Voices Carry: Part 3

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There was absolutely no fucking way, Anne thought to herself, Denver actually needed this many new buildings. As she walked through the skeleton of a building while the wind blew around her through the open walls, she recognized that it definitely benefited her in the moment, but it was just fucking obnoxious. This whole development was probably just the result of gentrification, built on some culturally important site or a Native American burial ground or something. Although, arguably, most of the //continent// was a Native American burial ground - Anne shook her head. Not important.

One thing at a time, Anne reminded herself. All that there was left to do was get the conflux working and make it to the Way. Anne glanced to the currently hollow elevator shaft in the center of the building. Looked like hoofing it back to the roof was her only out now. Not like she ever //really// had an out, per se, but - damnit, stay focused, she reminded herself once more. It's just nerves. Everything went well. The Coalition and the Foundation dealt with each other just fine.

Anne figured she should just focus on the task at hand. She fiddled with the obtuse device as she walked, quietly cursing its unintuitive design. //Not like there's really much need to make anything for Greens now, but after today, maybe,// she thought. She'd never actually used the thing before - considering how much shit she went through to get her hands on it in the first place - but eventually she got the thing glowing and humming.

After a few seconds, things started... collapsing around it. Not literally, at least Anne didn't think so, but the world seemed to get pulled into taut threads which converged around the conflux in her hand as well as Anne herself. She focused on one of the threads and pulled on it like she did with other people's thoughts. It strained slightly, and Anne felt the presence of someone else. Down on the street, worried about missing something. Okay then, that was way, way farther than she would normally be able to read someone. The thing worked.

Anne breathed a sigh of relief. This wouldn't all be for nothing after all. Just a few more floors and she'd be home free.

----

> Conflux [activated/empowered]. [Communication/Link/Telephone wire] clarity increased.

Iris clutched her head. Not only was that damn voice getting even more talkative, but the whole world seemed like it was swimming, twisting and aligning itself into threads. Jaqueline didn't seem to notice, but came to a stop when she realized she'd passed Iris.

"Sir? You alright?" she asked. At least she didn't try getting closer to Iris this time.

"Fine!" Iris waved the hand that wasn't clutched to her forehead dismissively. "I'm fine. Anne's doing something, we need to go find her."

Jaqueline pursed her lips. It didn't seem like she was buying Iris' insistence on pushing forward. "Look, I'm sorry, but she's gone. No way in hell of finding which way she went in this place," she said as she turned and gestured to the rows upon rows of indistinguishable support beams. "Let's just head back. Adams should have gotten to the car by now."

> You need [help/me]. Help [yourself] by [reaching]. [Feel/Read] parts of their [self].

"...Sir?" Jaqueline leaned over a slight bit when she noticed Iris wasn't focusing on her.

"Shhh!" Iris held up her hand to get her to shut up.

> Feel [threads]. They [connect everything/entwine reality/enmesh us/are always-online social media].

She figured that maybe if the thing the voice was saying actually worked, she probably wasn't going insane. Steadying her breathing, she stood back up and tried to focus on the threads.

"Jaqueline, do you see all this?" Iris asked.

"See what...?" Jaqueline looked over her shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Iris didn't bother answering. If it was just her, then maybe... it was like her photographs.

> Focus on [information/memories]. [Process/Assimilate].

She wasn't really sure what that meant, but tried focusing on the threads like they were her photographs. Maybe it was just because she was focusing on it, but one of the threads seemed to pull closer to her. After a short while, she felt that familiar tugging sensation behind her eyes... and the sense that she was looking at someone acting very smug.

> [You/Me/We] [similar/same].

"Anne went that way," Iris said, trying to push the threads out of her head. She checked her revolver and began walking away

"What?" Jaqueline gawked, staying put. She seemed confused. Well, not like Iris had told her anything. Or that she had to, Iris thought bitterly.

"Just follow me," Iris growled. Jaqueline sighed, but followed Iris nonetheless as she started jogging to catch up.

----

Anne was fiddling with the supplies she'd left one story below the roof when she felt something. No, not something. Some//one,// or rather two of them, she realized as she focused on them more. She pulled the threads linking them to her a bit more. Seemed like they were looking for something. Some of the workers poking around? No, Anne wouldn't be so lucky. She needed their focus on her if she was going to be able to dig any more.

