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#FreedomFalls – February 25, 2017
There's a rustling sound from the back seats in the car, and a pop as one of the styrofoam containers are opened. It's quickly followed by a distorted whoosh - the telltale sound of a cloaking system deactivating. In the backseat of the car sits a pale woman with spots of green around her neck, and an orange holographic visor covering her eyes. She's wearing a sleek black armor suit and she's sporting an unsettlingly wide grin as
Nathan immediately starts, almost launching his own food into the air as he whips around. It takes his half-a-second to have his pistol drawn out and aimed at the woman who had just materialised out of thin air. Nathan's mind kicks into soldier-mode... with a bag of kebab in his free hand.
Jason had just started to pull out and the sudden sound of a third voice nearly causes him to drive right up onto the sidewalk. His hand shoots to his Phalanx as the car comes to a screetching stop and his head whips around. But there's no mistaking that ugly mug. "Oh, for fuck's sake! Of all days you choose today to show up!? Really!?" he shouts. His eyes move to the styrofoam container and he leans between the front seats to try
and snatch the container away from her. "Don't you dare touch my food! It's been a fucked up day and I will cut you for those kebabs! Understand!?"
Viper pouts as the kebabs are taken away from her, not really making any effort to keep them. "I got hungry waiting for you to finish chasing this asshat!" she says with a thumb in Nathan's direction. She eyes the pistol and rolls her eyes, although the gesture isn't really all that visible behind her visor. "C'mon. Pointing guns at strangers is rude."
Nathan tisks. "Yeah, well, I ain't feeling very polite today. Who the fuck are you?" He keeps the pistol steady, not taking his eyes from her once as he adjusts his position a bit more for a more comfortable stance.
Jason waves away Nathan's concerns, reaching over to place his free hand over the barrel of his pistol and urge it downward. "As much as I'd like you to shoot her in the face..." he says pointedly, eyes on Viper as he sets the container down on his lap, "...She's a 'friend'. And I use the term very loosely. You know... Like 'That Adrian guy was a friend of yours, huh?' kind of loosely." With an annoyed sigh, he cocks an
Nathan lowers the pistol, casting a knowing look Jason's way. Instead, he rests the weapon against his lap, finger resting to the side of the trigger instead. "I might go back in there and change the answer I gave Leah," he mutters under his breath.
Viper leans back, frowning. "Now that's just rude. That's the thanks I get for helping you and yours? Besides, I'm no slaver. You should know that, Wolfe." She drags out his name, her grin returning as if she just loves saying it.
Jason rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much for your utter selflessness. There was absolutely no personal gain involved in that whole endeavor whatsoever, right? Cut the bullshit, Viper. If you're here, there's a reason. So how about you get to the point so I can go home and clean the brain matter off my arm?"
Nathan narrows his eyes. "Viper? ...Appropriate in looks, at least," he comments, tapping his finger against the side of his gun impatiently.
Viper lets out a rather creepy snicker, leaning forward a bit and putting her elbows on each of their backrests. She opens her mouth to speak, but at Nathan's comment she glances his way and smiles widely. Too widely. Back to Jason. "How do you know this isn't just a social call? Y'know, just checking in? I missed that annoyed voice of yours. How's the arms? Better? Where's my wedding invite anyway?"
Jason makes a face as if he just smelled spoiled milk. "Are you just stalking me or something? Look, I'm flattered, but I'm not interested." He turns his gaze forward once again and places his hands back on the steering wheel. His eyes move to his synthetic fingers as they grip the wheel. Perhaps brought on by her mention of them. He rolls his eyes and sucks in a deep breath. "...For what it's worth, I do appreciate you helping
me get Linda out of that hellhole." he says. Barely more than a mutter. "But if I find out you've been sleeping in the back seat of my car..."
Nathan listens quietly and, although lacking much context, tries to piece bits and pieces together to try and form some sort of cohesion between the two and their topics. He doesn't pipe up, judging that any input from him would be useless.
