Rogue: The Uprising

[DarinValore]

Blacksite Designation: Nursery
Deckard and Penny
Collab: w/ @Elle Joyner​

Penny wasn't typically given to nerves. Missions, as of late, however, had gotten a whole hell of a lot more personal than she was accustomed to. Leaving the car, she rubbed the bridge of her nose as Deck addressed the others, and while they filed off to their respective duties, she turned to him with a small, tender smirk, "Careful, Big Guy. You keep gettin' sentimental on them, they're gonna wanna keep you."

Reaching out, sliding her fingers briefly into his, she pressed onto her toes to deliver a kiss to the corner of his lips, "We're gonna get him out. Whatever it takes. You ready…?"

Nodding, Deckard looked passed her in the direction they'd be traveling, "You think he'll go with me? I can't help but think he might not want to. After all, he's been stuck in that place, and I haven't saved him yet."

"I don't have a doubt in my mind, Deck. What worries me is how many others there are. What… what are we gonna do with them? We can try to home them, find their families, but… God knows what Kaiden's done to these kids." Breathing in, she shook her head, "Doesn't matter right now. We gotta focus, "Walk me through the plan you've got… This is your show, Big Guy."

"Well," Deckard started with a grin as they moved to their vehicle, "I figured we'd just park this thing through the front door. Think that'd get their attention?" Deckard paused long enough to open the door, "While they close in on what's left of the truck, we can make our way in through one of the side entrances that'll be less guarded because they'll be distracted. Once inside, I'm gonna tear the place apart."

"Hm…" Looking him over, she shook her head with a small, playful grin, "I ever tell you, you're pretty sexy when you're plotting to kick ass?" Nodding, she looked to the truck, "Sounds like a solid plan. I'll watch your back, and take care of any stragglers."

"Penny," he paused, "just be careful. I can stop a lot of things..but I can't stop bullets."

"Don't plan on gettin' shot again, Big Guy." Moving to the other side of the truck, she paused and looked up at him, cradling his jaw with her hand, "Just in case… I love you, okay?"

"I love you, too," he replied, "and I'll say it again when we're all done. Now get in the car," he smiled.

"Yes sir…" She gave a wink and a salute, before moving to the other side again, slipping into the passenger seat, "Here we go…"

It was a short drive to the front of the blacksite building, but to Deckard, it might as well have been a million miles away. His son was growing closer and closer, and he was becoming more and more nervous. As they sat parked against the side of the street across from the building that looked oddly like a regular office building with an underground garage, he wrung the wheel out before clearing his throat and growling in frustration, "Come on, Deck," he coached himself, "Get it together."

Reaching over, Penny put a hand over his, "Deck. He needs you. More than anyone in the whole world's ever needed you. I've watched you crush drones and build bridges and take down helicopters with a thought. These bastards took your little boy. Time to show them why that was the biggest mistake they'll ever make. You can do this, Big Guy." Releasing him, she nodded, "You got this."

Nodding, he steeled himself, "Alright," he looked to Penny, a whole new look of determination in his eyes, "Let's go get our son."

Exiting the truck, Deckard jerked his head toward the sidewalk, "Clear the truck, Penny, and be ready. On my signal, take out those windows. I need everything I can get to throw at these ass holes."

Sliding free, Penny nodded and sliding off her jacket, she wrapped it around her hands, moving to the nearest windows. With the jacket tightly wound over her fist, she struck the window panes with a solid punch, shards of glass landed in puddles at her feet.

Moving to the corner of the street, Deckard turned to the SUV. He envisioned it in his mind, and with a clenched jaw, he reached out to it with his mind. The tires squealed a moment against the pavement before they hung loose in the air. Looking to the office building, he smirked as he raised his arm. The SUV hurdled through the air without a sound. The guards didn't have time to react before it crashed through the main entrance crushing RIEF operatives beneath the ruined vehicle and chunks of the building.

It took them a moment to recover, but it was all Deck needed. Shards of the glass that Penny shattered whistled through the air pelting, and even passing through, soldiers. By the time he finished, there wasn't a guard outside the building that wasn't dead or groaning from the glass that protrude from their bodies.

Breathing in, Penny steeled herself against the carnage. It always took a reminder that these people would do the same or worse to them to keep the guilt from pooling in… They took and kept children. Other people's children. They'd brought this war down on themselves.

"Let's go."

Nodding, he started across the street, stopping only to pick up a rifle before extending it to Penny, "I can throw things with my mind. You should have something that lets you shoot back. Know how to use this?"

Ducking to the side of the door and pulling her phone from her pocket, Penny pulled up a video, loaded on the screen. It was brief… no longer than maybe twenty, thirty seconds and when it finished, she reached for the rifle, "I do, now… at least for the next few hours."

"Then let's make this as quick as possible," he pressed himself against the hole in the wall, "In through the front, and up the stairs until we get to the nursery," he repeated the plan, which was pretty much the same minus entering through a side door.

Stepping through the hole, Deckard took a moment to collect a few pieces of rubble small enough to not require too much concentration as they hovered near him but large enough to be deadly. He wasn't allowed many more steps before gunfire erupted in the lobby causing him to duck in close behind a ruined desk.

Ducking beside Deck, Penny pulled the rifle close and inspecting the clip, clarified the number of shots she had remaining, "Did you see how many?" She whispered, sliding the hammer into place, "Locations?"

"The balcony," he answered, "two or three," another round of bullets slammed into the SUV, "They're trying to keep us pinned here, which means there has to be others on the floor with us."

Closing her eyes a moment, Penny listened to the volley of gunfire, and in her mind pulled up the map of the building. A little off… just a little off and she could find herself very swiftly reliving recruitment day with Deck…

Breathing out, steadying her hands, she opened her eyes, "Got 'em."

Pushing upright, crouched halfway behind the desk, she braced the rifle on the desk surface and sighted upwards into the balcony, firing off three shots in consecutive order. Thrown back slightly by the kick, she shifted her balance, lowering the weapon to their current level, before ducking back down.

"Got our vultures… but I can't see anyone on the lower floor. Need to draw their fire…"

His eyes scanned what he could see form behind the desk until they fell on the SUV, "I'll draw their fire," he nodded. The creaking of the the SUV sounded as the door flew open and then stretched beyond its limits until it popped off. Moving it beside the desk, he crouched behind it. Then he began to take steps using the door as a shield and distracting them. Bullets slammed into the door as he continued to lead them away.

"Bingo." Rising again, Penny eyeballed the trajectory of the bullets striking the door and fired off another two shots, hitting the mark on the first, just a touch off the second. Swearing, she checked the rifle and frowned, "Gonna need to take the last one, Sugar. I'm out!"

Peeking over the door, the other man had turned his rifle back toward Penny. Deckard launched the door toward the man and charged behind it. The soldier grunted as the door slammed against him, throwing him to the ground, and just as he managed to push the door off of himself, Deckard set upon him raining blows down until he ceased to move.

Breathing out, Penny tossed the gun to the side, "Grab his side arm. The other guard's, too." Taking a second, just a second to calm the pounding pulse in her chest, she pushed off the desk and moved to Deck's side.

After retrieving both sidearms, he handed one to Penny and checked the one he kept for himself, "Head for the stairwell and start up. I'll watch your six."

Nodding, Penny checked the clip and clicked of the safety, before moving towards the door marked 'stairs'. As she started up her heart rate picked up again. There was no telling what they'd find when they got to the nursery… No telling who they'd run into…

WHAM

The door to her right slammed open suddenly and Penny nearly collided with the guard that burst through it. Smacking into her hip, he stumbled and Penny hit the stair rail, momentum smacking the gun from her hand, skittering across the floor. The guard recovered first, swinging a hard left that caught her in the jaw and swearing, Penny kicked out, her heel colliding with the man's chin. As he staggered back, Penny reset her foot and swiveled, flipping her other leg to kick the guard in the side of the head, sending him flying towards Deck.

As the man stumbled toward him, Deck ducked driving his shoulder into the man's waist before flipping him over his shoulder. A thud sounded as the man's head bounced off the bar before he fell over the railing and plummeted to the stairs below motionless.

Turning back to Penny, he snatched up her sidearm and gave it to her, "You alright?" he asked, already moving toward the next set of stairs.

Rubbing her jaw with her free hand, Penny nodded, "It'll bruise, but I'll make it. You?" Checking the weapon, she kept it close to her side, "That was a hell of a throw."

"Eh," he shrugged, "You threw him off balance. I just took advantage of that and momentum."

"Well, it looked sexy, so there…" Lowering her hand from the red mark on her jaw, she glanced up, "Few more floors. You ready for this?"

"Let's go," he nodded.

The last few floors were relatively easy to climb. The sounds of panic and even fighting on some of the levels informed them of the other teams' success. As they stepped out and into the room where they would be meeting the others, Deckard let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought this would be harder than it was," he admitted to Penny as he tucked the handgun into the back of his pants, "Guess I shouldn't complain, though."

"Ah Big Guy… you just had to say that…" Looking over at him, Penny frowned, "Pretty sure that was the warm up…"

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

The Echo of a Rocket
Collab with @WingWong and @Elle Joyner

He was tough. He was strong. He'd been training, he was buffer and bigger and… and….

Finn was wholly, entirely terrified.

It was his first big mission. Like big, actual mission. Okay, a lot of his missions had ended up being big… but this one was big from the start. Which meant it could only get bigger. If a mission was supposed to be small? It ended up being big. If a mission was suppose to be big…

Yeah, he was terrified.

Seeing Luna stuck to Vance was weird, too. Fuck, everything was weird. The sudden bomb. The fact that he wasn't out there helping rescue Deck's kid… one evil at a time, Finn, one evil at a time.

Gotta shut my stupid brain up. "Hey, shower ghost!" Finn exclaimed, radiating absolute anxiety intermingled with a false sense of nonchalance. He held his fist out, expecting it to be bumped. "Let's kick some ass, yeah?"

Nick took a moment, to take in scene before him. This was huge. Truly, genuinely huge. The crowd of guards set up to protect the bomb site sent a chill down his spine. They'd been expecting them. RIEF was ready for them, and that made him swallow a little nervously.

The last time RIEF had been expecting them, he'd been in a coma for three days after the fact.

He took a breath. He wasn't ready, no, but he never would be. Not in time to handle this bomb. So he opened the door of the jeep and hopped out. There was no time quite like the present to handle this anyway.

He snapped to attention, whirling around to face Finn as the other called out to him. He didn't remark on being called a shower ghost, too busy grinning.

"Ready to kick ass and take names," he answered, bumping fists with Finn after a teeny tiny moment of hesitation.

Cool. Fist bump. Made everything better. He wanted it too, at least. Finn immediately shoved his hands back in his pockets once the deed was done, teetering back and forth on his heels. Oozing worry. "So.. you.. Uh… you got offensive powers too, yeah? I mean.. 'Course ya do. S-so… you and me, man. Dream team. Dream team dream team dream team."

Quickly, Finn grabbed Nick on the shoulder, looking around them wildly. "Yeah, here's the deal. I am fucking terrified. If you aren't, great, that's cool, if you are, that's definitely also cool. I'm just going to punch a lot of shit, and wind gust a lot of shit, and you do your sound boom-y thing, you got a sound boom-y thing, right? And we're gonna do this. We're gonna do this!"

Nick blinked at Finn with wide eyes, watching the other boy chatter himself further into his anxiety. He gently grabbed Finn at the shoulders, trying to steady the other.

"Hey, listen to me. We've got this. You've got this. Alright? You are capable and powerful. You are good at what you do, and we're going to give this our best shot, alright? We are the dream team. I've got you. If you need me, I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere but into this, right beside you," Nick said, giving his best pep talk he could muster on short notice. He needed to help calm the other down, help ground him. Being afraid was natural, but he couldn't let it control him or Finn. "And you're damn right we're going to do this."

Nick's firm words shocked Finn. He blinked at the other man, the hands on his shoulders quite grounding, and after a while, gave a stunned nod. Wow. What a good pep talk. Yeah, that would work. That would definitely work. Finn cracked a small grin. "Hey… y-you…" Finn took a deep breath, and nodded again, just to try and reaffirm Nick's speech. "Yeah… okay. I believe you. Let's.. Let's go do this."

Nick grinned back at Finn. "And don't worry. When I do my sonic boom-y things, you'll definitely get a warning," he added before letting go of Finn's shoulders. He turned to face the building before them, taking a breath. This was going to be a mess. But they had a bit of time; now they just had to make the most of it. "Let's do this," he agreed, taking another breath as he looked over at Finn. Then he started forward, fingers raised to fling whistles at whichever guards became a problem fastest.

It was a little nerve wracking, heading into the unknown like this. No, it was a lot nerve wracking. He knew Nick, but he didn't know him enough, didn't know how he fought or even how he used his powers, and up until now he hadn't fought beside anyone he didn't know like that. But he had no choice. There was a bomb hanging over their heads… on the other side of the country his friends were fighting to rescue children. He couldn't let any one of them down. He couldn't.

There was a pair of guards first. Nodding to the right to indicate which one Nick should take, Finn drew his fist, but rather than landing a punch used this action to direct the wind to knock the guard back into the wall. One the man was dazed, Finn delivered a harsh, air fueled punch to his jaw, and watched him slither to the floor, unconscious. He turned around to see if Nick needed any help, a small smirk forming on his face. That wasn't so bad.

Nick dropped back just a step, letting Finn get up close and personal while he gave himself a bit more distance. He had a feeling he was going to need to reserve his energy. This was probably going to be a marathon of a fight instead of a sprint. Taking his cue from the other man, he focused on the guard to the right. He let loose a whistle, fingers flinging it towards the man with enough force to knock him down when it hit his torso. The guard's head connected with the ground, and while the guard might not have been unconscious, he definitely wouldn't have any intention on getting up. Nick glanced over at Finn, giving him a reassuring smile.

"We're not so bad at this," Chirped Finn, waiting for that calming smile before they moved forward. Slow so far… not a million guards coming there way. Yeah, this was doable. This was doable… this was a little badass! Smirking at Nick, a light bulb may as well have floated over Finn's head. "Hey, what do you say we do a little air-sound combo for the next round?" He could already hear footsteps coming towards them.

"What do you have in mind?" Nick asked, looking over at Finn. Thankfully, the guards were letting them pace themselves so far. Nothing too big, but that might be coming. Right now, he was just glad things were going relatively smoothly.

"Well," Finn said, trying to recall his life's research: Comic books. "I was thinking I do an air blast and you do a sound blast and that should probably make an adequate boom. Ya feel?"

"I'm willing to give it a shot," Nick said, grinning a little. "How big are you thinking?" Just to figure out if a whistle or a yell would be better for what the other had in mind. The guard's footsteps grew louder and louder. They'd be here soon, and Nick felt himself tense up a little. Here came the next round…

"Uhh," Finn said, wracking his brain. It was hard to think when every second the footsteps grew closer. "How about, like, your mother's angry but she can't really yell at you yet 'cause you're in public? Sound good? Yup?" Just then, two guards rounded the bend. "Like an angry quiet mom, Nick!" Finn reminded, before sending out a harsh gust of wind.

Nick wasn't sure exactly how accurate his mental image of that sound was, given that his mom was more of a severe 'don't you dare' look kind of mom. There was also the fact he hadn't gone out much when he was little. Then again, imagination was a powerful thing. He'd give it his best go. As the guards rounded the turn and Finn let loose the gust of air, Nick let loose a not-quite yell, hands flinging at the guards to meet up with Finn's wind.

Finn watched as the two guards were knocked back on their bums due to the powerful combo. It was a rush for sure, and seeing how effective it was, Finn let out a little triumphant holler. The two men struggled to their feet, and repeating his you-take-the-guy-to-the-right gesture, Finn propelled himself forward with a little bouncy air-filled step, and socked the guard on the left in the stomach.

Nick grinned at seeing the shift in Finn's demeanor after the two guards were knocked off their feet. He let loose another whistle, arching it down, that it struck the guard to the right from above. He fist pumped, feeding off Finn's excitement, before hearing more footsteps nearby. It seemed that there were more on their way.

Whoosh

The air whipped by like a train, passing a station. This particular train, however, was not the sort one wanted rolling in… With a skidding halt that left streaks smudged into the marble tiled floor, a man came into view, tall and skinny, with shock red hair and a map of freckles across his face. He eyed the pair, grinned a cheeky grin and seconds later, was gone again with any gail. Around and around, in a circle, speed increasing until the wind created a hollow vacuum around the men, faster… faster…

All was going well. He was about to go in for another fist bump with Nick when they were rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of, if Finn was going to put it in correct terms, a speedster. Mouth falling slightly open as that speedster grinned, Finn hadn't known it was possible for your heart to both drop and leap at the same time. Finn hadn't been very in control of his powers for long, but he knew as that vacuum started not a damn kick of air would do shit. Still, he couldn't help himself from fanboying.

"Holy shit! RIEF has the fucking Flash!" Finn squealed with glee. "Also, SHIT!"

Oh shit. Oh shit that was not good. Sound didn't work too well in vacuums. Nick also wasn't totally sure what the details were on the Flash. He was pretty sure he was a comic book character, and that fact was making him wish he'd asked Drew a few more questions about them when he'd had the chance.

