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Post by Ventia on Feb 4, 2023 21:52:07 GMT -5
Mabel was perched on the closest tree branch to the compound in front of her, usually, she wouldn't have dared to get so close to her target but the lack of guards had both bothered and made her curious, so off she went as close as she could get and essentially circling around the building trying to find any of the dozens of guards that had been mentioned in the report. Now, she waited by the front for more orders while trying to solve the puzzle in front of her.
Many ideas came to mind, the main one being that the man named Keith had figured out their plan and had retreated within the walls. A siege would be in his favor, she thought watching the sturdy structure of the compound. The lack of windows wasn't seen every day, but she doubted that the man cared much for safety issues if he was in the human trafficking business. Scum.
Still no guards, I'm going to start taking out his eyes if you're okay with that. Mabel asked Vincent through the temporary mind link their team established before arriving on the scene and waited for her captain's reply.
Alright, we'll handle the ones on ground level. Report any changes when you see them. Vincent turned to Ace, who had stayed behind to smoke his cigarette while the others had set off to their own positions lying in wait for the fight to come.
"Aren't you a little too carefree?" Vincent asked him, in any other mission he probably wouldn't have cared for the man's lack of interest since he knew how formidable Ace was, but this wasn't like any other mission to Vincent. This was something that concerned his bastard brother, this was his chance at getting revenge, something that he has been craving for over twenty years now.
"Huh?" Ace glanced at Vincent and shrugged, taking one last drag before flicking the half-finished cigarette away, "It's better than being too tensed. I'll take the west route, how long till your backup is here? I have plans in a few hours." He muttered rubbing his jaw and watching Vincent with his side eye.
"I don't care about your fucking plans Ace. We'll be here all week if we need to. Or is that a problem? Because if it is-"
"Alright alright, so testy. Relax I was just joking." Ace chuckled a little and rolled his eyes, before turning towards the opposite side of the forest and waving goodbye to his old friend before disappearing from sight.
Vincent clenched his fists, he knew what Ace was doing; he knew that he was starting to get too caught up in his rage rather than having a clear head and that Ace was only trying to snap him out of it before it cost him the mission. Vincent blew out a long sigh, trying to gather himself up but the moment he thought of Keith, past pain and hidden anger welled up within him till he was shaking. He had been prepared to at least get some of his frustrations out on the guards outside the building but had arrived at an empty and quiet tower instead.
For some reason, it made him tense up and feel more worrisome than before.
He sighed, tell me something good, he asked Atsila and began walking to the meeting point.
I could burn it all? But I'm sure that would defeat the purpose. Atsila yawned, as she took out another hidden camera at the back of the building and stepped into the clearing, she was sure if Lark was around her he would have placed his hand out to stop her but he was a few distances away at another location. She smiled, though overprotective she did like his overbearing ways.
She pressed her hand on the back door and immediately pulled it away with a small hiss of pain. Silver. Though she wasn't as sensitive to the material, being used to being burned, it seemed her werewolf genes were still affected by it.
Silver doors. She told her group and wondered briefly if her fire was strong enough to burn through it, something in her felt very confident and she turned away back to the shelter of the trees with an idea forming in her head, if nothing else worked she at least had an alternative.
-
"Oh, you know what, we're pretty close to the border. We can go to Ben's." Katie glanced up from her phone, she had put in the address of the mission just to get an idea of the land and wasn't surprised by how familiar she was with the location. Being a rogue for seven years did come with some perks, she thought and double-checked the map.
"It's a twenty-minute drive up north but well worth it. They have the best food there, I swear." Katie licked her lips, "Gosh I haven't been there in ages. I wonder how Ben is doing. Oh and Luc too. He's one of their main servers, really funny, and makes the best sweets." She giggled, stretching out in her seat not aware that her words then would drastically change her best friend's life in the best way possible.
"Though if you want actual food, I guess we could go to Abigail's. They have a wider menu there, though the food at the Bakery is good too. Up to you guys. I'll be fine with either."