"Didn't expect you to get out of that! I guess that one's on me!" Anne yelled out through the construction site, her voice echoing off the steel skeleton.

The threads linking Anne to the other two snapped towards her and she recognized the feeling immediately. It was those the big guy and shrimpy from earlier. She smirked while rummaging through her supplies for the explosives she stashed. "Hey, where's your solidarity, guys? We're all weirdos here, right?"

Iris in particular was focused on Anne in a weird way, almost like she was pulling back on her thread. All the better to read her with. Anne felt her running up ahead to cut her off, while Jackie seemed to be slowly creeping up behind her. Iris would probably make it to the staircase before Anne, but...

Anne's brow furrowed. There was a room with exposed ductwork right before the staircase. If she could somehow get Iris in there and knock it down, she'd be crushed, leaving Anne free to move. There was scaffolding between this floor and the roof, too. So long as OSHA still had a place in the hearts and minds of hardworking blue-collar Americans, she'd be able to climb up that way without it collapsing. She just had to keep their attention on her while she moved to keep tabs on them with the threads. Anne gathered up as many explosives as would fit in her satchel and started moving towards where Iris was planning to cut her off.

She ran for about a minute in silence, just trying to cover as much ground as possible. Her footsteps echoed around the building's frame and back to her, illuminated by nothing but rows and rows of the same LED lights. No sound came from the entire structure but the soft creaking of the steel in the wind. No signs of life but her own footsteps echoing back to her. Anne gritted her teeth, clutching her satchel and jogging. It was unnerving, honestly, just how quiet those two were. She pulled their threads closer, and told herself that she was in control. Everything had been going //great.// She couldn't lose her nerve now.

Once the silence became too much and she felt her pursuers' attention moving away from her, she yelled into the wind again. "You guys are //awfully// committed to this, and I don't think it was even in your mission in the first place," Anne laughed, doing her best to project her voice. "Do you even want to be here?" Their attention shifted back. They were closer now, but Anne couldn't read them well enough to say for sure how her situation was looking. She decided to focus on each one individually.

Without slowing down her pace, she called out to the one behind her. "What about you, Jackie? You looked so fucking clueless I almost felt bad for you." Anne yelled into the empty corridors of the building. Jackie's attention shifted towards her. Anne could feel her nervous disposition, but also got the sense she was breathing down her neck.

"What about you, Iris?" Anne asked, rounding a corner as the staircase to the next floor came into sight. "I've seen men with micropenises overcompensating less than you." Anne pulled on Iris' thread, gently, so as not to tip her off, and felt her head swimming. Anne smirked. Seems like whatever happened with the Coalition did a number on her. Iris was trying to focus on Anne to cover up... fear? Some kind of concern? She could exploit this.

Anne ran up to the room with the exposed ductwork and stopped. She could tell Iris was on the other end of the room, just waiting for Anne to run forwards. "You know, //Sir//, I'd try to keep that temper under control. Leaders with that attitude tend to end up with all their buddies six feet under," Anne said with as much venom as she could muster.

Anne felt Iris' emotions flare up and smiled. She took the bait. Anne sidestepped behind the empty door frame as Iris pushed up on her through the room and fished for a smaller explosive charge. No need to kill another anomaly so close to getting what she deserved. Anne counted one, two, three steps, until she was certain Iris wouldn't have time to react, and tossed the explosive at the ceiling.

An almost resigned "Shit" was all Iris could muster before about twenty yards of air vents fell on her, trapping her in the room. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps behind Anne tipped her off that now would be a good time to make for that scaffolding and get out of here.

----

"Iris! Iris, are you okay?" Jackie called out as she run up to where she heard the explosion, stealth be damned. She could take whatever that Insurgent threw at her.

"I'm fi-" Iris' response was quickly cut off by a series of hacking coughs and the sound of aluminum being shifted around. "I'm //fine.//"

Jackie saw Iris on the ground in a cloud of dust, angrily trying to shove a length of air duct tubing off of herself, bleeding from the forehead. She swore under her breath and ran to help her, ignoring Anne as she shimmied up some scaffolding like some kind of rabid primate.

She easily threw off all the debris but stayed crouching down to look at Iris, concern evident on her face and in her voice. "Sir, you're bleeding. Are you alright?"

"Fine, I'm fine." Iris didn't seem to notice as she forced herself up, grimacing from her injuries but otherwise not acknowledging them. "Anne's right there. We've almost got her."

