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 Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:05 pm
"Yes," Came Rodney's small voice from the bottom of the pit. He was curled around his knees. "I don't know."
It hadn't been an okay way to wake up, but he was grateful he had woken up at all. All he could think was that Lawrence would leave, and they'd come back...
"Don't...please don't leave. ...Be careful."
He knew Lawrence had to go back to the camp. He didn't want to be alone again in the dark.
"Sorry," came his voice, afraid and upset, "I don't know. I think they're gone."
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:11 pm
It was strange to hear Rodney's voice and the evident fear and upset in it. In the same situation he had primarily been concerned that without clothing he wasn't entirely sure who he was. He did not remember fear or neediness being part of the response. "I have to leave I think." he said calmly. "I don't have any rope or anything of use on me." He could have thrown Rodney the pendant he thought, but then if whatever had pulled him down there came back he wouldn't be able to get away from it - if it was anything other than the strange clone creatures that was.
"It is fine. The same thing happened to me. You will be all right." Reassurance seemed the thing to do really. "America will help. Just stay..erm..stay put? Don't worry. Talk to Seven."
And he turned on his heel and headed back to camp to get America and failing that, some materials to help get Rodney out.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:18 pm
There were a good dozen or more sets of footprints at the exit of the hidden cave system. Only about half were the same size and shape as her own.
Returning to the camp for clothes and to break the news to Lawrence that she was not yet a convenient corpse for him to keep forever, America noted the empty camp with a grim frown. Seeing Lawrence's figure, alone, approaching just a moment later had her frowning even harder.
Naked, dirty, and tiredly refusing to think about the past few hours, America cupped hands around mouth and shouted, "HE BETTER BE ALIVE!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:36 am
Oddly, he did find the fact that he was not the first it had happened to somewhat reassuring. Had it been exactly like this for both of them? "Don't go," came another plea from the pit as Lawrence walked away.
Rodney wasn't thinking clearly. He hurt. He'd been unconscious. Maybe it had only been minutes. He had his scarf in his fists and Seven around his wrist, which he clung to like prayer beads.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:43 am
Lawrence wasn't sure what he expected to find when he got back to camp, most probably he expected it to be empty the way he had left it. He did not expect to find America there completely naked and looking worse for wear.
He immediately held up his hand in the all-too familiar gesture of innocence. "He's alive he's alive!" he said. "He just fell into one of those pits. Like erm...the one I fell into. You know."
He closed the distance and looked her up and down. "You too? Or did you just feel like an all-over tan?"
"We probably need a rope to get him out."
The universe had clearly taken pity on him for the bullying he'd endured the night before and now everything was coming up Lawrence.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 11:47 am
"Place is riddled with 'em. Storm must've uncovered a few that went unnoticed by the last few teams," America frowned fiercely as she dressed. "We'll have to map them best we can."
She grabbed the rope on her way out. Stryker would do in a pinch, but it'd be uncomfortable for any trainee to handle that chain and Rodney likely had enough trauma for one day.
She pointed in the direction she'd initially run out in, the way Lawrence had come from. "That way?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 11:54 am
Lawrence nodded. "Makes sense I suppose. I didn't fall anywhere at least." He said this like it was some sort of evidence of competency on his part rather than blind luck.
He nodded. "Yes, that way." He did not offer to lead the way, aware that America would almost certainly not tolerate the kind of pace he preferred, but he did of course want to tag along. It wasn't every day he got to be part of being the saviour of a traumatised and naked trainee.
It was a pity Rodney had to be rude to him and suffer a divine punishment, but perhaps he'd think before getting shirty with him next time.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:02 pm
"Sometimes s**t floats to the top," she commented with a nod. They passed the point where she had fallen, and she took a moment to add the coordinate on her phone, and several other likely places along the way. Reaching Rodney, America called down, "Hey hun, gonna need you to summon your weapon where we can see it."
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:13 pm
"You came back. Do you see them? I...I don't know if I can," Rodney groaned, "Seven's been quiet."
He had tried earlier, when he first woke up. He hadn't had anything to drink, and everything was dusty. He had stayed part in the shadow to stay out of the burning sun.
Hey, came a groggy voice, M'alright, give her a shot. Oogh. I told you to kick.
"I'll try."
Rodney took the band of rocks from his wrist, and they glowed softly, shifting into a warm and sturdy length of chain. White runes shined up from the pit.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:29 pm
Lawrence peered down into the dark and looked pleased when the light from the weapon emerged. "Well he's not a clone, correct? I forget if there are other ways to tell what they are. I have not personally run into many. Other than the obvious, and I knew what she was via my own means. Means which well, aren't ever going to work on Rodney obviously."
He moved into America's shadow to get out of the sun and fully expected her to do all the work.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:38 pm
America gazed down at the trainee, gentky glowing rope in his hand and couldn't help a small huff of laughter. "God bless your heart." She didn't have it in her to let ture at the moment, and so instead, simply tied a foothold into her own rope and lowered it down.
"Your means involve sticking your d**k into anything interesting. But yeah, summons is the surest way far as I know. Tattoos can be copied, and scars can be faked."
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:49 pm
"It's...it's alright, now that...I can...just don't go anywhere." Rodney stood, standing and trying to steady his nerves. He felt like it was a misuse of the beautiful scarf, but he fastened it around his waist, giving himself a Jungle Book amount of modesty. He still felt very exposed. The fabric was not the most opaque.
Just hurry up already, Seven urged.
He tied the rope around himself too, for safety, then swung the grappling hook up to the top of the rocky walls. Like he had before...before everything had gone black.
Rodney tugged the chain, making sure it was secure, and this time scaled the rock successfully to the top of the pit, hauling himself over the edge.
"Sorry," he croaked. His mouth felt like he'd swallowed half the desert. He wrapped his arms around himself, looking down. "...They took...my clothes. Wh...what now?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:56 pm
"Excuse me I am a little more selective than that I'll have you know." but he still looked on with interest as Rodney was brought out of the pit. The man's desperate attempts to conceal his nudity were even more endearing than if he had just not bothered to conceal it at all.
"They always take your clothes. I lost a favourite shirt with that nonsense. Rather expensive too."
He looked the other man up and down. "I would offer my coat you know, but I think it would be too small for your big strong arms."
He smiled a little smugly. "Well I'm glad everyone did well on their patrols again."
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 2:00 pm
"I'll fill you in on clones once we're back at camp," America reassured the trainee as she began removing her shirt. While not exactly pajama length, it'd at least cover the dangly parts. He wasn't a Robert or Konstantin.
"You ever attend one of the newbie introduction classes?" Not everybody bothered, but it'd be good to know how much basic knowledge he had.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 2:07 pm
Rodney covered held his arms anxiously at Lawrence's statement.
He gave America a miserable nod as she offered her shirt, and stared even harder at the ground, very distinctively not looking at her chest.
"Thanks. ...Oh, um. I was interested, but Rep said I'd be better off if I didn't go," Rodney said, pulling on the shirt which was a little larger than him. "He's my Death mentor. I've been reading mission information from the library instead."
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