sixthiterationlogs | i got two hundred seconds

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i got two hundred seconds

WHO: Ty Rhodes and you!
WHERE: Bunker, Peach Orchard, House #15 in the South Village
WHEN: Around 9/30
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: None, TBA

[BUNKER ARRIVAL]
The sound of water rushing past him was what woke him initially, but like some kind of paralytic lucid dream, he was sluggish at waking. Which was odd, considering Ty was usually fairly alert as soon as he was awake, but he had difficulty even opening his eyes. Then there was the sudden sensation of falling, and hitting the unforgiving ground.

Groaning, he opened his eyes, vision blurry for a few moments as he tried to get his bearings. The last thing he remembered was heading home, snow crunching underneath his boots, mind racing a thousand miles a minute but this-

Gingerly, feeling returning to his limbs as if he’d been asleep for a long time, he reached up to wipe the water from his eyes. He ran his hands through his hair to keep it from dripping more liquid into his face, undoubtedly spiking it up in odd directions as he tried to slick it back.

It took a few heartbeats to figure out he was in some weird laboratory looking room, apparently he’d been stuck in a tube up until now, and whoever was standing at the console was the one to let him out. Or put him there in the first place.

“Thanks, I think.” His voice was rough with disuse, scrapped a bit raw. “Think I could trouble you for a towel?”

[PEACH ORCHARD]
Though there seemed to be communal resources, going for those first felt like some sort of failing on his part. He wanted to have something to contribute before he took anything, and unfortunately here it didn’t seem like he had anything from home. And while he was grateful the pack had given him clothes, he was a bit disappointed there hadn’t been one tool in there for use.

So instead he’d decided to forage, taking a few test bites of the peaches to make sure they weren’t anything strange. Quite the opposite, it seemed like eating them made him feel better somehow, so he was stuffing a few into his backpack when he heard someone approached. He had looked around the orchard to see if anyone was tending to it, but it had seemed like it wasn’t really anyone’s. Perhaps he’d made a mistake?

Slowly he raised his hands to show he didn’t have anything in them but a peach, turning his head to address whoever was coming up.

“Sorry, is this your land? Didn’t mean to trespass.”

[MAKING A HOUSE A HOME]
While Ty had some trepidation about using the communal resources for now, turning down shelter would just be shooting himself in the foot. Especially since he had no real tools to call his own and he had always been susceptible to cold.

It was a bit creepy to put roots in a house that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, but it gave him something to do while he came up with a game plan for this place. In an effort to help out his mother, he had gotten in the habit of keeping things neat and tidy, so airing out the house, trying to combat all the dust and cobwebs, and checking to see what was in working order kept him from panicking too much, initially. He was here, he might as well make the best of it. And be on good terms with the people who lived nearby, considering he had no idea how long he was going to be stuck here.

He was in the process of beating all the dirt out of the linens, the blankets draped over the railing of the front porch, when he finally saw some signs of life in the neighborhood. He waved and called out a good morning to anyone who passed, before covering his face back up with his sleeve, and going back to work.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ever since he read all the details on the computer, and how many of these so called iterations show the name of Cougar Alvarez, Jake is on a mission. Searching for some sign of the man he knew, of whatever was here before. Others have told him there are items still around, and he's now searching everything.

In part to keep his mind off where he is meant to be and what could be going wrong, in part in need to try and find part of his unit here.

Heading for the Inn, seeing someone by one of the houses, he changes his course and heads that way. Casual, wearing a pair of jeans that are a bit short, and a plain white tee shirt, he raises his hand in greeting.

"Hi." He notes the chores the man has put himself too. "You new too, or just finally setting up home?"

"Just arrived here a few days ago. I'm Ty, nice to meet you." Ty said, glad for an excuse to take a break, leaning against the porch railing as the blonde man changed course to head towards him. The coolness of the morning was starting to dissipate, and Ty was debating about heading back to the inn to see if he could get something to drink.

"What about you?" He had said 'new too' but Ty had seemed to be the only person to come out of the tubes when he had.

