A/N: Thanks to Modeus, Mercellasnow231, and GoldenShadowFreddy for reviewing! Wolf master97: To your first review: Not in the slightest :), to the second: Well, yeah, in some ways they're more prepared than some Destiny Universe enemies, but in exchange, they've never seen the package deal, and they've not seen some of the powers a Warlock can wield at all(as far as I know).
Log 7777-07.
Blacksburg, Virginia
Lieutenant Shane Walker
It was Shane's single day of leave for the month, and he couldn't be more upset. The day previous, he'd been sent a text from an address that nearly gave his phone a seizure when it tried to format it, with a time, address, and instructions to come alone. When he'd alerted the Site Overseer to the message, he'd been quickly ordered to investigate it, when he could easily be out sharing a couple of beers with the squad. Knowing his luck, it would be some new world ending revelation originating from the coffee shop at the given address.
Glancing down at his phone to verify that he did have the correct address, he shoves the device into a pocket and makes his way inside. Five minutes early, hopefully, it would be enough time to scout the place out before he was 'expected'...
Nah, that would be asking too much of his rather shoddy luck, and a painfully familiar pair of green eyes locked with his practice as he stepped in. The self-proclaimed 'Warlock' Juno grinned at him and waved him over. She was wearing a similar outfit to before, with a gold and white hoodie tied around her waist, a dark grey t-shirt with an odd symbol, a series of bars and angles making up a partitioned trapezoid, emblazoned on the front showing off her (unsurprisingly) well-built form. "Glad you decided to come, Lieutenant. Er, can I call you Shane?"
He sits down opposite her, the non-threatening demeanour on display distinctly unnerving after the day before. The distress beacon in his pocket feels oddly heavy, and the knowledge that even at his best she could kill him with a twitch of her hand, not at all comforting. "Ah, yeah, sure I guess. Why did you ask me here?"
Her eyes shine with mischief, and a server steps up to the table, placing a mug of coffee in front of Juno. She takes a sip immediately, nodding in thanks to the server. "Anything you want on the menu? I'll foot the bill."
"Do I even want to know how you managed to come by USD already?" He asks, already knowing the answer, and gazing briefly over the menu. If she was offering, he might as well get some enjoyment out of his day off.
She grins and shakes her head, "I beat up a few muggers and stole their money." She pauses to take another sip of coffee, a relaxed look on her face. "Ah, this is the good stuff! Post-Collapse stuff just isn't the same. You people really do have it good, right now."
He waved down the same server from before after a moment, passing on a quick order. While he's doing that, the Guardian draws a small triangular device out from a pocket and places it on the table, pressing a button to activate it. It begins to emit a slight humming sound, and the air itself seems to distort slightly. The Hammerdown Trooper tenses and Juno waves him off.
"Relax, it's a white noise generator. It distorts anything said outside of a certain radius, and makes it impossible to read someone's lips. Conveniently, it also happens to disrupt audio-taps or similar tech." She explains, watching his expression carefully. "I'm not stupid. There's no way you're here alone, I don't doubt there are one or more teams ready to act on your signal or lack thereof."
"We won't be here long, anyway, just a few things to address." She states, leaning back in her chair and placing the mug back on the table, her eyes on him, the people around them none the wiser to the strange discussion taking place.
Blacksburg, Virginia
Warlock Juno
Sometimes, Juno agreed, it was better to butter someone up before getting to the harder stuff. This case was no different, and her first words were an apology. "I'm sorry for, uh, using you as a punching bag… and as a hostage."
He gave her an unimpressed look, not quite a glare, and not quite a frown. "No, seriously! I hate hurting people if I don't have to, and you're oddly stubborn for a base human." He opened his mouth, probably to say something suitably undignifying, but she interrupted him with a single raised finger and a sharp look.
"Second! I repeat, I don't like hurting people, but if you all keep chasing me then I won't be so kind in the future. I won't be the one to break your 'Lifted Veil' protocols, but if something happens that necessitates me using my powers, I won't hesitate." An ultimatum of sorts, vague threats and promises tended to work best for these kinds of things. Specifics would only give your opponents unneeded hints.
"Finally," she pauses, taking a sip of her coffee, "I know there's a lot of weird shit out there on this Earth. You know how to contact me, and if you ever need the help of an Immortal Warrior-Librarian, then you know who to call. I owe you that much at least, though I hope this doesn't simply put me at the beck and call of your superiors. I don't take orders well from people I don't like, you see?"
