Rogue: The Uprising

Conversations about Dead Folk
Josie @Kat and Nadia (NPC) @Elle Joyner collaboration

Rebecca was dead.

Some sick bastard had sucked the air out of her lungs, and despite the fact that Yul had a suspect in custody, there were no real answers, no real evidence… and Nadia had not been this pissed in a long, long time. Yul wanted them to ask around about the kid… get more information, and she had no problem busting up into the Miami folk's business, if it meant justice for their sister.

She found herself in the downstairs lounge after the meeting with Yul, and the first person she came across was the one who'd come in with the shattered knee. Nadia wasn't vindictive, but she was definitely annoyed enough to hope it still stung…

It passed swiftly enough, however, the thought… because despite whatever came to light about this Finn kid, she was pretty sure he'd worked alone. And having taken a bullet or two herself, Nadia knew all too well it wasn't a pain you wished on someone else.

Moving closer to where the woman sat, Nadia cleared her throat, "How's the knee?"

Josie had been engrossed in the textbooks for about an hour now, mind taking in every written word and caption. A few stacks of notebooks– one labeled molecular biology and the other evolution and structure of the cell– were opened to various different pages filled with an array of formulas, numbers, and symbols. Josie glanced up and acknowledged the familiar woman who'd likely addressed her.

"Hello," she greeted. "You were Nadia, right? My knee is in much better shape now, thank you for asking. I can say without a doubt, Thad works miracles. What brings you here today? It seems more tense in the base than usual."

"Tense is the word for it…" Nadia answered, with a nod, "Yul sent me to ask a few questions. You got a minute? Or you uh…" Eyeing the books with an air of someone who would rather do absolutely anything else in the world than read those books, she shrugged, "Busy?"

"Yul?" Josie raised a brow and set her books to the side. "I've got time. Is this about the lab he's letting me borrow for research?"

"Not exactly, no." Moving to sit on the coffee table in front of the couch, her shoulders bobbed again, "You uh… you friends with kid, Finn? Finn Westfall?"

"He's like a little brother to me. What's wrong?" She turned her body to face Nadia, concerned about her friend.

"You uh… you aware of all he can do? Power wise? He ever talk about it? Particularly like… the whole… suffocating people… thing?"

"What? Suffocating people?" Josie was shocked. "Excuse me but what the hell happened that led to this...? Why would Yul assume Finn can suffocate people? The kid can't even touch a fly with a ten foot pole and he definitely does not have the heart to suffocate."

"He uh… he was talkin' about it. About how he used it on his old archivist, when he started threatening people. Nearly choked the guy to death, apparently." Fiddling with the end of her hair, Nadia looked up again, "Thing is… one of our people went missing two weeks ago. Found her dead this morning in a restricted area on base… suffocated."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry that happened to you," Her voice lowered. "Listen Nadia, Finn wouldn't harm an innocent woman he's never met. Finn is a sweet boy and I can guarantee right now, he'd get caught by the guards walking around 24/7 before he even got near the restricted area. How could he get in there anyways? We can only go to certain areas of the Orlando base. It doesn't make sense that Yul would accuse him. Are there other suspects or people who have the ability to inflict pain, like suffocation or something similar?"

Chuckling, Nadia shrugged, "I met a lot of people looked like lambs, were lions, sister. Never been much to read a book by any cover, myself. If Yul pulled him in, he's got a good reason for it. Anyway… I guess it's no good askin' you if you think he did it, since you don't. But figure I should let you know, he's bringin' in the big guns to talk to the kid…"

"None of you know who Finn really is then. We'll get to the bottom of whoever really took her life. It's a false accusation on Finn and I don't beat around the bush." Josie stood up. "Is anyone else a suspect, Nadia? Is there anyone else who may have done what you believe Finn has done? We need answers fast and we need them now."

"He's the only one, so far… and doesn't exactly have an airtight alibi… no pun intended." As she rose, Nadia stood up lazily, cracking her neck, "But you're welcome to talk to Yul… I'm sure he'd hear you out."

"I don't know. That guy's hard to chat up sometimes. I'm sorry again, that this happened to your friend. Loss is difficult. Thank you for telling me what's going on Nadia. I'll do whatever I can to bring your friend to justice by finding out whoever did it and that also means proving Finn's innocence. You may have seen a lot of people in your time who didn't turn out to be who they were, however, Finn is different. He didn't do it, he never would, and I stand firmly by his side in this battle. If you find out any more information about what's going on, please feel free to let me know. I want to help."

"Good luck, girl. Really. I hope you're right. Would be nice, for once, to be surprised by someone in the right way." With a small salute, Nadia paused, mid-turn on her heels, "He's in lockdown, now… but you might be able to get some visitor time if you hit Yul up when he's in a good mood. He uh… he likes tea. Black tea. No sugar."

Josie raised a brow, but it quickly settled.

"Thank you."

Perhaps Josie would give Yul a visit… when he wasn't such a grouch. Black tea with no sugar as an added bonus.

@thecrewgang
 
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She's Our Resident Cray Cray
Collab with @DarinValore and @Elle Joyner

Unfurling. His perfectly coordinated team was unfurling. And Yul had no doubt the chaos only began when the riff raff from Miami darkened his doorstep. Keegan's special kids were unruly, undignified, disorganized and chaotic… and now he had a dead agent on his hands and a murder to solve. If he were a lesser man, he'd consider shooting them all out the door, but he knew Keegan would never stand for it, and insubordination was not the way to make the man see the fault in his nonchalant methods and tactics.

Still… something had to be done, before the damage was irrevocable. With a sigh, he pressed a button on his phone, which alerted the guard team outside his office door, "Mitchel. Would you please find Alys and tell her I've need of her? Thank you."

Nothing seemed to be going as planned. Deck did not react the way she had hoped, and with each passing moment, she saw her plans for the future unraveling. Was Deckard too far gone? Why wouldn't he at least listen to her with an open mind? She knew deep down in his heart, that Deck loved her. He was just distracted by that woman, Penny. That had to be it!

She was deep in her thoughts in her room when one of Yul's men came for her with a knock on the door, "What is it?" she snapped.

"The Commander wants to see you," came the voice through the door.

Yul wanted her? For what? Her nerves started to build. Did he know she had killed Rebecca? If so, there'd be no escape. She might as well face the music. It wasn't like Deckard cared anyway, not when he had Penny.

With a clenched jaw she called out, "Fine, I'm coming."

When Alys arrived, Yul had already risen, and grabbing a folder from his desk, he met the blonde woman in the vestibule outside. Giving her a brief nod, he gestured down the hallway, "I have a job for you, Alys. Something of a rather delicate nature. I have a suspect in Rebecca's murder… and have thus far been unsuccessful in determining his innocence or guilt.. I imagine a bit of… insecurity might give us the answers we're looking for."

"Insecurity, sir?" she tried desperately to hold in her relief, "What do you need me for? I'm not an interrogator."

"No, Alys… You aren't. But you do have a specific skill set that I think comes in handy in this particular situation. The boy… he seems anxious, and I believe that if he just discovers what you're capable of, it might drive him to the truth. I only need you to scare him… You understand? You're not to actually engage him."

"You want me to pretend to use my ability on...a boy?" While guilty of murdering a grown woman, Alys wasn't a monster. She'd never hurt a boy.

"Yes. If he's guilty, it will drive him to confession. If he's innocent, well… we'll find out. I'll be watching from the other side of the glass. Under no circumstances are you to physically harm him, Alys. But he doesn't need to know that…"

"And I'm just supposed to tell him what I can do in hopes that it spooks him?" Alys asked, "If he's guilty of murder, don't you think he'll just blow off that?"

"Would you, Alys?" A brow lifted, as he looked over at her, "Trust me. If he is responsible, I've no doubt in my mind he can stomach what you are able to do… Here we are." Pausing before the door, he nodded, "I'll be next door the entire time. You ready?"

Alys wrung her hands together nervously before she nodded, "As ready as I could ever be I guess," she gave him an uncertain smile and then pushed through the door, "Hello," she said softly as she moved to sit in the chair across from Finn, "I'm Alys, you are?"

Finn had heard the murmuring of voices outside the door, and hurriedly ushered his new companions Dill and Geb under the bed. He couldn't imagine what Yul would do to him or Shiloh if he found out, but he knew it wouldn't be good. Instead of Yul, however, Finn was greeted by an icy looking woman. Swallowing nervously, Finn looked her over.

"Uh, F-Finn." He murmured.

"The commander told me why you're here. Did you do it, Finn? Did you kill my friend, Rebecca?" Alys asked, a little more relaxed upon realizing that Finn was a little more than a boy.

"N-no! No," Finn exclaimed, a little flustered by her bluntness. "No, I didn't. Please, I-I don't know how to prove it.. b-but I didn't. I wouldn't ever. Y-you gotta believe me." He protested weakly.

"I really liked Rebecca, Finn. I trusted her and loved her as a close friend," she shook her head, "I don't know you...at all," Alys began to tug at the fingers of her gloves, "What's your ability?" she asked.

Watching Alys tug at her gloves sent a shiver down Finn's spine. There was something terribly menacing about it, and he began to sink into the chair he sat in. There wasn't anywhere to run in this tiny room, and it made it so much more terrifying.

"I-I'm sorry about your f-friend," He insisted, gulping. "A..air manipulation." Finn whispered.

"So you can push things with gusts of wind?" Alys narrowed her brow, a slight hint of confusion on her face before she shook it away, "I can sense the nerves in your body, Finn, and not the nervous feeling, but your actual nerves. With a thought, I could turn them up to ten. Your shoulders would hurt simply because you wore your shirt. The air from the vent would feel like daggers against your skin. And if I touched you," she whistled as she pulled the glove off her hand, "it's so much worse. Do I need to touch you, Finn? Are you telling me the truth?" She stood up and took a few slow, intentional steps toward him.

A whimper fell out of Finn as Alys stood. He was already leaning back in the chair as far as possible, furiously shaking his head, skin already prickling at the thought of the pain she could inflict. "No, no please," He squeaked, throat dry. "I am! I'm telling the truth! Please please please, I didn't do it! I didn't hurt her! I never even met her!" He cried.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned her weight on her right foot, "If you didn't then which one of your team did?"

This was an entirely new question, one that Finn froze to try and scramble together an answer. "N..no one," He whispered. "They're all good people, all of them, they would never kill another Rogue member. N-never. They're my f-family, j-just like sh-she was to you. A-ask.. ask Rose, or Luna, or Penny. Anyone. Th-they'll all tell you I didn't. I wouldn't… none of us would."

Alys shifted her weight at the mention of Penny, "This Penny, who is she to you?"

Looking up at Alys with fearful eyes, Finn shook his head. "L-like… like a big sister." He whispered. Finn blinked. What if he'd incriminated her too? Deck would strangle him before Alys could. "Sh-she didn't do this either!"

Fighting the urge to reach out and grab the young man, Alys clenched her fists and then forced the to relax, "What's her ability?" She took another step toward him.

Finn flinched as Alys stepped closer. "Sh-she can w-watch th-things a-and r-r-replicate th-them," He babbled. "Penny d-did not d-do this."

Pursing her lips, Alys shook her head, "I'm not convinced, Finn. What else can you tell me about her?"

Finn swallowed, clenching his fists to stop the trembling in his hands. "P-Penny didn't do this," He said, a little bit more determined. "A-and n-n-neither did I! W-where's Keegan? Or Deck! Or Rose! D-don't I g-get some k-kind of laywer?"

"This is Rogue," Alys snapped and shook her head, "We don't have lawyers. We have innocent mutants simply trying to get back and survive, one of which you or one of your friends murdered. Now tell me what I asked or so help me God, I'll make you talk."

Though Finn winced at her snap, he seemed intent on holding his ground, and rose in his chair slightly. "I'm the i-innocent mutant here," He pressed, dimly aware in the back of his mind how much this was gonna hurt. "S-so m-make me t-talk, th-then, 'cause I've got n-nothing to s-say!"

"Okay," she simply stated as she reached out to grab his arm.

His moment of defiance had felt amazing all up until Alys reached out and touched him. His whole mind exploded with the pain, unlike anything he has ever felt, so horrible Finn tried to scream but couldn't even find the air.

"Alys!" The door slammed open and Yul stood in the frame, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the blonde woman with a look that suggested, quite clearly, they were going to be having another lengthy chat, "Hallway. Now."

The mere seconds her hand had rested on his arm was not enough for Alys. The pain she saw in his eyes...the way that he tried to escape but couldn't move...the failure of sound trying to escape through his gaping mouth...it was intoxicating to have that kind of power over someone. She pouted slightly as Yul yelled at her, and for the briefest of moments, she contemplated ignoring him.

Clearing her throat, she reluctantly shoved her hand back into the glove, her eyes locked on Finn...hungering for more, "Yes, sir," she finally stated as she tore her eyes away and walked out the door.

The instant Alys' hand released he had cradled his arm close to his chest, gasping for the air that had left him. Finn could feel her eyes on him, hungry, and looked at Yul pleadingly once he had finally regained his breath after a series of harsh coughs. "I'm not talking to anyone else," Finn wheezed, the shivering pain still present in his mind, "Until you talk to Keegan." His eyes were wet, but there was a growing flame behind them.

"Sit tight." Yul said, and there was an edge to his voice that had not been there during Finn's interrogation, "I'll be back, shortly."

Turning, he stepped out into the hall, and his eyes narrowed on Alys as he shook his head His voice did not raise, but there was no mistaking the anger, "...I told you explicitly that he was not to be touched!"

"You asked me to get him talking," Alys snapped back, "Talking about what I could do wasn't working, so I did something. Rebecca was my friend!" She jabbed a finger against her chest, "And I wasn't going to stand there and let him hold back vital intel because he knows who killed her."

"He doesn't know anything. And he didn't do it. And I promise you, Alys… if I find any indication, any at all, that this was some way for you to get back at your ex-husband or the woman he's seeing, I assure you, I have plenty of cells, and I won't hesitate to give you a night or two in one. Go back to your room… I have no further use for you." He started back her, but paused as a thought occurred, and frowning softly, he turned around again, "...Before you go… What were you doing… the night Rebecca went missing? It occurs to me I haven't received your report, yet…"

"Are you serious?" she pulled back, "Why would I kill Rebecca? She was like a sister to me! I can't believe you're even asking me this!"

"What were you doing, Alys?" Yul's eyes moved to her, and slowly, carefully, the man unfurled his fists, soft-siphoning the outrage pouring off the woman - a caution, a warning - "It's a fairly simple question."

Alys bit the inside of her cheek and crossed her arms over her chest, "I was in my room trying to figure out how I was going to tell Deckard that I had lost the child that he had so desperately wanted, and thanks to not having a roommate, no one can corroborate it, but that's your rule isn't it?"

"I'm going to need you to stay in your room, Alys. I mean it." His hand relaxed to his side, eyes narrowing, "You will forgo contact with the team from Miami for the remainder of their stay here… Am I clear?"

Her eyes shifted to the door behind Yul and then to the man again. Who did he think he was? With a thought, she could have him on the floor, and touch would have him on ice beside Rebecca, "Yes, sir," she spit out before turning to leave.

Watching her go, Yul's frown deepened, and looking to the door he'd exited moments ago, he sighed. Finn Westfall was about as guilty of murder as he was… but the best place for the kid right now was exactly where he was. Heading down the hall, he plucked the comm off his belt, "I want guards stationed outside of Westfall's cell. They are under no circumstances to allow anyone inside, until my go-ahead."

Finn lost his composure the moment the door closed. Crawling back onto the cot, Finn brought his knees to his chest and struggled against the tears that began to fall. Dill and Geb crawled on out from underneath and onto the cot, surrounding him as he sobbed into his hands, shivering at the memory of the horrifying pain that had filled his whole being, the terror that gripped his heart. He had never, ever felt unsafe in Rogue. Not until today. Even after what Alys did, Yul did not rescue him from the suffocating prison, and Finn clung unto the small golems tightly as he dissolved into sobs. Even home wasn't safe anymore.
 
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Team Rescue Finn, GO!
collab between @DarinValore, @Elle Joyner, & @Kat

It was a disappointment to find out that Finn had nearly killed Harper, although she knew that man wasn't the greatest caretaker. There was clearly much more to the mission Finn, Penny, and Deck had been on than blowing up helicopters and burning down bridges. That was far from the situation at hand though, and she had to work in a concise manner. Josie's legs carried her quickly from the lounge, hands holding onto what she had for dear life— a means for evidence. She turned the corner, startled when she almost crashed into Rose and Deck, and fumbled for her research and the textbooks along with it.

"Rose! Deck! Finn's in trouble!"

As the woman came around the corner, Rose nearly skidded off her feet, toppling into Deck with a squeak. They'd only met briefly - Josephine… she recalled - a friend of Finn's, though Rose hadn't gotten to know her terribly well. As she straightened, she looked up at Deck with a small frown.

"We know, Josie," Deckard replied, "We just came from him and were on our way to try and find a way to prove that he didn't kill anyone. Yul's stick is so far up his... butt," he glanced at Rose and flashed a quick smile, "That he won't hear reason."

"What? Is he okay? I heard he was being taken away by the guards. Finn couldn't have killed her. We need to figure this out. I have some information from Nadia, but not a whole lot," Josie explained. "As far as I know, Finn doesn't have a whole lot of time, so we need to work quickly and efficiently."

Blinking, Rose paled, and reached to catch Deck's arm just to keep balance, "...N...not much t...time? Are they going to hurt him??"

"No, Rose," Deckard looked to Josie and tried to flash her a look that said to sensor herself a little better, "I told you. I wouldn't let anything happen to Finn, and I meant it," Deckard jerked his head toward the books in Josie's arms, "What are those?"

