1.2.6 Carefully laid plans II (Patreon)

(3700 words or so, the continuation of the last one, now with Sidestep pickup. Not all variables, friendly boss and variable leadership. )

----

"Stop and open the doors. No need to get me out yet, if we do this smart we can roll me from one van to the other."

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" You can feel his concern as a visceral thing, a sour taste at the back of his tongue. "I'm the Marshal, your people might not apprechiate that."

*fake_choice

#"You broke me out, don't pretend you're not one of us now."

"You broke me out, don't pretend you're not one of us now." You can't see Chen's face where he's leaning against the open doors, but you can sense the tension.

"That's not how this goes," he says, though softer than you'd thought he'd deny that particular accusation. "I helped you out for many reasons, that doesn't mean I've switched sides."

"So once we part, we're what?" Just because he didn't raise his voice doesn't mean you won't. Nobody around to hear. "Back to being enemies?"

"Are we?" This time Chen looks back at you, face mostly in shadow.

*if thief

"Are we enemies? The Rangers don't catch thieves..."

*elseif anarchist

"Are we enemies? I get the feeling you've got bigger goals than being a criminal."

*elseif boss

"Are we enemies? There are a lot of criminal networks in Los Diablos, and the Rangers doesn't bother with most of them."

*elseif prepare_them

"Are we enemies? I don't get the feeling that's why you're fighting everybody..."

*else

"I'm not sure you have enemies as much as people you really want to beat up."

"That's not what I'm talking about." You're not about to have a philosophical discussion about your current career. "You work for the government. I'm stolen government property. That makes us enemies on an existential level. You need to understand that."

"Then we are not enemies." Chen says the words fast enough to have them ready. He must have been thinking about it for a while. "I don't agree with what's been done to you, and others like you."

"Say the word," you snap.

"Re-Genes. You're not property, you're people."

"Your bosses doesn't think so."

"Then they can go fuck themselves." A frustrated sigh. "I don't know how I will deal with this, but nothing's going to be the way it used to be. I can promise you that. Anything else I need to think about."

#"Do you really think anybody will recognize you?"

"Do you really think anybody will recognize you?" You can't see Chen's face where he's leaning against the open doors, but he's dressed like your average veteran down on his luck, and with the cap down his face won't be too visible.

"Maybe not in the dog park or out on town, but..." he looks back over his shoulder, his face in shadow. "I assume whoever's coming to pick you up is a professional. They'd be bad at their job if they couldn't recognize the Marshal."

"That's a fair point." You could make them mot recognize him, but you don't say that part out loud. You suspect he'd disapprove. "But it won't matter. They've got a job to do."

"If you say so. I'd rather avoid getting shot at if I can help it."

"That's not going to happen," you assure.

*if boss

You don't think ZaZa is on the pickup team, and that's the one loose cannon you'd be worried about.

"You want this, doesn't you?" Chen turns around fully, so he can try to read your bruised face. "You want me associated with you. You want me to see the faces of your people. You want me invested."

"I do." You can't stop the smile. "You wouldn't have broken me out if you weren't already halfway in."

"I wouldn't say that," he says with a deep sigh. "I need to think about this."

#"Does it bother you to get this involved?"

"Does it bother you to get this involved?" You can't see Chen's face where he's leaning against the open doors, but you can feel the tension of his shoulders.

"I'm not going to lie, of course it does." He shifts, but doesn't turn around to face you. "I'm the Marshal."

"So why are you doing it? You could drive out of here right now, you know I'm safe."

"Because I can't stop thinking about the fact that you want this." Chen turns around fully, so he can try to read your bruised face. "You want me associated with you. You want me to see the faces of your people. You want me invested."

"I do." You can't stop the smile. "You wouldn't have broken me out if you weren't already halfway in."

"I wouldn't say that," he says with a deep sigh. "I need to think about this before I make more rash decisions."

"You'll have time to think." You rub your sore arm as you feel a vehicle approaching, familiar thoughts behind the wheel. "I need time to heal before my next move."

"I hear a car," Chen cautions, stepping back in the shadow of the open door.

"It's my ride," you say with a thin smile. "Hang back and let me do the talking."

Chen nods and pulls the cap down over his eyes, partly to shield against the headlights, partly to hide his identity.

*if boss

*goto chenboss

*elseif rosie

*goto chenrosie

*else

*goto chenbo

*label chenbo

You pull out the phone, calling Bo as you feel his approaching thoughts. They're always slippery when he's driving, hard to mistake for someone else.

