001 - The Agent in the Fox Hunt

[beltbucklerebel]

[Considering how foul his mood had been that morning, it had actually turned out to be a pretty nice Valentine’s Day. The time at the shooting range with Bones had calmed some of the hurt and anger aggravated by the holiday...enough that, for one of the first times since ending things with Hannah, he didn’t have to fight to fall asleep that night.

He didn’t even dream. It was as if no time passed at all. One minute, he’d closed his eyes on the red, digital glare of his alarm clock, and the next-

There’s no mistaking the deafening crack of a gunshot. It’s so close--so terrifyingly close--that Booth wakes convinced that he’s been hit.

There’s panic, but there’s no time to indulge. Instead, he is the instant soldier, hands flying to his hip for his gun...only to find it’s not there. It’s not there and everything is wrong and what the hell is going on? He knows he maybe only has seconds to figure it out as he scrambles to his feet (barefoot. Why is he in a battlefield, barefoot?), and moves for the nearest cover (trees? Why the hell are there trees?).

It’s only in the silence that follows, listening to the rapid pounding of his own heart, that he starts to realize that something is very, very wrong. He leans back, trying to stay close to the tree, and flinches as newly added wings protest against the pressure.]

What the-?!

[There might be quite a bit of swearing and arguing happening as soon as Moran catches up with him enough to explain what the hell is going on]

[Later, once he’s calmed down...relatively speaking]

[Moran had directed him towards the village and actual clothes, but that hadn’t made Booth feel any less furious. The voice that comes over the journal is clipped and almost wry, anger audible...but tightly controlled]

Okay. Whatever genius thought that kidnapping a federal agent and playing dressup was a good idea, I’m telling you right now. I’m not laughing. I’ve heard a lot of crazy things coming out of this book...thing...and I’ve had just about enough. No more fairy tales. No more crazy, hallucination-induced, looney-bin stories. I want the truth. Now. And one more thing:

I want my badge. I want my gun. And, if you tell me how to get these wings off, I might not even shoot you with it.

[The agent can be found pacing in front of the Welcome Center, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and fuming as he waits for responses]

[OOC: First tag, chronologically, goes to Sebastian Moran who was hunting in the forest. All other replies will come after Booth’s relocated into town]

Comments

2/2

[herotypical]

[ nearing the welcoming centre, her sights snag on a familiar height. a familiar shape. a familiar face; one that haunts her dreams more than she cares to admit, even after all these years.

or perhaps especially after all these years. so buffy stops dead in her tracks. so what if the sun is out? she simply stares. she doesn't even try to be inconspicuous about it.

her lips form a name that she doesn't quite manage to say. ]

[beltbucklerebel]

[Booth might be upset...but he's also very, very wary. Whatever this was, this was hostile territory, and all of his nerves were on edge because of it. Buffy couldn't have been standing and staring at him for more than a few seconds before her gaze registers and the agent slows to a stop, staring back at her almost challengingly.

Nevermind that she is tiny and blonde and, in his immediate estimation, probably not a threat. In this situation, everyone was a potential danger.]

[herotypical]

[ buffy is surprised by how much disappointment slugs her in the stomach. she almost -- almost -- stops breathing. she also almost rushes him and tosses her arms around him despite the fact that the sunlight and the subtle aging prove her wrong.

breaks her heart, it does. and she tries to swallow the pain. at the very least, she can feel grateful that she doesn't make a fool of herself. she's met a doppelganger before; she wonders if this one is the same one. ]

Welcome to Luceti...[ she hates the fact that her voice shakes. breaks. wavers. ]

[beltbucklerebel]

[and he very, very nearly snaps back. Welcome was the last thing he wanted to be. He wanted answers. He wanted out.

But she looks almost as upset as he is about his arrival...which confuses him enough to cut through some of that furious bravado. His brow furrows just slightly, his expression caught somewhere between uncertain and annoyed, as he shoves his hands in his pockets, searching for a response]

Quite a welcome.

