goddamngrenades | RP Open Post

Perhaps that was tied up in the core of it for Wash; he'd had that, had it for one perfect moment before Epsilon had realised who he was, what the Director had done, and killed himself rather than stay in Wash's mind and maybe let him help. In any case, he keeps the AI unit close to his chest, cradling it protectively. How could he do anything else when he remembers Delta's creation?

Maybe it's stupid to let Delta speak, but he does. "Yes, I am aware," Delta replies. "Unfortunately I am unable to access any of their system."

"We recovered him," Wash says and he holds up the unit towards the camera, displays the tiny chip. "Unharmed, undamaged once we got the codes to deactivate him. Control sent it down when I found you."

Of course now he finds the map. NOW he finds a way out and it's hovering on the console right next to the video feed.

Just as much distance between him and them as it is to him and the motorpool. Maybe he'd make it. Maybe he'd even get a mongoose. Maybe he'd even get back in time to help plan some kind of counterattack. Set off the charges Wash set.

And maybe he'd get shot in the fucking head since he didn't have his fucking helmet.

D would understand. Wouldn't he? It's the logical thing to do.

"...east wing, hall six, room 12." It'll give him time to make up his mind- like it's not already made.

Wash gives a little wave to the camera and slides the chip back into the AI unit. Got him. Just can't leave Delta alone with the bad guys can he? Nice to know where he ranks. Wishes he could stop caring. Wishes he hadn't got attached. Wishes he'd never got attached.

He heads over to where York had indicated, plenty of the mercs with him, armed. A bunch of others cloaked and ready, including Carolina. He has Delta call out to York when they arrive. Seems the best way to remind him of what is at stake.

No time, no tools, no leverage. There's no ambush he can make and nothing he can do but show up and hope not to get shot.

He's shut down the terminal by the time they arrive, hands up, facing forward. Not gonna try anything. Not that he thinks they'll damage delta- he is apparently quite expensive. If he plays his cards right? He might get back his friend. Then they'll be able to figure out how to fix this together.

"In here, Bud."

Wash snorts. Right, like he's going into the room alone with York. Or even with a few people and York. He won't be taken in again. "Take off the armour, York, leave it in the corner of the room and then come outside."

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" D's valuable. They wouldn't hurt him. They wouldn't risk shooting York either, would they?

"Possibly," Wash replies. He checks, and yeah, there's a camera there. Gonna assume York is watching when he slides Delta's chip out, twists it between his fingers. York is valuable too. He'd prefer not to but that isn't as important. Instead, he turns around, brushes his hair aside to that the camera can see the port at the back of his neck, the scarring around it. And then he presses Delta's chip against it. Not inserting it, not yet, and he turns back to the camera, keeping it there.

He's terrified. Tries to hide it. Another AI in his head is not something he's sure he could deal with. But he will, he will if he has to.

Different kind of hurt. Wash's mind is a fucking mess- not that his is much better at the moment and- on the one hand, D could learn a lot if he let it happen.

On the other there's the kneejerk feeling of it being WRONG, of it being a violation for Wash to take HIS AI, his friend, for whatever reason.

The next sound of the room is the thud of the chestplate falling free. Logical? No. Foolish? Yep. He does it anyway. Armor off, in the corner, leaving him in the undersuit that's just as good as being naked.

"You come in. Just you."

The silence drags on and he keeps the chip pressed against the back of his neck. His fingers are shaking. He's killed people, been tortured, and remained calmer than he is now. His hands do not shake. But he can remember Epsilon unspooling in his mind, screaming and tearing him apart with it. Delta is more stable, but who knows how he will react to being in Wash's mind with all of the memories of what happened? But he'll do it. He has orders.

He hears the armour and slowly lowers the chip, putting it back into the AI unit which he passes to one of his subordinates. "Give it to Carolina if anything happens." She could deal better with an AI.

"Alright, York. I'm coming in."

He draws his sidearm and enters slowly.

"Guess I should've been more specific." He's not anywhere near cover, the armor's in the far corner of the room and he's sitting with his back to the terminal, fingers drumming on his thighs. "I was hoping you'd bring D with you."

Hope gets people shot but- he's got no gun, he's going to cooperate, hell, he IS cooperating.

"How? I felt him-" he stops. Grinds his teeth, thinking back to that. "Unwind."

"I'm not stupid, York," he says. "Why would I bring him in here with you?" He isn't giving York the chance to get hold of Delta.

Wash doesn't look away, meets York's eyes squarely. "In the event of a Freelancer dying, we were told the AIs would be destroyed along with us. They lied. The AIs are encrypted instead, locked down into dormancy. Failsafe. If the Freelancers died, they have other agents who can be sent out to recover the armour and AIs. Return them to the project."

