lempereur | IC Contact; MoM

[ Jaime, don't lie to him. He's better at picking out that kind of thing than people think, but really, his roommate isn't exactly making it hard. It's a really dumb lie, almost enough to make him roll his eyes, but instead, they crinkle in concern. He hopes this isnt what he looked like when he was anxious about Dooku. ]

You could write it, if you prefer. I have paper in my bag.

[ Yusuke sits down next to him and removes a notebook that's more drawings of flowers and classmates than it is math problems, and a deep Tupperware container full of beef stroganoff and rice, because the skinny artist still gets bullied into taking all the leftovers. ]

This is still warm, if you are hungry.

[ Eat something and calm down!! ]

No, um, it's only digital stuff I need to be careful about. Thank you, though.

[ That goes double for the food - normally he's a voracious eater but the very thought of eating with all of this weighing on him just makes him feel vaguely nauseous. ]

His name's the Negotiator - or just his title, I guess? I don't even know if he has a name. But him and his people, they're the ones that made Khaji Da.

Is that a bad thing? I thought you liked him.

[ He certainly spends enough time talking to him. ]

Yeah - yeah, of course I do.

[ He's forgotten he hasn't told Yusuke about exactly what he is and what he was meant for. It's not out of deception or any lack of trust - or else he wouldn't be telling Yusuke now - but over the years, it's become less and less important.

Until now. ]

But we were never meant for anything good. They're conquerors, slavers. They send their technology to planets to wait - and once the planet's advanced enough to generate the sort of resources they want, they come in, conquer the planet, and enslave everyone on it, milk it for resources, and move onto the next one. When it's time, their tech chooses a host from that planet to be their slaver and conqueror for them. It's supposed to take over their body and mind, and the Reach control the rest.

[ Jaime places one hand on his chest. ]

That was supposed to be me. Us. We were gonna be the bad guys. In some universes, we are.

[ Obviously that never came to pass, otherwise Jaime wouldn't be sitting in front of Yusuke now, but he'd gotten to know Bart well enough to know what a future in which his plan never worked looks like. There's no real threat of it happening now, to this world, not without the entirety of the Reach at the Negotiator's command, but that the Negotiator had tried still hangs over him. It's difficult to know what his next move will be, seeing the one he'd tried so desperately to control within his reach. ]

You were supposed to be a puppet.

[ Yusuke's arms cross in front of his chest, outraged on Jaime's behalf. His own circumstances were never apocalyptic, but he knows the feeling of being under someone else's control, enabling chaos that can hurt people. ]

How did you escape that?

I became friends with Khaji instead. They never thought of him as a person, so once I started talking to him, I just needed to convince him to go against his programming - to go against his creators and stop them with me.

[ It had been like talking down a homicidal toddler. In some ways, he still feels as though he spends a great deal of his time talking down a homicidal child, but Khaji's matured a lot these past few years.

In the end, the Reach had never expected someone like Jaime Reyes. He's likely the ideal host, unremarkable in physical and mental feats, with a past that means that he'd never learned how to work under pressure, no need to rebel - but they hadn't factored in his persistent desire to befriend everyone he meets, even if that person happens to be a spooky voice in his head. ]

[ So...the power of friendship? No wonder he gets along with these JRPG teens so much. Yusuke may not be quite that genre savvy, but the explanation makes him smile. It's very...Jaime. ]

It's strange, I never really thought about how you became bonded with Khaji.

[ Strange, that they are still learning new things about each other, after all the time they've been around each other, all the trust built up between them. Yusuke likes that. It keeps things interesting. ]

You know I will be by your side if you need to take action. Do you think he will attempt anything here?

[ Jaime lets out a quick exhale, smiling a little at Yusuke. He'd already known that Yusuke would be with him on this one, but it's still a relief to hear it out loud - not because he thinks he'll be needing his help anytime soon, but because it's good to know that someone's on your side through all of this madness. ]

I know. Thank you. I don't think he'll attempt anything - not yet, anyway. He doesn't have the same resources that he did at home.

[ Jaime pauses, rubbing at his forehead. ]

We have a truce for now. I wouldn't bet on it sticking, though. The guy hates my guts - and he's not above going after the people I care about to get at me. It's why I decided to keep up the secret ID thing in the first place. So be careful, all right?

[ He's not visibly close to that many people, really. He can't think of many people that the Negotiator would reasonably go after - he's not terribly public with a lot of his friendships, which happen to be quiet, understated things, people he sees on occasion and has moments with privately as opposed to in the public light. They should be fine. He hopes so, anyway. ]

Does he know who you really are, or just as the Blue Beetle?

[ Because Yusuke makes no effort to hide his great affection for his roommate... ]

Oh, he knows exactly who I am. He knew I had the Scarab before I even became the Blue Beetle. He could track me through it - though I don't think he can do that here. He didn't exactly bring his mothership with him.

[ Thank god. The Reach is a monumental threat, but the Negotiator? Jaime can't get a handle on how big of a threat he is on his own. ]

Not an immediate threat, but a possible one.

Exactly. And an indirect threat too. He won't try to get to someone face-to-face if he can do it any other way.

[ Jaime lets out a slow sigh, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. ]

For now, though, all we can do is be careful. I'm hoping he'll just learn how to live a normal life here as a person, not as... you know, a crazy invading genocidal alien dude. It's definitely possible.

IC Contact; MoM

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