"Jake," he says, lifting one hand in a kind of wave. Still awkward, that much hasn't changed since he came to this place, but trying to get a feel for everything around him. Including the people there.

"Been here about two weeks now," he says, pausing to consider that and then nodding. "Yeah about that. Still trying to figure out what this place is and what the hell they want. You, uhmmm... You haven't found anything around this place like a hat? Or anything with the name Cougar on it?"

Even if Jake was trying to be casual about the question, it made Ty feel terrible to have to shake his head, because he could get it. Everyone here had people they were looking for or missing or worried about.

"I haven't, but I can keep an eye out for anything like that. What kind of hat, and who's Cougar? If you describe them, I can look out for them too."

"Cool. Thanks," he says, nodding because it's really all he can ask for in the end.

He opens his mouth and then he sighs. He can't pretend he doesn't know it inside and out. "It's a brown leather, I guess you would call it cowboy hat. Curled up high on the sides, thin braided leather band. It's pretty battered, and shows a lot of wear right here where you grip it to put it on and off," he says, gesturing to the front of his head like he's wearing one. "And it's got a gun oil mark right along the front brim where it rubs against a scope."

Yeah, that's not creepy obsessive or anything. "As for Cougar, he's five ten..." Not guessing that. He knows. "Brown hair, long and just past his shoulders. Angular face, piercing eyes... I sound like a stalker."

It hits him like a ton of bricks, mostly because he's imagining him in his mind's eye and seeing him clearly.

"Does it help to know he's my teammate and the guy most likely to keep me alive? If not, ignore everything I just said."

Edited 2018-10-04 19:06 (UTC)

This was... a level of description beyond what Ty had been expecting. Usually when he asked civilians to describe someone, they went with basic vague descriptions that could be about a thousand different people in a mile radius. This, however, he can work with. He almost felt like he should be taking notes.

He had to laugh when it seemed like Jake realized how it might sound, waving a hand dismissively. "No, that's a really helpful description. I thought you were just going to say he looked like a dude and leave it at that. I feel like I can picture him just from that."

Though he had to admit, he was curious. "So what's so special about him? Other than he's a sniper apparently."

"Part of my job is identifying both targets and reading through coding. I'm good at detail," he says, because that totally explains all of that, right? Just don't ask him to describe any of the rest of his team in any detail, nonetheless that exacting detail he had just used.

"Uhmm, well... I mean, you called it. He's the sniper with our unit and..." He blinks owlishly at the other man, not sure how to answer that. "He's just, I mean... You really don't want to hear about his marksmanship or how he never really talks and yet I always know everything he's saying, do you?"

Yet he really isn't sure how to answer this, turning a bit red as he considers such asinine things to say. He's my friend. He's Cougar. He's... mine? He doesn't even know how to do this, because it means admitting to another things he's never admitted to himself.

It was a good excuse, Ty would give him that, but as he fumbled over the rest of the explanation, Ty had to duck his head down to hide his grin. This all sounded painfully familiar, and he wasn't sure whether to feel mortified for his past self ( who had actually believed he was subtle ) and empathy for Jake right now.

"Well, the more you can tell me, the better right? Besides, this Cougar guy sounds interesting. How good a shot is he?" It wasn't like his chores had to be done right now and he'd welcome the distraction. He stepped away from the railing, dusting himself off as best as he could. "Do you want to come inside? I have peaches if you're hungry or some water."

Truly his house was the height of hospitality.

Jake didn't spend enough time around others he talked about his unit with. He spent his time with them, and his sister before life went to Hell, but she got nervous when he talked about it so there wasn't a lot of detail. So this is new for him. About as new as being separated from them like this. He'd gotten attached and it is proving to be a hard bond to break for him.

"Good? He's fucking amazing. Best shot I've ever known. Wind and altitude don't matter. I have literally put my life and freedom on the line with faith in him and, well, until whatever this is..." He sighs at that, knowing he's starting to ramble on and still reconciling himself with abandoning them. Even if he didn't have a choice.

"You know what? Yeah. I can hear our Colonel now giving me shit for running around like this. The lack of tech is messing with me."

