If you're trying to blackmail me, forget it. I'm not playing along.
[Is this one of the traitor Officers who killed Justine? Trying to get rid of him next for whatever reason? Just let them try.
But no, he hadn't liked the situation with that Interventionist. He wasn't in charge of that op, just pulled in to help. And the way the commander handled it...well, it probably would have seemed fine to Cloud a year ago.
[Shit. That's worse than blackmail. If it's true, anyway.
Once again, Cloud hesitates to go with his instincts and start tracing the call - though it probably wouldn't help, they could at least find the phone and forensics could do some of their magic on it.
But no, he doesn't turn on the tracer. What he really should do is accept the offer and then bring a team with him to arrest these people.
...but will he do that? Or will he step into this for real, regardless of what his brain is screaming at him to do? What a lifetime of clear SCIs tells him is right?
He doesn't have to decide right now. He can agree and then talk to...Fred. He'll ask Fred what he should do. And then do that. Not exactly what anyone - including himself - would expect of the reliable, unstoppable Officer Sunny, but lately he's felt much more like just Cloud.]
Fine. Where and when?
[Even if this is legit, doesn't mean it's not risky. Especially if they're meeting in the Blackout Blocks, which he assumes they will. They could just as easily set a trap for him as he could for them.
But Cloud's never been afraid of risk, and he doesn't intend to start now.]
[Close to the edge - could be a show of good faith, of a sort. Maybe.]
I'll be there.
---
Cloud does speak with Fred, and ultimately...she encourages him to give it a fair shake, even if she's worried about him going alone. He assures her it's fine, he can handle himself, and he believes it.
And if something goes wrong, well, the SOPD will be all over this place like ants on honey the second they check Cloud's texts via the surveillance network.
Cloud finds himself hoping it doesn't come to that, though.
He shows up a few minutes early, parking his hovercycle a block or so from the border and walking the rest of the way. He does have his taser on him, but not openly, and for once he's out of uniform. Don't want to alarm anyone or call attention to himself.
Steve, too, has gotten there early; the drugstore has gone out of business, but it's not boarded up and he managed to splice the wiring into the nearby breaker so the lights are on and it looks about as inviting as an abandoned building in the blackout block can. He's sitting on the counter, in full view of the door: A tall, muscular blonde with both arms covered in tattoos, flipping a ballpoint pen through his fingers as he waits.
He stops when he recognizes Cloud, though, and stays put where he is so as not to appear threatening.
"Hey. Thanks for agreeing to meet me."
He knows this can't have been easy. He knows it could still be a setup. But he's got contingencies, if it is, and he'd prefer to go into this offering trust, if he can.
"Don't thank me yet. Jury's still out on whether this was a good idea."
Cloud doesn't come far into the store - just enough to put his back to the wall by the door. Getting snuck up on while he's paying attention to this guy? No thanks.
"You already know who I am. You got something you want me to call you?" Because asking for his actual name is likely to be a futile effort, and Cloud wouldn't blame him for keeping it back.
Steve grins a little at that; "I can appreciate the healthy skepticism."
After all, it's a large part of the reason he called the guy here at all. If he hadn't seemed skeptical, he wouldn't be likely to turn on the police.
That grin stays put when the officer asks for a name - well, close enough - while clearly acknowledging it likely wouldn't be the real one. "You can call me Nomad," he says, which is more of an inside joke than anything, and won't mean anything - and, more importantly, won't show up on any official records anywhere. "For now," he adds, because he'd like to eventually get to a place where they could maybe exchange names.
"Look," he finally says. "I know how easy it is to get caught up in what you're doing. To think it's right, without questioning it. I just... I'd like people to think for themselves, a little more. And you seem like a guy who wants to do that. I just want to give you the chance."
For now. This guy - Nomad - seems way too...friendly. Not in a fake way, so much as he doesn't seem like the type to be involved in violent criminal things.
And maybe that's the point, but Cloud's still feeling this out.
His chin lifts slightly, his eyes narrow. "Already know how to think for myself, thanks." Who does this guy think he is, anyway?
Cloud watches him for a long moment, expression unchanging.
"Say I don't." Which is, of course, an admission, if one with the barest sliver of plausible deniability. A little bit of his suspicion fades. "What are you after? You already got that Interventionist out of there, and I'm not looking to follow up. So what else do you want?"
There's less hostility in his tone than the words themselves might suggest. He's treading lightly, but he's listening.
Admittedly, there's a little twitch of Steve's lips at that. He can't help it; his poker face isn't perfect, and this is already going the way he wants.
He's got hope. That's all he's ever needed to keep him going.
"I'm after more people that are willing to think for themselves. Honestly, that's all. The world is a better place when people don't just follow blindly. Especially when they have doubts."
And sure, yeah, maybe some of those people come over to the blackout blocks and help build up the community there. That would be great. But he knows that's a farther leap of faith than what this guy is going to be willing to take right now.
