The Hunt

&lt;EDC&gt; Private Jayson Redfield says flatly, "Where is General Witwicky?" &lt;EDC&gt; Noah Wolfe says, "Good question. He's a hard man to track down." &lt;EDC&gt; Sam would respond, but that sort of thing is above his pay grade. &lt;EDC&gt; Private Jayson Redfield says, "I'll just have to find him myself, then..." &lt;EDC&gt; Noah Wolfe says, "Jayson? Where are you?" &lt;EDC&gt; Private Jayson Redfield says, "Hm? Oh, I'm in New York still.  Where else would I be?" &lt;EDC&gt; Sam says, "Require assistance? Can place request with office staff." Outskirts of New York City New York always has, and always will be one of the busiest cities in the world. The Big Apple, the city that never sleeps...Now it is nearly the state that never sleeps. New York is following in the Tokyo tradition of spreading its tentacles into everything within reach, growing and expanding. The level of technology here is rivaled only in Tokyo, the original sprawl. But here there is something different, perhaps it's the attitude. &lt;EDC&gt; Noah Wolfe says, "I checked your room this morning mate, you disappeared and Agent Rhodes didn't see you leave. We're here to protect you.  Now, where are you?" &lt;EDC&gt; Private Jayson Redfield says, "I told you. In New York.  Don't you believe me?  I'm pretty close to the house..." Jayson Redfield is currently sitting in a tree near his house. How long he's actually been there, however, no one can determine. &lt;EDC&gt; Sam says, "Hrm. No assistance required?" &lt;EDC&gt; Private Jayson Redfield says, "Not at all~" &lt;EDC&gt; Noah Wolfe says, "Not yet, I'll keep you posted." Noah Wolfe opens the door to Jayson's house and steps out onto the stone stairs. He looks down one way from the street, then down the other. He mumbles, "Whistler, program, tracker." His AI gives a small bleep of aknowledgement and projects a small holo screen above his wrist. It looks to be a city map of NYC with Noah's location, but not Jayson's. "Shit..." he mumbles and looks up at the buildings, just catching Jayson in his sights. "...oh bloody hell. What are you doing in a tree?" Jayson Redfield shrugs casually. "Can't enjoy myself like this? I'd like to see *you* find a tree this nice and not climb it." He jumps down, landing on his feet on the ground. Noah may notice that an odd badge is pinned to Jayson's jacket. "Is there a problem, Corporal?" All the while, he is perfectly calm. Noah Wolfe mumbles something into his com unit in his ear and says, "No, just that I couldn't find you Jayson...and when did you start calling me Corporal?" Jayson Redfield blinks and tilts his head in a curious manner. "Haven't I always called you that? I could swear I have..." He shrugs. "Well, whatever. I still need to find the general." Noah Wolfe hurms, "Let me do a quick locator search for him...let's see.." and gives a few quick commands and hurms not really seeing him. But, Jayson can't see that so Noah shrugs, "I think he's off world. Cybertron probably." Jayson Redfield folds his arms. "Cybertron...that's where I need to go, then..." He looks around. "But first I need to find someone who actually knows how to fly a shuttle." Noah Wolfe does notice the badge and smiles, "A british flag badge pin? I remember those." His eyes get a bit distracted for a second as he listens to something come over the airwaves. Then asks, "Can I see?" holding out his hand, "Everyone high up on the political ladder used to wear these." Jayson Redfield stiffens and jerks back. "I...I need to keep it on me. Can't you just look without taking it off?" Noah Wolfe pulls his hand back, "Ok ok mate. Don't get your panties in a wad. I was just admiring." Noah gives a sigh and says, "Well, if you 'really' need to get to cybertron to see Spike, I suppose I can arrange that. I mean, what are friends for, right?" Jayson Redfield seems to calm down, and nods. That's right--Noah's his friend. He could take advantage of this. "It's urgent that I see him." Noah Wolfe nods and taps the ear piece communicator. "I'll see what I can do." he says softly. Noah Wolfe speaks softly into the radio, at least low enough that Jayson can't hear, then waits for a responce. "I think Sam is free, I'm checking out if he is." he says giving a small smile. Sam? The name rings a bell. Then Jayson remembers, and nods again. "All right," he states simply. Noah Wolfe nods softly. Jayson's too monotone, too simple. Jayson isn't even blushing around him or acting all, to put it as simple as he can, flirty with Noah. Very odd indeed. This is not the Jayson Noah knows. "Hey, let's hail a cab and see if we can beat him to the spaceport." he says walking past and waving his hand at the traffic, hoping to flag a taxi. Jayson Redfield glances over his shoulder for a second before following after Noah in