The Dead Savant

[DeletedUser31931]

1st July 2020
The footage shows a press conference, a White House official standing at a podium as the cameras clicked away. A news reader speaks over the footage.
The government today called a press conference to deal with the shocking revelation yesterday. After hijacking multiple TV stations worldwide, the existence of these so-called ‘Savants’ raises many disturbing questions. President Turner has said that his administration was not aware of the existence of these beings. We don’t know much, but we do know one thing. There’s certainly going to be panic in the White House tonight, especially as prominent backers of the Turner Campaign, such as billionaire tycoon Maximillian Raypool, pile of the pressure for effective action.

3rd July 2020
The evening news. The anchor’s face is grim, her eyes are red and a southern accent barely audible through the rasp of a raw throat.
Today… tragedy and terrorism within the centre of Atlanta as what is becoming known as the Savant Crisis continues. A fiery figure, at this time unidentified, blazing through the suburbs. The camera cuts from the anchor’s face to shaky, grainy mobile footage. A figure burns across the screen as the voice over continues. They started their destruction at the Heartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, destroying most of the building. The camera pans across a smouldering landscape. The burning wreckage of planes and buildings with scorch marks littering the floor. Rescue teams move through the rubble, but they are tiny against the backdrop of destruction and the airport is left with an empty, desolate feeling. The National Guard swiftly responded but the figure overpowered the few regiments that were dispatched to deal with them. The figure then moved to the main centre of Atlanta, targeting key infrastructure links as well as several office buildings. The viewpoint had changed now, the camera was on the ground, panning through the city. Train stations left in burning rubble and skyscrapers with holes blown in the side of them. The military was called in to respond and after several hours the combined efforts of the Army and the Air Force brought the mysterious figure down. The figure’s body was unable to be recovered due to the force required to stop them. Maximillian Raypool has released a statement once again calling for legislation from Congress on the issue, arguing that this attack is an upscaling of what happened to one of his offices in New York earlier this month and is yet another sign that conventional tactics will not deal with the Savant threat.

6th July 2020
The camera is inside the Senate room, filming from the balcony. The news anchor’s report is delivered over the footage.
Congress today made the move of passing a piece of emergency legislation, classifying all Savants as ‘human-like but distinctly non-human’. Whilst critics of the bill say that this allows for a violation of the rights of Savants, the bill was passed with bipartisan support and by an overwhelming majority. Government spokespeople have defended the bill saying that it is necessary to help with the security of the nation and that this is the first of several bills designed to deal with the Savant Crisis. Maximillian Raypool, an influential figure in the Savant Crisis debate, called the bill ‘a step in the right direction’ but he said that more needed to be done. Later on, we’ll be discussing the potential legal ramifications of this bill.

8th July 2020
Footage and documents, leaked from the FBI today, shows one of their agents, apparently a Savant, brutally murdering seven people. The source of the footage is unknown and is too shocking to broadcast but appears to show the murder of seven innocent civilians. The footage has led to questions about what the government and the FBI may have known about the Savants before their reveal to the public last month.

9th July 2020
A major internal reorganisation of the FBI occurred today with the arrest of its head as it has been discovered that multiple high ranking officials within the FBI were not only aware of the existence of Savants but created a hidden department within the organisation, using the Savants as operatives on missions. A section of New York has been cleared as the military has laid siege to the headquarters of this secret division. After they refused to surrender peacefully, it seems that this siege may be set to last. The government has also tabled a motion to be voted on tomorrow that would potentially allow it to house Savants in special holding facilities. This move comes after not only more recent attacks but the discovery of Savant involvement in the two bomb attacks in New York in late June.

10th July 2020
The government today passed legislation that allows it to house Savants in holding facilities and police arrested several hundred Savants today alone. The footage cuts from the anchor to pictures of a police raid. The police carrying a girl out of the building, unconscious. She is loaded into a van and the doors slam shut. Though the government has refused to explain how it works on the grounds of security, the facilities that are now being put in place apparently have the ability to suppress the powers of Savants within the compound, making them much easier to manage as a prison population. Maximillian Raypool, property developer and real estate tycoon, has said that he is working with the government to create a more suitable permanent establishment in which Savants can be held whilst a longer term solution is considered.

11th July 2020
As the Savant roundup continues today, a major demonstration was held against Savants in Atlanta. Police were called in to control the crowds as violence broke out in the city centre as both Pro and Anti Savant demonstrations turned into riots, supposedly caused by several Savants themselves who died in the ensuing melee. A government spokesperson said that this was further evidence of the need for the temporary secure housing programme ‘not only for the protection of others against any potential threat but also for the safety of Savants themselves from the backlash of the general public.’ The government also called on Savants to voluntarily turn themselves in to the government, saying that they would be treated fairly and with respect within the government facilities.

20th July 2020
The Democratic party have, today, tanked in the polls after Sandra Meadows appeared to dismiss the Savant threat. Her standing across the country has fallen as many people across the political spectrum seemed angry and called her views unrealistic. She now stands 12% below Turner in the polls for re-election and her opponents are saying that this merely reconfirms that Meadows cannot be trusted with the nation’s security.

30th July 2020
The camera goes through corridors. The footage is grainy and jerky, the lights are low and flashlights illuminate the corridors. Exclusive footage from inside the former Savant base as the military today launched a daring assault that ended with a firefight in the sewers and around a hundred Savants fleeing the site. Though the military has sustained some casualties, they said that the numbers were lower than expected. As the military celebrated its victory though, another attack hit the suburbs of Washington D.C., the second to hit the Capital this month. Business tycoon Maximillian Raypool has used the opportunity to repeat his calls for a dedicated task force to help deal with the Savant Crisis. Coming up: A report on how the remains of the Heartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has become an informal memorial site for those affected by the July 3rd attacks.

5th August 2020
A spate of small scale terrorist attacks in the past few days have been attributed to a Savant terrorist group. The group, as of yet, does not have any formal name or image but government inside sources have confirmed the existence of one solid group responsible for the attacks. This follows several major incidents in both Europe and Asia as the rest of the world struggles to deal with the Savant issue as well. A prominent Savant Rights Group, Savants in Society, said that this group was a small group of individuals who seemed determined to be detrimental to society. It asked the group to consider more, alternative, peaceful methods and to submit to being held in the internment facilities, from which they could make their case.

15th August 2020
After a month’s work, the first of the housing facilities purpose-built for Savants has been finished. The media has been denied access on the grounds of security but the government said in a statement that those living in the facilities were guaranteed a basic quality of life and that the measure was still definitely a temporary one whilst they found a permanent solution to the issue posed by the existence of Savants. Maximillian Raypool, whose property company was responsible for the building site, said he was glad to do his part in helping society through these difficult times and that this was a step in the right direction in dealing with the Savant crisis. Coming up later: A report on how Sweden’s lax stance in relation to Savants has led to further violence.

22nd August 2020
The government has announced the formation of a new department, the Department of Savant Regulation and Protection or DSRP, which will be responsible for Savant related incidents as well as developing long term solutions to the crisis. The department is to be headed by a major campaigner on the Savant issue, Maximillian Raypool. In a statement, the Government said that they had chosen Mr. Raypool because an outside figure was necessary to help restore public trust in relation to the FBI. Mr. Raypool has announced that his first two steps are the formation of an experimental “Savant Guard” which will use around 500 regular agents. This unit will have special training in dealing with the Savant threat. The other step is that the base of operations for the DSRP will be what was formerly the headquarters of the Savant cell within the FBI. In a statement, Raypool said that it would be a waste to not use the building, especially given the tax payer money that had gone into it. Coming later: A profile on Raypool and how he, along with reformed Savant Markus Titor, has helped expose the darkest sides of the Savant Community.

