goddamngrenades | RP Open Post

"You can't do that, Carolina," Wash says, his grip tightening on her shoulder. "You don't want to. You of everyone... you'd know what it's like to have your AI ripped out. You're not the Meta. You're not the- the monster they want to create."

"No, I'm a soldier and I follow orders! I am ORDERING you to talk!" SHe gives York a shake, like that'll rattle the truth out of him.

She doesn't expect his hands to slip from her wrist to the caches on her helmet. Doesn't have time to stop him from pulling it off.

Definitely doesn't have time to think about what he's planning when he pulls her in and-

Rests his forehead against hers.

"You don't have to be a soldier all the time, Carolina."

"There's better ways to do this!" Wash says, trying to pull her arm away. But she's wearing armour and once it's locked, there's no way he can get her to move while he's not wearing his.

York is obviously insane. Wash glares at him, because it feels wrong to have someone drag her helmet off, feels like a violation. And then he's touching her, resting his head against hers.

"What are you doing?" This doesn't- this isn't- he shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't. It doesn't make SENSE. Her hand is on his throat, her fingers on Delta's chip and his hands are on her face. Holding her like she held him yesterday.

"Making a point? Winging it." He shrugs and the tendons under her palm creak- she legs go of his throat, pushes herself away, eyes wide. That isn't-

"Suit up. Report to Control." To Wash. Orders. She can give orders. "We'll discuss your indiscretion later."

He knows her pretty well by now and he doesn't think he's ever seen her this unsettled. Not while they've been working together for Charon anyway.

And then the moment is gone. "Carolina..." The sharp bite of her words strikes like a whip, and he has to be a soldier again. "Yes sir," he agrees, giving York the barest flicker of a look. "I understand. What do you want me to tell Control?"

"That you were fraternizing and need a reminder of your place. Our place. Dismissed." She'll wait for Wash to leave first, giving York no room to move, no room to talk.

He's done enough damage.

He squeezes his eyes shut for one long moment, forcing down the fear churning in his gut. "Yes sir. I'll comply and accept whatever punishment I'm given."

He carefully doesn't look at York as he leaves the room.

"...it's on you. What they'll do to him. It's all on you." Before he has a chance to say much of anything, she turns on her heel and stalks out.

Well.

That...could've gone better. Shit.

He lingers outside until Carolina emerges, gaze downcast. "C- Boss?" Facing her is bad enough, but if it buys him time before he sees Control, it's worth doing.

"What?" She's in no mood for deviations. Wash is a good soldier- he's all she has left. IF he's losing confidence in the mission he becomes a liability to Charon and to himself.

She can't allow that to happen.

He doesn't flinch, just looks up at her, lets her see how tired he is, how sick feeling and scared her is. He can't hide it, not now. "What do you think they'll want to do to me? I want to be prepared."

"They'll remind you of your orders." Firm. She has to be firm, for both of them. But it doesn't stop her from reaching out to curl her fingers around his shoulder, tips brushing the scar tissue around his neural implant. "In the best way they can think of."

There's no flinch when she touches him. He knows her touch by now. His mouth has still gone dry with apprehension. No, it's terror, straight up. "I understand. I'll do better in future."

"Do NOT let him shake your focus. He wasn't there for us. He left us. He will always leave us." Because that's what York does. He runs. He covers his own skin. He doesn't stand and he doesn't care.

"I know. I know. He left us and we were saved by Charon. We owe the Chairman everything." But York was convincing and it was easy to forget that around him and he doesn't want to think of Kimball and the kids getting slaughtered.

"Remember that. Go. I have my orders, you have yours." Armonia needed to be scouted out. To see how much they know, what they can do with with their forces combined. With the right nudge? They'll go back to tearing each other apart.

"Yes sir," Wash says. He clasps her hand for a moment before ducking out of her grasp. Needs to get suited up before reporting to Control. "I've got my orders."

Control was not happy with him. There was guilt engrained in him, trained into him as a reaction to Control's displeasure. It was his own fault. He should never have done this, he should never have gone against them. All he could do was take his punishment and do better.

He's stripped down to his undersuit when he enters the room, nothing to get in the way. It was a small room, a padded cell really, except for the machine set by one wall. It looked a lot like one of the machines they'd used on the MoI to implant AIs.

"Agent Washington." Control's voice. "Sit down."

He obeyed, settling himself in the heavy seat in the middle of the room, starting to fasten the restraints without prompting.

Getting herded out is new. At least they'd given him clothes to wear beforehand. Got cuffed. Got walked out to a chair next to a long pane of one way glass and it looks like here's where the interrogation is going to go down. Except...

It's a viewing room. The lights go up on the other side and it's Wash.

Buckling himself into a chair. Nothing that looks like this ever ends well. Padded walls, thin Machine and- needles for the neural implants. What the hell?

A guard fastens the restraints that he can't manage alone and then there's nothing for a moment, just the horrible waiting, and anticipation.

"You understand why we are doing this, Agent Washington?"

"Yes. I disobeyed orders. I fraternised with a prisoner."

"This is being done for your own good, to save you. To make you better."

"I understand. I'm sorry."

The hell is going on here. Not brainwashing his ASS, what the fuck else is that machine for? That whole fucking room. He doesn't say anything but Detla's running stats in the back of his head and none of them look good.

"You disobeyed orders, Agent Washington. We saved you. We took you in."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll be better."

"We will remind you of your orders, of your place in this organisation. You are a valuable piece of this collection."

"I know. I understand."

He already feels cold and clammy and that doesn't go away when the guard, one of Charon's own soldiers, not the mercs, approaches him. He can't see it, but he definitely feels it when the needles are stuck into the implants and there's something pressed into the port at the back of his neck.

What the hell. What the hell, what the hell- Delta running the odds of what is happening isn't exactly HELPING York maintain his calm but-

If they want him to keep Delta they can't do this to him.

Can they?

And if they did D could talk him out of it. Right? Right. Jesus christ.

There's nothing for a long moment. Maybe he's supposed to fill that time with begging for forgiveness. But he knows they've made their minds up already. It starts as a tickle at the back of his neck, a whisper, the feeling of something in his head that shouldn't be there. He knows there isn't; it's all manipulation of electrical impulses. That doesn't help though.

And then the full force of it hits him. No building up to it, no gradual increase, just the feeling of something hitting his mind full force like a brick wall, burning through his mind. It's like Epsilon all over again except Epsilon had been sentient, been alive and hurt and this is just cold inanimate pain, strings of orders and codes and someone's screaming and he knows it's him even if there's a disconnect between his mind and body.

Not brainwashing his ASS. THe fuck do they call this- Wash starts screaming and that's when he starts struggling, it's involuntary. He's got so few people left and Wash is down there, screaming like he had when they'd put in Epsilon- he's not even thinking. Delta trying to shout down his reflexes in the back of his mind but it's Wash- breaking the armlock they've got him in doesn't take much, slamming the guard into the window once, twice- the glass cracks and if he keeps at it he might get through-

This has to stop. HE has to stop this.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Re: 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)