Rogue: The Uprising

[junebug]

Josie, Keegan, and Leon
collab between @Kat @Elle Joyner @DarinValore

It was a miracle Josie and Leon managed to find the end of the underground, or the sewer system, if Josie wanted to be candid about it. The fishy smell and green mold was not a pretty sight to pass by, however, it was imperative to get back to the base undetected. Josie ran her hand through her hair and breathed a sigh of relief as home welcomed her. The familiar sight of her family and the run down place was better than any sewer.

"Here we are, Leon. Let's find Keegan. Oh– there he is. Keegan!"

Josie called her boss over and approached him in the middle of the hallway with Leon.

"Keegan, this is Leon. Leon, this is Keegan."

Keegan stopped midtrack when he heard his name. Before he could say a word, Josie was introducing the man she had brought along with her..a man he knew nothing about. Giving him the once over with a suspicious look, Keegan ignored him and looked to Josie, "I'll have Devon escort Leon to a temporary room while I debrief you. I need to know everything that happened."

A brow quirked, and Leon's gaze shifted between Keegan and Josie, "Temporary room? Josie?"

"It's okay, Leon. I'll get you after the debriefing," Josie reassured him. "There's nothing to worry about. Everything's all good."

Nodding weakly, he looked to Keegan, "...Alright. I guess I wait here, then?"

Keegan nodded, "Devon will be here any minute now," as if on queue, the mass of muscle rounded the corner, "It looks like you won't have to wait long though. Here he is. Devon, please see Leon to a temporary room while I debrief Josie."

"Yes, sir," Devon returned and then extended an arm down the hall, "This way please."

"Josie, if you'll follow me," Keegan told her, his eyes lingering on Leon and Devon.

Josie glanced over at Leon and felt a strong pang of sympathy for him.

"I'll see you later, Leon."

She turned on her heel and followed Keegan. Once they were out of earshot, she spoke again.

"You know, you could stand to be a little less harsh on Leon. I'd be dead if it weren't for him."

Keegan turned on his heel immediately, "A little less harsh? While I am grateful that you are not dead, did you even take time to ask him how he knew you were there? Or even that you were a member of Rogue? Do you know anything about him?"

"No, but Keegan, Luna's life is more important. He let me call from an untraceable. Do you think he would've let me do that if he was an undercover agent for R.I.E.F.? If he was part of R.I.E.F., I'd already be knocked out by now and shipped off to an experimental research facility, if not killed on sight. At least give him a little benefit of the doubt. I thought about it, I did, but Luna came first and that's what I was focused on. We don't even know where the others are," Josie strained. She understood what she'd done wrong, however, she wanted to see the other side of things. What would Luna say? What would she do in this situation? If it was Josie, she wouldn't have followed the man into the sewers in the first place; not even out of the building. Luna was in danger and she had to take a different approach now.

"I'm the only one who made it out of there and because of me, everyone else is gone. There was an ambush inside the facility and I had to at least, try and save Mac and the others. I disobeyed your orders to try and save them and now, my actions have caused Luna to disappear. She probably got kidnapped or something and it's my fault, so don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Leon could help us. He can track signals from R.I.E.F., he cut off their comms and he has amazing potential. If he saved me, he can help save Luna."

"Or doom us all," Keegan returned, "There's a reason why we do research on someone before we bring them here, Josie. Here where there are non-combatants: children, elderly, people who don't have the training or the abilities that you all do. This place is a sanctuary and people who are brought here go through a gauntlet of background checks and other investigative measures. I know nothing of this man, and you brought him here," Keegan perched his hands on the cane before him and drummed it against the floor, "What am I to do with him now? I can't afford to give him free reign to roam anywhere, and I can't let him leave."

With a frustrated groan, the mutant took a few more steps away from her before returning, "Against my better judgment, Josie, I will release him to you. You will watch him like a hawk. Hopefully, you will take this order more seriously than the last one," Keegan sucked his teeth and then jerked his head toward the hall where Devon and Leon had disappeared, dismissing her without another word.

Josie turned and left on cue. Her mind strained to understand what was so terrible about trying to save Mac. She tried to see past Keegan's concerns and not take it personally, however, every word had been another hit to her ego. She failed and put everyone in danger; that's all she knew how to do. She approached the interrogation room where Leon was being questioned by Devon. Her knuckles hesitated to knock and she stepped back. It wasn't worth the trouble to go in and interrupt, so she waited– and waited– until Devon was finally done with Leon.

 

[Elle Joyner]

PRETTY BOY​

As Leon entered the room he'd been removed to, it took everything within the man not to smile. He'd done it. It was the mission no one wanted - the impossible task - and somehow, someway, he'd managed to do it. In under two hours. If Redwell didn't give him what he wanted now, there was gonna be hell to pay, for sure.

Sinking into one of the two metal chairs the room held, he crossed his arms and for a moment, studied his would-be interrogator with a convincing display of uncertainty. Josie had been an easy crack, giving him the information without even needing to use his powers, but he had serious doubts this Devon character was going to be as cooperative. There was still room for failure, and for the next few minutes, he needed to be very careful.

Devon simply watched as he followed Leon into the room. A metal table sat situated in the middle of the room with matching chairs on either side. Crossing his massive arms over his broad chest, he noted every little detail he could before he finally approached and sat in the chair across from him, "How'd you discover we had a team in play? How did you know where they were?"

Sitting up, to give the appearance both of nerves, and of a man desperate not to be -completely- overshadowed by the hulking mass of human before him, Leon shrugged, "I've got an algorithm running in my lab… Nothing crazy advanced, but it's a lookout-system for R.I.E.F. movement. Caught wind of a team heading to the warehouses, and I figured maybe they were after someone. When I saw the van, I sort of put it together Rogue was there. I… well, I've heard of you, you know? Word of mouth."

Devon smirked and leaned back, confident he had his prey. Drumming his fingers against the tabletop, he continued, "Tell me about your algorithm. And what route you took to get to the warehouse."

"I mean… What do you wanna know? It's a bunch of jumbled code. I pulled a lot of it from their headsets… and there was a drone got shot down a few weeks ago near my apartment building. May have borrowed the microprocessor…" Folding his arms, he smirked faintly, "Or ten. Those things are loaded with information. And we took the sewer system. I found a map of the of subway tracks that used to run parallel to it, and made myself a map… I have a lot of time on my hands."

Devon nodded and then placed his hands flat on the table in front of him, "Good answers. No wonder Josie believed you so quickly, but now it's time to find out if you're telling the truth."

A brow raised, as Leon sank back in his seat, "And how exactly you gonna do that? Gonna hook me up to a lie detector?"

"Something like that," Devon returned as he flipped his hands over, "Give me your wrists."

Shifting, Leon smirked, easing forward to lay his wrists above the man's hands, "Gotta say… if this is a pass… You're really not my type."

Rolling his eyes, Devon wrapped his fingers around Leon's wrists and pressed into them to feel for a pulse, "I'll ask you some questions. You answer 'yes' or 'no'. Nothing else. Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it…" Leon noted, "Let's do this…"

"Do you work for R.I.E.F.?"

"No."

Devon nodded, "Did Josie lead you here?"

"Yes." His expression shifted to a small smile, every so slightly, "Straight here, Mom."

"Did you have prior knowledge of Rogue's mission concerning the warehouse?"

"No, I did not."

Devon tucked his chin in a bit and his brow narrowed, "Did you develop an algorithm to determine the probability of where Rogue might go next?"

"Something like that, yes."

Devon straightened up and his hands gripped tightly around Leon's wrists, "That's not what you told me before."

Grinning, Leon shrugged, "...No it's not. But it's doesn't really matter, does it. Since in about three and a half seconds, you're not gonna remember we had this conversation."

Shaking his head, Devon tried to clear his head before he replied, "That's not going to…"

Shifting back, Leon pulled his hands free, brushing them off on his jeans, "...Hello, Devon. I'm going to need a phone…"

Leaning to the right, Devon slid his hand into his pocket before producing a phone. Holding it out, he waited for Leon to take it.

Taking the phone, Leon grinning, "Do you have handcuffs, Devon? Or any zipties?"

Standing up, he pulled a pair of black zipties from his back pocket and extended them Leon.

"Ah, no…" Waving a hand, Leon shook his head, "I'd like you to please ziptie yourself to your chair. Then you'll need to be very quiet. Can you do that?" Sliding the phone open, he keyed in the digits, holding it up to his ear, "Time to get a promotion…"

Devon did as he was told, his eyes fixed on the man across from him.

The phone rang twice before it was answered, "This better be good," Maxine Redwell's voice sounded over the speak.

"Director Redwell? I have some very good news for you. Tell tech to trace this phone back to source… and get a team ready. I'm sitting in an interrogation room at Rogue HQ."

The sound of her snapping her fingers accompanied her voice, "Trace. Now," there was a pause, "How'd you manage that so quickly, Pretty Boy?"

Grimacing at the code name, Leon frowned softly, "The warehouse hit was a success… and I was able to gain the confidence of one of their agents. Hell… didn't even need to use my abilities, Ma'am. She walked me straight in through the front doors… Suppose I just have one of those faces."

"Keegan there?" she returned, finding no humor in what he'd said to her, "Can you confirm that Keegan is there?"

"I cannot confirm, Ma'am. But you'll be the first to know if I locate him…" Leon's eyes moved to the door, as he considered his options, "Should I wait for the strike team…?"

"Get eyes on Keegan, Leon. If he isn't there, taking that base will only cripple Rogue for the time being. Getting Keegan will crush it."

"Right… I'll see what I can do, Ma'am. I'll hang on to the phone and call if there's any changes. Will that be all?"

"Don't just see what you can do. Find him before the chaos erupts," she paused a moment, "Leon, I do not have to tell you what will happen if Keegan escapes."

A brow raised, and Keegan shook his head, "...Understood. Over and out, Ma'am." As he pressed the red button on the phone, killing the call, he rolled his eyes, tucking it into his pocket, "Devon… Do yourself a favor. Don't ever work for a woman. They're hell… Anyway… I'm going to need some access codes, directions to Keegan's office… and a gun."

Devon obeyed. He told Leon where to find his access key in his wallet, gave him step by step directions to Keegan's office, and offered his own weapon to the man, "It pulls to the right, so if you're going to shoot someone, compensate, alright?"

"Good to know…" Pulling back the hammer, Leon looked to Devon and gave a nod, "Thank you for your assistance. Stay put and I'm sure someone'll be around to let you out, soon." With a nod, he moved to the door and as he opened it, he was only mildly surprised to find the dark haired young woman on the other side.

Giving her a glance, he raised the gun and without a word, pointed it at her knee and fired, "Sorry Darlin'... Nothing personal." With a wink, he turned and using Devon's instructions, started off down the hall.

 

[junebug]

A sigh of relief left her lips as Leon opened the door. She approached him, however, within the span of those few seconds, from her greeting to the face of his gun, a shot rang out loud and clear in the base. It was too close, she couldn't comprehend whether it was his gun or another. The distinct pop echoed in the small area and as she turned to run after Leon herself, a burn at her lower left knee cap came into fruition.

Josie yelped and glanced down at where the burning sensation was. Her eyes widened and her heart began to thump twice as fast. She stared at the bloodied hole in her knee and for a couple moments, found it difficult to comprehend what'd just happened.

"Shit shit. Oh my god, he- he shot me. Someone, Devon! Someone grab Leon! Don't let him get away!" she shouted. Choas erupted and Josie immediately hobbled into the interrogation room when she'd made the quick judgement that Devon wasn't able to leave.

"Devon! What the hell happened?! Oh my god, this is all my fault."

Her knee burned as she fiddled with the zipties and tried to pull them free, but to no avail. Josie grimaced as she limped over to the door, the loss of blood gradually rising as she moved around. She couldn't let Leon get her papers. He'd burn it. Josie tried to take another step to get out of the room, however, her wound became worse as she felt a sickening snap where her wound was. Something poked the fabric of her baggy cargo pants and she stepped back, wincing and trying to hold back tears.

She slammed the door shut and immediately rolled her pants up quick and cautiously. Josie felt green as she caught glimpse of a piece of bone sticking out and the area around it bruised and swollen. The situation was hopeless. Where was doc when she needed her? Where was the little girl that could do anything if she tried?

"We're screwed, so screwed."

---

@everyone?most people?definitelydevontho

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Here Comes The Scary Stuff
collab with @Elle Joyner @Reythaak and @Mobley Eats

It was actually smooth sailing for a little while. Keith gave him a few more pointers and suddenly Finn wasn't shaking the whole car every time he braked at a red light. He turned on the radio, and they drove uninterrupted. Finn tried not to think about Penny and Deck, if they'd made it out safe, if Deck hadn't bled to death. He tried not to think about Josie and Luna on the other mission, tried not to worry about all that could've gone awry. And he especially tried not to worry about reuniting with his caretaker, about stepping into his childhood home, one that held so many traumatic memories. Finn tried to remember the good ones.

"I-I think we should walk from here, Keith." Finn murmured, pulling the car into the curb without scraping or denting the hood. "Don't want to drive right up… but it's close enough." Before getting outside, Finn took a glance at the rear view mirror, and felt a wave of discomfort wash over him as he watched a female figure inching towards their car. Finn's bad news sensors tingled. "Keith… there's — th-there's someone coming to the car—"

Keith figured Finn had driven better than he could have at the moment. Not that he'd have said that out loud. The drive gave him a little time to get his mind in order a little better, get himself a little more calm. He still wanted to curl up on the floor in his room for a couple days, but he could function a little more.

"Probably…" Was his reply about walking. He was about to open the door when Finn pointed out the woman, and he frowned, looking at the woman through the lens of his ability.

"Start the car back up. I don't trust her… So we can get moving as soon as we're sure.

Or run her over if we have to."

She stumbled, the woman, and a hand pressed to her side, "Pomoć! Molim vas pomozite mi!"

The cry seemed to take the energy out of her, and slowly, she collapsed to her knees as her legs buckled beneath her.

The woman's cries sent chills up Finn's spine. Something about this was wrong, but there was a pain in her voice that made him cringe. It was almost straining to ignore his instinct to rush to her and start the car like Keith ordered. "Sh-she's hurt," Finn muttered.. "Keith, are you sure?"

"It was a trap before. At this point, I don't know if I'll even trust Penny and Deck when they show up," Keith said. The kid sounded… stressed. LIke he barely believed the words were coming out of his mouth. "If you feel like we have to help her, then we will. But…" he trailed off, trying to figure out how to end his words but completely failing as he looked at the woman collapsed in the street.

Generally Finn relied on Keith for situations that required level-headedness, but there was a glassiness in the boy's eyes that told Finn he wasn't going to be too much help. Letting out a whine, Finn inched closer to the woman. They couldn't just leave someone in the street, in pain, no less… "Ma'am? A-are you hurt?" Finn said cautiously, making his way closer to her. Oh, Penny was going to murder him if he was wrong about this….

The woman, on her hands and knees began speaking rapidly in Serbian, her eyes shifting up to Finn wide and frightened. Wildly, she gestured with a free hand back to the van, "Pomoć…!"

Keith… watched. He let Finn inch closer to the woman, and took a few steps further back towards the car they'd jacked himself. He followed the gesture towards the van, then frowned. If the folks in the van did something to her, why aren't they coming out to do… whatever else? Or someone's in worse shape in the van… I fucking hate this… The safest option for him and Finn both, however, was for one of them to be back towards the car to get them both gone as quick as possible if needed… And Finn was definitely the more sympathetic one. And Keith'd be less likely to hit Finn if he had to speed up to grab his friend...

