[Yates and Ben stay behind.] * Yates idly waits at the top, seeing if Ben has any response to her suggestion to wait lower down. 'We'll leave the sub, but not go far. I don't want them cutting off our exit.' * Yates nods, stands and proceeds a short distant down the tunnel, checking if Ben follows. * Ben follows her to stand pretty much immediately outside the sub's door. (Give me a read on visibility and cover in the tunnel.) * Yates stops shortly out of the sub then. The tunnel is rough on the edges, but is pretty much straight through, no real cover. 'I think we should wait in the sub. This tunnel has no cover, and people at the end of it could easily shield themselves by waiting around the bend and leaning around it to shoot.' 'Wait, scratch that.' I can add cover. * Ben comments as Yates begins to speak, 'Yates, give me some cover.' * Yates smiles and adds a stone barricade with a thin viewing area through it, suitable for shooting. She also leaves room to walk around the barricade, but no clear shot of a person standing behind it. 'Good girl.' 'Now, you do understand the rules here, right?' I don't do what you tell me, you kill me? 'That about sums it up.' 'Also, I die and you die.' 'You get too far from me and you die.' 'And if I don't push in the renewal code every hour, you die.' * Yates nods. "Glad to know I'm still respected, I suppose." 'Oh, one more thing. You might be aware that I can also shoot electricity through you as a nonlethal disincentive or knock you unconscious with a tranquilizer.' * Yates nod. "Dame Sarah mentioned it." 'If you try to attack me, if I even think you're trying to attack me, my first move isn't the tranq and it's not the shock.' * Ben takes out his hunting knife and idly stabs it right through his palm to emerge from the back of his hand. Blood drips down the blade and trickles off it onto the floor. The fingers jerk spasmodically. Ben twists the knife slightly, then pulls it out again. He clenches his hand twice, and appears to have total control of it again. 'You could probably kill me, but it would take a while. That's why I got this job. Remember that too.' * Yates looks somewhat impressed for a minute. "Nice trick. And I assumed as much, otherwise they'd have used the robot." * Ben looks at Yates calmly as he holds up his bloody hand and taps his neck. 'Now, be honest, are you thinking of escaping right now?' Of course. It just doesn't seem very likely. * Ben grins. 'Right answer. I was going to shock you if you said no.' (He really was.) * Yates leans against the wall. "So. I noticed the current level of, well I've been out for a while so I'll say traditionally defined professionalism, seems to be a lot more variable in S.A.B. then I remember it." (Can Ben hear what's going on down the hall?) (Naw, too far down. Not unless something rather loud happens) * Ben's grin widens. 'Trying to butter me up, lure me into a casual conversation, make me think you feel for me and my troubles, suddenly we're buddies and my guard is down and that's when BAM it's all over?' Well, that and I'm bored. 'Fair enough. Yes, this organization is not exactly up to what I'd call a professional standard. It's what happens when your main hiring criteria is powers and not abilities.' (What's the light source where they are?) [Basically still light from the sub, which goes about another 5 meters down.] 'Walk back to the sub. I'm going to kill the lights.' (Does Ben have a sort of remote control for controlling Yates or what?) * Yates gets up to walk. (Yeah.) * Ben keeps an eye on her. Notice he didn't ask her to follow him to the sub. * Ben has the remote control in his left hand. * Yates walks about 3 meters. "Coming?" * Ben follows 3 metres behind her. 'How good a sensory feedback does your touch telekinesis give you?' * Yates proceeds to the sub. "Probably a consequence of focusing so much on the special nature of powers. It's easy to forget they're just another means to an end." 'I think the problem is that the S.A.B. is picked as a combat squad and then sent into multifaceted missions,' Ben replies. * Yates gets to the sub. "I suppose that would explain it." [There's a distant sound of an explosion.] * Ben doesn't flinch. 'So much for stealth.' * Yates blinks. 'Again, how good a sensory feedback does your touch tk give you? Can you feel whatever happens to this whole tunnel?' My range isn't unlimited. Big stuff I can notice easily, smaller things are harder. That was an explosion in one of the big tunnels. Not a cave-in threat. 'Thanks. On this map, where would it be?' * Ben points to his copy of the map. * Yates thinks for a moment and points to C24. Okay. * Ben's whole attitude expresses no concern whatsoever. * Ben reaches into the sub and kills the lights. (There is darkness?) [There is darkness.] 'Can you see? Or use your tk in place of sight, at short range?' * Ben pronounces tk as 'teek'. To some degree. Not as good on the whole. 'Enough to keep track of where I am?' * Yates nods. 'So just because you're not looking toward me, doesn't mean you aren't watching me. Even when the lights are on. Good to know.' 'Sure you don't want them on?' Ben flicks them on again. * Yates shrugs. "Your choice, depends on how much you enjoy exercising your nightvision I suppose." 