He's in a ship with a number of other soldiers in power armor. North, South, CT, and Carolina. They are being fired upon and need a new insertion point with York losing the ability to do so. Carolina comes back to get them ready. There is a lot of banter going on, North and South are siblings.
Wash, however, is focused on Carolina. Asking if she's up for this. She gave up her AI, that's a big deal and Wash is unsure if he should be asking her this. She is his superior, but someone has to, right?
Carolina dismisses him and tells him to focus on himself.
Then they're getting ready to go, the back opening into space. Carolina tells them the packs are for course correction only. Don't want to end up like Georgia.
Wash doesn't know what happened to Georgia and asks. South says no one knows, they never found him. South is Unsure because South will say things Specifically To Fuck With Him. Still, Wash questions the packs safety, its actually his first time using them in Actual Space.
Except that's when their pilot swings around and yeets them out of the ship.
Wash is....very obviously struggling. He's NEW to this and he's trying to keep himself going the right way, but he's definitely spinning more in the path than he should be. He does manage to get himself straight as they're about to enter the bay of the space station.
Oh thank god, GRAVITY again. His anxiety ratchets down and with it, Focus. Do your job, soldier.
He hits the ground running, eyes trained on the control panel and he bolts for it, only engaging with combatants long enough to get them out of his way as he beelines. He starts looking for security override, but it is also a thing like He Knows How To Do It, but he's not the Expert.
So in his frustration in trying to get it done, he turns off the gravity.
Whoops.
He does warn his team. Chaos factor. Compensate. He reminds them of their grav boots as he focuses back on his task.
His anxiety didn't return. Wash is focused on nothing else, but getting things done, and there is an intense calm that hasn't been there during the flight.
There are brief flashes of absolutely baller crazy fight scenes just because he has to check no one is about to shoot him, but he is focused. Security overridden. Gravity now.
He has it.
He looks up.
He ducks as a car goes flying over his head because of course it's a car. "Why do cars hate me?" Seriously, who goes to space and almost gets hit by a car? Him apparently.
The enemy combatants are taken care of. He breathes. The calm is still there, but it loosens. He goes with North to secure a hallway at Carolina's orders.
Carolina then yells about where CT is and.
There is worry. And suspicion he doesn't think too hard about. Hope she just got stuck on the ship after launch. Just...on the ship.
They do sweeps and checking signals and they find out the leader isn't there, he's somewhere in bone valley, so they're going to go out there.
Then York comes rocketing in. Carolina hurries them out into space. York comments how there is no welcome back, because he's the jokester. North jokes with him, but Wash stays back enough to help him up and update him. York questions the decision to go out into Bone Valley after what happened to Georgia.
And Wash's anxiety hits like a brick. The calm had faded with their sweeps, and the anxious guy from the flight is back. He demands to know what happened to Georgie, York tells him he doesn't want to know before he flies off, and Wash yells he really does.
He hates surprises. He hates not knowing what he's getting into. Its so much harder to deal with.
But there is a mission....he has to go.
He breathes and flies out after them.
They head out, but soon after, all the attacking ships just...stop. Its disquieting. They think they might be retreating, there is just junk out here.
Wash...doesn't like this. Maybe its just the jetpack anxiety, but something about this feels far too familiar. Like everything is about to go wrong.
And then a mother ship appears from the junk, a fight breaking out with their mother ship in the distance.
"Guys, get out of there! They outfitted that junk with nukes!"
And there's right out of the frying pan into the fire and the anxiety turns into mental screaming. Fuck, fuck, fuck, not again, calm down soldier. You are a soldier, you be calm, you box up EVERY-FUCKING-THING RIGHT NOW-
But its too sudden and its not working as well as it did when he entered the hangar.
York yells at him to get in here, use his jet pack and Wash's mind is still screaming.
He says the first anxious thing that comes to mind. He didn't want to end up like Georgia.
He needs to calm down, he needs to commit, BE THE SOLDIER-
Except before he can get his mind to switch gears, Carolina shoots out her grappling hook....and hits the codpiece of his armor, and suddenly he's getting dragged and there IS no mental switching now, there is only screaming.
He gets yanked in hard to the ship, hits the edges several times over, head ringing, but he's inside the ship.
And then they have to report they failed the mission.
