forum ENCOM OS-12 | OxO | Closed unless you're a fellow Program/User/ISO | Stalkers get a free Light Runner

Started March 25, 2021 by @murphysgirl

tune

Nora nodded and opened her mouth, almost telling him the real reason she was so anxious to get it fixed before she caught herself and said, "Visibility is low with that crack." At least she wasn't lying.

“Understandable.” he nodded, accepting that answer since he’d had his visor cracked on his helmet before too. “Plus, it's not really safe to drive around with.” Cor found himself smirking a little at the fact that Nora would most likely have to hold on to him the whole way there.

Nora pressed the elevator button and nodded. She remembered having cracked her helmet before, and Kaira had repaired it… the memory was bittersweet.

Cor stood beside her in the elevator, leaning against the smooth glass slightly. He could almost tell something was on her mind but didn't know how to approach it. It… felt personal. If that made any sense.

The elevator slid smoothly to a stop at the city streets; Nora stepped out and was promptly replaced by a few giggling programs.
"Which way?" she asked Cor.

Cor smiled as he wove his way past the incoming programs and joined Nora at the street. He snapped open his baton and mounted the lightcycle. “This way.” he answered smoothly, inviting her to ride with him.

Nora would, in other circumstances, have refused such close contact, but a faint tingling in her spine urged her to get on behind him. She did so, curling her fingers around his shoulders, unsure of where else to put them. Bit floated next to her bun.

Cor smiled at the touch, tempted to lean back and kiss her if he could. Maybe it was just because of how cuddly they had been last night and earlier that bolstered his confidence this way. It was admittedly selfish of him but he… kinda wanted people to see them together. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he carefully started driving. “Hold on back there.”

"I will," Nora assured him, noting programs taking second glances at Cor and her. A faint smile tinged her lips.

Cor smiled at her answer and sped up a little, still being careful for her sake. Without her helmet… He didn't want to risk anything happening. But he didn't want it to be a dull trip either.

As they neared the Outlands, Nora, deciding it would be safer - and something deep, deep inside her was telling her, besides - tentatively wrapped her arms around Cor's chest. Bit was still next to her neck, out of the wind.

Cor's lines flickered pink as she held him but quickly calmed down, taking the last turn towards the familiar Outlands. “Smart move. Terrain gets a little rough here.” he warned gently before flipping a switch near one of the handles, allowing his lightcyclye to maneuver better off Grid.

Nora watched as he drove, impressed with his skill on the terrain. She had never really driven off-Grid, and never on the bumpy stuff. Assuring herself that it would be fine, she pressed herself a little tighter against Cor and squinted into the darkness.

It had honestly been a while since Cor headed out this way. The last time was a few cycles before Sam Flynn had appeared. Despite that fact, he still knew his way around out here. He made a quick double-check to make sure his lights were on bright and was driving much more carefully than he normally would since he very rarely had a passenger out here and didn't have to worry about being followed.

Nora looked around at the stark beauty of the Outlands, at the thin crust of snow covering the ground. Hermes' Recogniser would have to be hidden far away, to not have been discovered for so long, she thought.

Cor smiled softly at the sight. He may have come out here more than most programs but the view was still quite something. The thought of taking Tetra out here to be able to paint it had crossed his mind… but crashing out here had happened after his friend had disappeared. “You alright back there?”

"I'm fine," Nora said, curling a little closer to him, shielding herself from the wind chill… and, she liked being this close. He smelled nice, and he was warm, too, and his hair was messy in the wind…

Cor nodded, blushing a little when he felt her face so close to his neck. It would be easy enough to blame the wind for the growing redness and her position but he wouldn't deny that it was nice. At their current speed it wouldn't take much longer before they reached the Recognizer. Maybe I should tell her… I doubt she would tell anyone. But how would she react?

Nora scanned the mountains beyond them for the Recogniser, though it was hard to do so when she was squinting. She wondered if it was still glowing.

Cor kept driving towards the mountains. It wasn't too much further but it would be hard to notice it unless you knew what to look for. Or were just very lucky. Any external glow it might still have was either covered by the snow or dim enough to be dismissed as low ambient light. The rest of it was still in decent working condition, though he doubted it would fly again.

"Are we close?" Nora asked. She was beginning to feel cold.

“Almost.” he nodded. “You see that big mountain with the smaller one in front? It's right in between them.” he pointed out, speeding up a little more.

Nora nodded and looked towards them, spotting them in the darkness.

It didn't take much longer before Cor was able to navigate between the two mountains, parking his lightcycle once they were close enough to the Recognizer. “Well, what do you think?” he asked with a bit of a proud smile as he waited for Nora to dismount first.

Nora looked it over as she dismounted. Crusted with snow, it might have passed for part of the landscape unless you looked close enough, in which case you noticed the faint, but still there, light lines.
"I think it's…" She paused, searching for words.
Yes, Bit said, whizzing around Nora's head.
Nora nodded and smiled.

Cor chuckled a little as he derezzed his lightcycle and stood beside her. “Come on. Let's get inside. Then you'll really get to see it.” he encouraged, remembering how cold she had been on the drive up.

"I've never been in a Recogniser before," Nora confessed with a small smile.

“Don’t worry. I've only been in this one a dozen times.” he half-joked, trying to reassure her even though he'd been on other Recognizers at least a couple times. “It’s not so bad.”

Nora followed him through the snow, listening to it crunch softly under their feet. "Where's the door?"

“Right here.” he said, walking past her and brushing some snow off a small palm-sized panel. Cor quickly entered a brief passcode causing the door to open next to him. “Come on in.” he encouraged, smiling.