"Research for the blockers I'm creating. That's far from what we need to be focused on right now though. We need to find... Well, we need to figure out who's doing what in this process."

Shaking her head, Rose frowned, "...How do we prove he didn't do it? We don't even know the person he supposedly…" Swallowing, she trailed off.

Shaking his head, Deckard denied the one thought that surfaced. No way was he talking to Alys again right now, "We'll have to ask around. Yul won't tell us, but I'm sure there's someone who would know who was murdered. Maybe check the medbay? Surely there's a morgue there."

"I'm planning to check. If Yul won't tell us, maybe Thad might," Josie shuffled her books. "I'm going to talk to Yul later as well and see if there's anything I can do to help them out during this time. We need all the hands we can get to find out who did this."

"Don't talk to that 'D' bag," Deck spit, "He won't tell you anything. Dude is so wrapped up in that stick I mentioned earlier that he couldn't see the truth if it fu...hit him in the face," he sighed, "Time is better spent going elsewhere."

Looking between the two, Rose picked at the edge of her thumbnail, shaking her head, "...Maybe he can be reasoned with, Deck. He… he can't be all bad if… if Keegan trusts him."

"Reason would have shown him that Finn wasn't the guy to begin with," he argued and then shook his head, "but if you think you can succeed, then by all means. Just don't come crying to me when you fail."

"Deck, we're all upset with Yul, but that doesn't mean we're allowed to rule him out completely. He runs Orlando. This is his home, his family. Orlando is our home too. We're Rogues, we stick together, and you know, to each their own. If you don't think it'd be a good idea, that's fine. I'm still going in, I'm still going to offer my services and help Yul out in any way I can with any further investigation and possible evidence. If we want to find this killer- err, person, we need to make sacrifices. Nadia told me Finn was the only suspect but I have reason to believe he shouldn't even be one. The... act-," Josie forced that word out, "-took place in a restricted section. We can't even access those sections and there's guards around those areas 24/7."

Straightening, Rose sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "You two do know I'm not seven, right? She has a good point, Deck. We have access cards, right? So maybe we can see if there's a way to tell what cards accessed that part of the building on the day his person died? Maybe the problem is they're looking for one of us, because it's easiest… but if we gave them someone else to look at, maybe someone from here? Yul would have that information, right? And he can't ignore all three of us…"

"Ya...no," Deckard said plainly, "Fuck that guy," he looked to Rose, "pardon my french."

"The only person going in to see Yul is me. There's no doubt he's a bit overwhelmed by the situation and having all three of us trump him after he just found out one of his team members has been dead for two weeks now is only going to piss him off," Josie reasoned. "I'll go in, bring him his cup of tea, talk to him, and see what kind of information we can gather. Do you guys have any questions you'd like me to ask him? I don't want him to feel like he's being interrogated by all three of us."

"Ask him why he's such an a-," Deckard cleared his throat, "Ask him why he's so angry all the time."

Shaking her head, Rose took Deck's arm again, "C'mon… There has to be something we can do in the meantime. M...maybe they'll let us in to see him. "

"After Finn, consider seeing if Thad has the body," Josie suggested. "Check out whether there's evidence on it or inside it, and if he gathered any evidence surrounding the crime scene. Gather what you can."

"We'll see if they'll let us say hi, Rose. When we're done there, we'll visit this Thad guy," Deckard nodded and smiled softly, "Let's go, and good luck, Josie."

"...Good luck…" Rose repeated giving Josie a wave. It wasn't an ideal thought, visiting bodies… but there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Finn. Not a thing.

Josie's facial expression softened at Rose. "Good luck to you guys too. We'll get through this mess," she murmured and left Deck and Rose promptly.
 
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Collab Post: Nerds, Unite! | Interactions: Leon @Elle Joyner | Location: Orlando HQ


Since beginning work on decoding his research, Leon had finally begun to allow himself to feel just the tiniest stretch of hope. It made his mind race, the idea that he might actually be able to outsmart RIEF and shut down the chips, and made him work that much faster, that much harder… But it wasn't easy, with a guard on watch at almost all times, and access to the tablet only when Luna was able to make it to his room. Ideally, freedom would've gotten the job done faster, but ultimately, he had to work with what he was given. And that… that wasn't much.

An insistent, stuttering knock resounded at Leon's door before it suddenly swung open, revealing Luna. She seemed frazzled, struggling to catch her breath from full out running to his room. "L-Leon, it's Keith. His dad. Th-they got--RIEF's got…" She didn't have the motivation to finish that sentence. Instead, she settled for quickly retracting the tablet and placing it on the desk for Leon to see. "W-we gotta rescue him and f-for that, we're going to need a m-map of the building h-holding him," she said,

"Ready to prove your a-allegiance with us?"

Sitting up from the desk, Leon looked over at her, and his eyes widened slightly at the words that came out of her mouth. At her question, he turned his chair around, grabbing the tablet, sliding a finger across the screen, "Don't need to ask twice, Freckles." Looking beyond her, he eyeballed the guard, peering into the room, "Hey, make yourself useful, yeah? See if they've got two ways we can use with the team… We're gonna need to stay connected to them through this."

Turning back to the screen, he continued to type into the command system, looking up only briefly, "If they've taken him, chances are, he's in the underground facility. It's a bit of a maze, so I'm gonna need you to relay directions to the team. Here we go…" Holding up the tablet, he nodded to her, "Got the map… and they just updated the system… Tell me if you see his name…"

Luna nodded and accepted the tablet, peering at the small screen with squinted eyes. "I-I can do that, but I'll definitely n-need your help to monitor some of the more fickle jobs f-for me." She scrolled through every section of the map, instantly realizing that Leon wasn't joking about it being a maze. This was more convoluted than the building she had hacked into to rescue Josie.

However, it was a few moments later that her eyes caught it--M. Fuller. "G-got him. Sector D, looks like...Room 68. S-seems like a normal holding cell...W-wait." Her brow furrowed, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She rolled the screen back, searching almost vehemently for what she could've sworn was… "V-Vance. He's in there t-too." She didn't even realize her hands were shaking, as so much of her brain power was devoted to confirming this finding as reality. "Same sector, R-room 49."

"Hell, really?" Looking at the screen, his brow rose, and his lip twitched up in a smirk, "Well, hell. This just got interesting…"

A guard rounded the door frame again, holding two small black pods in hand, which he held out to the pair, "Comms. Do not damage them." He mumbled, darkly, "Your team will turn theirs on as soon as they've arrived."
 
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Rogue Bunker, Orlando Branch
Alys
​
Slamming her door shut behind her, Alys cursed herself. She'd lost control, and if Yul wasn't on to her before, he was now. There was no way she was staying in Orlando to Kaiden's work. One of his other moles would have to. This wasn't worth dying over. Besides, if Kaiden knew she'd been made, perhaps there would be another task he could give her that would still allow her to earn her fix.

Washing her hands over her face, she hurried to the closet and pulled out the small go-bag in the corner. Rummaging through it, she double checked that she had everything she needed before she threw it over her shoulder and moved to the door. Cracking it open, she peeked through to see if the halls were clear. When they were, she slipped out of her room and headed along her escape route that'd take her out the back of the compound and just under the view of the cameras.

Everything was going fine until Deckard had shown up. She had infiltrated the base and was feeding Kaiden the information he needed, but Deckard changed everything...like he always did for her though deep down, she knew it wasn't his fault. It had been the gene the first time, but this time, they were separated by another monster...one she was certain she could eliminate. Penny had weaseled her way into Deck's heart and infected him with lies and deceit. She knew this, and she'd make Penny pay for it because no one loved or knew Deckard...the real Deckard...like she did.

Exiting through one of the maintenance tunnels, she took one last look back on the place that she'd called home. There was a part of her that had fallen in love with the place and the people it hosted, and she hated herself for it. These weren't people...not really. They were born this way. They were designed to be these monsters, and they didn't deserve her love.

Suppressing her feelings, Alys turned on her heels and left putting Rogue behind her for the moment...she still had a score to settle after all.
 
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GyD961v.png
The journey from the Orlando base, back to Miami was as surreal as it had been upon leaving. Taking back roads proved to be both a strain emotionally, as well as more taxing physically, but drones lit up the highways, and safety measures were all but a necessity just to survive long enough to get to the facility.

Penny had left word that Luna was to be their recon specialist, particularly since she had been inside the facility already, but it was unnerving, to say the least that Finn had not answered the call to come along. He'd been improving greatly in their training sessions, and she'd been so certain he would want to go, of only in solidarity for Keith…

All of these thoughts, however, had to be brushed aside as they arrived at the rondevu spot outside of where the facility was located. Turning back on the comms, she was met by a nearly frantic response and just like that, the mission was altered… Vance Usher had not only protected Luna from harm during her brief period under RIEF's control… he was Keegan Hull"s nephew. There was no question he would be rescued.

Stepping out of the SUV as the second vehicle, gravel crunching beneath its tires, pulled up alongside, she waited for the crew to exit before nodding, "Right, small change of plans. There's another captive we need to find, as well as Keith's dad… looks like we'll be splitting up. Levi, Keith, you're with me. Danica, you good to run Francis, Lucas and Nick?"

Danica gave a firm nod, before flashing a winning smile to the other three.

"You're on comm channel 6… we'll hang on 5. If for any reason you get into trouble, you know how to get ahold of us. We'll go in staggered… try to preserve our strength for the exit. My guess is we'll be more likely to run into guards trying to get out. You run into anyone, go non-lethal, if you can… I ain't concerned for these bastards health… but the less of a mess we make, the more difficult it'll be for them to follow. We'll head in first, wait ten minutes before you come in after…"

When the plan had been ironed out and everyone knew their roles, Penny turned next to Levi and Keith, "This shouldn't be too big a challenge… Levi, if you're able to keep us shrouded, I think we can just slip in and out without attracting a lot of attention. This is the last time that RIEF takes someone from us, and underestimates our strengths and our numbers."

With a nod to each of them, and a firm hand on Keith's shoulder, Penny turned expectantly to Levi. His powers were impressive, to say the least, and it was a lot to ask for him to get them all through this without the added uncertainty and risk, but she had faith in her team - in Luna on comms, and in Keith's own desire to make sure his father was pulled from harm's way as quickly as possible.

Cloaked by Levi, they were able to make their way past the guards at the front line of the building, and from there, with Luna's instructions, it wasn't a difficult journey through the facility's maze-like interior. She could see the problems the other team would run into, but there was little to be done about that. If she thought Levi could've handled cloaking all of them, she would've gone that route, but four would be pushing it as it was, and she already had Luna looking for an alternative exit, just in case.

Upon entering the cell block where they would find Michael Fuller, it was as simple matter of the room number, which Luna relayed easily enough through the comms. The hacker seemed nervous… not that it was uncharacteristic of her, but it was a different sort of anxiety that crept over the comms. One that Penny was sure had to do with the other end of the mission… the man Luna had asked them to rescue.

At any rate, they arrived at the door without a fuss, and while it wasn't exactly the worst case scenario Penny had envisioned, there was something off about it all. The idea that even with Levi's gift, they'd managed to make it this far without so much as a head turned. The lack of heavy guard on a man who they'd gone to great lengths to find…

They were in and out with Michael in tow before it really kicked in how easy it all was, and back at the SUVs, Penny felt a sinking feeling, deep in her stomach, that somehow, someone had wanted it to go down this way… That something was wrong. Very wrong.
TAGS || @Mobley Eats, @Reythaak, @KatSea, @WingWong, @CloudyBlueDay
 
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Collab Post: Into the Hot Mess We Go, Part I | Interactions: Nick @WingWong , Francis @CloudyBlueDay & Danica @Elle Joyner | Location: RIEF Holding Facility


The comm hissed static into her ear, as Danica neared the entrance to the private facility, located deep in the wooded grove. Penny, Keith and Levi had already gone in ahead of them, and with Levi's power, coupled with Keith's, it seemed like a pretty cut and dry rescue mission… The struggle, of course, came with the secondary aspect of the little foray into RIEF grounds..

Their aspect.

Their information was limited to what they'd been told thus far - the man's name that they were rescuing was Vance Usher. They had the location, the general map through the maze of a building… but what they'd run up against was going to make it a great deal more challenging than just popping in and asking where they could find the guy.

There were two guards by the front door, and pausing near the treeline, Danica looked to the other three with a nod, "We can hug the trees right up to the door, but once we get there, we'll need to take out the two bulldogs by the entrance. Everybody ready? Need a moment? Hugs? Prayer chain?"

Lucas took a moment to peer around Danica and catch a quick glimpse of the guards she was talking about. Okay, alright, they could handle that. No problem. It was what awaited them inside that made his gut twist into knots. He wasn't used to missions, didn't go on as many as the others did but, even then, that wasn't his main concern.

The ride to this place was awkward. Like--beyond fucking awkward. He wanted to say things to Fran, make up and patch up some holes. Just to let her know that he did care, but was just fucking awful at showing it. Unfortunately, he didn't get much of a chance; however, Danica was presenting one. One opportunity to just say something worthwhile like a normal person. He could do this, he could this, he just needed to remember what Mufasa told him.

"Hey, uh...Fran?" he said tentatively, "Before we go in, can I just…?" He left the rest of that sentence hanging, hoping that she'd respond. Somehow. In some little way.

Though her talk with Logan had done well to quench some of her fears, Francis was still unsure about how to talk to Lucas. Her insecurity and battle-drive lead her to stay silent the entire car ride, pressed up against the window and refusing to look at him. She was still angry, sure, but more with herself than him, which ultimately made it that much harder to own up and apologize. Of course they'd be put on the same mission, in the same car… but emotions were not a part of Francis' playing field, especially not in the thick of a battle. Two guards were easy pickings, and she'd be glad to snap some heads around.

"Hey, uh...Fran? Damnit. Dammit it to hell. He couldn't wait? This was going to be one and done, quick and easy… and she couldn't be thinking about all her regrets while bashing heads. Even still, despite her tense posture and tightly crossed arms, she looked to Lucas, inviting him to say more, gaze soft despite the scowl on her lips.

Okay, he could work with a look. She didn't speak to him, but it was better than outright ignoring him. He paused briefly, taking a moment to keep ahold of his rapidly depleting courage, before muttering, "Just...I just wanted to say sorr…" His throat suddenly went dry and the next words to escaped sprouted bitterness in his stomach. "...Save me some asses to kick. And be careful, sweetness." He slapped on a soft grin for extra measure.

Francis swallowed. For some reason, his grin was the most uncomfortable part of it all. She barely matched it, only shaking her head and keeping her eyes pointed at the ground. "You be careful too." Was all she muttered, avoiding his gaze. "We'll talk later." It wasn't threatening. If anything, it was Francis protecting herself from a full on breakdown standing right at the gates of RIEF. Tentatively, Francis returned her gaze to Danica. "I can handle the guards."

"Well, ain't you two just damn precious." It wasn't said with anything but absolute earnest warmth, and a smile lit up her features as she turned to the quietest member of their quartet. "Nick, sweetie? Any heartfelt sentiments to add, or we good to go smash some heads?"

Nick had found the ride to the facility painfully awkward, having been put in a team full of people that weren't talking to each other. Alarm bells had been going off in the back of his head for a few hours now, leading him to nearly work up the courage to say something. Before that happened, they'd made it here and were ready to get this mission started. It was probably a good thing, since having deep discussions in close quarters might not be the best idea ever. Then again, the last time he'd noticed something was wrong but hadn't pushed, he'd ended up in a containment unit. A team that couldn't communicate was a hazard. He'd learned that well enough. He'd just have to hope it wouldn't be an issue today.

"Uh, I'm blanking on sentimental comments, so I'm going to stick with 'don't die'," Nick replied, glancing at Danica. He left the 'because I'd miss you all so much' bit off there. He flexed his hands, looking over at the guards. If Francis needed a helping hand, he'd be happy to lend it. "I'm ready to roll if you are."

"Later...later, right," Lucas muttered, brow furrowed. He could accept that, for now. Besides, that had the guards to worry about...and everything else after. Knowing how incredibly welcoming RIEF could be, Lucas assumed that some bullet action was bound to unfold. Inhaling sharply, he willed the skin covering his torso to morph into diamond, remaining hidden underneath his shirt--the reflective light wouldn't exactly aid their element of surprise. He looked back at Francis, then Nick, trading nods. "It's all you, Fran Wham Bam. I got shield on you guys," he said.

Cracking her fingers, then her knuckles, then her neck, Francis inhaled. This was just what she needed. A little physical therapy. "Alright boys, lady. Let's get this show on the road." Quietly the group moved, away from the trees surrounding the base. She eyed Lucas warily. "We got codenames now, hm, Knucklehead? Remember?"

All she had to do was pounce. Pounce, and she'd get to forget about the rest of the world. Lucas was their shield, ironically enough.. But despite all that had happened, she didn't doubt him. One more nod to Nick, to Danny, and Francis swooped in. With a sudden hit, Francis moving a little faster than average, one guard was doubled over before the second could even realize. With a sweeping kick, Francis knocked the other one off his feet harshly, leaving the one doubled over to attempt to recover.

"Wham Bam, thank you ma'am," Nick mumbled under his breath with a faint smile, even as Francis launched forward to take care of the guards. Yep, he still didn't need a reminder to avoid ticking her off. He sobered up a bit as he hung back with the rest of the group, through he raised two fingers to his lips. He was ready to cover Francis in the event one of the guards got the jump on her. He eyed the first guard as he started to recover, already inhaling to fling a whistle his way if needed.

