Rogue: The Uprising

Mobley Eats · Nov 11, 2018

Collab Post | Interactions: Vance & Fade @Elle Joyner | Location: R.I.E.F. HQ

Luna wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. Perhaps it was an hour, maybe shorter than that. Whatever perception of time she had was fuzzy due to the amazing warmth cocooning her like a safety blanket…

Crap.

Vance.

This wasn't good. Luna felt...sparks. They were there, obviously, and she couldn't ignore those feelings anymore like some clueless doof. However, she never knew how to handle this brand of sentiments properly. She used to mull over the what-ifs, wondering what she would do if she ever found herself crushing on someone or falling in love. It was...terrifying, to be perfectly honest. This wasn't like hacking--no set process designed to work 98.749% of the time, no concrete pathway to follow while under a ghost cloaker, no backup USBs to inject into the system and wipe the memory boards clean. No do-overs. No room for errors…

Okay. Alright. She was wide awake now.

Slowly, Luna pretended to stretch groggily--as if she wasn't having a baby meltdown for five minutes--and sat up. She glanced over to Vance, eyes somewhat bleary. "Um...g-good, err," she paused to consider, "A-afternoon?"

His own eyes were already opened, and watching Luna for a moment, he chuckled softly at her brief, awkward greeting, giving her a nod. Where Luna was inclined to overthink, Vance had a philosophy to never put his brain to work on a problem longer than was necessary. Things would be what they were going to be, and he went with the flow to the best of his abilities. Luna certainly wasn't a problem - not the sort he minded working through, anyway - but she was new… and a little dangerous, and no doubt, it was going to take some effort, before they got it all sorted…

But in the meantime, he could be content watching her wake up, and enjoy just how pretty she was when she was still sleepy.

"Afternoon, Luna. How you feeling?"

"Honestly? B-better," she admitted while trying to push curls out of her eyes. She wasn't very successful though; her hair turned into a bit of a blinding monster after taking a nap but it usually managed to cooperate after some time. She left it be and pulled her knees to her chest, fingers curling in and out of the fabric of her jeans. "W-we...I hate to bring this u-up already, but I-I still need to come up with s-something. What's our next step? W-we've got Fade now, so maybe a f-few modifications to the plan is i-in order," she said.

Then she blinked in realization.

Pink rising to her cheeks, she rushed to tag on, "A-and how're you??" Dear Lord, that was rude. There she went rambling and nearly forgotten her manners in the process.

Grinning, Vance shook his head, "Pretty Girl, you're adorable. You know that, right? I'm good… Rested." Sitting up a little, he ran his fingers through his own hair, brushing it back, before rubbing his hands over his face, "We can't move until we know what their next plan is… It's been quiet… but I'm guessing we'll hear something soon. But I've been thinking, Luna. I… I don't wanna put you at risk, not anymore than I already have, but things are getting worse here. Escalating. If I'm gonna get you out, and get Adelaide…"

"Uhhh," she drawled intelligently as her eyes found the wall incredibly interesting. "Th-thank you? Um, y-you're…" Her mind blanked. Well, not exactly blanked, but it was more like watching a whiteboard turn black from a mass of thoughts. Too many to count. To pick from. In the end, she just coughed into her fist while mumbling, "Y-you. And that's, um, wow. Okay, m-moving on."

She desperately listened to the rest, more than happy to divert her attention to the more important task at hand. She nodded in agreeance, the gravity of recent events slowly weighing her down once more. "U-understood. If we're moving out s-soon, then I guess we can't m-make big changes to the p-plan. For now, I s-suppose Fade will stay as b-backup." She almost brought up the chip again, but a burning sensation spread through her lungs like wildfire and she shot down that train of thought. Not now. She couldn't handle that right now.

Luna blinked, curious as Vance trailed off. "So...w-what're you suggesting?" she asked.

"I'm thinking maybe… maybe we could use Fade." He started easily, and shifting, he pushed himself upright, careful not to jar her too much, "If we had a distraction…" Frowning, he shrugged, "I'm not a fan of throwing him under the bus, even if he'd do the same to us, if he were in our place, but it might be our best bet of getting out of here. I know where they have her… Ady. Issues always been the technical bits. I can't do it on my own… but with your help…"

Luna quickly caught onto his insinuation and nodded. "R-right. I could definitely w-wiggle my way into the system. Judging from the t-tech they had me using in their van, I-I could work my way around th-their security." A large part of that was due to...overwhelming similarity in design. A set of fail safes and codes that was drilled into her head since childhood, but she'd rather not reveal that.

The hacker's grip suddenly doubled, borderline trembling as nails pierced fabric and into her skin. "A-and I'll look into those...th-those chips. That w-woman with the tablet...s-safe to assume that she's in c-control of them and h-hacking into a device like that w-wouldn't be my first time," she said. "I-I don't like the idea of p-putting Fade in the crossfire either...t-trust me, I really don't…"

Frowning, Vance shifted and reached out, catching her hands, "Don't worry about that. Not right now, Luna. We'll figure it out, when we have to. For now, I don't want you anywhere near it. Last thing we need, and last thing I want is them putting one of those things in your head, alright? Don't need to give them a reason to." With one hand, he reached up to brush a thumb over her cheek, "I promised I'd take care of you, and I'd be a damn hypocrite if I went and put you in that kind of danger, just to get myself out of it."

Luna didn't fight his grasp and forced her nails to cease, focusing on her breathing. "Y-you're right," she started, "W-we will figure it when we n-need to." And that moment just so happened to be right now. Luna wouldn't dare push this thought to the back-burner but she could tell that Vance was set in putting her and Adelaide's safety before his. "You know, Vance...I-I just want you to understand that I'm putting myself into this f-for myself. So, i-if that means helping you, y-your sister, and e-every innocent mutant out there...that's technically a-all for myself."

She straightened up, fingers weaving through his. "G-got it? Yours and everyone else's h-happiness feeds into mine. I-it's just how I work and...I-I'm sorry, but that's not g-going to change."

Grinning, Vance eyed her, "So you're telling me you're selfishly motivated to safe my sorry ass? Hm." Shaking his head, he laughed, "Alright, darlin'. I won't argue with you. Just promise me you'll be careful, yeah?" Shifting back, he gave her a glance suddenly, "Speaking of… It wasn't exactly difficult, putting you in this position, Luna. I've been meaning to talk to you about that. They teach you how to defend yourself? At Rogue? Cause uh… the keyboard thing wasn't exactly top notch."

Luna nodded, grinning somewhat. "Yeup. I-I am indeed selfish, motivated, and am g-going to save you're not sorry...err, butt. And I p-promise. I'll be as safe as p-possible, Vance." However, when hen asked about her combative skills...her lips pursed, embarrassment clear on her features.

She pulled up her turtleneck to hide her blush from view, sinking down a bit as she mumbled, "U-um...no. They didn't really t-teach me much about that. M-mostly hacking and technology. L-let's please just f-forget my pitiful keyboard ploy."

Fighting a teasing smirk, he nodded, "I thought so. Listen… we're gonna need that pretty brain of yours, for sure. I can't do any of this without it, but the only way we can guarantee to get through this, is to make sure the rest of you is protected, too. I may not be able to have your back, and if that's the case, well… you gotta know how to handle it. I can show you, if… if you want." It took a lot of trust, he knew, but he had to hope that to some degree, at least, he'd earned that from her.

Luna peeked out of her turtle prison. That...He had a point. A really good one. Although she didn't regret the recent set of events that brought her to now, the entire thing could've been avoided if she knew how to defend herself. It was...a pathetic show of combat, she knew it was, and remember how easily she was subdued made her heart sink.

Useless.

At the end of the day, when she was forced onto the field again and not a single piece of technology in her hands...then what? What would she do? Let everyone down, just like that? Just envisioning it stirred nausea in her gut. Luna sighed lowly before giving Vance's hand a gentle squeeze. She locked eyes with him.

"Y-you're right, Vance. I...I hate violence. A lot. But I n-need to be prepared for the w-worst and if I want to h-help you…" A moment, then she nodded, as if confirming something to herself. "I do. Sh-show me, Vance. Teach me h-how to protect myself, please."

Smiling, Vance pushed himself up off the cot and gave a solid nod, before looking around the room, "Not exactly the best place to do this, but if we go to the gym, we're likely to draw attention. So it's gonna have to do." Shrugging his shoulders, he held out a hand to her, "Up you go. I need you to stand here… and knees bent, just slightly, I want you to put your hands up, near your ears… make a fist, but keep it loose, and don't tuck your thumbs, yeah?"

Luna accepted his hand and hauled herself up, standing in the middle of the room with him. She had to admit--following his instructors were...more in-depth than she anticipated and her movements stuttered a bit as she tried to catch up. However, she managed okay enough and took the pose hesitantly. It felt...odd. Foreign.

"L-like this?"

"Arms up a little higher, elbows out… here…" Stepping closer, he adjusted her arms, before he stepped back, holding his palms out towards her, "Now… I want you to hit my hand. Just… hard as you can. Give it your best shot."

Luna paled a little. Christ...just jumping in, huh? Regardless, she swallowed down her fear and nodded. "O-okay...okay...alright. I-I got this. Totally. Yep." Sucking in a sharp inhale and screwing her eyes shut, she threw a punch...nearly missing his hand due to not looking where she was going.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Wait...th-that was dumb, wasn't it?" she mumbled, already shrinking into herself as her anxiety bubbled to the surface.

Grinning, Vance shook his head, "It was great. If you were trying to kill a fly. A very small fly. In the dark." Moving closer again, he reached out, his hands brushing her arms, "Baby girl… I don't expect you to get this. Okay? That's why I'm teaching you. Fighting… it's not… it's not something you can just figure out a formula for, and piece together. It takes technique. But it's learnable… and you? You're the smartest person I know. Okay? So you can do this. Just gotta get out of your own way. Now… Arms up again. This time, eyes open, and when you punch, step forward with your foot, and swing your shoulder into it. The tension should come from here…" He pressed a hand to her shoulder, then with his other hand, gave her fist a squeeze, "And here. You don't need to be huge, or strong to get in a good hit, so long as you put some momentum and some power behind it. Try again."

Stepping back, he held his hands up a second time.

Luna hung onto his every word, each syllable helping to wash away more and more of the embarrassment. He was so...patient. Surprisingly so and it worked wonders to calm her nerves. She took up the position from before, stopping to recall the adjustments he showed her. "Okay...h-here I go."

She took a step forward--

Then stopped. Her eyes almost closed again from instinct. "S-sorry! Again."

She raised her fists again. Monitored her breathing. Relax. She needed to relax. No eyes closing. No more running from the violence in front of her. No more room for self-doubt. The muscles in her leg and upper torso tensed just before she swung back. Her fist and shoulder snapped forward to nail the center of Vance's palm--

Pack!

"Oh! O-ow, okay. Th-that stung a little." She keeled over, cradling her fist.

With a smile, Vance nodded, shaking out his palm, "Good girl. Thing no one ever tells you about fighting is, it hurts. It's not like what you see in the movies, where people rail on each other for hours, and never back down. Adrenaline, it's damn good for pain suppression, but it's not a guarantee. What you need is one good hit. Stun 'em, then after that, you do what you need to do… You fight dirty, Luna. Kick 'em in the crotch… go for the eyes… the stomach. The knees. You hit vulnerable spots, and you make them hurt. But that first punch is key. And keep your hands up. That's your block, your guard. By your ears, and you don't let them down. When you swing, with your fist, your other arm crosses your face. Simultaneous motions… Got it?"

"F-fight dirty? I...I guess that m-makes sense." It made perfect sense, but she couldn't help but wince at the thought. She supposed she could accept this though; she already agreed to doing unsavory things while undercover in R.I.E.F., so what was the point of worrying about a clean fight? She held up her arms in the supposed guard Vance was talking about, trying to get into the swing of the position and feel less awkward about it.

"G-guard by the ears...cross w-with one arm, punch with the o-other...step into it, t-tension at shoulder and fist...n-never close eyes…" She coached herself under her breath, eyes glazing over as the information rapidly settled into her brain like a sponge soaking up water. She knew that memorization wouldn't promise mastery, but it was a step closer to it.

The hacker lowered her arms, smiling softly at Vance. "Vance...y-you're one awesome teacher, y-you know that? You should be like...a-assistant combat coach at Rogue or s-something. You'd be great at it."

Laughing, Vance shook his head, "...I make it to Rogue, sweetheart, I'm not entirely convinced they're gonna wanna throw me on board. 'Least not right away. But thanks… I just want you safe. Now c'mon. Lemme see it again…" His hands rose, and he nodded to her.

Luna shrugged. "Don't worry, I've d-definitely thought about that. They're...going to be c-cautious about you, but I'll b-be there to vouch for you. They try anything a-and they'll have to go through m-me." She tried to puff herself up, but failed miserably. In the end, the action was similar to a kitten hissing. She nodded and fell into the stance again. "G-gotcha."

This punch had a similar result. She made audible contact and her knuckles throbbed from the force, but she did her best to ignore the feeling and continued swinging. Left, left, right, left, right, right, left...Christ. She was starting to realize that stamina wasn't her strongsuit either.

He smirked, eyeing her over with a shake of his head, "I'm sure they'll be well and truly intimidated, darlin'... Really." As she drove her fists forward, Vance nodded, "Good… very good. Keep going… There you go." Hands folding around hers, as her power and force wore down with her energy, he chuckled, "That's good, Luna. Take a break…"

Luna panted lightly, wiping the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead. "C-cool...great. A break s-sounds...sounds awesome. Um," she pointed behind him at her water bottle, which rested next to the cot. "M-mind if you, uh, hand me th-that while I wheeze like a dork o-over here?"

With a chuckle, he nodded and reached for the water bottle, "You've got good form, Luna. Just need to remember to put the power in the shoulder, and you'll do alright. Remember… all it takes it one good hit."

As he spoke, she crept forward. "Uh huh. Yep. F-form and all…that!"

She jumped onto this back, attempting to wrap her arms loosely around him. Hey, he did say that she needed to play dirty, right?

For a second or two, Vance was caught off guard, and if Luna wasn't the size of a dime, he might've actually been knocked over by the unexpected move, but as it was, he managed to steady himself, cocking his head to the side to look back at his as much as he could, "...Ma jolie papillon... Got me. Now what?"

Luna paused.

That...was a mighty fine question. "Um...ch-chokehold?"

Shaking his head, he reached up to take her arms, pulling her forward a touch, "...You need to actually be able to get your arms around my neck for that, Love. Gotta say, though… the ruthless surprise… well played."

"Right. Obviously. D-definitely knew that; was just uh..was just t-testing you," she defended weakly. However, a fraction of the doubt left her voice as he praised her surprise attack, and a pleased smile graced her features. "Thanks! C-combative genius like that just...c-comes to me. Out of nowhere."

However, just as she figured that was enough fooling around, she realized that she indeed off the ground. Oh dear. "So, uh, h-how do I get down? You're kinda t-tall." She shrugged sheepishly, her grip around him tightening ever so slightly without thinking.

Laughing again, Vance shrugged, "I could just leave you up there… But I guess I'm workin' on being the good guy, now. Swing your leg around my hip… easier to do this if you're not behind me."

