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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 1:00 am
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"Oh, uh. You really don't have to worry about that, my hands are full with all of these -" The transmission stunned him into silence. Lucky dropped most of the radios in surprise, sending them all clattering in every direction. The last one or two followed with a few pathetic crunches as Lucky lunged toward Mark and the one working radio. That voice was unmistakable. "Charlotte."
"Hey, you - you don't have to do that," he responded hastily over Mark's shoulder. So much for hiding. And so much for the hope that the problem had taken care of itself. But it was somehow strangely exhilarating to have found her again, even if Song disagreed. Charlotte didn't need to threaten him - he would have walked over regardless. Just a little more carefully, now. "I'll be there."
He didn't fault Mark for knowing when to make a hasty retreat.
"Yeah. Thanks," Lucky responded heavily, looking resigned more than anything else. He pushed his glasses back up by the corner and tried to take a deep breath. He'd survived two of her playful attempts on his life, what was one more? His heart raced regardless. He wondered if Charlotte knew he'd been here before. And how big a part Mark had played in making that possible. "Mark... be careful. And I'm not Gale."
It was only when even the echo of Mark's footsteps had faded away that Lucky walked deeper into the darkness of the tunnel.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 1:19 am
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"It isn't Mark's fault," buzzed one of the remaining radio's in Lucky's proximity, "I could have contacted you any time, but this just seemed the most appropriate. Did you see me waiting for you at the casino? I waited, but I think you didn't have much appetite. Now, how on earth do people get such crazy restaurant ideas, too much reality television if you ask me."
The radio fell silent again, the walk in the darkness seemed to last forever, stretched only by static now, all reception lost. It would be a solid five minutes walking in darkness, occasionally bumping into something, a stopped car perhaps, before there was a loud humming noise and the tunnel lights turned on.
"Make no mistake," the radio buzzed again, as the exit of the tunnel seemed a pinprick in sight now, getting slowly closer, "I don't need you. I like you, on a personal level, but you are a terrible Hunter, despite being my successor."
A pause. A click as one by the the lights behind him began to turn off. "How is that by the way? How are you enjoying life as a full Hunter?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 2:56 am
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It took him a moment to realize the voice was coming from the radio he'd pocketed outside. By the time he had fished it out, the voice cut out, leaving him only with the realization that she knew. She'd bee there all along, hiding in plain sight just like him. Only better. How had she done it, and not been infected? And how had she been able to stomach any of what she'd seen of the casino?
He fumbled past another road block in total darkness. And another, what seemed like forever between. The tunnel could have gone on forever and he would never have known. Only when he was suddenly blinking away tears from the sudden blast of light did he see the exit, a sliver of warm light in the distance.
"Your successor? I'm Sam's successor. I, uh, didn't think Moon Division was that big on espionage," he countered as he moved. Talking kept his feeling of absolute dread at bay. Sam - the Sam he had known - was dead. Charlotte could play the part convincingly, but he still didn't buy it was anything more than an act. The real Sam might have used him too, but she had been open and honest about it. And unlike Charlotte, she had shown fear, an emotion Lucky empathized with very strongly. "Hey, I'm just flattered you take so much time out of your busy day to spy on me. That's how I know you really mean it, about liking me."
The lights behind him were turning off, one by one, with an echoing click.
"Oh, it's uh, less exciting than I'd expected.." Truthfully, in all the time since he'd been promoted, about the only thing that had changed was a sharp increase in paperwork. "What about you, though? How's your garden doing?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 3:25 am
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"Oh please, give a girl some credit," the tunnel exit was nearing now, almost just a blinding beam of light, "fishing for compliments will lead you nowhere." One could almost feel the palatable smile coming from the other side of the radio. "I do enjoy these dates though and really, you owe me another. If everything goes well, I'd love to see if your carpet matches the drapes."
There was a laughter at the other end that came static, stilted, and then the radio cut off again just as there was a loud roar at the end of the tunnel and a blast of wind that sounded unmistakeably like a helicopter landing.
She was waiting at the base of it, her long blonde curls stirring just the slightest even with the added turbulence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 3:15 pm
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"A date - ?" The whole long walk there he'd been mentally preparing himself for something completely different. He nearly dropped that radio too - the comment caught him off-guard and pretty much instantly broke his composure. Was she seriously - about him - and - but - "Wait, you mean -"
The familiar sound of a helicopter engine was back, sending pulses of sound and wind down the tunnel. He felt his stomach drop, in a manner similar to how he had the last time he'd been near a helicopter, and her.
If he'd been hoping to have formulated a plan by the time he reached the other end of the tunnel, it wasn't happening now. Not that he was particularly confident he was going to survive this. He felt his face flushed with embarrassment. Was that why she kept talking to him? Did she think that was why he was so focused on researching her? Lucky was starting to wonder if even Caelius had caught on to this before he had. Or she was just messing with him, again, like she had on top of the wall.
