Agent Carolina (topoftheboard) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-06-19 05:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, agent carolina |
Who: Agent Carolina
What: Dream bleedover
When: Far too early Saturday morning
Where: Carolina & Wash's apartment
Rating/Warnings: Mediumish for cursing and screaming in pain?
Status: Narrative. Complete on posting!
Summer in California was nothing like summer in Texas, even this early in the season. For one, the term 'swimming' was reserved for pools and beaches, not the walk to your car or as a substitution for the word 'breathing' when the rains came. With a breeze from the ocean, California nights could still be called chilly instead of just plain cool. Perfect summer weather. Even the rains were perfect, never too heavy, but enough to wash away some of the ever-lingering smog and bring a few fresh breezes down from the mountains or the ocean. Sometimes, Carolina would leave her windows cracked at night to catch some of those breezes, the faded sounds of passing cars and crickets all the white noise she could ask for.
Not tonight. Tonight, her window was shut tight and the curtains drawn. For all the perfect weather outside, inside, the former Marine felt a storm building. All the lights were off, including the bedside lamp that was the usual indicator as to whether she was still awake. The bedroom door was ajar - it always was, unless one of them had company over - and for the hundredth time since Carolina had laid down to sleep, she debated picking up her pillow and crossing the hallway. She shifted, going to do just that, when for the hundredth time the whispers stopped her. On their own, she was sure that Eta and Iota would have been harmless, but together they never stopped whispering and sleep was becoming a luxury far beyond her price range.
Fear. 'What if his door is closed?' Happiness. 'He always leaves it open, just like you do, and for the same reasons.' Fear. 'But what will you do if it's different this time?' Dueling whispers fought for her attention, drowning out her own thoughts and intentions. Carolina rubbed the twin implants that now graced the back of her neck, wishing she had Dreamt of how to turn the goddamn things off. She would not complain, especially not after what Wash had told her had happened when he received his implant, but if he knew how York or North had managed to silence the damn A.I.'s, it might be worth it to ask.
Carolina laid her head back down on the pillow, hand both pressing and cradling the ports that carried the twin fragments. The whispers softened to an annoying buzz in the back of her skull. She had not said anything the morning they had appeared, whispers waking her from the Dreams, but she was sure that Wash knew anyway. He was an observant roommate and a good Marine. The best of the best. A proud little smile broke through the noise. Even two years away from the job, the Gunney didn't have a spec of rust on his skills. Las Vegas had shown that much.
Green eyes closed in an attempt to try and sleep once again. The whispers faded further as she focused on the soft ticking of the watch on the windowsill beside her bed. She really should get a nightstand. It was the weekend; perhaps she would go shopping in the morning. Perhaps attempting to pronounce the unpronounceable names at Ikea would keep the A.I. twins busy for a while and out of her thought processes. Maybe then she could finally get some sleep around… here...
…"Agent York, clear the floor please."
"In a second, FILSS."
"Clear the floor or enter the match, York. Your choice."
The computer's tone of voice would have made Carolina quirk a smile at any other time. As it was, she continued pulling weapons from the rack, her focus never shifting away from her preparations. No matter what Tex tried to throw at her, she would be ready.
"For the record, I would stay to support you, but she's really damn scary."
Carolina's head snapped over to glare at the man in gold armor beside her. He thinks she's scary?
"Okay, maybe you're both pretty scary. Gotta go." Carolina watched York leave, making sure he was not going to change his mind. Some part of her knew she should appreciate the thought, but this was not the place nor the time. It would not mean anything if she could not beat Tex on her own. Her gaze moved away from York and to the twin forms that appeared on her shoulder. Well, mostly on her own. She could feel the tickle of whispers as they merged and disappeared, another set of whispers as she heard them readying her equipment for the fight.
They were…different than Sigma. Kinder. More innocent. More afraid. Less likely to give her suggestions or discourse strategy. The last was fine with her; she just needed them to be tools to help her win. To prove that she could beat her. That she could win.
"Round begins in three…two… one… begin. Good luck, ladies."
"Thanks. I won't need it."
This was about more than being at the top of the leader board. She was supposed to be the best. The one her team could count on to lead them and bring them all home safe. And they were her team. Even the goddamn rookie had been around longer than Tex. She knew their strengths, their weaknesses, the best way to motivate them and when to let them run on their own. Being at the top meant that she had the right to lead them and there was no way she was going to let some dark horse bitch take them from her.
As one, the two women started running toward the other. They had similar fighting styles, but Carolina knew her experience would give her the edge in the fight. The woman in black armor was good, granted, but the redhead had led more missions and gotten her team out of more scrapes than Tex had points on the leader board. You're going down, Tex. This is going to be my wi-
"No! Allison!"
--AHHHHHHHHHH!!" 'Allison!' Pain! Blinding pain! 'Allison!' No! 'Allison!Allison!Allison!Allison!Allison!No!Allison!Allison!Allison!Allison!NotHer!A llison!Allison!Allison!Allison!'
Carolina fell to her knees, skidding across the training room floor. It felt like her head was trying to rip itself into two - no! three - pieces. Grief and suffering flooded her system. The whispers had turned to screams, crying out the name of the woman they loved, and lost, and loved still. Her mother's name. Desperately, she tried to remove her helmet. She needed to make them stop. To make the pain stop. The helmet finally gave, but if anything, that only made the screams louder. Voices cried out in the background, but she could not make out what they were saying over the screaming in her head.
"…should sedate…Immediately. We've no idea how much damage two A.I. could-"
"No. She made her decision. Let her be."
"Come on! Somebody help her!"
"AHHHH!"
"What the fuck is going on?! Somebody get down here!"
"You are all dismissed!"