Episode 5: Meeting Zuse (Again)

Gather 'Round the Trashfires

The cohort finally gets a chance to have a long conversation with their new friend (captive?) outside the Ward. They find he's knowledgeable and also that after however long living in the server, he's the living embodiment of the phrase "please touch grass."

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Episode Transcript:

Get your snack and beverage of choice ready. It’s time to “Gather ‘Round the Trashfires” for a tabletop roleplaying story! I’m your host, Bek Andrew Evans.

My current and main running story for this podcast is the misadventures of the cohort from the Deviant: the Renegades chronicle I’ve been playing in since early 2021. And I play Geri.

For those of you unfamiliar with Deviant, it’s a TTRPG about people who were formerly human but were irreparably changed in traumatic ways to the point their very Souls broke and they became something Other. They seek vengeance on those who made them, those who hunt them, those who seek to exploit them for what they are and will never leave them be.

As such, this podcast will feature heavy themes and content throughout. There’s an overall content warning for language, violence, criminality, homelessness, substance use, human experimentation, cults and religious extremism, mentioned torture, kidnapping, implied incest and incest-related comments, and abusive relationships. On episodes where there is a new content warning or a particularly notable instance of one of these, I’ll call it out.

Additional content warnings this episode for binge-eating and cancer mention.

I hope y’all enjoy hearing about my cohort’s antics and stumbling headfirst into the mysteries of the world as much as I have.

[Music Intro: "_violence" by Avantist]

Green Country Calcination Episode 5: Meeting Zuse (Again)

Shortly after the cohort escaped, they found they'd made the news. All the local news outlets. The supposed St. Patrick's Day terrorist attack on the Hillcrest Hospital Psychiatric Observation Ward was on all the front pages. Thankfully, police hadn't released any suspect names or motives. There weren't any reported deaths, though two National Guardsmen were severely burned - the story claimed they'd been visiting relatives at the time. The ward was closed for repairs and all patients transferred to another location. One patient consented to interview, a Patricia Gold. She claimed it wasn't a terror attack at all, but a daring escape from, quote "some psycho patients." No patients were reported missing. Another video of the Ward evacuation goes viral with Patty singing a story-song about crazy terrorists who escaped the hold of god. She gets a ton of attention but no one seems to believe her since she also claimed she's 24.

Their first night outside the hospital, sleeping in their cabin beds in Madison's family's previously empty summer cabin, the whole cohort has the same bizarre dream. They all dream of storms. Terrible storms. They dream of lightning and crushing waves.... suffocating waves. There's darkness as they sink. They're gripped by an overwhelming dread, certain doom. In the dream, the world's deprived of color. There's mist, pale sunlight. They look in the water and see their reflection but with bright, green eyes. And then they wake up.

In the couple days since their escape, Geri's been settling into the new cabin but also investigating the Long Man Society from afar.

She uses telepathy and a bit of sheer audacity to connect to Beth from wherever it is they moved the ward to. She finds it difficult and draining at her current power level.

She catches flickers of surface thoughts about missing the sunlight and wondering where the doctor has been. She can tell wherever the new Ward is, it's underground. Beth doesn't seem to be a prisoner, at least from her surface thoughts.

Geri searches deeper. She looks for what Beth knows about the ward relocation, learning it's temporary while the Society decides whether to leave Gabriel in charge. The staff's also being housed there. She then searches for Beth's current greatest fear - it's that Gabriel will be removed and Camille will take over. Last, Geri looks for how the cohort's breakout was framed to the ward staff. Beth knows that the breakout is being framed as Gabriel's negligence since this is the second time his patients escaped. There's even rumors he helped them to keep his nephew away from Camille.

The next thing she did, was take some time to check in with the Church. Mundanely this time - she went to a little internet cafe in the park for campers with Madison's phone, and did her best to cover her digital tracks.

She finds on the church's public communications that things seem business as usual. They have a potluck coming up, but also — Geri's been put on the prayer list. The details given say she's been moved to a private mental health and faith rehabilitation center. They're asking for prayers and donations toward her recovery. Notably, it was posted after the breakout.

And then, there's a small afterthought of an article about the successful memorial for the storm victims from Cassica Hall, a part of the church's "inter-faith" project.