"There's an alley to your left, right across the closed drycleaners. We're parked there, just back the van in enough that it's hidden from the street, then get out so we can talk."

[i]"You're not alone, boss?"[/i] Bo's voice is cautious, you can sense his suspicion. Is this a trap? Are you a hostage? Why the reason for this convoluted pickup?

"I'm hurt," you admit, brushing away his suspicions like cobwebs. He's a cautious man, that's what kept him alive and out of jail so far. "Badly. I've had help getting there, don't worry about him. I trust him." You hear Chen groan quietly at the last bit.

[i]"Shit. I'll be right there."[/i] The dark van rolls past the opening, then skillfully reverses in. Smooth, no hesitation. He does hesitate before stepping out though, and you can feel a quickly suppressed urge to draw a weapon.

"It's fine," you call out. "Just a bit indisposed." You gesture to your legs.

"Shit," Bo repeats with emphasis. "Wasn't sure if you were involved in that crash downtown." Interesting. You didn't tell him any details, looks like he's good at adding things up. "You're sure you're okay with showing me your face, boss?"

"We're at the point where I need to reveal some secrets," you admit with a sigh. Luckily nobody questions why he believes you so readily. Trust is an easy thing to pull forward, especially when it is about something he already wants. Be a part of something. Be trusted.

"Well, thanks for trusting me." His eyes go to Chen, who is still lounging against the side of the van. "Looks like I wasn't first on the list."

"No," you admit. "$!{puppet_name} knows."

"That ain't ${puppet_name}." Bo frowns. "Where have I..."

"Don't worry," Chen says, taking a step forward into the dim light of the interior of the van. "I'm just here for the delivery."

"Fuck." Bo takes a step backward, and you feel his mind go into a slippery slide of panic, and oh, shit, you put an abrupt stop to it because there was a hidden rifle at the end of it and you had no idea Bo could be this trigger happy. "You do know that's the Marshal, right?"

*fake_choice

#"I do. We know each other from before. He won't arrest us."

"I do," you admit, because Bo's mind is close to boiling over, and you need to shut down the worst before something happens. "We know each other from before. He won't arrest us."

"I wont," Chen says, hands open. "Just driving the car."

"That's my line," Bo says, as close to a growl as you've ever heard. "But fine. Let's get this over with."

#"And he broke me out from the Rangers' headquarters."

"And he broke me out from the Rangers' headquarters," you say, doing your best to lean on Bo's mind to keep him calm. It's hard, like pressing a lid on a boiling pot. Sooner or later the pressure will be too much. "He's on our side in this."

"I doubt that," Bo says, as close to a growl as you've ever heard.

"I wont arrest you," Chen says, hands open. "Is that good enough?"

"I suppose it will have to be." Bo runs a hand over his head, looking like he'd rather walk out of here. "Let's get this over with fast."

#"Doesn't matter what he is, he's leaving as soon as we're done."

"Doesn't matter what he is, he's leaving as soon as we're done." you say, doing your best to lean on Bo's mind to keep him calm. It's hard, like pressing a lid on a boiling pot. Sooner or later the pressure will be too much. "That's all you need to know."

"No, boss, that won't be good enough," Bo says, as close to a growl as you've ever heard. "I need to know. Are you working with the Rangers?"

"I'm not," you say, impressed despite yourself that Bo is strong enough to break through your trusting calm and question you. "He's breaking the law as much as we are here."

"I'm not doing this as Marshal," Chen says, hands open. "Is that good enough?"

"I suppose it will have to be." Bo runs a hand over his head, looking like he'd rather walk out of here. "Let's get this over with fast."

"Do I know you?" Chen looks honestly troubled, as if Bo's reaction has triggered something in him.

"No, you don't." Bo has his back turned, opening the doors to his van. "But I know who you work for. Not exactly inspiring trust, even if the boss says so."

"If you back the van closer I can roll over more easily," you say, trying to change the subject. This is new, Bo is usually laid back and calm, this is a new side of him. You're hurting too much to dig deeper, but it looks like Bo is carrying more grudges than you thought.

"Sure, boss." He climbs back into the van, movements rough and angry.

"Get in here," you say to Chen, who climbs back into the van with you.

The van starts back up and reverses into position. Chen carefully helps you across the gap, rolling you over to the far end. The van rumbles forward a meter or two again, and he holds you steady as it stops once more. Enough space to close the doors.