silence. His current expression is hard to read. Noah Wolfe finally flags one down and opens the door, "Hop in..." Once Jayson gets in, they're off to the spaceport! J.F.K. Spaceport Although human travel into space is still in its earliest stages, the JFK Spaceport, situated close to the UN headquarters, attracts many ships, primarily from the Autobots, but there are some Terran ships as well, and even a few totally unfamiliar alien visitors. It's still busy here, as the spaceport services diplomatic and trade vessels, and the occasional luxury shuttle. Noah Wolfe climbs out of the taxi and pays the man. It's ok, he'll get it reimbursed by the EDC. This is important! Noah looks at the shuttle docked and says, "The Intrepid, nice pick." Then walks towards it. "Common, Sam should be inside." From Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt;, Sam is, in fact, inside. Keeping the engine running, as it were. Jayson Redfield just follows Noah quietly. Since Noah noticed that Jayson was behaving oddly, what will Sam think? Noah Wolfe has left. Noah Wolfe enters the Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt;. You enter the Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt;. Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; The interior of the shuttle is very roomy. There is a highly technical cockpit that seats numerous bots at various stations, and a huge cargo area for additional troops or equipment. Sam thinks everyone is terribly strange already. The doors seal behind Jayson and Noah once they're on board. Sam's up in the cockpit, flipping switches and turning dials. Jayson Redfield glances to Sam blankly, before his expression turns to one of recognition. "Hello...Corporal." Sam glances back. He looks at Jayson a little funny. "Er.. hello.. ah.. Private." Noah Wolfe steps up into the cockpit. He looks towards the front and sees Sam, then looks at Jayson. He hops in one of the seats and says, "Strap in Jayson, we'll be taking off in a bit." Then he starts fiddling with his straps. Jayson Redfield sits in one of the passenger seats. "How long will it take to get there?" Sam frowns a bit and makes a 'hrm' noise. "Will be brief delay, awaiting launch clearance." Noah Wolfe whistles, "That might take a while. JFK spaceport is terrible this time of day." He claps his hands together and says, "SO, mind telling me why I'm pulling some favors for you to see the big man himself, Jayson?" Jayson Redfield just turns that blank look of his to Noah. "No reason... I merely have some business with General Witwicky." Noah Wolfe chuckles, "Gotcha. This wouldn't have anything to do with you turning off your locator and disappearing last night, would it?" Jayson Redfield abruptly goes quiet again. After a moment, he responds. "I don't know what you mean. I was in New York this whole time." Sam flips a couple more switches and speaks to the tower. "Yes, EDC Intrepid launching." The shuttle begins to lift off, rapidly climbing up through the atmosphere. Noah Wolfe nods, "So you said, but where in New York did you go? That's what I was wondering." He shrugs, "Spike's an important person and I'm just making sure he's ok. Compton Xabat took a shot at him and he survived. I would hate for someone else to try." Jayson Redfield shakes his head. "It's not important, but if you must know, I went to do some research at the library. Classes are starting, you know." Whether or not Noah will see through the lie remains to be seen. Even the mention of Compton Xabat, whom he loathes, has no effect on him. Sam guides the ship up into space. Once it's clear of the usual Earth traffic, Sam has a chance to glance back at the passenger. "Erm.. Noah Wolfe, there is flight plan?" Noah Wolfe looks surprised at that too. As the shuttle levels out, Noah unhooks his restraints and pushes off his seat. He goes to his feet and slowly crosses the bridge towards Jayson, "Just a second Sam, I need to do something first. Something I should have done a while ago." That and despite how gross this might be, would be the final test. He reaches Jayson and says, "I love you..." then plants a big wet one right on jayson's lips. Sam stares. Sam slowly turns back to his displays. "Hm." Normally, Jayson would practically melt at such a gesture. Instead, however, he is startled, and once the opportunity arises, he tries to push Noah away. "What...are you DOING?" Noah Wolfe is pushed, and swipes his hand missing the pin by inches. "OOooops!" then goes falling on his butt with a thump. "Owwww...." then points, "...you're acting crazy!" Then realizes what he's done and spits, "I can't beelive I just did that!" Jayson Redfield leaps out of his seat, and away from Noah. In a flash, he reaches into his jacket and pulls out his gun, promptly cocking it and then pointing