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Post by Thea on Feb 5, 2023 0:13:28 GMT -5
Lark was lean, yes. Before his first shift, he was long and frail-looking. A stark contrast to his father's bulky frame. He was his mother's "bean pole", as she often said to her friends. Today wasn't much better; no matter how much he ate or trained, he never seemed to get any more muscle than he had. His shift was similarly lanky, having been passed off multiple times as a German Shepard with Great Dane height. With his long and shaggy hair, he didn't look like the traditional wolf.
He had the strength of any regular werewolf. His agility though? Unmatched. He was on the other side of the building, working his way quickly yet methodically through the traps that had been set in what were supposed to be the stationed guards' blind spots. Some he found easier to set off, like pressure plates and laser detectors, never looking back to see what could have killed him if he had been just a little bit slower. On the map Vince showed him, there had been a pit that no one was really sure had in it. When he disengaged the cover there wasn't anything in it that caught Lark's eye.
That had him thinking ...
Mabel is right. There are no guards. These traps are meant to be checked periodically. Someone would have come out already.
Lark walked slowly toward the edge of the clearing, keeping to the shadows of the trees. What heinous things had the silent sentinels seen? He could only imagine. This Keith was an evil man, and those that followed him to help create this empire were just as bad. He might be a wild animal in his very essence, but he was not without his conscious. Maybe that was why he had fit in well at the Guild. All of these missions he had been on had an ulterior motive: to help eradicate evil in some way.
He shook his whole canine body once as if to rid himself of the icky feeling of unholiness that clung to his coat, then sniffed the air cautiously. There were no new scents since their arrival, further cementing the confirmation that there was no one outside. Something was definitely up. They would have met some sort of resistance already.
Lark perked at hearing Atsila's voice, ears standing at attention. When he felt her pain through the bond they went flat against his head and his lip pulled up in a snarl. Atsila, Lark's voice filtered through it, concern softening his words. The animal within him wanted to check on her right then. Lark's will stopped the urge barely before he caught another whiff in the air.
We got wolfsbane.
***
"Oooooh, yeah that bakery sounds nice." Tabasco patted his stomach with as much enthusiasm as a kid in a candy store, then turned to Elaine. "What say you, Snow Queen?"
The snow leopard scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Food is food is food. I am fine with whatever." Her accented words flaunted nonchalance, but her fist that connected with Tabasco's thigh said she very much did not like his nickname for her.
Thea chuckled at Tabasco's grunt of pain. "You would think after working so many years with her you'd learn to drop the name." Since taking over for her cousin, and after a lot of disappearances, she's had to rework a lot of team dynamics. Yet no matter what, she usually had Tabasco and Elaine paired. They acted like siblings half the time, but maybe that's why they were such an ideal duo.
"I'm down for the bakery too. I'd kill for a banana-nut muffin right now." She hadn't had one in so long. Not since the last time she smoked with Nathaniel.
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Post by Ventia on Feb 5, 2023 4:35:30 GMT -5
I'm okay, it barely tickled. Atsila told Lark privately, but her own worry rose within her for his own safety a mere second later. She had an easier time relaxing though, knowing Lark had better resistance to it than any of the other wolves on their team. She wasn't sure if the other shifters had a less reaction to it either now that she thought about it, seeing as how they weren't wolves but put the thought aside for later. It was important to know what her team's strengths and weaknesses were, but seeing as how she herself still kept some secrets of herself to them she couldn't quite ask them to reveal everything either.
Be careful Lark, don't push yourself too much. I'm going to move a bit away, I'm more vulnerable to wolfsbane than silver. She made her way away from where Lark had located the wolfsbane cloud, making a mental note to keep a watchful eye on the wind, disarming any traps she had missed on this side of the forest while still keeping a visual on the back of the building through the thick trees. When there was nothing else to do but wait for the moment, she began to climb her way up one tall tree to get a better look at her surroundings.
If this was her hunt, she would have made this location a trap in itself keeping them busy looking forward while she crept up from behind them and made her attack. With that thought in mind, Atsila reached for the next branch overhead and lifted herself up with fluid ease, balancing like a cat before she slipped on over to the next. By the time she reached the last stable branch for her weight, Atsila could see the entire area with a bird's view.
She checked behind them, past where they had stashed the van to the cracks in between the trees and the dirt road leading up to the compound. Then she turned towards the building, her eyes landing on the garage and the few dozen cars still parked here and there all around the clearing. There should have been a mini army if the cars were any indication, yet besides the occasional sound of a trap being set, it was way too quiet for Atsila's liking.
