mylawn: (pic#12668180)
Soldier: 76 ([personal profile] mylawn) wrote in [community profile] aperture_high2019-01-13 07:14 pm

@anaboost

[After blowing the lid off Hakim's operation and reaching and uneasy understanding of their next steps, they leave the Necropolis behind. In the few weeks he's spent reuniting with Ana, Jack comes to realize that they need a better plan--he can make things up on the fly, sure, but now it isn't just him, so preferably their next course of action does not involve continuing to walk up to the front doors of Talon complexes and standing in front of security cameras, as much as he'd like to continue to do so.

He's been on his own for six long years, so traveling with someone else has proven to be an adjustment. It helps that it's Ana, who falls in step so easily with him that it's almost supernatural (as if no time has passed at all, to say nothing of circumstance). Still, acclimating himself to the presence of another person (even the closest of friends) is difficult. He's not the man he used to be, though he feels Ana bringing that out in him, digging things up that he tried so desperately to bury--perhaps more than he'd like.

There is something to be said for having someone at his back, however. It makes his mission easier, even if he knows, on some level, that he'll inevitably walk them both down a path that doesn't lead anywhere good. There's small solace in the fact that Ana knows what she's getting into, but it's offset by the guilt he feels that she's chosen to do this for him anyway. He defers to her for now, which is the closest he gets to an actual apology for all of this.

Because when he gets down to it, there are a lot of things unsaid between the two of them--things he thinks they could stand to talk about, but he is nothing if not very, very good at compartmentalization. He tells himself that he can bring up the tougher subjects once they have more concrete leads (his source is generally reliable, but sometimes she's a little mercurial, vanishing for weeks at a time only to resurface with the next tidbit of information). While he waits, it's easy not to bring them up at all, focusing on more immediate tasks like gathering supplies and planning their next move, fighting down the twist of something in his chest that he didn't think was still there.

He'll get around to it. But then again, he told himself he'd get around to talking things out with Reyes, too.

For now, he's hauling equipment into their new (temporary) safe house, feeling the twinge in his back where his wound still stubbornly refuses to fully close, even weeks later. He hasn't brought it up since he weathered the worst of whatever biological agent those shotgun shells were laced with, assuming that he'll heal eventually--just much, much slower than usual. Jack has resolved not to let it show. They have enough to worry about.
]

They put in new facial recognition at the train station.

[An idle comment as he wanders into the main living area, such as it is. It's not a problem yet, but Jack was counting on moving on in the next few days. With their combined talents, he's sure they'd be able to stow away on a hypertrain out of the city undetected, but he'd rather not chance those kinds of cameras if he can help it.]

I was thinking I'd steal us a car.

[Is he joking? Maybe.]
anaboost: (13)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-01-14 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Working with someone again is almost a breath of fresh air, even if it brings changes that she's still adjusting to. There's no more long nights alone, no more silent stake-outs with only herself for company. Now she's back with someone she's worked with before. More than that - a friend. It's frightening in some ways and immensely relieving in others. She's decided to take steps back out into the world, to fight for something, to make a change out there, and that feels good. A lot has changed, though. She's changed.

Jack has changed.

It's working around those changes that's the hard part. It's not just their age, not just time, but also what they've been through. Her amnesia, her near-death experience - it's complicated and she's not sure she can adequately explain or express it beyond those few details she's already given him. So there are companionable silences at times. Long stretches where she doesn't feel the need to fill the void in with conversation. It helps that she's used to that; sniping has always required patience and a penchant for silence.

So they travel, moving from place to place. They find a rhythm, even if that rhythm is uneasy at times or stutters. They'll figure it out. They don't really have any other choice, after all. They have a new safe-house, some place to set up camp and stay for a while until they get their bearings. She's helping him move a few things and she's keeping an eye on him. She suspects that those wounds haven't fully healed - she can see it in the way he moves, the way he favors himself just slightly.

She doesn't bring it up. Not just yet.
]

Facial recognition. I wonder if it still works on me. With the eyepatch.

[ She's joking. Just a little. A smile graces her features as she sets down the box she's carrying. This place is out of the way, in disrepair. It will work - no one will come looking and if they have to run, there's nothing here they won't mind losing. She follows him into the living area with a little shrug. ]

Most people need their cars. Find someone who doesn't.

[ Maybe she's joking, too. ]
anaboost: (15)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-01-18 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Nothing "new", if that's what you mean. The usual crises. I don't think Overwatch is getting back off of the ground anytime soon...

