goddamngrenades | RP Open Post

"No. You have a handler. You have a leash. You are right back where you were in the Project. Hargrove points and you pull the trigger. Can you honestly not see that?" He'd sworn off so much getting away, kept his head down, stayed uninvolved, tried to survive as long as possible. Now he's trapped and reaching out, curling his hand around David's wrist. "Does Carolina call you by name? Does she hold you when you can't sleep? Does she understand what doing this does to you?"

"I know what I am. I'm a soldier. I have a mission."

He flinches at the touch, stares down at where York has a hand against his wrist, the calm melting out of him like that. He looks up at York again, and for a moment just looks terrified and then...

"I treat him like a fucking adult," she says, slipping into the room, taking in the sight of them, the curl of York's fingers against his arm. "You took a while," she adds, nods at Wash before turning her attention back to York. "He's a soldier. We both are. Question is what are you these days?"

"Yes because PTSD automatically means someone's a child." Jesus christ, Carolina. "The 'walk it off' school of psychiatry worked so well for everyone in the past."

Not that he ever did more than read up enough on how to handle his own issues.

Well.

Delta did.

"Soldiers don't commit genocide." Monsters do. Unethical orders are a THING. "I'm the only sane man left, apparently."

Her hand comes to rest on Wash's shoulder, squeezing it, and it's easier to pull out of York's grasp when she's there, a grounding presence next to him. "I think the last thing either of us needs is more people messing with our heads after the Counsellor."

He might just go a little pale when the Counsellor is mentioned. Wishes he'd worn his helmet so that York wouldn't see it. "I gave him the AI like you said. I'm done here," he says, turning his full attention to Carolina instead.

She nods, doesn't release his shoulder. "Good. I'll report to Control now things have changed. There's a lot to report. Might want to hear from you."

He nods seriously. "I understand, boss."

"The hell do you call what Hargrove's doing, then?" Because scooping people up when they're low and desperate, giving them new toys, stringing them along with promises of- what? That is TOTALLY not fucking with their heads at all.

Fine. They can have their moment, he's going back over to check out the desk. There's gotta be something in the books that isn't a bug. Sure there's a camera in the corner but some other bug probably is a thing. It's what he'd do.

"He pulled me out of the ice at the bottom of a ravine," Carolina says coolly. "Got me treated after Maine pulled Eta and Iota. Helped me pick up the pieces and get Wash out. He gave us everything."

"He helped us," Wash adds quietly.

"It's a shame,' Carolina said, watching York. "I was... happy when Wash told me he'd found you."

"He's ordering you to kill everyone on this planet. The shit he's done, the shit he's planning to do? None of that seems shady to you, does it? Or are you beyond questioning him? Cuz from where I'm standing this feels really familiar." He turns back to them, arms crossed. "Didn't we say the same thing about someone else? Didn't we follow his orders blindly? And don't you turn this back around me saying it's a SHAME that I don't condone what you're doing! "

"I have my orders," Carolina replies flatly. "I don't question the man who gives them." She tilts her head, taking a step towards him. "Maybe if you'd followed orders instead of running off with Tex, none of us would be in this position."

Wash winced. "Carolina... boss..."

"Don't say anything, Wash. He helped bring down the Project. He left you. He left us. But he'll give himself up for an AI fragment. Familiar."

"If the orders weren't unethical, I would've followed them! They were committing war crimes. He was killing us. He was killing innocent people. How in the hell is Hargrove any different?" He made a call. It was the right one. "I couldn't find Wash. I saw you get dropped off a cliff. I'm human, Carolina, not psychic. How the fuck was I supposed to know either of you survived that?"

"He did more than cause chaos and down a ship. He's earnt our loyalty. You never even spoke to me about what you suspected."

And that had hurt. York teaming up with Tex of all people. And then facing Maine and that being the last thing before she hit the ice.

"I'm not losing anyone else."

"If I told you what your father was doing, would you really have helped us? You sure as hell didn't help Connie!" Achieve the mission at all costs. Nevermind teammates, nevermind loyalty. "You never wondered where they were coming from. You never wondered why they screamed or why Epsilon killed himself in Wash. You just wanted to be better than her. Congratulations, Carolina. You're the better killing machine. Bra-fucking-vo."

"Tex killed Connie!" Carolina snarled, budging right up into his space. "She didn't even hesitate. Cut her down. I was never aiming to kill her. She was my team. But Tex, no, she didn't care."

No. He wasn't doing this. Wash grabbed York, one hand curling against the back of his neck, an obvious threat. "Stop. You don't get to talk to her like that."