28th August 2020
The DSRP today announced a new flagship policy. For those who wish to, the DSRP will be offering the opportunity to undergo therapy, eventually leading up towards placing blocks so that powers cannot be used or so that they can only be used for the good of society. The system will be trial run in several of the interment facilities, though which ones has not been disclosed, and the results are expected to be delivered in a month’s time when a decision will be made about whether to expand the programme to all facilities or not. In other news, President Turner continues to maintain his strong lead in the polls and re-election, as well as Republican control of both the Senate and the House, seems likely. Later on, we’ll discuss precisely why he’s been doing so well.

3rd September 2020
The Savant Guard today, in their first public action, foiled a terrorist plot. The government has released details of how an operation was carried out early this morning in which three men were seized. They were accused of plotting to attack September 11th memorial events and the government says that the three have been taken to an internment camp and will be entered into the government’s experimental Savant reform programme, aimed at turning Savants into productive members of society. A spokesperson from the DSRP said in a statement that this showed both the effectiveness of the Savant Guard and the need for the reform programme. Attributing the men’s actions to the toxic culture within the Savant Community, the spokesperson said that the government would look at stepping up the programme once the initial trial period ended as the results were looking promising so far.

20th September 2020
In a press conference today, Maximillian Raypool, head of the DSRP, announced that the Savant Reconditioning programme had been a major success. The camera cuts to a press conference. Raypool stands, in a smart suit, in front of a crowd of journalists. The flash and click of cameras is a constant as he speaks. “I am proud to announce that we have had a resounding success in our programme to help rehabilitate Savants from their toxic origins and to help them become functioning members of society. Several of the Savants have taken on jobs in Government and many will be helping to restore the damage that the Savant community has caused. Though this crisis is still not at an end and the US will need to help lead global action on the Savant crisis, this means that for the first time since the start of this crisis, we have a fully functional long term plan for the re-integration of Savants back into our society. That is why I am proud to announce that the DSRP will today be expanding the rehabilitation programme to all of our housing facilities. Building upon the successes we already have, we hope to process over half of the roughly two and a half thousand Savants we hold in holding facilities by the end of next year. Thank you very much. He gives a wave to the camera, takes his briefing and walks out. The cameras go into a fervour, snapping at him repeatedly like crocodiles, hungry for fresh meat. Raypool’s face remains calm and as he exits, the camera fades back to the studio and onto the next report.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

The sun was barely in the sky when the homeless man settled down at his usual spot, a fairly busy intersection in Boulder, Colorado. There wasn't going to be anything special about today. None of his friends were visiting him until the day after tomorrow. Nothing to look forward to then. Sighing, he scratched his thick, overgrown beard in irritation. Both his hair and his beard were too long and unruly for anyone living in any sort of dwelling, the brown stark against his pale skin. He wore his usual ensemble of a ragged green T-shirt with bare remnants of a gold pattern, an equally worn pair of jeans, and a green turtleneck that had enough holes in it it was questionable if it would keep him warm come winter around his waist. His worn sneakers completed the look of someone who had very much been out there for a while.

Begging was good that day, but then again it always was. Something about the man drew people to him, the regular commuters smiling at him if not stopping to chat. It was always the same. It was such a shame he was out here when he was such a nice person, why hadn't he found work? His well-worn lie of having no marketable skills and not being a good employee found good use throughout the morning, and he collected enough to feed himself for the day. He still sat there though, knowing that the stay at home parents were expecting to see him there. These conversations were longer, discussing events in the city and if he was keeping himself safe at night. His assurances were not always accepted, and he had to turn down the usual offers of a place to stay for the night. He wouldn't impose on a family like that. There were times when a single person, usually a woman, would invite him to stay at their place for the night, but there was no such luck today. Not that he had ever gone beyond sleeping where they let him of course. He had no desire to take advantage of someone's kindness, no matter what they claimed their wishes were.

The toughest question to field was perhaps the most obvious: why are you so sad? Indeed, the man would often smile, but never for long and it never reached his eyes, which were dull with some lasting pain. He never laughed, and his mood never reached a place where anyone of any intelligence could call him happy. Most were satisfied with the simple response of "I don't want to talk about it." Those who pushed he would request to leave, and would not converse with them anymore that day. It wasn't their business. He bought lunch for himself at a fast food place before returning to his spot, continuing the daily grind of conversing with people who seemed to care too much about this random stranger. He found himself looking forward to the evening, where he'd go to the 24 hour gym he had a membership at (it was surprising how cheap gym memberships were) for a workout and a shower. He'd made some acquaintances there, though they found it strange that he always turned down the chance to spar with them. No one had ever seen him on a floor mat, though he used all the other equipment at some point in time. As usual he deflected any questions about himself when he was working out, preferring to stick to polite small talk. However, that was a couple hours away still. He had to be there when the commuters departed for home or else he'd worry them. Already he felt guilty about how much money he'd made. Surely no other homeless person did this well on a daily basis? He supposed it helped he was a people person, but that wasn't always a solace. And people on the street didn't accept charity from fellow bums. He'd found that out the hard way. Sighing, he stretched and settled back against his usual wall as another person he'd come to recognize passed by, asking how he was. The routine was in place, he just had to dance to it like always.

 

[DeletedUser]

Standing in a dark alleyway, Xiao Ling cursed under her breath. The Miami sun wasn’t too hot right now, but her usual hoodie and jeans did make things a bit uncomfortable. She was carrying a small plastic bag, filled with whatever food and drink she could buy with her limited funds. To make matters worse, two men, one armed with a pistol, were currently standing in front of her. This makes it the third robbery attempt this week, although I guess walking alone through alleyways doesn’t exactly help.

The past few months had been fairly tough for Xiao Ling. She had only seen and heard snippets of the news as most of her time has been spent hitchhiking South towards the US-Mexico border, but was lucky enough to hear a few key bits of information. Footage released by Raypool and the FBI files on her past in Asia had landed her the US most wanted list, slowing progress South down a lot. By the time she reached it, the border security between the US and Mexico had increased significantly due to the “Savant Crisis”, to the point where Xiao Ling decided that it was impossible to get out of the country by land but only after the authorities were alerted to her presence. Somehow, she had managed to find a way out of that situation and for the latter half of September Xiao Ling laid low in Miami, using an abandoned warehouse as her base of operations.

Xiao Ling flicked off the cowl of her hoodie, revealing her old pair of headphones and her now shoulder-length hair. Her iPod had long run out of battery, but Xiao Ling still found it comforting to wear the old set of headphones. It seemed the men didn’t recognise her as dangerous, since the one with the gun signalled her to leave anything valuable behind. From past experience, Xiao Ling knew that stating she wasn’t carrying anything valuable usually didn’t work, so instead dropped the bag and took a step forward towards the men. A gunshot sounded as the man holding the pistol panicked, firing at where she was just a second ago, before he received a kick to the side of his head, rendering him unconscious. The other man charged at Xiao Ling in response, holding a previously hidden knife. Using the man’s momentum, Xiao Ling grabbed his arm and flung him into the nearby wall, the impact knocking him out. After quickly glancing over to make sure both of them were out cold, Xiao Ling pulled her cowl back up, picked up her bag and headed back towards the warehouse. The gunshot would probably lead to a fairly fast police response and there was no need to risk getting caught. Thankfully they weren’t too close to the warehouse right now, meaning they were unlikely to even search it.

Back at her safehouse, Xiao Ling sat on the edge of a large crate and started eating whatever little food she had managed to gather. The usual, bland fast food fries and burger were nothing to get too excited over and frankly Xiao Ling had started to grow sick and tired of it. Turning on a small radio she had managed to find, she sat and listened to the local news and waited. Supposedly a fairly unguarded ship was leaving for Brazil in two more days. That would be her chance to get out, gather up whatever help she could find before coming back to take down Raypool.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

“No” Dante drawled irritably across the top of his whiskey glass, not even considering Tonya’s suggestion that they return to the States, let alone joining up with some kind of Savant resistance movement. He wanted out and more importantly he wanted to stay out; he didn’t care how guilty she felt, she would need a far better reason than that to drag him back into that mess.

