Week 30, Monday Night: Neighbors

"Look, they are the biggest ones I have. Why don't YOU sit on your ass for seven years and see how they look on YOU?" The chubby black woman gave herself a critical look in the holoscreen-turned-mirror, talking to herself in a fast, clipped English. She frowned over her glasses at her clothes, and looked again at the plastic boxes marked in thick words "MARJORIE'S" and smaller words "Sweaters. NOT EDNA'S!" under it. She was glad for them, but.. Well.

Sadly, they were a few sizes too tight and more importantly, woefully out of date. Her head tilted at something invisible before her frown redoubled. "Hey, I only came here because YOU said it was a good idea. Stop manifesting my doubts about this life change as insults, Tex." She smoothed out the wrinkles in her top, checked her ass in her bright red jeans, and left her office with her head held high, not letting some psyche matrix tease her for ill-fitting clothes.

She rapped her knuckles sharply on Cobra's door. Bucket of popped Hi-grate in her hands, she fixed her face in a grin. Hopefully this one wouldn't be as.. distant as the others.

Cobra's door swung open, revealing the shorter muscular woman standing to attention. She was wearing the same tanktop and military fatigue trousers she'd worn since arriving at Oracle, and was holding a pistol in her left hand. She had a somewhat blank, curious expression on her face as she saw Marjorie standing outside. "Can I help you, Sergeant?", she asked in English.

"Sergeant? Ah ha!" Mar gave a peal of laughter, nose wiggling as her glasses slipped down. It was a relaxed and happy sound, if a touch too loud. "Well, first, you can call me Marjorie. Or Maggie. Or Mags. Or Jorie. Or Jor. Or Joe! Or Madge. Er." She reached out a hand to shake Cobra's, mouth forming a little thoughtful "o" for a moment as she tried to think of other names. "I'm much more of a scholar than a sergeant. And, well, another new agent for Oracle. Like you!! You're Cobra, right?"

Marge smiled again, revealing a very nice set of white teeth. Her voice dropped a little, softly. "And I.. wanted to see if you wanted to hang out. It would be nice to talk to someone else. Besides Tex of course." Another soft giggle. "I don't know if you want to want a.. a movie or something, but it might be nice. Get to know each other?" She shrugged a shoulder in her blue sweater, looking a little apologetic, aware she was talking too much.. "Sorry. Sometimes I worry we've forgotten how to talk to other people."

Cobra holstered her pistol and shook Marjorie's hand. "Nice to meet you, Marjorie. That sounds like a nice idea, I'd like to get to know my new comrades." She smiled back at Marjorie, showing her teeth that were in healthy condition but not definitely not right, with many positioned in the wrong parts of the jaw. "I'm bad with people too, so please don't feel awkward about it... I don't really know what we should do, I'm used to just working alone in my spare time. If you have any plans, I'm happy just tagging along."

Majorie spent a small but slightly obvious moment looking Cobra over, specifically the mouth, but she smiled warmly anyway. "Well, uh, I was gonna watch some Tex. I had the whole series in the ship on the way back, but I haven't seen the newest seasons." She waved the popped hi-grate at Cobra with a slightly sad grin. "And if you want, there are other shows--NO,no,no, yesyeswewillwatchTexLATER!--Sorry, he's very excited to watch the rest of the series." Maggie smiled apologetically. Her voice had got annoyed and clipped, English harsh in her throat, like the exasperated half of a married couple.

"BUT WE WILL watch it all, don't worry." These words sounded like they were to herself. Softer. Back to Cobra she sighed. "..Besides, I need to.. decompress after that mission." Jorie shook her head, curls bouncing a little. She pushed up her glasses. There was a dangerous little sparkle in her eyes. "You been on one yet?"

"My old division were always talking about Tex Callahan, but I never found the time between projects to watch. I'm sick of hearing about him, but now I have all this free time I might as well catch up on the phenomenon."

Cobra noticed Marjorie's odd behaviour, but didn't say anything; there was a reassuring familiarity to being around someone who seemed unstable in a non-murderous way.

"I haven't been on any missions yet. I suppose I want to settle into this new life first, and Oracle's very different from the Federation… So how much Tex do you need to catch up on?"

