Futuristic Being Human

[Saracen_Rue]

all graphics below were created by Saracen_Rue (me)
Gasoline - Control - Can I Exist - What Could Have Been - Now - Blood//Water - Revolution ​

• Plot
• Characters

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  Characters Controlled By: Saracen_Rue
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Characters Controlled By: partially-stars
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

[Saracen_Rue]

• Upper-City Blackwater
• Lower-City Blackwater

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  Arlo Colburne - Cyborg - #9BA4C1 - x & Theodore Kane - Human - #8B9877 - x
  

  

  
  
  The ever present atmosphere of the bustling streets of Upper City sounded, as hover cars rushed passed those that made their commute to or from work on the ground, such a trivial and even deemed primal way of transportation, at least that's how most of those that lived in Blackwater saw it. Who couldn't even afford a transportation fair? However, that wasn't anywhere on the priority list of one individual that made their way from one of the local apartments amongst the 'Firefly Squadron' of the Enforcers that worked in the Northern sector of the Compound. Enforcers there primarily working in patrol and escort work, while some still worked on guard duty and ensuring the required levels of security and peace remained all throughout the compound, any means necesarry. Right.
  
  Heavy footsteps sounded as a hooded, trench-coat clad figure made their way into one of the elevators, pressing one of the many floor levels buttons, and stood silently as the glass doors closed, still allowing whoever was inside the ability to look out and down into the city below. They were secured with bullet proof and recently shatter proof plating, the compound could afford it anyway, at least that was what they said. Too many accidents led for such precautions to be put into place. Sixteen more floors...Raising a hand, Arlo raised an eyebrow as they looked at the halo-net band on their arm, all Enforcers were required to wear one at all times, it helped not only keep tabs of their location and overall health status, but was the overall general means of how they communicated with other divisions within the Compound and kept in the know of their newest orders from their overseers. Nothing new at the moment to report, good. Their mind wandered for a moment, which seemed to be happening more and more as of late, ever since coming back from the most recent mission, things just seemed off, and Arlo didn't exactly know why. It just felt like they were supposed to be doing something else, yet here they were- A small bell sounded as the elevator came to a halt, and the glass doors opened. Arlo shook her head, and stepped out onto the main floor, their trusted fire-arm resting by their side as it had always been for so many years now. Making their way down the left most hallway, knocking at the apartment door for a moment, before scanning the halo net band, and after a small beep sounded, granting access, Arlo entered.
  
  The sound of rain gently tapping against the glass of the main bay window had caused Arlo's attention to be taken for a moment, before a voice spoke up from the other end of the room.
  
  "Yes, Arlo? What do you want?" came the all too familiar voice of Theodore Kane, one of Arlo's current ward, curious for where his shadow of a sister was.
  
  Giving a small nod, "Just came to follow up before we have that briefing later this afternoon." she responded kurtly, giving a small nod in response.
  
  Theo gave a small sigh before giving a small nod of his own in response, before heading over to one of the couches sitting down as he swooped up a glass bottle of some dark liquid, Arlo couldn't exactly tell what it was considering there was no label or branding mark, but if she had to guess it was probably some sort of cheap whiskey. "Everything's fine here, as always. You don't have to babysit us, you know." he chided softly, before taking a sip from his glass. Propping up his feet onto the couch, reclining back with a slight grumble. This couch couldn't have been any more uncomfortable, could it?
  
  "I am very aware of that, Kane. But my orders were that I would keep an eye on you and your sister at all times, per usual when I'm not assigned outside of the Compound, you know this-"
  
  "I do, and I'm just saying maybe having a hobby or something else couldn't kill you, ya know?" he took another sip from his glass.
  
  "You know I'm not exactly afforded that luxury." a slight tone of begrudgment shone through, no matter how much Arlo would have preferred to have hidden that fact. Not that she didn't enjoy, well, that may not have been the right word to use, but she digressed, being able to stay away from most missions that took place outside of Compounds and around known and familiar faces was what she had always come to prefer by now.
  
  "What? Don't like your job already, Captain?" Theodore joked for only a moment as he sat up, rubbing the stubble that outlined his chin. A habit he had formed whenever he went unshaven, something he hated, but having to keep up with appearances was something he hated even more, anyone that knew Theodore knew that. Not that he exactly ever hid that fact.
  
  "Rather the opposite, actually. I find baby-sitting the two of you rather enlightening." she started, the tall-tale dry humor accompanied in her tone as she spoke, Arlo paused before taking a moment to look around the apartment again, before looking back at Theodore, "Speaking of, where's your sister, anyway? She's normally here by now, considering it's almost noon."
  
  There was another large pause of silence between the two that hung in the air as Theodore properly sat up, placing the now empty glass on the coffee table infront of him. "No. I thought she was with you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
  
  "Why would she be with me?" Arlo raised an eyebrow of her own this time.
  
  "...It's Thursdays, Hazel is always with you on Thursdays, Arlo." a mixed look of confusion and alarm began to sprawl across his face, as apparently neither one of them knew where Hazel was. Theodore couldn't help but the feeling of him knowing that both Hazel and Arlo had started to act somewhat differently within the past few weeks was initially a raise of confusion for him, but now? Now it was beginning to become more of a cause for alarm for Theodore, especially as his sister had started to drift more and more from him after her coming back from the Foundry.
  
  Silence hung once more before the two of them finally locked eyes on each other once more. "So where the fuck is my sister?"
  
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  Sabine Castillian - Revenant - x - #33555C & Ajax Everettes - Revenant - x - #B06A31 & Deirdre Montgomery - Revenent - #A2312E - x
  

  

  

  

  
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  Hushed footsteps and even more hushed voices filled the air as a small collective group had made their way nearly unseen through back streets and unknown alleyways of the Lower City side of Blackwater. They had all but moved in tandom and perfect sync with one another, as they had spent their entire life training to do. See and hear everything and everyone around you, but be nothing more than a snuffed out whisper in the wind. Gather intel and anything that could be useful, and remain undetected at all costs. Or else the price to be paid was their own blood, and it had been so many times before. This time though? It would be different. It just had to be. None of them could afford to be caught, let alone seen. Or else all of them would be brought back and well...No one knew what would happen. No one had ever gotten out of the Foundry before, not like this anyway. Not being able to slip away from their personal sleeping quarters, and slipping away into the early morning hours.
  
  "Are you even sure you know where we're going?" Sabine had barely whispered into Ajax's ear as the two of them led the group of runaways.
  
  "Yes." he practically hissed back, "The contact said we'd be meeting them this way. It's just a little bit more up ahead, I promise." he nodded confidently, but he couldn't help the nerves that made his throat go dry, let alone the sweat forming on his palms. Even with all of his training, somehow this moment, this very moment, was the worst.
  
  "And what if they lied? What if this was all some kind of test and we're only going to be sent back? I can't go back, Ajax, I won't." Sabine felt the familiar, but firm squeeze on her hand, it was a silent promise between the two. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, let alone any of the others, even if his own life was at risk. Which was such a funny thought, how they were all afraid of death, and yet...Death was exactly the thing that made them all what they were. Ironic, wasn't it?
  
  "You know I won't let that happen-" there was suddenly the sound of rushing footsteps behind the group, causing Ajax to snap his head back to see a group of at least four unknown figures gaining traction on them. Shit.
  
