I couldn't decide which idea to run with, so you get a twofer! With thanks to @the-original-sineater for some idea-bouncing.
Version One
For a being that operated at the speed of quantum, the human world was agonisingly slow.
Anxiously watching through the integrated webcam on Magenta’s laptop, Cloud checked and rechecked the GPS trackers on the approaching police units, the inbound helicopter, the SSC hurtling out of the underground garage, and firmly restrained himself from doing more. He could have reached into the traffic light systems to green-wave the units through, delved into CATCH and redirected air traffic to clear a flight path, but those systems were outside his remit.
But if the situation deteriorates, as Captain Scarlet has stated, sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. But I know the identities of the persons involved, Cloud reassured himself, I have alerted all possible rescue parties, and they are either enroute or arriving on the scene. This situation will be resolved shortly.
This situation was something that should not have occurred, and he had a substantial portion of his processing power devoted to unravelling how this occurred and how to prevent it from ever reoccuring.
Captain Magenta had been ambushed while walking between two buildings at the complex that served Scotland Yard and taken to an abandoned warehouse near the London Docks. The two persons currently visible had tied him to a chair and set up his secure laptop - accidentally uncovering the webcamera in the process - and were demanding that he give them access into Spectrum’s systems.
“Unlock the system for us!” snarled the man he’d identified as Calligan Smith, a lower-level thug for the Dockmen, a gang that operated out of this area. He punctuated the command with a savage backhand that rocked the chair that Magenta was tied to.
Cloud opened up a notepad app on the nurse’s station computer. Contusions to left side of face, lacerations - minor, infection risk from subject’s rings. Standby.
“I can’t!” Magenta snapped back, then swayed under another hit.
Contusions to right side of face, lacerations - minor, infection risk from subject’s rings. Standby.
“Unlock it!” Smith got up into Captain Magenta’s face, grasping his collar in both hands and twisting the cloth to put pressure on Magenta’s throat and make him feel like he was being strangled. A lift pulled at his shoulders, elbows and wrists, adding to the sensation of strangulation as well as putting strain on all those joints.
Possible contusions and soft tissue damage to the throat, both sides. Minor mechanical restriction of airways. Possible hyperextension of ligaments and tendons from shoulder to wrist, both arms, with associated soft tissue damage. Possible restriction of blood supply to those limbs. Standby.
The second visible person - Jack Frakes, also a member of the Dockmen but a higher ranking one - put a hand on Smith’s shoulder, who nodded once and relaxed his grip. “Explain.”
Cloud made a note for the report he was compiling of the application of the ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’ interrogation technique.
“Duress detection,” Captain Magenta nodded towards the laptop, still breathing hard and blood on his face. “I have to give verbal passwords,” he stopped just long enough to swallow,“and if it detects stress patterns, it fries the laptop.” He glared at the two of them. “So if you want me to unlock the system for you, stop hitting me and gimme time to calm down!”
Cloud analysed that. That system - which was a logical measure and required investigation into why they didn’t have it - did not exist. Why would Captain Magenta make that statement? Ah. Time. It is a delaying tactic. He approved of this. If successful it would reduce the overall damage that he suffered and give more time for backup to finish assembling.
Frakes stared at Captain Magenta.
Cloud was extremely aware of every passing second, observing Magenta’s face as he stared back. If he gave any sign of falsehood, if his lie was detected, it would have a drastic negative effect on the situation and an exponential increase in the personal danger that Captain Magenta was in.
Finally, Frakes grunted and nodded once. “Get yourself together.” He pulled a guillotine-style cigar cutter from the back pocket of his jeans and waved it in Captain Magenta’s face. “If you don’t unlock that computer, I’m starting with your fingers. You brick it, I’m taking something else. You get me?”
Captain Magenta swallowed hard. “Loud and clear.”
Cloud added that to the report while watching the approaching vehicles. He could brick the laptop with a single command and was ready to do so as soon as he was ordered to, but he would not take that action without Captain Magenta’s clear instruction. Letting himself into the police radio system was easy, necessary and completely justifiable, and it kept him informed. He was already feeding a constant stream of updates to Captain Ochre - in the SSC - and Captain Blue and Captain Grey - in the helicopter - but he had observed the tendency of information to become garbled when relayed through multiple humans and determined it was necessary for him to monitor what was being communicated.
Inaccuracies could not be risked in this situation.
A study of their respective body language warned him that both subjects were becoming agitated, nervous and ‘antsy’ at the delay as seconds became minutes while Magenta slowly calmed himself down and brought his breathing back into normal range. They were scanning the surrounding area, but they did not show any sign of detecting the approaching backup.
“C’mon, get it going!” Smith urged Frakes.
“Yeah, yeah, we gotta get onto this,” Frakes agreed, turning his attention fully onto Captain Magenta.
Cloud was not concerned. The ‘go’ command had just been given by the designated police commander, and Ochre had a clear line of sight on Smith’s torso.
This situation would be adequately resolved very shortly.
Version Two
Following on from Fun and Games
Cloud was… disquiet.
The word was the only adequate one to describe what he was currently experiencing.
