wars affected everyone differently. some left with physical injuries , others left with MENTAL injuries. && then there was the least common group of individual , so screwed up , that a war can only make them better , that could only make them have a change of heart. && piper fell in the third category. she had come into this line of work with physical && mental scars , nothing phased her anymore. && in a way , it sucked. ‘ it’s independence day , boys. ’ a bad imitation , but it brought out the lighter side of the brunette. this squad , rick && katana , they seemed to be the only ones who were able to see that side of her. they were a part of her , an arm && leg. her fingers stopped moving at his question , piper’s thoughts derailing. she had thought about it , once or twice , wiggling out from under waller’s command. but she never had long to think about it. reality always dawned back. ‘ when i first got here , i used to think that i’d leave at the first opportunity i was given. go away && maybe , be on my own. but i realized that , little by little , that i’d be unable to. ’ she moved her head to the side , looking at her colonel. ‘ not alone. i’ve been alone my entire life , && i don’t want to go back to that. if i alone was given the opportunity to get out of ARGUS , i wouldn’t take it. not without you , or the squad. it’s all or nothing for me. ’
The bridge of Flag’s nose wrinkled as a delighted laugh shook out of him toward Piper’s little reference. Fortunately, it was an old enough film for Rick to recognize the line–especially with how the agent tweaked her voice for effect. “Metahumans, psychos, mutants, witches, crocodiles, enchanted swords…” The man sighed, emoting the exhaustion already written on his features. “alien’s are just what I need.” It was a wonder how Rick was still standing, considering the shit he’d seen, and it just kept coming. He was kind of sick of surprises. The Colonel went still and quiet as he waited for Piper’s response. It came sooner than he had expected… part of Rick was grateful for that. She always seemed so dependable and consistent on her convictions. This was a quality Flag could respect. Regarding what Vigilante said, however, sparked an entirely different sense of admiration in the leader. He was caught off guard while Piper expressed her inability to take a more selfish road, but the explanation that followed left him quite somber and this showed in his hazel eyes. “… I gotcha.” That might have been a less than stellar response off the bat. Rick was known for those, but quickly made up for it, “You know I’m more than happy to have you… along with Tatsu, and the others–I think I can speak for them. You wont have to worry about going alone. Even if Waller’s program fails… we were always the most dependable part of this operation anyway.” The only dependable piece, as far as Rick was concerned. “I hope we can all move on after this..” He really did. It had been so long since Richard could sense-or desire-a brighter future. Survival was never guaranteed.