Lucas moved in quickly behind Fran, smirking somewhat at the codename comment. As if he would actually adhere to that; well, unless the situation really called for it. He'd just make sure to avoid mentioning her name--shouldn't be too hard. One of the guards who had taken a whopping blow was already struggling to his feet and aiming his gun at Fran's back.

But when he pulled the trigger and a sharp bang rang out...a diamond hand was cupped the exit of the barrel, steam streaming through Lucas' fingers. Before the guard could register what happened, there was a painful stomp to his boot, his toes crushed under an equally as hard foot and the gun was gingerly taken from his grasp. Lucas examined the gun moment, coming to a quick realization that it was likely useless and jammed now...Oops. Either way, he couldn't shoot Fran now, so win-win on his end--

And then a brain-rattling punch to his jaw. Yep...yep, okay. Lucas should've seen that coming.

Keeping her focus on the guard she had just tripped, Francis aimed to deliver one more harsh punch to the cranium when a bang rang out. Francis' head whipped around, and the guard on the floor took the opportunity to deliver a weak but well-aimed kick to her gut. Stumbling back, Francis hissed, now coming back to back with Lucas as she clutched her stomach, but before the guard on the floor could do anything else, Francis stomped harshly on his face.

Then came the punch that sent Lucas' head spinning. "Knucklehead," She growled, and this time it wasn't quite the codename. With a tightly clenched fist Francis delivered one startling punch back to the guard that had hit Lucas.

Nick had been slipping past, taking the chance while the guards were distracted to both get closer to the door and get into a position where they wouldn't see him coming. At the sound of the bang, he snapped his head around to see what had happened. A whistle was out of his mouth in a second. He flung it at the guard that had punched Lucas with all the force of a sledgehammer. It paired quite nicely with the punch Francis had retaliated with.

The commotion had drawn the guard from just inside the doors out to see what was going on. Nick couldn't get out of the way quite fast enough, too close to the doors, leaving him stumbling back and cursing under his breath as the guard flung the door open. He flung another whistle at the third guard, hitting him from behind.

"Sweetness," Lucas growled back, the tiniest hint of a smile in his voice as they met back to back. He blinked when Nick unleashed a powerful ass whistle on one guard and another on the third as he emerged from the gates. Crap.Three guards. Peachy. More out of instinct than thought, Lucas hardened his elbow and turning on the guard who stumbled from a whistle to the back, cracked a hit against the man's nose. The agent's head snapped back from the impact, teetering on his feet for a moment before falling over unconscious.

Back to two guards.

A grin emerging on her face despite the entrance of another guard, Francis thought they were beginning to get into the swing of it. Nick's whistling, Lucas' elbowing.. Yeah. Yeah, she could get behind this. While Lucas and Nick assaulted the new participant, Francis turned her attention back to the guard who's face she stomped in. Despite being a bloody mess, he was still struggling back up. "Alright, if that's how you want it to be." She said with a huff, rolling her neck as she hoisted the guard up, and with a grunt, chucked him into the other remaining like a bowling ball on bowling pins.

"Nice, gents." Francis breathed.

Nick blinked as the third guard went down like a tree in the woods before giving Lucas a grin. He stilled as he watched a man get chunked and both of the two guards went down. He needed to save that mental image for another day, but for now, they had a mission to do.

"We headed in?" he asked, pulling open one of the doors for the others to go through.
 
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Into The Hot Mess We Go Pt. II
With @Elle Joyner @WingWong and @Mobley Eats

Jaw still throbbing from the punch, Lucas grinned back at Nick before entering, pausing to give him a pat on the arm. "Sick whistling, by the way, sweetness," he said. He made sure to enter slowly with the others (...he may or may not have also snagged a gun off one of the guards beforehand), taking in their surroundings. Nothing seemed to stand out too much, just a standard secure room, and there was only one door to go through.

Nodding her appreciation alongside Lucas' compliment, Francis headed on. Amping up her senses, Francis gritted her teeth. "I think there's at least one more." She whispered. "Keep doin' what you've been doin', yeah?" She nodded them forward, and taking a deep breath, burst through the door. Focusing on the guard that she found to her right, Francis delivered a harsh punch to his gut. This one was.. A good bit taller than her, and it was easiest to reach.

The second guard jolted, caught off guard by her entrance. Just as he was about to reach for his holster, Lucas emerged next and seized him by the collar...then grinned. "Oh snap. You kinda cute," he cooed.

The guard blinked. "Wha--"

Smack!

A diamond forehead smashed into his own with a brutal headbutt and he stumbled back in pain, cradling his abused face.

Watching them work, Danica couldn't help the smile that curved smoothly over her lips. It shouldn't have been fun, yet somehow… She could see now what Keegan Hull saw in the kids, what Devon saw, and ultimately, she couldn't be mad at the skills…

Following along, keeping back as the fighting commenced, Danica watched them dance through the first few guards, somewhat awestruck by the violent ballet. In her ear, Leon had come on to give direction and she listened carefully to the words ushered by the former RIEF Operative.

Past the second set of guard, Leon chirped for her to stop, "Two more guards ahead, but beyond them, you've got a small problem. Sentries… one on each side of the opposite door. Unless both guards are holding down a kill switch, those guns will go off the minute you walk through…"

"Not ideal…" Danica murmured. Even with their diamond plated stud to guard them, they'd be shredded like confetti, "Hold up, Sugar. I got an idea. Lemme put you on hold for this. Back in a hot minute." If all went well…

"Alright, beautiful people, hang back a second… these next two are mine. Just stay close and don't make eye contact with them… once we're through the next two sets of doors, you'll be golden." With a grin, she mirrored Francis's knuckle cracking, before with a breath, she stepped around the corner, towards the next door. At the end of the hall the guards stood ready. For a moment, one anxiety filled moment, they raised their weapons, but as Danica looked between the pair, something happened. Slowly, the weapons lowered, and turning, the guards shifted, pushed the doors inward, "Keep close. No eye contact." Danica repeated softly. Moving forward, she passed through the doors, holding her breath. The guns, mini-turrets filled with firepower, lay lifeless, flanking each door. Breathing out, Danica nodded, "Just a little further…"

At the end of the hallway, she pushed the second door inward, and waving the three forward, let it close behind her with a hiss.

"Hey Leon?" She expressed into the comm, "We're through."

"Great. Luna got Team A through a storage passthru just a few minutes ago. They're already on their way out. Your target is in room 49." Leon answered.

"Right… room 49, darlings. Lucas, with me, Francis, Nick… keep watch. Be ready for company."

"Nice elbowing," Nick told Lucas, still wearing a smile, before following close behind as they moved inside. He hung back, ready once again to be back-up, though they hardly needed it. He glanced over at Danica as she took the lead to handle the next two guards.

He very pointedly looked not at the guards, so he could avoid messing up whatever Danica had done there. He probably looked every but the guards, though he was mentally tallying yet another person to not tick off in Rogue. Room 49. He nodded as Danica gave them orders, pairing off with Francis in case any unwelcome people came this way.

Watching with a pleased smirk as the two guards she and Lucas took on dropped to the floor, Francis took a deep breath. This was going pretty damn well, if she had anything to say, and with Danny stepping up and clearing their path of the two guards and drones, she almost felt like they were home free. Probably a bad feeling, but.. she could feel her energy depleting, Francis taking deep breaths to cover the panting. Sticking close beside Nick, the quartet moved forward.

Lucas nodded in reply to Danica's orders and avoided eye contact with the guards like they were the bubonic plague. Nope. Not today. In a matter of seconds that felt like hours, they passed the guards scotch free and Lucas released a breath he had no idea he was even holding, sticking close to Danica.

"Daaamn," he murmured under his breath, beyond impressed. How in the hell did Danica do that? Witchcraft? Well, obviously he figured it had something to do with her abilities, but he was beyond curious to know the details now. He could've pondered over it for a while, but he decided to use his common sense for once and push that topic of contemplation aside for another time. It wasn't just Danica doing an awesome job--Nick and Francis were amazing. He knew that already, but it was still a treat to watch them prove it on the field.

Further down the hallway, doors lined either side, labeled with numbers. Danica studied these, moving with caution, until they reached the one marked 49. With a breath, she looked to Lucas, "Hold up, here and keep an eye out." Hand on the knob, she tested it, and the handle gave a click without catching. Unlocked. It didn't escape her attention how odd it was that the cell wasn't better guarded, but she could only hope it was an oversight…

Stepping into the room, Danica spotted their target without trouble and swearing softly, she moved to the table where he'd been strapped. Her fingers moved to undo the binds, a frown touching her lips. Wearing only a pair of shorts, the heavily tattooed man lay prone, and but for the slow rise and fall of his chest, she might've thought he was dead. Shivering, she turned to look over her shoulder, "Gonna need you in here after all Lucas. Poor guy's out cold."

Lucas peered into the room, quirking an eyebrow at the poor sexy specimen strapped to the table. Hot damn. If this wasn't such a tense and dangerous situation, he would've paused, just to appreciate the view. However, this dude didn't look like he was in top condition, so time wasn't exactly on his or their side. He entered per Danica's request...only for his eyes to widen as the implications behind her words settled in.

"Uhhh...You see these, sweetness?" He flapped his noodle arms for emphasis before jabbing a thumb behind him. "I'm just gonna…" He waved Francis inside, a sheepish grin on his lips. "You mind lending those beautiful muscles again?"

Hanging back outside with Nick, Francis' eyebrows went up in surprise when the door opened for Danica without much trouble. Unlocked? Unlocked? That was… not right. And why weren't there troops of guards coming in after them? Shaking away the insecurity that ate up at her insides, Francis nodded curtly to Lucas, barely acknowledging his comments before moving inside. She winced at the state of the man out cold on the table, aiding Danica in pulling him up. "This feels fishy… right? Not just me?" She whispered.

"Yeah, no…" Danica nodded, as she frowned slightly, the brunt weight of the unconscious man definitely falling on Francis, "It's definitely too damn easy. But we got him, so… let's get the hell out of here. I won't be able to take those two guards again when we get past the turrets. Nick, Lucas… looks like you boys get to be our knights in shining armor. Everyone ready?"

It was unlocked. Alarm bells started ringing in the back of Nick's head all over again, for completely different reasons this time. The door was unlocked, and it was calm. There was a familiar feeling in Nick's gut, one he didn't like that he recognized. The calm before the storm. He hoped he was wrong. He was praying he was wrong. That everything was just that easy today, and his gut feelings were just making him paranoid now. He peered into the room, but didn't enter it as Francis and Lucas swapped places. Poor guy. The tats were nice though.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Nick said, thankful his voice sounded steady, even though he definitely gave Lucas a worried look as the other two went to grab Vance.

Lucas...didn't know what the worried look was for. Okay, yes, he understood that this was a high-risk mission but there seemed to be something specific about the tenseness that settled over everyone's shoulders. Heck, he wasn't going to question a good thing; if it was quiet, then it was quiet--freedom dead ahead. In the end, he just grinned uncertainly at Nick and took up guard with him at the front of the group.

Steadying herself under Vance's weight, Francis nodded them forward, trying her best to keep her eyes peeled for any sudden ambush. The silence irritated and unsettled her, but she couldn't spare any energy to heighten her senses when Vance weighed down on her. "Guards comin' up," Francis warned.

"Hang back…" Danica said with a small now, "Gents. They're all yours."

"Omg, you shouldn't have," Lucas cooed. Just as Danica warned, there were the two guards, unaware of their presence, for now. He glanced at Nick. "You take left, I take right? Maybe a little sneaky silence action to boot?"

Nick bit back a laugh, just in time to avoid alerting the guards. "Sounds fair to me," he answered Lucas. He flexed his hands again, the air around him and Lucas rippling as he silenced their movements. Then, he started to make his way towards the guard on the left.

Lucas almost snorted. Sounds fair; man, this guy was a riot. He sobered up, however, when he sensed the hush fall over them and stealthed their way up to the unsuspecting guards, whose backs were momentarily facing them.

A moment was all Lucas needed.

As soon as the guard on the right turned, a knee rammed hard into his groin, forcing a choked cry from the man before Lucas slammed the butt of the gun into the back of his head. He wasn't the strongest Rogue around, so thank God for the human anatomy and its weak spots.

Nick slipped closer to the other guard, dropping the silence after Lucas had handled his guard. He placed a hand on the second guard's shoulder, giving him an awkward wave and "Hello" before decking him. Once, twice, and then he slammed his elbow into the guard's chest hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. With any luck, that would keep him down a bit. At the least, until he learned how to breathe again.

With the last of the guards sneaking involuntary Zzz's, Danica, with a grin, nodded to Francis, "A+ work, boys. Let's roll out…"

It wasn't entirely the easiest task in the world, getting from the facility, back to where they had stashed the SUVs… but within half an hour, Danica and Francis had laid the unconscious man in the back, and they piled in to hit the road. As she pulled away, Danica tried hard to ignore the pressing feeling that it had all gone far, far too well...
 
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R.E.I.F. Compound #73, Scientific Research and Development Sector
Kaiden Hull and Graciella Mortecino


Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Black and bays, dapples, grays,
All the pretty little horses.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.​

Laying the infant back in the cradle, Graciella glanced around the room. Three rows, five deep, cribs and cots, the brave little soldiers, sleeping sound. Her fingers trailed across the edge of the cradle to the cot beside it, and crouching down, she swept the hair back from the forehead of the boy that lay curled upon it. A short jog away, and young blonde murmured softly in her dreams.

A door slammed, and spinning, eyes narrowed, Graciella stalked towards the antechamber, stepping out into the hallway, "What have I said about the doors, Meyers! You incompetent idiot! Are you trying to wake them??"

"S. Sorry Grats. I forgot." The man's cheeks reddened beneath the glare, his hands knotting together, "D...director H...Hull is on h...h...his way u...up."

"Is he?" A brow lifted, raised nearly to her hairline, and nodding, she waved to the door, "Very well. Thank you. You may go."

The guard scurried away, the door smacking the jam in his wake and with a seething inhale, Graciella scowled after him before, with a shake of her head, she moved to the viewing window, overlooking the nursery.

The elevator dinged and Kaiden stepped out. He took in a deep breath and sighed. Despite the failings of the incompetent idiots forced upon him, his plan was still in motion and still on track to be a complete success. He'd even heard about the rescue mission that set loose Vance upon the Rogues. Everything was going as he had hoped, including things here.

"Ms. Mortecino," he greeted her as he stepped to the window beside her, his eyes studying the children inside, "how are things going?"

"Mr. Hull. A lovely surprise. Things are progressing quite nicely. A799 is responding well to the coded messages, and B614 sat up, today, on her own. What brings you by?"

He hummed as he scanned the sleeping children, "Inspect what you expect," he told her, "have there been any new additions?"

Graciella gestured through the viewing window, to the cradle nearest the right wall, "B617… Acquired by our agent in Brazil. He'll be a strong one, I think. His father was a Rogue operative down there… A pyrokinetic. His mother was a low level civilian, but the gene is strong. And B615… she's settling in nicely. A bit fussy. Her father, I believe, falls under the illusion category. Her mother, well… you're aware of those circumstances, I imagine."

Sighing, he nodded, "I am. Not Aspida's finest hour," placing his hand on the glass, his finger gently tapped against it, "and do you put them all to sleep at the same time everyday? You keep to the schedule?"

"Of course, Sir. The older ones wake in about…" checking the clock on the wall, she nodded, "Twenty minutes. They'll be working on Tactical Advantage and Discernment, if you'd like to sit in."

"A799 will be there? I cannot help but be fascinated with his ability," he turned to her, a certain sparkle in his eye.

"Yes, sir. He's a magnificent specimen if I say so myself. Responded very well to the program so far. I do expect he'll be ready for Combat Training in a few more months."

"Imagine that," he breathed, "You can tell me about some of the others as we walk to the 'classroom'."

"Certainly," Graciella added with a note of pride, "A794 has made some marked progress… She shows an impressive intellect. I do, however, have reservations regarding A792. The genetic strand doesn't seem to be presenting… and they've scored considerably lower than the others in nearly all faculties…"

"Purge it," he said coldly, "I will not waste resources on what is showing to be unfruitful. We can replace it with something a little more promising."

"Of course, sir. I'll see to it this afternoon." Pausing outside the door to the classroom, Graciella gestured to a board by the frame, several papers stapled neatly to the cork, "As you can see, sir… A799 has quite an impressive collection of scores…"

"How has he been socially? How does he interact with the others?" he inquired as he scanned through the papers, taking note of the other children's score as well.

"The telepathy seems to be a bit of a hindrance in his social interactions. He's already fairly gifted at comprehending what he's reading, and I suspect he doesn't like what the other children are thinking."

Kaiden seemed to a little disappointed, but he continued, "And his interaction with the staff?"

"Similar. While not distrusting or disobedient, he's hesitant… We did initially say it might be something of a challenge… his abilities."

"Has he asked anymore questions about his parents?" Kaiden pressed his finger against the paper and traced a stat line.

"He seems to have gathered those sorts of questions are… frowned upon. I imagine those two days spent in isolation broke him of the habit. But if you suspect the need for deeper conditioning?"

"If he has ceased, then no need. Break his spirit so that I might mold it, but we do not want to destroy him. That would be a waste."

Stepping away from the papers, he turned to Graciella, "And Ket?"

"Understood, sir." She noted, with an approving nod, "Ah. Yes. Exciting news. The information former Director Redwell showed you was correct. She's roughly four weeks along. With proper treatment, I imagine she'll do quite well. Our very first C Series… It's quite a thrill, sir."

"And the other women?" he turned to face her, "Are they all doing well, too? I can't afford for anything to go wrong. All of this is intricate to my plans. I do not need to tell you what will happen should anything unfortunate happen here."