And CT is gone.
And Wash's fear and embarrassment turns into another kind of fear.
Wash is there in handcuffs, with a red and pink soldier behind him. The red southern one is calling everyone dirtbags and making threats and the pink one is just....so many. Innuendos.
Wash is....trying his absolute best to keep it together. Notably, Wash's head Is Not Quiet.
They're going to die. They're going to die and its all our fault, we were supposed to protect them, they were our responsibility, we failed, they're going to die they're going to die they're going to die, it should have just been us, we should have died for them, we could have, we could have protected them-
For those who see other memories, the voice sounds Exactly Like Epsilon.
Wash just wants to play the quiet game. Just let everyone be quiet. Please.
Then a man arrives, addressing them. Agent Washington, Franklin Donut, and Sarge. The man in charge is here and....apologizing. Uncuffed, given guns, know Donut's safe word now. Wash is very confused and when the man in charge asked, apparently men had come to kill them, then capture, then they're here, being given guns, and apologized to and Wash having NONE OF IT, ready to shoot this guy who....faints....the weenie as Donut puts it.
Its a trap its a trap its a trap-
Brought outside as General Doyle is revived. Being outside helps lower his anxiety, makes it a little easier to ignore The Voice. Apparently they had been shipwrecked, been attacked by their soldiers with Locus, then a guy named Felix showed up saying Doyle's soldiers have terrorized the planet, rebellion happened, and they're wanted for landing on it. Wash wants to know why he shouldn't kill Doyle.
Doyle points out Felix is a biased source. Doyle sees them as terrorists. Clearly it's a complicated war situation. They're apparently warriors of some caliber and Doyle wanted them brought to them and Locus was apparently a wild dog about it. Also Doyle was a secretary, not a military man. Also punishment for Locus is no money.
Doyle says they're not enemies, and the Federal Army will do what they can to get their friends and get them off world in exchange for their help in beating the terrorists.
He can't be trusted. Don't trust them. Can't trust anyone, only want to use you, break you, they'll die they'll die they'll die-
Fine, but want their robots back.
And finding Lopez in the trash. Get him online. He only speaks Spanish. Then Locus shows up when talking about Freckles, a battle droid, and Wash immediately getting between him and the other three. And apparently Freckles was destroyed and HOW DARE-!
Locus here, talking up a big game, and how they were easily manipulated and everyone sassing back. Then Locus focuses on Wash and talking about being a professional and completing his mission and Wash does not care. Just stay away from him and his men. Locus says that he doesn't understand....or maybe he does.
In truth, Wash understands all too well and he Hates It. It isn't reassuring at all, he knows it means if Locus gets even a single reason to turn on them, he will and he's unfortunately, he's good at what he does and Wash is very worried about that.
And yet...it feels like there's something More.
We can't save them, we're not good enough, we're not good enough, they'll die-
Shut up. Its the first time Wash gives direct attention to the voice as he pointedly shoves him away. It quiets him for a little bit.
Then Emily Gray tells Locus to leave them alone and Locus listens.
First holding out the primary storage unit of Freckle, his heart and mind, to Wash. Wash takes it pretty snappily, asking if it's an apology and he's being cagey. Donut thinks he doesn't make sense. Lopez sasses and Locus is apparently able to speak Spanish and Lopez freaks out.
"You give meaning to meaningless objects, and meaningless people, and risk your life to protect them. Where's the sense in that? I look forward to your answer, soldier." A very pointed statement to Wash.
You're a subject of an experiment. He'll break you.
...ah.
Fuck.
Locus isn't just respecting Wash's ability, he has a personal interest and that's never good from that brand of crazy.
Then Emily Grey steps forward.
There are no civilians on the planet. If they're not in armor, they're dead on the planet. Wash had a head injury and Grey did surgery on him and hopes she didn't damage the neural implants.
He immediately dismisses all concern.
So that's why Epsilon is being so goddamn loud today.
Grey just wants him to be a good patient.
Grif, Simmons, and Blues are their friends. Wash just going along with this for now and worries for the others. And for his men with him.
Is in the desert, watching Maine/the Meta beating up an alien's corpse. His entire body aches because he sure got blown up the other day. Then asking if Doc has a second wherein Doc responds that he's a prisoner and has nothing, but seconds. Wash is bad at taking prisoners and Doc sasses him for it.