[herotypical]

[ worse yet, 'uncertainly annoyed' and 'hands in pockets' are too achingly angelish things for a man to do. especially when he looks like angel to begin with. buffy's rigid body language broke only briefly, allowing her to scratch at the back of her neck.

she was self-conscious. embarrassed. ] Sorry. This sorta thing really isn't my strong suit. Probably why I've never held a guest services job in my life.

[beltbucklerebel]

Yeah, well, playing the happy kidnappee really isn't my strong suit, either.

[it's the closest he can get to an apology. Especially considering he's still trying to figure out who to blame]

[herotypical]

[ she wants to keep him talking. hearing his voice is a little like eating low-fat yogurt. all the correct sensory thrills with few of the daggers to the heart. few, but still some. ]

I don't think that's any of our strong suits. All of us kidnappees.

[beltbucklerebel]

[all of us.]

[he's all business, now, not quite ready to settle into snark or comfort. There's a crime here, of some sort, and he needs to get to the bottom of it]

How many people are there, here?

[herotypical]

The population's forever in flux -- especially in a cycle, like right now. More than a hundred is norm, though.

[beltbucklerebel]

How many taken against their will? [...he really hates that it's even a question he has to ask.

and there's one more thing he should probably deal with, if they're going to be having this conversation] And...what's your name, miss? [it's curt and to the point, but it'll be easier if he has a name to attach to a face]

[herotypical]

[ it's already obvious that he doesn't remember her from his last time here; however, that question confirms it. buffy hugs herself and shrugs a shallow shrug. ]

Buffy Summers. And...all of us, technically.

[beltbucklerebel]

....All of you?!

[over a hundred kidnapped people. That was just...

impossible. It had to be impossible. He frowns]

Special Agent Seeley Booth.

[herotypical]

I wish I could say it was nice to meet you, Seeley.

[ she says it knowing she'll be corrected. best way to support her ruse, she supposes. ]

[beltbucklerebel]

Don't call me Seeley.

[it's automatic, and harsher than he means. But she, at least, seems to be taking this as seriously as he is, so he sighs. Rubbing the back of his neck, his tone turns apologetic] Sorry. Just...Booth is fine.

[herotypical]

My bad.

[ the corner of her mouth almost quirks; his harshness doesn't phase her as much as everything else does. and she'd courted it on purpose. buffy doesn't want to drop the i knew you before and we were close friends bomb on him. not yet. ] I'm the one who's sorry, Booth.

[beltbucklerebel]

Why? You one of these Malwhatsits I've been hearing about?

[herotypical]

What? Oh, God. No. I'm a guinea pig. Just like you. Just a little longer in the tooth.




Figuratively speaking.

[beltbucklerebel]

[that gets the faintest of smiles] Gotta say, your teeth seem normal enough to me.

So why apologize? Far as I can tell, whatever the hell this is, it's someone else's fault.

[herotypical]

[ sorry i flubbed your name. sorry you're upset. sorry i can't be honest.

sorry you're not him. ]

I just...faintly remember how much it sucks, arriving here. I'm sorry you're going through that. My fault or not.

[beltbucklerebel]

Yeah, well...I don't intend to stay arrived for long.

[he has a kid to get back to. A partner. A job.]

[herotypical]

For your sake? I hope you don't.

[beltbucklerebel]

No offense, but that's not exactly inspiring.

[herotypical]

Do you want me to be inspiring or do you want me to be honest?

[beltbucklerebel]

I can't tell you how much I'm hating making that choice.

...Right. Let's go with honest.

[herotypical]

Alright. Honestly.

Here's hell -- but you learn to live with it. Friends help, so don't hold back from making those. Laws are common contract at best and completely inapplicable at worst. The experiments will hurt, shame, and upset you but never forget that you're basically living in a pre-made support group for that kind of thing.