"Of course, Director Hull. They're being well looked after. I think we're going to see some extremely positive results. The hits on the Milan base, and on Salt Lake City proved enormously fruitful, as well as Miami. Doctor Hollis is settling in nicely, as well."

"I knew she would. She's a doctor first, Rogue second. Given enough patients and Doc will stay so focused on taking care of others that she'll hardly have time to focus on how she feels about what we're doing. If the need should ever arise, threaten one of her patients to ensure she stay focused."

"Excellent idea, sir. Will do." With a nod, she gestured down the hall, "Would you like to see them? The mothers?"

He thought a moment and then nodded, "So long as we have time. I do not want to miss the class."

Glancing at her watch, the woman nodded, "We've a few minutes time. Right this way." Down the hall was another room, similar to the nursery. Through the viewing glass, several beds lined the wall, and on them, women, most of them unconscious, arms strapped at the wrists and ankles bound as well. A woman, dark, kinky hair pulled into a bun, wandered among the beds, her expression severe, as she checked vitals and wrote notes onto a clipboard.

"Here you are, sir. Ket's just been given a bed… See, there…" She pointed, "I hope it's to your liking?"

Kaiden studied the women in the beds. These women were in varying stages of pregnancy, some swollen, while others barely showed or weren't at all. A surge of excitement welled up inside him though he did not show it.These women either had impressive gifts or the father of their baby did. When they delivered, he'd weed out the unnecessary ones, replace them with better subjects, and begin this process all over again. He'd have his army one way or the other.

"Turn over the beds once they've delivered, just like I requested. If the woman has a powerful ability, when her body recovers, impregnate her again. If her ability does not make a soldier, or she has none, dispose of her and replace her with one of the women I have on the list I supplied you," he turned to her, "You'll let me know when the first round of children are born? I should very much like to see them."

"Understood, Director Hull." Graciella nodded, with a small approving smile, "Now then. If you follow me, the A Series should be waking for class."

Taking one last look through the window, he nodded before turning to follow Graciella, "Very well then."
 
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Father and Son
Keith & Michael Fuller, Penny
(Collab w/ @Elle Joyner )
⤑Location:SUV outside Aspida Containment Center​
Keith had been acting… unusual. Since the moment he'd been told they caught his dad, the kid may as well have been made of stone. Or maybe ice, with the cold mist billowing off him perpetually. He let Penny arrange the rest of the crew, and honestly? He hadn't wanted Finn or Luna physically with him for it. It… it probably would have hurt. Them, and him, and may have resulted in some choices he just didn't want to have to make.

Hell, he didn't even notice the tension between… well. Everyone else in the SUV, focused on making the trek back to Miami in record time. If they knew his dad was an Archivist, he sure as hell wouldn't be given much time… or he'd be given too much, and they'd use him to root out the unaffiliated metas of Miami. He had to shut those thoughts down several times over.

Penny's comment of non-lethal force hadn't even touched Keith's mind, when they headed into the building. Non-lethal wasn't an option this time.

...But. It ended up being a non-factor.

They got in. They got out. With nothing going amiss.

Keith studied his dad hard. He knew the man's aura better than… almost anyone. He couldn't see any trickery there…

It wasn't until they were back at the SUV and Keith had convinced himself that the man standing in front of him couldn't be anyone else that he let the ice melt.

"Oh… thank fuck…" he murmured, finally buckling back against the door of the vehicle and closing his eyes, tearing up in moments before Michael said a single word.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, wincing as he brushed a bruise that had only just begun to heal, he looked over to his son and for a moment, he couldn't think of a single word to say. Keith had done everything right. He'd followed through on their protocol perfectly. And still, RIEF had found out, and he had been taken. All of the precautions, all of the formalities, the tactics… the sacrifices… and he'd still gotten caught. Still dragged Keith into danger. Frustration was evident in his posture, but so, too, was a sense of lingering dread. The others in the car were quiet, and he was glad for the lack of questions, lack of chatter.

But he needed to say or do something… or he was going to do the one thing he'd been avoiding since being taken from his office - he would overthink. Overplan.

"...Thank you, Keith." He said, simply, and somehow, it seemed flatter than he'd intended. He was grateful for his son, grateful for the rescue… but it wasn't a position he'd ever wanted to put Keith in, and he was… distraught, "Thank you… for everything."

It took a few moments. Of course it was going to take a few moments, this entire thing wasn't how Keith wanted to see his dad again. He managed a very slight smile, "You kept me safe. Figured it was my turn." He rubbed his forearm across his eyes. He could still feel the paranoia over what could be happening to the other team, but… but. Honestly? This was more important.

Chuckling dryly, Michael nodded, "I'm… Hm." Looking to the other two, he shifted, to face Keith fully, "I'm proud of you, Keith. You've come a long way, and I can see what you're a part of has been… beneficial. When you called me, I… I was deeply concerned that would be our last conversation. Hardly an ideal outcome, this… but I'm glad to see you, again, whatever the circumstances..."

Keith nodded, "I… yeah. I was afraid of the same thing… better both alive, and not talking again, than dead, but…" He tried to keep it in, he really did. Most of Rogue had it a lot worse as far as their parents went… a shudder racked his body, and he lost what composure he'd managed to keep together and surged forward to cling to his father, squeezing the man a bit tighter than necessary, probably something he didn't even realize. "T...this is better," he managed, the words muffled into his dad's shirt.

With a smile, Michael patted his son on the back, with a slightly more confident nod, his own eyes stinging with tears he tried to compose, "I agree. And I'm sorry, Keith. I feel like all of this is my fault. All of the precedents I set.. The procedures. I've put you in quite a difficult position, and it can't have been easy. You've come a long way, son. Really…"

"It kept me safe. For a really long time. It still is." There was another shiver through his frame, "Better than a lot of other folks in Rogue had." The two of them never really talked much about how Rogue was going; it just… wasn't a topic that came up. Now, though? He let his head rest against his dad's chest for near a minute before he took a deep breath and sat back, another one of those shudders running through his body as he shoved things… back down, Keith forcing himself back into business. The mission wasn't over, and… Michael would need somewhere safe…

"The safest place for you is going to be back in Miami with us, I think…" Keith trailed off for a moment, "Yul won't like it. I think I know how I can convince him to accept it, though…"

"Yul will deal with it." This came from Penny, who had not been intending to eavesdrop… but in the confines of an SUV, that was fairly difficult.

Michael laughed softly, and with a shrug, returned to patting Keith's back, unwilling, just yet, to relinquish his hold, "I've already figured as much. Can't exactly go back in to work, now that I'm a fugitive…"

When Keith's dad didn't relinquish his hold, he just let his head drop forward slightly to continue resting his forehead against his chest. It… it was nice. He did turn his head slightly to glance in Penny's direction, however. "...Yul wants me for Orlando, and my dad… well. He could help Josie. With the blockers, probably get her almost to where she was back in her lab in ASPIDA in a lot shorter time… we've got leverage so he'll have to deal with it…"

Penny's eyes narrowed slightly at Keith's words, as she looked back at him from the rear view mirror, "Careful with that hornet's nest, Keith. It's your call, but Yul's base is no Miami… if you haven't figured that out by now. Though any help for Josie is gonna be more than welcome."

"Of course…" Michael nodded faintly, "I'll do what I can."

"I don't want to stay there, but my dad being safe is more important than whether I want to stay with Orlando or Miami," Keith said firmly. He suspected his dad would disagree, but… well. That wouldn't mean too much, either. He let out a little sigh, "We'll wait, though. And see what Yul says when we get back…"
 
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A Simple Talk
collab between @Kat & @Elle Joyner

A part of Josie wasn't quite sure why she was doing this, she just knew it had to be done. Yul may have thought the Miami base was disorganized and unruly, however, Keegan trusted him, and she was going to step up her game in the process of pleading not guilty for Finn. She'd set her books down in her room, realized she forgot to ask Deck to tell Thad she said hello, and now, she was in front of Yul's office, with a cup of black tea… no sugar… and words.

She took a deep breath, and with the best of intentions set in place, she knocked on the door.

Yul looked up at the knock, from the pile of folders on his desk, and clearing his throat, he nodded, staighttening, "Josephine, right? Please. Come in. Have a seat…"

The leader being hospitable was a start. So, she'd caught him in a good mood, hopefully. Josie strode over to the seat with a sense of purpose and set down the tea in front of Yul before sitting down. It was not the first time she sat down in front of him and it most likely, wouldn't be the last.

"Yul, sir… Director Huang… I can never quite tell what the right way to address you is because everyone calls you differently, however, that's not why I came here. I heard what happened to your team member and I wanted to offer my condolences on behalf of the Miami base," Josie began. "We haven't made it any easier for you, I understand. We're a bunch of ragtag misfits, I understand, but Rogue is our family. It's our responsibility to make sure that whoever killed your team member, justice is served. It's not easy dealing with loss and that's why I want to do my part. You don't beat around the bush, neither do I. It's imperative that we act quickly and I want to help you and your team out in any way I can, if that is of interest."

"Misfits…" Yul smiled dryly, as he shook his head, "Not entirely the word I would use. But accurate, I suppose. I appreciate the offer, Josephine, but it's hardly necessary." Looking up from the folders, he nodded, "I suppose you're here about Westfall? I have to say, I'm rather impressed with the solidarity your team shows towards one another. You style is not… ideal to what I normally adhere to, but there can be no question of your loyalties to one another. But your concerns are unfounded. Finn is not longer a suspect. He's being detained for reasons of his own safety. I have reason to believe his life may be in danger, and I would prefer there not be two homicides in my base in the same month."

"There'll be no need for another homicide if we work together. I may be here for Finn on one hand, however, I'm also here for Rogue and the safety of everyone, including your agents. I've adapted over the years to different situations and I'm not one to kick a challenge to the curb," she responded with a small smile. "I work without bias and the Miami team is already searching for clues. Where are you right now in the investigation? You don't give up, do you? You do everything you can to protect and without our help, this investigation will drag on."

She continued, "I appreciate your information on Finn and will pass it along to Deck and Rose. You are giving up a wonderful opportunity for everyone to unify, however, I won't push the subject. If you ever require my services or find yourself in need of another able body to help take down the person who killed your team member, I will follow whatever means you see necessary to get to the bottom of this murder. We don't know who the person was, but given they were a part of Rogue, they are just as much family to the Miami base as we are to each other. I hope that you will find a piece of mind somewhere in the future to accept our help, if not now, just as we've accepted everything you've done for us. It's time we give back to Orlando."

Listening patiently, Yul nodded slowly, before he lifted a folder, turning it around to her, "Again… The offer is appreciated. But unnecessary. I'm fairly certain I've found the person responsible, and will be addressing it shortly. I understand the desire to help, however...and I also understand that you've been at work in the labs, lately, on a rather important process. You've my permission, Josephine, to dedicate as much time and energy as you need to this. So long as you keep me apprised of your progress…"

"Of course, I'd be more than happy to share updates," Josie responded. "Thank you again for allowing me to borrow your lab. It is, without question, that I'm creating these blockers for everyone. It's completely by choice and I hope that with time, we'll find another success in them. It helped me escape Maxine, no doubt it can help everyone escape RIEF. I appreciate your time and only have one small favor to ask before I'm out of your hair. Finn is detained and there's no doubt his friend, Rose, would want to see him. Is it at all possible to allow her to see Finn? She's worried sick about him."

"Rose…" Looking at the folders, he nodded faintly, "She's the one from Daniel Harper's home, yes?"

"Yes."

"...She'll be given permission to see him, yes. But that's it. I cannot risk any more than that. Now, if that's all, I should get back to work. Good luck in the lab."

There was an internal sigh of relief as Josie stood up and thanked the man once more. Stubborn as always, but at the very least, Yul allowed Rose in to see Finn, and right now, the one thing Finn needed more than his life, was comfort from someone who understood him. He needed someone to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, because it really was. Yul had spilled certainty on who he thought may have been responsible and he planned to address it shortly. There was hope that Finn was not guilty as people have labeled him. There was hope for them all.

"Enjoy your tea."
 
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The SUV returned nearly twenty-four hours after it had pulled out of the garage, and while it felt like a win, there was something in the way it had all gone down… from start to finish… that had just been exhausting. The second SUV had yet to return, but Penny wasn't concerned. The other team knew what they were doing, and they'd stayed in communication as long as they could…

Slipping from the driver's seat, Penny opted to give Keith and his father their privacy, and without a word, she'd started for the door, when her eyes fell on the familiar face standing nearby, "...Hey…" It was a sight for sore eyes, certainly, and she was more grateful to see him than she'd ever expected to be.

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, Deckard smiled, "Hey to you, too," he looked passed her and saw Keith with his dad, "Everything went as smooth as planned? You don't look like you went through hell."

"It… it went." Shaking her head, she rubbed her brow, "We had to split up… Got a call from Luna on the comms that there was a secondary rescue. They're still out…" A sigh escape and she dropped her arm, "How'd it go, while we were out?"

Pushing off the wall, he dropped his hands to his side, sliding them into the pockets of his loose fit jeans. With a shake of his head, he answered, 'Not here. Let's get out of here first."

A brow lifted, but Penny didn't argue, nodding as she gestured him towards the door. She'd let him lead as long as he needed to, but the feeling of anxiety bubbled up in her, more than she'd expected it to. Feelings were new… scary… and all she really wanted was a hot bath and a few hours of peace with Deck.

"It's been a busy twenty-four hours," he told her as they stopped at their room, "Not only was Keegan an ass, but so was Yul," he waited for her to enter first before he closed the door behind him and bolted it. He stood in the doorway knowing full-well how Penny might react to the news, "They found a woman's body in the bunker. She had been murdered. At first, Yul tried to pin it on Finn, but he's since cleared him. He's holding Finn in a cell for his protection though."

"What!?" The words barely registered, as Penny moved to sit down, sudden exhaustion coupling through her legs, "Are you kidding right now?? Finn wouldn't hurt a toaster oven! How could they possibly… Protection…? What..." Rubbing her hands over her face, she shook her head, "He's alright? You sure?"

"They scared him something awful, but he's resilient. He'll bounce back. Not sure he'll ever trust anyone from this bunker again, though," he said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not terribly inclined to, either. I don't like it here, Deck…" Palms rubbing her knees, she frowned, "Haven't since we got here. I feel like we're all walking on edge… just waiting for something to go wrong. Between Yul, and Keegan being whack… Not to mention the lovely surprise guest you got…"

Deck hung his head, obviously disturbed by the mention of Alys, "Ya.." was all he could say.

Sitting up, Penny frowned, noting the shift a little too clearly. It had worried her, the idea of leaving Deck with that woman, but she had been pretty sure Alys wouldn't try anything…

"You alright, Big Guy? Why do I get the feeling this tall, dark and brooding thing isn't just Finn related?"

For a brief moment, Deckard thought about lying. He thought about being the sole bearer of everything that Alys had told him. After all, what good would it do for Penny to know? It wasn't like it mattered. The child had….

But if he lied to her now, he'd have to keep on doing it. He had to lie about being fine, about nothing bothering him. Their relationship...or whatever they had….would be built upon the lies that he'd have to tell just to ensure she never found out. He couldn't live with that...not after everything Penny had done for him...not when he considered how much she meant to him now.

With a heavy sigh, he sat down beside her. The silence had been longer than he had anticipated, but he struggled with what to say. Where did he start? Leaning his elbows on his knees, Deckard looked at his hands and he wrung them out, "I...uh...I found out something while you were gone," he nodded, it was a good start, "Something big."

The further downgrade was, to say the least, alarming, and watching him, Penny pushed out of her chair, crouching before him, her hands covering his, "Whatever it is, Deck… I'm here. I won't pry, either… but I'm here."

He smiled sadly, "I know you are," he groaned as he readied himself to repeat the news he hadn't really had a chance to think about since Alys had told him. With everything concerning Finn and Rebecca's murder going down, he'd been too busy to slow down long enough to think, "Alys, she stopped me in the hall not long after you left," he looked up, sadness in his eyes, "I was a dad, Penny," saying the words out loud for the first time allowed the sorrow to grip his heart, "I was.." he couldn't say it again.

It wasn't what she'd expected, and maybe that was why it hit so hard. That was what she told herself, anyway… that's how she justified it. Sitting back, she breathed in, before shaking her head, "She just… she just walked up and told you this? And you're sure it's true? She ain't exactly shy about what she's been up to with you, Deck. I wouldn't put it past her to try and trap you into feeling a certain way… and that's a hell of a heartstring to pull."

Shaking his head he replied, "Alys knows that's one string you don't pull unless you mean it. I'd always wanted a family, Penny. We were trying at the time with no luck. She knows that if she pulled that stunt and it was a lie, it'd be a cold day in hell before I even considered what she's been trying to get," he paused, "No...she's not lying."

The color leeched from Penny's cheeks at those words, her expression faltering. She wanted to believe it was in horror at Alys's actions, but she couldn't rightly pretend that was all…

He wanted a family. The one damn thing she could never give him…

"Hell. I'm sorry, Deck. I…" Swallowing, she pushed herself to her feet, "I can't imagine… I'm so sorry."

He looked up at her and then leaned back, "We were having such a hard time with it, that we were considering adoption. It didn't matter to me if it was blood that tied us...I just wanted a family."

Washing his hands over his face, Deckard shook his head in defeat, "This is my fault."

Breathing out, Penny dropped down beside him, and before his words clicked, she'd forgotten her own part in this mess. It didn't matter what she felt or thought or believed… He was hurting, and to hell with Alys…

"Look at me, Deck. Right now…"

"If I had just not used my power," he reasoned more with himself than with Penny as he looked her way, "If I had just done something else...something different."