"You'd better go," you say, still feeling Bo's barely contained simmer. "Before something happens."

"Stay safe." Chen gives you a long look before jumping down. "We'll be in touch later."

"Bold to assume you can find me." You try for a bold grin, but it's more of a pained grimace.

"I know you can find me," he says, returning the smile before he climbs back in the van and continues down the alley until he reaches the street.

It takes until the van is gone until Bo gets out and climbs in the back with you. "Sorry about that, boss," he mumbles as he improvises a way to wedge your wheelchair in place so it won't roll around.

"Nothing to be sorry about," you mumble, part of you glad that this has distracted from the fact that you're not half as impressive in person, out of your armor. "You don't like the Marshal. That's natural."

"More like who he works for." Bo stands up, tugging a bit on your wheelchair. "But we can talk about that later. Where do you want to drop me off?"

"My base. Keep a line open on your phone, and I'll guide you in."

"Huh. Looks like I learn a lot of secrets today," he mumbles as he climbs out. "Do they come with a pay increase?"

"And here I thought you were ready to dump be because of my choice of escape?"

"Can't say I approve, but I'm not quitting." He looks back as he's about to close the doors. "So keep thinking about that raise."

"Sure you say," picking up your phone. He's going to have to earn every penny in the coming weeks.

The van starts rolling, and you grit your teeth. On the road.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive

*label chenrosie

You pull out the phone, calling Rosie as you feel her approaching thoughts. Focused, looking for the right address.

"There's an alley to your left, right across the closed drycleaners. We're parked there, just back the van in enough that it's hidden from the street, then get out so we can talk."

[i]"Hope the alley ain't too narrow."[/i] Rosie feels concerned, she's not that used to driving a van as big as this. [i]"Let me know when to stop so I won't hit you."[/i]

"There's another van on the way, so I'm safe. Just take it carefully."

[i]"Okay."[/i] She hangs up, slowly backing the van inside the alley. There's a scraping sound as she hits one wall, swearing loudly as she pulls away. You can feel her frustration when she finally stops.

"I'll stay in the background," Chen says, taking a step back as the doors open.

"Is that you, boss?" Rosie peers into the dimly lit van, confusion coloring her thoughts.

"A bit worse for wear," you admit as you brush away cobwebs of suspicion and doubt. Of course this is you, just without your armor. "As you can see."

"Yeah," she looks you over, shaking her head. "Damn, who the hell messed you up?"

"A car."

"Seriously?" She barely resists tapping one of your casts as she leans into the truck.

"Not my proudest moment. And I wasn't wearing my armor."

"See," she straightens her back, "I wouldn't go outside without if I was that soft. No offense boss, but you could have died."

"I am aware of that," you say, not sure whether to be offended or amused by her worry. "But I didn't. And you get the bonus of seeing my face finally."

"Yeah," she says with a grin. "Somewhere behind the bruises. Speaking of..." her eyes narrow in Chen's direction. "Who's the bruiser?"

"My ride here." You look back at Chen who takes an awkeard step forward. "You knew I had other contacts than you."

"Yeah, but—" her thoughts light up as she recognizes Chen, and in the same moment she acts.

You always forget how fast Rosie is, one moment her eyes go wide, the next she's going for Chen's throat. Your exhausted mind is too slow to stop her, the violence came from nowhere, and just as you tangle your mental fingers in her thoughts the world turns upside down for her as Chen deposits her on the ground in a flawless throw.

"Stand down," he hisses.

"Fuck you, Marshal," she hisses back, tearing away her arm as she rolls back to get some distance.

"Stop it," you snap, and both of them freezes. "It's not a trap, he got me out of the Rangers' headquarters and got me here."

"Are you sure, boss?" Her eyes are narrow and her stance is ready. "Because I can take him."

"There's no need to. We're on the same side here." You look over at Chen, who is flexing his hand. One of the cybernetic fingers is stuck in an odd angle, and you can hear a tortured whine from the rest. "Right?"

"I'm not here to arrest anybody." He holds up his ruined hand. "And I'm not a threat."

"So..." Rosie's eyes narrow. "You're friends with the Marshal?"

*fake_choice

#"Of a sort. We go way back and he decided to help me out."

"Of a sort," you admit, unsure how to phrase this in a way she'll understand. "We go way back and he decided to help me out."