Recently for Dante life had become rather…interesting. His time within the cave had been bad. He had been lost, he’d had no food, no water, a rapidly dying light source and a woman determined to kill him as his only companion. Even to this day he was still sporting the scratches about his face and throat and her, the bruises on her face from where he’d fought her off and the abrasions about her wrists from where he’d bound her wrists using the laces from her shoes.

Sure, she’d gotten better with the girl seemingly getting a little more like her old self the longer they’d spent sat in the damp, cold, darkness of the caves. She’d spoken of voices and compulsions that weren’t her own in a horrified whisper before breaking down into tears. Dante had held her for God alone knew how long, but their relationship was far from being what it had been. He wanted to forgive her, to love her but it was hard to let go of the fact that she’d not only betrayed him but had tried to kill him on multiple occasions, even if the rational part of his mind kept saying over and over that it hadn’t been her making the decisions. Instead he'd become rather cold and distant towards the petite Asian girl; a defence against being hurt by her again.

Eventually they’d left the caves to discover that they were in Chile of all places, with the girl speaking of a holiday she’d taken here not long after leaving the military, with even her being unsure as to why it had come to mind at that particular point in time.
They had found an old farm on the outskirts of a tiny village a few miles south of the caves. The locals gave them a wide berth, obviously deciding that the two foreigners were obviously on the run from something and so were best not to be trifled with, and Dante for his part steered clear of the village just in case someone decided to contact the authorities about the two strangers that had appeared from out of nowhere into their midst.
With Tonya jumping them to the local towns and cities where they could blend in with the other tourists to collect supplies, news of the outside world was few and far between but it quickly became clear that life in America was far from ideal for the Savant community.

“Why the hell do you want to go back anyway? We’re safe here…if we go back to the States the whole world is going to be after us and in case you’ve forgotten our mugs are on more than a few government databases” Dante continued before draining his glass.
The military wouldn’t help them now. Before he could have depended on a comfy cell in a low security psychiatric hospital but now they’d probably just shoot him in order to cover their own asses. The Feds were already taking a lot of flak for secretly using Savants but the military for the time being were in the clear and would no doubt want to keep it that way “…no Tonya, we stay here and keep our heads down until things settle down” he finished with even he feeling unconvinced by the idea of things settling down. All that talk of camps had a rather unsettling effect, with him reaching for the whiskey bottle yet again.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

(OOC: Welcome back to DS. Apologies for it taking so long to get restarted. As Act 2 is properly in swing, it’s now open to newcomers once more, PM me for details if you’re interested. Without further ado, let us begin). (OOC: The present date for all of this action beginning is the 1st October 2020, that leaves just over a month until the date of the President election, in case y’all are interested).

Killian
As the bright Colorado sun beat down upon Killian, he limped along, shouldering the weight of the girl upon his shoulder. Boulder… The last time he’d been here, he’d been on a climbing holiday. He wasn’t sure why he’d picked it, but he could make a few guesses. He was with friends, not parents and so he could be himself and just get on with the climbing. The situation today was rather… different. His clothes were torn, his toned chest visible and his chest feeling prominent, much to his pain. His boxers stuck out from trousers that had no belt and kept slipping down. At least they’d been allowing him to wear his own clothes when he’d escaped. His companion was also in what were relatively her own clothes. An ill-fitting t-shirt, long white hair, caked with dirt, that trailed down her back, ripped jeans, plus the fact that she was still pretty damp, it all added to the look that was earning them a few stares from passers-by and whispers from parents. The fact that Killian was so obviously supporting the girl as she suffered from sheer exhaustion didn’t help. Nor, in fact, did the large black bracelet that was locked solidly around his companion’s wrist. Killian didn’t know how publicly Raypool had advertised the existence of those bracelets, but by the fact that no-one was screaming and running away yet, he would have guessed not much.

They were approaching an intersection now and Killian’s muscles were starting to burn. They’d been walking for a while now, he wasn’t sure how long, wandering aimlessly since they’d washed up on the shores of the river. He thought that they weren’t actually more than a couple of minutes’ walk from their destination, the house of the friend with whom he had stayed before. He wasn’t sure what he was doing though, he didn’t know if they’d accept him, certainly not after how long he’d been missing for. Up ahead, there was a bum, his beard long and scraggly and his hair a dishevelled brown mess. Killian stared at him as they kept walking, trying to figure out why his attention was so drawn to him. Before he realised it, his foot scraped along the pavement, connected with a crack in the pavement and he was sent tumbling to the ground. His face stung and his hands rushed to his shirt, making sure it hadn’t been torn. The binder, thankfully, was still covered and he breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly remembered where he was. Picking himself up, he stared at where the girl had collapsed next to the bum. Moving over, he muttered a ‘sorry’ to the bum before reaching down and placing the girl’s arm over his shoulder. She seemed okay, or at least, okay enough to carry on. His stomach rumbled and as he helped the girl up, he muttered under his breath. “C’mon… I’m sorry for bringing us here. I panicked. We’re not far off my friend’s though, just a few more minutes. We’ll…” Killian grunted under the weight and sat back down. “Sorry Nicole. I think I just need a break… Give me… a couple of minutes. Then we can go.” Putting his arms out on his head, Killian lay back on the grass that started at the end of the pavement and tried to catch his breath.

Tonya
Tonya sat with her back to the corner of the room. They’d been having this argument on and off for the past week or so now. It had started when she’d read the latest report, about the ‘success’ of the DSRP’s program. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Raypool was actually doing. Abusing patients for several weeks to make them more malleable, injecting them, instilling certain protocols and then declaring them ‘reconditioned’, just like they had with her. What his whole end goal was, she had no idea, but she certainly wasn’t going to let him continue. She might be afraid of him, she might lie in bed and occasionally have to be comforted by Dante as she screamed into the pillow, remembering things that had been done to her, she might have to sleep with the lights on. That wasn’t going to stop her though. The man that had done this to her, he had a name, a face, a job, a place. She was going to tear down all of it. No matter how long it took her, how much her fingers bled, Raypool was going to die. He wasn’t just going to die though, he was going to die humiliated and after she’d help bring his plan crashing down to nothing. The only thing was that she wasn’t capable of doing it herself. She needed Dante. She needed others as well, but mostly she needed Dante. He might not love her anymore, but she still loved him, she thought. She knew he wanted to do this as well, no matter how much he might deny it. As he continued to down yet another glass of whiskey, continuing to refuse her, she decided it was time to bring up the incident. One evening, he’d staggered back in, having drunken clearly too much whiskey on the walk home. She knew she wasn’t the only one with her ghosts but this had been something different.

“Where do you think Giles is? What about Angel?” Two names he’d kept muttering to himself. She’d not brought it up. She knew perfectly well who they both were, she’d been privy to that much of Raypool’s extensive planning, if little else. “They’re probably still back there. How the hell would we know, they’ve never even shown the inside of a ‘facility’. Maybe they’re in the camps that they talk about on the bloody news all of the time. Maybe they’ve been reformed, just like I was.” Feelings of hurt, of the abuse, of the torment and torture she’d suffered welled up in her as she spoke. Memories rose unbidden to the surface of her mind, the things she tried to suppress at night, that haunted her throughout the day. Her voice had continued to raise in tone as she spoke and now, as the memories became too much, she broke out into a scream. “Where are they Dante?!” She broke down sobbing. “I don’t know, but it’s my… our fault. We were responsible for the CNN job, I was responsible for setting you up and helping Raypool in the process. What right do we have to sit here Dante and let things settle down, wait until everyone that we know is dead before we dare to go back.” Pausing, Tonya continued to sob, the tears smearing what little eyeliner she was wearing across her face. She wiped her eyes and brushed her wet fingers on her tank top. Breathing deeply, like she’d trained herself too, she slowly calmed down. Holding her hand up, reminding Dante that she needed quiet to focus or the attack would start again, she continued to breathe. Anything else and she’d disrupt the flow and that was how she went back to hyperventilating and panicking and… Tonya managed to shut down the train of thought, recovering her breathing and focusing on it again. The tears stopped falling and the familiar feeling of emptiness returned to her. Letting go of her focus, she returned to the matter at hand. “The only chance in hell we’ve got is to go back. I want to go, I want to stop Raypool, I want to show the world what he did to me, how much of a piece of scum he is. Then I want to kill him. And I want your help. Please Dante, if not for me, do it for Giles, and Angel, and everyone else. Do it for them.”

