Unlikely Heroes IC

How do you feel about moving posts to the Guild? (UH members only)

  • Continue as it has been (post both IC and OOC posts)

  • Post only IC posts

  • Keep posts private such as Google Docs or similar

  • I have no preference

  • I don't want my IC or OOC posts reposted


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The words the man on the ground said bit into her.

Monster. Monster... Monster.

She bit her lip holding back a whimper. She could feel that her body was trembling from the shock of her earlier actions. Everything about today was wrong, it was suppose to be a normal day. They were going to get supplies so that they could live and return. Why did everything have to turn out like this? Still the man's words echoes in her head. She already knew that she had been turned into a monster, maybe it had been for the best she had been social isolated.. maybe that was why she had this awful power.

“I don’t see why not. She’s scared and probably hurt. And stop calling her a monster… just stop. STOP!”

She heard Cal defend her. She didn't actually know what to do at that point, so she reached up and pulled her hood down even more so that her face was completely hidden. She did not want anyone to see her face if she decided to cry. She was going to cry though, her hands hurt as the raw flesh touched the fabric and applied the pressure needed to pull on her hood. It was so painful. Then she felt the sudden pressure of Cal's arms around her. She wanted to push her away so that she couldn't hurt the woman.

“Don’t listen to him Vida. Just don’t. You’re none of you. You’re just you.”

Vida couldn't hold back her sobs anymore as she broke down in Cal's arms. Cal had managed to say one of the most important things to her. She wasn't a monster, she was just her. Just her. Just me. She couldn't stop herself from crying now that she had started. She really couldn't figure out why she was crying like she was. Was it because she was hurt or relieved? Was she scared to tears or beyond happy? All she knew was there was probably snot involved somewhere on her face.

The other two that were missing didn't register to her at the moment, she had mentally and physically had enough for now. She looked up at Pat tentatively. "I.. I would like t-to go back too." At least to the bus. She need some time to recover from what had happened. If these wounds were like the ones from last night she could heal quickly.
 
“Yes, yes that is true.” Jenna said nodding in response. She was still a bit concerned about Ester’s condition but compared to everything else that was going on, there were more concerning issues to worry about. The others were wanting to go back and she had to agree. Things have gotten out of hand compared to when they first started perusing the thief which led to injuries and causing others to disappear. The repressions that would follow once Wilson and Cameron heard of what happened was one thing she wasn’t looking forward to. Eight hundred dollars was nice sum of money and it was a shame that they would be leaving it behind but facing another person with a gun or who knows what else would be waiting for them but she knew it was one thing she wasn’t keen on facing.

“What the hell did you guys do!” A stern voice demanded as Josiah walked into the alleyway. “I specifically said not to stir up trouble but look what you’ve done. After the men you face yesterday do you think experimenting on these hooligans out in the open is wise? I thought that you all wouldn’t need a chaperone to babysit you all while you went shopping but I don’t know anymore.”

“Calm down Josiah. Can’t you see they’ve been through enough? You ought to listen to what they have to say before jumping at them for this. I doubt they would be beating up a group for the hell of it.” Although not filled with concerned induced anger such as Josiah, his concern for the situation at hand was present as he surveyed the scene.

“How did you find us so quickly?” Jenna asked with relief. Although a bit wary of the Reformers it was comforting to see someone she knew that would be able to handle a situation such as this.

Tapping his head before making his way towards the center of the group, Daniel responded. “Although I haven’t been able to pinpoint who was doing what, I knew something was going on when I sensed an extra surge of power coming from this vicinity. All we had to do is follow it to the source to find you all.”

“Do you think I should call Cameron? They could leak vital information about us.”

“Who would believe them Josiah?” Daniel said as he gave a pity glance towards JC. “Besides, the storm that Cameron would bring would be something I would rather avoid. Wilson can patch everyone up and we can leave things be.”

“You all have some explaining to do though. I’m not covering anyone’s ass until I know what happened.”
 
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Instinctively, the man in the suit took into consideration the Prisoner's Dilemma. Christian would be compelled to say any thing he could think of, if it would save his skin. He'd "interviewed" enough people to know that. The shudder when he heard his fingers through Sam's hair, the nervousness in his voice, the inability to provide a straightforward answer...they all combined to give their captor the answer he'd asked for. These two were no government agents; that was certain. But, then...that wasn't really why they were here.

"Ordinarily," he began, in response to Christian's question. "You'd be right. There's really no need to wait for you to come around, is there?."

He left Sam's side and began a lazy pace which circumnavigated the two chairs. His footsteps transformed from crinkling plastic to the double-click of leather on cement, indicating that he'd left the confines of the plastic sheeting. The smell of blood became a little stronger with every passing minute; something which might almost pass notice under present circumstances.

"But I never waste resources," he continued. "Mr. Walker believed you were a threat to my operations, but I see now that you're just a couple of frightened citizens who have been unceremoniously uprooted from their daily routines and transplanted into my world."

The sounds of the pipe came again, but they were different this time. It became apparent that he had decided he'd had enough of the pipe and secreted it away within his breast pocket again.

At that moment, Sam stirred in her chair. There was an undeniable 'plop' on the plastic beneath her chair as a drop of blood fell from her temple. She groaned at the prospect of having to face reality once again.