Looking back further, there's a vague mention of an accident and "admission" that Geri was "troubled" and possibly suffered a mental breakdown after having "accidentally started a fire" that burned several members of the church's inner circle.

The last thing Geri did was have an astral travel dream to try to find Lucas. She'd had one previously, while they were still in the ward, about him that gave her a very similar dream to the one the whole cohort had — except in her version, she'd seen Madison kill those dozens of teenagers, and she was sure she felt the burning lungs of drowning - but she also saw he woke up, so she'd only mentioned Lucas was alive and nothing else she'd seen.

This new dream, she feels confusion, but closeness. She catches images of the lakeside that seem like they must be nearby but she doesn't know where they are herself.

Zuse had been unconscious for most of those two days but, a few hours ago, woke up with a splitting migraine and ravenous hunger. The cohort had cajoled him to put on at least some pajamas (and Aviators for the migraine) to go down to the camp convenience store to stock up on.... piles of microwave burritos and ice cream sandwiches. When not wearing aviators, his irises are a pixel-patterned silver.

Two days after the great escape, and the morning after Geri's most recent dream adventure, the Fellowship of the Ward begins to gather in the living room of the cabin. Zuse is curled up in a rubber blanket from the garage on a reclining chair. While he was unconscious after that initial power drain, touching him started to shock people. and he's been stuffing his face with microwave burritos and ice cream sandwiches, one in each hand, since returning from the store. It's been nonstop, frankly impressive amount of eating considering his size. He's only wearing red silk boxers and the aviators with the rubber blanket catching food drippings.

Madison's fixed herself some oatmeal and apple slices. She's wearing some of her own clothes she'd left at the cabin the last time her family was there, more than happy to not have to wear the poorly-fitting thrift-shop clothes. Though it's just a loose shirt, undershirt and jeans, they're designer brands. She's curled up on a sofa with a throw blanket and the stray black and white cat that snuck into the cabin while the family was away — she's named him Nacho.

Geri's sprawled out on that sofa, too, eating microwave burritos and gas station pastries, though nowhere near as ravenously as Zuse. She's wearing a simple tee shirt and jeans from the escape box. They're covered in singe marks.

AJ... hadn't changed in the couple of days since their escape. It's debatable whether he's showered. He's been entirely engrossed in collecting and disassembling junk. He currently has a half-rusted microwave he found around the lake campsite on a table in the open area by the others, under the light. He's taken off the keypad and door already, still fiddling intently with it. He's got a half-eaten (cold) burrito on the table beside him.

Robert's still dead asleep this mid-morning, avoiding the sun.

Madison says to Zuse, as he continues eating, that she's, like, very sure silk boxers are not only gross but also illegal in all 50 states. And she's not sure why her dad had them.

Zuse sounds weirdly chipper and insists they're comfortable... and if he has to have skin he HAS to wear comfortable clothes if he's to wear anything at all. Obviously. He also thanks Madison's father for keeping them around.

AJ doesn't look up from working but warns Zuse if he creeps Madi out, Geri'll hit him. Madi continues to be disgusted and frankly scandalized about the very idea of her father in silk boxers for a while, also at one point claiming she thinks chest hair is probably illegal, too, made so around the time vintage pornos stopped being made.

Geri and AJ try to get Madi to get over herself and knock it off. Zuse makes it worse, seemingly obliviously continuing the same line of conversation as Madi. He says he doesn't know why someone would keep bright silk boxers in a lake cabin except to film period piece pornographic material with one's friends.

The android-like Zuse doesn't seem to notice all the glares he gets in response.

The conversation (thankfully) shifts, though, when Zuse loses interest in the bickering and goes back to stuffing his face, noting that he didn't remember how good food tasted.

Madison and Geri suggest they could do s'mores later, and Zuse gets so excited he nearly knocks his sunglasses off from snapping his head up to look at them and cheer for the campfire snack - then promptly complain about the brightness again.

Zuse watches AJ tinker with the microwave as he speaks. He doesn't remember light sensitivity being in his file... He wonders if it's a new development. But he does say he thinks he's starting to get acclimated, slowly. He admits it's been a very long time since he wasn't merged with the server.

