Jack "JD" Stevenson (jd_stev) wrote in destructionisle, @ 2019-07-11 18:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !july ac, !thread, jd stevenson, zoe parish |
Who: JD and Zoe
What: Checking In. And dinner
When: Friday 28th June, afternoon/evening
Where: The Facility, the Marketplace and Liberty Street
Rating: Low
Status: Complete
A few weeks had passed since the incident in one of the labs in the Facility that JD had to attend and report on, the report had gone to his superiors and as usual he was never sure of what was actually done afterwards, it was above his pay grade but hopefully the man responsible for the damage hadn’t gotten some kind of unusual punishment. For some reason that particular day he had opened his notebook to the pages of his notes on the incident and JD being JD decided he should really drop in and see how the young lady - Ms Parish - was going.
After completing his morning shift, he showered and changed in his civvies before heading from the Base to the Facility, flashing his ID badge to the guard at the door as he entered. Walking down the halls he saw that this time some of the other rooms had people in them, the official work day wasn’t over yet so he hoped that he’d be able to catch Ms Parish before she left for the day. He hadn’t forgotten the way and it wasn’t long until he found her little office and he knocked on the door.
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Anyone who would have looked in on her would have thought she was sleeping with her eyes open or lost in thought or just ignoring her work. In reality she was reviewing a book on thermal conductivity she’d read four years earlier. One of the residents ran colder than most, and was finding even the Washington summers a bit too warm. They’d come to the island from Alaska. So, she was trying to figure a way to help.
The knock on the door was registered, but it took a few moments for her mind to respond. Sort of like a computer running too many programs. Zoe blinked and looked to the door. Her schedule pulled up mentally as she checked her tablet. She didn’t have any appointments and there were none added last minute. Getting up from her chair she moved to the door and opened it. And immediately regretted it.
The guard JD. Her mind immediately flashed back to their first meeting and how she probably came off as a robot or something and then a completely awkward mess. And why couldn’t guys wear shirts that fit? It was at least a size too small- no ones arms should. Fuck, she was looking at his arms. “Hi.” She said with a small tilt of her head. “Umm… how can I help you?”
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For once JD was actually wearing one of his looser shirts, although trying to get anything that was loose around his biceps was difficult at the best of times and half the time the shirts that were loose made him look like he was wearing some kind of dress. He also realized how much different he must look to civilians when he wasn’t dressed in a pressed uniform and carrying around some kind of firearm.
“Uh.. hey Ms Parish.” He said, offering a smile. “I just wanted to see how you were going after your… excitement a few weeks ago.” She had been in the process of trying to figure out where everything went after most of the containers of bits and pieces got knocked over and ended up all over the floor. In an odd kind of way JD was also trying to show that he wasn’t like the other guards, they would never have bothered to check up on someone. “Make sure that you haven’t had a repeat since then.”
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“Oh.” Zoe took a step back, her workspace was all put back together, the only evidence anything had happened was the divet it in wall from where the shard of metal had implanted itself. “Yea, everything’s good. They reassigned him.” She said, a little pleased she didn’t have to deal with someone so hostile. She just tried to do her job and help people- but residents like the one she’d encountered that day were constant reminders that not everyone approved of what she did.
She gestured behind her to her lab a little. “See. No harm no-” Zoe tried to not change the expression on her face as the event started to replay in her mind. “Foul.” Her smile thinned a little as she saw the shelves being forced over as she looked back just in time to be missed by the metal shard. Her hand reached up to the side of her face as she remembered the rush of air, covering by tucking some hair behind her head.
Replaying events wasn’t unusual for her. It tended to happen more than she’d care to admit. Zoe had gotten good at hiding it, masking it from others. Even if the ‘bad’ memories hit her a little harder than others.
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He glanced over her shoulder and into the office, getting a quick look that it was indeed all back to normal and it seemed like Zoe was onto another project, at least she had enough to keep her busy and wasn't that what they all wanted, for work to be stimulating and not just sit around and be bored all day. Some days his own job was in the later of the two types, especially patrolling during quiet times but it gave him time to think at least.
