video | counting bodies like sheep

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun is bundled up for the outdoors, and he's looking slightly shook.]

So.

Uh.

I found Jonathan Strange.

He's definitely dead. I think I'm going to need some help recovering him. Maybe... only come if you have a strong stomach. He's not in one piece.

[Video ends.]

Comments

[bestsir]

That bloody fool.

I'll be along momentarily. Where are you?

[adaptiveimmunities]

The main deck.

By the fucking water slide.

[The ridiculous thing.]

[bestsir]

My God.

[ And as soon as he gets bundled up, Harry emerges on deck. ]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun waves him over. The head is hard to miss. It's perched on top of the slide. The rest of Strange is harder to see at the bottom of the slide, hanging well off the edge of the ship.]

Hey.

[bestsir]

[ Harry regards Strange's head calmly enough—God only knows he's seen worse—but there's a kind of furious exasperation in his face too. He goes to look over the side. ]

You'll find a net over there. [ It's one of the specimen-gathering nets, used in happier days to pull up all kinds of wonders from the sea. ] I will go down to the ice—hold the net down and we may use it to bring up the—the rest.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Sounds fun.

[His tone indicates that he does not, in fact, believe this will be fun, but he does go to grab the net.]

Sure wish he'd listened to you guys.

[goingtobeunwell]

Canvas, for the shroud. I'll fetch it.

Jopson, if you're reading this, we'll need the key for the room in the hold.

Private

[heyboss]

Be careful where you place him once he's back together.

[Because yuck...]

[lieutenantsteward]

Of course, sir.

What of the others?

[brushoff]

So that thing out there is real? Well then...that's certainly interesting.

Private

[adaptiveimmunities]

...I'm sorry, what? Is this some religious thing...?

[goingtobeunwell]

It may not be necessary to open the room yet. We'll consider the matter further when his body is retrieved.

Private

[heyboss]

This requires a bit of an explanation, so I'll try to be quick. Like Una said, this is a dream, or at least some sort of shared hallucination. I was also a part of that dream, like she was. The one before. And there, death didn't stick. I have every reason to believe it doesn't stick here. And so, when he wakes up, he will be very confused and likely very upset.

Private

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Brief moment of staring. Una had mentioned death and coming back, but he had sort of... mentally glossed over that. In his experience, it' not a good thing when 'death doesn't stick.']

Yeah. She mentioned that. I guess I didn't realize there would be bodies involved if it was a dream.

Fine. Sure. Why not.

So what's the timeline here, and where should we put him?

Re: Private

[heyboss]

I know, I know.

It takes a day or two. And probably back in his cabin. Not the one from his home, though. Probably better not to give him false hope.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Please tell me you're not planning to go introduce yourself too.

Private

[adaptiveimmunities]

Yeah, he mentioned that wasn't a great place anyway, so it would probably be a bad idea.

I'll pass it along. They seem pretty reasonable, and if you guys are wrong it wouldn't be that hard to move him elsewhere.

[You know. Before he starts to smell.]

Private

[heyboss]

Thanks. I'm Lester Sheehan. I don't think we've formally met.

Private

[adaptiveimmunities]

No, but I've seen you around. Shaun Mason. Nice to meet you.

[brushoff]

God no. I'm a huge fan of being alive and in one piece. I suppose I just like the idea of having proof of the creature's existence.

Private

[heyboss]

Same. Next time you see me around, feel free to sit and chat. Seems a shame to meet people under these circumstances.

[bestsir]

As do I.

[ He heaves a sigh and climbs down the side. It isn't until he actually bends to pick up the ... remains ... that he's suddenly overwhelmed by nausea; he's hit with an intense mental image of Billy Gibson's emaciated body, stretched out on a makeshift table... ]

[ If Shaun looks over the side, he'll see Harry on his knees on the ice, retching. ]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun does look down, and he does see Harry retching.]

Shit, dude. Are you okay? Hey--we can switch. I go down there. You handle the net.

[bestsir]

[ Harry waves a hand and forces himself to straighten up. Fortunately there wasn't that much in his stomach to make a mess; he perfunctorily kicks some of the top layer of ice and snow over what's there. ]

No—no, forgive me, I will be all right. Here—lower the net, if you please.

[ He bends to pick up a limb and is immediately put in mind of Sir John's leg, pathetic and small in the coffin. At least that memory hurts less than that of Gibson. ]

[blancheinthesheets]

Dead? You mean that young, crazy man who was ranting about magic?