it the other boy. "Stay AWAY from me," he hisses dangerously. Sam's gaze snaps back over toward the passengers, locking on the gun. Uh oh. He grimaces. Sam asks, quietly, "Jayson, there is problem?" Noah Wolfe eeeps seeing the barrel of the gun pointed at him. "Y..you're right, bad idea. Terrible idea." he says, frozen in place. "No problem," Jayson replies calmly. "No problem at all. Take me to Cybertron." Sam's gaze flicks over to Noah. Noah Wolfe figures even if Jayson does get to cybertron, Spike isn't there to Noah's knowledge. He says, "What do you think? Give him what he wants." He narrows his eyes to Jayson, "I don't know what happened Jayson, but you have to fight it. You don't want to do this." Something in the back of Jayson's mind is telling him to listen to Noah. The control over him, however, is stronger. He keeps the gun pointed at his friend--at least, who the real Jayson would call a friend. "I don't? Strange...I'm pretty sure I do. The general is mine." He smiles maliciously. "I know someone who would be very happy with such a corpse." Sam asks, patiently, "Can either pilot shuttle?" Noah Wolfe shakes his head, "I can't..." then looks at Jayson trying to clear his head of the fear of having a gun pointed at him. The general is in danger Noah, something has to be done! Yeah, good luck with that. He inches away from Jayson and says, "We're in Space Jayson, it's very dangerous to have a gun. You could depressurize the shuttle and we'd all suffer affixation." Jayson Redfield thinks about this for a moment. He lowers the gun, but it's still ready to fire. "It would still be smart to do as I say, you know. You're nowhere near the fighter that I am." Noah Wolfe shrugs, "If I could pilot a shuttle mate, I'd listen to you. As I don't..." he nods back towards Sam, then slides slowly across the deck plating licking his lips. He still can't belive he kissed Jayson. But it just goes to show the lengths Noah will go to prove a point. Sam frowns deeply, as if he's unsure of what to do (which he is). He could always try to get the gun away from Jayson and get shot in the process. Or he chould just cart everyone off to Cybertron and get shot there. Decisions, decisions. Jayson Redfield snorts. "Then let *him* pilot!" he snaps, motioning toward Sam. "You just be quiet." Sam flips a switch and folds his arms across his chest. The hum of the deckplates changes as, at the rear of the ship, the main engines cycle down. The ship is somewhere outside the orbit of the moon by now, and not in danger of crashing. But Sam casually sets it adrift. Noah Wolfe nods and bumps against the control panel in his scooting across the deck plating. Noah reaches up and pushes up to get on his feet and finds his hands on what amounts to the engineering controls. The shuttle shudders and all lights aboard the ship wink out as well as the rumble of the engines and power core. Noah looks around and says, "Did I do that?!" He looks back at his control panel, "Oh crap I did! I can fix it..." he reaches for a switch. Jayson Redfield frankly doesn't care who did it. He's just pissed. "Get it moving again!" he demands sharply. "I won't hesitate to put a few bullets in either of you!" Sam shrugs at Jayson, visible only in the glow of the viewscreen and control displays. "Can wait here very long time. Eventually fall in gravity well, crash." Noah Wolfe eeps and looks at the glow of the earth in the view screen, "Ok, so this wasn't the best idea. Should have taken the spacebridge." He sucks in a breath and says, "Stupid time to be brave." Jayson Redfield sighs in exasperation. "Do you both just have a death wish or something? Get the shuttle moving. NOW." Sam's hand hovers over a control. "Can cease life support system, if would rather end sooner." Sam watches Jayson very closely. &lt;EDC&gt; A strange signal comes over the frequencies. It sounds like R2-D2 on crack or something. It tweets and blips and squelches in an intelligent fashion, almost like a language but not one that many are familiar with. If someone knows how to listen to and decode complex computer code, they could understand it. Noah Wolfe looks scared and says, "Woh, can't we, I don't know, vote on this or something?" He waves his hand around, "Don't push the button!" Just about that time, Whistler, Noah's trusty and braver than he is AI, decides to take action that'd make R2-D2 proud. &lt;EDC&gt; James Bailey says, "We need someone to decode that. Has anybody seen Wolfe...?" "You're trying my patience." In one casual motion, Jayson raises the gun again and fires off a shot at Sam, aiming for his shoulder. He could have aimed for the heart if he wanted, but chose not to. And being the skilled sharpshooter that he is, he likely hits his target dead on. "Get. The Shuttle. MOVING," he repeats