#mutationmissions

poe / dylan 07/20/2018

the low hum of the engine did little to ease dylan. her head was already swimming with about fifteen different scenarios. it had been luck to run into agent bull and .hack outside the mine facility. it was easy enough to slip inside with a possessed body. her and agent solstice made quick work of grabbing everyone uniforms so they would blend in. would their ruse last long? probably not, but the quieter they stayed, the better chance they had to get glitch and return to tartarus in one piece. literally.      

it was quiet the deeper they sunk below. it was unsettling. nothing felt right here. not that anything had felt right for a while now. but this quiet had her hair standing up on end with goosebumps puckering her skin. looking over her shoulder, she watched at jac drove them deeper still. so far, no one had became victim to their joyride. dylan was sure that wouldn't last. not with everyone so keyed up and ready to destroy. next her eyes found wes, hunkered up next to her. she briefly wondered what he was thinking, but she had the mission to worry about. one fuck up and they were dead. her eyes burrowed into the back of eevee's head, they were the key to everyone's survive. protect eevee and retrieve glitch. there was no other option.     

she then turned her attention to the other side. celeste was crammed into the back with her and wes. the ride wasn't completely uncomfortable and it didn't call much attention, but it was cramped. "anything? you see or hear anything? that goes for any of you. i don't like how quiet it is down here."(edited)

Stitch || Jason/Wes 07/20/2018

Wes held one of his cards in his hand, the image upon it blank. He had sent out a card known as the Crashbug. He sent the electric entity through some of the various conduits lining the place, scouting ahead for anything they might need to look out for. Soon enough, the small, round-headed being emerged from one of the lights built into the conduits, darting over to Wes and landing on his knee. He touched the being's head, absorbing what it had seen. After a moment, the creature jumped back into his card, the image reforming. 

 "Well, from what Crashbug saw, there's nothing out of the ordinary in anywhere visible by this electric network. So, my guess is, there's another set of caverns that are on a different network." He said, leaning back and looking over the side of the truck.

wifey 07/20/2018

Celeste sat at one of the far edges, hips rested between the bar keeping her in and the blonde in the middle. She had stayed quiet with the exception of their run-in at the opening of the cave. It had been a quick conversation and then they were all loading into a bright, ugly orange cart. Just behind the seat laid a broken pipe. Her arm laid against the back of the back rest behind Dylan, her hand dipped just behind, ready to grab the pipe at any moment. 

celeste watched Wes from the corner of her eyes, examining the card. Various things popped up then dispersed again. Her attention moved around the vehicle, catching sight of the agents. There was a silent need to do well. There was in everyone but her’s were personal. Only nights before, she had assured Eevee everything was alright and that tartarus was a safe place. Now everything had gone to hell and one of their own agents was held captive at the bottom of a mine. “Nothing.” Her voice is calm.

sky | eevee 07/20/2018

Eevee kept the uncomfortable silence going in the stolen car; their eyes glued on their surroundings. The few people that they passed were far and few between, something telling them that this compound was far too big to be crawling with them... no, the majority of them were probably protecting Eva. AGENT GLITCH; the mission. It almost felt as if everyone was preparing themselves; holding their breaths in anticipation. They weren't ignorant to the looks the others had given them, but they couldn't blame them for worrying about all of their own well-beings. Eevee's focus shifted briefly to their chest, hand raising to lightly graze the fresh scar that would eventually heal; the scar that proved their loyalty and held everyone else's lives in their metaphorical hands. It was a lot, but they bit their lip and kept their breathing normal before returning their attention to scouting. 

 They nodded at Wes' intel, humming in agreement of Celeste's update. It was all much too easy-- it wouldn't last. "So we push this whole car thing as far as we go, and then what? Something tells me 'sneaking in' will only get us but so far."(edited)

ghost / jac 07/20/2018

There were but few bumps in the ride; for her part, Jac kept a steady rhythm, driving in a straight line, watching the way with bated breath. Her heart leaped into her throat and simultaneously stopped beating, a finger resting against her dry lips as she focused on the mission. Eva. After the attacked, the woman was left shaken, but she sobered up enough to focus, to be effective. This mission was too important, and lost in her own little world, Jac nearly missed what the others agents were saying. Blinking back into reality, she glanced around the little car, gripping the wheel tighter as a sigh escaped her lips. 

"The disguises are working, somewhat," she said, as softly as she could. "But yes, I don't think this will get us very far." Her eyes found Dylan's for a moment, before they returned to the path ahead. "Is there any sign of suspicion? Do you think they know we are here? For all we know, this could be a trap." Fear talk, Jac was aware. But she couldn't help voice her concerns out loud.

Chanel Oberlin 07/20/2018

His eyes laid low as the other agents were bouncing off of one another. He needed to stay silent or else he'd freak out.  The anger was boiling inside him. He was mad at himself . He trusted Allure, they played video games together. It was all an act and now look at where they were. He pulled his knees up close to his chest, wrapping his arm around his legs. Eva was  kidnapped and it was his fault.  Or so that's what he felt like.

"They are expecting us. As cliché as that sounds. They're not dumb, they know we're going to go after her." His tone was somber, but also held a lot of anger.  " I figure, if anything. Once, we get closer to some technology, I can hack the system with ease. Or better yet, at least contact Eva. If not, then we'll  just continue sneaking unless otherwise." His thumbs started to circle around one another, nervous of what's to come next.

poe / dylan 07/20/2018

nothing in the electrical network. no surprise. nothing seen or heard. it had been a while since anyone trudged past them. the longer they drove, the more unsettling it all was. nothing good would come from this mission, dylan knew that. her eyes flitted to eevee. they were to be protected at all costs. protect them and retrieve eva. simple on paper, difficult in action. "it could be a trap." her throat felt dry at ollie's comment. she turned to look at him. "of course they are. but do they know we're here now or is it more..." she waved her fingers around. "they are watching and waiting?"      

before she could offer anything else, she felt the car slowing down. she turned her head and craned her neck to see. voices. soft enough, but voices all the same. less casual. it was evident in the harsh tones that drifted up the passage way. "stop. stop the car." she hissed out the words and steadied herself. the road was narrowing now. no longer could they pass through easily without attracting attention. the facility was built into the mine shaft, using the confusing layout to its advantage. "i think it's time to go by foot. hostiles ahead. i think it's safe to assume anyone we encounter from now on will not be friendly or offer us a wave." she hopped off the back of the cart and stretched her limbs.

Stitch || Jason/Wes 07/20/2018

Wes gently rubbed Ollie's back, trying to reassure him in what little way he could. "It's not your fault." He said softly, knowing that look. He had seen it on several Pride agents before. It wasn't one you could ever forget. It was self-loathing at it's highest. 