Viper 's smile grows, and she pats Jason's shoulder. "See, that's more like it! Wouldn't have been much of a wedding without my help, would it?" She furrows her eyebrows as she rewinds to his first statement. "And c'mon. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it." she says with a tone of mock offense, her grin taking on a wicked look as she studies him more closely, running a finger across his cheek. "I could do all sorts of fun
Jason grimaces and swats at her hand before starting to drive. Obviously he's not waiting around for her to get to her point before setting off back home. "Knock it off ya weirdo." he grunts. "Go... touch him or something." he says with a dismissive gesture towards Nathan. "Just keep your hands off me." His focus remains on the road but after a few moments, he tilts his head and wipes his cheek against his shoulder.
Nathan glares at Jason and pointedly adjusts his grip on his gun. "Or just get to the point of why you're here. All offence intended, but I'd rather get back, eat my food and forget that most of today has happened." He gives a pointed look to Viper. "So, pleassssse, hurry the fuck up. Beginning, middle, end, plot, condense, tell it. Go."
Viper shrugs, leaning back again. "Kinda... private. Sooo... maybe let your minion walk home?" she says to Jason, before shooting Nathan a grin and a wink. She looks back to Jason. "Seriously, you don't want him hearing it. Aaand I'm not gonna tell while he's here anyway."
Viper sighs. "Alright." she says with a shrug. "Here's the deal. I've got a new employer. Well, temporarily. You've met. They're here to see you, we're already running late because you just can't seem to keep out of trouble for even a second, sooo we gotta go, now. You'll wanna talk to them. Trust me."
Jason furrows his brow, looking at Viper through the rearview mirror. "The fuck are you talking about? And since when am I supposed to be enticed by an offer just because you say 'trust me'? For all I know you're gonna-.... I don't know.... shove me in a cage and rub lotion all over me.... Or something-... uhh.... equally weird...." He shoots a look Nathan's way and shrugs. "Point is! I don't do this shit out of the kindness of
Nathan gives Jason a very odd look, his eyebrow quirking at the man's choice of... alternate outcome. He shrugs it off and turns to look at Viper. "Welp, you heard the man," he says with a small smirk. "Fuck off."
Viper lets out a groan. "Come oooon. Can't you just play along for once? It's not a job. It's a conversation. As tempting as your suggestion is, I'm not about to rile up that psycho of yours - heard congratulations are in order by the way? Don't wanna know what that one's like preggers. Lemme know if you wanna put the chip back in. Now would you pleaaaase just get with the friggin' program. You know what I know, you know what
I can do, if I wanted to hurt you I would've. And you should know if I say it'll be worth your while, then it'll be worth your while. Let's just do this the easy way, 'kay? I don't even know what the hard way is right now. My employer reaally needs to talk to you. Pretty desperate."
Jason's face goes through a wide range of emotions as Viper goes on. From pride, manifested by a lopsided smirk at being able to irritate her for once, to frustration over her comments towards Vasquez. Then anger at the mere suggestion of replacing the tech Cerberus put inside of her. "Look-..." he begins, clearly intending to tee off on her, but he reigns himself in and bites down hard. He falls completely silent as they
continue down the snowy road. There's a slight movement of his jaw as he bites down over and over. "We're dropping him off first." he finally says, the frustration quite heavy in his voice as he stares at the road ahead, "His sister is waiting for him and Linda is expecting some dinner."
Nathan blinks and looks to Jason. "Wait, you're going with her? Alone? Jase, I'm not sure that's a good idea," he protests, casting a venomous look at Viper. "I can drop the food off and come with you as backup. Look, you had my back when I needed it, you sure as shit can count on me watching yours." He bites on his lower lip, clearly quite conflicted right now.
After all, he certainly meant every word but... he's also getting major bad vibes from Viper and, truthfully, isn't completely sure he wants to be around the woman much longer.
Viper tilts her head a little. "This only goes one way, Wolfe. Only you. Quietly. It's the way it's gotta be." she says as she leans back in her seat, turning her gaze out the window.
Jason bites down hard once again. His eyes remain on the road as he gives a shake of his head. "It's fine, Ten. Just wait for me back at the agency." He looks pointedly to Nathan. "With Linda." He returns his attention to the road, only briefly glancing at Viper through the rearview when she pipes up. "Just... tell her I had to run some errands and I'll be back soon. I'll fill her in when I get back." As he pulls into the Redrock
Nathan looks to Jason for a few moments more, his hand tightening around his pistol. "Understood," he says eventually, sliding the weapon back into his jacket. He gathers up the kebabs, bundling them in his arms as he opens the door of the car and steps out into the cold once more. He sends a scathing glare Viper's way, but holds back any more comments directed at
her. "See you soon, Jase." He closes the door and steps away, walking towards the entrance of Redrock with one last glance over his shoulder.
