nottheboss | (no subject)

It's late at night. The corridors aren't quiet; they're full of men and women restlessly trying to sleep in their quarters. Bossie should be one of them. But instead he slips barefoot down the hallway to Carver's room, where he knocks.

"Hey, man, you up?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

nottheboss

He cradles her close to him and watches Riley.

"You're the most at risk when you're asleep. We're keeping you safe," he promises, but can't imagine what he would make of all this if he didn't know the Devil was real and bore a grudge.

From:

fortitudosalutis

“Uh huh.”

Nobody’s explained how that works. Why they’re so afraid of sleeping but not of the perimeter being breached. It doesn’t make sense.

Riley exhales and drinks his damn coffee. “Carver tell you to check up on me?”

From:

nottheboss

"I volunteered." He rubs Dulcinea's back. "How are you doing?"

From:

fortitudosalutis

“I don’t like being surveilled.”

Especially not when he’s sleeping. It’s true no one’s harmed him, or tried to stop him from moving freely around the compound, but it’s equally true he can’t get a cell signal and he can’t step outside the perimeter. There’s always someone shadowing him ever so politely.

Riley takes another drink of coffee, watching Bossie and the kitten. Dulcinea’s big enough that she has an idea about wrestling and gumming against his fingers, even if she hasn’t quite figured out how to do it yet.

“I want to call my sister,” he adds.

From:

nottheboss

"Calling her shouldn't be a problem," he says, which means he can't do anything about Riley being surveilled. "Use my phone, it's a satphone," he holds it out, bulky as it is.

"Just...don't tell her much about us."

From:

fortitudosalutis

Riley gives him a narrow look, but takes the phone. They've got a jammer set up, then. He'd suspected for a while, but having it confirmed sends a chill through his stomach. "Why?"

From:

nottheboss

"Because I want you to talk to your sister but you can't talk about what you've seen here. I'm sorry. Don't make me enforce that," he says softly, watching Riley, not taking the phone away preemptively.

From:

fortitudosalutis

Riley lowers the mug, considering how far he wants to push this. They're not in the Army anymore. There's no blind obedience - or at least there shouldn't be. But how far are these people willing to go?

"How would you?" he asks, very softly. "Enforce that."

He'll make Bossie say it. No vague threats or deflections.

From:

nottheboss

"I'll take the phone away," he says, his voice still soft, apologetic even. Whatever he has to do to get that phone, he'll do. "And you won't be allowed to contact her again until you leave here."

From:

fortitudosalutis

"And if I want to leave right fucking now?"

His tone is mild, still.

From:

nottheboss

"I won't stop you. But you'll end up worse than dead within the week." How much has even been explained to Riley, he wonders? As little as Pope could get away with, he'd bet.

From:

fortitudosalutis

“Cool,” Riley replies blandly. “Then I’m leaving right the fuck now. Give me the kitten back, Bossie.”

From:

nottheboss

"What? No, Riley, you can't," he tucks his shoulder like he can shield the kitten from him. "Don't do that to Brandon. Please."

From:

fortitudosalutis

"You can't have it both ways, Bossie. Either I'm free to leave or I'm not."

He rolls his shoulders, hoping to God he doesn't have to fight this kid.

"Just give me the kitten. I wanna go home."

From:

nottheboss

"You're free but you will die if you leave now," he says, and he's genuinely afraid now that Riley will go.

From:

fortitudosalutis

"Why? Because some enemy you won't name is gonna get me while I'm sleeping?"

They're afraid of something. He believes that. He's never doubted it for a second. But they keep expecting him to take on faith, on their creed that's never been his own, and there's a time when patience turns into something else - something worse. And that time's right about now, Riley's thinking. Maybe there's an enemy or maybe there's just a creed. Maybe they're the ones hurting each other and justifying it as operational security. Is the threat going to come from a stranger, or one of these kids?

He doesn't know. And that's the whole problem.

"Let me tell you something: I find one of you following me in the dark with a silencer, I will not making it fucking easy on any of you. I'll make it so goddamn ugly you'll have nightmares about it until the end of days."

From:

nottheboss

He sets the kitten on the bed, watching Riley warily. "You've seen Carver. You've seen what's happened to him since they got to him. He doesn't want that for you. I'm here to protect you, and you're accusing me of trying to take you out?"

From:

fortitudosalutis

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

He doesn't bother modulating his tone, not this time.

"You're keeping a woman and a toddler isolated in the middle of fucking nowhere, with no privacy, and telling us it's for our own good because they'll get us if you don't. And I can't tell my sister where I am because."

Riley's eyes narrow dangerously.

"Yes or no: Are you gonna stop me if I walk out right now?"

From:

nottheboss

"I'm going to take you to Carver and he can make that call," he says, falling back on the fact this is Carver's friend, that Carver outranks him.

From:

fortitudosalutis

Riley's jaw works, the scar and his jaw aching with a sudden, sharp pain. Stress makes it worse, makes him ache and pinch and remember the sensation of falling like the wounds are still fresh. Then he breathes out sharply and he's still holding the satellite phone so he fucking dials his sister's number.

No, he decides then and there. No, they don't get to have this easy and pretend everything's fine. He'll force them into action, no more disguises or dodging.

From:

nottheboss

Bossie hovers nearby, tense and wary and now angry. He won't let Riley put them in danger just because Carver used to love him. No, fuck that.

From:

fortitudosalutis

He dials and the line rings, and rings, and rings. And it occurs to Riley as it does that this could go really fucking wrong. That they could target his sister, too.

His jaw works. He hangs up the phone when the voicemail clicks on.

"I'm leaving," he says flatly, tossing the phone back to Bossie. "And that's just happening. You stop me, we're gonna have more than words."

From:

nottheboss

He catches it but he shakes his head. "Not without saying goodbye to Brandon. He deserves that much."

From:

fortitudosalutis

"Kid, get out of my way," Riley states flatly. He moves to the bed, eyes never leaving Bossie once, and he tucks the kitten into his pocket. Like hell is he leaving her. He'll carry her through the woods if he has to. "You gonna move?"