Liu
As the sun began to set in the sky, the small girl made her way into the shipping yard. The containers towered above Liu. It had been relatively easy to discover which were the ones being loaded onto the ship that she required and now, as she made her way through the port, her target was in sight. The cranes moved, grabbing containers and loading them onto the ship as it prepared to make way and the longer Liu tarried, the smaller her choice of cargo containers became. Entering the area, her advanced hearing picked up something different, an unexpected noise. Coming from within one of the containers was the sound of a girl crying. It didn’t take long to locate the source of the noise. A bright yellow container, the logo of a Brazilian general food stores company on the side. The girl continued to quietly sniffle and sob and it only took a quick look to see why. The door had been locked from the outside and though the lock would be easily removable from the outside, whoever was inside the container was well and truly stuck. Liu knew that this container was one of the ones headed for the ship she wanted, the question was, did she want to take this container, or one of the other food ones that stretched out to her left and right. As a container in the next row behind the container was lifted up, Liu realised she didn’t have much time to make her choice. It was now or never.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

The day was passing along nicely, it was getting close to time to head to the gym, and the homeless man was looking forward to it. As much as he enjoyed talking to people throughout the day, there was something to be said for exercising, feeling yourself strain, work up a good sweat, knowing you were healthier for it. Plus then he'd get to shower, which was always nice. He didn't get to feel clean much anymore, and any excuse to feel the water cleansing him of the grime and dirt he couldn't just wish away anymore was one he was happy to take. The evening rush home was dying down and he was preparing to move when someone fell almost on top of him, a second body dropping to the pavement where the first had come from. Startled, the man scrambled to a crouching position on reflex, opening his mouth to ask if they were all right, only to be told by the larger of the two people that they were sorry for falling into him. "It's not a problem at all, believe me." The stranger rose and helped the second figure to her feet, only for them both to come right back down again, the talkative one apologizing to...

No. Not this again. He'd been fooled once. Twice? He'd have to be the biggest idiot in the world to take this at face value, no matter how much the cursory physical inspection he gave the woman out of the corner of his eye confirmed the given name. Besides, his practicality told him this quite simply couldn't be what it seemed, he knew exactly what had happened to Nicole. This was a warning. He had undoubtably sent them as a sign that his supposed hiding spot wasn't secure anymore. As much as it galled him to take any help from that *******, he couldn't allow himself to get caught either. And yet running away now wasn't the answer either. He'd be telegraphing that he knew their purpose in being there. That would be just as fatal. So then, play the role he'd given himself one last time. Live through the encounter and move on. He'd need to get ahold of his friends, get them to move up the plan to get him off the streets. He'd been too exposed out here, relying too much on people taking in his visage at face value and not looking at him twice, to see that maybe, just maybe, beneath all the extra hair, the beard that he loathed with every fiber of his being, the torn clothes and the grime of living on the street, he was someone that law enforcement very much wanted to "see". Regardless, he'd been quiet too long. The time to act was now. He rose and walked over to the talkative one, leaving the white-haired woman alone. "Excuse me...are you all right? Is there something I can do to help? I don't have much, but I can point you in the direction of food and a place to stay if nothing else. I know the immediate area really well, and there's both within a couple of blocks, if you think you can make it. You'll want to be indoors after dark, trust me, the streets get a little violent at night..." He trailed off, hoping that he'd get a response. If he'd misjudged the situation, if they knew exactly who he was and had come to capture or kill him...there was no escaping now. If not, he'd help them as much as he would any other person who was down on their luck in his little spot of the city, and he'd be gone by dark. Regardless, this was going to be his last day on his corner.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The glass paused part way to his lips, with the Southerner giving the neon haired girl a dirty look as he did so. Why did she have to go and bring them up? Talk about playing dirty! “Get real Tonya, Giles was in the same hell hole that we broke out of…he’s probably already dead, and if he isn’t …well…he’s a big boy he can take care of himself” Dante responded before taking another drink; the cheap whiskey searing its way down his throat to warm his stomach. But what about Angel? She hadn’t been there with the rest of them and unlike Giles; chances were she couldn’t take care of herself…not after what Dmitri had done to her.

It was a troubling thought and one that wouldn’t go away. The girl had suffered enough and didn’t deserve to fall into the hands of yet another monster, maybe…maybe he could get her out of there and take her somewhere safe, though it wasn’t an idea without its own problems “…besides, how in God’s name do you plan on finding them? Walk up and knock on the door to one of these camps and say…excuse me do you have our friends in there? No this is stupid! Worse than Singapore…at least there we had some back up to pull our asses out of the fire” Dante growled; placing his now empty glass upon the table and leaning forward to look into Tonya’s eyes as he spoke in a low voice “we have no friends, no allies no equipment and absolutely no idea what we we’re doing…I mean Jesus Tonya I don’t even have a gun anymore!” But I’ve got money…lots and lots of money… Dante’s mind supplied as wheels started spinning within his head, searching for the answers he needed with him already have a couple of solutions to his problems coming to mind. Not even acknowledging the fact that he was actually doing so or that he’d even agreed to go along with Tonya’s suggestion that they return to the States in order to clean up the mess they’d help make. Though killing Raypool would be pointless, no matter how much she wanted to. It was far too late to cut off the head of this particular snake; this damn thing was a hydra; cut one head off and two more grow in its place. That and it wouldn’t exactly help their cause to have a prominent businessman like Raypool murdered by a pair of Savants.

Dante drummed his fingers across the table as he silently contemplated the situation and all the ways it was liable to go wrong before looking up at Tonya and speaking “you know this is liable to get us both killed right?” he asked with a half smile appearing on face “go on then…I’ll bite, how do we find Giles and Angel?”

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Killian
Killian was having a hard time getting his body to work. A sense of feeling had returned to most of his muscles but that didn’t mean he was suddenly stronger or fitter. At most he could manage to pick himself up and keep walking, though probably not for long. The man they’d collapsed next to though, he’d started paying attention to them. Not good. Killian didn’t know who he was but strangers were bad. As the man walked towards him, though, Killian revised his opinion. Something about him, there was a softness, a gentle powerfulness to the man. A kind of sadness, something so lonely it threatened to swallow Killian up, lay behind his eyes, a sadness he knew all too well from nights spent staring into the mirror, filled with self-loathing. Killian felt like, in this moment, he’d met someone who understood him. A sense of trust filled him and, as the stranger offered his services, Killian felt tears well up in his eyes. At the same time as he trusted him, something stirred in his brain, a question that he hadn’t even thought of at first, but other concerns dominated the present. He was offering them food. Food and shelter. It was too much. Tears started to stream down his face. Sniffling, he wiped the tears from his face and spoke. “I… Yes please… I don’t… I could make it a couple of blocks but… Nicole… she’s too tired. Would you… would you help me? She helped me, I can’t just… I can’t leave her here.” Killian realised how pathetic he must look. He most certainly wouldn’t pass, especially not since the binder was probably visible under his white t-shirt (he’d been on minor faults that week so he’d not been given a skin colour binder but rather an obnoxious green one). He’d just collapsed out of nowhere, on the sidewalk, carrying a girl that he had no real relation to besides the fact that they’d escaped the same hellhole and now they were accepting help from the homeless guy they’d just happened to collapse next to. Still, he didn’t see any other options presenting themselves. If his offer was genuine, and Killian didn’t have much reason or ability to think otherwise, then his friends could wait until tomorrow. Then, at least if things did go south, he’d have energy to deal with the repercussions. Food and shelter… maybe things were starting to go their way at last…