Viper calls out after Nathan: "If you need help dealing with any overly-extravagantly armored men, I'm looking for work!" Her grin returns as she settles back in her seat, giving Jason a quick pat on the shoulder. "Alone at last, mm? Good choice. Now let's get going, we're already late."
Jason passes the rest of the food off to Nathan. He ignores Viper for now and instead follows suit behind Nathan, hopping out of the car. Giving a glance to Viper in the backseat he says, "Stay." as if talking to a dog before closing the door and jogging to catch up to Nathan. "It's a long story, Ten." he explains as he slows down beside him, hoping that will do for now in regard to the questions Nathan probably has about who in
the hell Viper is and how Jason knows her. "For now, all you need to know is that she isn't the sort of person you want to fuck with, alright? We've got enough shit going on right now and I don't think any of us need more enemies gunning for us. So I'm gonna go and see what this is about. I'll leave my omni-tool on. The car can be easily traced. If anything goes wrong, there's options, alright?" He sighs, placing a hand on
Nathan's shoulder. "And if you don't hear from me in the next hour or so...? Get the others..." He bites his lower lip, suddenly realizing he's asking a lot of Nathan and he tilts his head apologetically. "Look... I'm not asking as your boss. This isn't an order...." he clarifies.
Nathan halts in his tracks as Jason follows him, turning fully to face the man. And as he continues to talk, his look grows more and more dour. As Jason ends, he remains silent for a few, pregnant moments. Then, he shifts the bags so he is holding both in one hand and, now using his free hand, makes to clap Jason on the shoulder in a firm grasp. "One hour. Then I'm
bringing in the cavalry," he says with a small smile. "For now, get this over with and see what green and ugly's employer wants with you. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can all get back to our... fucked definition of normal lives." He maintains the hold for a moment more before he nods firmly, lowering his hand back down to his side. "One hour. And
this isn't me talking as an employee hoping for a pay rise if I do end up leading the rescue for your sorry ass. This is more me as your friend who will never let you live it down that a... scaley fetishist kidnapped you and locked you in a lotion cage."
Jason's lopsided smirk returns by the time Nathan has finished speaking. There's an obvious tension behind the smile, but he gives a nod. "Sounds like a plan..." he says, looking Nathan right in the eyes as he adds a sincere, "Thank you, Ten." But, never one to linger too long on the touchy feely emotional stuff, he quickly glances down to the bags and then back to Nathan. "Make sure she gets her food." he says, as if passing on a
warning, "Otherwise I might be better off taking my chances with the snakecharmer." With a snicker he turns on his heels and starts back towards the car, raising his hand in a quick wave before he climbs in. "Alright. Up front. I don't need to be worrying about what you're doing behind me." he orders without bothering to look back at Viper.
Nathan gives Jason one more nod and smile before watching Jason climb back into his car and shut the door. He sighs, cursing under his breath as he pivots on his heel and strides straight into Redrock with his lukewarm kebabs and... shit, did he forget the sauce?
Viper slips from back to front seat without leaving the car, putting her unnatural agility to display as she makes the movement seem effortless. "Way to make things dramatic. I'm not gonna murderize you or anything, jeez. Alright." She brings up her omni-tool, and a few quick keypresses later a destination is uploaded to the car's nav system. A warehouse not far from the Redrock base.
Jason starts the car back up and looks over the location on the navigation system. "Contingency plan. Because I don't trust you as far as I can throw you." he says as the car begins to back out of the parking spot. Once they're moving forward again, he glances to Viper and gives an insincere smile.
Viper shrugs. "You could probably throw me pretty far with the hardware you've got..." she says as she relaxes in her seat. Or seems to, anyway. Darkness has started to set in as day turns to night, the cloudy winter sky only accelerating the process. It doesn't take long to reach the warehouse - A simple concrete building, looking like it's been abandoned for some time. Rusted cargo doors are shut. The telltale orange glow of a
door interface glows at a small side entrance. The rest of the lot surrounding the building is empty pavement, and more warehouses.