'I'm fine either way.' Ben flicks the lights off. * Ben, in the dark, suddenly raises his arm with the remote control to point it at Yates. Does she react? [Pilot, who is still in the front, hangs out in the dark, uncomplaining, as he's a pro.] (Oh, I didn't realize there was someone still in there.) (He's in front. And this is why I mentioned. :P) Also you're mainly talking about exterior lights, right?) * Yates doesn't react. * Ben begins backing away from Yates, approaching the five metre line. He doesn't look like he'll stop in time. * Yates follows him. 'Did you know that making sure you don't escape is the single most important mission requirement? Total failure on all other fronts is more acceptable than letting you go alive.' 'So tell me, what escape plans are you considering?' * Yates looks bemused. "Really? My." * Ben's tone is totally conversational all the while. Finding a way to transport you alive, but quite restricted, to get to a friendly lab within an hour. 'Well, sure, that covers all the bases. Any plan that doesn't have at least that much is no plan at all.' * Yates nods. 'Hey, pilot, what's your name?' Lewis Mason, sir. 'Mr. Mason. Do you know Ms. Yates?' I was briefed. * Yates listens with interest. 'What do you think of her?' I'm told she's managed new innovation in high treason. I don't approve, sir. 'Think she deserves an electric shock for that, Mr. Mason?' * Ben's still watching Yates this whole time, not Mason, of course. * Yates continues to watch Ben with interest. * Mason considers. "No sir. For me it'd be sufficient if she was tried and then, ideally, executed, sir." 'Very generous of you, Mr. Mason. Now, Yates, I think you do deserve an electric shock for committing treason. Who do you think is right? Me or Mr. Mason?' Well, not arguing my guilt or innocence, as that's not the question, I'd tend to say I don't deserve to be shocked, considering I've spent a good number of years tranquilized in a fusion reactor and will shortly be returning to such. Obviously this is colored by my preference not to be shocked. 'What do you have to say to that, Mr. Mason?' Ben asks. 'Hasn't she been through enough?' * Mason hmms. "I suppose being tranquilized is worse than just being in jail, but better than being dead. Maybe if she actually ends up helping the country we should keep her alive, but certainly not free her." * Ben nods. 'I don't think he likes you, Yates. Good thing he's not the one with his finger on the button, isn't it?' * Yates looks at Ben evenly. "Perhaps so." 'How's that escape plan coming along, Emma? Any details falling into place yet?' I'm still here, aren't I? 'For the moment.' * Ben flicks the light on suddenly. If Yates was looking at him, she's looking more or less directly at the light. 'Sure this isn't better?' * Yates blinks. "Not for a few moments until my eyes adjust at least." * Ben flicks it off a second later, just as her vision would have adjusted. 'Nah, you're right, better in the dark.' * Yates closes her eyes for now. "Whatever you prefer." 'Emma, Emma, Emma. This isn't about me. It's about you. Whatever makes you comfortable. Are you comfortable, Emma? Is there anything I can do for you?' He pauses a beat. 'Is there anything you want?' I doubt anything you'd be willing to provide. Although I'd prefer sitting in peace to psy-op techniques. 'Like you said, it's boring here and we have to pass the time.' 'We could be,' a beat, 'here all night, after all.' Well we could talk about something else. Anything interesting happen in the last decade or so? 'You want me to tell you about recent events? Offer me something in return.' 'What are you up to, Emma?' * Ben's voice is nearly a whisper now, sympathetic and intimate. * Yates whispers back. "No harm in asking, but I'm sure Eckerd's listening." She then says louder. "What could I have that you want?" * Ben closes his eyes briefly. 'Eckerd? Maybe she's listening. Maybe not. Forget about her. What I want, Emma, is for you to tell me how you're planning to escape.' Ben's voice sounds smooth yet slightly puzzled. This mention of Eckerd seems to have thrown him off stride in his interrogation technique. * Yates sighs. "So, guess only thing I can bribe you with is what she wants you to get. Currently busy trying to figure out what contingencies are in place that I don't know about." * Ben kicks the dirt floor. 'Good girl. See, that wasn't so hard. And now, in return, a piece of information.' 'A remake of The Thin Man got the Best Picture award at the Oscars this year.' 'See how the system works?' 'You give me what I want, I give you what you want.' Fair enough. 'So, now we're back where we were a minute ago. You've told me part of what you've been thinking, but not all. What do you have to offer me now, Emma?' I assume there's a contingency against you voluntarily accompanying me. So, the initial plan is problematic. * Ben can't help but smile at this. 'Well, Mr. Mason is a force to be reckoned with. Aren't you, Mr. Mason?' 'And so, I tell you this: this year's women's fashion craze is leather.' Do my best to serve King and Country, sir. 'Good man.' * Yates frowns. "Sadly, I threw out all my leather in my activist days." 'Well, it's overdone.' * Yates nods and then looks confused for the moment. "Interesting. Living rock beast, I think." 'What? Where?' Where the explosion was. I think the team is still there. 'Really? Huh. I'd have thought even they'd be able to get farther by now.' 'Over by the barricade, Yates.' Ben follows behind her as she makes her way to the cover she's constructed. 'And tell me if you get a bead on anything heading this way.' * Yates heads over there. "Will do." [Break in here]