Tonya
Tonya felt mildly bad. She’d known that Angel was a soft spot. Still, this was what Dante needed, even if he wouldn’t admit it. He’d hate himself if he didn’t go in there and save them. At least, the Dante she loved did. And it appeared that he was still in there. The cogs started to turn and she could see, even as he pointed out all of the issues, the glimmer in his eye. She knew that glimmer, it was the glimmer that Dante got as they stared at a board with blueprints stuck up on it, looking at a list of contacts, equipment and funds. As the grin spread across his face, Tonya felt infected with it and, for the first time in several months, the corners of her mouth spread up into a smile, a genuine smile. “We’re going to need supplies. You’re right on that front. Thankfully, you’re stinking rich.” There was a certain irony to the fact that Raypool was now funding the campaign that would hopefully bring about his downfall, but Tonya didn’t really care about where the money came from, so long as it got the job done. “Most of my contacts are probably bust. Simpler to retcon everything from that period, especially whilst we can’t be sure what I did.” That was the hardest part, the fact that her memory, presumably in an attempt to defend her, had locked away large portions of her life within her head. Maybe she didn’t want to remember what she’d done, or what had happened to her, in those parts but from an operational standpoint, it meant she had no idea what was compromised and what wasn’t. “Same goes for safehouses. All of mine are bust, as are all of yours that I knew about. That leaves all the ones I didn’t, which I’m guessing is a relatively small list.” They’d pissed off Raypool. Tonya knew she was supposed to be dead. Raypool didn’t like people messing with his plans and he would certainly, given half the opportunity, not only rectify her current status but Dante’s as well. That couldn’t happen, they’d have to be careful. “As far as allies go, I’ve got an idea… but you’re not going to like it much.”

Tonya’s right hand slipped into her pocket and she grasped a folded out sheet of paper. Pulling it out of her pocket, she made her way over to the table. Spreading it out across the table, it was clearly an article she’d ripped from the paper they’d last bought, about a week or so ago. The headline of the article read in English “Savant terrorist attacks continue!” The article was a regular one, detailing how there had been another bomb attack. What really caught Dante’s attention though, was the photograph in the paper. It was a blown up frame from CCTV footage and showed a figure mid run across the screen from behind. The caption read “Although she has yet to be identified, this is believed to be an image of one of the Savants behind the terrorist movement, fleeing the scene of the crime.” It wasn’t immediately obvious but the figure… it was Ashley. “She’s out there. She got out and she’s behind more attacks. And from what I know of Raypool’s plans, the attacks were supposed to be slowing down by now, create the impression that the DSRP was getting things under control. She’s putting a spanner in his works and that’s just what we need. If you want Angel, finding Ashley is going to be our first bet. Even better, they’ll have supplies, weapons, equipment and, most importantly, intel.” It was a risky gamble. Dante hadn’t brought up the FBI over the past couple of months, at least not whilst she’d been around. She knew it might well be a sore spot for him. She just hoped that he’d see past that, that this was their best shot, at taking down Raypool, getting revenge and saving Angel from whatever hellhole she’d likely ended up in along the way.

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Well. That wasn't the reaction the homeless man was expecting. Tears. Seemed a little off, if he was being entirely honest with himself, all he'd done was offer his assistance. Still, it seemed he was well on the way to avoiding the trap, the talkative one hadn't immediately recognized him and was accepting his help, meaning either they didn't know where he was or figured they'd suckered him into going with them wherever. Granted, it was the woman he was worried about, who had been silent the whole time, exhaustion plain to see. And...oh. Crap. He was being asked to help her specifically, that alone the voice of the duo could make it a few blocks. This was setting off alarm bells still, but he'd offered his services and he couldn't back out now. If the next minute or two went well, he'd be able to avoid it all and move on. "Sure. Focus on yourself, I'll help your friend. Did you have a place in mind? I have options if you don't know where you're going, but always better to have your own bed to sleep in." He moved over to the woman, still on the ground. "...Nicole, was it? I'm gonna help you up, we're gonna get you someplace you can rest. Sound good? Can you get any of the way yourself?" Keeping up the string of instructions and clarifying questions, he'd help the woman stand, letting her lean on him as much as she needed to. This was dangerous. This was incredibly, incredibly dangerous. And yet so long as nothing went wrong in the next couple minutes, he'd be good to go. Focus on the endgoal, keep up the persona he'd adopted, and keep reactions under control. He'd escape this trap yet.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

(OoC: Let me know if this color is okay...)
Nicole
Warm. Nicole felt warm. She'd been in the sun for a while now, but that still couldn't take away the wonder of the sensations after what she'd gone through. She couldn't quite walk right, Killian was helping with that, but she'd take the warmth and light and open air over... And then she was on the ground, which didn't feel great. And there was a voice ringing through the haze of exhaustion. A quiet... tenor? Alto? Killian's voice. She didn't quite get what he was saying, but she felt his shoulder under hers and then nothing. That was okay though, the ground was still warm, she'd be fine to sleep here for a little while... And then there was another voice trying to reach through the haze. Lower, maybe... a high bass? Almost familiar... Then Killian again, sounding... Thankful? The low voice came again, much clearer, who...? Nicole forced her eyes open, blinking away the tears and trying to focus on the person talking to her, trying to help her. Brown hair, tattered clothes... why had she expected white and neat? She knew this person, the voice, she just needed to connect the dots... "Yeah..." she said, quietly. "Can't get up or stand on my own, could you...?" The man was helpful, being so nice to them, why did that seem familiar? White hair, neat clothing... "Ian? No..." And not Dylan or Father... Those two wouldn't help her... "Giles?"

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

He had just settled the woman into a standing position, arm around her, her arm over his shoulder, when she gasped the word he had been so afraid would pass her lips. This was a trap. They had known he was here. How, he had no idea. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. And that meant he had to play this as careful as he'd ever done anything. Real or not, she was a trap, and he'd be damned if he was going to fall into something so obvious. This was the dangerous part. If he screwed up now, he'd be in a cell or dead before he could come up with a follow-up. Speaking in a calm tone, as if she hadn't just confirmed his worst suspicions, Giles replied, "Giles? Sorry, you've got the wrong guy. I'm Jake. Nice to meet you, Nicole...you and your friend, who I didn't catch the name of before." He adjusted his grip on the young woman, taking a few tentative steps to make sure she was settled against him. "That feel good to you?" he asked her, careful not to meet her eyes. The last thing he wanted was for her to see something familiar there, or for him to see the same, because that would be the worst, knowing. He looked back to Killian, frowning slightly. "She's not going to last very long even like this, and you don't look much better. How about we get you somewhere safe to rest...didn't catch your answer if you had a place in mind or not before, but you two should make up your minds quick. Not just to get off the streets by dark, but for your health as well." And so that he could get out of here before they closed the trap on him. He didn't know who the chatty person was, but they were an accomplice in this trap. He had to get them somewhere safe and move on. Nicole wasn't here, one way or another. This was another fake...or...no, she had to be a fake. Had to be. The alternative would just be cruel to them both...because regardless, Giles knew what he had to do.

 

[DeletedUser]

Haven’t been this glad to leave somewhere in a long time. Holding back against all those attempted robberies was starting to get annoying. Wouldn’t be surprised if I accidentally cracked open someone’s skull the next time it happened.

Xiao Ling entered the shipping yard at sunset, with the containers casting large shadows across the area. She was carrying a small rucksack, containing whatever food and water she could get together for the trip across the sea. The best case scenario for her now is to find a container storing food and use whatever nutrition she could find in there, but she could barely make do with what she had on her. There was no reason to be afraid of being heard over the sound of the moving cranes, so Xiao Ling ran across the yard towards her destination, as the cranes were already beginning to load the boat. The faster she got there, the more options she’d have for containers to stay in for a fortnight.