She spied Ace coming out from the trees near the lot of cars, crouching and moving between each car with practiced movements, taking a moment to look into the cars before he dashed forward to the next.
No movement on our rear.
The cars are clear. I'll try the garage next. Ace was starting to stand up when he heard a soft click in the silence and then ducked on instinct a second before the passenger side window shattered next to him, the glass popping and spraying in all directions. He let out a breath, a second slower, and his brain would have been the one to spray all around.
"Awh I missed." A man's voice said in a playful tone on the outside speakers, the volume was at its loudest letting any normal person able to hear him within a set distance though for the shifters that were there, the new voice would be able to be heard from farther away since it disturbed the silence so.
"Look at all of you, scurrying around like little rats." Keith spoke into the intercom, watching as one by one his stash of cameras got disconnected making the feed go black. He had only a few cameras left, these harder to spot for such a situation though he was prepared to be completely blind as time stretched on. Still, there was a reason for his madness, and if he wanted to see what he was looking for before the rest of his handful of cameras got taken away, he would have to rock the boat.
"I thought this was a rescue mission, Vincent." He scoffed at the name and their idea of how a rescue should go, his eyes moving through the last six remaining feeds.
"Well not that there's much left to rescue. Though you're more than welcome to take back the bodies, they're starting to smell."
He's trying to lure you out Vince, stay hidden.
I know. Vincent all but growled, it was taking all of him to keep his feet planted on the ground and not move any closer to the group, to not give Keith the satisfaction he was so obviously looking for.
He's lying. He wouldn't hurt her-but then Megan popped innocently into his mind. Keith had killed her the moment she had displeased him. Could he trust in Tranquility Chambers words that Keith hadn't hurt her recently? It was obvious Keith found everything out, if he was this confident goading him like this, and Vincent knew how angry and unpredictable Keith could get, then Vincent couldn't rule it out completely.
We don't leave without her body even if she has passed away. Vincent said firmly, then corrected himself. We won't leave until we've rescued all of them, alive or not.
Agreed. Mabel was the first to reply as she focused on the danger that had attacked Ace.
Yes, why would we want to stop the fun so soon? Atsila chuckled, still keeping an eye out for now in both directions.
I would like to call it quits, my head did almost get shot at. Ace grumbled but peeked up from the car and spied the torrent attached to the roof of the garage, hidden in a dark corner he hadn't noticed earlier.
"Figures you wouldn't show yourself, Vincent. You were always a coward."
Keith's voice slithered into Vincent's ears from even this far, that snide knowing tone made Vincent feel sick, the hair on the back of his arms rose, feeling his need to shift and swipe that smile off the bastard's face. Still, Vincent kept his ground and checked his phone again, tracking Thea through her work phone and seeing she was only a few minutes out.
Ten minutes guys, let's try to get rid of the last bit of traps and-
"Megan always knew you were a coward. That's why she picked you, little brother. Because you were easy to use. To manipulate. I told you not to trust her and what do you do? Propose to the stupid girl. God, I'm glad I got rid of that headache before she could do any permanent damage. If you would have gotten her pregnant, you would have regretted it-"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY HER NAME, YOU SICK BASTARD. DON'T YOU EVER SAY HER FUCKING NAME, YOU HEAR ME? KEITH!" Vincent bellowed with rage, in the few seconds that Keith had been speaking, Vincent had traveled the forty yards to the front of the building in a blink of an eye, his eyes completely drowning in gold, his muscles bunching up already shifting to make him bigger and stronger, more beast than man.
Not there, the wolfsbane! Atsila warned, feeling the shift in the air the breeze now on her, and heading straight for Vincent.
Vince fuck. Ace groaned, and grabbed the shotgun by his feet, and in a burst of movement, he stood, aimed, and sent shell after shell into the torrent until he heard the metal cracking, then he crouched back down to reload.
"Ah, I knew you'd come out for that. Hello little brother, long time no see."
"KEITH!"
"Haha, no need to shout I can hear you just fine."
"Come. Out. Here. And meet me like a man. You're the coward. Do you feel safe hiding in there? Bullying the weak? Ha! How fucking PATHETIC."
