[ TEXT ] SENDING OUT AN S.O.S. TO THE WORLD

[goddamngrenades]

Quick Check in for Members of Project Freelancer, the UNSC, and our mutual associates- or anyone that wants to get word out about themselves having changed or not changed or...whatever. Has questions? This is Agent York and Delta, so far we're unaffected by this time ripple thing. Connie, North, Wash, Grif, Chief, Theta, Cortana, Locus, Azucar, Parker, Pidge, Fareeha, Amélie - and anyone else I'm forgetting, shoot me a text back, alright?

I'll deliver pancakes and blankets or other care package items if needed. If you'd rather come talk in person swing by my habitat, I'll be hanging in the bar. Directions are below. Also, Jason- buddy? Swing by, I feel like I owe you a beer.

[ In neat green lines there's a little holographic map showing how to get to York's dive bar from the recipient's current location, wherever they might be. ]

Specific refreshments are available upon request.

Comments

private

[goddamngrenades]

Man as long as you're above a Sergeant, we're good. Give me orders, I give him orders, boom. Chain of fucking command established. No mess, no stress, and we keep him busy enough that he can't hurt himself or anyone else on accident- or drive himself crazy with not being on the job. Cortana's handling some of the explaining, I'm gonna brief him on the whole Legion situation-

But having orders from any kind of 'on high' will both give me credibility and him a stronger sense that he's gotta listen.

private

[iamresponding]

Understood. We've gotta keep him busy. I'll do my best to help.

But I might occasionally need to leave to go punch a damn wall because --

[York knows why he'll need to punch things. The fact Chief is in this state -- ever was in this state -- is infuriating. That someone would get a kid this twisted around...]

You know why.

[He just sighs.]

Anyway, rank-wise, we'll be fine. [He takes in a little breath that inflates his cheeks and lets it out again.] I'm, uh, y'know.

The intergalactic equivalent of a five-star general. So...we're good.

private

[goddamngrenades]

We can tag in and out. I get it, man, I really do.

[ It's a clusterfuck. One that saved the goddamn species but- So much awful had to happen to make it work. ]

...Hot damn. That's perfect! [ What's better than a GENERAL to add some weight to what he's talking about. ] 'General says-' shit. This is gonna work. You can't question generals-

Well you can but I don't think this kid will.

--> action

[iamresponding]

We just need to make sure we work this so that he doesn't think I'm UNSC, because I can do general, but I don't know enough about your cluster of worlds to fake that.

We can probably explain this situation is multiversal, but make him think there's still a command structure that's full of soldiers instead of superheroes, so we can guide him and keep him from freaking out.

[He has a feeling Kid Q ain't exactly going to cut it as a leader he'll listen to.]

I'll notify Kid Q so she knows what's going on and why we have to do it, to keep her from accidentally giving the ruse away. I'm sure she'll understand.

[And there he is at the bar.]

But I'm definitely gonna need that beer first.

ACTION!

[goddamngrenades]

He knows we're working within the boundaries of a non-militant organization and I'm pretty sure Cortana's filling him in on the basics of the multiversal/timeline/dimensional shenaniganary. What we need most, and what we'll be able to give him, is- yeah. That.

[ A way to keep him feeling comfortable and secure and structured. York's already clearing a space at the bar (moving aside a full and empty coffee pot and several tablets compiling the briefing packet Delta's fine tuning while they chat) for when Rich arrives. It. Takes less time than he thought- but he doesn't miss a beat. ]

You an ale or lager kinda guy?

Re: ACTION!

[iamresponding]

Lager.

[He takes a seat at the bar, and immediately faceplants with his arms over his head.]

Somebody stop the ride. I want off.

[He came back from that time travel mission to all this nonsense. He finally lifts his head.]

I hate time travel. Hate it.

[goddamngrenades]

Lager it is.

[ He's got a bottle twisted open and set next to Rich's elbow in short order, snagging one for himself. ]

Sure doesn't help with my perception of reality, I'll say that much. This shit happen often in the Tights Life?

[iamresponding]

Constantly.

[Rich picks up his bottle and takes a swig.]

Me and my team used to get it even worse than other superheroes sometimes. I had the misfortune of making an archenemy out of a guy whose whole shtick was time travel, creating alternate timelines, and warping reality.

[goddamngrenades]

I'd ask 'how do you even' but- one of the guys on my squad had a module- little experimental tech we got by finding and fucking around with alien technology and reverse engineering it without understanding shit. Which ends about as well as you think it would.

[ Poorly. ]

And it'd just- slow shit down long enough for him to move out of the way of a bullet. Or speed him up or whatever. But that's a small thing. Time TRAVEL? Seems insane to me. But here we are. Wait-

[ This is important. ]

Did he have a pun name?