The others agree it might have something to do with the very dark room server-Zuse was kept in. Madison apologizes in case she maybe blinded him from her power use while trying to turn him off.

Zuse, instead of being upset, congratulates Madison on such a spectacular use of electrokinesis. He thinks she would have broken some record had anyone been able to properly measure.

Geri mentions how Madi blasted the door off its hinges, and that she's glad she was busy setting a grease fire at the time.

Zuse continues chattering on in his chipper, cheery tone, even as he goes back to stuffing his mouth with burritos mid-sentence. He calls her "Geraldine the Firecracker" and muses that a lot of people won their bets that day - Geri had been voted most intentionally destructive, and most likely to kill a staff member on purpose.

Madi had been voted most likely to kill staff by accident.

Geri lets Zuse know he can call her Geri, and he takes her words literally so it completely goes over his head that she meant she prefers to be called Geri, pissing her off and amusing Madi.

He awkwardly attempts some newer slang and Madi has to help him with his fluency. AJ pauses his work to watch and goads Zuse to try to snap.

Zuse admits to seeing a TikTok in the feed while monitoring Madison's social medias that had the perfect sassy snap for the occasion, so he replicates it, not as awkwardly.

Madison yells that she knew The Society was monitoring her!

AJ and Geri look at her like she has two heads for flipping out. To them, being monitored was the most obvious conclusion.

Madi has a sudden, terrible realization, and asks Zuse accusingly if he read her DMs. She more worked up and asks if he read her messages to Lucas.

Zuse doesn't say anything, he's too busy filling his face with yet more burritos. Maybe he winked? Hard to tell. Madison whines at Geri telling the other girl she needs to slap Zuse, those messages were private!

Geri gives Zuse a half-assed swat that's more of a hair ruffle to appease Madison. AJ comments The Society's up to some real weird shit - creating mutants, waterbarding patients, reading patients' sexts...

Zuse tries to smooth things over with Madison by saying it's not his fault that she opened them over the wifi, he was following the observation programming. To AJ... he says it wasn't waterboarding... per se.

Madison loudly disagrees. Zuse tries to say it doesn't count if it's to test immunities. The rest of the cohort shuts that down. Geri says it's still torture, which Zuse admits without hesitation.

AJ's finally gotten to what he wanted from that rusty microwave and pulls out, with some tweezers and tongs, a little black box with "Radioactive Hazard" stickers on it. Madi says if he gives them cancer, she'll kick his butt.

Geri points out that since the Long Man Society and the Church of Charismatic Virtues are after them, cancer is kinda a tomorrow problem.

AJ cheerily assures Madison the cohort will probably be gunned down long before cancer could set in. Since Camille gets to use fully-armed National Guard as bodyguards, apparently.

AJ has to explain to Madi you can't ventilate radiation danger away...

Zuse starts musing about how some scientists who study those like them think they already have a sort of cancer. A cancer of the soul. He's confused when he's met with stares instead of the cohort being relieved by the information.

After a moment, AJ and Madison continue to bicker to the side about where he's allowed to play with radioactive materials.

Geri asks Zuse to elaborate on the soul cancer. Zuse finally stands up, the rubber blanket flopping and pooling on the floor. He's so pale it's like he's never seen sun. He walks over barefoot to AJ as he speaks. He says more "religiously interested parties" believe Divergence releases a soul's true potential... with varied and not well-understood consequences.

Geri asks what the non-religious perspectives are.

Before Zuse answers, he holds out a hand to AJ and tells him he can keep the box safe for him, if he'd like. AJ instead starts cleaning up his work and muttering complaints about how the others have such dangerous powers and no one complains, but he's not even allowed a little 86 grade Z magnetron's beryllium Oxide, as a treat. The Injustice.

Zuse finally replies to Geri that there are countless theories - at least as many as there are scientists studying the phenomenon. It's hard to generalize since the causes and results are so diverse.

Madi's confused, and says she doesn't know why God would make her murder so many people, and if it was God, why couldn't she've gotten some message to talk her through it?

Zuse does his best to comfort her... By saying that's a natural reaction if she assigns a deity a human-like morality.