"Ahhhh...s-swing around? Um," she glanced at the floor. Then back at Vance. At the floor again. "...Right. S-so I'll just…" She did as she was instructed, albeit shakily.

As she maneuvered around, Vance shifted, too, his hands sliding from hers around his neck, to her back, and carefully, he cupped her waist, to ease her down, smiling as he did so, "There you have it."

Luna blinked, surprised by how swiftly and efficiently she was let down. Huh...well then, that turned out far smoother than she expected. A small part of herself admitted that it felt nice to be held like that, no matter how brief it was. Regardless, she was incredibly aware of the arm around her waist and stepped away with an awkward laugh. "Th-thanks a million, Mr. Hercules. Think I'll take a r-real break now, so...um," she jabbed a dorky thumb in the direction of the cot, "Y-yeah."

God--why did she have to be so painfully shy? Especially around Vance? One moment, she felt comfortable enough around the man to jump onto his back and the next moment, she could barely handle being near him without her brain melting. This was too complex, even for her "brainiac" reputation.

Watching her, Vance shook his head, and his smile softened, before he reached for the bottle that had fallen when she'd jumped on him, holding it out to her. Sinking down on the edge of the cot as well, he shrugged his shoulders, "We can practice a bit more, later. But I'm confident you'll get the hang of it… You'll do brilliant, Luna. I don't doubt it… And--"

Whatever he was going to say, however, was truncated by a knock at the door and with a frown, he rose, moving to answer it. On the other side, Fade stood with an awkward expression on his face, "Um… We're supposed to meet down in the briefing room. Something big's going down…"

Luna shot up a beat after Vance and was somewhat surprised to see Fade on the other side of the door. But relieved. Any other member of R.I.E.F. and she'd be a mess of nerves. Releasing a breath she didn't even know she was holding, the hacker walked up next to Vance and asked Fade, "W-what do you mean by something b-big?"

"I'm not entirely sure…" Fade answered, with a shrug, "They just said to come get you and Vance. My guess is, it's got something to do with Leon's mission."

Vance frowned, and glancing back to Luna, shook his head, "He… he was supposed to be tryin' to infiltrate Rogue HQ."

Oxygen evacuated Luna's lungs.

"I...i-infiltrate...Rogue HQ?" Frantically, a hand flew up to Vance's arm while her eyes remained glued to Fade. "L-let's go then. Now."

Out of all the things she could've imagined happening to her home, this was the absolute worst.

CloudyBlueDay · Nov 12, 2018

not quite time for a romantic bath
1st part of collab with @WingWong ; @Mobley @Katesea

The cold tile against her feet was always jarring, but the pittering of warm water quickly diminished that feeling. It was true that Francis felt at home at Rogue. Perhaps not as at home as on the farm, but home enough. Yet she was always on her toes, even at base, always a little on edge. A little too watchful. Sometimes she felt that if she stepped into the shower, she'd miss something important. An ambush, a raid. It was hard to calm herself. But she insisted upon it. The world isn't going to end the moment you blink, Francis.

She was very wrong.

The moment she turned the water off Francis could hear gunshots. Screaming, explosions. She'd been in the thick of it before; she was a heavy hitter. Rogue wasn't afraid to put her out in the front. But never before had she been in the thick of it coming out of the damn shower. Francis threw on her clothes, still soaking wet, and rushed outside of the bathroom.

She found Nick, heaving after a successful battle with an agent who lay crumpled on the floor.

"Nick?" Francis balked, hair dripping water onto the floor, feet bare. "What the ever loving shit is going on?!"

Nick was still clutching the back of his head, wincing as he turned to face Francis.

"Everything?" he offered unhelpfully. He was the absolute worst person to ask what was going on. About 20 minutes ago, he'd still been sleeping. "The apocalypse, maybe?"

Nick couldn't recall her name at the moment, though he felt like it was at the tip of his tongue. He wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't been at the base for the better part of a month, the fact he'd been asleep not too long ago and hadn't shaken that off yet, or the pain that had blossomed at the back of his head. Regardless, he opted not to make an idiot of himself if he could help it. Especially since she'd remembered his name.

He was all too thankful that the agents he'd confronted were down for the moment, but he had a feeling they might not be staying down too easily. Concussions were excellent deterrents, but adrenaline was also a hell of a drug.

The presence of R.I.E.F. agents still in the hallway was enough to make him uneasy, though a friendly face was definitely welcome.

Francis's eyes narrowed. She was aware that Nick was new, probably a little scattered, but the way he was clutching at his head was bad news. Probably concussed. Francis frowned at his entirely unhelpful answer. "Alright, great." She muttered. "We.. must've been raided. Are being raided. They found us, somehow." A shudder went down her spine. It was good while it lasted… "You didn't get hit too hard, I hope? Time to suck it up."

Francis grabbed Nick's wrist and yanked him along. She hated how familiar this was… how it felt near exactly like the raid all those years ago… her brother, separated from her, turned against her. Her family, slaughtered… not again…

"We need to find others. We need to find… something."

"I'm not bleeding," Nick commented, with a small amount of relief. His bar for head injuries was admittedly low. He'd had quite his share, and some that were a lot worse than this one. He might have a mild concussion, but that just meant he'd have to guard his head a little better.

He followed with little resistance, keeping pace with Francis as she ran. He pulled his scattered thoughts together, trying to put his brain to work again. If it had just been him and his own life on the line, the goal would just be getting out. Now, however, there were a lot of people to look out for. Some of them might already be out of their reach.

He didn't like the odds here. He agreed that regrouping and finding who was still standing was the best option, though. All the details would have to come after that. One step at a time, Nick.

"Where do you think most of them would be?"

"Doesn't mean you ain't hurt," Francis hissed. "Not even five minutes in, huh? Rookies…" Francis shook her head, skidding to a halt . "Someone's coming." She knew even before the footsteps were audible. It was rare, to be at one hundred percent, but having a shower and a nap right before all the chaos commenced would do that. It was a lone R.I.E.F agent, gun pointed forwards, and in a moment Francis readied her fist, and with a one hundred percent level punch, sent him flying into the wall.

"They should all at least be heading for the center.. we should try to get out of the dorms. Maybe we can find Keegan…"

"It also means it could be worse," Nick huffed, voice deadpan as he shot her a look. "In my defense, I was asleep about 20 minutes ago." He frowned a little at her comment, but left it alone. He survived the way he had because people underestimated him all the time. He couldn't have that as an ace up his sleeve without it biting him in the ass sometimes.

He slipped his wrist from her grip as they slid to a stop. His eyes widened a little, and he gave a low whistle as she punched the lone agent into the wall.

"Remind me not to tick you off," he commented. Not that he needed reminding. He wouldn't be forgetting that any time soon. "And that sounds like a better plan than what I have right now." His plan that mostly consisted of don't die was admittedly underdeveloped. He extended his hands, curling his fingers to draw sound towards him once again. He didn't make the same mistake as before, making sure he focused on a section at a time. He got snippets of conversation, some of them orders and clearly R.I.E.F., while others were the softer and more panicked words of Rogues in fear of their lives. Helping to guide them out of this mess felt like the least he could do.

Smirking lightly, Francis eased her stance, dusting her hands off. At a good energy level, she'd hopefully be able to hold her own on whatever was going on here. Watching with interest as Nick put out his palms, Francis glanced around to make sure he could keep doing whatever he was doing uninterrupted. "You hear anythin' good?" She was vaguely aware of his powers. Something sound related. "Maybe you hear someone who needs some help?"

Nick just managed to stop himself from making a face. He was hearing things, but nothing good, that was for certain. How many of these agents were there?

"I think I hear I hear a group up ahead, to the left" He couldn't get all the pieces of the conversation, thanks to walls, but they sounded like Rogues. The sound of gunfire once again met his ears, not through his powers, but as a sound that filtered through all the walls. He got snippets of conversation still, but he could hear plenty enough. He cursed under his breath; that sounded like it was from the lobby. He started running.

"Wh - hey!" Francis shouted, watching Nick dart off. She rushed after him, though not sparing any energy for speed just yet. "Don't just rush off like that!" She called after him, letting out a grunt. Sure enough, up ahead and to the left was a swarm of people, chaos and panic filling the room as she tried to search for a familiar face.

Mobley Eats · Nov 12, 2018

Collab Post | Interactions: Francis @CloudyBlueDay , Nick @WingWong , Levi @KatSea | Location: Dorms, towards Interrogation Room

Lucas stuck true to his word and remained in front of Levi, the gun hot against his sweaty palm. The amount of bodies in this hallway was suffocating and the accumulation of body heat was starting to annoy him. He could still hear gunshots ringing out behind him, the agents still dropping Rogues left and right in cold blood. Christ--and here he thought he was done dealing with soulless monsters like this but now...now they were breaching the walls of his safe haven and bringing Hell on Earth.

Figures.

However, his bitter thoughts subsided as he spotted a familiar firecracker of a cutie and the fresh-faced dreamboat among the discord. He waved back, trying to snag Levi's attention, before pointing in their direction. "Levi, sweetness? I spy Triple A and Kiss-me-now-with-those-sexy-eyes over there," he said.

Levi's ears were just about busted, but the blood had dried and no longer presented as a nuisance to the back of his neck. This made ear-splicing gunshots muffled to him, but with each dull thud of a fellow friend or ally falling to the ground, the taste of copper infused bile decorated the interior of his throat.

"What?!" Levi nearly exclaimed, the waving of Lucas and a sudden, nearly inaudible phrase being spoken by him. He did manage to catch a few things, which included sweetness, triple, and sexy eyes. His brow furrowed in confusion, before he caught eye of what Lucas had mentioned. Oh, he meant Triple A and Sound Machine. Not that Levi hadn't remembered names or anything, he just had a hard time filtering them out in the chaos. "I feel like what I am about to do is cat calling…" Levi mumbled under his breath, before cautiously waving over to the familiar faces in the crowd. "Hey! Sexy eyes! Sexy eyes 2.0!" He motioned them over, attempting to snag Lucas out of the incoming chaos and towards them.

Head snapping at the shout, Francis grimaced. Sexy eyes and Sexy eyes 2.0? Really? Really? Though she relaxed at the sight of Levi, she couldn't help but wonder if - yep. Yup. Levi wouldn't say that if Lucas wasn't around, but low and behold, there was her absolute favorite flirt. Diving into the crowd to reach them, trying to block out the panic surrounding them. "Glad y'all are alright." Francis glowered. "Not so glad Lucas is rubbin' off on ya, Levi. If anyone collapsed in this wreck I was almost hoping it'd be you." She glared at Lucas.

Nick had slowed as he entered the room, panic being what greeted him. He whirled around to face Levi and Lucas at hearing Levi's voice. He mumbled to himself; had he really heard what he thought he did? The result was a confused deer-in-headlights look on his face as he found Levi in the crowd. There was a list of things he'd expected today, and nothing that had happened was on that list.

He slipped into the crowd just behind Francis, making sure to keep her in his line of sight. Friendly faces were in short supply in the moment, and he really didn't want to lose track of the one he'd had for the past several minutes, regardless of how bossy she was. He glanced to the side, catching a view of one R.I.E.F. agent in particular with their gun pointed. He whistled sharply once again, sending a bone-crushing ripple of sound towards the agent. They went down being none the wiser to what had happened, and, in the panic, Nick went mostly unnoticed. One down, too many left to go.

He quickly caught up to them, only to be confused once again by how mean Francis sounded when she addressed Lucas. What on Earth had this guy warranted to deserve that? He looked over at Levi, hoping he might have some explanation for what sitcom he seemed to have walked into.

Lucas brightened as two more familiar peeps rushed up to them, especially Francis. Ah, good ole fire-breathing Francis--he loved a woman with spice. He brightened when she seemed to express concern for them...only for his expression to drop at the collapsing comment. "Harsh," he said casually, "But let it be known that I can always handle tough love. Especially from you, sweetness." He capped it off with a wink sent her way before giving Nick a quick up and down look.

For scientific purposes. Completely. Totally...not at all. He just had a really nice bod.

Noticing the bewildered look on the man's face, Lucas shrugged and replied as if he had read his mind, "Constant flirt who doesn't know when to quit. You get used to the family dynamic."

"Could we not talk about dropping bodies and rough love for two damn minutes?" Levi pleaded, one hand held irritably over his ear. "But I'm glad to see the both of you are okay. Looks like the base has been compromised and I don't think the hailfire of bullets is going to stop anytime soon. Oh, by the way, am I screaming?" Levi inquired quite loudly, blinking before shaking his head. "We've got to get out of here and quickly. The longer we stay in the building the more likely we are all going to get a bullet to the chest. Or you know, worse places." A pause. "Lucas I will make that promise four weeks if you keep your mouth shut," he vowed, if somewhat hesitantly.

Rolling her eyes at Lucas, she returned her attention to Levi, the only true level-headed person she currently trusted out of these three. "You're right, if a little loud, but we don't know if they're blocking the exits," Francis said with a scowl. "We try to escape, we could be walking into an even worse trap. Who knows what man power they've got waiting for us out there. No.. what we need to do…." Francis paused, shaking her head, until a light bulb flickered on. "The interrogation room. It's bulletproof. Definitely the most R.I.E.F proof place here. We get there, we can wait out the storm, lie low until it's safe to run out."

Francis's eyes fell to Levi's bleeding shoulder. "Ouch." She muttered.

"...Okay," Nick said slowly after a moment as Lucas explained. He wasn't sure it warranted that , but time would tell. "And yeah, you're a little screamy." He held his hand up, making the "little bit" motion with his fingers close together to make his point.

Nick's own light bulb was delayed, though it was in a similar vein to Francis'. Safe areas and hiding spots. He didn't know any of them at the base, but it would make sense that people would seek out places they could either hide or defend easily. He was slightly concerned with trying to find as many people as possible, since there was power in numbers. There also happened to be power in not getting shot at, so he figured that was a bridge for later. It wasn't as if his brain was exactly firing on all cylinders right now either; he had a sneaking feeling there was definitely a concussion going on here. Yay, more head injuries. That was so definitely what he needed right now.

"Sounds like the best idea for now, until we figure out the rest of what we're dealing with," Nick agreed.

"Anything to come out of those sweet lips must have some truth to it," Lucas chuckled, though he completely agreed with Francis. Innocent Rogues were dwindling around them and at this rate, their unintentional meat shield would be history. He nodded in Levi's direction. "Anyway, before I roll along with Levi's wonderful deal and shut my trap, just a heads up that these guys are packing a lot more than just guns. They just had this massive group of mutants hostage with just four dudes. And judging from what I'm hearing--"

Bang!

He raised a finger at the gunshots piercing the air. "Those are regular guns. They've got something up their sleeves that can scare off like twenty of us." He shrugged. "Just saying. Anyways, up we go and now shutting up." He made a motion to zip his lips shut and throwing away the key, before raising his gun again.

"Sorry," Levi mumbled as he worked to lower his voice, before realizing that Francis was correct. The interrogation room was going to be the safest. Sickness shot up his spine as he realized the room was becoming more and more flooded with the fallen. "Yes. The sooner the better." He swallowed, not sure if he was going to survive in the next ten minutes. If any of the Rogues in this chaos would survive the next ten minutes. He exhaled slowly, eyes tracing to his shoulder at Francis's comment. "Huh. I didn't realize it was still bleeding," he grumbled, if somewhat profoundly. His head tilted. "Would it help if I tried to slow down the gunmen? I don't know if that will help anymore...you know, considering all the bullet fire already." His teeth grit. "Or you know what, let's run and go for it now. Interrogation room, now." He bit his lip. I hope I don't become swiss cheese with all these bullets. I always imagined I'd die by the strangulation of an ex. That death seems a lot less scary now.