"Speaking of resources..."

"What the fu-"

"You're my guests," the man in the suit cut her off. "I will assume that your eyes function a little better than your counterpart. Go ahead and take a look around, for the little good it will do you."

Sam did as he suggested, though more out of instinct than instruction. They were held in an abandoned warehouse, most probably used for automotive parts distribution during one of the many recent booms in car sales. Her eyes immediately shifted between points of interest, though she could not have known why or for what purpose.

"Your friend has not been very informative." Mr. Suit continued, shifting his attention to the still-groggy Sam. He took a few steps so that he could come face-to-face with her. "Maybe you'll be more cooperative."

"Like hell." Sam retorted, her eyes slits.

Mr. Suit frowned and looked down his nose at her. He had buried lesser people. Still, there was that eerie calm about him which did not quite fit with the profile of a man who would order an abduction.

"When you hear what I have to say, you might reconsider your position."

Sam made her face as hard as she could. Considering the circumstances, the best she could do was the face of a teenager caught with a bottle of vodka. Still, she made it work.

"You hurt either one of us, in any way," she seethed. "I'll become the quietest person you have ever heard of."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't help people who hurt me."

"Well," Mr. Suit replied, wearing his most insolent smirk. "I don't remember telling you that I needed to hurt you."

He started forward, his stride still the same confident, evenly-spaced footfalls which had become his trademark. As he closed the distance, his right hand dove into his pocket. Sam could see the outline of a cell phone even before he laid his hand on it.

"No." Sam whispered. She struggled against the cuffs, without effect. "You can't. You don't know what you're doing!"

"Let's see," Mr. Suit grinned as he wrestled her hand open. "If Mr. Walker was telling the truth."
 
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“Possibly. Anyway, you guys go ahead. I've enough excitement for one day and Vida looks like she needs some rest."

Honestly though, she was a little reluctant to leave matters as they were since there was a big sum in Sam’s card. Plus, she had a sneaking feeling the boy was probably hiding inside scared to death with no one left. Normally she would go and check, but right now she had someone else to care for. Her arms relaxed a little as Vida took another heaving sob. Tears formed in Cal’s eyes as she rubbed the other woman’s back with her injured hand. Her fatigued mind was oblivious to the patchy red stains dotting the hoodie. “Vida, you’re fine. Everyone is safe thanks to you and that man.”

She hugged Vida even tighter. Anger burned inside at the thought of the reckless man who almost got them into trouble. She certainly would never forgive him – hero or not. Killing another person was not the way to solve things. “We’ll head back once everyone is ready. Then I’ll make you my best hot chocolate. Would you like that?”

“What the hell did you guys do! I specifically said not to stir up trouble but look what you’ve done. After the men you face yesterday do you think experimenting on these hooligans out in the open is wise? I thought that you all wouldn’t need a chaperone to babysit you all while you went shopping but I don’t know anymore.”

“EXPERIMENTING? What in Jesus – Gods! People like you drive me up the wall,” she spat as her hand, which had been patting Vida’s back, clamped on the sobbing woman’s shoulder. Her nails dug into the groove between the shoulder and the upper arm. “We tried to do the right thing and get back the card you gave us. Surprise? We felt bad enough to put ourselves into this mess to save your money. THERE HAPPY?”

Her eyes blazed over once more. She didn't care what else was said. The only thing that was stuck in her mind was that Josiah was accusing them without bothering to find out the truth. “Urgh! I am too tired to deal with your silly accusations right now. Come Vida, let’s go.”

A door slammed against the wall eliciting several surprised gasps. There in the doorway stood the wide-eyed punk that pickpocketed Sam earlier. He gave a muffled squeak when he noticed several of them looking in his direction. In a blink of an eye, the frightened lad darted for safety, adroitly dodging anyone who wished to catch. The teen made a sharp right and all but disappeared from sight when a loud scream pierced the stunned silence he left in his wake. Anyone looking in that direction can see him backing pass the mouth of the alleyway. He mouthed dumbly as his finger pointed straight ahead.

“N-no NO WAY!” He screamed as he turned around and tried to run for it.
 
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"I doubt they would be beating up a group for the hell of it.”

"Depends on if Josiah was in the group or not," Pat muttered to himself. Pat knew Josiah had good reason to be angry with them, but being chastised when he had done nothing but defend himself still rubbed him the wrong way. Pat found himself siding with Cal in their argument, despite the fact he still resented them for chasing after the thief in the first place. Speaking of which, they hadn't even gotten the card they fought so hard for. Not that there was a point now, their little shopping expedition was about as over as it could get.

A sudden slammed door drew Pat's attention to a teen in the doorway. Everyone was starred at each other stunned for a moment before the kid made a mad dash for safety in an alley. The kid could then be seen backing away slowly in apparent horror before turning around a running the opposite way in mad panic. Unfortunately for the kid, his chosen direction allowed him only a few steps before he ran right into Pat.

The kid managed to build up enough speed to knock Pat over with himself also falling and landing on top before falling to the side. It all happened to fast for Pat to really take in, he just suddenly found himself on the ground with a sore back and shoulders. This was the second time Pat had found himself on the ground this day, and Pat found himself with a sudden, overwhelming anger at the injustice of it all. Why did he have to get dragged into this mess of a street fight? Why did he, of all people, end up with a superpower after the bus accident? The flare up of his migraine when his head knocked the ground didn't help his mood either.