  "I fuckin' told you-" Sabine cursed, and within the time it would take anyone to blink, Sabine was gone from where she was just moments before and skidded to a halt as she reappeared a few more feet infront of them. A cyberbullet-train was preparing for departure at anytime now. It was primarily a passenger train that took well, people to and from different sections of Blackwater and even to other Compounds, as well as other resources and equipment. "We gotta go, c'mon!" she shouted, as Sabine looked around another cyberbullet train caught her eye, but there was something off about it, and she couldn't tell what it was, before the feeling of arms wrapped around her and something was quickly forced over her head and pulled backwards. Before she even had time to say anything and warn the others, let alone phase somewhere else and out of her assailant's arms, something had smacked the back of her head, rendering Sabine unconcious.
  
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  Sabine didn't know how long she had been out for, before finally blinking back into conciousness. There was a dull ache in the back of her head that extended to her neck and shoulders. Even now, Sabine didn't know where she was, how could she, there was still something blocking her vision and her hands were bound tightly behind her back, fuck. Her body still couldn't move on its own, not yet anyway. Whatever had happened left her body still unmoveable. Where were the others? Were they okay? Gods she hoped so- That was until the sound of something being moved and shuffling continued to sound from somewhere, even in this still disorientating state, Sabine couldn't tell what direction was what. But as she focused, she could tell she wasn't alone, which was a comforting thought, but whoever it was well, that was the million dollar question, wasn't it?
  
  The sound of a hidrolic door opening from behind her sounded, and the clattering of footsteps that made their way from behind. Good, there was at least one door. But it still didn't do her any good if she couldn't see, the ability to phase was reliant on Sabine being able to see the environment around her. The footsteps walked infront of Sabine and came to a stop, for what felt like an eternity, Sabine waited with bated breath, if they were gonna kill her, at least they could make it quick.
  
  Suddenly, a bright light assaulted her eyes, as whatever was covering Sabine's head was removed, and she could finally see who it was, and what was around her, where she was, and if her friends were with her. It took a few moments to gather her bearings as Sabine blinked and looked around, she was still on her knees, and her arms still bound behind her, looking off to her sides there were others just like her, with blindfolds on. But as the figure went around, one by one the blindfolds were removed and they were all able to meet each other's eyes. Thank god they were all okay. Finally looking at the figure that stood in front of the group, was a woman that Sabine didn't recognize at all, from her guess, the woman was just a few years older than Sabine was, but that wasn't exactly saying much. Not in the world they lived in, anyway.
  
  Sabine took a moment to process everything, and looked up at the woman and attempted to speak, but the woman cut her off with a raised hand, "Sorry, kids. Had to make that look at legitimate as possible." she began, arms crossed over her chest, she was dressed in all black, some sort of partially obscured weapon on her hip. "We couldn't take any risks with that failing so...Forced abduction it was." the woman chuckled,
  
  Who the hells was this?
  
  "We know you're probably all very confused for what you're doing here, where you are, and why the hell you're being tied up but...We had to take necessary precautions with you, knowing that you are....A special brand of misfits." she stated plainly, "And that will be explained after we get to where we're going, seeing as it's not my job to explain it to you, but what you do get to know? Well, welcome to the rebellion." the woman smiled, "Icarus, get your friends back on their feet, we got a long way to go from here and we need our friends here as comfortable as possible. Gonna be a long way until we get to home-base."
  
  Ajax stepped around and helped undo the locks on the halo-cuffs, a unique engineered brand of handcuffs that kept any of those that came from The Foundry completely rendered powerless, as long as the cuffs were engaged and locked.
  
  Sabine glared daggers at him right before he had gotten to her, "You knew?" her eyes scanning him over, "How long?" she demanded.
  
  "...A few weeks." he admitted, his eyes not meeting Sabine's as he undid the cuffs and immediately took a step back, avoiding the punch that was attempted to knock him on his ass. "I'm not your enemy, Sabine." he spoke as calmly as ever, "We needed to get out of there, and playing the part was what needed to be done. I'm sorry." he kept his eyes down and away from Sabine, looking at the woman who had taken a seat on one of the sofas against the back of the train, "I'll go and keep an eye on everything." he gave a small nod before exiting the train car.
  
  
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[partially-stars]

• Lower City
• Upper City

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  H A Z E L K A N E - W I L L O W T E N O R I O - C A E S A R D U R H A M
  X - X - X
  #FED802 - #990f60 - #C96EE9
  

  

  

  
  One way or another, Hazel didn’t intend on spending a single day longer in the Foundry. There had been whispers about it for weeks, months. The minute Hazel had been tipped off about the plan, she’d begun making her own preparations. Siphoning off the medications they used to help her sleep or to calm down when she began to lose her grip on reality. She’d wanted to steal a weapon too, to make sure that if they were caught, she could try to take her own way out, but they were too tightly controlled for her to be able to do that.
  
  The hardest part of all of it was defying Theo. She knew he cared. For all of his faults, he did care and did his best to look out for Hazel. But as long as he was working for them, she knew she wouldn’t be able to trust him. Freedom was her only option. There was no way the Enforcers wouldn’t continue to use her as a weapon to be controlled. She’d have no independence, no life, nothing. And the thought of an eternity slipping away under the control of the Enforcers seemed like an existence worse than death. At least she hadn’t had to lie directly to him. All it took was a little trust that Arlo would simply assume that, if she wasn’t in her quarters, she must be with her brother. She had given Arlo no reason to think she was a flight risk. So in the depths of the night, she’d silently slipped away. A stop to the stores to take what she could of her pharmaceuticals, and then meeting up with the others.
  
  She knew Ajax, of course, him having been the one to whisper the plan to escape to her as they trained alongside one another. And she recognised the other woman, Sabine, although she wasn’t sure if they’d ever exactly worked together. It was better not to dwell on these things when it came to your time in the foundry, for fear that you’d remember something you’d prefer remained forgotten. Familiar faces did nothing to calm the nerves, though. If they were caught, they could only hope that they’d be killed, because the alternative was too horrific to even envision.
  
  Hazel wasn’t listening to the chatter around her. She was scanning their surroundings, waiting for the glint of a sniper rifle or the light tread of a guard’s footsteps. When she did hear footsteps though, it was too late. An ambush. Hazel had just enough time to catch a glimpse of somebody putting a bag over Sabine’s head before one came down to obscure Hazel’s own vision. She instinctively drove both elbows back into something hard, hearing a man’s voice swear. But he didn’t let go of her, and instead, she felt something click around her wrist and a sharp pain erupted in her neck. She didn’t even have time to lament her fate before the world went black.
  
  But when it returned to sharp focus, albeit still with her vision obscured, she immediately knew they weren’t in the foundry. She could feel the movement of a vehicle, her guess was a CBT. It wasn’t enforcers who had taken them. Her suspicions were confirmed as the bag was removed from her head, and she saw an unfamiliar woman there. And Ajax, too, uncuffed. Sabine was immediately, and perhaps understandably, hostile. Hazel was too busy studying the woman in front of her. Almost definitely a revenant. Possibly a previous escapee of the Foundry, but that wasn’t a hunch Hazel would be able to confirm until she saw the woman in action. The thought of the foundry put a strike of fear into Hazel’s stomach.
  
  “My bag. Where’s my bag?” She asked, her voice twisted by panic. Ajax had gone, but surely if he was involved with the set up he would have gotten it for her, right? Her hands were free, and unless she knew she’d be able to control herself in a panic, she would have preferred the cuffs still to be on.
  
