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[frostythehitman]

JAMES (BUCKY) BARNES

Hey, this is James. Text me if you need me. Or leave me a message if you want, but I'm probably not going to listen to it because, seriously, this is 2017 and no one uses voicemail any more.

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

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[standalonehuman]

Togusa wont give away James’ tell. The fake arm doesn’t move on its own. It’s an arm, but if you know what you’re looking for, it stands out too much. Good thing James is about to lose that? Togusa holds up a defensive hand. “I know they exist, one of them is gonna be like-“ stops himself, chooses a much less vulgar expression to describe it, “the scenic route, and not in a good way.”

“Last month, when we checked out the building, it sent us all the way across town, these tunnels that eventually spat us out all the way in the woods.” Give that a second to sink in, the distance they ended up covering. “In addition, the blueprints people found in August? The assumption is that all the entry points all the teams got led to, the basement, forest bunker, university, subway? They’re are connected. They’re all a part of the complex. Maybe. But we haven’t tried them again in a few months.”

[frostythehitman]

Now this. This is what James has been wanting to hear. This is what he wants to do.

"So then we can just go back into them, right? I mean, I tried getting into the subway a few months ago and they were all blocked off, but--if you got dumped in the woods, that means the bunker there has to be how you got there! So that's where we need to go." He has no idea where this bunker is, exactly, but he is already making plans to go find it.

[standalonehuman]

“I’d recommend trying the others again, first,” Togusa’s tone darkens. “Whatever shielding Retrospec has to keep them safe? Didn’t apply to that bunker or the path from the building. It was all the fog monsters, trapped to hell and back. I only made it through there because I had the most powerful person in the city with me.”

“I still think it’s a bad idea, and it makes you a target. I am still scared for you, but I dont think that’s going to go away.” Softer, letting some of his real fear for James soak in, before he sighs deeply.

Togusa finally points at James. “If you try this, for the love of whatever is important to you, don’t run off without preparing, have a plan to get back, and no more setting fire to things.” It’s ridiculous that he has to say that. “That really has to be where I draw the line. You really cant control how much damage a fire does. Please. No more burning shit?”

[frostythehitman]

"I'm already a target whether I do anything or not." But, after a few moments of silence, he relents.

"Fine. Fine. I'll have a backup and everything. And I'll only set stuff on fire if it really, actually deserves it."

[standalonehuman]

There's still regret in Togusa's eyes. He can't flat-out tell James not to do this. That'll send him running straight at Retrospec faster than anything. As much as Togusa wants answers, there's a part of him that hopes the attempt is impossible, just to not put James through what Togusa saw in those tunnels.

"Where am I dropping you off?" He finally pulls away from the curb again.

[frostythehitman]

"Back home. You can just drop me off at the checkpoint." He was heading home anyway, and there's no need to make Togusa go through the whole security rigmarole when he can just easily enter himself and walk the rest of the way home.

"But wait, first--who has those blueprints now?" He's not about to just let this conversation end without getting some more information first, not when Togusa just dropped all this on him.

[standalonehuman]

Togusa nods and starts to turn the car around. After the last impression he left on George, this is for the best.

"Check with Dante," is the response. "Or, ah, Mohammed Hefaz. He and I were trying to figure out the old subway map before, too. I know it was Dante's group that found the thing, but I don't know what they were able to bring back. I think there were some efforts to duplicate what they saw, though." It's one of the parts of this that Togusa doesn't have his finger on the pulse of.

[frostythehitman]

Dante? Oooh, that's gonna be awkward. James shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He knows that what happened was a dream (nightmare, whatever) but he's still uncomfortable with it. Fine, whatever. He'll deal with it. Confronting Retrospec will be worth the awkwardness.

"Alright, I'll talk to them."

[standalonehuman]

The rest of the drive to the base's gates is in a not uncomfortable silence. Togusa has made his point, he's not going to belabor it. The idea of pointing an officer in a direction where all their righteous energy can do some good is familiar, but that's for an officer, not a teenager.

When they make it to the base, Togusa finally pulls over. He nods lightly at James, a sign that he's free to go and not in any lasting trouble. "Thank you. For listening at all."

[frostythehitman]

"You trapped me in a car, I didn't exactly have a choice," he mumbles, but it's with no venom. Unlike most people, at least Togusa's not telling James to just put up with Retrospec and not do anything. "Thanks for the info."

He opens the car door and steps out to make the rest of the way home.