"Because it's the easiest way to get me to comply? Seriously, David." Put an AI in a Freelancer and sure- they're more capable. They're also more vulnerable. Anything that happened to him, happened to Delta. Of course Wash never had that kind of relationship with Epsilon, he wouldn't know.

"It's Wash," he says bluntly. He doesn't want to hear that name from York. Not now. He can't, so he just wants to avoid it altogether.

"He's safe. You getting him back is... well, depends how things go."

"He's isolated. He's alone. They weren't ever meant to be alone!" And that rubbed off on him, just a little. Explained how easy it was for him to fall in with Wash, with David. "You can't have him aware and on his own, it's cruel."

"I know that," Wash snapped. "I know more than I ever should have." He remembers being splintered to make them, the kind of thing a human was never built to know. "If I had my way I- would have left him dormant." And that's the truth. It makes him uncomfortable dealing with the fragments.

"Leaving him in there is like leaving you in that fucking padded room." Empathy- if he can get David to empathize with what's being done to Delta right now- maybe he'll get him. That's all he wants right now. To get Delta back. Everything else can come after. "Except they think faster than we do, they live faster than we do. It's like that damn room but years. Decades. I'll what you ask just- give him back."

He tenses at that, goes rigid. He remembers it. He remembers everything. Can't forget that's the problem. Being locked up in there, alone except when they wanted to talk to him. And he doesn't want anyone to feel that, would never want it. And he'd liked Delta. They'd been friends, kind of.

"No," he says after a moment. "You aren't ours. Can't trust you. Carolina or me can take him." Carolina, not him. Never him.

"Without a suit or network access what the hell am I gonna do?" Nothing. Not a damn thing. "I'm unarmed. I'm cut off. I'm stranded."

And the one person he thought he could trust was on the other side of Wash and he'd really not have to do anything to get to him.

"I'm beat. I know when I'm beat. Please, David."

"You think I'm gonna ever believe that you're helpless?" he asks, giving York a derisive look. "It's giving you backup."

His eyes narrow. "I told you, I'm not David. He- he's dead. He died a long time ago. It's Wash."

"You're giving me too much credit." A lot more than he really deserves, here. It's giving him a liability and Wash ought to know that.

Now he moves, pushes away from where he's sitting, cuffs in his hand. he slides them across the floor to Wash and- well. Kneels. Head up, eyes imploring. Nevermind the bruising and blood he caused. "Please."

The move surprises him. He glances down at the cuffs for a moment then back up at York, scrutinising his face. He doesn't trust him, can't. Watches as York kneels on the floor. Defeated. Like a prisoner. And he doesn't like that. Hates that he's put that look on York's face, but... it means they've won right? For now anyway.

"Get up," he says. "Get on your goddam feet and we'll see if you can even make it to your cell without being cuffed. Then we'll see."

Part of him wants to argue. If he lets Wash dangle Delta in front of him like that now- he'll just keep doing it. Forever. It'll always be 'do this, then we'll see. Do this, and we'll think about it'.

That's how the goddamn project ran. He needs more than a 'maybe'. For him and for Delta.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just let me have him. Compliance would be the most logical course, here. D'll understand."

"You're practically the patron saint of trying to redeem lost causes, York, no matter what's most logical," Wash says, and despite everything there's a painful hint of a smile on his lips.

He lets out a slow breath, then calls out. "Give me the AI unit. And a new pair of cuffs." York has already broken these. Needs a new pair. "I swear, if I have to hunt you down again, next time you'll be in a fucking straightjacket, and those... they really suck."

"Like I said before, I'm the pretty one. Not the smart one." He shrugs and a little of that hopelessness leaves. He's getting D. He can still talk to David.

Maybe he could- he doesn't know. Just holds his hands up and waits for what was coming. "Only if you can't dislocate your shoulders on command."

A beat.

"Then again it depends on the model. What? I got bored on the run."

He snorts at that, rolls his eyes. Doesn't believe it for a second. York is smart. The guy worked on puzzle locks for fun in his spare time.

He raises an eyebrow, gaze running along his shoulders. The shoulders he's seen naked and bowed and slick with sweat. "Well, if you wanted to try something kinky..." he says, the sourness of his voice only just undercut by a hint of humour.

One of the mercenaries in black enters, hands over Delta and the cuffs. Cuffs first, drags his arms behind him and cuffs them and he swear he will start using tape as well as more cuffs if he has to.

And then there's the chip, holds it in between his fingers. It's a tiny thing, insignificant looking for such an important thing.

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

Re: York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)