  “We have it, darlin’,” a soft female voice rang out as the woman stepped through the doors. Small, and scrawny, but with an undoubtable presence, she carried Hazel’s bag in her hands. “I made sure we picked it up when we were getting y’all out of there.” She handed it gently to Hazel. “Name’s Willow.”
  “Hazel.”
  “Aw, look at that, we’re both trees! Ain’t that pretty,” she said with a grin that made Hazel want to trust her immediately. Willow turned to look at the woman now sitting at the back of the train car. “Zeroes says their disappearance has just been noticed. We’ve got a couple of hours on them, and they’ve no idea where we’re headed, but I’ve given Athena the head’s up. Just so they know to expect a few uninvited guests to our welcome party.”
  “The Enforcers? They know we’re missing?” Hazel repeated. Willow nodded from where she’d taken a seat near the fugitives. “So you’re not… you’re not with them?”
  Willow laughed, a light, musical laugh. “Oh god, no. Didn’t you hear Red here say? We’re the rebellion. We’re tryna take those fuckers down. But that ain’t for you to worry about just yet, sweetheart. All that matters is that we’re getting you to safety.”
  
  There was something in the soft twang of the girl’s voice that made Hazel feel at ease for the first time in… as long as she could remember. Shooting a cautious look at Sabine, she then turned around to look out the windows of the train. At first, it was a glance, but she found herself getting to her feet and moving to sit in one of the seats by the window so she could watch it better. Unfamiliar landscapes rushed by, shapes and colours that seemed so foreign to the world she’d known for so long. Compared to the compound, everything seemed so… calm. Untouched. Free.
  
  
  Caesar usually wasn’t a fan of being involved in the actual field operations, and nothing had changed in that regard following the evacuation mission. His stomach still hurt, for starters, and having to immediately jump back into monitoring their comms had been intense. It had taken him weeks to crack some of the communication systems, and even then, the final piece had only fallen into place after Willow had managed to get some information out of somebody who worked in the communications division. He’d known the whole time it wouldn’t take long for them to find the loophole he was using and close it, so he was grateful they’d at least gotten everyone onto the train and out of there before they’d lost comms. It took the discovery of some of their people being missing before they realised the risks of a communication breach and shut everything down. After a few minutes of listening to silence to confirm that they hadn’t reopened the channel, Caesar shut down his software and got to his feet. He’d need to check them all to make sure there were no tracking devices, and no better time to do that than now. As he went to stand up, Ajax appeared from the door where Red was talking to the rescued.
  
  “You know I’d appreciate a head’s up on the genetically modified sharp elbows next time, right? The girl I had could do some serious damage with them if she tried,” he called to Ajax in a teasing tone. “I’m going to scan them all for trackers now. Can’t be too careful with those fuckers in the Foundry.” He realised then how it sounded. “Aw shit, I didn’t mean it like that, I meant… the enforcers in the foundry. They’re worse than even your standard enforcers and… I’m going to stop talking now. Um. I’m gonna… go.” It was on occasions like this that he remembered that he’d always been better with machines than people, even long before his accident. He picked up what looked almost like a pane of glass, but which would work as a tablet allowing him to scan and identify certain devices, while also disabling them remotely. He tucked it under his arm before turning to look back at Ajax. "Uh, you need anything that doesn't require any degree of eloquence, you know where I am," he said.
  
  
  
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  D I A N A J A R V I S
  A T T I R E
  #346364
  

  

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  “That’s everything I can remember, sir.” The man sitting across from Diana wasn’t someone she recognised, but he was clearly a soldier. The way he sat bolt upright, prepared to jump into action at a moment’s notice. The scars that peeked out from under his suit sleeves. The subtle glances towards the door as though waiting for an ambush. Diana didn’t much like having her back to the door either, but as the was the subordinate her, she really didn’t have much of a choice. They’d make sure she knew exactly how valuable she was, while reminding her of exactly how many people outranked her if she tried anything.
  
  “Thank you, Soldier Jarvis. You may go.” He said, and Diana nodded, getting to her feet. God, she was glad that he wasn’t the type to look for every single detail even when she said she couldn’t remember much. Rehashing the whole mission had been painful enough for her, she wouldn’t have been able to handle having to go into any more detail. Or worse, excruciating small talk. All she wanted to do was sleep. She hadn’t slept properly in weeks, and she was hoping now, back in her own bed, her brain might finally relax and give her the rest she so needed. She didn’t dare glance at her halo net band for fear there might actually be something on it. She made it up to her quarters and collapsed into her bed. However long she slept, it wasn’t enough.
  
  She awoke abruptly to her halo net band making quite the racket. Something about missing assets. She groaned, knowing there was no chance she’d be able to go back to sleep and ignore this. She opened her order details on the wrist, and it simply said to report to Captain Arlo Colburne, with a location on it. As she made her way through the compound, she was at least glad that it wasn’t just her being called to action. The whole compound seemed to be panicking and rushing to their new stations. But Diana wasn’t going to rush. They could manage without her for a while.
  
  She’d somehow managed to go this long without meeting this Captain Colburne. But when she finally met the woman, she somehow knew she matched what she’d been expecting. Tall, clearly strong, plenty of cybernetics. Exactly what they loved from senior leadership.
  
  “Captain Colburne? Soldier Diana Jarvis, at your service. I was sent here by command,”she said, standing in parade rest until she got more instructions.
  
  

 

[Saracen_Rue]

• Upper-City Blackwater
• The Wastelands

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  Arlo Colburne - Cyborg - #9BA4C1 - x & Theodore Kane - Human - #8B9877
  

  

  

  
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  "Well then where the hell is she?" Theodore said once again, fingers combing through his hair as he paced in front of the large bay window on the other side of the room. His mind was already racing through the worst case scenerios and none of them were good. He could already feel his stomach tying itself in knots. She was his responsibility, and he fucking lost her. Probably too drunk to have even noticed if no one said anything, the words of his father rang through his mind like a ping pong ball. He wanted to do something, hurt someone, do whatever he could to feel like he was properly in control of the situation, he wanted to scream and yell, and he knew he shouldn't have. He knew that feeling like this, just made his closer and closer to being just like his father every damn day, and he hated it. He hated it with every fiber of his being. He spent so many years trying to not be like him, and here he was. Pathetic.
  
  Arlo couldn't help but roll her eyes momentarily, before taking a deep breath. Needing to center and ground herself. No one had any idea where Hazel Kane had run off too, where she could be, or who she could even be with. None of the others were scheduled to be with her today. At least, Arlo didn't think so. There was only supposed to be the normal perimeter check, nothing else. Unless something came up on HWB, and nothing did. Until just a few minutes before, an alert of several Enforcers having gone rogue. They were to report back, or at the very least be found and be brought back to the Foundry as soon as possible. And it was an order that none of them could refuse, not with who those orders were from.
  
  The sound of the front door of the apartment opening was enough to take the attention of the two figures that were currently occupying it off of each other, and onto the person that stepped into the room, the sound of their voices dying out as their conversation came to an end. Theodore was the first one of the two to look up and in the direction of the person that walked in, his eyes hopeful for a moment, until he realized that it wasn't her. Not his sister. It wasn't exactly someone he completely knew either. He recognized her from occasional patrols throughout the compound, and of course whispers of her being part of one of the recent new rounds of Alchemist Enforcer's. Meaning that she was part of...Theo didn't like to think on that aspect for very long, and instead he turned back around to face the large window again, but not before picking up one of the large bottles of liqour, and took a sip directly from it.
  
  Arlo had paused for a moment when her eyes landed on the woman that entered the room, and immediately reported for duty at the behest of none other, than fucking Xavier Kane. Theodore's and Hazel's very own uncle, and known to be beyond brutal Enforcer Captain of the Firefly squadron. He was stationed in the west end, so thankfully Arlo never exactly had to spend much time in his presence. Giving a small salute of her own, "Welcome aboard, soldier." Arlo gave a kurt nod, before looking back at Thoedore one last time, "We'll find her, Theo..." she took a moment of pause before continuing, "I promise." they gave a reassuring look, but Theodore didn't even bother to turn back around, nevermind say anything other than raise the bottle in response, before taking another sip in silence.
  
