anything for the project

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agxntvxrgxnxa:

“Whenever your ready.”

After a brief check of the training room schedules, Maryland made his way down to the locker room- only to throw on his helmet, since he was typically already in his armor. The training floor wasn’t far from there, and he admittedly entered the large room with a bit of awkwardness, since he’d never met the other agent before. Regardless, he tried not to let it show too much, and strode forward without more than a second or two of hesitation. “I’m not sure I even caught your designation,” he said. “Sorry about that. I’m Agent Maryland. It’s nice to meet you.”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

freelancerms:

Her strolls had soon brought her to the hangar bay, leaving the agent’s eyes trailing along the various vessels displayed there. At times, nostalgia was a welcome demon to allow into her mind. With a content hum, she wandered along, soon reaching the hallway once more, only to walk into some unfortunate individual or another. Barely affected by the impact, she frowned briefly. “My bad. I should have been more attentive.”

It wasn’t a surprise Maryland had knocked into someone- his mind was too busy trying to make a mental map to pay attention to where he was actually going. When he did, it was with a bit of a grunt, and more steps backward than was necessary. “I’m so sorry, ma’am,” he blurted automatically, and then upon looking more closely at the person he’d run into- namely, that she was considerably taller than him and more professional looking- he added, “No- no- it was my fault, really. I’m lost- I still haven’t figured out the layout of this ship.”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentri:

Rhode walked up next to Maryland, glancing over the weapons. “I think I came in with that whole wave of new agents. Or at least around the same time. I haven’t been here very long.” He rubbed his hands together. “So what are you thinking of?”

Maryland grinned, finally. “I’m thinking I want to just go hand to hand- I can practice my gun skills in the firing range whenever I want after all. I’ve got flesh in front me, right now.” He coughed. “Anyway- does that sound alright to you?”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentri:

“It’s up to you, really. You scheduled this session and I’m fine with anything.” He extended his hand for Maryland to shake. “It’s nice to meet you. Are you a newbie to the ship, or have you been here a while?”

Maryland shook the hand, immediately spinning around to go take another look at the weapon selection. “I’ve been here a while- but there’s unfortunately been a very distinct lack of me fighting anyone. It was pretty quiet at first. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before- what about you?” he asked, humming in thought about the weapons.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentri:

Gotcha. I’ll be down ASAP.

[shows up a minute or so late in full armor] Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Agent Rhode Island.

Maryland grinned behind his visor, immediately perking up and trotting towards the other freelancer. “Agent Maryland. Nice to meet you. How do you want to do this? They got every weapon you can imagine- but that doesn’t mean you have to use them- I love a good fist fight, you know.”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentri

replied to your

post

:

Anyone else up for a spar?

I’ve got some free time. When did you want to do this?

I have a slot scheduled for 20 minutes from now. Hope you can armor up fast. I’ll be waiting.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

Anyone else up for a spar?

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentarizon:

“Well I’m most skilled with knives and daggers when it comes to the use of melee weapon but I specialize in anything long range and close quarters as well. You still haven’t answered me, what do you want to do?”

“Knives it is, then. They’ve got the practice ones here that won’t kill you if you fuck up,” Maryland said, afterward uttering, “I was being considerate,” under his breath. He was still wound up as tightly as he ever was- maybe even more so, since he boarded the Mother and had to deal with the sudden idea of actual colleagues you interact with. But it was fine, he figured, in fact it was great, since it would only make his reflexes faster now that he had the opportunity to take it out on someone. Not that he believed he would need it- really, this agent seemed to have too broad a range of skills to master any of them.

Maryland would certainly find out, he thought as he walked to the far side of the training floor and called out to FILSS to count them out to round one.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agentarizon:

Arizona walks onto the training floor to find an agent pacing angrily around the room. “I’m sorry I’m late, I had overslept but where are my manners, Captain Stern of the ODSTS’ but just call me Arizona.” He straightened himself up, “And since I was the one who kept you waiting, you can pick today’s training method.”