Jackie clenched her jaw. Just what the hell was Iris trying to do at this point? They'd already done their job, she was hurt, they were split up from everyone else, and Iris //clearly wasn't fine.// "Sir, we're out of our depth. We need to-"

Both Jackie and Iris were knocked over by yet another explosion. Iris yelped as Jackie pushed Iris behind her. Once the dust began to settle and Iris had finished yelling about the indignity of being dragged around, Jackie took stock of the environment. The scaffolding had totally collapsed, and the staircase up to the roof - already rickety-looking - had disintegrated, with Anne waving smugly at the top.

"Hey, hell of a try, you two," she jeered. "Ah, but don't worry about it too much! This'll really help us out in the long run, you'll see." She then practically //skipped// off. Well, at least someone was having a good time.

"You - You bitch!" Iris forced out the insult in between coughing fits, indignation from being manhandled apparently forced from her mind by the taunt. She stood up and took two steps towards the staircase, before turning back to face Jackie as she started rapidly pacing, muttering to herself about needed to get up. Jackie sighed. It didn't seem like Iris was going to focus on anything else but Anne. Jackie watched her weave her way through the construction equipment as she left through the glass ceiling.

The... glass... ceiling...

"Iris!" Jackie called as a lightbulb went off in her head. Iris jumped, clearly not expecting any form of enthusiasm from her partner. "Do you still have the photos of Site-17's armory?"

"What? Uh, yes." Iris was visibly confused, but at least she was focusing on Jackie now.

Jackie smiled, pointing up to where Anne ran off to. "The ceiling is tempered glass."

"I know, it looks stupid as shit. Pisses me off."

"Look, that's - not the point." Jackie shook her head. "You get some of the demolition charges from your photo and blow the glass. She'll fall right onto us. Give her a taste of her own medicine."

Iris considered it, but wasn't immediately swayed by Jackie's tone. She didn't reach for the stack of polaroids in her jacket pocket. "No. This isn't even a finished project. All that equipment could cause a collapse." She looked up at Jackie. "Boost me up."

"Sir, I know about these things. The building will be fine." Jackie had seen enough broken-down buildings on her expeditions to know the strength of them. A steel frame like this would be nowhere close to collapsing.

"Like hell I'll listen to that. Just because //you'll// be fine doesn't make it safe. Boost me up there," Iris scoffed

Jackie cringed. She knew her plan would work, but she didn't have time to argue. This would only put Iris in more danger. "Iris," she pleaded, "trust me on this."

Another moment's hesitation was all that won her. "No. Get me up there. Now." Iris walked up to where the staircase used to be and looked at Jackie expectantly. "That's an order."

Jackie groaned. She didn't know what she expected, but it was like Iris didn't even care that she was still bleeding. Still, there wasn't much Jackie could do with a direct order if she still wanted to get outside of her testing chamber much. She crouched down and offered her hand for Iris to step on.

Once Iris had pulled herself up to the roof, Jackie called after her. "Be careful, okay? I'll come help you when I find a way up."

As expected, she didn't get a response.

----

Iris gripped the revolver in her hands, focusing on her breathing to calm herself down while ignoring the stinging pains on the back of her hand and forehead. She had to peek over the equipment she was taking cover behind and scan her surroundings. She couldn't let her nerves get the better of her. All she had to do was focus on the here and now.

> This [focus/devotion/single-mindedness] is [blinding/harmful/endangering]. Poor decision-making as a-

She banged her head against the metal body of the equipment. "If I need your help I'll //ask for it//," she spat.

> You possess a head injury. Perhaps a mental irregularity as well. Unfortunate.

After hissing through her teeth, Iris finally resolved to poke her head up over the top. //Maybe a bullet in the brain would shut this thing up//, she figured.

Cautiously, she looked out across the rooftop... and absolutely couldn't see a damn thing. Whoever was working here had left all their lights on overnight, and the glare from them in the dead of night was absolutely blinding. Iris squinted against them for several seconds, but despite her best efforts, still couldn't see anything, least of all Anne.

> Eyes are [unreliable/easily tricked/under an expired warranty]. Finding others using [threads] is reliable.

Iris lowered her head back down, though she wasn't sure if it was the result of simply deciding to stop looking or exasperation. "Why didn't you say that //earlier//?" Iris groaned.

> ...