  Giving nothing nothing more than a small nod to Dianna, Arlo made their way out of the apartment, keeping to a casual but still purposeful stride as the now only two of them made their way, "Theodore is one of the missing's older brother..." they began, passing by a few others in the meantime, "They're both of my wards, well...were, I guess. Hazel has always been a bit...Distant, especially since coming back from...The Foundry, and I'm certain I don't need to explain the rest to you." there was a small pause before she corrected herself, "I mean...You'd know more than anyone as to why..." there was an ever so slight tone of sympathy in the way that last sentence was thrown together, but she hoped no one would have thought too hard on it. She was a Captain and 'representative of the newfound Cybernetics for humans' funded by The Foundry, of course. Not that she ever wanted that exactly, the title of it all, and the expectations. Nevermind was that ever something she wanted for herself, nevermind others. Not like this, anyway, none of it was meant for war...
  
  Arlo pressed one of the buttons on the keypad to the elevator, giving a small nod for Diana to enter before stepping in herself after. "According to the report we have about four that have been reported to be missing from their normal duties. Everettes was a trained assassin, highly skilled and fast in combat according to his file. I only met him twice. As the others, I'm not exactly sure who they were. If you happen to know anything about the others, any information for what we're going up against would be appreciated. The least amount of casualties on either side is preferred."
  
  
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  Sabine Castillian - Revenant - #33555C & Ajax Everettes - Revenant - #B06A31 & Deirdre Montgomery - Revenent - #A2312E & Cayde Greymore - Human - #c7c8b5
  

  

  

  

  

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  Ajax's eyes were laser focused as he made his way down the somewhat cramped first car that he entered, it was disguised as an inventory space, having to act as a partial cargo and passenger CBT was already proving to be not only as annoying as it sounded, but just as boring as well, nevermind if they were found and somehow tracked and followed, it would be even more dangerous with civilians aboard. But he assumed that was part of the way in the rebellions hope of saving face and blending in, CBT's occasionally made trips out of compounds, especially Blackwater, as it was one of the major compounds no less, nevermind most well guarded, but it still didn't sight right with him. None of this did. His thoughts were only disturbed when he heard a somewhat unfamiliar voice speak up, at first he didn't catch what was said until the latter half, "Oh yeah, sorry about that." he awkwardly apologized, his eyes still hung low. It was odd, if someone didn't know any better, they would have thought that Ajax was nothing more than a socially awkward, shy kid, as his eyes remained glued downward, no one ever would have guessed that reality was the exact opposite. A deadly and trained assassin that at times was never seen nor heard, at least on missions. It's what he was literally created and trained to do. But now? Now he was awkwardly shuffling along as if he didn't belong. And the truth was, he didn't. None of them did. The Foundry made sure that they knew that well enough. "And don't worry," he started, turning on his heel for a moment, finally making eye-contact with Caeser, "If I took offense the next words wouldn't have had the time to come out of your mouth." he couldn't help the small smirk that formed on his face, his eyes glinted in the sunlight for the briefest of moments, with a small teasing tone, and if one looked closely, one would swear that there was an unnaturally amber colored in the sunlight, turning back to his normal shade of brown as he took a step back. "I'll keep an eye up ahead on things, you'll know if anything is happening. Sabine will be all too happy to make sure you're all aware of it, she was the one that uh...Cayde got. That's the one that can essentially teleport, by the way." he said with a small nod, tossing a backpack over his left shoulder and proceeded to make his way into the next train car.
  
  "Super." the woman said in response to Willow's inform of the few captives having been finally noticed, "Good to know that even all these years later, and with this much tech all around them, they're still so shit at their job." she said with a small laugh, tilting her head back as she tried to get comfortable on the sofa, "They really couldn't have afforded more comfortable seats-" she bemoaned, before another figure stepped through the door, the sudden appearance causing Sabine a moment to flinch, before watching as all the figure did was stride passed them and plopped right down next to the woman that the woman named Willow, referred to as simply, Red. Just how badly are we outnumbered if things go wrong..?
  
  "Nope, sorry about that, Cap'n." the brown haired woman said, propping her feet up on the other side of the couch. "The luxury here is just as fake as you'd expect for a CBT."
  
  "Well ain't that the truth." Red looked over at the other girl, that was still sitting on the floor. Noticing she wore a look of confusion still, and was that...fear? "Relax, kid. No one here is going to hurt you or your friend." she started, looking from Hazel, was it, to the one still nameless, "Kid, what's your name? Otherwise I'm just gonna keep calling you kid, and it feels wrong." she gave a small, attempted to be genuine smile as she spoke. Trying her best to come across as none threatening as possible.
  
  Sabine looked the woman up and down, noticing any possibly hidden weapons or signs of harm, "...Sabine." she finally chirped up, crossing her legs as she remained on the floor, this time moving closer to the wall as she did so. Looking around for a moment before looking at the two women on the couch, "...So who are you guys then? If you're not part of the Foundry...Then who?"
  
  "That's a very fair question." the still unnamed woman chirped, "-and pleasure to meet you, Sabine. And I think I overheard your name was Hazel, right?" she gave the two a small smile at each of them, "Call me Cayde. Red's right hand woman, and I make one fine marksman. But, outside of that, we take whatever job we can get-"
  
  "Have some decorum, for fuck's sake." Red started, sighing for a moment as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "We don't just take any job, sure the money is always tempting but...It depends on what the job entails, but also who's hiring us. Years ago sure, things were different but...Let's just say there's reasons why we got you guys out of there, and will continue to get more the help they need, so you can be free and...Have a proper life." she looked at the two again, for the first time really noticing just how young they must have been, "You guys are only kids after all...You deserve to live like it. Which is why we want to see that place burn to the ground, and everyone responsible for what happened to you but...That's not for me to tell you about. That's the boss's job."
  
  Sabine looked back at the woman for a moment, not entirely sure if everything she said was truthfull, causing her to look up at Hazel for a moment, hoping to gain some reassurance, before looking back at Red and Cayde, "You mean...You're not the boss? I thought-"
  
  There was a brief moment of pause as the two looked at each other, back to Sabine, and then back at each other until they couldn't contain their laughter anymore. "Oh God no." Cayde started, wiping away some tears.
  
  "Yeah no, fuck that. We're a group of what was once called Hunters, you know...The ones that used to kill the things that live out here in the Wastelands? We do patrols and hunting when needed, and then we occasionally work for Athena, who's the actual boss in charge of...basically everything. Wouldn't you agree, Wills?"

 

[partially-stars]

• Upper City
• Wastelands

• 

  
  

  

  

  

  
  D I A N A J A R V I S
  A T T I R E
  #346364
  

  

  ​
  
  
  Because the Captain had been who Diana had been instructed to report to, she hadn’t paid much attention to who else was in the room. It was the movement of the other person in the room that caught her attention, as he moved back towards the window and took a drink out of a large glass bottle. Externally, she didn’t react, but internally, she noted it. Alcohol and heightened emotions were a volatile combination. He was an ally, it seemed, but still something to be factored into the situation if things went south.
  
  He wasn’t coming with them, though. It was just Colburne that led her out into the hall. The captain gave her some context as to the man’s emotions. His sister had gone to the Foundry. He hadn’t. It was clear who the favourite child had been, then. The sympathy in the Captain’s voice was unexpected. Everyone knew how brutal the Foundry was. But nobody ever acknowledged it. Not out loud, not in public where other people could hear. The Captain’s nod to that cruelty felt dangerous enough. “We can’t ignore the fact that Theodore could know something. His sister was taken by the Foundry, he wasn’t. Guilt does strange things to people,” she said quietly, just loud enough that only Colburne would be able to hear.
  