So, he popped open the driver's side door, leaning on it and just… waiting.

Keith, instead of offering advice which Finn looked back to plead for, was leaning on the car dar looking back at him expectantly. Him! No one ever expected anything from him. He couldn't tell if his gut feeling was telling him that something was wrong, or that this woman was wrong. But even though he couldn't understand her language, he knew she was pleading for help. He.. he had to do.. something.

Finn offered the woman his hand, at least to help her up, try and calm her down. Keith was at the ready to speed them away if something went wrong… hopefully it wouldn't.

Looking up, she studied his hand for a moment, before reaching out. As her fingers curled around his, Ket rose swiftly… Too swiftly. The palm of her free hand cupped Finn's cheek and black tendrils, smoke like, spooled from the tips of her fingers.

"...I just want someone to make it stop." She whispered, her eyes closing as the tendrils drove for his ears.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Collab Post | Interactions: R.I.E.F. Team @Elle Joyner , Keith @Reythaak , Finn @CloudyBlueDay | Location: Outside, in the street​

"Gah!" Finn yelped, her grip astonishingly strong, and with the quickness she leapt up he knew he'd fucked up. Her hand against his cheek was icy, and her words sent shivers down his spine. "Keith!" Finn yelled, trying to squirm away. The smoke like tendrils threatened to dive down his ears, and in a desperate panic, kicked the air beneath his feet and pushed off, separating the two and then running like hell back to the car.

Keith didn't have a good view of what was going on, but seeing the woman standing, he was already sliding into the car and pulling the door closed when Finn yelled and air-jumped away from the woman. He started the car, leaning and shoving open the passenger's side door. "C'mon!" he shouted, not that Finn needed the encouragement, and hit the gas to get Finn closer, "In!"

Among the chaos unfolding, Luna remained inside the van, feeling as if the walls of the vehicle were slowly caving in around her heart. She could hear Finn and Keith, the panic in their voices. This hurt, it hurt and burned and ached so much. The hacker wished she could do something, anything, and her brain scrambled frantically for a solution of some sort, but the overwhelming guilt clouded her thoughts.

I-I'm sorry...I'm so...so so so s-sorry… Her fingers curled under her leg, attempting to hide her internal warfare as much as she could while refusing to lock eyes with the R.I.E.F. members.

She was useless.

Spinning in his chair, grinning at what he was seeing on the small CCTV near the console, Emmanuel glanced back at Luna and Fade, "...Let's up the challenge, shall we?"

Hand on the door handle, Fade looked to Luna, a brow quirked, "...You ready?"

"Get out here!" Ket growled into her comm, as her eyes narrowed on Finn, "Now!"

Luna's gut flipped as they gave out the command. It was time--the moment she dreaded most. She got up, shuffling up behind Fade while trying to remember how to breathe...and then Fade looked at her. Made eye contact with her.

In that split second, a million thoughts raced through her head. Moralities. Hesitation. Memories. Fears...Finn and Keith's safety.

She instantly activated her abilities and dove into Fade's mind, shifting through chambers and sectors and chunks of recollections until she found what she needed. The images burned away from his mind's eye, soon replaced with what she hoped was enough to save her family's lives.

In that moment, Fade was a comrade and also working undercover with her and Vance to escape R.I.E.F.'s clutches.

She nodded. "I'm ready."

God! He was so stupid! Didn't he know better to go helping up strangers? Strangers that shouted at him specifically? Stopped in the middle of the road specifically where they stopped?! The car seemed so far away, even though Finn was running faster than he ever had. With a gasping urgency Finn ducked into the car, grabbing the handle on the side. "Drive!!"

Giving Luna a nod, Fade clutched the handle and with a push, shoved the doors open, stepping out a little ways behind Ket.

Keith started to drive. Then saw someone stepping out of the van, and slammed the breaks abruptly, staring. "Finn. Finn, am I seeing shit?" He shoved his head out of the window. "LUNA!?"

"Wh- what?" Finn gawked. "No, no way. It can't be. It's not Lu." Finn's grip around the handle was so tight his knuckles were turning white. "They— they must have taken her! RIEF has her! We have to help her!" Finn suddenly found his voice very hoarse, refusing to believe that Luna would ever be against them as he pushed open the passenger door.

Luna heard her name pierce the air, loud and crippled with shock. Instinct almost made her shout back, to reassure them that everything would be okay, but she bit her tongue at last moment. She merely glanced their way, eyes unreadable, before clenching her jaw and scooting a tad closer to Fade.

"Let's go!" Ket shouted from where she stood, "Before they get away!"

Stepped forward, Fade nodded to Luna, "Stay close… They've noticed you. With luck, they won't run us down if you're here."

Keith's brain was going about a mile-a-minute, and it wasn't good. He debated a moment, kicked the car into reverse, "Close the door." And zipped backwards, putting some more distance between them and the folks before them. He shot Finn a look out of the corner of his eye, "And hold on." The car stopped quick once more, as Keith shifted back into drive. Little bit more speed, little bit more distance. He gunned it towards Ket, fully intending to swerve into the woman even if she were to try to dodge the oncoming car. One out of the way was better than none.

"Keith -- what are you --" Finn managed to choke out. He frantically tried to put the seatbelt on but Keith gunned forward so quick it flung out of his hand. "Holy shit -- KEITH!"

Whatever Ket shrieked at the oncoming car, it wasn't something one could say in pleasant company, even in Serbia. She dodged, because she had little other choice… but as the car swerved towards her, it was Fade's turn to unleash a flurry of swears. It might've been in their best interest to have one less unknown on the playing field, but it wouldn't look good for them to do nothing at all…

Throwing his hands up swiftly, he pulled from the shadows at his and Luna's feet, watching as the black streak darted forward, and silently praying the velocity of the car didn't reach break-neck speed, he shot up a thin wall of black in front of Ket. As the wall solidified, he looked to Luna, "We can't keep this up forever…"

As the car slammed into the barrier, the airbags deployed as Keith was slammed forward with the impact. Between the car's abrupt stop and the airbags, the kid's nose was pretty promptly broken and he cursed, though it came out unintelligible and muffled. He fumbled around at the car door, finding the handle and shoving the door open more with his foot than his hand and flopped out from the driver's side to lay on the pavement a moment, the pain welling from his nose and where the airbag had hit.

His scream was cut short as the black wall was thrown up in front of them, and Finn could see it for a split second, an expression of horror forming on his face before they collided and the airbags blew. Finn was no stranger to being in a crashed car, but he'd never set the airbags off. That was new.

A moment later he was tumbling out the passenger side heaving and coughing, cradling his left arm to his chest. Finn barely allowed himself to stay down long, despite the pain radiating from his body. "L-let Luna go!" He shouted, leaning miserably against the crumpled car.

A scream almost ripped from Luna's throat, only for her to slap a hand over her mouth and mute it in time. This was awful and the sight of her best friends crashing bumper-first into a wall of shadows stirred burning nausea deep within her stomach. She breathed sharply through her nose, heavily, rapidly, all while desperately looking away from Finn as he screamed for her freedom.

She forced herself to address Fade. "I...I-I know," she wheezed, oxygen starting to escape her. She knew this couldn't go on forever, but without her tech gear and a clear head to think with, her brain shot panic-riddled blanks.

Fade opened his mouth, but whatever the man was going to say was quickly truncated. Behind, a second crash sounded, as a black SUV smashed into the van - the armored vehicle rocketing forward from the force. Swearing, he looked to Ket on the ground… to the shadow wall and to Luna, "It's a wash! We need to move out. Back to the van, Luna!"

He pointed her towards it and raced forward to help Ket, pulling her to her feet. The woman growled at the contact, but followed after him with swift feet, and they reached the van as Emmanuel was shoving the side door opened, "Let's go!"

When they were inside, the door slammed shut, and as the SUV backed up for another ram, the van shot off, leaving a plume of dust in its wake as it tore towards the road again, and faded into the distance.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Lucas Serenity Krestlauv | Interactions: None | Location: Dorm Room / Hallway

Okay. Alright. He could work with this.

Lucas studied his reflection in the mirror, fussing about with his hair until he had the desired feather bangs. The weight of it had to be just right and leaning in a way that looked good from all angles. Appearance was key, ladies and gents--he couldn't afford to step out into the sea of delicious fishies without looking his best. Besides, it was always a combination of his sexy hair, devilish brown eyes, cute as a button nose, and downright magnetizing freckles that reeled in his targets.

That and his bomb ass personality.

"Yes sir," he said while giving himself one last scan up and down, "You look ready to rock somebody's world." So overcome with how amazing he looked (though that was nothing new), he snapped saucily, head tilting in sync with the motion. He couldn't wait to see who his next victim...err, blessed soul would be. In reality, Lucas had already flirted with a few of the peeps in Rogue. Penny was a huge no-go; that woman could kill him and he knew that she wouldn't pull her punches until he was a bloody mess on the floor. Besides, he trusted Penny above all else and figured he could show his gratitude in the form of removing her from his "Eye Candy Hello" List.

Thus, the first person Lucas had ever shown interest in was Finn...the damn cutie. Ugh--if Lucas could, he would play with that man's blond locks all day while tuning out his adorkable commentary. But, of course, he wasn't really getting anywhere...which was fine. Lucas just loved watching Finn squirm. The second target turned out to be Levi, mister mirage man, but Lucas could say without a doubt that he was way cuter than his imagination could fabricate, hallucination or no hallucination. But, in the end...their dynamic became odd. The flirting died over time and some sort of genuine bond formed between them; in a weird way, Lucas supposed he saw Levi like an older brother.

Not that Lucas would ever say that out loud. Gross. Feelings.

And lastly (but ooooh goodness Lord, definitely not the least!), there was that fine specimen of a chocolate brooding man, Hex. Lucas hadn't tried to flirt with him yet, whether it was due to a lack of opportunity or actually spotting the dude around Rogue to begin with, but he was determined to give that dark angel a shot. Lucas glanced back and over his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of his rear. He hoped these jeans would compliment his butt and give it a nice shape. Everything had to come together if he wanted to flaunt like a professional.

"Meh...I always look good anyways. Forward march to fun time~." As Lucas stepped out of his room, humming random tunes under his breath and winking at whichever passerby caught his fancy (so everyone), he wondered how Team A were doing. He had heard about them being sent out to handle a retrieval and rescue mission of some sort, immediately after busting Josie out of an ASPIDA facility. Christ--those guys were hardcore...which was good. They needed to be in order to come back to Rogue in one piece.

Lord knows Lucas would have a cow if any of their pretty faces came back bruised.

 

[Elle Joyner]

---

Time passed slowly and Deck found himself shifting slightly due to discomfort. Still, he couldn't help but smirk in his thoughts, "How long do you think it'll be before that guy finds out his car's been jacked?"

As the silence evaporated with Deck's amusing comment, Penny's brow lifted and she chuckled, "Who knows. His phone call was obviously pretty important. I'd be surprised if he didn't take notice till tonight. Serves him right… guy was a tool." Pinning her tongue behind her top teeth, she seemed to get lost in a thought, before clearing her throat, "At any rate, we'll ditch it, as soon as we get close to the house. Hopefully Keith and Finn found a ride, too."

"I'm sure they did," he shifted again, "They seem to have better luck than us, and what Finn lacks, Keith seems to make up for."

"They're good kids…" She murmured softly, "Keith, he's got a good heart on him, and Finn… I ain't never seen a kid try so hard, you know? God, I hope they're alright." Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, just slightly, and she shrugged, "I'm sure they're fine."

"I'm sure they are," he flashed as comforting a smile as he could before cracking his knuckles out of habit and turning his eyes out the window, "If anything, Finn would annoy them so much that they'd let him pass simply to get rid of him. They wouldn't wait long enough for the results of the tests to come in, or even the scanners."

Chuckling, she shook her head, "He's not so bad. Not that I'd ever let him know it… But he's like a kid brother to me." Pausing, she frowned softly, "That's the thing with Rogues. You try and fight it, but hell if they don't become some crazy sort of family."

Turning his eyes to his hands in his laps, his fingers spun the ghost of the ring that used to rest on his left ring finger, "Family," he breathed before shaking his head, "Not sure I could go another bout with that."

Eyebrow twitching upward, Penny glanced over at him swiftly, eyes flickering to his hand, before returning to the road, "...Another bout? I wondered what that meant… in your file. Your marital status wasn't exactly clear. Was it R.I.E.F?"

"No," Deck cleared his throat and shook his head before rubbing his hands against his dirtied jeans, "Me."

Blinking, Penny's gaze jumped to him again, "...You? Hell, Deck. I didn't know. I… I'm sorry. I can't imagine… I mean, whatever happened… Damn." Running her fingers through her hair, she shook her head.

"We could have worked through it, I think," he glanced to Penny and then back out the window, "She just needed to give us some time. She needed to talk to me. Instead, she just picked up the phone and reported me," his jaw clenched as he shook his head and paused a moment, "I saved her life, and she sicked R.I.E.F. on me while she was sneaking out of the house."

"Wait… She did… wait…" As she tried to process the words coming out of his mouth, Penny felt a heat climb the back of her neck, and her jaw tensed, "...You're telling me… she found out what you could do because you saved her damn life… and she reported you. What a bitch." She shifted her hands across the steering wheel, tightening her grip, "There's people out there who would kill to have their families back together… and she went and torched hers without a second thought…"

"Same with everyone else," Deck raised a brow, "for the last six years, three months, and twenty-one days it's been just me for that reason. Didn't know if I could let anyone else in. Losing one family was hard enough, you know?" he looked to her and shrugged, "It's just been easier to be alone."

"Trust me… I know." Biting the inside of her cheek, Penny fell quiet for a moment, fighting to keep the emotion from her eyes, "But maybe that's the point. Maybe that's their goal… R.I.E.F. To keep us alone. To keep us desperate. They turn everyone against us… and when they can't do that, they take 'em out."

"Well, it's working. Mutants are more divided than ever. Hell, they're even joining up with R.I.E.F.," he sighed and then looked toward her, "But they missed something," he smiled, "your ability to kick my ass."

A smirk folded up the corner of her lip again, and her eyes flickered over to him, "...I mean, I did cheat. But it was worth it. I'm not sorry, Sugar… not if it means that ass is part of the team."

"I don't know," he started, "It's only been a day, and I've been shot at, walked into a trap, hunted, stabbed, and frozen. All things I might have avoided had I been alone," he scratched his beard, "but if it weren't for you guys, all of that would have killed me," he looked at her again, "at least it won't be boring."

"Definitely won't be boring…" She added with a small smile, "...You forgot the part where I'm damn nice to look at, Deck."

Chuckling, he returned, "Definitely a sharp contrast to the ugliness of the mess we're in."

Looking over a him, she chuckled, "Pretty smooth there, for such a big guy. Damn near poetic."

"Eh," he shrugged, "I'm smarter than I look. The artwork and size helped me out there. Kept me safe and kept people away, but there's more to me just gotta peel back the layers. Just like there's more to you."

Brow quirked, her eyes adjusted back to the window, "Yeah? Who says? Maybe I'm an open book…"

"You're tough," he told her, "loyal and protective. Those are all the qualities you want people to see and go out of your way to make sure they do," he lifted his hands off his legs, "not that that's a bad thing. I'm just saying there's more to you. It's not all duty. You really care about these people."

Breathing out, Penny focused harder than necessary on the road ahead, smile fading slightly. Absently, a hand raised to brush behind her ear, "They're all I got. I don't talk about it… but things weren't exactly great on the outside. I dunno where I'd be if it weren't for Keegan and Rogues…"

Though curious, Deck resisted the urge, "Do you really believe in Keegan's mission? You think all this could actually end?"