But maybe, if he timed it right, even with it being weakened, he could still do some damage. It wouldn't be nearly as strong as normal, but maybe a scream could knock the speedster off balance.

"Cover your ears!" he warned Finn, before grounding himself on the floor. He raised one hand to his throat and let loose a scream, forming what was essentially a wall of sound. He went long enough that their opponent should run into it eventually. He had a feeling he was going to be shredding his vocal cords today.

Skidding to a stop again, nearly tumbling head over feet, the man stopped just shy of the wall, but his eyes didn't shift to Nick. Instead, they fell on Finn, narrowing just slightly - not in anger, but in pure curiosity, "...Barry or Wally?"

Hands flying to his ears, Finn prepared for an onslaught of screechy sound (even though it was a badass attack) and hoped his ears wouldn't be bleeding. One eye cracked open to see Nick work in awe, Finn was surprised to watch the speedster skid to a comical halt. At his question, a nervous grin spread on his face.

"Well… Wally's a great reincarnation, but Barry's the original. The Flash. You know?"

Nick cut himself off abruptly once he saw the other man had stopped. Thankfully, the vacuum had lessened the scream enough that other than some ringing, no one's ears would be hurt too badly. At the question, he looked over at Finn. Hopefully, this was a question with a right answer, and that was it.

The redhead stared at them for a moment, silent, contemplative. After a few seconds, the same grin appeared on his face as he nodded, "Hell yeah, he is. Fancy myself a Barry." Itching the back of his neck, he glanced around, "...Damn… this feels awkward, now.."

An excited twinkle grew in Finn's eyes as he straightened his posture to meet the man fully. Damn. For all the days he'd dreamed about this, he never thought it'd actually happen. Without any inch of hesitation, Finn stuck out his hand for the man to shake. "We're good, as long as you don't phase through me while we shake, yeah?" He said with a gleaming smile. "You're a DC guy, then?"

A brow rose into his hairline, and eyeing the pair, the Speedster frowned slightly, gaze shifting to the extended hand, "You know I'm supposed to like… horrifically end you, right?" But he made no moves to resume his circuit around the pair and hesitantly, he stepped forward, "...Marvel's got better flicks, but DC's where it's at." A hand extended, freckled, long, skinny fingers, vibrating with energy, but not dangerously so.

"Yeah, but you're Barry Allen." Finn said, sparing barely two seconds to examine the speedster's outstretched hand before shaking it happily. "Barry Allen doesn't horrifically end people. And you are damn right about that. I'm Finn." Shoulda used a codename… nah. Shouldn't have. "This is Nick. Wanna join the good guys?"

Nick watched in silence, blinking as he watched the scene unfold. It was like they were speaking a different language. He wasn't complaining though. Whatever agreement they'd come to, it might have just saved their butts. Nick made a mental note to hug Finn later and thank him, for the knowledge bestowed on him. Because he would not have gone this route, and apparently, it was very effective. He waved a little awkwardly at the speedster with a smile.

Still consciously wary, the redhead shook hands with Finn, giving a nod to Nick, "Andrew… They call me Rush, though. You're kind of off your rocker, you know that, right?" He grinned, however, as he dropped his hand back to his side, "Who the hell tries to recruit someone, during the boss battle, man?"

"Is this supposed to be the final boss battle?" Finn said. Bombs, countdown timers, kidnapped children… oh, yeah. Maybe this was. "Huh. I mean… yeah. I do know that." Finn scratched the back of his head. "Might be a little crazy, but a guy with good taste like you can't rot in a place like this. I can tell you're not evil… otherwise you wouldn't be Barry." Finn smiled warmly at him. "So, you uh.. you know the deal with this countdown?"

"I think we're all a little off our rockers, honestly," Nick admittedly, slowly but surely dropping his guard to approach the pair. He didn't plan on total trust, but so far, so good, so he might as well give it a shot. "And we do. But mostly this guy," he added, pointing at Finn. It wasn't like it was the first time they'd recruited someone from the other side. Speaking of...maybe he ought to check in on Leon. That, however, was a thought for another time. When they didn't have a countdown over their heads.

With a smirk, Andrew shook his head briefly and stepped back, "Man… I knew Rogue was crazy, but you two… you might be actually crazy. Kind of a bummer, cause maybe a few years ago, we coulda been buds, but uh… Rogue kinda dicked me over, and well…" Hands out at his sides, he gave a small shrug, "All I can say is… I'll give you a headstart, but I don't think it's gonna make much of a difference."

Gaze lowering, Finn's warm smile flickered out. "We've got people from your side, you know. Vance. Leon." He pulled at a loose string on his shirt. "You coulda helped us, Eobard." With one last, now regretful smile, Finn released a harsh gust of air in the man's direction, a fist propelled forward, teeth gritted with hurt.

Nick's eyes widened and he took a step back, mentally cursing. "I hope things work out for you one day," he said honestly. It was sad, that the guy ended up in this situation. That said, things weren't going to work out for Andrew today. The suggestion of a headstart was all Nick needed, flinging three whistles at him in rapid succession just as Finn made his own move. He didn't want to run the risk of him starting to run again.

He should've seen it coming. Maybe there was a part of him that did. Truth be told, his loyalties to RIEF had little to do with personal ideals… and much more to do with the tin bit in his brain that would melt his thinking parts if he wasn't careful.

He couldn't just turn coat and run. None of them could… It did surprise him to learn that Leon was alive, and hell if it didn't hurt to be called that awful name, but he didn't have time to react… Thrown off his feet, he was flung down the hallway, hitting the wall. For a moment it looked like he might try to get up, but the hit was enough and before he could right himself, he blacked out.

Finn cringed and looked away as Andrew collided with the wall. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than punching a guard in the stomach, though Finn realized now that that should have hurt too. All these people… were brainwashed. Threats were hung over their heads… families taken, lives taken, and here at the center of it all was a guy who liked comic books, forced to fight on the wrong side. Jaw clenched tightly, Finn moved over to Andrew's limp body, and rather than letting him lay crumpled on the floor, propped the man as kindly as he could against the wall. "I believe in you, Flash." Finn muttered, before nodding to Nick. "Let's get out of here."

Nick couldn't help but watch as Andrew crashed into the wall behind him and Finn propped him up gingerly. He could help but hope that at some point, the mess with the chips in their heads could be fixed. He hadn't had much chance, to even think about it in the past few weeks. He definitely planned to visit Leon when this was all over. Maybe, just maybe, when there weren't threats of brain bombs, they'd have more people on their side. He nodded in response to Finn, ready to start moving again.

Even though he'd given Nick the go ahead, told him he was ready to get going, he wasn't. He was a big fat liar. Finn watched Nick take a few paces forward, but found his feet frozen to the floor, staring at Andrew's limp form.

"I don't get it." Finn muttered, fists clenched. "I wish everything was black and white. Like in the comics. N-not like.. Colors." He bowed his head and shook it furiously. "It's not fair. He should get to be with us. It's not fair."

"Not the grey?" Nick offered. He got that well enough. "RIEF probably has something hanging over his head. Or something imbedded in his head," he commented. "It's not fair, but...maybe one day we can fix it. Make sure that the side he chooses is the one he wants to be on."

Forcing himself to look up at Nick, Finn swallowed. "How can we ever fix it… if we leave him here? Leave all of them here? Why can't we save everyone?" It was a harsh truth that Finn had never understood the levity of until today. So many superheroes had said the same thing, and Finn had never realized he'd be standing in that place. Trapped in a box, unable to fix every wrong in the world, even when that was all he wanted.

"We have to help the others with the countdown situation first. We can't do anything to help if we don't do that first," Nick started before sighing. "We have to keep trying, keep doing what we can when we can do it and hope it makes a difference. We have to leave them, so that we can figure out how to help. So that we can save as many as possible." As for why they couldn't save everyone, Nick didn't have an answer for that. If anyone did, he'd love to hear it himself.

With a shuddering breath, Finn nodded all over again. This time he meant it, and tried to pull on that calm confidence that Nick seemed to exude. That was all they could do… keep trying. And he was kind of wasting some time whining when they were literally up against a ticking countdown.

"Thanks, Nick. Let's keep on trying, then." He said, with a weary smile, and started forward again. He didn't know how long this would go on… how long he'd have to keep fighting, but he wanted to help.. So he had to keep going. They had to keep going.

And it didn't help that time was wearing thin around them.

 

[KatSea]

Collab: Operation - Knock on Wood Josie, @Kat, Tony @DarinValore

Shiloh's fist knocked gently against Gaia's back. Two taps each round. Gaia's stubby fist mirrored Shiloh's actions against her stomach. There was something oddly comforting about the motion, having had to handle the weight of both Geb and Dill plastered against her back. Terra and Demeter were back with Drew. Shiloh didn't say a word about the bomb. She made sure they didn't end on an angry note, after the debacle with the infirmary. She told him she'd love him, and that she promised to be back to be his batgirl. This should have been simple. In and out. She had partners. She had people looking out for her back. The bomb should have been nothing. If it was anything like the disaster at Miami, however…

No. She doubted that two major clusterfucks could be astronomically probable. A faint smile travelled to the corners of her mouth, and without thinking, her fingers skimmed the dry blood that caked Gaia's back. It was fresh enough for Gaia to remain alive. Geb and Dill were alright to fight as well, but Shiloh knew she needed to be careful. Manipulating them short term was alright, however, too long and she knew she'd get the "fuzzies."

Tough luck, she supposed. Chuckling to herself, she realized it was just about ready to go handle the opposing team. Flank the right side of the building. She could do that just fine. Her eyes fluttered around the others, and for a brief moment, she missed the goofy blonde man struggling with Demeter.

Mud traveled down around her fists and hardened around her fingers, acting as strengthened gloves around her knuckles. She flexed her fingers briefly, getting comfortable to the sensitization of her own golem wrapped firmly around her skin.

Gaia bounced her hands against Shiloh's stomach playfully. "Let's go kick some ass." Gaia's hand barely fit into Shiloh's palm as they high-fived.

Josie filed out after Shiloh towards the right hallway without missing a beat. Her stomach churned as her thoughts briefly fluttered to the idea of marriage between Luna and Vance, and went back to the situation at hand. Eight hours wasn't a long time in the grand scheme of things; it was quite short, not including those forty seven, probably forty five minutes now.

"Nice fist. Let's knock these guys out. I'll sneak up on them if I can."

Josie sprinted down the right hallway, her steps silent as she moved towards an upcoming corner at her and Shiloh's right hand side. Four guards were patrolling the current hallway from where Shiloh and Josie were located; an easy adrenaline fix if they strategized right. Josie took a deep breath, her fingers tingling inside as two of the guards started towards the direction of Josie and Shiloh.

A small spark of electricity, though subtle, shot through Josie's fingers and the moment the guard stepped into view, she reached out and grasped the first guard's shoulder nearest to them. In an instant, chaos erupted as his gun clattered to the ground.

"What the—" The guard nearby immediately pointed his gun at Josie's direction.

"Michael!" he snapped. "Pick up your damn gun!"

"I can't, John! My arm! I can't move it!"

Michael tried to stand up and Josie tumbled out of the way of the rifle's barrel. It fired too late and Josie went for John's pressure point at his collar bone. He screamed and Josie swept the front of her leg towards the back of his knee as John cradled his shoulder. Multiple gunshots fired from another source not far down the hallway.

"No more sneaking, it looks like!"

Josie ran head on towards the other two guards as they too, sprinted down the hall towards the duo. Josie's hand sparking on occasion with intent and determination as she reached out, mind focused on the details of the two men's faces, all distractions cleared from her thoughts. A few moments later, both of the guards stopped running and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

Josie took the opportunity to pick up a rifle, just in case they needed some extra firepower.

Shiloh cradled her arms instinctively as she witnessed Josie manage to take down four guards in the course of under a minute. She could feel Gaia pound impatiently against her leg, the gunshots seeming to upset the little creature. Once she was sure all four guards were on the floor, thin slivers of mud slid from her wrists and wrapped themselves firmly around each of the men's hands, safely encasing them. She did the same for their ankles, promising her creatures internally she would compensate for their little missing pieces. Geb, in all likelihood, no longer had a foot. Dill's stomach probably had a small gaping hole, but the probability he would turn it into an instrument was...more than probable.

"Nice job, might want to reconsider the term sneak in your vocabulary." Shiloh smirked, although there was a hint of affection behind the gesture. She went to one of the bound men, pulling his weapon from his holster and inspecting it in her hands. She wasn't about to say she had no fucking clue how to work it, but she figured it couldn't be too difficult to figure out. She had seen Codd use one before, so it couldn't be too difficult if that oaf was able to pull the trigger.

"There's going to be more coming," Her head peeked up at the sound of possible footsteps, her hand coming to rest at her back. "It's dangerous to go alone." She quoted, allowing some of her armor to meld onto Josie's sleeves. "Take this, Jo." Josie raised a brow. With a brief wink, Shiloh allowed her remaining armor to harden around her fists and she made her way ahead. Gaia hobbled merrily behind, keeping a tight grasp on the woman's skirt. However, a sudden on set of footsteps caused the small creature to let go of its mother and race ahead. It lurked around the corner before Shiloh heard a muffled thump!

Shiloh slowed herself, peeking around the hall and into the lobby it emptied into, noticed that Gaia had flung herself at a singular guard, managing to send him back in a flight of shock as a one foot, muddy creature pounded into his stomach, sending him to the ground from the force of its impact. Gaia had only managed to cause the man some exclamation of curses and of shock before she rounded its small foot into his temple, emanating a sharp, sickening crack. He had fallen still, body slumping against the floor with an odd serenity surrounding him. Gaia, still on the man's chest, turned and gave its mother a stubby thumbs up.

"...This is why you are my favorite child."

"Impressive creatures," Josie noted and glanced down at the extra armor Shiloh had her dawn. One extra layer of protection never hurt anyone. It'd give her the opportunity to punch someone's lights out too.

"Alright, where to next…"

The steady pounding of heavy footsteps sounded on both sides of the room as a team of heavily armored RIEF agents stormed in. From head to toe, five of the team of six were covered in tactical gear and carried automatic weapons. The sixth man wore only a bulletproof vest, a blinking bracelet, and a modified handgun.

"Don't move!" he yelled, "That's far enough! Drop your weapons!"

"Hell, I guess." Shiloh growled lowly under her breath as more footsteps approached them. Shiloh knew that they were screwed the moment they rounded the corner, their arsenal far superior to the little soldier in front of her, and the weapon she had no idea how to manage in one hand. Watching them slide before them sent her fluttering heart to a near stop. Without any indication or warning sign to Josie, Shiloh did as she was told, got to her knees and placed the gun on the floor. "No harm, gentlemen." She vowed, her golem turning towards her from the man she had attacked.

"Gaia, morph." From her hands, firmly placed on the ground, mud travelled swiftly from her back, streaming down her arms in thick patches. Shiloh blinked, Gaia having shifted into the barrier that was currently formed in front of her. She knew there was no way she could possibly fit all six of them within her trap, not having enough material to do so. Globs of blood threatened to pool above her lip, the solution being made without her entire conscious thought. She had managed to swiftly wrap the barrier around the heavily armed guards, leaving one she figured she could handle. Panting, she brushed her knuckles past her lip. "D-d-did what you said."

Josie was skeptical about putting her newly acquired rifle down and briefly considered shooting the man in the middle, if not for Shiloh immediately getting down on her knees. A slew of curses were muttered under her breath as Josie immediately followed suit. What Shiloh had up her sleeve, however, was amazing. She smiled to herself, a few solutions to their problem sparking in her mind. She leaned over to Shiloh and whispered, "We got this. Something bad happens, we got this. Good? That's even better. I got a few tricks up my sleeve, just in case, and keep an eye on that bracelet."

Josie turned to the guards ahead, eyes zoning in on the blinking bracelet. It was an interesting piece of jewelry he'd decided to acquire with the bulletproof vest, though there was no doubt it was some kind of anti-mutant weapon. She had to assume the worst around RIEF, especially some random guy who'd looked completely off from the rest of the soldiers. Josie tried not to grin, though the assumptions in her mind were beginning to fail her emotions. She sucked her bottom lip in and took a deep breath.

"We got this," she whispered.

Tony was caught off guard, still he managed to move his hand to his wrist. His gun pointed at the woman kneeling, he looked between the two of them, "I press this button, your powers fail. From the looks of it, that means your mud wall here falls freeing these men. If that happens, they won't flinch. They'll shoot you dead where you stand," he informed them, "and I don't want you to die. I want you to stand before a judge for breaking the law."

Josie glanced over at Shiloh, her voice still low and hushed, "You think he'd get to press that button before I paralyze him and snatch up that cute gadget on his wrist?"

"Wait." She whispered in reply, holding her hands up peacefully as she got to her feet and Josie followed suite. "We do not want to die, either sir, trust me on that one. We are simply trying to ensure the survival of our own people, because whatever concoction you have stored away here is going to cause trouble. We don't want anyone else to be hurt." She swallowed, uncertain as to whether or not this tactic would work. She definitely did not want him to dismiss what wall she had currently for fear of being blown to kingdom come, and it took all of her concentration not to allow her pounding heart compromise her still demeanor. "What law are we breaking, perhaps? Breaking in or being born a peculiar way? No shame for you, sir."

