Nyana's NDPD Gift (for Phil Coulson)

[flora_segunda]

"Moving from the Footlight," I muttered into my radio box. I glanced around, with a special focus on up. "All clear."

It was another week of Rapture Duty, and for the first time, Sieur Coulson and I had switched places. I tried to take this as the compliment that it was: Coulson felt that I was ready to take care of myself in this place, with my ITF sidearm -- or, at least, I was ready enough to be tested. If so, I was firm in my resolve not to fail.

But that did not change the fact that Rapture was creepy. Pigface, was it creepy! And the fact that Sieur Druitt lived down here, somewhere, perhaps should have helped, but really didn't. What sort of person chose to live down here among all the rust and the damp and the desolation?

This place is empty, I told myself. I reminded myself that ITF leaders said so in the briefings. It's empty. Maybe. And the "maybe" is why I was here.

I came to the end of the corridor, checked for places where monsters might have cover, then turned to my right. "Clearing the entrance to the Kashmir Restaurant," I said into my radio. "All clear."

Comments

[shieldsupernanny]

"Then proceed." Phil looked at his map, noting her location and her progress. Since he'd began his patrols with Nyana and Rory, he'd yet to see a single sign of life, but it was a pretty big place. He trusted Barnes and the other ITF members, the ones that had been here since the beginning, but no matter how long Rapture had lain empty, the fact remained: what had disappeared could easily reappear.

"And call out if you see anything interesting."

[flora_segunda]

"Ayah," I said into the radio. "I-- whoop!"

The 'whoop' was because I struck something with my foot that I was absolutely certain had not been there when I took my step. And I, being me, fell forward into a murky puddle.

"Pigface," I shouted. I pushed myself up and shook the water off my hands. "Pigface psychopomp! Why does this always happen to me?"

The radio, miraculously, wasn't broken, or even in the puddle. I picked it up and pushed the button. "Sorry! Sorry! I just tripped over..." I looked back over what I'd tripped over. My eyebrows shot up. "I think I tripped over a gun."

[shieldsupernanny]

"Nyana? Nyana, respond." The sudden exclamation worried Phil and he called out into the radio until she finally responded. He let out a silent sigh of relief when she came back, she was just a kid, no matter her training.

"What kind of gun? Local model?" God knew the citizens of Rapture had gotten creative with their weaponry. It was still scattered in places, caches that the ITF hadn't found yet.

[flora_segunda]

"Um... no," I said. I came closer, peered at the long barrel, keeping a wary eye on the trigger. It had... heft. I thought it was asking a lot to put that thing anywhere near my eye to sight down it (the kickback could be murder), but maybe this gun wasn't the sort you really need to aim with.

"It's big," I continued. "And it just materialized underfoot." I was sure of this. "I mean, I didn't kick over any debris, sieur, one moment it wasn't there, and the next moment it was."

And I noticed something else. There was a card tied to it, with a ribbon. I pulled the card up. "And it has my name on it."

[shieldsupernanny]

"Hold your position for a minute." Phil had to regroup. He had no idea what she was looking at or what was going on, but he had the suspicion that perhaps he needed to get down there quickly to access the situation. If new weapons were materializing out of thing air, who knew what else might be next.

He radioed the other ITF member on duty to let them know he was heading down to Rapture to meet his partner, no emergency, just something that needed two eyes. "I'm on my way down, confirm your location is the Kashmir? Also, it has your name on it? Actually, or you just like it that much?"

[flora_segunda]

"Ayah, so," I said. "I mean, confirmed. I'm at the Kashmir. And, no, I don't have designs on it. There's an actual card with my name--"

My breath caught. The card had my actual name on it. Not 'Nyana Romney', as I'd told everyone on the Island. But Nyana Hadraada ov Fyrdraaca.

I bit my lip. This might be a little difficult to explain...

[shieldsupernanny]

It took a few minutes to get down to Rapture, recall the sub she'd taken, get in, go down. Luckily the location was relatively close to the bathysphere dock so it didn't take long to get there. Entering the restaurant, he called out to get a firm location, "Nyana? Room clear?"

He was holding his sidearm, down and away but ready to use. Cautious, not stupid, that was the way to handle these things.

[flora_segunda]

Though I wouldn't admit it, I breathed a sigh of relief when Coulson arrived. Rapture duty didn't scare me, but this place was still creepy enough that I appreciated the company. Even if it meant there might be difficult questions ahead.

I had already checked to see if the room was clear. I checked again to be sure. "It's clear!" I called back.

[shieldsupernanny]

Out of habit he double-checked the room as he entered, crossing over to Nyana as he did so. Room was clear, kid did good. His eyes widened when he saw the gun. It really wasn't local. In fact, it almost looked S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued.

"May I see that?" He holstered his sidearm, and held out his hands.

[flora_segunda]

I gingerly picked up the gun, holding it by its butt and barrel, keeping my hands away from the trigger. I turned and handed it over to him. The card dangled off the ribbon tied around the sight. "Here," I said.

