InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Buy me some peanuts"

Cameron Baum (cameront888) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-07-07 22:11:00

Entry tags:

!log, cameron, roger smith

Who: Cameron & Open
What: Nobody has called so Cameron steps out
Where: A random street in a seedier part of town
When: Late Thursday night
Rating: TBD
Status: In progress/Open

She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it was there. It was... unpleasant.

It had been a while, and neither Kurt or Terry had come by the theater or even called. She considered the fact that it probably wasn't that long by human standards, but when your mind was a processor that operated thousands of time faster than a human brain and never really slept, it seemed like years. Cameron decided to 'get some air', something she'd heard a few of the other dancers talk about. Get some air, see something beside the theater and her apartment. At first she thought of a drive with the top down on her Austin-Healey, then she decided a walk would let her at least to try to interact with the people out there. So tonight she left the car in its space, put on her leather jacket, black jeans, and high-heeled boots and left her apartment on foot.

The neighborhood she found herself in wasn't the best. It wasn't exactly a war zone - Cameron had seen a few of those - but it was on the edge of seedy. She had considered trolling for muggers, but there really wasn't much conversation to be found there. So she walked the streets, looking in shop windows and watching the people around her. At least people watching was more entertaining than the limited number of television channels. That and the fact she still didn't understand those shows called 'sitcoms'.

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cameront888
2011-07-12 01:23 am UTC (link)

Cameron took a few quick steps to catch up and then put her arm through Roger's. It was a feminine thing to do, and would make it easier for her to bounce him off a building if he got out of line. A girl should always be prepared, even if she wasn't really a girl.

"Don't tell me you brought you car with you?" She smiled up at Roger. "I think I know which car you drive now. I noticed it during the race. Did you have much trouble adapting to the local technology level? It didn't seem like your car was running as fast as it looked like it should be."

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roger_smith
2011-07-12 03:57 pm UTC (link)

"As a matter of fact, the car came with me," he replied. "Or you could also say I came with the car." Roger considered himself lucky on this aspect. Not only was the Griffon a good means of transportation, but it gave him a certain amount of comfort having something that was remotely familiar for him. now if he could get the weaponry back up and running...

"Most of the car seems to run just fine," he told Cameron as stopped in front of the Griffon, armoured shields on. "From what I've seen, there similar looking models out there... but not quite the same."

These last words he said as he took a remote out of his coat pocket and pushed a button. The bullet proof shields whirred slightly as they removed themselves from windows and tires. "And while she can be a fast ride, I'd rather not push it. Not until I can find a mechanic that gets the less unusual features." He moved to the passenger's side and opened the door. "Shall we?"

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cameront888
2011-07-12 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Cameron nodded as she watched the shields retract. "It looks like you used to live in a pretty rough neighborhood, too. All defensive, or weapons too?"

She climbed into the seat when Roger opened the door, then looked for seat belts, and began to examine the instrument panel and controls. Maybe the car would even have a computer system she could interface with. Although, if the car had any sentience, it was certainly being quiet about it.

"Are you from the future, or an alternative timeline?"

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roger_smith
2011-07-13 01:53 am UTC (link)

Roger nodded, impressed by her knowledge. "Defense for now. But it's got weapons with no ammunition - the one thing I haven't been able to find yet."

As Roger moved to the driver's side, he could see her examining the interior. The Griffon usually caused a good impression on girls, though rarely in the ones with vehicle knowledge.

He slipped into the passenger, fastened his seatbelt and thought about her last question. "From what I've heard, alternate. The placed I lived was very similar to this, but it felt smaller. And no one had any memories of their past." He looked at her as he started the engine. "Is it the strangest story you've heard or am I not close?"

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cameront888
2011-07-13 02:42 am UTC (link)

"Ammunition is probably available if you know where to buy it." Cameron knew it was; her mechanic had a few rough customers and she had used her enhanced hearing to listen in on a few conversations while he worked on her car. "But from what I understand, there are a lot of weapons that are illegal here."