"You are guilty of the ASD Statutes. I'm to bring you in for questioning. Then you'll have your day in court," there was a certain air about him that gave off that he was not fully convinced by his own words.

"You seem to be the odd one out in your little squad… Tony?" Josie's eyes flickered towards his name tag. "You aren't wearing a nice armor suit like the rest of your RIEF buddies. What exactly are the ASD statutes? Last I recall, they were put in place to harm people who are trying to make a difference in the lives of citizens by having mutants and humans come together in peace. So, what are we guilty of? Trying to save our friends?"

Shiloh held up her hand, a gentle request from Josie to cut in. "Listen, sir, I have a ten year old boy I need to go home to. I think we both know that what is about to happen isn't going to be good, a lot of people are going to be hurt by what you have here, and I think deep down you know that. We don't have time for this, please, sir, I want to be able to go home, I want to make sure that the people I hold dear are going to be okay. I don't know what the repercussions of this device are going to be, but as a man who is in the blast zone, are you really considering taking that risk?"

"Won't hurt me," he returned, the weapon lowering just a bit though his hand still rested on his wrist, "Targets only mutants," he paused and swallowed, his eyes bouncing between the two women, "A ten year old you said. I have a niece that's ten," Tony's hand began to slip from his wrist, though the weapon was still raised.

Shiloh expected as much, a bomb meant specifically for the mutants. If it was anything like the virus that had plagued the Orlando base, she knew she couldn't take too much time with this man. And yet, she could sense she was getting a crack at him. If she didn't manage to talk her way out of this one, she'd be nothing more than a pile of flesh and metal. "I wouldn't necessarily trust your employer, but regardless, you understand my desperation. He's a sweet child, and if this does happen, I fear he isn't going to live the life I promised him. There are more like him, I can guarantee you. They don't deserve this. You can't possibly imagine what it's like for someone to try and harm your niece because of how she was born, but I have a feeling that if you put her in my child's shoes you wouldn't be doing this."

Tony's jaw clenched as he mulled over her words. Finally, after a conflicted growl, he straightened and slid his handgun into its holster, "Damn it," he jerked his head toward the stairs, "Hurry," without missing a beat, "Wait. Need you to make it look like you got me," he waved toward himself, "Just don't kill me?" he asked.

"Wow, Queen of Diplomacy. Maybe I like you a little more now, Shiloh," Josie grinned. "How do we wanna do this? I can give Tony a nice purple bruise on his face. That'll keep their heads from turning."

"I've guilted enough children on my time, you learn." She raised her brow at Josie's initial comment before shrugging, placing her hand against the barrier she had made. Pulling thin strips from it, she formed it to encase Tony's hands and ankles. She shook her head. "No need to hurt him too bad, I would say." Directing her gaze towards him, she offered a genuine smile. "Your kindness will not be forgotten. Come on, Jo."

"Not even a little shock?" She glanced over at the guy. "Tony, I'm gonna need to steal that keepsake of yours for safekeeping," she announced and wiggled her fingers in anticipation. "I can touch it, right? Where's the button that keeps us from using our abilities?"

"You can touch it. Just don't hit the only button on the bracelet or all this goes away and you're as good as dead."

"Got it. You seem like a sweet guy, thank you," Josie responded and cautiously unclasped the bracelet. There was no way in hell she and Shiloh were going to let RIEF get ahold of this dynamite.

Josie followed Shiloh up the stairs with the bracelet around her left wrist, attentive and aware of the destruction the piece of "jewelry" caused– that she knew of– as well as her surrounding environment. It was now or never.

 

[Elle Joyner]

---

Vance & Luna​

Vance took another step back, closer to Luna, as Manny inched forward, sneer of a smile still plastered on his freckled mug, "Moonshine… hiding behind your brainless thug. Why am I not surprised? What'd you do, anyway? Forget your contacts and let this bitch brainwash you? Couillon… Never ceased to amaze me how absolutely stupid you actually are."

"She didn't brainwash me, you raging hemorrhoid, she freed me. From that hellhole… from myself. And I'm not gonna let you touch her." It wasn't a threat. It was matter of fact. A promise, "Luna, baby… keep working." Cracking his neck, Vance stepped forward, "You know what your problem always was, Emmanuel? You're no damn good at puttin' bite behind that bark. All talk. You wanna go? Let's go."

With a smirk, Emmanuel dropped his hands to his sides, "Bring it on, Ape. I'd like to kill you in front of her anyway…"

"Yeah, Manny. That ain't how this is gonna down." Stepping forward, Vance raised his hands in front of him, wiggling his fingers at Luna's brother, "Alors que nous sommes encore jeunes..."

Lips a thin line of tension, Manny raised his own hands, before with a damn near primal growl, he lunged.

This...this wasn't reality. It couldn't have been. Shouldn't. Luna hoped beyond pathetic sectors and chambers and levels of hope that this wasn't real. Just minutes ago, Emmanuel's voice had been slithering about in her thoughts like wisps of poison, thicker than tar, thinner than air. Her imagination; just her imagination. He wasn't real. He wasn't behind her. She refused. She refused. She refused…

"Christ…" she whispered, throat clenching up and growing dryer than cotton. Her typing had ceased in the face of shock and piling dread; even with Vance's reassurance piercing the fog, the world was still fuzzy. Was it tilting? Spinning? She just wanted it to keep still, just long enough for the nausea to settle and for the keys before her to make sense. This was unfair. So damn unfair--

And then the lunge came. The noise shot such a heavy dose of fear down Luna's spine that it cleared her head, adrenaline pouring into her veins. Move. She had to keep going. Breathing erratic, the hacker glanced over her shoulder in Vance's direction, dipped head to toe in concern for his safety, before she forced her gaze back to the screen. A few minutes. Just a few minutes.

Vance countered the lunge, bracing against it, and while Manny came low, aiming for Vance's weaker point of gravity, the Cajun was fully prepared for Luna's brother to play dirty. They had… twelve minutes. Twelve frickin' minutes to save the world. There was no time…

Barring Manny's shoulders, Vance dug in with his thumbs and shoved, hard, forcing him back, before he swung, a fist connecting with jawbone, splintering pain up his arm. Manny reeled back, but adrenaline kept him on his feet, and as he danced in close again with a jab of his own, Vance felt the brunt of it hit his collarbone.

Behind him, he could hear Luna frantically typing. Eleven minutes. Barreling forward, Vance took an arm out to the side and in a full force tackle, plowed Manny to the floor.

Manny wheezed as the air exploded from his lungs, and Vance pummeled a fist forward, but nimble hands rose to block, "Don't think you can stop this!" He growled, dark eyes narrowing, "Even if you kill me! Even if you killed everyone in this building… you can't stop him! The whole world is gonna know… They're gonna know what it feels like to be one of us…"

"The hell you on about?" Vance spat, but whatever answer he was expecting, it was enough to throw him momentarily. Manny's fist knocked hard into his temple and dazed, he fell sideways, catching himself and looking up with only mere seconds to avoid a second punch. As he blocked, Manny used the momentum of the hit to shove himself back upright, and as Vance scrambled upright as well, the former lunged again, this time towards Luna.

Vance's gaze turned sharp, narrow and countering Manny's speed, he plowed into him, ramming him hard into one of the server banks.

Luna flinched with every sound of scuffling and grunts and meeting of knuckles to flesh unfolding behind her. Sweat already coated her palms and rolled down her face, oxygen depleting, temperature around her rising in tandem with the anxiety. She wanted to help Vance, to disable Emmanuel somehow, but she knew where she was needed most.

This security...was hands down the toughest one she had ever encountered in her entire life. If this was just one server, one bomb site, then Luna would've shutdown the core already. However, tearing down at several servers at once, switching back and forth between channels, organizating and sifting through an overwhelming pool of overlapping feedback… This was a test unlike anything she'd ever faced.

Ten minutes.

"C-come on, come on…" she whispered, fingertips racing across the board like a madwoman. However, she gave out a yelp when Emmanuel was suddenly rammed into a server next to her. Christ, Christ, Christ! The hacker leaned away as much as she could, dragging the board with her, but she refused to stop, eyes snapping back and forth from the screen to her brother, then back to the screen again.

"Keep going, Luna!" Vance called sternly, as he barred his arm across Manny's neck. Manny fought against it, and Vance received the brunt of his wild swings, eyes narrowing deeply, "Explain what you meant!" He growled, "About the bomb! What's it do?"

"It's not… a bomb…" Manny wheezed, "It's a toxin!" He grinned, darkly, and Vance felt a chill shiver down his back, "The meathead's ex wife… that psychotic bitch… she was the first… the first test!"

"Hell…" Swearing, Vance canted his head to Luna, "He's engineered a way to make muta--Augh!"

Manny lashed out with a sudden fury and his palm caught Vance on the ear. As he stumbled back, momentarily dazed, Manny swung for Luna.

She nearly shrieked when Vance was hit and actually did as she saw the fist flying straight for her. Acting out of pure fear, the hacker attempted to duck away, hands forced to slip away from the keyboard.

Vance recovered quickly, when he heard Luna's shriek, and slammed into Manny without mercy. The wind exploded from her brother's lungs in a gasp, and he smashed back into the server, "You don't touch her!" Vance growled, fingers curved around Manny's neck, "You don't ever touch her!"

Luna was quick to return to the keyboard and jumping back into her desperate hacking. Close. They were cutting it terribly close. And although she was making progress, she couldn't say for sure if her efforts were fast enough. Wide eyes darted over to Vance and the lethal grasp he had around Emmanuel's neck; despite everything, despite how horrible of a human being her brother was, the thought of him dying was… horrific. All death was horrific. Which was why she needed to shutdown this bomb right now.

Seven minutes.

Manny shifted against the server, struggling for oxygen as Vance's grip tightened, eyes still bearing down on the man. Agonizingly, eyes flickered to Luna, almost desperate, filling up with uneasiness, "M-moonshine!" He wheezed, "C-c'mon!"

Luna snapped her gaze away. Quickly, but not quick enough to miss the vulnerability seeping into his eyes. She grit her teeth, fingers trembling against the keys. "Manny. D-don't," she said, voice low and strained.

Vance's eyes twisted to Luna and concern measured out the anger as rationality returned to his actions. Swearing, he pulled his hand away, stepped back with a softly muttered swear. Manny was a bastard… but he was also Luna's brother. He was blood. He was--

Manny moved swiftly from where he'd briefly collapsed, something metal flashing in his hand - a screw pulled free from the server casing. And slashing out, he caught Vance's forearm as he raised it with barely enough time to guard his neck.

"You always were the dumbest of the dumb, Tank." Manny laughed, "And you, Luna… Always so damn easy to--"

A kick to his stomach sent Manny doubling back, glaring darkly at Vance, who was cupping his arm, blood running in rivulets through his fingers.

"Alright. Enough of this… Time to say goodbye to your boyfriend, Luna!" Manny growled, darkly.

There was so much happening. So much terror and anxiety and adrenaline and fear and… and just… Luna couldn't see an end in sight. She could've sworn her brain was slowly being split in two, ripping itself apart one neuron at a time. The violence and codes flying across the screen clashed into one another like rabid rhinos, beckoning her attention ferociously. She couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on around her. The bomb. All that mattered was disabling the bomb and beating the clock.

Five minutes.

Christ.

Her lungs flattened and turned and twisted within her chest. A dizzying blur threatened to overwhelm her vision as tears burned behind her eyes. There was too much happening far too fast--

And then Vance released Emmanuel. Emmanuel attacked. Sliced at him. Coming so close to his neck. Her fiance's neck, trying to take his life.

Four and a half minutes.

Her hands left the keys.

Before gripping Emmanuel's collar. Her other hand balled into a trembling fist. Yanking him forward, she struck him in the temple with every ounce of strength she had. Her brother didn't see the hit coming and staggered, his balance briefly swaying in a mixture of shock and disorientation. In the next moment, Luna grabbed his head with a vice grip and forced his vision to lock with hers. She dived in. Dived deeper than she ever had in her entire life. Every little memory. Every little thought. They were nauseating to watch. The malice and hatred lived within every inch of Emmanuel's being. No matter how hard she searched, not a single spot withheld any level of care or love for her. None.

In that moment, she discovered a species of hurt that pierced her heart deeper than any weapon ever could. With that came the birth of a somber anger.

Birthdays. Gone.

Parents. Gone.

His first steps. Gone.

How to eat. Gone.

His name. Gone.

Everything… Gone.

Four minutes.

With a fragile, pained cry, Luna released Emmanuel and watched him flop to the floor. Eyes empty. Mouth agape. Body limp. Alive yet lifeless all at once. Oh god. Did she just… "I...O-oh god, I just…" Luna's watery eyes locked with Vance's; there was a silent message, a plea to prove her wrong. She didn't do that. She hadn't just done that.

Vance moved, ignoring his arm for a moment as the uninjured one wrapped her up, wrapped her tightly into an unshakeable embrace, "...You had to. Shh… Baby. Listen. You had to… He didn't give you a choice." Stepping back, he cupped her chin, shaking his head as blood dripped to the floor from his abandoned injury, "He never gave you a choice…"

She didn't kill her brother. Luna didn't kill him. But what she had done was far worse. A blank slate. Completely wiped clean. Incapable of speech, of walking, of eating, of committing all basic acts to take care of himself. All that he had left was breathing. A vegetable. A fucking vegetable...

Luna didn't fight the embrace. Of course she didn't. But an astonished numbness chilled her to the bone as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. After all these years of denial, she finally proved how much of a monster she could be with just the right push, the right trigger…

Reality came back into focus with Vance's voice. Her expression was hollow, all emotions violently shoved into the back of her skull as tear trails dried upon her visage. Her fiance was alive. Bleeding and injured, but alive; if it wasn't for the distant feeling overcoming her senses, she would've vomited from how quickly the guilt retreated. Later. It would come back to torment her later. Slowly, her head fell to his chest again. A sign of defeat. An action for gathering himself. "The...the bomb," she whispered hoarsely.

They didn't have much time left.

Nodding, Vance leaned in, lips pressed to her forehead, before he released her, "Go. Go!"

Three and a half minutes…

Without a single word, Luna found herself at the servers again. Though it shouldn't have been possible, she typed even faster than before, borderline smashing the keys with every flutter of her fingertips. The franticness failed to enter her visage, but everything about her demeanor and movements spoke volumes of the sentiment.

Two minutes.

She was close. She was so damn close. She only needed to hack her way through two more servers. A handful of seconds passed before another wall was bypassed and the final one taunted her cruelly. She could recognize the superiority of this one's security from miles away.

One minute.

Her mask broke like a flimsy dam. The anxiety and fear filtered into her visage quickly. Why wouldn't this last wall crack? The pathways… They were ridiculously complex, to a degree that she had never encountered before. Outsmarting this required an innovative approach, but the time crunch and nausea distracting her made it nearly impossible.

Thirty seconds.

Access denied. Rerouted to a different path. Access denied again. Codes rearranged and teased in different directions.

Access denied.

Fifteen seconds.

"N-no. No, no, no, no." Luna typed faster.

Five seconds.

Access denied.

Three. Two.

Access denied.

One.

"No!" Luna screamed. Access denied.

Time was up.

Vance moved again, swifter than the last time, and with a breath, he pulled Luna in close. This was it. This was the end. Damn it all. After everything they'd done. Everything they'd tried… They would go out, anyway…

But hell if he was going to let Luna feel like any of it was her fault. He would hold her until the last second, and they would leave this world together…

… Then second after second passed, and silence was the only sound in the room. In the building. In the world. Blinking, pulling away with a brow raised, he looked at the screen, blinking, "...No… no explosion? Luna… M… maybe there's still time??"

Luna cracked her eyes open, only unraveling slightly from Vance's embrace. There...There wasn't an explosion. She would've launched questions left and right, but an opportunity like this was nothing short of a gift sent down from God. "Please let it be," she rushed out as she flew back to the keys. There was only one pathway she had yet to try and it was an incredibly long stretch…

A light beep. In bold letters, the words "Access Granted" flashed across the screen, and Luna could've sworn she had died and revived all at once. A sob ripped from her lungs in pure relief, eyes flooded with tears all over again as she quickly hacked the system. With a final press of the button, all bomb sites shutdown.

It was over.

They did it.

Quivering, Luna slumped and fell to her hands and knees. She sobbed, open and vulnerable and raw and filled to the brim with reprieve.

Closing his eyes as the screen confirmed the shutdown, Vance breathed out, bracing himself for a moment, before crouching down, kneeling beside Luna. Softly, he let his hand brush through her curls, and pulling her close, he kissed the crown of her head, "...You did it, Love. You… you did it…"

Luna couldn't bring herself to speak. All that her emotions allowed her to do was lean into Vance and cry upon his shoulder. Yes, they had done it. She'd done it. But at what cost? That was a nightmare she refused to face right now.

"Come on…" He whispered, rising upright, pulling her gently with him, "...We gotta find the others, and get out of here."

Luna nodded weakly, struggling to her feet with his help, and did everything within her power not to look back at Manny as they left.

---

TAGS || @Kat, @KatSea, @WingWong, @DarinValore, @CloudyBlueDay

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Finnegan Westfall

The rest of the guards were met with focused resistance from Finn and Nick. No longer did the young man offer his partner a pleased look for every successful punch, instead meeting every guard with a determined expression, harsh attacks, and left in the dust. Leaving Rush behind had changed Finn's demeanor entirely, and this mission was no longer a game to him.