"Are you sure it's wise to let her know?" Chen looks between you two.

"She can add things up," you say with a sigh. "I used to be a hero. Back in the day."

#"Some people are not as squeaky clean as they come off."

"Some people are not as squeaky clean as they come off," you tease with a smirk. "He helped me escape."

"Don't remind me," Chen sighs.

"Oh... you two know each other then?" She looks between you, interest piqued.

"I used to be a hero," you admit. "Back in the day."

#"Yes. Though we might not agree on everything."

"Yes," you admit with a pained sigh. "Though we might not agree on everything."

"That's not an exaggeration." Chen gives you a long look.

"But..." Rosie looks between you. "Do you two know each other?"

"Yes," you say with a shrug. "I used to be a hero back in the day."

"Huh. That explains a lot." Rosie looks satisfied with the explanation. "You were one of the Rangers hangarounds?"

"Associate," you say sternly, giving Chen a glare as he stifles a laugh. "And we can talk about that later."

"Oh we are gonna," she says with a wide grin. "I want all the gossip."

"Good luck with that." Chen looks amused at the thought of you willingly sharing information. You can feel his relief that whoever you're working with now seems refreshingly normal for being in this business.

"We are here for a reason," you say, raising your voice. "And that is to get me out of here. Understood?"

"Sure, boss. You want us to carry you across?" Rosie gestures to the other van.

"If you think you can work together enough for that." You rethink having Rosie back the van up, she's not the best driver. She is however strong.

"If big boy's hand over there is alright?" Rosie winks at Chen, who sighs.

"It's functional. I don't need all the fingers for this." He walks up to your side, placing himself so his good hand can take the weight, while his broken one balances your legs.

"Alright then, let's do this!" Rosie takes the other side, a bit more awkwardly since she's shorter and has a worse angle. She's stronger though, so the process is surprisingly quick. They put you down gently, rolling you inside so you won't slide off.

"I'll better secure you. Wait a moment." Chen jumps down and walks over to the other van to get his things.

*if (((steelattraction) or (steel_flirting)) or (steelkiss))

"Are you looking at his ass?" Rosie whispers as Chen clambers into the van.

"No," you lie, doing your best not to show anything. "I'm about to pass out."

"Sure you are," she says with a sage nod.

"Shut up," you hiss back as Chen returns.

It's an awkward moment as Chen helps secure your wheelchair under Rosie's watchful eyes. Luckily, he's a quick worker and before you know it he's put of the van again.

"I'll head off now," he says. "Let's agree to forget this ever happened."

"Who's going to believe me?" Rosie jumps down after him. "If you keep your mouth shut, I'll do the same."

"Deal." There's a small nod in your direction, then he turns and starts up his van. There's low growl, and then he heads deeper down the alley to get back to the main road. A turn, and he's out of sight.

"Phew," Rosie sighs, rather theatrically. "Where you want me to take you? Looks like a hospital might be a good bet."

"No need. Just close the doors and drive me back to my base. Keep the phone running, I'll guide you there."

"Nice. More secrets." She cheerfully closes the door, then climbs back in the driver's seat.

The van starts rolling, and you grit your teeth. On the road.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive

*label chenboss

You pull out the phone, calling Pelayo as you feel his approaching thoughts. Focused, looking for the right address. Ward's next to him, being lookout.

"Listen up. There's an alley to your left, right across the closed drycleaners. We're parked there, just back the van in enough that it's hidden from the street, then get out so we can talk."

[i]"Roger that."[/i] Pelayo slows down. [i]"Anything we should watch out for?"[/i]

"There's another van on the way, stop before you hit it."

[i]"Understood, be right there."[/i]

The familiar van drives past, then reverses and backs into the alley. Not too deep, and Pelayo leaves the engine running as Ward steps out. Cautious. Keeping mostly in cover, body guarded by the cybernetic claw.

"Boss?"

*if boss_secret

"It's me, Ward." You give a tired wave from your wheelchair, but notices Ward is looking at Chen. "And that's my driver on the way here. As you can see I needed one."

"Yeah." A quick glance between the two of you. "You're not in your armor."

"If I had been, the car wouldn't have messed me up this badly." you try a lighter tone to brush away some of the mental cobwebs of suspicion.

*else

"It's okay, Ward." You give a tired wave from your wheelchair, but notices Ward is looking at Chen. "That's my driver on the way here, not an ambush. As you can see I needed one."