A scuffling sound caused Pat to look over. It was the brat scrambling to get to his feet, probably wanting to take off to who knows where again. "No you don't!" Pat called out angrily as he managed to grab the kid's angle. Pat felt the now familiar sensation of water flowing as the kid stiffened up in a sort of paralyzed state while the migraine surged into him. Pat felt his anger abate into more of a general grumpiness, using his power on some unsuspecting sod seemed to consistently brighten his mood a bit. Pat moved his sore body into more of a sitting position before finally letting go, causing the kid to collapse, groaning but still very conscious.

"I'm sure if there was something left that could go wrong today it would."
 
Christian could hear the man in the suit start to walk again. Christian's lack of a straight forward response had given him the answer he'd desired, while Christian was trying to fathom why they were not yet dead Sam rejoined the world of the living.

Christian could hear the rustle of the plastic and well as the sound of metal on metal and Sam's handcuffs clanked against her chair. Their was another noise, one that scared Christian far more than any of the others had. The sound of something wet hitting the plastic below Sam's chair. He could only imagine drops of blood dripping silently from her head wound. She'd been hit a lot harder than he had.

And just as he'd suspected earlier she was familiar with this situation and also completely inept at keeping there captor from becoming frustrated. Christian wasn't exactly experienced with being a hostage but he thought that swearing at the captor was not a good way to go.

At the tail end of the man in the suit's conversation with Sam Christian became aware that something was incredibly wrong. 'If what Mr. Walker said was true' what could that thug have told him. Assuming he'd been watching Christian and Sam for awhile before he made his approach had he heard or seen anything that could be compromising, could he know about there powers?

Yes, yes he could. Sam had had a good conversation with Christian about the up and downs other each others powers if Walker had been listening he'd know exactly what they could do, but then again who'd ever believe a story like that. It would be more logical to assume they'd escaped from some sort of asylum.

Of course in Sam's case you could test it. Sam had told Christian that technology was her trigger, at the time he remembered thinking she was lucky to know what set her off. Now however Christian was glad that his power went off randomly because for the fear that was evident in her voice the man in the suit was likely about to see if she really could download information from tech, likely with a cellphone or laptop. Christian had to do something if this kept up neither one of them was getting out of this alive.

As if sensing his panic something deep inside of Christian seemed to break, like a dam in his mind holding back all that which he could observe and that was everything. Just like before every little detail of the world around him came crashing into his head, but this time it seemed more organized, more useful. The relevant pieces of information seemed to prioritize themselves rather than just stacking up in his mind in a huge heap, the things he needed to know became readily apparent, like the exit to this large warehouse, twenty feet from where they sat. And the cellphone slowly being placed on Sam's open palm.

He'd heard about what had happened to her with the lamp, if she touched that he'd be alone in this. "STOP IT!" He shouted and with his yell the cellphone with was inches from Sam's skin shot forward sick inches landing on the floor. He also felt something crack, something small and metal and important but at the moment he couldn't have said what it was. "Leave her alone." He said to the man with a bit more calm. "If you're looking for something special look at me."
 
The man in the suit doubled over on impact. In the following moment, the cell clattered to the floor, broken, and he noted three things; that his employee's suspicions would seem to be correct, that his captives had as much as substantiated that claim, and that his intended course of action would have had an effect. He caught his breath and calmly straightened to his full height, taking the time to adjust his jacket and tie.

"Hold position." he calmly stated, turning his head to monitor Christian's reaction. "No one moves until I give the order."

Sam canted her head and readied a witty retort, but stopped short when she caught sight of a bluetooth ear bud. He was obviously talking to his confederates. How had she been foolish enough to believe he had come alone?

"Now," he continued, stooping to recover the phone. "That was not what I would call an impressive opening bid. Allow me to renegotiate."

As he spoke, the captives had time to gather more information. With his power in full bloom, Christian could readily identify the body of his and Sam's attacker, dead and bloodied at his feet, a small hole in his temple supplying the liquid which pooled there. The warehouse had been abandoned, so far as they could tell, but had not been entirely empty. Surveillance equipment dotted the interior. They were being recorded.

"As you might imagine, only a great fool would dare to order a daylight abduction without at least some precautionary measures. I am not a great fool. My men are waiting on any indication that this meeting is not holding up to my very selective tastes. They have orders to fire their weapons dry if either I do not call a hold, or do not respond within thirty seconds."

Sam's throat went dry. These were not orderlies. They didn't just give you your pills and move on to the next cell. They were serious criminals. Their next move could end up making the difference between freedom and a nice floral arrangement next to a headstone.
 
The guys that had brought them to this town finally found them. She was relieved that they were not alone now and were with people that knew about their strange powers. Still she didn't look up or push back the hood to look at them. They already sounded angry, so she didn't want to show them her face or hands in fear that they would get even more angry with her. Callie on the other hand seemed to have no problem dealing out her angry towards them. She felt the pressure of the woman's hand on her shoulder as she spoke. Clearly she was not going to just back down from the accusations that were given. Vida was happy that the woman was so strong willed and wished that she could be like that as well.