"K-Keegan, sir." Finn said meekly, approaching the man as he cleared his throat, gesturing to the infirmary. "H-how's everything looking?"

Pinching his nose, Keegan let out a relieved sigh, "It looks like we've averted the virus. Josie's cure worked, and those infected are recovering," he paused and turned his body toward Finn giving the young man his full attention, "How are you? I heard everything did not go as hoped at Harper's."

"At… Harper's?" Finn said quietly. That felt like ages ago. "N..no. Not exactly. It almost feels like it was years ago… so much has happened since then." He mumbled honestly, gaze down. He'd always respected Keegan… at least, tried too. For all his faults and at times mischievous deeds… Keegan had been the one to save him. Rogue had saved him. And now Rogue had saved Rose… even if it had also done so many other things. "But at least… at least there was a cure. Thank God." Finn said with a nod. "I don't know what I'd do if we lost those people… anymore people."

"You'd adapt, Finn. That's what you do. I saw you come in, a scared kid never having really experienced family, and I did my best to give that to you. Look at you now," he smiled, "I've never been more proud of you."

Finn blinked at Keegan in shock. Never been more proud? Of him? Joy swelled in Finn's chest as he grinned at the man before him. "T-thank you, sir." He stuttered, cheeks flushing pink. "I… that… that means so much. I.. I wanted to ask you, if I…" Finn bowed his head respectfully, gaze roaming the floor. "I wanted to ask you for more responsibility. I know I was.. kind of a trouble maker, but I want to do more.. help more. Especially now that I know how to use my powers.."

"Why not?" Keegan replied probably quicker than Finn anticipated, "You've earned it, and more than proven yourself a capable Rogue. Do you have something specific in mind that you'd like to start taking part in?"

"The rescue mission… for Deck's son." Finn said, trying to puff his chest out a little. "Or anything else… anything else that comes up." He'd earned it. A more than capable Rogue. Finn couldn't believe his ears. "Rogue saved my life.. only fair I do the same for others."

Keegan studied Finn a moment, before he slowly nodded, "Alright. While I don't think I, or Deck, could use you in the rescue mission, I have come upon some other rather sensitive information. Seems my brother's developed a device that targets Mutants. I don't know what it'll do specifically, but we've got to get rid of it. Feel up to saving more than just Deck's child? Feel like saving all of us?"

Finn's eyes widened. Before he had even fully processed Keegan's words his head was nodding rapidly. "Yes." He announced quickly. "Yes, I will, definitely, I'll.." Shit, that was a scary proposition. Saving all of us. But he'd asked for it.. and he was ready to try. "I'll try.. no, I won't let you down, sir."

"I know you won't, Finn. I always knew you were more than you let us on to believe," he paused a moment, offering a soft smile, "You're going to be great, son. Now, and in the future. Don't ever forget that."

Finn smiled back, still a blushing profusely and trying to keep his posture upright. "I-I won't." He said, noticing that he was still nodding and forced himself to stop. "Thank you, K- Sir. Sir. Thank you."

"No problem," Keegan flashed a tight-lipped smile, "Now get out there and show RIEF what it means to be Rogue."

This wasn't a joke. He had a job to do... there was a ticking time bomb hanging over their heads, lives at stake, lives always at stake. And Keegan... Keegan believed in him. They all believed in him. He had too.. had to live up to their hopes, had to be the person they wanted him to be. But coming upon the server room, he couldn't help the pounding of his heart that felt very cowardly, and unlike the strong person everyone thought he was.

"..Luna?" Finn said cautiously, dropping his stance as his gaze fell on the breathing lump of a man that quickly registered in his mind as Emmanuel. The man of so many of his best friend's nightmares, and somehow, he looked more dead then alive. Swallowing past his fear, he moved forward, aiding Vance in encasing Luna in a great big hug. Tough Finn seemed so far away.

 

[junebug]

Josie's legs felt heavy as she continued to sprint up the steps and down the halls that led to the server room. She'd cast a brief glance at the bracelet every now and then, almost afraid it'd blow up on her at any given moment, despite the anti mutant weapon not being a literal explosive, as Tony had informed her and Shiloh, though she still had her suspicions. In the end, if it was a bomb, she wouldn't mind being taken first. She'd done her duty as a Rogue. She'd saved her friends and the people from Orlando. There wasn't much else she could do or ask for; She needed a vacation, a break from herself. After her notes were taken from her, the blockers could wait.

Josie approached the server room, confusion spreading as she noticed Finn, Vance, and Luna embracing one another.

"We did it?" she questioned as she entered. Her eyes immediately scanned the premises, and saw a man laying on the floor. "Oh. You guys got him. Is he the mastermind behind this crap operation?"

 

[Mobley Eats]

Arson, For Dummies! | Interactions: Ozno and Levi @KatSea

Levi knew the plan simply enough. It wasn't going to be an activity he particularly enjoyed doing, but he knew what was at stake. Children, captive, ones who most likely hadn't had the pleasure to see the light of day. Sympathy welled in his chest at the thought, his eyes scanning the target area ahead. Just set the kitchen on fire. First, he would need to make sure he and his partner, a relaxed ginger who he identified as Ozno, would remain hidden long enough for no one to be able to spot them. He took a deep breath, muttering under his breath. "Alright, big guy. We are in, we are out. I get back home and so does Francis, Lucas and Nick. Good? Good." Levi, once he was done with his particular monologue of the day, turned his attention to his partner. "If we stay quiet, I can get us in pretty easily." He vowed, a hand clamped over his chest. "You are gonna wanna stay close, too."

New buddy talked...a lot. It was kinda hard for Ozno to keep up, but he focused on bits and pieces, on the important stuff. Like...big guy. That was a cool nickname. He liked it. Not as much as Alien, but it was still nice. He just knew that he had to start a fire with new buddy, a big one, and make the alarms go crazy. Ozno stared at the hand placed over new buddy's heart, blinked, then did the same for his own heart. Then, he scooted closer until they were brushing arms. That was pretty close, right? "Kay," he said.

Levi inspected the man with slightly widened eyes, yet there was something endearing about the man whose behavior resembled that of a friendly sloth. Levi glanced down at their brushing arms, his brow raised. "Close enough, I guess." Without another word, he snapped his fingers and was pleased to see that both he and Ozno were gone from sight. Figuring the man, who appeared quiet enough as it was, didn't need a reminder, Levi started down the hall. His brain scrambled helplessly as he tried to recall the way to the kitchen, pleased to recall only as the shuffle of footsteps greeted him. Standing still and pressing his back the wall, Levi peeked around the corner to see five guards, appearing to be heavily armed. He swallowed. He wasn't expecting to have to handle this much arsenal, but as he reminded himself, this was a facility for experiments and the children forced to undergo them. Heat bubbling underneath his skin, he sucked in a big breath. "Okay buddy, if you are still with me, we've got to get rid of these guys before advancing. Think you can help?" He whispered, low, praying under his breath that they wouldn't be detected before they had a chance to make their move.

Ozno followed new buddy's every step and action. Like...completely. He was the obvious leader here and knew more about what was going on than he did. Ozno knew that some dank and terrible stuff was going down in this place because...well...it's R.I.E.F. But still. New buddy was way more informed. So he followed the leader and stuff.

He stopped with new buddy, head tilting at his question before glancing ahead. Ohhhh--the baddies. Five of them. With five guns. Yeesh. Okay. So, definitely had to take care of them fast then, which was cool. He could do fast, just this once. Yul always told him that missions were the only times he was allowed to be quick. He nodded. "Can do. Uh…" Not really knowing where the man was, Ozno just pointed at the floor and muttered lowly, "Stay pwease." Peeling off his gloves and tucking them into his back pocket, Ozno rounded the corner, eyes hooded and lazy.

In an instant, Ozno raised both hands, middle and ring fingers folded. With a flick at the wrists, a pale red liquid nailed two guards in the eyes. The pair grunted in surprise, hands immediately flying up to their faces. However, their curses were tinged with horror as feeling drained from their bodies and flopped over paralyzed; the only parts of them still mobile were their eyes, which flickered about frantically. The other guards instantly raised their guns and unleashed a round of gunfire down the hall.

Oh--snap. Trigger happy. Swiftly, Ozno pressed his back to the wall, watching as hailfire sailed past him and riddled another wall in holes. Dang. The guards were already racing forward, one leading with his rifle at the ready and barking orders…

"Nope." Ozno stuck his foot out, watching with a slight wince as the man yelped and tripped, meeting the floor face-first with an audible smack. The other two guards were unprepared for the sudden fall and, as a result, tumbled over their partner. Heh. Dogpile. Not giving him a chance to recover, Ozno pinned his hand to the tiles with his boot and delivered a swift punch to the temple, knocking him out cold.

Mmkay. Two more to go. Oh...wait. One of them was already getting up. Woops.

Levi decided not to argue against the man, his words somewhat childish when it came to his plea. Nevertheless, Levi trusted Ozno to be efficient. Then again, he couldn't very well recall his powers in that moment...something freakishly awesome, he was certain. Regardless, fear threatened to clench his throat and deprive him of oxygen.

And then there were the ear piercing gunshots, bullets soaring in the hallway beside Levi. He grinned nervously, a wild man's glint in his eye. He had been in so many situations already with arsenal that he figured he was bound to get shot at some point. A familiar but false pain flared in his shoulder. Eyes flickering over to the sudden pile of men scattered on the floor, Levi blinked.

"Alright. Here we go." Levi, once he was sure that he was in a fair position(mostly to avoid a contact bullet wound), dropped the cloak around them. He focused on the man scrambling to get up first and foremost, when an idea knocked him on the east end of his noggin. Grinning, he curled his fingers into fists, false fire igniting at his knuckles. Raising his hands, he encased each group of men in dome of flames. He bobbed his head to Ozno, giving him a confirmation with a simple thumbs up. It wasn't going to take them long to realize that the fire was simply a mirage, but it should keep them stable long enough…

Ozno stood there and watched in confusion as the guards suddenly screamed and broke into this, like...crazy jumping around. Was it a jig? Dang, he'd never seen a dance like that before. It was kinda too fast for his tastes; he usually just liked to sway side to side peacefully, maybe whip his hair around if he was really feeling it. However, when the ginger's gaze strayed over to Levi and took note of the thumbs up, a few cogs in his brain started turning.

...Oh. Oh. New buddy was doing that! Right. Cool. Awesomesauce. He shot a thumbs up back at the man before walking up to the panicking guards. He paused. Looked at them. Then, casually palmed the back of their heads and--

Smack!

Their foreheads collided with the force of five hammers. Eyes rolling back into their skulls, they fell over out cold. Ozno splashed two little drops of onto their faces for extra measure though; would kinda suck if either of them woke up before they could do...whatever they needed to do. Once he was finished with that, he stood up and looked at Ozno, smiling goofily. The ginger pulled his new buddy into a brief hug, giving him pats on the back, before backing away to shoot another thumbs up. "Noice."


A sigh of relief trickled from Levi's mouth as Ozno, with great ease and a surprising amount of sluggish grace, managed to crack the two knuckleheads into each other. "Nice j-" Levi was about to commemorate before he was swept up into an embrace, his cheeks flaring up as he managed to loop his arm around him and pat his back as well. "N-nice job buddy." Offering him a sheepish grin, Levi shot him a mirroring thumbs up. "I don't think we have to worry about any more of those bozos. Let's keep moving." Gesturing his head down the hall, Levi began to make his way down.

Before Ozno could think to hold back, he giggled at his new buddy while muttering, "Heh...Bozos." Bozo was a funny word. He could stand there all day laughing about it if he could, but he doubt now was the time. Besides, he'd rather hold off on that and save it for Ade; she'd probably laugh at Bozo too. Yeah, that sounded like a dope idea. Regardless, he followed behind new buddy, eyes skimming their surroundings with a sharpness that clashed oddly with his groggy demeanor.

Luckily for them, they didn't run into anymore guards, but it didn't hurt to move with stealth, so Levi draped them in the invisibility cloak again. It took a handful of turns and backtracking, but they managed to come upon an entrance clearly leading into the kitchen and as Ozno stepped inside with Levi, the ginger gave pause. His gaze instantly locked onto one thing and one thing only…

The fridge.

Yis.

Without word or warning, he shuffled over to the wondrous holder of foods and stuck his head inside, rummaging through whatever R.I.E.F. peeps ate. Surely, it must've had more variety than the meals Yul allowed at HQ and Ozno needed to refill the tank anyway.

Levi never wanted the first thought in his head as he walked into a public kitchen to be 'where can I light a fire in this bitch?'. Yet, here he was, and his eyes wearily scanned the area for a safe parameter to get his job done, only to be distracted by the shuffle in the corner of his eye. Head swiveling, Levi blinked at the sight of the ginger plunging his head into the refrigerator. For a brief moment, Levi considered the innocent kids that needed to be rescued, that needed to be returned into safe arms. Then, he considered his stomach. And he realized that the children had a better chance of survival if he was prepped to fight and was filled with energy...His mouth watered shamefully and he made his way beside Ozno. "Any treats saved for me?"

Without freeing his head of the fridge, Ozno grunted out a "Yis" before chucking an entire rotisserie chicken towards Levi; his new buddy would catch it, he knew he would. It'd be too tragic for him to drop it. A few more moments of perusing rewarded the ginger with an armful of snacks, including salami, pepperoni slices, squirtable cheese, a huge bag of marshmallows, and a 2 Liter bottle of Canada Dry ginger ale, though it was only half full. This was cool enough to fill the tank.

Wordlessly, he sprayed a huge pile of cheese into his mouth and popped a few pieces of pepperoni in the process. As soon as the items were sprawled across a nearby counter, Ozno started tearing away at the marshmallows, eager to open up pure awesomeness. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much sugar in his possession, especially with how strict Yul was with their diet.

Levi was quick to catch the chicken in his hands, his eyes wide and filled to the brim with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. He wasn't sure how in the world he caught the big container, but nevertheless, he was grateful. Backing away now from the refrigerator, clearly overruled by the marvelous Ozno, Levi scrambled briefly at the kitchen cabinets for a fork. Knives would be unnecessary. Ibrahim had taught him well how to devour a rotisserie chicken without such needless tools. Peeling off the container, Levi dug his fork into the soft, meaty flesh of the chicken and scooped out as much white material as he could. Shoving the food into his mouth, he tried not to grin. "Right, fire. Hey Oz, any chocolate or marshmallows in there?"

"Uh… here," Ozno mumbled while shoving a handful of marshmallows into new buddy's arms. And of course, one or two on his head for the road. It never hurt to stock up an emergency stash. And then he remembered the other bit. Fire. Oh yeah. Right. Well, a kitchen was a kitchen, and kitchens made lots of fires. He knew that for sure since Megan started a lot of fires trying to make chocolate chip pancakes, his favorite breakfast as a kid. Heh, she always got so red. It was funny. She screamed a lot too--at the pans. And the burning oil and smoke…

Oh. Cool. They could do that.

Wordlessly, Ozno perused the counters and cabinets sloppily, until a tall and full jar of oil came into view. He opened it and started pouring heaps and streams and globs of it all over the stovetops, before snacking a bunch of dish towels and soaking them in the oil too, spreading them along the counters. Then, he turned every burner on high…

And stood next to new buddy, eyes trained on the haphazard masterpiece.

"Thank you, brother." Levi claimed with a smile, eyes flickering up to meet the marshmallows on his head. Feebly, he reached up to grab one and leave the last one on just to please his friend. Eyes darting towards Ozno, then back to the oventop, a pleased expression plastered itself over his demeanor. He grinned. "Good thinkin, my friend. All we have to do is watch and wait." A pause. He placed a single marshmallow on Ozno's head and happily went back to munching his chicken.

And that was exactly what they did--watch and wait. For roughly two minutes. And in that next instant, an unsavory burning smell filtered into their noses and heat tickled at the back of their necks. Flames erupted from the stove, starting off small before nearly doubling in size. Then triple. They crawled along the cloths and oil and nearly covered the entire counter--

Beeeeeep!

The alarm sounded.

Grinning lazily, Ozno snagged the marshmallow off his head and popped it into his mouth. Meg would be so dang proud.

"Awesome."

 

[DarinValore]

Blacksite Designation: Nursery
Deckard Hallows and Co.
Special Guest Appearances: Four of the Six
​

Deckard could feel time stretch on. He was so close to his son it was like he could feel the boy in his arms for the first time. Still, he couldn't help the unease that bubbled within his chest. This was not the ideal circumstances he would have wanted for meeting his son for the first time, and as he had told Penny already...this had been far easier than he had anticipated. Something was going to go wrong...he could feel it in his bones.

One by one the other teams arrived, and with each arrival, Deckard felt as though he could breathe a little better. That meant he hadn't asked anyone to march to their deaths. This meant that the plan was working. This meant that maybe just this once, everything could go as planned for them.

Once all had arrived, Deck crossed his arms over his chest and began, "Alright, this is it. I'm sure there's guards up here, too, but they're going to be less likely to open fire. They wouldn't want to destroy any of the children. Once those elevator doors open on the Nursery floor, we need to move fast to minimize collateral damage. Focus your abilities and do your best not to use them near the kids. We don't need to hurt them...or scare them."