[ As much as she thinks Winston has the right idea, she's not ready to step out into the open. Not with so much scrutiny. She thinks she prefers working in the shadows. At least for the time being. She settles onto one of the dusty chairs and sighs, tugging her hood down and letting her hair spill out over her shoulders. ]

No sign of a tail. No one recognized me. So far, so good. You?
anaboost: (13)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-01-21 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
No. Not really. Even with oversight, we had a tendency to do what we wished...

[ Which doesn't even get into Blackwatch. Or everything else that Overwatch did. They'd done good, true, but in the end it had all started falling apart. Repeating the mistakes of the past seems like something each generation does. That doesn't mean she has to like it - or support it.

She'll just keep an eye on them for now.
]

What kind of military surplus? Weapons?

[ Her ears prick up at that; doing some old-fashioned ground-work seems like it might be worthwhile. Especially now that they're settling in again. ]
anaboost: (10)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-01-30 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Are we ever the only ones?

[ There's a wry sense of amusement in her tone and she punctuates it by standing and crossing into the little kitchenette they have. It isn't much more than a hotplate and a few other miscellaneous odds and ends, but it works. It's enough to make tea with at least - which is what she's doing. She feels like they could both use something warm and fortifying. ]

We don't have the resources to block other people from our intelligence.
anaboost: (Default)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-02-07 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree with you.

[ She starts with the water. It will take a while to boil, but until that happens she can putter around the kitchen. The tea isn't much, but it's something they can share. She has a little pot and two mugs and that's all they really need. ]

We'll just have to be careful. We can't really afford to get dragged into something - or to have to run again, so soon.
anaboost: (14)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-02-11 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They've both lost people - whether because they pushed them away or life conspired to drag them apart. Ana still feels guilt over her daughter. What must she think about her? About her choice to stay in the shadows for so long? She tries to banish the thought and focus on the present. ]

Smash and grab?

[ She sounds vaguely amused, lips curling into a smile. ]

Or something quieter?
anaboost: (11)

woof, been a busy week. Sorry about that.

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-02-18 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ana arches a brow and tries to keep a smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth. OK, she probably deserved that. She's learned to take a bit of teasing over the years, so she doesn't let it spin her out, either. ]

Sometimes it works.

[ She pauses and eyes him, as if waiting for another word. ]

Sometimes.
anaboost: (5)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-02-24 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe it will be. We'll have to find out.

[ Her eyebrow arches, but she doesn't comment much beyond that. They will find out, soon enough. It's just going to take legwork and a lot of poking around before they do figure out how they're going to approach the problem. There are more immediate issues to deal with for now.

Like tea.
]

I'll see what you can do, Jack. What's that saying about old dogs and new tricks?

[ They're both old. She's just teasing. ]
Edited (removing subject line) 2019-02-24 23:00 (UTC)
anaboost: (15)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-02-25 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His hesitant answer makes her laugh. It's open and not unkind, but it's still at his expense. It dies out after a moment and she gives him a wry look as she settles in at the small table, waiting for him to make tea. He's not doing a bad job, honestly. Of course, Morrison always learned quickly.

Well, most things, anyway.
]

You do. It's one of your positive traits.
anaboost: (7)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-07 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
You mean it hasn't already?

[ Ana arches one brow, but she doesn't bother hiding the teasing, amused tone that runs through her voice. She shakes her head, cupping her chin in her hand. There's something nostalgic about this. Trading little teases and just enjoying being around one another. They were always friends, but this feels comfortable and familiar, but also different.

Things never really will be the same.
]

I'll keep that in mind in the future. I won't compliment you nearly as much.
anaboost: (12)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-10 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
A little late for all of us.

[ Who she means by "us" is probably clear; something she doesn't have to put entirely into words. And after that she lapses into silence as well, waiting until Jack pulls the teabags from the mug and sets it in front of her. She picks the mug up, cradles it in her hands and lets the warmth soak into her hands. ]

Let's. No time like the present.

[ She blows on the tea to cool it and takes a slow sip. ]

It isn't bad, Jack.
anaboost: (15)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-12 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Take what you can get.

[ She smiles at him over the rim of her mug. ]

You're improving, Jack. What's that saying about old dogs and new tricks?

[ Which could apply to both of them honestly. That said, she leans forward over the table to look at the data he's brought over. She's searching for something - she's not sure what - trying to find a vulnerability or a window. It reminds her very much of old times. She's not sure how she feels about that, of course. ]

So. Let's get to work.
anaboost: (11)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-13 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Why is Talon interested in it? Is there anything special about it?