The sound the door slamming open, followed by the scream snapped her attention to the boy from earlier. He was the one that cause all of the commotion to start with. If he had no stolen the card then they would be out shopping like normal people instead of in the alley way looking at a scene that could be straight out of a murder/action film. Her eyes followed the boy as he ran into the older man that was in the group. Instinctively she took a speak towards them as Pat fell to the ground, but she stopped herself. She wouldn't be able to help if she went over there. Watching though she noticed that he was able to make the kid pass out by touching him.

She took in a breath. Did he have the same ability as her? She looked at the kid and to the man's hand. The air left her lungs as she noticed no wounds on either. So he was like her, but his ability was not as horrifying. She was jealous of him.

Shaking her head she turned and started to walk out of the alley and back towards the town. "I am g-going to the bus.." She could actually feel her heart beat quicken as she thought about entering the crowd. It was going to be painful. She had open wounds that could easily be brushed against, but more then that.. The scene from earlier popped into her head where she had imagined being stuck in a subway crowded with people and no escape. This would be reality. She turned and looked at Daniel and Josiah lifting her head so that her gaze could meet theirs for a moment allowing a small glimpse of the wound on her cheek and neck were she was held earlier. "Is t-there a w-way to get back without..." She trailed off for a moment as if something had crossed her mind then she snapped back. "Without people?"
 
As Christian got over the initial shock of having the world pour into his head certain details that a moment ago were not relevant to the crisis Sam was about to go through now presented themselves. Little things, like the Bluetooth ear bud in the man with the suit’s ear, the body of the man that had attacked them, Walker lying at their feet dripping blood, a fresh kill.

Christian started to panic somewhat, it was became immediately clear that as he’d first thought the man in the suit was not alone. Christian had most of the warehouse mapped out in his head but whoever the man in the suit was talking too was likely just a little further. If Christian had to go to extremes (which they were at) he’d have said there were snipers on neighboring buildings and likely some very well-funded thugs waiting kill anyone that exited the warehouse without their boss’s permission.

The last detail that Christian realized was the source of that metallic crack that he’d caused at the same time as he’d sent the phone flying, it was the handcuffs he and Sam were wearing, he’d accidentally split one of the links of the cuff along the original wielding line. With a bit of work the might be able to get themselves free.

Without time to think of that Christian decided that this was the time for a bluff, something big with both their lives on the line. If he was lucky they’d both get out of this alive. If Lady Luck wasn't smiling on him Christian prayed Sam had some sort of plan cause this was the last card Christian had to play.


Christian drew in a slow even breath. He needed to appear calm, collected. He straightened in his chair his face deadly calm. "I wouldn't' do that if I were you... do you have a name? Well it doesn't matter either way you'll be dead soon enough." Christian paused for a moment to let that sink in. It was of course a bluff but if he could add enough weight to the threat this man might just be inclined to let them go.

"If you'll look on my arm you'll see a long white scar about six inches across." It was from a piece of shrapnel from the accident that cost Christian his eyes but right now it could serve as a bargaining chip. "My employers inserted a GSP tracking device effective worldwide in order to keep an eye on my activities. My partner and I work for a terrorist cell, a break away from a covert government project." The best he could do was mix a little truth in with the amount of complete bullshit he was churning out. Christian kept his face neutral. "My boss is in possession of a very rare form of mutigene that gave birth to the abnormalities you've observed. It gives us the edge when dealing with the government. Our goals are not important, the important thing is that Sam and I are insignificant enough to the organization that no one would think twice about sacrificing our lives to protect the agenda. The agenda that you have compromised by abducting us. If my estimation of the time is correct we have been out of contact for an hour and forty minutes past our last check in. Standard protocol dictates that should one of us be unreachable for more than two hours a covert explosive strike is to be executed on the co ordinates of there last known GSP signal. You have twenty minutes, now you have two choices you can either let us go and I can promise you'll never hear from us again or we can all die together."

Christian was fairly certain at least some of that had come from half a dozen different spy movies and TV shows he'd seen in recent years but it didn't matter. They were in a dire situation and if they were lucky the man with the suit would think that no one would be stupid enough to spin a story like that unless they actually had the resources to back it up. He could only pray and hope that Sam had some other plan in case this fell threw.
 
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A look of uncertainty crossed Jenna's face as listened to Josiah. She had a feeling that this would be coming but was a bit relived when Cal spoke up for the group. Wondering if Josiah would argue back, she watched him tentatively as Cal headed towards the building. However instead of anger she saw a hint of something else written on his face but before she could wonder what exactly it was, she saw the teen dart past her and into Pat who seemed to be more than ready to intervene. Although the kid was a bit dazed he was still awake and conscious.

With the opponent now just a teen as well as having the others as well as the added support of Josiah and Daniel with her, Jenna wasn't too afraid of stepping up and getting the situation resolved. "Just give us the card back. We'll let you go and end everything right here." Jenna said stretching her hand out towards the kid. "Unless you want a taste of someone else's power? Who knows what we could do to you?"

"Fine." Jake said as he reached into his pocket and retrieved about six different cards. "I'm not sure which one is yours but just take it. Take them all." Tossing them in front of him Jake tried to get to his feet and get away before anyone else could do anything to him but stumbled as he got up, obviously still feeling the residual effects of Pat's ability.

