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[wentnuclear]

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action! gym

[oorah]

[ frank has just finished his daily rounds with max, checking each deck for any new activity or... arrivals. he looks out for holden every day now, with or without alex, and while he tells himself he isn't- he also watches for david, just in case. as much as he's put that man enough grief, he sure would be a sight for sore eyes here. he drops off the exhausted dog at karen's place and heads for the gym, remembering what alex told him about low g. he's also just... oddly restless despite the long walk. he starts for the weight machines, but when he spots a familiar face on the treadmill he heads that way instead, standing in front of raleigh unsubtly. ]

Where's your better half? [ he's gotten so used to seeing him with mako, it's odd to see them apart tbh. ]

Re: action! gym

[wentnuclear]

[ Raleigh hears the gym door slide open but doesn't glance to see who's come in -- chances are they'll leave him be, running on the machine with his jumpsuit unzipped and the top half hanging around his hips, scars in full view. Except whoever it is does come over, and as they come around the machine he sees that it's Frank. Hey, man. He keeps running, but his mouth quirks at the phrasing. The other guy's not going to drop this 'you should be a couple' narrative, is he? It's been on Raleigh's mind, at least. ]

She mentioned getting a lesson from one of the space engineers today. That's a little over my head.

[oorah]

[ he returns the smile, albeit a little lamely, and he can't hold onto it so it quickly falls away again. ]

Amos? [ taking a guess. it's probably either him or naomi anyway. ] Yeah, Karen and I have been learning from him. I only pick up about every third word.

[wentnuclear]

[ A nod at the first name, and then a little tilt at the next one Frank offers. ]

Yeah, him and Naomi. It's good someone on this station knows what the hell they're doing, the place looks like it's falling apart already.

Who's Karen?

[oorah]

[ he nods. raleigh can say that again. frank would be worried about it if he could do one damn thing about it, but until they get through the doors there's only so much even amos and naomi can do. the question about karen gives him visible pause, and he lifts a hand to scratch at his eyebrow. ]

She's someone I know from home. Karen Page. [ a beat as he considers saying more, not that it makes any difference. but he pushes out a subtitle anyway, just because it seems relevant in the moment. ] She's the best damn investigative journalist the Kitchen's ever seen.. [ ... ] If anyone can blow the lid off this thing, she can.

[ he knows if she were here she'd only find his faith in her, his optimism, trying. but good for both of them, she isn't. ]

[wentnuclear]

[ Raleigh slows his run to a stop as he listens, the mechanical gears that provide resistance slowing with a soft whir. All the exercise machines here are sort of strange, but from what Alex said they're designed specifically for gravity training. This particular one is a lot like an elliptical, except the mag boots click into place like his drivesuit does to the conn pod controls. So in that way, it's familiar enough he adjusted without much trouble. He disengages his boots and steps down, lifting one of his jumpsuit sleeves to wipe his forehead. ]

Investigative journalist? [ Sounds useful, actually, especially when it comes to figuring out if there's a link between who's been brought here, and determining if the messages some people have been getting are legit. Raleigh nods in what looks like approval. ] What kind of stuff does she usually dig into? Crime, politics?

[oorah]

[ he thinks of his own story and just nods. that one encompassed both pretty smoothly. ]

Both, either. Whatever needs digging into. [ he gives a little shrug, looking around the room a minute. there's nothing he particularly feels like engaging with in this room, save raleigh. maybe he can convince him to go for a friendly spar. well, as friendly as he ever gets. ] She's like a dog with a bone when she grips onto a case. It's somethin' to see.

[ karen won't be the one on this barge to let them down. frank knows she'll never give up, it's her most infuriating (and useful) quality. ]

[wentnuclear]

[ A friendly spar is absolutely possible, he's just taking a moment to stretch out. ]

I'll pass anything that comes our way to her, then. Not that we've found anything useful since Mako got that weird recording early on... you guys know about the wires planted in people, right?

[oorah]

[ frank starts stretching too, power of suggestion maybe. remembering alex's words about keeping active, not losing muscle mass. he's there already anyway, down at least 5 pounds since coming here. ]

Yeah, I sewed someone up after it happened, nasty shit. [ a beat and he leans closer when he pauses after a lunge, even though there's no one else in the room to overhear them. ] Karen found something. Pages from- an instruction manual or. I don't know. It's about the doors.

[wentnuclear]

Me too. I've never actually done that before... or the cutting someone open part. They just taught us on bananas in training. But I think he'll heal up okay.

[ Then Frank leans in to confide another discovery, and Raleigh blinks at the news. ]

What, seriously? Why are you keeping that quiet? The engineers have gotten panels open but the controls are dead, maybe there's a bypass.

[oorah]

[ frank shrugs, remembering the bizarre wound on clara, how she probably wasn't human but he'd stitched her up like she was anyway. ] I've done it a few times - mostly on myself. Sure he'll be fine. [ frank moves on with a shrug- ]

Because I don't know if it's legit yet. I'm gonna run it by someone who knows better than me if Karen and I can find the override. [ a beat ] Or if we can't.

[ it's habit to keep the pool of knowledge small, even if he should maybe make a network posting, tell everyone. but that could endanger people too, if they're all going for the doors. frank rubs at the scar on his right palm reflexively in memory of the door swallowing karen, the subsequent helplessness he'd felt. ]

It said there was a code for each one. A different code. Now- if that's even true, it's gonna take us a long time to crack it. [ he's seen what happens when people know they're cornered. he'd rather not deal with a riot when they're actually making progress. ]

[wentnuclear]

[ Hmm. Maybe discretion is best, Raleigh's not exactly a mastermind when it comes to this kind of thing. A rush on the doors could be dangerous, it's true. But the more minds set to a problem, the faster it can potentially be solved. Especially if it's codebreaking, since the news that every door has its own code is less than encouraging. His expression falls a bit, brows knitting. ]

I'd want to at least tell an engineer or two, but. Did it say how many digits?