"Oh, so the first time you have something useful to say you finally shut your yap?" Francis snapped at Lucas.

"Yes."

"Keep it closed, then." Francis huffed, eyes dancing around nervously though her stance betrayed none of her worries. Her fists were balled. To see all the destruction around them was devastating… but she was going to make sure Rogue didn't die. Not yet, anyway.

"Levi... how about you make us look invisible?" Francis murmured. "We don't have time to spend on the gunmen… whatever they've got up their sleeve, we do our best to avoid it. It's the only way we're gonna make it out. Do what you can to shield us, Levi, but otherwise… let's get going. This way."

"Oh. Uh, good idea." Levi blinked. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself, and merely nodded in gratitude. "Stay close and keep quiet," he instructed before snapping his fingers, watching his friends vanish before him. "Lead the way boss," he whispered under his breath.

"Boss?" Francis echoed, pushing forward with a playful smirk. "I like the sound of that."

Nick watched in silence, more than happy to let the others take the lead for now. He could bring up what he had on his mind once they were in the interrogation room; it would sound a bit silly while they still had guns pointed in their direction, after all. He stood towards the back of the pack, quietly throwing up a shield of silence, so that even if they weren't terribly quiet, they should be fine. To the interrogation room they'd go.

DarinValore · Nov 12, 2018

Outside of Harper's Cabin

Deck genuinely smiled for the first time as he slipped outside the cabin to call into HQ for instructions from Keegan. What had happened in the bathroom with Penny was something he never really expected or thought of ever experiencing again. Alys' betrayal had left a deep wound that still had not yet completely scarred over despite him believing it had. Penny, in that instant, had made him forget about the bad in life and remember that good could happen still.

Clearing his throat, he pulled the phone from his pocket and searched for Keegan's number. Dialing it, it rang twice before it was answered, "Keegan," came the gruff voice of the leader of Rogue.

"Hey, it's Deck," he shifted, "First guy was dead, but we found Harper…who's a total asshole by the way…and we're sitting at his place waiting for your next instructions."

"Is he safe?" Keegan asked.

"Safe from R.I.E.F., not really from us," Deck replied plainly.

"I understand, but he's done some good work for us-"

"So we're supposed to turn away from all the shitty stuff he does?" Deck interrupted.

"No, we'll deal with that. What I'm saying is…"

Keegan's voice fell silent, "Keegan?" Deck asked after a few seconds of dead air. In the background, Deck began to hear muffled, panicked voices, "Keegan? What's going on?"

"Hold on."

Deck rolled his head and rubbed his hand against his forehead. There was a lot of conversation in the background, none of which he could make out. Too many people were yelling and talking, "Keegan," he asked again as the suspense began to eat at him.

"Deckard, please," Keegan finally responded, "Just wait a Pop Pop Pop –"
"Shit!" Deck called out. He recognized that sound all the well, "Were those gunshots?!"

More pops filled the air between them followed by what sounded like an explosion.

"Deckard!" Keegan called out, "We're under attack, and I know the source. Take Harper and…"

More explosions and now rapid fire filled the phone. Deckard could hear the abilities of mutants going off and the cries of those dying from the fighting, "Shit…Shit…Shit," he repeated as he paced the porch.

Things died down for a moment and Keegan's voice came back over the phone, "Take Harper to the Orlando HQ. He'll be safe there. We're compromised here, and I have an imposter to hunt down."

"You need me to come in? I'm sure Penny and-"

"No. They're going to need you now more than ever."

"You sure? I can be there in-"

"Deckard. No."

The phone line went dead, and Deckard knew why. If he had continued, Deckard probably would have gone anyway, but Rogue didn't need him right now. Keegan was right. Penny, Finn, and Keith would need him now more than ever. Their connection to Keegan and the others was deeper than his and this news would hit them harder than it did him though he still worried for Keegan and the others. There were people there that could not fight.

Drumming the phone against his hand for a moment, Deckard took time to collect himself. This would not be an easy task, telling everyone inside that their friends were dying and Keegan's life was in danger, but it fell on him to be the bearer of that bad news. With a nod, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and stepped inside.

"Penny," he told her with a somber tone, "Get the others. I just got off the phone with Keegan."

CloudyBlueDay · Nov 12, 2018

Big Kid Talk
collab with @Elle Joyner

Doing his best to ignore the snoozing Harper, Finn set off back into the hall to see if he could find Penny. Luckily she was just coming out of the bathroom, and Finn skidded to a halt in front of her, backing up a couple steps, and avoiding Deckard's gaze entirely. "H-hey, Penny," Finn started.

"Finn…" Penny started, a brow raised at the sight of him, "I was just coming to find you." Gesturing down the hall, she nodded towards the screened in porch on the other side of the sitting room, "Come on… We can talk down here."

Penny's tone was somber enough to make Finn feel like he was about to be reprimanded. Which he probably was. Bowing his head, and making sure not to make any more eye contact with Deckard in any way, Finn followed Penny outside like a child who'd just gotten in trouble, brows furrowed.

Stepping into the room, Penny breathed in for a moment, before she turned to Finn, raking her fingers through her hair, "...Listen, Finn. I'm sorry… about how all this has gone down. I know being back here probably isn't exactly a cake walk. If I'd known… what that asshole put you through? I'd never have dragged you into it."

Finn leaned against the wall, gazing into the corner. "It's not your fault." He said slowly. "I know you wouldn't have. It's my fault for not ever saying anything. I'm sorry I made this whole mess in the first place… that Deck got hurt. He-he's okay.. Right?"

Her lip twitched upwards just slightly, and Penny shrugged, "He's a big boy. He'll be alright. Patched him up and gave him a sticker for being a good patient. To be honest, I think he feels worse than you do about how it went down..." Stepping forward, she reached out, apprehensively at first, before resting a hand on his shoulder, "You didn't need to say anything, Finn. It's not my place, cracking into your head. We all got secrets… and you're entitled to them. But if it helps… you can talk to me. If you wanted to."

Finn raised an eyebrow at Penny for her comment about Deck, shocked about her word choice as well as the fact that Deck felt worse. He couldn't quite imagine it… but he trusted Penny nonetheless.. He'd probably have to go over there and apologize to Michelin man too.

"Th-thanks, Penny. I know I can." He was squirmy under her touch, not very used to this level of sensitivity from her at all, but forced himself to stay still. He thought back to Rose's words, but with Penny telling him he was entitled to his secrets, he felt it wouldn't be right to pull that on her. She was entitled to her secrets too…

"I invited.. Convinced… Rose to come with us to Rogue." Finn piped up.

"Did you?" With a smile, Penny nodded, "Keegan'll be pleased Took me a solid week, with my first recruitment. I'm proud of you. Hopefully we'll be out of this craphole soon, and we can get back home. Figure out this Luna business. I know what you saw, Finn, but I… I can't believe that Luna would turn. I'm sure whatever she's doing, there's a damn good reason for it."

At the mention of Luna Finn's posture instantly shriveled. "I.. I really hope so. K-Keith said her aura… didn't show any signs of…betrayal." It didn't feel like the right word, but he didn't know how else to say it." Finn sucked in a breath, trying to puff up his chest again. "Penny, I wanted to ask you… when we get back to base, I want you.. To train me. So that next time when I say I'll stay behind to watch your back you know I've got it. I f-finally realized there's more to my power… and I want to help more. Get stronger. I want to be more in control."

Nodding, she leaned back against a cabinet, crossing her arms, "I never had any doubts you had my back, Finn. But it's a good idea. You and Keith both… I'm realizing more and more, you need to know how to defend yourself. Not just with your powers, either. If we're gonna make it through this, you're gonna need to learn how to fight on your own two feet. I can help, Deck, too… We'll get you there."

Finn nodded in agreement. "You didn't have doubts, yet the person out of all of us who could fly didn't seem to be the last one to go…" He said with a smirk. "But yeah… I need it. Y-you'll be a good teacher.. Deck too."

Smiling dryly, Penny shrugged, "I know what I said, Finn. But you stop to think maybe that was just my way of gettin' you across? Look, I know I'm not exactly… the most sentimental person alive. But what you gotta understand is, you guys… you're my family, Finn. And I'm gonna do anything I can to make sure you get out of this okay. Anything."

Finn looked up, startled, a softness in his eyes. Though they both knew they cared about each other, he'd almost never expected for Penny to truly say it. "You're my family too." Finn murmured. "And that's why.. If you'll do anything for us… you gotta promise me you won't do the stupid thing, even if it means you over us. That's why you're training me… so the next time you make that excuse I can hit you. Okay?"

Laughing softly, Penny gave a nod, "...You can try, anyway. Don't forget, I kicked Deck's ass. You, I'd break in half." With a wink, she pushed off the cabinet, "Now, come on. Deck's calling into HQ. Let's see how long with gotta stay here, before we can ditch Harper in a cell back home and put our feet up for a few days, yeah?"

Finn grinned, making a mock gesture to his heart. "We'll see about that.." He teased, following her back outside.

When they found Deck, there was a new sadness in his eyes that had Finn worried. "What's wrong?" Finn asked, worry dancing across his gaze. "What did Keegan say?"

junebug · Nov 12, 2018

The wall was hard against her shoulder blades as she unconsciously slumped a little. The sound of the gunshots were like explosions, haunting and ringing in her ear. Josie wanted to curl up in her bedroom and drift off to sleep, only to never wake. She could hear their muffled screams and silently, she wished she'd never agreed to go on the mission in the first place. It was her fault, once again. She may as well have turned herself into RIEF the moment Leon introduced himself and never followed him. She should've let them kill her. Her Rogue family likely hated her now for what she'd done. She'd put them all in danger, and worse, the ones who were truly helpless and couldn't fight– they were gone like dust in the wind. Josie took a deep breath and tried to contain her emotion. She couldn't break down while they were under attack.

Another shot fired near the door she sat next to and she flinched. Panic filled her chest and she moved farther away from the entrance. She wouldn't leave the interrogation room until it was over or she'd been captured and tortured– whatever method they found most reputable for their damn cohort of idiots. Josie felt trapped and useless. Her knee was shot– even moving to the other side was painful. She couldn't even rescue a damn Rogue with her knee cap blown and she was the one who'd started it in the first place. She'd led him here…

Josie winced as the battle continued and more sobs and screams erupted. She didn't even know what was wrong with Devon, but she wasn't about to hurt him to find out. How could she share what happened? How could she let everyone suffer such a tragic fate? Perhaps she was better cooped up in the lab, working on her experiments. She'd hardly made a mistake there. She didn't have time to be reckless then, or trust anyone to not touch her things.

"God, guys, please be okay. Please be okay," she whispered, her voice cracking a little under the pressure of her thoughts. She stifled a sniff and blinked away the blur. It was only a matter of time before Penny and Deck came back with the others and she'd have to face them all with what she'd done. She was supposed to be a hero and give the Rogues a reason to continue life, but Josie felt far from that right now. One failure led to another and certainly, karma would soon bite her in the ass.

@nooneinparticularjustfillertokeepthingsmoving

Elle Joyner · Nov 13, 2018

Penny didn't need Deck to tell her what was wrong. She could see it reflected in his eyes, and it was like something inside of her chest tightened and snapped all at the same time. A moment ago, dealing with Harper had seemed like the hardest difficulty they would face, but she had been wrong. So wrong.

First Luna... Now whatever this was.

The world has no mercy on people like you and me, P. We'll spend out whole lives fighting and all we'll show for it are scars...

Breathing back the coiling spring of rage and sadness, Penny nodded and headed off down the hall briefly, "Keith! Living room, now! News from HQ." Pausing on her way back, she peeked her head into the kitchen to find Rose still scrubbing at the floor. Hesitating, Penny couldn't help but wonder if Finn's attempts to rescue the girl, to recruit her were misguided. She might not have been happy with Harper, but at least she was safer...

But it wasn't Penny's place to tell Rose what sort of life to live.

"Rose?" The girl looked up with a small jump and Penny bit back a grimmace, "Come on."

Turning away, her feet carried her somewhat reluctantly back to the others, and pausing, she let the back of her fingers graze Deck's knuckles, as much an encouragement to herself as it was meant to be for him, "Go ahead, Big Guy."

TAGS || @CloudyBlueDay, @DarinValore, @Reythaak

DarinValore · Nov 13, 2018

Harper's Cabin

Deck waited for everyone to file into the living room. With each passing moment, he wished all the more he'd never joined Rogue to avoid this. How was he supposed to tell people that everything…everyone they'd ever grown to love over the passed several years of their lives was most likely gone; destroyed by the very enemy they've been fighting against?

But this was the one thing Keegan asked him to do, so he'd honor the wish of a dead man.

"Listen," he looked them over as he considered his next words. Should he soften the blow? Hold any information back? Should he pretend as though nothing was wrong and simply give them the information that was pertinent to the mission? Then his eyes fell on Penny's and he could see the sadness in them.

You're real, and I know what I'm gonna get with you.

"Damn," he muttered.

"HQ's gone," he stated plainly, "RIEF found it," he shook his head, "I'm not even sure anyone's made it out alive. Was on the phone with Keegan and heard the gunfire and explosions, myself. Last thing he told me was that he thought he knew who was behind it and was going to take care of it," he paused a moment before continuing, "Keegan wants us to take Harper to the Orlando bunker, and that's what we'll do. We can regroup there with any survivors.

"I know this is the last thing you want to hear after the day we've had, but it's the reality we've been given. I'll give you guys some time to gather yourselves before we talk about getting to Orlando," he paused, "I'm sorry, guys."

Reythaak · Nov 13, 2018

Keith Fuller
⤑Location:Harper's Cabin ⤑Interactions: @Elle Joyner , @DarinValore ,@CloudyBlueDay

Upon being summoned, Keith moved in to the living room, and found himself a spot to sit. Deck's words washed over him like a wave, and he sort of just… Stared for several moments.

"...gone…?" He echoed quietly. Rogue had been safe. Even not being officially a member, just an Archivist's kid and someone who helped sometimes. He'd been doing it for years. He knew the folks in Rogue. He knew the bunker itself. He looked to Finn, suspecting his friend would be rocked more by this than him.

At least he still had a place to go at the end of the day…

Keith paused.

"Oh… Shit."

His brain caught up on some details.

R.I.E.F. in HQ meant they had access to everything. Keith was almost certain he was identifiable via the information at HQ. That meant…

"I… I've gotta make a phone call. Now."

He didn't give anyone a chance to say anything, or stop him, and vanished off back in the same room that Finn had run to. It was the only door he knew what was behind it, after all.

He sat down on the bed, pulling his phone out and scrolling to his contacts, then staring at the name on the screen. There wasn't a way around it; he'd be joining his friend in not having a place to go back to after this mess.

He thumbed the green call button. Listened to it ring several times. Then go to voicemail. He took a breath.

"It's me. Keith. Your pals at R.I.E.F. are killing my friends right now. They're killing the Rogues.