Jason parks the car as close to the side entrance as he can before shutting it off. Once he steps outside he adjusts his jacket and slides his hand inside, just taking a bit of comfort in the familiar feeling of the weapon holstered against his side. "If this is your creepy idea of a first date, then you've got shit taste." he says as he looks the warehouse over, silently wondering just how many ways he could die inside. "Let's get
Viper remains seated, watching as Jason exits. "Like I said... only you." she says with a small shrug.
Jason furrows his brow, clearly not at ease with that idea. "If I don't come out of that building, my people are going to put you in the ground. I hope you understand that. For your sake." he threatens as he gives the warehouse one last once-over before drawing his Phalanx and approaching the door. He gives the interface a tap and awaits for whatever horrors lie beyond the door.
The door slides open with a whoosh. Inside lies an empty warehouse. A very dark empty warehouse. Well, not completely empty. There are hints of some long-forgotten crates along the walls in what little evening light slips in through the frosted-over windows.
Jason continues to grip his Phalanx in one hand as he slowly enters the building. He's not too worried about making a bad first impression. This meeting was pretty much forced on him anyway, so whoever was waiting for him in here could fuck right off if they had a problem with him coming in armed. He remains silent, looking around and listening as best as he can in the dark for any sign of whoever is behind the orchestrating of
this meeting. The low light isn't exactly doing much to inspire confidence. Who waits for someone in a dark building? Were the lights suddenly going to kick on and reveal a man in a chair petting a cat? 'Good evening, Mr. Wolfe.'
As if on cue, as soon as the thought crosses Jason's mind, a single light flickers to life in the center of the warehouse floor with an almost booming sound. The door slides closed behind him, but it remains unlocked. Standing in the middle of the almost spotlight-like stream of light is a woman in a black winter coat. Her face is familiar - not just because he's seen it before, albeit briefly and in holographic form, but because of
the undeniable resemblance to his fiancée. Now that she's visible in full color, her brown eyes stand out as near-identical to her daughter's. Beyond the color, they carry every bit of the same emotional weight. Her graying hair is tied back in a bun, and the frown on her face highlights the faint wrinkles in her skin. "I was beginning to fear you would not arrive." she calls out. "I... apologize for the method of bringing you
Jason's immediate reaction when the door slams shut and the lights flip on is pretty predictable. He aims his gun at her. Because that's what you do when you meet new people. But he identifies her nearly immediately. Even if he hadn't seen her before, the eyes would've given her away. He slowly lowers the weapon but shows no sign of reholstering it. "Oh, you mean pretty much kidnapping me? That method?" he asks as he looks around,
his mind already working towards backup plans, an escape route should the door suddenly find itself locked, and any sign that she's not alone. "Well, gee. Since you apologized, I guess we're best friends now." he says, hitting a level of insincerity with his tone that some might find impressive. His eyes rest on the woman, but only briefly before they're back to work, getting a read on his surroundings. "Why am I here? You
Amel 's frown deepens. "I had a feeling you would not come if I ask-..." she starts, attempting to defend herself, but Jason's question causes her to go quiet, her gaze falling briefly as she lets out a quiet sigh. Both their voices echo in the vast space of the mostly empty warehouse. "No. That... that was a misguided mistake. One I... will never be able to correct. A mistake born out of a wish to keep my daughter safe.
Jason paces a bit from side-to-side, making no attempt to mask his unease. "Then talk." he says harshly. Sure, he had encouraged Vasquez to speak with her if it was what she wanted. And he would have been fine with that decision. And sure, he couldn't help but put himself in her place, wishing he had another chance to speak to his own mother. But the cold hard fact was that, mother or not, she was Cerberus. And after everything
Cerberus has done to them-... has done to Vasquez. Trust and forgiveness are two things he can't really afford. "I mean, when most people want to talk? They make a call. Maybe send a message or two. Not really sure I can get behind the whole 'hide out in a creepy warehouse and have some genemodded psychopath kidnap you' method. But, then again, I suppose Cerberus aren't one to do things by the book, are they?"
