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Post by Random Commander on Jan 9, 2016 15:19:53 GMT -5
Tom glared again, as per his normal reaction to look fearsome against personnel who resisted his opinion. But he let discretion take the better part of him and nodded.
"Right" he began, "I'm just like this all the time - perpetually stressed out. I guess it's because I'm a pessimist in nature and constantly expect my life to get worse. It's one of the reasons why I tend to keep a pair of Phalanx armor on most of the day despite also having Iron skin - we got new armors being made so I think they can spare one to a paranoid freak of nature." He chuckled unseriously.
Now that he mentioned it, one can notice that Tom is wearing a little more than his issued gene-mod vest. The gloves, however, were part of the standard gym equipment.
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 9, 2016 15:30:43 GMT -5
"The Tom I knew was always on edge, not a paranoid," Gary paused before adding,"Just make sure that it's Tom talking and not the MELD talking." He walked over to the punching bag and stood it back up, he gave it a small brush down and patted it implying Tom to hit it,"See if you can take it down with one hit then, ten quid says you can't."
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 9, 2016 18:47:25 GMT -5
Tom immediately charged the bag, catching his imaginary opponent (and Gary) by surprise. With a fear-inducing yell and a well-thrown punch, it seemed that it wasn't just Tom, but some ungodly fighting machine attacking the bag. So much momentum was put into his punch that the bag literally skidded backward a short distance and slammed onto the ground in the same instant. Tom ended up stopping beside the bag at the end of his follow-through.
He had to blink to stop his MELD-stricken eyes from darting all over the place. "Paranoid, on edge, same difference - I'm always alert and that's that" he stated while cracking his knuckles.
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 10, 2016 3:25:08 GMT -5
"'Paranoid, on edge, same diff'- Tom you aware you are wearing fucking armor in the base with Iron skin?" Gary stated staring at Tom ignoring the punching bag.
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 10, 2016 4:51:18 GMT -5
"Yeah" Tom replied just as plainly, "better than stalking the halls with a shotgun hoping aliens don't pop out, apparently. Also just in case some freak accident happens like... goats let loose on base for example."
He shot a partially-accusing finger pointed above Gary. "If an internal threat is let loose, I want to actually make it to the armory, grab my gun, and then get back out quickly so I can put the threat down before it kills anyone..." Tom then realized how pointless that sounded and let his arm drop to his side, looking thoughtfully peeved at the ceiling. If a small attack really had happened, security would be both well-equipped and well-responsive to the threat. Not to mention there are sensors everywhere, and XCOM would know a threat when it so much as goes through the front door.
"Bah, maybe I'm overthinking a bit."
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 10, 2016 4:59:44 GMT -5
"Yeah just a little bit, I mean aliens actually attacking the base? Pfft," he replied in a cocky tone, crossing his and giving a small smirk,"Now about that tenner that I owe you."
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 10, 2016 5:14:15 GMT -5
Tom winced, he remembered Lucy's warning about impending aliens knocking on XCOM's doorstep, and Gary talking about it in this cocky manner rubbed him the wrong way. Still, he shook his head and let it slide for now. "Yeah, about that" he said as he clasped his hands together.
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 10, 2016 7:50:22 GMT -5
Gary tilted his head slightly,"About what? The base being attacked? Fisher told me they were coming but Fisher is so paranoid that it makes you look normal." He chuckled.
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 10, 2016 16:59:17 GMT -5
Tom outright laughed at that. "No, about the tenner! But... apparently my cousin Lucy told me the same thing, and usually she isn't known for her paranoia. Go figure, right?"
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 11, 2016 10:41:35 GMT -5
Gary returned the smile and picked his Xpad out of his back pocket and tapped on the screen a few times before putting it back in his pocket," there you go, Ten dollars or pounds- what ever the currency is here, is now in your account."
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 11, 2016 16:03:49 GMT -5
"We're all the way out in Poland, they probably use bricks as currency for all I know!" Tom snickered as he thought about market transactions using masonry. "Anyway, thanks. You were probably expecting me to win that bet, anyway."
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 11, 2016 16:26:28 GMT -5
Gary gave a small nod at that,"After seeing what Fisher could do when he didn't even try, I was certain that you could beat up a punching bag." Gary replied in his usual flat tone with a blank expression, that some would see as worrying.
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 11, 2016 18:40:30 GMT -5
But Tom just huffed, he expected this. "Anyone can beat up a fucking punching bag, Swarsh. It's not worth betting a hundred grand to see how tough a soldier is. Especially if he is genetically modified - by then you practically know the answer!"
Tom walked over to the punching bag and picked it up, but as he did, some sand fell out of it. He turned it around and saw a baseball-sized hole that went through the layers of fabric, and he can practically see the innards of the bag. He chuckled in genuine amusement, "I guess it's more of an accomplishment if you manage to metaphorically 'kill' a punching bag. Must've used it longer than I thought."
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Post by Blacknife on Jan 12, 2016 11:41:51 GMT -5
"When I said take it down, I didn't mean destroy it." Gary replied with his eyes open wide from this. After staring at the hole for a few more seconds he blurted out,"me and you should get a drink sometime at the bar."
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Post by Random Commander on Jan 12, 2016 16:13:03 GMT -5
"'Ey, don't look at me like that!" Tom said as he innocently raised his hands, "I didn't know I would be that powerful!" He chuckled and relaxed, his arms reaching for the destroyed bag to try and put it in a better place where there wouldn't be a mess in the middle of the floor. Disposing of this "body" reminded Tom of his past life, a serial killer fending for himself, and the reminder of when he killed a person it meant he would live another day, it seemed to linger in the air around him.
(Forgot about the adrenal neurosympathy, heh.)
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