It would be rude to laugh when Jake seemed so earnest, but he had to know how he sounded. Maybe Ty was just projecting onto him, so he'd reserve his judgement for now. But Jake was making it way too easy.

"He definitely sounds like someone who'd be useful around here. When you find him, put in a good word about me with him, would you?" Ty asked with a small grin, opening the door to the house and waving Jake inside.

"I can imagine. You keeping yourself busy in the meantime?"

"You military before this place?" Not everyone got the connection a unit could have with one another. Or should. Especially if they're going to survive the things that the Losers found themselves facing.

Not that Jake thinks everyone needs it to get through things, and might be good here to keep things balanced with whatever might be coming next, as everyone keeps warning him about.

He heads into the house, giving a nod. "Testing some trapping methods, though I've never had to actually preserve meat. Need to check on some things and see if there's a way to make a smoker or something. Jerky maybe?" He considers the forms of preserved meat they've had in the field. "Damn but I miss MREs about now," he says with a laugh.

"Yeah, but there wasn't as big of an emphasis on having one particular unit. We were more trained to work well with anyone or be able to move alone." But Ty had enjoyed working with others during his training, and he had gotten close to most of the other agents who were recruited at the same time as him.

He gestured for Jake to take a seat as he pulled out two glasses for the both of them, pouring water out from a pitcher. "When was the last time you had an MRE? I'd rather eat some half-assed jerky." He joked, setting one of the glasses in front of him.

"I'm thinking fruit and the like would be good to try to preserve too."

"Funny. My whole unit came together because we really weren't capable of working with others," he admits with a chuckle. "We all have srbs two inches thick for one thing or another.

"Not knowing how long they held me? About four months ago in a Brazilian jungle right before we got turned on," he says, shrugging. "Even if it comes from purple llamas or something?"

"Really? You don't seem like that difficult of a guy to get along with." Ty said, a bit surprised, but he had also just met Jake. It might be a bit too early to make a call like that.

He took a seat across from Jake, arching an eyebrow at how casually he mentioned being held prisoner, before deciding to go with the safer topic.

"Yeah. Those llamas seemed pretty friendly, and if their fruit is edible, it wouldn't hurt to keep a few nearby."

Jake smiles at that, appreciating hearing that. "I tend to ramble, and I have a huge issue with cats, and I understand computers more than people," he admits, figuring there's no reason to hide that when he's still working on how to exist here without a computer.

"You handle animals a lot? I admit, I have no experience with them. I have survival training, but not that. Grew up in a city and everything."

And he knows that is going to work against him here.

"You have an issue with cats but you're best friends with a guy named Cougar?" Ty teased, but he did appreciate the forthwith honesty, figuring it deserved it in turn.

"Not at all, but can we treat these animals the same as any that are on Earth anyway? Besides, I've seen a few houses with pens out back. It can't hurt to ask them for some pointers." He paused, tilting his head curiously at that.

"Where are you from?"

Jake pauses, never having really thought about it that way. "Well, yeah except, like, he isn't constantly screaming at me and while he has a vocabulary that is as large as a cats, he doesn't just expect me to..." He pauses then, realizing that is not true. He is entirely the Cougar translator and never has issues with it. He doesn't even think twice about it.

"Well shit. Huh. I never thought about it," he admits. "Okay, you're right. It's like totally weird." And now he has to rethink his entire theory on cats, because he's sure as hell not rethinking Cougar.

"I wonder if someone does butchering here? I wouldn't even know how to preserve it. Never thought of it before." He's really a child of his generation in that way.

"Is it weird here I feel like I should say Earth? But I was in Brazil before here, and then Costa Rica before that. I'm from the East Coast though."

It was a little bit mean spirited, to watch Jake's world tilt slightly on its axis with that small quip, and if Ty was ruder, he might have continued on in that vein. Instead, he just clapped Jake on the shoulder comfortingly, grinning. "It's not that weird. It's not like he's actually a cat, right?"

Considering there were people who came from places with demons and witches and magic, a sniper cat was probably not going to be the weirdest thing in this place.