Gradually, Xiao Ling picked up a different sound. A girl was crying somewhere in the shipping yard. A few seconds of searching revealed the source of the sound to be a yellow shipping container, with the brand of some company slapped onto the side of it. The container itself was locked from the outside, meaning that whoever was inside was truly trapped unless someone opened it from the outside. At this moment, Xiao Ling noticed a nearby container being lifted up, meaning she had to make her choice. There was no real reason for her to help whoever was trapped inside that container. Best case scenario, she gains a person to talk to for her trip to Brazil. Worst case scenario, her whole plan falls to pieces and she ends up stuck in Miami again. Xiao Ling started moving onto the next container… except something bugged her. She knew what it was like to be in that situation, alone in the dark, with no one to ask for help and nothing to do except cry her eyes out. She was fine now, but the amount of help it had needed from Cole to even get her anywhere near back-on-track was enormous. Even now she could barely stand anything that reminded her of that place. Perhaps it was time for her to extend a helping hand to someone else in a similar situation.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ling moved back to the container and broke the lock on the door.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Killian
He was helping them. The kind homeless man… their saviour. Nicole seemed to recognise him for a second, calling him Giles. The man corrected them though, explaining he’d never heard of the name and that he was known as Jake. Jake… If Killian were to have been asked whether he thought he’d be saved by a kind homeless man named Jake, he probably wouldn’t have said yes. At this moment though, everything seemed possible. It was for this reason that, as the homeless man asked his name, he responded with “Killian” before picking himself to his feet. Where to go? He didn’t know, he wasn’t sure. His friends, they were close. Probably less than 15 minutes or so from here, though it could easily be a trap. Killian decided that they wouldn’t drag a homeless man into the events as they unfolded. That wasn’t fair to him, especially not after all they’d done to help. He was so hungry though…. He just wanted to stop… lie down… and… Killian had to force his eyes open again and move his feet slightly apart as he realised he’d begun to sway in the breeze. This revelation decided it for him. “We’ll… Let’s go somewhere near-by. I’ve got… friends in the city… but they’re too far from here for us to make it tonight. I’m sorry Jake… I need your help.” Killian wasn’t quite sure, but something about the man, it made him trustworthy. Killian felt like he could confide in him with his deepest, darkest secrets. And that was good because they needed the man now. They needed him to take them to somewhere to go. Just for the night. Just somewhere to pass things over. Then, in the morning, they could properly take stock. And maybe Killian would be able to figure out how to thank their saviour. For now though, priorities first, food, drink and a bed to sleep in.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Nicole
Apparently, Nicole was just mistaken. She could have sworn that the voice belonged to her older brother, the one she'd admired, loved, given singing lessons to, but... No, it was her imagination. Giles would never have let his clothes get ripped and filthy like this, never changed his hair color to brown, that was ridiculous. Jake, then. "Sorry," she murmured. "Don't know why..." She needed rest if she was seeing things, hearing things like this. Wherever she could find it, she'd take it. Killian's friends would take them in for a little while, or maybe Jake would help find them a place... Focus on putting one foot in front of the other...

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Ow...regardless of whether it was really Nicole he was supporting, her sad, quiet voice cut Giles to the bone, and he found himself closing his eyes, reminding him why he had to do this. Why it would be tantamount to suicide to stay. It was a good trap, better than last time, but the ******* was good at playing the field, he'd proven that when...the homeless man snapped his head up and paid attention to Killian explaining who he was and asking to go to where Giles had in mind, refusing to go down that line of thought any further. It wouldn't do to break down when he was supposed to be the strong one in this situation, the one the other two could lean on for support, physically and emotionally. Breaking down in random fashion would be suspicious, and he couldn't have that. Not when the woman he was helping had accepted the false name without a second thought. But that voice...no, stay focused, even if she is...you can't help...not now...you know what happened...

Forcing the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him out of his mind, Giles nodded. "Ok, follow me, it isn't far...come on Nicole, let's go..." He proceeded to guide them to the shelter he tended to stay at when he couldn't find a place to stay for the night. It was a fairly strict place, which was good. No nonsense was allowed...you picked a fight, you did something rude, you were out. They'd be safe here, just for a night. He got the woman he was half carrying to a blanket and got her settled in, then looked up at Killian. "Food's in a couple hours, they make sure everyone eats so don't worry there." He paused, then, "You look like you've both been through hell...I don't know what you did to get like that, but...if nothing else, I admire your determination." I hope I'm wrong about you. He didn't say the last bit, feeling the urge to stay again coming over him, but he forced it down. The *******....could play...the field...he knew that Giles was a people person, two people in worse shape than he was, one of whom might be the baby sister he'd been so close with, the one he'd shared everything with...again he forced back tears, refusing to show weakness, not at this last step. He could do this. He had to. He couldn't help Nicole if he didn't. Hell, Killian might be in the same place as her, regardless of if this was her or not...and if so...maybe he could save him too. But until he could figure out a way to both confirm that mind crap that the ass was capable of putting on anyone was or wasn't present in someone, and knew how to get rid of it if so...he couldn't stay. Couldn't trust them, couldn't hope that that was his sister, couldn't hug her, tell her he'd lied, tell her everything was going to be ok...no, no, he couldn't do this, not here. He had to get a grip on himself.

Standing, Giles took a shaky breath, trying to collect himself. He looked at Killian again, thinking. "I need to go check us in, they like to know how many are here...I'll be right back." A blatant lie, that last part, but the first was true, and not filling in the administration could cause trouble. So deciding, he departed to the main office, telling the person on duty there were two, a guy and a girl, who would be staying there overnight, that he'd vouch for them and that they just needed food and rest. Being a regular who had never caused problems, the staff knew him and trusted his judgement. At the question if he'd be staying as well, he smiled. "I've got somewhere else to be tonight, no..." With that done, he left the office and departed the building. Once out, he palmed the smallest piece of a sword he could summon, allowing his reaction times to kick in. He walked down the street, waiting to see if someone peeled off from the evening rush, waiting to see if the trap had been set up while he'd been playing nursemaid. When nothing attacked him for a couple blocks, he broke into a dead sprint, running around and dodging people as he went. He could feel the key he wore around his neck burning into him. He needed to get to the locker he'd paid off for a year and stored some of his personal effects in at his gym, just before he went homeless. His phone was there. He'd be off the street tonight, one of his friends would take him in. After that...he'd need a new plan to avoid detection. As he ran, he let the tears he'd been holding back fall, silently sobbing. I'm sorry Nicole...regardless of if that's you in the shelter now or not, I've failed you as a brother. I promised I'd protect you, but I'm powerless against that mind bull and Dylan told me the whole family was under it. I'll save you one day...I promise...just give your useless brother who can't seem to keep anyone safe some more time...

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Giles
The night passed uneventfully and, as morning came, Giles was left to sleep in as late as he liked. The alarm clock read 10:02 when he finally opened his eyes and looked around, the world seemed at peace. The first sign that all was not as it should be was the quiet roar that came from above the house. It was, however, dismissible and the issues only really began when he went to take his morning shower. Turning the tap, Giles would find nary a drop of water running from the showerhead. The bathroom sink was a similar story. As Giles headed downstairs, the TV had been left running on the local news channel and as he reached the bottom of the stairs he could make out and see what was being said as he looked into the vacant sitting room. The stand-off continues in our fair city this morning. From about 9:30, the DSRP has surrounded the small house. The footage was the view from a news helicopter as it circled the building. The location was easily identifiable, just a couple of blocks up the road from where Giles was currently situated. Indeed, if he looked out the window, he could see the line of parked police cars and SWAT vans that ended right before his friend’s house. DSRP representatives have confirmed that there are two Savants at large within the building. There were two hostages but at around 10:00 they were released by the criminal duo. As the police close the cordon, negotiators have attempted to call and resolve the situation but an inside source has confirmed that these attempts have failed. As the situation continues, the local authorities have evacuated those within the cordon and are urging everyone to stay away from the area, in case of a potential firefight. We’ll bring you more on this story as it develops, however, for now, a report on the state of the aging sewage facilities within Boulder.

