Castouts (Accepting new characters)

*Steven flinched when Max hit him, but then pulled off a piece of cloth covering a case and pulled it out and opened it, revealing a 50 Caliber Sniper Rifle.* I don't need to stand! None of you are prepared to do what needs to be done to save Kyle, I'll show up and all their attention will be on me and once Kyle is safe I'll take as many of them with me as I can. Unless someone has a better plan other then driving straight into an army of armed killers. So no offense Max people are gonna die today but it won't be Kyle or any of you so I suggest you give me something for pain and then drop me off and let me do what I do best. Cause the idea of you, a little girl, a blind girl, a hot tempered car thief and Kat a girl that abuses herself...yeah I noticed Kat I'm sorry I didn't want to say anything but me showing up is the best way to get Kyle back.
 
Sebastian felt chills through his hoodie. Was that his nerves on end? Hell he was doing his typical; business done, money in his pocket, lone wolf in the park. He didn't deal with drugs anymore so that danger was off, yet something was getting to him. Just like Violet... even though it was a few days back he remembered it clearly. The expression on her face as she asked what he was. What kind of question is that?! He kicked the roots of a tree in anger then winced realizing there were better ways to deal with his stress.








A cigarette was pulled out and placed to his lips. Regrettably as he fumbled with his pockets he couldn't find his lighter. He was always losing the damned things. With a sigh he rooted through his pack until he found a pack of matches. Smirking with cancer stick in mouth he lit it up and took a long drag. Yes there were much better ways to deal with stress than kicking trees and ******* up one's foot.





Violet had thought it was him. The dark hoodie, the way he walked. No one could walk so sure of themselves yet blend in a crowd like Sebastian. What gave it away was a curse as he kicked at the stump of a tree, talk about boys and their issues. Covering her mouth as she giggled Violet looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice her. Yes she had seen him from time to time since the incident, but she did her best to make sure the situation never reversed. Her memories never changed, and still to this day she was unsure of what had happened, all she knew was that Sebastian had somehow killed that man without touching him. Hell he did it knocked cold. Violet was far from the typical girl, but she knew that stuff like that just wasn't normal. Glancing back at him again she caught Sebastian looking straight at her. “Shit” escaped her lips as her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Once more she ran.





Sebastian hadn't noticed it at first, a girl off in the distance some, dazing out. He might have not have known it was her if she didn't look his way, but any and all doubts were erased when he saw those eyes, and for the second time the kid ran off from him. Yes that was Violet, and Violet had some answers Sebastian needed. Tossing his cigarette, giving her somewhat of a head start by outing the damned unsmoked thing, Sebastian looked up and she was no where in sight. Muttering his own curse he ran off in the direction she was heading, only to end up in front of the zoo without another glimpse of the kid. He knew she was a survivor from the first time he saw her, but damn he didn't think she would be able to lose him so easy. Pulling out another cigarette and lighting it with one of the pocketed matches he took his time smoking this one, mourning it's wasted fallen comrade. Seemed like he had shit for breaks these past few days.


 
Jillian thought about it. Although people had been less than kind to him, including his own father, he had rarely himself done anything really bad.


"I guess the worst thing I did was running away from home," Jillian said after some thought. He guessed it might not sound that impressive considering Julian's early confession and the fact they they both were homeless and runaways, but it was true. He really hadn't done much besides that. Well maybe one other thing. "I also... I sometimes steal money from my workplaces," Jillian confessed. "Money gets tight and it's usually only when I have to. I don't like doing it, but." Jillian shrugged.


He opened his mouth to ask the same thing before stopping himself. He already knew didn't he? Jillian didn't want to think on it. "Why do you ask," he said instead.


----


Liselle looked at Hailey and then glared at Raekel. Why did she follow this *****? She had an inkling of why actually, but she choose to ignore it. Either way, she was happy to have come along in a way. She watched Hailey start to leave and she followed, not wanting to watch her go off on her own.


She went to call out Hailey's name, but she then realize no one had really offered their name. She knew neither the girl's nor the redhead's. It was sort of odd, but she guessed it made sense. They didn't really know each other and Liselle didn't really have time to ask. Nor did she think to at the time. Still she wasn't going to let her go off on her own. It felt wrong and Raekel was right about one thing. You never knew where the creeps might be lurking.


"Let me come with you," she said, as she caught up to Hailey. "I mean, it's better to go with someone else. Safety in numbers right? I am Liselle by the way."


----


Chris gritted her teeth as both her siblings seemed to kept on telling her that she was going. She knew she was, why did they have to keep mentioning it? Well Chris knew why. She did have a tendency to run off. She also really didn't want to go at all. It wasn't because she didn't want to rescue Kyle, but because she was worried she'd get herself hurt or get in the way.


She was with Steven for once and she almost laughed out loud, but didn't. Chris felt they might think she'd snap or something. But Steven was hurt and as much as Chris didn't like the guy, she didn't want him running off and getting himself killed for Kyle. After all her sister needed him. Kat couldn't lose Steven now. It seemed that this was not going to be easy at all. Someone had to go and save her little brother and most likely someone was going to get hurt.