“We all used to be something,” Maryland breathed before even stopping to face the agent. He then remembered his own manners, offering the other a stiff nod that at least made an effort to hide his impatience. “Agent Maryland. Nice to meet you. I specialize in anything close quarters- you got a favorite melee weapon?”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

Maryland could feel himself going crazy. He could remember so clearly his joy when he’d first arrived on the Mother a few months ago, when he’d seen the beyond impressive training facilities and few enough agents that he scarcely ever had to deal with the training floor being taken when he wanted it- and now, so soon afterward, travesty had struck. He should have realized he was one of many: one in the first stages of a very large wave of new agents that had not even seemed to end yet. They were everywhere- and most frustratingly- they were in the goddamn training facilities. Constantly. It had become nearly impossible to snag the training floor by himself on a consistent basis, and he had no other option but to put in a request (or two. or five. or eleven.) for a sparring match with someone, anyone, which led him to where he now stood, pacing back and forth across the training floor, impatiently awaiting the partner he was promised at this date and time.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

[txt] I'm ready to go now. Let me know when you are.

[Text] Yeah, me too.

[Text] I’ll be in the hangar in a few minutes.

[agent-chillinois-deactivated201]

[Text] I wanted to thank you for putting up with my bullshit and taking care of me when I passed out on the training floor [Text] And I also wanted to say sorry that you had to do those things [Text] Please don't keep looking for me though [Text] You're not gonna find me for a while

[txt] This sounds a lot like some sort of goodbye while I do something incredibly stupid text.[txt] I don’t know if I’m more upset that you’d go after this dude in the first place while you’re still injured.[txt] or that you didn’t bring me along for the ride.[txt] Try not to die out there dude.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

[Text] Sorry. [Text] It's kind of personal [Text] But I will. [Text] Try not to die that is [Text] not I will die

[freelancermaryland-archived]

agent-oregon:

Oregon couldn’t hear much. But he could eventually make out sobbing. He had heard his name- Oregon. That’s all he could give Mary- Colton. Oregon. Oregon was born a year and a half ago. That’s all he amounted to- Colton deserved more.

Oregon didn’t know how or why- but he knew he caused Colton to cry. And he hated himself for not being able to do anything to help. But, he was only human-

No….He wasn’t.

After a few minutes, Maryland’s sobs broke down into nothing more than gasps for breath, and after a few more, his struggling for steady breathing paid off. They still weren’t very smooth breaths- his exhales shook when he attempted them- but it seemed that this was as calm as he was going to get. And he had to be, because he couldn’t stay much longer and he certainly couldn’t walk through medbay sniffling like a widow from a funeral, even if that was how he felt.

He sighed, reached out to brush his fingers over Oregon’s hand. “There’s a lot I wish we got to do,” he murmured, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Ore. But I have to go now.”

He stood up and sighed again. Now all there was left to do was find someone to take care of Jacks in his absence, and get what he needed from the armory. It was time to make Charon pay. At any cost.

[freelancermaryland-archived]

foxtrot035:

Francis wished he was braver. He wished he could find a way to make Mary understand. He wished he was good enough to help Mary and himself. But he wasn’t any of those things, he was Francis Vos, and he had to work with what little that gave him. And Francis Vos happened to cry quite a bit.  He ducked his head, shoving his helmet on and hoping Mary hadn’t seen the waterworks start. It took a moment to find his voice, and a moment longer to find and order his words. “I-do have a plan.” He said, trying to ignore the wet trembling of his own voice. “I know where he is. I know he’s probably still there or I know how to verify it and I think that if I…offer to bring him an agent then he’ll be willing to leave my family be to go get him…” He shifted uncomfortably, knowing Mary would probably be the least comfortable with the next part of his ‘plan’. “I-I know that area, it’s my home and…it’s too small of a community to have a bunch of insurrectionists come in without causing an uproar…especially around where i live…so he’s probably alone or with…not a lot of people. It’s really woodsy so you can sneak up and I can guide you through and-and plenty of mountains for cover so I can drop you off before a rendezvous so then you could go after him while he comes after me…”

“Good,” Maryland replied, nodding stiffly as he took a step back.

He listened intently but it was frankly for nothing. If he’d been in better shape, he would have commented on the possibility that Charon would be bringing reinforcements that he wouldn’t be able to take out before they got to Francis. He would have commented on a lot of things. He would have disagreed.

But his concussion spoke for him, and it said, “Fine. Let’s do it.”

And it also failed to remind him that Kai may very well be coming after him at the moment, considering Mary had just broken out of the man’s room while he was gone.

[foxbox035-deactivated20151116]

Keep reading

[freelancermaryland-archived]

“Forgive me, Foxtrot, but this is not the time for this. You told me that Charon had your family, that you knew where he was. It sounded as if you had a plan.”