  Once in the elevator, Diana took the opportunity to pull up the report on her holo cuff. Hazel’s face was the first on the report, naturally enough, with some bullshit about concern for her welfare. Yeah, Diana had heard that one before. About herself. Fragile, constantly needing supervision for her own “welfare.” Especially after that last mission. She was pretty sure they thought she was somehow involved in their deaths. There was Everettes. Diana vaguely recognised him, perhaps having been on patrols or similar together previously. And then…
  
  Her legs nearly went from underneath her as she saw the final face. No. Not Sabine. How could she… She’d left Diana. She’d left Diana here all alone. No friends. No allies. And the worst part was that she hadn’t even tried to get Diana out. Getting the Kane kid out was a much bigger risk than Diana would have been. It felt like somebody had a fist wrapped around her heart, crushing her windpipe in the process. She’d been shot, she’d had horrific experiments carried out on her, and somehow, this was still one of the worst pains she’d ever experienced.
  
  But externally, all she did was sink a little in her posture. Cleared her throat as she closed the file. “Sabine Castillian. We were in the Foundry together. Alchemist enforcer, specifically with the ability to teleport. Excellent soldier.” The hurt of Sabine leaving was echoing in her chest like every heartbeat. Why had she left her? If Diana had known, she would have taken the opportunity to run. Sabine knew that, she knew that better than anyone. She’d seen the state in which Diana had been brought back to the Foundry after that last mission. Maybe Sabine had thought that Diana wanted to come back. Not that she’d been so disorientated and lost in the middle of the desert without anyone with her that running and staying away from the foundry wasn’t something she could have even contemplated. “We’re not going to have an easy fight. Two foundry graduates, and a deadly assassin. And if they were desperate enough to escape, then… they’re willing to die for their freedom.”
  
• 
  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  H A Z E L K A N E - W I L L O W T E N O R I O - C A E S A R D U R H A M
  X - X - X
  #FED802 - #990f60 - #C96EE9
  

  

  

  
  “Aw, you wouldn’t kill me, I’m far too cute for that,” Caesar retorted to Ajax with a grin. “And sure, lemme know if you need me for anything. Bug tracking, software hacking, snacks, beverages, whatever,” he called as Ajax headed away. He stepped into the small compartment at the back, awkwardly holding his tablet as he did so. Cayde had joined the small group, and Red was giving them the rundown on the situation. Willow was also already there, her feet tucked up on the small coffee table in front of her. And their two new recruits. One was shrinking back, watching them all like a frightened animal. And the other… she didn’t quite have her back to them, but she was focused on the window, watching the scenery go by.
  
  At the question of Red being the boss, none of them could hold back the laughter. Caesar’s nervous but genuine laughter was drowned out by Red and Cayde’s hysterics, and Willow’s melodic laugh. The thought of Red being the leader was indeed insane. Sure, she wasn’t a bad commander in the field, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Athena.
  
  Willow nodded in agreement. “Yeah, so, here’s the deal. We’ve got Red and Cayde. Red'n'Cayde. Like Renegade. They’re our muscle. Shoot first, ask no questions, you know how it’s gotta be. You ever see a Wendigo, you want these guys with you,” she explained. She spotted Caesar standing awkwardly by the door, and smiled. “And then, right here, you’ve got our brains. This is Caesar, or, as I call him, Zeroes. Like ones and zeroes in code. He’s our tech specialist. Hacked into the Enforcer’s own security systems to help us escape, and didn’t even break a sweat on that pretty lil face of his while doing it. Zeroes, darlin’, this is Sabine and Hazel, our new friends.”[/b] Hazel glanced over, studying the man briefly before realising that he must have been the one she’d elbowed in the stomach in an attempt to escape. She managed a polite smile before turning to look back out the window.
  
  “Hi there. Um, don’t mind me. I’m just going to be doing a local radiation frequency scan. Just to make sure that the Foundry didn’t install any more bugs in you guys. And if they did, I can manually disable them. Just extra precautions to make sure they’re not tracking us even further,” Caesar said, before dropping into a seat and beginning to tap on the tablet.
  
  “And then, of course, we’ve Ajax. You want silent and deadly, he’s your man. And Athena? Well, she’s the mastermind of it all. Rumour has it? She’s as old as Revenant-kind. One of the originals, before the Enforcers and the Foundry even existed. So all of this to say?” Willow shifted in her seat a little bit, and there was a glimmer of… something. Danger, almost, something that seemed to clash with everything else about her. “If we wanted y’all dead? Y’all never would have made it out of the compound.”
  
  And then she relaxed, whatever danger there had been about her vanishing just like that. “We have snacks in here, right?” She said, getting to her feet and going to poke around the carriage.
  “Under the far right seat at the back of the carriage,” Caesar responded without even looking up.
  “See? Brains of the operation right there, folks,” she called as she made her way down to the seat in question.
  
  “Why now?” Hazel asked suddenly, turning around to face Red and Cayde. “What’s special about now that you’re finally making a move?” She asked. Willow reappeared with an armful of assorted rations, dropping them on a small table nearby.
  “Would you believe us if we said the stars just aligned right?"
  "Not really, no."
  

 

[Saracen_Rue]

• Upper-City Blackwater
• The Wastelands

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Arlo Colburne - Cyborg - #9BA4C1
  
  
  
  
  Arlo couldn't help the small pause that filled the air when Diana insinuated that maybe Theodore knew more than he was letting on, and how he possibly still could pose as a threat, if everything went wrong. Nevermind if they found out how the escapees had even gotten out in the first place. Arlo had known the two siblings for years, practically having grown up alongside them, seeing as how their so ever generous father had made Arlo their personal guard dog and body guard, in essence. At least that was how it all started, anyway. When Arlo hadn't been working in the cybernetics division, she had spent plenty of nights making sure those two had been looked after and safe within the Kane family home. And it was simple enough, really. And maybe it was partially due to a certain level of bias, but it had beat tending to the normal duties one would be giving by the Foundry. But then everything changed within the past four years, after Arlo's own accident, that led to their own eventual cybernetic implants. The very cause of their lime-light as the poster child for said enhancements and augmentations, for those that could afford it. The memories would occasionally make themselves a home within whatever time Arlo gave to sleep, if even by this time it could be considered such a thing. More like a downtime in stasis, it was odd, to say the very least.
  
  Arlo took a deep breath as she contimplated what she was going to say next, but gave it a few more moments when she noticed the change in posture in her current companion. The ever slight slump in her shoulders, and even the slight hitch in her breath. Clearly she knew more about the escapees than she had been letting on, or maybe it was her genuine reaction to not knowing who they all were until now? Either way, Arlo couldn't have denied she felt somewhat bad for Diana, and from even the slightest bit of insight to her reaction, it couldn't have been easy, knowing what was to come. If this was somehow going to be a personal mission to her, could they afford jepeordizing it if personal matters could affect the outcome? Arlo wasn't exactly sure, but even more so, she wasn't the type to overstep, much to the chagrin of the Enforcers. Most of the others in her position and level of rank were far colder, and had any sense of humanity beaten out of them, but not her. Not Arlo. And the Enforcers hated it, and she knew it. They thought it was a weakness to be exploited and used against her, against them, by their enemies. But that wasn't how she saw it. Not anymore.
  
  "Well, just means we need to be even more certain on how we go at this situation then." she started, fidgeting awkwardly with a metal buckle at the bottom of the jacket sleeve that hung loosely. "Overseers will want them brought back, and..." her voice dipped for a moment before shaking her head, but just barely, "Going back to what you said earlier? I basically grew up with the Kane siblings and...I know Theo, he's just as confused and in the dark as we are." she finally started, keeping her eyes ahead of them as she spoke, "It's not my story to tell, so you would have to ask him but, Theodore knows what they do there...in The Foundry. He got taken too but...They found use of him elsewhere after the rejection... Often times I think he wishes it was him instead of his sister-" there was a small ding of a bell as the elevator reached the desired floor.
  