I called them my friends. They are. They have been for a while. Because I've been lying to you. Deceiving you. You've had a fucking mutant right under your nose the entire time, and didn't even realize it. I'm the reason your wife died. I'm part of Rogue. And I'm finally sick of all of it. I'm ditching you. I'm ditching Miami. I'm already gone.

So fuck you. And fuck Aspida, and R.I.E.F. too. I hope it hurts to know your fucking kid is a mutant."

Keith poured all he had into that voicemail. Every ounce of pain he'd felt today and every atom of anger he felt towards R.I.E.F., Aspida, and honestly society in general for the way metas were treated.

He killed the line, staring at the lit screen in his hand for several moments before dropping it to the floor between his feet, leaning forward slightly, and letting out a sob.

Elle Joyner · Nov 13, 2018

PRETTY BOY

He'd found Keegan Hull on the phone when he broke into the office - and whatever conversation the man was having was steadily interrupted by the brunt of a 9 Millimeter to the space between shoulder blade and neck. Leon was pretty sure force wasn't necessary, but they'd never been made exactly privy to the extend of Hull's powers, and he wasn't taking chances. These were Hull's people. His kids, and Leon knew all too well the man wasn't going to take the attack lying down.

But he was older, and not exactly in prime physical condition, and a gun to the center of his back was a pretty good motivator to keep moving. While Leon had his doubts the man was selfishly motivated to survive, he didn't seem keen on dying, and that was good enough.

The trek back through the sewers was considerably less enjoyable as it had been on the way into Rogue HQ, largely because Hull had no intention of making it easy on his abductor. Leon had expected as much, but he was surprised, really, with the level the old man was willing to go to slow down their expedition and more than once, he had to consider if what he was doing was actually worth the hassle. When he arrived back at his private hideaway, the gun he'd stolen from the interrogator was used to direct Hull to a seat, and after securing him to the chair with the extra zipties he'd taken from Devon, he moved to the phone on the desk.

"I want you to know, Pops, it's not anything against you. I got my reasons for doing this, same as you and those folks back at Rogue. Ain't lookin' to clear my conscience, but I figure you deserve to know it's not personal."

Lifting the receiver, for the second time, he dialed Maxine's line.

"Not personal?" Keegan tested the ties. Leon had done a good job making them tight, "That's not your family dying in that bunker."

"No, it's not." Leon paused on the buttons, his jaw tensing, "But my family? They're who I'm doing this for… and I'm alright with that. I have to be."

Keegan shook his head, "There's always a different way...a good way...to do things for those we love."

With a dry, humorless smirk, Leon shook his head, "You never met my boss, Pal. Only way this works… trust me."

"Who is your boss?" Keegan returned.

"Someone who is gonna be very happy to see you." Leon pulled the receiver back up, "Now… if you'd excuse me, I gotta make a call, here."

A smile graced his lips despite his current situation, "Don't think there's a long list of people who'd actually be glad to see me," it faded, "especially if it's the kind of people that send soldiers into a bunker full of women, children, and elderly with orders to kill indiscriminately."

Fighting a grimace, Leon shook his head, "...War is hell, old man. You should know that, by now."

"This isn't war, boy. It's mass murder. Children killed because they're different than the others. We take them in, teach them how to control their abilities and give them hope in a world where they are hard pressed to find it. We give families to those who have none. Is that really an evil thing? A thing worthy of the murder of innocents?"

A brow lifted, and Leon smirked, setting down the phone once more, "Damn. You really don't know, do you. What you're up against. You still think it's about powers and folks who are scared of them. Wake up. This is all about war... Always has been. Otherwise, they wouldn't have pulled me into it."

Keegan sunk back into the chair as he mulled over Leon's words. A sigh slipped through his lips and he shook his head, "That would explain why Josie trusted you so quickly, still, it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to be at their beckon call. What do you think they'll do to you in the end? Let you live? You'd be a fool to believe that. You're as dead to them as the rest of us are."

"Of course I'm dead… I'm not stupid. The damn kill-switch in my brain is a pretty clear indicator where I'm headed. But if I can get her out first, that's all I care about. And you're the ticket to getting that." Frowning, he shook his head and for the third time, plucked up the phone, "And I didn't do anything to Josie. Guess that girl just trusts too damn easy. Might wanna see to fixing that… if you make it out of this. Though given how bad they wanna get their hands on you, I wouldn't hold your breath. Now shut up. I need to make this call.."

"I know someone who can get that out of there. She won't even leave a scar," Keegan returned, ignoring the order to keep quiet.

"This the part where you pretend to give a damn about me and mine?" Leon asked, with a note of bitterness, "I break down and agree to let you go, and you promise to help and it's all copacetic? Trouble is, you're all the same. You use us for your cause and put a pretty face on the propaganda, to make it sound like it's something more than just a bunch of dumb kids fighting your battles for you. Battles that should've ended fifteen years ago. Thanks, but no thanks, old man. I'll take my chances with RIEF. At least they don't pretend to be anything more than the bad guys."

Keegan chuckled at Leon's words, not speaking until he calmed down, "Is that what you think Rogue is? That we're just a bunch of old men letting the young and foolish fight our battles? If Aspida and RIEF all had their way, we'd all be dead...you and yours included. At least, we're trying to do something about it. At least, we aren't taking it lying down. We fight because we have to in order to survive. Do you think I get a kick out turning young men and women into soldiers? I'd end this whole damn thing on my own if it meant they'd have a chance to live a life that resembled the one we all took advantage of before All Sorrows."

With a scoff, Leon shook his head, "...Yeah? You'd end it, would you? Well, Old Man. You might just get that chance, today. So… good for you."

"You aren't listening," Keegan shook his head, "I'd end it if the others were guaranteed a life where they didn't have to worry about being murdered because they were different, or-or where they didn't have to be concerned about whether or not they'd be captured and poked and prodded for study. Can you guarantee that?"

"Old man… I can't even guarantee I'm gonna get out of this phone call without some psychotic bitch frying my nervous system with her tablet… But it is what it is. I'm not lookin' to be some noble white-knight hero. I just wanna give my girl a good night's sleep."

"And you think that turning me over is going to give her a good night's sleep? If she's one of us, she'll never sleep peacefully again," he shifted in his seat, "Let's just say you succeed, and I'm not saying you will because I don't think RIEF's going to give a damn what you say once they've pinpointed your location, but let's say you do. What's to stop RIEF from hunting the both of you down and putting one in both of your heads? You're not like them..you're tools and when tools cease to work, they're discarded...they aren't repurposed."

"Like I said… I ain't stupid. This place? It's not traceable. It's why I built it… Deep enough the drones can get a signal. She has to listen, cause she needs you. And as long as I have that leverage, I'm not worried. And if they try to double cross me, I can always kill you, first. Ruin their day, a little."

He couldn't help but smile again as he shook his head, "You both are fools if you think killing me will make any difference. Rogue's an idea, kid, it's not any one person. Kill me, go ahead. Someone else will step into my vacancy and Rogue will continue on, why? Because Aspida and RIEF, hell the whole damn world, wants to take their freedoms, their lives, and those of their loved ones. Rogue will exist long after I'm dead, and long after you, too, if you go down this path."

"Good speech, Gramps. You practice that?" With a smirk, Leon edged the phone away from his ear, "I'm not too worried about where this goes once I hand you over. My conscience was never gonna be in the black again, anyway. I feel for you, I do… but you got no idea how big RIEF is… how big all this is. And you can't beat them. We lost, a long time ago. Can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?"

"Go ahead, then," he nodded to the phone, "Make your call. Seal your fate and that of your girl's because neither of you are going to get out of this alive. You think RIEF's going to let you hand them an ultimatum? You make that call, and both of you are dead...you just won't know it yet."

"They won't kill us." He said with a small, dry smile, "Not yet, anyway. Cost too damn much, you know?" He lifted the phone once more, and a brow lifted, as he hesitated briefly, "...How you figure you're gonna help me, anyway? I try to walk away, I'm a dead man anyway, and Ket's stuck back there without me. That's the problem, Old man. You don't have anything for me."

"I can get that thing out of your head to start, then you'll be able to make your own decisions. I have a doctor who's an expert with the scalpel, and I know a guy who can block transmissions. As far as anything within the device, I know a guy who's done nothing but cause problems form RIEF tech. Once we get that out, then we'll work on getting Ket out. You can provide us with the information we need to send in an extraction team," Keegan sighed, "Surely by now you've seen video of our extraction of Josie. We can do it, but you've got to trust us...and I know that's a tall order to ask of you."

Frowning, Leon's grip on the phone tightened, "And what… you just welcome us into the big, happy family? You know what she can do? Ket? You know what I can do? And that's just our abilities. How the hell you gonna explain to your people you're opening the doors for people who not an hour ago got their friends and family members killed. Trust goes both ways, and I'm not gonna flip teams just to get stabbed in the back."

"I won't lie to you because then I'd be no different than RIEF," Keegan shifted and winced, his wrists were starting to get sore, "Some will be angry and bitter toward you. Those wounds will be difficult to heal for them, but with time, and when they see the effort the two of you put into being a part of our family, they'll come around. Some may even do so when they hear that there were things you had to do or you'd lose your life. You'll be surprised with how understanding people are about that."

"Understanding…" He scoffed again, shaking his head, "You think pretty thoughts, Old Man. But hell if they aren't dreams. You think Josie's gonna be understanding, after I blew out her kneecap? They'll take me down faster than RIEF ever could. You gonna stop them?"

"If I have to," he looked on Leon with hard eyes, "You're one of us, even if you're a bit misguided at the moment. You've had it rough like so many others. Sure, she might have the hardest time coming around, but she won't hurt you...not if I talk to her."

"And why trust us?" The phone settled back on the desk, as he crossed his arms over his chest, "...What makes you think we won't just peel out the minute you get rid of these damn chips? I don't owe you anything."

"You're absolutely right," Keegan tried to shift again, "You won't owe me a thing. But I think that if you're given the opportunity to see what Rogue really is...who we really are as people, you'll come to see and understand that you won't have to fight - either of you. Not everyone in Rogue is a soldier, some are just families trying to survive. You can be whatever you want to be. You and Ket will never have to pick up another weapon unless you want to. It can just be the two of you living out your lives the way any couple would want to. There'll be no more being told what to do. No ultimatums. If you want to help, great. If not, you won't have to."

Scratching the back of his neck, Leon's expression shifted to something unreadable, and for a long moment, he was quiet as he considered the words, "Trouble is, Old Man… We are weapons. That's what they made us. They pull you in and you give up your humanity. To survive…"

"If that were true, you wouldn't be doing this right now. We would not be having this conversation either. A person without humanity cannot love, and yet, you claim your whole motive for all of this is for love. You might have been forced to suppress your humanity, but it is not gone. It only needs to be nourished back to what it once was."

Shifting, he straightened, frowning again, "We shouldn't be having this conversation.I can't… I can't put her at risk. Not for something that's at best a half-assed maybe. They'll destroy your headquarters, and everyone they can with it. How you imagine you're gonna get her out after all that? How do you figure you can save her?"

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing? You're putting all your chips in a maybe now. The only difference is, I won't kill her after I save her."

"How? How are you gonna save her?" Leon asked, and for the first time, there was a note of desperation in his voice.

"You get me the information, like location, manpower, who's leading them, what we can expect going in, and I'll put a team together that fits the needs. We'll get her, but I need all of that information. I can't go running in blind."

"I do, you know…" Leon stated, the bravado falling from his tone entirely, "Love her. Never wanted to… Hell if I wish I didn't. But I do. And I will do anything… to save her. You swear to me, right now, old man… that you can get her out, and we can talk."

"I swear," Keegan sat up as straight as his bindings would allow him, "I will get her out."

Kicking off the desk, Leon paced for a moment, running his hands through his hair. As silence filled the gap in conversation, he could feel his mind revolving at rapid speed. When he finally stopped, he grabbed something from the desk and moving swiftly, slid the sharp end of a blade between the ziptie and chair arm, and with a growl of frustration, pulled it to the side, snapping the tie, "...You get her out."

Mobley Eats · Nov 13, 2018

Lucas Serenity Krestlauv | Interactions: Nobody | Flashback: 4 Years Ago

"Will you say it again?"

Nobody rolled onto his back, stoic as he allowed her to cuddle into his side. He played idly with her short, boyish hair, though his eyes strayed down to her chest with something akin to...displeasure. The emotion was faint, but there.

"Say what," he muttered.

A smile pulled at her lips. "You know what," she chuckled, strained. "I love you...It's been a while since you said it. I cut my hair and you couldn't get it out fast enough." She tucked a stray strand behind her ear as heat rose to her cheeks, her insides warming happily at the memory. He said he loved her. He really said it, after all the hard work she put into earning those three intoxicating words.

Nobody studied her, expression unreadable, before a simple and charming glimmer erupted in his deep brown eyes. He sat up, bridging his body over hers. The young woman found herself entranced by the short curtain of tresses falling over his forehead. An exact match of her mane.

He loomed closer to whisper in her ear, "Don't get greedy, sweetness." The humor in his voice wasn't lost on her. That was Nobody--so collected and charismatic, always knowing the right thing to say.

Suddenly and much to her chagrin, he rolled out of bed and snagged an half-empty pack of cigarettes from the bedside table. The man approached the balcony, wearing only a form-fitting wife beater and lucky clover printed boxers. "Join me."

She was quick to follow.

Nobody leaned on the railing, seeming to count the endless stars above them, his square jaw utterly beautiful in the moonlight. Everything about him was beautiful. His face, his lips, his eyes, his flattering figure, his care for her. She could feel that care like an undying caress.

"Puff," Nobody drawled, pressing up the tip of his cigarette to her lips. She accepted, taking a long draw from it before expelling a cloud of nicotine. The remnants escaped her nostrils in thin tendrils, floating up and stretching for the bottomless heights.

"Different brand?" she asked, tasting a lackluster punch to the smoke.

"I know I said it before but that tongue of yours is damn amazing," Nobody laughed, impishness coloring his features. Despite answering his joke with a smile, knots coiled in her stomach and inspired a muted burning behind her eyes. She tossed it up to the faulty brand coursing through her system.

Nobody finished his stick before dropping the bud to the parking lot three floors down. "Yeah, it is. Nice and cheap. Can't get the fancy shit right now since I'm saving up." A pause. Then he reached out for her. Without prompting, she leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering closed as she allowed rough digits to comb through her choppy locks.

"The cut back will be worth it…" Fingers traced down her chin. Throat. Hollow of her collarbone. Lower. The knots increased in number and intensity. "Once we get rid of these." Nobody's head tilted, his smile turning whimsical and energetic. "Maybe then you'll get another I love you...Damn exciting. Am I right, sweetness?"

Lillian's eyes snapped open.

"You always are."

Mobley Eats · Nov 14, 2018

Collab Post | Interactions: Moira & Vance @Elle Joyner | Location: R.I.E.F. HQ

Vance followed Fade, sticking close to Luna as they headed down the hall. In the briefing room, everyone else had already gathered, and standing at the front was the woman with the tablet. When Vance pulled out a seat for Luna and took one himself, the woman cleared her throat to speak.

