Later, after much misadventure, everyone's headed back to the safehouse. Nik has asked for someone to drive him home, and Dozer has volunteered...
Land Rover
Dozer glanced over as he and Nick got strapped in. Ever since he got the order, the soldier had gone over what he'd say again and again... He took a breath.
"Hey, so, uh... I'd actually been hoping to talk to you man, though we've been a bit busy getting everything ready..." Dozer said in a normal voice.
Nik glanced over, his brow rising slightly as a small smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Is that right?" he stated simply, waiting for 'Sheridan' to elaborate.
"Yeah," Dozer said, putting the vehicle into gear, "It just kinda struck me recently... When we first met, you kind of gave of this Robin Hood-ish rogue persona, what with your whole 'I like to make the Russian mob's life miserable when I can' thing.
"But... working with, um, us... that seems a bit above 'just making their lives miserable'. That's more something someone with a grudge does.
"So I wanted to ask ya: What'd they do? If you don't mind?"
The smirk faded as the brow furrowed, eyes narrowing as the thief cast the agent in an appraising glare, "a family matter. Personal. Something I'd rather not discuss." He turned away, a slight distance look to his eye as he appeared to be looking out the luxury vehicles tinted windows.
Dozer tipped his head noddingly.
"I don't blame ya. I do not blame you at all. If my grandfather had my whole family killed, I'd probably wouldn't want to talk about it, either.
"Especially when it's 'CIA complicated'."
Nik turned, eyes wide in surprise... his face flushing slightly in anger, "and where does one come by such assumptions?"
Dozer's eyes glance over before going back to the road, "My Commanding Officer."
Nik's steely gaze narrowed, face still flushed. "If the FBI knew as much as you claim, they would have arrested me long ago," he snorted, a bit dismissively.
"Not FBI. Army," Dozer looked in the mirror, making sure they weren't followed, before holding out a hand in a shaking position, "Let me re-introduce myself. Sergeant Bill Barnum, currently in Army Reserves while I'm working in this AO."
The soldier looked over, "My brothers in arms call me 'Dozer'."
"Army!?" Nik exclaimed, looking confused as his eyes dropped to the offered hand. The long-haired thief took it, a bit unsure, "the Army's not really my thing. I have a bit of problem with authority."
Dozer laughed, "That's alright, I won't hold it against you. My bosses apparently don't mind, either, since they really would like you working for them," Dozer shook the hand before going back to the wheel, "To be fair, we're not all Army. There's Navy boys, some airmen, Marines... even got a number of civilians, of which you no doubt will fit into."
"Working?" Nik blurted doubtfully, his face scrunching to match his tone, "for the military? Doing what? For who?"
Dozer sighed again, thumb scratching and eyebrow, "Look, I'll be frank. I'm not much of a salesman. So if what I'm about to say weirds you out or something, it's probably just me messing up explaining it..."
Dozer paused, no doubt being obvious in how he was struggling to find the right words even as he spoke.
"When President Winter was impeached, a number of the military officers that had been instrumental in bringing him down decided they had had enough," the soldier said, "For decades America had been spiraling downward, all the rights and values it had stood for being increasingly thrown out of the window. Whether this was from greedy power grabs by politicians, or from giving more and more power away to global organizations like PITFALL in the name of security.
"When we take our oaths, we swear to protect the United States Constitution from all enemies from without and within. And we have been increasingly failing to fulfill that oath for waaay too long.
"We are the ones who take that oath seriously."
Dozer looked out the side window briefly, "We started small. Our General reached out to the people who he'd been working with to take President Winter down.
"No doubt you've heard of the Shadow Patriots?"
Nik relaxed somewhat, the smirk returning along with a bit of mischief in his eye as Dozer made his pitch, the thief clearly finding amusement in the infantryman's discomfort.
"No doubt," he provided in response, offering a mock salute followed by a slow mocking claps of his hands, "You ever think of taking a nice cushy job in an Army recruiting office? Great speech. I could feel patriotism. Might have even shed a tear as I heard the patriotic music playing in the background."
Dozer just smirked back with a quirked eyebrow.
"Probably not as many tears as that PITFALL agent I shattered the ribcage of with my bare hands," He said, shaking his head as he looked at the road, "Considering he murdered a civilian before trying to pin the civvie as a terrorist for it, the only regret I have is that I didn't drive him all the way into the grave.
