its too 6 am for fancy song lyrics

[cyphered]

Date & Time: December 1st
Location: West Wing, Mutiny-Lockdown Station
Characters: Nathan Drake and Charlie Cutter
Summary: what the fuck is happening
Warnings: uh.

[Its been less than twenty four hours and Nate has already had enough of whatever the hell is happening. He's stressed, he's exhausted, he's been met with several different types of strange (actual strange, not just "ancient myth" strange) and he's about ready to go back and curl up next to a fire on that broken down rail cart he had come from.

No, that wasn't quite right. Too dramatic -- too untimely. Slow your roll, Nate. Keep it together.

He didn't imagine this talk with Charlie would fix anything, but he can't help but grasp for something a bit more familiar now that he's been thrown into this chaos without any knowledge to back him up. Its new, unusual, and extremely uncomfortable.

Also, he was nearly fatally shot and almost caught frostbite. Nathan Drake needs a break.

Despite being soaked to the skin in blood on his left side, he waves off whichever guard gives him a look at the door. He hadn't expected to...well, have visitation with Charlie. It had been his expectation that he would need to do some sneaking and get him the hell out of dodge. This...he didn't know what this was.

So the second he locks eyes with Charlie, he sort of holds his hands out, forgetting momentarily that he'll probably need to wave Charlie's reaction to his state of dress as well. With nothing to do with them, he gestures to Charlie's head to try and break the ice.]

Jesus Charlie, did you install a mirror?

[Nailed it.]

Comments

[alittlesweptup]

[Over the past week and a half, Charlie's seen his fair share of strange visitors - old friends, new acquaintances, people he's never met before. It's been an endless rotation and honestly none of it's been terribly rewarding: same shit, different day tends to be the moral of the story.

But this is Nathan Drake he's dealing with, so it figures that if he's going to have one off kilter visitation during his stint in lockup, that it'd be with him. And while Charlie's not really keen on playing catchup, he's also talked himself hoarse about almost everything else this week; might as well keep that ball rolling, right?

He stands up abruptly from where he's sitting on one of the lower bunks. It takes him a second but after a beat, Charlie scrubs his hand across the top of his head and frowns.]

Very funny.

[Though come to think of it, Nate looks a little fresher faced than he's entirely used to these days. Not by much maybe, but-- far enough for Charlie to notice the discrepancy. Which isn't the only part that sticks out like a sore thumb:]

Jesus, who'd you kill on the way over?

[cyphered]

Well, good to hear someone still has a little faith in me.

[It comes out a little bitter, but he strides to the nearest chair and turns it around so he can sit on it backwards and lean. His voice lowers a little, if only to keep someone else from coming in and making a big deal over spilled blood.]

Most of its mine. Actually...no, all of it. All of it is mine. You remember a guy named Flynn? Harry Flynn?

[alittlesweptup]

[Charlie's expression goes momentary dark. If he'd been asked that question a little over a year ago he might've said 'Wasn't that the bloke who dicked you lot over?' - he'd honestly never personally worked with the man, had known him by reputation rather than on sight. Now though?

Yeah, he remembers a guy named Harry Flynn.]

Ah. Few years back then.

[Well it's no Sully - and not so different from the first time Nate had been jerked into this reality, honestly.]

Well if it's any consolation, I can't imagine you'll be here long. This place tends to chew you up and spit you back where you came from with alarming regularity.

[cyphered]

Oh, great.

[Well that's awkward. But it makes him sit up and run his hand through his hair.]

So that time-travel speech wasn't just for show.

[alittlesweptup]

It's not all bad.

[Said just flat enough that it's neither entirely sincere or sarcastic. Because hell, he's seen some interesting shit -- depressing shit, mostly. But there's no arguing that it isn't a little intellectually stimulating. So there's that.

But he's also currently sitting in a housing block turned jail cell, so...]

[cyphered]

[Yeah about that.]

Is that why you're sitting pretty in the slammer?

[He manages a small grin. Humor will fix it.]

[alittlesweptup]

Yeah well I didn't say it was all good either, now did I?

[Dry sarcasm. There's the Charlie Cutter we all know and love. But also was that a graceful enough way to dodge that question? Probably not, but Charlie's sick of talking about it.]

[cyphered]

[He's getting that vibe, but since when did that ever stop him from doing anything before?]