Of course not, he didn't usually NEED to take prisoners-
Wash snaps and threatens to shoot Doc and feed him to the Meta. The Meta may or may not eat people and Doc thinks it might be interesting to watch.
Of course. He doesn't know what he expected of an associate of the Reds and Blues. He is tempted to shoot him, but...
No. He needs someone else to watch Meta.
He can't trust his own judgement.
Wash asks what's Doc's diagnosis of the Meta and Doc goes on about how the Meta is probably frustrated because he has all these powers he can't use and he can't because of lack of power and AI. It's not pretty to use equipment without AI.
Wash is frustrated though. He knew all that. He wanted a psychoanalysis, if there was something in the Meta that was Maine, if his friend was there and not just-
He boxes up that pain.
Shoves it away.
Resists the urge to shoot Doc. He doesn't deserve it and he's more sad than angry.
He just needed to focus on the mission, he just...needed to figure out a direction.
Wash, Sarge, Donut, and Lopez are finishing lunch in the detention facility. There are no war prisoners, so its honestly the safest Wash feels in the whole base. He's going over schedules for training the Fed soldiers, ignoring Sarge's more outlandish suggestions for obstacles courses, that involve far too many bombs, but does note down the ideas that wouldn't be immediately deadly. He's doing much the same with Donut's suggestion for morale boosters, dismissing the outlandish, but taking in the more reasonable. There are still far too many innuendos he seems unaware of.
Lopez is speaking in Spanish and Wash only knows broken bits, but he's pretty sure there are insults to Sarge. He just isn't gonna rock that boat.
Then there is an alert of a sewage breach. He stops for a moment, feeling pity for the maintenance team who has to clean that. Then the announcement came that its in the barracks, and the few Fed soldiers that had been in there with them are suddenly rushing off and Wash can hear the rush of movement outside.
Wash's alarm bells go off, because this suddenly seems like more of a distraction.
He calls to the other three, wanting to check out what's going on, to be on their guard. For all that the other three are...eccentric at best, in this instance they are fairly quick to listen to Wash. There is obviously a fair amount of trust there.
They head to the entrance and they hear voices through the metal. Something about a hack. Someone is trying to break in. Wash tells them to be ready, before he opens the door.
Only to see on the other side are Tucker, Caboose, Grif, and Simmons.
Both sides are surprised at seeing each other, Sarge asking why they're there, and Simmons saying they're there to save them.
Then Donut says they were to save THEM.
Then Caboose says something about a cliffhanger??? Listen, Caboose just does things and you roll with it and honestly its like....a far distance concern as Wash is hit by a realization.
They came to save them. They came to save him. They came to save him.
The amount of absolute affection hits Wash like a sledge hammer. Its good he's wearing a helmet because his eyes burn with tears from how touched he is, and he mutes his mic as everyone updates each other. Sarge explaining what happened to them.
How the Feds had wanted their help because their army was lacking in ability and how they had agreed to help in hopes of rescuing them. Tucker and the others confirm they were in the same situation.
The explanation gives Wash a minute to calm himself down.
They came for him.
It is the first time someone has done that in literal years and it feels like a weight has finally come off his shoulders and the amount of affection and love he has for them is strong.
Tucker is especially a surprise and means the most.
But they have a situation.
The two armies were in shades of gray, the federal army stood for a government that was potentially abusive, the new republic was potentially terrorists, who knows who was right, who was wrong, Wash does not care.
THEY don't have any enemies. They're just caught in the middle of a complicated war. Tucker and his group made friends, they made some allies (though Wash is genuinely fond of Doctor Grey), but that didn't change the fact both sides did something wrong.
At this point, its just inertia. If they could get the two leaders to talk with them as mediators, the war could be ended and THEY can go home.
But something is niggling at the back of his mind.
Simmons says this isn't right and Wash agrees. Its just the situation? No, getting them to talk is there best move right now.
But Simmons insists something is wrong, until finally he pinpoints it.
The alarms have stopped.
And that is a concern, joy at having someone return for him aside.
The setting is a balcony near the top of a high rise building, looking over (grounded) futuristic cityscape. There are some flying vehicles and hi-tech trams, things of that nature.
