[it doesn't take Damien long to figure out that he can use his phone to hack more than just what little there is here that's actually mechanical. oh, he can't get out of this nightmare subway hell any more than anyone else can, but he finds he can shift things to varying degrees in his favor, using his usual toolkit. it's a rush, to have some sense of power again, never mind the fact that this is a little sideways from what he usually does. (or is it? surely, this is another point in favor of this all being some kind of simulation, isn't it?)]

[either way, though, he's feeling a little magnanimous, as a result, so ... lava got you cornered? watch closely as he inserts a little space between you and flow! being chased by monsters or maybe something more familiar? ta-da! now they're on fire! there will always be more lava, more shadows, more period, no matter how much he works to control it, but at least he can buy some time, and even if it is temporary, it feels good to have his power back, to actually feel on par with some of the people here. and so, whatever the situation, he's downright smirking as he notes:]

You might want to move.

[away from whatever your nightmare du jour is]

[it's all fun and games until the nightmare becomes Damien's]

[the train comes, its shadow casting flickering lines of light over his face, the wall behind him, as it comes closer, closer. he tightens his hold on his phone, familiar enough with this, by now, to know that something is coming, and while there's an instinctual fear that comes with that, he's not really afraid per se, the adrenaline fucking welcome, but -- ]

[ -- but when the shadows congeal this time, the come together into a familiar shape, and while their color scheme is all wrong, everything done up in fire and shadow, like so much else here, he'd know Aiden Pearce just about anywhere. he swears then, trying to use his phone to home in on the explosives he knows Aiden, real or not, must be carrying, and while he does, in fact, find something he can use, can hack, his phone choses that moment to fail him. he hits the same combination of buttons a handful of times, hoping it's just lagging, but still nothing happens, and Aiden starts to stalk towards him, gun coming up, aiming for him]

[he knows, logically, that this isn't real, but he still turns then, to run, or at least hobble away, not wanting to press his luck. excuse him when he inevitably crashes into in his rush -- or as he turns back, to try and take a few shots at Aiden's shadow with the ray gun he's carrying. he doesn't want to find out what happens, if and when Aiden catches him]