Liu
As she stepped inside the container, Liu’s eyes would quickly adjust to the darkness. The first thing that was immediately noticeable was the fact that no-one was visible in the container. Nor was there any sign of a speaker or other device through which the sound could be played. As Liu stepped in to the container, the crying slowed and then stopped. A voice sounded out through the metal container. “I’m… like, sorry.” The container shook for a second and Liu was thrown as it jolted from the floor. The door swung open as it started to lift into the air and a leather gloved hand gripped the container. As the container continued to shake, the movement taking Liu by surprise, a large man in a trenchcoat pulled himself into the container and produced a revolver which flew out towards Liu. Before either of the pair could act, however, he flew sideways, smashing into the side of the container. A small girl with neon pink hair faded into existence in a judo position. “You gotta, like, come on!” Running towards Liu, the girl stumbled for a second as the container continued to shake. “We’ve not, like, got long. I’m sorry, I’ll, like, explain later.” The trenchcoat man rose to his feet and, as he put his hand to his forehead, now dripping with blood, he let out a single yell. “Trixie!”

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

It was something people took for granted, having a real bed to sleep on. The sheer comfort was overwhelming as Giles woke, stretching luxuriously. He owed Rachel big for letting him stay there for the night...they'd all agreed originally it was too dangerous for him to risk being noticed at the house of a friend. There'd been an even bigger risk taken, however, when Rachel had insisted on him not looking like a homeless person once they were behind closed doors. It was quite refreshing looking like himself again, clean clothes, hair in its usual colors and style, even if it couldn't stay. They hadn't talked much the night before, but the conversation about what to do now had to happen today, lest he risk endangering her for a moment of happiness. Before all that though, he was going to have another shower...the one he'd taken last night had helped, but he still felt grimy. Though upon attempting to turn the water on, he found it wasn't working. The sink was the same. Frowning, he left the bathroom, calling out, "Rachel? Water's off, is everything ok?" When he didn't get a reply, he headed downstairs to try to find her. The news was on, and a quick glance at the screen told him that no, everything was NOT ok. Two Savants, the poor souls, had been holed up in a house, with a massive, overwhelming, and almost certainly unnecessary amount of force behind keeping them penned up. He was glad that Rachel had had the foresight to leave the drapes closed...the way he looked now, it would have become three if anyone had seen. So thinking, he allowed his hair to shrink away until it was gone, becoming bald, while a thick, red beard came onto his face, itchy and horrid as all beards were. Still, they made great disguises, so he'd tolerate it...he had to.

Giles settled down to watch the story, knowing they'd give any developments as soon as they happened. His heart went out to the Savants in the building. They didn't deserve what was going to happen to them, there wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. This whole situation was awful. How soon did people forget the past, that what were concentration camps in all but name were ok again? His hands clenched into fists as he considered the injustice, and every part of him ached to do something to help, but...he couldn't. His power was too direct, too limited. If he went out there, tried to help, he'd be gunned down. His reaction times gave him barely enough time to block or cut a bullet, but with that much of an oppressive force, he'd be shreds in seconds. Besides...that wouldn't let him help Nicole...wouldn't let him help anyone, if he got himself killed or captured. He would watch though. He'd watch, and remind himself just how much the ass deserved to pay for what he'd done to the Savant community. This was why he needed to get back to his apartment...he needed a base of operations to figure out how to strike back, save his family from their forced servitude. A weight at the other end of the couch told him Rachel had arrived, and when he looked at her her eyes were full of sympathy. Giles shook his head, sure she would pick up on his pain...she was a psychologist after all...and returned to watching for updates. He couldn't help whoever was stuck there...but he could at least watch and remember them.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

"Oh bloody hell Tonya! Out of all the Savants in the world you want to team up with her!? The woman's a damn liability!" Dante exclaimed as he finally realised that the woman he was seeing in the grainy news clipping was none other than Miss G.I Jane herself. To be honest he was kind of surprised that she'd lasted this long considering the mess she'd made of the rather simple snatch and grab mission he'd been with her on, but then again she did have some pretty solid training behind her, and she would have better than average odds of knowing where Angel was.

Drumming his fingers upon the table Dante fought a mental battle with himself with his desire to find Angel and keep her safe narrowly winning over his desire to stay the hell away from that damn woman and her fascination with guns "fine, we'll meet with her but there's no way in hell I'm staying under the same roof as her, we'll set up our own safe house's here in Chile and leave a nice cut out between us and her for when things go sideways" and they will go sideways with her in charge! Dante silently grumbled wondering why it couldn't have been Giles, or Markus, or even that Blackfyre guy she'd found instead, but needs must, and he needed to find Angel even if that did mean working with Ashley again.

Within the space of a few minutes Dante had gotten a rather basic plan figured out in his head; He and Tonya would stay in Chile and co-ordinate with the various Savant groups within the states by supplying them with the intel and equipment they needed to operate as an organised movement rather than a dozen tiny independent cells. Both Tonya and himself had enough contacts within the various criminal underworlds across the globe from which to purchase what they needed, though they’d need to find some kind of an income at some point as his money wouldn’t last forever and Dante did intend to retire at some point in his life. He was also aiming to achieve something a little better than random acts of terrorism, after all they'd never further their cause by making the rest of the world hate and fear them "I take it you do actually have a way of contacting our friend here? Or were you just hoping that we'd run into her by chance?"

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Giles
The report wasn’t very long. The sewer system in Boulder was still operating on old pump systems and leaks were beginning to form. This had the potential to make the ground in residential areas toxic and so the town council was being called upon to fix the issue before it became too late. With the brief interlude concluded, the coverage of the siege started up again. The police had moved in slightly closer, leaving a weaker force on the outer cordon. The news station continued to circle around it, repeating the synopsis of the situation so far. Once they’d finished recovering the story, the broadcaster started up again, though what they were saying was different. The DSRP has been able to confirm the identity of the Savants inside the building and has released the information on their identities to the press. Two images flashed up on the screen, a photo of someone who looked like Killian but with far longer hair and smoother, more feminine features, smiling in front of a white background and… Nicole. It was a driver’s licence photo, her hair was white and her expression a bright smile, recently acceptable on official documentation. The reporter continued to speak as the images filled the screen. They have been identified as Susanna Jones and Nicole Anders, member of the Anders family responsible for the start of the Savant Crisis and the masterminds behind the New York bombings. Susanna Jones has been missing for the past four months. For more details we go live to one of the DSRP agents on the ground for an exclusive interview. The images flashed down and, instead, a man in a black suit appeared on the screen. He wouldn’t have looked out of place in any of the other alphabet agencies, his crisp black suit, ear wire and cropped, smart brown hair all adding to the image of a traditional suit. The reporter on the ground, a different woman, asked the first question: So, what do we know about the pair inside the building? That you can tell us, of course. The man nodded and, as he spoke, his accent was clipped and professional. We know that the pair are both unarmed. We’re not sure where they’ve been hiding before this but they apparently chose to break ranks and contact the friends of Samantha and that resulted in the present siege. It was around this point, if Giles was paying attention, that he would start to get an unsettled feeling. It was hard to pin down but it was as if there were something flitting across the screen in the background as the man spoke. They were on the far side of the cordon and the camera pointed outwards, so whatever it was lay outside the cordon. Though he couldn’t see anything concrete, he couldn’t shake his feeling. Our main concern is the safe retrieval of Samantha and Nicole. Since they have refused to surrender peacefully, our best option is to infiltrate the building and attempt to render the pair unconscious, at which point they can be transferred to a holding facility, where they can receive the psychological treatment that they require. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to make the final preparations for the operation. I hope that we’ve helped to illuminate the viewers. The camera cut away from him, going back to the helicopter. As it started to move around, everything began to unravel.