"Oh cry me a river, why don't you?" Keith chuckled, "I won't make it easy for you like you just did for me. You're so easy to rile up, popping out like that. Not even trying to hide, huh, one press from my button and I can deal with you from here, why should I make the trip downstairs?"
"What are you waiting for then?!" Vincent spread his arms, hitting his chest before holding them open again. "Fucking shoot me then, yeah I didn't fucking think so." But Vincent moved back into the tree line, gritting his teeth and hitting the tree with his fist before he glanced towards his side and started making his way in the opposite direction, but instead of falling back, he stayed close to the front now.
"That's boring. I have an idea, let's play a game. Hide and Seek, lil bro. Try to find me."
The front doors suddenly opened up and then the sounds of countless sobs and cries from both genders and ages broke through the soundproof walls as a stampede of people started running out towards their freedom.
-
Katie laughed at the two in the back, glancing at them for a second before facing the front with a wide smile. It had been a while since she's had this, the humor before a mission with those who were close together as they teased each other, she missed these little moments the most from her days as a mercenary, her people had been as close to a family like any other, and she would still be there for each of them despite the fact they all went on their own separate paths.
"Bakery it is then," She put the phone away and took her gun out of its holster, they were nearing the location now and she always had a habit of triple checking her equipment before she went into action. Content everything was in working order, she secured her hidden knife away, and when Thea parked in between a set of trees, Katie popped out of the passenger side with a bounce in her step, ready for war and violence.
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Post by Thea on Feb 6, 2023 21:00:43 GMT -5
I will be fine, kaerasta, Lark assured. Wolfsbane had never been an issue for him or his siblings. His father guessed that it was because of their unique pedigree and used it to their advantage whenever there was a skirmish. Having him on the team was advantageous, Lark realized. A win on his part, but that also made him worry about Atsila. He could do nothing if the wind changed. Just stay over there.
In the meantime, he stalked the perimeter, looking to see where the would-be poison originated from. He must have tripped something; he was great at disengaging or setting off traps, but he wouldn't go so far as to say he was a whiz. Still, the possibility had him snarling again. And paying more attention to the building itself.
He was going to have to learn how to disengage cameras, too, it seemed. Instinct had him moving further into the shadows the environment cast, squinting to conceal the red of his eyes as he watched one remaining camera moving in his direction. His heart raced with anticipation, yet stayed stone-still until he knew that the camera was being manned by Vincent's brother. The male voice coming over the loudspeakers only reinforced his assumption as he called them scurrying rats.
The turret guns were new. And near-deafening. It had Lark audibly growling his distaste, though was glad one of their team wasn't downed by it. He had stayed silent in the team rallying save for the snort of amusement from Ace's quip. He's had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of the assassins at the Guild. And while Ace had self-preserving tendencies, Lark knew that he would see the missions he was assigned to the end. He started to backtrack further into the wooded area at Vince's words but stopped to watch the shit show that was unfolding.
Lark knew that Vince had a hatred toward his brother but believed when Thea said that he would stay calm and collected on this mission. The longer Keith talked the more at ease Lark became because Vince wasn't being goaded into responding. Until Keith brought up a woman. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this woman was very important to their leader. The old wolf knew that if he was in Vincent's place the mention of Atsila would send him over the edge. That was why Lark was glad he wasn't. Lark would have already razed the building as Atsila offered earlier.
When the doors sprang open and the victims' cries rang in his ears, he didn't hesitate. I'm going to keep these people from accidentally setting off the traps that I wasn't able to disengage. I need someone to lead them to where Thea and the rest will be and another to help me keep them in a straight line.
***
The jovial feeling the group had coming to the target site was left in the vehicle as Thea turned the car off and pocketed the keys. She popped the trunk and walked with purpose to grab her gear along with Elaine and Tabasco. Much like Kate did, she did a quick recap and recount of the weapons she brought: two Glock 17s with two extra mags and a bowie knife should she find herself in close combat. After putting her weapons in their designated holsters she slid on a bullet-proof vest over her "Black Widow" outfit her mother so aptly named it. Elaine did as well, while Tabasco liked to "live on the edge", as he put it.