Oh, now it didn't want to talk. Whatever. Deciding that she'd give that a shot before running in front of an Insurgent's gun, Iris once again tried focusing on the threads from earlier. They were a bit easier to get ahold of this time, either due to how close she was to Anne or from practice. Her attention snapped to the thread that was being pulled in a strange way and focused on that one.

> Good. Perhaps the mental irregularity is not as severe as I had [feared/anticipated/betted on].

Deciding that she was above responding to that (she was not), Iris instead tugged on the thread. Sure enough, it gave way to another feeling - one that she was looking at a smug asshole. It was coming from about 11 o'clock, some ways ahead.

Crouching down to hide beneath all the exposed equipment, she made her way over, careful to stay focused on the thread. She'd always been good at staying quiet when she needed to be, and the winds whipping around her masked any sound her footsteps might have caused. As she got closer and closer to the endpoint of the thread, she slowed down. Taking cover behind what looked to be an unattached air exchanger, Iris took a peek around it to make sure the voice wasn't feeding her bullshit.

Sure enough, Iris could see Anne near the edge of the building. Well, some of her, at least - she was hiding behind a large metal box but left her legs visibly poking out, looking like she was kneeling. Pulling on the thread once more, Iris felt a sense of self-assuredness. Definitely Anne, then. Iris thought of the stinging pain on her head and hand and relished the thought of wiping the smirk off her face as she readied herself to confront her.

> Senses of emotion from [threads] are [meaningful/useful/critical].

Hearing the voice pipe up at the last second stopped Iris in her tracks. Glancing around, she whispered "Well, what do you //want// me to do?"

> You are the one with the gun. [Consider it/Act on it/Figure it out yourself].

Iris just shook her head. Not committing to a plan was asking for failure, she told herself, and approached Anne with her gun raised, still keeping quiet before she had the gun right up Anne's ass. Just a few more feet, and...

Anne's head poked out from behind the box. It looked neutral for a second, then changed to a... happy expression? Iris blinked. Anne then raised her right hand to wave at Iris, which looked a little odd as she was holding a... detonator. Hm. Okay. Well, uh. Fuck.

Her thumb pressed down on it, and a series of small, controlled explosions triggered in a line in front of Iris. She threw herself backwards, shielding her face with her arm as she heard a series of awful metallic groans and screeches. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that all the tempered glass between her and Anne had been shattered, with all of the equipment having fallen down to the floor below. The overall integrity of the building, however, seemed totally fine.

> Judgement proven unsound. [Partner/Adversary] has proven more [stable].

"Iris! Iris, you still there?" Jaqueline's voice came up from the new hole in the roof. She had the gall to be sounding all //concerned// when she was probably just checking to see if she could still tell Iris she told her so.

"It's been fun, you two!" Anne called out as she ducked behind the box again to finish whatever she was working on. Iris didn't really know what it was, but she was sure it wasn't good. Her eyes darted down to the gap. Looked about six or seven feet. Pieces of the metal frame jutting out at odd angles. Probably wouldn't be able to do very much to defend herself if she jumped it, though...

An odd ringing noise pulled Iris' attention to where Anne was standing. The space behind the box looked like it was being pushed apart like fresh lava coming up from a volcano as a colorless void took shape. Anne glanced over her shoulder to look at Iris one last time before stepping through.

> [Way/Tear/One-way ticket] is her [escape/egress]. Little time to act.

Iris cursed. She looked down at the gap. Chances were she'd probably slip right out of the window on the floor below if she missed. She took a deep breath. //Guess I won't miss, then//, she told herself. Ignoring the yelling coming from below her, she sprinted for the gap and leapt as far as she could.

Her hands caught herself on the other side, though she could still feel her feet dangling. Looking up, she saw the void rapidly shrinking. She tried to pull herself up in a //mild// panic, but felt her jacket get caught on the rebar. No, she wasn't losing her after all that shit. Not after everything. Iris hastily shook her jacket off and rolled onto the floor. Without giving herself a chance to breathe, she stumbled to her feet and towards the void.

> [Ways/Tears/One-way trips] difficult to navigate without experience. [Good luck/Godspeed/Time to inform your next of kin].

Closing her eyes and shutting out the stinging from her wounds and the voice in her head, and the voice below her, Iris threw herself in after Anne and felt every part of her body get stretched apart.

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Voices Carry: Part 3

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