Maryland could think of only three things at the moment: His squad, ever-present in the background, Oregon, and Charon. Addressing emotional issues was none of those things. Still, it seemed he couldn’t keep Francis from continuing. And then he couldn’t keep his own skin from catching fire when he heard the pilot tell him, “I think I hate myself for what happened the same way you do.”

“Watch it,” he snapped without thinking, wanting to shut down this horrid delving into his self-hatred as quickly as possible. “We are not the same. It is dangerous to forget who you are talking to, Foxtrot.” He closed the gap between them, loomed over Francis so close that the pilot could surely see the hard stare behind his visor. “You are a rookie pilot who has been here for less than a year. Stop trying to project your innocence onto me. Guilt, and any other emotion you may be feeling, will not help us save your family. We need to act. You are failing to embrace the fact that you do not already have their blood on your hands.”

[foxbox035-deactivated20151116]

Francis backed away from Maryland, flinching at every word. “No-no-that’s not. Mary you can’t-this…this was a bad idea I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it. All of it. I can do it by myself.”  Before the words even left his mouth he knew it was a lie. He wasn’t strong or fast or smart, he wasn’t a soldier, he wasn’t enough to kill Charon alone. He’d die trying to and his family would die too and the thought made Francis’s world drop out from beneath him. No matter what he did, Mary, his family, the other Freelancers…someone was going to get hurt because of his mistake, even if he killed Charon he’d still have to put someone in harm’s way to do it.  It made him feel so small and…cold, made him want to recede into himself, somewhere dark and quiet and safe where he didn’t have to think or feel.

Francis blinked, whipping at the wet heat in his eyes. “Mary-I think-I think I understand…you.” He swallowed. The words came so slow, heavy in his mouth. “I think…at least like this…we’re alike….we uhm. We don’t want anybody to get hurt and we…both….we’re…we want to get hurt, to stop other people from hurting to-to make sure that we’re really-really being punished.” The tears he managed to hold back but there was nothing to be done about the shaking. “Mary…did you…did something happen with people you cared about…do you feel like….like you failed?”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

“No, you can’t.” It was the most steady thing he’d managed to get out all week. It was low, and booked absolutely no argument.

He found himself somewhat jarred out of his stone-faced demeanor, however, as Francis went on. He was right. God, he was exactly right. Punishment. Atonement. That was what he’d always wanted more than anything else. 

But Maryland couldn’t deal with that right now. And he definitely couldn’t say it.

He decided to keep his response localized, didn’t so much as let his words brush against the topic of what had actually made him this way just a few years ago. “My poor judgment when dealing with an enemy led to my lover and my friend both getting heavily damaged by a confrontation in which we were all unprepared and off guard that could have been avoided,” he said. “It is not a matter of opinion. I failed to protect both of you.” Conveniently, his response had also not mentioned his preexisting personal rivalry with said ‘enemy’. It was better that Francis didn’t know. It was better that nobody knew.

[foxbox035-deactivated20151116]

Francis swallowed, shaking his head. “Stop that. Stop it.” He stepped back, skin crawling. Disposal. Like he was supposed to just use Mary, like Mary was expendable. “I’m not-I’m not your commanding officer Mary and I am to blame for this so don’t…please don’t-don’t talk about yourself like you’re not important. I don’t, I just wanted to be you’re friend and I know I’ve done stupid, awful things but please don’t treat me like you expect me to use you.” He paused to breath, blinking hard to hold back the wet sting building behind his eyes. “I don’t want you hurt because of me. I don’t want anyone hurt because of me.”

[freelancermaryland-archived]

Maryland blinked behind his visor, only taken aback by the emotional display because he genuinely had forgotten he wasn’t talking to a commanding officer. Nonetheless, old instincts were all he had left to offer anymore. The soldier- not the person- was all he had left to offer. “My apologies,” were automatically the first words out of his mouth, and the ‘s’ was drawn out, lasted a beat too long because he was about to say ‘sir’ again. “I was not expecting you to use me, if left to your own devices. Our results will be more favorable if you use me, thus I am encouraging you to. You will find me to be very useful.” He was pretty sure that last sentence was legitimately the exact same thing he’d told someone else, back then. He was hardly thinking at all, just acting on first, ingrained impulses and waiting for the time when he could drop his head and his heart and let his muscles speak in their place. “Forgive me,” for speaking out of turn, sir, “but if our mission objective is Charon’s death I don’t believe it matters if anyone- aside from innocents- gets hurt. I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise you anything.”