1st Rank Agents,
Jonathan Adams and Chad Kaiser, and Hounds
Anna Finch and
Elias Bonner
Gothenburgh
Mid-Day
Evergreen Festival
A COLLAB BETWEEN @FrostedCaramel and @Strawberry275 and @Wolfsin
"Since if you're too busy wheezing to take down monsters it becomes my problem."
Before Elias could make any other borderline insulting remarks about Chad's health or protest the assumption he was at all worried about him the screams of the crowd interrupted. Whipping his head round in the direction they were coming from the wave of people moving towards him made it impossible to see what the source of it all was.
Well aware that Chad's method of 'dealing with it as quick as possible' was putting enough bullets in something to stop it moving and also well aware of the possibility that whatever monster was causing this didn't need to be killed for it Elias started running. Real bullets in this kind of crowd?
"You didn't even bring tranqs to the festival?"
Chad laughed as he started a light jog behind his hound. Elias was just as soft as he'd always been, it sometimes made him wonder if Elias was a monster at all, but unfortunately he'd seen the proof of that already."What? tranqs? Pftt I don't think we should be teaching the little ones that tranqs are the way to go, better they find out how to kill these things before.... yeah.. Never mind that lets just get going.
Chad did the remainder of his gun maintenance while running; a practice he'd become quite veteran with. The crowd was thinning out and then he heard it, sound of live gunfire and both he and Elias knew they had to pick up the pace. A few more shots went off while they were running up and despite his partners obvious disagreement with his methods, Chad ducked around one of the stalls and flicked the safety on his gun before glancing around to see ... "Adams.." Chad lowered his gun slightly noticing Anna slouched against him. "Oh this is a treat.. might get to shoot her today after all.." He snickered and then holstered his gun as he approached the two of them with Elias following just behind. "Oy Adams did doll-face over there fuck up that hard that you put her down before I could get here?" He knew well that Anna was still breathing, however Adams report would decide for how much longer. "Got problems at the Ministry, you really think we got time for you to be playing nursery for this thing?"
Adams looked up, sighing at the sight of Chad and Elias; whether it was relief or annoyance even he couldn't tell. Brushing some of Anna's hair from her face he started to talk,
"No no, I think it's okay now. Situation handled, no one got hurt thankfully..." he looked back at Anna and then over to the severed arm as it sizzled and slowly melted into a puddle of indistinguishable gloop,
"Well, no humans got hurt at least." he stood carefully avoiding Elias' gaze while bringing Anna up in his arms as he did so.
Turning fully to Chad and Elias he took a moment to pull Anna's hood over her wide open eyes to protect her from the rain.
"I should probably get her back to the Ministry.... The Director is going to hang my ass over this." he said reluctantly.
"Speaking of, shouldn't we all be heading back to the Ministry, or are you planning on staying away from the real work Chad?" he asked, not trying to be confrontational.
Elias just glared at Adams. 'No one got hurt'? 'No
humans got hurt'? Did he think Anna was just a piece of meat that couldn't feel pain?! He'd been willing to overlook Adams hitting her earlier, sure, he was trying to help in the long run. But this...
He gritted his teeth at the sounds the severed arm was making as it melted. There had to have been a way to avoid this. If Adams hadn't fucked up earlier and made her run off...or if Chad hadn't been too busy being himself to try and not be an asshole for once... He hated just having to stay quiet like this. But knowing Chad he was just waiting for any excuse to shoot him, and lashing out at him or Adams would be more than enough reason to put a bullet in his head. Elias fixed his eyes on the ground, still glaring, and hoping Anna would be okay.
Chad turned and looked back at the goo that remained of the monster arm. His brow raised, but he didn't question Adams any further. "Yeah that sounds like me huh? At least that is what I would normally do in these situations, but for old man Zachary to call all of us back its bound to be a real shebang. I won't miss a chance to use these, God knows I didn't get to here..." Chad mumbled the last little bit under his breath and smiled. Chad looked back at Elias who was quiet as usual, but more of a brooding quiet this time. He wasn't dumb to the troublesome trio, and no doubt Elias had something to say. Chad just chalked it up to good training, that his hound knew better than to speak out of line. Fear did good things training mutts. "You sure that one is gonna be able to help you back at the Ministry Adams? She doesn't look too good to be honest..." He didn't care, in fact Chad found a sick enjoyment in the disabled state of Anna... but to some degree he didn't want Adams walking into a firefight thinking she had his back.. and finding himself on the wrong end of a monster spike or some shit.
