smelltheashes | (no subject)

(no subject)

Some people are born great. Some people achieve greatness. Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Some have a combinat- okay, who are we kidding? Some people are just plain there. Their sole claim to greatness is that somebody said "Great!" when they heard the person in question somehow managed to not blow the lab around him to bits despite forgetting to ask "Hey, what does this label that says 'pyrophoric' mean?" before opening the sealed jar.

And by "some people" we mean "Floyd Mason".

That isn't to say he doesn't try. He tries all the time. He tries so. hard. It's just that enthusiasm is seldom a substitute for discretion or competence, you know? It goes a long way but in the end, sometimes you really have to know what you're doing.

Which is why Alyx Vance would be justified in feeling a weird chill run down her back just before there's a rap at her door...

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"Oh-kay." Alyx might have to have a word with the Marine later. "Well, don't go spreading it around, but..."

She pulls the door open just a little more so Floyd can see the suit-in-progress. (Not enough that he can actually go in yet, of course. She doesn't let just anybody touch her work.)

"Oh, sweet," murmurs Floyd, craning his neck to get a better look. "Is that actually gonna work like the real thing?"

"It's not self-repairing or anything like that," says Alyx. "It is radiation-proof, though, and it'll stop any bullet up to .44-caliber."

"Very nice," Floyd says. Then he pulls himself back so he can look Alyx in the eye, or try to, anyway.

"You're gonna need somebody to wear that in the field, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

Uh-oh.

"I wanted to volunteer," says Floyd. "I know it's going to be extra dangerous. I don't care."

Alyx's mouth thins into a hard line. "I'm not sure you understand how dangerous, Floyd."

"Certainty of death, small chance of success?" Floyd says. "I've heard the stories. I know how hard they're gonna try to kill anybody who even has a chance of being Dr. Freeman. I wanna do it anyway."

Alyx is silent for a long moment.

"Can I ask why?"

Edited 2010-04-30 20:24 (UTC)

"It gets me a better chance than anything else to kill a lot of Combine, Ms. Vance," says Floyd earnestly. "I heard everything you and Dr. Freeman said in your speeches. I want to hurt them as much as I possibly can before somebody finally destroys them completely. This is a good way to do it."

"And maybe I'm not the sharpest marble in the deck, but even I know there's people here we can't afford to lose. If I volunteer for it, they can't. So it's as good as keeping them safe, and that's as good as protecting everybody else."

"You're sure you're not volunteering out of a desire to look like a badass."

This is Floyd we're talking about, here. He's got a reputation for that sort of thing.

"Maybe a little," Floyd admits. This is not a man much prone to shame. "The other stuff's way more important, though."

Alyx doesn't respond right away. She just stays silent, weighing the options in her head.

That's okay. Floyd can wait.

Not that he's not gonna get fidgety, you understand. This is Floyd, not Captain Patience.

Eventually, Alyx looks up and takes a deep breath.

"Okay. You're in. But--" she holds up a hand before he has a chance to respond-- "this is strictly between you and me, understand? No one else hears about it. No one."

"You betcha, Ms. Vance," says Floyd, who's doing his best not to grin. His best is not very good. "The secret's safe with me. Not a word passes my lips until the day it all goes down."

"Until after the day it all goes down," Alyx corrects him. "You can brag all you like after the battle's over."

Assuming he makes it back, of course.

"Well, I kinda figure people'll figure it out when we're lining up to go out there," says Floyd. "But okay, sure, I can wait that long."

With anyone else, Alyx would be content to leave it at that. But this is Floyd. She wants to make sure to seal the deal.

"You breathe a word of this to anyone, you're off decoy duty, and I'm cutting off your drills with Shephard."

He comes thisclose to saying "you wouldn't!", but he's talking to Alyx Vance, and he's pretty sure she would. So he just shakes his head rapidly instead. "No ma'am," he says. "I won't tell anyone. Not even the least tiny bit."

"Good man." Alyx nods. "We move in two days. Meet me in my office the night before and we'll get you set up."

"You betcha, Ms. Vance," says Floyd. "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing I can think of," says Alyx after a moment. "I'll let you know if anything comes up. Discreetly."

Floyd nods. "In that case I'd better get back to work," he says. "I've got a lot of guns to do maintenance on. You know. Just in case."

"Remember--our little secret."

Let's hope she doesn't regret this.

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