ZRP-2: Chapter 4, Backtracking

(Allie)

"Is it a good idea to send kids to scout..?"

(James)
=I chuckled a little=
"I'd like to see you call Eve a kid. Trust me Ace, she's more than capable."

=Then I looked to Hibiki, and did my best to be cute=
"Well....no one's stopping you."

(Sam)
"Same here Eve."

(Allie)

I grin.

"Alright, so what do I do?"

*Cooper*
=He answered for James=
"Like we said, get rested, check your gear, and get prepped. I can give you access to the armory in the stadium if you need anything extra."

"You're right. I should go fly solo while you act cute for Cooper." Hibiki delivered deadpan before walking off.

Eve smiled, hugging just a bit tighter.

(James)
=Nodding to Cooper and Ace, I followed after Hibiki=
"Oh hey, I was just joking Hibiki."

(Sam)
=I returned the hug, unsure of what to say next=

Hibiki grinned.
"I know."

Eve stayed silent, scared she'd say something wrong.

(James)
=Smiling myself now, I walked beside her. The smile faded a little, as I got serious=
"So....I know she can take care of herself, but are you sure about sending Eve out there to scout?"

"She's one of the best we have. Pair her with Sam for added protection, and we have an unbeatable combination. I know they can do this." She said.

(James)
Unbeatable combination....God, how I wished that was the case.
=The words reverberated through my mind, as I climbed into the bus behind Hibiki=

--68 Hours Earlier--

(James)
"Yeah. Yeah, they should be fine. Just get in range, give it a look over and come back. Nothing to worry about, right?"

Hibiki stayed near the front.
"Once this bus stops James, I'm not going to wait for you. I'm not risking either of them being subjected to any horror beyond what they already have."

--68 Hours Earlier--
"Yep. Then we go in and destroy the place."

(James)
"Dammit Hibiki.....alright. But just try, and stay with me, okay? Because I've already had to live right now, with the two of them being captured, or worse. I don't want to add you to the list."

--68 Hours earlier--

(James)
"If it were that easy...."
=Still, I doubted it was going to be much trouble. We managed to beat them back, and bloodied them up too=

"The day you add me to the list is the day Eve stops being my daughter." Hibiki shot back.

--68 Hours earlier--

"Nothing is easy." Hibiki said sadly.

Eve moved a bit. "Sam? You're warm..."

(James)
"And that's never going to happen."
=it was all I could say before found a place to stand in the bus, hand gripping the rail=

--68 Hours Earlier--

(James)
"Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky."

(Sam)
"Just the combined body heat."

(Andrew)

=I climb into the bus behind them, finding a spot behind the two=

God have mercy on those sons of bitches...

=I stay silent, my mind focused on the task at hand, keeping a firm grip on the rail=

--68 Hours Earlier--

=I stand there, silent, wanting to get as much rest as possible=

Like I said...we need it...

(Allie)

I turn and look at 'Cooper'

"... sup."

*Cooper*
=He didn't really have a response for that=
"If you need some new gear, follow me. I'll show you to the armory."

(Allie)

I nod and follow.

"Alright."

*Cooper*
=Silently, he led her to the stadium. As they walked, people were moving to secure the other walls, checking to make sure that no other attacks would catch them by surprise=

(Allie)

I follow behind, look around as I go.

=It was still new, the towns people within the compound. While some remained in the apartment building, repairing or even reinforcing it, others chose to explore the entire compound itself. It translated into exploring the vacant buildings around them, still safely within the confines of the compound itself. Most of the parents sighed in frustration, already anticipating a lot of time spent searching for their exploring kids=

*Cooper*
"So, I noticed you used a sniper. What kind do you use?"

(Allie)

I grin, taking much pride about my rifle.

".338 Model 98B, B's for Barrett."

Eve shooked her head.
"No...you're always warm and safe to me."

*Cooper*
"Impressive. How have you managed to keep the gun working for so long?"
=They reached the outside of the stadium=

(Sam)
"Eh, I don't know. I've been cold before, and not so soft."

(Allie)

I laugh.

"She's my baby, only gun I've used since boot camp. I clean her, and treat her with care."

*Cooper*
=He grunted in agreement, since he took care of his own weapons=
"Still, must be running low on cleaning tools."

=They walked inside, now moving down the hall=

Eve nuzzles Sam's chest again. "Soft and warm to me...isn't that what matters?"
She smiled.

(Allie)

I frown.

"I've manged with scavenging and using my kit wisely, she's seen better days when I could do a full proper cleaning, but she's still fluid and thats what counts."

