outer_divide | 004 ⌥ AUDIO & TEXT

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004 ⌥ AUDIO & TEXT

...If that fog ever comes back, just do me a favor and shoot me first.

[And that's all she has to say there.

But a few people will be receiving text portions locked individually to them, most of them reading the exact same:]

BCC: Telford, Kirk, Thrace, Hunt, Vegeta, Hart, Rhade
MESSAGE: If you've got time, I'd like to have a word with you in person.

TO: Claire
MESSAGE: Training sometime in the next 48 hours. When's good for you?

TO: Fox
MESSAGES: Still alive over there?

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Old diner, two miles east of the Flop. Bring him--needed to talk to him too.

[Sorry, guys, she's not cooking for you. She's seeing if she can't harvest whatever powered the stoves (something like propane? she's not sure exactly what level of technology the city had before it fell), and so she might as well just have them come to her.]

[If he knew Shepard better, he might have made a joke about a dinner date, but he's not sure how she'd take it.]

We're on our way, Commander.

[It's lunch, thanks much. But in general, from someone she knows isn't a raging idiot? She's not too bad at taking a joke.]

Roger that.

[When they get there, she'll be in the middle of surveying the appliances to figure out how they worked.]

[Dylan arrives with Rhade not long after. He scans the diner and looks at the appliances that have evidently caught Shepard's interest.]

Thinking of trying to get them to work, or do you have something else in mind?

[Rhade follows Dylan in, quirking a brow at what she was looking at. But he's not going to offer to help- not so much because he isn't interested, but because he's reasonably sure he'll break something.]

You wanted to see us?

[At Dylan's question, she's shaking her head, hauling herself up off the floor.] It's busywork. [And then Rhade's asking his own question, which leads right into the point.]

I was going to ask if either of you had any thoughts on the meeting, actually. [She shifts to lean casually against the stove in question, arms crossed.] I know a lot of people were holding back. Didn't know who they could trust. If there's anything else you'd like to add--thoughts on strategy, things you agreed or disagreed with, people you're not so sure on--I'm all ears.

Honestly, until I get to know people better, I can't be sure of anyone. [He smiles ruefully.] Even you.

But if we get too hung up on paranoia we don't stand a chance.

The people from the dome have greater numbers, resources, and intel. We need to even the odds. If we start fighting a guerrilla war out here, it could turn nasty for the civilians caught in the cross-fire really quick.

I agree. [It's a unicorn! They actually agree on something.] I generally don't trust anyone- don't be offended, I'm genetically predisposed to extreme caution. [A nod towards Shepherd, because Dylan would know that.]

The little unpleasant one though. The technician. [He squints, like he's trying to put his finger on it. But then he lets it go. He's already put the agent that he knows up to watching him. She may have her own agendas, but he trusts that their agendas are mutually beneficial enough that they can form a relatively secure alliance.]

Narvin. [Shepard supplies the name, because she had the same thought.] He was sure quick to complain that we didn't take his word at face-value. It could just be me, but that usually means a guy's got something to hide.

[She can understand the lack of trust. But it's like Hunt said.]

I'm not so big on trust, either. But I am big on figuring out who we can count on against the Authorities. The two of you were on that list. My aim's to figure out who isn't, because until we do, nothing we do is safe.

I think we've all probably got something or another to hide. [Not going to look at Rhade. Not going to look at Rhade.] But point taken.

So how do we figure out if we have a mole? Spread false information and see who bites?

[Go ahead and look. If it weren't for the unfortunate immediate implications, he'd wear his ability to hide things with pride.]

To his credit, being questioned feels more like inadequacy. He's small. He seems skittish. Having his work questions possibly places his value at risk. But he may be willing to make compromises for his own safety. He owes no allegiances to us. [He looks over to Dylan.]

Partial information at least. I've not told any of them that I have better than average hearing.

[They're on the right track.] Better.

Now assume we can find a way to make this practical, just so we don't get caught up on the 'how': I want to spread slightly different information to test groups of five and see which makes it back to Authorities HQ. That'll narrow down our pool of suspicious parties by far.

[A pause, and then:] But it'd have to be big enough to draw out some sort of Authoritative reaction, so we'd have to figure out some way to neutralize the danger.

[Another pause, and a headshake.] It's sound in concept but rough around the edges. Rougher than we can afford right now, but it's better than no plan at all.

So we've got to get a reaction, but not too much of one.

[He rubs his hands down his face as he thinks.]

Like jostling a bees' nest enough to get a few bees to come out but not the whole swarm. If we knew a bit more about what motivated them... Maybe the locals can help there. If we can find out what's provoked what sort of responses in the past we might have a better idea how to tailor our fake intel to get the reaction we want.

There's a man that can control his mass so he's not affected by gravity. [He can fly! He knows. It's stupid. Don't question it.]

They immediately deemed him a threat and collared him. It wasn't a full scale attack, but they had to emerge from the Dome to do so. [He folds his arm on the diner countertop, leaning against it as he thinks.]

So all we need to do is get someone collared.

[A plan's forming in her head. One with very little collateral damage.]

I'm not going to waste time going into the details, but if that's all it takes to get yourself collared, I'm a shoe-in.

So all I have to do is get their attention, then go underground. At that point, I can feed slightly different rumors about my plans or location to each small group and keep an eye on where the Authorities come knocking.

[A plan with minimal collateral damage, if she's taking the hostile attention onto herself.]

[Dylan isn't going to insult her by implying that she can't handle herself. She pretty obviously can. But that doesn't stop him from being concerned about her safety. He's concerned about everyone's safety and wants to reduce the risks as much as possible.]

You should have backup hidden nearby when you go blow a metaphorical raspberry at them. Just in case the Authorities react more violently than expected.

And three people to remove the collar, and someone with at least first aid training. They shot at least two non-humans, and collared one as an afterthought.

[Mr. Paranoid is paranoid still, and slightly cynical. But, he's also planning to get them to come after him as well so he can't necessarily argue.

However, it does give him the slight tone as having thought about it- not that he hasn't thought about every hostile scenario imaginable already.]

[At least they're not telling her she's suicidal. That skips a few of the more obnoxious steps. Concerned, she can handle.]

That's all assuming they come to the right place. [After all, if she feeds people four different locations and the the spy's in group C, Shepard might very well be in Location A while the Authorities show up at Location C. Or B or D, for that matter.]

We'll have eyes on each of the possible locations, at a safe distance of course. Teams of two or three, just to be sure.

Sounds like we've got the beginnings of a plan.

We should make a list of the most probable suspects and make sure that they're in different groups. And hope the spy doesn't turn out to be the clean cut person we were almost certain we could trust. [Don't look at Rhade.]

[No need to look at me, you're poking me with words.]

You do realize thus far, Edmund has had access to everything we've traded for. Not that I suspect him of being a spy, but if he keeps records-

I haven't had any dealings with him yet. [Which sounds more like 'for good reason' than 'so I can't really say one way or another'. She doesn't trust Edmund. That's a fact.

To Dylan's thoughts:] That's also a possibility. [A possibility she's factoring in on her own, not that either of the men here would know until after the fact anyway.]

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004 ⌥ AUDIO & TEXT

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