The tank of a man slung a pack onto his back, filled with the essentials for breaking locks and grinding metal - "Or faces," he said with a chortle just before they left. He had his own guns as well, namely a trusty pump-action shotgun he carried with a bandolier strapped across his chest. He trailed behind the women as they started walking up the rest of the way, Thea texting Vince that they made it. But Elaine stopped suddenly, mouth slightly ajar in a look of concentration. "It sounds like chaos up there."
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Post by Ventia on Feb 7, 2023 19:12:16 GMT -5
When Mabel saw the people rushing out she dropped down and shifted back into her human skin, jogging through the path until she came out from the side, the mass of people beginning to scatter. She sucked in a breath as she stopped in front of them and whistled loudly, the sound cutting through their panic chatter and making the majority of the group glance in her direction.
"Everyone!" Her voice was clear and loud, demanding attention.
"Please stay calm. We are here to help, to get you to safety please form two straight lines and follow me. Move fast but do not panic, if anyone has issues walking please let me know and I'll assist you." She stared down at the group, from what she could see they all looked like victims if the fear in their eyes was anything to go by, but she couldn't ignore the possibility that there might be enemies within the crowd or even the Keith man himself. There had been a few pictures in the file of the main people, including Keith McClellan, so she began looking for him through the crowd as she directed them to walk forward.
"That's it, keep walking forward and remain calm, you're safe now. We have a medic just a few minutes away, and we will get in contact with your families as soon as possible. Please ma'am I will answer any questions later, for now continue walking so we can get everyone somewhere safe." Mabel nodded at the crying woman and lightly touched her shoulder and pressed her forward, walking with her for a little as she continued to talk to the group to get them as calm as they could be in such a situation.
All the while, she had a bitter taste in her mouth looking at the state of them, some were in better shape than others, and others weren't so lucky. Bruises covered their bodies, the state of their clothing was poor, most looked starved and dehydrated, emptiness and fear filled their gazes, she couldn't imagine what they were thinking at such a moment and if she didn't want to get them to safety as quickly as possible she would have felt guilty for rushing them and barking orders.
She walked down the lines, seeing a girl no older than thirteen limping down the line, a dead expression in her gaze made Mabel think of one of her dad's old friends from the military. She scooped the girl up, despite her long legs the girl weighed almost nothing and didn't say anything besides a low whimper as she closed her eyes, light tears beginning to fall down her dirty cheeks.
By the time Atsila made her way down the tree, she saw a few people running into the forest toward her, running as fast as they could to get away. When they spotted her, one girl screamed while a guy started running faster towards her yelling readying his arm to punch her.
"Wait, I'm here to help." Atsila called out but he kept going, screaming hysterically his eyes wide and filled with panic and confusion. Atsila sidestepped him, tripping him as she went and grabbing that outstretched hand, twisting it behind him as gently as she could while pressing him down into the ground. He struggled, yelling still, her ears were beginning to ring.
"Relax! I'm not here to hurt you." She let go of his arm but kept her weight on him for a second longer, "Breathe, get yourself under control." She waited till he stopped screaming and sucked in a shuddering breath, in the next moment she was off of him and dragging him back up to a sitting position, waving over the girl who had stopped to watch the whole show.
"You're not with them?" The girl asked hesitantly.
"No, I'm not. My team and I are on a rescue mission for you guys. It's dangerous here." She turned to the guy and held out her hand again.
"Can you stand up? Sorry for being rough, I needed you to calm down and I'm not great at the gentle reproach."
Still looking stunned, the man glanced up at Atsila and then the other girl before shaking his head. He cleared his throat. "I'm okay...and sorry. I thought you were going to hurt Elizabeth." He took her hand and got to his feet.
"No problem. It's good to see your spirit isn't dead. This is the wrong way though, the medic and evac are on the other side of the forest. Follow me closely, there can still be some traps in the forest. If we see anyone else, please help me with getting them to follow without a fuss." And then she went the long way around, trying to avoid the wind and the wolfsbane that was still in the air, whenever she got a whiff of it, she changed directions trying to ignore her chest already started to tighten up and on her way back to the main path, she had found herself a large group of her own.
By that time, she was meeting up with the others, Mabel was carrying a young girl and the majority of the injured and Thea's group was just now coming into sight.