She shrugged. "One of the lighting techs at the theater is a new arrival. He's living at the Welcome Center. He says that Death's granddaughter has taken a room there."

"Where do you want to go? It sounds like there's some power under the hood that wants to be used."

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roger_smith
2011-07-14 12:26 am UTC (link)

Roger nodded. "Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I'd rather get to know who is who when it comes to cards. Hard to justify missiles and gun machines in this city."

"As yes, the Welcome Center." Roger had avoided as a residence, preferring the hotels he could negotiate with while being on the look for the one place he could call home. "Death's Granddaughter? Really?"

He laughed "I was about to ask you the same question. You seen to be more familiar with this city so what do you suggest?"

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	cameront888 2011-07-14 03:00 am UTC (link)
	"Missles and machine guns? That's a little out of my league." These days anyway. She nodded. "I know, its so sad that people have to stay there, but at least they have someplace to go until they find work." Cameron laughed too. "Well, the Van Wyck Expressway has some nice straights. After that, who knows." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

roger_smith
2011-07-17 07:45 pm UTC (link)

"Just tools of the trade," Roger said. "I must admit I'm hoping I won't need them here, but the Griffon feels rather bare without them."

"It's a good head start," he agreed. "When I first came, I had to negotiate my way into hotel rooms."

"Van Wyck Expressway it is," he said, speeding up a little. As they drove around a familiar street, he couldn't help but point at a nearby building, a closed bank. "Where I come from, I used to live in there according to my calculations."

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	cameront888 2011-07-18 12:17 am UTC (link)
	"Negotiating from a position of superior firepower?" Cameron glanced over at the vacant building. "What's it like, being from someplace so different? Do you want to go back? And how do you deal with not having a past? I mean, I've done some things that weren't... very nice, but they are all part of what I am now, I suppose." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

roger_smith
2011-07-18 12:50 am UTC (link)

"A negotiator only uses violence as a last resort," Roger replied. "Sadly, that happened often. I always preferred deals where no weapons were involved."

He thought about her question. "I had friends there and I wonder what happened to them. As for not having a past..." He sighted. "I couldn't let something like that define me. I only got bits and pieces and maybe someday I'll put them together and learn my story. Or maybe not." He looked at her for a few seconds. "We all do things we come to regret, but dwelling on the "what if" is not a good idea. We have a present we can learn from and a future awaiting for us. What should matter is what you do with the knoledge and skills you got."

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	cameront888 2011-07-18 01:49 am UTC (link)
	Cameron nodded. "If I come across anyone selling ammunition and missles, I'll be sure to get their card for you." "Funny you should say that. I have more knowledge and skills than I'm using as a dancer. I am always wondering if there is something more I should be doing, some mission in life more than ballet. I just don't know. I don't like the feeling." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

roger_smith
2011-07-19 12:05 am UTC (link)

"Well thank you. I appreciate that."

"I used to feel like that," Roger said. "Before becoming a negotiator, I was a police officer. I thought it would be perfect, that I would make a difference and help people. But things didn't work. So I left it one day and found my call. Best decision I ever made." He smiled. "That feeling you got, maybe someday you'll find your true calling and go after it."

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	cameront888 2011-07-19 02:41 am UTC (link)
	"I thought I might get a job as a policeman once." Cameron shrugged. "Most jobs would bore me. At least dancing is moving, and requires me to concentrate." "This negotiating thing you do sounds interesting. If I was better with people, I might want to give it a try. Maybe one of these days I could go with you and at least see what your job is about?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

roger_smith
2011-07-21 04:17 pm UTC (link)

"Being a police officer certainly isn't boring," Roger said. "At least, for me it wasn't. It was just frustrating at times." Things that happen when a corrupt corporation takes over.

He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. Not many people found negotiatiion interesting. "I'd like that," he finally said. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find your call."

He stepped into the pedal and speed up, enjoying himself for the first time in a while.

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