Feeling the car slow down, he peeked over the side again. Looking around, he hopped from the truck, grabbing some tools to make it looks at least somewhat like he belonged there. "So, what's the plan going forward?" He asked, looking around the group.(edited)

wifey 07/20/2018

Celeste’s attention was caught again when she hears Wes try and comfort Ollie. The ride there had been full of continuous regrets. What they could have done. What they should have done. What would be different if maybe they had noticed thins sooner. The fact was, none of that matter. It was too late and wishing the past was different wasn’t going to help them retrieve Eva. Still, she understood the crippling guilt. She understood his relationship with Eva. “C’mon.” Her voice breaks through the silence as she grabs the pole that’s been shoved between the two seats.as she holds it by her side it extends  to her mid calf. The ends are jagged and would put a nasty man in someone if needed. 

“We try not to piss off all you ticking time bombs for starters.” Celeste remarks. Her attention goes to Dylan. “Does anyone actually know the layout of this place or are we winging it?” Celeste stays in the middle of the group. If someone notices them from the front or behind, she’d rather keep the weapon hidden than out in the open.

sky | eevee 07/20/2018

A trap. They refused to make eye contact with any of the other agents as their mind was instantly brought back to the time they'd let Celeste see the fear in their eyes. Not again. The executives, who knew so much more than any of them could even fathom, had hand picked each and every one of them for this mission-- they knew what they were doing. A short-lived wave of reassurance washed over them as they opened their mouth to speak-- to try and spread this optimism-- before Dylan instructed them to come to a halt. Their mouth instantly closed, eyes widening slightly as their gaze scanned the area ahead and they strained their hearing before picking up on mumbled conversations. 

Eevee nodded once more in understanding, sliding out of the passenger seat and gingerly making their way to the back of the cart. If hostiles were ahead, they'd probably all agree that it'd be wise to keep them towards the back. It was the best position to watch them all; to make sure everything was going according to plan, plus... they were actually able to throw a few good punches in case they encountered some uninvited company from behind. ".hack and I will handle our six." They kept their voice low but that didn't diminish the assertion of their tone. After flashing a very small but inspired smile to Ollie as if to say I got this, I'll be your support line, they then turned and shrugged sloppily at Celeste, keeping their petite body low to the ground. "We know... the GIST."

Chanel Oberlin 07/21/2018

Even after all the reassurance and the support, Ollie still felt useless. This was the second time someone was hurt because of his naive nature. Memories from carrying Kaleb's body out of the last mission and now this just kept on reappearing in his head. Why did he do that? Why couldn't he just be more cautious? He sighed and hopped out of the vehicle, eyeing the surrounding area. He caught the smile from Eevee, giving them the same gesture back. Even though, all he could think about was the rage and anger brewing inside him.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was radio waves and energy in the air. It was just enough for him to come up with a plan.

He cleared his throat and finally spoke, "Agent Eden, as much as that sounds great, but I think it'd be safer if you stuck to the middle. We'd be a human shield, just in case there's someone following us behind as well." He started to walked towards the narrow path, stopping at the entrance. " This part of the mine is emitting radio waves, so we're really not too far off from the main base. I couldn't pick up on it before because it is a mine. Radio Waves don't go that far up. They probably have it emitting from someplace else.  If you want me to I can at least travel up ahead without being detected." He hooked in his earpiece and smiled at everyone reassuringly. The last thing he wanted was everyone to worry about him. " You could just follow behind me. I'll be able to at least warn you guys  in case."

poe / dylan 07/23/2018

the mention of eevee being a ticking timebomb made her hand drift from the knife underneath the stolen uniform to the back of her neck. she died and... kaboom. a shudder wracked her body before she circled up around her. "ollie's our best bet at leading us deeper. he can connect." glancing at celeste she nodded at her once. "like eevee said, we know the gist. glitch is in the deepest and most secure level. i think... we're well on our way there. whether this is a trap or not, we have no other choice now. we'll go in and we'll get eva. we were picked or came of our own volition. we've got this." she tried to sound as reassuring as she could as the lined up.      

she missed when ollie stood at the entrance to her room and asked her about therapy dogs. or celeste kicking her ass during training. or even accusing jac of stealing her bagel. all of that was preferable to this. she squeezed ollie's arm before tilting her chin toward the hostiles ahead. "above all else, we protect eevee. no matter what. let's go." she put herself in front of eevee -- human shield and team leader. her fingers curled around the handle of the knife as they began to creep farther down.

wifey 07/23/2018

Celeste never said much in missions if she was following along with other’s plans. It as a silent respect for her team, even if she hated the idea of taking orders from someone else. She could push away her ego and let it happen. She continued to stay at the back of the group, occasionally turning to walk backwards and squint back to make sure no one was lurking behind. She would turn back around again every few minutes. The pipe was still in hand and she was ready for anyone who popped out. As they traveled further into the mine, pieces of rocks were becoming bulkier, enough that if you threw one, it could knock someone out--or kill them. She picked up a few in one hand and kept moving along. 

Occasionally she’d let her mind wander. She’d let herself remember that one wrong move and every agent except herself and Ollie were over with. However, with this close proximity, it would kill them too. She watched Eevee, one of the most undeserving people of that kind of death. It was brutal. No one deserved but if something were to happen, she would have choice words for the director. Ollie was next. He was always kind and never got frustrated with Celeste. It was hard to see all the enthusiasm emptied from his body, leaving a quieter, unrecognizable version. But outspoken empathy wasn’t her usual place. Her undying loyalty for the agency and a complicated relationship with Glitch was her reasoning for being here and her will to die for any one of these people.

Stitch || Jason/Wes 07/24/2018

As the other's spoke, Wes went through some of his cards, stashing several in various pockets on the uniform for quick access, as well as up his sleeve. He followed Ollie and the others, right around the middle of the group as they went deeper. He kept his mouth shut for once, knowing that saying something might ruin their mission. 

As he walked with them, he couldn't help but steel himself for what they might see, or what might happen. Especially who they might lose. He breathed deeply, keeping his breathing calm and even. Then he smelled something odd. "Do you guys smell something rotten?" He whispered.

sky | eevee 07/24/2018

Missions weren't for talking, not really, anyway. They were all there to complete a task and to do it as efficiently and at as little risk as possible. So when Ollie suggested they stayed in the middle instead, they quietly obliged, biting their tongue. They wanted to argue; to prove that they were there for more than to just be the 'abort' button. Maybe their arguing would have been more for them, to convince themselves that they weren't completely useless... but maybe they were. Shifting toward the middle, they kept the stealthy pace of everyone else, letting their gaze trail over the agents in front of them. They trusted each of them to not let anything happen, if only to save themselves in the process, but they genuinely hoped nothing horrible would happen to any of them-- even if that was a completely naive wish given the circumstances. 

