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They had planned and prepared for this assault in advance. They had separate parts for most of the mission, but would both accomplish their ends of the objective, she was sure, unless an unidentified obstacle stepped in their way. And really, what were the chances of that happening? Aside from her recent encounter with California, she usually had operations that ran smoothly.
Maybe she should knock on wood now.
"Ready?" Lizzy called to Cali, her voice slightly altered by the helmet. She lifted her rifle case, which she used when she had targets within city limits so that she wouldn't alarm normal people by walking around with a gun strapped to her back (kind of suspicious, at least enough to attract the eye of local law enforcement).
Half an hour to the target. Forty minutes to mission start time. Setting up mission clock, Sil informed Lizzy. She stepped into the living room again and turned her head to Cal.
"Sil's setting the clock. Forty minutes to mission deployment. Time to move." Her voice was flat, hard. When it came to missions, Lizzy usually got serious. She'd learned very early in the program that to use humor during a mission, even in a small capacity, was either frowned upon or dangerous and usually both. She'd learned to separate herself from the soldier she had been as an ODST and become a new kind of soldier. The kind the program needed.
You haven't lost all of your spirit, though, Upsilon pointed out, and Lizzy had to spare a small smile for that.
No. I suppose when I have to, the joking comes back. The memory of her fight with Cal came to her as a good example of that. I can't stop who I am, Sil. I just know when it's better to turn it off and tone it down. Behind her shielded visor, Lizzy's eyes glanced away. Admittedly, she was probably being a bit more serious now than was usual even for her. Since going rogue-- mercenary work, that was-- Lizzy had slowly been letting that stone cold killer facade fade a bit on missions that didn't bother her too much. It was Cal being here, working with her, that brought it back in spades. She had to buckle down, because now there were new variables-- and, if she were honest with herself, the fact that another freelancer was involved may have been a major factor in that as well.
Maybe she should knock on wood now.
"Ready?" Lizzy called to Cali, her voice slightly altered by the helmet. She lifted her rifle case, which she used when she had targets within city limits so that she wouldn't alarm normal people by walking around with a gun strapped to her back (kind of suspicious, at least enough to attract the eye of local law enforcement).
Half an hour to the target. Forty minutes to mission start time. Setting up mission clock, Sil informed Lizzy. She stepped into the living room again and turned her head to Cal.
"Sil's setting the clock. Forty minutes to mission deployment. Time to move." Her voice was flat, hard. When it came to missions, Lizzy usually got serious. She'd learned very early in the program that to use humor during a mission, even in a small capacity, was either frowned upon or dangerous and usually both. She'd learned to separate herself from the soldier she had been as an ODST and become a new kind of soldier. The kind the program needed.
You haven't lost all of your spirit, though, Upsilon pointed out, and Lizzy had to spare a small smile for that.
No. I suppose when I have to, the joking comes back. The memory of her fight with Cal came to her as a good example of that. I can't stop who I am, Sil. I just know when it's better to turn it off and tone it down. Behind her shielded visor, Lizzy's eyes glanced away. Admittedly, she was probably being a bit more serious now than was usual even for her. Since going rogue-- mercenary work, that was-- Lizzy had slowly been letting that stone cold killer facade fade a bit on missions that didn't bother her too much. It was Cal being here, working with her, that brought it back in spades. She had to buckle down, because now there were new variables-- and, if she were honest with herself, the fact that another freelancer was involved may have been a major factor in that as well.