"Then Alys would be dead and you'd be in the same boat." Her finger curved around his hand, and she shifted to meet his eyes, shaking her head, "This… none of this… is your fault. You did not ask her to turn you in. You did not ask to be put in this crap situation. You did not ask for the person who vowed to love you till she died… To betray that trust. And if I were a lesser person, I would be out there right now, looking to punch a hole through that harpy's face… for what she did to you. Stabbing you in the back wasn't enough… she had to try and make you feel guilty for her choices." Squeezing his hand, Penny straightened, "You can't blame yourself for her decisions, anymore than I can blame myself for the crap I went through. Sometimes life sucks, Deck… and it's cruel and mean… And it will leave you in the gutter for no other reason than because it can… but that doesn't make you responsible for someone else's stupid. Got it?"

Nodding, he looked at her fingers wrapped around his hand, so small compared to his, "I know you're right," he admitted, "But it'll take a little longer to convince my heart of it."

He turned his hand over so that hers slid into his. Gently he caressed it with his thumb, "I'd a made a great dad, you know. Best damn dad."

"Yeah, you would. So… so maybe someday, you try again." Her gaze dropped, and her heart gave a lurch as the words threatened… hovered, before pouring out, eyes burning, "Just… just can't be with me. Not like that, anyway."

"What do you mean it can't be with you?" Deckard's brow narrowed, confusion on his face, "Like, you don't want to be with me?" He shifted, "You don't see a future with me, do you?"

"What?" Looking up, eyes rimmed red, Penny shook her head, "No. Deck. Don't be stupid. I love you. But it's… It's not that I don't want to… it's that I can't. I physically can't. I was… when I worked… I was sterilized. Babies are a liability in the whoring business… You know?" Her jaw tensed, and her eyes fell again, "And you… you don't deserve to be saddled with that. Not when I can tell how bad you want this…"

"Penny," he told her as he shifted to face her. Her confession did not fall on deaf ears, nor did her reason for what she said, "It doesn't have to be blood," he told her, "I love you, too, and if you can't have kids, then we'll adopt. There's plenty of little people out there like us who have lost their parents to this damn war. That is...if that'd be okay with you."

Breathing in, shakilly, Penny met his gaze, and genuine tears reflected back, "...S...say it again? Please…?"

"I love you," he repeated, "and if you want it...we'll adopt," shaking his head, "There's no one else I'd rather have a family with. There's something about you, Penny."

"You mean aside from the ridiculous history, crippling fear of real intimacy and the fact that we're basically wanted fugitives?" Smiling dryly, she reached for his hand, "...I never had a family, Deck. Not a real one. Rogue is the closest I've really come and even then, I've got my hang ups. No one… no one's ever said that to me, before. Those words. Not ever. And I definitely never thought I'd say them, either. I have never been so damn scared of something… and I have never wanted it more. So if we get out of this, you and me… then that's what we'll do. That's what I want…"

"It's settled, then," he sighed, "we fight like hell, we survive, because I'm not missing out on that."

"Sounds like a plan, Deck…" Penny added with a small, weary laugh, "Sounds like a hell of a plan."
Tag || collab with @DarinValore
 
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Collab: Know You Better, Daisy @Elle Joyner

Levi staggered back into headquarters after managing to escape the chaos of the SUV. He was gracious, if down right prideful, that the mission had gone perfectly. Fuller was safe, all three rescuers recently safe and sound. Levi did not seem to suffer and physical harm, but he did begin to hear voices of those who were not there with him. Peter was one, and he realized Daisy, Lucas, and Francis's voices were all starting to pick at his head. In retaliation to this, Levi brought a piece of his rooms coffee table into the car ride and carved absentmindedly. He was somewhat social in and out, but he found comfort was easier when he focused on his creation.

Guilt had built with his last conversation with Lucas and Francis, and despite Lucas telling Levi he was okay, Levi didn't believe it. He recalled Lucas's silliness regarding Mufasa, and so his apology began in his creation. By the time Levi had gotten back, he had finished the head and mane of the first lion. The body was coming along smoothly, the craftsmanship something of comfort. He began to etch an L into the torso when the SUV stopped, his heart in his throat. Home. He had made it back to the Orlando base without much of a hitch.

He didn't recall getting out of the van. He didn't recall the footsteps he took to return inside. With a blink of an eye, he was down the hall, his carving knife smoothly tracing along the wood. A cursive u would join the L by the time he reached his destination. Lucas, Francis, Nick and Danica didn't seem to be back. Levi didn't assume the worst, he knew that missions took time and that those four were incredibly strong. If he could handle a mission without a hitch, those four were bound for smooth land.

This didn't prevent him from muttering a quick prayer under his breath and a promise to do better. A c joined the torso.

Slowly he found his way towards Daisy's office, knowing now that he promised her that he'd be back safe and sound. He wanted his other four friends to start to trickle in, to check on them, to say well done and that he was proud that such strong people could handle the job given.

His knuckles struck against the door, his free hand gently pocketing the half finished, palm sized lion into his coat pocket. "Daisy?" He called out gently, his heart hammering somewhat in his chest. He didn't understand why he was nervous. He was back home safe. This was just proof to her that he had done what he promised.

She was nervous. She shouldn't have been… Not knowing that they were all seasoned in missions… that they had enough experience and intelligence to get through even the most dangerous of tasks… but somehow, for some inexplicable reason, Daisy was nervous. She'd spent a good portion of the afternoon in her office, waiting… pacing… thinking… overthinking… until she was pretty sure she'd worn the carpet down half an inch.

They'd barely been gone a full day, but she couldn't fight the feeling that after all that had happened, the universe was somehow determined to pee in her cornflakes.

So when the knock finally came to the door, she nearly fell out of her seat to answer it, scrambling to turn the knob and pulling it open. She realized of course, her overenthusiam must have looked strange, and so, cheeks flushed, she stepped back, clearing her throat, "...Hey. Welcome back."

Levi felt concern as she flung open the door to greet him, only to step back with flustered cheeks. "Good to see you, buttercup. Are you okay? You look peaked." His hand involuntarily reached for her cheek, as if to check her temperature, but he slowly let it drop to his side. He chewed the inside of his cheek. "Maybe you should sit. I didn't mean to worry you, I think just about everyone made it back okay."

Chuckling softly, Daisy shook her head, and while her cheeks only brightened further, she seemed to relax, visibly, "No… no, I'm okay. I just… Hm. I'm glad you're back, Levi. How was it? How'd it go? Are you alright?"

"You are a bit rosy Dais." Hesitantly, he reached up with his thumb to poke her flustered cheek. "It's a good color on you, honestly." With a dismissive smile, he waved his hand and scoffed. "Everything went along fine. Fuller seems fine, Keith and Penny are doing well. I, myself, am physically alright. I was a bit nervous at first, still am to be honest. But I'm alright. Promise." He patted his heart, offering an honest smile.

It didn't escape her attention that despite his charm, he didn't seem fully himself… and the note that he was physically alright was, to put it mildly, quite telling. A brow lifted, and she pushed off the door frame, looking him over, "Alright, Jukebox… what's going on? Cause you may be physically alright… but you that pretty smile of yours isn't where it should be."

"I'm nervous about Lucas and Frankie." Levi admitted slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "We didn't end on a good note before the mission. I sort of screwed up, and I don't think either of them left in good spirits. That and they haven't come back yet. I'm scared that if we did leave on a sour note, well, I can't go and fix anything." He reached for the small carving in his pocket, deciding to etch a little detail into it as his fingers threatened to shake. "I'm just worried about their well-being. Physical and mental."

Reaching out, she cupped her fingers around his wrists, and gingerly, led him to one of the two chairs in front of her desk, sinking into the other, "...What happened? Talk me through it?"

"Ah, nurse and part time therapist. I thought there was something special about you." He claimed lightly, but allowed her to direct him to sit. He slowly sunk into the chair, placing his hands into his lap. He continued to scrape designs into the small lion. "Francis and Lucas had gotten into a fight about respect. Apparently Lucas had crossed a line. I eavesdropped and muted Lucas, but it didn't work well when I unmuted him. He was talking and well...Francis stormed off, Lucas was mad. Lucas left me and told me he was good to sleep, but I don't think he's well. Now I'm worried about them coming home."

Smiling gingerly, she shook her head at his joke, but as he continued, her expression settled and a she sank back, with a small frown, "...Yikes. That… that sounds like a pretty big mess, Lev. But you guys… you're all pretty close, right? I mean… do you really think this'll last? That it'll carry over into something like their mission?"

"I don't know, Dais. I don't. I love them all like my siblings, and it hurt like a bitch knowing I had hurt them without meaning to. I don't know how well they'll end up working together, considering Lucas seemed to accept that she hated him. I'm hoping it blows over, because it feels like this knife being plunged into my chest. Those two are like my little siblings." His head tilted as he forced himself to stop carving. He inhaled and made sure his fingers were stable before staring on the back legs. "I think they can handle a mission, it's just something in my heart that worries for their health, whether or not the argument held over. I just want them to know that I care about them, and that they obviously care about each other enough to be angry. I think I'm over worried about their situation and their physical state."

"I don't think they're gonna hold it against you, honey. When this clears, they're gonna see you were just trying to help. Makes sense you'd be worried, but you can't blame yourself. That's not gonna help anybody." Biting her lip, she watched him carve, her eyes moving to the lion figurine, "...Looks good." Reaching for the chain around her neck, she pulled the daisy carving from beneath her blouse with a small smile, "You got a real talent, Levi."

"I suppose that's true. I think I tried to act too much like a father and that ended up biting me in the ass." He frowned, realizing there was one important detail about himself he kept forgetting to mention. This woman was a woman of chastity, and he had a feeling that if he mentioned it she would look at him differently.

"Thank you." He grinned at her halfheartedly, his heart skipping a beat in surprise as she revealed her chain. She had attached the carving to her necklace, a gesture that brought warmth into his chest. "You...you kept that huh?" He chuckled, if somewhat roughly. "I'm glad you did. I figured I'd give this to Lucas as an apology. Considering how well that gift I gave you seemed to work out. Im almost surprised you kept it." He admitted, clearing his throat nervously.

"Why's that surprise you, so much?" She asked, a brow lifting, "It's beautiful, Levi… and nobody ever gave me anything they carved by hand, before. Of course I was gonna keep it." Shifting forward, she put a hand on his arm again, gently, "...Sounds to me like maybe you forget for a second or two that what they needed was a friend, first, not a dad. It

happens, Sugar. But that doesn't mean that they aren't gonna forgive you, or each other. Trouble is… things like this have a tendency to uncover some ugly stuff, and you… you may need be ready for some fall out from that." Giving his arm a squeeze, she sat back, "It's gonna work out… and if not, I'll help you lock them in a storage closet until they make up."

"Well, I used to make carvings a lot and some people just didn't tend to keep them." He shrugged, her hand upon his arm soothing. "I suppose that's why it makes me so happy that you are keeping it near." Exhaling, he brushed his hand through his hair and puffed out his cheeks. "It's hard to forget sometimes, you know? I care about them a lot and they...they are just so young. I can't stand the thought that they might have ugly pieces to them that hurts them so bad. Heh...I see now why you call yourself scary." He hesitantly brought the hand that laid upon his arm to his lips to kiss it. "I appreciate it, buttercup. Um, can I be honest?"

Smiling delicately, she gave a small, encouraging nod, "...I'd prefer you were, anyway. Go ahead…"

"Well…I think one of the reasons I treat them so much like my own children, and why I fear so much that I might lose them is uh...Buttercup, remember when you said you would be okay with taking a chance on me?" He exhaled slowly "I'm not as wholesome of a man as I could be. I…" he found trouble trying to conjure his words and glanced down towards the floor.

Sitting back a little, Daisy could feel her pulse spike, but her expression remained as even as possible, as she studied him, brow rising, "...Geez, Levi… you look like you're about to tell me you got some family hidden away in a cabin somewhere in New Mexico or something."

He tried to laugh, but it came out weaker than he meant it. "No, not a secret family. Nothing so...big and odd as that. I'm a father, Daisy." He swallowed, rubbing his wrists anxiously. "The mother and I separated and I don't know where my child is. I think that's why I'm so protective over those kids is because; well, I don't want to lose another child.

"...Oh…" Blinking, Daisy straightened, and her hands came up to cover her mouth as the words sank in. It was a big enough hit, without the idea of the second part, and shaking her head, she dropped her hands to his, "...Oh my God, Levi. I… I am so sorry. I can't imagine…"

"I hope this doesn't change what you think of me." Levi slowly mumbled, surprised that she still dropped her hands over his. He squeezed gently and smiled at her, although the attempt was weak. "Hey, no need to apologize. My little girl is out there somewhere and, well, I'm sure I'll find her one day. I just am fearful that, well, someone else will leave me." He paused. "I didn't mean to drop that all of a sudden. I just wanted to be honest."

"W...why would that change what I think of you, Levi? I mean…" Frowning, she shook her head, "If you had intentionally left… if you'd given up and walked away, yeah. I'd be pretty uncomfortable right now. But… but having this on your shoulders? Last thing you need is my judgment." Shaking her head, she breathed out, "I mean… it's news, that's for sure. But it's not gonna change what I think about you… Not for the worst, anyway."

"I'll admit, the relationship I had with the mother wasn't the most holy." Levi admitted, his cheeks ablaze. He felt horrid for explaining this now to her, but it was good to get the details off his chest. The fear of losing another young friend was something that weighed heavy upon him. Lucas and Francis reminded him too much of his own family. "I just figured you deserve to know. If I'm going to be honest about my concerns, I should be truthful about everything else. I'm not always proud of who I am, but you do deserve to know."

"We all have crap in our pasts we're not proud of… Secrets and stuff. But I appreciate you being open with me, Levi. I won't lie either, it scares me… just the idea of it. It.. it's scary enough being in a new relationship, especially one that comes with that sort of package deal. It can be a little intimidating. But I like you, and call me crazy, but... I'm willing to give this a fair shot, even knowing that it's all kind of up in the air. So long as you're willing to keep me in the loop…"

"I know the idea of being open to this sort of relationship is scary. I don't want to admit it, but I am absolutely horrified." He bit his lip, reaching for her hand again to squeeze it. "I appreciate that you are willing to give it a shot, and I promise to go at a steady pace. The moment you want to step back from this and say no, it's okay." He paused to consider his next words. "I will tell you anything you need to know. And, I cannot express how grateful I am that you are willing to listen to my concerns. You have been a wonderful comfort."

"What happened to the relationship? If… if it's not too weird to talk about?" She asked, letting her fingers lace through his, "I don't wanna pry…"

"Well, it was meant to be a physical relationship." Levi began, his heart trembling in his chest. He shook his head, deciding it would be best to continue. He figured she should know what he was like, whether it was in the past or not. "I fell for her though, wanted more than that, and one day she left. Packed her bags and left a note saying she found someone better. She came back over half a year ago and said she wanted to continue what we had...only to tell me there was a child out there somewhere and wouldn't be clear about where she put her." Levi massaged his brow, his grip around her hand slacking. "It's just a cluster, and it's because I was a moron."

"...She never told you…" Breathing in, Daisy shook her head, "I don't think there's a word strong enough for that crap move. Geez, Levi. Honey…" Shifting, she abandoned her chair entirely, sitting on the floor to give both of his hands a proper grip, bringing a kiss to his knuckles, "So you have no idea where… where she is? How to find her? Your little girl?"

Levi's chest trembled as she sat before him and kissed his knuckles, and slowly he slid to the ground with her, eyes glued to her hands. "No. Her mother told me she gave her up for adoption and gave me some addresses. They led to nowhere. I don't know where she is. I haven't had the courage to tell anyone else, to be honest. I'm just scared that, I don't know. I don't know. The worst. That she's been found out, that she has powers."

"Sweetie…" Shaking her head, Daisy wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, "Don't do that to yourself, okay? Don't… There are ways to find out what happened. You just gotta trace the lines… Good thing you got one super experienced Orphan Annie on your hands, who can work through the process. I can call my old agency… my case workers. I'll find out what can be done… Okay?"

His body involuntarily slumped into hers as she embraced him, his arms slowly looping around her waist and giving her a gentle squeeze. He was so grateful on how supportive she was about the debacle. She offered help. She didn't look at him another way. All she did was offer her consideration and assistance, and Levi thought, if for a mere moment; she would disappear the moment he let go. This was nothing more than a mirage, perhaps of his own creation. He smiled when he realized it was not, bobbing his head against her shoulder. "Thank you, Daisy. You have no idea how much it means to me that you are willing to help." He slowly pulled away from her, inspecting her before pressing a gentle kiss to her nose.

Wrinkling her nose Daisy smiled faintly, shaking her head, "I'm gonna assume that was you respecting boundaries… and that you didn't just miss, really badly."

"That was me trying to respect you, buttercup. Do you want me to aim a little bit better?" He inquired with a perked eyebrow, a light, somewhat more cheerful smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Her smile softened, and she studied him for a moment, "...I think that would probably be alright…"

"You think or…" He questioned, leaning in closer until their foreheads touched. He placed his hand against her cheek. "I need to be sure before I go on teasing you, Dais."

Her eyes closed, her breathing softening, "Just so long… as it's not just a tease, Levi."

"Mm, I told you I'd be honest with you Daisy. I've been wanting to do this for a little while now." Slowly his eyes closed, his hand gently directing her face to his. He pressed his lips to hers, chaste and gentle, giving her room after a moment if she wanted to move away.

Her fingers slipped through his and she exhaled, pulling back just slightly, eyes opening again, "...So… that's what I've been missing, huh?"

