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 Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:00 pm
The Sun assistant didn't send Rep a text the next day. It was possible that he had forgotten, or was called off island for a new mission, It was equally possible that Simon was simply expecting the trainee to either arrive at his office without any further prompting than what was said, or to run away and give his superior a reason to hunt him down.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:18 pm
Rep didn't need a text to make sure that his appointment with Simon the next day played on his mind at all times. He hadn't had a single wink of sleep the entire night and all that remained was to gauge what time actually constituted morning. Five was too early, he was sure, normal people didn't wake up at five AM. Then again Simon kept a very close eye on time and efficiency didn't he? Seven would be too late he felt, that was pushing it into the late morning.
He spent a long time just mulling it over until eventually he'd managed to decide that showing up to be there in time for six o'clock would be sufficient. The hours ticked by too quickly and before he'd known it he couldn't put it off any longer.
Jordan had said they'd be coming with him and Rep didn't stop them, glad of the backup as he took what could very well be his last walk. He'd gotten up and dressed in relative silence, tying his hair back and wearing simply standard issue everything.
He left his necklace on the table.
"You guys ready to go? I want to just..get this over with."
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 3:04 pm
Harrison eyed the necklace, which Rep never ******** took off.
He finished lacing his boots.
He was mostly still trying to decide if he wanted B0nez summoned or unsummoned. He grabbed him from off the dresser, and after looking at him in his palm a while, hooked him to his belt.
Ready check, B0nez said. While he didn't have too many opinions about the contents of Harrison's friendlist, he did keep tabs on certain game objectives, and he considered Rep a kindred spirit.
"Ready," Harrison replied.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:01 pm
Jordan hadn't slept much. He'd napped a little here and there during the night; the hours had crawled by, but in a way, that had been a good thing. He was tired, but he could keep that from showing.
He finished dressing and shrugged into his coat. Rep had left his necklace off, and Jordan paused for a moment; but pointing it out would make the gesture painfully obvious, would make them notice it. "Ready," he said, and composed his expression into something approaching calm.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:48 pm
He gave each of them a smile that looked more confident than he felt. His heart was racing as if he was in some sort of life or death fight. Except here he couldn't even fight back.
All he could do was face it, face it without the cowardice that had marked his entire life. And hope that someone threw him another miracle. He almost thanked them again before realising that would just be trivial. They knew he was grateful.
"Right."
He ran a hand through his hair nervously before turning on his heel to head towards the office.
"I hope I'm not waking him up out of his bed for this, or my chances will be less than zero."
He didn't hesitate when they arrived in case he chickened out, reaching up to knock the door without giving himself an opportunity to rethink it.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:44 pm
The door opened and doctor H gave him a pleasant smile, "Oh, so the prodigal arrives then, hm?" His eyes slid from Rep to the other two, and the smile widened, revealing a glint of teeth. "Couldn't even make it here on your own? Well, that's not exactly unexpected, now is it?"
The doctor stepped back to allow the trainees to enter. Simon was at his desk, a small pile of folded paper shapes and creatures in front of him. The assistant's was pale and frowning with a displeasure that only increased at Rep's arrival. "Sit."
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:27 pm
Rep felt his veins ice as rather than simply the expected Simon he was met with the sight of the Doctor. There were a few people on the island he feared, Simon was an immediate threat, real and dangerous, almost impossible to negotiate with. Caelius who showed a brutal wildcard temper that was unpredictable and destructive. Both were a real physical danger, and that he understood. The Doctor was something a lot more chilling. Smart and incomprehensible to Rep.
It brought a new and terrifying element into this whole thing. Even Simon seemed somehow stressed by his presence.
"No sir." he deferred to the other man, in no mood to argue with someone who outranked him so highly, and sat, eyeing the desk anxiously.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:32 pm
The doctor was here. That was bad. What was he here for? Calling the time of death was all Harrison could think of- but...
He'd invited them all in without a fuss.
Or maybe he just thought, when it came down to it, he and Jordan wouldn't matter.
Harrison gripped his hands into fists and stuck close to Rep.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:43 pm
Dr. H was here. That worried Jordan. He kept his face carefully blank and followed the other two in, hanging back slightly and folding his hands together behind his back. Simon looked unhappy, and he'd clearly been folding origami for some time. Nervous habit? Might the Sun assistant be just as unsettled by the Doctor's presence as the trainees were? That could mean a lot of things. Few of them were positive.
Regardless of the Doctor's little jab, they were here to show support; unless ordered out, Jordan was going to stay right where he was.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:22 pm
The doctor settled himself on the edge of Simon's desk, and began pleasantly, "Since you're up and walking right now, I take you understand that you won't be dying today? Clarice said she explained our preferred methods, and young Simon here is unfond of giving actual warnings."