(Sam)
"Yeah, I suppose."
=Still, while I cared for Eve and her opinion of me.....I was never one for letting one person's opinion, no matter how much I liked, respected, or loved them, be the sole thing that drove me=

(James)
=We got back to the room. It felt like days instead of the few hours, since I was last in here. Hell, I had still just gotten married today, and even then there wasn't enough time to really bask in it. Made me question whether getting married was really something to have bothered with, considering Hibiki and I were committed to each other=

*Cooper*
=They entered the armory, and he waved a hand in front of him, showing Ace all the hardware=
"Well, today's your lucky day. We have some cleaning materials to spare."

Eve fell silent, just stroking Sam's back gently.

Hibiki pulled James to her, her arms going around his neck as she kissed him.
"I love you."

(James)
=I was caught off guard by the kiss, but that didn't mean I hated it. It felt good, and it made me reach a hand up to the back of her head, tangle my fingers in her hair, and pull her back in for another kiss=
"I love you too."

(Allie)

My eyes light up and I smile.

"Thanks chief!"

I crack my knuckles and look at the gear.

Once the kiss was done, Hibiki rested her forehead against James'.
"Wonder what we should do now..."

(James)
"Well, I'd order a glass of champagne and a 'Do Not Disturb' sign, but..."
=I trailed off, as my hand came to rest once more on her belly. It was starting to become a standard spot for my hand to go it seemed=

*Cooper*
"Just, try not to take everything. Remember, more than one person here."

(Allie)

I turn back and give a nod.

"Understood, I only need a few things."

Hibiki placed a hand over James' with a smile.
"We can just lie down for awhile then."

(James)
"Heh, yeah I guess. Or hell, maybe when we're both rested, you can try and teach me some of those fighting moves of yours."
=Still, I gripped her hand, and led us to the bed and sat down=

*Cooper*
=Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile. She was acting like a kid in a candy store=
"Alright, but feel free to take your time. You won't be scouting till tomorrow."

(Allie)

I pause and think.

"You wouldn't happen to have a gillie Suit would you?"

Hibiki laid down, resting her head in James' lap, looking up at him.
"Am I doing the right thing James, allowing Eve to scout?" She asked. "Or...am I being a bad parent?"

*Cooper*
=He grimaced=
"Afraid not. We never came across any of them not even in the sporting goods stores."

(James)
=I looked down at her, my fingers trailing in her hair=
"I wouldn't say you're being a bad parent. She's old enough to make her own choices now, and she can certainly take care of herself. Besides...."

=I sighed a little, mostly because of what I was going to say=
"In this world, there's no time to really be a kid. No time to have that part of your life, where you depend on others."

(Allie)

I pull out my kit and add the new additions into the bag.

"Damn, I could always make one if I need to. I always feel better knowing the enemy can't see me, gives me that ghost feel and scares the shit out of them."

I grin.

"Old habits die hard."

Hibiki closed her eyes, hands rssting on her stomach.
"I wish it wasn't that world."

Eve's breathing started to slow.
"Permission...to sleep, Captain?" She managed jokingly.
Long day tomorrow.
She'll need her rest

*Cooper*
"Yeah well, these are the same guys that charged gun toting soldiers in an assault on our home turf, and killed most of my men using melee weaponry. And, they've all had two years to live in a world where the dead are walking around trying to eat us. Not sure they have much else to be afraid of."

(Sam)
"Permission granted. And hey, does this make me Kirk?"
=What? Kirk always got the girls=

(James)
"Same. But...not much we can do now. All we can do is make some parts safe enough for a family, like us, to live in. Live in peace."

"You haven't banged me yet, Sam." Eve reminded her as she closed her eyes to sleep.

Hibiki sighed softly. "Yeah..."

(Sam)
=I giggled=
"Well, chalk that up to a work in progress."

(James)
=Nothing else to say, I sat there, stroking her hair=

(Allie)

I shrug.

"Touche. Still it would give me a upper hand to not dying."

Content with the supplies I walk over to cooper and shake his hand.

"I'll see you on the morrow."

*Cooper*
=He shook her hand, a small smile playing on his lips=
"Good luck."

Eve nya'd.
"I'm holding you to that Commander Shepard." She said before falling asleep.

Hibiki just laid there quietly.

(Allie)

I return to my little hold and plop down in my tent. I pull out my cleaning kit and give a quick tune up while humming a tune. Fun day tomorrow.

(James)
=The bus jerked under me, as the driver put his foot down on the pedal. We were moving at a decent speed down the street, winding our way through the buildings. We had to choose the route that would both get us to the east side of the Raider compound, and keep us as unseen as possible=

--66 Hours Ago--

(James)
=Two hours after Hibiki and I had taken our nap (yes we had just taken a nap and nothing more) she and I stood in the hotel gym. I was sorta surprised to find out the place had a gym, but then again today was full of surprises. Hibiki and I were sparring, if you could believe it, the two of us standing on a wide open mat, and wearing nothing but shirts and sweats. It wasn't a grudge match, more like practice. She was teaching me a few things, and I was doing....poorly. Given the number of times I was kissing the mat, I was practically cheating on Hibiki=