  There was a moment of brief pause once again as Arlo looked between the now opened door and then Diana, before looking back at the elevator door, "As for the others I...I can't say how things will go. But Hazel Kane needs to be brought back alive, as orders stated." the two finally stepped out of the elevator and made their way down a few more coridoors before finally stepping out into a large open bay. Countless other Enforcer units were already in the middle of scattering about to their next orders, security was no on high alert as it was made known amongst their ranks of the escapees. Arlo made her way over to what could only be described as a CBT that had been all but been torn apart and remodeled to be faster and even more durable for those in the military ranks. It was even smaller than most CBT's as well, while most had a range of 10+ cars, this one only had two. Arlo stepped up, pulling herself inside of the vehicle as this one was more raised off the ground compared to others, something more of an old military tank, with the hatch on the side than on top. Arlo outstretched one of her hands to help aid Diana inside the CBT tank as there would be a few more to their group, three more figures, but only one did Arlo recognize as they had been in the same squadron in recent years.
  
  "Specialist Shiloh Traeger, this is Diana Jarvis-" Arlo gestured to Diana as she spoke to a figure that remained seated towards the front of the vehicle, "-Jarvis, this one here is Specialist Traeger, one of the finest trackers I've had the pleasure of working with."
  
  A small laugh came from the front as Shiloh began to speak, "Oh don't let this asshole fool you." the woman called back with a laugh as she referrenced Arlo, the sound of the pressurized door closing as the final members of the small squadron began to get into their seats. "We're good for one thing and one thing only, and I don't think I need to say what it is, do I?" Shiloh chided again only receiving an annoyed sigh and shake of the head from Arlo, Shiloh's eyes glinting in the mirror for a moment, an all too familiar amber color glinted against the harsh sunlight that shone through the window shield of the vehicle.
  
  "How about we just focus on the mission ahead of us, Weave?" Arlo called, sitting back the best she could. "It's gonna be a long ride before we find anything out there, kid. It's best to get whatever sleep you can now while we still can." Arlo said softly as she crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to get as comfortable as they could. The air in the CBT tank was already tense enough with the notion of what was to expect.
  
  "My bet's on their trackers are already deactivated, Colburne, I don't get why they have us going out there right now. Other than it being a suicide mission. Again." one of the others spoke up, as he fidgeted with one of the several hand weapons he kept on his person.
  
  "Wasn't my order to give, now was it, Sikes?" Arlo retorted not even looking in his direction, "Besides, would you prefer getting out of Blackwater, or staying inside?" the man gave a small shrug of his shoulders before standing up and made his way into the second car, which was more or less a holding cell for anyone they caught and brought back to the Compounds. "Probably be done in a day or two anyway..." Arlo winced as she pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, before tilting her head back.
  
  "You okay back there, boss?" Shiloh asked, managing to take note of the clear discomfort.
  
  "Yeah, just a bad few headaches within the last couple weeks. It's nothing to worry about, I'll live."
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sabine Castillian - Revenant - #33555C & Ajax Everettes - Revenant - #B06A31 & Deirdre Montgomery - Revenent - #A2312E & Cayde Greymore - Human - #c7c8b5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sabine listened intently as Willow spoke, finally explaining everything in a proper manner, unlike the other two. Even with all of the explanations, Sabine still didn't feel entirely safe, nor did the feeling of being immensely outnumbered ever go away. Sabine trusted Ajax, she trusted him with her life, how could she not? He had been the closest thing to family she had back at the foundry. Even when those sort of relationships were deeply frowned upon back there, having attachments and connections to people like that only meant weakness. And it could be used against you if it all got into the wrong hands. But when it was exactly those wrong hands that had practically raised you, no, created you, into what you were now? It seemed like trusting the foundry would be a death sentence regardless, nevermind, listening to anything they had to say. When you were forced to kill innocents, but also at times kill your own squadron, it made sense why those connections weren't permitted, but it never stopped Sabine from forming them anyway. Ajax was her protector, and she was his, at least with how hard Sabine tried to be, anyway. Ajax was indeed a much better fighter than she could have ever possibly be, it seemed like all of the others were, as far as she was concerned. Hell, even compared to Hazel, Sabine was no one near a threat. She had her uses, yes, but when it came down to it, Sabine doubted there would ever be a moment of hesitation to have made her death fodder when the time called for it. If they could have made a more useful version of her, what would have stopped them? Absolutely nothing.
  
  It was only the sound of the door sliding open once more as an unknown figure stepped in, that caused Sabine to look away from Willow. She didn't recognize him, at least not at first. That was until he spoke, and she had the smallest recognition, he must have been the one that grabbed Hazel. She had seen him from the corner of her eye before everything went dark. He didn't look at all how she expected...Odd. And it only grew odder as he spoke, awkwardly shuffling in the corner as he typed on something. Sabine had seen some of the technology around the Compound, but even then she wasn't trusted with it. They didn't trust her with much of anything, and it only made her feel even more self conscious. These people could do whatever they wanted, and there was nothing to stop them, at least not in the same way that the foundry and Enforcer's had treated them.
  
  At the mention of Athena, once again, Sabine took notice of something that was said. How she had apparently been one of the first. Sabine had only heard rumors and whispers of those kind of Revenants, those that were just there, those that existed long before The Foundry even attempted to make their own engineered and created ones. "You...You mean they're real?" she questioned, seemingly to light up a little as she scooted closer to the group a bit. "We...We only ever heard stories but...It was sort of against the rules to ever talk about it."
  
  There was silence for a moment as Cayde and Red looked between the two of them, before Red looked at Sabine. A gentle expression overcame her for a moment, "There's a lot of things they probably didn't tell you, hun." she started, looking down for a moment before looking back up, "Especially if we've managed to live as long as we have-"
  
  "There's reasons they basically become myths." Cayde chimed in.
  
  Sabine looked between the two for a moment, raising an eyebrow as she turned her attention fully to Red. Scanning the woman's face, "...You're one of them, aren't you?" she finally asked, never once taking her eyes off the woman.
  
  A small smile formed on Red's face for a moment before giving a small nod, "One in the same, love." she looked around again, "Not many of us are still around but, those that are? We're fuckin' angry and we're ready to see it all crumble." Red turned to look when Hazel finally spoke, asking why they decided to finally act now? After all these years of not doing anything. She grinned for a moment, taking a moment to look at them all before finally resting her eyes on Hazel. "Never said we stopped." Red sighed for a moment, "We spent years- decades, trying to take those fuckers out. But that's also not my call, you want those kinds of answers? We'll bring you to the one that has them-"
  
  The sound of the door opening once again caused Red to look up, eyebrow raised as her eyes's met Ajax's. A look of confusion on her met Ajax's look of concern. "Yes?"
  
  There was a moment of pause as Ajax took a moment before, "Well...It seems we'll be coming up on a Check Point within the next hour..." he fidgeted awkwardly with his hands as he spoke.
  
  Cayde looked between Red and Ajax before both of them slowly got to their feet. "Well-" "Well shit-"
  
  "What's wrong with a Check Point?" Sabine interjected, a look of confusion plastered across her face as she slowly stood up.
  
  Ajax looked at Sabine, "They're not the kind we're used to." he started, "Out here they...They work differently. If they catch runaways they..."
  
  "They'll kill anyone that they decide is a risk or cause for problems. Meaning...That things are going to look real interesting in the next hour."
  