Looking to Elias with a solemn gaze Adams was about to open his mouth when Chad began to answer. He listened for a moment, not surprised in the slightest at Chads blood thirsty persona before frowning softly at his final remark,
"That would be a deft assessment of the situation Chad." he continued staring at Elias,
"She lost it Elias--" he swallowed,
"---She wasn't Anna anymore, but now she will be when she wakes up.". Looking back to Chad he continued speaking,
"But I agree, she can't be following me back there, she hasn't even come to yet." he glanced at her, noticing the slow rise and fall of her chest beneath her cloak and her eyes still empty, still staring into nothing.
Shuddering for a moment from the rain and her gaze he looked back up at Elias,
"She had turned... Well partially turned--" he motioned to the arm, now mostly goo on the ground,
"She tried to take me down. But--" he shrugged as best he could as he held Anna,
"--I took care of it, but only barely." he used his elbow to point at his side which he had only recently managed to stop the bleeding from.
"She's got one hell of a right hook." he laughed at the comment, as morbid as it may be.
He looked to Elias, letting out a slow sigh he opened his mouth before his words caught in his throat. He coughed.
"Elias look, there was no other way to handle this and I know you think there was but I promise, if I had only used tranquilizers... Well I probably wouldn't be standing here right now." he paused before looking back in the direction that the two children had run off in.
"She was going to eat a child Elias."
Elias barely acknowledged Adam's justifications, still refusing to look at him. Even if she had lost it, even if it had been necessary, he still didn't have to be happy about it. Not even hearing what she had almost done - and to a child no less - was enough to change his mind, though he wished Adams had at least waited until Chad wasn't around to tell him. However this wasn't the time or place to argue.
Chad sneered while listening but he didn't interrupt Adams for once with some snarky comment. In fact he stood silently watching out into the crowds of people, but even then Chad didn't see them. He only could half hear what Adams was even saying; like a dulled sound when your ear popped from being under water. Chad caught enough of it though. "Hounds.... trained hunters for the ministry... thinking that these .. beasts aren't going to turn their claws on us all some day.... its pathetic." Chad spat on the ground and walked off a little ways. He didn't need to hear anymore... had it been his hound... she'd be dead, All of them... if he had his choice would be taken out and shot in the head in some random alley for rats and carrion to find them.
Chad clenched his fist.. thinking of the situation... the fact that just because.. she'd lost control, someone could have lost someone that they loved... It took everything in him not to turn and finish the job then.. but Elias' next sentence disrupted those thoughts.
"I'll take care of her. Worry about yourself."
Chad clicked his tongue. Then turned back to Elias walking over to him with nothing too happy on his face. "Taking up baby sitting now.. Elias.. Fine. Leaves me free to go handle things at the ministry without you." Chad turned his back to his hound and laughed a bit under his breath as he shook his head back and forth. "Think she's fond of you? Don't. She showed her true nature already.. Shes not like you Elias.. Timid and tame... No, that ones the real deal... and she wont stop to wait for you, or hear you calling her name when she decides its lunch time again..." Chad could have said more, but he didn't; clicking the safety on his guns again he started for the parking lot. "Alrighty Adams lets go do the job we get paid for."
"..."
Elias remained silent, choosing to ignore Chad's taunts. If he ordered Elias to accompany them to the ministry he wouldn't be able to refuse and they both knew that. He was just trying to mess with him and Elias wasn't going to take the bait. Not this time, at least. Glancing briefly between Anna's limp body and the still-panicked remnants of the crowd he sighed. Yeah, this was a problem. But not one that needed to be solved by killing Anna.
"Just get going already."
Taking his cue from Elias, Adams let Anna slip from his hands into Elias's.
"Just get her somewhere away from all of this, and keep her safe, I trust you with that much at least." he turned and jogged to catch up to Chad who was already entering the parking lot.
"Let's get this over quick, it's just a black out after all. What's the worst that could really happen a few low security Monsters escape?" he said as he came to Chads side in the parking lot.