[shieldsupernanny]

It could definitely be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s, one of the phase two series, which was worrying enough. And then there was the tag on it, which earned his junior partner a raised eyebrow. "Interesting development."

[flora_segunda]

I met his gaze and tried to keep my nerves under control. Was Sieur Coulson referring to the gun, or the name on the nametag? But he was, in all ways, correct. "Ayah, so," I said. "I've never seen a gun like this. What is it?" I hesitated a moment, then added, "And why does it have the nametag on it?"

[shieldsupernanny]

"Almost looks like one of ours, from my world." He turned it over again, pulling the name tag from it with a hard jerk. He passed the tag over as he sighted the weapon, looking down the barrel and wondering if he should take a shot.

"As for the tag, I hear that's something that happens this time of year. Gifts and the like."

[flora_segunda]

I took the nametag and pocketed it. Perhaps this wasn't going to be a problem after all. But I frowned when Sieur Coulson called the gun a gift. "A gift. For me? The Island wants me to have that gun?"

I could tell it was a nice gun, but I didn't think it was my size.

[shieldsupernanny]

"It did have your name on it, if that was your real name?" Phil lifted the weapon off his shoulder. It was sighted true from what he could see, didn't seem to have any major flaws or weaknesses. It should work.

If she could fire it. He really didn't think it would be a useful gift for her, but apparently he wasn't in charge of those things.

[flora_segunda]

"Yes, that's my real name," I said, a little quietly, but I knew Sieur Coulson would see through any lie, and protesting about it just felt childish. I nodded at the weapon in his hands. "I've seen no gun like that before. What does it fire?"

[shieldsupernanny]

"Any reason you've been giving people a fake name?" She didn't strike him as an intentionally dishonest person, but he still had to ask. He'd been tasked to be her partner on these excursions, and even if this place was big on the whole tabula rasa idea, people's pasts still followed them here.

You only had to look at Halloween to know that.

[flora_segunda]

I ran my tongue over my teeth once as I thought through my answer, but I could see that honesty was the only way. It was difficult. I'd been on a secret mission when I came to this Island. Just throwing it away wasn't easy, no matter how foolish it was to worry about such secrets here.

"Back in Califa, just before I came here," I said, "I was on the run. People were after me, including my mother, and both my real name -- which you saw on that tag -- and my official name would have given me a lot of trouble if the wrong people heard them. I had to travel under a pseudonym, so I picked Nyana Romney. Then I found myself here. And once I started introducing myself by my pseudonym... well, you can see how hard it would be for me to stop."

At least, I hoped he could see.

[shieldsupernanny]

He nodded, he wasn't upset or even annoyed, just concerned for her sake in case things came back to bite her. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, but if you've got friends here, people you're starting to trust, you might want to let one or two of them know. Things have a way of getting uncovered in some terrible ways around here."

He handed her the gun. "If you want to fire this off, see what it does, I'm game, but we should find a place more open. And you should probably keep it locked up with the rest of the ITF weapons, it's not something we want people tripping over."

[flora_segunda]

"You're going to let--" I began, then caught myself. I'd known Sieur Coulson long enough to respect his professionalism, but sometimes his cool, calm manner still surprised me. However, I was a member of the ITF, and it was my privilege to train. "Ayah, so," I said, eying the gun a little warily, before taking it in a firm grip and making sure it wasn't pointing at anything important. "Locking it up sounds... very sensible."

As we headed back, I added, "I appreciate it. That I have friends, here. They've made coming here much easier for me." I fingered the tag that was now in my pocket. "It does not make sense to keep my secrets to myself, I know that. But it's a long and complicated story."

[shieldsupernanny]

"A lot of people have long and complicated stories here, you're in good company." He motioned towards the exit, she should go first if they were going to find a place to shoot that thing off. "Like I said, I won't say anything, but I think you should. Probably to Barnes, too. I don't think it's currently relevant to your ITF service, but it's better you let command know now rather than when we're in the middle of a fight with something from your past."

[flora_segunda]

I led the way through the exit, and Sieur Coulson followed. "You are right," I said, after a moment's thought. I wasn't exactly sure what in my past could become relevant to the ITF, but I decided I didn't want to find out the hard way. "I will tell Sieur Barnes. Though I'm not quite sure where to begin."

[shieldsupernanny]

"If you like, I can go with you." It could help her, or it could make her even more nervous. He just wasn't a big fan of keeping secrets from the chain of command. It was one thing to hide from your co-workers, but command needed to know.

[flora_segunda]

I thought about this a moment. "I'd like that," I said at last. It would mean having to tell the story once instead of twice. And now that Sieur Coulson seemed willing to listen, I felt strangely comfortable at the prospect of talking to him. Sieur Barnes, not quite so much. But if Coulson was there, maybe that would make it easier. "I would appreciate that, Sieur."