking to the kitchen to grab a snack and next thing I know it's 16 days later and I'm in bed, and if my head's been messed with - then it's been covered up.

action »

[benames]

Could have been an augment thing but I can't check it unless we find some way to remove it which I am not trying, ever.

[ he heard stories ]

I'll recheck your vitals, just in case, over the next few days.

action »

[winn]

Thanks man.

[ he nods ]

On the off chance I'm right - digging into this is gonna be dangerous but I'm gonna do it. I could use a hand but I'd totally get it if you wanna sit this one out.

action »

[benames]

Dude, are you kidding.

[ this is almost an insult. ]

I'm there. we're a team from day one and in all honesty, you need me. Who's gonna be there for pop culture references and lame potato chips if not me?

[ they're the nerd squad, after all. ]

action »

[winn]

[ there's instant relief and a grateful smile ]

Not me, that's for sure - something's been bugging me since I first woke up on the Marsiva and somehow I've managed not to figure it out til now but - they messed with my pop culture knowledge I'm like - 99% sure of it.

[ and that's personal. ]

We gotta keep this in house, though, I'm thinking just - you, me and Hank, at least til we have something substantial. No point putting anyone else at risk, right?

action »

[benames]

--- dude, that's harsh.

[ those jackasses. it's one thing to throw them all here and take away good food and movies but to hurt their pop culture knowledge? what the hell? ]

Nerd Squad Secret Operation - I am digging it!

action »

[winn]

I knew I could count on you, man.

[ a smiling high five ]

Thank you. Alright so -- wanna see what I've been thinking?

[ he picks up one of his notebooks, and opens it up to a page full of scribbles ]

action »

[benames]

-- we have got to remember to get you out, dude.

[ he takes a peek at those scribbles which ok, really cool on the one hand but on the other, far too much work boarding on being far too much invested. Barry could get like it too; Cisco still remembers the happy days that were trying to find out who was the man in the yellow suit. ]

before we get to the part where you grow a beard and start scribbling on walls.

action »

[winn]

Tried the beard thing in the coma thing, it itches.

[ he's not even gonna try to deny that cisco is right - he's completely obsessed and he knows it. he works all the time, at all hours, but it's not his social life that's the main victim here - it's his sleep. ]

I think they're all connected - all he kidnapping pocket dimensions or whatever you wanna call them. And I think...it could be none of them are real. Think about it, what's easier? Trapping us all in a very vivid virtual reality or suppressing so many different powers in just the right ways that none of them can escape, making an augment that has the same influence on your brain chemistry no matter what species you are? It doesn't add up, I know the Atroma are powerful but all power has its limits and that's not how science works I don't care what corner of the multiverse they crawled out of...

action »

[benames]

[ it's something that people in Cisco's life have a tendency to do when they are bothered. Caitlin lost herself in work after Ronnie, Barry slept little when the man in the yellow suit reappeared and Harry - well. Harry is the biggest workaholic Cisco ever met. ]

I don't know man, I mean even that would require an immense amount of power and their setbacks can still be a thing. I mean, I was talking about that to some people the other day, they think they send people back because they can only have so many of us here at the same time, power-wise.

[ he frowns a little ]

I think my - vibe would go nuts if we were trapped in another reality.

action »

[winn]

That's just it - no it wouldn't. How do you suppress such a range of abilities? You go in people's heads and convince them they're not working. If you go in people's heads and do that - why can't you go in there and make them live and experience a whole other reality? It's a hell of a lot easier than inventing devices to cross the inter dimensional barrier that many times, pull out exact people, exact things, at the exact times. Physically controlling this many different abilities - what the hell kind of chip functions the same on humans, meta humans, mutants, ponies, aliens and whatever else they got here? How can they just physically transform your body overnight? Doesn't it make so much more sense that they just make you think your body's different? That sounds like it takes a lot less power to me -

action »

[benames]

You can drain someone's superpower, well, speed-force, anyway, Caitlin said Zoom managed it somehow. Never asked her about the details.

[ she seemed too traumatized to tell ]

they might have a way but if they do, it's one hell of a machine.

action »

[winn]

But drain all different superpowers just enough to keep them from messing with your containment machinery? It's way too convoluted, man. Occam's razor.

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[benames]

I don't know, man. Things are not really constant here. I mean, for other people, this is their second trip in a world that isn't theirs. I mean, for Hermione, she lived for a long time in a world she was taken to even before the Atroma happened.

[ which Cisco thinks is not human. hermione granger without magic is never something that should happen. ]

I mean, obviously the Atroma aren't the only ones out there doing the thing. I think that in order to solve this one we might have to analyze the experiences of everyone on the fleet.