"And South killed North and Reggie damn near killed me! NONE of us were ever put in a position to be loyal to anyone but ourselves and your father helped that along as much as possible-" Wash's hand is on his neck, his fingers against the chip and he flinches back, hard. "So you want me patting her ass for falling into the same trap as before and bringing you with her?"

Detla still and tense in the back of his mind and he needs to shut up. Needs to wind it down but this- this is not how he saw meeting them again a few years ago.

This is hell.

"Let me go."

His grip tightens for a moment, hard against the back of his neck. "She's right. You always did treat me like a fucking child. That hasn't changed. You're not some grand saviour, York. You aren't gonna sweep in and fix things. You're not gonna fix me." His grip loosens and just lingers there, gently. He likes the feeling of York's skin against his fingers.

Carolina needs to wind down or she'll end up hurting him. And herself.

"We're not letting you go.Why would we do that?"

"I treated you like someone new to war. And yeah, that meant covering your ass because you weren't used to it and you never should've had to GET used to it." He snaps a hand up to grip Wash's wrist and tries to pull his hand away. Too close for comfort- that. Way, way too close for comfort. "I meant your hand, dipshit. I know you're not going to let me out. It's a very nice cell, but it's still a cell."

"Well I grew up, and I got used to it. And there's nothing left for me outside of it." So if he had to do terrible things, he would. Because he couldn't stop surviving either.

He lets York pull his hand away, doesn't resist. "Is he happy in there with you?" Wash asks impulsively. "Is he... not lonely?"

Carolina seems to be holding her temper- or counting to ten by the door. Either would give him space enough to glare at Wash and put a little distance between them. Give himself some space. "We are together."

That slightly different cadence that came from Delta near the skin. "It's how we're meant to be. We'd be happier if we were free, but we're not unfamiliar with this situation."

It's temporary. They will move past it.

He's happy enough to let York pull away. Better not to get close. He recognises the change in the way he speaks, the tempo and tone of it. Delta. He wonders, if Epsilon had stayed with him, would he have ended up here? Or would he have got out along with them?

He swallows and nods. "Must be nice, feeling complete. You never know, you might have company soon."

"Leave him, Wash," Carolina says. "We'll talk to Control. Find out what they want us to do."

"Yes sir."

And then York is left alone, the door locked behind them.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn't get a chance to ask but- patterns. Rules and patterns and a whole room to search. No tools and no armor and no weapons-

But he's got Delta. He'll sort it out.

He hates talking to Control. Managed to avoid it mostly, being with the Rebels, let Carolina deal with it. He has to now, and they know what happened. Know that he nearly betrayed them, and even if it got them York, they know and there are consequences if he fails again. Might take him off active duty. Take him back to where they'd found him; an isolated cell where all he could do was claw himself apart.

He doesn't think too much about why he volunteers to take food to York. it's him or Carolina though, and she might just end up killing him if he goads her again. He's not wearing armour this time, just a soft t-shirt and loose pants. It's stupid probably. But he doesn't care.

"I brought you food."

Still in the undersuit. Still looking at all the angles. Searching the room brought up a lot of nothing- the fact that beyond the camera and whatever's in the door it's not bugged is...strange.

Maybe they're trying to keep him from doing anything stupid. Doesn't matter. He'll figure something out. IN the mean time he keeps up with the routine he'd established while living on his own with Delta. When he gets board? He reads or he works out. Wash catches him mid hanging sit up, feet jammed under a bar near the ceiling.

"Does it come with a side of drugs and Stockholm syndrome?"

He watches him do that one sit up. He hasn't lost any of the tone has he? Of course he'd had more ample chance to notice that before. He still appreciates seeing it now.

"No," he replies, voice dry. "It comes with coffee and vegetables though. Why? I have trouble believing you'd fall for Stockholm Syndrome."

"Why else are you keeping me if not for Hargrove's collection?" Or to be killed later. One is as likely as the other. He curls up to grab the bar with his hand and unhook his feet, landing light and damn near silent. Practice. God knows he's got time. "What's on the menu, then?"

"We're all part of his collection. He showed me before this mission. The trophy room." It was fucking creepy as hell honestly. At least he gets to be active.

He holds out the tray towards York. "Good stuff. Stew. Bread. I'll even try it first if it makes you feel better."

"And it doesn't occur to you that it might be a little fucked up to have a collection of people? If you weren't being paid I'd call it slavery." Hell, he still might.

"Go ahead." It'll keep Delta calm to see Wash eat it first. "Any change on the 'get York some real clothes' front? It gets chilly."

York gets Captured thread split (point of divergance)

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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)

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)

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)