Amel offers a faint smile, which quickly fades as she lets out another sigh. "I tried. I tried to reach out to Linda... but-... well. She has made her feelings clear. We are leaving this world. I will not have another opportunity like this. I am not here on behalf of Cerberus, as hard as that may be for you to believe. I... wanted only to meet the man my daughter is marrying." She takes a deep breath, gaze falling
briefly once more before locking onto him. Her hands remain crossed behind her back. "If you attempt to leave, you will not be stopped. I... fully understand your hatred of the organization for which I work. I wish I could convince you that there is a purpose to what we do. That the good ultimately outweighs the bad, but... I suspect you will not hear it."
Jason halts his pacing but his expression remains set in stone. "I don't give two shits about Cerberus' purpose." he responds without hesitation. "Not after the shit I've seen them do. Not after what they've done to Linda. To your own daughter!" His pacing resumes, just the thought of what Cerberus has done is boiling his blood. In the moment, all thoughts are on Linda, as if what he's had taken by Cerberus barely even
registers in the moment- even has his own prosthetic hand clings to his Phalanx. He sucks in a deep breath through his nose and lets it out through his mouth in an attempt at calming himself. It takes a few more before his pacing slows down once more and he finally approaches the woman head on. He rolls his shoulders a bit and folds one hand over the other, allowing them to hang loosely in front of him, Phalanx still held
Amel closes her eyes, taking another deep breath. When she looks at him again, she doesn't seem at all fazed by the gun in Jason's hand. "I-... I was trying to save her..." she insists, her voice wavering slightly. "I never meant for any of this to happen... but I know that means little, now. I-... I have missed... so much of her life. I have caused her suffering that I never intended. I know there is no atoning for
that... but now that I depart this world, I am faced with the fact that I will never see my Linda again. It is clear she does not wish to see me, and I cannot blame her. But... I also cannot cease the work that I am doing. It's important work. Work that... I hope will save us all, one day. So... all I expected out of this, was a chance to apologize, face to face. If not to her, then to you. For everything. And... to
thank you. For being there for her. Markus... he has long had a clear path. A good life. But Linda... my sweetie... she has suffered so much. I have watched for years. Intervened, when I've had to. When you've meddled with people more dangerous than you realize. I... have been greatly tempted to reveal myself. Never more so than after what happened on Niacal. But... my work was too important. The knowledge that you
were there for her... it has meant more than you realize. I hope you can accept this, regardless of how you feel about me. About... what I've done."
Jason continues to hold her gaze. Still harsh and judgemental as ever as she begins to speak. All of the 'save us all' bullshit is dismissed as crazy Cerberus inflated self-worth bullshit. But when she mentions the 'dangerous people' they've 'meddled with', his gaze falls somewhat. When she mentions Niacal, his eyes move to the floor. It certainly isn't a good memory. "I... I tried to talk to her." he says with a sigh, that steel
armor visibly slipping away slightly. "What you did-..." he shakes his head, his eyes still fixed to the ground, "...I'll never forgive you. But it's not about you. It's about her. She's angry. She's hurt. She feels betrayed. And with good fucking reason!" He suddenly seems to realize his mouth has gone dry and swallows hard before licking at his lips. "Linda means everything to me." he says, finally looking up to hold eye
contact once more, if only to emphasize the truth behind his words, "I would die before I let anything happen to her." He lets that hover for a few charged, silent moments before continuing. "You want to be a part of her life? Then stop all of this bullshit." he gestures around the dark warehouse, "All the cloak and dagger crap. Don't crack the security of our fucking home and invade our lives. Just-... send her a god damned
birthday card. A message. Something. Don't apologize to me, apologize to her! And suck it up everytime she spits on your apologies. Everytime she turns you away. Everytime she hangs up on you. Everytime she deletes your messages without reading them. That is your atonement! But you don't just give up!" It's quickly becoming clear as he rants that, despite his anger towards Amel, this is something he's been bottling up
for a while. If she knows anything about his past, it's probably not hard to figure out why. "Because you are her mother. And you should've been there for her. And I sure as hell know that I would-..." he stops himself, biting down and his gaze lowers again. It takes a moment before he regains his composure and allows himself to look her in the eye again. "
Amel 's eyes reveal the growing pain in her as Jason speaks, even though her expression remains a heavy frown. She stands in silence as he rants at her, each word hitting like a brick. "I-..." her voice is quieter when she speaks now, more resigned. She looks past Jason, into the dark of the warehouse. "I want nothing, nothing more than to be a port of her life. To be there for her as a mother should. But... I can't.
