maskormenacelogs | Put your money on a hard way

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Put your money on a hard way

WHO: Kaidan Alenko and John Shepard
WHERE: ~*~Europe~*~
WHEN: Uh sometime from 09/07 thorugh 09/12
WHAT: Intel field trip
WARNINGS: none

They started in Munich, Germany. Just like Freddie suggested, and it was a good suggestion, honestly. The only thing that wasn't a good suggestion was the long flight from one country to another was an...unpleasant experience. More than that, it was cramped, and the entire time, with two antsy, annoyed marines who were used to slightly better accommodations than this -- was a long, miserable flight. They managed, just about as well as any men from the military would handle that sort of thing, silently and without complaint, but landing had left Kaidan with several hours of a headache, which was something he had to kind of push through, the entire time they were there in Munich. They didn't have long, after all, if they were going to hit every point along the projected line of travel.

The problem was that there wasn't much intel, and certainly, whatever the government was coming up with, they weren't sharing with the imports. Which while fine, wasn't going to help them any. Kaidan didn't know if anyone else wanted the information, but a couple of nosy spectres? Yeah, they were going to do what they could to find some new intel. They needed to, after all, and if nobody else was going to do it, a couple of marines with experience at deep-cover missions and getting results no matter the cost? Well, that sounded like the job for a couple of Spectres, and even though it wasn't the best of plans, it was something. Even if it wasn't much, it was something. It'd give them more than just a name. It was only a quick afternoon and half the evening, until around 3 am that they had to hop right back up on a train to the next destination, shooting straight for Budapest.

This wasn't exactly the vacation the military was probably thinking they were gifting anyone, but Kaidan wasn't going to waste it either. Which meant most of the sleeping was done in shifts, or on the train, after they went over things. His grimace said a lot, though, he didn't think he'd gotten much of use. Not with the tech they'd managed to snag, or from talking to people. Someone had even laughed at him, saying he was American.

"-- I don't know why they'd call me American, anyway," he explained, still a touch annoyed about it. He didn't even think he sounded American. "Anyway -- did you -- are you even still awake?" the annoyance was clear in his voice.

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Where Kaidan's job in this two-man operation -- if it even deserved to be called that -- was to try and see if he could elicit information from legal sources, Shepard's was to make the most of the 'negotiation' skills he'd learned to see what he could coax out of the city's underbelly. It was a division of labor that had turned out more or less how Shepard had expected it to, from what Kaidan had told him so far, and he was smothering the impulse to laugh or yawn when Kaidan snapped at him, and he cracked open eyes that had fallen shut.

"I'm awake," he murmured, keeping his voice quiet, blinking in an attempt to regain some kind of moistness in his eyes. He'd thought smoking was supposed to be banned at bars, but the places he'd been tonight hadn't cared much for what was legal or not -- fitting, considering the information he'd come to find. The smell of alcohol and sweat still clung to his skin and the leather of his jacket, which he hadn't had the opportunity to change since he'd staggered back into the hotel and on the train.

Part of training had been being able to stay awake for seventy-two hours at a stretch, but that was in a combat situation, which was about the farthest thing from where they were right now. Outside the window, which he could see if he turned his head to the side and squinted over the edge of the bunk, the countryside sped by, illuminated by the moon and occasional floodlights in the distance. While the hum and rattle of the train around him was hardly like the sound of the Normandy, it definitely put him in mind of it.

He'd never had trouble falling asleep, no matter how loud the systems got.

Still, Kaidan seemed to be expecting him to actually say something, so he shifted, crossing his arms so they rested behind his head. "Maybe it's the way you dress," he offered, without really thinking about it.

Edited 2014-09-10 05:42 (UTC)

That was -- rude -- was all he could think for a long moment. Honestly, it wasn't that Kaidan didn't know how to dress, it was that he knew what normal people were dressing like, and acted accordingly. The trouble was, that to his taste, and the taste of anyone who hadn't grown up in a period like this, the clothing was terrible.

He scoffed, from the top bunk, leaning against a wall with crossed arms while he pressed his temple to the first cold, metal surface he could find. It was good for the creeping, constant migrane that he couldn't shake, ever since he'd gone to the meeting at the graveyard, and then they'd stolen away early on, to make sure they made the flight.

"Hey!" he hissed, down at him, the annoyance still painfully clear in his voice. "I dress just like everyone else!"