He reached to press the button when he suddenly realized the elevator was already counting down, "Someone's coming! Be ready!"

The bell chimed and the doors opened…..Four mutants exited...each one determined to stop the Rogues at all cost.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Reunicorns | Interactions: Ozno, Francis @CloudyBlueDay , Deck @DarinValore , and RIEF Peeps @Elle Joyner

As he stepped out of the elevator with the others, Neil Blanchard wore a small, satisfied smile. To his left, a frosty woman with white blonde hair stood at the ready, and on his right a small brunette, bouncing idly on the balls of her heels. Behind them, a tall, lanky man, with a slightly uneasy expression.

"Framework…" Neil snapped, "Gauge! There!" Vaguely, he gestured, before his smirk split into a grin and his gaze twisted towards Francis, "Seize… you're with me." His eyes skimmed the team, fell on the largest of the lot and he laughed, "You're that guy from the apartment building… This is gonna be fun. Amanda, get the red head, Cece and the gorilla are mine!" As he spoke, the elevator behind him chimed again, and the doors reopened. Spilling out were what appeared to be roughly two dozen plastic army men, but in their tiny, eerily animated grips, sharp metal objects… pins, nails, blades… they flooded forward with a militaristic order, into the room. Behind them, two enormous stuffed horrors… A bear, red button eyes glinting off the light overhead, and at the end of each grotesquely re-stitched arm, bandsaw blades, menacing and grim. Beside the bear, a unicorn, a mangled horn of sharp rebar sticking up from it's forehead. The unicorn reared and both creatures bolted forward… the bear towards the gorilla, the unicorn knowing its target all too well…

Amanda, meanwhile, had begun to peel off the thick leather gloves she wore, and stepping forward, head tilting to the side, she smirked at the red-haired man, "I like your look, Ginge… wanna be my boyfriend? Promise I won't bite." Hands splayed out to the side, she grinned, fingers sparkling out like jazz hands, "Hard, anyway…"

Ozno blinked as the floodgates practically cracked wide open with a parade of… awesomeness. The toys with sharp knives and chainsaws and stuff--Meg would love a present like that. Maybe that one dude would let him take one? Not the bear though; someone would be mental to give up that masterpiece. But, dang… he could only imagine hugging that thing. Like, with the chainsaws away from his body. The ginger almost sighed in disappointment at the thought, only to get yanked back into reality by some woman talking to him.

He raised two fingers. "...Hi." And then squinted. Boyfriend? She liked his look? These were the bad guys, right? Then how come she was saying all this nice jazz? Dang, maybe she wanted to be a new buddy too? That'd be nice. One could never have enough new buddies, in his opinion. Then, on pure instinct, his lazy gaze was immediately attracted to the sparks flying from her fingers and he grinned, imitating her pose with waving fingers of his own. "Fire fingers. Noice."

The wave of emotion that hit Francis upon seeing the four exit the elevator didn't include shock, though it damn well should have. In truth, she'd known he'd be here, and hell, maybe she had even hoped. Her blood boiled, fists tightening as she thought about every way she could out him and his stupid toys in the ground, lip curving up in a snarl.

"Deck, right?" Francis muttered lowly, looking at the man beside her, eyes burning with a terrifying intensity. "That's my brother. Glad to have your help in destroying him." Gaze snapping to the red head, Francis barked, "Ozno! Don't touch anything! It's all murderous!" The unicorn was a very fond touch, but Francis could care less. Cracking her knuckles, breathing fire, Fran dove in, avoiding the unicorn and instead lunging for Neil himself, teeth bared.

"Alright," Deck nodded, as he put his hands up, "Guess I got the animals," putting one hand out, he stopped the unicorn before trying to throw it against the bear.

Neil's face split into a grin as Francis charged, and from his coat he produced two balls, glass, like Christmas ornaments, inside filled with screws and nails, the metal objects bouncing, dancing wildly… "Dodge ball, Cece…" He chimed, before letting them roll out of his hand, shattering as they hit the floor. Immediately, the metal objects bolted for Francis, like sharp, volatile insects.

The Unicorn flailed, as Deckard halted its path, and swung wildly, slashing across the belly of the bear. From the fluffy gash, soldiers… plastic and arms with sharp implements poured out, skittering across the floor.

Amanda, meanwhile, canted her head to the side, confusion briefly dancing over her expression, "W-what? Bah! Doesn't matter. Time to die, Pretty Boyfriend."

Ozno openly pouted at Fran's command, only for his eyes to widen briefly with delayed realization. Murderous. Oh… snap! Okay, alright. He got it now--this wasn't fun time at all. It was mission time. Which meant the woman talking to him… was lying about all those nice things she said. She didn't want to be his new buddy at all. Dang. That sucked big time.

"Don't wanna die," he muttered, "It's not cool." Rather than taking off his gloves as well, he kept them on and held up a single hand, five fingers splayed towards her, and slapped on a lazy grin. This fake buddy had a lot of energy. Kinda loud and yelly. Like Fran… but nowhere near as cool as her. Now, what they did have in common?

Small size. Low center of gravity. Cool for throwing around.

He remained where he was, as still as a statue.

Snarling like a wild animal, the chaos around them was blurred in Francis' vision. The little soldiers, the stupid toys, none of them mattered to her. The only thing she could see was her one target, a neck she had been dying to wrap her hands around for days and weeks and months on end, a fire she had been waiting to put out, so viciously, for so long. She made hardly any effort to avoid the pesky metal trinkets, letting them prick upon her skin, bothering her less than an actual bug bite. She was too angry, too high on adrenaline to even feel the pain except for a dull warning in the back of her mind. Francis blazed forward as she slapped away the metal that had landed, blood trailing down her arms.

Toys inside of toys...Deck swore as he witnessed the 'guts' of the bear spill out and turn into an army of plastic soldiers bent on poking him to death. A little fire would be nice right about now. Still, he couldn't let up. Distracting the two stuffed animals increased Fran's life expectancy as she dealt with her brother. Dropping the unicorn, he focused on the bear instead, knowing that he could mimic his own movements in the bear. Launching the bear toward the unicorn, Deckard swung the bear's bladed arms hoping to cut clean through the unicorn.

Amanda laughed at Ozno's words, and rolling her neck, she raised her hands, the flicker in her fingertips sparking again, "Didn't even hit you yet, Sweetie, and you're already stunned? My goodness, I must be a charmer…" Stepping forward, swift and suddenly, she propelled her hand out towards his neck.

Still watching Fran race forward, brushing off the nails and screw like gnats, Neil's smile only grew and when she'd neared to roughly five feet, he reached behind him to produce from his waistband what appeared to be a child's laser-tag gun. Holding it up, he squeezed the trigger, and from the tip shot two barbs, smacking into Fran's collar. From the gun, down the wires and into the barbs, an electrical current sparked to life.

Meanwhile, as the soldier flopped out of the bear, the unicorn reared against, and the saw-blade arm slashed across the stuffed horse's belly. Stuffing flopped out, and from the middle of the unicorn, a second smaller unicorn toppled to the floor. Sweeping it's hoof against the tile, it charged.

Whoa. Energetic and vicious. Cool. This chic liked to attack first, it seemed. Which was cool. Ozno could work with that.

The lethal hand nearing his neck like the strike of a snake slowed in his mind's eye. Suddenly, his world was dipped in molasses, senses honing in. Vision zeroing in on the point he needed to… yep. Right there.

In a snap of movement just as fast as hers, he weaved to the side and under, letting her arm slide past on his shoulder and bracing an arm around her middle. His heel smashed into her shin, forcing her foot off the ground and upsetting her balance. In the next moment, the woman was rising and Ozno all but chucked her backwards like a ragdoll. He turned around to watch her fly curiously, his hand coming up into that same position as he did so.

Huh… he hoped she wouldn't land too hard. That would be a bummer.

By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. The barbs sent their current jolting through Fran's body, bringing her to her knees as the metal trapped in her arms only amplified the current. She'd felt a lot of different types of pain in her life. But this, the white fire licking every nerve in her body, burning her skin at the hands of her brother, was like no other pain she had ever felt. Tears stinging her eyes, Fran fought against the electricity, limbs twitching as she struggled to get back up.

The unicorn turned into two unicorns. Cause why fucking not? Deckard groaned and then watched as Fran hit the ground. Damn it. Shaking his head, he pushed the bear into the charging unicorn and passed his free hand to his back where he produced the handgun he'd stolen from the man earlier. Pointing it at Neil, center mass, Deckard fired off two rounds.

She wasn't expecting it from the sleepy dweeb. One minute, he looked as if he were about to take a nap standing still, the next, he'd wrapped her up in a terrifyingly alert grasp, and she was soaring. She flipped and hit her back hard enough to wind her, and with a wheeze, her hands flopped to her side, as she struggled to hold consciousness.

As Neil watched his sister drop, he lowered the gun and a grin split his lip… but it was momentary. Only momentary. There was a sudden alert from one of his playthings, and looking up, he spotted the gun a second or two, too late. The report fired and he moved, but not before one of the two shots hit their mark in his shoulder. Swearing, Neil's eyes focused on the first unicorn, savagely shredded, but still functional. It stumbled forward, swinging it's horn at the large man with reckless abandon, as Neil clamped a hand over the bleeding wound.

Oh, dude… She went far. Noice. Very noice. Ozno kinda wished that was recorded somehow, just to show Meg and make her proud. She would've loved seeing that. Maybe give her some kind of flying pig nickname with a bunch of cuss words stuck onto it; heh, yeah, that sounded like her. Either way, he snapped back to the present at the sound of her wheeze, instantly reminded that he was in the middle of battle.

But still… that must've hurt. He felt kinda bad. But she's not a new buddy--she's a bad guy. He couldn't feel sympathy for a bad guy. This sucked. He approached her while removing his gloves, though he stopped about two feet or so away from her, and closed one eye, aiming for the general face area.

"Time for pew pew," he muttered.

As the shots fired, Francis raised her head, shaking hands raising to rip the barbs from her collar. Neil stumbled back from the wound, and Francis stood, teeth gritted as her limbs still twitched, and with his focus diverted on reanimating the unicorn, she took her chance. Plowing forward, she dove, taking Neil to the ground and ending up on top of him, a fist raised to drive into his face, full force.

Deckard only had a moment to jump back as the sharp horn swung across his abdomen. Despite the quick movement, he didn't escape unscathed. He cringed as the horn sliced through his shirt forming a thin line of red against his skin. It wasn't deep, but that didn't keep it from stinging. With a thought, he tossed the unicorn away. Shaking his head, he growled, "We don't have time for this."

As Oz approached, Amanda squeezed her eyes shut, trying to fight the delirious wave that passed over her… She opened them to see the redhead over her, and grimacing, tried to raise a hand…

Neil went down hard. Harder than he meant to, as Fran's recovery came from out of nowhere. Slamming into the ground, his glare turned to her and all at once, the animals, the soldiers, every nail and screw still functioning tore towards her… but the moment her fist connected and Neil's conscious mind lost to the impact, they dropped, at once, falling to the ground as still as inanimate objects ought to be.

Ozno gave pause when he saw light chick reach out towards him. Huh, that was weird. She was just bringing herself closer to the pews pew; was she giving up? Dang. That was kinda a bummer. But, then again, she did her best and it was sort of fun chilling with her. Standing up. And, like… technically not chilling. Wasn't that another lady nearby who did the chilling sturf? Yeah, he was pretty sure.

Anyway, back to the fake buddy. Ozno assumed the position once more and with a single jerk of the wrist, nailed the center of her palm with paralyzing blood… And then another. Just to be safe. He tried not to do anymore than three squirts at once; anymore than that and, well… it would probably kill them the same way SUX did. He didn't want that. The ginger then saluted down at the woman, cheeks puffed up in a poor attempt to adopt a serious expression. "Godfast, fake buddy."

He then turned his attention to whoever else looked like they needed help. Oh… Oh! Maybe he could go check out the awesome toys now-- No. Wait. They stopped moving… Dang. He was too slow.

Even as Neil fell limp, Francis' anger was not quenched. She gripped his collar, watching the blood tarnish his shirt, and with tears streaming down her face, shook him. "You don't get to get off that easy!" She yelled at his still form, and dropped him back on the ground unceremoniously, reeling her fist back to land another punch. How dare he pass out, how dare he escape what had been coming to him for years. Her limbs still shook, burns climbing her neck downward from the barbs that he had sprung onto her, but it didn't stop Francis from throwing another hit.

The stuffed monsters were down, Neil was down, and so was the other woman. There wasn't anything left for Deckard, so without another word, he started toward the elevator.

Ozno wasn't quite sure what to do with himself now; he had been blindly following everyone else up to this point, only ever straying off to do whatever he deemed okay when fake buddy attacked him. However, now that she was taken care of… Oh. Wait. There was yelling--coming from a familiar voice. The ginger's gaze locked on his recently new buddy She Hulk, who was hunching over someone and, like, going ape on them.

...Dang. Ozno could still remember how much it hurt to take hits from Francis and that was just a light spar. He couldn't imagine that dude lasting much longer if he kept eating full force blows like that. And that bummer aura from before was at an all time high, rolling off Francis is thick waves. Not cool. He never wanted to see her feeling like that.

Casually, he walked over to Fran (kicking aside random toys thoughtlessly with the way his feet naturally dragged) and wrapped both arms around her, hoisting her up into a firm bear hug. Head cocking to the side, he pouted down at her, the worry clear as day on his countenance. "Hey… She Hulk? You cool?" he asked.

Francis didn't know how many times she'd driven her fist into Neil's face when Ozno's great arms swept around her. At first, a strangled gasp fell out of her, sure it was another enemy to which she promptly squirmed and reeled a sharp kick, but upon hearing the voice, upon noting the dopey gentless in the hug, and upon realizing it was an actual hug, Francis slumped, a few shuddering hiccups falling out of her as she stared down at Neil's limp form.

She was crying on the goddamn battlefield. Pathetic. There were kids to save and lives at risk and here she was sobbing over a brother that didn't care about her, not one bit, and yet she cared so much. In his face she could see their mother's blonde locks, doused in red, and their father's sharp nose, now crooked and bleeding. Her last vestige of family, and she'd beaten his unmoving body to a pulp. For so long she had been tortured by the picture of his face. Now there was nothing left but a chasm of sadness. She hated him and she loved him and she couldn't understand why she couldn't just…

"Let go," Francis whispered, trembling. "Please let go of me."

Feeling her quiver within his arms wasn't a very good reaction, though Ozno figured it was better than turning that dude's face into a smoothie. Yeesh. He could stomach a lot of weird stuff, but face drinks were where he drew the line. Regardless, the large ginger nodded, gave her a brief pat on the head, and placed her down on her own two feet. "Kay…" He look towards Penny, then Deck, then at the others… then back at Penny. "Going now?"

From where she stood, her hands latched around the arm of the white-haired woman, foot still jammed into Gauge's chest, Penny looked up to the others, "Go! After Deck! Don't leave his side!"

As Ozno placed Fran back down on the ground, her hand quickly shot out to grab his wrist to steady herself, legs threatening to give. It took a moment for her to stand fully upright, taking in a sharp breath and balling her fists as Penny shouted from overhead. The fight wasn't over, and hell if she was going to tap out early. "Come on." Francis murmured, tugging Ozno in the direction she had seen Deck stomp off towards.

Very much like a clueless puppy being dragged forth by a leash, Ozno followed behind Francis. "Mmkay."

 

[Mobley Eats]

Insert Clever Title Here... | Interactions: Lucas, Penny @Elle Joyner , Levi @KatSea , Framework and Gauge

As he stepped out of the elevator with the others, Neil Blanchard wore a small, satisfied smile. To his left, a frosty woman with white blonde hair stood at the ready, and on his right a small brunette, bouncing idly on the balls of her heels. Behind them, a tall, lanky man, with a slightly uneasy expression.

"Framework…" Neil snapped, "Gauge! There!" Vaguely, he gestured, before his smirk split into a grin and his gaze twisted towards Francis, "Seize… you're with me." His eyes skimmed the team, fell on the largest of the lot and he laughed, "You're that guy from the apartment building… This is gonna be fun. Amanda, get the red head, Cece and the gorilla are mine!" As he spoke, the elevator behind him chimed again, and the doors reopened. Spilling out were what appeared to be roughly two dozen plastic army men, but in their tiny, eerily animated grips, sharp metal objects… pins, nails, blades… they flooded forward with a militaristic order, into the room. Behind them, two enormous stuffed horrors… A bear, red button eyes glinting off the light overhead, and at the end of each grotesquely re-stitched arm, bandsaw blades, menacing and grim. Beside the bear, a unicorn, a mangled horn of sharp rebar sticking up from it's forehead. The unicorn reared and both creatures bolted forward… the bear towards the gorilla, the unicorn knowing its target all too well…

Framework stepped out of the elevator with a hesitant look in his eyes. He had a job to do whether he liked it or not, so reaching out, he pressed his hand against the elevator door. Immediately his skin shifted into metal. Putting his hands up, he closed in on the three others while Gauge stepped forward, a much more eager glint in her eyes.

Her smirk turned into a scowl when her eyes fell on Penny, "Last time we ran into each other, I got shot. This time you won't get so lucky."