"Above all else, we save Eva." Their voice was barely above a whisper, and most likely none of the other agents even heard it. If that meant sacrificing themselves, they would have, but they knew they'd never be able to; to sacrifice the rest of them in the process. 

Wes' question brought them back to the present and out of their mind, metaphorically shaking off their thoughts. Inhaling deeply, their brows knitted together... they didn't smell anything. Or did they? It was a faint smell, barely nipping at their nose. "What the hell is that?" They questioned in a low voice. Maybe it smelled like DEATH or maybe they were just imagining it. "That can't be good."(edited)

Chanel Oberlin 07/24/2018

Ollie made sure he kept a good distance in front of the group. His body became invisible, blending in with the radio waves from deep within the mine shaft. The smell of hydrogen sulfide lingered in the air. It was common for an old mineshaft and it had looked like the path that they were taking seemed to be unused for years. He brought his sleeves to his mouth and tried to breathe through.   The agent came to a stop and became visible again.  He eyed his team mates and told them to stay where they were.   "The Hydrogen Sulfide levels are incredibly high.  Before we go any further we have to wear  gas masks." He grabbed a mask from his belt and placed it securely on his mouth and nose breathing heavily.

He continued his way down, noticing a light at the end of the path they were taking. Focused on the mission, Agent .Hack quickly snuck his way over , realizing that the path ended at a ledge of a cavern. He looked down below to the source of the light. Two large guards stood in front of a large military grade door. He turned to his group and gestured to be silent.  " The area is open so the hydrogen sulfide wouldn't affect us too much down there. Although, those two guards could be a problem." He pointed at the two men and scanned the cavern for another access point. " I don't know if there's any other way to get passed them. We need a distraction. If we don't want to fight them.  That's the best route if we want to keep Agent Eden safe."

poe / dylan 07/25/2018

enough was enough. there was no more stalling or second chances. everyone was all in now. her mind switched from a thousand different thoughts to one: protect eevee and save eva. she followed behind ollie making sure that if anyone wanted to hit eevee, they'd have to go through her first. at wes's comment on the smell, she searched for it. it took a moment, but then it hit her -- acrid and strong. maybe something rotting or long dead. ollie seemed sure of himself. she took the gas mask off her own belt and secured it.      

at the mention of the guards, she peered over the ledge. swallowing thickly, she motioned for them to stop. "i'll handle it. don't move. give me two minutes. and don't let anything happen to eevee." she glanced at them once before disappearing from her body and entering on of the guards. it took her almost twenty seconds to get in full control, but she used it to her advantage. doubling over, she looked up at the other guard with a pleading look. "something's happened with my mask." the man looked at her, only a half worried expression in his eyes before he bent down to check. taking the opportunity, she slammed the heel of her hand into the other guard's mask and fractured the glass there. then she made quick work and snapped his neck. she searched the body of the guard and came up with a small knife. drawing it across the body she possessed, she allowed the pain to hit her so strongly that she knew the man wouldn't recover.      

returning to her own body, she gasped and shot forward grabbing the wall. closing her eyes and steadying herself, she looked at the rest of the group. "let's go."

Stitch || Jason/Wes 07/26/2018

Wes watched quietly, his gas mask over his face as Dylan dispatched the guards. He helped steady Dylan before approaching the door. Fully mechanical, with no signs of electronics within. He turned to the bodies of the guards, looking them over. Searching those bodies, he found keys on their person, which he quickly lifted and brought back to the door. "Well, these make the stealthy approach easier. My other option was using Jigen Bakudan to blow the door apart." He said with a chuckle. Unlocking the door, he slowly started to open it.

sky | eevee 07/26/2018

So they weren't imagining it-- they found themselves almost indebted to Ollie? He knew so much about everything here; he was just as determined to save Eva as any of them. They wondered why he wasn't chosen for this mission in the first place, but they forced themselves to focus on the task at hand instead of pondering futile questions... it didn't matter why he or Celeste were there; THEY JUST WERE. Sliding on the gas mask of their own, they immediately scanned over the others, instinctively making sure everyone else's mask was also secured... how could someone be such a parent and a child all at once? 

The brief look Dylan gave them almost ran shivers down their spine. They understood that LOOK. Nodding in comprehension, they tiptoed to the edge to watch her in action, keeping her limp body from falling over the edge with Wes. Damn. It was ruthless, but it had to be, didn't it? They took a child. They injured countless of other agents. They took Eva. They betrayed Hellfire. A raging fire washed over them as they watch both of the agents struggle to breathe, feeling no remorse for the demise they were meeting. Perhaps the guards had no idea what they signed up for-- but the agents weren't here to take prisoners, and they sure as hell weren't going to. 

Eyes widening ever so slightly when Dylan's body suddenly gasped beside them, they quickly caught themselves from asking if she was okay. No, none of them were. There was a time and place for that, and it wasn't here. Gracefully plopping down from the ledge, they promptly looked back over the hallway to make sure there weren't others when Wes' key retrieval brought a small sigh of relief out of them. Their odds were much better if they could be as sneaky as possible, and they doubted Jigen Bakudan was even remotely stealthy. 

"They're probably just beyond that door," they whispered in a reminding tone, "so prepare yourselves."(edited)

Chanel Oberlin 07/27/2018

Dylan's move certainly shocked him. It didn't really hit him that his mission would be filled with casualties until it happened. He stayed silent and went along with everyone.  He slid down the ledge and followed the team towards the open entrance. There was a wave of energy emanating from the base. He could feel someone being tortured from within the  entire facility.  His heart sank to the bottom, imagining the state Eva was in.  His tone became dark as he replied to Eevee, " Well they better be prepared for a massacre."

His hand began to radiate and glow with pixels. Floating daggers began to form behind him, following his hands movements. There were two goals in his mind at the point, kill Allure and get Eva. He continued to walk through the facilities  hallway using the energy waves to track his friend down. " I'm gonna kill that deceiving bastard. No one lies to me and kidnaps my friends."  He could hear foot steps down the corridor. " Someones coming. Be prepared."

