2023-02-03: Cascade: Stuck at home

• Cutscene: Cascade: Stuck at home
• Cast: Yuliana Kafim's (reluctant) coworker, Cascade Wattana
• Where: Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Date: 2023-02-03
• Summary: Cascade has been resisting, ever since someone reached out to them. It's hard for them to offer any trust at all, but they get a message out, anyway.

---

"I'm heading out," Cascade tells the Private at the front desk of the Nega Force's private offices. (He doesn't have much to do.)

"Uh, does the Major..." He trails off, a hand resting at his knee, nervously. It's been sensitive, ever since... he shot himself.

"He's fine with it," Cascade lies, but not terribly much.

They step outside, and catch a bus out of Kotte. (They decline to swipe their travel card; they're being tracked regardless, through the cameras in the streetlights, but there's no need to make this easy for Parminder.) They buy a phone from a dingy little hole in the wall, and they slip into a bathroom stall off a park a good walk away. There are, at least, no cameras in here.

Getting information out of the REA, without them knowing, is... difficult. The information drops Cascade has sent to Puru Two, before this, look much like:

The Captain has Alma Striner. She's being blackmailed k brainwashed kr some sjut, I don't know. She won't listen to me when I warm har. Isn't she one of yours? Be careful, anyway. I think she'd fight you if you tried yo get her out.

The Major's acting weird. He's way nicer than he used to be. Like still telling us to kill people abd shit but in a nice way now. He changed attitudes when the Captain disallowed on 00961215. Don't even think he yelled at her when she got back a few days later. I don't know what that means but I'm worried. People are basically vastards by default out here.

If you hear about Kim Eureka dying, that was me. Sorry. Orders. Wanted you to know since he had ties to your dudes. Tell Bright or don't. Whatever .

And the one which comes now, weeks later, looks like this:

The Captain fucked up. Some shit aboard breaking reality or whatever. Haven't been able to get out for ages. We're being watched. But listen they took Alma. Put her in the lab next door. We haven't gotten shit our of the Major about it. Wen's been trying I guess. But now the Captain's over there too. Lab's moving quickly.

They were going to end their alert at that -- they really were. But the next message comes from the same number, not a different one, and only ten minutes later.

If you don't sent someone soon, I'll probably die or disappear, too. Even if it isn't you... just send someone. Don't make me regret this, all right? Everyones always let me down, though, so I guess I won't expezy shit. Whatever. Even if no one's coming, at least I said something about that woman. ... I'm a piece of shit, but she doesn't deserve this.

They frown down at the phone, and promptly turn, in the cubicle, once they see the MESSAGE SENT confirmation. With a horrific crunch, the phone is crushed between their strong fist and the brick wall of the back of the cubicle; they drop the pieces into the toilet, and flush.

They've done what they can.

They'd better get back to work.