"Honestly?" It was a weird word for Penny, who wasn't entirely accustomed to being fully open, but the mood was a strange one, and given what he'd shared about his mess of a wife… "Some days, yeah. I do. But not all the time. I wanna believe it. But it's hard when so many people out there see us as the problem. You get burned so many times and it just… I dunno. I guess it makes you a little cynical. But Keegan believes it, and standing by someone with that much conviction… that means something to me."

"Hmm," he sighed, "I used to believe that there was a possibility that we could all one day return to what life once was, but I lost that somewhere between betrayal and being hunted like a dog. I guess," he paused a moment, his brow creasing in thought, "I guess I just believe in surviving now," he chuckled at himself at shook his head, "Not even in a future where things could be different. Haven't really had a reason to look forward to it. Sad. I know."

"You and me both, Sugar. I've been surviving so long, I don't think I remember what living actually feels like. It's just been missions and rescued and recruiting. Feel like if I stop… if slowed down… I don't like what I see when I get a clean look at myself. It's easier, to just work."

"Bah," he smirked, "I think you look great," a chuckle followed afterward, "I get you, though. We all have things we don't like, or even want to see about ourselves," he flexed his hands and then laid them flat against his legs, "but how long can we run from them?" he chuckled, "Hell, I've been trying for six years and gotten nowhere."

"Yeah?" A brow raised as she canted her head his way, briefly, "And what've you been runnin' from?"

Deck looked to the center console and spotted a pen. Picking it up, he held it between his fingers and in front of him, focusing on it, Deck pulled his fingers away and the pen stayed in place. Slowly he disassembled it and then reassembled it, "That. It cost me everything."

"It's what you can do, Deck. It's not who you are… and I'm sorry, but she was an idiot for not seeing that. Frankly, I think it's pretty cool."

"The bridge was pretty cool, huh?" he smirked, "Never did that before. Was actually surprised I held it for as long as I did."

"It definitely was. What we can do… what we're capable of… imagine if they thought for a second to try and use us for their benefit. If they thought to work with us. But everyone's afraid of what they can't control. Way I see it… it's their loss." Her hand shifted from the wheel to his forearm, "Her loss. And you shouldn't still be apologizing for it. Not to anyone. Least of all yourself."

Sliding the pen back into its home, Deck sighed and changed the subject, "How far out are we?"

Hand returning to the wheel, Penny nodded, "Not far, now. Maybe a mile or two. This Harper guy… I wish I knew more about him. Bugs me, going into this so blind."

"What about Finn? You asked him about this guy while we were at the warehouse. He ever talk about him?"

"No. And I get the impression from the way he overshares about everything but that, the guy's not exactly Mr. Rogers. But he's been working with us for years now, and he brought us Finn. We owe him…"

"Then let's make sure he doesn't die," Deck cracked his knuckles again, but this time in anticipation of what might be waiting for them.

"That's the game plan anyw--" she trailed off, and her foot jammed down on the brakes harder than she intended, as a soft swear passed her lips. As her weight adjusted with a jolt and the SUV came to a full stop, she pointed through the windshield, "That's not our van…"

As she spoke, another SUV, jet black, tore from her line of vision and slammed full force into the van. Recovering from the jolt of shock, Penny unlatched her belt and fumbled for the door, but paused as the SUV backed up for another blow. It didn't get a second hit as the van suddenly peeled out and raced off. In its wake, Penny could see the devastated car only a little ways away.

"Oh God… Keith...Finn."

A door slammed shut in the distance, and Penny watched a small, dark-haired figured move swiftly from the driver's side, to the ruined vehicle. Her fingers dropped from the door handle, "Who in the--"

The gravel barely crunched beneath her feet as the wisp of a girl moved swiftly, dropping down beside Finn with wide, uneasy eyes. She wore a split lip, oddly bloodless, with a pale yellow bruise around it.

"Try not to move… I can help you and your friend." She murmured softly, her hands shaking as she reached out to Finn, "My name's Rose."

---

TAGS || @CloudyBlueDay, @DarinValore, @Reythaak

 

[Reythaak]

≡ H E X ≡​

≡Location: Josie's Lab, Rogue HQ
≡Interactions: N/A

---

Hex's head snapped up abruptly, and he peeked around the lab. Must have dozed off… He shook his head a little bit, giving a yawn as he inspected the room once more. Not that he really needed to, he knew Josie's lab almost as well as she did in some ways. Maybe not the details of it. Like what was in those precise vials over there. But he knew the physical layout well, and the room was honestly pretty comfortable for him. Especially with the little "lucky bamboo" plants set all over, in out of the way places, and all sorts of other little knick knacks and trinkets dotted around. All things Hex himself had brought in, to try to help keep his "bad juju" under control on the rare occurrences that he didn't manage to do it himself.

He reached a hand down, picking up the travel thermos sitting on the floor next to the wheels of his chair and took a sip of the still-hot coffee, closing his eyes and enjoying the warm feeling spreading through his belly and chest, then took another glance around the room.

Hex'd spent the last handful of days away from Rogue HQ. Keegan had given him orders on where to go, and basically told him to do what he normally did. Which translated to him wreaking havoc somewhere R.I.E.F. was likely to notice. By this point, they knew Hex was just a distraction. But damn if he wasn't a good one. R.I.E.F. really didn't like when he got to any of their infrastructure; their labs were some of his favorite places to hit. Though he'd hit a couple barracks before, too. Brownouts and power surges caused some serious irritation. The entire thing also meant Hex knew another Rogue team or two were out doing some serious business.

It was about time for one of his and Josie's usual chill sessions, though. They both needed them periodically. The bottle of rum sitting on the other side of his chair spoke volumes. It hadn't precisely been a good couple of days, R.I.E.F. was getting more clever all the time. Or at least their tech was, Hex wasn't so sure about their soldiers. He had to step pretty quick a couple of times. His Bad Luck had held firm, didn't waver in the slightest, and Hex had gotten home safe in the end.

Now. Where was his drinking partner?

He looked down at the bottle mournfully, sighed, and settled for another sip of coffee.

Dammit, Josie. Where ya at? I want a drink.

---

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Finn Westfall

His cry to Luna's captors used the last bit of energy he had, and Finn gripped the side mirror of the car just to stay upright. His head spun. It must have been Penny and Deck that crashed into the van.. saved their asses yet again. He was prepared to collapse onto the floor, thinking he was safe, but instead a small, black haired figure dashed out.

Finn grunted and tried to push himself away. He'd been wronged not ten minutes before, but he could barely stand upright. Flinching away from the girl's touch, he tried to find Keith, tried to make sure his friend was alright. Tried to say his name but he couldn't get his voice to work. "Try not to move… I can help you and your friend."

I just want someone to make it stop.

Luna. He'd lost Luna. He didn't even know she was gone… she'd been taken and there wasn't anything he could do. But she never looked at him, never called his name out, never tried to do anything. Not even as the two of them tumbled out of the crunched car. He could feel blood trickling down the side of his temple.

Probably time to give up now.

Finn tried to refocus his gaze on the girl in front of him. Her hands were shaking. She had, indeed, just saved them. Or, sent Luna back to her death. Her lip was bruised. His instincts has been wrong before… but that was back when he had a choice. Of course he'd picked the dumb one.

"..Finn." He whispered, taking her hand before he collapsed into her arms.

 

[Mobley Eats]

Collab Post | Interactions: R.I.E.F. Team, Moira Tennet & Vance | Location: R.I.E.F. Headquarters

​

Luna didn't think it was possible to feel successful and defeated all at once.

Against unlikely odds, she managed to stall long enough for backup to come barreling in and save her friends. She hoped--she prayed--that Finn and Keith would be okay, on top of having Doc or someone else tend to their injuries. That car crash was...the hack shuttered just envisioning it. She couldn't imagine how bone-rattling that impact was for them.

However, she couldn't wallow in her concerns, not while trudging through the thick bitterness surrounding her. Emmanuel and the others' agitation was palpable, so much so that she could cut through it with a knife. She made sure to walk with her head hung low, avoiding all instances of eye contact as her thoughts raced. On the one hand, she figured she played her part well but, then again, Rogue would likely mark her as a traitor now…

A dull headache was peeking over the horizon. God...she just wanted to feel in unity with herself again. These past few hours have been slowly cleaving her in two.

"What… the HELL was that!" Emmanuel's voice roared, when they finally stopped in the common room of their little underground hovel. Through the drive, through the garage, through the halls, silence had permeated, but his voice echoed now, ringing off the low ceiling with full fury, "We had them, and you idiots just let them roll over us! Never seen such a sorry excuse for--"

"What the hell were you doing, then?" James interjected, eyes narrowing in a glare, "I didn't exactly see you coming to our rescue! And you didn't see that SUV coming at you?"

"You tryin' to insinuate something there, Limey? Cause you wanna go there, we can go there…"

"Enough. Both of you." The voice came from the hallway, cool and easy, but the note of authority drew Emmanuel and James razor straight, as they turned to the woman standing in the door. Moira Tennet… Maxine Redwell's personal assistant. She was almost as terrifying as the director, though not in appearance - short and svelte, the woman held more qualities akin to a European gymnast than she did the secretary of one of R.I.E.F.'s VIPs - but she was, nevertheless, a force… and in her hands, held a tablet that was easily tenfold more awful…

Her finger hovered over the screen, and both men tensed, Ket backed away, entirely, "It was unforeseen circumstances, Ma'am." Emmanuel started, clearing his throat, "Won't happen again."

"...No. I trust it won't, Wizard." Her eyes flickered to Luna, and she frowned in thought, before turning away, "If it does, there will be consequences." And with the clicking of heels, she stalked away, leaving the room once more in silence.

Luna flinched as Emmanuel unleashed his fury on the team and her discomfort continued to climb as he and Fade butted heads. She hated confrontation, even from secondhand experience. However...that woman's sudden appearance seemed to shut them down completely. With fear. She hadn't seemed all that intimidating, but whatever she had on that tablet of hers must've been insanely horrifying.

She gulped. "Um," she started tentatively, "What was that all about?"

Eyes narrowing, Emmanuel turned to his sister, but something in his expression shifted, as he caught her gaze and the corner of his lip twitched upwards, "Oh… Oh, that's right. You don't know, do you?"

"...Emmanuel, you're not supposed to--"

Cutting James off, Emmanuel stepped closer to Luna, "You mean your boy Vance didn't tell you? And you two seemed so close. It's the control unit for the kill-switch, Little Moth. They put a chip in our heads, and if we do anything wrong… screw up on a mission, try to leave… forget to fluff our pillows. They crank up the dials on that tablet and let us know they aren't exactly happy. Anything from a nasty shock… to… well, you can imagine. But the real kicker is… if they want, they hit one little button and boom... Lights out for good."

"A...a chip?" Luna's hand automatically flew up to the back of her head, as if she could feel something drilling through skin and piercing her skull, just to deposit that chip. A little, seemingly harmless device...And then it clicked.

Vance.

Vance had a chip too. Just like Emmanuel said, one wrong step and he could...Luna's stomach lurched. "...I never realized. I-I didn't…" Words failed her. Her mind couldn't function, one thought, one fear, one source of trepidation overriding everything else. She felt cornered and as if the world was crashing down on her all at once. How sick could R.I.E.F. get?

"Relax, Sister-mine…" Emmanuel said, losing the edge to his voice with a dull sense of boredom, "You don't have one. Not yet, anyway." Moving to one of the couches, he sank down, stretching out his legs in front of him, "...You're all dismissed, by the way."

Luna didn't move at first. Couldn't move. Her shocked gaze traveled from one R.I.E.F. member to the next, absolute guilt washing over her. These people...even her brother, at the end of the day, were held hostage by this organization from Hell. It didn't matter if they joined on their whim or not...this was purely sickening.

She needed to see Vance. If the hacker stayed around Emmanuel and the others any longer, she would crumble and doing so in front of them would lead up to trouble. With a shaky nod, she forced her legs to carry her out of the room and into the corridor looking for the dorms. Luckily, a general map out of the facility was one of many bits of knowledge that Vance gave her, so finding the room she needed didn't take much effort.

...Well, that was a lie. It required the willpower of a gladiator not to collapse mid-way, not to unravel and scream and cry before reaching his door. But she did. Just barely. She knocked--rapidly, frantically. "V-vance," she wheezed. "V-vance. It's m-me. Open up, p-please."

Vance answered swiftly, rising from his cot to pull the door opened, and the look of confusion stole away immediately to one of concern, as he reached out for Luna, frowning deeply at the state of her, "Woah. Easy… easy, now, Love. What happened? Here… Sit." Moving back into the room, he led her to the cot and sank down with her onto the edge of it, "...Hell… breathe, now. Come on. Tell me what happened?"

She tried to suck in oxygen, tried to soothe the burning in her chest. Her teary gaze glued to the firsts curled tightly in her lap, she whispered, "W-why didn't you...t-tell me?"

Blinking, Vance looked her over, studying her for some kind of injury, some kind of indication… but as she spoke, he paled slightly and sitting back, frowned, "...Tell you? Tell you what?"

Luna shot to her feet. "The chip! W-why didn't you tell me about the chip?!" She was nearing her limit. Being kidnapped, dealing with the stress of working undercover, watching her best friends suffer a car crash, watching the confusion and betrayal bloom to life in their eyes, and now this...She could've sworn her heart was bound to shrivel up and die.

One hand flew to her curls, pacing back and forth as panic bubbled to the surface. "Y-you could--it could, th-the chip could! I...I-I don't wanna s-see you get h-hurt and if we make one--one wrong s-step!" Her words started running together, slowly devolving into incomprehensible and choppy sentences.

Rising behind her, Vance shook his head and stepped forward, he caught her by the arms to turn her towards him. Gingerly, his hands reached up, cupping her cheeks and he met her eyes with an assurity he could not fake, "...Luna. I made the decision to help you. You didn't force me into, and I don't regret it. Not for one second. You understand me? Telling you… it would've just given you doubt. Something to worry about, and I didn't want that on your conscience. Whatever happens to me… I would make the same choice, every time. No regrets."

She couldn't make out heads or tails what Vance was saying to her. His voice was muffled, distorted, as if she was perpetually trapped underwater and the surface was caked in concrete. She felt hot, sweat dotting her brow as her breathing grew erratic. "I...I-I...ca…"

Breathe. She couldn't breathe. A panic attack struck her hard and without mercy, and she crumbled into Vance, the strength leaving her body.

Knees bending to support the sudden weight, Vance swore softly, before swinging his arm down to scoop her feet from the floor. Shaking his head, he returned to the cot and carefully, eased Luna down onto it, sinking down to the floor beside it with a frown, "...Luna, sweetheart. You gotta breathe for me. Come on… in and out. That's all… It's okay. I'm okay. We're gonna do this. Remember? Come on, girl. Don't fall apart, now."

"I-I'm...I'm t-try...ing," she wheezed, each strained inhale driving a dagger into her lungs. This was bad. Really bad. She hadn't endured an attack this intense since the day she met Finn. And that was nearly four years ago. Frantically, she reached into her pockets. Praying. Hoping beyond hope that they were still…

They were. Her pills. Thank God she had thought to bring them with her before the mission. "W-water," she muttered, the trembles wracking her body intensifying.

He'd moved before she asked, seeing the pills, and from the small mini-fridge in the corner, he pulled a water bottle free, popping the cap off, "Here…" A hand between her shoulders eased her upright again, and he held the water bottle out, "Ready?"

