05th anomaly ; video ; open

[dinosize]

Have you ever wondered what comes next? Evolutionarily. After humans.

[ Stephen is in his own cabin, a light and airy space that doesn't really seem to suit him. The camera is propped up on the edge of a sink, where he's washing out blood and dirt from the clothes he wore while out in the port.

He's not really looking at the camera. ]

Do you think humans could ever be a food source for another animal?

Comments

[dinosize]

I went to track it down.

All fairness - there probably aren't many people more suited to taking down a big animal than me. Not in the forest of Dean.

[notsoneedy]

Really? [And just like that, she's going from impressed to skeptical, unable to stop from rolling her eyes. (Teenagers, man.)] I know you're practically Steve Irwin minus the getting sting-ray-impaled and all, but...no one more suited to taking down a big animal than you?

[dinosize]

Around the London area? Of course, London is well known as a center of hunting and tracking.

And I didn't say none. I said not many.

[notsoneedy]

It must be a rare specialty. Tracking big English shit.

[dinosize]

I'm actually quite multitalented. I can diversify into African shit, or even Chinese shit.

[notsoneedy]

Oooo, wow. Mister Diversity. Now I'm really impressed.

[dinosize]

Even Australian.

I really wasn't afraid, though. Cautious, sure. But curious, too.

[notsoneedy]

Sure. That makes sense, if you're used to that sort of thing.

Did it ever start to scare you?

[dinosize]

There was plenty of adrenaline.

[notsoneedy]

So that would be a 'yes'. Only you're trying be all butch about it.

[dinosize]

It's just never stopped me, that's all.

[notsoneedy]

Well they say being brave isn't not being scared ever, right? It's being afraid and then getting stuff done anyway.

[dinosize]

I don't know. I don't think it's the same.

[ After all, there are things that have scared him off for years. With wild animals, he can just step up and do what needs to be done. With matters involving, say, Helen, he would rather stay silent for eight years. ]

[notsoneedy]

Nature doesn't scare you? Well, then. I think that means my next question would be, what does?

[dinosize]

People.

[ This response is too quick for Stephen to stop it. ]

[notsoneedy]

[Implied eyebrow raise goes here.] Everything about people, or something specific?

[dinosize]

I don't know.

[notsoneedy]

If you ever want to work on it, you might need to narrow that down.

[dinosize]

I think I'm all right.

[notsoneedy]

That's why I said "if".

[dinosize]

Do you think you've ever been brave?

[notsoneedy]

Me? I don't know.

[She sighs and absently plays with her hair.]

I've been told by the people here some of things I did were brave. Breaking out of jail, or killing Jennifer. But I never felt brave. Just scared. Or angry.

I did feel strong, though. Maybe that's close enough.

[dinosize]

In the moment, I feel focused. Sometimes afraid. Afterward, just relieved.

Brave is probably in the eye of the beholder.

So you broke out of jail, did you?

[notsoneedy]

[She just takes in that first part silently, without comment.]

Yeah. I didn't belong there. I mean, yeah, I killed her. But she was evil. Somebody had to do it.

[dinosize]

What did she do?