And, done! Now he could respond if he liked. She took another long draft from the mug, hiding her curious expression behind the action. Praxic or no, she had never been very good at hiding her emotions or feelings. The ball was in his court now, and while she obviously knew he couldn't promise anything about either of her latter two points, she hoped he'd accept the apology at the very least.
Across from her, he looked to the side as the server delivered a glass of some kind of alcohol to him, thanking them with a nod. He returns his attention to her...and after a moment, his facade cracks. He lets out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck, and nods in thanks. "Apology accepted, I suppose. And you know there's no reason to trust me with...well, any of this, right? I could abuse the hell out of that dial-a-friend button you've given me."
An eyebrow raised, she fixed him with a pointed look. "Abuse it, and you won't have time to realize it's a mistake, yes?"
He shrinks under her gaze, suitably warned. Surf gives her a small mental prod, nudging her in the direction of her last topic of discussion. "Ah, yes, there is one last thing, before we part ways." Thank you, Surf, for the reminder.
"I need an Identity and a history. It's kind of hard to function in a society where you don't legally exist, and I can only move around so much without tipping people who really shouldn't know I exist that I do." She explains, knowing that it would be impossible to travel through borders, or even find a job or support her own efforts if she continued as she was, stealing money from criminals and wandering around with a car as a home.
Blacksburg, Virginia
Lieutenant Shane Walker
An identity? Admittedly, he'd never really considered that it might be a problem for her, but now that he did, it made sense. However strong she might be, you couldn't just walk into the US Government and slap some new files into a computer. Creating an identity, from what little he knew, was a rather complicated process. Granted, there was nothing he specifically could do about it, but like everything else, it would be in his report, and the higher-ups would see it. "You know there's nothing I can do beyond passing the word up, right? I can't guarantee anything here."
She nods, relaxing across from him. "I know, but that's all I ask, hmm?" The mug rises to her lips again, and she polishes off the last of the coffee before standing. The chair is tucked in, and a wad of cash is left on the table, the food and drink cost plus a generous tip. The disruptor device disappears in a shimmer of transmat, the slight muffling effect of the field disappearing, and his comms chirp, signalling that the line had been re-established.
The Lieutenant leans back in his seat, watching as the otherworldly woman walks confidently into the back of the restaurant, near where the restrooms were located, then as she disappears in a barely visible shimmer of light, Blinking or Transmatting somewhere, herself. He sighs and shakes his head, palming his comms, "FARSTAR, this is Hammer 1-1, Warlock is out of the building through anomalous means, no hope of tracing. She spoke to me in detail about several subjects, which I will elaborate on in my official report. Mind if I finish my food? She was kind enough to pay."
Blacksburg, Virginia
Warlock Juno
With a shower of white light, Juno drops to the ground with the soft crunch of gravel. She rolls her shoulders and looks around, moving once she's satisfied with the lack of other people around. A small beacon beeps by her feet for a moment as she leans down and pulls it from the ground. Mobile Transmat Beacons, ever useful, and reusable too, she was glad she carried a few when she travelled. "Nothing to do now but wait, eh Surf?"
The Ghost appears in front of her, it's shell quirked in a way that might display frustration. "Did you have to go and Transmat in public, right after saying you wanted to keep a low profile?"
She pokes the Ghost's shell as she sighs, "Relax, Surf, I made sure that there weren't direct sightlines on the Transmat point. No one saw us, except maybe the Lieutenant."
She sighs and turns away, looking out into the town they were currently on the edge of. Blacksburg was, from what she had gathered, a sort of student town. A major educational institute was built nearby, and a large percentage of the populous were students. As such, it was relatively easy for her to blend in, given her 'age' and appearance. Thank the Light she wasn't an Exo or Awoken, that might have been awkward to explain to people.
"We need a new vehicle, and while I'd rather not make a name for myself as a car-thief, we don't have much of a choice for the moment, hmm? Come on, Little Light."
Surf scoffs at the nickname, disappearing back into his pocket dimension. Through her mind, she hears him grumble, 'Don't call me that.' She merely chuckles and walks on, disappearing soon after into the flow of bodies on the main streets of town.
A/N: I know, I know, it's short for how long this one has been in the works, but it just felt weird to write, and it's a sort of intermediary chapter, I suppose. I ended up rewriting sections of this a few times, and still didn't come out truly satisfied. I might come back later and revamp this another time. My other excuse is that I bought Horizon Zero Dawn over the Steam Winter Sale, and I got myself hooked on it. Took me 10 days to beat the game, was worth every moment of it, and I think that'll be next up on my story list if/when I finish this totally. As always, Shane, Juno, and Surf will return soon, and I'll see you all in the Deep Blue!
Thanks to Perseus for Editing