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Post by beffalumps on Jan 6, 2018 5:00:03 GMT
Dane sat at the end of the bar, wrapped up stiffly on his stool. He had been going stir crazy, having been cooped up in the cramped shelter since everything had gone to hell. Against his better judgement, he'd wandered out into the streets and, when fear overtook him, he ducked into this grungy old bar. I hate everything, had been his mantra as he sat there. What had he done to deserve any of this? It was only the loud clatter of glass on wood that shook him from his pity party cycle. He let out a yelp and turned to see a huge man standing beside him with water dripping down his front. "Um........"
---
Zeke stood frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from Alliser. He looked just as good as he had back then. Better even. Stop it. He pushed the thought away viciously and turned away, blindly following Lorenzo like a little kid. This had to be some sort of joke. Levi had found out somehow--okay not somehow, it was pretty obvious how he would've found out--and put this all together. I'm going to kill you, he thought angrily.
Don't blame me! I didn't know he was your high school sweetheart!!
The red of Zeke's face deepened as he glared daggers at his brother.
Layla stared in surprise and shot Alliser an innocent and confused look. What are you talking about?? She glanced over at Levi, who was still wiping tears from his eyes. The thought shared between them made her bolt upright. "Oh my god! You two were....oh my god..." she trailed off with a whisper, covering her mouth with her hands to hide the guilty smile creeping on her face.
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 5:05:26 GMT
Seth jumped. "Kaiser wait!" he grabbed his sleeve. "Right now??"
Angel coughed. "Kaiser take someone with you." he begged. "In case its ugly out there."
Kate popped her head around the corner. "Go where?"
"After Angani." Angel sat up.
Kate perked. "I'll go! Anything to get out of here." she bounced excitedly. "Come on! I can fly I'll be a real good helper I promise!"
Angel looked uncertainly at Olivia. "Uh, you sure your pops says it ok?"
Kate blinked a second. "Yyyyyyyyep. He says its fine! Besides he wants me to helo out around here! Not sit on my butt if I can do something about it... no offense." she winced at Angel.
Angel looked uncertain. "Well... ok." he said warily.
--
"Sorry Rapid." mumbled, toweling off his jeans and stepping back looking much more intimated then anyone his size should be. "I uh, I can get you another." he gestured to the shattered glass. "I... sorta work here." he shrugged.
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 5:30:37 GMT
Alliser swallowed, and he sat down at the nearest bar table, pulling the gloves from his hands. It was stifling in here. He shook his coat off and laid it down beside him. He looked at Layla with venom. "Yes, well. It was years ago," he clucked. He refused to meet Zeke's eyes.
Lorenzo poured tequila shots and handed them all out. He paused, handing Alliser three. "You look like you need it," he said with difficulty. Alliser quickly downed them, pulling a face at the sour lemon. As he handed Zeke the remaining few, he looked at the ground. "Do you need some time to talk?" he asked quietly, beginning to feel like it was too crowded with him there.
Alliser groaned, hanging his head in his hands. He hadn't been prepared for this at all. He hadn't even thought of Zeke in years. To find out he'd had a mild crush on his brother for the last month was humiliating.
---
Kaiser faltered as Seth grabbed at his sleeve. He was about to argue when Kate pitched in, and he nodded eagerly. "Come on, I can't waste any time. I'll watch out for her, don't worry," he added to Angel. He resumed his climb out the window, grabbing on the frame and lunging forwards. He dipped in the air before arcing upwards, heading straight towards the shrine. He hoped he hadn't wasted his chance. Angani, I'm on my way!
---
Johnny shot out of the break in the ice near the docks. "Sheila, we got him!" he laughed. "Quick, help me carry him to the base. We have to get him warm fast, or he's going to catch hypothermia." He glanced behind them at the ice. "I think one of them's following us, but I don't know how close they are."
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 5:46:05 GMT
Kate followed him out the window and did a summersault in the air before blasting upwards, spinning through the snow. She hadn't flown freely in weeks! It felt so good! She laughed and swooped back down towards Kaiser. "So what's he look like!" she called. "This guy, huh?" She zoomed lower, brushing her hand over the fluffy snow in the street and popping back up to his level. "Hey by the way how do you see where you're going! Should I lead? Also where ARE we going?"
--
Angani was trudging through the snow and peered into several smash windows. He was cold and his feet were getting numb. He headed back towards their apartment and made his way up the stairs. He had been leaving messages for kaiser, hoping if he found them he could have someone read them aloud and see where he was. Unfortunately, the door was ajar. Someone was in their apartment. "Kaiser!" Angani ran inside excitedly but ran into two Reboot looters and gasped in shock.