He started to run towards the noise, turning the corner to see a couple of guards. With one wave with his right arm, the daggers flew straight towards the guards impaling both of them at once. He watched as the bodies fell onto the ground, still. His eyes laid low, trying not to think too much about it. "There's more coming."

poe / dylan 07/27/2018

unsteady on her feet, she dropped to the ground around the rest of the team. now wasn't the time to exchange hushed words. they were in the thick of it. the slower they moved, the more likely there were to get caught. ollie made quick work of a couple of guards that turned the corner. it was done so effectively, they didn't even have time to cry out. looking around at the rest, she brandished her knife, not wanting to possess anyone else for a least a few minutes. "no mercy." she growled before taking off down the hallway. maybe what allure did to them wasn't as personal as it was for bull or .hack or eevee, but they had betrayed her all the same. made the only home she knew unsafe, more unsafe than it previously was. the stiffness in her leg an uneasy reminder that everything was personal now. no one took a fellow agent, a good one at that, without repercussions.      

looking over her shoulder, she saw celeste and jac ready up. they could make quick work of this and be done. it didn't take long -- adrenaline pumping and blood thick in the air. she swore she could taste it on her tongue. heart pounding, she wiped the blood of her knife as she looked at the rest of the agents in similar fashion. she looked at ollie. "where is she? how close? as fun as all this is, we need to keep moving."

Stitch || Jason/Wes 07/27/2018

Wes followed along, sticking close behind. He looked through some cards from a deck holder as they ran along, smirking as he pulled one out. "Come. We need you, Wall Shadow." He said, darkness pouring from the card's image as the picture disappeared. The darkness formed into a shadow on the wall, in the shape of a horrible beast. "Go. Clear the way." He said. The shadow took off ahead, dispatching guards as it went. They turned the first corner just in time to see two of the next set of guards being dragged into the wall, phasing through and not coming back out as the shadow darted off again

sky | eevee 07/27/2018

No mercy. Like their own personal battle cry, each of the agents dashed forward with their weapons of choice in hands. Eevee's hand dipped into the small pouch on their waist, swiftly withdrawing a couple of worn but resharpened shurikens. Where the others had their various powers; varying ways of dispatching the guards... Eevee had their old and reliable-- pride of true-- ways. Their fingers curved around the steel disks with familiarity until their eyes caught a hostile rushing towards them, without hesitation flicking their wrist as it flew straight across their jugular. Without pausing to watch as the other began choking and bleeding out, Eevee was at it again, another blade whirling its way toward its next victim. 

Towards the back, they let their gaze travel to each agent and made a point not even to bother looking at the piles of bodies that littered the ground at their feet. Breathing heavily, their blood was pumping harshly and their eyes were wide with adrenaline. Murdering people didn't give them a high, but they would be lying if they said this wasn't somewhat therapeutic-- after everything that had happened a couple nights prior. Peering over their own shoulder to watch their six, they caught a glimpse of a man turn the corner, his walkie talkie raised to his lips before they immediately spun and flung two ninja stars with all their might into his chest in rapid succession. "Shit," they mumbled, turning back as his body fell limp, "he may have gotten a message out." They jogged to catch up with the others, turning their attention to Ollie. "We should make a beeline for her and hope they aren't just waiting for us." They probably were.

Chanel Oberlin Last Saturday at 12:28 PM

The warning from Eevee had sent him into red alert. “ So much for being sneaky,” he replied. He shut his eyes to target Eva’s signal, but it had disappeared. As if someone or something was blocking the radio waves from him. He looked around the corridor with the fallen soldiers on the ground. He quickly went up to a body and began to search frantically. There had to be some sort of device that allowed the soldiers to navigate the base. With haste, Ollie grabbed a key card and a device, collecting the data for the layout. 

He dropped the device, nodded to his team with confirmation. “There’s going to be an elevator and or stairs that will go down. I’m thinking if they know we’re here they might expect us to be on that elevator. It’s the quickest and easiest. The stairs could be crowded with guards. What do you think is best?” He looked at Dylan, hoping she would know an answer. Her life was on the line, so it made sense that she would make the decision.(edited)

poe / dylan Last Saturday at 12:52 PM

a message out. her mind began to race. closing her eyes, she refocused and pulled in a few breaths before snapping them open. they could handle guards in a stairwell. it was the best bet to try and surprise them, even if the elevator was the fastest way down. she looked at ollie, then at the rest of the agents. this was her mission. "how does everyone feel with a little more killing?" her lips turned up into a sneer. "if we could lay a trap on the elevator though, that might be worth doing?" she looked at jac and wes expectantly. "do you think you can leave something in the elevator if we let it down and take the stairs. we can handle these guards."

Stitch || Jason/Wes Last Saturday at 6:21 PM

Wes looked at Dylan and smirked a bit. Pulling a card from his jacket, he showed a card named Jigen Bakudan. "Like a timebomb?" He suggested, raising a brow as he put it back. A moment later, the shadow had returned to the wall behind Wes, making a strange whispering noise. "This level is clear." He said, letting the shadows return to the card. "Lead the way to that elevator." He said to Ollie.

sky | eevee Last Saturday at 10:44 PM

Fetching a few more ninja stars as an answer to Dylan's question, Eevee's features remained fairly neutral. They suppressed the worry from the probability that they were about to be met with much more guards than originally intended and settled into a stern nod-- that sort of anxiety would only hinder rather than help. A somewhat spilt push; whatever Wes and Jac could conjure in the elevator as the agents took the stairs... even if the guards were in lie waiting, they wouldn't know what hit them. "Without the element of surprise, all we have going for us is speed... our odds are better if we can get to Glitch before they have time to reinforce her security." Familiarly running fingertips carefully along the steel blades as they shifted in their stance uneasily, they were ready to go and get shit done. After giving a look of their own to Dylan; a look that promised they could do this and do it without DYING, they nodded to the rest. "Let's do this." 

"Be careful," they found themselves whispering back to the others. Careful. Such a tired word of wisdom, yet they couldn't keep themselves from saying it. "Do we know exactly what to expect just past the stairway? Other than the possibility of more guards, of course."

poe / dylan Last Tuesday at 1:44 PM

with a new found confidence, dylan lead the group toward the elevator. it took a few minutes to lay the trap, but she was sure it would cause a distraction, enough to help them with their mission. ollie had been right, the stairwell was crawling with shoulders. looking at the rest of her team, she nodded once before leading them down. she had no idea how long it took -- minutes, hours, maybe days. but they dispatched each guard foolish enough to stand in her way. she wondered how they looked to the outside world, each agent working with what skills they had and holding back nothing. she’d once heard there was beauty in violence and she felt like something meant for a museum.      

finally settling outside the right down, she felt her hands shake for the second time that night -- the first when they arrived at the facility. closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. this was it. she could feel the energy pulsing behind the entrance. “it’s been an honor to fight beside all of you. if i don’t make it, i want you to know that. finish the mission, get glitch and eevee home.” closing her fist tightly until her nails bit at the palm, she exhaled and was centered. pushing the door open, her eyes swung wildly around the room. the rest of the team filed in around them and it was the last moment of peace any of them knew.