slowly. &lt;EDC&gt; The signal comes across after a minute of 'talking' it finally does a giant 'PHIFFFFFT' raspberry before starting to...sing? The midi tune should be familiar. The theme from top gun 'Danger Zone'. Next up is Frank Sinatra's 'Fly me to the moon'. Finally, John Denver's 'Leaving on a jet plane'. Outside, Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; arrives from the Landing Fields &lt;EDC&gt;. Outside, Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; has arrived. Sam is sitting motionless in a chair, at very close range. If Jayson missed, he'd seriously need to consider a new line of work. Also, the control console would be toast. As it is, the bullet blasts through his shoulder and out the back into the chair, through -that-, and lodges somewhere in the durasteel plating of the wall. Sam's collarbone is probably in several pieces, and he's now bleeding profusely. He reacts to the gunshot by crying out in pain, trying to move, and then spiralling down to the floor. Ouch. Noah Wolfe blinks and says, "NO!" Then leaps at Jayson, reaching for the gun and putting his whole weight into it. Since it's not pointed at him, now is Noah's chance. Since he knows Jayson needs Sam, he wouldn't aim to kill, at least not yet. Noah Wolfe succeeds in grasping Jayson Redfield, throwing him off-balance. Outside, Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet pulls away from the planet at high velocity (but not escape velocity :P). Once it escapes the atmosphere it fires tiny maneuvering jets to orient itself with the EDC shuttle. It closes in quickly, transmitting standard EDC codes to identify itself and requesting status from the shuttle. James doesn't know yet what's going on inside... Jayson Redfield grunts and tries to keep a firm hold on the gun, but Noah isn't making it easy. "Let go!" He ignores the bleeding Sam. Outside, Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; is.. off. Mostly. The engines are shut down and the shuttle is drifting. Sam clutches at his shoulder, scrambling on the floor trying unsuccessfully to get away from the agony of being shot. He tries to get to his feet, unable to move his left arm and getting blood all over the nice console. Noah Wolfe stuggles with Jayson with the gun, "You killed Sam!" Noah hasn't noticed Sam getting up since his back is to him. He swings the gun downward and to the side, or at least tries, "You're...not...well!" Outside, Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; pulls ahead of the shuttle, spins 180 degrees and scoots sideways until it's facing the shuttle. It clicks on it's landing lights and shines them through the shuttle's winshield, trying to illuminate the shuttle's interior. Jayson Redfield just grins. "If I wanted to kill him, I would have. That shot wouldn't have killed anyone. Now are you going to let go of the gun, or am I gonna have to kick your ass?" At the "not well" statement, he cocks his head a little, still keeping a tight hold on the weapon. "Not well? I'm perfectly fine, Corporal Wolfe..." Sam clutches at the console, pulling himself up with one hand and slamming his hand down on the controls -- almost. He's actually rather ham-handedly trying to enter a few commands.. Outside, Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; suddenly lurches back to life, spinning back around in a rather sickening turn back toward Earth, and begins accelerating back towards the planet. Noah Wolfe is caught in a life or death struggle with Jayson. Cue the appropriate Star Trek music. He says, "Like bloody hell..." then swings his head forward trying to clock Jayson with it, "...you are!" He's loosing here, badly. It's like a novice bull rider trying to hold onto 'El Diablo'. Sam is -this close- to finishing what he's doing and activating the radio to call an SOS, but when the ship twists he just topples over backwards onto the deck. Outside, Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; recaps. Yes, the ship. Sam tries to set the ship on a landing course back to the EDC base, but only gets as far as turning the ship and accelerating back towards the planet before he gets unsteady on his feet and topples over. The ship cruises ominously towards the Earth. Outside, Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; continues: In the meantime, Noah and Jayson fight it out like Kirk and Spock in that episode where Kirk fights Spock. Jayson Redfield is too focused on Noah to notice what Sam's doing. He suddenly releases his hold on the gun, but in a split second he aims a hard punch at the other boy's face. "Don't fuck with me, you coward!" You receive a radio message from Nate Briar: Why can't you let me do what I need to do to fix the world? Why do you have to come snooping around and prevent me from finally