"Seriously?" Daniel chuckled as he watched the kid run, almost running into a garbage can when he looked back towards the group to make sure he wasn't being chased. "If they all were as pathetic as this kid and still tried to steal from people, they deserved what was given to them." Stooping down to collect the cards, Daniel pulled the one that belong to them out of the stack and pocketed the rest. "So who's the unfortunate one that got their card stolen?"

"Sam." Jenna said. "However, we don't know where she went. Christian is gone too."

"Wilson is going to be pissed about this." Josiah said as Vida brought up wanting to go back. He could see that she wasn't in a good state and out of the probably the worst one off out of the group. "Let me bring you back. It'll be faster and besides me and another person if they want to come along you won't have to see anyone else, besides a very concerned doctor." Josiah said with a sigh before looking towards the others to see if any of the others wanted to take the quick route back. "Have you located them?" Josiah said turning towards Daniel who appeared to be busy with an unfocused gaze.

"I think so but without being around the Charlies long enough I cannot be certain. It's a bit too far for a blind man and a teenager to end up by foot given the amount of time that has passed so they have either hightailed it out of here or something happened. However they are close to the end of my range so I can't be exactly sure on my findings. It does look like none of the Bravos are there so I don't think it's the TSP unless Pearson is leashing them up like dogs again."

"We should go find them. I don't think they would be the type of people that would leave unannounced like this." Jenna said looking intently at Daniel. "We can send those that are injured or wanting to go back to the base back and the others can go search for them. We can't just leave them behind. What if they are in danger?"

"We don't know what we are getting into, it might be dangerous your guys since you are not trained." Josiah giving a slight motion towards the alleyway at what the group already got themselves into.

"It might be dangerous but I promised Sam when I met her that I wouldn't let whoever was after her to get her back. She was freaking out when she spoke about whoever was after her and I intend on keeping my promise." Jenna said with determination.

"Fine. You all need to go to the van either way so you all want to pretend to be superheros, go right ahead. Just make sure you have a group consensus on whether or not you're going after them." Josiah before walking towards Vida and waited to see if anyone else would be joining her. "However if it is big, don't just rush in. We might need to get together and hash out a plan with the others."
 
The man in the suit smiled, almost psychotically. He stood up, then took a step back from the two in the chairs.

"Secret agents," he said with false reverence. "Wow, I don't know what to do with that."

He paced for a moment, though it was questionable as to whether he had done it for worry or for sarcastic effect. Eventually he came to a stop near to where he had first addressed the two captives.

"I don't know what's worse," he stated calmly. "That you think I'm stupid enough to believe this load of propaganda, or that you're desperate enough to try it."

He snickered, walked his line briefly, then faced them again. "I mean, really? Secret agencies? Standby rescue squads? Next thing you'll tell me you're KGB. Oh, please, don't let me fall prey to the Kremlin."

There was another shark grin, then he turned his head to the side once again. The following conversation was not difficult to make out.

"Are you tracking any signals?"

"Negative."

"Scan again. We don't know what these people are capable of."

When he again brought his gaze to bear on his two hostages, he seemed less like a murderer and more like a businessman.

"Cards on the table time," he offered neutrally. " I'm here to determine your usefulness. What you tell me has a direct bearing on what I tell my superiors. If you want to be obstinate, then it's not my funeral. I'll just get transferred to the East Side and work the protection angle for a few years. But if what my associate whispered into my ear before I gave him what he earned was true...Well, then we could all be much better off than a shallow grave in the Industrial District."

He paused for a moment and, working with the damaged phone he had retrieved, turned the display to show them a very telling app. "This tells me that, although there are many, many signals being broadcast in the local area, none of them are for your extraction. So if you want to make out like you're the Contra Team, then, by all means, tell me another one. Otherwise, I'm ready to get down to business."
 
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At this point Christian had lost hope in his story, though in all fairness it wasn't that far from the truth. There wasn't any possibility of the man in the suit believing it but at this point Christian was stalling for time. They'd not been gone long enough for the Reformers to be looking and likely they were somewhere off the grid, if this guy was paranoid enough to set up snipers and signal trackers a secure location wasn't really a stretch.

No at this point Christian was buy time as he worked out a plan. Earlier he'd accidentally split one of the links on his handcuffs along the wielding line. It wasn't much but with some time and pressure in the right places he could get it to bend. He needed time for his plan and luckily it seemed the man in the suit was amused enough with criticizing and mocking Christian's story to keep the charade going.

He was careful to keep his face impassive as the man in the suit laughed at his story. "I never said secret agents, that implies that we were sanctioned and authorized by the government. I also never said anything about a rescue squad. As I said we are not high level operatives, the organization would sooner drop a bomb on the both of us than risk our knowledge falling into the wrong hands, your hands. I estimate you've got about sixteen minutes."

As Christian spoke he'd been very slowly leveraging his fingers in between the weakened link. It was bending, slowly but surely. The metal bite hard into his fingers, it wouldn't be long before he started to bleed.

"I am rather fond of living and your little mafia family doesn't really concern me overly, so you let us go right now and you'll get to live to 'work the protection angle on the East Side' if not then as I said we all die together. And if my tracker could be picked up by every idiot with a cellphone we wouldn't exactly last long as a group."