"Please follow them." She told her group and pointed at the two long lines of people before heading over to Thea's group.
"That lunatic started goading Vincent and let out what seems to be most of the victims, last I saw of Vince he ran into the building, there's wolfsbane close to the eastern side of the building but the wind shifted and now it's almost everywhere, silver doors and probably a couple traps still, also there's no sign of their main force. Some people fled into the surrounding forest, we need some people to go and gather them. I'll work on that a little before heading towards the building, if we can't get the codes to that reinforced door and Tabasco can't help, then I'll go and burn it down. We'll need some of the buses don't you think?" She glanced back towards the crowd, there must have been at least forty people and they didn't even know if that was all of them.
She spied Lark near the rear, hiding in the trees while keeping an eye on the group, she nodded at Thea, the report done, she moved down the group to get a better look at Lark though stopped a few feet away, smelling the wolfsbane on his fur.
"You okay?" She asked him, looking for any injuries though it was hard to see since he was hiding behind the tree's shadows.
"Fucking bastards." Katie said next to Thea, her voice angry as she stared at the state of the people. It wasn't the first time she saw such a sight, yet no matter how many times she did see it, Katie still hated how fucked up people could be to do something like this to another human being.
"The medics should be arriving soon right?" They had left only a few minutes after Thea's group had. "I know some first aid, I'll stay behind and help for a bit before moving forward. Let me know if you need help in there." Though she wanted to go and find the bastards who did this and give them a taste of their own karma, the need to at least ease these people's pain was stronger at the moment.
"Give them hell for me."
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Post by Thea on Feb 11, 2023 15:36:21 GMT -5
"God damn it, Vincent," Thea hissed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation with her thumb and index finger. Looking back, he never promised her that he would wait to attack until Thea's group arrived. When they had left twenty minutes before, it was so they would have enough time for recon. Nothing more. She thought Vincent could have handled it. Could have stayed calm during this. And now fear set in Thea's heart, causing it to skip several beats. She was going to lose one of her own.
The wolfsbane being in the air didn't help things for her. Having never been around it she wasn't sure if it affected her like most other werewolves. Chances are, it did, so she didn't want to go any farther until she could either get her hands on a gas mask or the wolfsbane disappeared. "Michael and Daphne have say over survivor extraction, but I'm sure they brought enough vehicles for them. I know they're driving the ambulances for those worse off." She looked to Tabasco, who was more than ready to be let loose onto the field. With his bison shift, he was not allergic to wolfsbane, but the silver would still prove a problem. "Go help Atsila with that door. And then after that go get Vince."
"Aye aye captain!" Tabasco said with a laugh, then shot toward the building with a pep in his step. Thea shook her head once and then looked to Elaine. With the coldness in her eyes Thea had to stop herself from thinking she did something wrong. "You go straight for Vince. Stop him from doing something drastic."
With a nod Elaine was off, disappearing quickly into the foliage of their surroundings. Only when there was no sign of the white-haired woman that Thea turned her attention to Kate and the rest of the people. Katie's exclamation only had her nodding. She's been on a few missions like this before. Plus, having been where these victims are currently, she knew exactly how both sides were feeling right now. "Ahh, I would if I could," Thea said to her best friend. "But that wolfsbane has me nervous. How about I help with the first aid and we'll see who's gonna need the most help." She fished out her phone and sent a quick text to the bovine shifters: Need ETA stat. We got at least 40.
"You get one side I get the other?" Thea asked, popping the trunk once more for the emergency bag left in the trunk.
***
There were a few that broke out of those lines, thinking it better to break free just in case this was some sort of trap. After so long being held captive, beaten, and raped, they were all of a sudden let go? No, surely not. Their luck couldn't be that good. They had to run.
Lark had no quarrels scaring the victims back into place. In the shadows, he stalked the queues, red eyes roving from face to terrified as most of them looked toward salvation. The first one had been antsy, rubbing his hands together and then over his arms. His face broadcasted his intentions long before he acted on them. But when he saw the black mass run straight for him he turned tail back into line. The second one had a child of about four in her arms. If Lark had to guess, she had taken the role of mother to help combat the severity of their situation. Even as Lark snapped at her heels the blonde woman held the dark-haired boy's face to her neck so that he wouldn't see who was after them.
