(no subject)

[notyourrookie]

[Wash appears on the screen, grudgingly out of armour, his face drawn and pinched around the mouth. He looks exhausted, eyes sunken and dark with exhaustion. Arriving here is just one more thing that seems specifically designed to fuck up his life.]

My name is Ag- [No, he's not Agent Washington anymore is he? He's not with the UNSC. He's not with project Freelancer. He's not anything.] My name is Washington.

They said that- [He can't believe he's saying this. His life is a fucking joke and his death will probably be the punchline. Until then, he is stuck dealing with this shit. Assuming he hasn't snapped altogether. That's also a possibility.]

They said that I have been sucked in through some kind of bullshit dimension hopping. [Yes, his teeth are gritted as he says it.] I'm looking for anyone who knows what the UNSC is.

[It's not that he wants to find anyone from home. There's no-one he cares for left alive and even then... well, he tries not to think about them too much. But he just needs someone to remind him that that wasn't all fictional.]

Comments

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

I'm gonna take Epsilon to the Chairman. Epsilon has all the evidence they need.

[Except... Well, he doesn't know if it's salvageable now. He doesn't know if he's going to survive.]

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

[ York nods, the plan's as good as any other. Except he knows it doesn't work, since Epsilon is with Carolina. He doesn't tell Wash that. Lets his silence seem like it's part of his distraction. ]

Sorry, I need to ask. What happened to the others?

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

[Wash blinks and looks over at him warily, like he's expecting some sort of trick.]

The others? There aren't any others.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

Yeah, I figured that out. How did they die?

...fuck it, I don't care about most of them. How did North die? And Wyoming, that son of a bitch.

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

Oh.

[Well, why didn't he ask that first?]

I don't know about Wyoming actually. I know that the Meta had his pain in the ass time distortion unit.

North... The Meta got him. According to Delta South set him up to be killed. I don't know the details.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

[ York's expression falls further, until he hears Delta and South mentioned together. ]

South had Delta? Is he okay? I figured when I died...

[ It's then that Delta appears over York's shoulder. Just listening for now. ]

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

It's... complicated. I took Delta when I- anyway. I rescued South before I knew. I gave Delta to her because...

And then she shot me in the back and-

[He sees Delta and jerks back, staring at him.]

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

[ Oh. York scowls. He'd never liked South, it's hate now that she had a hand in killing North and shot Wash and-- ]

D, you don't need to hear this.

I would like to stay. Please do not make me log off.

...okay. Wash?

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

[He eyes the AI warily but then nods.]

Sure. He'll get it from you anyway I guess.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

What happened?

Re: [Action]

[notyourrookie]

She shot me in the back and ran off with Delta.

You know fucking much physical therapy and surgery it takes to recover from getting shot in the back?

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

I don't, actually.

[ With a little irritation, he wanted to know what happened to D. ]

Re: [Action]

[notyourrookie]

A lot. So South was long gone by the time I got sent to track down the Meta again.

Did find her again eventually. Recovery beacon went off. She was gonna ditch Delta to escape the Meta.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

That fucking bitch.

[ First her brother, then Wash, then Delta. Three people he cared deeply for. ]

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

Yeah. That's one way of putting it.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

I'm glad you survived her bullshit.

[ He's guessing Delta didn't. ]

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

Yeah. I guess that's something.

[He's not sure anymore. At least if she'd killed him he wouldn't have to deal with everything that came afterwards.]

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

[ Delta's image flickers and disappears, the AI retreating into York's head. York, for his part, picks up his fork again. Still a little shaky. ]

You won't be on your own for too long, don't worry. Carolina finds you.

Re: [Action]

[notyourrookie]

Great.

[He doesn't sound too enthused.]

I think she's made some kind of mistake. I'm pretty sure I- I'm pretty sure I'm dead.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

What, you think she's hallucinated working with you for years? You should talk to her, not me, but my money's on you being alright.

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

We already got dragged into another dimension apparently. I'm not ruling it out.

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

...sounds like you want to be dead.

Re: [Action]

[notyourrookie]

[Wash just shrugs and shoves another forkful of food into his mouth.]

Re: [Action]

[infailtration]

Well... it means next to nothing, but I'm glad you're okay. Here and now, at least.

[Action]

[notyourrookie]

[He doubts York will say that when he finds out what happened to Delta. There's a perverse part of him that wants to tell him now, blurt it out and get a rise out of York.]

It's good food.