Trooper Station, Friday

[firstofitskind]

Look, an inordinate amount of Liam's time at the Station was taken up with one of three things: pointless busywork, Fandom being Fandom, or the Troopers being, well. The Troopers. Occasionally broken up by the Bee Lady or the raccoons causing some sort of disturbance. Today, though?

Today there was paperwork to be done that for once was not of the pointless busywork sort. It was actual onboarding forms. Because the Station was getting a new detective!

For what reason, Liam couldn't quite fathom, because there wasn't a whole lot of detecting that needed to happen in Fandom, but he'd been here long enough to know that was just how this place worked.

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[hatesparadise]

"No," Danny said, pointing at him like he was scolding a dog for peeing on the carpet. "Nuh-uh."

[firstofitskind]

"Okay," Liam said mildly. "Go ahead," he gestured at the causeway. "Give it another try."

He'd wait.

[hatesparadise]

That was cruel, but fair, Liam.

Danny huffed in annoyance, giving it another go. Aaaand failing to get anywhere. "Goddamn it!" Yeah, about that magic again?

[firstofitskind]

"Willing to hear me out this time?" Liam asked. He gestured back up the stairs (so many stairs!) towards the Station. "I'll buy you that coffee. Or maybe just lunch."

[hatesparadise]

The stairs were an abomination.

"I gotta get back home," Danny said, letting out a shaky breath as he looked at the causeway like it was holding him hostage here. Which. You know. Kinda was?

And uuugh, calling O'ahu home without any stipulations added to it. His life was the worst.

[firstofitskind]

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Liam said, sounding... genuinely so, at least. "That's probably not going to happen anytime soon, from the looks of things."

[hatesparadise]

"This happen before?" Danny asked, taking a breath to shut down that awful emotional reaction so he could focus on something he could control. Like detecting shit.

[firstofitskind]

"Pretty regularly," Liam nodded. "Some people come here on purpose. Others just kind of... end up here, without intending to." The latter group had a harder time going back to wherever they considered 'home', which was unfortunate.

[hatesparadise]

"So, I'm stuck in weird, Maryland Euro-Disney without cell service." His mouth went flat and tight at that. "Lemme try to phone back at the station. I have to at least contact Rachel so she doesn't think I freakin' skipped out on picking my daughter up at the airport."

Which was going to be hard to explain without sounding like he was on drugs.

[firstofitskind]

"You don't have service?" Liam said, pulling out his Global and sliding it open. "Weird. I've got a signal just fine."

Yeah, he was well aware you thought his phone looked weird, Danny. He thought the same of yours.

[hatesparadise]

IF YOU WERE A CIA AGENT, HE WAS GONNA JUST LOSE HIS SHIT, OKAY?

"Can I try your... what is that? An X-Box controller?" Wow, he knew what an X-Box controller looked like. You should be proud of him.

[firstofitskind]

"My what?" Liam frowned at him. "It's a Global," he sighed. "You know. Like a phone?"

Also, pfft. Definitely not a CIA Agent. Just a former Companion-Protector! Which would mean absolutely nothing to Danny.

[hatesparadise]

So long as he didn't keep saying 'it's classified' until Danny contemplated murder, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could be.

"...right. Does it dial phone numbers?"

[firstofitskind]

“Of course it does,” Liam scoffed. Took calling cards too, not that Danny would know what those were. “Go ahead,” he said, handing it over.

[hatesparadise]

Danny cursed under his breath a little--okay, a lot--as he punched Rachel's number into the phone to let it ring. Only for 'The number you have dialed is unreachable' to come through the speaker.

"Oh, for the love of--Lemme try someone else."

[firstofitskind]

“You do what you gotta do,” Liam said generously.

[hatesparadise]

"Thank you," Danny said with genuine sincerity. He punched in Steve's number in case this was some kind of messed up SEAL joke. Only for that same message to come through. "Take this back before I throw it."

Because none of this was okay!

[firstofitskind]

Liam snatched the Global back quickly. Look, if it broke he’d have to replace it, and that meant going back home, which unlike Danny Liam wasn’t too keen to do.

“Want to try email?” he offered. He suspected that also wouldn’t go through, honestly. Though if Danny was lucky, that wouldn’t be the case forever, and he’d at least be able to communicate with folks back home?

[hatesparadise]

"Yeah," Danny said with a sigh, covering his mouth with his hand. "Yeah, maybe that'll work. Does this happen here?"

[firstofitskind]

“Kind of a lot,” Liam confirmed.

[hatesparadise]

"Christ. Of course I find this place," Danny muttered. His pessimism was finally catching up with him!

[firstofitskind]

“At least you’ve got a job here?” Liam offered as they arrived back at the Station.

[hatesparadise]

"Honestly? Not my main priority," Danny said, shoulders slumping as he looked around. "Okay. Okay. If I keep trying that causeway thing, I should be able to get back eventually, right?"

Let him have this hope, Liam!

[firstofitskind]

“Probably not,” Liam said honestly.

Not for another couple of months, at least, And then it might randomly let him through- temporarily, anyway.

[hatesparadise]

"That was not what I wanted to hear," Danny replied bluntly. "Months? I can't be gone for months."