former tartarus agents kodiak and lilith stood before them with allure lurking in the shadows. of course this wouldn’t be easy. none of this had been easy. the still healing bullet wound on her leg pulsed and she felt the same rage that had been bubbling under the surface all night ignite. no mercy. kodiak wasted no time morphing into a bear. looking at jac, she tired to remember all the files she had read on missing or dead agents. time was ticking by at an alarming rate. it seemed that celeste and eevee were already preoccupied with lilith and ollie ready to find eva. she whispered her plan to jac in hurried tones with wild desperation in her eyes. “don’t stop. don’t stop until it’s done. no matter how much i scream.” before she could react and take over the body, kodiak lunged and attacked jac. scrambling out of the way, she watched as blood pooled around the other agent’s eye. no more time to waste.      

positioning her body the best she could out of harm’s way, she jumped into kodiak’s body. it was wild and frenzied. he was being controlled and no matter how hard she fought against that shackle, it remained unfazed. the animalistic properties took dylan a minute to get a hold of. she felt feral and close to snapping. if she stayed too long, she worried she might never recover. she stopped the forward movement of kodiak taking a practice swing at the air. she felt powerful and deadly. the idea to help eevee and celeste pulsed, but her grip on the bear was tenuous at best. she turned towards jac and roared.

the first attempt to slash at the bear’s body was met with resistance. nothing happened except a fizzle. figuring out that she wasn’t using enough power, jac ramped it up and started again. the smell of burnt hair and skin swirled around the room and dylan felt her stomach roll. as the sword cut through the body for the first time, she let out another, more primal roar. she felt the throat strain with the force of it. the idea to leave and enter her own body was strong, but she stayed put and gestured for jac to continue. it was hard, tireless work and dylan thought she might go mad from the pain. finally looking up at jac, she whimpered and nodded as she made the final cut. dylan held on until she was sure that kodiak wouldn’t regenerate and floated back into her body.      

she felt weak. it was the first thing she noticed. the residual pain lingered in every part of her body and she had to physically check that she was okay. her nose was bleeding, just a little. worth it. everything they did now was worth it. glancing around at the carnage around them. she rubbed her hand on jac’s back before she looked around again. the air was thick with cooper. she swore she could taste it on her tongue.      

it looked like lilith was taken care of or well on her way out, when dylan noticed it -- agent bull, celeste, wasn’t right. wiping the blood on her sleeve, dylan moved. no time to be idle.

Stitch || Jason/Wes Last Tuesday at 3:00 PM

Once the door was open, and the agents filed into a large room, which looked to Wes like a particle collider. He looked around and noticed Allure in the corner. He took Ollie with him to fight the other man. He started by using a card that severly weakened, but didn't completely negate Allure's powers. Now that the three were on a more equal playing field, Wes started pulling out the big guns. Dragons swarmed from cards in pockets of his jacket. The dragons blasted at Allure, distracting him while Ollie made more of an impact on the rogue agent. 

Wes was feeling weaker as his creations blasted at Allure, his body starting to feel the effects, and his nose trickling blood. With his own powers waning, he chipped away at Allure's own defenses, leaving him open to Ollie's attacks. Once Ollie and him had weakened Allure substantially, a card was used that caused burning chains to grab at Allure and restrained him while Ollie finished him off. He watched before recalling all his creations, collapsing to his knees for a few moments while the other agents finished their jobs. He stood shakily, watching the other agents finished before going off to find the true target for their mission. 

He had no energy left to summon more creations, so their escape couldn't rely on him. "Why do they have a particle accelerator down here?" He mused aloud.

sky | eevee Last Tuesday at 4:42 PM

Without any hesitation, Eevee found their hand resting on Dylan's shoulder before she pushed the doors open. "We're all making it home." And with a tone that exuded assurance, they actually found themselves believing it. The odds were stacked against them and chances were they'd all meet their death here-- but they felt an odd wave of calmness wash over them. Not one of acceptance, even if they would be okay with dying, but one of genuine belief in the fact that they were all strong enough to DO THIS. Shaking their arms off in order to fling the extra still-damp blood off of them, their knees bent into a stance of anticipation. It was time. 

As the doors burst open, the six of them rushed forward, almost separating into three groups of two. The fact that they were met by Kodiak and Lilith should've brought them all to a standstill, but with as much adrenaline flowing through their veins as they all had, Eevee was willing to bet nothing short of death could've stopped them. Celeste's gaze settled upon Lilith; Chris, one of the agents they'd all mourned, before giving Eevee a stern nod. With no words exchanged, just a look of understanding, they both arched wide in attempt to flank her.

Celeste charged to the right, her knuckles white from her tight grasp on her make-shift pole weapon. With a speed that Lilith didn't seem to be expecting, Celeste was within inches of her in mere seconds. After a few dazing hits, they both were surprised to see Lilith completely unfazed. Something was different-- after all, she was resurrected from the dead. Celeste eventually gave up with the nonlethal blows, placing her other hand on the pole as she jammed it right into Lilith's chest with an agitated groan. Instead of falling to her knees, however, Lilith simply smirked; she held no weapons, as if anything could be stronger than her power, anyway. "My turn." It was a voice that almost didn't seem her own, a demonic hint to it as she raised her hands to her temples. "That can't be good." Eevee mumbled before Lilith's eyes shot open once more and bore right into Celeste's. 

Eevee took the opportunity when her attention wasn't on them to finish getting into position behind her. Digging their nails into one of Lilith's arms to grab it, they pivoted themselves into a spin to propel themselves the rest of the way. Once fully behind, they quickly clutched the other arm and tugged them harshly as a cop about to handcuff someone would. "Cut her head-- off!" Eevee strained against the squirming arms of Lilith, determined to keep her pinned for Celeste. Celeste, however, slowed to an almost standstill. Eyes, wide with horror, gradually shifted from Lilith to Eevee before glancing down to the pole currently embedded in Lilith's chest. 

"I don't care with what! What're you doing? KILL her!" Eevee yelled desperately, but was met with no answer other than Lilith's laugh. Her limbs all went limp, arching her neck to flash a devilish grin Eevee's way. "It's too late now." She whispered between laughing breaths before and all-consuming hysteria overwhelmed her. "You're dead now."

Panicking, they decided to take matters into their own hands as they retrieved another ninja star from their bag and pressed it into Lilith's neck, wincing harshly as the blade cut into their own hand with the pressure needed to pierce the other's skin. Like a saw, they raked it along her neck over and over, but was only met with Lilith's hysterical laughter. With no regard to the damage they were doing to their own hand, they pushed on-- letting screams of pain and frustration echo from them occasionally. 