One, a woman with long black hair and blue-gray skin turned and smirked. "Hey look,a toy." she snapped and the door swung shut behind him with a click, the second, a huge mountain of a man turned from where he had been raiding their cabinets. "Rashida just kill him so we can go." he grumbled.
Rashida snaked up to him, using her powers of telekinesis to hold him still, Angani couldn't move, only his eyes flickered wildly around in terror. "Oh c'mon Clay, he's really cute..." she touched his face.
"Yeah well I'm outta here, come find me when you're done." Clay trudged outside leaving Angani alone under Rashida's power.
--
Sheila ran outside and helped carry him into the house boat. "Johnny he looks like death!" she gasped, hauling him inside and shutting the door behind Johnny.
Bobby was laying on the couch and growled seeing Johnny and another stranger walk into his house. He barked as Sheila set Elroy on the couch, booting him from his spot.
"Get all the blankets you can find and feed the stove!" Sheila brushed the ice from his hair. "Ugh he's turning blue... what was he thinking swimming in the bay!" she turned to Johnny. "What were YOU thinking swimming in the bay?? You could have turned out this way too!" she started cutting off Elroy's shredded clothes and putting some of Johnny's clothes on him.
Bobby sat on the carpet, scowling. Now there was another dumb man in his house!
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 6:09:44 GMT
Kaiser smiled as elation soared through him, picturing Angani's face. "He's tall, and he was pretty tan last time I saw him. Who knows what the winter's done to him though, he hates the cold," Kaiser grinned. "He's got golden hair. Looks like a living Greek god." He laughed, feeling no shame. His fiancé was alive! "Angel said the candle was found by the shrine, so I was thinking we'd start there. But then, that's out in the open. Angani would hate to wait in the cold." He trailed off, pondering. He suddenly altered their course, setting off in the opposite direction. "He'd be at home! He's got to keep an eye on all of his Loch Ness figurines." As they neared the apartment building, his breath stuttered at the image of Angani. There he was! And two others were with him. Kaiser felt a prickle of unease. He came to a swooping halt, and raised a hand in warning to Kate. "Hang on, I think something's wrong," he said, growing cold. "He's not alone in there."
---
Johnny rushed to do as Sheila directed, lobbing several thick blankets over Elroy's form. He held up his hands in surrender. "Hey if I hadn't been swimming in the bay, I couldn't have caught him! I had to try Sheila, I couldn't just sit here doing nothing, knowing he was in there." He shrugged, only minutely apologetic. "And look, now he's back." He began throwing kindling into the stove, nurturing the flame until it had begun to blaze. That done, he turned to help wrap Elroy up in the layers of blankets. "Warming up, bud?"
Nailah hauled herself out of the ice, reverting to her human form. She eyed the house boat in the distance.
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 6:22:03 GMT
Angani flinched as Rashida pressed him into the couch, he couldn't move, couldn't even yell. She had a wickedly sharp blade and she cutting open his shirt, running her hand over his chest.
"You're reeeeally cute." Rashida cooed testing a blade against his skin just enough to make him bleed. Angani shut his eyes tight, heart pounding hard as she tested the blade on his neck. "Oh I could just play with you for hours." she groaned. "But I gotta deadline so lets make this fast." she tore his shirt in half and started biting the base of his neck none too gently as her claw-like hands scratched down his abs and into his waistband. He tried hard to shout out, to throw her off, to call out. Anything! He claw-like nails bit into his skin and her teeth were starting to cut. He kept his eyes shut tight, shaking hard.
--
Kate almost flew into Kaiser. "How can you tell??" She asked then saw the lumbering mountain man walking down the steps. "Hey that dude's looting the place!" she saw his ugly mug raised towards him. "Definitely no Greek god, yeesh." she wrinkled her face then dove out of the way as he hurled a frying pan at them with enough force to shatter bone. "Whoa!" she swerved back to Kaiser. "He coming again!" she shot out of range.
"RASHIDA GET OUT HERE!" Clay snarled, starting to throw the kitchen knives at the flyers.
Kate swerved in and out of the missiles. "I got this guy you go in!" Kate gave Kaiser a push. "Hey lumpy! Your aim's almost as awful as your face!' she ducked to avoid getting clobbered with a pie tin.
--
After several minutes of warmth Elroy's eyes flickered and he squinted hazily around the unfamiliar area. "J...Johnny?" he rasped in confusion. He rubbed his eyes. "Sheila?"