"I just want you to think. About what you see. What you like. And what you don't like about the way you're living." And making other people live.
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So, you looked like you didn't like the situation.
Before he escaped.
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[Is this one of the traitor Officers who killed Justine? Trying to get rid of him next for whatever reason? Just let them try.
But no, he hadn't liked the situation with that Interventionist. He wasn't in charge of that op, just pulled in to help. And the way the commander handled it...well, it probably would have seemed fine to Cloud a year ago.
He hates this feeling more and more every day.]
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I'm just wondering if you're still interested in playing along with the SOPD, after what you've seen.
I understand if you don't want to text. We could just talk. In person.
[Is that risky? Absolutely. But Steve is, admittedly, a risk-taker.]
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Once again, Cloud hesitates to go with his instincts and start tracing the call - though it probably wouldn't help, they could at least find the phone and forensics could do some of their magic on it.
But no, he doesn't turn on the tracer. What he really should do is accept the offer and then bring a team with him to arrest these people.
...but will he do that? Or will he step into this for real, regardless of what his brain is screaming at him to do? What a lifetime of clear SCIs tells him is right?
He doesn't have to decide right now. He can agree and then talk to...Fred. He'll ask Fred what he should do. And then do that. Not exactly what anyone - including himself - would expect of the reliable, unstoppable Officer Sunny, but lately he's felt much more like just Cloud.]
Fine. Where and when?
[Even if this is legit, doesn't mean it's not risky. Especially if they're meeting in the Blackout Blocks, which he assumes they will. They could just as easily set a trap for him as he could for them.
But Cloud's never been afraid of risk, and he doesn't intend to start now.]
no subject
[But it is close to the border, at least. Steve doesn't expect the man to trust someone who wants him to go too far from home.]
There's an old drugstore on the corner.
Noon, in two days?
-> action!
I'll be there.
---
Cloud does speak with Fred, and ultimately...she encourages him to give it a fair shake, even if she's worried about him going alone. He assures her it's fine, he can handle himself, and he believes it.
And if something goes wrong, well, the SOPD will be all over this place like ants on honey the second they check Cloud's texts via the surveillance network.
Cloud finds himself hoping it doesn't come to that, though.
He shows up a few minutes early, parking his hovercycle a block or so from the border and walking the rest of the way. He does have his taser on him, but not openly, and for once he's out of uniform. Don't want to alarm anyone or call attention to himself.
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He stops when he recognizes Cloud, though, and stays put where he is so as not to appear threatening.
"Hey. Thanks for agreeing to meet me."
He knows this can't have been easy. He knows it could still be a setup. But he's got contingencies, if it is, and he'd prefer to go into this offering trust, if he can.
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Cloud doesn't come far into the store - just enough to put his back to the wall by the door. Getting snuck up on while he's paying attention to this guy? No thanks.
"You already know who I am. You got something you want me to call you?" Because asking for his actual name is likely to be a futile effort, and Cloud wouldn't blame him for keeping it back.
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After all, it's a large part of the reason he called the guy here at all. If he hadn't seemed skeptical, he wouldn't be likely to turn on the police.
That grin stays put when the officer asks for a name - well, close enough - while clearly acknowledging it likely wouldn't be the real one. "You can call me Nomad," he says, which is more of an inside joke than anything, and won't mean anything - and, more importantly, won't show up on any official records anywhere. "For now," he adds, because he'd like to eventually get to a place where they could maybe exchange names.
"Look," he finally says. "I know how easy it is to get caught up in what you're doing. To think it's right, without questioning it. I just... I'd like people to think for themselves, a little more. And you seem like a guy who wants to do that. I just want to give you the chance."
no subject
And maybe that's the point, but Cloud's still feeling this out.
His chin lifts slightly, his eyes narrow. "Already know how to think for myself, thanks." Who does this guy think he is, anyway?
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"Because I'm assuming that's why you don't like what's going on in the SOPD."
Yes, it's a big assumption. But he dares you to say he's wrong.
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"Say I don't." Which is, of course, an admission, if one with the barest sliver of plausible deniability. A little bit of his suspicion fades. "What are you after? You already got that Interventionist out of there, and I'm not looking to follow up. So what else do you want?"
There's less hostility in his tone than the words themselves might suggest. He's treading lightly, but he's listening.
no subject
He's got hope. That's all he's ever needed to keep him going.
"I'm after more people that are willing to think for themselves. Honestly, that's all. The world is a better place when people don't just follow blindly. Especially when they have doubts."
And sure, yeah, maybe some of those people come over to the blackout blocks and help build up the community there. That would be great. But he knows that's a farther leap of faith than what this guy is going to be willing to take right now.
"I just want you to think. About what you see. What you like. And what you don't like about the way you're living." And making other people live.