Geri presses for yet more information, looking for causes. Zuse catches on she's trying to know why the cohort Diverged, and explains that they're all the result of experimental science. He flops down dramatically back into his chair.

Geri asks what caused Zuse's divergence.

Just then, AJ returns from the garage, which he's claimed as his bedroom, having stored his latest project. He shows Madi his empty hands in a gesture of peace and Madi smiles back to him.

Zuse replies that he couldn't remember until he got out of the server, but his was similar to the cohort. It's the same sort of technology - but it's the portion that the Society used to reverse-engineer to make the other technology that created the cohort and all the others.

Both Geri and AJ speak over each other, bursting with questions - Geri asking if her father was involved, AJ asking about the tech and "the city". Then he pauses to tell Zuse to answer Geri's questions first.

And the answer's a simple "no" but he adds that he believes Geri's father had other plans for her. He calls the Church of Charismatic Virtues a "lesser" organization in the region. The two organizations' interests and actions collided by coincidence and Geri ended up the result.

Zuse then turns to AJ, and to answer what they took from the city, he just says "Me." When they're all shocked, he explains further that the tech wasn't always part of him, but it became part of him while he was in Antarctica, and it still is.

Geri's most confused that the Society took him and did all that but Zuse was still siding with them. She asks if it was just the programming. Zuse guardedly responds that it's more complicated than that. But... he wants freedom, to never be programmed ever again.

AJ wants to know how to undo the Divergence.

Madi's flustered, explaining she thought Zuse always wanted to be merged and that she was convinced he'd be furious once he woke up from being ripped out of the server, but it was all just the programming making him think he wanted it?

Zuse clarifies that he loves merging... but he doesn't need that server, specifically. It had programming he didn't want.

He fetches yet another ice cream sandwich from the freezer and tells AJ you can't undo Divergence. He acts like that was a silly question.

The others try to confirm that they're stuck that way and while he does, he's far more emotionally engaged with the rapturous taste of ice cream sammich binge than the concerned questions the cohort have.

Zuse says the main problem with being merged is the lack of ice cream.

AJ starts getting very distressed and argues with Zuse, claiming Divergence being permanent doesn't make sense. If there's a procedure, there's gotta be a reverse procedure, right?

Geri and Zuse explain not everything can be undone. Paper can't be uncut, steel can't be unforged. AJ protests. Geri and AJ argue back and forth on that point for a while, before Geri finally says the original process was bad enough, if there is a reverse, it's probably way worse.

Madi says softly that she wants to be normal and to go home. But none of them can do that anymore.

Zuse wonders why "Baby Werner" would want to settle for a mundane life - go back to lead when he's now gold.

AJ snipes back at Geri that she doesn't know that this is as bad as it'll get, what if all the bad stuff gets worse? Geri says, staring him down, that she doesn't care. Now she has the power to give back the pain a lot of people deserve.

Zuse mentioned a term from real-life alchemy in his musings about being Remade, which Madison only knew from video games, so she asks if he played Skyrim. He says he would have loved to, but Dr. Werner prevented him from merging with a proper video game system... said it wasn't in the budget. Zuse is still rather upset about this.

AJ grumps about being destined to grow "brussel sprouts" on the back of his neck forever. Zuse attempts to show him the bright side by pointing out that the organism can't enter his body again and he's not heard of another being able to, so he's not going to have any further "brussel sprouting."

Madison asks what lifeform, and AJ explains that while the cohort got all sorts of cool powers, the parasite on the back of his neck got the abilities. And AJ got hydrophobia and agoraphobia. He says he usually blacks out whenever the parasite does its thing, like fling him away from the cohort.

The group try to cheer him up. Madi says he makes all those gadgets, and AJ says that's not a power - he's just an engineering major.

There's another tangent about AJ giving them cancer, soul cancer, and Madi exclaiming she doesn't have soul cancer because she goes to church!

And Zuse clarifying he didn't mean damnation.

That reminds Geri of something important. As AJ smiles to Madi and says he doesn't think she has soul cancer, Geri gets everybody to shut up for a moment to infodump about what she found. She tells them Charismatic Virtues knows the cohort escaped, she tells them about the prayer request post, the so-called 'private psych ward,' forming a coalition with Madi's school, despite being totally different sects.

