goddamngrenades | RP Open Post

There's too many of them. York might be fine, maybe, but he can barely stand. He should never have got York involved. He sways on his feet, drops his arms because holding them up is exhausting. "I- I'm-" He's obedient, he's compliant, he follows orders and no, no, he can't think, he can't get around it.

"York... it's easier if you just... comply. If I do."

"This is me complying. They STILL don't get to take you. They want you? They'll have to shoot me." He is not budging on this. Not even a little. HE couldn't help back then, he'll be damned if he doesn't try now.

They can't win. As soon as York stands down, they'll be separated. He must know that. He must. "Please don't. Don't get hurt for me. I'm not worth it."

He turns to the guards. Charon guards, not his mercs. "I'll go back in. Just... just don't hurt him. This is my fault for being weak."

Edited 2015-09-14 03:33 (UTC)

"Don't you dare. Don't you DARE go back in there Wash. I am not gonna stand out here and let them do that to you." He should've smashed the machine. He WILL smash the machine the next time he gets loose. THey might have another one but there'll be a reprieve for them.

He didn't want to. It hurt so much and he knew what they were doing to him. Each time made it easier to give in, to not think, to follow whatever orders he was given. And eventually there might not be anything left of him. But if it helped York, kept him safe... And he's tired, so utterly tired.

There's a flicker in his vision, a flash of cyan, and then there's a hand on his shoulder. Carolina. She glares at the guards. "Lower your weapons," she snaps. "I'll deal with this."

York bites his lip, hard, when Carolina flickers into view. She can't make him go back in. She can't. If this is what they endured? He can't really be pissed at them now, can he? They never got a choice. They never got a fucking CHANCE.

There is a long, tense moment and then the guards seem to accept Carolina's word and leave. And it's just the three of them. Carolina slings an arm around Wash's shoulders and he leans gratefully against her.

"Get his other side, York." Her tone brooks no argument.

For the moment he was gonna have to trust her- so he gets his arm around Wash's waist and settles himself against his side. "Got him."

If they head back into the room with the chair- he's gonna break something. He will legitimately shoot Carolina if it comes to that.

She gives a sharp nod and jerks her head towards the left hand corridor. "This way. We'll get him back to his room. He's always... tired, after they do this."

Her lips are pressed together in a thin line, and her grip around Wash tightens protectively.

"Gee I wonder why?" Not brainwashing his ASS. Healthy working relationship like FUCK. this is WORSE than the project, how can they work with worse? They know better! He bites all that back, supporting Wash as best he can as they stalk down the hallways.

"I'm fine," Wash growled, but the fact that he kind of needed them to support him didn't help his case much. "It's not the first time. Won't- won't be the last either." He couldn't stop fucking up. He just needed to be better.

"How long were you in?" Carolina asked.

Wash shook his head. "Few minutes. Not a full shot. York broke the glass."

Carolina glanced up at York, her expression unreadable.

"They were injecting shit into his neural implant." He growls, hand catching on Wash's waist. "He was screaming. Like Epsilon. You really think I'm gonna sit down and let that happen? Damn right I broke the glass."

"Strong dose of a particular kind of sedative," Carolina said quietly. "Makes a person suggestible. Coupled with messages sent as bioelectrical signals. It's... unpleasant." She grimaced, looked away quickly. "His room's down here."

"...seriously. Brain. Washing." At first it was just 'get himself out of here and make sure they didn't die.' Now it's 'get them the fuck out and burn this sucker to the ground'.

Delta's running the numbers. The odds are...decent. IF a lot of variables get locked down.

Of course wheat York considers decent and what Delta do are very different things.

"It's not bra-" Wash began and then snarled, banging his head lightly against Carolina's shoulder. "Fuck fuck I hate this I hate Ch-" He broke off with a whimper, and ground his teeth together.

"Can't call it that," Carolina said, giving York a significant look.

"What else am I supposed to call it, a disciplinary review?" Ignoring what it is doesn't help. SENDING Wash to this shit doesn't help. Get him armor, get him a gun, and give him half an hour and this whole fucking thing is done.

He might be done WITH it but- that'd be worth it. Maybe.

"We're almost at your room, bud, come on. S'gonna be okay."

They reach the room, a grey door in a hallway full of identical doors. Carolina unlocks it quickly and urges them inside. His room at the rebel base had been spartan. The room here didn't have much more personality than that. It was mostly the same layout as York's, a bed and a desk, none of the personal touches that his locker and quarters on the MOI had had. It was an empty shell of a room except for his armour.

"Sit him down," Carolina said. She slid out from Wash's side and headed to the bathroom to grab a glass of water for him.

Down Wash gets sat. Suddenly everything that felt off had a reason, every detail and he hates it. Hates that Wash has been living with this for how long? Hates that he never knew. That he stopped looking for both of them.

Nothing to do but try to fix it now but- it might be too little too late. Still. He settles up along Wash's side, hands smoothing down his back and across his shoulders, keeping far from the neural implant. "We got you, babe. It's okay."

Sitting up might be a bit optimistic. Wash ends up curling against York's side, face buried against his shoulder. "Can't call it that," he says quietly, eyes closed. "It's hard to say bad stuff about them." Harder now, even if the cycle hadn't been completed. Always took a while for his brain to settle down. "I'll be fine. Just... need to do better."

"Okay. Won't call it that." God, how deep did this conditioning go? York distracts himself by combing his fingers through Wash's hair, lips pressed against his temple. He'll fix it.

He'll find a way to fix it. "We'll figure something out."

"Sorry," he says, taking a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry. Shouldn't have dragged you into this. If I'd been stronger..." If he'd kept to the mission, if he'd been better in the project, if he'd never agreed to this...

Carolina returned, water and a medical kit in her hands. "Wash, let me see your neck."

He pulled away reluctantly and turned to let her see it. It looked a mess, blood dried around the ports.

"Not your fault. You didn't have a choice." No one ever really gave him much of one. York winces at the blood, kicking himself for not being more careful. "...does this happen often? To both of you."

Wash hissed when she started to clean the back of his neck. Spaceships, Spartans, powered armour, and they still couldn't fucking make antiseptic that didn't hurt like a bitch.

Carolina tensed, her hands stilling for a moment. "Only when necessary."

"How often is it considered 'necessary'?" This is not something he's gonna let go. Not when he's got his hands in Wash's hair and there's BLOOD on his neck and Hargrove had done this to them.

"This is the first time in... six months or so," Wash said quietly. "More often when I first got rescued by him. They said they... they needed to know I wasn't a liability. That I was a good investment."

Carolina doesn't look at either of them, cleans Wash's neck off with quick, efficient motions.

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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)

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)

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)