Lark his side of the lines together until he met Atsila after she gave Thea her report. He didn't answer her at first, his gaze lingering over her body, scanning it for any signs of hurt. Then remembering what she had said about wolfsbane, he took a few steps back and sat. Yes, though I'm not certain how I can get this scent off of me. Will you toss me my clothes?"
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Post by Ventia on Feb 13, 2023 23:22:23 GMT -5
Ten minutes out.
"Ah silly me." Kate rolled her eyes, she should have known more than anyone what silver and wolfsbane did to shifters seeing as how she was born more vulnerable to it than normal shifters but ever since meeting Clara, since getting her quote-on-quote 'medicine', silver and wolfsbane weren't such an issue to her these days. Angel blood-even fallen angels-was something that really worked miracles. As long as Kate got her annual shot as Clara liked to say, she would be immune to any and all sicknesses the world or worlds could come up with.
"I can handle wolfsbane too, so if there's anyone who carries the scent, separate them and let me deal with them." Kate watched as Thea opened the emergency bag and divided the contents into two, Kate grabbed one of the empty bags and started packing her half of the supplies into it for convenience's sake and winked at her friend before moving off down the line making sure to notice if there were any in Thea's half that carried the scent before going to the worst of the victims and starting first aid.
Back in front of the building, near seconds after Vincent had ran into the opened doors, Ace had grabbed his shotgun and was already running down the parked cars to get to the front of the building, one last group of people were running past him and he could still see Vincent's back deep into the hallway.
"Vin!" Ace shouted, but Vincent didn't look back, Ace tried not to bump into the people pushing against him but then he saw the doors beginning to close, thick silver doors that would take even Tabasco a while before he could pick his way into it.
"Move it! Out of my way." Ace growled now, the smell of sweat and fear was strong in the air, he was sweating too worried this would be the last time he would see that stupid boy of his, finally passing the last of the people Ace slammed himself into the small hole of the doors, feeling the silver digging into his shoulders trying to squeeze him in, he shifted changing his size, shifting his bones around to make him smaller and slipped in letting the shift go reverting to normal as the doors closed behind him with a small thud.
All sounds from outside seemed to disappear, leaving only Vincent's angry echo of Keith's name from somewhere deeper inside the building. Ace strapped the gun to his back again, taking out the Glock from his back and holding it lowered down began to make his way further inside, unlike Vincent he took his time, stopping to open doors along the way only to hold back a grimace at what he saw.
Dead bodies filled the rooms, they crowded the doors, bodies on top of bodies, some of the rooms were covered in blood, the walls the furniture the people, others were so sickening clean that seeing the people just laying there made it seem like they were sleeping instead of resting for eternity, only the light scent of wolfsbane still sticking to the air let Ace know just what had happened.
He had massacred all of his men.
Ace shook his head, seeing no point in looking in any more rooms, and began following Vincent's scent that had disappeared in front of an elevator.
If only we had a hose huh, maybe we should look into getting a firefighter truck. Atsila teased, though went back to the spot where Lark had stashed his clothes earlier and came back tossing it to him and watching as he caught it easily enough.
You'll have to go back in a different car than me and take a long shower, soak in the bath for good measures too. Her nose crinkled a little, even standing this close, getting only that whiff, was making her skin begin to feel itchy. She wasn't lying earlier when she said that wolfsbane affected her more than others, leave it to her elders to once again be the reason for fucking her up. For a second, she was back in the black box, the scent of smoke surrounded her, that dark wet scent filled her nose, and her pores, it smelled of the woods, it should have made her feel calm, yet it did the exact opposite. Her skin began to itch, her pores trying to close in on themselves, when she tried to scream to plead them to stop, the scent would burry itself into her throat, making it inflamed, making her throat close up on itself, leaving her to cradle her head to cover her mouth as she curled into a ball, trying to wait it out.
She shook her head, shook the thoughts away, she was both allergic to wolfsbane and had developed a resistance to it, it was the same for the silver, yet to her, it was always the wolfsbane that hurt the most which was why she always tried to keep her distance from it. It brought too many memories along with it, memories she didn't like to revisit. Though she knew, standing there watching Lark shift back to his human skin, dressing himself, that she would go through a cloud of wolfsbane and walk on burning silver if she had to, to save him if that was what the gods wanted of her.