"That's good to hear. This isn't a war zone, one shouldn't have to worry about their safety when they're at work." He had lived with that for years when he was deployed over in Afghanistan, his work was dangerous and he knew that it was possible that each patrol, every time that he left the compound that he might not return. At least on the island it was a lot safer for him and he was trying to make the residents feel the same but with the behaviour of the other guards he sometimes wondered if it was an uphill battle. "And no other kind of… problems?" He asked, he knew that there had been an increase in the amount of assaults and property damage in the past few weeks, hopefully this wouldn't last.
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Zoe shook her head. “Not really.” At least not for her. She’d heard stuff of course. People talked, she listened- couldn’t really help it. Everything sort of absorbed into her memory. Most of it she didn’t pay attention to- unless it pertained to her. “I mean beyond the normal problems they give me to solve- but nothing out of the ordinary.” She noticed the time. “Oh wow. It’s already after five.” Quite after. “They don’t actually pay me overtime.” She chuckled, moving into the lab and to her main desk. She picked up her backpack and tablet. “Okay, badge, tablet, backpack- oh… need an o-ring for Jaune… I should have one small enough…” She was talking to herself as she moved to one of the bins of plastic rings and found one about the size of a dime. Tucking it into her pocket she looked up at JD. “I bet you’ve had lots of… other incidents and stuff you’ve dealt with?”
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He was glad to hear that there hadn’t been any other incidents in or around the laboratory and workshop areas, but JD also knew that some other damage - to both property as well as to people was the result of guards trying to assert their authority, something that really annoyed him, they were on the island to protect the residents and not to cause them pain or suffering. There was something about how content Zoe seemed to be in her laboratory here, he wished everyone had that kind of contentment. “Yeah. I don’t think any of us get overtime here.” He said with a smile, that was true for some of the guards, though it was hard getting them to actually work for their full shift, let alone longer! “Had a few incidents reported. Verbal disagreements, property damage and a few physical fights. Those are just what was reported, who knows what else has happened that hasn’t got reported.”
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“Some people are scared to report.” She said matter of factly. “I’m not saying they should be, or shouldn’t be. It’s just the truth.” Zoe tended to look at things pretty logically. While parts of her personality could be very illogical, she’d grown up in a very unique situation. Being smarter than your parents from an early age, and then developing a mind that couldn’t forget anything along with just knowing how things worked… it made for a different outlook on things. And a life where she spent a lot of it in her own head- willingly or not.
Pulling her backpack over her shoulder, she moved to the door. “There are some assholes on this island after all- ones I would totally see seeking revenge for being reported. At least that would be the risk you’d have to calculate when deciding to report- unless it happens in a public place where you have no choice.”
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JD knew that Zoe was right, so many residents would be too scared to report any kind of incident and honestly he couldn’t blame them, he knew that out of the dozens of guards that were stationed here that only a handful were to help the residents, the rest he wouldn’t even trust to look after a houseplant, let along with his life. “I know, it upsets me to see other guards treating everyone like they’re something scraped from the bottom of their shoe, we’re supposed to be here to help you guys and not cause more issues… but what do I know, I’m just a grunt to them.” That was true, most other guards just saw him as some big, dumb ex-military soldier.
He also agreed that there were people who would seek revenge if they found out someone had reported them. “Unfortunately there are assholes everywhere, they just seem to be more concentrated on the island than on the mainland. And yes, if it’s in public they kind of have to report it, a few days ago someone got hit in the head with a beer bottle while at Josie’s. That kind of behavior is definitely not tolerated.” As far as he knew the man was alright and the person who had wielded the bottle had spent a night or two in ‘lockup’. He also hoped that his talking to her wasn’t interrupting as she seemed to be wanting to leave. “And my apologies, I suppose you want to get going.”
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“Nowhere important.” Zoe admitted. “Just home… Probably should eat.” She didn’t really have a big social life. Practically nill actually. The barbeque at the end of May and Kyrie stopping by her place to drop off the blender had been about it outside of her job. Part of it was because she tended to take assignments home with her to mull over- at least in her mind. “I would think that you would have plans.” After all, guys who looked like him always seemed to have plans- right?