Luna could only nod in response before tossing the pills into her mouth and accepting the water with shaky hands. She had to concentrate to avoid spilling and even more so on not letting her throat clench up and choke.

However, she was successful enough and her head immediately fell to his shoulder afterwards, the bottle clutched tightly between her hands. In and out. In and out. "I'm s-sorry," she forced out.

His fingers wounds through curls as he shushed her softly, shaking his head, "...Don't you apologize." He murmured, tipping to press his cheek to her crown, "Don't. You have nothing to be sorry for, darlin'... Not a damn thing."

"V-vance, I don't...I-I don't know w-what to do," she whimpered. Her breathing had calmed somewhat, but her heart was still threatening to come galloping out of her chest. She couldn't handle the thought of him suffering like this. Why did all of her loved ones have to endure so much pain?

Gently, he eased her back slightly, meeting her eyes with a shake of his head, "...You beat them, Luna. You don't let them win. Not ever." Hand cradling the back of her head, he brought her forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "That's what you do for me. You kick their ass, Pretty Girl… and you get the hell out of this place."

The kiss tingled against contact, somewhat catching her off guard. There it was again, the pleasant feeling that drove her back into her shell. Recoiled. Retreated. She forced down her surprise and nodded weakly, glancing up at Vance. She was downright terrified for him. "B-but I...I can't get out of here w-without you."

"Sweetheart... You listen, and you listen good. You don't go putting stock into me like that, you hear? You can sure as hell get out without me, and you will, if that's what it comes to." Giving her chin a brush with his knuckles, he smiled faintly, "If you have to, just remind yourself I got you into this mess… yeah?"

Too late. Whatever stock he didn't want her putting into him, she had already dispensed as much as she could. Leaving without Vance was impossible and she'd be damned to accept an outcome where he and his sister weren't free of R.I.E.F. "Th-that won't help at all," she said, cracking a feeble grin, "That j-just makes me realize how c-crazy life is...and h-how lucky I was that it was y-you of all people to bring me i-into it." She sighed, selfishly basking in the contact. She could scold herself for it later but right now, she needed the comfort. "I swear I'll f-figure something out."

His jaw tightened, and he blinked away the moisture in his eyes, shifting back against the wall, to tug her against his chest. Breathing out, a soft swear escaped, and he shook his head, "...I don't doubt it, Love. Wouldn't dare.. Now you rest, alright? Been a long day."

The panic attack had drained her completely, so she accepted the new position without a fight. Even with enough energy, Vance's warmth was far too comforting to resist and she feared that moving away from him right now equated to letting him slip back into R.I.E.F.'s plans. "G-god, has it," she sighed, curling into him, "Um...b-by the way…" the guilt from before made a comeback, "F-Fade is kind of helping us out n-now."

Smiling faintly, a brow lifted, but that was all the movement Vance made, as she sank comfortably against him, "Is he, now? I take it he's not fully aware he's made that particular commitment?"

"...No," Luna mumbled, attempting to hide in the crook of his neck. "I-I had no choice, though."

"If the tables were turned, Pretty Girl, he'd make the same choice. You did good…" Shutting his eyes, he considered something for a moment, before he spoke again, "It's gonna get ugly, Luna. Before it gets better. We may… we may have to do some things you won't like. I… may have to. I don't want to… Never really did, but at least now I got a reason that won't keep me up at night. I just need to know… that you know why I'm doing it. Getting you out… getting Adelaide out, nothing is more important. I'll do what I need to. I promise."

Luna understood. She understood completely. She could recall all of the missions she had gone on with Rogue; in the end, their intentions were entirely for the greater good. For the survival and happiness of the oppressed and hunted and homeless. But...she had done things that she wasn't proud of. Even now, the memory of leaking oxygen into that facility still haunted her. If it was too much, just the tiniest bit...people could've died. As far as she knew, they didn't, but still...the possibility was there.

She wanted Vance to realize that. Even though they were brought up on opposite ends of the spectrum, on clashing sides of a full out war, she sympathized with him entirely. And she needed that to resonate with him without a doubt.

Slowly, she sat up to look at him, words failing her. The fear was there, achingly so; it'd be impossible to ignore even an iota of the feeling, but another emotion lurked underneath. And it only took a blink of an eye to overshadow that hesitation and guide her up to give Vance a peck on the cheek.

That would have to work as an answer. She couldn't conjure up a clearer way of saying it.

It was an imperceptible shift, one he wasn't entirely sure he made by conscious choice. His head tilted to the side as she leaned in, and because he wasn't completely a man comprised of the best choices and actions, he stole the kiss that was meant for his cheek, his fingers winding up to melt through her hair. Brief. Chaste. Easy. He pulled away, and met her eyes, smiling with just an edge of slyness, "...Sorry."

Luna froze.

That...that wasn't his cheek. That definitely wasn't his cheek. She pulled away, face absolutely on fire and eyes wide as she tried to gather her scrambled thoughts. He just kissed her and she was not prepared for it in the slightest.

"Y-you, that, we j-just--um," she covered her face with both hands, wishing that the floor could swallow her whole. An odd sound escaped her, somewhere between an embarrassed groan and whine. "Vaaaaance! N-not okay." Well...sort of okay. Very much okay. But she wasn't prepared to admit that out loud.

Laughing, he pulled her close again and this time, pressed a kiss to the top of her head, shaking his own, "I mean… I never said I was completely one of the good guys. Now get some rest, Love. We'll be alright, for a little while."

"I-I'll get you back for that," she grumbled, only to realize with a wince how that sounded. Nope. Nope. She was not about that flirting life. "Err...y-you get what I m-mean...kind of...hopefully."

A pause.

She heaved another sigh, this one longer and more exasperated than the last. "F-fine, okay. Rest sounds h-heavenly right about now a-anyways."

Grinning, he leaned back as well, letting his eyes fall closed again, "Night, Luna."

She remained stubbornly in place for a moment, trying to stay mad at him for the sneaky move. That was her first kiss, dammit...but, in the end, she knew that was an impossible feat. Especially when he smiled contently like that.

This man was going to be the death of her.

Finally, she gave in and laid back with him, eyelids growing heavy. "...Night, Vance."

She hoped her family was okay.

 

[DarinValore]

Rogue HQ

The sewers were dark and the stench invaded his nostrils no matter how tightly he pinched the cloth mask that covered both his mouth and nose. The lamp on his helmet flashed across graffiti-ed walls sporting mainly warnings about how they ought to turn back, and he couldn't help but feel the urge bubbling up inside of him to do just that. The steady beat of the other twelve people behind him served to be the encouragement he needed to take that next step. A few more steps, and his C.O. held up a fist, calling for the whole team to stop in the tracks.

"This is it," he whispered over the comm, "Team A, in position."

Johnson could feel his hands shaking as adrenaline pumped through his veins as he watched faint shadows dance against the opposite wall. He'd responded to mutant sightings before, but this was different. They were diving head first into the hive of those monsters. There was no telling what collection of curses awaited them. How many of his friends would die today by getting ripped apart or thrown across the room? How many families would only get a folded flag to remember their loved ones by instead of the years of memories meant to take form? Hell, Martin's wife was due any day now with their first child. Would he grow up fatherless?

It was enough to still his tremors with determination. He'd make sure his friends would get home. Martin would see his son's birth, Carol would stand at the altar in a few weeks and marry her high school sweetheart, and he'd gather the nerve to finally ask Isabella out on a date. All of this would happen because he was going to put down every one of those beasts before they could get to him!

"Johnson," the comm buzzed in his ear, "You're up. Nullification Grenade on three."

Shouldering his weapon, Johnson pulled out a small black, slotted grenade from his pouch. Quietly, he made his way to the front and peeked around the corner. His brow narrowed as he watched a handful of mutants pass by the sewer opening carrying on as if their very existence didn't mean that hundreds...no, thousands of innocent people would be die.

"3...2...1…"

Johnson pulled the pin and rolled the ball-shaped weapon into the room….

Without a sound, the grenade opened like a blooming onion. From each opening, hundreds of tiny injectors shot out into the room stabbing into anything soft enough for the needle to penetrate. Screams erupted and Johnson pressed himself against the wall, bringing his weapon down to the ready. Now they just need a few more seconds for the serum to take hold, neutralizing the mutant gene in each monster effectively rendering them powerless.

"Go...go...go!"

That was the order. With his weapon pressed against his shoulder, Johnson rounded the corner and began to open fire watching as his lethal rounds tore through mutant after mutant. In the distance, the sound of an explosion announced team B as they breached through the garage wall.

The two teams managed to push well into the Rogue headquarters before a defense was organized that slowed them down. Mutants that had not been hit with the nullification grenades were fighting back using their powers to stop them. Watching from his perch behind an overturned table, Johnson thanked Aspida for the technology they had developed. A mutant on the detain list had just been hit with the shock of a proximity net as he tried to make a break for it down the hall. Special, knee-high poles had been anchored into the concrete floors in the center of their position that attracted projectile abilities and absorbed them by reducing them to potential energy that could be weaponized to level this entire structure when they were finished with their task. They called them 'lightning rods'.

Still, the battle raged on with both sides taking casualties...

 

[WingWong]

Echo
Interactions: N/A
Location: Dorms

---

Nick glanced around his room, still a little bleary-eyed from having woken up not too long ago. He went through more mechanical motions through force of habit and muscle memory as he tried to clear his head of fog. Pulling on and lacing up his boots, pulling his hair back into a knot at the back of his head, and holding the pendant around his neck between his fingers for proof all was well. He was safe and in one piece, with a roof over his head, and he'd chosen to be there.

As for where "there" was, his room was Spartan at best. It was mostly his belongings from before he'd been recruited, which was not a lot, to say the least. Spare clothes, a few tools he hadn't put away yet, and a few books and notebooks were in the room. Beyond that, it was bare. Most other things he'd had before were tucked away, just in case of a rainy day. He suspected Keegan knew, though nothing had been said, so he figured it was fine for now. Being alone for nearly 4 years did funny things to paranoia levels, but he'd work on it. He'd get that stuff in the base eventually, just not right now. With how little of his already meager belongings were inside, the room felt a little impersonal to Nick. He thought that was, in part, because the Rogues base hadn't fully become home yet. He was grateful to be here, but it wasn't home.

Not yet.

Nick knew that was his fault. In the past month, his life hadn't changed all that much. There was a new roof over his head and people to report to, but he hadn't settled in at all. Quite the opposite; he'd stayed on the move the entire time he'd been with the Rogues. Nick had always been a busybody. That was how he was raised. It was how he had lived and survived, because there was always something to do or attend to. And attend to those things he did. After the past several days of small missions to complete deals on the black market, he'd finally gotten back late last night and gotten a solid 11 hours of blissful dreamless sleep. Those 11 hours, while entirely welcome, left him still trying to blink the sleep from his eyes.

Until all hell broke loose.

The sounds of screaming and gunshots met his ears, only for that to be followed by an explosion. Alarm made the fog in his head scatter in an instant, and he was on his feet in the same amount of time. His heart thudded in his chest as he hoped, beyond all reason, that this was some sort of drill.

He curled his fingers into fist slowly, trying to pull the sound to him so he could figure out what was going on. He got entirely too much at once; thundering footsteps, barked orders, gunshots, and screaming from what felt like all directions. That wasn't even a clear picture; there was still so much that was muffled. Too many walls, and too much going on for him to know where to focus. So he let go of his hold on the sounds inside the building and braced himself.

Nothing prepared him for days like these. He wasn't ready the first time, and he wasn't ready now.

He was as ready as he'd ever be though.

He grabbed his knife and sheathed it at his hip, not trusting that there wasn't some way to stop his powers in their tracks.

With a deep breath, he flung open his door. A R.I.E.F. agent turned to look at him mid-step.

A litany of words rushed to Nick's mind, all of them four letters long and not very nice.

"Hi," he greeted, his voice soft and his wave small, making him the perfect picture of awkwardness.

He then pursed his lips, whistling sharply. He flung out his hand, sharp and fast. A ripple of sound flew through the air; it hit the agent square in the chest, sending him into the wall with a crash.

That seemed to be the end of his advantage, though. A bullet blasted through his door, just missing Nick. He'd ducked, eyes wide. He stared at the agent for a moment before launching forward.

Nick had had flung himself against the wall; the agent had seemed to remember something, trying to pull something from his pocket

The agent never got the chance to get it, though. Nick dove forward, driving his elbow into the agent's face hard enough to make his nose spout blood.

Nick made to attack again, only for the agent to knock his feet out from under him. His head connected with the floor, pain piercing his head. He had enough sense still, as he fell, to fling out his hands. With a yell as he connected with the floor, he'd flung the agent back into the wall.

Nick staggered back to his feet, slower than he'd like. He held his head in one hand as he looked around.

He was certainly not alone.

It seemed today was a very rainy day indeed.

 

[KatSea]

Levi Simeon Gunner



Levi stared down at the parchment which he laid out neatly before him, having read his brother's words at least four times over. The request within the letter wasn't hard in the slightest, and in fact Levi enjoyed the request very much so. A snap of his fingers allowed for piano to rush into the room, the notes ecstatic and rushed, before lowly humming into a gentle melody Levi made as he went along. It changed as his mind changed, from peppy to slow, to Madonna right back to Mozart.

His eyes never leaving the paper, he muddled through his dorm room to find the little block of wood he kept under his bed, as well as the carving knife he brought along with him. Like papa Ibraham always said. Levee, don't go anywhere without a utility knife. You never know when someone is gonna jump you and steal everything. Or you know, be that goddamn mutant your mother keeps mumbling about. I see now why I am the way now. Thanks. Thanks for everything. Levi managed a brief chuckle under his breath as he hummed, scrapping the knife down the block absentmindedly. Simply, the note had read and requested

"Hey Levi! Good to see you are still writing notes, I know things have been crazy with the shop and with all the ladies at your door...or lack thereof. Listen, you remember Hel? The one who showed me how to bake? Well, she saw some of your designs from those pictures of you sent me. She really enjoyed the heart design. Think you could do that real quick? I will pay you back. Unless you I beat you at a game of chess the next time I see you. We both know how that'll end. Thanks a bunch bud! Also! Say hello to dad for me, I am planning on rolling around to town. You know...after a two hour long drive of misery and regret.

Love Pete.

P.S. Hel says hi."

"Don't lose your lack of charm Peter." Levi smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity, folding the letter neatly as he hunched over the bed, carefully tracing the knife along the block. He missed having his full set of equipment, but he could manage for now. Besides, even if it was a time vampire of a task, it made him more than happy. The stress of Sarah and his new child was not something that weighed easy on his mind, even as he distracted himself with work and the people at the headquarters. Penny was a woman who he enjoyed, although realized never to wear a suit around. He did not wish to relive any memories, and the only thing he would wear would be suspenders and bowties. Just...not together. Mutually exclusive was a term that Peter taught Levi, one that saved him from getting a punch to the face.

I suppose a punch wouldn't be bad. I would know what it would feel like. Imagine that. Levi Gunner, badass...Literally making the joke that the person is hitting themselves. The ultimate...oh God. Do not think dad joke. It's not even a dad joke! Gah. I need my mind to shut up for literally three damn minutes. Shut up, me. You are the most annoying son of a wench I have ever met. Go sit in a mental corner and think about the mental pain you have caused me. And...and I am talking to myself.

The sudden patter of piano notes screeched to a halt. Levi's knife skidded along the block of wood, a sudden shock of noise flooding the room. Was that an explosion?