When Christian got his hands free it wouldn't take him long to undo the zip ties on his legs but Sam was a different story. He needed a way to signal that he was free without tipping off there captor. He needed her to get herself out of those cuffs or else they weren't both going to make it. He wouldn't have time to release her once the man in the suit realized he was off his leash. Once the bullets started to fly if he and Sam weren't both ready to run they were in big trouble.

Christian worked at the link as he threatened the man in the suit. Soon enough he felt the metal begin to bend but after a couple of minutes a sticky film of blood coated Christians fingers. He paid it no mind, there would be time to lick his wounds later. Right now he needed to get out.
 
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Ester was hesitant to go and look for Sam. Her side was stinging like crazy, the graze hurting more than it did when she got nearly shot in the hip. Placing her hand on her hip, Ester walked over to Vida. 'I'll stay with you.' She said, placing her other hand on Vida's shoulder. 'I need a break...' She finished. Ester looked over to Josiah. Should she say that she nearly got shot with a bullet? Should she just be like oh by the way Josiah, I nearly got shot! But i'm fine. Ester needed to be calm and firm about it. Yet she couldn't tell Wilson either. He'd have a bigger freak out than Josiah would. She was stuck. Get some form of an infection from the graze or get yelled at by her superiors.

As Ester looked away from him, Josiah looked down at her hip. 'Why is your hand on your hip like that?' He asked, turning and looking down at her.

'It's nothing.' Ester replied, turning away from him.

'No, let me see.' Josiah said, taking Ester's wrist he pulled her hand away from her hip, revealing the blood stain on her shirt and pants.

Ester looked up at Josiah, pulling her arm away. 'It's only a graze.' She admitted, ringing her thumb and pointer finger around her wrist from how tight Josiah held it. 'I'm Fine.' She said. 'It just stings a little.' Josiah frowned down on her.

'You and I are gonna have a little talk later.' he said.

Kirra gave me permission to use josiah. Don't worry you pretty lil heads.
 
Callie let go of Vida and got down beside Pat. “Are you feeling alright?” She rested a hand on his upper arm while her other hand against his back. She didn’t care about her bloodied hands. Right now all that was important was this man. That fall looked downright nasty for someone his age too. A strange sensation, almost like a dull flu-like headache, washed over her. She gasped, gritted her teeth and tried to hold onto him again. “Can you get up at all?”

Unable to bear it though, she did eventually let go, and the pain subsided. She rubbed her temples gingerly. She stared at the fallen man totally unsure what to do next. She wanted to help, but she didn’t think she should touch him. She flopped onto the ground too as she tried to sort out the odd sensations in her body. Was it more mental or was it physical? The only thing she concluded was that she was way too tired to care. “Vida, I think… Vida?”

Cal looked up in time to see Vida talking to Josiah. Her eyes narrowed considerably. What was that man thinking? Pulling that nice guy act wasn’t going to fool anyone. He was definitely a jerk through and through. Gods! She tried to get up and go give her hooded friend some backup, but she squashed the idea rather unenthusiastically. Now that the earlier sensation subsided, her own aches and pains came back with a vengeance. She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples some more, but she kept her ears kept in tune to the on-going conversation around her.

Sam? Christian? Missing? Her eyes shot open once more. No way! They should find the two of them. There was no telling what else lurked in this town. But first things first, she wanted to make sure Pat was really alright before volunteering to help Jenna. Leaving him there was just cruel. “Hey I errr don’t know how I can help, but I can give you a hand, if you like. That is if you don’t mind me holding you.” She paused. It was a little presumptuous to grab him earlier. Very presumptuous. “Sorry about just now. I feel really bad grabbing you like that.” She added in a very subdued voice.
 
Pat was still pretty dazed from his fall so he sat there sore and silent while the others talked about the missing Sam and Christian. Half of him wanted to get up and join the conversation, but the other half wasn't done sitting and sulking over how awful the day had been. Why the heck did I follow these darn kids after that card. It was only a few hundred bucks and Sam isn't even here to spend it. Pat sighed, there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

Having felt he'd spent enough time on the ground, Pat prepared himself to get up only to feel some shooting pain go through his back. He was in worse shape than he first thought. Suddenly, Cal appeared and tried helping him up. Pat was startled by her act of compassion but was about to try and get up, with her help, when he felt her tense up and remembered his power.

“Can you get up at all?”

"Not yet, just give me a few..." Pat started before realizing that Cal seemed to zone out. It wasn't surprising, considering the effect touching him had had on everyone else. It was also surprising that she stopped to help in the first place. Pat lived alone, and when your alone you aren't used to random acts of charity.

“Hey I errr don’t know how I can help, but I can give you a hand, if you like. That is if you don’t mind me holding you.”

"No, I can get up. Just give me a second." Pat wasn't sure if Cal had put two and two together and figured out that he had caused the headache, but he wasn't about to let her get hurt again on his account. Especially since she was just trying to be nice. With this added motivation, Pat put his hands to the ground and, with some muffled groaning, managed to get himself into a standing position. His back was on fire but Pat didn't think anything was broken, just bad bruising.

"And don't worry about the grabbing thing, just give me a warning next time." And maybe wait five days so that this migraines over.
 