You have seen it. I know you have." Her gaze turns back to him, her voice growing in strength as it takes on a different tone. "What we're fighting. There are... terrible, terrible things in the dark corners of our galaxy. The Alliance... they are doing nothing. The Council... nothing. World after world... gone dark. How long before it's this one? Cerberus... they are the only ones doing something. So I do what I
Jason's gaze grows distant as she begins to talk about the missing colonies. There was no mistaking what 'terrible things' she was talking about. Ever since the news footage it was like a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind. Guilt. Guilt for not stepping up and doing something. Guilt for giving up on the fight. But after Di Yu, he just came too close to losing too much. He has a family to think about now. "...The Alliance is
trying..." he says softly. Barely more than a whisper. But even he's not convinced by his words. So that's what Cerberus was up to. The news report wasn't wrong. They've been out there 'fighting the good fight'. His eyes scan Amel's face. It's obvious by this point that her words and intentions are sincere. But that rarely matters if those intentions are misdirected. "And you think what they're doing is right?" he asks,
most of the fight gone from his voice by now. "Cerberus? I saw what your people were doing down at 'the Barn'. I'm supposed to condone that? Because-.... because what? Because the targets of Cerberus' sick little projects aren't human? Because they're not your children?" He gives a shake of his head, "They're someone's children. I have friends. Family, that aren't human. And it could've been any one of them that were
just used to whatever ends you people justify as a worthy cause and then discarded. What's the point of stopping one monster if you just replace it with another?"
Amel offers a faint, sad smile, a heavy sigh escaping her. "If you think I approve of all the things that have been done in the name of Cerberus, then you are mistaken. I have tried my best to do the right thing, but I hold no illusions that my hands are clean in all this. Cerberus has done terrible things. Yes. But they have done good, too. And if our work can save billions of lives... if it can save the last family
Jason gives a brief, short nod. She certainly makes a strong argument. After all, there's not much he wouldn't do if it meant protecting Linda. Sticking a chip in her brain to sieze control of her, however? That's certainly on that list. "Then I wish you the best. And I hope when this is all over, you're still able to sleep at night..." he says. His tone has drastically calmed down No more anger is left in his voice. Maybe even a
hint of respect. Despite obviously disagreeing with her methods, it's hard not to have some respect for someone willing to go to such extreme lengths for those she loves. But there's also sadness in his voice. Sadness for Vasquez. That so many good memories and happiness are going to be replaced by anger and resentment. She's been given an opportunity that he only dreamed about. A second chance. It's a painful thing to
watch slip away. "If any of your people come for us. For Linda. For me. For any of our people... It won't end well for them..." He looks down to his Phalanx briefly. It's not a threat. Just a warning. And a sincere warning at that. He pulls his jacket open and slides the Phalanx back into its holster.
Amel listens in silence, her hands moving to her coat's pockets and her gaze falling once more. When he finishes she meets his gaze again, and gives a small nod, her expression neutral, but her eyes, and her voice, carries sadness, and perhaps... regret? "That won't happen." It seems like there's a great deal more she would like to say, but she remains silent as she looks at him.
Jason remains in place. Silent as he looks Amel over. "She loves you." he says before giving a brief shrug, "She's angry and hurt... But she loves you." He sucks in a deep breath before nodding a few times to himself and glancing towards the door he entered from with a quick gesture. "I should be getting home. Linda's probably wondering what's keeping me. I was out picking up some food." he explains, allowing a small, lopsided
smirk to cross his lips, "We-... Uhh, we're probably going to have a quick bite with some friends. Maybe watch some TV. Finish planning this wedding of ours..." It's a small attempt at a gesture of kindness. A window into their life together. The sort of mundane conversations they should be having. "...She's gonna be alright." he assures, "I'm gonna make sure of it. Okay?"