[oorah]

[ he nods, telling nerds nerd stuff is good. telling everyone nerd stuff is mass hysteria. then he's shaking his head right after at the question, arms moving to bar his across his chest. ]

No. That's all it said. That the codes correspond to some other manual. For the crew.

action!

[setpoint]

[Mako's been working on the portrait in snatches. She and Raleigh are almost always together, and she wants it to be a surprise, so it takes her longer than it would normally, drawn when he's with other people, or training, or on the rare occasions when he falls asleep.

When it's finally done, Mako waits until Raleigh leaves to take a shower, then sets it on the tiny table in their room. It isn't a photographic likeness—she's working off of Raleigh's memories, the ones she picked up on in the Drift, and she's sure they've gone a bit fuzzy with time. It's close, though, and before he gets back, she slips out of their room to let him find it alone.]

[wentnuclear]

[ Raleigh comes out of the shower expecting Mako to still be in the room, so of course the first thing he wonders is where she went. He scolds himself for being ridiculous -- she's got a life, even here, she can go to breakfast alone, or maybe to meet one of the other engineers, or just wanted to check the command deck again. He's not super useful for the latter things and they don't need to know where the other is all the time. Still, he doesn't have anything planned for the day so now he has to figure out what to do alone. He's crossing back to the dresser to grab a clean jumpsuit when something on the table catches his eye. Mako's pulled a page from her sketchbook, and he leans in to see what it is.

Oh.

It takes him a minute to realize he's holding his breath, and lets it out in a long slow exhale, reaching for the paper. It's Yancy. And more than recognizing the person, he recognizes the moment she's drawn. Hey, kid. Don't get cocky. He can hear his brother's voice in his head, and Mako got his grin perfect, the look in his eyes. Yancy, his big brother, always looking out for him. Always calling him kiddo. The old man, despite them barely being three years apart. The responsible one, the grounded one. Raleigh wonders what Yancy would think of him now.

Quietly, Raleigh makes it over to the dresser and sets the sketch down for a moment to open the first aid kit and tear off a length of medical tape. He curls it into a loop, then carefully presses it to the back of the sketch, tacking it up on the wall above the Gipsy figurine. There. He should finish getting dressed now, but is probably still looking at it when Mako comes back. ]

[setpoint]

[Mako gives him a bit of time, because she's not sure what sort of emotions it might stir up, if he'll appreciate it or if it will dredge up bad memories. She's almost certain he'd want some reminder of Yancy around, even just a drawing, but there's always the off chance.

She comes back about twenty minutes later, more nervous than she thought she'd be, and after she hits the panel to open the door, she finds him standing there, staring at it. It's nearly impossible for her to think of anything to say, and she tangles her hands in front of her, twisting her fingers together nervously.]

...Do you like it?

[wentnuclear]

[ The door sliding open snaps Raleigh out of the daze of his memories and he turns to her, blinking telltale shine out of his eyes. He did want a reminder, always has one on him at home but the photo didn't come along with him here. So yes. He likes it. A single nod, and he reaches out one hand to motion her over. ]

It's perfect. C'mere.

[setpoint]

[She hesitates, just for a second, and then crosses the room, mag boots clicking as she does. It's so much easier now for her to fit herself against his side and wrap her arms around him. It's like she belongs there.]

I wanted you to have a piece of him, even if it isn't the same.

[wentnuclear]

[ Mako settles against him and Raleigh turns a little more, wraps both arms around her and holds on, closing his eyes and pressing his face into her hair for a moment. A small indulgence, taking comfort in her warmth and the feel of her solid and real in his grip. ]

Thank you, Mako.

[ He grins a little. ]

Yancy would've loved you, you know.

[setpoint]

[Mako lets out a contented sigh, eyes closing when he presses closer. There are times when she wishes they could just stay like this forever, as irrational and ridiculous a thought as it is. Ever since they started sharing a bed, it's been getting harder and harder to keep her distance.

The comment about Yancy snaps her out of those thoughts, though. She's wondered that, sometimes. What Yancy would think of her, as a person and as a copilot to his little brother. Everything she knows about Yancy is filtered through Raleigh, aside from the endless dossiers and mission reports she's read through, but...]

I think I would have liked him, too.

[wentnuclear]

[ If he knew she was wondering, he'd just double down on it. He's super biased, but what's not to like about Mako, really? ]

We butted heads all the time, you know. I think you would've liked him better than me. I was cocky and reckless. Besides, Yancy was always better than me at everything. Drove me sort of crazy.

[setpoint]

[Mako lets out a little huff of a breath.]

I doubt that's true.

[Talk about biased.]

[wentnuclear]

[ Raleigh hums his disagreement, but his voice is fairly light when he speaks again considering the topic. ]

It's totally true. He was smarter, stronger, always picked things up faster. He was the natural, the golden boy. Even better with girls. Sometimes I felt like I was just along for the ride.

[setpoint]

Better with girls?

[Raleigh please.]

Most people considered both of you the golden boys.

[wentnuclear]

My record didn't mention the time we almost got booted from the program because we were fighting over a groupie?

[ He shrugs a little, the movement shifting her against him -- he hasn't let go. ]

I guess we both were. But Yancy more than me. Just... better.