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“No, not really. I might drop into the cafeteria for something to eat but then it’s just back to my place and maybe a good book.” It wasn’t like JD had that much of a social life either, he didn’t drink so going to the bar after work for a few drinks was of no real interest to him and most of the time he did spend with company it was with just watching TV or a movie with Ian. Although the past few nights that he had spent with his friend he couldn’t really mention what kind of things they had done, he was still coming to terms with those things himself. “I did my gym workout this morning before my shift, can’t let myself get flabby.” He flexed his arms a bit, joking because, well he was definitely not going to get flabby any time soon.
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Zoe nodded, looking to JD just in time to see him flex. Her face got red and she laughed lightly- or tried to. Casual and all that. But no. It came out a bit too forced, too manic. At least it wasn’t too loud. “I- um.” She cleared her throat. “Yea. I’m sure there’s some… regulation… or something… you-” She looked to the floor and quickly walked out of the office.
With her back to him her face contorted a bit. Maybe she could blame her parents for not socializing her outside of her family more. Or maybe her brother for not being there with her. He always made her feel comfortable. Oh, shit- that was not a train of thought she wanted to get on. Zoe paused, stopping a few feet from the door and closed her eyes as that last moment she saw her twin replayed over her mind. She missed him so much. After a moment she took in a quick breath and blinked her eyes a bit- trying to not get emotional. “Sorry.. Um… what were we-”
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There wasn’t really any kind of fitness regulation for guards, a few of them were ‘mall cop’ rejects who were wider than they were tall, but they seemed to be mainly in the offices that housed the monitors where all the CCTV footage from the island went to. JD just knew that both he and Ian preferred to keep in shape and it was more for his own sanity than to look good, although he did know he looked imposing so that kind of helped. “No, not really. I just prefer to keep myself fit, I blame the army for that.”
He stood back, letting Zoe get out of her lab and close the door behind her, he did notice that she seemed to zone out for a moment, while some people might be concerned by such behavior JD had worked with enough veterans over the years and they often had moments like that, hell even he had moments after a flashback where he’d forget where and sometimes even who he was. “Talking about dinner and a quiet night in.”
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“Yea, right.” She nodded, wincing slightly to herself. “Probably going to go by the diner. Grab something to go. Need to go to the market next week and trade for some premade stuff.” Zoe wasn’t the best of cooks. Sure, she knew how to follow a recipe. But her food was just edible. And she wasn’t always creative with some of the stuff she got in her rations. So, she tended to trade ingredients for premade food- when she didn’t get too lost in things to miss the market. “But I guess you guys don’t really have to worry about that stuff, huh?” He’d mentioned the ‘cafeteria’ which checked out. They did work for the government, it made sense that there would be a mess hall for them. Never had to worry about cooking for themselves. Just like the military. Because as much as they said the guards weren’t military- they were sure ran like them sometimes.
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While it was true that the cafeteria did provide meals for the guards and other government employees on the island JD didn’t think that the food was overly brilliant at the best of times, he’d prefer making something in the small kitchen that was situated in a corner of his room, barracks accommodation wasn’t like the rest of the apartments either but at least they all had their own private bathrooms and they didn’t what to share. “Not as good as it sounds.” He said honestly. “Imagine your school cafeteria dialed up to about eleven.” Tasteless and not all that healthy. “But they do some good meals - mainly breakfasts though I’m not sure how someone can ruin bacon, eggs and toast? Half the time I just grab a salad or whatever meat they have for the day, I think tonight is chicken.” He hoped. “If not, I’ll just have to cook my own.”
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“I actually… never went to school.” Zoe admitted, tucking some hair behind her ear. “I was homeschooled.” Her step-sister had attended normal school, she was older and had already been enrolled so their parents didn’t want to suddenly pull her out. But Zoe and her brother were both homeschooled. She would have been so bored in regular school. “So, I’m not exactly sure what you mean… but I can guess. I was always lucky, my mom was a pretty good cook. Of course there was like a year there that my brother and I only wanted grilled cheese for lunch.” She laughed a little, trying to ignore that pang in her chest as she watched her mother from the kitchen island insisting that if they’re only going to have grilled cheese, she was going to put some turkey in it so they had some protein. After that they got more and more creative with their sandwiches.