The insult was annoying, more than anything. Kaidan wasn't sleeping for good reason, he was focusing on what they had, which for him wasn't much, if anything. The telltale pings and sounds of his omnitool opening up were the first signs that he wasn't planning on sleeping too much -- he'd gotten a few hours, when they'd switched shifts. That and a little caffiene and he was ready to go. "Like I said, it was a bust for me," he added, trying to move on. Pointedly trying to move on.

"I don't suppose you have anything to add other than fashion tips?"

Touchy subject much? Shepard blinked slowly, bewilderment evident, but the dip of the bed above him -- something that he suspected wasn't designed to bear the weight of a full-grown Marine, though he was definitely not going to tell Kaidan that -- didn't any offer any insight as to the sudden burst of indignation, or the kind of expression Kaidan was wearing right now.

"That's exactly what I meant," he offered instead, after a moment, stubborn about dropping the subject. If he was going to get huffed at, it might as well be for the right reasons. "You dress like everyone else -- in America. You ever go on shore leave and see if you can guess if someone's from Earth, or the colonies, or Alliance? You can usually tell."

Maybe Kaidan's bad mood could be attributed to the fact that he'd had so little luck, Shepard figured, so he cleared his throat, tone becoming brisker out of habit, the way it always did when he was delivering a sitrep. "Anyway -- no problems getting into position, but things didn't start getting busy until about an hour in. We might want to change our travel times, if we want to get a better chance at getting more information, but I got to talk to a few locals. They're neutral about the conflict, don't know much more than the American public does about imPorts. A few of them said that they don't like the way the USSR is doing things. Not that they'd turn down the chance to make a quick buck if it came their way, but it looks like they're keeping their noses clean for now."

He paused, shutting his eyes as he tried to sort through the information in his head. "I managed to plant and collect the bugs without a problem, but I haven't had the chance to listen to what's on them."

Edited ( SORRY THIS IS THE POST OF A MILLION EDITS) 2014-09-10 06:48 (UTC)

He wanted to interject, that clothes weren't that much different, but he paused. Maybe there was some truth to that statement, that he was blending in around Heropa, but elsewhere, he didn't have as much going on. He hadn't been here, and in Vancouver it was easy, so close to the base, you just wore your BDUs and went about your business, but he hadn't had much of a need to be undercover lately. This was something different. Maybe he'd have to...spend some of the morning shopping, as much as it wasn't welcome to do so. He wasn't a big fan of clothes shopping, all things considered.

"Well, I can do that tonight," tomorrow night, when Shepard headed out. Long operations like this weren't the sort of thing that they had much time for sitting and listening -- or sleeping -- or much of anything. The good thing was they had to travel, and they could sleep on the cars. When they weren't debriefing the day's events, of course. They'd have time for more later, or on the flight back. Thankfully, he could push himself for long periods -- he didn't sleep well these days, more thoughts of home and other concerns keeping him up at night. Not that he was liable to share that with Shepard. He'd probably use it as an excuse to push himself harder, while trying to get Kaidan to take a load off.

"Small miracles, I suppose. I think we could take a later train out tomorrow, if this ends up about the same on my end in Budapest, I think we could afford to switch our tickets over. It might be worth it, if they're taking that long to get started up."

He wasn't surprised, honestly, criminals -- unless you were in a place like Omega -- never seemed to rouse until there was less a chance of getting caught. Night time in a crowded club or bar was the perfect place to plan a switch off, or exchange intel. He'd almost suggested he go with Shepard, but Kaidan knew he wasn't well suited to that sort of environment. He'd stick out like a sore thumb.

He shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable, still kept his head planted against the metal bulkhead. If he just closed his eyes, and listened for a moment, he could almost pretend he was back on a ship, maybe even the Normandy, even if it was louder. Ambient sound and motion familiar to anyone who'd been living from vessel to vessel for a long part of their life.

"Although if the criminals aren't happy with how they're operating, that might be a sign that the US might be in the right on this one. It's hard to tell, when we're getting hit from all sides, and they're not doing much to prove their case."

If Kaidan had even dared to suggest tagging along to the shadier parts of the city -- and Shepard knew the thought had to have crossed his mind, because it wasn't like Kaidan Alenko to enjoy not doing something useful -- he would have turned him down flat. Not that he didn't think Kaidan would be useful to have around, especially if he ran into any real trouble, but he'd also be a clear red flag a mile off.

He shook his head, even if Kaidan couldn't see it. "I don't think it has anything to do with right or wrong. It's still weird, how America's the only place that has any imPorts -- or Porters, for that matter. They didn't really seem to know anything about us." He lapsed into silence again, going over the evening and trying to remember if there was anything else worth sharing.

