(no subject)

[the_gene_genie]

OOM: Old friends

Gene's been wandering around for an hour or so. Not entirely without direction; he found himself down in the garage a little while ago, staring at the remains of his car.

It's unutterably depressing.

He'd come back up eventually, but he brought something with him. So now he's in a booth, with an untouched sandwich in front of him next to a half-drained pint of bitter. He's turning an old engine part over in his hands - looks like one of the cylinders -  touching the bullet hole that pierces it, not caring about the oil coating his fingers.





[OOC: This EP open to new tags through the weekend.]

Comments

[electro_kinetic]

"Long time, no see," says Noriko to Gene.

Her face has grown only a little bit older, though her hair has changed dramatically. It's still blue, but pinned up in braids to form a mohawk, the loose hair itself is divided into dozens of tiny braids, each ended with a yellow or black head.

[the_gene_genie]

He looks up, and frowns.

Blue hair. He remembers blue hair - how could he not? - but the rest of the details have melted away through time, and recent events.

'Yeah.'

He stares a bit more, lips pursed in thought.

'You've got a Jap name, haven't you?'

[electro_kinetic]

"Glad to see you've kept your charm. Yeah, I still do. Still Noriko."

[the_gene_genie]

'Renowned for charm, me.'

He passes a hand across his forehead, unknowingly leaving a smear of engine oil behind. His gaze drops back to the table, and the cylinder he's holding.

'Reckon it's been ten years since I saw you.'

[electro_kinetic]

"Kinda feels like it, yeah," she says, nodding. She gestures up to the smear of grease on his forehead. Nori would get it herself except she'd just smear it more.

"What's with the cylinder? Car wrecked?"

[the_gene_genie]

His shoulders drop a bit.

'Yeah.'

Depressing. Worse than depressing.

'Some bastard shot it to pieces.'

[electro_kinetic]

"Someone shot your car."

Not something she usually hears. "Why?"

[nitro_is_ace]

"... an' don't think I believe even half.... hullo?" There's an Ace, eying her smartphone in obvious disgust before shaking her head and pocketing it. "Stupid conversation anyway."

She's headed for the Bar, but she's always been a wary sort of creature, and spies him half-way there. So now there's frowning, the 'I know you hang on give it a minute I swear' sort of frowning when you run across someone that you feel you really ought to remember.

Damn this whole divergent timelines business, anyway.

[the_gene_genie]

After a moment or two, he gets that someone's watching him. When he sees her, he offers a wan sort of smile.

'Alright, Dotty?'

Maybe she's someone who should know the truth. She probably wouldn' even bat an eyelid - though that look she's giving him isn't usual.

'What's up with you?'

[nitro_is_ace]

Her expression blanks out abruptly, before offering a wan sort of grin of her own - right. DCI Hunt, copper and (oddly enough, given what memories she's managed to sort through) friend... and she's really not sure how a shoot-out in a United States western-style saloon with a bunch of Daleks got in there, but hey, it sounds like her sort of adventure.

"Oh. Y'know. The usual." Which, she's learning as she goes, is not the sort of usual anyone around here expects of her. It's distinctly odd to feel like she's underachieving in terms of sheer lunacy. But she heads for the booth anyway, because running away (no matter which timeline) has never been her style.

[the_gene_genie]

'Didn't think you had a 'usual',' he mutters, but whatever. He's more intent on studying her face, because she doesn't seem like herself.

'Want a drink?'

[nitro_is_ace]

"Gods, I thought you were never goin' to ask." One of the waitrats has tailed her to the booth, and once she's managed to settle herself, it makes itself known with a squeak.
"Right. A pint of sommat on tap, would'ya?" She asks, and as the rat scurries off, she calls after it. "Sommat British!."

She rolls her eyes, expressively.
"Last time I did that, it came back with Michelob. Who, exactly, drinks that stuff?"

[the_gene_genie]

'Poofs, and twats,' he answers automatically, and her request draws a smile without effort. He knew there was a reason he liked her.

'What you been up to? Haven't seen you around for a bit.'

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh, dear," says Ellen, who for once is wearing her old armored Vault 101 jumpsuit rather than her Brotherhood greens or any sort of body armor. "What happened?"

That face, and that gear, can't mean anything good.

[the_gene_genie]

He looks a little uncomfortable on seeing Ellen, given the state of him the last time they spoke. But the question gives him an out.

'Found my car down in the garage.'

He turns the cylinder so she can see the bullet hole. Says it all, really.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Vault manners dictate that one does not speak of such things as the state Gene was in last time unless the other person brings it up first, or unless there is absolutely no way to avoid it. When your entire world is a sealed system, there are things you just don't bring up. It's not polite. It's not Done. So there won't be any indication that last time ever happened from her, at least.

As for now, though-

"Good Lord! Is there anything else left?"

(Cars that get shot, in her experience, explode. A lot.)

[the_gene_genie]

'All the bits are there. But they all look like this.'

Some are even still attached. Gene sort of looks like someone's died - as far as he's concerned, someone did.

He really loved that car.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"That's horrible," Ellen says. She's been spending a long time rebuilding machines from worn-out bits, but shot up's another story. "Who would do such a thing?"

[the_gene_genie]

He gestures at the seat opposite so she can sit if she wants, and picks up his pint with a sigh.

'Bastards, who else?'

You'd have to be to shoot up a motor as brilliant as the Quattro.

'Me an' my DI were behind it at the time. Probably didn' help.'

[guppy_sandhu]

"You have to wash your hands before you eat." Fry informs him, looking at him from over the table.

[the_gene_genie]

Gene rolls his eyes up to see the boy, then immediately scans for his father. His memories of their last conversation are hazed with fatigue, and the amount he had drunk, but he remembers the highlights.

'Wasn' really planning on eating it.'

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy is following up behind his son. He gives Gene a nod.

"That's a sandwich." Fry points out.

"Hey Gene. Is that part of your car?" Guppy asks.

[the_gene_genie]

He blinks at the abrupt question, and pushes the food generally towards Fry.

'Yours if you want it.'

And nods.

'Yeah, as it goes.'

[guppy_sandhu]

Fry looks at the sandwich.

"It's Friday, for dinner I have chicken and vegetables and potato smilies."

"If you don't want it, the polite answer is 'No thank you'." Guppy says.

"No thank you." Fry says.

"Who blew up your car?" Guppy asks, looking back at Gene.

[the_gene_genie]

He leaves the offending sandwich sitting there, and glances up at Guppy. He's still worrying the cylinder between his fingers, fingering the edges of the bullet hole absentmindedly.

'Some Dutch wankers. I just found it downstairs.'