Trooper Station | Saturday

[knife_bender]

Both Diego and Annie were at the station today, supposedly doing research, but was it research if you couldn't find anything? Diego was also fairly sure Annie had lost her damn mind, but she was here losing her mind and not in a hole somewhere, and for that he was thankful.

Even if he had to keep giving the other troopers apologetic looks every few minutes.

[Open, gf modded with permission]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

"So you have to be at least twenty-five to rent construction equipment, and Diego won't call and the troopers are ignoring me now," Annie greeted Steve, and that was how she was doing today!

[grenadesandohana]

Steve blinked at her for a second, trying to put together what she was asking. "So you want me to rent some? What are you going to dig up?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"The people," Annie said, like it was obvious. "Unless the Navy totally has like, better construction equipment for this."

She was willing to believe that! That made sense, in a way!

[grenadesandohana]

"They do but they're not letting me use any," Steve said, frustration bleeding into his voice.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"How can we convince them it's serious?" Annie asked, her worry turning more sympathetic. "My contacts aren't much help, either. Unless we want explosives."

Did they want explosives? Were they there yet?

[grenadesandohana]

Steve always wanted explosives.

"What kind of explosives? A properly directed charge will be faster than a backhoe."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Remember my buddy Serge?" Annie asked, eyes widening because all right, that sounded like a direction to take this in! "Frenchie? He's got, like, everything and I could get in touch with him."

So mostly it was the illegal kind of explosives, really.

[grenadesandohana]

"Let me write up a list real quick."

Steve. Steve. No explosives.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Sweet, I can send it on to Hughie," who worked for the government now, so this plan was terrible on multiple levels, "and then we can...I don't know. I can leave that part up to you."

That seemed wise.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'll come up with something," Steve assured her.

This was so bad.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm still looking into rope, too," Annie added, since that was easier to get ahold of than a backhoe or explosives. "So we'll have options."

All good ones, these options!

[grenadesandohana]

"I like options," Steve said. "I need options."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I need answers," Annie replied, wobbling a little in that relentless optimism for a second. "Though it's so good to hear they're alive. Just bored."

[grenadesandohana]

"C'mere," Steve said, gesturing for her to come get a hug. "We'll figure it out. We're smart and it's a hole."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's a lot of holes that got other smart people," Annie grumbled, but she was crossing over to get that hug, anyway.

[grenadesandohana]

"Holes don't have brains," Steve said, then groaned. "They don't, right?"

He was so tired.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe these do." A whole new angle of insanity she could write on her whiteboard, look at that.

[grenadesandohana]

"Sure, throw 'HOLES WITH BRAINS' on the board," Steve said. "Can't hurt."