Eventually, the sharp, steel blade accomplished the task-- Lilith's decapitated body falling to the ground as all Eevee had left in their grasp was a raggedly removed head. Blinking in shock, exhaling shallow and frantic breaths, they let their attention turn to the head in their hands before tossing it in disgust across the room. Taking a moment to recompose themselves, they dropped the crimson-soaked blade, refusing to look at the self-inflicted damage before turning back to Celeste downright pissed. 

"What's wron--" 

BAM. The pole had been pulled out of Lilith's lifeless body and thrown at their face with full force, cracking their cheek bone as it nearly broke their neck from how fast it turned their head. Disoriented and completely confused, they took a sloppy step backwards and looked to Celeste in surprise before she charged them and wrapped her hands as tightly around their throat as she could. Instantly raising their own hands in self-defense, they clawed and desperately attempted to free themselves of her grasp to no avail. "C-Celeste," they mouthed, unable to get any sound behind their words. "St-stop."

Kicking widely, they felt the last of the air leave their lungs, burning as a sign that they needed MORE. But still, they fought-- even if everything they did seemed hopeless. Their eyelids grew heavier and heavier, their movement less sharp as the life was slowly drained from them. The sound began to dim in their ears; the various battle sounds and groans jumbling into a mess of sound. With all of the remaining strength they could muster, they kicked at Celeste one last time-- and seemingly, it worked. 

Her grip released them and they fell into a crumbled mess on the floor next to the headless body of Lilith, Eevee hectically gasping for air and coughing uncontrollably. It took a bit before they could come back to their senses, they remained a mess on the floor as they defensively grabbed at their throat to prevent someone else from doing so, the fragile skin already begin to swell. Wildly looking back up to see where she'd gone, they caught the sight of Celeste just standing there as Jac knocked her unconscious, their bloodshot eyes then scanning for any source of help; they were horrified. 

Before long, Dylan approached-- her body seemingly coming back to life as Jac subdued Celeste-- and Eevee found themselves subconsciously shifting away in terror. They knew she wouldn't cause them harm, but just a minute ago, they would've said the same thing about Celeste, too. "Hey, hey," Dylan began softly, not getting any closer when she realized Eevee didn't want her to, "it's okay. We won't hurt you." 

A harsh swallow caused another whimper of pain to escape them, averting their gaze to not let her--or the others-- see the fear in their eyes. Instead of talking-- something telling them their throat was far too raw to allow any sound through-- they simply nodded gently. "Are you okay, honestly?" Another nod, Eva's name on their lips, they began clumsily pushing themselves up off the ground. THEY WEREN'T DONE HERE.

Chanel Oberlin Last Wednesday at 7:56 PM

Along with his teammate, Ollie barged into the area with his main concern being Eva. He had completely ignored the missing agents and the fights, before catching a glimpse at a familiar face. Those blue eyes that he had trusted, made him feel a rush of anger. The mission that he was so focused on immediately vanished. His new mission was to kill the man that betrayed him. Took his trust for granted. 

He followed Wes into the fight, conjuring up floating daggers to use in combat again. Without hesitation, the agent ran straight towards his target before being blasted by Blackwell. His body landed onto the floor, but he quickly recovered and joined in with the dragons that Wes had conjured. Daggers were sent flying towards the double agent but were deflected with ease. It was typical. Allure wasn’t a man that would be easy to get hits on. 

Oliver growled as he focused his energy towards his feet, causing him to have a speed boost.  He ran towards Allure once again, dodging the dragons and landing a hit on his target’s face. Allure stumbled and glared at the boy. 

“You fucked with the wrong person,” Ollie yelled with a dark tone. 

Taking his chance, Ollie used his emotion to boost his powers. He continuously made hits to his target, not allowing him to get a chance to react. It was the perfect opportunity for Wes to conjure up chains to trap Allure. A corrupted grin was plastered on Ollie’s face, ready to end it all. He created 12 more floating hard-light copies of daggers. And with one swing, he ended it all.  The body before him was lifeless, falling to the ground as the chains disappeared.

Ollie glared at Wes and shook his head, finally feeling a weight lifting off of him. 

“I’m gonna go look for Eva. You go help the others,” He commanded. His dark side was showing. 

The agent took off following the radio waves, running through the corridors. His anxiety was through the roof. Where was she? Where was his best friend? 

“Eva! Eva? Where are you! “ he yelled throughout the corridors. 

He stopped by a room that seemed to emanate a familiar energy. He entered cautiously and noticed the tech in front of him. The coding and the work were without a doubt Eva’s. He placed his hands on the machine and closed his eyes. His hands began to glow as he started to collect data. He lifted his hands off of the machine once he was finished, turning around to see a door connecting another room.  He quickly busted the door and felt tears began to weld up. The sight of Eva destroyed him. Her eyes said it all. He quickly went up to Eva and picked her up. 

“We’re going to get you out of here. I promise. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He said, holding her close to him. “You didn’t deserve this.”

rei - glitch & zephyr Today at 3:48 PM

After the third day, Eva started to lose track of how long she'd been held in the sparsely decorated room that her captors had thrown her into. They were smart and gave her no clue as to how much time had elapsed. Even the meals they brought her, weren't brought in at regular intervals, so as to throw her off and contribute to their attempt at chipping away at her sanity. 

The metal collar fitted around her neck, chafed and had scratched the skin underneath red raw. Asides from being uncomfortable, it also dulled her powers and prevented her from using them when she wasn’t being monitored. Caged and collared, they treated her like an animal more than anything, right down to the added shock feature of the collar. Whenever they felt like she needed a little more motivation to work faster, all they had to do was press a button and 800 volts of electricity were sent directly into her body. 

She'd tried her best to withstand the physical pain they'd put her body through. But Eva wasn't trained in field combat the same way many of the other agents were. There was a reason why she rarely left the base. They'd started off small, doing their best to inflict maximum pain while doing as little physical damage as they could. They beat her bloody, making sure to leave her hands and arms alone. Her captors couldn’t have her losing the ability to do the one thing they wanted her for. 

They'd gotten her to the point where she was at least starting to look over the plans for the quantum supercomputer they were building, and then they'd brought her in.  The woman with the long blonde hair and the coldest eyes Eva had ever seen. She’d been nice at first, trying to initiate regular conversation with her, but the more Eva kept her mouth shut, the more invasive the questions became.

Pain was a constant feeling that they never quite allowed her to get used to. But somehow Eva was able to push it all aside if she focused on the good in her life. At first she thought of her family and all they’d done. Then came her life’s work and all the projects she’d been involved in. Her mind going over every detail of the things she’d created with her bare hands, completely dissociating with what was happening to her body. But her mind eventually moving onto the few good memories from her time in Tartarus, was what proved to be Eva’s ultimate undoing. 