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She looked over at Callie and the scene that was going on. She was trying to figure out just what kind of power the older man had while she was waiting for Josiah to take them back. From what she saw he was able to cause pain to a person through touch, but he did not leave any physical evidence of him doing so. Her eyes narrowed for a moment staring at the man. She was so jealous of him, he was like her, but he was not. She could feel a tingle going through her body, though difference than the others. She was sure that if this was a tv show her eyes would be glowing. She stared at him as the tingle flowed through her and then abruptly stopped as her vision started to dim. She slide her foot forward slightly and put her hand up to her head. She was exhausted all of a sudden. Her body was starting to feel weak.

She turned her attention to Ester as she put her hand on her shoulder. Vida flinched away out of a reflex, but it was only for a moment. She realized that she still had the jacket between the two of them. "Sorry." She said back to her sheepish self. She watched the interaction between Josiah and Ester curiously of why he was acting so familiar with her. It was kind of like a drama she had watched, but there wasn't a skip button to get to the back story and she did not want to ask. Her eyes wandered down to the blood that was on Ester. It was not so bad, she had seen worse in the last day. She was sure that this wouldn't kill the girl, probably give her a scar.

She finally looked up at the two of them again. "Can.. we go now?"
 
"Yes, we can go." Josiah said as he rested a hand on each of the two Charlies. "You all better keep each other safe. I rather not bring anyone else injured or worse back to Wilson. He's already going to be upset with what happened so I don't want to see this becoming worse or you won't hear the end of this. That includes you too Daniel. If anything happens, let me know immediately." Josiah said in his normally harsh tone before the three of them vanished.

"Sheesh, always the worrywart."Daniel said with a slight sigh. "He might be a prick but believe it or not, he is always looking for what's best for the others on the team even if he does come off as harsh."

"Really? He seems nothing but a jerk to us this whole time." Jenna said watching the spot where the trio teleported from. It still was an unsettling sight when powers with such visibility was used as she wondered when the initial shock of such things happening would start to fade away.

"He is, don't get me wrong. However out of the group I trust him the most. Even more than Wilson." Daniel said before taking a few steps towards the way back to the van. "If you all are ready, we should get going. One of you will have to drive since tracking down the Charlies is going to take a bit more work." He said as he held out the key for any of the three remaining Charlies to grab the keys before heading back towards the van at a brisk walking pace. Off in the distance, the sound of a police car could be heard approaching in their general vicinity which could be assumed to respond to the gun shots. "We can make it back to the main street before they arrive with no trouble. Just make sure you all act naturally and we should be fine."

~.~​

It took less than a few seconds before Vida and Ester appeared in the infirmary with Josiah. Teleportation isn't as seamless as it is seen on tv and a rocky, turbulence type of feel is very evident to a person not accustomed to this sort of travel and motion sickness is a common occurrence. However Josiah didn't stop to check if either faced what to him was a minor inconvenience.

"Both of you go sit down on and wait on the beds." Josiah said motioning towards the beds after seeing that Wilson nor Garret wasn't in the room before leaving to search for them. He didn't have to think twice about where Wilson would be and found him nestled on a couch reading one of his books.

"I didn't think you would be returning this early." Dr. Wilson said with slight concern when he saw that Josiah was there. "Did something happen while you were in town? Was it the TSP?" He said closing his book and without waiting for a response started to head towards the infirmary.

"No, it was a gang that the Charlies thought they could take on. Vida is hurt like Garret but in a worse state and Ester was shot but..."

"There was a firearm involved with untrained civilians that barely even know what they are capable of with their powers? What were you and Daniel doing during this ordeal?" Dr. Wilson said before suddeenly stopping and turing towards Josiah. "Actually, I rather not hear what happened. I don't want to know what sort of trouble the two of you started due to your negligence. The others best be on their way back here now if you know what is best."

"Let's just say they are taking the long way back." Josiah said avoid the answer as the two entered the infirmary.

"If something happens it will be on both of your heads." Wilson said before turning his attention towards the two injured Charlies to assess the injuries.

~.~​


"Gotcha!"

Jumping to her feet, Tia quickly rushed with excitement towards a holographic map she had up and zoomed it into a twenty-five mile radius.

"You can't hide from me for long. It's only been a day since the chase started and you are already slipping." Closing her eyes, Tia focused on the police scanner as she tried to tune out the rest of the white noise coming in from other frequencies. A new police report was coming in about a group of crazed individuals and although the information given by the group wasn't exactly clear, she had a feeling she knew who was involved.

"It's only a matter of time."
 
The man in the suit flashed a wry grin which failed to mask his half-sigh of frustration. He took a moment to just look at them, shaking his head. Then he gave his wrist a shake, to reveal his watch again, and observed the time.

"Well," he said, puffing air from between his lips. "I want you two to know that this is the longest a captive has held my attention, but I do have another engagement."

He finished the sentence with a 'what are you gonna do' shrug, then clicked one of the buttons on the side of the watch. Immediately, Sam and Christian could feel something pop on the backs of their necks. The sensation was oddly similar to stepping on a ketchup packet, followed by a warm, wet sensation. It didn't take long for the sedatives released by the skin patches to work their magic. As he walked away, the man in the suit again regarded his confederates.