getting the intelligence that I need to stop Compton? The bastard tried to kill my cousin and I finally was getting under his skin. In another week, I would have had my bullets in his skin. Outside, Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; Jet pulls out of the path of the runaway shuttle and then closes in quickly behind it, right next to the cargo bay doors. Flying for the EDC actually gives pilots useful experience in a situations like this. James has chased down free-falling nonfunctional shuttles, forced his Exo to board enemy ships from the outside, and more. Getting aboard this one is practically like a training mission. He just gets his Talon within Exo-Arm's length, shifts it into robot mode and grabs hold, then activates the auxiliary controls to open the cargo bay. Outside, Twisting and shifting, the Apollo transforms into an exo-suit. Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt; has arrived. You send a radio message to Nate Briar: That...that was a mistake. You watch yourself, Nathaniel...or you could end up dead. &lt;he does not sound like himself&gt; You evade Noah Wolfe's grasp attack. You receive a radio message from Nate Briar: There you go again, sassing off like you know what you are doing. Jayson, I quit the EDC so I can handle things on my own terms. That is exactly what I am going to do. I'm taking the world on until things are fixed. You send a radio message to Nate Briar: &lt;laughs bitterly&gt; Who do you think you're talking to, Briar? You're a failure as a soldier. Once dear General Witwicky is dead, I may come after you! From Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt;, James Bailey unseals his Exo and checks his sidearm but doesn't get out just yet...instead he clicks on his external emitters. "This is Ghost One! Can anybody respond? What's your status? What's the situation?" He tries to infuse his voice with calm authority. Noah Wolfe gets punched and floored like a novice going against Tyson. Noah trips over a chair as he sprawls over the controls and slams his head against the metal edge. He grunts and gently drops to the floor, blood slowly leaking out of a cut in his head. So much for the bravery. Sam pretty much just lies in a pool of his own blood. James Bailey leaves the Exo-Jet Apollo Class &lt;James Bailey&gt;. James Bailey has arrived. Jayson Redfield aims the gun at Noah calmly, but only for a moment. He then trains it on Sam as he responds to James. "This..." There's a second's pause. "This is Private Redfield. Corporal Sam has gone crazy and attacked Corporal Wolfe." Will the lie work? Only time will tell! Sam is probably in shock by now. The real kicker here is that before anyone shot anyone, Sam and Noah were screwing up the ship's systems, both intentionally and accidentally. There's no telling how fragmented the cockpit recorder is. James Bailey hops out of his Exo and leaves the Cargo bay, coming into the pilot's compartment to view the scene. He has his own gun out and a hardened expression on his face. He seems to relax a bit when he sees that Jayson seems to have the situation under control. "Redfield..." He eyes Sam for a bit, then shakes his head almost imperceptibly. "Nice work. Keep him covered." James hurries over to Noah and checks his pulse, checks him for wounds...applying the extremely basic first aid the EDC teaches. Noah Wolfe has a bump on his head with a large cut from the edge of a control panel where he was 'thrown'. He's out cold and probably will be for some time. Jayson Redfield smiles to himself. "It's what I do..." He has a strangely monotonous tone, which Noah had noticed earlier. Too bad Noah can't share this information at the moment! Sam's eyes roll back in his head, and he's completely out as well. Probably needs medical attention. Big hole in shoulder. James Bailey has the shuttle's medical kit ready, but in the end he just lies Noah down on the floor of the shuttle using the specialist's own jacket to cushion his head. "Wolfe should be fine, looks like he just took a hit on the head." He comes back over to look between Sam and Jayson, watching them both carefully. "Uh...you okay kid?" He looks at the gun Jayson is holding, then gestures at Sam. "I don't think he's going anywhere...in fact, we'd better check him out too." James walks instead over towards the shuttle controls. "That's an awful lot of blood. See if you can do anything for him." There's blood on the pilot's chair, and on the console. Oh, by the way, the ship's still headed for Earth. Directly. Jayson Redfield shrugs casually. "I'm perfectly fine. Why does everyone keep asking? By the way, Lieutenant...I was informed that General Witwicky was on Cybertron. Could you confirm this?" James Bailey does his best to ignore the blood, but manages to turn the ship's descent into a (mostly) controlled landing at the trusty EDC landing pad. When he has a moment he turns to look at Jayson. "Uh...no, I can't confirm it. I know someone we can talk to though, in Alameda. Why don't we drop these guys off first. And seriously, you can put the gun away now..." Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt; has arrived. Jayson Redfield slips the gun back into his jacket. Outside, Terran Shuttle &lt;Intrepid&gt; is guided to land, gently (and bloodlessly), at the EDC landing pad. Outside, Dea Kalle enters from the Hangar Bay &lt;EDC&gt; to the east. Outside, Dea Kalle has arrived. &lt; Noah Wolfe has disconnected. Dea Kalle has arrived. From Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt;, Nate Briar is piloting a newly improved Glaive and is trying to locate James. He's sporting some new tricks... Sam is presumably wheeled off to medical whenever the shuttle lands. Dea Kalle says, "Oh, my stars..." She looks puzzled. "But if you are all here..." Jayson Redfield is still keeping up his facade. Sure, people may notice something odd about his behavior, but he'll immediately dismiss it. Sam, off to surgery! Dea Kalle looks very concerned indeed, and follows Sam's gurney, probably much to his embarrassment late on. James Bailey is trying to do a bunch of things at once...he opens the shuttle's cargo bay and the main entry ramp for Nate, gets another medic to check over Noah again (but he'll probably have to walk for himself back to medical), and responds to some questions about Nate's new Exo (basically with some variation of, 'no I don't recognize it completely, but it's obviously Nate's Glave and friendly'). When he has a second he also orders some EDC troopers to keep an eye on Sam even while he's injured. And all the while, Jayson just stands back, awaiting his chance to slip away and find Spike himself. Sam wheels on outta here. Sam has left. Outside, Sam has arrived. Outside, Sam moves east to the Hangar Bay &lt;EDC&gt;. Outside, Sam has left. From Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt;, Nate Briar clanks into the shuttle and looks around - keeping an eye out to make sure that Redfield does not have any weapons. He feels weird coming back to the EDC right now but he has to be here. Dea Kalle wonders about Tweety... Jayson Redfield's gun is hidden in his jacket. He watches the Glaive closely, his expression unreadable. He is silent--what could he be thinking? Dea Kalle approaches Jayson and pauses... decides, and places a quick, light kiss on his cheek. James Bailey moves over to the side of the shuttle with Nate to have a quiet conversation with him. James Bailey mutters to Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt;, "... you... Sec-Gen?" From Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt;, Nate Briar disembarks from the exo and has on a new uniform! A black uniform with a white helmet. Nate Briar leaves the Glaive II - Prototype &lt;Nate Briar&gt;. Nate Briar has arrived. Jayson Redfield blinks and pulls away from Dee-Kal, eyeing her warily... Dea Kalle says, "It is good to see you home... I missed you, Jaysee-chan..." Jayson Redfield snorts. "My 'home' is in New York. Not here." Actually, in his current condition, he believes he belongs in London. He refrains from mentioning that. Dea's kiss is feather light, almost insubstantial, being a hologramic entity. She tilts her head. "Do you remember me..?" James Bailey continues to have a whispered conversation with Nate. In fact, it's more like a debate now, although they're both being careful to keep their voices down. Dea Kalle rests her hand on Jayson's shoulder. "Do you remember me, onegai..?" Nate Briar points to his exo and then looks at James. He tries to figure out the best solution for dealing with this. Jayson Redfield just stares at Dea blankly. Dea Kalle crouches slightly and looks him in the eyes. "Jayson-chan. You promised...!" Nate Briar nods slowly to Beetle. "Right. It makes sense." Jayson Redfield huffs. "Don't call me 'chan'. And what promise?" He glances over to Nate and James with narrowed eyes, wondering just what they're talking about. &lt;O-Terran&gt; Andi Lassiter says, "Okay, AFK briefly to relocate from the kitchen to my room with my sammiches." Dea Kalle frowns slightly. "So. You promise to kiss me when you return from your mission, training... *whatever* and now you pretend not to even remember?" Dea Kalle stands up again, her arms folded. "H'mph. Some 'true friend forever' *you* are..." Jayson Redfield brushes past Dea and starts toward the hatch. "Like I *need* friends," he says coldly. Dea Kalle turns around. "Oh,..?" Something occurs to her. "And what about TJ? What are you going to say to him?" James Bailey turns his head to look at Nate. "See what happens without