A paper lotus, oddly lovely, was swiftly taking shape in the assistant's hand as he tersely agreed with the other man, "Warnings are inefficient." His eyes zeroed in on Rep, and they held a cold, repressed violence.
"Yes, well," he gave Simon an amused glance, "... unfortunately for the efficiency of the facility, my own acting assistant has requested I intervene on your behalf." Lifting his hands he waved toward Rep, "So you get to live."
The sound of paper crumpling filled the room.
Simon discarded the ruined lotus and pulled out another piece of paper.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:43 pm
He could hardly believe what he was hearing from the man in front of him. He had mentally labelled the doctor dangerous, but it felt right now it had to be on some animal instinctual level. Because here he was, telling him very frankly that he would get to live.
Simon's comment nevertheless made him shiver and he outright flinched under the look he received along with it. It had clearly been close. Closer than he cared to ever repeat.
His attention returned to the surprisingly convivial H as he passingly mentioned someone had intervened somewhere. And it had worked. He could hardly believe it. There had to be one hell of a ******** catch just waiting for him. He looked suspicious.
"And that's it?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:24 pm
Won't be dying today. Intervened. Somebody else had stepped in. Harrison hadn't realized how tense he was until H said those words.
What else mattered, next to that?
He wished he could have hidden the smile on his face, but his heart swelled with a loose, dopey feeling and it found its way there of its own accord.
Live. He was going to be okay.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 3:34 pm
Warnings are inefficient. That in itself was a veiled warning. This would be the final warning; if the decision was made, it would be carried out quietly and efficiently, with no time wasted nor opportunity for interested parties to intervene. Acting assistant; not Clarice, then. She was too far away and too busy to be concerning herself with them anyway. Killzone? Jordan couldn't help a small sigh of relief. He'd thank the man later.
Simon was clearly not at all pleased that he hadn't gotten to kill Rep. Dangerous. Rep would have to walk a very careful line to avoid making Simon angry again, at least until someone else pissed him off worse. Was there a way to divert the assistant's fury? Jordan studied Simon carefully. He didn't know enough about Allan's quiet, efficient, deadly shadow to take a guess at how to appease him. That could be dangerous in and of itself. Something to be remedied if possible.
For that matter, he didn't know much about any of the assistants besides Clarice. It was probably time to do a little quiet research.
His thoughts ran quietly, mostly overshadowed by the wave of sheer, uncontrollable relief at the realization that they were not here for an execution. There would be consequences, that was for sure, and hell, he had some things to say himself, but the unseen blade no longer hovered quite so close overhead. He moved forward slightly and brushed a hand across the back of Rep's shoulder.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:46 pm
At Rep's question, a paper crane lost it's head, and Simon gave the trainee a flat look, "No. That is not it."
The doctor gave a small, friendly laugh and explained, "William, how could that possibly be it? You're a problem." His tone remained jovial, apparently sure that Rep was other people's problem, rather than his own. "Now. before you get the wrong idea, this problem isn't a moral one. So you upgraded from cutting down furniture to cutting down elderly women? There are those who would be quite disappointed that you'd commit such an act, but..." he slid his eyes to Simon, his smile sly and mocking, "...none of those people are here in this room, now are they?"
Simon simply stared at the older man, his hands quickly and surely folding paper. He was not Allan, nor would he ever be able to reach his leader's level of both power and innocence. All he could do was protect both as best he could, and find his own strength through that, no matter the cost.
In the end it was the doctor who looked away first, returning his attention to Rep, "The problem is that you're something of a rabid dog. You can't be trusted, even with other hunters. Your own team. Your friends and lovers. Young Simon is not in the wrong to want to put you down as a threat and liability. For the moment, however, we'll simply deal with you in another manner."
He held out his hand, palm up, to Rep, "Now be a good boy and give me your paw, hm?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:59 pm
So it wasn't a problem of morality? That, he had to admit in a very private way, was a relief. He didn't think he would ever fully get a handle on why it was deemed okay to wantonly slaughter one sentient being but not another. He felt no remorse at the death of the old woman, she was as much as thing as anything else. People who weren't his immediate comrades and allies were merely objects. It was the repercussions he had feared, the repercussions and the betrayal in the moment of his friends.
And that betrayal it seemed, had been the real problem all along. That he could fix. There were ways to fix that, ways that didn't consist of changing his entire world view, changing all that he was. He just needed to get his anger in check. Learn how to work with other people, follow orders.
It was hope.
And to survive, damn right he'd tolerate the indignity of the way he was currently being addressed, dog he might be, but a dead one, he wasn't.
"Aye sir." he nodded obediently, determined not to meet Simon's gaze, keeping his attention entirely on the doctor.
He held out his hand. What was the worst that could happen?
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