Jorie waited in the door, obviously checking Cobra over to see if she was ready to walk to her room, or if she still needed to get ready. She shifted the weight in her feet, smiling a little.. maniacally at the mention of the old division. "I have the newest seven seasons. I can fill you in on all the gaps, but mostly, Tex Stops Bad Guys. You'll figure it out." There was a pause before her voice dropped a little quietly, almost dangerous. "Did you know Tex's face is the most recognizable on the planet? Even I wasn't even that fond of him at first, but with 7 years in space with nothing else to watch, well, you get thankful that he has devoted fans that feel the need to bring their whole series with them to Io." She laughed again, a little louder than her voice. "And of course, having him live in your head helps."

The ex-AXE agent peeked a little in Cobra's room, and then give a conspiratorial glance down the halls. "And as for the mission.. You should go on one." She pushed her glasses back up her nose, eyes intense behind them. "It was nothing like I expected. This whole corporation is nothing like I expected. I'm not sure I'm.. a good fit."

When Marjorie looked into Cobra's room, she saw a largely empty office. A few combat supplies were arranged in the corner, and tools were laid out on her desk where she'd apparently been working on something, but on the whole it didn't show many signs of being lived in for even a few days.

"Were you on that last mission, then? I just read the report on it, and it sounded... rough." Cobra looked sympathetically at Marjorie as she locked her office's door. "I'm sure we can avoid troubles like that in the future with some planning... like not going after cultists all the time. As for not fitting in... I know that feeling very well, but I'm sure you'll manage if you just keep trying. I'm kind of in the same position, so hopefully we can at least fit in with each other, right?"

Cobra stepped forward, then stopped when she realised she didn't know which office was Marjorie's. "For now though, shall we set the worrying aside and try to have some fun?"

Shrugging with a shoulder, Maggie walked to her door and gave a look to Cobra. "Rough isn't the right word for it. It was.. Not an information gathering meeting. And the person running it--Darya, I think her name was?--she seemed.. Upset. Unstable. Prone to guilt and self harm. Took the whole thing very personally, and may have ordered the death of some "cult" children. And there wasn't much information to get." She frowned a bit, stopping in front of her door. She tilted her head.. and added begrudingly in a softer voice. "But yes, you're right, the money was very good... Very good. Maybe it's worth it."

She shrugged again, obviously bothered and talking to herself again. She shook her head and entered her office. She had dragged a couch in to better serve as a bed, the desk pushed near the wall overflowing with clothes and fashion accessories. The room was pretty dark, and despite the clutter there was.. a neatness to it, as if Jorie didn't dare use much space. "I'm.. not too worried about fitting in, maybe.. I just don't know if I'm the kind of killer who can.. do that. I like technology. Computers. The stars. Watching streamable media with ice creeem and reading academic papers." She shook her head again. "But.. I would like to fit in with you. We are the new guys, right?" She smiled again, and flopped on the couch. "I just hope your first mission goes better than mine. So, tell me, how do you feel about cakes?" She rolled over to grab a box of something from the desk, and offered it to Cobra. "Grab a seat and one of these things. WAY better than reprocessed calorie filler."

Cobra couldn't help but shudder when Maggie talked about Darya. Hearing about her behaviour on-mission just reinforced the fearful impression Darya had made. After reading about the mission in question, Cobra had looked through the records and found several past "cult-hunting" missions that she'd taken the agents on. She wanted to confront Darya about her obvious abuse of position, but that would mean putting herself in the way of such a terrifying woman... Perhaps once she'd got to know the other agents better.

Marjorie's room felt strange to Cobra, being so cluttered and... civilian, for lack of a better word coming to mind. "I don't feel anything about cakes, Marjorie. I've never had the occasion to eat one," she admitted as she sat down.

She took a bite. At first she smiled at the sweet taste, but very soon after she swallowed the cake, her expression warped into a grimace. "E-excuse me," Cobra muttered before running out of the room to the nearest bathroom, where she vomited heavily.

A couple of minutes later, she returned to Marjorie's room with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that; it looks like I can't keep the stuff down. I... think I'll stick to nutribars if I need a snack, thanks."

Marjorie's smeaker buzzed.
Hey Marj, it's Shap, the one with the lenses. Is now a good time? There's some things I'd like to talk with you about.