Amel blinks. She does her best to maintain her stoic expression, but it's not hard to tell that she's struggling to hold back tears at this point. A faint smile briefly crosses her lips and she nods. "Thank you." she says, her voice little more than a whisper as she stands there watching him, looking like a thousand thoughts are running through her head.
Jason takes a couple of steps backwards towards the door before giving a single nod in response and turning away. It's pretty clear that he's more than a little emotional by this point as well. As he reaches the door, he taps the interface and steps through. "Birthday cards." he repeats, glancing back over his shoulders to force a smile her way before disappearing out of sight.
Amel reaches out as Jason nears the door - a pointless gesture considering how far away she is - and calls out, echoing all over the bare concrete walls: "Wait!" A moment's silence follows, hesitation briefly crossing her face before she asks. "Is-... is it true that you are-.... that she is-..." she trails off, unable to finish the sentence.
Jason steps back into sight, pressing one hand against the doorframe. He glances to the ground for a moment before searching her face again. "...Yeah." he says, his smile growing a bit more genuine despite the sadness behind it. A sadness because their child will most likely grow up never knowing any grandparents. "You're-... Uhh.... You're gonna be a grandmother..."
Amel almost staggers back slightly. She bites her her lower lip, closing her eyes as she tries and fails to hold back her tears now. A quiet, choked up noise is all that escapes as she looks first down, and then off to the side at the frosted-over windows that line the top of the warehouse wall. She gives a few rapid nods, saying nothing more, and avoiding looking Jason's way.
Jason's smile very rapidly fades away. Despite everything that had happened, this was still Linda's mother. And he certainly didn't wish to cause her harm, emotional or otherwise. Okay, maybe at first he did, but now? "...It's not too late." he says simply, giving a soft shrug of his shoulders. "Look... I can't tell you what to do here." he offers. His feelings are a mix of sadness and frustration. There's a sudden awareness of
exactly where Vasquez' stubborness comes from. And there's a part of him that just wants to run across the room and shake the crap out of her. Ask her why she would possibly be willing to give up a second chance at a life with her children for an organization that doesn't even value life. No matter the stakes. "...But it all starts with opening that line of communication. Giving the opportunity to heal. It won't be easy
but, fuck... What is in life?" He glances back towards his car before stepping back through the door and out of the gust of wind. "Your daughter is an incredible woman... I promise you it's worth it..."
Amel brings a gloved hand up to her face, wiping the tears from each cheek with her thumb as she recomposes herself and looks back to Jason with a sad smile. "One does not simply walk away from Cerberus." she says, a hint of regret in her voice. "My path is set. But I would talk, if she were willing to. I... leave in two days. It is... unlikely that my work will ever bring me to this world again."
Jason sighs deeply. It's far from the position he wanted to find himself in. He sucks in a deep breath, fixing his gaze to a random point on the floor as he nods a few times and folds his arms across his chest. He tries to unjumble the thoughts racing through his mind with little luck. "I-... I'll talk to her." he finally says softly before shutting his eyes, already dreading that conversation. "The last thing I want is for Linda
to wake up ten years from now and have regrets...." he says with another sigh. "I assume you have a way of getting your contact info to me...?" Nah. She can cut through your security like an omni-blade through butter, but can't figure out how to use the extranet. He rolls his eyes at his own stupidity.
Amel nods, a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of her lips. "Thank you, Jason." she says quietly.
Jason snorts, though a smile does cross his lips. Yep... This is going to be an interesting discussion. "Just don't make me regret this." he says. "Whatever she decides... You need to respect that. It doesn't mean you need to give up... But you need to respect it. She's got enough stress in her life right now." He brings a hand up to his face and runs it through his hair as a sharp pain begins to form in the pit of his stomach.
Jason holds Amel's gaze for just a moment longer before nodding and stepping back through the door. The cold chill causes him to immediately zip his jacket back up and tug at the collar. This was not how he saw this night going. And now, more than ever, as he walks back to his car through the snow he can't help himself from missing his own mother. And then the guilt follows. Guilt for having so few memories of her to even hold on
Viper is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps even she realized this wasn't the time to stick around to poke Jason's buttons. Or perhaps she just got bored waiting.
Jason climbs into his car and checks the backseat. A cursory glance isn't enough. He leans back, running his hand back and forth across the seat to make sure she's not lurking around.