Oh screw me sideways. Shiiiit. Maybe if I ignore it it will go away. You know, like the kid. Or the powers. Levi tensed as he realized something very important. Other people in the building. Lucas. That annoying, little brat who reminded Levi so much of his own brother that it tore at his heart. His chest trembling and a strike of raw, cold worry slithered down his torso. "O-oh God." Levi sprung to his feet, doing what he knew would keep him better off in the long run. He pocketed Peter's note into his jean pocket, before keeping his knife close at hand. His craft was forgotten on the floor, and he focused on making himself invisible to the outside world. He knew that there was nothing else he could do to prevent himself from being spotted, and that he would need to be incredibly quiet if the worst was happening.

Time to think straight Gunner. If the worst is happening, don't focus on being a hero. Grab whoever you can, get out. I need to make sure I find that kid, as much as I am sure she will be okay, and me being dead is not going to help. Ah. I see. Huh, didn't realize I'd value my own life for once not because of myself. But that's alright. It almost feels nice. And I am more panicked than usual. Sweaty palms eh? Oh and my heart is breaking my ribs.

Levi took a deep breathe before exiting the room, head peeking back and forth as he could hear footsteps and noises. He stood perfectly still, holding his breath until the footsteps seemed to disappear. And I am going to get caught by fainting, because exhaling apparently is a bad idea.

His head turned and he slowly managed his way down the hall. Calling out for Lucas's name would not be a good idea, especially if the footsteps came back. The noises were beginning to grow louder and Levi, for the first time since he was a child, began to mutter a prayer under his breath.

Come on Lucas. Please, for once, show up when I want you to and not when it's distracting. Please pop up and annoy me. Do anything just show up.

 

[Reythaak]

≡ H E X ≡​

≡Location: North Stairwell, Rogue HQ
≡Interactions: N/A

---

"Oh, shit!"

Even with a building built like a bunker, explosions tended to be audible all over. Hex was out of his chair and looking around. They didn't sound like they came from the floor he was on, however. There was a lot of noise going on downstairs, even closed off in the lab Hex could hear it pretty well. Not exact things, but enough to know he probably ought to get down there.

The big man headed out of the lab and slunk down the stairs, and he could hear other Rogues throwing their abilities and guns being fired. ....Fuuuuck, I don't like this… Being a little bit more wary now that he could identify the sounds a little better, he opted to creep the rest of the way down the first flight and peek down the second half of the stairs. Almost immediately, he spotted two R.I.E.F. agents, and another guy much more heavily prepared for… handling folks with powers. That didn't bode well at all.

Hex eased back on the stairwell, pushing his dreads back slightly and debating for a moment. It didn't seem like they were moving up into the upper part of HQ yet, probably wanting to secure this floor first and figuring their guys could keep anyone from upstairs coming down. Not a bad plan, all things considered… Hex admitted to himself. The dorms were probably their second priority for completely securing…

He eyed the lights in the stairwell, then the R.I.E.F. soldiers who were scanning the area periodically, trying to keep from being surprised and keep anyone from running up the stairs, or down them. One of the ways out of HQ was pretty much right behind Hex; it'd have been easy to just… leave, though R.I.E.F. probably had folks stationed outside as well. And Hex wasn't about to ditch everyone else.

He peeked around the corner once more, debating his options for a moment longer before tagging the trio each with their own Bad Luck.

Standard operating procedures said that Rogues weren't supposed to carry guns in HQ. Hex hadn't put his pistol away when he'd come back. It was bad form, especially when he'd been intending to drink with Josie just a little while ago, but he suspected no one would say word one about it now. And Josie would have probably told him to put it away before they started. The gun was pulled from it's holster, and Hex eyed the three men, letting the Bad Luck sort of build up for them. He had noticed that over time, Bad Luck seemed to draw more Bad Luck, and if he waited just a little bit, it'd all be more effective.

He waited a few moments longer, watching how the agents moved, then opened fire.

And you know what's really Bad Luck? Getting shot. Bullets missing all of the armor and protection you wore to find those couple of open weak spots, or the spots thin enough to punch through.

It's also really bad luck for a stray shot of fire to find its way from where a Rogue was engaging another R.I.E.F. agent and engulf your back.

All three dropped with various noises of pain, and the Bad Luck marks seemed to be burned into their skin. It was a quirk Hex had noticed before, if someone actually died while his power was on them, it didn't fade and he couldn't remove it. It made him a little uncomfortable at points, but Hex didn't (normally) try to kill people. Not that he had too much of a choice at the moment... He could certainly already feel the slight strain of actively giving three people Bad Luck, however, and how hard it had pulled at them to give them enough Bad Luck for him to have gotten away with what he just did. It wasn't something infinitely repeatable. He slunk the rest of the way down the stairs, and checked the agents for pulses and to see exactly what kind of gear they were dealing with here.

---

 

[Mobley Eats]

Collab Post | Interactions: Levi @KatSea , Rogue Hostages, & RIEF Agents | Location: Dorms Lower Floor​

Whatever flirting Lucas had in mind, whatever blessed compliments and flattery he had stocked up in his head and ready to unload onto his nearest target, disintegrated with a wall-shaking bang.

"Christ! What even?!" he yelped, nearly jumping out of his own skin. There was the distant and faint clambering; he wanted to say they were footsteps. Multiple people. Many people. Whether they were enemies or allies? Questionable. Either way, an explosion combined with a rising stampeded was never okay.

"God, if you're listening, keep me pretty after all this," he whispered while sprinting down the halls. Mid-stride, his skin fluctuated like a pixelated screen and morphed into his diamond hide. His most practical and longest-lasting mode, but he could kiss stealthy goodbye...Well, doubt that would be a problem with the commotion setting off around him.

Either way. First objective--find whatever help he could and get upstairs.

However, he slowed to a stop when he caught sight of someone up ahead. Oh...Lucas knew that attractive dad bod from anywhere. "Levi? Levi! Hey!" Lucas ran up to him, form shimmering like a walking-talking...diamond, to put bluntly.

Levi's form shimmered anxiously as concentration became a thing of the past. He finally released his exhale, the hairs at the end of his neck standing straight up at the call. His head snapped back up, eyes wide as he managed one blink. Two blinks. Lucas had been gleaming, quite literally, putting an anxious grin on Levi's features. "Oh thank God. You are still...well, you. Listen, I have no idea what is going on but we need to get out of here." His heart hammered in his chest. I mean I wouldn't mind going and risking my life in the explosions. That sounds absolutely fucking fun. "Quickly now, I keep hearing footsteps on top of the explosions. If you keep your mouth shut I can try and keep us invisible for a little while. Might buy us enough time." If he could stay concentrated. The anxiety trickling on his neck was not helping his composure.

Lucas nodded. "No protests here, sweetness. I would say that you could shut me up in a nice way…" he wiggled his eyebrows, only to sober up a second after. He shrugged. "But that's weird as hell with you. Anyways," he made a motion to zip his lips closed, "Quiet as a mouse. Lead the way."

"I swear to God almighty." I didn't realize I would have two people who made me hate the idea of well...inappropriate for now. "Okay...you aren't going to be able to see me and I am not going to be able to see you. So just make sure you follow close. And please...don't say anything," Levi grumbled in his reminder, snapping his fingers and focusing on their two figures. He glanced back and noticed that Lucas was gone, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. Now for neither of us to tumble over and ruin this escape plan He began to move, realizing that the sound of footsteps were in their general direction. He became still, hand reaching behind his back for the carving knife.

Lucas blinked. Only once. The next thing he knew, Levi disappeared but merely took a moment to marvel at the effect before setting forward cautiously. Damn--that man's powers were so freaking cool! Just to be safe, he held a hand out in front of him to make sure he wouldn't bump into Levi and slowed to a stop when the noise and footsteps grew in volume, intermingling with what sounded like several voices.

A crowd.

Wordlessly, Lucas circled around Levi (yes, he may or may not have awkwardly groped the man in the process) and peered into the main lobby of the dorms.

...Fuck. That was definitely a lot of Rogue buddies. They were more or less squished up together on one end of the room, while four or five agents held them at gunpoint. And they looked like they were ready to eliminate them one by one. Or in bulk. Either way, Lucas felt sick just looking at the weapons. Guns. It just had to be guns.

Levi's figure nearly jumped out of his shoes as he felt a small touch upon his torso before realizing it was merely Lucas. He did not know whether or not to be comforted by this thought and simply decided to lurk behind him. Peering behind him, Levi found that his stomach dropped. There were several friends and acquaintances who were bunched in the corner, about to get their bodies riddled with bullets. Bile built at his throat. "Shit," he whispered under his breath, pressing his hand to his mouth.

He figured there were two ways he could do this. There were many ways he could do this. If he let go of the invisibility, him and Lucas were vulnerable. But it meant he could mess with their other senses, whether it be loud screeching only they could hear or the feeling of what it was like to get awkwardly groped by an invisible Lucas. He let his muffled sigh go, focusing on the scene before them. He needed to distract them without giving them a reason to shoot. He nodded at an idea before making it appear as if fire engulfed them, but did not entirely cover them. His vision grew fuzzy but he focused on keeping the wall of fire between the gunmen and the victims, not sure if it was enough to deceive them. His breath caught in his throat.

Lucas watched as the agents jumped back in surprise, seeming to take in some sort of invisible anomaly. Half of the group's attention swung away from the hostages and towards them, aiming to let loose a hailstorm of bullets.

"Fucking--" Quickly, Lucas jumped in front of Levi and winced as several loads cracked against his armor. Hairline cracks spread across the entirety of his torso and pain was already flaring through his body. Christ. A second mass attack like that and his hide would break.

He grabbed Levi by the sleeve and started dragging him towards the illusion--whatever Levi created, it prevented them from shooting.

Levi's heart plummeted into his stomach as Lucas began to receive the full bruntal of the hailstorm, keeping Levi behind him. "I-I'm sorry Lucas. I am proud of you…" he mumbled as he kept himself hunched, head swiveling painfully as a piece of his flannel cloth was ripped off his shirt. It's okay. It was Sarah's favorite anyway, he thought to himself bitterly, eyes narrowing as the fire continued. It was effective. The victims and friends were still alive. Now he just had to make sure Lucas wasn't going to be hurt any more.

With a quick snap of his fingers, the fire shot down and into oblivion. A sudden burst of noise popped mercilessly against his ear, reminding him of the explosion from before. He amplified it as much as he could against the ears of the shooters, praying to God almighty they would drop. The noise cascaded into Levi's system, causing a profound and agonized reaction to fall from his lips.

" Fuck! "

Like a wave, the agents fell to their knees and cupped their ears; Lucas could spot blood running down their ears, teeth flashing as the ringing grated in their skulls. "Nice one, badass," Lucas rushed out before pointing at the hostages. "Guys for fuck's sake! THE EXIT IS OVER HERE REMEMBER?!"

His fellow Rogue members hesitated at first, weary of the fallen agents, before stampeding for the exit and swarming around them. Lucas remained in front of Levi, mostly to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't get swallowed up by the sea of bodies. However, what luck they were riding was nearing its limit as a handful of agents started scrambling for their guns once more, the rest stabbing these...odd looking metal rods into the floor. "What in the hell…" Lucas muttered under his breath in confusion.

Levi's head swarmed and pounded with the pain he had created. He forced himself to make the sound even louder, but found that blood began to trickle down his ear, streaking down his neck. He was not sure if this blood was even real, his eyes burning as he focused to keep it up. He barely noticed what the agents had been doing, his feet stumbling as he kept a grip upon Lucas. He let the sound drop once he believed that enough people had possibly exited, cupping his hands over his ears and whimpering. The ringing remained, but the pain began to dissipate. At least I won't hear his wisecracks for a while.

Levi's eyes began to flutter as he could once again think to himself, noting the metal rods. "T-the hell? L-Lucas n-now might be a good time to…" He realized he was nearly shouting, once again pressing the back of his hand to his mouth before whispering, "Go."

"As much as I'd love to," Lucas gestured to the multitude of bodies surrounding them on all sides, "Kinda can't right now!"

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Lucas froze.

Right before their eyes, a handful of their friends and acquaintances crumbled, blood pooling under them. Some were left motionless--dead. Only one or two continued limping their ways out while cradling various flesh wounds. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! If his current skin could, he would be sweating buckets right now. Only now was the graveness of the situation truly settling in and a dread filled the pit of his gut. Dying. People were dying and he failed to spot a single ounce of mercy anywhere.

"Levi?" he started, "I know your ears are hell right now, but can you distract the closest assholes while sticking close to me?" What he had in mind was reckless. And stupid. Very, very stupid.

Levi couldn't remember how to breathe, the sight of his friends and acquaintances motionless on the floor sending ice cold guilt down his chest. He expected them to return to their feet, to run, to speak, to finish a conversation that had got cut off too shortly because of something that now seemed ridiculous. Shock consumed his body entirely, realizing he had failed the people he had attempted to save. The only thing he could hang onto in this moment of panic and hopelessness was the voice of his friend. It was muffled, but he could understand enough of what he was saying.

"If it means you walk out of here alive buddy, anything," he vowed, sucking in a shaky breath as he focused on the two closest to them, eyes burning as he made it seem there was water cascading down them when there was none to be seen. He could feel the wave crash over him, threatening to pull him under, but he recalled it was merely an illusion and held onto his friend's sleeve tightly.

Gritting his teeth and somewhat accepting the possibility that his gorgeous face just might take some damage after all, Lucas started pushing forward through the crowd. "Don't make me blush now, sweetness." Several shoulders and bodies threatened to knock him off his feet, which wasn't a hard feat at all due to his petite size, but a combination of stubborness and "flirting-withdrawal-means-pissed-Lucas" gave him the leverage he needed.

Soon, an armed agent came into view, sprawled over as he thrashed against some unknown force. Lucas let a stray punch deck him in the jaw while snagging a gun from his holster. Raising the weapon, he squeezed the trigger twice. Twin holes ripped through the man's shoulder and just as a curse escaped his lips, a third shattered the front of his face.

That was for his fallen Rogue mates.

...Okay. It was time to get the hell out of there now. Especially since all of this was taking a toll on Levi and Lucas's guilt didn't plan on subsiding anytime soon. He grabbed hold of Levi and made a scramble back towards the remaining crowd. "Cool--now we run for our fucking lives!"

Gunshots rattled Levi once again. He didn't dare look back as he kept the illusion over the two, a sudden ripple of pain scattering his thoughts and his illusion. His eyes peered back, despite the crowd and headache, and he noticed that he was a few inches away from having received a flesh wound, a bullet having just skimmed his shoulder. He thought the bile caking in his throat would drown him, but once again he found his footing as Lucas grasped onto him.

"Way ahead of you…" he grumbled, his head clearing as he quickened his pace, making sure that his grip upon his friend didn't loosen. "We have to get out of here and then somewhere safe...I think I know where to go...just as long as there aren't other fucking psychos waiting to butcher all of us."

The bloodshed just for the fact that Levi could mess up someone's perception for a minute. Just because Lucas's skin could change texture. It made his blood boil and rage threatened to overthrow his sorrow.

"A man can only dream," Lucas panted as they squeezed their way through chaos. The hallway was back in view, but it was overflowing with mutants, some panicking, some taking up post as they awaited the agents.

Speaking of those fuckers, they were already hot on their heels. Lucas could only imagine that they were acting on way more than just duty, especially after he...kinda...shot their comrade in the face. It was self-defense, dammit! And revenge. Mostly revenge. But fuck morals right now--

Shattering.

Another bullet struck Lucas in the chest and with that, his armor ruptured and his normal skin shimmered back into place. "Fuck! Uh, okay. Yeah. Lead the way, sweetness!"