Wash is breathing in the fresh air, leaning on the balcony.
"Dude, is that a cat hoody?" The amount of incredulity is quiet apparent in Tucker's voice.
Wash looks over to Tucker as he approaches. Behind him is obviously a kind of communal hang out area. A place for patients to relax. Its easy to see Wash in the reflection of the glass doors and he's indeed wearing a cat hoody, mostly gray with some stripes of yellow, with cat ears on top and even a tail.
"Yes, it is," Wash confirms.
"Seriously? Are you sure you're not suffering brain damage anymore?" Tucker asked as he comes over
"Meow meow," Wash says dryly.
Tucker eyes him suspiciously. "....don't be a dick."
Wash laughed. "Sorry, sorry," he said. "I know. You and Carolina are worried it isn't so easy to fix."
"Psh, worried? Whose worried? We just had to relive you getting shot to save the literal fucking universe and then the next day, you say you've been gone months, and show up with several assholes who should be dead, and get dragged to another universe to get medical treatment. Whose worried? Sounds real normal for us by now," Tucker said with his usual irreverent attitude.
Wash just finds his smile growing, along with his fondness. "I know you're joking, but after the time I've had, it really does feel normal," he said, chin resting in his hand. "I'm fine, Tucker."
Tucker scowls down at the silly, before glancing at Wash. Something genuine showing, an uncertainty. "You really are?"'
"I promise," Wash said, hand going to his neck. "All that's left are the scars and the years of other brain related issues."
Tucker stares a few moments longer, but Wash can see the tension melt from his shoulders. "Then what is the deal with the cat hoody?"
Wash grinned. "You should ask Carolina about my penchant for twisty straws and the other weird stuff I had in Freelancer," he said. "Though this is specifically a gift from Aoko. She has made it her life mission to drag every bit of 'dorky behavior' from the depths of my subconscious."
"Are you saying you'd wear this kind of thing in Freelancer?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Yyyyep," Wash said. "I was absolutely shameless in what I liked."
"Huh," Tucker said and looked out to the city again. For a few minutes, they just stand there, watching the city move below them. "I know that like....you guys went through a whole bunch of bullshit...but is it weird that you seem happier?"
Wash hummed. There had been a lot of bullshit. New traumas, new nightmares, and other things that will never go away. But in the end.... "Maybe....but you know...I think I am."
The landscape seems to be a mountain village with a forest nearby. Its cold, but not snowing. Though with the way Wash can remember, there is something terribly wrong with the sky. Simply put? It doesn't move, it looks more like a screen than a real thing.
Wash is in an outfit that is largely cream in color, kind of almost a cross between a butler and a royal guard if lacking any sort of armor. He is walking towards a purple cabin, checking the ammo for his gun before holstering it.
He has his orders. That is what permeates the entirety of the memory. There is only cold, calm professionalism for everything that happens.
Her fear is obvious. He is unsurprised she runs and he is quick to shoot to disable. It is a shame he has to draw it out, he prefers to be efficient, but its supposed to be slow, painful.
And he follows orders.
Of course, the rest of her team interferes, the biggest problem is the caster, magic is such a pain, but that is what MP Drain is for. He fires upon them. They're fools. This isn't necessary. They know the penalties will be carried out, one way or the other, they're just taking more damage.
But they're in the way, so he makes them be out of the way, one way or the other.
"No! You don't have to do this! A soldier... should follow good orders, from a good leader! They're supposed to protect people! Fight this!"
There is a part of him, under the daze. The mission, the need to obey, the need to follow orders, there is that small part that screams that is what its supposed to be, that's what's right.
Its momentary hesitation, a slight drop in his hostility.
Then he gets kicked in the balls, and there is a blind shot to the boy. He's angry because that hurts even as he pushes through the pain of that and the earlier elemental attacks.
The words still dig deep at something, but the need to obey slams into place. He is a soldier. He follows orders.
The rest of Takshaka, most teenagers, are either on the ground from getting knocked out by magic or hit in the kneecaps, and he addresses the girl. He tells her he can make it as painless as he allows if she stops fighting, or risk more pain and people getting involved.
She relents, and he stabs her in the stomach to bleed out. Gives it a few minutes until he determines its been slow enough to open up more veins to finish the job.
Orders complete.