"I floated the name Amur a couple of times, but I didn't get anything interesting out of anyone. Like I said, it might just be because I wasn't there long enough. I'll try again tomorrow -- later," he amended, absently. "How's your head doing? Is the implant still acting up?"

It was a guess, but not an unfounded one. They'd been too close on the plane for him to miss the tension in Kaidan's face when they'd come in, and it wasn't something that had abated until they'd boarded the train. He'd like to think he could still read the difference between Kaidan just worrying himself sick over something and Kaidan in actual pain, neither actually desirable but one rather more difficult to fix than the other.

"Yeah, same. Like I said, they called me an American, and some of them asked me which one I actually meant, so I don't think the tourists are really the way to go," he said, but still...what else could he do? Someone might know something, and if he had the opportunity, he'd take it. He wouldn't suggest going with Shepard for that reason as well -- he wouldn't do well. He would actually be pretty awful at it, and they both knew it.

But Shepard didn't stop, and after a moment, he'd been about to keep going, talk about Amur a little more, but he couldn't, with Shepard actually picking up on the thing he'd been trying to ignore. Shepard calling attention to it didn't help, but... well, what could he do? They'd fought together on the battlefield enough that the signs were obvious to someone who knew him. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

"It's fine," he said, simply. He didn't really want to cause any trouble, and he could handle it. "My implant's not acting up," he added. Sure, his port was aching, as it often did, but it wasn't acting up. Just...without the right medical attention, and without his usual painkillers, it was hard to do much of anything about it, other than let it subside. Not a great prospect. "I'll manage, Shepard. Promise."

Shepard's snort was audible, and said exactly how much he believed that Kaidan was as all right as he said he was. He hadn't seen him taking any painkillers, but then again, he didn't know if anything in this century would work for him, so he didn't necessarily have a choice, either.

But just like him, Kaidan was a Marine, and he'd borne up under worse, so Shepard wouldn't mother hen him. After all, he was hardly his medic. If it got worse, maybe then he'd step in, but for now he'd let it go, with a mental note to just keep a closer eye on Kaidan and see if he could pick up on it getting any worse.

"All right. You'd better tell me if it does." The implicit threat in his voice suggested that the consequences for Kaidan would be unpleasant if Shepard caught him trying to conceal information from him. "You said you got checked into the hospital for being banged up, and I'm not letting you risk yourself because you want to tough it out."

Shepard's memory was a funny thing; sometimes it seemed like he'd forget things you told him only five minutes ago and ask to go over it again, and other times he'd drag things up from months ago without missing a beat. Maybe he just did it to keep people off-balance.

Edited (gently gets meta) 2014-09-11 23:25 (UTC)

Maybe it said something, that Shepard remembered that detail in particular, and nothing else, and he barked out a soft laugh. "I became a Spectre after that, you know. Promise, I'm fine. Just aches a bit, is all," he said, as if it weren't all that bad. And honestly, to him, it wasn't. Pain? He could handle that, he was an L2, chronic pain and migranes were nothing, and he was damn lucky to see just that.

"Promise, if it gets any worse, I'll put myself out, I don't need to endanger the mission," he explained. And that's what it was, wasn't it? A mission, and maybe it wasn't high-stress like a combat situation, but they were treating it just like any other mission. Quiet moments of debrief, followed by long hours investigating and switching off, barely eating, even less sleep -- just the way a mission was supposed to be.

It felt good, honestly, to be back in the swing of things, even if it wasn't officially sanctioned. Kaidan just had to remind himself that it wasn't discouraged either. As long as he could justify it, and found a purpose for why it was the right thing to do, he could manage -- and this was the right thing to do. He might be a military man, but he wasn't the sort to follow orders blindly. That was the kind of thinking that didn't build a strong military. The key, of course, was to pick your battles, but Kaidan felt this was important enough. Maybe not mutiny worthy, but certainly important enough.

"You know I'm fit for active duty, right? They gave me a clean bill of health, and I promise, I didn't get slow in my old age," he promised, a soft note in his voice, while he fought to open an eye. Not looking at anything in particular, just out the window, what shapes he could see moving in the background -- although that was probably a bad idea. He tried to shake his head, but that was just as bad an idea. Hadn't he said that before, to the commander? Or something similar? He was pretty sure it'd been in a haze of painkillers after he'd been injured on Mars.

"Anyway, don't worry about me, you're going to give me a complex."

Honestly, the Spectre thing didn't say much about Kaidan's health. Combat readiness, maybe, but not much else.