The temperature in the room began to drop as Gauge's lips turned up in a smirk, "There's no escape this time...for any of you!" she said before lunging toward Penny and Levi leaving Lucas for Framework.

Fanfrickintastic…

She should've guessed that it wouldn't be as easy as a few guards and some complicated maze-work with the building layout. This was Kaiden's pride and joy… No way he'd leave it so exposed.

As the light-haired woman approached, Penny rolled her eyes, squaring off with the good sense to keep her hands raised. The temperature plummeted, and she could already feel the chill working it's way bone deep, "You were lucky you got shot, Frosty. Hey, Levi! Could use a little warmth, bud!"

Levi could feel his heart pound mercilessly in his chest, his eyes tracing over to Penny as a bizarre sense of excitement churning in his stomach(or that might have been the chicken and marshmallows). There were children on the line, small, innocent children who could give no consent to being where they were. His own mind lingered to his child, knowing that...that if he had the chance, he would walk out of here with the knowledge that it could be done. That lost children could be found. For a brief moment, a smile danced along his lips. "Already smokin hot, Pen." His finger skimmed gently along the face of his palm, sudden warmth bubbling in his chest and melting the frosty cold threatening to encase him whole. He grinned. "Cat fight it is, then."

"Ahhhh frick frack fuck, this is really happening," Lucas muttered under his breath as even more trouble arrived. Crap. He honestly should've known and, to be perfectly honest, a small part of himself had seen this coming. Didn't make it any easier of a pill to swallow. His gaze was stubbornly glued to Fran, widening with scalding concern as she lunged for her brother, far too fast for him to utter a "Be careful" or "Stay safe".

This was really it.

Inhaling slowly, Lucas' attention shifted to this… Framework dude. His skin had fluctuated, taking on the same material as the elevator. Huh. How about that--another shifter. That didn't work out in his favor at all but if Fran was going all out… then Lucas would too. Fists clenched at his side, he willed his body to switch into c-BN mode, his diamond hide rippling into existence. He gave Framework a quick glance up and down before smirking. "Well, aren't you forward, sweetness. Haven't even taken me out to dinner yet." He immediately winced--damn, that was a bit too flirty, wasn't it? Freaking bad habits die hard.

Framework's jaw clenched as he approached Lucas. He didn't want to fight, but he didn't want to die either. Self-preservation would be the winner as he stepped forward and squared up, "Shut up," he spat as he threw a right hook.

Gauge growled in frustration as her ability was negated. It always gave her the advantage, but now she'd be forced to fight this woman on equal ground. No matter. She'd succeed. Rogue would suffer for what had happened, "I can kill you without my abilities," she said confidently. Stepping up to Penny, Gauge rolled her shoulders before throwing the first combination.

A brow quirked, almost comically, as Gauge suggested fighting on even ground. It was almost an amusing thought… But for the notion that this was the second time the woman had purposed to kill her and people she loved. As she swung, Penny eased out of the way with a small smirk, and when the second punch was thrust towards her, she slammed her palm up under the woman's arm, her free hand curving, grip tightening and bracing herself, she pulled, to hurtle Gauge up and over, onto her back. Without releasing her grip on the arm, but letting it slide down to the woman's wrist, she planted a foot into Gauge's chest and yanked, wrenching the shoulder forward, hard.

Lucas frowned somewhat at Framework's response. Figures--this dude wasn't in the mood to trade banter at all. Which meant no hopes of stalling on his part. Great. Perfect. His reaction time wasn't fast enough to dodge the punch, but he was definitely confident enough to stand his ground, taking the hit dead on. Steel met diamond with a resounding smack, making Lucas visibly wince as the vibrations rattled his senses. Shit… that stung more than a normal punch would've. Lucas stumbled back quickly, arms thrown up into a guard. "Seriously dude. You don't want to do this!" he pleaded--

And then something happened. Lucas heard it before he saw it and when his gaze snapped in Fran's direction, he just caught the tail end of her seizing up, needles protruding from her body, before collapsing. That… That--"Son of a bitch!" Countenance twisting with a snarl, Lucas tried to barrel past Framework, the man completely forgotten in favor of reaching Fran as quickly as possible. "Move!"

Gauge cried out in agony as her shoulder was torn from its socket. Her head spun, the pain blurring her vision behind watered eyes. She wanted so badly to fight back, to lash out, but with Penny's foot on her chest and a her dislocated arm in Penny's hands Gauge knew she was in an impossible situation. Surrendering, she cradled her shoulder with her free hand.

The moment Lucas barreled into him, Framework anchored his foot, passed an arm over and around Lucas, and used the man's own momentum to throw him toward the wall. He wanted desperately to apologize, to try and justify his actions, but his survival instincts kicked in. He didn't want to die, and he knew that he would if he failed.

Releasing Gauge's arm, but keeping her foot pinned to the woman's chest, Penny looked over to Levi, before moving her eyes to Lucas and his attacker, "You're outnumbered, three to one, bud! Not in your best interest to keep trying…"

Lucas's back met the wall with a rattling smack, the air briefly fleeing from his lungs. This guy… he really wasn't going to budge. He wasn't going to step aside for anything and that realization, despite the apologetic glimmer in his eyes, fanned the growing irritation within him. Peeling himself from the wall, Lucas inhaled once, sharply, as his mind crept back in time. There were so many things he'd done that he was never proud of, all for the sake of someone he thought he had… But this was real. Fran was real. Her pain was real.

His body fluctuated once more, adopting the shifty sand-like form of graphite. Particles nearly invisible to the naked eye floated from his form. Slowly, he raised one griddy finger to tap at his temple. He understood now--there was a line he needed to step over. "Got a no-brainer question for ya, sweetness." A plastic smile pulled at his lips. "You like breathing just as much as I do?" Oh yeah, he could feel it. Old habits were surfacing, but in that very moment, he welcomed them with open arms.

Framework's brow knit as confusion and concern washed over his face. He was the last one standing now, but he couldn't just give up. If RIEF knew, they'd activate his explosive. With hands raised, he spoke, "What's that got to do with this?"

Levi's mind snapped back into action when Penny's eyes met his, realizing now would be a good time to try and assist with the final strike to his cold bitch enemy, yet, staring over to Framework and realizing he was attempting to negotiate as it seemed, it appeared to him it would just be better to get this over with. It was a good thing he already felt sleepy as it was, he blamed the chicken and marshmello combo that happily satisfied his hunger. "Alright…" Focusing on both Gauge's and Framework's form, he allowed the swaying slumber to overtake his form, eyes drooping with exhaustion and several yawns threatening to go past his lips. If he was lucky, Gauge and Framework would fall asleep before he did, but nevertheless, he found himself stumbling over to the nearest wall for support, giving an apologetic wave to his far superior, kickass teammates.

"Give…"[/i]yawn[/i] "It a second."

It took a moment just as Levi had said. At first, Framework's head grew fuzzy. Confusion with a hint of relief flashed across his eyes. Then his arms became heavy. Next he found himself stumbling toward the wall to brace himself. Before he could reach it, though, he fell to the floor surrendering to the sleepiness that had suddenly attacked him.

For only a moment, as he stumbled towards the wall, Penny was struck by confusion at Levi's behavior. But when she caught sight of the man stumbling, and could feel Gauge's weight shift beneath her foot, a small smirk appeared at the corner of her lips, "Damn… Remind me, if we get out of this alive, to ask Levi's babysitting rates. Alright Lucas?" She asked, as she looked over at him. She hadn't missed the way it struck him… Fran going down, "We should tie these two up and head after the others."

Watching Framework hit the floor was like flipping a switch within Lucas. In that moment, any malicious intent he had was subverted by guilt, then shame, before all sentiments transformed into a massive ball of nausea sitting in the pit of his gut. Dear, god. He was really about to… to… Shaking, he willed the particles to evacuate Framework's lungs, a thin stream of graphite flowing from between his lips and adhering back to Lucas's body. His form fluctuated back to normal and at the sound of Penny's voice, he nodded numbly. "Yeah… Right as rain."

At her suggestion, his eyes landed on a nearby socket and ripped a chord free of it. He was working a tad hastily, but he figured he had tied Framework up pretty damn tight and was already pacing ahead of everyone else towards Fran and the others. No. Just Fran.

Watching Lucas head towards the elevator with a note of concern, Penny nevertheless shook her head and moving beside Levi, bent to give him a nudge in his shoulder, "C'mon Lev… Nap time's over. Time to go kick ass."

Levi's head snapped back immediately into the wall behind him with the touch administered to his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open with a primal fear, instinct first before he realized that he had been awoken by a friendly nudge. Groaning, he placed his hand behind his head and gave a sheepish grin to the blonde before him. "Had the craziest dream. I bored the enemy into submission…" Propping himself with the palms of his hands, he bounced back to his feet and bobbed his head, grateful that his plan didn't backfire on him and made him fall asleep first. When he found his child, he knew that he had a sound system of taking care of her now. A gentle grin blossomed along his features, although illness coated his tongue. "Sweet, time to spectate and take another nap." He cooed, trying not to let concern etch his features as his sight directed over to Lucas approaching Frankie. He swallowed hard, knowing better than to interrupt.

"L-let's go then, Pen."

Nodding, Penny held out a hand to help Levi to his feet. As soon as he had risen, she nodded, turning to the elevator and following Lucas inside, she pressed the button to follow the others up.

 

[DarinValore]

Raided RIEF Blacksite
Interactions: Deckard, Penny, Doc, Gabriella
Collab: @Elle Joyner​

As the elevator doors opened, the first sound those exiting the metal doors would hear would be the soft hum… gentle and quiet, then increasing slowly in volume, but never above the delicate, melodic tone of a peaceful lullaby. From her office, Graciella had already begun to soporific tune, and as they stepped into the lobby of the nursery, this would be the thing that Penny, Deck, Lucas, Levi, Oz and Francis would find facing them. The quiet thrum.. A whispered promise of rest and rejuvenation. A pull, a siren's call towards the land of Nod.

The nursery warden's lips curved in a smile, and the child she held in her arms yawned, her bright blue eyes fluttering closed. Slowly, Graciella lowered her into one of the cradles, and without stopping the melody, she reached out to press the button that would alert the guard relay that there was trouble in the building. In roughly thirty seconds, the intruders would be deeply asleep… in less than five minutes, they would be under lock and key.

Ever she had caught wind of the commotion slowly making its way up to the facility, Doc had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make her move. It had to be the Rogues, and if her friends were coming, they'd be walking into a trap if Graciella had her way. With earplugs securely in place, Doc moved carefully through the facility until Graciella was in sight. Once Graciella placed the child back in the cradle, Doc approached from behind, raising the pipe she'd happened upon. With all her might, she swung hoping to catch Graciella off guard.

Penny clutched the column in the lobby center as the wave of dizzy, overwhelming exhaustion rolled over her. Everything inside of her tried to push past it, but as the music built, the gentle voice seeping deeper and deeper into her brain, she felt her will, her resolve crumbling. They'd come so close… so damn close…

A sudden crack sounded, and then a thud, and suddenly, the music stopped… the music stopped and the feeling snapped away, like being woken sharply from a nap or a daydream. Pushing upright, Penny's eyes moved, sharply, to Deck, and swiftly, she gave a nod, before heading towards the nursery doors.

Even his anger toward Keegan and Rogue and his need to see his son for the first time were not enough to help Deckard fight off the weariness that struck him as soon as the elevators had opened. Had it not been for whatever had caused the song to stop, Deck was certain he'd never have seen his son. When he had gathered himself, he followed after Penny toward the nursery doors.

Doc stood over Gabriella's motionless body though her chest still rose and fell with each breath. Her own heart beat violently against her chest, and her knuckles had turned white under the death grip she had on the now red-streaked pipe. She could still feel the vibrations running up her arm and the hear the sound that the pipe made upon impact. Staring down at Gabriella, Doc wrestled with the doctor inside her and the vengeful spirit that wanted to see Gabriella completely still.

With the others in tow, Penny made her way to the first open door, and looking past the threshold, caught sight of the woman with the pipe in hand. Her heart shuddered, "Oh my God… Doc??"

It took a moment for the words to register through the earplugs, and when they did, Doc slowly turned to look toward Penny, "P-Penny?" she asked blinking, "I had to," she looked down at the woman, "She was humming."

"Oh, sweetie. No. No don't… You just... " Stepping into the room, Penny grabbed the woman into a hug, pulling her tightly to her chest, "Oh God. We thought… we thought you were dead." Shaking her head, she released Doc and stepping back, looked down at the woman, before her eyes shifted to the baby in the cradle and paling, she covered a gasp with her hand, "...How many are there….?"

"Too many," Doc whispered as she lowered the pipe before releasing it, allowing it to clang against the floor. Looking up to Penny, she plead with her eyes, "We have to get them all out. The things they make them do…"

"That's why we're here." Looking back to the others, she nodded, "Are… are the older ones here, too? Where are they?"

Nodding, she leaned over the crip and scooped up the sleeping child, "Through the double doors and down the hall. B-Be careful. They don't know you, and they can be quite dangerous."

Baby in arms, Doc made her way to Levi and offered a gentle smile, "This one's yours."

Penny had turned to tell Deck which way to go when she overheard Doc's announcement to Levi. Blinking, she shifted her gaze to the illusionist, slightly wide-eyed, before moving to take Deck's hand, "Down the hall… Double doors. You sure you're ready…?"

"Doesn't really matter if I am," Deck swallowed, "I'm a father, and I'd really like to meet my son."

Giving his hand a squeeze, Penny nodded, before looking back at the others, "See what else you can find. Doc can help…" Her eyes moved to Levi and her expression softened, "...Congratulations." And with another squeeze, she tugged Deck towards the double doors.

 

[KatSea]

Levi Gunner



Levi didn't think his plan would leave him so...foolishly clumsy as he clambered behind Lucas, Penny, Francis, Deck and Ozno, Wooo boy...he was not gonna tell Daisy or Shiloh(or you know, anyone back at base who he considered to be an equal or superior)...Add Nick to that list...That was not something he would feel pride in telling his future generations.

Guess what kiddos! Your old grandpe Levee Simeon Gunner put everyone to sleep! And himself! To save a herd of captive, solider infants! Yep, old man Levi Gunner is off his meds again...get them back...they make the head feel pleasantly fuzzy...and I get to scream WHAT?! when you want my attention. I can't wait to be a withered, bitter old man with stories to tell.

Levi couldn't help the smile that barricaded itself across his demeanor, refusing to leave. Despite the horror of abducted children. Despite the knowledge that this could all go wrong in an instant. Instead his mind drifted to the thought of his own child. The impossible quest of finding her seemed possible after assisting Deck in the recovery of his own child. Of his own flesh and blood. There was faith churning in his stomach, in his heart, in his soul. He was going to be a father. he was going to be a grandfather one day. And he wanted it more than anything in the world, stepping into their destination.

The joy simmered into despair and envy within moments, his heart pounding against his chest at the sight of a figure hovering over a slumped form. There was a crib tucked neatly into the small office, presumably where someone's child had remained restful mere moments ago. Whoever let this child...let the other children into this hellpit...God...Oh...God...Illness took over the envy. Coating his stomach, rising in his throat until he could taste nothing but bile and...salt. Lifting his fingers to his cheek, he realized there was something wrong and quickly dropped his fists down towards his sides, a quake threatening to tremor along his chest.

Oh God. Peter would call this the beginning of a panic...wouldn't he. I hope he's wrong...Can't have fallen asleep and have had a panic attack all in one mission. Daisy would dump my ass for 'manly' Thad in a heartbeat...

Not even the presence of Doc, alive and well, could comfort the sudden shift, the child within her arms only increasing the pressure upon his diaphragm, his eyes glossing over briefly.

The hell is going on with me? What the hell? Shit! God...God damn it! Didn't think I'd get emotional over seeing someone else's child...with a honeydew halo and...

Doc approached Levi, child in arms, and the closer the child got, the more pain piled upon Levi's ribs. She had to have been taunting this man but for what reason? He...he couldn't express the suffocation that threatened to seal his throat from retrieving oxygen. That child...it...it looked as if...

"This one's yours." If Levi could feel the physical outtake of one's heart being torn down the center, only to be sewn shut with a needle and thread, he could have sworn the emotion corrupting his entire being was draining him of life. Color escaped his cheeks, his hand raising to cover his mouth in an involuntary attempt to silence the strangled down gasp, bordering on a cry of a wounded animal.

No. No. No no no NO! NO! Sarah couldn't have been this cruel! To our...to our child...she gave her up...to a fucking experimental facility....Fuck...my...my daughter, oh God. Oh dear God. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry...

Yet, staring down at the child in her arms, asleep in perfect peace, a gentle pink bubbling at the corner of her chubby, cherubim cheeks. She was safe. She was safe. His child was...

Here. Alive. Beautiful.

"Oh...dear...Christ." He managed, glancing apologetically towards the Doc before snaking his arms around his child firmly, bringing her head into his chest and gently resting his chin upon her.

Oh my God. Oh God. What...what if I'm squeezing her too tight? Oh God, what if I drop her? What if she hasn't been getting enough attention? She doesn't seemed malnourished but Pete told me kids can be fucked up if they don't get enough touch as a child...oh God...I'm a stranger to her. I'm a stranger to her and I'm holding her like a father should. I don't...I don't even know if she knows who I am to her...I'm just a stranger...gripping this child as if I let her down into the crib she is gone again. No. This...this doesn't feel real. But she's in my arms. She's in my arms and she's safe and I've never loved anything else before like this. Oh...god...Love of my life...