Chuckling softly against her lips, he absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair. "More like I've been missing it, buttercup. Do you…" His eyes peaked open, searching hers for permission.

"...Do I?" She asked, with a slight smile.

"Oh, you are the one teasing me now, hmm?" He cupped the back of her head gently, pressing his forehead to hers with a demeanor of deep consideration. "Then maybe I should just leave you in suspense." He threatened to go closer again, eyes locked with hers still.

"...Now, Levi. Don't be cruel…" She murmured with affection, "You're better than that."

"To you dear, I would never be cruel. Although…" He appeared to muse to himself, stealing another kiss in a matter of seconds. The gentleness remained, giving her any opportunity to turn back if she so desired. For now, he was content, lost in her affection. His head had clouded over completely and reality seemed to flood from him.

It was nice, admittedly… Nicer than she'd expected it to be, and with a soft, contented sigh, Daisy leaned her head against his shoulders.

Levi held her as she slumped into his shoulder, drawing random patterns upon her back. "Thank you, for that. I am glad you trusted me enough to do that."

"You don't have to thank me, Levi… I should be thanking you. I know it isn't easy… being patient, but I appreciate it." A sigh escaped again, and she curled closer, free hand curved around the wooden daisy, "It's been a while since I met anyone I could feel safe around. This safe."

"I would have waited, Dais. I'm willing to go your pace, because I think you are worth it." He glanced down at her, playing absentmindedly with a lock of her hair. The feeling of her curled into him sent warmth into his chest. It felt...surreal. It felt soothing. "I am glad I could make you feel safe, buttercup. I'd never want you to feel any other way around me."

"Some day, Jukebox…" She continued, curling her fingers through his, lacing them together, "I promise you, I'll gonna be ready for all of it. I wanna be. And while we're on a streak with honest confessions, I gotta tell you… you're the first person I've ever even thought about it with… So…" Leaning back, she looked at him with a smile, "...Consider yourself special."

"Oh, I consider myself to be very special for you to trust me with such a thing." His brow knitted and he gently squeezed her hand. "Just remember, buttercup, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. This is your pace. So don't feel you need to try and speed things up. Just...go at what makes you feel comfortable. Okay?"

"No worries there…" She said with a small chuckle, "I am relentlessly stubborn, I'll have you know. You prepared?"

"I think I am." He smirked at her, kissing her cheek before leaning his head against the chair leg. "I think stubborn is a good color on you, buttercup."

"Darn straight it is…" Giving his hand a squeeze, she lay her head on his shoulder again, "Now shush… I wanna just sit here for a few more minutes, and pretend I don't have a mountain of paperwork on that desk up there to get to."

Keeping his arms around her firmly but cautiously, Levi rumbled with muffled laughter. "What paperwork? And if Thaddeus or Yul wants to give you crap for it, you can always say you were held against your will by a deviously handsome fiend." He rested his chin on her head. "Good alibi for not getting work done."

"Hm... I think, Levi… you and I… are going to get by just fine."

"I think so too, buttercup." At ease, Levi happily curled into her. "I think so too."
 
  • Love
Reactions: Mobley Eats, junebug and CloudyBlueDay
Ring Around The Rosy - Part I
Collab with @WingWong @Mobley Eats and @Elle Joyner

Too easy...

The words had revolved around Danica's mind the entire drive back from the facility. A few guards, some minor scuffles, a pair of defunct laptop guns and an unconscious target. She'd had shopping trips at the mall that were more harrowing… and it didn't sit well with her, at all. The man they had rescued slept the length of the journey, and it should have been something of a comfort to know he was out, safe… but she didn't feel anything but the heavy weight of anxiety.

Four hours in, her head had begun to pound with stress. By the time they neared base her skull felt like it was being pressed in a c-clamp, her eyes burning. They'd called out on the comms that they were arriving, and as she pulled into the garage, a small throng of guards waited in the bay, while Yul, Keegan and a few others hung back on the ramp.

Pinching her brow, she killed the engine, "Alright, kids. Nice work… Let's get this cutie pie into a bed and celebrate, hm? Bet Yul'll spring for champagne." Her words were light enough, but the pressure in her head made it difficult to carry into her tone. Still, she gripped the handle of the door and moved to slide free of the driver's side.

As she rose, Danica's knees buckled from beneath her, and when she hit the concrete floor, the taste of copper alerted her to the sudden rush of blood that poured from her nose. Dizziness stole over as her, the edges of her blurred vision red as the sudden frantic noise in the garage mulled to a muffled drone beyond the ringing in her ears.

From inside the car, Vance woke with a sudden, bolting start, and sitting upright, "Where… how… No!" Shoving on the door handle, he toppled free from the vehicle, and his eyes moved to Danica, "Damn it… No!"

Guards swarmed, and their hands shot out, grabbing him by the ams. Hauled to his feet, he looked around in a panic, just catching sight of the familiar faces in the crowd being shoved from the room by the remaining guards.

"Vance! Van--" Adelaide's terrified screams railed through the room and his heart snapped, as he felt himself being dragged in the opposite direction, hauled from the garage and through another door that slammed behind him.

"No one is to exit this garage…" Yul's voice came over the speaker, broadcast through the room, "Remain in place, and you will be escorted out shortly."

Everything happened so damn fast that Lucas' brain momentarily shut down. Danica was down, Vance was up and getting dragged away. Shouting. Bloody nose. Hysteria. "O-oh shit...shit, shit, shit," he whispered gravely, growing pale with shock. What in the actual fuck was going on? The mission had been so easy, went along so freaking smoothly; why did everything have to suddenly spiral out of nowhere?

He quickly hopped out of the van, eyes landing on Danica before swiveling back around to Francis and Nick, helpless. He didn't know what to do. "Guys? What in the actual f--"

"L-let me go! Move! V-Vance!" That was Luna, Lucas could tell her voice among a crowd easily. He peered ahead to see her wrestling in the guards arms like a madwoman, thick tears rolling down her cheeks as she locked eyes with Vance. Just a short moment. It didn't last long as the man was dragged away and something in her must've broken from the loss. Another loss. Already, in the midst of tasting a reunion she had dreams about, yet it was snatched from her fingers cruelly…

Pack!

She punched the nearest guard, pain flaring through her knuckles but muted by the pure franticness eating away at her from head to toe. Luna continued swinging and kicking wildly, landing shots, missing entirely, screaming over and over at the guards to let her go. However, through joint efforts, she was dragged away from the garage as Yul's announcement resounded overhead.

Nick saw Danica go down, and in the time it had taken Vance to get out of the vehicle, Nick was already out. Despite his head pounding, his lips were pursed, with two fingers raised, ready to fire another whistle at a moment's notice. His mother's voice was ringing in his ears.

"When it happens, it's going to scare you, kid. That's okay, but don't freeze up. Don't let the fear control you."

He moved to Danica's side first, though he was still alert as Vance was grabbed and drug through the doors by the guards. "Hey, Danica, can you hear me?" he asked, voice calm and steady as he crouched down next to her. He wasn't sure how to help, not yet, but he'd have to improvise the way he always did.

In the car, Francis had tried to ignore the upset feeling growing within her. Her head had started hurting sometime in but she blamed it on the strenuous use of energy; usually the headaches came if she fought too hard. It wasn't alarming to her, not anymore than how seemingly easy the mission had been. Sure, they'd fought, they'd dealt hits and gotten hit.. but an unlocked door? A nearly clear escape route? It didn't make sense to her.

When they'd rolled up back to HQ she hadn't even realized how spacey she'd become, and while the commotion started, Vance kicking, Luna shouting, Francis couldn't find the energy to move, the panicked voices barely registering as she clung onto the car door handle just to keep from sinking to the floor, eyes blank and unfocused as blood dripped from her nose.

At the very least, Lucas was somewhat relieved to see Nick rush to Danica's side, calm and collected. He had no idea how the man managed to keep his composure, but he was mighty grateful for it. This gave him an opportunity to focus on other things, such as Fran, who was way too quiet for his liking. Lucas squinted, noticing the...unfocused look in her eyes. And clinging to the door.

"...Fran? Hey, Fran." Lucas was instantly next to her, hand on her arm. "Ran out of juice? Just, uh, sit down for a second or…" He struggled to say anything relevant or helpful, his nerves rattling his thoughts mercilessly.

Breathing quickly, Francis flinched at the sudden touch on her arm, trying desperately to focus her vision. She couldn't focus on anything.. why couldn't she focus? This wasn't normal. Her head spun, and she was suddenly aware of the taste of blood as it gushed from her nose.

"L...Lucas?" She whispered, and fear dripped from her words, his voice garbled but something in the back of her head told her it was him. Taking one shaky step forward, Francis suddenly lost the strength to keep herself up, collapsing forward onto him as darkness overtook her.

That tone. That fear in her voice. Lucas knew Fran and he never heard that sort of tremor in her words before. Before he could spiral any further into his own mind, she fell forward into him and his arms wrapped around her instantly. "F-Fran? Come on, sweetness. This ain't funny!" But the blood. She was unconscious. Harmed. Not healthy. Unprotected. He was supposed to protect her.

He was supposed to protect her, he was supposed to protect her--

Lucas screamed. And cried. And panicked. All while holding her close and wondering who or what in the hell had the audacity to do this to her.
 
  • Sympathy & Compassion
Reactions: junebug and KatSea
Collab: Ring Around the Rosy Part II
Interactions: Danica, Thaddeus, and Daisy @Elle Joyner , Francis @CloudyBlueDay , Luna and Lucas @Mobley Eats
Location: Orlando Base Garage

Nick had the sneaking suspicion that Danica wouldn't respond, possibly because she couldn't. His thoughts were racing. He tried to think of solutions. Tried to think of explanations. Then Francis went down, slumping into Lucas. Shit, shit, fuck. He clamped down on the panic. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He needed to focus. Focus now, process later.


Something was clearly wrong with Francis and Danica. Besides the obvious bleeding noses and the fact they were unresponsive, no signs of being ill. This was something he couldn't see the cause of, and if he couldn't see the cause, he couldn't help fix it. He needed to get them to people that could. The infirmary sprung to mind, Daisy's face and the name Thaddeus coming soon after.


"Lucas, do you think you can carry her?" Nick asked, wincing after hearing him cry and panic. He needed to distract the other man. Needed to ground him, guide him. He could do that. It was something else to focus on, another problem and task to face, so that he could shove the emotions and the panic down to deal with later. The look on his face was still calm but focused, if not a little steely, as he carefully and gently picked up Danica so he could carry her to the infirmary. Whatever the problem was, he didn't need to accidentally make it worse by jostling her around.


"Hang on, hang on!" The voice came from the doorway, and as if spoken into life by Nick's thoughts, Daisy appeared, followed swiftly by a small team of men and women. As she opened the door, Thaddeus led a gurney through, and then a second followed, "Get them on, quick as possible, and I need you both to follow along. Tell me quickly what happened. Are either of you feeling off? Anything at all? Detailed as you can." Daisy continued, while Francis and Danica were loaded onto the rolling beds.


Lucas wanted to respond to Nick, he truly did, but the sobs spilling from his lips was impossible to speak around; thus, he was forced to nod rapidly in response, before looping an arm under Fran's legs and hoisting her up with some difficulty. He always kept forgetting how small she actually was, how detrimental shit like this could happen to her if he even blinked at the wrong moment. "You're gonna be okay, Fran," he muttered, voice congested. Head pounding. Vision blurring with tears and something else he couldn't pinpoint through the haze of panic.


However, whatever hold he had on her vanished. No--it was ripped away from him and in the next moment, she was being rolled away on a gurney. He hated the image. The sight of her unconscious and bloody, wheeled away...Lucas could've sworn time stopped. Or shattered. Probably both. Regardless, he was quick to follow behind, barely registering Daisy's questions as the pounding in his skull climbed to painful heights. He couldn't focus, but it didn't matter. He had to focus on Fran. He had to.


"My head," he rushed out, "F-feels like shit. Can't focus and...Fuck! Are they gonna be okay?"


Nick helped load Danica onto the gurney, watching as she and Francis both were quickly wheeled away. His head was pounding, but he could still focus. For now. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. It was all he could think as he followed behind Daisy and Thad.


"Headache. Pretty bad, but not bad enough I can't focus right now," Nick replied. Was there something he did differently? Was there something that made a difference between Danica and Francis collapsing, Lucas still standing but unable to focus, and him with just a headache? His mind was racing. What had happened? What had changed? Had anyone told him what Vance's powers were? Could they be hijacked? He took a breath. This was not the time for his own crisis. Later, whenever his head had stopped pounding.


"We're going to figure this out, Lucas," Nick said, placing a hand on the other's shoulder before continuing to follow Daisy. It was an attempt to be reassuring, but he didn't like the knot in his own gut.


Daisy and Thaddeus exchanged a look, something akin to fear in the woman's eyes as she shook her head, "...Stick with us. It's hard to tell at first glance, but it appears to be something to do with proximity… Airborne."


As Daisy trailed off, Thaddeus nodded, "Yul suspected that it might be a trap. The mission changed halfway through, and you had already altered course before it could be handled on our end. We suspect that there's been some manner of… engineering, behind what we're seeing. A pathogen. And fast acting, if these two are any indication. The fact that you both have headaches?"


"...We'll do what we can to slow it down…" Daisy started softly, "Just… try not to panic."


A pathogen. A fucking pathogen. How were any of them supposed to survive or avoid that? A massive ball of anxiety swelled in Lucas' throat, growing so big that it threatened to burst into another sob of defeat. This was fucked. This was so fucked. It wasn't something as simple as a physical attack that Fran could possibly heal from, but a virus. Microscopic little devils that he couldn't wrap his hands around, let alone see.


Shakily, he shed his jacket and pressed it against his face. It was probably dumb and futile, but he had to at least try. Lucas nearly tripped over his own feet, his balance giving out for a moment before he grit his teeth and forced himself to back to his feet. As he reaffirmed the leather to his face, he realized how slick it felt on contact. He refused to look, not until they at least stabilized Fran and Danica. Fuck everything else.


Nick's heart stopped for a beat. Airborne. Pathogen. The phrase biological warfare sprang to mind. Fear rose up in his throat as a memory of a lesson with his mother came flooding back.


He was intrigued, in the most horribly morbid way. He wanted to understand, for better or for worse, these stories of how battles were fought and won with what couldn't even be seen. He'd been given stories, tales of the bodies of the dead being launched over fortress walls. It was gruesome and ruthless, and most horrifyingly, effective.


"Mom, what do we do, if this happens?"


His mother looked over at him, something sad- no, it was grim- in the lines of her face.


"You find a good doctor, and you pray."


"Okay, " Nick said, taking a shaky breath. "Does that mean there needs to be a quarantine?" It probably wouldn't make people less panicky, though it would definitely give them a start for dealing with the situation. Maybe it was just him, but the knowledge something was being done before people started dropping in the hallways would be at least mildly reassuring. He cast another worried look towards Lucas though.


"The man you returned with… he's being taken there, now. It appears he's a carrier, but is not symptomatic, himself, which suggests this is targeted, very specifically. The rest of you, who were exposed, you'll need to be treated, first. Without the proper information…" Shaking his head, Thaddeus glanced to Daisy again. She was always better at the bedside manner…


"We need to isolate what the cause is, and then figure out a cure… If it spreads further… Well, we just have to hope it's not contagious beyond exposure, or we… we'll need a vaccination against it."


It shouldn't have been possible, but Lucas paled even further at the mention of isolation. The concept of it made his gut twist into knots, though it wasn't nothing to the increasing pressure in his head. He had given up on covering his mouth with the jacket and upon lowering it, reveal blood smeared along his nostrils and upper lip. Fuck. "H...How long will the vaccination...take," he asked, voice slurring. "Daisy? Slow down. Slow…"


Even as he collapsed, one hand shot out to snag Nick by the wrist. The grip didn't last.


Nick glanced back over at Lucas as he spoke, voice slurred, before he collapsed. He managed to catch him, just before he met the ground. The snag of Lucas' grip on his wrist had given him just enough time to stop his friend's face from connecting to the ground. Face etched with worry, he held Lucas before picking him up bridal style, muttering a soft "I've got you, I've got you."


He cast that same worried look towards Daisy and Thaddeus. He hoped, for all their sakes, that a cure could be found soon….


Swearing, as Lucas went down, Thaddeus moved, and shaking his head, held out his arms to take the kid from Nick, "Daisy… we gotta move them, now."


With a nod, she reached and put a hand on Nick's shoulder, "Quick as you can, sweetie…"


Quick as they all could…


But quick to what? They had no cure. No idea what caused it…


And no idea if it was contagious… or not.
 
  • Sympathy & Compassion
Reactions: junebug, Mobley Eats and KatSea
Collab Post: Misery Loves... | Interactions: Luna & Vance @Elle Joyner | Location: Orlando HQ



Three hours. For three hours, Vance waited in that damnable glass box, devoid of contact, of information… of company. His mind raced with every possible thought. There had been no way to know what RIEF had been injecting him with, even if he'd been fully cognizant when it was happening, and he knew deep down inside that he was alive because his uncle believed him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't just be chucked into Yul Huang's insinerator anyhow, if there was nothing to be done…

Patient Zero. That's what they'd called him. And it made sense - the epidemic, he was told, was spreading. Mutants in Orlando were dropping left and right from the genetically targeted illness, and their only hope was a formula trapped in the mind of a woman who had gone through quite a great deal of trauma recently and might not be up to the task.

All he'd wanted… all he thought of on the journey back was Adelaide, and of Luna… And when they arrived, for two… glorious seconds, he had seen them… Ade looking happier and healthier than he'd seen her in years. And his moth… the light overhead had caught her curls like a damn halo, and he saw her. And then he was surrounded, and the moment was gone. And for three hours, he had clung to the hope that he'd be allowed to talk to them both… to see them. He'd clung, desperately, but to no avail.