"Yeah, no kidding. What the hell happened?" Eyes still focused on Chen.

"Car crash. Things turned bad and my getaway car didn't have the best of luck."

"Shit. So it did turn bad." Ward raises a hand and gestures to Pelayo. You recognize it. Area secured.

"Yeah. I'll fill you in later." You let out a pained sigh. "You wanna help me over so I can get back to the base?"

"Sure." Ward steps forward as Pelayo gets out of the van at last. "Wanna give me a hand?" He looks over at Chen, then freezes in recognition.

"It's not a trap," you say with a groan.

"But it is the fucking Marshal," Ward says in disbelief. "What the hell?"

"That's what I want to know." Pelayo has his handgun drawn, aimed squarely at Chen, who has raised his hands. "Long time no see, Marshal Steel."

"Jorge Pelayo." Recognition sparks in Chen's mind. "I see you're not part of the Wolfpack anymore?"

"Merc jobs were starting to get a bit risky for what they pay. I decided to seek more permanent emplyment. Are we going to have an issue with that?" Pelayo's gun doesn't waver.

*fake_choice

#"Do you two know each other?"

"Do you two know each other?" You're not worried about Pelayo pulling the trigger, you can feel his thoughts and they are camp and controlled. This is just a show of force.

"He's a ranking member of the Wolfpack, we have run into each other on occasion." Chen is also calm, but you can feel him analyze the scene if things would go bad.

"You have arrested me," Pelayo adds, a grim smile on his lips.

"You took a shot at me," Chen replies, face serious. "Let's not repeat the experience."

"Boss?" He doesn't look at you, still keeps the weapon aimed at Chen.

"You can put it away, the Marshal got me this far. Let's not repay him with a bullet."

"Fine." Pelayo reluctantly holsters his gun.

#"Stop posturing and lower the gun. We're on the same side."

"Stop posturing and lower the gun," you snap. "We're all on the same side here, who do you think broke me out?"

"Huh." Pelayo lowers the gun, frowning. "You know he's arrested me, right? He's the Marshal for christ's sake." But he holsters the gun.

"You've shot at me in the past," Chen supplies readily. "But I hold no grudge over that."

"The past is the past." You're hurting too much for this. "Right now the Marshal is who got me this far, let's not repay him with a bullet."

#I have no patience for this, I'm in control here.

You have no patience for arguments and posturing. Not right now where every bit of you is aching.

"Holster your gun," you snap at Pelayo, leaning hard on his mind until he puts it away with an annoyed curse. "The Marshal got me this far, let's not repay him with a bullet."

"Gotta say, boss, you've got friends in weird places." Ward relaxes slightly, but you can see the claw twitch.

"We all have our pasts, and we can talk about that when we're back at the base. Safely."

"Is he coming?" Pelayo gives Chen a sharp look. You don't have to read his mind to see what he thinks about that.

"No. He got me this far, this is where we part ways." You turn to look at Chen, trying not to think about the gravity of that statement. Or what comes next.

"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything." Chen looks between Ward and Pelayo. "And I was never here."

"None of us were," you say with a sigh. "Now get me out of here so he can take off."

"Sure, boss." Ward looks at Pelayo, nodding at the wheelchair. "Stop sulking and give me a hand, I want to go back to sleep."

"Don't move, Marshal." Pelayo grabs the other side of the wheelchair. "We'll handle this."

"Focus on not dropping me," you groan. "These casts are not for show."

You hold your breath as they lift you easily, walking you over to the other van. Even Ward is gentle as they set you down, letting you roll deeper inside.

"I'll keep the boss company," Ward says. "You get us out of here."

"I'll be on my way then," Chen says, giving you a long look before the doors close. "Stay safe."

"You too." Your line of sight is cut off as the doors close, Ward reaching up to turn on the small ceiling light.

*if base_secret

"Turn on the mike, I need to be able to guide you to the base."

"Sure will," Ward flips the switch and a crackle of static connects you with Pelayo in the front seat.

"Where to, Boss?" He doesn't sound happy with the situation.

"Just get on the road, I'll guide you as we've gotten some distance from here."

*else

"Don't worry," Ward says as he flips the switch to activate the mike to the front, so Pelayo can keep you updated.

"Should we be worried about being followed?" Pelayo sounds staticky but annoyed.

"Just get us on the road for now. We need to get some distance."

"Alright." The van hits a steady pace, taking you far away from here.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive