Daycycle 105 [ August 28 - September 03]

[computerized]

daycycle 105

[Aug 28 - Sept 3]

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty
Felicity Smoak and Natasha Romanoff, have been selected for today’s mission. Details are below:

‘In order to help us improve our combat simulators, you will need to run through any combat situation you encounter at least three times. On the second pass through, engage the combat at a greater range than originally. On the third pass through, attempt it at a much closer range. You will provide tactical notes to our staff afterwards. If the simulators catch fire, or fail to respond to override commands... note that too. The eggheads were supposed to have fixed that.’

Please debrief the computer on the status of your mission by the end of the Daycycle here.

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Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

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Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will be at 1700 in Hangar 15, Armed Forces Sector and will be hosted by the Alpha Complex Dogeball Association. Join us for a game of Alpha Dodgeball! All clearance levels above INFRARED welcome.

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Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

Comments

[fictor]

Adam would think there was something wrong if Ronan bothered with modesty in front of him. It hasn't escaped his notice, the change in the way Adam touches him. Though, Ronan also likes it when Adam is gentle with him. It's a different sort of touch, a different sort of reaction. Most people aren't gentle with Ronan because he doesn't appear to need it. He likes it when Adam is sometimes.

It's several moments before Ronan opens his eyes. When he does, Adam is there with his fingertips pressed to the glass doors. Ronan doesn't flinch, simply looks at Adam a moment before sliding the door open, an invitation to let him in if that's what he wants, even if he'd like to come in the shower fully clothed.

Really, he doesn't need to do that. Ronan is absolutely okay with this.

[adamparrish]

Really, Adam knows he should stay out here. And it's his full intention to do so, except when he looks up from cataloging all the bruises and cuts on Ronan's body to see Ronan's eyes open and looking at him. Then the door slides open and Adam heel-toes his shoes off and is already stepping into the shower without even giving it a second thought. His socks are immediately soaked and he reahes down under the cuffs of his jeans to peel those off too.

Then, just as gently as his fingers had been pressed to the glass, he starts finding and touching every wound, replaying each fight in his mind as if he can make out which of Ronan's opponents left which one. And maybe he can. Adam's memory is sharp and long. He's looked like this a lot, Adam has, although he never asked for it like Ronan had. He has flashes of his own reflection as well, every time he'd looked in a mirror after his dad had kicked his ass and had to make a decision over whether or not he could go to school that day or not.

His fingertips circle around bruises, glide over cuts and he commits them all to memory.

[fictor]

Ronan doesn't think that Adam should stay out. He's absolutely okay with Adam coming into the shower. He wouldn't have opened the shower door if he wasn't. When Adam steps into the shower, Ronan steps back a little, giving him a little more room.

His eyes close as Adam starts touching the injuries, bruises and cuts. His eyes close and he takes a sharp breath that makes him wince a little. He groans a little and sways toward Adam. After a moment, he reaches out, fingers sliding up under Adam's shirt and pushing it up a little.

[adamparrish]

Adam knows that slight ghostly sting that comes with touching injuries like these, a slight discomfort, a reminder of your own weakness for letting it happen. Only Ronan isn't weak. He's probably the strongest person Adam has ever known. These injuries are both everything and nothing like the kinds of injuries Adam has known.

"I hate this. I wanna get home." He confesses in a whisper. He's tried to be strong like Ronan, strong for Ronan, but he isn't feeling so strong right now. "How do we get back home?" He knows the answer. There is no obvious way back home. Still... he just needs a moment to accept that... again.

[fictor]

It's not that Adam is weak, but the sting means different things to them. To Ronan, these injuries give him power. For Adam, his injuries were something that took power away from him. He doesn't mind the sting, doesn't mind that Adam is touching them because it is Adam.

Ronan swallows hard because there's nothing he can do to give Adam what he wants. There's nothing he can do to get any of them home. Rather than answer, Ronan wraps his arms tight around Adam and holds him.

[adamparrish]

Ronan holds onto him and Adam curls in against him for a moment before his arms uncurl from between them and he hugs Ronan back. He really does hate this, everything about it. He doesn't like not being in control after he fought so hard to gain that control. That's, in part, what Aglionby was about, getting away from his parents, away from people who stole his money and used and abused him, away from needing anyone or anything but himself.

Then Ronan happened. Maybe he got out of Aglionby, but he could never, not even if he wanted to, get away from Ronan.

Eventually, Adam makes himself push back and shakes his head. He bows his head, his eyes pressing to his eyes because he almost cried just now and he hates himself for that. "I'm sorry."

[fictor]

This place sucks a lot because it does take away your control. It takes away your freedom. Both Ronan and Adam are trying to get little shreds of those back and they're doing it in different ways. Ronan hates this even more because it's so hard on Adam. He hates that the confidence and peace Adam gained back home is being chipped away here.

He'd apologize for that, but he's not sorry for it.

He doesn't have to be sorry for almost crying. Ronan wouldn't have said a word to him about it. He would have held him until he was done then held him for a little while longer. Ronan shakes his head. "No. Don't fucking do that. You don't have to say you're sorry. Not to me, not to anyone."

[adamparrish]

When Adam's blue eyes look back up to Ronan, they're sharp and steady for a brief moment before that edge seems to seep out of him again. He keeps telling himself he'll find a way to get back at the people who hurt Ronan, but can he really do that? It feels like he has no power here. It feels like he's gone backward, not forward. And maybe that's the worst thing about this place. He keeps trying to dig back out of it and he can't.

"You're gonna keep doing this? The fights?" He asks, trying to save face, at least a little bit. "For how long?"

[fictor]

Ronan hesitates at that question because he can see how hard this is for Adam and he hates doing that to him. At the same time, he thinks this is probably more of a straw that broke the camel's back sort of deal. He's coping better with this place because Ronan has known who he is for a long time. Adam had just found that confidence and now it's swept out from underneath him.

"I don't know," he finally answers. "I guess 'til I lose long as they keep paying me."

[adamparrish]

No, this is not easy for Adam at all. He's going to have to distance himself from it to make it kind of tolerable. He'll still show up to Ronan's fights. He'll be gone when they're over though. He won't hang around to linger in the aftermath of them nor will he get there early to witness the prequel of them. There to make sure Ronan stays alive and then gone again.

"Right. Okay." He nods, not giving any argument either way, just blind acceptance that this is happening. He pushes the shower door open to step out. He sheds his wet jumpsuit and towels himself off before seeking out another dry jumpsuit. "When you get out you should put more stuff on those cuts." He adds on his way out.

I think this one is a wrap

[fictor]

Ronan hates this. He hates it and he understands it and he hates that he understands it. Money is safety, even in this place he knows that money has to equal safety. He'd seen it back home with Gansey and his money. He's trying to build something to protect Adam, to protect himself, trying to make this place a little more bearable for the both of them and instead, he's making it harder for Adam. That much is obvious.

When Adam steps out, Ronan watches him from under the showerhead, but when he finally leaves the bathroom with that bit of advice, he closes his eyes and turns the water up a little more, adds a little more heat to it. It'll be a long while before he comes out, pale skin red from the water and uncharacteristically quiet.