ACTION TIME

[aphelionix]

The two days had come and gone since Locke stayed over at Weiler's. He was tipsy when Weiler had called that night and made their two day check-in rule - not that he forgot, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something was off when he went to bed that night.

On the morning of the third day, he remembered.

The rule was to get out. He tried calling Weiler once, in case he had forgotten his own rule, but Locke was sure by now that it wasn't like him. It was all the sign he needed when the call went straight to voice mail. He headed right out the door of his room, only gathering his pistol and communicator. Through the bustling of the soldiers' morning routines, he managed to keep himself fairly blended in. No one seemed to be looking on him any differently. Locke was on the last stretch of the emergency escape route of Gladsheim's base - for Circle members, that was - when someone called his name.

His real name.

Comments

[aphelionix]

"It's great," he said. "And pretty generous."

"Not that again, Locke," he said lightheartedly. Ace grinned, completely dwarfing Locke's hands with his own when he stuck the cards in his palm. "Just take 'er."

Locke finally relented with a nod (and just a slight smile), pocketing them. "We still have a couple errands. We'll bring the other boat to you and trade off from here after."

[tactician]

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Weiler said from where he was leaning on the back of the pilot's seat, knowing his cue when he saw it. He smiled and waved as Ace left the ship, but not before the big man issued another one of his grappling bear hugs to Locke, this time from the front (though the complete 360 seemed to be standard procedure regardless). When the door closed behind him, he asked, "What did you do, that he'd owe you a favor this big?"

Then, after a pause, Weiler seemed to have realized what he had asked and shook his head, waving a hand in front of his face. "You don't have to answer that."

pun intended

[aphelionix]

Locke was rubbing his back with a grimace, swiveling the co-pilot's seat to sit down. (All the standing was doing a number on his knee, too.) He seemed to be considering whether he wanted to answer the question or not. Well, he could use the break anyway.

"When Ace was starting out this business, he needed some help getting it off the ground," he said. It was vague, Locke realized, answer and not answer enough if he wanted to leave it at that. He ran his tongue across his lip. "Supply wasn't really meeting the demands. So I got him his supply by stealing ships and parts."

[tactician]

"Living on the wild side there," Weiler commented, smiling as he eased himself into a seat as well. "Good to know I'm tagging along with someone who's used to skirting the law," he added, despite the fact that Weiler's only real employment had always been by an organized crime conglomerate. "I'm in good hands."

He leaned over his arm rest and a little out of his seat until he could chase the movement of Locke's tongue with his mouth. It was more brief than the contact would have normally been, if they hadn't been on a schedule here. "Thanks for telling me, Captain. Let's get out of here."

[aphelionix]

After a short stare at Weiler, Locke gave a small laugh, pressing the ship's card into the dash. A couple buttons, and the engines were roaring to life. The controls lit up in succession from left to right. It was ironic, that those things meant 'good hands' to Weiler. Well, such was being part of the Circle, he supposed.

"There's more to that story," he admitted, "but maybe when we have time."