"I know, I know. You're all grown up now and I've got to let you go. It's just ... force of habit," he said instead, keeping things light. He'd definitely been hands-on with his crew on the Normandy, both of them, checking up on them to make sure they could stay on-task and didn't have anything else on their minds.

Anything about the mission that wasn't new information was something they'd talked to death already, planning it out in bits and pieces until they'd planned for every eventuality. What they'd do if something went awry, or if they got separated, and the other had to carry on without. Unpleasant possibilities, but it was better to have a plan than not.

Maybe that was why Shepard's mind kept turning back to the past, for all he'd agreed it was the wiser course of action to leave it behind. "Why would it give you a complex anyway?"

Kaidan paused, for a long moment, still swaying with the train on the top bunk, and he let his head fall back against the bulk again, the cool something he couldn't turn down, even if he wanted to. Eyes closed, he sighed. "Come on, Shepard, do you have to ask that?"

He thought it'd be obvious, honestly. He was the second human spectre, and if the first was going to spend the entire trip worrying about his health, maybe he wasn't as good as he thought, or maybe he thought that he'd hold Shepard back, if couldn't keep up. "I can keep up just fine, Shepard," he finally finished, a little gruffly. It wouldn't be fair to either of them, if he was the one who was going to hold back the mission, because of a few headaches.

"The more you worry about me, the more your focus isn't going to be on the mission at hand," he added. Like it was more about Shepard than it was his own feelings about Shepard's focus on him. "I'm pretty sure the both of us need to stay more on task than we do worrying about whether the other can take care of themselves, right?"

It definitely wasn't as obvious to Shepard, possibly because no one ever asked him if he was all right all the time for him to ever register that it could ever be seen as diminishing his abilities.

He was trying to understand, though, if the lapse of silence following Kaidan's words was any indication. "It's not about you keeping up," he answered finally, but if it wasn't, then what was it about?

That, he decided, was a question he was better off trying to figure out when he was feeling a little more conscious, and the surge of irritation he was feeling wasn't so close to the surface. Kaidan did have a point, as reluctant as he was to concede it, and he shut his eyes, the bed creaking as he rolled onto his side and pressed his head to hear the train hum.

"Good night, Kaidan."

It took him a few minutes, to figure out whether or not he was alright with how that ended, but he didn't have much of a reason to not be. He didn't know what that meant, though. Or what it was supposed to mean. He snorted, something that meant he was trying to not fight him on it any more than necessary, before he went back to trying to sleep, which was surprisingly easy, once he swayed with the train, and remembered what it was like to sleep on an object in motion, just like it had been on the Normandy.

But Budapest wasn't too far off, and it was only just under an eight hour train ride, and after discussing their intel, and what they'd figured out, and by now, it was only 4 hours out from their destination, after he'd taken a quick look at his omnitool before dismissing it and opting to try and sleep, wherein he got about three, before things started to slow, and the train's conductor was letting them know they were getting close.

He was still sleepy, yawning off the last of it, before he managed to get up, stretching, and pretending that the headache hadn't gotten a little worse overnight. "Alright, gameplan, same as last time, but we'll stay a little later? I'll have our tickets changed if I can when I get back, or maybe if I get a spare moment, sound good?"

Shepard's first response was little more than a grunt that might have vaguely been affirmation, before he woke up a little more and nodded, trying to get the crick out of his neck.

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan -- just update me." He'd get changed once they checked in, and in all honesty probably sleep more to prepare for the long night ahead.

For now, his cheek was marked up by where his face had pressed against wrinkled sheetd in his sleep. The small compartment they'd been given had a small, dirty mirror and a sink, but no toilet, so Shepard was going to have to stumble out and take care of that. He squinted at his reflection, scratching absently at the stubble already darkening his chin while his shoulder bumped companionably against Kaidan's.

"Think I should shave?" It would do little to hide his identity or make him any less obviously foreign, but perhaps it could at least lend some legitimacy to his role as an ostensible thug. He hasn't seemed to notice Kaidan's discomfort yet.

Edited 2014-09-15 00:18 (UTC)

"I'm not the expert at blending in with the criminal underbelly," Kaidan only eyed him, and tried to shift out of the way to avoid being so close, not quite so much shrinking as finding the spaces to not bump so easily and readily against Shepard. They were two rather large marines in a small cabin, making their way across Europe, and they had only a limited amount of time to get it in. They had to make every moment count. So while Shepard looked at the mirror and the sink, he ran a hand through his hair, and eyed the door, finding a moment to slip out and take care of himself, which left him with the sink and mirror after Shepard escaped.