Sheila smiled. "You're ok." she sighed in relief. "Johnny fished you out of the bay."
Elroy coughed and winced as he sat up. "Johnny I.... th-thank you." he rasped out. "I... I thought I killed you." his eyes welled. "I didn't... it wasn't me, it was but." he tugged at his hair. "I couldn't stop it."
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 6:44:28 GMT
Kaiser nodded as Kate pushed him onwards, sparing half a thought to her safety, before his attention was caught by what the woman was doing to Angani left in the room alone. Kaiser sucked in a breath, feeling his body begin to shake. "Angani!" he howled, all thoughts of his own safety erased as he scrambled towards the apartment through the air. He ducked his head behind his arms as he sped right towards the window; the force of the impact had his entire body shuddering, pain lancing up his arms. The glass fractured and shattered all around him. Buffeted by the blow, he skittered off the floor and slammed into the wall. "Get off of him!" he roared, climbing to his feet shakily, glass snapping underfoot. He felt a hundred tiny cuts bloom across his bare skin, his entire frame aching. Without a second warning, Kaiser launched himself at the woman, throwing her off of Angani and sending them both tumbling through the glass scattered across the apartment floor.
---
Johnny laughed, clapping Elroy on the back. "'Course not, I'm unkillable mate. Just ask Bobby." He knelt down in front of Elroy, grabbing his hands and pulling them away from his face. "Hey, stop that," he told him softly. "We know. We didn't understand then what he did to you, but we knew that it was never you." Johnny looked at him, before leaning forwards and drawing him into a hug. "I'm sorry it took us so long to get you away from that place."
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 6:57:48 GMT
Elroy wanted to push Johnny away, he felt horrible, Alfonse had used him to destroy the grid, terrorize the city, hurt his friends. Even Nico had been a fake. He blinked hot tears and pushed his face into Johnny's chest. He'd felt so helpless and weak for so long, but now in front of his friends he felt like a shell about to break. He sniffed hard into his hands and stayed pressed tight against Johnny. His friend was alive. He still felt wretched and guilty. But Johnny was alive.
Bobby growled softly from the floor but hearing the sounds of crying he perked his ears and jumped up on Elroy's lap, He gave Johnny a pointed look, the licked Elory's hand and wagged his tail to cheer him up.
--
Angani yelped as something exploded through the window, showering him with glass, Rashida's knife sliced across his skin as she jumped up and was tackled flat. He sat up and scrambled to the far side of the couch, shaking like mad. "K-Kaiser???" he yelped.
Rashida jumped to her feet. "Ooh another one." she summoned her knife to her hand. "A lil squirt of a guy huh?" she spun the knife in the air. She was tackled and they rolled across the glass slashing and fighting. Angani was so scared he couldn't move, just clung to the couch watching the fight with wide-eyed horror.
Outside Kate was making Clay raving mad, ducking his throws and zooming close enough to tease then out of range again. Clay threw a meat cleaver and Kate flinched as she spun to avoid it, a few scarlet drops decorated the snow.
"Got you bitch!" Clay ripped a stop sign out of the ground and threw it at her with all his might, the bar caught her in the middle and she hit the wall of the building behind her and fell to the ground with a snowy crunch. She winced and stumbled to her feet. "Yeah... One for you!" she laughed nervously and pressed her hand to his side. She picked up the stop sign, it was heavy and twisted and she brandished it like a bat. "Heeeere ugly!" she called, leading him away from the apartment.
--
Alfonse sent a furious Tpath to Nailah. GET BACK HERE OR I'LL DRINK YOUR VIAL NEXT! he snarled.
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 7:23:24 GMT
Johnny held him as Elroy began to cry, rubbing wide circles on his back to try to keep his temperature up. He knew it had been a long ordeal for his friend.
Nailah flinched as Alfonse's Tpath came through. She assessed her position. Johnny had almost unrivalled control over water, and as it was, they were floating upon a vast expanse of it. There wasn't much she could do for long without back up. What's your ETA? she shot at Audrey.
We've crossed about halfway. These idiots keep falling in the water. Have you got him under control?
They've got an almost impenetrable defence with the water slinger on board a boat house. I'm going to try to get onboard, be quick if you can.
Don't lose them.
Nailah dissolved, streaming through the water until she'd reached the boat. From there it was an easy stretch to the deck, where she halted, listening to the sounds of the people onboard. She could hear Elroy crying softly from inside. Disgust rocked through her. Slipping through the crack in the doorway, she solidified right behind Sheila, twisting her arms in a lock behind her back, her free hand wrapped around her neck. "Johnny. I'll be needing Seibert back now," she said coldly.