"As I'm sure you're aware, we have been successful in recent endeavors to locate the hideout for Miami's largest Rogue organization. Less than an hour ago, we were able to infiltrate their facility and have since captured or killed a number of agents. Rumor has it, Keegan Hull resides at this particular location, and we will know soon whether or not we've successfully detained him. All in all, this is a win for RIEF... but it's far from over. I understand..." Her eyes flickered to Luna, before shifting through the crowd, "That our other mission was less successful? I'd like a debriefing, please. Maxine is very curious to know what went wrong."

Luna stiffened. Her hands, which were clasped on the table, squeezed tighter as her mind momentarily blanked. This woman was asking her? What was this, some sort of sick, spontaneous test? She could barely think straight while absorbing the information that was just now dumped onto her shoulders, how could she possibly answer sensitive questions right now?

It took every iota of will power not to let her gaze stray down. No. She needed to keep eye contact; avoidance of the gaze was a universal sign of deceit. "We...were able to track down two Rogue members," she started quietly, "And I-I'm certain we could have apprehended them, but an...unforeseen anomaly appeared. In the form of a vehicle slamming into ours and n-nearly totaling it." Christ. She stuttered twice. The only reason she hadn't devolved into a babbling mess was Vance's comforting presence next to her.

As subtle as he dared, Vance reached beneath the table to give Luna's knee a squeeze… There was nothing but reassurance in the gesture, and his own eyes never strayed from the woman at the front of the room.

"Well… That's disappointing, but no real loss. Our contact at the location has given us the heads up that these Rogue agents are on the premises. We're sending in a team, shortly. It won't be long before they're apprehended, as well. All in all, a good day, despite your failure. That will be all for now… you're dismissed."

Chairs scraped back, and the other members began to shuffle out, following the woman's heel clicks through the door again, until only a few remained, mumbling in conversation with each other.

Leaning forward, Vance frowned, "Luna… you okay?"

Numbly, she nodded. "Yeah…" I have to l-look that way, she thought, almost bitterly. She hated this. She hated every moment spent lying about who she was while her loved ones were in danger. They found HQ. They really found it and now...for all she knew, people could be dying. Her family was dying.

She glanced at the last few RIEF members who remained, making sure that their attention was diverted elsewhere. She locked gazes with Vance, revealing the wet and pained glossing over of her eyes. "If we're going to move, w-we need to do it now," she muttered, something akin to defeat attempting to fill her insides.

However, it was weak, just an infant form of the real thing, and it paled in the face of her desperation to keep her loved ones safe. They couldn't remain idle anymore, no matter how much she enjoyed just...being with Vance. Her tiny bubble of peace was bound to pop, life rearing the ugliest version of its head.

Grimacing, Vance pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes shifting to the others in the room as well, before returning to Luna, "I've been thinking the same thing. Half of RIEF is out there, right now… and this could be the best chance we have." Sitting up a little straight, he frowned, "I'm not gonna lie to you, Luna. I got like… half a plan in my head, and it's not even a damn good one."

"Half is better than n-nothing," she said. "T-tell me what you've got and we'll go from there, okay? Err," another glance from her peripherals at the others, "Maybe somewhere more p-private?"

Nodding, he waited a moment before he rose, giving an idle stretch, "Well, that was a huge waste of time. Might as well get some rest if they don't have any use for us. Luna? You comin'?" There was an edge of teasing to his voice, and he held out his hand, avoiding the gaze of the others, with a pointed smile.

Luna was almost caught off guard by his sudden nonchalance, only to catch onto his motives a moment later. She returned the smile readily and accepted his hand. "You bet. An e-extended nap is in order anyways." The hacker followed him out, trying to keep her steps at a casual pace.

When they made it back down the hallway, Vance opened his door again and held it for Luna, gesturing her inside, before following himself, "Right…" Closing the door, he flicked the small lock, pinching the bridge of his nose, "So… first things first." And reaching out, he looped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her, "...We'll find them, Luna. Your family. I'm so sorry… about what's happening. But I promise you, whatever happens, we'll get you back to them."

Luna melted into the embrace, her eyes stinging as the dam threatened to crumble. She hid in his chest again, as if the act could actually whisk her away from the cruel reality unfolding. But, then again, she wouldn't be able to fantasize about such a thing. Leaving her family behind just to escape the pain...The mental image hurt beyond words could describe. "Th-thank you," she whispered brokenly, "It's not y-your fault though, Vance, so...don't apologize."

She pulled back, only far enough to stare down at her shoes. "If I go back n-now...No, not if. God, I-I can't yet. W-we need to find your s-sister, Vance. I swore on my l-life that I would." She scraped up enough bravery to look at him, albeit shakily. "D-didn't you say that you know w-where she is?" she asked.

"If I don't apologize, nobody will, and you deserve that much, Luna. Hell… you deserve a lot better than that." Shaking his head, he frowned, hesitating for a moment before he let his arms fall back to his sides, "I know what you said… but I got you into this, and you gotta believe I'm not gonna hold you to that promise if it means you don't get to go home."

A sigh escaped, and Vance moved to the cot, dropping onto the edge and lowering his head into his hands, "...Mon Dieu, quel désastre. All I wanted… all I ever wanted was to get Ade out." Looking up, his eyes tinged red, he shook his head, "...This is what they make you give, Luna. Who you are… and they take and take and the bastards don't care one bit what you lose in the process. And dammit… damn them. Now I've got… I can't… Luna, I can't…" Swallowing, he lowered his eyes, "If anything happened to you…"

"Vance…" At first, Luna couldn't move, not when those eyes overflowing with emotion pinned her in place. Her heart ached and bled for him; she was so busy sniveling about her own panic that she failed to piece together just how detrimental his own sorrow was. They were both hurting, but no matter what happened, no matter the circumstance, her loved ones' pain came first. She carefully sat down next to Vance and looped an arm around his, her head falling to his shoulder.

"RIEF...Th-this organization is pure evil. Th-there's no doubt about that and w-what you said," she started, "And that's what l-life does, Vance. It gives and t-takes and builds you up and b-beats you down with the good a-and the bad...but that's why people like you a-are in this world."

A faint tremor entered her voice, more subtle and fragile than her nervous stutter. "Y-you're that rare light, Vance. The k-kind that can s-survive in pitch black for as l-long as it needs. All that brightness c-comes from you and it n-never dies out. The cruelness in this world can t-take all it wants, b-but you're still Vance." She leaned up to press a gentle kiss to his cheek, every iota of her person throbbing in sadness for him. "You're still m-my light. That's all I'll n-need to make it through this, u-understood?"

Turning to her, Vance stared for a moment, taking in her words with what felt like disbelief. But as she spoke, something kindled, and there was a part of him - a small part, but there - that considered maybe, just maybe she wasn't completely crazy. Yet for all her words, he couldn't help the soft scoff that escaped, as he reached up to cup her cheeks in his palms, "You don't get it, do you, Luna? Any light… in any of this… that's all you. Has been, the whole time. I would have lived my entire life following orders for these people… but the second you showed up, that was done. If there's any good in me? Any good in the slightest… you brought it out. You make me wanna be the sort of man who deserves you." His thumb grazed her cheek, as a small, sad smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, "...That's what you do."

"I-I do get it," she insisted, her hand coming up to rest upon the one cupping her cheek, "I get that...w-we can both be each other's lights, e-especially right now. I...I'm sorry, but I c-can only agree to disagree with you, Vance. I-I placed faith in you once and it t-turned out to be the best decision I e-ever made, and I won't s-stop doing it." He may not believe her words entirely, but Luna was determined to prove how amazing of a person he was. Starting with getting his sister back and destroying these chips.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before letting go entirely. She made no move to back away and felt no need to; she trusted this man. Entirely. No amount of deceit or manipulation could fake the raw emotion and pain he emitted. "So...y-your sister. W-where is she? And don't th-think about ch-changing my mind. Her f-freedom comes f-first, okay?"

"Darlin'... I'm not stupid enough to argue with you. But um…" Smiling faintly, and not without the slightest trace of slyness, his thumb brushed the apple of her cheek again, and he shrugged, "I am gonna kiss you again. Just… just thought I'd warn you, this time."

And he did. Because despite what she said - despite everything she said, he still knew that he'd never have amounted to much of anything if she hadn't tumbled into his life. Maybe he had light inside him, but she was the source, and there weren't words, really, to convey that.

When he pulled back, it was only far enough to rest his forehead to hers, and his eyes closed as he breathed in the moment, before exhaling with a sigh, "It's a secure facility about two miles from here. I know the place like the back of my hand, but that won't make it easy, getting in or out."

Vance had thoroughly shut down whatever clueless comment was prompting to fly out of Luna's mouth...along with ninety percent of her brain. She remained speechless as he pulled away, her entire perception of reality narrowing down to him and his voice. Christ. Okay. She wasn't going to get used to that, was she? Probably not. She attempted to blink away the fog in her head before muttering, "R-right. Um. Okay. I-if it's RIEF tech a-and as high security as you say...c-crap. Two seconds."

She reeled back, covering her face with both hands as she let some of the heat drain from her head. She need to think clearly and that wouldn't work if Vance was busy scrambling her neurons. She needed those.

After a moment, she revealed her face again, having regained an inkling of composure and continued, "A-anyways, I m-might actually be at an a-advantage here if it's all RIEF tech. I'll j-just say that…" she hesitated a moment, "Their designs are v-very familiar to me, e-even more so than Rogue's. S-so getting in will be a p-pinch, but not impossible." She glanced unsurely at Vance. "I-I assume the headcount in there f-for guards is high?"

"That's the thing…" He started, trying very hard to ignore how adorable she was when she was a proper shade of red. This was Adelaide. This was what he'd worked years for, and he wasn't going to blow it because he couldn't concentrate, "Normally, yeah. It's high as hell. But see… RIEF only has a few bases in this area, and for a job like takin' down Rogue HQ? That's gonna take a hell of a lot of men. My guess… we're lookin' at a skeleton crew. Nothing to sniff at, but it won't be walkin' into the full army."

Luna sighed while pushing her curls out of her eyes. "G-good. Good. I-if that's the case, then some tinkering around w-with the bases' security locks and m-maybe even pulling a classic k-knockout cloud would do the trick f-for escaping. We'd have to move fast though, i-if I'm going to be in there with you. T-timers are fickle when tackling RIEF's b-brick wall; their detectors are h-high class, even with the use of a c-cloaker," she said. It vaguely reminded her of the mission she and the others took up to rescue Josie. Only this time, the stakes were higher.

She stood up. "W-we might need Fade for this. Although there's not m-many guards like you s-said, it'd be good to have him a-around for extra stealth. The less n-noise we make in there, the less l-likely they are to bump up their s-system's security, let alone n-notice the timer."

"I was hoping to have Fade cause a diversion here, but if you think we'll need him…" More bodies meant more to watch out for, and that might not be a tactical advantage, but this mission wasn't about being a soldier… it was about Adelaide. About getting her free…

"Probably best we wait for nightfall… hit the armory, first. If we can get in and you drop the security, I can get past the first wave of guards, no problem. Where it gets tricky is inside the halls. It's a labyrinth… And impossible to see around the corners. Damn… if we could get our hands on a drone…"

"W-well, I," Luna tripped over her words, guilt welling up in her stomach. She hadn't forgotten Vance hinting to throwing Fade under the best and...she may or may not was attempting to avoid that fate while covering it up with tactics. She was being stubborn. Trying to save everyone. And she knew this. She really did, but…

"You...you're right. H-he's better off causing a d-diversion here, but if Fade s-survives this, we need to h-help him as well. Whenever we can. As for the d-drone...yeah, that could r-really help. A lot, actually. K-know where we can get our hands on one?"

Looking to Luna, Vance seemed ready to say something, when he thought better of it. She wanted to see the light in him, and who was he to deny her that, after all she'd done. To her question, he grinned and rose up off the cot, "Oh… I do. Emmanuel likes taking pieces of them apart, to see how they tick. Leon's got this theory the drones control the… you know." His gestured vaguely to his head and make a popping motion with his fingers, "And Manny has it in his head he can kill the signal somehow. Claims it's for everyone's sake but obviously no one's investing in that lie. Anyway… he keeps one stashed in his desk drawer. Probably still there."

Luna winced at the exploding gesture, but decided to overlook it and mull over their options. "I-I see. Well, if that's the case, th-that'll be our stop to make b-before heading to that base. I-in case Emmanuel's in there," she shrugged sheepishly, glancing at Vance, "M-mind, like...d-distracting him or...knocking him out or…" She added the last bit as a whisper under a breath, a mixture of guilt and not-really-guilt infecting her tone. She could still feel the sting of her brother's blow.

"Sweetheart…" There was humor in his tone, but the inflection didn't carry to his gaze, blazed and determined, "Do you really think you gotta ask if I mind knocking out that sorry excuse for a human being? Hell, you want me to put him out of commission, you tell me. It would be a damn pleasure, the way he treated you."

"J-just thought I'd ask," she said, a hint of teasing in her tone, though it was overshadowed by the warmth filling her face. Vance really cared for her. "Alright, w-well…" She inhaled deeply, a last minute attempt to steel her nerves. "Let's...d-do this, I guess."

Nodding, Vance turned to her and held out a hand, "We'll find Fade, first. He'll need a time window, cause once we get the drone, we'll have to get to the armory and out of the building before they get wind of what's going on. You ready? If you think, even for a second, you aren't, you tell me… okay?"

Luna reached out for his hand. Paused. Took another moment to collect herself, to take up on Vance's offer and double-check that she was emotionally prepared for this. But then she remembered she would have to be, no matter how scared she felt.

She slipped her hand into his. "R-right. I got it. L-let's find Fade."

Elle Joyner · Nov 14, 2018

As Deck laid it out, Penny could feel her chest tightening. She knew what was coming, before he'd even finished, and without sugarcoating, there was no possible way to misconstrue exactly what had happened. Their base had fallen… Keegan's fate in the air. And with Luna on the other side of the fence, mutants fighting mutants… it didn't get much worse than that.

Biting down hard on the inside of her cheek, she opened her mouth to say something, when Keith beat her to it. He was gone from the room almost as fast, and shortly thereafter, Finn with him, and staring in the wake, she frowned. Quiet as a mouse, Rose excused herself, and Penny had a sneaking suspicion she was going back to the kitchen floor. Soon, it was just Penny and Deck… and she felt the weight of it all in those few seconds, pressing down on her shoulders.

Breathing in, she ran her fingers through her hair. There'd be time later. She could deal with it later. She had to deal with it later, "...We need to get Harper up. Move him out of here. If HQ is down, there's no telling how long we have before RIEF tracks us to this location. We'll need to ditch the SUV we came in… probably reported missing by now, but we can probably take the one Rose crashed into the van. It's got some damage, but most of it appeared cosmetic. If we move out fast, we can get ahead of this."

"Woah," Deck put his hands up cautiously, "Slow down, Penny. I'm already taking care of all that stuff. Why don't you take a moment, let me deal with Harper and the logistics."

"I can't." She started, surprised by the quiver in her voice, "Deck. I… I can't. They need me. They always need me. I can't… not even for a moment."

"You can right now. No one needs you right this moment," he took a step toward her, "Let me shoulder this right now. It's okay to fall apart. No one here is going to judge you, especially not me."