The Girl
She’d managed to close the distance to the cordon pretty quickly. Jumping from block to block, she’d used the houses as cover. She could see the cordon now, less than 20 metres or so. That was more than enough of a run up. There was a SWAT van and a police car parked across the street. Deciding on the police car, she gripped the rifle in her hands tightly. From the footage analysis they’d done, there weren’t any open entrances into the building right now, that didn’t mean anything yet though. Breaking from her cover, her legs started to stretch and suddenly she was moving forwards. She grinned to herself. Three months and she still was getting used to just the pace at which she could move. As she moved faster, her reactions heightened and she could feel the whole world slow around her. She made it to the car and vaulted across. She could see the vague look of surprise mixed with shock in the eyes of the security agent on the edge of the cordon. No wonder, she’d set off less than half a second ago. As she landed on the ground again, her legs began to pump. She was glad for her suit, it made the whole business of being a Savant much simpler. A blue latex gig, an upgraded version of what she’d worn on the day of the Crisis. She blurred through the cordon, jumping and swinging herself over the fence into the back garden. She landed and took a moment to look at her watch, which her suit adjusted for her speed. Five seconds. Only a couple of shots fired, none of which she’d needed to dodge. Not bad. She tried the back door and, as it swung open, she stepped through and locked it behind her. “Hello?! My name’s Ashley. I’m with the resistance. We’re here to get you out.” She lowered her weapon, no sense in scaring the pair, and started making her way upstairs.

Giles
It happened in a blur. One moment there was nothing there, the next second, a figure streaked across the helicopter’s vision. If the camera hadn’t been panned out, then the cameraman wouldn’t have had the time to follow the whole thing. A figure, only two blocks or so away from the cordon, blazing across the cordon, through the several blocks and into the back garden of the house, all within five seconds. There was no doubt about it, they were a Savant. The question was, who? The camera had been too far out and the image too grainy to make out who, even if you stopped and digitally zoomed in (which the news station had now done). It was clear by the noises the reporters were making (a mixture between fear of Savants and excitement at a major event in the siege) that they didn’t know who the figure was either. One thing, however, was certain. The police now were quickly moving in and, of the five people who had been on the cordon in Giles’ block, only two had been left on the edge itself, the rest having taken up guard positions further into the cordon. As the helicopter was forced to back off before the entry of the building, the last image was of the police forming up around the front of the house with the DSRP agents heading the spear of the force. Whatever was going to happen, whatever the trio in the building were planning to do, they didn’t have long.

Tonya
Dante’s reaction was not entirely unsurprising. She’d suspected he probably didn’t have a high opinion of his teammates in the first place, that was likely why he’d quit. As she waited nervously, her mind running through her various Plan Bs Dante made up his mind. Thankfully, her plan B was unnecessary as Dante relented that Ashley and the resistance were by far the most likely to know her location. As Dante raised the point of contacting her, Tonya smiled a half smile. “Well, I don’t have her phone number, if that’s what you’re asking, but I have an idea. The last time we were at that internet café in Rotterdam, I used a few of my backwalls to access military hardware sites and see if there was any record of major thefts. I know they might be compromised, that’s why we haven’t been back there and I wiped the security footage of our visit. The long and the short of it is that there haven’t been any thefts of weaponry of any kind on a significant scale since the start of the Crisis. Thing is, the resistance is going to need weapons. I mean, Ashley has one in the photo, they’re certainly using them. And if they really are behind all of those bombings, they’re certainly getting explosives from somewhere. That’s why we start going around your contacts. Most of mine are probably bust anyway but if we ask around yours, we can get an idea of where they might be getting their weapons and explosives from. We do that and then we can establish some form of communication. We do that and we can arrange a meeting and then we get to Angel. It’s not brilliant but it’s the best I’ve got and, if we’re going to do this, we’re better off starting sooner than later. So, what do you say? Pick a contact and we can begin. Unless, of course, you’ve got a better plan. In which case, I’m all ears.”

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

There was silence in the small living room, both Giles and Rachel waiting to see what would happen next. Some garbage about an out of date sewage system later and they were back on what was important. They had identified who was in the building, naming Killian as Susanna and...the former aristocrat was on his feet before he knew what he was doing, fists clenched. Damn it...this was bad...regardless of if the woman with Killian was Nicole or not, she was being blamed as an instigator in what had to be a construed scenario. Damn it, she didn't deserve this...and yet, as they made it apparent Killian's friends had betrayed the hell out of him, he found his shoulders slumping, collapsing back onto the couch even before Rachel had had a chance to get up and try to calm him down. Even if that was Nicole in there...even if that was his baby sister...it still could be a trap. The DPRS person was in the *******'s pocket...as was Nicole. This could all be one massive setup, playing his family against him to lure him out and kill him...and then he wouldn't be of any use to anyone.

"Giles? That's your sister, right?" Rachel looked nervous and sad, getting only a terse nod in return. "She...isn't there anything we can do to help? I know what they've said she's done, but...you've always been so complimentary of her and they said you did horrible things too which I know you'd never do..."

"It could be a trap...I go out there, odds are I'm dead even if I did somehow get past the fricking blockade they've set up." His tone was dead, unable to process how awful this situation was...no matter what happened, he was bound to lose.

Rachel frowned at her friend, worry evident in her eyes. "The Giles I know wouldn't care...he'd be thinking about how to help his sister who's been wrongfully accused, coming up with some amazing plan to help her out...it's what you did for us every time we were in any kind of trouble..."

The former aristocrat scoffed. "Worst I had to deal with for any of you was that ex of Sarah's who was all bark and no bite...we're talking police and DPRS here, and a lot of both...I go out there I'm just going to get shot before I even get close, which is probably what he wants anyway..."

"He? Who's he?"

A wince. "...Nothing, I misspoke..."

"Bullcrap." Rachel's tone was suddenly angry. "I don't even need my degree to know that was a lie. You haven't told any of us anything that happened that made you like this, you don't get to drop a bomb that there's someone who wants you dead and just cover it up!"

There was a pause as Giles looked at the screen, convinced he'd seen something, only to shake his head. "The head of the DPRS...he wants me dead. Me specifically. Or rather it seems he wants me to suffer as much as anyone is capable of suffering, then have me die. Don't ask me why, I sure as hell don't know." His eyes were still glued to the screen, watching the events unfolding, hoping to whatever god there was that that wasn't his sister inside...even controlled by the ass, this was going too far. This was going way too far.

There was a pause as Rachel processed the information he'd given her, then, "Giles...what happened to you when you were gone? Please...I just want to help..."

He shook his head. "Not now Rach, please...I need to watch...even though he wants me to, I have to...remind myself who I'm against here..." His attention was caught by a streak of motion which drew the ire of the large number of guards, drawing them towards the house. Something was happening, and if Giles had to guess, he'd say another Savant had decided to help them, someone with a blink or speed or some other movement power. He could see the cordon tighten as the DPRS and mundane police moved in on the house, determined to cut off any escape route. This was getting bad...escape was getting less likely, which...no...no, he had to remember, this could all be a setup. This could be a trick, a long con...if he went out there, he'd be in the helicopter's view, he'd be set upon and killed within moments...his reaction time boost was good, but against bullets from multiple angles...and even if he made it to the house, he'd be trapped in there with up to three people who could all be controlled by the ******* in the first place. This was...this was tearing him apart. He couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to his sister, and yet it was because this fact was KNOWN by the very person who wanted to torture him that he was suspicious...that and Dylan's explanation that they'd all been captured and put under mind control, at a time where his elder brother had had no reason nor willpower to lie...he couldn't go, and couldn't bear to stay. So instead he felt himself tearing up as the various forms of enforcement prepared to breach the building, and he let them fall, knowing Rachel wouldn't judge him. Instead, her arm went around him, his head finding her shoulder as he cried, eyes still glued to the screen. That...ass...once again...once again he was powerless to even try to protect the people he cared about. Once again he'd get to watch helpless as something bad happened, this time to a young woman who was probably his precious, baby sister and a friend of hers, unable to do anything but cry. It seemed to be all he was good at anymore.