Madison doesn't understand, and Geri has to explain the church reeeeally believes in the Divergence thing, in a cult way. Maybe they found out about Madi, or guessed well enough?

Madison's confused and distressed why the head Friar of the school, Father Philip, would join up with such a horrible organization for her friends' memorials. No one can offer her satisfying answers.

AJ asks what Geri wants to do about it, and Geri says her end goal is total destruction of the church - but Madison's friend might be stuck there.

AJ agrees to help find Madi's friend, and stop the church from hurting anyone else, but he has to consider with Geri's father, but figures he won't have to pull any triggers. He agrees to have Geri's back.

Zuse makes some pew pew noises and fakes shooting a machine gun. He claims to have been a real good shot way back.

Madi, naively asks what AJ meant about pulling triggers. AJ references the story of Oedipus, which goes FAR over Madi's head, and she gets grossed out mixing it up with Oedipal and Electra Complexes. AJ has to clarify the dad-killing part.

Zuse quietly says he thought she went to church.

Madison is somehow, even more scandalized about potential murder - she thought the plan was to get Geri's father arrested. AJ tries to calm her down, saying of course they'll aspire for the least violent outcome, sharing a look with Geri. A look to agree to zip it and let Madi stay in the dark.

Madi, bright-eyed and placated for now, says the cohort's not like their enemies. They're good. They shouldn't kill unless they don't have another choice. She's cuddling the now fussing cat like it's a lifeline.

AJ quickly agrees to Madi and gives Geri another look. Geri keeps with the program for the time being and weasel-words her way out of it, saying they're going to make sure the church won't hurt anyone else.

Before anyone can interrogate her commitment to no murder, Geri changes the subject and says she has information about AJ's uncle, which makes both AJ and Zuse perk up.

Geri explains the staff's been moved to live underground in the new ward, the breakout's been framed as Dr. Werner's fault, and he might get removed from his position, leaving Camille in charge.

AJ's very upset he thinks the cohort fucked up somehow to get his uncle in trouble. Geri tries to console him that the main reason he's suspected is AJ and Dr. Werner are related.

Zuse... makes an attempt at comforting. He claims it's impossible for Camille to kill Dr. Werner, so everybody gets what they want in the end - Dr. Werner frees his favorites, Zuse gets freedom, and Camille - the Zealot - gets the power she craves.

AJ presses Zuse for more information, asking if he knows for sure Camille can't hurt Dr. Werner.

Zuse announces joyfully that Gabriel Werner is immortal! And Camille totally would have killed him by now if she could, but she can't! And Gabriel still has friends in high places in The Long Man Society, anyway.

Geri suggests to AJ they could always get Camille arrested. AJ considers, and decides if anyone deserved to be arrested, it's Camille.

Madison wonders if Zuse means immortal like the vampires in movies, and Zuse tells the story of what supposedly happened to Gabe, according to his file. He was a soldier back east two centuries ago. He was given orders to remove Cherokee peoples from their homes, but refused the order. He was hung for it, but the story says the Cherokee Nation's sorrow brought him back. He walked with them on the Trail of Tears.

Zuse then explains that the story can't be verified, and that it's not even clear whether Gabriel himself understands or remembers what happened.

At some point during the storytelling, Zuse calls Dr. Werner his very best friend. AJ had been listening quietly up until that point, but latches on to that phrase. He asks if that's the same 'very best friend' who allowed Zuse to be brainwashed and programmed against his will. Geri adds the torture and potential blackmail of other people.

Zuse just laughs. Of course Gabriel doesn't know how to program.

The cohort try to talk through, step by step, with Zuse why Gabe might not be perfect and might in fact be a little... morally grey. And have done bad things to Zuse. Zuse roundly rejects most of the accusations and says Gabe wasn't even in charge of the Network, that was the Board. But Gabe did slip him information about the programming so he'd be able to make some decisions for himself, including wanting to be open and honest with patients, and being free from the programing.

Zuse realizes as he explains that perhaps Gabe's plans were far further into the future than he realized. He makes the cohort swear to not tell Gabe he was surprised (Gabe is so smug).