He turns and leaves, leaving the body for her team.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
What happened to Georgia
He's in a ship with a number of other soldiers in power armor. North, South, CT, and Carolina. They are being fired upon and need a new insertion point with York losing the ability to do so. Carolina comes back to get them ready. There is a lot of banter going on, North and South are siblings.
Wash, however, is focused on Carolina. Asking if she's up for this. She gave up her AI, that's a big deal and Wash is unsure if he should be asking her this. She is his superior, but someone has to, right?
Carolina dismisses him and tells him to focus on himself.
Then they're getting ready to go, the back opening into space. Carolina tells them the packs are for course correction only. Don't want to end up like Georgia.
Wash doesn't know what happened to Georgia and asks. South says no one knows, they never found him. South is Unsure because South will say things Specifically To Fuck With Him. Still, Wash questions the packs safety, its actually his first time using them in Actual Space.
Except that's when their pilot swings around and yeets them out of the ship.
Wash is....very obviously struggling. He's NEW to this and he's trying to keep himself going the right way, but he's definitely spinning more in the path than he should be. He does manage to get himself straight as they're about to enter the bay of the space station.
Oh thank god, GRAVITY again. His anxiety ratchets down and with it, Focus. Do your job, soldier.
He hits the ground running, eyes trained on the control panel and he bolts for it, only engaging with combatants long enough to get them out of his way as he beelines. He starts looking for security override, but it is also a thing like He Knows How To Do It, but he's not the Expert.
So in his frustration in trying to get it done, he turns off the gravity.
Whoops.
He does warn his team. Chaos factor. Compensate. He reminds them of their grav boots as he focuses back on his task.
His anxiety didn't return. Wash is focused on nothing else, but getting things done, and there is an intense calm that hasn't been there during the flight.
There are brief flashes of absolutely baller crazy fight scenes just because he has to check no one is about to shoot him, but he is focused. Security overridden. Gravity now.
He has it.
He looks up.
He ducks as a car goes flying over his head because of course it's a car. "Why do cars hate me?" Seriously, who goes to space and almost gets hit by a car? Him apparently.
The enemy combatants are taken care of. He breathes. The calm is still there, but it loosens. He goes with North to secure a hallway at Carolina's orders.
Carolina then yells about where CT is and.
There is worry. And suspicion he doesn't think too hard about. Hope she just got stuck on the ship after launch. Just...on the ship.
They do sweeps and checking signals and they find out the leader isn't there, he's somewhere in bone valley, so they're going to go out there.
Then York comes rocketing in. Carolina hurries them out into space. York comments how there is no welcome back, because he's the jokester. North jokes with him, but Wash stays back enough to help him up and update him. York questions the decision to go out into Bone Valley after what happened to Georgia.
And Wash's anxiety hits like a brick. The calm had faded with their sweeps, and the anxious guy from the flight is back. He demands to know what happened to Georgie, York tells him he doesn't want to know before he flies off, and Wash yells he really does.
He hates surprises. He hates not knowing what he's getting into. Its so much harder to deal with.
But there is a mission....he has to go.
He breathes and flies out after them.
They head out, but soon after, all the attacking ships just...stop. Its disquieting. They think they might be retreating, there is just junk out here.
Wash...doesn't like this. Maybe its just the jetpack anxiety, but something about this feels far too familiar. Like everything is about to go wrong.
And then a mother ship appears from the junk, a fight breaking out with their mother ship in the distance.
"Guys, get out of there! They outfitted that junk with nukes!"
And there's right out of the frying pan into the fire and the anxiety turns into mental screaming. Fuck, fuck, fuck, not again, calm down soldier. You are a soldier, you be calm, you box up EVERY-FUCKING-THING RIGHT NOW-
But its too sudden and its not working as well as it did when he entered the hangar.
York yells at him to get in here, use his jet pack and Wash's mind is still screaming.
He says the first anxious thing that comes to mind. He didn't want to end up like Georgia.
He needs to calm down, he needs to commit, BE THE SOLDIER-
Except before he can get his mind to switch gears, Carolina shoots out her grappling hook....and hits the codpiece of his armor, and suddenly he's getting dragged and there IS no mental switching now, there is only screaming.
He gets yanked in hard to the ship, hits the edges several times over, head ringing, but he's inside the ship.