  "Can't we just...I dunno, go passed it?"
  
  "Can't exactly pass by a whole Check Point...Especially not one in The Wastelands."
  
  

 

[partially-stars]

• Upper City
• Wastelands

• 

  
  

  

  

  

  
  D I A N A J A R V I S
  A T T I R E
  #346364
  

  

  ​
  
  
  Hazel Kane needs to be brought back alive. Diana had been around long enough to know what that meant. Everyone else was collateral damage. If they came back, even better, but the mission would not be considered a failure if they brought home the Kane girl and left nothing but corpses of the others. She wouldn’t even put it past command to order that they shot the other deserters. Show everyone what happened when you dared to try and escape your fate.
  
  She shook her head a little as she heard Colburne begin to introduce her to somebody. She nodded to Traeger, before taking her seat. As per usual, she knew she was the odd one out in the squad. The others were all soldiers. She wasn’t. She was a tool, something to be used to make their lives a little easier. And then a thought hit her, one that sent dread creeping down through her spine like ice water.
  
  Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that she was being sent on the mission to “retrieve” the runaways. Sabine, more specifically. Friendships weren’t encouraged among soldiers, and anything more was expressly forbidden. But it wasn’t like there was anything to find. Sabine was the only person Diana had who truly understood her, who saw her and didn’t flinch. That friendship was difficult and rare to find, especially with where they were, especially with the damage they carried. That was all it was, a friendship forged in the depths of trauma.
  
  And besides. Diana clearly didn’t matter to Sabine as much as Sabine meant to her. If she did, then she would have told her about the escape plan. She would have helped Diana get out. Maybe this was her opportunity, though. Maybe once they got out into the wastelands, Diana could just… make a run for it? Sure, there was a team of highly skilled soldiers, but she was pretty damn fast. She glanced over at Colburne, scanning her armour briefly. The knives Diana kept on her likely wouldn’t pierce the armour, not unless she hit exactly the right point. But she could always try making something explode as a distraction… and honestly, if she died trying to escape, it wouldn’t be the worst fate waiting for her. The worst scenario would be if she failed.
  
  She knew she didn’t have the courage for it. She knew that she’d step foot out into the wilderness, remember that she had approximately zero survival skills, and trudge along behind the soldiers. But still, maybe there’d be a time when she’d be brave enough to try. Brave enough to run. She closed her eyes and let herself imagine it.
  [/color][/b]
  
• 
  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  H A Z E L K A N E - W I L L O W T E N O R I O - C A E S A R D U R H A M
  X - X - X
  #FED802 - #990f60 - #C96EE9
  

  

  

  
  Hazel couldn’t quite believe it, but she was starting to… relax? It had been so long since she’d felt anything close to it that it felt a little surreal. It was an odd feeling, but there was something familiar about it too, something warm. The way the crew told stories and interacted with one another… it felt something like safe. She knew it wouldn’t last, knew it was probably a side effect of whatever they’d injected her with, but it was nice. She wasn’t going to fight it.
  
  And then, all too soon, that came crashing to an end. Ajax reappeared, saying they’d be coming to a checkpoint. Even if everyone else’s reaction didn’t make it clear, something in Hazel’s gut told her that it was a bad thing. A really bad thing. She shrunk down in her seat. She was done with fighting, that was why they’d run away. Did they know about her? Did they know what she could do? Would they expect her to do it? Give her a gun and let her loose?
  
  But before she could fully contemplate that, it was Willow who got to her feet. Willow, who hadn’t given away what her role was. “Alright, folks, settle down. I’m willin’ to bet we might be able to talk our way out of this. So how’s about we hide our three stowaways somewhere safe, and me and Zeroes go do some sweet-talkin’?” She said, undoing her braid and shaking her hair out.
  “As long as you do all the talkin’,” Caesar replied, mimicking her accent.
  “Oh, he’s a big talker when he’s all the way over there,” she retorted as she pulled off her jacket. It came so naturally to her, being the pretty little distraction to make all the guards forget what they were supposed to be looking for. There was a part of her that hated it, but a part of her that also loved to manipulate men into giving her exactly what she wanted, with only a false promise of anything else.
  
  “Ajax, darlin’, I would have at least pretended to consider you for the role of pretty boy, but, ya know, you’re on their wanted list. And besides, who could be mean to Zeroes innocent lil face?” She called. “Cayde, you hide our friends here. Red, follow me and Zeroes from a distance, and I’ll be expecting you to intervene before either of us get shot, alright?”
  “I’ve deactivated their trackers, too, so at least they won’t have any location data to back up any suspicions they might have. I’ll also see if I can’t get into the CBT’s manifest, make sure we look like an unassuming train out exploring the wastelands. If anyone asks, we’re just some treasure hunters or some bullshit like that. Easy peasy. We're pros, we can deal with this."
  

 

[Saracen_Rue]

• The Wastelands

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sabine Castillian - Revenant - #33555C & Ajax Everettes - Revenant - #B06A31 & Deirdre Montgomery - Revenent - #A2312E & Cayde Greymore - Human - #c7c8b5
  
  
  
  
  

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Sabine hadn't known how to react when they had been informed what was going to happen, and of course it happened not only when things started to feel a little too good and safe, but of course it would happen like this. They were so close to escaping, and if worse came to worse well, Sabine would make sure that she wasn't going to go back without a fight, nevermind did she have any plans of going back alive. All of that suffering and pain, all the torture and sleepless nights that filled all those years, the numbness she had felt for so long under their cruel overseers. And now...Now they were getting the slightest taste of freedom, and here it was being taken away already? She'd be damned if she didn't at least try to take some out with her in the process. What more could she have to lose, anyway?

Ajax was the first to notice the scared look on Sabine's face, it was one he had come to know all too well, even with their rather short time of knowing each other. Even within The Foundry, when you had different tasks and missions at hand, rarely did you interact with those that had opposite purposes of you. Whether you were a scout and on the recon team, an assassin, or a soldier, and maybe if you made it, and Enforcer, you'd rarely see those outside of your unit. But Ajax had always made a point of finding Sabine when he could. There was just something different about her than some of the others that caused him to have a soft spot for her, even when it usually resulted in him being punished for it. But she was young and scared, and even Ajax had noticed she didn't have the same level of ruthlessness that the others did, she didn't enjoy killing, not like the others did. Not to say she wasn't goo at it, in Ajax's opinion, she was an incredibly skilled fighter and occasional medic when needed, but he also would have been lying if he didn't think she deserved to be part of the next ones to get out. She deserved a second chance at life, anyway. He gave her a small, knowing look before looking at Willow as she spoke, "As if I'd expect anything less." he chimed, looking at Caeser for a moment before looking back at her, he had known them a bit longer than the others did, a few months, and from what he could gather, she was one of the ones that seemed truly genuine, "I'll keep them safe." he offered a small nod as reassurance.

​

"They'll have no reason to suspect anything off about us anyway, especially if we keep you three-" she pointed at Sabine, Hazel, and AJax, "-out of sight. Cayde here knows where you keep you, this isn't our first rodeo." she looked at Cayde as she spoke, "You know I trust you to do what's needed, don't think I need to say much else." she gave a small, knowing look in Cayde's direction, an unseen determined and serious expression overcame her. "Besides, we have one mission at hand and one alone, it's to keep you safe and get you to The Pharos, and that's what we'll do, the rest be damned." she gave the three a rather serious, but also what was it, sympathic look, before leaving the current car they were in and onto the next one, making her way to the front of the CBT.

After a few moments of silence, as Cayde watched Deirdre, Caeser, and Willow leave, giving them all a small nod and smile, she looked at the rest, "Alright folks, if you don't mind just-" she began, side stepping them as she made her way to the far back of the car, "Ajax, help with this?" she gestured with her head, indicating to some of the various barrels in the corner.