He'd come home, like he promised… found her. But he'd brought hell along with him, and he couldn't blame her if she never wanted to see him again…

Pacing back and forth like a lion in a cage, he raked his fingers through his hair, and for the millionth time since he'd been put there, he felt his aggravation building, rising… the pain, the torment… the waiting…

All he wanted was his girl…

She wanted to see Vance. No exceptions. No obstacles. No ifs, ands, nor buts. No matter how brief of a moment it was, it felt as if every ounce of suffering and mind-numbing waiting dwarfed as soon as she locked eyes with him. He was there. He came back to her...and she would be damned if anyone--anyone--could convince her to stay away. She had to see him.

Luckily, she had figured out Vance's location like child's play. Of course she had. Her mind would've done so with or without her permission. Thus, she came upon the sight of a large glass pane up ahead and a familiar shape pacing back and forth.

Heart aching, she looked both ways, making sure no one was around, before quickly shuffling up to the glass and pressing both hands to the surface. She tapped quietly, trying to catch his attention. "V-Vance," she whispered, tone broken and heavy.

He turned, and for a moment, in the darkness of the room, he wasn't entirely sure he wasn't just seeing what he wanted… He had, so many times before… He'd lost track of how long he had been RIEF's captive, but each painful moment had driven him closer and closer to the brink of sanity, and more than one time, he'd envisioned her… coming to him, and it had felt real. So real.

Stepping closer to the glass, he reached out, his palm resting against the thick pane, heart hammering, eyes fogging over, "...Lu…?"

"I-it's me," she stammered, her voice thick and weak with emotion. Her hand mirrored his, wishing beyond all wishes that she could feel his palm against hers. To feel his arms around her, holding her just as closely as he did when she fell asleep next to him. "It's me, Vance. I-I swear. I...Christ," she sobbed, "I missed you so...so m-much, I can't even…"

Breath escaping, Vance stepped closer and his eyes closed as he dropped his forehead to the glass. In his mind, in that logical space that told him where he was, he knew he couldn't feel her, but he didn't care. His palm pressed into that glass willing it to vanish, and in his mind he remembered it all… the warmth, the softness.

Tears burned behind his lids and he blinked them away, lifting his head enough to meet her gaze, "I told you I'd find you, Luna. I'm so sorry it wasn't … it wasn't how I wanted it to be. Are you okay? You… you're not… the virus…?"

Luna fought back tears of her own, but it proved to be a losing battle. They trailed down her cheeks steadily, her shoulders trembling with barely restrained hurt and relief and adoration and just...everything. So much. "I'm okay," she said, "I just...Y-you really came back to me. God, y-you scared me so much, I..I-I thought I wasn't…" She didn't want to think about it. Not anymore. He was here now and she could care less that he brought a virus with him. On the other side of the glass, that was still her sunlight.

"Y-you're getting out of here. I promise…I promise."

A soft, sad laugh escaped, as he shook his head, "You're here, Luna. You're safe… And you got Ade out. I don't care if I spent the rest of my days behind this glass… so long as you're okay." Breathing in, he straightened, running his hands through his hair, "Not gonna lie, though… I'd give pretty much anything to hold you, right now."

It was weird--although Luna said that she was okay, she knew the truth of the matter. And the truth was, she'd never be okay until Vance was out of this godforsaken box and free of the virus. Her vision strayed down, forehead pressed to the glass as her fingers curled with building frustration. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair at all. "M-me too," she said, looking back up slowly. "I wish...Christ, I-I wish...You know I...I haven't t-told anyone, but ever since I've been back, sleeping j-just hasn't been the same without y-you." She laughed sadly, shaking her head. "Just doesn't f-feel right…"

"You, too, huh?" He smiled dryly, and his fingers brushed the glass where a curl twisted against it, "Not that old Maxie would've let me, anyway. But hey… good news. I outlived her, at least. So, small victory, right?" Hand falling to his side, he sighed, "Luna, look at me, Love."

Luna should've felt elated at the news about Maxine. She really should. But, she didn't. Couldn't. None of that mattered to her, not right now. However, an extra dose of pain entered her lungs as he called out to her. Love. God, if only he could call her that again while in the comforts of an embrace. Regardless, she did look up, vision blurry with tears and lips trembling.

"...I'm not done fighting." He murmured, softly, his palm pressed to the glass again, "They didn't break me when they took Ade, they didn't break me with torture… They sure as hell are not gonna break me, now. So you dry those eyes, ma moitié…. We'll find a way through this, and when I get out of here, I swear to God, you will never spend a night alone, again…"

Luna nodded, attempting to swallow back her sobs and steel her heart. She had to be strong. God, she wanted to be strong for him, so badly. Although her composure nearly shattered upon hearing ma moitié, she held steadfast, smiling up at this absolute saving grace of a man. She couldn't imagine what life would be like if she lost him--lonely, crippling, agonizing...All the things she spent entire her life running away from. Without him, she'd just...she'd crumble.

Eyes fluttering closed, she held her breath. Thinking. Thinking. Wondering. Confirming. Hating herself for never realizing sooner. She opened her eyes once more and dived headfirst into the twin pools of his comforting gaze. Home. His eyes were her home. All of him. "Vance, I…" Her chest trembled. "J-je t'aime...Je t'aime…" She repeated this over and over, nothing more than a faint whisper, but ringing with every ounce of willpower and devotion she had.

"I love you, too, Luna." He answered back, without a moment's thought or hesitation. He didn't need to think. He'd known when she had risked everything to come with him to get Adelaide. When she could have gotten out, gone home and left it all behind. Maybe he'd known it before then, even. The fact was, no matter what happened or how much time passed, he was pretty sure he'd been destined to love her… and whatever happened from here on out, that wasn't going to change, "...Promise me something, Luna…"

"Anything," she murmured, hand curling into a fist and pressing painfully into the glass. As if she wanted to shatter it, but knew that she was powerless in that moment. "A-anything."

"...Promise me, when I do get out of here…" Breathing in, he met her eyes, smiling faintly, "You say those beautiful words again, so I can kiss you proper for them, yeah?"

Luna laughed, a bit more genuine than the pitiful ones that escaped her beforehand. Pure adoration shimmered in her watering eyes as she smiled up at him. "I-I promise. I'll say it so many times, e-even when it's random or doesn't m-make sense or...Always. A-always."

"Then I'm gonna get out of here," Vance replied, smiling gently, "Because I got a whole hell of a lot to fight for."

"D-ditto," Luna said, her features softening. She loved this man. There was no denying or running from that truth anymore, and she didn't want to. She was going to run towards it, right into the ring with fists reared up and ready to go fifty rounds with any protests fate had the audacity to fabricate. "We'll fight for e-each other. Support one another…"

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "I love you, Vance." She pressed her hand to the glass again. And, just for the slightest suspension in time, she could feel his warmth.
 
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ALIEN POODLE​
"I did it. Go me." Ozno marched goofily back and forth down the corridors and hallways, not really catching the odd looks guards and fellow Rogues shot him. Like, he walked like that all the time. Kinda. Sorta. Not really. Only when he got excited and not for a nap. Or food in bed, followed by a nap. Nope. Not this time.

It was the big ole pile of art stuff in his arms. He snuck it in, for sure. Cuz, like, Yul doesn't like painting. Or Art. Or creativity. What a bummer. But it was okay because he still liked the man's goatee.

Now, if he ever shaved that glorious face rug…

Ozno finally reached his room and dropped the last load of supplies onto the tarp stretching across his floor. Oh, heck yeah. Canvases? Check. Paints galore? Checky check. Sketchbooks? Checkers cereal. Oh...he'd eat some of that later. Yis.

Things around HQ had been, like, depressing. Ozno was slow, not stupid; he knew why everyone was down in the dumps and he didn't know how to make everybody feel better. He had tried lots of different things, but they didn't work. Not really nor for long. So, he focused on cheering up one more person.

His new buddy Adelaide. He hadn't seen her around though, but he was gonna find her. Like, soon. Right now. He had everything ready, just needed her there now. "If I was Ade…" he mumbled, scratching his chin and gaze straying to the ceil...ing…

Oh, snap. He got it.

Grinning wide, he set off for the atrium again and scaled upstairs (he got tired halfway again...dang, so many steps). A jiggle or two dittery doo with the handle and--

"Ade?" He stepped out onto the roof, looking for her.

Adelaide sat on the edge of the building, her knees curled up with her chin resting against them. The tears had stopped falling, but she could feel them building again, threatening to fall like the rain that had poured down when Ozno had first brought her out here.

So much had gone wrong, so fast… and she felt broken. Absolutely, completely broken. And the roof was the only place in the miserable facility where Adelaide felt any sort of calm. But even the warm, fresh air couldn't ease her mind this time…
The door opened, and she vaguely heard something, but she didn't turn… In all likelihood, it was probably just a guard, coming to tell her she needed to go back inside, and she wasn't in the mood for it. Not remotely.

"...Ade," Ozno sighed. He should've known she'd be bummed up here. Like, super bummed because she loved the roof. Well, he figured she did. Hoped she did. Carefully, he closed the door with a muted click and approached. Instead of sitting next to her, he stopped right behind her, turned around and sat down with his back to hers, pulling up his knees into a position mirroring hers. He remembered how much Megan hated it when he saw her sad; maybe Ade would feel better if he gave her that little bit of privacy. "Uh...you cool?" he asked.

Oz… If there was anyone in the world, in the entire whole of the world, in that moment, that she wanted to see, anyone at all, he definitely hit the mark. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was… No one else possessed that quirkiness that Ozno did. He wasn't an alien, like she'd first thought, but he was as close as a person could come, and she wouldn't change it for the universe. He spoke, and she dropped her head back a little, to lean against his, her eyes stinging again with fresh tears.

"...No, Oz… I am not. I am not cool, at all."

Ozno kept his head still as Ade leaned back, giving her support. It was the least he could do. Small. But everything started off small before it could get bigger, right? A start to a journey. A beginning had to exist for progress to be a thing. Or, however his daydreams described it--he forgot a lot of it. "Dang...sorry," he said, gloved fingers fidgeting with each other. His lips pursed. "Cuz of your bro?" he asked carefully. That was probably it. Yeah. But still, wouldn't be cool to assume other peeps' origins of sadness.

Adelaide sniffed and reached back, wiggling her fingers into Ozno's as she shook her head, "I do not understand any of it, Oz. I don't understand why they will not let me see him…"

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Ozno expelled a long breath, trying to think. He knew what was going down and it freaking sucked. Sucked for his poodle and her brother, but he really didn't know how to, like, actually fix it. "Yeah, it's like...pretty big stuff. Real bad stuff." Softly, he gave her head a nudge with his. "Gotta stay safe, Ade," he said.

"S...safe? But Vance… He would never…" Shaking her head, she curled her knees closer, hugging her free arm around them, "I am scared, Oz… I just want everything to be okay."

"Don't be scared," he said. "Fear is a fool's game." Ozno looked up, taking in the gentle clouds and beautiful sheet of blue. It was such a nice and chill day, but all this crud was going on with his buddies and his buddy's brother...Not cool. Sighing sleepily, he adjusted his head carefully to lay back on Ade's shoulder, still gazing up.

"Hey...wanna paint? Less thinking, more fun?" He was ready for her to turn the idea down. Cuz, like, she was bummed and most peeps he tried to do art with were too grumpy to participate. Never hurt his feelings or anything, cuz he could understand. Like...after a few minutes of getting everything straight in his head, but he eventually did.

Breathing in, Adelaide turned to look at him, a brow raised high at his question, "P...paint? I have asked, but I was told there are not… what is the word… no creation?" Frowning, she looked down at her hands for a moment, knotting them together, "I have only been able to find a pencil and some paper to sketch."

"I got the goods." Slowly, Ozno sat forward and crawled around to sit next to Ade, some life seeping into his usually exhausted green eyes. "You sketch? That's dope."

She nodded, smiling faintly, weakly, "I do… I… when I was in my cell, it was… it was all I could do. I had to beg for paper… and charcoal, when I would run out. Sometimes, they would give it to me… other times…" The smile faded, as she looked to Ozno, "My mother… she was a painter. I would like very much to… please?"

"Duuude," Ozno breathed, eyes widening. That was...So. Freaking. Awesomesauce. Ade was one with the charcoal and granite, while her mom was a bomb painter? A surge of giddiness rushed through his system, now super happy that he had decided to sneak in the paint supplies. His poodle needed this--stat. "So cool. Come on, come on," he rushed out while standing up, bouncing in place and waiting for Ade. "Gonna paint, like, awesome stuff."

Despite the sadness pressing down on her chest, Adelaide could not resist the smile that came to her lips as she pushed herself to her feet and nodded, "After you, my funny friend…"

After? What? Why did it have to be after? That, like, took too long. He wanted them to take off running all at once, not waste anymore time...Yeah. Yeah. That was the best answer to this basket of shiz balls. Smile brightening, he picked Ade up into an exaggerated koala hug and took off for the stairwell. He wasn't exactly running, but it was definitely faster than his usual sloth-like pace. "Onward."

With a squeak, Adelaide swung her arms around his shoulders. If anyone else had done the things her darling alien did, she probably would've resorted to panic, but somehow, someway, Ozno managed to do things in the most ridiculously charming fashion possible, and for a brief, shining second, she could rest in that. Rest, and laugh.

Her beautiful laugh melded oddly with the goofy sounds escaping Ozno, but he didn't really care. The eagerness was like, over 9,000 right now, so he couldn't bring himself to worry about how crazy they looked as he sprinted down the halls, nearly missing one guard in the process and ignoring his annoyed grumbles. Awesome day. Good day. A day about to get way better.

When he reached his room and closed the door behind them, he gently placed Ade down and scrambled ahead to present his surprise with his arms wide open. "Surprise!" he exclaimed, breathing heavily. The exhaustion would definitely hit him like a ton of bricks later.

Staring at the pilfered supplies, Adelaide's eyes widened in awe, before, without thinking, she stepped forward and threw her arms around Ozno a second time, hugging him tightly, "Thank you. Thank you so much… It's wonderful!"

Ozno accepted the hug readily, smiling as he softly drummed the tune for "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" on her back. "You're welcome," he hummed, releasing her shortly after to tip-toe over the supplies and prop up a second canvas for her. Two of them of medium size were resting against the wall, which had another sheet of tarp taped to it to catch the paint. But still...that was only, like, 30% of the room; the rest was left unprotected. He paused in the middle of setting everything up to grin at Ade, "Gonna splat some stuff." He held out a bucket to her, which was a little less than half-full with fuschia paint.

Blinking, Adelaide looked from him, to the canvas, back to him, as she tried to comprehend the words he had said. She was getting better, daily, with English… but sometimes…

"S...splat?"

"Yis." Placing the bucket in Ade's hands, he got his own bucket, which held a vibrant red, and reared it back…

Then splattered it all over the canvas and tarp behind it, a loud smack piercing their ears. A family of red sprayed back at them, dotting the front of his face and his buddy's clothes. He smiled at Ade, throwing a hand out at the beautiful mess he just made. "Splat."

She gave a small jump as he flung the bucket towards the canvas, her eyes widening bigger still, Never in her life had she seen anything quite so… chaotic… look quite so lovely. And despite the fact that she had absolutely no idea it was coming, it wasn't so surprising, coming from Oz.

"You just… and… it just…" Staring, she shook her head, "I do not know if I could…"

"You can," Ozno insisted. "Real easy. Just throw and splat." He tapped at the rim of her bucket before pointing at her canvas; the left edge of it had caught a little bit of his crimson attack but, for the most part, it was blank and eagerly awaiting Ade's artistic touch. Falling into a semi-squat, he curled his hands into fists and started chanting, "Ade, Ade, Ade, Ade, Ade!"

Staring at the paint in hand, Adelaide breathed in, before she pulled back and perhaps more reserved that Oz, but not half as much as she expected, she let the paint fly, With a squeak of shock and amusement, she covered her eyes with her free hand, as it flew from the can and struck the canvas with a smack.

If Ozno didn't think crying was such a bummer, he would've shed a few tears at how proud he was of Ade. She did it! She splatted! Shooting out two thumbs ups at her and grinning wide, he said, "Noice!" before seizing tubes of Prussian Blue and Orchid, tossing the latter towards Ade. Unscrewing the paint, he aimed it at his canvas like a toy gun and shot at it...The projectile didn't go far and hit the tarp instead. Dang. Should've seen that coming. However, he had an idea, and smeared the blue all over his hands before slapping them on the canvas, blending with the crimson to make streaks of cool violet.

It was pretty much a guarantee if her eyes widened any further, they would fall out, but her smile grew in turn, and taking the paint, she stepped closer than he had, unscrewing the cap before giving it a squeeze, a large splat of blue joining the fuschia, "Yellow…" She said simply, holding out a hand, "I need yellow."

Ozno threw up a salute, not at all realizing that he smeared his forehead. "Yes ma'am." He flopped onto his side, thoroughly ruining his shirt, and reached out for the yellow before sliding it over to her like an action movie star. Man, if only they had some bomb music playing in the background, then this would be extra ultra dope.

Catching the tube, Adelaide opened it and with a deep breath, squeezed it into her palm, and dropping to her knees before the canvas, slapping it in between the blue and purple, giving it a swipe downwards. There was a great deal in her palm still, when she was satisfied with the blend, and looking to Oz, with a small grin, she hurled it at him.

The glob smacked him in the side of his head...All he did at first was blink, his brain slowly registering what just happened. Did she...did she just initiate a paint war?