The train didn't take much longer, and neither did getting to the hotel, dropping things off, and Kaidan took the moment -- still painfully early in the morning, before the earliest officials were even up -- to get that shower, and even manage to scarf down breakfast, dropping off just enough for the other biotic before he was out for another long, long day of watching and listening.

And getting mistaken for American. Eventually, he'd need to find better clothes. This was going to quickly hamper him more than help him.

While Kaidan took to trying to see what he could pry out of government officials, Shepard was hardly idle. A good portion of the time was spent sleeping, catching up on missed hours and making sure he'd be awake and alert by the time it came to go out, but the rest of it was spent sorting through the information they had, as well. He didn't have an omnitool to make the playback easier, but it was enough, and hitting the streets in the middle of the day to casually gain leads on the areas he should try and explore tonight took up the rest of the time.

By the time Kaidan returned, Shepard still wasn't shaved, but he was already restless and bright-eyed, looking ready for a fight. Shepard never needed much sleep to begin with, and the adrenaline rushing through his system never helped. Their discussion was brief and to the point -- Shepard outlining his plans for the evening, and probing Kaidan for any information that might be relevant to it, as well as agreeing to keep in touch just in case...

Well, just in case.

Worries that would later prove to be founded when Kaidan's earpiece spluttered to life later in the evening but earlier than he should have been for checking in, sounding faintly out of breath. "Still awake?"

He hadnt been still awake, but Kaidan was a marine, and one that was well trained to be able to wake up at a moment's notice. The crackle of sound in his ear shocked him awake, and he started with a low sound of surprise before he figured out it was just Shepard. He blinked, and rubbed at his eyes, a soft snort of surprise before he finally caught hold of himself.

His night, unsurprisingly had been pretty uneventful, considering how long the day had been, and he's been focused on the tech, making sure the devices were well charged and nothing was going to go wrong in the moment they needed them. Revan did good work but Kaidan still didn't know the man and didn't trust anything but alliance handiwork. After that he'd managed to work himself into a slightly uncomfortable position to try and sleep, and try to fight off the migraine. Shepard, of course, had to interrupt his sleep.

"I am now," he murmured, his voice worn and garbled from sleep. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he managed, his voice low and rushed, the longer he went on. "Did you get in trouble?"

The tone of Kaidan's voice told Shepard clearly that he'd caught the other marine off guard, but he'd responded quickly enough, which was what mattered.

"I'm fine," he murmured, because that seemed to be the best place to start before Kaidan got a chance to badger him with any more questions or get himself worked up. He glanced around the corner, making sure he hadn't been followed out of the bar, before he turned his attention back to Kaidan.

"I found something, but I just got kicked out of the bar." He paused to give that just a moment to sink in, then continued briskly, tone brooking no argument. "I need you to go back in to collect the transmitters. I'll fill you in when you get here -- do you have any clothes that will fit in?"

"So you did get in trouble," he affirmed, his voice low and a touch frustrated, because even though he's found something, having his sleep disturbed was low on the list of things he wanted to deal with at this very moment. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Honestly, he should have figured Shepard would get in trouble eventually, but he'd thought it would have been a little longer than this. He couldn't keep the tone out of his voice.

"I don't have much though, maybe some jeans, and an...undershirt?" he answered, the sound of fabric the indication that he was moving through the room and shuffling through his laundry. "Think that might work?"

He didn't think he could but... There was always the potential that he could make it work if he maybe...

He paused to look in a mirror, and made a face, his voice sounded sour when he spoke up again. "I don't have to mess up my hair, Do I?"

"What?" Shepard sounded blank, like he didn't understand why Kaidan was even asking the question. "I didn't get into trouble," Shepard objected, automatically. It wasn't that much of a lie; he didn't think of it as trouble. Just ... an unexpected setback that he had to find a way to work around.

"That'll have to do. I've got an extra hoodie on top of my bag -- you can borrow that." His tone indicated that he wouldn't brook any protest against the idea, and moved on briskly. "There's an alley a couple of blocks away--" His voice wavered in and out, the sound of ambient traffic getting louder as he shifted positions and rattled off the street address.

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes." And he terminated the connection without waiting for Kaidan to confirm. By the time Kaidan made it over, Shepard was already standing the shadows of the alleyway, balancing lightly on the balls on his feet. He'd known Kaidan couldn't get here too quickly, and it had been enough for him to get restless.