It could be better. But you're locked in paradise compared to where you could be, right?

[He glances over his shoulder to make sure the guard isn't watching (and once around the room for any cameras) before he raises an eyebrow at Charlie and mouths "Why?"]

[alittlesweptup]

[After all this time and all the thick headed questions he's fielded over the past few days, it should be easy to answer that one. But it's simple and logical and honestly? He's kind of not expecting either from anyone at this point. So it takes him a beat to to organize his thoughts.]

Look, you clearly don't remember much about this place. But it's going down the pipes fast. So-- [Vague hand gesture included:] --Chloe and I opted to stuff the drain.

[Which isn't really an answer. Not really.] It's all on the network if you care to bit of research.

[cyphered]

Charlie, as far as I'm concerned, I've never taken a trip to the moon in my lifetime, let alone recently. Besides, that's not--wait.

[Here it comes. There's a rather quick dawning comprehension on his face as he leans back from the table in a bit of a disappointed sag. Crap.]

You're working with Chloe.

[Not a question.]

[alittlesweptup]

Yeah, why wouldn't I be?

[Which is genuine enough. He's always heard the story of Nepal and Tibet second hand - the rougher, less appealing parts of those stories tend to get minimized by the time he gets them.]

[cyphered]

[Nate has a choice here. He can leave Charlie in the dark and walk away, or he can give him the story again. If what he's saying about this coming and going nonsense is true, then what sort of loyalty can he even count on? After all, he had thought he could trust Flynn and Chloe and look where that got him.

Charlie...well, Charlie is a little different. He might see the gears turning over in his head.]

...nothing. Its water under the bridge.

[As chaffed as he may have been, he had to admit to himself that Chloe didn't pull the trigger, she had just made a decision. Raising suspicion wouldn't help any of them in this metal death trap in space. Time to change the subject with a more direct approach.]

Do you need my help or not?

[alittlesweptup]

[That one he can answer simply enough:]

No. [It's firm enough to be incredibly, infinitely, unarguably clear.] I'm fine. It's getting sorted.

[Whether that last part is true or not, he can only hazard a guess. But he doesn't want Nate tangled up in this anymore than Sully has been. It's not either of their responsibilities.]

[cyphered]

[Charlie might notice Nate make a face shortly before he sighs and lifts his hands in surrender. If Charlie says he's got it under control, then he has it under control.

That doesn't mean Nate isn't going to sniff the hell out of whatever smells so fishy once he gets out of here, but he'll let it go for now.]

Alright. If you're sure. You got a uh...time frame, for all of this?

[Because seriously, its looking pretty ridiculous from the outside looking in here.]

[alittlesweptup]

Five days. [Which isn't entirely the truth - he's betting it's closer to a week and a half -, but it's what he promised (threatened?) the general population and giving Nate anything else is-- well, there's a guard right outside the door. Meeting in person is a lot more secure than transmissions over the network, but that's not saying much.]

--Give or take. Seriously mate, don't worry about it. It's totally under control. [And that's that, so he abruptly changes tack to keep it that way:] Have you seen Sully yet?

[cyphered]

Gotta ask, you know. You'd do the same for me, right?

[He manages a smirk. It seems there's more to that wisecrack, but then Charlie mentions Sully and most of his humor disappears and is replaced by surprise.]

--wait, Sully's here?

[alittlesweptup]

Well, you know, in a manner of speaking.

[Which even he'll admit comes out sounding cagey as shit.] He's a bit...-- [Charlie makes a vague hand gesture, not unlike weighing something on a scale] --...fresh off the boat? Fresher than I'm used to, anyway.

[cyphered]

What does that even mean?

["A manner of speaking"? "Fresh off the boat"??? What the fuck did they do to dad, Charlie.]

[alittlesweptup]

[Charlie taps his cheek with his forefinger.]

Young. He's a bit young.

[And a bit of a smooth bastard instead of just being an old one.]

[cyphered]

[Nate's expression goes blank.]

How young are we talking?

[alittlesweptup]

I didn't exactly put his feet to the coals over his most recent birthday, but I'd say knock off about twenty-five years or so and you're getting close.

[There's a beat. Charlie wrinkles his nose very faintly.] He's hardly any grey in his hair at all.

[And it looks very thick. There's no justice in the world.]