[ Another sip of her tea and she leans forward to examine the footage with a keen eye. ]

There's got to be a reason. They're not usually into just any smash and grab.
anaboost: (Default)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-15 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Possible. They probably have a better intelligence apparatus than we do.

[ her tone is dry, but she's right. There's jsut the two of them and their assorted contacts; they don't have the funding and massive multi-government funding they used to.

Which is probably a good thing, in the end, but she misses having that suport network at her back sometimes.
]

We'll just have to find out from them.
anaboost: (14)

let's do it

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-25 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ana makes a small, thoughtful noise and takes another sip of tea. She's been sorting information, putting it all into place. There's a lot going on and only two of them. They'll need to make it work. Somehow. ]

I think so.

[ She arches a brow. ]

We'll probably have to get out of town afterwards, though. So we'd better start packing...
anaboost: (9)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-03-27 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
It would've been nice to stay for a little longer.

[ There's not really any judgement or chagrin in her tone, though. Just some regret. This is the life they've chosen, though. Movement and hiding and staying one step ahead of... everyone, really. ]

There isn't much to pack. We'll manage.
anaboost: (13)

no worries!

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-04-06 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ana, for her own part, is resigned to it. Accepting. This is what she signed up for when she agreed to come with Jack - a life of movement, of never staying in one place for too long, of staying one step ahead of Talon and the authorities. Sleepless nights and long days and movement, constant movement. She'll deal with it. She's dealt with it before.

And maybe she can save Jack from himself, before the end. Before this all comes crashing down around their ears and it all falls apart.

Their vantage point is perfect and she's curled into it, settled, tested the wind. Now they wait. Although, as it turns out, Jack isn't as patient.
]

Practice. And the ability to talk to yourself.
anaboost: (Default)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-04-11 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Sitting and waiting is a lot of what you do as a soldier, isn't it?

[ Ana points this out with no small degree of amusement. ]

Hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of terror and excitement. And we do it because we don't want other people to have to. Because we feel called to it.

[ Or at least that's what they tell themselves, anyway. ]
anaboost: (6)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-04-20 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It isn't that different-

[ Ana's about to respond, but then their attention is drawn by the flicker of movement and her focus goes back to her scope. She's silent, laser focused on what's going on below them. She scans the area, lips pursed. There's a small group of men and women trailing in.

Looks like this is what they were waiting for.
]

I see it. They don't know we're here yet.

[ She glances at him. ]

How do you want to handle them?
anaboost: (6)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-04-26 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Closer? Your call.

[ There's a bit of a smile in her comment. She's used to him wanting to get up close and personal, even if she considers herself more of a markswoman. She's best at range. ]

Or I can stay here and cover you.

[ She rolls a shoulder in a shrug. ]

It's what I'm best at.
anaboost: (7)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-04-30 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm.

[ She makes a non-committal sound, still scanning their targets and the area through her scope. So far, they don't seem to realize that the two of them are even here. ]

I'll follow your lead.

[ She nods finally and hefts her rifle. ]

On your six.
anaboost: (Default)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-05-30 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They shouldn't be any wiser. They don't seem like professionals. Possibly not even ex-military. More thugs than anything else and Ana's reasonably sure she could take them out with her eye closed. She doesn't share that thought, though. Instead she sticks to Jack like glue, moving in sync, every foot placed just so.

It's just like old times. So much so that it's almost startling to her how easy it is to fall back into it. Old habits die hard, apparently.

She creeps along behind him and then pauses as they ease up to that last corner. She glances at him, the facemask of her helmet expressionless. She makes a little gesture, one that's relatively easy to interpret.
]

I'll take the one on the right.
anaboost: (6)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-06-07 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ana is a step behind him, but just about as fast. She closes until she can't possibly miss and then sends a dart into her target's neck. He sways, unable to do much than mumble in alarm before unconsciousness claims him. She catches him and drags him off into the darkness. A moment later she returns, glancing at Jack and gesturing - move on? ]
anaboost: (Default)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-06-18 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ana eases up to the corner with him, eye glinting as she takes in their surroundings. It's almost comforting how easy this comes back to her. Then again, what does that say about them? About what they're doing? She tries not to think about it too hard. ]

I think there might be a blind spot we can exploit-

[ She points, tracing a perspective route. ]

What do you think?
anaboost: (6)

[personal profile] anaboost 2019-06-24 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ana nods and hefts her rifle. ]

I'll cover you for the first part of the run. Then you cover me.

[ She glances at him, the smooth surface of her face-mask expressionless. ]

Go.