(Untitled)

[lights_midnight]

Apollo was slightly confused when he woke up.

He opened his eyes and distinctly noticed a lack of body in bed with him. Okay, not too strange. He was in bed. His bed. The sunlight spilling over his side of the bed confirmed that. He felt warm.

He closed his eyes again.

Chains, hanging by his arms, hands against his skin, burning cold and blood-

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[anothercoldwar]

Winter sat in one of the seemingly infinite hallways in the carrier, eyes closed, head leaned back against the wall. It had been quite a relief when John had managed to get in contact with someone who could open a Door. Of course, he hadn't quite been prepared for what he was getting into, and as a result, he'd nearly fallen in his face when he carried the still unconscious Apollo onto the shift ship. The Carrier's power source was staggering... millions of tiny suns within a carefully caged universe, and he'd felt every one of them when he stepped on board. He could still feel it now, though it was much more distant now that he'd adjusted to it. The feel of the ship was staggering, and he'd had to force himself to ignore it as he'd brought Apollo to his room. Thankfully, John hadn't said anything too untoward about his near fainting spell. The other man was off keeping Jenny occupied while he kept watch outside Apollo's room in hopes of warding off any more violent outbursts.

[lights_midnight]

Apollo had come to the conclusion he was probably home. Which means John managed to get incontact with someone on Carrier.

He landed back on the bed. No one seemed to be about. Which meant they were monitoring him some other way.

He got up, pulling on a long sleeved tee as he headed for the door.

Stared down at Winter sitting opposite his door.

"Hi."

[anothercoldwar]

Winter cracked an eye open at the sound of Apollo's voice.

He looked much better. Of course, he'd thought that earlier, too, and he'd nearly gotten a black eye for his efforts.

"Hello. I trust you're not going to attack me again? I appreciate a good fight as much as the next soldier, but your little universe in a bottle has given me something of a headache."

[lights_midnight]

"Jack implemented a strict 'No brawling in the hallways' rule." He smiles. "I am sorry about that. You just freaked me out."

He rubs his head and grins. "Yeah, the power course. Sorry, I always thought I'd be able to warn you before you got onboard. Want something for the headache?"

[anothercoldwar]

He continued the rest of the walk to the kitchen with Apollo in silence, lost in his own thoughts, looking around as they walked through the hallways. It seemed strange for a place so vast to be so empty. Skywatch had been staffed by hundreds of people and no matter what the hour, someone had always been around. The Carrier seemed eerie in its silence, almost unnerving. He shoved the feeling away as best he could.

No one was in the kitchen when they arrived, but given the size of the ship, it was possible John was still on his way. He made himself comfortable, leaning a shoulder against one of the walls in lieu of taking as seat.

"Are we just going to wait around to see if someone tries to pick a fight?" He didn't like waiting, but it wasn't his call. He wasn't even all that informed on what they might be facing.

[lights_midnight]

Apollo sets about putting the coffee machine on and dragging out cups and mik and sugar.

"I don't know where they are. Or how to get there. And I can't get Carrier to open Doors right now without a lot of trouble. If they leave us alone... I think it was Teuton acting on his own, without orders. That was the impression he gave me."

He ran a hand over Carrier's wall. "Their Carrier was dead. Lobotomised. Like everything Bendix has."

[anothercoldwar]

"Personal agenda. Fortunate, in some ways... they may not be that interested in retaliation. And it will take them longer to get to us, if they are."

He closes his eyes briefly and sighs. "Whatever he can't control or manipulate, he kills. I sometimes find it hard to believe we ever trusted him."

[lights_midnight]

"I don't. The average psychopath is a very charming, cunning and manipulative individual and Bendix was hardly the average psychopath."

He watches the coffee brew. "I'm pretty certain it was personal. He found the idea of me offensive. The prototype."

[anothercoldwar]

He steps through the door, and suddenly, the dull buzz of the Carrier and all her power is gone from the back of his head. He's standing in the middle of his yard, a patch of mostly dead grass surrounded by trees. He's glad it's semi secluded--most of his neighbors no longer remember he was a 'superhero.' The Door glowing on the front lawn would have required some interesting explanation.

He unlocks the front door and lets himself inside, not bothering to flip on a light despite the gloomy interior caused by the curtained windows. He glances back over his shoulder at Apollo. "This won't take long."

[lights_midnight]

"No hurry. Once Jenny's down she'll sleep for an hour or so. And I doubt they'll let me back on active duty for a few days."

Apollo steps in behind him, casting dim sunlight against walls and furniture as he enters. He doesn't comment on the place, doesn't show any emotion beside vague curiousity of his surroundings.

Apollo's incredibly non-judgmental like that.

[anothercoldwar]

"Probably wise." Of course, he always fought his way back on active duty as soon as possible, but he never claimed to be smart when it came to such things.

He walks down the short hall into the bedroom and opens the closet to pull out a bag for packing. He frowns at his old uniform hanging there for a moment before tossing the bag on the unmade bed and going over to the dresser. "I'm sure you could use the down time."

[lights_midnight]

"For what? To sit on my ass and get more paranoid? Last fucking time they left me watching Buffer for ten hours while they did other stuff and then told me to go and defend Washington from the bastards who'd done me over anyway."

He doesn't seem aware of the fact he's cussing a lot more than normal as he wanders to the beroom door and leans in the doorway, staring off outside.

"What am I meant to do with time off?"