Madison asks about Zuse's other desires and reasons for wanting escape. He explains he doesn't want to be used to track down people who don't want to be at the ward anymore. He believes strongly that the next stages of growth - soul alchemy, calcination, transcendence - only happen when you desire it, and the only step that can be forced is the Divergence itself.

When the others ask for explanation, he continues that Calcination is the alchemical process of purifying what remains. The powers the cohort have are their souls' power. And Soul Alchemy... is a theoretical process of shedding all their flaws to reach their full potential.

Geri says her father's church believes in basically that.. for weirder, cultier reasons. AJ cynically says it's the Holy Grail the Society's searching for, to be a fairy tale ending for them and everyone they fucked up.

Zuse, by now, has gotten distracted by Nacho the cat and is feeding him a plateful of burrito scraps when he comes close.

AJ wants evidence of this soul alchemy, transcendence thing. Zuse says things can be true in science without having been discovered or measured yet. And that Gabriel is probably the closest the Society knows of.

AJ rejects that. He knows there's stuff wrong with Gabe. But Zuse said closest, not someone who's accomplished yet.

Madi wonders aloud if Gabe's mindfulness exercises help with mind-reading prevention. Geri complains again about The Society's special "nursery rhyme song." She explains further the song is a tune that sounds sort of like a river, and all the staff use it to try to stop telepathy, though she finds it more viscerally annoying than something that actually stops her. Madison identifies the tune as "The Long Man Song."

AJ says Gabriel probably isn't even a real therapist, and he speculates Gabe learned enough to fake it by watching videos on the internet.

Madi's extremely distressed by idea that the meditation and trauma talk-therapy was maybe incorrect or an act. AJ calls his 'uncle-grandpa' an olympic-level competitive bullshitter, at which point Zuse finally comes to Gabe's defense to clear up that he's a real "doctor therapist"... with no support beyond that impassioned statement.

The topic switches anyway to the Long Man Song and its use as an anti-mind-read tool. Madi suggests maybe the cohort should also practice the song as meditation so they too have some defense. Geri wants people to not project it in the network since she finds it so damn annoying.

Zuse, sensibly, suggests selecting a song that annoys Geri less. Madison, perhaps less sensibly, suggests Gregorian chants.

AJ starts listing out his goals - that the cohort's gonnna help Madi's friend and stop the church, take Camille out and help Gabe out of the mess he's now in... and after all that, AJ wants to somehow go to Antarctica.

Madison adds they need to check for signs of Lucas by the lakeside in the next day or two. The recent dreams make her think he's maybe alive, and nearby.... and that reminds Geri of something very important.

She's first surprised she's not the only one who got the green-eye dream. Geri confirms Lucas is alive and close, but she doesn't know the area well enough to make out the landmarks.

AJ and Madison get into a silly bicker-arguement for a bit over AJ calling Lucas's dream eyes "creepy," So Geri takes the moment to ask Zuse if there was anything interesting he remembers from their files.

According to Zuse, Madison was the most desirable, and everyone has their eyes on her. Geri's only less desirable to some because the entanglements with the church make her a little bit inconvenient.

Meanwhile, the very silly bickering breaks out into an even sillier light-hearted pillow fight with AJ and Madison dramatically throwing the couch cushions at each other and making declarations of war. All while continuing the discussion with Zuse. Now that they've started pay attention again.

Madi argues that she doesn't want to be wanted like that, and The Society must have death wishes if they want her around.

About then, AJ gets really into the fight to distract her for a bit. They're both incredibly over-dramatic, yelling things like 'you'll never take me alive', and 'your skull shall make a glorious cup.'

Zuse's reflexes are excellent, because he jumps straight up like a cat to avoid getting hit by a stray pillow and continues drinking the drink in his hand. While AJ and Madison are having their pillow fight, Zuse wanders over to a lamp and merges with it. Light comes from his nostrils, eyes, and mouth.

Geri's been watching the goings on awkwardly, not sure how or if to join in. She mutters about not being high enough for this. Madi, helpfully, shouts where her older brother's "secret" weed stash is. Geri wanders off to get it.