Even though Shepard didn't call it trouble, in Kaidan's mind, that's what it was. It was only with a soft, weary sigh that he actually played along, tugging the few clothes that he had on, making sure he looked at least somewhat like he would blend in, but Shepard's hoodie was...at the end of the day, a bad idea to add to the mix. Not just because he was larger around than the wiry Vanguard, but he looked more like a joke, someone stuffy just stuffed into something to try and blend in.

It wasn't going to work, but maybe he could get the pieces and get out. Especially if there was something on them. He wasn't going to maybe get in and out without notice, but Kaidan would just have to...blend in as best he could -- and try and get around any setbacks in any way he knew how. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, but the other times...he'd been on a mission by himself -- and there were still times that they ended up in disaster. Like the time with the Batarians, but...

That wasn't important. It was closer to seventeen minutes when he finally jogged down the alley, hoodie in hand, but he hadn't put it on. He looked Shepard over, like he was still trying to figure out what happened, and he squinted in the low light, to put together the pieces. "Alright, what happened?" he asked, his voice low, while he strode closer, but still far enough away that he could take a look at him, his head tilting while he looked him over with not even another word. Like he was looking for the first sign of trouble.

Edited (Hi :)) 2014-10-05 00:29 (UTC)

By the time Kaidan showed up, Shepard was antsy -- subtly so, but those who knew him well enough to see the signs could tell from the way he kept shifting his weight, crossing and uncrossing his arms. There was enough ambient light in the alley to catch the glint of his eyes, but he saw Kaidan first, and stepped out of the shadows to frown at him.

"Why aren't you wearing it?" He returned instead of answering the question, indicating the hoodie in Kaidan's grasp. He didn't expect that Kaidan was going to respond to that unless he actually told him why he'd gotten thrown out of the bar in the first place, so he exhaled sharply and made a short, quick gesture with his hand, automatically dropping his voice lower even if a glance at either end of the alley told him they were alone.

"I was asking about Amur. Apparently, that was a name a couple of people took issue with. I was told to leave, or I'd be--" He grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "'Escorted' out."

Kaidan almost piped up with a protest, but it died on his lips when he took in the details. This wasn't the usual brand of Shepard-level chaos, there weren't things destroyed, or fires, or even dead people -- or maybe even just injured people -- left in his wake. There was just him in this alley, and he was talking about getting escorted out, and he'd complied with it, too.

He didn't put it on quite yet, but just looked him over, a twist of his lips, while he appraised the situation. He wasn't sure what Shepard was trying to do, by asking Kaidan to go in and get the recorders, he had a feeling he'd stick out like a sore thumb, but...

Well, if someone was picking up on Amur, then it could be vital, couldn't it? He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how he was supposed to "blend in" in there. He couldn't just walk in and then walk right back out, could he? People would notice, and that would accomplish even less, especially if they wanted to keep themselves on the low, instead of attracting more attention than they wanted. That was dangerous, especially with no place safe to go, and Kaidan didn't like taking so many risks, unlike other people in the alley.

"So I need to grab them?" he asked, his voice low, before he started tugging on the jacket, but he didn't pull the hood over his head. "The recorders? Where did you put them?"

"Yeah," Shepard affirmed with a quick nod, glad -- but not surprised -- that Kaidan had grasped the situation so quickly, and taken decisive action. The Major might be slow to make up his mind about something, but you could never accuse him of being slow to respond once he decided to commit.

Kaidan would stick out like a sore thumb, but at worst he could play it off as being a tourist wanting something off the beaten path -- something that wasn't just the sanitized, friendly experience offered to foreigners, but a real taste of the local nightlife. He'd never pass as someone they'd take seriously, but he wouldn't have to -- while he pulled the hoodie on, Shepard rattled off the transmitter locations then frowned, trying to figure out what seemed out of place, throwing off the look.

"Pull your hood up," he mimed throwing the cloth up over his head. "More like you're trying to keep a low profile. And if anyone challenges you to a drinking contest, try to fake being drunk early." The tone of his voice, and the scent of his breath when he leaned in, suggested he might have been doing that himself. Even if biotic metabolism burned if faster, they hardly wanted to do anything that would cause anyone to give them a second look.

He paused, letting Shepard take control is things for the moment while he waited to hear more about the situation, listened to where the transmitters were, and he shifted back and forth, dancing from foot to foot, frown apparent on his face, while he tried to figure out how to pull this off, because he wasn't exactly suited for this atmosphere, but...

