station72 | mental link; it's a catbus!

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mental link; it's a catbus!

[ It's an ungodly hour of the night as these things go, with both Misato and Gildor's minds flickering to announce their presence to all. Forceful and unapologetic, for her part, while urgent and unsettling, for his part. They insist on your attention. ]

( Everyone. We found something out there beyond the barrier. It was too dark for us to see much-- )

(Or anything, for some of us, but-- )

( But it's massive-- )

(Big as the shuttles that brought us-- )

( And predatory. At least, it seemed pretty clear that it wanted to take a chunk out of us. Some of you found tracks the other day, right? Let's talk. )

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( Appears to be burned into the sand. Perfect circle, about three centimeters in diameter. Something with propulsion, maybe. )

( You're saying like a rocket? That's so weird . . . )

( Know anything else that can burn in a perfect circle? ) [Besides a brand, but there would be no point to taking the time to brand their location if they were attempting stealth.]

( Too many things. But some sort of shuttle makes the most sense.

And thanks, we'll keep these in mind. )

[Bucky sends a mote of acknowledgment bobbing over the link. It's not a welcome thought to consider an enemy using rockets or propulsion, but at least someone knows besides him and Sam now.]

( I promise it wasn't me; my wings're in storage for the moment. )

[ Light, playful - not at all apologetic about the eavesdropping, but look it's an important conversation about information and it's his broodmate, he can't help but listen.

He doesn't ask if she made it back safe; he figures he can probably tell if she didn't. ]

( I took a sample back to Katie to analyze, but hell if I know if there's anything to make from it. )

( Katie can work miracles! I'll ask her about it. )

[ If there was ever any doubt as to how Misato feels about the resident tech prodigy. ]

( By the way, how did you all get to the spot? It's not the easiest thing to find. )

( Damn right she can. )

[ There's clearly no doubt that Sam feels the same, either - and not just because she's his broodmate. ]

( We followed the path that you guys took the night before, and Cohle picked up the tracks. Bucky's been working on trying to match 'em. )

[ There are many names in this conversation. Many people with their respective roles to play in the grand production. And one name that she knows is being left unsaid. Her hesitation is telling. ]

( You, Rustin, Bucky and Kaji. )

[ And Kaji. He doesn't have to repeat the name to acknowledge that - or to acknowledge her hesitance. There's a pause of his own, as he considers. ]

( You know I trust your judgement, Misato - what are your thoughts on them? )

[ On Cohle and Kaji, he means. He asks about them both because he does want her opinion, but if he was honest he needs it more on Kaji. He hasn't pried, as much as he can in a hive mind, but between what she's told him and what he's picked up from her on Kaji, well. Sam'd rather know what she'd actually say about him, and not just have an impression of the man based on secondhand feelings. ]

[ Secondhand feelings is as common as air by now. Like so, she can sense what he means, tease out the reference to them as exactly as if he had said their names instead. First comes puzzlement. Why Cohle? A misunderstanding on his part surely. Her answer is spoken to him and to him alone, the channel between their minds carefully guarded. ]

( I trust him. ) [ Him, Kaji. She trusts him to be right and to be kind. ] ( But I can't say if you should too. And I don't know enough about Rustin to say. Now, your turn. )

( I can't say if I should, either, but it's a point in his favor that you do. )

[ Sam is slow with his trust these days, guarded as their connection at the moment, but Misato's earned it. For better or worse. He can't help but keep that in mind. As for Cohle - there's so specific reason, really. Except that she's met him, and he values her opinion. He just wants to know if she's got any about him. ]

( I don't either, unfortunately. He picked up pretty easy on the cover I had going so no one found us out there and went with it, but that's all I've got right now. )

[ She takes a moment to consider the allocation of trust she gives to each of the three men. It is an exercise in teasing apart the differences, the history -- no, track record of trustworthiness -- and the more amorphous criterion of affection. ]

( I don't think Rustin's a bad man, but I don't expect we'd agree on a lot of things. Like you and me. It doesn't mean I don't trust you to do your best for all of us, even if I might not like the method you choose. )

[ Her exclusion of Kaji from the equation is meant to be telling. ]

[ It is telling. He wonders, briefly, if she’s found the answer neither of them could come to when she asked him if having a man who loved her wasn’t enough, and when he asked her if she loved him back. But he figures it’s more that the answer’s always changing, and that what satisfies her now might be something very different in the future.

And what she says is true for him, as well - he trusts her never to give up, same as he promised her. He might not always agree with her, but they’re both doing their best to get this mission to succeed. ]

( I think it’d be easier to know what we’re working with if they’d stop throwing new people in mid-mission, but I guess we’ll take what we can get. )

[ The feeling part of it might be everchanging, yes. Love is a fickle and capricious thing. But the action part of it is one for someone else to judge, and that shouldn't change. Promises made should be kept and her trust is one she has pledged.

As for Sam, she allows him a chuckle. ]

( Not a fan of the newbies? I thought you'd find them cute. Teach them new tricks, give them the usual tour of the place? )

[ He gives a chuckle in return, a sense of something bittersweet and reluctantly fond. ]

( I'd find them cuter if I could do all that without also being on a mission where I barely know what I'm doing. Maybe I'm getting too old for this and that's where I should shift my focus, stay on the Station and teach my tricks. )

[ He's teasing - mostly. It's not like he hasn't already tried something like that before, but he never really is able to resist jumping back into action when it comes up. ]

( You want to be too old for it. It'd make things simpler for you. But that doesn't make it true. )

( Don't worry. ) [ Because worrying is useless. Because looking over one's shoulder rather than forward is useless. ] ( We're getting somewhere. It's just hard to see when you're in the thick of it. )

( It would make things a hell of a lot simpler. )

[ Damn it Misato, don't call him on that. Just let him retire in peace and shake the Station halls with Cathaway and Prince, lurking around all the newbie Hosts. It surprises him absolutely not at all that she doesn't let him pretend like he'd currently be satisfied doing that, like he wouldn't hate being back on the Station while everyone else was down here.

His hum of agreement is more for what's behind her words - it is useless, honestly - than for telling him not to worry, because really Misato, when does telling someone not to do that ever work. ]

( I'll take your word for it. At least we're doing something about it all - what do you make of what we've got so far? )

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mental link; it's a catbus!

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