"Sure thing, honey bunch," Levi nearly growled, glancing back to notice that Lucas's body was back to normal. "Actually you know what why don't I guide you." Levi's hand grasped around Lucas's wrist, pulling him forward in the crowd of people. Levi refused to let this child be shot again, this time with more fatal consequences. "I swear I will let you say anything flirty for the next three weeks if you just stay in front of me ."

Lucas's eyes widened like saucer plates. Three weeks? Without getting slapped or suddenly ditched? Oh--fuck yes. Grinning wolfishly, he nodded and slid in front of Levi. "It's a deal, sweetness. Make sure to take notes when I work my magic, kay?"

Levi did not regret this in the moment. He knew he would later.

 

[Elle Joyner]

---

Penny slamming on the brakes came unexpectedly. Deck's hand shot out to brace against the dashboard, annoyed eyes switching from Penny to follow her gaze, and point, out the windshield just in time to see the crash. An SUV had slammed into the suspected van, and before it could do it once more, the van sped off.

"What the hell?" Deck asked as confusion and concern were plastered on his face, "What just happened?"

As soon as the small, dark-haired woman started towards Finn and Keith in their mangled car, Deck threw the car door open and jumped out. Gravel kicked up as his feet dug into it as he sprinted toward the accident ready to muster whatever he could to forcefully pull that woman away from his teammates. However, when he was closer, he realized she was extending a hand to help. Still unsure of the woman, he slid into the side of the mangled mess just as Finn crumbled into her.

"What happened?" he asked the stranger, Deck still readying what mental strength he had should he have to use it. Taking a quick peek inside, he noticed Keith wasn't in the car, the driver's door was ajar so he called out, "You alright over there?"

Keith had rolled over and gotten to his knees by this point on the pavement, spitting a gob of blood onto it thanks to the broken nose. Then he managed a slightly funny sounding "Yeah." in response to Deck.

Penny wasn't far behind, and by the time Keith spoke, she'd come alongside the car, crouching down beside Finn's unconscious form with heavy concern. The girl, who had buckled somewhat under Finn's weight shifted, adjusting herself a bit.

Her eyes were on Finn with a curiosity, a brow lifting at she studied him, "Finnegan…?" The word was whispered, but Penny was close enough to hear and shot the girl a look.

As she did, she could see the white glow emanating from the girl's palms and slowly, the light spread, covering Finn like a blanket of white, until it disappeared with the same softness, and along with it, Finn's wounds.

"Oh damn…" Penny murmured, her eyes moving first to Deck, then Keith.

Finn stirred, pushing himself up groggily from the stranger's arms. He stumbled back, but this time was awake enough to catch himself, putting his hands up in defense, accompanied by wide eyes. "Wh.." Finn mumbled, looking at his freshly healed hands, the cuts on his knuckles from punching the car window out gone. "What happened?" Finn murmured. "Who are you?" He glanced to his right. "...Penny?" A small bit of relief washed over him as he hugged his teammate tightly, without a moment's hesitation. "Thank god you guys are okay… Wait…" It came back to him like a punch in the stomach, even though all his wounds had just been healed. "Keith… Keith?" He frantically glanced around for his friend until finding him over on the pavement. "We… L-Luna…."

Keith used the car to get to his feet, blood still streaming from his nose and aching all over. On the plus side, at least he hadn't gotten shot. Or stabbed by a unicorn. He moved around the car to join the others, giving Finn a once over, then looking at the new girl with narrowed eyes. Then back to Finn, only having caught the tail end of his getting healed.

"Present," he reassured Finn, "Ow. But present." He tried to gingerly wipe the blood out of the way, attempting to avoid hitting his nose in the process.

"You two look like hell," Deck smirked, and then looked to the new face, "Thanks," he told her, "Now anyone want to fill us in?"

Penny, thrown by Finn's sudden launch towards her could barely take in all that had happened in so short a span, but a brow rose at his words and when he finally released her, she frowned, "What about Luna…?" As far as she knew, the young hacker had little to do with their mission…

"I can help with that…" Rose's quiet voice interjected, as she gestured to Keith's nose, "Um. If… if you want?"

Swallowing nervously, Finn avoided Penny's gaze. "She.. she…" He could barely bring himself to say it. "She was with them. The R.I.E.F agents who attacked us. Luna.. she just… she just stood and watched. Ran away with them." His voice cracked. "We got here and there was this woman in the street… I tried to help her and she jumped on me, tried to put these.. these tentacle things in my ears, and I jumped away and then Keith tried to run her over and.. and Luna just stood… and watched."

"Please," was Keith's reply to Rose. Beyond that, he let Finn talk for the moment, it being a bit of a pain in the ass to be understood at present.

"You're telling me R.I.E.F. had Luna hostage?" his gaze bounced between Finn and Keith for a moment, "and where do you come into play?" he looked to the dark-haired girl.

Penny froze for a moment, at Finn's insinuation, and as she struggled to process exactly what he'd said, Rose stepped apprehensively to Keith and reaching out a hand, gingerly touched the space above his nose. As the same light flooded over her, she glanced to Deck, "I… I live up the road. I'm guessing if he's here…" She said softly, gesturing to Finn, "You're looking for Daniel Harper?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Penny turned to the girl, "...You Harper's, then?"

Focusing on Keith's injuries, Rose nodded, "I am."

Keith let out a sigh of relief as his injuries were mended by the other meta, closing his eyes and resting back against the mangled car. He took a minute to mentally catch up a bit better, then opened his eyes again, offering a slight smile to Rose. "Thank you." He shifted his attention to the topic at hand.

"...Yeah. Luna was with the folks that attacked us. She," he motioned to Rose, "Showed up a little after I crashed the car trying to run someone over." His eyes had a little of that glassy quality to them once more.

At Rose's words Finn stiffened, moving closer to the small girl. "Y-you — you live with Harper?" Finn blubbered. "I thought… I…" He didn't know what to say.. didn't know what to ask. "Are you… alright?"

With everyone seemingly fine, Deck took to being the lookout. He still had enough juice to do something to slow R.I.E.F. down should they try again, "Probably shouldn't stay out here too long. No telling when they might be back."

At Finn's question, Rose blinked, before smiling delicately, "...Of course I'm alright."
"At any rate…" Penny interjected, "Deck's right. We need to get out of the open." Her eyes shifted to Keith and Finn, and she shook her head, "We'll figure out this Luna situation once we get somewhere safe."

"You can come with me." Rose added, gesturing beyond the ruined car, "It's just a few minutes on foot."

"...should I feel bad for not trusting you after how today has gone so far?" Keith's comment was pretty solidly directed at Rose, "No offense intended. Just a very, very rough day…" He looked at Penny, Deck, and Finn each in turn and shrugged. "If you guys trust going with her, I will."

"No… I trust her." Finn rasped. "It's the man who's house we're gonna walk into I don't trust." Fists balled, he realized it was finally time to face his fears. "That split lip… He did that, didn't he?" Finn demanded. "Harper."

"I trust you three," Deck spoke as he slid one hand half-way into his pocket. Rolling his other shoulder, he tested the stitches. It was Finn's pointed questioned that made him stop. He could already feel the knot of anger tightening in his chest if Finn's accusation proved to be true. While he wanted to press with his own question, he chose to remain silent.

Rose's cheeks lost their color at Finn's sudden accusation, and her fingertips brushed her lip as she shook her head, "I… I must've hit it when I… You know…" She gestured back to the SUV she'd abandoned, with a meager conviction.

Penny sighed, and pinching the bridge of her nose, pointed down the road, "We can talk about this… all of this when we get to the house. We need to move. Now."

"No, you're lying!" Finn growled. "Penny, please, just wait a minute.. I know… that I never said anything.. but we… we shouldn't…" Finn didn't know how to say it aloud. "He's hurting her.. I know he is."

"Finn." Penny's voice hardened just slightly, as she looked at him with a small frown, "It's not the place to discuss this. Our priority is getting somewhere we aren't going to get ambushed by R.I.E.F. If Harper intends to cause trouble, I'm pretty sure we can handle him… so please, let's go." Her gaze flickered to Rose, whose expression was something akin to a deer in the headlights, but without hesitation, the girl turned and with a wave, began to lead them along the path towards the house in the distance.

---

TAGS || @CloudyBlueDay, @DarinValore, @Reythaak

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Here Comes the Scary Stuff
Collab with @Elle Joyner, @DarinValore and @Reythaak

Harper's cottage was located in the center of a copse, a wooden structure with a tin roof and wrap around porch. Two dogs that resembled deerhounds sat on the stairs leading up to the door, and their heads lifted, teeth bared, before Rose waved a hand at them, "Sonny, Cher… stay."

Turning to the others, Rose smiled, and opened her mouth to speak when from behind, the front door of the cabin opened outward with a racket, and Daniel Harper stepped onto the porch, eyes narrowed, "...The everloving hell is this?"

Keith ultimately went along with the rest, and despite the headache growing in that spot behind his eyes, he forced the auras to come back into view. Rose's didn't give him any reason to worry, and he saw what he expected out of Finn, Deck, and Penny. He slid his hands into his pockets, grateful even through the paranoia for Rose's own ability; Doc would kill them when they got back with how ragged they were getting.

Harper's appearance drew his attention, and he took a serious look at the man, keeping quiet.

Instead of stepping up all the way to the top of the porch, Finn remained at the bottom of the stairs with a grin, opening his arms to the dogs that Rose had just told to stay put. It took a moment, but after that Finn was playfully leapt upon, and it was clear the excitement was mutual.

But at Harper's appearance Finn shrunk behind the rest of the gang, the dogs jumping at him and begging for the continuation of attention, even though a glassy eyed look had taken Finn over at seeing his caretaker all over again. He kept his mouth shut.

Deck had remained silent as they walked to Harper's place , but when the man appeared, he spoke up, "Harper I presume?"

"That's what it says on my driver's license. Who the hell are you?" A brow quirked as Harper took in the small crowd outside his door, lips curving in a smooth scowl as he eyed Finn, before his gaze flickered to Rose, "Get in the house. We're gonna have us a chat about you bringing people here without my say so, Little Girl."

"She didn't bring us." Penny started, coolly, "We were sent. By Keegan. To protect your ungrateful ass. Now, may we come inside?"

Lip twitching up, Harper looked Penny over, whistling through his teeth, "Feisty little bitch. Sure. Come on in. Finn knows the way, doncha, boy?"

Eerily silent, Finn avoided Harper's gaze and pushed past the crowd to step inside, eyes solely on the ground and his feet. Yeah, he knew the way.

Keith tried, very hard, to keep his features mostly neutral. It was quickly evident no one in the group was fond of how Harper was talking to them. Must be one hell of an archivist if we're going to put up with this, he thought, giving a little shake of his head. He trailed along after his friend, a little disconcerted by just how quiet Finn was being.

Once inside, Deckard took in every feature he could. Something ate at the back of his mind about this man. Perhaps it was the charge laid against him by Finn, or the fear he witnessed in Finn's body language, or maybe it was simply because the man was rude as hell in how he addressed Penny, either way, Deckard didn't trust him.

While looking down the hall, he spoke once more to their host, "Archivists are showing up dead. In fact, we just left one that had died. We're here to make sure you were safe and to help ensure that it stays that way because of what you've done for Rogue. Seen anything out of the ordinary lately?"

Giving a shrug, Harper crossed the room to head for the fridge and opening it, he pulled out a bottle, popping the cap on the edge of the counter before taking a swig, "You mean aside from you lot showing up? Nah. Been quiet here. Guess I ain't such a high priority."

As he took another sip, Rose shifted from where she stood and bent down to pick up the cap, before tossing it into the trash.

Frowning, Penny stationed herself near Deck, lowering her voice, "...Supposed to protect this SoB and all I wanna do is hand him over…" shaking her head, she turned to look around the room, taking it in and mapping it to memory, "The man who was killed… he said you were the next target. Can't imagine why. But here we are…"

"And what about you, Finny boy? You come to protect me, too?"

Finding himself in the corner of the room, Finn dragged the toe of his shoe across the floor. "Yes… sir." Finn muttered. His hands fumbled with the scar in the center of his left palm. "You.. haven't redecorated.." Finn whispered, the volume of his voice so quiet it was almost as if he hadn't said anything.

Finn's meekness was uncharacteristic and it did nothing but set Deckard on edge when paired with the bully's mentality, and Penny's readiness to discard any diplomacy with the man for a quick bruising. Though he had not known the group for long, and Finn had yet to truly grow on him, the boy was part of his team, and this sudden change in character had begun to create in him the same anger that he was evident in Penny.

"Don't worry about whether Finn's here to protect you," Deck said, stepping forward so that Harper would have to turn his attention to him, "If I were you, I'd be worried about the R.I.E.F. soldiers undoubtedly on their way here."

Watching as Deck moved forward, Penny looked to Finn, then Rose with a small frown. She wasn't a particularly sentimental person… but it was no skin off her teeth if Deck decided to put the fear of God into the horrible man they'd been tasked with guarding.

Harper's eyes shifted to Deck, a brow quirked as he took another sip from the bottle, "Finn couldn't protect a house of cards from an ant. The hell he gonna do against these soldiers, hm?"

Finn ground his teeth together, the tightness in his face evident despite never looking up at any of the people around him, much less Harper himself. As Deck stepped forward Finn flinched away, desperate for some way out of the situation, and at Harper's stinging words, Finn didn't even blink. Though his cheeks did redden, he still allowed his messy curls to cover his line of sight as best he could. Maybe if he didn't talk, he could pretend to be invisible, and Harper would stop saying all the things he'd heard a million times before, a long time ago.

Keith had been taking his cues from Finn for the most part. But that was a bit much, and his eyes narrowed and he folded his arms over his chest. "He saved her life today," motioning to Penny for the second part of his statement, "So he must have changed a little bit from when he was with you, huh?" He almost instantly regretted saying anything. But it was what it was. He had been studying Rose and Harper's auras at this point, neither had too much good to say. "None of us can do anything to protect you from what you're doing to yourself, though."

Shaking his head, a short, mocking chuckle slipped through his lips. His arms hung at his side ready to snap up at a moment's notice, "The mission's to protect you, it doesn't say anything about you being comfortable in the process while we do it. I'll drag your ass out of here if I have to, embarrassing you in front of all these people you've treated like shit since the moment they got here. Hell, you don't even have to be conscious for me to do it, and frankly, I think I speak for everyone here when I say I'd prefer you sleeping because then I wouldn't have to hear words coming out of the mouth of a sad excuse of a man. A man who thinks it's okay to treat people like shit, a man who thinks it's okay to hit people that are depending on them," Shaking his head, Deck took another step, closing the distance between him and Harper, "So if I were you, I'd shut the fuck up right now, get your shit and your people, and get moving."

As Keith leapt to Finn's defense, Penny felt a swelling of pride in the boy, and her lips curved in a small smile as she watched the scene unfold. It was news to her, really, that Finn had been responsible for keeping her alive - and yet somehow, she wasn't entirely surprised. He had it in him… she'd always known it, and she'd always been one to reassure him of it. He just needed to believe it him - granted, she understood now why he didn't. Never before in her life had she wanted so badly to break a chair over someone's head… Harper's words were like venom, and she was all too grateful when Deck determined to put the man in his place - because if it had fallen on her, she'd have used far less articulate means…

Truth be told, it was a side of Deck she hadn't seen before, and didn't entirely mind the sight of…

Rose wore an expression of pure horror… though there was something in the girl's eyes - a flicker of what might have been hope that was nearly impossible to miss. Harper, on the other hand, looked momentarily shocked, before shock transformed into anger, and grinding his free hand into a fist, he squared up straight, eyes narrowing on Deck with a glare, "...You think you can just walk into my house and tell me what to do? I oughta show you what happens to loud mouthed morons 'round here…"

At Keith's words Finn finally perked up, blinking up at his friend with an almost appreciative expression hidden beneath the tension blanketing his face. But at Deck's rant Finn was tensing all over again, this time a true look of urgent fear filling his face. Finn knew the weight behind Deckard's words wasn't exactly light.. But that wasn't exactly what seemed to terrify him. While Harper's face morphed into an angry red, Finn finally moved forward, pushing between the two men.