Well, he was a spectre, wasn't he? He was used to doing what he had to, and while the scent of alcohol drifted his way, but other than a slight squint, he didn't say or do anything, and he only tipped his head slightly, but could only quirk his lip in amusement. "Don't worry Shepard, this isn't my first undercover operation," he added, trying to reassure him, even while he breathed a little heavily, like he was clearing his head.

"I'll get them and be right out. I'll leave my comm on, I don't think they'll be able to detect the signal," he offered, and he pulled the hood up, and let his head drop, hunched his shoulders, and turned to stagger out of the alley, adopting a realistic imitation of a drunken swagger.

Shepard couldn't hold back the snort of faint laughter that escaped watching Kaidan stagger away, watching him sway with a shake of his head.

"This isn't exactly your standard Spectre operation," he reminded Kaidan, speaking softly into the comm unit so his voice was a hum in Kaidan's ear rather then in the air between them. But Kaidan didn't need that much more unsolicited advice, so he shook his head and crossed his arms, leaning against the alley wall.

"I'll wait for you here. Call me if you need me." He sent Kaidan off with a gentle, dismissive wave, still looking faintly amused as he settled in to wait. He didn't think there would be any trouble, but it never hurt to be ready.

"Yeah, yeah," he breathed, his voice equally low, but he stumbled down the alley, affecting the look of someone who was already a few drinks in, even when he leaned against the wall on the way out, hoodie obscuring his face, and he slid out of it with no more incident than entering had been. But that was just the beginning, wasn't it? Kaidan didn't know what the bar was going to be like -- but hopefully it hadn't been anything worse than any of the dives he'd been in.

Hell, he'd managed through Chora's Den with no complaints (no complaints in the slightest) and he didn't think that he wouldn't be able to handle this one either. Sure, Shepard was better suited toward these sorts of things, but that didn't mean that Kaidan didn't know how. He was a Spectre, after all, and despite what Shepard thought -- Shepard's experience as a Spectre amounted to hunting down a rogue spectre and storming a base of collectors.

If anything, that wasn't the standard he was basing it on, was it?

The bar was loud, but Kaidan made it, stumbling along, taking a drink, taking a moment to flirt -- poorly -- with a woman who brushed him off. Precisely the impression he wanted to give, that he was a sad guy who was just stumbling through. With beer on his breath, something Belgian and not that good, he managed to slide toward the spot the bug was, but it was met with a problem, someone else was there at the table, and Kaidan grunted in frustration, but didn't say anything.

The guy didn't end up moving for about two hours, which was time that Kaidan had to spend hunkered down in a corner, somehow knocking back three beers in the process -- nothing to a biotic metabolism, thankfully -- before he could swoop in and liberate the bugs.

Two hours was a bit longer than Shepard had expected to wait for Kaidan, but the comm told him enough about what was going on to know it wasn't anything Kaidan could help. Well, stakeouts weren't his usual order of business, but being on the force meant he got to do more, and his patience had improved by leaps and bound s. Kaidan would be impressed by how well Shepard was managing not to go stir crazy just waiting in a dark alley.

Unfortunately at this hour, these sorts of places rarely stayed unoccupied. Shepard's head swung around at the sound of a back door opening further down the street, drunken German invectives snarled a few times before a figure was shoved out and the door slammed.

Shepard had enough forewarning to duck his head and feign a drunken stupor, hoping to pass unnoticed, but the typical Shepard luck seemed to be in effect here as always, because it wasn't long before uncoordinated shuffling drew closer and a loud, raucous guffaw announced that he wasn't alone anymore.

When an arm slung itself over his shoulders and raucous German too slurred for the translators to pick up started burbling in his ear, Shepard quelled the instinct to punch him in the face and walk off. All he had to do was hold out long enough to make sure Kaidan was in the clear.

In the meantime he extricated himself from the beery embrace by feigning nausea, but he hoped he wouldn't have to actually vomit.

Edited 2014-10-10 06:43 (UTC)

Somewhere in the two hours, after the group had left, Kaidan swooped in, managing to pull the pieces out of their hiding spots, exactly where Shepard said they'd be, but nowhere that anyone would actually look -- unless you were a fellow spectre and been told the locations. He even managed to make it subtle and hidden, the motions, when he shoved them in his pocket. He'd turn them off later, when it was a little more viable. When they weren't in the eyes of anyone who might be watching them -- even if they didn't realize it.

Kaidan, after all, had learned to be careful, with time. He'd read his spectre materials, and he was 99% sure Shepard hadn't read his. It didn't seem his style, much more the type to run in headfirst, and see what happened.