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“Ah.” JD said, nodding a bit as Zoe told him that she was homeschooled. From what he could figure out from their brief conversations it didn’t surprise him, she seemed far more intelligent than he’d ever be and to be homeschooled where advanced lessons could be taught easily was the right way to go about nurturing such a mind. “Well the schools I went to the food was almost always bland and tasteless, they seemed to spend as little money as possible on each student and it wasn’t exactly healthy either.” It wasn’t something he missed when he dropped out of school at sixteen, but the food he had on the streets wasn’t exactly five star either. “Grilled cheese isn’t too bad, better than MREs heated by a tac vehicle engine.” How he didn’t miss those days, or cooking eggs on the front of said vehicle in the middle of summer in the desert.
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“If only I could make them myself.” She shrugged slightly. With smell being the easiest thing to trigger memories, there were some foods she never dared to cook- in those rare times she did. “But the diner is nice when I don’t have anything to heat up.” Zoe didn’t mind it. Food was just something to keep her body going after all.
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” As she’d never had MRE’s either. “Sounds like you’ve had more than a few interesting careers.” Of course, he was so much older than she was. He’d had a chance to live a life. Her life had stalled and was not confined to the island. A prospect she often tried not to think about. One reason she put so much into her work. After all, thinking about how long she’d been on the island- how long she could be and how much of a real life she was missing out on… it was a bit much.
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“Diners are always good for when you don’t feel like cooking or doing the washing up.” He had enjoyed more meals there than he could remember, and it wasn’t all greasy deep fried stuff either. “The food is a lot better than the cafeteria I promise you that!” Maybe he’d go here tonight, it sounded a lot tastier if nothing else.
“Not really. I was a high school dropout who went into the Army as soon as I turned eighteen, from there I did things for the VA and now I’m here, very boring if I’m honest.” He had done a course or two in fitness and health when he started with the VA but that was as far as his post school education had gone. But JD knew he was lucky that he could get off the island, the residents here, who honestly knew when they’d get off here, if ever.
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“You’ve done more than me.” Zoe said honestly. Sure, she’d gotten her GED when she was six, but she was too young to have done much else beyond learning new things- helping her brother with her homework and the occasional online class. Then, when she was a year from being an adult… she was brought to the island. “I didn’t really even have a chance to drop out of high school- if I’d wanted to.”
“Trust me… you’re not boring.”
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Zoe did have a point there, he might say that his life was boring but compared to most other people it was far from that. He was sure that somewhere in his record was mentions of his juvenile record but none of his coworkers (save for Ian) knew the details of what had happened in the time between when he ran away from home to when he joined the Army. It wasn’t a time he was proud of but it had helped shape him into the man he had become.
While they were talking they had walked slowly down the halls towards the front door of the building, JD stopped as they got closer to the exit. “I’m going to take that as a compliment, ‘JD - the not boring guard’.” He gave a small smile. “Guess this is where we should part company, unless you don’t mind getting seen out there with an off duty guard.” He knew a lot of residents would prefer it, to be seen with a guard - on or off duty might cause questions or judgements.
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“I don’t mind.” Who would mind walking with an adonis? “But do you want to walk with a- me?” She wasn’t sure what she was. A geek? A weirdo? A shill of the government? A child?
“Besides, I think we’re heading in the same general direction for a little bit at least. Would seem more awkward not to walk together.” Zoe pointed out.
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“What? A human?” JD said with a shrug of his shoulders, he didn’t mind walking with her. It was only if people took time and looked at his face that they might recognize him as a guard, in regular clothing he just blended in with the rest of the residents - as much as a six foot four man could blend in.
“Buying something from the diner sounds much more appetizing than whatever they have at the cafeteria this evening. So, Marketplace?” Even if he didn’t eat it there and just took it back to his own place, the journey still needed to be made.
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“That’s what I was thinking.” She nodded.