Despite his best efforts, his face was still a very noticeable shade of red when he stepped into the natural light, stopping about a little over an arm's length away He didn't take his eyes off of Charlotte, not even to look at the helicopter, more or less refusing to acknowledge it or the paralyzing fear of heights she'd instilled in him with one until he absolutely had to.
"H-hi," he greeted her, almost anticlimactically. He waved one gloved hand at her weakly. "So, uh... what now?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:45 pm
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"Sounds great." He tried to smile. He didn't do a very convincing job. Maybe the idea of sleeping with the enemy would probably have been slightly more appealing if he hadn't read all the notes in the server room and had something of a theory that the talk of a 'memory replacement' referred to her. But even he was aware that this was maybe not the best time or place to be making guesses. Aloud, anyhow. "No, that's exactly what I was hoping. That reason. I mean, look at us. You're hot, and I'm.. uh... well, whatarewewaitingforlet'sjustgo."
Lucky clambered into the helicopter with surprising speed, taking great care to secure the straps on his seat. Whatever made it that much harder to be thrown out. He closed his eyes for a moment, reassuring himself that if she wanted him dead, he already would be. He needed to stop worrying and start trying to get some answers.
The ground was given one last forlorn look, before he turned his attention fully on Charlotte. He'd talked to girls before. Well. A few of them. Maybe three, tops. Anyway, how hard could this be?
With all the fear and precision of a person attempting to defuse a bomb, Lucky slowly leaned over and put his arm around her shoulders.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:56 pm
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"Headsets," Charlotte interrupted, calmly hanging a pair of headsets over the awkwardly leaned arm. "That is, unless you want to hear the helicopter taking off." She smelled like overly fancy perfume and equally expensive clothing up close, and raised one arm as the pilot prepared the helicopter for liftoff.
"Dude," said a voice just as Lucky put on his headset, and it sure did not sound like Charlotte, "you did bring protection right. Two words: ice crotch. Also like, don't reply back to me, just cough if you hear me."
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 2:26 pm
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The helicopter picked up, and Charlotte said something and smiled-
- and it was entirely lost to the noise of Mark talking instead.
"Well to be fair," Mark continued, "you didn't fall off the helicopter this time. I bugged your shirt, actually, sometimes, well like, always, I have moments of genius. Which speaking of, the headset was pure genius on my part too, as long as you're wearing it she can't hear me, or well, you can't hear anything from her, but you can hear me, which is the point-"
Mark continued to ramble on that train for a while as the scenery changed around them, the helicopter lurching dangerously left and right a few time before it circled around what could only be explained as the epicenter of a dystopian green wasteland complete with decimated building. Once again the only other passenger next to Lucky was saying something to him while pointing outside.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:06 pm
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"Well, going to let you go. Just wanted to pass the message that since you're there, if you have a chance, try asking about the stolen weapons from Deus, but like in a very subtle way. Super subtle okay. I'll let the boss know Charlotte found you, after I finish my rp tags and lunch."
That didn't sound very promising. There was a loud click, static, and then another voice interrupting.
-"a small incision but it shouldn't hurt much," Charlotte continued, unaware of what had happened prior. "You're okay with it right?" The helicoptor was slowing now, beginning a shaky descent.
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Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 4:53 pm
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"Hmm.. the view is unfortunately lackluster," she replied, staring directly at Lucky, curling one finger in her hair. She braced herself against the seat as the vehicle landed, waiting a little longer for the airblades to slow and the engines to dull in volume.
They landed right next to the overgrown building, and she placed her headset on the seat and helped herself out, waiting for Lucky to do the same. "This way then, we still haven't done the movie part." She was already halfway up the dilapidated stairs into the building that looked at best, like it was going to collapse any second, seemingly unaware of the rubble falling around her.
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Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:05 am
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Lucky managed to endure about five seconds of her intense eye contact before he gave up and stared at his boots instead. When they landed, he made no objection, at least at first.
"Here?" He froze for a moment at the base of the helicopter, unsure of how much longer he could stand the adrenaline. Oh, great, she wanted to go inside the collapsing building. This was starting to remind him of the time he had nearly gotten crushed to death by rubble in the old abandoned lab building. It was like Charlotte was simply the personification of all his fears. "Um, right, lead the way."
"Speaking of the lackluster view," he continued as if he hadn't taken almost a five-minute pause in that conversation. He made his way up the stairs a lot more carefully than she did, taking care to look around constantly. He looked worried. "There's a lot less, um, zombies, than before. Like, none."
After all, last time he'd been here, most of the city had been infected and assimilated into a hivemind, leaving their crazed husks to wander around aimlessly. Zombie was, possibly, a crude word for it. He wasn't sure if their swift disappearance was a good sign... or a bad one.
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