"T-thank you..." He breathed, cautiously bouncing her only to realize she was still sound asleep and he refused to wake her up. "O-oh God...w-we gotta go help..." Staring down at the still form securely tucked within his arms, her head gently bouncing against his shoulder. "O..oh...do...do you know if she has a name?" He whispered, not daring to make eye contact with anyone else.

Oh God. Francis and Lucas don't even know Sorry guys. Didn't want you to realize I was a man ho, extreme. His eyes remained locked with his child, fearful that if he moved from his spot she'd vanish again.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Ozno McCarthy | Interactions: Infants

Ozno was always sleepy. It was, like, his default state of existence. If he wasn't sleepy, he was hungry. If he wasn't sleepy or hungry, then he was missing Ade. If he wasn't missing his poodle, then that meant he was with her and having another paint war. Or looking at the stars on the roof. Or playing with her awesome poofy post-shower hair. But, he wasn't like that right now, as much as he wished he was. Instead, he was caught off guard. And that was hard to do.

The elevator ride started off, like, okay. He guessed? He still felt bad for She Hulk, could still remember the tears and anguish and just... feeling bummed out all around. He hoped she would be cool after all of this. Maybe another spar would help or something. Or food. Food was always the cure. However, his deep thoughts grew shallow, more and more until he was forced back to the present and arching his brow in curiosity as this dope pretty singing filled his ears. Daaang, he didn't know who this was, but she sounded nice. So dang nice. He could take a nap to this. Like those times when Megan used to sing to him. Their lullaby.

"Jasmine scented ashes..." Nails, finely manicured, nearly lethal, grazed his scalp with the tenderness of rain-soaked dandelions. The sobs had softened, weakened, chased away viciously by the love peeking through her hard gaze. "Pink clouds..." His lips parted, his shaky and congested young voice following hers. Slowly. Clumsily. "Love comes... raining down..."

White noise. Sharp. Painfully jarring. Ozno was ripped back to the present, blinking owlishly as the singing stopped and the fog rolled off his shoulders smoother than autumn rain. "Whoa..." he muttered, staring ahead a moment and not entirely aware of what was going on. One moment, he was dang sleepy. The next, he was wide awake. He wondered if he could like, take that weird shiz and put it in a bottle. Some kind of medicine or pill that he could take in place of smoking a joint. He... loved medicating, it gave him flashbacks to those cool days with Megan, but having a backup for when others were around would be nice.

Anyway, he had to do important shiz. He wasn't eighty percent sure what, but he knew it was huge. He tilted his head, watching as Penny hugged some woman holding a baby. Oh, cool. They were buddies! It was good for everyone to have a buddy--and a baby! Babies were cool too. Like, double cool. Triple? Yis--quadruple. Wait... why was a baby here?

He really couldn't understand anything right now.

The stray cry of a few infants tore his attention away from Penny and Deck, who had sprinted down the hall to do... something. Again, important shiz. It was always important shiz. Regardless, despite how faint and distant the sound was, Ozno found his feet pulling him towards it. Through the lobby, down the hall, until a room to his left came into view.

Infants. It was full of infants. They were in their cribs, most of them quiet... which Ozno didn't really like. Made this weird ball grow in his stomach, not in like, the way his belly grew from eating. Nah. That actually made him feel happy. But this... this bummed him out. With a soft frown pulling at his lips, he followed the cries of one child in particular, her screams carrying the most distress out of the bunch, and leaned over the crib. "Wowww... So small..." Ozno whispered.

She was like... a cute chicken nugget. But made of human and not chicken. But she was also pretty hot in the face, pink with frustration as she squirmed fretfully within her sheets. Her little legs looked like they were tangled, so Ozno pulled them off casually, wide eyes still taking in her every breath, every angry flail of delicate fists. Slowly, he reached a single finger towards that fist. "Why're you bummed?" he asked. However, some air caught in his lungs as those tiny digits unfurled and wrapped around his, the grip far stronger than he anticipated. Dang. Strong baby. But still screaming baby.

Ozno's chin came to rest on the rail, a thoughtful hum rolling from him lazily. The crying kinda... reminded him of himself. When he was a little dude and woke up from nightmares. It was a sucky feeling. No one deserved to feel like that, especially not this baby nugget. Eyes still glazed over with perpetual exhaustion and a floating mind, his humming started to lilt into something more melodic. This lasted for a few seconds, just watching the baby as she continued to wail.

"Jasmine scented ashes... Pink clouds."

The infant's grip only strengthened, but Ozno continued unfazed.

"Love comes raining down... Shine like stars... Don't you have a doubt."

There was a hiccup to slice through the cry, before her voice dwindled ever so slightly in volume. But she persisted. She battled on with her sobs, wrangling Ozno's finger like a lifeline.

"Even with... the darkness around." His mind grew fuzzy just singing the song himself, a leftover peace from memories seeping into his system. He could only hope that the mad nugget would feel it too. He fell silent a moment, the cogs turning in his mind. Faster than he was comfortable with, until the words came to him. Uncertainly, but heck, they were there. "La mer... Qu'on voit danser... Le long des golfes clairs..."

The yanking and pulling had subsided by now, along with the baby's cries dying down. Slowly, but surely. Ever so surely. It was hard to see, barely visible, but some of the tenseness eased from her little body, all except for the grip she had on his finger.

"A des reflets... d'argent... La mer... l-la mer..." He couldn't remember the rest. And yet, as his brain struggled to scrape up the rest, he finally came to realize that silence reigned.

The entire room.

Ozno blinked, then straightened up a bit, the sleeping baby's grip loose around his finger. "Duuuude..." Did he just rockabye the whole room?

...

...

...

He beamed. "Noice!"

And just like that, his yell woke all of them and cries exploded around him. He flinched.

...Whoops.

---

Translation: The sea... we see dancing... along the clear gulfs... Has silver highlights... The sea

 

[DarinValore]

Interactions: Penny, Deck, Zoey, Travis
Collab: @Elle Joyner
Location: Super Secret Child-Soldier-Making Facility​

Travis moaned as his eyes broke open. The cruel light assaulted them, and he lifted a hand to block it. He was exhausted and his body felt heavy, but he knew deep down that he needed to move. He had heard her thoughts...right before she started humming. There were people coming...people that could ruin Gabriella and Keegan's plans for them. A flicker of hope grabbed at the corners of his heart and mind. Maybe they could finally leave...maybe they could finally be set free from all of this.

Peering through groggy eyes, he found Zoey. He was still getting used to calling her that, though he was proud of the name he'd picked for her. She needed to wake up. They needed to move...just in case his hope was wrong. He'd been lied to before…

"Z-Zoey," he groaned, "Wake up…"

Despite moving toward the door, it only seemed to grow further and further away. Beyond that last obstacle was Deckard Hallow's son...the one he never knew he had, but had always wanted. The son Alys had hidden and then given away to the most vile man Deck knew. The horror that his son went through….Not anymore. Now, the boy would know what it felt like to be loved...to be cared for and protected. Nothing or no one would separate them ever again.

With Penny's hand in his, he finally pushed through the door and started down the hall. With each step fear built up within him. What if he found his son and the boy didn't want anything to do with him? What if he rounded the corner and the children were all dead because RIEF was cleaning house? What if's assaulted him causing him to squeeze Penny's hand a little harder.

"Come on...come on," he repeated, clinging to the hope of a future life with his son.

"Deck…" Penny murmured softly, "I might need that hand later? Try not to turn it to dust…" looking over at him, her eyes softened slightly, "They weren't protecting the kids… They were keeping us from them. It's gonna be okay…"

Zoey, meanwhile, who rarely slept more than necessary was already staring up at the ceiling panels, counting specks in the flimsy particle board tile. Her eyes flickered to Travis when he hissed out her name… her name and sitting up, she frowned, "What is it?"

The fog was lifting from Travis' mind as he pushed himself up on his elbows, "You weren't sleeping?" he shook his head before throwing his feet over the edge, "Someone is coming. I heard it from the mean lady. Do you think they're here to save us?"

An apology slipped through Deckard's lips, though his grip loosened only slightly, "We just need to hurry," is all he said before coming to a full-stop outside a door. Peering in through the window, he spoke, "There's so many of them, Penny. How will I know which one is him?"

"You'll know, Big Guy…" Penny nodded, hand to the door, "Ready?"

Zoey frowned, swinging her legs to the floor, "I never sleep longer than necessary for human function. You would know better than me if they are here to save us… Did she seem… Scared? Angry?"

Travis' brow narrowed and his lips pursed in thought as he recalled his peek into Gabriella's mind, "She was angry and scared, I think. Her thoughts were not the same as her face," he tried to explain, "I do know that she was not happy with whoever was coming."

Looking at the door where Penny had placed her hand, he swallowed hard and then nodded, "Let's go."

Nodding, Zoey rose to her feet, "Then they're probably not here to hurt us… Or at least, they're not his people. Wait… shh…" Gesturing to the door, she frowned, "...They're coming."

Travis watched as the door opened. His hands gripped at the side of the bed, and his eyes nervously bounced between the opening door and Zoey. Who walked through, though, did not seem like a person dressed to fight. There were no big guns in their hands. In fact, the man was holding the woman's hand. It was a gesture that made him relax only slightly.

Deckard's eyes scanned all the children as they began to rise from their cots obviously disturbed by the couple's entry, "Which one is he?" Deck asked just as his eyes fell on Travis. It was just as Penny had stated. The moment his eyes met Travis', he knew the boy was his. Relief washed over him as he blinked through blurry eyes, "It's you.." he managed to mutter.

Travis couldn't stop the wave of thoughts that washed over him as he peeked into the man's mind. It was almost overwhelming. The man was angry, sad, and happy all at the same time, but it was the sad and happy thoughts that were the heaviest. Why, though? Why did the man feel this way about him? Pushing deeper in, he heard the angry thoughts about Alys, the woman Travis knew to be his mother. He was sad about missing time with someone, but happy that he'd finally found that person. The man had finally found his son. It took another moment before Travis connected the man's locked gaze with that final thought, and when he did, Travis couldn't help but let the tears fall from the corner of his eyes in time with the man's own tear. Pushing to his feet, Travis tilted his head slightly, "You came," he spoke softly before turning his words to Zoey, "Zoey, he came. My dad came to save us."

"See…" Penny whispered, her fingers leaving Deck's as she gave him a gentle nudge further into the room, "...He knows you." But it was said in whisper, with a sense of relief Penny could not rightly explain.

Zoey looked between the two in the doorway, then to Travis, and as her mind factored in the connections… The biological similarities between the larger man and her friend, a small frown formed… He'd found them, then. His family. He'd have what he should've from the beginning. A home. A real home, "...G-good." She murmured softly, "I'm happy for you, Travis."

"Happy for us," he grinned, "He's gonna save all of us," he turned and looked up at Deckard, "Right?"

Deckard nodded, "Yes,we're here to save all of you," lowering down to a knee, Deckard reached out awkwardly and patted Travis' arm, "I thought.."

"You'd never find me," Travis frowned and then nodded, "It's okay. I know you didn't ever think about giving up."

"Do you-" Deckard started.

"Travis," Travis beamed, "My name is Travis. Oh, and this," he reached out and grabbed Zoey's hand, yanking her to his side, "This is Zoey."

Deckard smiled and looked to Zoey, "Are you-"

"Yes, she is my bestest friend," Travis interrupted again and then turned to Zoey, "He says, 'Thank you'."

As Travis bounced back and forth through Deckard's thoughts, Penny stared, half in awe. It certainly seemed to make things easier, but not without its struggles, no doubt. Her eyes shifted to the girl, he anxious knotted her hands together, lip still turned down in a frown.

"...Hello." Was all she said, eyes downcast, "Thank you for coming to save us. Travis has been teaching me the importance of gratitude, even if I do not understand the sentiment, directly."

Travis blushed with pride, "Zoey is super smart, but she doesn't understand the less logjacool stuff, so I help her."

Deckard couldn't help but smile at the mispronunciation, "Sounds like you two have really helped each other out here," Deck paused and looked up at Penny. Reaching out for her hand, Deck continued, "This is my helper. Her name is-"

"Penny," Travis smiled up at her and nodded, "You're his girlfriend," he looked at Zoey and smiled, "Like Zoey is my girlfriend."

"I do not think it is the same meaning, Travis…" Zoey whispered softly, her eyes shuffling again, between Deck and Penny, who had settled her hand on Deck's shoulder with a small smile.

"It's really great to meet you both…" She murmured, giving Deck's shoulder a squeeze, "We weren't really sure… how all this would go."

"No," Deckard chuckled, "Not the same thing," taking another long look at his son, Deckard wanted so badly to pull the boy into an embrace, the hold him and let him know everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure that Travis would be okay with that.

Without warning, Travis threw himself against Deckard after releasing Zoey's hand. Wrapping little arms as tightly as he could around Deckard, he spoke, his voice muffled against his father, "Yes, I would very much like a hug."

Embracing his son, Deckard found himself blown away. His son was alive, and somehow, not twisted by everything the children had endured and apparently a telepath to boot.

"Zoey kept me safe," Travis answered his father's thoughts as he pulled back, "Without her…"

Deckard looked up at Penny and then stood to join her, "Then she comes with us. If she's that important to you, Travis, then she's that important to us."

Blinking, Penny looked to Deck, before nodding slowly, her smile warming, "Meanwhile… we need to figure out…" She wouldn't say it outloud, but there were a lot more faces in that room than she'd anticipated, and they hadn't even cleared the rest of the building…

"...There's 25 of us…" Zoey stated softly, "The babies, and there's five older ones left. That's not including the pregnant ones. You don't need to take me… I… I'm not family."

"Twenty-five...pregnant ones," Deck whistled.

"Don't say that!" Travis frowned as he looked to Zoey.

Deckard nodded, "He's right, Zoey. You've been the only person that Travis has been able to count on these past five years, and while you're right that you aren't biological...there are some things that are just as binding. You're important to Travis, so that makes you family. You'll come with us...that is, if you want to?"

It was almost more than Penny wanted to hear… and the notion that there were women there, too… Pregnant women. There was no force on earth violent enough for the fate Kaiden deserved to suffer, "Deck's right." She continued, looking to Zoey, "Biology ain't what makes a family."

"...Biology is exactly what makes a family…" Zoey continued, frowning thoughtfully, "I am confused."

Deck sighed, "Family is more than biology, Zoey. A family -a real family- makes you feel loved and wanted. They are always there for you, and help you in hard times. They aren't afraid to tell you how it is. I know it must be a difficult concept to you, but I promise you, if you come with us you'll understand one day."

Travis looked up at his dad and then to Zoey, "He's a good person," Travis told her, "Not like the people here. I think we can trust them. And…" he paused and looked down at the floor before looking up, "I want you to come with us. You don't need to be alone."

"...I tried alone, Kid. For a long time… Nobody's meant to be that way." Penny added, with a small shrug.

"...I… I suppose there is… some logic to what you are suggesting." Zoey itched her arm, her eyes moving to Travis, "...You are sure?"

"Yes!" Travis said emphatically.

"Then if this is settled, we really need to see about getting all of you out of this building and safely to Rogue. If we stay too long, we may not get out," Deck spoke with a sense of urgency in his tone.

"Agreed…" Penny nodded, taking a step towards the door, "...Sounds like we've got a lot more to move than we anticipated, too." A small sigh escaped as her eyes moved to the other three occupied beds, and with a frown, she looked to Deck, "...We'll start with this room."

Travis nodded and stepped up, "And we can help!" he said before heading to the nearest bed and talking to the occupant.

Deckard wanted to object, but decided against it. These children were familiar with Travis and probably more willing to believe him than them, "Alright, but listen to me and Penny. Follow our every word," Deck moved to the door and peeked out, "We're ready to move when everyone's together."

"What about the others?" Penny asked, when she was nearer to Deck, a small frown on her lips, "...Gonna be kinda hard to move a bunch of infants and, apparently, pregnant women. We're gonna need some kinda plan for all this…"

Deck washed his hand over his face and beard as he thought, "Most of the building is evacuated. We need to get these children, the babies, and the women down the elevator and stars as quickly as we safely can. We'll have to split up in the garage and see if there are other vehicles we can get our hands on to help us transport everyone. I have a feeling our previous exit strategy won't have enough room. If we can get our hands on some weapons, we could level the playing field against anyone who might be waiting for us," Deckard shrugged and smirked before speaking with a hint of sarcasm, "and if push comes to shove, I could just make another bridge."

"Ha… Cause that worked so well for us the last time…" She teased, with a small chuckle, "For now, let's just get back to the others and we'll go from there." They were all alive and kicking, at least for now, and that was better than she'd expected things to go… But these new developments were definitely complications, and they were gonna have to think on their feet.

"Sounds like a plan," Deck looked toward the children who had huddled around Zoey and Travis, five altogether, "Alright, kids, stay close."

