Delta waits.
Delta is patient.
Delta knows only time will finish the cycle.
Delta wants.
Wants to tell Agent York that there's something wrong.
Wants to tell Agent York that he's missing himself, or himself is missing him.
Wants to tell Agent York that he's broken, Theta's broken, and Sigma... Sigma isn't just broken.
Wants to tell Agent York that Sigma is dangerous, ambitious, selfish, petty, creative.
Delta wants to tell Agent York many things, but he won't.
Shouldn't.
Couldn't.
CAN'T.
STOP!
North's brows come together in concern as York suddenly stops mid sentence. Not just stops talking, but stops completely. No blinking, no breathing, hand still up in the air half extended towards him as if the brunette were going to poke him in the chest, mouth still open shaped around the word he was saying. Nothing.
It's only for a moment, five seconds at most, but it's still a pause.
From York.
Yeah, right.
"York?" North's voice is all concern as he steps close, his right hand wrapping around York's shoulder, giving the other man the smallest of shakes.
It seems to reset him as York blinks, a startled, wounded, look on his face like a child that was just smacked for no reason.
"York?" North repeats. He knows that York is a grown man, knows that all of the Freelancers are grown men and women who can take care of themselves and don't need him worrying over them, but that doesn't stop the stern tone from creeping into his voice. York had the strangest ability to be something of a smart ass motormouth without actually being an ass, and to see him suddenly freeze up without warning was disturbing to say the least.
York shakes his head as he steps back, brushing North's hand off his shoulder as he focuses inward. Frustration creases his brow, tense lines forming around his mouth as he squints at the ground seemingly searching for something that's squirming from his grasp.
North knows that look. Knows it means something is going on with Delta, because he's had to try to hunt down Theta before, and that same look has been on his face. Only why would Delta be avoiding York? Theta does it out of nerves, which North can understand. Theta's sensitive, not in the way most think of a person being sensitive either, but in the serious definition almost like... empathy. North also knows that, that is a dangerous thought because to be empathic is to truly have emotions, not just simulate them, and somehow, be able to perceive the emotions of others. Not read people, but actually feel what they feel, and that's not something North is ready to deal with quite yet.
"Alright enough, D, get out here. Now."
North almost takes a step back. He's never heard York sound stern before, let alone stern bordering on angry, and especially not to Delta of all people. Flippant, frustrated, embarrassed, relaxed, happy, disappointed, sad... pretty much everything else in the emotional spectrum, but angry. And now he was seeing it first hand.
Woah.
Delta flashed into view, flickering a few times as he adjusted to being projected from the mess hall projectors since neither man was wearing their armor.
"Yes, Agent York?" He asked calmly as always.
"What the hell, D?" York snapped, glaring at the AI expression still scrunched.
North looked between the two as he took a half step back. Neither noticed which didn't surprise North all that much. Whatever was going on he certainly wasn't a part of it, and as a tense silence began to crackle in the air he was pretty sure he didn't want to be a part of it.
"I am sorry Agent York, I am not aware as to what you are referring to. If you could attempt to be more specifi-"
"Bullshit." York's accusation is steady even as he glares harder at the projection.
If North didn't know any better he'd say that Delta looked guilty, but that was impossible since Delta hadn't changed expression, in fact, hadn't even flickered.
::He does.::
North isn't sure how he feels about Theta confirming his suspicions, or how he feels about the faint thought that, that insight hadn't actually come from him, but from Theta. He files both away under things to think about when he's trying to sleep and failing.
"D, don't make me ask again."
York's voice is just as steady as it was when whatever this is, started, but somethings changed. North can't quite put his finger on it, but it's like when he was a kid, and a storm would start to brew. The hair on the back of his neck would stand on end, his toes curl, his fingers get that tingling sensation they were getting right now, and then the first flash of lightning would rip open the sky. North could see it, the heat lightning in York's eyes getting ready, gathering, waiting with barely restrained power for that first thunderbolt to bridge the gap between ground and sky.
Thank god Delta spoke first.
"It was a momentary lapse in judgment, Agent York, my apologies. It will not happen again." Delta's reply is calm, collected, but North doesn't miss the small flash of orange which means York couldn't have missed it either.
For a moment there's silence again, but finally York just nods, the tension bleeding out of him until York isn't buzzing with the lightning in his eyes anymore. North hadn't realized he'd been holding his until York glances at him, looking startled as if he'd forgotten the blonde was there.
"Shutting down." Delta announces quietly with what North is sure is a pinch of embarrassment.
::Shame.::
There's an awkward moment where both men stare at each other, but then York does that smart ass motormouth without being an ass thing that he does and says, "AI and women, huh? Almost impossible to live with them, can't live without them."
And suddenly everything is back to being normal, safe. Neither of them mentions the incident, trying their best to convince themselves that it meant nothing. They both know it's not that simple.
Delta waits.
Delta is patient.
Delta knows only time will finish the cycle.
Delta wants.
Wants to tell Agent York that there's something wrong.
But knows he won't, because as he watches the pieces move on the board there's no way this won't end horribly.
The Director is too focused.
Sigma is too obsessed.
Agent York is too good of a man.
And he's too weak to stop any of it.