And then they have to report they failed the mission.
And CT is gone.
And Wash's fear and embarrassment turns into another kind of fear.
What did Connie do?
Meaning
Wash is there in handcuffs, with a red and pink soldier behind him. The red southern one is calling everyone dirtbags and making threats and the pink one is just....so many. Innuendos.
Wash is....trying his absolute best to keep it together. Notably, Wash's head Is Not Quiet.
They're going to die. They're going to die and its all our fault, we were supposed to protect them, they were our responsibility, we failed, they're going to die they're going to die they're going to die, it should have just been us, we should have died for them, we could have, we could have protected them-
For those who see other memories, the voice sounds Exactly Like Epsilon.
Wash just wants to play the quiet game. Just let everyone be quiet. Please.
Then a man arrives, addressing them. Agent Washington, Franklin Donut, and Sarge. The man in charge is here and....apologizing. Uncuffed, given guns, know Donut's safe word now. Wash is very confused and when the man in charge asked, apparently men had come to kill them, then capture, then they're here, being given guns, and apologized to and Wash having NONE OF IT, ready to shoot this guy who....faints....the weenie as Donut puts it.
Its a trap its a trap its a trap-
Brought outside as General Doyle is revived. Being outside helps lower his anxiety, makes it a little easier to ignore The Voice. Apparently they had been shipwrecked, been attacked by their soldiers with Locus, then a guy named Felix showed up saying Doyle's soldiers have terrorized the planet, rebellion happened, and they're wanted for landing on it. Wash wants to know why he shouldn't kill Doyle.
Doyle points out Felix is a biased source. Doyle sees them as terrorists. Clearly it's a complicated war situation. They're apparently warriors of some caliber and Doyle wanted them brought to them and Locus was apparently a wild dog about it. Also Doyle was a secretary, not a military man. Also punishment for Locus is no money.
Doyle says they're not enemies, and the Federal Army will do what they can to get their friends and get them off world in exchange for their help in beating the terrorists.
He can't be trusted. Don't trust them. Can't trust anyone, only want to use you, break you, they'll die they'll die they'll die-
Fine, but want their robots back.
And finding Lopez in the trash. Get him online. He only speaks Spanish. Then Locus shows up when talking about Freckles, a battle droid, and Wash immediately getting between him and the other three. And apparently Freckles was destroyed and HOW DARE-!
Locus here, talking up a big game, and how they were easily manipulated and everyone sassing back. Then Locus focuses on Wash and talking about being a professional and completing his mission and Wash does not care. Just stay away from him and his men. Locus says that he doesn't understand....or maybe he does.
In truth, Wash understands all too well and he Hates It. It isn't reassuring at all, he knows it means if Locus gets even a single reason to turn on them, he will and he's unfortunately, he's good at what he does and Wash is very worried about that.
And yet...it feels like there's something More.
We can't save them, we're not good enough, we're not good enough, they'll die-
Shut up. Its the first time Wash gives direct attention to the voice as he pointedly shoves him away. It quiets him for a little bit.
Then Emily Gray tells Locus to leave them alone and Locus listens.
First holding out the primary storage unit of Freckle, his heart and mind, to Wash. Wash takes it pretty snappily, asking if it's an apology and he's being cagey. Donut thinks he doesn't make sense. Lopez sasses and Locus is apparently able to speak Spanish and Lopez freaks out.
"You give meaning to meaningless objects, and meaningless people, and risk your life to protect them. Where's the sense in that? I look forward to your answer, soldier." A very pointed statement to Wash.
You're a subject of an experiment. He'll break you.
...ah.
Fuck.
Locus isn't just respecting Wash's ability, he has a personal interest and that's never good from that brand of crazy.
Then Emily Grey steps forward.
There are no civilians on the planet. If they're not in armor, they're dead on the planet. Wash had a head injury and Grey did surgery on him and hopes she didn't damage the neural implants.
He immediately dismisses all concern.
So that's why Epsilon is being so goddamn loud today.
Grey just wants him to be a good patient.
Grif, Simmons, and Blues are their friends. Wash just going along with this for now and worries for the others. And for his men with him.
