khajidont | MoM IC Contact

[Wally jabs a finger in Jaime's direction.] He does not count! There's something going on there, but he's not a ghost. It's probably some kind of astral projection or density shifting.

What do you mean he doesn't count? A ghost is still a ghost even if you call it astral projection. And it's definitely not density shifting when you can literally possess people. That's a ghosty thing.

['Ghosty thing'. Jaime's a man of science.]

[WALLY IS QUESTIONING THAT

YOU ARE NOT TRUE TO THE CULT OF SCIENCE, HEATHEN]

No, that's different because I don't mean woo-woo astral projection, I mean like using electromagnetic signals and audio manipulation- did you know that if there are subtle vibrations in the air, you can unsettle someone to the point of them hallucinating ghosts? This is fact, there's been published studies. It's called infrasound. You hit a frequency below 20 Hz just right, and people get that feeling of dread, start seeing or feeling things that aren't actually there. Throw in a little brainwashing and bam, you've got a possession.

[It should be difficult to look so skeptical with his eyes covered by smooth lenses and without any eyebrows to emote with, but somehow, Jaime seems to manage it.]

Dude, I have a supercomputer in my spine. I smell electricity and see signals. Also, not brainwashing - brainwashing's when it makes you think it's your idea, and you can actually fight the guy. It's got nothing to do with feeling things or thinking you've seen a ghost; every single person who got possessed by him had no idea what happened in the first place.

[Except him, but details.]

I mean, don't get me wrong, I think this place you wanna dig through is a phony, but that guy was definitely a ghost.

I'll give you "currently unexplained phenomenon" and that's it. [Sticking to his guns here. The boy is stubborn.]

...wait a second, a computer on your spine? Are you talking about your armor?

[Unexplained phenomenon you mean magic, Wally.]

Oh. Yeah, did I never mention that? It's why the armour comes outta my skin.

[NO HE DOES NOT]

Um no, you conveniently forgot to mention that. Doesn't it hurt? I just thought that was how your powers worked!

Oh. Whoops. Okay, so: I have an AI in my spine. Surprise? [He hums in thought.] And it used to hurt, but it doesn't really anymore.

[He doesn't stand around dry heaving anymore when he suits up. He's pretty happy about that!]

It just looks super gross and that's about it.

Dude, what the heck. You're okay with having that thing stuck on you?

Well, yeah. I mean, it was this whole thing when it first happened, but now I'm as cool with it as you are with your powers. Which I'm assuming you're totally cool with.

[Because super speed is cool, and why wouldn't anyone be cool with that?]

[Which he is.] Wait a second- Wait a minute! So all those times you've been talking to yourself, were you talking to the AI?!

Yes? Wait - man, did you think I was just crazy? Why didn't you ask earlier?

[Jaime is not nearly as subtle as he thinks he is, and he doesn't think he's all that subtle. Robin, he ain't.]

Why the heck would I ask?! If you catch a guy whispering angrily to himself like he's talking to someone, do you assume he's nuts or do you assume he has an AI fused onto his spine that can speak to him telepathically?! You don't just ask a crazy guy if he's crazy!

Because everyone asks! Not everyone believes me, but everyone asks.

[Or... they don't ask and go on believing he's crazy while he marches on in happy obliviousness.]

Or at least ask if they're your friend and not just some random guy on the street.

I thought you'd volunteer that kind of information! I wasn't gonna go, "Hey so, noticed you're pretty schizophrenic! That's so interesting, I wrote a paper on that in seventh grade." Who does that?!

Literally everyone does that, seriously. It seemed weird to just spontaneously go like, hey, there's a computer in my brain --

Faulty use of the word 'literally'.

--I know what the word literally means, it's just a saying.

[Because hell, if Wally knows now, why hold back at all?]

See, this is what I'm talking about. All day long. [He holds one hand up and flaps his fingers together miming out the Scarab's incessant chatter.]

Wow. Sounds like a real nagger. [Wally is just. Okay, well, he's not schizophrenic. Don't have to dance around that anymore, that's good.] You can't tune it out somehow?

Well --

[Jaime stops short, brow furrowing.]

Never thought of that. I probably could, but even if I figured that out, I wouldn't.

[It sounds like an awful thing to do. Khaji Da is sentient, but his sentience can only be recognized by the one person who can hear him: Jaime. They bicker back and forth as often as they help each other, but he never wants the Scarab to actually stop talking. He would miss it.]

'Cause you...like arguing with the computer that fused itself to your spine and put you in terrible pain -at first- and keeps talking and talking in your ear all day long. 'Kay. [Wally's not sure he'd be of the same opinion if he were in Jaime's position, but Jaime seems ridiculously chill. He probably smokes pot.]

See, now you're just making it sound bad.

[It is kind of bad.]

It's alive, I'm not gonna muzzle it, and I'm cool with it. Just... roll with it.

[The Scarab is, for once, silent, but that mostly means it's in agreement with Jaime.

(And sorry Wally, but Jaime's so straight edge it hurts. Good luck getting him to touch a beer!)]

Hey, y'know what, whatever you say. It's your spine. [Wally waves him off and digs in his heels in front of an old, rickety gate. The path beyond is choked with weeds, the lawn nearly knee-high and the dilapidated two-story house in shambles.

KF opens the gate and it creaks ominously.] Oooh, authentic.

[Jaime follows Wally's tail until they arrive at the house, which lives up to Wally's promise. Its dust almost looks artful. He whistles under his breath, low and impressed as he floats over the gate before quietly landing in the weeds.] Very nice.

[He trudges through it towards the front door, eyeing the presumably broken doorbell.]

You don't figure anyone's just squatting here, do you?

Yeah, probably. It's still standing and it's isolated. [Wally jiggles the doorknob. Locked. He starts circling around for an open window and finds the back door with a busted screen, which he lifts to climb through. It's dark save for whatever light can creep in through the windows, so Wally yanks down his goggles and flicks on night vision.] You can see in the dark, right? That's part of your repertoire?

Yup.

[Usually it's not all that noticeable, but now that they've been plunged into darkness, it's all too easy to see the way that Jaime's eyes glow, giving off a faint yellow light. There's a good reason why he doesn't bother with a lot of stealth beyond the simple fact that he's bad at it; it's hard to stay subtle when you glow all over and you're bright blue.

He glances over at Wally's goggles before offering,] You sure you don't want me to just light up my fingers?

[The decor is disappointingly lacking in the spooky department. Jaime steps over a couple knick knacks that had been dropped on the ground towards the living room, complete with a tiny - likely broken - television and a couch with the plastic still on. When he walks over to check out the window, one hand resting on the sill, a large spider skitters on top of his hand. He yanks his hand away from the window and holds it out in front of him.]

Well, bugs sure like it here.

[Maybe the noises are coming from animals? Jaime's heard of raccoons making their homes in buildings before, even when there are still people living inside.]

Really? You've got a problem with bugs? [That's pretty funny.

He flicks the light switch on the wall, not really expecting power. He's not disappointed. He flips a few more and receives the same result.]

Okay, so, no power. But we don't know when it was shut off. I'm gonna look for the main breaker, can you find the meter and tell me if it shows any recent use?

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