Maggie's brows knit in worry and surprise when Cobra left, and she quickly replaced the box of cakes on her desk and covered it with a spare blouse. She wasn't sure why something as simple as a--fairly nice, actually--cake would make someone throw up. Allergies? Or, ah, more likely, she wasn't used the rich food. Jorie had been combating a weak of stomach grumblings herself after years of eating processed nutrient lumps, but she had taken handfuls of digestive aids to help. She had been dreaming about food for years, and she wasn't going to let nausea stop her from enjoying them.To the empty room, she said, "Hey, I didn't know that would happen! You know I don't want to hurt anyone, let alone another one of you WF agents. Fuck, Tex."

She smiled apologetically as Cobra came back. "I'm sorry, honey. I had no idea. Er.. I have the popped hi-grate if you want? might settle your stomach, but I don't blame you for, you know.. turning it down." It was then that Shap's message came over the smeaker. She switched to Mandarin to sub-vocalize. "I'm in my office in the HQ with Cobra, if you want to talk to me. We can talk privately if you want, but she seems pretty trustworthy." She gave a wink to Cobra, and sighed. "Tex might have to wait a few minutes. Have you met Shap, before?"

"No, I've hardly met anyone here yet... Why do you ask?" Cobra didn't mind waiting a little longer - after all, she'd spent 6 years living in the WF and only watched the couple of episodes of Tex she'd had to for Psychological Training. Meeting new people, on the other hand, was a big part of why she'd come to Oracle in the first place.

Oh, I wanted to talk to Cobra about it too. It's nothing confidential or dangerous so don't worry 'bout it. I'll be over shortly*

...shortly...(i.e. whenever's appropriate)

There's a knock a Marjorie's door. "Hello Marj? It's Shap. May I come in?"*

*Translated from Mandarin

"Oh, he's coming by. Have you configured your smeaker for Oracle yet? Here, let me get out the frequency." She picked up her PDA, easily flicking through the pages with thumbs. "He's a good guy, fast, competent.. Maybe he does things a little dangerously, but well, we all have our quirks." There was a pause, followed by a laugh as she handed her PDA with the smeaker instructions to Cobra. "I meant more talking to yourself than THAT, but yes, good point, Tex." She gave Cobra a look, eyes lingering at her teeth as subtly as possible. "He's.. a good guy. Not scary at all."

After a brief pause, there was a knock on the door, followed by Shap's Mandarin. She smiled at the WF agent before nodding. "Come in, it's unlocked. Ah.. Cobra, this is Shap, Shap, Cobra."

"Nice to me't you, Shap. I'm Cobra, Oracle's new vehicle engineer." She smiled nervously as she looked him up and down, trying to assess the newcomer. "Sor'y if you wanted to sp'ak to Marjorie in priva'e."

The door opens to reveal a man of Pacific Islander ethnicity: 5'8" with short, fuzzy black hair and an Olympic triathlon athlete's build, wearing a pair of of baggy light-brown cargo pants and that a dark red t-shirt with a white explosion silhouete off-centre on the chest with '私はエネルギー'* written in bold type on inside it. His eyes are obscured behind to opaque black lenses fixed over his eye-sockets but the corners of his mouth are cured upwards in a friendly smile.

"evening Marj, good to see you again."** The man said stepping through the door. "Evening Cobra"** Shap said, turning to address Cobra Jones "I didn't explicitly want to talk to Marj in private, I just didn't know you'd be here too; though you being here as well is convenient. I shan't keep you from what you were doing but I want to know what Anascan cybernetics you each have. Answering me will help you integrate into the Oracle team better."**

*Japanese for 'I am energy'
**Translated from Mandarin

Upon Shap's mention of integration into the team, Cobra replied immediately and enthusiastically. "I don't have any at pre'ent, sir, or any other cyb'rntics beyo'd the basic age't setup. My shoo'ing teach'rs al'ays said I should get some, but my porti'n of my divi'ion's funding al'ays went to vehicle components rath'r than cyb'rnetics. Will that be a prob'em, sir?"

Jors looked at Cobra when she spoke, and in a rather amused tone of voice said, "Whereas I've had the PSE for years now, and I've scheduled to get telemetric, mindnight, thermal, the reticle, and range targeter this week." She looked at him with a smile, and then back to Cobra. She shrugged apologetically at her huge list of upgrades. "There's only so much time, and lots of this week will be getting the neural jack. Finally! We're both very excited... Why, what do you have in mind? ..Oh yes, I didn't even mean to make that pun. Ha!"