He left, shortly after, paying his tab quickly, and stepping out of the bar, his feet a little straighter, the longer he went. He was, after all, not really all that drunk, despite how much he'd drank. Biotic metabolisms, and all. When he stepped out, he headed for the alley, but ended up nearly running into a big, drunk guy, and someone who was -- oh wait, it was Shepard.

He stepped out of the way, raising a brow, before he shoved his hands in his pockets, looking for something -- anything he could use as a distraction. The guy seemed keen on leaning on Shepard, and he was murmuring something Kaidan couldn't really understand, and he squinted, before he gently tapped on the guy's shoulder.

"Hey, you come from in there? I think I saw you leave -- ah, I think your wallet's still at the bar..."

And thank god for Major Alenko's perfect timing, or Shepard might have had to actually resort to knocking the man unconscious. The drunk was disoriented enough that the distraction actually seemed to work, and he startled, hands feeling over himself in a panic before lumbering off back into the bar.

Aside from looking a little rumpled, Shepard didn't seem to have been hurt, and he took a moment to readjust his clothes and grimace at the scent of cigarette smoke and sweat that clung before his gaze went sharply to Kaidan.

"You got it?" He kept the wording deliberately vague, inclining his head to the side, and the direction they'd have to head in, to get back. Splitting up would arouse less suspicion than two men stumbling back to a hotel room, but hopefully it was late enough they wouldn't attract undue attention.

Kaidan gave him a look, tipping his head slightly, like Shepard really shouldn't be asking that question. All things considered, he was almost insulted that he thought to ask it, considering that he was talking to another Spectre. "Wouldn't leave without it," he mentioned, his voice edging on icy, as if Shepard should know what he'd done, by asking that question.

Really, he knew some of it was nerves, or he started to realize that and put it together, after he'd asked it. Really, that shouldn't be something to get so defensive about but...well, around Shepard -- particularly a Shepard who hadn't encouraged him to take that Spectre position...

It was too easy to feel self-conscious about it, like he had something to prove to him. He shook his head, and kept right down the path, his steps a little firmer, not willing to take too much time. He was cold and tired, and he'd been out longer than he'd intended. Honestly, right now he wanted nothing more than to crawl right back in the bed, like he'd been planning on doing hours ago.

Shepard opened his mouth like he'd been about to say something, but something in Kaidan's face or his voice stopped him, and he simply nodded, falling into step beside Kaidan. He was just as eager to get back, now, and with what he'd found, they'd do better to talk about it in the privacy of the room, not out on the street.

It wasn't that he doubted Kaidan's ability, but checking in with his crew was -- habit, and one he found hard to shake. But maybe Kaidan didn't see it that way, or need Shepard looking over his shoulder. Maybe he still wasn't sure where they stood, and that was more frustrating than anything else.

He'd trusted Shepard enough to come out here with him, but not enough to think the question hadn't been meant to belittle him?

They couldn't get back to the hotel fast enough, and Shepard exhaled, stripping out of his jacket and rolling the ache out of his shoulders. They'd swept the room when they'd come in, but now they'd both been out long enough for someone to come in, and he started to go through the motions again, running hands under the edges of tables and furniture, while he spoke over his shoulder.

"We should stay another day. There are still a few things I want to follow up on."

Edited 2014-10-20 05:06 (UTC)

The problem, of course, was that Kaidan wasn't quite used to being a part of Shepard's crew these days. Not in the traditional sense, and some of those things, while in distant memory, weren't things that Kaidan thought about, or thought that he needed either. Maybe that was his pride -- he suspected it was -- but the uncomfortable silence was enough to tell him that Shepard was feeling cowed, and he shook his head.

What could he even say to fix it, anyway? There wasn't much. They had to...

He didn't even know, honestly. He didn't know what to make of it, or how to fix it, other than try and remember that Shepard was...Shepard. He was probably thinking this out of curiosity, but it was hard when you were faced with the first human spectre, and you were the second. Or the fact that the first didn't remember encouraging Kaidan, or the fact that they'd worked together again on Mars, before... well, before Kaidan got his ass hurt.

When they got back to the hotel, and Shepard started the manual check, Kaidan tapped away at his omnitool, running a scan from wall to wall, and ceiling to floor, and then on each piece of furniture, trying to make sure that they hadn't invited in any trouble. "Alright, what kinds of things are you thinking? I'll need time to start pulling apart the recordings anyway, if you're thinking about another night of bar hopping."

Surprisingly, he didn't sound judgmental about that fact.

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