001. [Video; English]
[Use this, the note had said, and after scouting her surroundings further, Adrian had found nothing else of use. It's with some slight fumbling that Adrian attempts to use the communicator; she turns on the audio function first by accident, then drops it to the ground with a slight thump - a few more noises and then the video feed turns on. As much
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Adrian Andrews.
I see you've already been briefed on the circumstances surrounding your arrival here (...) and if my word will lend a bit of credibility to their admittedly outlandish claims, then you have it. We are no longer in Los Angeles, but in a city called Discedo, which is (--Franziska still finds this hard to believe--) on another planet named Fortuna.
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[And she pauses for a few moments, stari- no, looking - at Franziska.]
It's really you.
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Hmph. That's hardly good reason for reassurance, you know.
(Under Adrian's gaze, however, she frowns and shifts uncomfortably.)
Of course it's really me; were you expecting someone else?
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I...ah, no, it's just that everything's been so surreal.
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Yes, I'd imagine so.
(Franziska understood Adrian's position; after all, she herself wasn't completely used to Discedo, either, even after having lived here for almost two months. She gestures to the couch.)
Have a seat - I'm sure you have a lot of questions.
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I...thank you.
[Adrian has so many questions she almost doesn't know where to begin. She thinks to herself, trying to reason what would be most logical, most useful to know right now, but then she catches herself looking at Franziska once more and blurts the first thing that comes to mind.]
Why are you here, Ms. von Karma?
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She crosses her arms, tapping the fingers of her left hand impatiently.)
Unfortunately, Adrian Andrews, no one yet knows the true aims of the scientists are - not even the fools who have been here for almost two years.
(She shrugs one shoulder.)
There are theories, of course, but with little to no contact with the scientists and only the barest of information about this city itself, there doesn't seem to be much room for reasonable hypotheses.
(Not that that would keep Franziska from trying to develop some; 'not being in control' ranked up there with 'being kept in the dark' on the list of statuses she despised, and having the two combined in such a fashion was unacceptable.)But I've lately had more immediate issues with which to concern myself, so ( ... )
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So, these scientists...they're responsible for your presence here as well? And, well, what more immediate issues are you referring to? Surely, if everything is as you say, the issue of being held hostage on another planet is issue enough?
[Adrian looks back up at Franziska, wondering why she hasn't sat back down again yet, but refrains from asking for now.]
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They're responsible for everyone's presence, or so I am told.
As for the more immediate issues - (she pauses briefly here, wondering how specific she should be) - the apartment I was staying in collapsed a few weeks ago, resulting in obvious relocation concerns and some ... injuries.
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It collapsed? Just...like that? It...wouldn't have anything to do with the monsters Mr. Wright told me about, would it?
[She looks down again, her glasses slipping, and she pushes them up, raising her head to look at Franziska once more. And, then, again, she speaks without thinking.]
Isn't it uncomfortable, standing up like that?
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Of course not. A prosecutor must be prepared to be on her feet for many hours at a time, investigating crime scenes, questioning witnesses, and of course, trying cases in the courtroom! I'm certainly more than capable of standing for long periods of time.
After saying this, though, she eyes the chair she'd been sitting in when Adrian had arrived, and after considering the situation for a moment--)
Still, I suppose there's no real reason to do so now.
(--she takes a seat across from her. Shaking her head dismissively - again - Franziska addresses Adrian's first statement:)
No, the collapse was due to the extreme weather conditions we experienced during that time; one of the neighboring buildings caved in as well, and since the buildings were so close together, the ruins hit Latimir and destroyed the lower three floors.
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That sort of thing doesn't happen often, does it? I mean to say...this place isn't about to collapse any moment, is it? It feels very unsafe.
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However, Adrian's attempts are unsucessful, and she finds herself starting to speak several times while she stumbles over basic syllables, and when she does manage to talk, her words are still disjointed.]
I...then...well, I suppose it's safer here, if the monsters are real. Do they eat people? I...[Her voice fades, become quieter, almost as if she doesn't want to hear herself admit the truth.]
I don't want to be here.
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Nobody wants to be here, Adrian Andrews.
(As soon as the words leave her lips, Franziska realizes that she sounds unnecessarily harsh; she attempts to soften her words without making it obvious that that's what she's doing.)
We simply must continue on, as best we can, and attempt to make the best of the situation, until, well --
(Franziska pauses - is getting Adrian's hopes up worth it? She'd only seen it happen to one person she knew - 'knew' in the sense that she had known his name, and vaguely his face - and she is aware that the people left behind were often more miserable for the loss, but she decides to mention it anyway:)
-- I've heard that people - sometimes - are sent home.
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It's only the last part of Franziska's sentence that causes Adrian to raise her head in surprise. And yet, even an assurance such as that sounded vague coming from someone like Franziska von Karma. It takes Adrian a while to speak, but before she does so, she pushes her hair out of her face and takes a moment to breathe.]
When you say that, you mean it's at the whims of the scientists, don't you?
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