Breathing in sharply, she grit her teeth, her knuckles balling into fists that dug her nails into her palms, "It shouldn't be your responsibility, Deck. I shouldn't be your responsibility…"

"We're a team, Penny," he told her, "You told me Rogue is a family. If that's true, then you aren't my responsibility...you aren't a burden...you're a privilege. Don't you get it? I don't [ihave[/i] to take care you….I get to take care of you."

She stared up at him, eyes burning, taking in his words with a sense of disbelief. But she knew well enough… He hadn't lied about Keegan and the base, hadn't tried to wrap it in a pretty package. Deck didn't handle people. He didn't have to. And for the first time in a long time, Penny felt safe.

But she couldn't let go. Not yet. Not here. And nodding, her fists uncurled, her breath escaping in a smooth sigh, "I'm not okay. But if I fall apart right now, Deck… then I'm no good to any of you. Let's do this… take care of this. And then I promise you… I'll take a moment."

He paused a moment, studying her, and then flashed a tender smile, "That's all I needed to hear," he let out a breath and rubbed his hands together, "We can use Rose's truck for now, but we'll need to switch it out the moment we get a chance. The cosmetic damage you talked about will attract attention we cannot afford. Orlando is a five to six hour drive from here taking the backroads and avoiding the scanners and things."

Nodding, Penny glanced beyond Deck to the figure on the couch, "We'll have to stop halfway… find a motel or something, and get another car there. Better we avoid attracting attention, cause in their headspace, Keith and Finn aren't gonna be fit for a fight…"

"What about you? You fit?" he had to ask.

"To kick RIEF's ass? Hell yeah." Looking up at him, she nodded firmly, and there was no sense of uncertainty. Fact was, fighting at the moment was better than feeling, "You wanna try to wake the bastard up?"

"Do we have to?" Deckard asked with a smirk.

"No…" Penny started, managing a weary smile, "But I'm kinda hoping he mouths off… So you can feed him his front teeth again."

"Hmmm," he looked down at Harper, "That would be nice, though I'm not sure that Finn would appreciate seeing that again."

"Yeah… He wouldn't." But she would… especially at the time, "Alright. Let's do this. The sooner we wake him up, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."

"Alright," Deck leaned over Harper and open-hand slapped him across the face, "Wake up."

Harper sputtered to life as the hand cracked against his cheek, his eyes opening, wide and unfocused, before they narrowed in on the figures standing over him. Wrestling with the cord tied around his wrists, he growled, "You're gonna regret that, you son of a--"

"...It's in your best interest…" Penny interrupted, her tone strained, "To keep your mouth shut. We need to get out of her. Fast."

Suddenly, and without warning, a grin split across Harper's lips, as he pushed himself upright, "Oh… you stupid bitch. You have no idea, do you… You ain't gettin' out of here. Not alive, anyway. None of you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Deck asked, "What do you know that we don't?"

"Deck…" Penny answered softly, as Harper only laughed - the only other determinable sound, that of a helicopter's blade, chopping through the air, overhead, "...He called them."

Pausing a moment, Deckard listened and could hear the helicopter above, "You son of a…," he snatched up Harper by the color of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, "What did you do?! After everything Rogue's done for you! After everything you've done for Rogue!"

Swearing, Penny spun away from the pair, in the direction that Keith and Finn had gone, "Boys! We need to move out! Now!" Skidding to a stop, she eyed a cabinet roughly twice her size and looking over, shouted for Deck, "Help me move this in front of the door!"

Deck growled before slamming Harper against the wall once more for good measure and darting to the cabinet. Grabbing the cabinet, he pushed his shoulder into it, "3..2..1..Push!" he told her.

As Deck and Penny shoved at the cabinet, Rose came from the kitchen, her eyes wider, brighter, a brow lifting, "There's helicop--" But her words were cut off, as suddenly, Harper shrugged free of the cord binding his arms, and reaching out, yanked Rose against his chest, his arm barred against her throat.

"Away from the cabinet. Now."

TAGS || @CloudyBlueDay, @Reythaak , @DarinValore

Mobley Eats · Nov 14, 2018

Collab Post | Interactions: Vance & Emmanuel @Elle Joyner | Location: R.I.E.F. HQ & Holding Base

Finding Fade proved easier than Vance anticipated. He hadn't left the briefing room, and idly, Vance had to wonder if he wasn't trying to eavesdrop on the others that remained. It was curious, what Luna could do... Helpful, but not by small amounts, scary. He understood in full why RIEF had wanted her so badly... But he couldn't help but wonder how it grated on her. What she could do. Knowing the damage she could do to a person...

They had pulled Fade aside as discreetly as possible, informing him of the plan, and while be didn't seem exactly keen on staying behind, there was a level of understanding in his eyes that suggested he was ready to do whatever was necessary for the cause. It was all Vance could do, not to call the entire thing off, to remind himself that before he'd been taken by Luna, he was a staunch opportunist, who had volunteered for RIEF, to keep himself out of the fire.

With the plan set in motion, their next task was Emmanuel, and if Vance had been dreading his conversation with Fade, he was eagerly anticipating this one... With Luna beside him, he paused outside the door, fingers clenched already, "Better he thinks it's you on the other side. He'll be less suspicious..." he whispered to Luna.

"Right." With a nod, she gulped back her fear and knocked. "Um...E-Emmanuel? It's Luna. Mind opening up, please?"

There was a shuffling on the other side of the door, a grunt and finally, a click, as the lock twisted. The knob turned, and Vance stepped to the side, fighting a small smirk at the thought of what was about to happen, and slowly, the door pulled inward, "What do you want, Little Moth?"

Luna faltered a moment, her brain scrambling for something convincing to say. "Um...I just wanted to run an idea by you about the vans? That vehicle hits hard and out of nowhere. If you want, I've got some basic logarithms down for proximity alerts to install...Mind letting me in so we can discuss further?"

A brow lifted, and Emmanuel opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was was truncated, as Vance side-stepped Luna and with swift hands, reached out to catch Emmanuel by the throat. He pushed, shoving Emmanuel back into the room and as Luna's brother sputtered in a choked rage, Vance pulled up his other hand and with a firm, tense fist, swung hard and fast, connecting with the bridge of Emmanuel's nose.

He dropped, hitting the floor with a thud, and shaking out his arm, Vance looked to Luna, "...Bottom drawer of the desk, Love. God, that felt better than it should've…"

Luna almost jumped upon hearing the impact, momentarily frozen as she stared at her brother's unconscious form. Wow...so that's how you throw a punch. She took mental note while tip-toeing around the fallen body…

Okay fine. She actually stopped to give Emmanuel a kick to the side, but she wasn't going to admit that if anyone asked.

Now that she got that out of her system, she scurried over to the desk and started rummaging through the drawer. There were some miscellaneous technology and devices, but the drone stood out against the mess. She retracted it, popping up and back into view like a victorious Whack-A-Mole. "G-got it!"

"That's my girl…" Vance noted, before looking to the door, "Alright… We'll lock it, before we leave, so no one can come poking around. Armory is next. You wanna try to see if you can get that thing up and running, and programmed to give us an extra pair of eyes… and I'll see about grabbing us some fire power?"

Luna plopped into her brother's chair, instantly realizing why he liked to spin around in it dramatically like a cheesy villain. "C-can do. He's got m-more than enough tools for me to work with, s-so it should only take a minute." She set to work on dismantling the drone and tinkering with its circuitry. Just as she thought...incredibly familiar. However, she paused to look at Vance, concern coloring her features. "B-be careful."

Smiling, he stepped forward, and leaning down, pressed a delicate kiss to her forehead, before he turned to the prone figure on the floor. Bending down, he hefted Emmanuel up from beneath his shoulders, and dragging him towards the cot, he grabbed the sheet off of it, securing it to the frame of the cot, before tying it, perhaps slightly tighter than needed, to Emmanuel's wrists.

"If he wakes up again, before I get back, give him a good whack to the back of the head. And Luna? You be careful, too…" With a wink, Vance headed for the door, slipping out and closing it behind him.

"I-I doubt I'll need to do that," she chuckled, eyes trained on the drone once more. "Y-you really clocked him good." She answered the wink with a sheepish smile, still getting used to his...well, ways. He was a sweetheart though, so she didn't mind. Once Vance was gone, she fell back into her usual hacking routine. It was somewhat different since she wasn't in front of a computer screen, but she definitely dabbled in the more hands-on category. She was just a tad out of practice, which explained why she asked for a minute rather than a few seconds.

Regardless, a beep chimed and the drone whirred as its power core switched on. Good, it was ready for pairing. Once she connected it via Bluetooth to whatever device she pleased, it was smooth sailing siphoning the camera feed--

Groaning.

Luna froze, silencing a yelp just before it escaped. She peeked over the desk to see Emmanuel stirring awake. O-oh God! Oh crap! A-are you serious?! Um! Um! Panicking, she dove back into the drawer in search for a makeshift weapon...but these were all sharp. Fatal. Even if her brother was an asshole, she couldn't just stab the guy.

And now he was starting to sit up. In the next second, he would turn around and see her.

Christ, Christ, Christ! Quickly, she scrambled out of her chair and came up behind Emmanuel, who noticed the presence groggily. Face throbbing, he turned around, a question on the tip of his tongue--

A fist cracked against his jaw.

"O-ow! God! Ah! S-still hurts!" Luna cradled her poor fist, watching as her brother hit the floor again. How did Vance do this on a daily basis?

Almost as soon as Emmanuel dropped a second time, there was a knock at the door, and Vance's quiet mumble, "Luna… go ahead and unlock. You ready?"

Shaking her hand, she unlocked the door and paced back towards the desk, stepping over Emmanuel and holding up the drone. "I-I've got our eyes." Her knuckles still throbbed, making her wonder what in the world that man's skull was made of--Liam Neeson metal?

His eyes shifted as the door opened, to see Emmanuel in a different position and for a moment, concern filled his eyes, "He wake up? You okay?"

"U-um...yeah?" She shifted from one foot to another. "I-it's okay, though. I kinda had to…" Sheepishly, she held up her fist, still trembling a bit as the leftover adrenaline coursed through her body. "Yeah. Y-you really would make an a-awesome teacher."

Blinking, he looked between brother and sister again, before a laugh escaped his lips, "Damn… I'm impressed. That's not exactly a beginner's move." Stepping inside, he closed the door again, and pulled up the edge of his shirt, pulling free a handgun, which he tentatively held out to her, "You know how to use one, Luna"

Cautiously, she took the offered weapon. "Uh, well, I-I know how to use one, just not t-terribly experienced. I should be o-okay with it though. Thank you." As an afterthought, she remembered seeing something of use in Emmanuel's drawer and backtracked to take out what appeared to be a simple tablet. "I-I can attach this to the drone's d-database, then we'll d-definitely have eyes. Is there a c-car ready that we can use?"

This time, the grin that split his lips wasn't apprehensive, and he gave a firm nod, "Oh… we've got wheels. Come on. We should move, quick." Glancing at his watch, he nodded, "Got about four minutes, before Fade gives us our exit."

Fade. That was right--he was in charge of the distraction. Luna tried not to think about it and simply stowed the tiny tablet in her back pocket while tucking the drone under her arm. "R-right behind you," she said.

"No, Luna…" Vance said, with a small gesture of reassurance, as he reached out for her hand, "You're right beside me. Now, come on. I gotta introduce you to Lucy…" And pulling open the door again, sure to click the lock afterwards, he led her down the hallway. It was a decent trek to the garage, and after three quarters of the way, there was a sudden jolt in the air… an explosion in the distance, that gave Vance pause for only a moment, "That'll be Fade," he said with a nod, before continuing, moving just a little faster.

Inside the garage, he headed for one of the solid metal doors, and pressing in the code to open it, gestured to a large object, covered in an off-white tarp, "Pull that off, would you? Keys should be in the ignition, already…"

Honestly--Luna should've known the distraction would be an explosion, but it didn't nothing to soften her concern for Fade. She prayed the man would make it out of the fray in one piece. "...Lucy?" she muttered under her breath, absentmindedly taking heed of Vance's request and yanking the tarp off...to reveal a bike. Oh…Oh!

She understood now.

"Sh-she's a beaut," Luna giggled.

"My third best Gal," Vance said with a small grin. When door had fully opened, he nodded, and moving to Luna's side, he felt for the keys, giving them a small twist in the ignition. The bike purred to life, Vance's care evident in the sound she made as she started up. Grabbing two helmets from the rack, he held one out to her, "You ready? Really ready? Any second thoughts and we can call this off, right now. Blame the explosion on the toaster or the Keurig or something…"

Luna's lips pursed, accepting the helmet. "A-a worthy rival." However, she sobered up as Vance gave a final way out. She sighed, "No...n-no blaming the poor Keurig or toaster. O-our generation needs those guys t-to survive in the mornings. I-I'm ready, Vance...really." She slipped the helmet on, looking at him expectantly.

Laughing faintly, he nodded, before turning to the bike, swinging his leg around to straddle the seat, "Alright. Climb aboard, darlin'... Here we go. And hold on tight. She's quick…" When she was on, he gave the throttle a brush, before twisting it, and with a jolt, the bike growled out of the garage and out into the cool night air.

Luna had never rode on a bike before. The experience was exhilarating, to be perfectly honest, and as the base slowly came into view, she knew in that moment she would love to catch more rides with Vance in the future.

They stopped a short way's off and Luna hopped off, yanking her head free of the helmet...She didn't need to look in a mirror to know that her curls were somewhat smooshed. Whatever. She didn't have time to worry about her looks, especially since she usually never did. She crouched down, placing the drone down and turning it on. She immediately to work locking signals with it on her tablet. "I-I'll get this bad boy up and running in just...a...sec." Just as she finished, the tablet's screen blinked to life, displaying everything through the drone's camera lens. "J-jackpot."

"...If I ever forget to say it in the future, Luna… you're absolutely brilliant." Setting his own helmet on the bike seat. With a breath, he turned to the building and pulling his own firearm from his waistband, he checked the safety, and pried back the slide, "...Okay. Here we go. Remember… They will kill you, Luna. You're valuable to them, but if they catch you doing this, they'll kill you. You cannot worry about hurting people. They won't. Stick close to me, and we should make it through." Pausing, he turned to her, and reaching out, gingerly cupped her chin, "...But you need to promise me, Luna... if at any time, this thing goes south, and I tell you to get out… you get out. I mean it. I won't set one foot in that base if I don't hear your absolute word on it. Got it?"

Luna's jaw clenched, not liking the graveness in Vance's tone...but completely understood where his emotions came from. But sometimes, understanding wasn't enough to smother the dread. "I...I-I promise, Vance. If it goes bad...w-which it won't, I'll...d-do what's necessary." She wished she could pool faith into her own words, into herself. But really, in all honest reality, if such a horrid moment was to arise, would she be able to go through with it?

She wished she had enough time to contemplate further, but neither of them did.

Reluctantly, she stepped away and activated the drone via the tablet and switched it to Stealth Mode. Instantly, the constant hum emitting from the machine softened and it slowly pulled from the ground. "N-now let's get some eyes on the entrance and m-make sure no one's in our way," she said while pulling out the gun Vance gave her. The weight felt wrong in her hand, but circumstances called for a change in morals. Just a temporary shift long enough to get them out of R.I.E.F. with Adelaide in tow.