Oh. It was on.

Eyes narrowed into a playful pout, Ozno grabbed his canvas, holding it up as a makeshift shield and grabbed a full tube of rose petal pink. Swerving around the woman, he unleashed a blast of paint at her, laughing giddily. "Don't challenge the master," he chuckled.

"Ack!" With a squeak, Adelaide reached for her own canvas, but the paint was unfortunately behind Ozno, which left her with very little ammunition, "You would paint the unarmed!?"

Ozno blinked, his guard dropping. Oh, dang--she had a point there. It wasn't cool to bombard her like that when she didn't have her own paint. Dropping his canvas, he mumbled out a quick "My bad" before gathering a couple tubes for her.

Scooping up the yellow and the blue at her feet, she squeezed the tubes at him, "HA! The first lesson in warfare, Monsieur! Never let down you guard..."

"Dude!" Ozno laughed, seizing up as he was assaulted from behind. Welp--there went his good jeans. Now...they looked even better. Nice. But still, that was stone cold! He didn't know Ade could be all, like, military leader savvy and stuff. Which was okay, it just meant he couldn't afford to underestimate her again. Standing up, he whipped around with another bucket, this one filled with a cool green and approached her slowly, eyes shining. "Revenge…"

Out of paint, Adelaide was suddenly quite aware that she'd worn white that day, and holding up her hands, she stepped back, "Now, Oz… You would not…"

"I wouldn't?" he asked, confusion flying across his features for a short moment...before the teasing smile made a comeback. "Naw. I would." With that, a huge curtain of green crashed into Ade, painting a huge part of her dress a lovely fern color. "Dang, here." Raising the bucket overhead, he dumped the last bit onto his head and discarded it, shaking his hair out. "We match," he said.

Laughter exploded from the girl, as she looked down at her dress, and the streaks of green in her hair, and shaking her head, she moved to him, looping her arms around his middle and hugging him, tighter than she had before, "Thank you, Oz…"

Ozno embraced her snuggly, holding up a clumpy strand of her hair as he stared in mirth at all of the green. Dang, they really did a number on his room. There was paint...everywhere. It. Was. Beautiful. But not as beautiful as this girl's soul, but he could only vocalize one thought at a time. "You're welcome, poodle," he mumbled. Then, he went out on a limb to ask cautiously, "You, uh...you feeling cool now?"

Holding tightly, she gave a small, uncertain nod, "...Maybe… maybe just… don't let go for a little while?"

In all honesty, Ade didn't even have to ask. As far as Ozno was concerned, he was perfectly happy hugging her for a long dang time, whatever it took to make her feel better. He nodded, his cheek falling to the top of her head. "Mmkay. I can do that," he whispered.

"Good…" She whispered back, and her arms tightened as she burrowed into his chest.

Ozno relaxed into the hug, savoring every moment and every feeling. He loved physical contact like this, the bonding and trust it created. He'd gladly give up several naps for this. Gently, he tapped the center of her back, just three soft taps to grab her attention. "Hey, Ade?" he mumbled, hold still tight, "Your soul? Pretty dang beautiful."

"Hm…" Blinking dampness from her eyes, Ade nodded faintly, "Hey, Oz?" Gently, she repeated the tapping gesture, "...Same."

"Cool…" Warmth flared up Ozno's body, heating up the back of his neck and his face with glee. "Cool." It was official--Poodle was his best buddy. Maybe even soul buddy; Megan would be so dang proud. He remained that way for a while, falling silent and just letting his mind go numb with peace. Just as she asked, the man refused to budge until Ade was good and ready.
TAGS | collab with @Mobley Eats
 
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Ring Around The Rose
Collab with @Elle Joyner

She'd been helping as much as possible… but in truth, nothing felt quite good enough. When she'd left Harper's, Rose had never anticipated ending up with an organization like Rogue, but the challenge had seemed well worth it - particularly when it gave her Finn… But the last two weeks had been anything but what she expected, and the events that transpired after the team returned from their rescue was a solemn and terrifying ordeal, and with Finn locked up, it was all she could do to try and lend a hand where she could.

Keeping fevers at bay… staving off symptoms… It was agony, watching those she knew and loved suffer, and nothing, absolutely nothing seemed to be enough.

Halfway through the nightmarish day, Daisy had insisted she take a break, and wandering the halls, she found herself outside of Finn's cell. The guards were still stationed there, but thanks to Josie, she had been given permission to see him, and as they stepped aside, the door was unlocked. Knocking softly, Rose took a breath, before she slipped inside, "F….finn?"

He'd quieted his crying once the guards had stationed themselves outside, and soon enough the tears had stopped falling. With Dill and Geb clinging onto him comfortingly, Finn felt at least slightly more at ease, even if his hands still trembled with fear.

When the door was unlocked he thought it was finally Yul coming to let him go, and tried to remember what he'd been planning to say, only to hear Rose's voice as she stepped inside.

In an instant he'd wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder, clinging tightly despite trembling against her.

"Oh, Finn." Rose's arms came around him as he tugged her close, and with a small sob, she held tightly to him, shaking her head. The last several hours… the nightmares she had seen, all of it poured out in those few seconds, as she clung to him, and the tears came, fast and hard, unbidden.

Finn couldn't find any words for the first few moments, trying desperately to just sink into the safety he found in her embrace. "I… I.." Finn whispered, shaking his head. What could he say? How could he tell her how terrified he'd been? The way she fell against him told him that outside of all of this… something had gone wrong too. "What happened?" He mumbled.

Sucking in a breath, she squeezed against him tighter, breath shaky. She hadn't expected it all to come out so fast, and her head nearly spun, pounding from the emotion as it poured into Finn's pajama shirt. Pulling back, she shook her head, "It.. it's awful, Finn. E...everyone… The… the mission… They came back and they… they got sick. It's some sort of virus. The infirmary's full, and they're just getting worse and worse. I tried to help… I did my best, but it… they don't know how to stop it…"

"V..Virus?" He whispered, fear gripping him. "Who's sick? What mission? Did they find a cure? Wh.. what…" Finn choked out, unable to wrap his head around the situation. "Everyone?"

"...L...Lucas… and Francis… Nick… Danica." Blinking, she tried to remember all the names, but her mind felt foggy with the painful realization of all that was happening, "When they rescued Keith's dad… there was another person, and they split the team. Penny and Keith are okay, I think. But Finn, it's bad… it's really bad."

"Oh… my god…" Finn squeaked, sitting down on the bed in shock. His suffering now barely compared to the pandemonium he was sure has occurred outside his little cell. "I wish I could help," He said, fists balled, eyes stinging. "Yul won't let me go."

"He's…" Frowning, Rose sank down as well, feeling suddenly drained by the news she'd delivered, "He's keeping you here, cause he's afraid you're at risk for… for something. I think he knows who killed that woman, Finn."

Finn desperately tried to quell the shaking of his hands. "It's the woman who came in… isn't it?" He whispered. "Alys." A shiver ran down his spine. "She… she…." He shook his head desperately, trying to blink away the tears.

Shifting, Rose turned to him, and her hand met his, eyes filling with concern, "...What happened?"

"She has… pain manipulation." He said, deathly quiet. "And Yul sent her i-in…. to interrogate me." Finn gripped her hand tightly. "When she did it… I…. I couldn't…. breathe. Like the girl who…. d… died."

"Oh my God… If it's her… Yul might not know… Someone has to..." Breathing out, Rose pushed herself to her feet, a little too swiftly, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Waivering, she sank back down again, a hand to her head.

Finn opened his mouth, almost begging her to stay. He couldn't bear to be alone… but if Rose could tell the guards, then maybe… Heart racing, Finn stood with her, only watching her weakly sink back down. His gut twisted. "Rose? Rose, what's wrong?" He said quickly, taking her hand again.

"...I'm just… I'm tired." she said softly, but she couldn't keep the quiver of fear from her voice, as a stab of pain bit at the back of her eyebrow, "I wanted to help… in the infirmary. I probably just over did it."

"Rose," Finn said, looking at her with worried eyes. "Rose….. tell me you didn't get close to the people that were sick."

"I…" Blinking, she stared forward, considering the question, "...It's not supposed to be contagious. Just… just the people exposed to Vance…" Except that with her immune system… with the compromised state of it, "...No one else got sick, yet. Daisy… Thaddeus… I…"

Chest tightening, she breathed in, "...I'm just tired."

"Go back to the infirmary," Finn said, voice cracking midway. "Go back right now. Go back and tell them or I'll break out of my cell and d-drag you t-there!"

"No! No, Finn, you can't… you have to say put or… or she might hurt you…" Her eyes tearing up, Rose shook her head, "I don't wanna go, Finn. I wanna stay here, with you. I wanna--" Something warm and wet hit the back of her hand, and looking down, Rose breathing, sharply at the droplet of blood, "...No… no, no, no… Finn. No one's supposed to… It's not supposed…"

Finn froze at the droplet of blood. She was sick. Rose was sick, what if they didn't have a cure and what if it was too late and —

"You're gonna be just fine," He whispered, urgently, and it took everything in his power not to wrap his arms around her. "Guards… Guards! Sh-she's sick!" He cried out frantically, and against his better judgment Finn pressed a kiss to her cheek, eyes welling with tears. "I did that because they're already gonna have a cure, okay? Don't be afraid."

The door pried open again, and the two men entered, looking at the state of the girl on the cot, before moving swiftly, "Tell Yul…" One of them said to the other, "Needs to know…"

Reaching out, he took Rose by the arm, and swallowing, pulled her to her feet.

"Finn…" She whimpered, a tear sliding down her cheek, "Finn, I'm…" Her knees caved, and the guard moved to catch her as she collapsed. Swearing, he scooped her upright, and without a word, without a glance at Finn, he was out the door again, in the wake of the other guard.

He could feel his heart shattering as Rose's knees buckled, but the guard was closer than he was. Finn clamped a hand over his own mouth just to keep from crying out, tears falling. She looked so small. So pale. Blood continued to drip from her nose, and Finn couldn't do anything. Couldn't save her.

But as the guards rushed out with Rose's tiny form, he realized they'd left the door open. With a shaky breath, Finn rushed after the guards, determined not to leave Rose's side, like he'd done this morning. He'd broken his promise… and Finn refused to break promises. Not anymore… not to her.

Don't be afraid. He said it to himself over and over again, as if she could hear it, praying that Rose would be alright.
 
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YUL the TOOL​

Taking a breath, Yul stepped into the conference room with what could only be described as an air of uncharacteristic uneasiness. He had called the meeting to discuss the events in the garage, but already, how to broach the subject seemed a challenging endeavor, and his mind felt hollow and tired.

"Thank you for coming. As I'm sure you're aware by now… a crisis has fallen upon our facility. At 8:30 this morning, a small crew of four Rogues returned from a rescue mission, bringing with them a former RIEF Operative, and Keegan Hull's nephew, Vance Usher. Shortly upon their arrival, one of our own, Danica Valentine, fell victim to an illness… followed by the other three, Lucas Krestlauv, Nikolas Locklear, and Francesca Blanchard… as well, three of the guards who escorted Usher to a holding cell, Kyle Stallman, Peter Wakelin and Louis Carr, and most recently, Rose Olsen. It is believed this virus was designed specifically to target the mutant gene SHA-13. Director Hull has informed me that as of a few weeks ago, certain research material was acquired by ASPIDA and RIEF… We believe this material factor in to the synthesis of the virus. It is our hope that we may develop a cure for the virus using a similar method. Our initial findings were that it was not contagious via secondary party, but through the carrier himself, but that those with compromised immune structures, such as the infirm, elderly or young are potentially at risk from the airborne pathogen." His eyes skimmed the room, the solemn faces present. Devon's hands gripped the chair he stood before so tightly, the groan of the metal resonated through the room, "Furthermore, we have reason to suspect that Alys Garner is responsible for the murder of Rebecca Gimly. Alys has since fled headquarters. Finnegan Westfall was released from captivity, but the ongoing investigation requires all of your cooperation…"

Deckard shifted uncomfortably. He had thought, for once, the team would get a victory, but instead, they found themselves on the tail end of hardships once again. However, this was a hardship he couldn't punch..or manipulate with his mind. He felt useless. So in frustration, he spoke out, "Beside quarantining the sick, are efforts being made to find a cure? Who's spearheading that? Did you send a team after Alys?"

"We've begun to research possible avenues for a cure…" Yul said with a nod, "As we believe that it was Josephine Ramsden's research that was utilized to create the virus, with hope, she and our team of chemists will be successful in creating a cure. More importantly, however, we need to find a method to prevent further infection… stopping the virus at the source is our priority."

Devon straightened, pushing off the back of the chair, "What the hell does that mean? Your priority?? Your priority should be getting those people in the infirmary back to full health!"

"We are aware of the deteriorating conditions of those who fell ill and we're doing what we can to make them comfortable, but…"

"No. This… You son of a bitch. You are not gonna give up on them! You're not!"

"If you need a moment to compose yourself…" Yul's gaze narrowed in warning.

"Bastard…" Devon growled, turning away. He made it as far as the doorway before he turned and with a single hand, he flipped the console table beside the exit off its feet, storming out before the last scattered pen clattered to a stop.

Breathing out, Penny's grip on Deck's arm tightened. It hurt to think through it all… Lucas, Francis, Nick… Rose. She knew Devon felt the same way about the team as she did - and the added bonus of his former girlfriend knocking on death's door… If it were Deck lying there in a coma, and Yul telling her he wasn't a priority, Yul would have one less head attached to his body, "What's being done about Alys?" She continued, with a note of distaste.

"Our priority is-"

"Your priority is the cure," Deck interrupted, "We know that, but what's being done about Alys? You guys just gonna let her go knowing she killed one of your own? That how Orlando rolls?"

"We cannot exhaust resources and men on a manhunt for someone when we don't know the first thing about where she's gone…"

"Then we'll handle it." Penny added, frowning, "One less thing on your plate means you can afford more resources and men to find a damn cure for those poor kids in the infirmary."

"So what you're telling me is all those pinheads in the hall with no scientific experience at all are dedicated to finding a cure buried in science? You couldn't spare anyone to hunt down the woman that killed your team member?" Deckard scoffed, "People actually follow you?"

"Those pinheads are tasked with guarding this facility and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Sacrificing them to a pointless excursion would be foolish, at best. You may not like the way I do things, but I have done them this way for years, without incident, until now. And I will remind you, needlessly, I'm sure… that you were married to the woman and have known her for years, and had no idea what she was capable of, so I hardly think the question of judgment should be your first line of assault." Yul noted, with narrowed eyes.

Straightening, Deckard balled his fists, "Five years is quite the time to suggest I still know the woman. She's not the same person, none of us are, and you'd be a damned fool to think that she would be," he smirked, "Besides, words would be the last thing I'd use to assault you."

Penny's fingers slid down Deck's arm to his hand, and she gave a gentle squeeze, a reassurance… a sign of solidarity, and perhaps just the tiniest hint not to murder anyone standing in that room, "We will take on Alys. Deck and I. Anyone who needs a distraction, that isn't working with Josie is welcome to help."

"Fair enough." Yul stated, though his gaze remained fixed on Deck, "I think that's all for this morning. You're all dismissed."

Deckard sucked his teeth at Yul before he turned to Penny, "Let's go do real work. Some of us need to do more than just standing around waiting."

Nodding, Penny took Deck's hand and started for the door.
TAGS || @Kat, @DarinValore, @KatSea, @Reythaak
 
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Francis Blanchard

It hurt to open her eyes.

Francis' body felt like lead. Heavy. Aching. Tired. The first thing she did was try to lift her arm, to sit up, but everything screamed in protest. Cold. Cold, she was cold, or hot.. burning. A choked whimper escaped her in place of the million unanswered questions. The mission. She had barely taken a single hit. Why… why couldn't she take a breath without pain exploding in her head?

"Where's…" Francis whispered, the dryness of her throat keeping her from finishing her sentence. Lucas. Nick. Danica. It was coming back to her.. the dizziness, the headaches, the blood, dripping… the stupid beeping of the heart monitor was interrupting her already fleeting thoughts. Who was hurt? What was going on? Why were they in the infirmary? And slowly, it dawned on her.

The heart monitor was for her. It occurred to Francis that she was the one in the bed, fighting, sick, dying. It was her that had lost, had gotten infected, gotten hit, gone down. Her and her teammates. Where were they. Where were they? Why couldn't she see them?

She could make out a figure looming over her despite her heavy eyelids and blurry vision. For a moment Francis imagined herself in bed, back home. Home on the farm, sick with a fever, her mother doting over her, putting wet cloths on her head, stroking her hair. She missed her mom. She missed her sweet, reassuring words, and gentle touch. The way she made sure to tuck Francis in at night even when she'd insisted she was too old for that. Who tried to sew every little hole back together, no matter how big.

But it wasn't her mother adjusting the ice packs against her, checking her vitals on the strange beeping screens surrounding her bed. It wasn't her room at home, with walls painted yellow with green covers and plush pillows, it was white, a sterile white that burned to look at and told her something was wrong. So very wrong.

"It's alright, honey. We're taking good care of you. Just... just try to rest."

Francis wanted to protest. To beg to see her team. To see Logan. Lucas. Nick. Levi. To demand what was going on, to demand answers. But she was weak. And she hated to be weak.

The ache was climbing, pulling her into darkness. And she tried to fight against it, to thrash and punch and hit and bite, but there was no one to hurt except herself. She was terrified, more terrified than she'd been in a long time. The burning hands that gripped her plunged her back into the void, and one question was present, swimming on her mind as everything faded to black.

What if I don't wake up?
 
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