.01 (Audio ->Video)

[fredless]

[At first it's just a voice, softly accented but also tripping along an edge]

This isn't...

[Only to have the video flicker to life. If you're prone to motion sickness, this is where you might want to take two steps back. But as the feed turns end over end it catches a few things. A flash of white belonging to a lab coat. Long brown hair caught up in a haphazard bun and held into place with a pen. Wide, curious eyes.

The world's stopped moving.

For now]

This better not be about those buttons I just pushed on that big hunk of metal taking up space in the back corner. I just figured now was as good a day as any to finally figure out what it actually does, considering I almost went and blew up the place last week. I've been downright neglectful, really.

[The image tilts again, but only slightly. Her gaze becomes slightly more shadowed]

...or this could just be the part where I start talking to myself. [Pause] Again.

Comments

video; private

[bigbad]

...you wouldn't happen to be a brain surgeon-slash-computer scientist too, would you? [Because three in one hell dimension would be excessive. But useful! He's not sure he trusts Bennett.]

video; private

[fredless]

...Spike? [She looks again] Spike!

[Fred's expression drifts into something distinctly more apologetic]

I didn't drag you along with me, did I?

video; private

[bigbad]

[...not the response he was expecting, though considering how often it's happened lately, maybe he should start.]

Not unless you dragged me three months ago.

video;

[bringsbadnews]

[Angel is flabbergasted when he hears a familiar voice over the forge. Another familiar voice that should belong to the dead and yet, it's being spoken by a living, breathing person.

First Doyle and Wes, then Cordy, and now Fred. Either the PTB are giving them all a break and allowing them a second chance at life or they are messing around with his head and asking for a serious ass kicking when he returns home.

Fred is different than the rest. He knows they all go to the great beyond and in the case of Cordy, ascend to something special. Fred on the other hand, well, she permanently ceases to exist. Not only does she die, but her soul is destroyed.

And yet, here she is, with her soul in tact. Which means that there's a chance it can be saved. Which means he is now a man on a serious mission.]

Fred! It's me, Angel. [Fumbles with his forge and flips it around so she can see his face.]

What room are you in? I'll come to where you are.

[Private to Angel -Video]

[demonologist]

[Wes is curious, having only caught the transmission in passing.]

You know this Fred person?

[private]

[bringsbadnews]

[It's okay, Wesley. He didn't need his heart to work properly, it's been breaking all week.]

We both do, she's apart of our team. [And the love of your life.]

You not knowing her is going to be a shock to her.

video;

[fredless]

Angel? [Once again her expression brightens noticeably, some of the color coming back to her cheeks] You're here...

But I'm not in a... [Huh. Only, expecting the part where she is. For a card-carrying scientist, and in the case of the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart the cart carrying scientist? Fred's been a bit slower on the uptake than usual. Fred's sure she'll see the humor in it.

At some point]

Ok, I'm definitely in a room. Would you look at that.

[Don't tell anybody about that part, Angel. Especially since she's giving you the number now. It's just polite]

video;--->action.

[bringsbadnews]

[Wait for it.

Wait for it....


and there's a loud bang on her door.]

It's me.

video;

[slay]

You're not talking to yourself. You're talking to a whole lotta people stuck in a situation a whole lotta similar to yours.

video;

[fredless]

[Her mouth compresses slightly]

That's not especially reassuring. But I expect you know that.

[Whoever you are]

video;

[slay]

Seemed like honesty was the better choice.

video;

[watchher]

[ Here's another one who won't recognize her; Giles is adjusting his glasses and looking faintly bewildered, trying to recover from the spinning of the camera. But his tone is friendly enough-- he's been through this speech before. ]

Oh, a good number of people can hear. And while the hunk of metal does sound... somewhat worrying, arrival here seems to be rather more random. It's likely no fault of yours.

Um-- welcome to Anatole.

video;

[fredless]

I know, I've let it go on being a mystery for weeks and weeks now, an really? All things considered, it's probably not the best idea.

[He doesn't want to know about her hunk of metal]

Um...thanks. I guess. I must've missed the mat at the front door.

[Video] c-c-c-c-combo breaker

[iattractmushi]

I don't know about any hunks of metal, but you've been brought to Anatole.

And no, you're not talking to yourself. The Forges connect to a network of people whisked away from their worlds, just like you were.

[Video]

[fredless]

[Not beating around the bush]

Any leads on how we 'whisk' back?

[video]

[wotcher]

[ You will have to forgive Tonks for staring for a moment. It is just that you look familiar. It is probably nothing, however, considering that there have been so many who look like someone else. You don't even have blue hair, Fred.

Still, she has this memory... ]

There's nothing wrong with talking to yourself. Not really.

[video]

[fredless]

[That actually earns a smile, one with genuine humor behind it]

I keep telling everybody that, but I don't know how much they actually believe me.

Video

[raincoatruinedit]

You make a habit of pushing buttons on stuff you don't understand?

Video

[fredless]

[Well there's an almost combative tilt of her chin]

If it means learning something in the process? Yes.

video;

[tact]

[ cordelia has no freaking clue what the hell fred's going on about, but, then again, she never really does. it's not that she doesn't try, it's just that fred operates on a different plane to cordelia that makes her all the more interesting to talk to on most days. but the fact that she's not a bumbling mess, like the girl she pulled from pylea months before, is a bit worrisome. good thing wesley told her about the whole timeline thing, or else cordelia would be worried fred's possessed or bodyjacked. (because, you know, that never happens.)

so she smiles and arches a brow, stating factually: ] You know what they say. Talking to yourself is the first sign of intelligence.

video;

[fredless]

[She's just going to stare, for a minute. Maybe even two which is a fully minute longer than is polite but Cordy can't be to pressed to notice the difference, right? Not considering when she's from. She's probably expecting to continue this conversation from underneath a table.

But it's Cordy A walking, talking, not-in-a-coma Cordy.

Finally, Fred smiles]

...I should be testing off the charts, then.

[Video]

[demonologist]

Hello.

[This is inevitably going to be slightly awkward. But Wesley's going to try to get past the initial re-introductions with minimal stumbling.]

Fred, isn't it?

[Video]

[fredless]

[Okay.

You're really going to have to be patient and give her some time, here. Fred feels like all she's done that day is stare speechlessly at faces that just aren't quite. This one even more than any of the others.

It's even more disconcerting to hear that version of his face say her name]

Somebody's been talking about me behind me...small little communication thing. And I'm gonna go ahead and guess his name is Angel.

[But after a moment she remembers herself, enough that there's no way of keeping a more familiar smile at bay]

Hello, Wesley.

[toldastory]

You're not talking to yourself. Welcome to Anatole.

[fredless]

That's always a good thing to here. The talking part, I mean.

I'm not sure I'm ready to say thanks for the welcome wagon just yet.