As the drone sailed over the base building and steadily lowered towards the entrance, there appeared to be a pair of guards manning it, though they didn't seem as alert as she assumed. "T-two in the front," she said.

Leaning over, he glanced at the tablet, frowning softly, "...We can pull around the left of the guard house, and avoid any bloodshed. There, by the fence… if we can slip in, we can make a break across this blind spot, here… and head in through the doors. We might not be able to get out the same way, but at least we're not starting with.. well, you know."

"C-can do," Luna muttered as she guided the drone over to the left wing of the building. Luckily, she failed to see anyone, so looping around seemed to be the best option. "It's clear." She gave pause, making sure that the guards out front weren't looking in their general direction, before quickly creeping around to the left entrance. Carefully, she tested the door handle and was pleasantly surprised to hear a soft click...followed by the door opening. She blinked. That was...easier than she thought. But still, she'd rather not let her guard down and started guiding the drone inside to give a sweep of the area.

Vance held his breath as they moved, his finger hovering over the trigger box. Contrary to his courage, he didn't want to be responsible for ending anyone's life. Not when he knew what it would do to Luna - the guilt it was sure to put on her shoulders. She was sweet and innocent, and while his record was tainted, she didn't need to put that on her conscience, and he would do everything possible to avoid it, if he could.

Inside, he paused again and glanced at the tablet, nodding, "We'll have a clear run from here to the cells… they don't need security on this end because of the gate. When we get there, I'll need you to try and get past the code system…."

Just as Vance said this, Luna glanced at the screen and saw the confirmation. Not a soul in sight. With a nod, the pair slipped inside and quickly jogged down the corridor, the drone not too far ahead. "Cracking the c-code won't be a problem. J-just cover my back while I w-work on it," she rushed out mid-stride.

"You got it…" Vance said with a nod. It wasn't something she really had to tell him to do… As she headed for the code box, Vance glanced up and down the hallway, keeping an eye out, his firearm at the ready. In his mind, he needed to focus on each task at hand… straying meant thinking about what they were there for, and that meant thinking about Ade… and he couldn't risk the distraction.

"Just tell me when you've got it…"

Luna worked quickly to form a dual connection between her tablet and the coding system, tricking it with the drone's hard frame as a cover up. In all truth, she was somewhat winging this approach, but had plenty of confidence that it would work. Besides, if these codes worked like she thought they would, the wall crumble in three, two, one…

A beep.

The lights on the code box turned green, followed by the unlocking click of the door. She pulled it open, already guiding the drone in. "W-we're in."

"Damn…" Looking over at her, Vance grinned, "Now I see why RIEF was so keen to get their hands on you. That was impressive as hell." With a shake of his head, he pushed open the gate and stepped around the side of it, gesturing down the hall, "Alright… it's a left, then two rights to the next door. If we've got any luck, there won't be more than one patrol… If we're really lucky, there won't be any. All set?"

Luna flushed a little before shrugging. "Th-thank you. Being geeky and t-tech savvy is my thing, I guess." She absorbed the directions without any problem, despite the sweat steadily building in her palms. Her mind might've been sharp, but the anxiety welling up in her body was unimaginable. Once all of this was over, once they were safe and sound and away from the danger...she would have a proper breakdown. Screaming, tears, and wheezing--the whole traumatized shabang.

She slipped down the halls with Vance, gun raised shakily in case the drone's camera misses anything. First left. No one. First right. Nothing. Second right...not an individual in sight. The hacker couldn't be grateful enough for Vance's idea to infiltrate this base while they were busy destroying Rogue...HQ…

She forced her mind off the subject as their destination grew closer. Gaze traveling from side to side in building paranoia, Luna whispered, "Th-this should be it...Vance, y-you ready to see your s-sister and get her out of h-here?" A smile pulled at her lips, genuinely relieved and happy for him. He would finally be able to save Adelaide.

Heart pounding, Vance continued down the hall on legs that seemed hardly stable enough to hold his weight. Luna said it, and never before had words seemed so important… and yet they hardly even began to cover what exactly he was feeling. His eyes burned and he blinked them, nodding, as they rounded the last corner, reaching out with his free hand to grab Luna's, clutching it like a lifeline.

The hallway was line with cells, each one dark on the inside, with a solitary light in the hall center. Each cell had a solid metal door and a viewing window in the middle of it. Without pausing, he moved to the last cell at the end of the hall, gesturing to the code box next to it, "Should be the same as the gate…" he breathed, a hand on the door, bracing himself.

Luna squeezed his hand back, sensing the overwhelming emotion pouring off of him like waves of a tsunami. She was sure to dial in the code quickly, not wanting to keep him separated from his sister any longer. He needed this. He needed to see her desperately. Like before, there was the beep and the cell door unlocking with a soft, drawn out hiss. She smiled tenderly at the man, her thumb stroking his knuckles in silent support. "I'm r-right here by your s-side, okay? So get in there," she said.

The code beeped and the door clicked, and for a solid thirty seconds, Vance couldn't move. He hadn't seen her… talked to her… in so long, and there was no telling what condition she was in, what her mental state was like. What they had done to her…

The tears burned hotter as his hand found the knob and shaking, he turned it, giving a tug to let the door slide open. On the cot in the center of the room, the girl sat, dark hair furled about her, framing her like a curtain. Her head shot up when the door opened and for a moment, she squinted through the darkness, before with an audible gasp, she bolted. Long limbs, thin from lack of a healthy diet flung around Vance and as he scooped his sister up into his strong arms, the tears came from both of them. His knees nearly buckled under the emotional strain and he held himself upright only by the door frame, hugging on to Adelaide without relent.

Luna watched from a respectable distance, glancing out the door every handful of seconds for guards. Regardless of the tense and dangerous circumstances, she could feel her heart swelling in secondhand relief, a natural smile gracing her features. They had done it. They'd really done it.

Not wanting to shatter their moment, she whipped out the tablet again and started hammering away at the drone's system, searching for its chip coding. If she could actually dismantle the chips too, killing two birds with one stone...She would finally be able to breathe easy. But, of course, there was no telling what she would find, as the chip seemed to have a newer design based on the what she saw.

When Vance was finally able to talk again, and Adelaide finally released him, he held her out at an arms-length, his words coming in near-rapid French, "Little angel… I told you I would come for you. I told you I would. We're getting out…"

"You're an idiot, Vance. You're a complete idiot." Her arms came around him again, in another hug, before she stepped back again, "Who's the pretty girl?"

Glancing to Luna, Vance chuckled, "It's a long story. But we need to get out, first, Ade… Please. Come along."

Nodding Adelaide ran her palms across her cheeks, drying them, before reaching down to take Vance's hand. Looking to Luna, Vance nodded, "...Thank you…" he breathed, "...Let's go."

Luna's mind automatically translated their French, which caused her to blush somewhat at the "pretty girl" comment and momentarily force her gaze to the floor. Clearing her throat, she replied shakily in French as well, "Y-you're welcome. It was the least I c-could do to help...I'm glad to finally meet you, Adelaide. Um, y-you're pretty too," she tagged on in classic dorky fashion, hoping that was socially okay.

Hoping to skip over that awkwardness, Luna started stepping foot out of the cell, her tablet still decrypting the chip's coding.

Reythaak · Nov 14, 2018

The Boys and their Feels
Finn & Keith
⤑Collab Between@CloudyBlueDay, and Reythaak

At Deckard's words Finn's jaw dropped. Rogue… gone? Decimated… attacked… his friends, his teammates, his life. Gone. Decimated. All the lives lost. Deckard had listened to the gunshots. It was a punch in the gut. A hard, iron-knuckled punch in the gut. In Finn's eyes was absolute devastation; his home had heen destroyed. The only safe haven he had ever known was no longer safe.

Somehow, he swallowed, pushing it all down. Without a word to Penny or Deck, not even a glance in their direction for fear they would see the tears brimming in his eyes, Finn marched after Keith just to have the door slammed in his face. And the dialogue of Keith's angry call was almost as upsetting as Rogue.

Flinching at the sound of his friend's broken sob, Finn leaned against the door. "Keith, man," Finn murmured. "Guess your picnic came a little sooner than we planned for."

Keith hadn't even registered Finn behind him when he closed the door. He might not have been as forceful with it, if he had, and might have even told Finn to scoot, to let him give that message in peace. But, instead, Keith sat on the bed, curled up tight in on himself and letting at least some of the stress of the day out. He didn't even know if the message he'd just sent to his dad would keep him completely safe, and that was even worse if anything.

Inching the door open, Finn slid into the room and closed the door behind him, before strolling to the bed and sitting at the edge of Keith's feet. He didn't say anything, just exhaled, and placed his chin in his hands.

Keith didn't even have to look to know who walked into the room, and he had to fight not to curl even further into himself. Instead, he took several shaky breaths and forced his eyes open to look down at Finn.

"S...sorry. I… had to take care of something…" he managed after a few moments of just sitting there.

"I heard." Finn muttered, hands twisted uncomfortably in his lap. "Your… dad. He didn't know? About you?" Finn whispered.

Keith sighed, closing his eyes again then reaching down between his feet to pick up his phone. Stalling a little bit, trying to figure out the best way to word things. He put his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hands.

"It… it was… code. Kind of," came the slow reply, "You know I don't… didn't… live only at HQ. I hung out with my "archivist," and helped him with stuff still too. My archivist and my dad are the same guy."

"O-oh." Finn muttered. "You're… I… wow." Finn mumbled. "Damn, Keith. You're braver than anyone I've ever met, you know that? Living like that…. it must have been hell."

"Naw. I'm paranoid and a coward," Keith managed a rueful laugh and a shake of his head, "And luckier than a lot of folks who's parents… weren't as fond of metas. My dad would do pretty much anything to keep me safe. So, I had to send him a message letting him know what was up. And make sure he didn't get caught in the crossfire."

Finn's brows furrowed. He thought back to his own parents, the parents who had seen the scanners going off and ran for their lives, even though he'd only been ten. "No… you're not. Well, you might be a little paranoid, but.." Finn shook his head. "Everything you do takes guts, Keith. Making that phone call takes guts. Being here, testing your loyalties… that's brave."

Keith just gave a little shrug. "I'm loyal to Rogue and my dad. Even when I'm scared, or feel like everything's falling down around us, I'll keep being loyal to those if nothing else." That being the guiding principle made things easier for him, in a lot of ways. It made him less likely to freeze when a decision had to be made. If it was a decision for the benefit of either his dad or the Rogues as a whole, he could usually manage it.

"...I feel like I have the emotional capacity of a teacup at the moment, though. I feel all wrung-out and just… I'm hitting that numb point, I think. Where everything's just been too much and you can't process it."

Finn fell onto the bed on his back, staring up at the crusty ceiling."S'okay to hit that point. I think I've been at that point for a long time." He admitted. "The teacup point. Where everything is about to spill. Ya know. Can't get filled back up if you don't spill it all out.." Finn laughed a little awkwardly.

"Well. You're not wrong," Keith said, allowing a smile. He slid his phone back in his pocket. He'd probably ditch it soon, maybe destroy it, but stomping it in the cabin didn't sound as satisfying. Out on pavement, it might at least make him feel a little better.

"This entire… thing. It's all fucked up," he grumbled, joining Finn in flopping back on the bed.

"Our lives are fucked up." Finn deadpanned. "Gettin' massacred for something we don't have control over. But I think.. I finally get it, Keith. I think I might finally get it. Why… I'm here." Finn draped his arm over his stomach. "Because I want to make a difference. 'Cause I spent my whole life listening to people who were afraid of me… believing that I had nothing to offer. Now… I don't have that option. To doubt what I've got.. because I have to do something, about the people blowing up my home, hurting those who can't protect themselves. Hurting my family." Finn sucked in a breath. "I'm sick of feeling like this, you know? Filled to the brim, about to spill over. It can't be like that anymore.. not when lives are at stake. I can't doubt myself… neither can you."

"...You're not wrong," Keith conceded. He closed his eyes, listening to his friend, and a real smile creeping onto his features. "Maybe I did get to you a little bit earlier," he teased, elbowing Finn's side lightly, "That's a good thing. None of us really have the luxury of doubting ourselves anymore, though. Not if we want to make it through this alive, with our family."

Letting out a suppressed chuckle at Keith's poke, Finn rolled over. "You know I'm ticklish. I don't appreciate that." Finn said with a smile. "Yeah… you did get to me, Keith. I shoulda been listening earlier. You're my family. Rogue's my family. Not that sleezy drunk passed out on the couch. You, the guy who would follow me no matter what I say… wouldn't leave 'till I said I was good. I'm gonna fight now, Keith. For you. For Rogue." Finn sat up, hands gripping the edge of the bed. "Gonna fight to save Rogue.. Gonna fight to get Luna back."

"Yup. I know," the words came out a little smug. He didn't take advantage of Finn being ticklish almost ever. But once in a while, he deserved it.

"We're both gonna fight to save Rogue. And Luna. And Deck and Penny and everyone else'll help too, because while we're pretty awesome, I think it might be a bit much for just us."

"Y-yeah.. maybe a little bit much. But we're gonna do it, Keith. We're gonna do some good." Finn slapped a hand against Keith's back. "No more teacups, yeah? Done with that crap." Finn brushed his eyes, wiping away the remainder of what could've been more emotional scene.

Keith nodded. "No more teacups," though he didn't sound like he entirely believed that. Internally, he was fully aware there were going to be at least a couple more waves of freak out to ride later on. But it felt… Almost manageable for now.

Finn could hear the doubt in his friend's voice, but he'd said all there was to say. He was going to stick by Keith, no matter what, and he would help his friend see it over time. It had taken Finn a long time too…

"We'll get through this."

"We will. Just right now, if I let all of it out, I'm not going to be very useful to anybody. So. A couple more teacups for me," Keith said with a shrug.

"I'll get those for you, brother." Finn said with a smirk. "We can stay here a little longer.. 'till Penny kicks our asses out." Finn fell back onto the bed, humming the nursery rhyme under his breath. Tried to hold the hurt in his heart and turn into power, something in his life that he'd never felt he'd had. It was on the tip of his tongue, just barely past the grasp of his fingertips. He wouldn't let himself or anyone else be hurt anymore. Not when he'd finally, finally realized he could do something about it.

Keith ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out a good way to explain it exactly. "At this rate, her and Deck'll want the room for something or other and kick us out for that," he said with a snicker, latching onto the lighter subject.

"What?" Finn said, brows furrowed. "You don't actually think… that?"

"Naw. Not at this point. They both might as well have butterflies flyin' around their auras though," Keith grinned. It wasn't entirely accurate, but it didn't change that it was amusing and the attraction was pretty obvious to him. Even if it wasn't literal butterflies.

"Oh, my god. I can't believe I didn't see it.." Finn shook his head, dragging his hand down across his face. "Hope he's good to Pen. Else I'll blow out Michelin man's tires." Finn said with a laugh.

"There's been a lot going on. I have an advantage on sense motive rolls," Keith gave a little dismissive motion, "Anyways. Anyone that's not good to our family has to deal with us. That includes people in our family."

Finn snickered. "Gonna be weird to see Penny with anyone." His thoughts travelled back to Rose's words, but Finn bit his tongue. He didn't imagine Penny had a past like that either.. but here they were. "I wish I had a better idea of what was going on with people like you." Finn mused.