Shap smiled gently at Marjorie's joke.

"Oracle's mission are dangerous, even for Agents, and in the chaos teammates can become separated and fatalities can happen without you even being aware until they just don't come back..." Shap jerked himself upright and smiled widely before continuing "What I mean to say is that it is especially crucial that all members of the team are aware of each others' situation and status at all times. The smeakers are helpful, yes but there other cybernetics that are just make the task easier. All the other Agents of Oracle have them and I had mine paid for by Positrion when I arrived. Up until two weeks ago I too felt the budgetary strain of being a new agent," Shap's mouth dipped slightly before setting into a line as he continued with uncharacteristic seriousness. "but now I am much more well-off than I've ever thought possible so I wish to pay for you to get the necessary cybernetics."

"All-in-all the augments will take 12 hours, 17 for you Cobra, plus travel time. The Cybernetics are the Anscan U-view optical sharing, the Anascan Inner Vision GUI and the Datanetica Team Biostatus Monitor. The Anascan PSE is also necessary for all these cybernetics. Will you accept my offer?"

*All dialogue translated from Mandarin

"Oh, well, I'm more than happy to get my cyberentis paid for. I uh.. already spent most of my first paycheck getting the cybernetics I have.." Mar looked embarrassed again, and the offered the bucket of popped hi-grate to Shap. "Have some.. Hm, I could easily see how having U-View or a Biostatus monitor could help--Yeah, I KNOW you would be able to see too, which I think is a main advantage, you nosey cowboy--I can.. just about squeeze it in this week. It means less time to look for housing but, ah.. I have another two weeks anyway.."

The snappish, tired voice she tended to use when talking to Tex seemed almost sweet this time. She shook the bucket of pop"corn" again, enticingly.

"Oh, so you are living out of your office." Shap said, plucky a plentiful portion from the proffered pack of pop-corn. "I wondered about that. Well, it's not my place but I think Xu won't object to the extra rent, or in fact show any emotion at all, so you can come and live at Phoenix Security." Shap casually catapulted a kurnel of corn into his mouth. "It's not glamourous nor particularly cozy but there's plenty of people and it's not here."

"Besides, I think you're moving into Phoenix soon aren't you, Cobra? Shap gently gestured as he glanced in Jones' general direction. "So I think it'd be good for you to move there too." Shap resumed his reverential regard of Marj as he mechanically moved morsels of microwaved munchies to his mouth

*All dialogue translated from Mandarin

Mar raised her eyebrows. A few people had mentioned living in Phoenix, but no one had said she "should" or it would be "good", yet. She gave it a thought. There would be a real bed, probbaly, and she could move out if she needed to. Meet people, get to know them, and hadn't Ace said something out.. A thought occurred to her. "..Who else lives there? And do I need to sign a tenant agreement? I am looking for something in the more.. Three bedroom, high rise, views of the city kind of location. But I guess it's better than here."

She tilted her head as if listening to something, and then eventually nodded silently. "And right, we'll need a place that allows pets. Caleb mostly stays in his cage, though." She pointed to what looked like a little plastic box, and inside, a tiny gray horse shoe crab thing squirmed slowly.

"At the moment: Myself, Han, Xu and Positron, although he mostly visits via Posbot 'cos he lives on the moon an' the commutes a bitch not to mention he doesn't own a car. Oh, and about two dozen mercenaries who work for Xu but they're mostly away on security contracts. They don't seem bad, the ones I've talked to are nice enough, certainly polite to us Agents; I think they're under orders to be."

"For starting out, Phoenix is as good as any you can always move out if you want. I haven't signed anything; all it needed was a quick background check and 200 credits a week. If I recommend him to you as well and mention you're part of Oracle it'll be fine. As for pets? You'll have to ask Xu about it yourself..." Shap trailed off as he followed Marj's gaze to Caleb, cocked one eyebrow and pointed quizzically at the creature "Is that what I...Where did you get that?"

*All dialogue translated from Mandarin

Cobra nodded formally in response to Shap's question, then fell silent when the conversation turned to Marjorie's search for a home. The only time she'd ever had to find somewhere to live, the process had consisted of finding an out-of-the-way spot that wasn't anyone's territory, then gathering plenty of scrap metal to build shelter - not exactly experience transferable to house-hunting in the civilised world.