To Reconnect

[moe_rapier]

[Ever since she'd taken her seat, Layer hadn't moved from her station. It was easy to monitor and work her magic over the comm lines, but the difficulty hump came in the form of navigation: Alia was right... they had the right idea, but the spotters needed a little more time yet. Can't stop, have to the weight for a while longer. She could stop to

Comments

hi I'm just going to spam your post with both of mine :D;

[experient]

[Alia comes in a bit after Zero -- she spent some time after he left just sitting in front of the scanner, lost in thought. But this is no time to go to pieces, no matter how much she's dreading this. If Zero's out of commission, it's that much more reason she has to stay on top of things.

She doesn't say anything as she joins the crowd, just nods quietly. She's tired as hell and she's sure she looks it and she doesn't want to deal with the world right now.

But it's not about what she wants, so to hell with that.]

[final_number]

Hey, boss.

[Zero gets up and offers her his chair as a replacement - since there aren't too many up here, and she looks like she needs a sit down even more than he does.]

[experient]

[She's not even going to protest that, just nod her thanks and take a seat.]

How are you feeling?

[Probably about as bad as she is, but conversation is conversation.]

[final_number]

Like dirt, but you have it worse.

[He puts his hands on her shoulders, meaning to be comforting.]

If you want to take some downtime, do it now. Layer and I can keep an eye on things.

[experient]

[And she seems to be finding it comforting, or at the very least, she doesn't seem bothered by it. But she just shakes her head at the mention of downtime.]

No time for that. I'll need to get scanning started on the X's as soon as they get back.

[final_number]

...

You might want to rethink that.

If that program or whatever phones home after being probed, then he'd get onto us being onto him if you activate another one so soon. He's already got a lead on us, and if he goes to ground too deep, we won't be able to dig him out even with a massive radioactive trail the whole way.

[Zero shakes his head] Give it a night, at least. We already know it's bad, we don't need to confirm it's any worse.

[experient]

[He's got a point, and she knows he's got a point. It's exactly the kind of sneaky subroutine that Gate is smart enough to put into his work -- granted, Gate's also single-minded enough when he's onto something that she could just as easily see him ignoring it, but that's nothing they can count on, especially not if he's got help.

But every minute she's focused on doing something is a minute she doesn't have sit back and dwell on her own feelings about this.

When she speaks again, it's barely above a whisper.]

Point taken.

[final_number]

[Zero's hands lift away from her shoulders, and his footsteps can be heard moving away.]

[experient]

[She doesn't turn her head to look -- she's not sure what he's doing, but she trusts him to not be doing anything stupid.

Trust. Right. Isn't that the worst thing she could be doing right now? But it's Zero, and even if she knows better than anyone what that sleeper code is capable of, she can't bring herself to just stop trusting him like that.

It's not him that's the problem here.]

[final_number]

[In short order, Zero's gauntletted hand, dangling an e-can, lowers into view in front of Alia.]

Hey, I think you need this. I went and got a bunch for everybody.

Think I can start another career as a waitress?

[experient]

[A faint smile as she takes it.]

Thanks.

Mmm spam and eggs. A surprising favorite.

[moe_rapier]

[Aww, honey. She looks drained. There's an apologetic frown in Alia's direction while she spoke to the others. She made a note to definitely do something for her later. For now, the radio channel codes and a little message of, "Hang in there. We all owe you one once we nab the creep that's responsible."]

Now I crave bacon.

[experient]

[She nods her thanks to Layer when she gets the codes...although really, she's not looking forward to nabbing the culprit much, either.]