"I don't think they're going to do any of the getting together… thing for a bit. I don't think they're quite sure where they stand. We're probably better off keeping our mouths shut about it honestly." Keith was pretty grateful for the different topic though. It was… more comfortable. Less likely to make him feel like he was spilling over. Then he tilted his head to the side. "What 'cha mean?"

Finn laughed, shaking his head. "I just.. feel like I'm oblivious to the obvious sometimes, is all. You have a better time with that. You probably would even without your powers."

"Nope. I'd be clueless without them. Trust me," Keith smiled slightly, "My mom'd have kept me nice and isolated so I wouldn't have the slightest idea."

Finn glanced downwards at the mention of Keith's mother. It was strange how he could barely remember his own. "I hope it's okay to ask… what happened to your mom?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Keith let it out slowly. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut there. He tapped his finger on the bed for a moment. "My mom was terrified of metas. She found out I was one, and she would have turned me in. Put me in the car and dropped me right on R.I.E.F.'s doorstep. My dad… didn't let that happen," he let it hang, "He… well. He killed her, to keep me safe."

Finn swallowed. Their stories were similar, up to a certain point. A very certain point that sent shivers down Finn's spine. "I'm sorry, Keith." Finn murmured.

Keith could only really shrug. "I'm… I don't know. I… might be sorry… that things ended up going the way they did. But it's the way things end up going for a lot of metas, and it just… sucks. It gives me-us, a chance to try to change it though because of the way it all went down…" he trailed off.

Finn nodded in agreement, giving a long, deep sigh. "I guess that's the only.. the best way to think about it." Finn murmured. "Sometimes I wonder what my parents are up to. They were alive when I left 'em.."

"For now, it's probably better not to think too hard about it," Keith offered, "If… they're not around now, I don't know if it's even worth wondering about…"

Suddenly there was a growling noise above the shoddy cabin.. a helicopter. Penny shouted for them, and Finn jolted upright, glancing worriedly at Keith before ducking out of the room.

Keith was up and after him a moment later, with a quiet curse under his breath.

CloudyBlueDay · Nov 14, 2018

FINN WESTFALL

Rushing out of the room with Keith, Finn skidded to a halt as the scene formed before them. With the helicopters swarming above he'd already been privy to what was coming… but Harper with his arm around Rose's neck set something off in him. The man who he had looked up to in childhood, his rescuer, was holding another victim and threatening her life over theirs.

The man who Finn had once tried to desperately to believe in had sold them out.

There had been goodness in that man, when Finn arrived. He remembered it in flickering flashes, in wavering moments, a candle threatening to blow at the slightest gust of wind. Harper could not overcome the grief and sorrow of the world, resorting to throw anyone that reminded him of his wife's joy to the gutters, to the clutches of R.I.E.F. And horribly, foolishly, Finn had almost followed in his footsteps.

No more. It couldn't be that way. He couldn't become Harper, he couldn't become his parents. Cowardly, afraid, like them. He grew up surrounded by hatred, by lonesome, and he'd let it overtake him. No more. He could not be afraid when he was capable of doing something; capable of changing the way the world worked, the way it devoured the goodness of those who knew no better. Not when his home was being attacked, when his friends were being taken. He couldn't afford to let go.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" Finn yelled, face red, fists barred tight at his sides. A strange breeze suddenly entered the room, ruffling locks of hair and tussling clothing. Harper would suddenly find the air in his lungs leaving him, strangling him, and a fire present in Finn's eyes unknown to the world before made itself known.

"You gave us up, didn't you?" Finn said, and behind the fire there was tears. "I looked up to you and you threw me away. You threw my family away, kept them from me, made sure I'd stoop down to your sick level. And I listened," Finn shouted. He was barely even aware of what he was doing to Harper. "Not her… not anyone else. Let us go!"

CloudyBlueDay · Nov 14, 2018

FRANCIS BLANCHARD

Francis did her best to aid the group to the interrogation room, ducking and weaving from the oncoming barrage of mutants and R.I.E.F agents alike. It was hard, to be invisible amongst the chaos, not to reach out and help, or fight. It was especially hard for someone like Francis, who thoroughly enjoyed jumping at every chance to use her fists. To watch her teammates, all of them innocent, be massacred in front of her only served to steel Francis's gaze as she tried not to look. Tried not to digest it.

Their little rag tag team wasn't one Francis had ever seen herself going on a mission with, but it was working, for now. Levi's shield was allowing them to move quite effortlessly, and even Nick was aiding their sound. Even Lucas was keeping quiet, which allowed her to think. At this high of energy, Francis could take a bullet and it'd only leave a really terrible bruise. She had to be careful before the lines blurred between bad bruise and bullet wedged between ribs.

The interrogation room was almost in sight; it felt like it'd been a long journey, and it almost looked like Francis was struggling hard to keep her emotions down. Her jaw was tight, brows furrowed, face creased.

She stopped a corner away from the interrogation room, allowing a vantage point of the door and the area surrounding it.

"No sudden movements." Francis murmured. "Gonna look suspicious to watch a door open with no one ... " No one.. There? Suddenly she could see movement inside. Was that… blood, leading into the room? Francis tapped into her powers, heightening her senses. She could hear movement inside, a familiar, panicked voice.

"Fuck." Francis hissed, and gave the signal for the go ahead before darting across the way, barging into the interrogation room with a little too much force (in her defense she'd thought it would be locked) to find Josie on the floor, blood gushing, and Devon, slumped and wide eyed in a chair. Ziptied. The door buckled slightly under the force Francis delivered, and first thing she did was crouch against the floor, shrugging off the cardigan she'd thrown on after the shower and pressing it against Josie's wound, wrapping it as tight as she could.

"What the hell happened?!" Francis wheezed. "Josie, are you with me? Someone get Devon untied!"

@Kat @Reythaak @Mobley Eats @WingWong @KatSea

Mobley Eats · Nov 14, 2018

Lucas Serenity Krestlauv | Interactions: Interrogation Room Peeps @CloudyBlueDay , @KatSea , @Reythaak , @WingWong @Kat @Elle Joyner | Location: Interrogation Room

Christ on rice!

Lucas had a general idea of what he and the group had to deal with during their journey, but goddamn did a few bullets come a little too close to marring his perfect body! That would've been bad. So bad. Like, what if a cap popped in his ass? Lucas liked his butt and thought it was very appealing--essentially his money maker and secret weapon. What would he do then if he was cursed with an injured behind after all of this? Just...No. Definitely not. He shivered in fear just imagining it.

However, that's all the gunshots were. Close calls. And he could only thank God that FILF (yes, a modification of MILF) and the beautiful newbie (Nate, was it? No...Nick! Good ole Nick) had stealth covered. Either way, they made to the interrogation room successfully, Francis manning the front as lead. "No sudden movements," she said, "Gonna look suspicious to watch a door open with no one..." Curious by her sudden silence, Lucas followed her gaze and sucked his lips into his mouth.

Yep. Uh huh. That be a blood trail. And judging by the smearing, someone injured defiantly was dragging themselves around. Legs not working right? Lower body hit? Probably. Meh. Didn't really matter. Once they all filed inside, Lucas eyes locked onto Josie and Devon, the former bleeding from her knee while the latter was zip-tied to a chair. This day was just so dang interesting--to sugarcoat it. Seeing as how Francis was focused on stopping the bleeding in Josie's knee rather than riding his ass about keeping shut (a man could only dream), he let out a brief whistle while asking, "Damn, Jo Jo! Who shot you?" There wasn't any humor in his voice; it was a genuine question, though he doubt Jo Jo would have the patience to answer his serious. At least, not without trying to bit his head off.

God. So many women with fire. He loved it.

However, he then locked his attention onto Devon and sauntered over. He was a delicious specimen too. Not Hex-level delicious, but boi was he up there. Gave off a kind of...Sexy Lion King vibe. "Mufasa, how dare you get down to kinky fun without me," Lucas teased with a pout before activating his diamond hide again. He raised a single finger, watching as it flattered into a thin and dense blade the size of a pencil, one side blunt and the other sharp. "Yo guys, don't know if you trust me with sharp shit around Devon. Just a heads up before I swan dive into this biz!"

junebug · Nov 14, 2018

The Devil's Already Here

Bang. Bang. Bang. Another gunshot, one after another. Why did she feel so much inner turmoil? What could she have done better? Josie's mind slipped back into the recesses of her subconscious, back to who she used to be. The woman she regretted. A trail of smoke flitted across her memory and she closed her eyes, content with just being.

"Hey, light me another," Josie murmured, and her fellow gal lit a second joint for them to share.

"We're just a whole bunch of fuckin' degenerates, I'm tellin' ya," Suzie grimaced. "My ma kicked me out when I was young for stealing some kid's food and an old man's wallet."

Josie took a long draw on the rolled joint and coughed.

"You think that's so terrible, try being neglected by your parents emotionally," she asserted. "They used me, experimented on me, manipulated me, they fucked up everything I was going to be. I'm glad they're gone."

"Geez, Jos, didn't realize you'd had it that hard. Parents suck anyways," Suzie sneezed and ran her fingers through her hair. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and took Josie's joint into her fingers. "C'mon, it's gettin' cold out here on this warehouse rooftop."

"I'd rather die out here than be in that heat," Josie grumbled and exited the cool air, the only thing that made her feel like she could breath for a few minutes. The constant, repetitive electronic beats and synthesizers gave her a headache and she guessed that's what she got for accepting Suzie's invite to the unknown. She'd tried to have a life. She'd tried to be a good girl.

Josie sat down at the makeshift bar of old abandoned crates and ordered a vodka straight on the rocks. Bang. Bang. Bang. Someone screamed and many followed. The glass shattered and Josie stumbled out of her chair the moment the bartender in front of her fell down dead from a bullet to his head. She took a huge swig of her vodka and left.

A flash of fire and what- what was that? Was that girl transforming into a tiger? The tiger growled and launched a huge bite at their attacker. Josie's heart raced and she fiddled for her vodka again. It wasn't in her hand. Where was Suzie? Josie dove out of the way as a male suddenly charged her with a large… kitchen knife? Where the hell did these people come from?

"Suzie?!"

Josie scrambled to get out of the warehouse, quick and fast. She ran, mouth dry, unable to comprehend the foreign objects and abilities around her. Suzie had claimed this place was safe, she'd claimed it was okay for her and other sympathizers to chill. What could she have done differently? She should've never accepted the invitation in the first place.

An alarming scream left Josie's lips. Someone had tackled her to the ground. He flipped her over and grabbed her by the throat. She couldn't breath, she could barely understand what she was saying. Wait… she looked familiar. Fuzzy brown hair, piercing green eyes. Josie's eyes widened, in shock as she stared up at her friend, hardly able to speak.

"Suz..?" she choked on the name as Suzie tightened her grip. Josie's eyes brimmed with tears. What the hell was going on? Why was Suzie attacking her?

"Keep quiet, Jo. You fuckin' disgust me. You had your chance to stand up to these damn disgustin' creatures," Suzie hissed. "Boys, hold her down. 'Bout time we taught this mutant sympathizer some manners."

"Wait, Suzie!" Josie cried, as she let her throat go and three men began to wrestle her arms and legs. "Wha- what's going on?! Why are you doing this?!"

"You really believed me, didn't ya? I've got no patience for the likes of you and what did you say earlier? Parents experimented on you? Must be a tough life, mutant."

"What- no no. I'm not a mutant, no- That was figurative, not literal," Josie denied, adrenaline rushing through all parts of her body. The men made her bend at the knee and one slammed her face into the concrete floor.

"Try not to move too much, little girl," Suzie grinned and whipped out her pocket knife. "It'll only sting a little."

The blade touched Josie's back and dug deep. Her screams echoed in the warehouse and her sobs were a far cry from the word "help". All she could think of was how helpless and worthless of a person she truly was.

A sudden flash of light in her memories- or was it reality- brought Josie to her senses, heart pounding as she scrambled to get away from the source, only to be met with severe pain. Josie bit back a cry as a young woman shrugged off her cardigan and wrapped it around her knee.

My knee...

Josie blinked, unaware that her eyes were red and puffy as she stared at… What was her name? Francis…

"It was… It wasn't real," Josie sputtered. Her heart had lurched forward and panic spread. She was back in Rogue HQ, they were under attack. Leon's face flashed before her and the gun he'd held in his hand before shooting her in the kneecap. She could barely register Lucas' words… All she knew was that she hated that nickname he gave her… Jo Jo.

"Shut up," she snapped at him. "Where's Leon? I'm going to kill him."

@Mobley Eats @Reythaak @Elle Joyner @WingWong @KatSea @CloudyBlueDay

Reythaak · Nov 15, 2018

≡ H E X ≡

≡Location: Interrogation Room, Rogue HQ
≡Interactions: Lucas (@Mobley Eats ), Devon (@Elle Joyner ), Nick (@WingWong ), Frankie (@CloudyBlueDay ), Levi (@KatSea ), Josie (@Kat )

The three men were dead, or at least were that way once Hex was completely through. Fortunately, his own shots were lost in the other noises and chaos of HQ, and he had a little bit of time to gather himself, and some supplies. With some serious effort, he managed to get the bulletproof vest off one of the R.I.E.F. agents and velcro it into place. A rifle was snagged, alongside another pistol and whatever ammo the agent had stashed on his belt, which was clipped around Hex's waist.

Gotta be careful, I might almost end up lookin' like one of them instead of one of us… It was that thought that had him skip the helmets on the floor, though he'd rather have the head protection. Powers are good, but mine ain't gonna get me through this one…

With a thought, the aura of Bad Luck vanished, and Hex considered his next move, crouched near a wall, then moved to peek through the doorway into the briefing room, the rifle swept over those in the briefing room. The briefing room… it was a mess.

Interrogation room it is, he decided with a nod. He wanted to find a couple other Rogues at this point to group up with, if he was honest. R.I.E.F. was moving in teams, and they ought to be doing the same. The upper floor and the area he was in presently was a little more calm than the rest of the floor it sounded like, probably because R.I.E.F. was keeping everyone corralled in another part of HQ. The Briefing Room looked like where they had set up, so it made sense they didn't want anyone in the area. He took a breath, then quickly moved across the bit of space to open the door to the interrogation room and slip inside. He half-turned from the door and stopped dead, blinking.

"...Sorry to crash the party," he said simply, then let out a little chuckle. Well. I wanted to group up with a couple of folks… man this looks like a really good target now…

His gaze flickered over everyone, tallying names. Devon (zip-tied to a chair?), Lucas, Frankie, Nick, Levi and… Josie.

"Shit. Josie," the man swore the moment he saw Josie and her knee, moving past and crouching down to eye the wound, "I'm up there with a bottle of booze, and you're down here makin' me wait and getting shot. What the hell happened?"

♫ I only get by with a little bad luck ♫

Rogue: The Uprising

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

consistently inconsistent

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

129% of people exaggerate.

consistently inconsistent

lets weave soulless threads

Moop.

129% of people exaggerate.

Reythaak

Guest

Moop.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Moop.

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

Reythaak

Guest

consistently inconsistent

consistently inconsistent

Consume. Smother your doubts. Be fulfilled.

lets weave soulless threads

Reythaak

Guest