your calming influence?" Dea Kalle narrows her eyes for a moment, wondering. Jayson Redfield abruptly whips around. "AS far as I'm concerned," he says lowly, "Briar is a failure. No one would ever need someone like him--*I* certainly don't." He looks to Dea again. "And Timothy can just stay the hell away from me." That's likely going to set off the warning bells. Nate Briar smirks to James, "I was facing demotions anyway so I had to do this. Besides, you guys are better without me." He overhears Redfield's spiel. "Besides, Jayson needs his space." Dea Kalle blinks, starting back a little. Well, it's not an alien possession, at any rate. Jase certainly knows who 'TJ' is! Dea Kalle considers. Maybe... Nate Briar has no idea who this Dea Kalle is. Dea Kalle watches Jayson storm off, suspiciously. "Oya ma... he is never like that over TJ.." she murmurs to herself. Nate Briar looks at Dea and shrugs, "Who are you? And who is TJ?" Dea Kalle says, "Timothy John, Master Nathan. I smurf him TJ for short." Nate Briar looks at Dea and is puzzled. "Wait, you are Dee-Kal?" Dea Kalle bows gently. "Hai, so da yo." Nate Briar blushes under his helmet. "You look different. Not like a Junkion, Miss Dee-Kal." Dea Kalle smiles. "Well, I am not among Junkions or Cybertronians, so..." Jayson Redfield is wondering if it would be worth it to fire off a shot at Nate. He decides against it--that would *really* blow his cover. Although Nate is probably already suspcious... Dea Kalle says, "I.." She lowers her head. "I am only a hologram, Master. I did not wish to seem too out of place, here..." Nate Briar is, fortunately, protected! "Redfield, why did Sam attack Noah?" Jayson Redfield stops in his tracks and glances over his shoulder at Nate. "He suddenly went crazy. I had no choice but to shoot him." A convincing lie? Maybe! Nate Briar nods slightly, "Jase, I am so sorry about this last week being so rough on you. Good work on taking down Sam." His head is protected by the helmet still. "Anything I can get you?" Jayson Redfield shrugs a bit. "Just tell me where I can find General Witwicky. I have things...to discuss with him." Nate Briar nods slightly, "Washington, D.C. at the least. In the Pentagon. He's trying to cut the rights for Raven Core since we're trying to make a contract with the US military." Dea tilts her head, and says nothing, but views Jase with lavender eyes. Jayson Redfield nods. "Then that's where I'm going..." James Bailey has disconnected. Dea Kalle approaches Nate and his new exo-suit, with some interest. She looks over the exo-suit somewhat keenly, patting at the panels and angles with her palm as she investigates it all around. Dea Kalle turns her attention to Nate himself next, checking him out just as thoroughly. Nate Briar smirks and tries to throw Jayson off even more. "Dee-Kal, your holographic form is rather cute. I can get used to seeing it." Dea Kalle pats at NAte's bodysuit and helmet with her hands, inspecting him all over. Nate Briar tries to keep Jayson's brain at bay by being unpredictable. James was so unpredictable, he vanished! Jayson Redfield folds his arms. "I seem to recall you being hostile toward Dee-Kal in the past, Nathaniel. Why so friendly now, hm?" Nate Briar shrugs, "Jayson, she looks cute when she doesn't look like a robot. Her holographic build is rather attractive. You wouldn't understand, I think." Jayson Redfield snorts. "Of course I wouldn't understand. *I'm* not attracted to holograms. But why the sudden attitude change, then? I thought you were angry with me." "Christ, you had to shoot at Sam... I can't be mad at you when your world is collapsing. It's not right." says Nate as he offers Jayson a hug. Curious! Jayson Redfield freezes at the hug. He quickly regains his composure and pulls away. Something in the back of his mind wants him to just accept the gesture, but his lack of free will makes that impossible. "Don't touch me. I have things to do." He starts toward the hatch again, fingering the gun hidden in his jacket. Dea tilts her head, finding this revelation rather odd. She looked unattractive as a robot? Surely not! She ponders this for a moment. The most obvious difference between Dee-Kal and Dea Kalle is size. It must be that... Nate Briar nods to Jayson and then looks at Deek. "You guys got this under control? I am out of my jurisdiction if I try anything to move this shuttle. I'm on my way out." Yeah, Nate hurt Dee-Kal's feeling. Dea Kalle's feelings are far from hurt, although she still finds the comment odd. For a second or two she wonders if size is a marker for beauty or preference. Then she dismisses it. Whatever works. Dea Kalle says, "I can spar in the training room against you, now." Dea Kalle smiles. "I have things to smurf... and lessons as usual. May I be excused..?"