[cyphered]

[A problem has been detected and your Nathan Drake has been shut down to prevent damage to your handsome protagonist.

The problem seems to be caused by the following file: whatthefuckdoyoumeandadhasnograyhair.avi

If this is the first time you have seen this Stop error screen, restart your Nathan Drake. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to make sure any new information is gently installed. If this is a new installation, ask your provider for any updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed information. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, you're probably screwed.]

Twenty-five years? Come on, Charlie, quit screwing around.

[alittlesweptup]

You seriously think I'm messing about with you?

[Charlie makes a broad hand motion, clearly meant to indicate more than just the immediate surroundings of the housing-unit-turned-cell-block.]

Look around you, mate. Sully out of the geriatrics society isn't exactly the strangest thing to happen.

[cyphered]

[There's a few seconds where Nate just...looks around like he's asked.

Shortly after, he places his head down on the desk on folded arms and just stays like that. Eventually, he replies without lifting his head.]

He's not that old.

[alittlesweptup]

Uh huh. And I'm not gracefully balding.

[Face it, Nate. Sully's got one foot in the grave already - maybe even like a foot and a half. At best, the man's body is riddled with the remnants of more venereal diseases than is entirely sustainable.]

In any case, he's certainly not so old as all that now.

yeah thats right you use that pencil

[cyphered]

Christ.

[He sits up and runs a hand through his hair.]

I suppose the next thing you're gonna tell me i--you know what, I don't want to know. I can figure it out.

[Nate's hands go up and he pushes himself away from the table. This is just too much information for one day.]

[alittlesweptup]

Hold on. [Sorry Nate, you don't get off the hook that easy. Charlie straightens abruptly, smarmy ass expression shifting abruptly into something more pinched - more serious.]

You came here to see if you could help me out, right?

[cyphered]

Thought you didn't want my help.

[Not that he wasn't...planning on giving it anyway, but he's obviously not going to say that. But since Charlie's gotten serious, he takes a second to remain seated to listen.]

"Under control", yeah?

[alittlesweptup]

[Yeah, well.]

Then do me a favor and see if you can't get in to see Chloe, would you? They've got her banged up in solitary and have for the past few days.

[Which is, for all his joking and insistence on shit being under control, the first time anything in his face or tone really suggests it might be otherwise.]

[cyphered]

[U...gh. There's a notable furrow in Nate's brow -- subtle, like he's trying to hide it. But he's never been a very good liar. He doesn't want to see Chloe right now -- in fact, she's one of the last people he wants to see, surpassed only by Harry Flynn and his handler.

Despite all that, his eyelids lower and he offers his friend a disarming smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.]

Days, huh? Trying to get me killed?

[alittlesweptup]

[Charlie echoes that smile right back at him, right down to the line of tension between his eyebrows.]

Yeah, well. Have to get rid of the competition somehow, right? [A beat, then:] Seriously though, it's been a while.

[cyphered]

[Sounds like something Flynn would say.

He blinks back that train of thought before it gets too far, and swallows down the ugly paranoid beast threatening to claw up out of his stomach and into his throat.

He's not smiling anymore.]

Yeah. Alright. No worries, mate.

[alittlesweptup]

[Good; he shouldn't be smiling. So Charlie just gives him a curt nod, muscle in his cheek jumping under the pressure of his set jaw.]

Thanks. [He knows she's a tough bird. A few days in a quiet room can't a have left her too badly off. But it's still solitary and they've spent the past year in one another's near constant company. A few days incommunicado feels like a bigger deal than it should never mind the part where it's been weeks since he had a normal conversation with Chloe. So yeah, maybe he's worried. But that's not something he'd say to either Roslyn or Sonya. That just leaves this.]

It's good to have you back, by the way. Sorry it's all a bit of a shit show at the moment.

[And that's all there really is, isn't it?]

[cyphered]

Means I arrived right on schedule, doesn't it?

[He stands up out of his chair, pushing it back to mask the exhausted exhale that comes out of him. This was shaping up to be a long day very quickly.

He'd need to do some quick reading if he was going to talk to Chloe.]

Let me know when you're done playing cops and robbers, eh?

[alittlesweptup]

[That gets a mock salute, fingers touching briefly at his temple.]

I'll try to work keeping you updated into my busy schedule.