Clearly MKHellfire weren’t the only ones who employed people with extraordinary talents. The blonde woman’s presence in her thoughts was obvious at first. She didn’t do much of anything, but still it was impossible to ignore that there was a stranger in her most intimate and cherished memories, pushing and pulling her in whatever direction she thought would give her the most to work with. The stranger would let Eva’s mind relive the memories, waiting for her to relax and let her guard down, before twisting and manipulating them into something completely unrecognizable from before. Some were a hollow shell of what had once been a vibrant memory, while others were simply removed from Eva’s mind altogether. 

She was completely unaware of how long the stranger worked over her memories, but to Eva it felt like an eternity. Time ceased to matter, and her last method of “escape” had been stripped from her, memory by memory, only to be replaced with images that made her more pliant and receptive to the tasks she was being given.

They started with Ollie and Jac first. A failed rescue attempt planted into her mind to show her what they were capable of. They’d made it inside and into her room before they’d been shot execution style right in front of her eyes. 

Then came Celeste and Eevee, collared in the exact same way that she was. The two of them were held in a room with a one way mirror, and Eva was in a room on the other side, forced to watch as they too were tortured into talking, before being dragged off into another part of the facility, their lives now in her hand. Try to escape or fail to complete the tasks expected of her, and they’d be killed. 

She tried to push those memories out of her head, and think about anything else, but a block in her mind made that impossible. When she closed her eyes it was all she could see and when she wasn’t thinking about the supercomputer, it was all she could think about. People that she loved were dead. More would follow if she acted out. Nobody was coming for her. 

So she behaved. Did what they asked in a timely manner and any thoughts of rebelling ended with her final act of dissent, a well constructed virus meant to slowly but surely attack the supercomputers software, corrupting it and causing it to eventually destroy itself.

When she was awake she worked tirelessly to seem like she was helping them and going along with what her captors wanted. They’d supplied her with all of the tools she needed that she could use while being supervised, but outside of that time she was allowed to keep some writing materials. 

The bare walls of the room infuriated her the most, and eventually she started to write out her thoughts and ideas on them in binary code, covering every surface she could before starting on the flooring and furniture. 

Today was no different. They were giving her a break, but stopping would mean remembering. All she had to do was continue and she wouldn’t have to see the bloody bodies of those she held dear. As she scribbled away on the last remaining corner of flooring, she heard the commotion outside but all it did was make her press the marker she was holding a little more firmly to the ground, and mutter angrily to herself. 

“It’s so loud. I told them to stop but they just get louder. They won’t stop. They’re just so... Make it stop. All this chatter and all this buzz and I...” 

A warm body collided with hers and pulled her into its warmth. So far gone, Eva barely reacted to the fact that someone was full on touching her for the first time in years. The marker in her hands dropped to the floor and she reached out for it, only to meet the gaze of the man that held her.

Ollie. 

Her eyes flickered, rapidly switching between purple and her natural green as her brain tried to process even what was going on. She’d seen Ollie die. The memory was right there in her head, replaying over and over. 

“You? But you...you’re not...” At some point in her ramble she finally noticed that she was being held. The pain was back and so was the crawling sensation all over her skin. Whoever was holding her needed to let go. They needed to stop.

“Who are you? What do you want? I gave you everything, just stop. Please just let the others go.” 

Screaming, her weakened body thrashed in his grasp, arms scrabbling for purchase on anything that would give her the opportunity to gain the upper hand and extricate herself from the thing that was holding her. He wasn’t her Ollie. He couldn’t be. It was just another trick they were trying to play on her. He wasn’t alive. Her eyes flew open again and she noticed that they were no longer the only ones in the room. More demons sent to play with her broken mind. Each one wearing a familiar face. The worst kind of pain.

Her throat was sore from under-use, but Eva still kept yelling. Most of the words were unintelligible or a combination of things that didn’t make sense when put together but it didn’t matter to her. She was beyond caring because maybe, if she shouted enough, they’d leave. Or maybe, she thought to herself as the tall pretty blonde of the group stepped forward, they’ll do the exact opposite. Fuck.

As the woman approached, Eva made one final attempt to struggle and wriggle lose of the embrace she was being held in. I’ve got to get ou...her mind went blank and her body slackened in Oliver’s grasp, as Dylan used her powers to take over. As she lost consciousness, Eva let out one final sigh, her body succumbing to all of the injuries and hardships it had endured over the week. 

Arriving in Monaco, Team Viper were dropped off in a secure location close to the facility. Just outside of the facility perimeter, the agents discuss the best course of action based on the information they were already given about the operation and what they have managed to gather once they reached the location. Agent Glitch manages to hack into the camera feed and relays what she can see back to the group. There are multiple guards surrounding the entrance and snipers present on the rooftops.

However, the cameras are on a different network to the rest of the building's power and the walls are too thick to connect to anything else. She needs to get closer to be able to tap into the door controls. Agent Phantom volunteers for the task and uses his powers to cloak the two of them as they get closer to the building.

While this happens, Agent Lilith uses her powers to instil anxiety and fear into the guards and snipers, making them start to pick off each other, a process hastened by the aid of Agents Viper, Pynk and Zero, who make quick work of the distracted snipers. The toll of using her powers on so many people takes its toll on Agent Lilith though, and she succumbs to the paranoia that she’s been inflicting on the snipers, allowing one to sound the alarm before he is taken out by Agent Zero.

Glitch, hearing the alarm pushes herself hard in an attempt to disable it and open the doors into the facility, and succeeds in allowing everyone to enter. However, as the group makes its way inside, multiple cybernetically enhanced soldiers appear. Knowing Kincaid may escape, the agents decide that Viper and Lilith should continue on and attempt to intercept Kincaid and to rendezvous on the jet, while the rest of them keep the guards busy.

Zero, Glitch, Pynk and Phantom face off against the soldiers, with Glitch doing her best to hack the tech parts of them and make the fight easier. She manages to cause malfunctions in multiple cyborgs before one of them takes her by surprise and clocks her so hard in the face that she is stunned and unable to continue using her powers.

Pynk tries to use her powers to distract them and allow the others to take them out, but she too is overwhelmed and gets slugged multiple times before one wrenches her shoulder so hard that there’s a loud popping noise and waves of pain to follow.

While this is happening, Viper and Lilith track down Kincaid and Viper gets her hands on him and teleports the both of them to the jet. Lilith runs back to the others to tell them that they have Kincaid and in her distraction, one of the soldiers grabs her by the neck and snaps her neck with one swift movement.