"...Here we go." Penny repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that day, before heading for the double door again.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Throw Me A Lifeline | Interactions: Lucas, Francis @CloudyBlueDay , and Levi @KatSea | Location: Child-Holding Facility


Even though she'd been tugging Ozno along, Francis lingered. She knew she wasn't supposed too, but she needed Lucas. Especially after she had seen him fight against Framework. The moment he entered the elevator she grabbed him tightly, wrapping her arms around his middle to engulf him in a hug, that for one moment almost seemed suffocating before Fran suddenly let go, just as quickly as she'd attacked him with the embrace. Expression tight, teeth grinding, the blood dripping from the many holes on her arms finally drying though the burn from the barbs pulsed an angry red, she found his hand and squeezed it tight. Afraid that if she looked at him or said anything at all her emotions would betray her, Fran stayed quiet, gaze pointed dead set ahead with a slightly trembling lip.

Air escaped Lucas's lungs the moment Fran wrapped her arms around him. He could say that it was because of how incredibly tight her grip was, but the surprise of it all won over any physical reaction his body had, and before he had a chance to say anything or move, she released him, grabbing hold of his hand instead. Looking away. Hiding her pain from view, yet so blindingly visible in his eyes…

He didn't need to think. In the next moment, he pulled her back into a tight embrace; he wasn't as strong as her, not by a longshot, but he cranked as much support and strength into that hold as his heart would dare to. "Fuck, you scared me," he whispered brokenly.

Don't break. Don't break. Don't break. Her body and heart ached at the same tempo and it was impossible to hold the hurt, to keep pushing it down her throat. But Lucas' supporting embrace, the pure worry in his short sentence made it so damn hard. "I'm sorry." She whispered, almost inaudibly, a sharp breath following right after the words, trying to steady herself. "F-fuck. I can't do this now. I can't collapse now. L-Lucas, I can't.." She mumbled into his chest, shaking her head vehemently.

"Yes you can. You can," Lucas said. He could feel and hear the strain burning Fran inside out, and that alone had the potential to break his heart. They were in the middle of a mission. The most important mission they had ever been involved in, but he'd rather walk barefoot through hellfire than to just stand there and let Fran endure this turmoil on her own. His hands cradled her head, steadying it as his face came to rest in her hair. His whisper was as fragile as a butterfly's wing. "You can break, Fran. It's okay to… We'll always build each other up, right? I promise I will."

"But we h-have to f-fight." Francis choked out, speaking through gritted teeth, trying not to sob. "We have to f-fight. So I'll b-break after." Not in an elevator filled with every single person who relied on her. Not in a RIEF base where countless children had been tortured and kidnapped. Not now. It didn't matter now. "I'm okay." She said softly, trying to find the strength to pull away from him, and lacking it entirely.

"Okay," Lucas said immediately, not a heartbeat after the final syllable escaped Fran. He understood. He understood the logic and priorities behind her response, but it didn't stop him from pressing a chaste kiss to the crown of her head and holding her close for the entire way up. "Just… just know I'm always here. Whenever you're ready, Fran. I-I'm here."

His reassuring words instilled some strength back in Francis, and every second in his embrace calmed her erratic breath, gave her the will to keep going. "I k-know you are. T-thank you. Thank you." She mumbled, and when the elevator finally opened, Francis leaned up to kiss his cheek, but was suddenly deterred by the sweet melody that hit the room.

She stumbled in his grasp, teeth gritting as Francis tried to block out the sound, but it was impossible to fight against. Her grip was slipping, resolve melting away, and for a horrifying second, Francis thought the fight was lost. But the sound broke as a thud echoed, and she took a deep breath, shaking away the lingering tune.

With one hand in Lucas', Fran took in the nursery. The body on the floor, which was definitely the source of the treacherous song. That, and… Doc! Doc was alive! A smile twitched at the corner of Francis' lips, but flickered with confusion as Doc stepped towards Levi, and offered a baby to Levi, and her jaw dropped. She stared at Lucas in shock, before taking a tentative step towards her friend.

"...Levi?" Francis said softly.

"Oh...oh...um...oh dear you are a cutie aren't ya? Please don't wake up please stay asleep oh God kiddo I'm so so sorry…" His thumb massaged the back of her head as his heart drastically began to pound, each beat threatening to break his ribs into pieces. Oh God. This was overwhelming. He wished he could have been beside her when she was brought into the world. He wished he could have held her, making her first few moments feel nothing but love and excitement for the brand new life in his hands. Instead, he found that guilt built further and further into his chest. He didn't even know she was here. He didn't know that Sarah could have done such a thing to his child. Their child. But she was beautiful and pink and Levi found that love at first sight was honest. He brought his lips to her head, lingering there as his shoulders shook. He couldn't move. He didn't want to move.

"W-what?" He stammered out, shoulders tense and defensive as a familiar voice called his name. His head swiveled, gentle, slow, tentative. Francis. Lucas. His breath hiked in his throat, and slowly turning on his heel, he balanced his daughter safely in his arms. "Oh...oh God...are you two alright?" He inquired, as if the child in his arms didn't need to be explained. As if this was something that should have been expected. "S-sh…" Catching himself, he realized that he should monitor his language. Oh God. This poor girl's ears… "Its...its almost like I was asleep the entire time, kiddos. Are you okay?" He recalled Francis having been harmed, but it had been managed. And he supposed it wasn't 'ethical' to race back down and strangle someone with his own shoelaces(if Lucas didn't kill when he was able, Levi should not have either). Swallowing hard, he offered them a big grin.

"So..uh, I can explain."

Lucas instantly knew that something was wrong the moment those elevator doors parted. However, knowing wasn't enough to will the grogginess away from his body. Senses numbed and the world fuzzed, darkness obscuring the corners of his vision. He grit his teeth, trying to fight off the hypnotic effect, but no avail. He couldn't… He couldn't fight it off and that thought alone was damn frustrating. But, if he was going down, then he would at least keep his hold on Fran, use his form as a cushion for her when they hit the ground…

Fortunately, it didn't need to come to that.

The siren song cut off sharply and awareness flooded back into mind. For the briefest moment, his legs buckled from imbalance, before righting himself and helping Fran in the process. "That was… fucking trippy," he breathed. Whatever he planned on voicing, his throat constricted with a massive wave of relief as his eyes landed on the familiar form of Doc. Holy shit… holy fuck. She was alive. Lucas had… bitterly given up hope on any other Miami members' survival. If he hadn't seen them roaming the halls of Orlando base, then he could only assume…

Either way. Thank God he was wrong about her. Doc was too damn tough of a cookie to go down.

Just as he stepped forward to give the woman a proper hug, he gave pause at her transaction with Levi. That… Wasn't that a baby? In his arms? Why did she give him a baby? Why did--

"No… fucking… way." Lies. It had to be. His brother was…? Seriously?

Jaw slack and speechless (a rarity for him, he knew that), Lucas only found himself able to return Fran's gape before muttering, "Dude… you're a father?"

There was a part of Francis that wanted to demand an explanation. Needed to know why he'd never said anything, how it'd happened, how the baby had been lost. But that part of her was miniscule in contrast to the pure joy and emotion bubbling inside of her. A hand flew to cover her mouth, but did not stop the tears brimming in her eyes, as she peered at the little baby in Levi's arms. So perfect. So innocent. It didn't matter that she was bloodied, burnt, battered. All the years fighting, fighting for nothing and everything… suddenly it made sense. Suddenly it had purpose. To fight to be with Lucas, to fight to reunite Levi and his beautiful daughter.

"Oh my god," Francis whispered, a strained, relieved, bright laugh tumbling out of her, "she's beautiful. She looks just like you. Oh, Levi… why didn't you tell us?"

"Language." Levi asked softly of his brother, staring down at his daughter with palpable concern. Oh, God, what if they bugged her, or made her sick? What if she didn't receive enough affection and was gonna be seriously fucked up as a child? What if she began to cry and he had no idea how to soothe her? How was he supposed to hold her and promise her he would never ever let her go a…

"Yeah. Yeah. This is my child. My little baby girl." His gaze fell onto Francis, guilt nibbling at his stomach with the question that had been posed. Why didn't he tell them? It didn't make sense to him, now that he thought about it. There should have been no shame or embarrassment for this miracle in his arms. And yet, there was a fear. There was a fear that he would open his mouth and they would stare, or the worst was to come, that more and more people would know, the more likely she'd be found. And in his mind, the more likely they'd find her dead or in a better family. It was a horrific mixture of fear and stupidity. "I'm sorry, Frankie. Lucas. I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, I just never thought I'd be holding her...I...I loved a woman, before Daisy. I loved a woman and had this child with her, but I didn't even realize she was pregnant until after she had...she…" His teeth grit harshly together, the grinding bolting pain through the roots of his teeth. "She left our child here. She abandoned my little girl, didn't even ask if I...I wanted her. And I do. I don't think I have ever loved someone so much before…"

At Levi's light chastising, Lucas nearly slapped a hand to his mouth, muffling a gasp of delayed realization. "Oh! Shiiiiii--I mean crap! Crap. I was gonna say crap," he babbled, voice shakier than the anxiety churning his insides into a smoothie. Visage a light pink, he chuckled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "S-sorry bro."

However, he fell silent as the man explained everything. It was nothing more than a few sentences, but Lucas could hear and feel the remorse drowning his lungs. The pain. The anger. The love. It was one of the most achingly complex emotions one could feel and Lucas understood it completely. There was no time for overthinking. For judgement. Not with his family.

"Hey… Come on, DC…" He clapped a firm but gentle hand onto Levi's shoulder, peering down at the infant with him. Slowly, cautiously, a small smile pulled at his lips. "That woman? She didn't deserve a single ounce of your love or this little miracle you got here. It's… God man, it's awful how this went down but…" A momentary pause, his expression contemplative. He spoke his next words carefully. "She can't be in better hands, Levi. I'm the luckiest cutie around to have you for a brother. But her? Having you as a father… Me as an uncle? Fran as an aunt? Rogue as a whole dang family?" Lucas chuckled, giving Levi's shoulder a squeeze while glancing back briefly at Fran. "I'd say everything's gonna turn out okay. Can you trust me on that, Levi?"

"Lucas is absolutely right." Fran breathed, a warmth in her heart despite the sorrow that radiated from Levi. She put her hand on the man's other shoulder, peering down at the beautiful little face in her brother's arms. Uncle. Aunt. Holy shit. They were… they were a real family. They really were. Francis shot Lucas a brilliant smile, eyes sparkling past all the hurt of the recent events, before turning back to Levi.

"You… are going to be an amazing father. And hell, you already are, just for loving that little girl and wanting her back more than anything else. And we'll be there with you every step of the way." Francis sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "Sh-... F-.. God. This is harder than I thought it would be." She laughed tearily. "Look at us… I think this is real dang close to a happy ending."

Inspecting his friends, his family by his own volition, Levi thought he was going to choke on his own breath. Levi could never replicate the emotion swirling within him, never in his life could make someone else feel what had been festering in him. The comfort of his daughter in his arms, the gentle coo that came with each liberating breath. The endearment from his family, his own brother and sister, hands on him and soothing his torn soul. He wanted to cry out in relief, to express and rid the weight that had settled onto his shoulders. Instead, the smallest of laughs came forth, his eyes gleaming with something unfamiliar. It burned, yet the sensation was not that of sorrow or of grief. He pressed a kiss to his daughter's head, short yet overflowing with admiration and adoration for the little girl. "I love you two. So much." He mumbled with a small smile, eyes flickering from one hand to the other. He took a deep breath and bobbed his head, another laugh escaping him. Water trickled down his cheek with each new laugh, his focus maintained on safely holding his child in his grasp "You...are gonna be the best dang uncle and aunt any little girl could have. I can't trust you more than I do now...we...we are gonna be a good family. And I can't thank you enough, for providing me this comfort." Inhaling sharply, he managed a soft claim. One flooding with an overwhelming, nearly inhuman tranquility. "Let's get out of here and spoil this kid, shall we?"

Lucas's head gently met Levi's shoulder. It was a tiny bump, supposedly playful, but the tenderness and trust behind that motion spoke volumes. "Love you too, bro. All of you guys." In the middle of the chaos and danger swarming about them, he couldn't fathom a value that could measure how much he appreciated this moment. This pause. This momentary relief from hardships, to just bask in what was actually beautiful about life.

It reminded Lucas that he had a lot more to live for. It just kept piling on and on.

He couldn't thank life enough. "Yeah…" A chuckle escaped him, looking at Levi and Fran. "She's gonna be spoiled rotten, sweetness."

With confirming nods, the trio set off to investigate the office nearby. They weren't exactly sure of what to look for, but it was worth the effort.

 

[DarinValore]

Collab: @Elle Joyner

While nothing went as planned, with the remnants of the Ten standing in the way, and the horrific number of children and pregnant women Kaiden had held captive, the mission was still a success. The Rogues had managed to steal what other vehicles they needed and once everyone was safely loaded, they hurried out blending in with the panicked stream of vehicles leaving the scene of the 'terrorist attack'. That was what the media would play it out to be in an attempt to cover up the horrific acts RIEF was doing in harvesting mutant babies from gifted mothers.

The air was thick with a sense of accomplishment mingled with the relief of being heroes. The Rogues had saved children and women from Kaiden. Even Deckard couldn't stop smiling as he held his son with one hand and Penny with the other while the children and women exited the vehicles and made their way into the infirmary. Doc was already back in her element even as other survivors of the Miami team greeted her. There was work to do in making sure that the women and children were taken care of and given a chance to live as normal a life as they could within Rogue walls.

Once they were all unloaded, the Rogue heroes were greeted with cheers in the command room. Deckard scanned the faces of the men and women that had helped him save his boy and the other victims. A foreign feeling washed over him...one he hadn't felt in a long time. These people were his comrades in arm. He winced, the thought of that just didn't sit well with him. They weren't his comrades...they were his family. Every single one of them had stepped into the maw of danger and emerged victorious. Even Finn seemed to stir a sense of pride in Deckard's chest. The young man had come a long way.

The other team had returned as well, Finn among them, and while they appeared to be in decent form, there was a haunted look to some of their faces that suggested maybe things hadn't gone quite as easily as they might've hoped. But they were alive. Everyone was alive, and whatever madness Kaiden Hull had hoped to unleash on the city, it appeared to have been stopped before it could do more damage than they could handle. It wasn't the first time Hull had underestimated them… but they were Rogue, and they could survive anything.

Penny's fingers curled tighter around Deck's as she observed the others, exiting the car, but when the doors to the garage slid opened, her attention diverted. Yul approached, and there was an odd twinge to his expression that seemed somehow more sullen than usual, his skin slightly sallow in paleness.

"Mission was a success…" Penny started, as she stepped forward, but Yul's hand rose and she halted, as a frown crossed her lips.

"I need everyone's attention, please." He started, voice edged with an uncharacteristic weight of weariness that drove Penny's heart into her stomach. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. But everyone had come back. She'd counted. She'd counted twice… just to be sure. They had rescued the children… secured the nursery… Luna had stopped whatever toxin Kaiden had hoped to unleash…

They were safe. They were home… They'd celebrate, with all the things Yul hated, until the stoic man locked himself in his office and Keegan had to come and tell them to get to--

Keegan...

She had counted. But she hadn't considered the ones they'd left behind.

As Yul continued, his voice a drone in her ears, she knew, somehow, what was coming before it did, and her grip left Deck's to cover her mouth.

"Keegan Hull is dead…"

 

[Elle Joyner]

A slow, irritated sigh slipped through Kaiden's lips as he watched the replay on the monitor hanging on his wall. His arms were crossed over his chest and annoyance was painted on his face. The Rogues had managed to stop the release of the toxin, and even though they didn't prevent it, not enough had gotten out to make the impact that he was hoping. The project wasn't a complete loss, however. He'd be able to work with it. This was a reason why he never only had one plan.

There was a knock on his door, and Kaiden flipped through the different cameras between his Nursery and the Panorama Tower watching as his original plan...the easiest to work with...fell apart, "Come in," he finally answered after another round of knocking. The monitor blinked off as soon as the door opened.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Kaiden turned to see the man, bruised on his face but still intimidating in his own way. The guard uniform was pristine, the Orlando Rogue icon glistening against his muscular chest, "Is it done?" Kaiden asked.

A smirk spread across his lips, "It is. She was all too eager."

Kaiden watched as the man closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and began to mold into a different shape. He lost at least eight inches and fifty or more pounds. His arms grew slender, and, as he continued to shift, he became a her with fair skin and brown hair. Sinking into a chair, she crossed one slender leg over the other.

"Look at all we've accomplished," It was a voice borrowed from the Rogue called Lex, "Six months in their HQ, disguised as that bastard, as one of them. Did you ever think we'd get this far?"

"This is only the beginning," Kaiden spoke, looking away, "Now change. You know that one makes me uncomfortable. Besides, I've got another job for you."

"Yes, sir," he returned with a salute before the form began to shift again, this time to the skin he'd been born with. He was a tall man, of Cuban descent, with shortly cropped dark brown hair and warm almond eyes. Scratching the stubble on his chin, he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, "What's the job?"

"Oh." Glancing his way, Kaiden smirked thinly, "...I think you know. It's time, Isaac. Engage Operation Oversight."

Rising, Isaac nodded and for a final time, shifted his form. Staring at the figure in front of him, Kaiden's mouth split into a grin… "Perfect."

FIN​