"Deck, please." Finn begged. "Please… just… d-don't…"

"Finn," he glared at Harper, "Move."

Gaze dancing between the two men, Finn swallowed nervously. "It doesn't have to be like this," Finn whispered, near trembling.

Finally stepping forward, Penny didn't hesitate, reaching out to take Finn's arm. With a shake of her head, she eased him away from the pair, "...Not just your fight now, Sugar. Come on…"

"I-it is!" Finn breathed, pulling his arm out of Penny's reach, he stared back up into Deck's eyes, despite being a good head shorter. "Deck, I'm asking you not to. Please."

Deck's turned his eyes down to Finn, and the anger that seethed in them lightened. It was the opportunity Harper was looking for. Deck saw a blur and barely raised his arm in time to protect his head. The bottle shattered against his arm sending shards of glass peppering against the floor and anything in their way. He grunted under the blow and could already feel the steady stream of blood running from a cut on his arm.

As the bottle cracked against Deck's arms, Penny swore and grabbing Finn, this time with less concern for gentleness, she yanked him clear of the glass that rained down, pulling him behind her with a glare to Harper.

Deck didn't give Harper a second strike. As the man pulled back to swing the broken bottle, Deck stepped in catching the arm before knocking the glass free. Pushing with his shoulder, he drove the man back and into the counter before balling up his fist and driving it into Harper's gut. Deck's assault didn't end as Harper doubled over, clearly struggling to draw in a breath. Grabbing him by the side of the head, he bounced his head off of the counter and took a step back as Harper dropped to his knees. With a clenched jaw, Deckard threw open the refrigerator door, it quickly bouncing back after a solid thump sounded from the impact. Deck watched on as Harper's eyes glassed over a second before he crumbled to the floor. When he didn't move, Deckard stepped back, swiping up the dish towel off the counter before pressing it against his arm, "Tie him up," he glanced to Finn, "We don't want him to hit anyone again when they're distracted."

Flinching at every hit Deck landed, wetness welled in Finn's eyes. It was desperately hard to watch for him, and the moment Penny had pulled him away he tugged himself free of her grasp, still unable to tear his eyes away until Harper slumped over unconscious. With a trembling lip Finn's gaze met Deck's, and at the man's words, Finn looked like he'd taken a punch of his own. Dragging his sleeve across his face, Finn picked himself up and scrambled out of the kitchen as fast as he could.

Keith cursed quietly under his breath, "I'll get him," and was out of the room after his friend.

 

[Reythaak]

Worthless
Finn & Keith
⤑Collab Between@CloudyBlueDay, and Reythaak​

---

"We don't want him to hit anyone again when they're distracted."

"Finn couldn't protect a house of cards from an ant. The hell he gonna do against these soldiers, hm?"

"...I just want someone to make it stop."

He'd scrambled into the farthest room and slammed the door shut. Hard enough to make him flinch, even though he'd been the one to slam it. Finn slid against the door, onto the floor, and buried his head in his hands.

Couldn't do anything right. Couldn't do anything right.

The shattering of the beer bottle had brought back memories. This place brought back all the memories he'd tried to hide. A scar that he hid well, craggly and uneven behind his ear, covered by the mess of blonde curls. It's cause had been reenacted before him; the beer bottle shattering against Deck's arm, except years ago, Finn hadn't been quick enough to protect himself.

And yet for all that Harper had done to him, every blow, physical or emotional, he couldn't bear to watch the man be beaten to a pulp. Because at the root of it, Finn believed he'd created that man. Created the man that stopped buying him comic books and started swinging liquor. Created the man that hurt innocent girls, gave them bruised lips.

He held his breath to try and get his chest to stop heaving, tried to stop the tears from falling. He was a coward. A coward, a brat, an annoyance who brought out the worst in people, got them hurt no matter what he tried to do. And yet they still dragged him along, kept on hoping that he'd turn out to be something. Well, it was better this way. It was better if he was nothing. He couldn't even save… save his best friend.

The one person who Finn would always run to, the one person who would have known exactly what to say, was trapped. Trapped, and he'd let her slip right through his finger tips. Maybe… maybe she'd realized that he wasn't even worth it, and left him. Forgotten her goodness, just like Finn believed Harper had.

He deserved every hurtful jab, and he deserved every scar. He deserved the reminders that he'd brought out the worst in these people, the people that had done nothing but care for him. They didn't need him around… they didn't need him at all. The image of blood gushing from Deck's arm was vivid in his mind. He'd hurt Deck. He'd hurt Luna. And he'd hurt everyone else.

He was worthless.

Keith flinched at the door's slam, but it made finding Finn easy. His aura was pretty easy to spot as well, truth be told, a swirling mess of gray and a sickly yellow-green for the most part. It was… disconcerting. He came to the door and stood there for several moments, debating how to handle the next couple minutes or so at least, then opted to knock on the door lightly.

"Aerora. Lemme in."

Flinching at the knocks and the sound of Keith's voice, Finn sniffled, rubbing his eyes violently enough to only increase their puffiness. "Go away, Keith." Finn rasped, not exactly keen on having Keith see him like this, or anyone at all, for that matter.

"No."

"K-Keith!" Finn whined, lifting his head up at his friend's resilient answer. "Please, just leave me alone."

"Hmm… Nope." Keith had folded his arms over his chest, "Being left alone is gonna leave you in your own head too much." He could see Finn sitting against the door on the other side, or at least his aura, so didn't bother trying to shove the door open (yet). "You don't have to talk at me or anything, but I'm not leaving you alone."

Knowing he'd been defeated, Finn fell silent. He hiccuped, placing his head between his knees, as he knew Keith well enough to be sure he wasn't going to scare off so easy. "So stay outside the door, then." Finn muttered, "If you really won't go."

"You're really gonna make me stand out here? At least if I'm in there with you, Penny and Deck won't know exactly where you are to come bother you. And I don't have to do something dumb to get inside like I did to your room," Keith prodded.

Sniffing, Finn mulled over Keith's words. It was true he'd rather it be his friend than Penny or Deck… especially Deck…. And Keith's mention of their first real discussion brought a happy memory to push away all the painful ones that were resurfacing. Begrudgingly, Finn pushed himself up to his feet and unlocked the door, but didn't open it for Keith.

Keith watched Finn move away through the door, then nudged it open himself and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He sat down on the floor to the right of the door, kind of staring off through the outside wall of the house, "And with Luna…" he paused a moment, "If you vanished off with R.I.E.F. too, who'd I have left at HQ to hang out with? I like doing yoga with Josie in the mornings, but she doesn't do the whole gaming or comics thing."

Finn's lip twitched at the mention of Luna, watching with red eyes as Keith stepped gingerly inside and sat down. Finn sat down on the bed across from him, bringing his hand to his lips to chew on his nails. He didn't offer Keith a glimpse of a smile at the joke. "You think… she went… willingly?" Finn whispered.

"It didn't look like she did," came the matter of fact tone, "She was all anxiety, and nervous and… sneaky." He had to look for the last word for a moment, "Like she was hiding something, it was all through her aura. I think there's more to it than what it looked like."

Finn looked down. "She didn't even flinch when she crashed." He mumbled. "That… that's not like Luna."

"Like I said. I think there's something else going on," Keith reassured, "And if she's with them, I'm not sure what happened to everyone else from Rogue that was with her…" He hadn't spotted any of their auras in the van. By now, he could pick almost everyone in Rogue out, after spending so much time studying them. Except for Deck, but that was because he was new.

"I can't think about this now." Finn choked. He couldn't dare to imagine the Rogue base under siege.. The rest of the team… captured, fighting for their lives, fighting not to fight against them. Being manipulated, like he prayed to god Luna was, but even then it was still a horrible, horrible fate. How dare he pray that she was being manipulated?

"We're kind of stuck thinking about it, because we're going to have to do something about it. You already saved Penny today, there's nothing to say you can't help get everyone else out of whatever bind they're in too, including Luna. If no one thought you could do anything, you wouldn't be going out on missions with everyone. Penny and Keegan would have made you stay back at base with the folks who can't fight or do the stuff we're doing and trying to take care of," all of it came out at once before Keith finally took a breath, taking a moment to steady himself just slightly, and trying not to admit just how close to freaking out about everything he still was.

"I'm not the right person for this," Finn insisted. "I-I barely knew I could do that. I barely know how to do anything. Everything I did was dumb luck. That's not gonna help in the long run.. I'm only here because everyone keeps expecting me to be something I'm not." Finn glanced up at Keith, who seemed just as shaky. How the hell did they even get this far?

"Dumb luck is still a power considering the kind of luck everyone else seems to be having," Keith gave a shrug, "And it seems like it kicks in right when we need it to. Being the right person doesn't mean shit when we're the only people."

Finn searched Keith's gaze for any doubt. Any trace that he might be lying, even though Finn knew he wasn't. "What about dumb luck for the wrong things?" Finn murmured. "Like trying to stop one thing and getting someone else hurt."

"I don't think that counts as dumb luck. I think that's just you not having control over what other people do."

Finn frowned, stubbornly continuing not to believe his friend. "I think I'm bad news, Keith." He muttered.

Keith sighed. "Why do you say that?"

"Stayed with Harper… and made him like that. He wasn't like that before me. Made him into someone who hurts other people." Finn admitted. "Lost.. Luna."

"I think alcohol might have done that to him, Finn. And you had nothing to do with "losing" Luna. For one, we know where she is. For two, we weren't with her when… whatever happened, happened," he paused, "And the only way to make that better is to keep trying to screw R.I.E.F. over and give her an opportunity to get away, or take her back ourselves. Which we won't do sitting back here thinking we're useless or bad news or.. Whatever…"

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, glancing up at Keith. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt while I'm around." He said, with a little bit of strength behind his voice. "I.. want to get Luna back."

"Only way for us to stop getting hurt for sure is stopping R.I.E.F. and Aspida from pulling their shit. The same thing applies to getting Luna back. Not that that's an easy thing to try to do…" Keith trailed off for a moment, "But. We've got Deck and Penny, and the other Rogues, to help us do it. I kind of think pretty soon we're going to shift from just hiding and trying to survive on the outskirts of things to trying to do something about it. And I guess that's kind of what needs to happen."

Taking in a shaky but stabilizing breath, Finn nodded. No more feeling sorry…. He couldn't be worthless. Not when his friend's lives were at stake. Finn pushed himself up off the bed, and offered his hand to Keith to pull him up. "I'll always have your back, Keith." Finn promised, and though there was still doubt in his stature, his eyes showed determination.

Keith took the offered hand and getting to his feet, forcing himself to look as confident and determined as he was sounding, "Yup. And I'll always have yours. And Luna's," he said with a smile. He stood for a moment, taking a deep breath, then turned his attention back to the rest of the house. He wasn't honestly sure he could keep it up outside of this room. But did he really have a choice? He wasn't sure either of them did.

"Alright. We ought to get back out there before they seriously question what we're up to in here," Keith joked with a slight shake of his head.

"And Luna's." Finn echoed, moving his hand up to Keith's shoulder. "Yeah.. Keith.. I… I meant what I said, okay? I always will. If you ever need… to… er.. Talk?" He could tell when Keith was shaky… hell, Finn was in the same boat. But at least Keith had let him talk it out. He wanted to do the same for his friend. "I'm.. here."

"After this entire… thing. Once we're somewhere safe...ish. I'm probably taking you up on that. I've got a meltdown lurking that I've needed to have for most of the day," Keith said with a little rueful laugh, "But. I can't have it yet. If I have it now, I'm going to get scared- terrified even, and we really don't have time for that to happen." His shoulders slumped a little bit with that and he let out a sigh, but put his hand on Finn's shoulder in return.

Finn smiled nervously, nodding in understanding. "I.. get it. Just don't keep it in too long, okay?" He didn't know what else to say.. Other than that Finn knew he wasn't going to leave Keith alone when it happened, just as he'd done today. Awkwardly, Finn reached out to hug Keith, a quick one, but meaningful despite Finn's embarrassed tone.

Keith blinked, obviously not quite having expected to get a hug. It took a second to return it. "Thanks, Finn," a truly grateful smile on his features by this point, "C'mon. Let's go deal with this so I can have that breakdown in peace."

Finn finally laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, man. Here's hoping."

---

 

[DarinValore]

Collab with @Elle Joyner
Location: Harper's Cabin
​

Watching Finn race from the room, Penny gave a shake of her head, before she crossed to the counter and pulled the toaster from the wall socket. With another yank, she tore the cord free from the body and crouching, secured the drunk idiot's hands in front of him, perhaps slightly tighter than was necessary. With the task done, she glanced to Rose, who was staring hard at the glass on the floor, and Keith, who seemed equally dazed by all that had gone down. When Keith left to go after Finn, Rose excused herself, mumbling something about the mess, and Penny sighed.

Violence wasn't something she was unaccustomed to, and in truth, she had no qualms with what Deck had done. The man deserved it, as far as she was concerned. But she understood Finn's reaction... She understood it all too well.

"Come on." She finally stated to Deck, glancing up at him, "Help me move our charming host to the couch."

Tying the rag securely around his arm with his free hand and his teeth, Deckard sighed. He wanted nothing more than to leave the man on the floor, "Fine," he grumbled, "You get the legs, I'll get the rest."

Bending at the knees, Deck slid his arms under the man and lifted when Penny was ready. Carrying him to the couch, Deckard dropped him, without concern, on the cushions, "Can we just give him to R.I.E.F.?" he asked in frustration knowing the answer, "SOB cut my arm with a bottle because he had to be drunk idiot. I'm kinda done bleeding today."

"Trust me, Deck. It's tempting as hell…" Penny eyed the man, prone on the sofa, with a look of contempt, wrapping her arms across her chest with a shudder, "And Finn had to live with the bastard. Hell. I didn't know… Shoulda known. Should've seen the signs."

Testing his arm, Deck extended it, then pulled it back, "Don't beat yourself up over it. From the way that Finn acted, I doubt he would have told anyone about his time here," he shook his head, "He really screwed Finn up."

"That's what they do." She muttered, before turning to Deck, "We should get that cleaned out. Might be glass in it. C'mon… let's see if the Drunk Wonder has a first aid kit."

"Ya," he sucked his teeth before tearing his eyes from Harper, "I'll check the bathroom. You wanna grab a clean cloth so we can clean it out?"

"On it." She said with a nod. Wandering off, she found a linen closet in the hall, and inside, she grabbed a pillow case. Far as she was concerned, it was the least Harper could offer. Heading down the hall, she searched for the bathroom, to find Deck.

The bathroom was easy to find, just down the hall and on the left. Pulling open the mirror cabinet, Deck found exactly what he was looking for, some alcohol, tweezer in case there was some glass, gauze and some bandages. He also removed the tylenol, too, before popping off the top and swallowing down two capsules.