Horrified, Phantom and Zero fight harder and between the two of them manage to clear a path for Glitch and Pynk out of the facility. The team looks worse for wear but are able to make it back to the jet with Lilith’s body, with help from Zero who builds an ice wall between them and the cyborgs. Before he does though, Glitch spots a severed arm nearby that is made up of both robotic parts and flesh and asks Agent Zero to freeze it, before wrapping it up and taking it with them.

The ride back to Tartarus is deathly quiet and when they make it back, they drag Kincaid into an interrogation room. They manage to get him to divulge a few key pieces of information through the use of Zero’s powers, but they can sense he is holding back and decide to switch tactics.

Pynk uses her powers to generate an illusion of Kincaid’s family being murdered and after he watches them “die” he is a lot more chatty.

Kincaid reveals the Chinese and Russians are building a particle accelerator to open a breach to another dimension, and the first attempt was during the night of beyond’s death. He also reveals that China and Russia are building a quantum supercomputer for a cult composed of US politicians who believe that we are living in a simulation, without the knowledge of mkhellfire.

The US government has basically exchanged intel about how the Prometheus x serum was created, which involves material from an alternate reality (thus the particle accelerator to open a breach) and in exchange, Russia is providing the simulation cult with their quantum computing technology and China is giving extractives (minerals that are superconductors from Africa).

Eevee exhaled deeply, eyes trailing over the half-broken and worn down Walmart sign before returning their attention to Rothchild. RETRIEVE A CIVILIAN. They’d be lying to themselves if they didn’t question this task; it definitely seemed like a much easier job than it most likely was. The serum was held super close to the chest, and they knew the executives would never just hand it out to anyone who asked. No, this mission had to be life or death-- or as close to it as it could be. These agents’ loyalty meant too much for their lives to just be discarded like paper in the wind... RIGHT?

Pounding of feet against the pavement cued the beginning of the mission, Eevee taking off to keep pace as they all pushed through the glass doors. Slowing to a jog, they instantly scanned their new surroundings, watching as a few other agents simply ran full speed with no regard for examination. It honestly looked like a Walmart. But there HAD to be more to it. With knitted eyebrows, they decided to take the route that had yet to be traveled, keeping a silent note of the agents who followed behind at a distance. Did they think Eevee somehow knew where to go? Maybe they had a reassured expression?? After all, this whole mission was far less about the opportunity to be injected with the serum and completely about validating themselves-- a little to Hellfire as a whole, but most importantly, for themselves. With or without abilities, they could prove they were a legitimate asset.

Swerving around a corner, they were met with their first long-- irrationally long-- aisle. Their jog slowed even further, hand instinctively wrapping around the flashlight that hung off their waste. Though the harsh store lighting flickered above, a stout, blunt object was nice to have in situations where they might have to defend themselves. Pushing forward at a cautious pace, they kept an eye out for any sign of life-- other than the few tailing them or a couple of other agents that ran by. The overhead lights eventually diminished, however, dropping the temperature and adding to the ‘CREEP’ FACTOR.

After about their sixtieth, or so it felt, turn, they were no longer met with an empty aisle, but one with a group of people huddled in the middle. Spotting them hopefully before they’d spotted Eevee, they quickly backed up and out of their view and switched off their flashlight. Stealthily arching their neck to try and peek back over at the group, they counted eight, maybe nine-- all adult aged. Rothchild had said a civilian... not a troop of them. As Eevee spied and evaluated them, their tail caught a glimpse of life and like he’d been rejuvenated with life, gasped excitedly and rushed forward. “I found them!” he yelled, his voice echoing as they all turned to him in unison. Within seconds, they lunged at him, mumbling inhuman growls as some form of communication. It all happened far to quickly, Eevee frozen in terror and surprise, their eyes growing wide as Agent Starbuck was ripped to pieces with an ease that seemed impossible.

Allowing themselves a few seconds of shock, they then shook off the paralysis before retreating at full speed. The nipping cold pushed back by the adrenaline that now coursed through them as they ran. Was there even a civilian to save? Was all this a fool’s errand; a way to lead the agents to their death? After the attack, maybe the executives wanted to start fresh and no longer believed they could trust any of their agents. A million thoughts raced through their mind as they darted down halls and around corners. Left, left, right, left, right. Slowing slightly, not even remotely ready to just stop all together, they glanced around in confusion. Wait-- were they supposed to take a left or right?

Biting their bottom lip in thought momentarily before pulling out the compass they remembered they’d been given, they mumbled obscenities to themselves as the arrow spun in never-ending circles. Of fucking course they’d give them a useless compass. Tugging at their sleeves as their air puffed out into a warm cloud, Eevee racked their brain. Okay. They could do this. 

After taking a deep breath, they drove themselves forward with purpose. Was this the way? They weren’t sure, but going somewhere was better than sitting still. It felt like HOURS. Aisles followed by more aisles. But still, they persevered, eventually stumbling across one other life-form and quickly covering their source of light to make it dim. This ‘person’ seemed to be like the ones they’d found earlier-- but alone, and that meant Eevee had a far better chance. Is this who the executives were referring to? And if it was, how were they supposed to bring them out-- would they be willing?

ACT FIRST, QUESTION LATER. At an agile speed, Eevee took off towards them, uncovering their light in an attempt to blind them. They were met with similar growls as the other recoiled from the light, Eevee taking the opportunity to pounce with a swift smack with the flashlight to the back of he head. Almost as if they could see the stars around the others head, they wildly lashed out in a dazed state. Nails connected with Eevee’s arm, raking deep and hard. Wincing, Eevee kept hitting them over and over in the same spot-- careful not to kill but rather to render unconscious.

After what felt like a few agonizing minutes, the other body fell limp in their arms; their crimson soaked arms. They could feel the multiple bruises forming, probably a black eye and definitely more deep cuts. But at least they weren’t dead. “This is for Agent Starbuck,” they spit at the knocked out body.

What now?

Taking even more time to even out their breathing and recharge their muscles, they counted to themselves. 3, 2, 1. With a grunt, they slung the other over their shoulders in a fireman’s carry, exhaling sharply as they were a lot heavier than they looked. Now it was time for endurance, to not only be able to find their way back but to also lug this piece of shit with them.

Legs turned to noodles, over time, BUT THEY PUSHED ON. It became incredible hard to breathe, BUT THEY PUSHED ON. They weren’t sure if they were going the right way, BUT THEY PUSHED ON. Bitter cold nipped at them, threatening to slow them to a frozen halt, BUT THEY PUSHED ON.

Slowly but surely, they repeated ‘you can do this’ like a mantra, even if they didn’t actually believe it. Hours passed, and every inch of them threatened to shut down in exhaustion when they caught a glimpse of faint overhead lighting. Exhaling a loud and furious groan, like their own personal battle cry, they forced themselves on in desperation. The end, it was so close. THEY COULD DO THIS.