DEPLOYMENT 3: Basic Training 101

[walking_nuke]

[Back on the 20th, the Postman delivered to Balin his AFS physical training uniform and some of his other Recruit gear, except for the sidearm and its holster. Which is just fine for Balin! He'd prefer the uniform over gimpy Fifties attire anyway.]

[ACTION - ALL RESIDENTIAL STREETS (Late Morning/Early Afternoon)]

[So, since Balin isn't on shift

Comments

[rapier_ex]

That man, quite frankly, is an ass and you should take every single word that drips outta his maw with a heapin' spoon full of salt. He says a lot of things just to get a rise out of people.

As for your question, yes, there were other men before you. And if you'll allow me to be frank once more, I couldn't like a single one of them. They seem to be in the habit of sticking me with useless men.

[walking_nuke]

[Balin shrugs a bit.]

I'uno. I ain't gonna discount'a "sim" idea yet; I mean, you prolly remember me yellin' about it when I first got here. Still ain't entirely convinced this ain't all virtual.

[Still, what Virignia says sounds like good advice. Though that "useless men" comment ... ouch!]

Whatcha mean by "useless?"

[rapier_ex]

I mean useless. As in they didn't DO anything. Though I guess Axel was marginally more tolerable than Lucius. I still have no idea what his issue was.

[walking_nuke]

Ah, I getcha.

[Balin frowns, slightly puzzled. Odd. Mayfield assigns everyone a job, it seems like; did they just skip work all the time? Unless ... ]

Well, if it's any consolation, uh-I'm already workin' on plans to get a decent perimeter defense goin' for our house. In case shit like'a "spring culling" happens again. Or, any other case where Mayfield's out for blood.

So you had two "husbands" before? How long've ya been around?

[rapier_ex]

I've been here since May last year.

[walking_nuke]

[Balin nods in understanding, though it doesn't seem like he's happy with that answer.]

Man, if I wind up spendin' several years here, I got no clue what I'll tell'a JAG at my court martial ... They ain't gonna believe this.

[rapier_ex]

Time doesn't actually seem to work the same way here as it does back home. Someone said something about "relativity".

[walking_nuke]

Relativity? Were they talkin' about Einstein's theory of relativity or somethin' else? 'Cause I can't figure out how that'd affect time here.

But if time works differently for Mayfield, how's it work? It better not be some kinda reverse-Narnia thing ...

[rapier_ex]

Well someone from my world was here once, and while I had been here for months, he said he had only seen me moments before.

[walking_nuke]

[Balin looks visibly unsettled.]

... Huh. Damn that's pretty weird. Weirder than Mayfield grabbin' people from across all points in time, even-five thousand years ago, twenty-eight thousand years in'a future ...

[rapier_ex]

And from different planes of existence entirely.

Sorry for the delay!

[walking_nuke]

[Balin smiles a little, if only because he thinks Virginia's referencing herself with that.]

Yeah, that too.

[He pauses, doing a stretch to stay loose. Maybe it'd be a good idea to find out what Virginia wants her husband(s) to do!]

Ahright, so-have you been doin' any investigation of'a town or anythin'?

After I get'a necessary equipment together to make munitions and've secured our house, I'ma gonna check out'a Mayfield Dairy. Caesar asked me if I had anything powerful enough to crack it open, said it was armored.

Told me'a "citizens" here attacked it a while back, didn't say when or with what. Though it'd help if I knew what they already tried takin'a Dairy down with.