All Spectrum bases were open to him, no matter how far flung they were, and that included the small satellite base two hundred and forty seven kilometers away from Koala Base, used for the Resistance training of top-flight officers after their graduation from cadet to Colour officer, and right now Captain Scarlet was occupying one of the cells.
He had been placed into a stress position, almost dangling by his wrists from a rope tied to the ceiling, and left there by the interrogators to ‘soften up’. Accessing the environmental monitoring systems informed Cloud that the conditions inside the cell were outside the range for human comfort, combining that data with weather information told him that those conditions were only going to worsen. And his presence there is in part due to my actions.
The admission only increased his disquiet.
He knew the odds, the probabilities and projected outcomes. He had run the calculations multiple times and had mapped all possible end results based on reports from previous SERE exercises, as well as his own observations and conclusions.
If he had not been involved in the SERE exercise, Captain Scarlet would have made different choices, and those choices drastically increased his odds of evading the Hunter Team.
If he had warned Captain Scarlet about the plans being made between the medical staff and Captain Ochre, he would not have been caught by Captain Ochre.
If Captain Scarlet had stayed aboard the base, he would not have been delivered to the area designated for the terrestrial portion of the evasion exercise. He would not have slipped and fallen into the unnamed stream adjacent to Carr Lake. He would not have become hypothermic, and subsequently he would not have been captured by the terrestrial Hunter Team.
That Doctor Fawn had been flown down to confirm that Captain Scarlet was fit for this portion of the exercise and was staying to provide care for him during and afterwards was… insufficient. Captain Scarlet was his and he was in danger and his purpose was to care for and protect those who were his and…
Stop. Cloud told himself. This is necessary stress testing to ensure that prior programming is still in place and active. Captain Scarlet has consented to this process. If he no longer agreed to and consented to this, he would resign from Spectrum.
However, that Captain Scarlet, being who and what he was, was constitutionally incapable of stopping his mission while the War of Nerves was ongoing, suggested that therefore he had a level of indeterminability regarding his ability to consent to this process - because if he was no longer part of Spectrum he could no longer take the risks the others could not, therefore increasing the odds of fatalities amongst the Cloudbase Captains - and to remain part of Spectrum he had to pass this test, which meant he possibly did not have the ability to adequately self-determine and properly consent to this process… Cloud stopped himself from following that logic train. It would be unhelpful and he did not have sufficient information to draw properly informed conclusions. I require input from someone with greater understanding and a firm grasp of the nuances involved. Nuance, he had learned, was an important and often overlooked factor in his calculations, and he was continuing to address this lack.
Setting an adjunct to locating a suitable person for that conversation, Cloud turned his attention back to Captain Scarlet, observing through the small camera placed in the cell for the monitoring of the exercise.
He was tallying contusions and stages of healing when, to his surprise, Captain Scarlet lifted his head and looked at the camera.
“Cloud.”
He couldn’t answer verbally - Captain Scarlet’s watch and earbud had been removed, this camera was not equipped with a speaker, and there wasn’t one within the Captain’s hearing range - but he could move the camera. An approximation of a nod - jerky, due to the limitations of the motors and arc of movement - was sufficient to tell Captain Scarlet that he was attentive.
“Don’t watch. Please.” It was softly worded, more of a plea than a question. “You don’t need to see this.”
Cloud almost shook the camera in the negative. He had reviewed thousands of papers, studies and reports on the value of company to a human in distressing or upsetting circumstances, how the presence of a friend or companion could make a situation more bearable, and if he observed the situation he could ensure that any actions that exceeded the given parameters of the exercise were recorded and appropriately dealt with.
But Captain Scarlet has requested that I do not observe this exercise…why? Cloud examined that question, drawing on his database and his knowledge of the captain. …he wishes to protect me, Cloud realised. He suspects that first hand experience of this exercise will have a negative effect on me. Very well.
Another jerky nod signalled his acquiescence to the request, and Cloud withdrew his conscious attention from the facility. He would read the reports and by simple nature of what he was and his purpose he would be passively aware of what was occurring, but he would respect Captain Scarlet’s withdrawal of consent for him to gain the information first hand.
The adjunct had by now returned with a list of probable candidates for the understanding he wished for and he considered each name with due care.
…Rabbi Azure, Cloud decided. I will speak with Rabbi Azure. A check of her calendar showed a clear space, so Cloud booked himself in and compiled an explanatory email as to why he was requesting her help… and did his best to ignore what was occurring at the satellite base located two hundred and forty seven kilometers away from Koala Base.
My next rec this week has to go to my good friend and beta-reader @teletraan-meets-jarvis for her fic Pieces. TJ just returned after a decent hiauts with a NINE THOUSAND WORD CHAPTER, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. I love how TJ has incorporated her absolutely phenomenal OCs into the story of the Wolfpack and their evolution. Her Jedi OC Issa is wonderful and kind and I love seeing how her relationship with Wolffe is developing. In addition to Issa, there are some FANTASTIC clone OCs, including my OC Chuckles's batchmate Two-Pint and Book (who I love with all of my heart). If you're looking for a slow burn Wolffe/OFC fic that contains so much depth and wonderful characters, I cannot recommend this fic enough.
Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)