He was leaning over the sink, his arms locked with red streaks sliding down the left one when Penny walked in. He looked toward her and sighed, "Alright. Let's do this," he turned and untied the rag, gently peeling it away from the cuts in his arm, "Son of a-" he growled before throwing the rag to the floor.

"Easy, Big Guy…" Frowning, Penny stepped forward and switched on the faucet, grabbing a towel from the rack to dampen it, "So I get Finn… and I know why he gets to me. But why you?" When the water warmed, she squeezed out the towel and pulling herself onto the counter, she took his arm and leaned it on her leg, gingerly wiping the cut clean, "I'm not complaining or anything… but that was a pretty volatile reaction, there."

"These kids look to him for help and safety. He takes advantage of that and abuses them. He becomes the only idea of family to them, and he betrays that," he gestured out of the bathroom, "You saw Finn. He put himself between us, and for what? A piece of trash that deserved a beating worse than the one he got?" Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the cut and sighed, "Family, Penny. That's why."

Penny looked up as he spoke, focus drawn from cleaning the wound to Deck. Surprise reflected as he spoke, and for a moment she seemed thrown… Genuinely thrown. She was quiet for a while, when he finished, concentrating on the task at hand. When she finally did speak, there was a quiver of emotion in her voice, an edge of uncertainty, "...You start to think if… if you can just get them to like you… to think better of you, maybe it'll stop. Maybe they'll change. Trouble is, they never do. Sometimes, it just gets worse."

His attention turned to her, and for a moment, he thought he saw through the cracks in her walls through her eyes. He spoke gently, "Shouldn't ever be that way ever. Not for Finn. Not for Rose," he paused a moment as he squinted as though he were trying to see deeper, "not for anyone."

Without looking up, Penny smiled dryly, "Shouldn't be… but it is." Shifting, her eyes turned up to his and she shook her head, "You start to think it's you. That there's something wrong with you. Cause who would hurt a kid, right? Who would wanna do that, unless there was something wrong with that kid. Sick part is… it starts to make it better. Cause at least there's a reason."

"There's never a good enough reason to hurt a kid. And if there is something wrong with a kid, it should give you a reason to love them more...to love them through the differences," he pulled his bottom lip through his teeth in thought before sighing, " Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. Kids will be kids. They'll act out, they'll misbehave, and they'll be different than you, but that doesn't make them less...it doesn't make them tools. They have value - real intrinsic value -...all of them."

"I don't get it, Deck." Shaking her head, she paused, letting the cloth rest against his arm, "I keep lookin' for a reason. Something. Anything to make sense of why she'd throw you under the bus the way she did. And I just… I don't get it."

He smirked and shook his head, "I wondered the same thing for years. I finally figured it out, though, and it's not much different than any of this," he gestured with his free hand to the cabin around them, "I am different. I am difficult to comprehend. I am uncertainty," he looked down before looking back at her, "I'm scary."

"You don't scare me." She murmured, with a shrug, "You should. Hell… I'm not exactly sure why you don't. Maybe it's just… you don't fight who you are to be someone else. You're real, and I know what I'm gonna get with you. Most men… most people, they try to unravel me, like I'm some kind of damn puzzle. You don't, and far as I'm concerned, that ain't something to fear."

"This world's too screwed up to pretend to be someone else. There's too much as stake. Besides," he peeked at his arm again, "It isn't my job to unravel you. You deserve more respect than that. You'll talk when you're ready."

"It's not like I try to be a mystery, you know? I just… I think about it… about talking about it, but I don't know where I'd even start. I'm not some broke down victim. Never wanted to be. I just… I went through it, you know? And it sucks, but it happened and I can't change that. I don't want to, in some ways, cause it made me who I am." Looking up again, she gave another shrug, "We're a sideshow, Deck. You and me. A couple of circus freaks…"

"I wouldn't want to change anything about you, Penny. It's like you said, you are who you are because of who you've been. We both are," he smirked again, "I'd rather be a circus freak with someone I can be real with, than with someone where I'd have to be something I'm not. Besides, what's wrong with being a circus freak? Between these tats," he gestured to his whole body, "and the ability to move things with my mind, and your memory thing, we'd fit right on in."

"Good." Her response came as she returned her attention to cleaning his arm, lip curved in an easier smile, "Cause if you try to be anyone else, I'll kick your ass." Eyes flickering up, they met his, "And you know I can."

He chuckled and rolled his head back, "We both know you cheated. It'd only take a thought for me to end the fight. Doesn't really make for a fair one."

A brow raised, and she gave him a pointed once-over, shaking her head, "Any time you want a rematch, Sugar. I'm game."

"You know, I'll take you up on that," he smiled, "Better start watching your videos now."

"Oh ho… honey, I don't need videos for this round. I got you figured out. And I've got moves you haven't seen before."

"You talking about what I did to Harper?" he shook his head, "That guy didn't deserve a proper beating. You've only seen that, and when I took you to the ground. There's plenty more where that came from."

"Well, I would certainly hope so. Cause if that's all you got?" With a grin, she focused on his arm again, "I mean, I like a little challenge."

"Oh ya? Is that right?" the corner of his lip rose slightly, "I'll have you begging for me to stop by the time I'm done with you."

This time, when her brow quirked up, it was accompanied by a glint of slyness, and leaning back against the vanity mirror, looking him over, she smirked, "That a promise?'

He wasn't oblivious to the journey her eyes took, stepping closer, Deck placed his free hand on the counter beside her thigh while the other sat on the opposite leg, "Haven't you been listening," his tongue darted along his lips, "I'm a man of my word."

The sudden shift in mood… hell, in proximity should have terrified her, but there was something in what she'd told him earlier that rang true, even in that moment. He didn't scare her… Maybe he should have, but he didn't…

"Talk is pretty cheap, Big Guy."

"Then I won't talk," he said before leaning in to steal a kiss.

Penny shifted, imperceptibly forward, leaning in to what she'd seen coming. It was strange, and a little sad really, that she couldn't recall the last time she'd kissed someone because she wanted to, but the thought lingered only a moment, before her hand wound to the back of his neck and she let the past go.

Deck's hand didn't stay on the countertop for long. The moment he felt her slender hand slip to the back of his neck, he moved his rough hand to her jaw, gently pulling her closer. It had been six years since he'd last kissed someone, and he had nearly forgotten how it felt. His head swam in the need...the hunger, and Deck was willing to lose himself in it.

With a soft growl somewhere in the back of her throat, Penny reached her free hand up, curling her fingers in the front of her throat, before pulling back, shaking her head, "Damnit… You… you were not meant to be this kind of challenge." She whispered, affectionately, "But hell if I'm not tired of running, and God if this doesn't feel right… Thing is though… I'm not exactly keen to do this in the bathroom of some drunk bastard, who used to beat on someone who's like a brother to me."

It ended sooner than he'd hoped, his brow creasing as evidence, but he understood. A sly grin graced his lips as he pulled back, his hand leaving her cheek slowly, "Then we'll just have to pick this up later."

"We sure will…" Her smile softened, just slightly, and her fingers brushed the side of his jaw as she let her hand fall back to her side, "How's the arm?"

He rolled his shoulder to take a look at his arm, "It's not bleeding anymore. That's a plus. Maybe just wrap it, and we can figure out what everyone else is doing?"

Shifting, she gave a nod and reached for the gauze, unrolling roughly a foot, to wrap around the injured forearm, "Keith went to talk to Finn… hopefully he can smooth everything over. Then we should probably see about calling HQ. Figuring out what's next. I just wanna get the hell out of this cabin."

"Alright. I'll let you check in on Finn since I wasn't the kindest after my bout with Harper," he paused, "I'll talk to him later to clear the air. Until then, I'll try and get a hold of Keegan to figure out what's next."

"Good plan." Shifting, reluctantly, she freed herself from the counter, and running her fingers through her hair, looked up at him with a smirk, "Raincheck on...you know?"

"Definitely," he nodded, testing his arm, "Good job, by the way. You're getting really good at patching me up."

"Thanks.. But try not to make it a habit, hm? Gettin' carved up…" Reaching up, she gave his cheek a pat, "Or maybe get stabbed by something that isn't so lame, next time."

"There's nothing lame about a unicorn," he smirked as he scooped up the bloodied rag and towel.

"It's a story, anyway…" She added with a small chuckle, "Come on… Let's get this over with."

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

kids with issues get the tissues
collab with @Elle Joyner

After his talk with Keith Finn had a little bit more confidence in his step. He wasn't one hundred percent, but he wasn't intent on feeling shitty anymore. Coming back out of the room he'd hidden in, Finn paused. "Hey.. Keith. I'm.. gonna go talk to Rose.. give me a minute, okay?"

He pushed forward towards the kitchen, pausing to flinch at Harper's beaten form slung across the couch before finding Rose on the kitchen floor. "E-er… hi… you.. Okay.. over there?"

With a small squeak of surprise, Rose twisted around, eyes widening just slightly, before she eased back, pushing herself upright to her feet, "Oh. H...hey Finn. Sorry… Are… are you okay?"

Nodding, Finn glanced at what remained of Harper's remains. It wasn't much. Rose had gotten to work eerily quickly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I.. wanted to apologize.. For… saying.. That. Earlier." Finn said. "You.. know who I am, right? You know I.. lived with him."

"You don't need to apologize." She started, turning around to toss the cloth she was using in the kitchen sink, "I know who you are. I know as soon as you said your name. I… I'm sorry. He talks about you, sometimes. Mostly when he's… you know… like he is now."

Swallowing, Finn glanced away. "You don't need to apologize either." He said, a little shakier than before. "I never even thanked you for healing me." He glanced around and then lowered his voice. "I'm sorry - and you can't tell me not to apologize for this one - that you have to live with him. But why… why aren't you already with Rogue? You have powers… you know how to use 'em. You're ahead of me already."

Blinking, Rose frowned softly, "You mean you… you don't know?"

Finn stared at Rose, expression morphing into one of concern. Was he missing something? Forgetting something. "D-don't know… what?"

Shifting uncomfortably, she lowered her gaze, "Finn, he's… Harper? He's dying. Without me, he might already be…"

"He's….. D-dying?" Finn echoed. "He's sick? I... " He didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to feel. Finn swallowed. "You.. you don't deserve… he doesn't deserve to have you keeping him alive."

"It's his liver. I suppose it's not really all that surprising, considering…" She paused, trailing off, as though she were about to say something and changed her mind, "I'm not so sure a person deserves something like that or not. It's just… I can help, and I think… I feel like I should. It's what's right, isn't it?"

"Considering his diet consists of beer and whiskey?" Finn finished, biting back something worse. At Rose's words his shoulders fell, and found himself at a loss for what to say, as he'd debated the same question a million times. "It's… only right when you're not sacrificing yourself to do it." Finn decided. "You deserve better than this. Even if Harper.. W-was… the best man on earth. I'd… still…." Nope, no. He was lying, he was definitely lying. "Doesn't matter if he deserves it, I know you don't."

Smiling delicately, Rose gave a shrug, "Wouldn't I be doing the same thing, if I were in Rogue? I don't know much about it, but I can't imagine, if I've had to heal two of you already, probably three when the bulky one comes back from getting his cut cleaned out, that it's a terribly safe occupation. Granted, you do seem a great deal less… I mean…" Her teeth pinched down briefly on the healing split and she shrugged, "...I didn't mean to lie. I just didn't know… I didn't expect someone to know."

Finn nodded with a sigh. "I didn't… tell anyone about Harper. Not at Rogue. Even though I trust them.. I really do. I didn't tell them… guess they all know now, but.. I didn't tell 'em cause I was scared. Not because Rogue wouldn't listen… and they would. Yeah, everyone's getting hurt all the time, but you'd be healing people who… actually deserve it. The people at Rogue are good people, better than I think I deserve."

"The blonde… Penny, was it? She… she knew, too. I could see it in her eyes when she looked at me. And I'm guessing she probably knows about you, too. What Harper did to you. It… it's hard not to see it in others, when you lived with it. Whatever she went through, it… it must've been pretty bad, cause she recognized it faster than most." Rubbing the back of her neck, she shrugged, "...If I didn't know any better, Finn, I'd say you were trying to recruit me."

Rose's observation shocked Finn. He couldn't ever imagine Penny in a situation like the one he'd grown up in. She was so strong, and tough. He couldn't even imagine it. Finn brought a hand to his mouth, unsure of what else to say on the topic, except for resolving to talk to her later.

"I… maybe. I might be." Finn murmured. "All I have to offer you is Rogue, because I haven't exactly locked down my penthouse yet. And I can't recommend the 'urban living' lifestyle. Tried that." Finn smiled awkwardly. "I just know Rogue would be happy to have you. Our resident doctor would love a sidekick."

A brow lifted, and Rose chuckled, nodding, "...Maybe. I don't know. It… it's not that I couldn't, but… Leaving him, it's more complicated than just walking out the door. I know it's not exactly the best living arrangement, but he did take me in. And I owe him something, don't I?"

Finn looked down. "I used to think that too." He murmured. "But whatever you owed him… you paid your debt in full, Rose. Plus.. we're probably dragging him along with us anyway. So it wouldn't be like leaving him quite yet. Maybe… think of it like a free trial?" Finn said with a gentle smile.

"I… I'm not exactly a prime candidate." She continued, leaning back against the counter, "Whatever happened out there, with the SUV.. it's not… That's not exactly something I do on a regular basis. I sort of just… reacted, I guess. But day to day? I don't know that I could be that brave, Finn."

"Y-you don't have too," Finn said. "You've got the perfect power for staying back and playing defense. But what you did saved our asses today, so when you are feeling brave like that… you'd be in the perfect place. But you'd be valued, no matter what. I know from experience… Rogue doesn't discriminate." Finn shrugged. "I'm not that brave either… Rogue hasn't kicked me out yet."

"I've been through what you've been through. Rogue's better than this, I swear.. No matter how brave you're feeling. But you could leave, if you wanted too. After that free trial." Uh, if Keegan allowed that. He hoped Rose wouldn't even want too. "Th-think about it, okay?"

"Don't say that. That you aren't brave. After everything you went through, Finn? I know… You know I know what he's like. And you… you went through it and came out alright. And then you went on to Rogue… and you help, Finn. You do good for people who need it. So don't say you're not brave… cause that takes courage. A lot." Biting her lip, she pushed off the counter and with a small smile, held out her hand, "I'll make you a deal. I'll come with you… if you promise that's the last time you ever talk about yourself that way."

Finn blinked at Rose in surprise. Her words hit him hard, but almost in a good way. Shaking his head with a smile, Finn took her hand. "Y-you… drive a hard bargain, Rose. Rogue's… gonna be lucky to have you."

"My father was a senator." She said, with a small shrug, "It's just a trial though, okay? Just… just until I figure out… other things. Just until… until I know what to do about Harper."

Finn nodded. "Yeah. Of course. You'll have all the time you'll need, okay? And I'll always be there if you need."

"I don't doubt it, Finn. I really don't." Shifting, she gestured to the floor, "I should probably finish, before… before he wakes up. You know how he gets."

Finn frowned. "Yeah… if you're not done when I get back, I'll come help, okay? I.. I think I need to go talk to Penny, now."

"I'll be alright." She added, with a smile, "And Finn? Thanks… for… for trying to help earlier. For trying to diffuse the mess, before it got ugly. I think if Harper wasn't… well, Harper… it might've gone alright."

Finn rubbed the back of his head, red in the face. "Yeah… maybe it would've." He echoed regretfully, offering her a wave to close their conversation, feeling a little lighter as he walked away from the kitchen, trying to ignore Harper's form out of the corner of his eye.