01 | All lies and jests; still a man hears what he wants to hear

[sinistral]

WHO: the Winter Soldier (sinistral) and you
WHERE: Calibrations waiting room, calibration room, and network
WHAT: midway through the Calibrations cycle, the Agrii decided they needed another victim "he row"
WHEN: 06/28 through 07/10
WARNINGS: Literally every calibration room prompt will have elements of violence and torture (physical and mental).

---

SECRET TUNNEL
→ Waiting Room;

This is complete bullshit. Complete. Bullshit. The Soldier has strong feelings as it is about waking up in a place entirely different from where he'd gone to sleep. It had happened far too much in his life and invariably makes him tense and irritable; between HYDRA and the Atroma — and apparently these Agrii now — he's just done.

The tunnel looks nothing like the Marsiva or the other ships of the Fleet but has him on guard regardless. He's pretty sure they'd escaped that imprisonment, won their way free of the Atroma. Certainly he's seen no evidence of them in the year since. But perhaps they'd gotten too lax in their freedom, in the rush of exploration and enjoyment of each other's company.

It's possible anyway.

Still, he can't focus on that right now, and certainly attempting to break out hadn't worked. Had the impact of a metal fist against the wall woken anyone? Potentially not, if this really is like the Calibrations he remembers, the way sleepers couldn't be woken once they'd drifted off. Or perhaps people will hear it and come looking. Doesn't much matter to him and he gives it up quickly enough when he sees that it's not doing any good anyway.

Well, whatever.

After a last glare at the tunnel he returns to the interior chamber and proceeds to go over every inch of it. Under the Atroma, it was impossible to escape the Calibrations area until those beings decided their time was up. If this really is modeled after that there'll be no escape, but he still intends to make sure. Perhaps some detail has been overlooked.

→ Calibrations Room;

The room itself is plain, utilitarian. The walls might be grey, or a grimy institutional beige. The only furnishings are a large glass-and-metal tubular chamber in the corner and a metal table in the center of the room with a single lightbulb hanging above it; an old incandescent bulb sheds yellowy light on the surface of the table and not much further.

On the table rests a sniper rifle, a combat knife, and a mouthguard. There appears to be no one in residence.

NETWORK
→ Text;

The Drift Fleet. Atroma. Calibrations. If you know what I'm talking about, speak up.

[That's it that's the message.]

WILDCARD
→ Elsewhere;

Want something else? Have an idea? Hit me up at sometimesamuse or via PM. Open to wherever, whatever, and though I write starters in prose I'm more than happy to switch to brackets if it's your preference.

Comments

[sinistral]

[Never like this.]

More comfortable would be vacating this place entirely. But I'll save you the walk and come to you.

[seeingscarlet]

[This time they had the chance to grab things and run, so Wanda's room has an odd glow to it from Vision's fish. There's a small fairy dragonling curled up on one of the pillows on the bed, around the small plush of Vision the Agrii had given her as an 'apology,' and Wanda herself is sitting on the edge.

Her presence is greatly diminished here - it's evident in the set of her shoulders and a certain tension in her hands. But the smile she flashes Bucky is genuine.]

Hey. I'm sorry you're here, but...it is good to see you again.

[sinistral]

[It doesn't take him long to find her room, and he knows she'll see him looking around when he enters. Nothing appears threatening however, neither to himself nor to Wanda — and truly, it would be very stupid to attack either of them, never mind both of them together. Still, old habits die hard.]

Don't apologize. It's not your fault.

[He sits carefully on the floor, folding his legs under him; sitting next to her on the bed seems too forward. He doesn't miss the evidence of Vision in that little figure on the bed, but the fact that Vision isn't here — that he's seen anyway — seems to speak volumes.]

It's good to see you too, even if I'd prefer better circumstances.

[seeingscarlet]

[They really do.]

I can get you something more comfortable to sit on, if you want.

[Did she set this room up? Nope. Does she still feel like a bad hostess for not even having a chair to offer him? Yep. She wouldn't mind if he sat on the bed, since it's what there is, but she's not going to press the issue. At the very least she can offer a pillow or a blanket.]

It isn't what we had, but at least we got to bring some of our own things.

[And Wanda, who has lived without them for so long, is always fond of her creature comforts when she can get them.]

[sinistral]

This is fine. Promise.

[He doesn't want to put her out of her way, and the room really isn't that uncomfortable. At least the Agrii seemed to have that much in contrast to the Atroma. He'll never enjoy Calibrations so the least they can do is offer decent furnishings.]

Makes it just different enough from what we knew, doesn't it? Not sure I like that, if we're being honest. We've served our time.

[Many, many times over.]

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda flashes him a quick smile, but to someone who knows her, it's obvious that she's deeply stressed. Calibrations is never easy on anyone, but for a telepath to be stuck in tight quarters with other stressed, unhappy people...it's not easy. And there's no one she feels like she can ask to be her psychic anchor.]

But we are very good at what we do, [she says quietly. Because yes, the two of them are terrifyingly effective...but there's a distinction between 'what we do' and 'what we are' and Wanda is not yet so emotionally beaten down that she's forgotten the difference.] And this place is more dangerous than the Fleet.

Did you see the Storm? Or did you just wake up here with the rest of us?

[sinistral]

[The sad part is, he's likely stable enough to be that mental anchor just based on the fact that his mind is still largely unknown to him. But it's not an offer he's comfortable making, so any stability needs to come from his physical presence instead.]

Yes, we are. [He agrees wholeheartedly; whether they wish to be or not, they're both very, very effective. And they both know the danger of becoming a weapon more than a person, though he believes of the two of them, he's likely closer to it.

For now.] I suppose this is where I have to promise to be more dangerous still.

[Not that he wants to, but should it become necessary, he would. He considers Wanda a friend; though she is perfectly capable, he'd still place himself between her and danger.]

I woke up in these tunnels. Nice welcome-to-your-new-cell celebration, don't you think?