Meta Worry
Is in the desert, watching Maine/the Meta beating up an alien's corpse. His entire body aches because he sure got blown up the other day. Then asking if Doc has a second wherein Doc responds that he's a prisoner and has nothing, but seconds. Wash is bad at taking prisoners and Doc sasses him for it.
Of course not, he didn't usually NEED to take prisoners-
Wash snaps and threatens to shoot Doc and feed him to the Meta. The Meta may or may not eat people and Doc thinks it might be interesting to watch.
Of course. He doesn't know what he expected of an associate of the Reds and Blues. He is tempted to shoot him, but...
No. He needs someone else to watch Meta.
He can't trust his own judgement.
Wash asks what's Doc's diagnosis of the Meta and Doc goes on about how the Meta is probably frustrated because he has all these powers he can't use and he can't because of lack of power and AI. It's not pretty to use equipment without AI.
Wash is frustrated though. He knew all that. He wanted a psychoanalysis, if there was something in the Meta that was Maine, if his friend was there and not just-
He boxes up that pain.
Shoves it away.
Resists the urge to shoot Doc. He doesn't deserve it and he's more sad than angry.
He just needed to focus on the mission, he just...needed to figure out a direction.
Someone came back
Wash, Sarge, Donut, and Lopez are finishing lunch in the detention facility. There are no war prisoners, so its honestly the safest Wash feels in the whole base. He's going over schedules for training the Fed soldiers, ignoring Sarge's more outlandish suggestions for obstacles courses, that involve far too many bombs, but does note down the ideas that wouldn't be immediately deadly. He's doing much the same with Donut's suggestion for morale boosters, dismissing the outlandish, but taking in the more reasonable. There are still far too many innuendos he seems unaware of.
Lopez is speaking in Spanish and Wash only knows broken bits, but he's pretty sure there are insults to Sarge. He just isn't gonna rock that boat.
Then there is an alert of a sewage breach. He stops for a moment, feeling pity for the maintenance team who has to clean that. Then the announcement came that its in the barracks, and the few Fed soldiers that had been in there with them are suddenly rushing off and Wash can hear the rush of movement outside.
Wash's alarm bells go off, because this suddenly seems like more of a distraction.
He calls to the other three, wanting to check out what's going on, to be on their guard. For all that the other three are...eccentric at best, in this instance they are fairly quick to listen to Wash. There is obviously a fair amount of trust there.
They head to the entrance and they hear voices through the metal. Something about a hack. Someone is trying to break in. Wash tells them to be ready, before he opens the door.
Only to see on the other side are Tucker, Caboose, Grif, and Simmons.
Both sides are surprised at seeing each other, Sarge asking why they're there, and Simmons saying they're there to save them.
Then Donut says they were to save THEM.
Then Caboose says something about a cliffhanger??? Listen, Caboose just does things and you roll with it and honestly its like....a far distance concern as Wash is hit by a realization.
They came to save them. They came to save him. They came to save him.
The amount of absolute affection hits Wash like a sledge hammer. Its good he's wearing a helmet because his eyes burn with tears from how touched he is, and he mutes his mic as everyone updates each other. Sarge explaining what happened to them.
How the Feds had wanted their help because their army was lacking in ability and how they had agreed to help in hopes of rescuing them. Tucker and the others confirm they were in the same situation.
The explanation gives Wash a minute to calm himself down.
They came for him.
It is the first time someone has done that in literal years and it feels like a weight has finally come off his shoulders and the amount of affection and love he has for them is strong.
Tucker is especially a surprise and means the most.
But they have a situation.
The two armies were in shades of gray, the federal army stood for a government that was potentially abusive, the new republic was potentially terrorists, who knows who was right, who was wrong, Wash does not care.
THEY don't have any enemies. They're just caught in the middle of a complicated war. Tucker and his group made friends, they made some allies (though Wash is genuinely fond of Doctor Grey), but that didn't change the fact both sides did something wrong.
At this point, its just inertia. If they could get the two leaders to talk with them as mediators, the war could be ended and THEY can go home.
But something is niggling at the back of his mind.
Simmons says this isn't right and Wash agrees. Its just the situation? No, getting them to talk is there best move right now.
But Simmons insists something is wrong, until finally he pinpoints it.
The alarms have stopped.
And that is a concern, joy at having someone return for him aside.