"And if I wanted cushy, I would have stayed in Japan, instead of loading up into a VTOL and diving into every combat zone they send me to.
"Yeah, I know. 'America, fuck yeah, coming to save the motherfucking day, yeah'," Dozer wiggled his fingers on the wheel for emphasis as he mockingly said the phrase, "But I guarantee you, every one of us has come face to face with the stupidity, and the injustice..."
The wheel creaked a little as the soldier squeezed it.
Nik's hand drifted to scratch at the day or two old growth on his face, a thoughtful expression underneath, "Yeeaah. Combat's not exactly my thing either. Particularly if PITFALL is involved. So far I've managed to stay off their radar."
Dozer leaned his head back with another sigh, "Like I said, I'm not much of a salesman. I'm infantry, through and through. They call me in, I'm either shooting somebody, or doing firearm maintenance. Or both. But right now, I'm just the messenger."
Dozer put on a blinker and pulled off the road.
"Don't worry, I'm just finding a place to park real quick," he said before finding a spot to stop.
The thief looked as the agent pulled out a medallion, before looking up with an 'and' expression on his face, "I know I like shiny things, but..."
"It's kinda tricky working these things while you drive," Dozer explained as he thumbed both flat sides. The cap opened, and inside the pocket Nik could see a folded up piece of paper.
"I need you to understand, though," Dozer continued, "We don't invite just anyone. We are walking a very, very dangerous line. We are turning to commanding officers, senators, maybe even our president, and saying, 'No. You are wrong. I know better, and I'm doing this my way'.
"We know how horribly bad that line of thinking could go. That's why we vet everyone. Everyone. If we felt there was any chance you would abuse what we do, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
"We also don't want to force you into anything. We are 100% volunteer. On this piece of paper is an address. I'd suggest at least looking at that before closing this back up, because it's keyed to my biometrics and anyone else from my group, so you won't be able to open it again."
Dozer held it out, "Look, all I ask is that you go there, listen to what my CO has to say. After that, if you want to walk away, go back to your little vendetta, no one will stop you. If you still think our group is not for you, but want to help, we can hook you up with some of our friends instead. Just give us a chance to argue our case, preferably from someone more eloquent."
Dozer holds it back a little before Nik could grab it, "Just... remember this. Once these mob guys are taken down, then what? Will you just let the breeze carry you wherever afterwards? Because I will tell you from firsthand experience, that breeze is the sign of an incoming storm. There are those out there, bigger and scarier than anything these thugs can dish out, just waiting for their chance.
"And we need everyone we can get to stand against it."
Dubiously and carefully Nik took the coin, eyes drifting to the worn metal medallion as if it might explode in his hand. Taking the paper he looked at the contents, mumbling to himself as he memorized the writing. With a smirk he rolled down the window, before holding the paper out, taking his lighter from his pocket to set the end aflame and dropping it... watching it curl ash on the ground and pocketing the coin. His head swept across the front window and then his own, his hand reaching out to grip the door handle, "This is close enough for me... if there's nothing else?" his brow arched in question as he looked to Dozer to see if the agent had anything more to add.
Said agent looked up in a thinking expression.
"Um..." he said, working his fingers in a counting motion, "Stephen knows who I am, as Dozer... I think, probably, if he really was Beatrice. After that, I don't believe anybody else at the OSA, and few in the FBI as a whole, knows, though considering how legendary Agent Flores is, she might have figured it out.
"After this I might try to work my nickname into our current mission, play it off as what people called me while I was active duty. Should be easy, because that's actually true.
"So to the outside world, I'm just, um..." A quick look around, "What I was as you knew me before now."
The thief mimed locking his lips with a smirk, "Yes Sir!" he added with a mock salute and wink before stepping out of the car and pulling a cigarette out to light.
"Don't call me 'Sir', I work for a living!" Dozer shouted out with a return smirk and a wave, "Heh. Seriously, you call Lieutenants and up 'Sir'. See you tomorrow!"
Dozer then pulled away, leaving Nik with a medallion, and everything they just talked about.
--------------------
Safehouse
"Hey guys, I wanted to run a last second idea past all of you," 'Sheridan' said as he entered, "So I'm thinkin', having Bill as a common first name is handy for not giving myself away, but it can make communication confusing. And instead of risking saying my actual last name, I was thinking that, when referring to my 'real' self, we should use my nickname from when I was oversees.
"Y'all mind calling me 'Dozer' for that?"
