(no subject)

[swords-love-me.livejournal.com]

Date: July 7, 2000 – afternoon
Setting: War’s room (briefly) then basement
Status: Semi-Private (War, Aziraphale for now, others could join) - Complete
Summary: War gets her nukes put away


It was a couple of hours past lunchtime now, and given Uriel had told her the window would be fixed today, War decided to take her nukes down to the basement and get them locked away in the cupboards. For one thing, they’d give her more space in her room, and for another, she wasn’t really sure that the Manor’s inhabitants – or most of them, any way – would approve of the Manor contents including enough nuclear warheads to destroy the entire world[1]. Some people were so fussy about these things.

She grabbed several duffel bags and shoved the nukes into them, then slipped out of her room and down all the stairs to the basement, checking round all the corners to make sure that the way was clear. She didn’t really think Adam would appreciate a full-blown confrontation with another guest, even if he didn’t mind about the weaponry, and it was probably best to keep on good terms with him, given he seemed to run the place.

She ducked a timber hanging from the top of the door frame, and stepped into the basement room. Nothing had been changed since she had last seen it, apart from the fact that the window was now mended, and the glass had been cleared up. She went over to the nearest metal cupboard, unlocked the padlock with the key that was in it, and swung it open.

As she had suspected, it was empty. She casually threw nukes in until she had to get a knee to the door to make it shut, then repeated the process with the next two lockers until the bags were empty. Once she’d put the rest into it, she swung one of the bags over her shoulder, clipped all the keys onto one ring, and walked out through the wreckage of the door, tossing the keys from hand to hand.



[1] If they were set off in the right places.

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

The warhead spun in the air a foot from the floor where Adam pinned it with his gaze. "Oh, no, there's no problem? Oh, no, you're here? Or oh, no, I've dropped this warhead that I prob'ly shouldn't have been holding?" asked Adam politely.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"The former?" A combination thereof, Aziraphale scolded himself silently, and then coughed, straightened himself up, and looked at Adam. He hadn't done anything wrong.

Or so Aziraphale hoped.

"We were, actually, planning to discard of these, to a location where they'd have far less chances of discovery. I didn't think that having these where anyone could access them -" and really, with Hastur, and Ligur, and Beelzebub, and Mictain, and War, and any number of unknown entities that may find it amusing to detonate one of these- "was the best idea."

He picked up the warhead. "So ta."

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale would find it quite impossible to walk out the door with the warhead. Adam made sure of that.

"They're safer here than anyplace," he said resolutely, ignoring the angel's snide tone. He really had been around Crowley too much. "It makes War happy to have them around, and I won't let them get used. I can't say the same for any humans who find them wherever you were thinkin' of hidin' them. You don't really think I stopped a world-wide nuclear war last time just to let another one start by accident right under my nose, do you?"

Really, being the adult was tiring sometimes.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

The angel's arms sagged. "Are you certain, my dear?" he asked doubtfully, although he could already see Adam's point-of-view. "We could leave them, I suppose..."

He hesitated. Aziraphale really didn't want them this close to his books. Or anyone else for that matter.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"It'll be fine, Aziraphale. I promise. Nothin's gonna happen. Just put 'em back and War will lock them up well, right?" He looked significantly at her. "They're not connected to anythin', so they can't be triggered. Now they're just a lot of shaped metal."

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"All right," Aziraphale agreed, for his part, and looked expectantly at War.

Moving her warheads was one thing, but actively disengaging them...

He took a step back in case.

[swords-love-me.livejournal.com]

War had inadvertently and imperceptibly flinched when Adam had walked in, but when he suggested leaving the nukes where they were, she could almost have hugged him. He was right, she did like having them around, and she wasn't going to do anything with them, just keep them there.

"I moved them here so they'd be locked up secure rather than hanging around loose in my room, so if here's ok then I'll put them back in, and keep the keys on me. Like Adam says, they couldn't be activated without being connected up, so they're really no danger."

She objected to them being called "just a lot of shaped metal", but she wasn't going to quibble now. Gesturing at the one that had fallen to the floor, she said, "Shall I get them put away, then?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"I think that's a good idea," said Adam firmly. "And I wouldn't go around tellin' people that they're here, all right?"

[swords-love-me.livejournal.com]

"Do you really think I would?" said War in what she hoped was a tone less withering than it sounded in her head, and possibly less affronted too.

She picked the nuke up from the floor and locked it away again, then clip the ring of keys onto her belt.

"Just so long as neither of you go telling anyone, either," she said, looking at Aziraphale.

[ineffable-angel.livejournal.com]

"I won't. It- it would worry them too much, I fear." It worried him, even, and Aziraphale was suddenly annoyed at himself for being so frightened. "I'll keep it to myself, you have nothing to fear from me." Although I still disagree that they ought to be here.

He wouldn't tell Crowley about this. Crowley was too close to John, and while Aziraphale could swallow this decision, Crowley may not be able to. If anything happened to Adam - despite Adam's reassurances - then Aziraphale would know, and could prevent disaster. There was comfort in that thought. He didn't require Crowley to worry about it as well.

[swords-love-me.livejournal.com]

War was too relieved to pay much attention to the angel's discomfort.

"Good. I don't care why you don't tell, as long as you don't."

Taking a couple of steps towards the door, she paused, and said, "If we're done here...?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam nodded. "We're done. But if you'd keep all your stuff to yourself, I'd appreciate it. Don't want it to get into the wrong hands or anythin'." He waved cheerfully. "See you both around!"