[Video - 001]

[short_changed]

[Waking up again had been disorienting enough; usually when you slip into the empty embrace of death you don't suddenly pop into existence somewhere else. Maybe that's why she's so hesitant to put herself out into this new world even after she's accepted the new job. That in itself could very well be a huge mistake but who knows, she could probably use some good karma in her new life to outweigh her last one.

Which brings her here.

The video feed flickers on to show a dimly lit room with a somewhat battered suit of brown power armour against the wall. The camera itself is focused on the pale hand holding the ring she had been given when she'd said her oath to the Legion. For a few seconds the ring flips and spins between her fingers as if it were a coin, buying her a little time to pick her words before she speaks.]

We don't always get a chance for a new start. I guess I should be grateful for it, and for the new name.

[Giving the ring a light flick into the air with her thumb she catches it and slips it on. No more hiding.]

It's Mirage, by the way. But for the old friends I know are out there...

[The video shifts as she picks up the omnicom to focus on her face. She looks tired, too tired to hide the guilt and resignation behind her small, bitter smile.]

You can still call me Connie.

[And with that the feed cuts off.]

Comments

[whyarewehere]

[ Grif squints at the feed for a moment, then says, with great confidence... ]

Montana.

[ He's got this. These freelancers can't keep surprising him! ]

[short_changed]

[That actually draws a snort from her.]

Not even close.

[whyarewehere]

Shit. You are one of those guys though, right?

[ Why freelancers? His life was already weird without more heralds of weirdness falling into it. ]

[short_changed]

Used to be. [She quirks a brow.] Why, you know about the Project?

[whyarewehere]

I've met way too many people with stupid state code names.

Also this is public notice that I'm putting five bucks out there for whoever guesses right first. Existing state code name assholes can't play.

Video - Private

[goddamngrenades]

Connie? [ Ghost of Christmas past all up in this month it seems, jesus tapdancing christ. ]

I - [ Fuck. Fuck everything and fuck waiting until later to explain the knot in his throat. ] She found your dogtags. We tried to make it right.

Re: Video - Private

[short_changed]

[It's strange to see the difference in York, even if it's subtle. He looks older than she remembers, a little more angular and worn. Her eyes narrow as she stares hard at his image, her own mouth run dry at his words. They tried.]

...But it wasn't enough, huh?

Video - Private

[goddamngrenades]

Sometimes things can become too broken to fix. She tried. I- well. Played decoy.

[ rough sketches of what happened. It'd all been so crazy- His head hadn't been where it needed to be. That old guilt and grief wells up something fierce and Delta doesn't exactly help in mitigating that. He scrubs at his bad eye. Swallows. ]

...I'm sorry.

Re: Video - Private

[short_changed]

[She rubs a hand over her face as she sits back, avoiding looking at the camera again while she processes this new info. Too broken, too little too late. Another fucking failure because she wasn't good enough.]

Not your fault, York.

Video - Private

[goddamngrenades]

If I had my head out of my ass and actually paid attention to what was going on instead of bitching and moaning about my ranking and my eye? I'd have noticed sooner. We could've done something sooner. It's not all on you, Connie.

[ Everyone involved is just as guilty through action or inaction. ]

private - video

[i_got_this]

[It's a shock seeing Connie so suddenly, completely unexpected, pushing a roil of emotions to the forefront in an instant.]

You've got a lot of explaining to do. What the fuck you just leave? Without a word, without anything?

[]You were one of her few buddies :c]

Re: private - video

[short_changed]

[Hello, South.]

Do you think I could have said anything without it getting back to the Director somehow? I had my reasons, though none of which matter anymore. Not here.

private - video

[i_got_this]

Yeah, right, none of it matters. You selfish little Brat. [Sure you're not talking about yourself, South?]

You expect me just to forget it? Everything's hunky-fucking-dory because we got roped in here?

Re: private - video

[short_changed]

You think I defected on a whim? That I didn't make sacrifices for my decision? I was trying to make a difference; to stop what the Director was doing to all of us, to get the truth behind Project Freelancer out there.

[Connie glares into the camera, sitting up a little as the anger starts to simmer in her gut.]

In short? You're a big girl, South. Get over it.

private - video

[i_got_this]

Yeah yeah, York told me all about it. [Not really, he gave her some vague cliff notes]

You want second chances? Prove it.

Video | Private

[unrecovered]

[He's in armor, partially because he practically lives in it and partially because armor is safer. His appearance is always a shock to people from the past; might as well save it. To his credit, his voice doesn't waver when he speaks.]

Guess it's not CT anymore, huh.

[A pause.]

Where are you?

Video | Private

[short_changed]

[Still in the armour, Wash? She'd smile if she weren't so uncertain on how this conversation was going to go.]

Kinda lost that when I left Freelancer.

[She crosses her arms as she looks away, unconsciously covering the spots where the wounds that killed her had been before she woke up here. She's...not keen to be repeating that experience any time soon.]

Somewhere safe.

Permafilter

[unrecovered]

Point.

[He watches that tell and goes silent. He'd known she was dead, but he'd never found out exactly what had happened to her, other than that her armor had wound up in the desert for some reason. ("Insurrectionists," probably - the Reds and Blues had no answers, and he hadn't wanted to dig further.)]

[She's suspicious of him.]

[He doesn't know what to say.]

I should have listened to you.

[It slips past his guard, unwarranted and unplanned, and comes out full of regret. He knows he was too loyal, too goddamn naive, to really listen to what she'd told him and start putting the pieces together; that doesn't prevent him from regretting it anyway.]

I'm sorry.

Permafilter

[short_changed]

[Cautious is the word she'd use, she's seen a little of what happens when Wash gets a grudge. Given the last time she saw him, or any of the other Freelancers? She's expecting violence.]

[The pain in his voice catches her attention as she looks up, wishing she could see past his visor to see him.]

Me too.

[She uncurls an arm to run a hand through her hair, debating on whether this was a good idea or not but fuck, she's missed having her best friend.]

I'm in my quarters.

[unrecovered]

...you realize there's several hundred of those, right?

[There's no barb there, no joke - he'd try, but he doesn't have it in him right now. So he sends her the location of his quarters instead.]

You can tell me where yours are, or you can meet me in mine. Your choice.

Video - Private

[agnominal]

[ The armor. That's what draws his interest. It's a different model but similar enough. ]

You were a soldier.

[ And there's a similar set staring back at her now. Though the helmet is quite different. ]

Video - Private

[short_changed]

[She notes the filter on the video and frowns at the new face. Well- helmet. Either way it's not someone from Project Freelancer. Not from her time with them anyway, and his set seems more advanced than any she remembers.]

I was. And you?

permaprivate

[agnominal]

The same, as I'm sure you've already guessed.

[ She has a set of eyes, he's going to assume she knows how to use them. ]

Curious how many soldiers from our universe in particular have been selected.

permaprivate

[short_changed]

[A suit of armour doesn't always mean soldier but colour her curiosity piqued. Our universe, huh?]

We're a resilient bunch. Space isn't uncomfortable territory for us either so that's works in our favour. Less culture shock, so to speak.

Plus, some of us are used to managing enhancements to our advantage in the battlefield.

[agnominal]

[ It's still a relatively certain thing. No one has a set of armor like that to go into baking, or chemistry. If you have one, you spend a good portion of your time fighting. Or trying not to die at the hands of others wearing similar armor. ]

Agreed. The Time-Trapper, whatever it truly is, was well-served by selecting us to assist the Legion.