Participants:
| Scene Title | Saying Goodbye |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Grim shows up at Fort Hero to make sure Carrie survived the attack and to say goodbye to his former partner, also that he'll be a phone call away if she needs him. |
| Date | July 1, 2009 |
On its furthest edges, the Montauk Air Force Station — also known as Camp Hero — is surrounded by fifteen-foot high razorwire fences, with each gated entrance clearly marked as government property, and that authorization of lethal force is permitted on trespassers. Long ago, Camp Hero may have been a thriving military installation, now its appearance is that of something long since cast into abandonment and disuse. The roads that wind through the parklands that comprise the military installation are overgrown with weeds and wild undergrowth. Trees and hedges have been left to grow wild, and creeping vines have scaled the eastern face of the old concrete building at the compound's heart.
The central facility is a four-story concrete slab building, upon which rests an enormous AN/FPS-35 long range radar surrounded by smaller radar and satellite communications arrays. The entire eastern face of the building is consumed by overgrowth, and many of the ground floor windows have been boarded up after vandals shattered the glass in them. A paper notice pasted to the entrances notifies that the building is condemned, yet power substations nearby still hum with activity, and lights on the satellite arrays indicate there is still power going to the building.
Late in the evening and Carrie is walking towards the grounds of Fort Hero, a tent is seen nestled in the trees not too far away. Her flashlight bobs along, lighting the ground in front of her. She looks worn out and exhausted like she's had a long day. A glance is given over her shoulder at the tent, making sure there is no movement there.
No. No movement but that flashlight starts to flicker and dim for a few seconds before the light goes out entirely, plunging the area into near darkness. Somewhere in the darkness is the faintest sound of rubber soles scraping against rock but faint, as though someone is trying to walk quickly. Gone then but it comes from the other side completely. The flashlight gives a few more guttering flashes before going dead.
When the first flicker of the flashlight happens, Carrie slows to a stop just in time for the world to go dark. The familiar fear she always gets in the dark, grips her hard. She smacks the flashlight several times. "Come on… back on.." She says, her voice near panic. "Bad time…." She trails off as she hears the sound of feet. "Who's there?" Her voice shakes with fear as she turns around slowly. "Varlane.. if that's you. I will personally, kick your ass." She holds the flashlight as a weapon and waits, all the while trying not to completely freak out at the darkness.
The flashlight comes back right in time to show an enormous tyrannosaurus come crashing out of the trees. It looks one way and then it swings its giant head around, one of those yellow eyes being lit up in the light and narrows at the brightness of the light, issuing a low growl, those horrible reptilian gums peeling back to reveal those rows of teeth. It rears back and roars right in Carries face, spittle and sputum flying as he does so.
While a part of her brain reasons that this illusion is not real, the more primal part of Carrie's brain takes over and she shrieks, dropping the flashlight. She stares at the dinosaur wide eyed and finally the reason click.. "Grim.." She says the name softly, her heart giving a thump in her chest. But then anger wipes away any fear. "GRIM… goddammit.. where are /you/?!"
When all goes dark once more, the dinosaur is no longer there. Only the silhouette of a man as he approaches, still a few yards off. "I taught you far too well how to deal with my illusions. You only let it get to you for a few seconds." he says, sounding rather happy and impressed, like a mentor giving a student praise. "It's good to see you alive enough to scream…"
When he is close enough Carrie, slaps her hands hard against his chest as she shouts. "Where do you get off scaring me like that? Bastard." Though even though she shove at him and yells at him, her eyes fill with tears. "You know better then to scare me like that. Damn you."
"I was worried about you too…" He says, allowing her to slap him as she intends before stepping farther forward and he wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him. He kisses her cheek once and bends his head to speak quietly into her ear. "I'm not back. I just needed to make sure that you were alright. To check to see if you needed anything."
When he pulls her close, Carries go around his larger form, clinging to him. "So glad to see you, Grim." The words come out choked. "And I'm alive, I got out.. I saw the crazy bastard before he got caught in his own destruction." Pulling back she looks up at him. "And I see you've still haven't managed to get yourself killed." She gives him a sad smile, and wipes at the tears trailing down her cheeks.
As he steps back, he holds her shoulders and though his frown cannot be well seen, it is definitely there. "Hey, stop that. I didn't bring any kleenex. And you are correct. So far I have been able to find someone good enough to off me. God knows I've tried." he says before stepping back in to drape an arm over her shoulders and begins walking with her in the darkness. "I've been keeping low. Trying to take a good look at what is going on with the world. Been seeing more and more gray lines…"
Leaning against his side, Carrie let's him guide her along. "They haven't given me a new partner yet.. but operations here are pretty much at a halt." She glances at the facility with frown. "Mortimer destroyed Primatech before this place was set up." There is a small shake of her head and she looks up at him. "But they have given me a trainee." There is a smile that spreads on her lips. "Remember the kid from the gym.. the one that fell into our skydiving?"