The ambulances arrived, Atsila glanced at them as they parked themselves on the dirt road and then back at Lark. "I'm heading back in." She told him, unrolling the thin yet finely stitched fabric from her wrist and tied it over half of her face, blocking her nose and her mouth. Although it wasn't completely time for her to abandon all control of her fire-loving self, since the Chambers girl was still missing, it was time to turn things up a notch.
The elevator door opened and Vincent stepped out, he had gone to the top of the building expecting to see Keith there waiting for him but instead he saw an empty white room, with only a dark silver door on the opposite end.
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Post by Thea on Mar 12, 2023 13:23:30 GMT -5
Tabasco wasn't fast by any stretch of the means. Faster than the average human, maybe, but courtesy of his shift he was gifted with more brute strength than any other type of ability. So growing up, he had to make up for what he lacked. Lock-picking was a specialty of his - with it came the patience he never had as a child, but he would admit that it was important in times like these.
"This sonofabitch knew we were coming," he muttered under his breath, ripping the duffel bag that housed all of his tools. "Had to have."
"Tortured the Chambers woman," he heard Elaine's voice come up behind him. "Most logical conclusion."
"Bastard," Tabasco spat as he put on a pair of black latex gloves. Something that started in his youth for a very real purpose, it now became a habit - almost a ritual - for times like these. Almost like it was a mask. Or even an ode to his origins. With his gloved hands, he rummaged through his tools and set to work opening the door. "Is this the only way in, do you know?"
"Were you not paying the attention to the debrief?" Elaine asked with a scoff. "It is a fire hazard for the building, but there is only one way in and one way out. Fewer entrances mean easier control."
"Okay, Icy Hot. But you have to think." He looked up briefly at the woman that was watching his back as she waited impatiently for him to crack the entrance open. Two fingers tapped his temple as she glowered down at him for the nickname. "For the piece of garbage that he is, I'm sure he's smart enough to have a personal passage that no one knows about out of here in case things went south. Find the spot? Get the man, save the babe."
Elaine's glower turned to one of contemplation, then a glimmer lit her eyes. Without a word she shifted with cat-like grace and padded her way around the building, sticking close to the walls and out of sight of the cameras. Tabasco guessed that by the time she made her way around the other side of the building, he would have found a way to crack the keypad. Either that or she would have found a fabled hidden passage and alerted him. Either way, they were going to get in this bitch or die trying.
Lark paused in putting his clothes back on, ice blue eyes cutting to Atsila to watch her put a seemingly thin piece of fabric over her face. The frown on his face was deep, conveying his disapproval of the notion but didn't say anything other than, "I'm coming with you." He was going to be sure to keep his distance from her, of course. But he'd be damned if he let his mate walk in there without him.
*
Daphne always hated coming onto scenes like this.
Why she hasn't left the Guild completely, she wasn't sure. Seeing Thea and her friend administer first aid to upwards of forty people ignited something within her. A rage that got her into this line of work with her brother, sure, but the more she went on these missions ... the more she saw the same hallow look in every survivor's eyes, the less her rage was satiated.
She threw the ambulance she drove in park and jumped down from the driver's side, boots landing with a hard thud onto the ground. On instinct she looked to her brother as he did the same from his own ambulance then moved to the crowds. "All who are not severely injured - make a single file line and make your way to the van that followed in behind us. We will take you back to safety and will care for your wounds there. All others please wait until we come to you!" Her voice was hardened, stone grating on stone as she surveyed the survivors.
There's nothing new about this scene, she thought to herself, teeth clenching hard with her hands on her hips.
"You can speak more nicely," her brother Matthew said, chin tilting down as he looked meaningfully into the eyes they both got from their father. "They've been through hell."
She said nothing as he walked away, but couldn't help the bullish snort her nose let loose as she turned to open the back of the emergency vehicle. Matthew, ever the softie. Ever the sunshine to her clouds. It made her wonder if he counted how many survivors ended up killing themselves despite their best efforts to save them. Just like she did.
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