"Cut the blind one loose; he wouldn't cooperate even if we started cutting things off him. I think he might be a pathological liar."

"Of course I want you to track him. If he does have any friends, he'll lead us straight to them. Use the subdermal; I don't want him ditching the transmitter."

"Take the girl to Site B. I'm not finished with her yet."
 
As Dr Wilson made his way towards Ester, she contemplated what to say. 'Start with the obvious.' Ester started in her head. 'It's just a graze!' Ester said. 'It only stings.' She admitted.

'Yes, also not that deep.' Dr wilson said, staring at the bloody stain on Ester's right hip. 'But it's susceptible to infection.' He added.

'Vida's injury is more important.' Ester replied.

'She's right, and besides I need to have a little talk with Ester...' Josiah added. Walking over to the door frame, Josiah stopped and motioned for Ester to follow him. She quickly looked at Wilson and rolled her eyes, following him out the door and into the frame, closing the door behind her.
---

Josiah stopped and propped himself up against a wall, Ester stopping in front of him and looking up. 'Before you get angry at me-'

Josiah quickly cut her off 'You decided to go and play hero?' He finished for her.

'What? no!' Ester said 'He had a gun, i didn't notice, I barely made it out without a bullet in my thigh.' She explained.

'And what could've happened if you got shot?' Josiah pointed out. 'The worst thing that could've happened is that we couldn't get you here in time and we'd have a dead Charlie on our hands... and Wilson, will KILL me, and garrett, and Daniel if one of you dies'

'Give the girl who, by the way had no clue her assailant had a gun, a break!' Ester said rather angrily. 'Sometimes you've gotta let up a little bit.'

Josiah sighed, pushing his hair back he looked down at Ester. 'Wanna know why i'm giving you this talk?' He asked, less sternly. 'Because we have to look out for each other, we've all got something in common and we have to care for each other.'

'Really?' Ester said 'Because you sure as hell don't sound like you care all that much...'

'We care.' Josiah said 'I've always kind of seen you, the Charlies, Garrett, Daniel, and Dr wilson as a little family. A weird-ass family with superpowers. You know what it's like to loose someone?' He asked.

'No...' Ester said, slumping on the wall next. 'Not really. My mom and dad are still around, so's my little brother... But, I can get it.'

'Elaborate, Snow Princess.' Josiah said, turning on his side to Ester.

'I've dealt with kids who've lost... Everything...' She looked up at Josiah. 'Kids who've lost family, friends, pets... themselves. And it's always my job to find a way to help them. I never fully experienced grief and loss before... But being with the Charlies, I realised i'd be so devastated if something were to happen to them.' Ester pushed her hair back and crossed her arms, looking at the ground. 'I uh... Take care of this little kid named Zach...' She began, 'Only 11. And... he lost everything. His family died in a fire, only one out alive and he was so traumatised by it. Kid can't make friends, because he's scared they'd make fun of him... And he's like the child I never got...'

'You can't get pregnant?' Josiah asked.

'No... no no not at all... I just... Don't like guys...'

'You're gay?' Josiah asked.

'Pansexual.' Ester corrected 'With a fling for girls.'

'Ahhh.' Josiah said, looking down at her.

'Anyways,' Ester lifted herself off the wall. 'This talk went better than I thought it would...'

'yeah..' Josiah said, smirking slightly.

'Also... Don't call me snow princess...' Ester said, smiling and shaking her head.

'Done. Anyways, time to get you checked up...' Josiah said. Ester nodded and walked off back to the infirmary, Josiah smiling after her.
 
The trip was sudden, way too sudden. When the room came into focus she stumbled and caught herself on one of the beds. She was already feeling dizzy and weak before the jump, but she was feeling even worse. Her stomach turned as her mind struggled to keep up with what just happened. She wanted to vomit. She reached up and put her hand over her mouth just in case something was going to come out. Josiah left them in the room. What they were saying was true she figured he was not the nicest of people. She did not bother to see how Ester was doing; she seemed to be handling herself much better than she was. Vida gave up on the struggle and let herself fall onto the bed to rest. She was sure she would feel better if she could just lay there for a minute and let everything settle.

Too much had happened already. They ran off, got into a gang fight, she had a hole in her memory, and then they were teleported. She heard Josiah return with the man from earlier, what was his name again? She lay on the bed letting him assess Ester, then she heard her name. She continued to lay there. Maybe if she pretended to sleep then he would leave her alone. Not possible she decided. She sat up in time to see Ester and Josiah leave. Her eyes hovered at the door wondering just what was between them.

Suddenly she remembered that the attention of the older man fully on her now. She nervously turned her attention to him, their eyes met for a moment then she dropped hers to the floor.

She heard some movement and then heard him speak. “Take off your jacket.”

She reached up and gripped the jacket with white knuckles for a moment before she slowly unzipped it and pulled it off. She still did not look up at she sat there with her wounds showing. The wound on her face and neck still looked bad with black dead cells towards the middle, but on the edges light pink lined the would showing that there had been worse and it had already started to heal. As she was looking down she noticed her hands, parts of her fingers were still missing, but they didn’t look as bad as before. Over all she looked awful and she had started to get thinner again. Most of the morning’s breakfast had gone to recovering from the night before, which left her with little nutrients to get her through this mess.
 
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