The problem about preserving was one they could tackle a bit later, but instead he was more intrigued by the mention of the East Coast. "Yeah? I'm from NYC myself. Where exactly along the East Coast?"

"He enjoys laying in sunspots, climbing up to the highest point and ambushing people, and is known to wrap himself around you for warmth and then spit and fight back when it no longer suits him so... I'm not sure he's not," Jake admits, thinking about this carefully. "Wow."

Because seriously, he's never put thought into this before and yes, his world is spinning. It's needed though. He needs to know where he stands without hiding behind... hating cats. Or hiding that he really cares about one.

"Tidewater/Hampton Roads areas of Virginia. Not that I've been back there for years. Went to college early, then the military. I visit my sister and my niece from time to time but... Mostly foreign locals where people are trying to kill me."

All of this might be all well and good, but that last part about wrapping around someone else... Ty coughed lightly into his hand to try to stifle his laughter, looking at Jake with wide innocent eyes. "You sure it's not just you he's wrapping himself around or is it anyone?"

You know, just for the sake of looking for this guy. Ty wanted to know what exactly he was getting into. That was all.

He arched an eyebrow at Jake's flippant explanation, amused despite himself. "So what kind of missions do you do that get people so mad at you so often?"

He snorts at that, giving Ty a look. "Trust me, it's about me but not about meeeee," he says, drawing it out. "It's just about those he can trust." He pauses, giving Ty a look, considering him for a few minutes before sighing, and being at least fairly open with him. "I'm not that lucky, and I'm not his type."

Which is more than he's likely to admit to many, but what is it going to hurt here?

That is an easier conversation though.

"Army special forces. We're the guys that no one talks about, our missions are disavowed, and if anything happens to us, no one is coming for us."

Ah, that got a small wince of sympathy out of Ty. That hit a bit too close to home, and he clapped a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder. "It's his loss, really."

But it seemed like an uncomfortable topic for both of them, so Ty was more than fine talking shop instead.

"So kind of like here?" Ty said haphazardly, a small self-depreciating grin. "Have you been up to the bunker? What did you think of all the stuff up there?" Ty had used high tech equipment during training, but he hadn't really known the intricacies of it, so he was curious to hear Jake's take on it.

"Yeah well..." He shrugs, not sure he believes that but knowing that he'll still stand by Cougar and just be happy with having him in his life until he's not. Oh wait, Jake's in this place and Cougar's not, but he's not focusing on that now.

He laughs at that though. "Yeah, kind of like this. And yeah..." He makes a face, rolling his eyes. "It's awful. I could do more with a Commodore Sixty-Four," he says, frustration in his tones. "I tried finding backdoors, any way through their system, and there's nothing. I just... I can't even figure it out. It's driving me nuts," he admits, wincing and being a bit sorry for ranting in that moment. "Sorry. Just... it's nuts."

From one frustrating topic to another, it seemed. Ty was really on a roll today. He frowned slightly, wondering just what it meant if someone who specialized in technology couldn't make heads or tails of the system here.

"Hey, don't apologize. This place will grate on me before too long and you're probably going to have to talk me down from diving into the ocean to try to swim for freedom." Ty joked, but he was still curious. "So the tech here is something you've never seen before then? Does it give any clues about the Observers? Like if they're still around or even human?"

Jake couldn't help but smirk at that. "Now come on. Don't be all Gilligan's Island about this. At least build a boat," he says, kind of teasing but not entirely. Nor saying what he wants to say. At last find out if we're clones or not before you go. Talk about things that could get really awkward.

"They seem like common computers, but I can't find a code in the system that shows an outside connection, or any writer's code, or anything you would think you would find. Even in a loped system. There's still usually some kind of outside signature, and I've found nothing. Not that I'm giving up. I plan to check on it a few times a month. Maybe if it is a looped, self contained system, I just have to catch it on the right circuit."

He's not letting this beat him, even if it's frustrating.

He gives Ty a look at that though. "You think they're what? Aliens?" Yes! He's had this thought! Along with the scrubs and the fear of anal probes.

i got two hundred seconds

Making a House a Home

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