"I remember him, yeah, but… he's completely green. That's no substitute for a partner. He's more likely to blow you through a wall than he is to actually have your back." He criticizes even though he realizes that he is the one that left her to such a fate. Grim shifts his jaw a little before he gives a sigh. "Well, I suppose it is a mixed blessing that I got my stuff out before the building ceased to be."
"Actually.. He maybe green, but I see potential." Carrie says with confidence, tilting her chin a bit as if daring him to say otherwise. Then she let's out a sigh, "I promised the higher ups I'd have him ready in a month or so. So I'm hoping I'm not misjudging him." She watches her old partner for a moment, he expression thoughtful. "He's got a much better hold of his ability.. He says it's thanks you do. And I've seen it.. The kids flying around and even lifted me without making me feel like I'm gonna throw up from vertigo."
He raises his brows though he is not about to correct her or say otherwise, but it is clear that Grim is certainly thinking it. "Yeah, you would promise that. Promise them the moon and break your back to make sure that your own prophesy comes true. Shall I get you your crook and staff, Deborah?" he grins lightly, interjecting before listening to her expound on her trainee's abilities. "Yeah? Thinks I did something? Well, I suppose that it good. But pass him off for someone else once he gets through his training. Get someone who has the possibility of getting your back."
Pausing and forcing him to stop, Carrie gives him a look. "You know I don't get a choice in partner." She states blandly, "Else I wouldn't have been stuck with you." Going up on the balls of her feet, she moves to brush a hand against his cheek, her expression sad. The words that pass her lips are a soft whisper. "I miss you."
"Yeah, but at least I had more than a few years of training and experience under my belt and was law enforcement. FBI…" Grim notes before she turns and stops him, looking down at her as she goes up on her toes and places her hand against his cheek. He is unable to keep from leaning his cheek into her palm as she does so and he sighs. "Yeah? And if I came back you'd have to deal with me fidgeting every second of the day, raring to get something done…"
Her heart does a flip and her stomach clenches as he leans into Carrie's touch. "I know." Her voice continues to be soft. "Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt a bit." Her fingers move to brush lightly through the hair at his temple, looking like there is so much she wants to say. Swallowing the sadness she feels, she drops down flat on her feet again. "I… Know that law enforcement helped us both in this job.. So I enrolled him into the local Police Academy. He started today."
There looks like there is quite a bit he would like to say. Or at least it looks like there might be for a few moments before he lives up to his namesake and his expression hardens a little more, his teeth clenching a little as he watches her drop back down to stand level once more. - "Good. They better give him the hardest time of anyone. They don't have much time to break him down and build him back up again." he says before clearing his throat and turning back to continue walking with her. "My cell number is due to change tomorrow. Do you have my next five phone numbers?"
"Well, considering I'm right there with him as an assistant to the instructors.. I won't let him slow down." The mention of cellphone numbers she fishes her own out of her pocket, holding it out to him so he can check. "I think i do anyway.. Check it.. make sure. And I'm sure you have numbers." Her head rests against his shoulder as they continue to walk.
Grim takes the phone from her and browses through the contacts, only having the update one of her numbers for him though of course the contact is not simply labeled 'Grim' or any variation of his name, instead labeled 'Delivery'. Always cautious. Always paranoid. He hands the phone back to her and nods. "Now remember. It changes on the same day of the month number. So this month it is going to change on the 7th at 1AM. After these numbers, I'm not going to give you any more until they run out. But besides you, I am dropping completely off the grid. I'm going to start working on something…"
Carrie takes her phone back and sighs. "Alright," she says quietly she pockets the phone slowly. She knows better then the pry into what he's doing, plausible deniability. "It's really going to be tough living alone again. I got use to you being there. But thanks to you, I'm not hating every evolved person that invades my personal space." She gives him a grin as she looks up at him, arms moving to wrap around his middle again.
"Don't hate. Hate doesn't do anything for you but cloud your judgment. But don't lose your skepticism. Don't turn your back for a moment to anyone. Especially evolved. Everyone is a potential monster. Evolved are simply potential monsters with a better avenue for death and destruction." He stops and turns to her once more, wrapping his arms about her for a moment. Leaning down, he tips her chin up and presses a soft and even slightly hesitant kiss to her lips that deepens to try and convey what he won't allow himself to say. "I have to go now…"
When those arms wrap around her, Carrie knows in her heart what's coming next. When he tilts her chin up her eyes are already shiny with tears, her jaw clenched against it trying not to let those tears fall. But her resolve fails her as his lips touch her and she gives a pained sound, before throwing arms around his neck and kissing him in return, everything she's feeling and felt for the man is poured into it. When the kiss breaks, she holds on to him for a long moment as if it might be the last time. But finally, she forces herself to slowly let go and with the last scrap of will she has she steps back. "I know.. Go before I change my mind and make you stay."
He takes a step back from her as well though he does not deny her those last few moments of holding on to him. "You call me if you need me. Don't you even hesitate." he says quite seriously though he expression softens after a moment. There is just a fraction of a second where it looks like he might just stay, perhaps grab her up once more but he takes in a deep breath and vanishes from view completely. Once he is gone, the flashlight laying on the ground a distance from where they started turns back on, illuminating her path back to it.