"Oh for the love of-" Sabine started, pinching the bridge of her nose at the absolutely outlandish idea that came to her, "Please tell me you're not making us hide in those?" she asked with a raised eyebrow in astonishment. These couldn't be the people that they said they were, right?

"Wha?" Cayde gave a confused look, before shaking her head as her and Ajax began moving the barrels and crates aside, "Gods no, that'd be the first place they'd look. Far too obvious, and downright stupid." having finished moving everything out of the way, Cayde removed something that looked like the piece of glass tablet that Caeser had earlier but a moment ago, after a few buttons pressed and scan later, a small hatch from the floor itself pressed open and moved aside with next to no sound. "But down there is the best option we have, so-" Cayde hopped down into the opening, disapearing out of sight before raising a hand that popped out from the opening of the hatch that led somewhere below, "C'mon, we don't have all day ladies and 'gent."

Sabine gave Ajax a wary look, before he gave her a small shrug of his shoulders, and jumped down into the compartment below, ignoring any help from Cayde. Who only gave a small 'really? rude' sort of look in his direction, before offering a hand back up to Sabine. Who only paused, looking at Hazel for a moment, before taking Cayde's hand, lowering herself into the compartment below, joining the other two. The compartment below the flooring of the CBT seemed to be much more spacious than she would have thought, it wasn't exactly tall enough to walk around in at full height, they'd have to crouch a bit to do so, but it at least alleviated any sense of claustrphobia Sabine had about the idea only moments ago.

Cayde looked back up from the hatch, at the last one that she was waiting on, "C'mon, it's not so scary down here. We made sure that there'd be plenty of room, enough for probably a dozen more or so down here. Promise." she gave a reassuring smile, the best she could anyway, "Besides, there's some more snacks down here too, and it's not dark down here, even after we close the flooring, well...ceiling in this case, I guess?" she paused, giving a small shrug, "Regardless, you'll be plenty safe down here, I promise. It shouldn't take them too long to look everything over anyway, we've done this dozens of times, it'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure though? I mean..."

"Sabine-" Ajax interjected, giving her a dissapointing look.

"No, I have a right to be skeptical. We don't know anything that they're about, Ajax. Besides...you technically lied. You didn't tell us you knew about any of this, until they basically kidnapped us-"

"Do you trust me?" he gave her a look she had never seen before, was it more of a dejected look? She thought so, anyway.

There was a moment of pause before, "Of course I do, I just-"

"Then that should be enough..." she knew he was right, he was right about a lot of things, and she hated it.

"What about you then?" she turned to look at Cayde, "Why do you trust them so much? You...You don't seem to be like them..." she paused for a moment, "I mean, you don't have the same eyes as them so...Just trying to get everyone of you all figured out, is all..."

There was another beat of silence as Cayde thought for a moment, deciding on her words before speaking, "Honestly?" she started, looking at the others, "I was like you lot, years ago. Lost a lot of good people, but earned even better ones in the process of being rescued..." she took a deep breath before exhaling, "Deirdre practically raised me from that point on and...She's the closest thing I can remember to that of having a parent, really. They never got far with...with the tests but, I know what it's like back there, even if it was a long time ago. So...If it's any consolation well, we have more in common than some may think, even if the only thing I'm good at is with a gun. Nothing fancy, just me. And you all can learn to be like that too...Just...Being yourselves. You're no longer soldiers, alright?"

 

[partially-stars]

H A Z E L K A N E - W I L L O W T E N O R I O - C A E S A R D U R H A M
X - X - X
#FED802 - #990F60 - #C96EE9

Hazel watched as Willow, Caesar and Red headed out into the corridors, unable to stop herself from wondering if she’d seen them for the last time. They seemed so unrattled by the whole thing, were they really that blase about enforcers potentially having found them? Or were they just so desensitised to this that they didn’t show fear any more? She was startled out of her thoughts as the others began to move to the back of the carriage. She managed something close to a small smile as Sabine accused Cayde of trying to hide them in the barrels. The smile quickly faded away as she looked down into the small space under the floor that they had to hide in. All she could think about were the impossibly small spaces she’d been forced into in the Foundry to see how she reacted to enclosed spaces and stress, to see the effects it would have on her body, to see how she’d escape. She hung back, watching as everyone else disappeared into the gap.

She found herself chewing on the inside of her cheek as Cayde held out a hand to her to help her down. There was something in that smile that eased Hazel’s racing thoughts just a little. The promises that there was lighting and room for plenty more of them helped to relax her a little further. She took a step closer, but when Sabine spoke up, she stopped. Sabine raised some valid points, but to Hazel, these people couldn’t be any worse than where she escaped from. She listened to Cayde speak, and while it raised plenty more questions, they weren’t questions that needed to be asked just then. So she sat on the edge of the gap and took Cayde’s hand to climb down into the compartment.

While perhaps not as spacious as she would have liked, she knew she’d be able to sit comfortably on the ground without her head touching the ceiling, so that was something. And there was plenty of room for each of them, and it was well lit too. She realised after a few seconds that she was still clinging to Cayde’s hand and released it with a mumbled apology. She hadn’t realised exactly how starved she’d been of human contact until she’d finally gotten it again, and she didn’t want to let go.

In the main compartment, Willow followed Red towards the front of the train. Outside the first compartment, she gestured to Red to hide, before glancing over at Caesar. Caesar had rolled his sleeves up while walking, ruffled his hair, and even produced a pair of glasses out of somewhere so he looked less formal. She nodded in approval, before entering the compartment. There were more heavily armed enforcers hanging around the checkpoint than usual, but Willow barely even spared them a glance as she opened the door of the compartment and stepped outside.

“Good mornin’, officers,” she chimed, leaning even more into her accent than normal. “Ain’t it just beautiful out here?”
“Consignment chip?” The guard nearest her said.
“Here you go, sir. I’d barely call it a consignment, to be honest, but Johnny here’s ma won’t accept food anywhere except from the city so we gotta head in every so often to make sure she won’t starve.”
“She’s eighty five, so I can’t really argue with her much. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn’t win,” Caesar added.
“We need to search the train.” Willow shrugged without even batting an eyelid.
“Sure thing, sir, although be warned, we have the bags of coffee counted, she’ll kick up a fuss if we don’t bring enough back,”[/b] she retorted, climbing back into the train. “Y’all must be quiet here today if we’re getting treated to the full experience!”[/b] The guards still didn’t even crack as much as a smirk. As Caesar stepped back to let one of them board, he slipped a hand into a pocket and triple tapped a small chip sitting inside to send a warning signal to Red to hide.

“A Class II CBT is a large and expensive vehicle to rent just to bring some groceries to your mother in law,” one of the guards remarked. Caesar sighed and shook his head.
“See, Addie, I told you it was ridiculous to hire this whole thing!”
“Darlin’, it was as cheap as just hiring a single carriage, and how often do you get to say you have a whole CBT more or less to yourself?”
“There’s no arguing with her either,” Caesar remarked under his breath to the nearest guard. He could have swore he saw something like a flicker of a smile, but then it was gone.

“Anyone else on board besides you two?”
“Our cousin… Scarlett is rattlin’ around somewhere as well. She ain’t very social, though, you’ll have to excuse her for not saying hello.” Caesar shot Willow a slight grin, receiving just a roll of her eyes in return.
“Any undeclared cargo?”
“No, sir.”
“Was the train left unattended at any point while loading or boarding?”
“No, sir. One or the other of us was with it at all times while it was being filled. Gotta make sure we didn’t forget anything, right?”