AJ stops the pillow fight and complain-whines to Geri that she wasn't supposed to let Zuse merge with anything. Geri sees no issue since... what's he gonna do with a lamp? She yells back as much from where she is. AJ bops him with a pillow after Zuse tells him to stop being a drag.

Madi touches his hand to see that it's very lamp-like. She asks if he's really glass since he feels like it, and he responds that Lamps aren't a very safe thing to be and promptly unmerges. Madi's amazed by how comfortably and naturally Zuse uses his powers, like an extension of himself.

Geri returns with a bong and some weed. Madison doesn't recognize the bong, but figures her brother must have gotten a new one.

Zuse asks AJ, since he's prone to "creepiness sensations," how he feels about Patricia. He says she once proved her hearing to a patient by telling him she could hear him jerking off at night. Zuse continues that she's not omniscient but her gift was deemed a cerebral sensory array and she's capable of sensing many things when she focuses.

The cohort's grossed out, AJ's additionally mortified, with layers of dawning horror. Geri gets curious. Too curious for her own good. She attempts telepathy on AJ but it goes... wrong. It doesn't work that time and his parasite senses the attempted intrusion.

Zuse continues on, oblivious to the others' reactions. He geeks out over her endless cycle of breakdown and rebrith and excitedly asks the group if they know she's only 24.

AJ first looks shocked at Geri, then betrayed, then deeply offended. He confronts her about trying to get in his head. She plays dumb. Then lies that she was actually tying to check on Robert and missed (oops).

Madison points out he's literally upstairs, she doesn't need to use telepathy anyway?

Zuse meanwhile muses that Robert's probably regretting volunteering for his job about now, and Geri tries very, very hard to change the subject by asking all surprised about Robert being a volunteer.

AJ doesn't buy Geri's excuse in the slightest and, mood entirely soured, wanders off to the garage.

Madison looks at Geri with big, guilt-inducing eyes saying she knows Geri wouldn't go into someone's mind without consent, RIGHT?

Geri assures her she's never used telepathy on her except what's needed to link up the mindcraft, and that placates her.

Zuse cackles and bolts from his chair and tells the girl to not let AJ know where he's hiding. He promptly merges completely with the fridge, the silk boxers left nearby in the process.

Geri suggest to Madi she'll talk to AJ when he's had some time to cool down. They start chatting in detail about Geri's dream, since Geri's unfamiliar with the area but Madi's been coming out there since she was a kid.

Geri describes specific features she saw, and Madison gets upset, She wants to know how Geri could have seen it - it was her and Cassidy's secret hideaway spots since they were kids. Geri explains about the dream power and asks if Madison ever told Lucas. She didn't.

Geri reveals Lucas didn't know who he was when Geri first checked on him in the Ward. She explains he was in the water when it happened but survived and either got swept away or wandered away from the rescue area by mistake, she thinks.

Madi starts to panic, gathering supplies haphazardly. She whispers prayers under her breath.

To be Continued.

[Music Outro: "Time Will Fail Us" by Troigo]

Thanks for listening, This has been Gather ‘Round The Trashfires with Bek Andrew Evans. Please subscribe to this podcast for future updates and leave a review or comment, I’d love to hear what you think. You can follow me on a few different social platforms with the username "bekandrew." That's [spells username] on tumblr and bluesky, mainly.

If you'd like to support me, subscribe to my Patreon at Patreon.com/BekAndrewTTRPG and purchase my art prints and tabletop products, including my Deviant: the Renegades community content novella related to this chronicle via my linktree in the description.

AJ is played by Roen,

Geri is played by me,

Madison is played by Syn,

Robert is played by Pandito,

And our Storyteller is Casey Grant.

The intro theme is "_violence by Avantist" from the Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0.

The end theme is "Time Will Fail Us" by Troigo from the Free Music Archive, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0.

If you like the songs, I encourage you to check out more of their work. I've linked their Bandcamps in the description.

Until next time.

Follow my Patreon at Patreon.com/BekAndrewTTRPG Check out my other work at linktr.ee/bekandrew Check out the Intro and Outro artists' Bandcamps! https://theavantist.bandcamp.com/music https://troigo.bandcamp.com/ Remember to subscribe and see y'all next week!
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