Johnny whipped around at the sound of Nailah's voice, his heart catching at the sight of Sheila at her mercy. He raised his hands. "Nailah, you let her go."
---
Kaiser growled, lurching forward to grapple with the woman. He seized a shard of glass from the ground, and slammed it deep into her wrist, forcing her to part with the knife in her hand. Wrenching the glass from her skin, he pressed it against her throat. "I should kill you," he hissed, his body quivering in hatred and wrath.
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 7:33:28 GMT
Rashida gasped at the cut and reached up grabbing at his throat to trying and hold him off. She smirked seeing his blind cloudy eyes. "Oh pity." she snickered, summoning a fire place poker behind Kaiser to stab him in the back. "That you don't even know what you were missing out on." she looked towards the quaking young man on the couch. "But don't worry." she gasped. "I'll send him to meet you in hell when we're done." she sent the poker flying but Angani grabbed it and wrestled it to the ground. Rashida sent her dagger flying at Angani and it sliced his cheek, he cried out in pain.
--
Elroy flinched looking up seeing Sheila captive. "Nailah!" he rasped angrily. "What are you playing at!" he struggled to stand but his legs were like jello, he couldn't even feel all his toes yet.
Sheila thrashed in Nailah's grip. "Bobby!" she yelped. Bobby bared his teeth and lunged, sinking his fangs into Nailah's calf and thrashing his little head.
Elroy winced and got up. "Stop it!" he coughed. "What's going on!"
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 7:50:44 GMT
Kaiser cried out as the poker stabbed into him, dropping the shard reflexively in pain. He collapsed to the ground, shuddering as pain washed through him, blood drenching his shirt. Hearing Angani tussling with the woman, he shot a sonar into the dark, seeing her cut at him. While she was distracted, he picked up his discarded fragment of glass and sprang at her. As Kaiser landed on top of her, he drove the glass deep into her ribcage, twisting it savagely, the glass shattering in his hands and tearing at his skin. "Don't you touch him!"
---
Nailah quirked a brow at Elroy's poor attempts to stand. As the dog lunged at her, she turned her leg to water, the bite passing straight through her. She narrowed her eyes as Molly struggled against her hold, her hand tightening around her throat. "Don't test me," she hissed. "I can drown you wear you stand. I suggest you stand very still."
Johnny stepped forward, helpless. "Please, Nailah, don't do this," he begged. He couldn't give Elroy up so soon after getting him back, and he couldn't stand to see Sheila threatened.
Nailah tipped her head towards Elroy. "Return him to the Rebels, and I'll let her go."
"You know he can't go back there, they've barely kept him alive this long!"
Nailah snarled. "You think that matters to me? After all he's done, I would relish it."
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 7:57:51 GMT
Elroy frowned. "So you helped me escape just to return me? Why? Some sort of prize?" he frowned. "Why are you even doing this!" he coughed. "Where's molly!"
Sheila's eyes widened and she frowned. "SHE killed her." she glared at Nailah. "The night of the surge."
Elroy's eyes widened, everything seemed to go hazy and dark. Molly was dead? No... no she couldn't be... What had he done?? How had he let this happen! The last time they spoke... He let out a weak breath and looked at the floor. "She can't be..." he turned desperate, blurry eyes to Johnny. "She's not right??"
--
Rashida snarled in pain and elbowed Kaiser's face as she scrambled to her feet and shambled tot he door. She gave him an evil look then ran outside, calling for Clay.
Angani was trembling on the floor, covered in glass and cuts, clothes half torn off. He looked out the swinging door then over at Kaiser. "Ka...Kaiser?" he whimpered weakly, blood running down his face.
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 8:19:11 GMT
Nailah recoiled at Sheila's words, hatred flashing across her face. "You don't understand anything," she hissed venomously.
Johnny looked at Elroy weakly, eyes darting between him and Sheila. "She's...she was turned to stone. I don't get the science behind it, something about two extreme temperatures meeting...From what I understand, Nailah froze her."
Malice warped Nailah's face. "Enough! Don't you talk about her!" she snarled at the slinger. "This is all your fault, Seibert! They wanted you, and Molly would have died to protect you anyway. I did the best I could for her!"