After the Nonsense
Wash is breathing in the fresh air, leaning on the balcony.
"Dude, is that a cat hoody?" The amount of incredulity is quiet apparent in Tucker's voice.
Wash looks over to Tucker as he approaches. Behind him is obviously a kind of communal hang out area. A place for patients to relax. Its easy to see Wash in the reflection of the glass doors and he's indeed wearing a cat hoody, mostly gray with some stripes of yellow, with cat ears on top and even a tail.
"Yes, it is," Wash confirms.
"Seriously? Are you sure you're not suffering brain damage anymore?" Tucker asked as he comes over
"Meow meow," Wash says dryly.
Tucker eyes him suspiciously. "....don't be a dick."
Wash laughed. "Sorry, sorry," he said. "I know. You and Carolina are worried it isn't so easy to fix."
"Psh, worried? Whose worried? We just had to relive you getting shot to save the literal fucking universe and then the next day, you say you've been gone months, and show up with several assholes who should be dead, and get dragged to another universe to get medical treatment. Whose worried? Sounds real normal for us by now," Tucker said with his usual irreverent attitude.
Wash just finds his smile growing, along with his fondness. "I know you're joking, but after the time I've had, it really does feel normal," he said, chin resting in his hand. "I'm fine, Tucker."
Tucker scowls down at the silly, before glancing at Wash. Something genuine showing, an uncertainty. "You really are?"'
"I promise," Wash said, hand going to his neck. "All that's left are the scars and the years of other brain related issues."
Tucker stares a few moments longer, but Wash can see the tension melt from his shoulders. "Then what is the deal with the cat hoody?"
Wash grinned. "You should ask Carolina about my penchant for twisty straws and the other weird stuff I had in Freelancer," he said. "Though this is specifically a gift from Aoko. She has made it her life mission to drag every bit of 'dorky behavior' from the depths of my subconscious."
"Are you saying you'd wear this kind of thing in Freelancer?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Yyyyep," Wash said. "I was absolutely shameless in what I liked."
"Huh," Tucker said and looked out to the city again. For a few minutes, they just stand there, watching the city move below them. "I know that like....you guys went through a whole bunch of bullshit...but is it weird that you seem happier?"
Wash hummed. There had been a lot of bullshit. New traumas, new nightmares, and other things that will never go away. But in the end.... "Maybe....but you know...I think I am."
Sparrow the Girl
Wash is in an outfit that is largely cream in color, kind of almost a cross between a butler and a royal guard if lacking any sort of armor. He is walking towards a purple cabin, checking the ammo for his gun before holstering it.
He has his orders. That is what permeates the entirety of the memory. There is only cold, calm professionalism for everything that happens.
You have a mission, soldier. So do it.
And then he sees his target. A sixteen year old girl, coming for the dorm, and he steps in the way.
Her fear is obvious. He is unsurprised she runs and he is quick to shoot to disable. It is a shame he has to draw it out, he prefers to be efficient, but its supposed to be slow, painful.
And he follows orders.
Of course, the rest of her team interferes, the biggest problem is the caster, magic is such a pain, but that is what MP Drain is for. He fires upon them. They're fools. This isn't necessary. They know the penalties will be carried out, one way or the other, they're just taking more damage.
But they're in the way, so he makes them be out of the way, one way or the other.
"No! You don't have to do this! A soldier... should follow good orders, from a good leader! They're supposed to protect people! Fight this!"
There is a part of him, under the daze. The mission, the need to obey, the need to follow orders, there is that small part that screams that is what its supposed to be, that's what's right.
Its momentary hesitation, a slight drop in his hostility.
Then he gets kicked in the balls, and there is a blind shot to the boy. He's angry because that hurts even as he pushes through the pain of that and the earlier elemental attacks.
The words still dig deep at something, but the need to obey slams into place. He is a soldier. He follows orders.
The rest of Takshaka, most teenagers, are either on the ground from getting knocked out by magic or hit in the kneecaps, and he addresses the girl. He tells her he can make it as painless as he allows if she stops fighting, or risk more pain and people getting involved.
She relents, and he stabs her in the stomach to bleed out. Gives it a few minutes until he determines its been slow enough to open up more veins to finish the job.
Orders complete.
He turns and leaves, leaving the body for her team.