---
Kaiser gasped on the floor, his hands burning, and his back aching from the wounds. "Angani," he breathed, lifting his head. "Angani, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I should have been here sooner." He let his head fall to the floor, too weak to hold it up with the adrenaline wearing off. The blood pouring from his back hadn't abated, and the chill from the burst window was making him shiver uncontrollably. "Kate's out there, I left her to fight the other one." He struggled to form a Tpath; Angel, send backup. Angani and I are hurt - Kate's fighting a Rebel alone. He has a missile launcher. He coughed, casting out a sonar. He smiled weakly at Angani's form. "It's so good to see you again, baby."
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Post by Skidar on Jan 6, 2018 8:32:04 GMT
Angani crawled over to him and ducked into his arms, bawling like a baby. He had been so scared, embarassed, ashamed, he'd let Kaiser get hurt, he'd just sat there and watched! New Kaiser was hurt. He was hurt. He clung to him and tucked his head under Kaiser's chin. "Why did you leave..." he gasped out weakly. "Why did you leave me alone..."
Kate flew back into the apartment and gasped in shock. "Kaiser!" she ran over the glass and grabbed a kitchen towel, pressing it to his back. "No no no please don't die!" she gasped. She saw the blood on the floor, these boys were in bad shape. She wasn't too much better off. She shut her eyes tight. Dad I need you! Please! I did exactly what you told me not to do! I'm at Kaiser's apartment and he and Angani are down you gotta hurry! she pressed a towel to the cut on Angani's cheek. "Shh... I... It'll be ok." she stammered, not knowing what had happened or how to take care of them. "They're gone, My dad's coming." she winced hearing Alan explode in her head. "I'm grounded for ever but he's coming." she rubbed Kaiser's shoulder.
--
Elroy's chest felt hollow. "You killed Molly." he blinked tears from his eyes. "Because of me? I would have rather died then anything happen to her!" his voice cracked. "She was my best friend..." he rubbed his eyes. "You pretended to love her for this... Alfonse guy?? Then you killed her!" he blinked raw eyes. "Then you let me go now you're catching me again what is WRONG with you!" he staggered to his feet, the lightbulbs overhead flickered on for a heartbeat then went out again, Elroy staggered weakly and fell against Johnny. "I'd kill you if I could." he rasped. "You killed her... this is all you're fault." he growled in devastation.
--
Across town Alan was running through the snow, bounding when he could and riding his precious lightning reserves. "C'mon Kalyn!" he snapped as he rushed towards the apartment. Kate was on the patio waving a red towel to signal him.
"What were you thinking!" Alan snarled at her as he touched down.
"I wasn't! Yell later help them!" Kate dragged him inside. Alan blanched at the blood then spotted Angani's medical backa and crouched down to start patching them up the best he could.
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Post by noodlerface on Jan 6, 2018 9:06:51 GMT
As Angani cried, Kaiser felt sobs begin to wrack him. "I'm so sorry," he moaned. "I wanted to help the students...I shouldn't have gone, I should have stayed with you." He buried his face in Angani's neck, resting his torn hand on his shoulder. It felt so good to feel him, real and alive. "I'll never go again, I'm never leaving you ever again."
He groaned as Kate pressed the towel to his back, shuddering in pain. "God, that stings," he said weakly. "Are you okay? Where's the other Rebel? Did he hurt you?"
---
Nailah threw Sheila aside, Johnny throwing himself to catch her, as she charged Elroy back against the wall hands around the neck. "They would never have allowed you to die, don't you understand that?" she exploded. "You're too damn important to everybody. Even now, you're a husk, and look at the lengths they're going to get you back!" She squeezed at his throat, aching to choke him to death. She could feel her form wavering. "Don't you dare accuse me of faking anything. You have no idea how agonising it is, knowing that no matter what side you pick, the one you love is going to throw her life away for some undeserving scum." She punctuated her point by lifting him from the wall and slamming him back down, hard. "Look at your friend, what they did to him with your own body. Do you know how many students they put to death once they took over? What do you think they would have done to Molly?" Nailah threw her head back, eyes wild, teeth bared. "Alfonse has a sick sense of humour. He would have had you do it. He would have had you string her up and torture her until she couldn't take it anymore, just to toy with you. She was always inconsequential to him, we all are. Even now he's killing his own soldiers to get you back. We're all expendable. But not you. Never you."
---
Kalyn sprinted after the lightning slinger, phasing through the overturned cars and remnants of buildings scattered across the streets. As Alan dropped her onto the patio, she paled at the sight of all the blood. "Oh, wow, nasty," she muttered, glancing at Kate. "I'm not the most medically proficient, but uh, they look bad. What do you need me to do?"
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sometime after ten, hope you'll be up! also.... WILL PROFILE thatisall 