She blushed when she felt Max's touch. It was rare for someone to touch her and Max wasn't family either. She wondered why he was so nice and why she was so willing to help. It both confused and touched the girl. She reached a hand up to touch his hand and then pulled it away fast as soon as she did.


"Thank you."


*


Chris sat in the car, taking deep breaths. She was getting nervous and worried. This whole thing set her on edge and the instinct to run and flee was strong. Maybe that was why she had seated herself in the middle. It'd be hard to run if she had to climb over people. She was happy though for her blindness at the moment. She could not see the other's faces as they drove. She didn't want to. It would only make it worse.


 
There was little expectation in Hailey for the two other girls to follow her; they were strangers who hadn’t even exchanged names. There was some concern with the redhead for her though, a she had so blatantly questioned about her and Jessie’s relationship. It was almost suspicious, and that made the blonde nervous, her strides growing in length as she made her way to the zoo.


There were a few things that she was preparing herself for, or maybe it was psyching herself out for. Hailey kept imagining Jessie dead, or just Calico seated there with his tendency to act violent to anybody he had encountered. The girl had a vague memory of the gangster from when Jessie started getting involved, but even as a child, she remembered not liking him.


A voice sounded from behind Hailey, and she stiffened up, almost jumping out of her skin as the girl with the dyed hair followed her. She introduced herself as Liselle, and just nodding in response, she muttered as an afterthought, “Hailey…” It was all she said to the girl as she led the way to the zoo, and as they approached, her pace slowed.


Could she really handle what would come next?


A girl coming around the corner surprised her, and she hurriedly stepped out of her way as the stranger rushed past. The smell of another cigarette wafted around the corner, and it was that which forced her into a complete stop. It was quick, and abrupt probably from Liselle’s point of view, but Hailey seemed to take her next steps with a force behind them. When she saw his figure at the gate, her fists clenched…


Not him too.


Calico couldn’t take Sebastian away.
 
Raekel cursed when she saw Hailey leave. She was going off to find her "father" was she? Well Raekel wasn't going to let that happen. That man was mistreating the girl and Raekel could not just sit idly by while some man did that to her. She thought of her own experience and what it was like. Even if she was a ***** and didn't really care for people, the redhead was not going to let someone be sold into prostitution. It was the one thing she could not stand to sit by and watch happen.


Still a thought of 'It's not your problem, why bother?' flashed through her head. Still Raekel forced herself to follow the pair of girls, hoping she'd be able to knock some sense into Hailey. She heard Liselle introduce herself and she laughed. What kind of name was that? Well her own wasn't that common, but still. Damn parents and their weird names. What was wrong with them?


"Hey. I think you're making a mistake girly," she said as she caught up with them.


Lionel wasn't sure where he was going anymore. He had saw someone, maybe two someones, run off and this confused him. He thought it would be best to head back to the homeless shelter now. Even with his power, the young boy did not like to be out and about by himself. He was normally with Jillian after all. He felt safe with him around. But he was with Julian and Lionel didn't just want to sit around.


He decided to forget the people he saw. The last time he had been in the park, they had seen the murder place. Lionel thought maybe it was best to keep away from it after all. He licked his lips, getting hungry and thirsty. Yeah it would be best to head back. Get something in his, even their terrible food and then maybe do something. A puzzle might be nice.


But Lionel had no such luck. He realized he wasn't as familiar with the streets as he had thought. He paused near a theater or what he assumed to be one, to think and try and figure out the best plan to get back. He looked over to see a nice looking car pull up and he wondered if he should try his luck in the opposite direction.
 
Violet practically ran into another girl and stalled enough to mumble an apology to her before running off, trying to get far enough away that Sebastian lost interest. Why was he even following her now? Yes it was rude of her to run off, but he wasn't the type to chase you to tell you such a thing. He wanted something, but what? She knew she wouldn't know unless she asked him, but she was afraid. Firsthand she had seen what he had done, she still had nightmares about it. Hell most the ones that stuck around central park at night probably heard her cry out in her sleep. She was unlucky like that. Feeling her throat dry out and her chest heaving Violet stopped running and leaned against the gate to catch her breath. Luckily for her, she didn't hear Sebastian in pursuit.








For the second time in a period of not ten minutes Sebastian would drop his cigarette. Though this time it wasn't intentional in the least. He looked before him to the girl that couldn't be mistaken for another. It had to be Hailey. She was scrawny as hell, but had somehow grown in the months that had passed since he had seen her last. Had it been that long? It couldn't have been more than a year or so... And here she was before him, there were no mistaken those blue eyes for someone else. Realizing that he was only staring at her he outs the dropped cigarette by rubbing it into the ground by the sole of his boot. “It's been awhile Hailey” he offers a smile, happy to see her, yet questioning if she was ok and being taken care of well enough. From the looks of it she was worse off than him.


 
Steven starts naming off why all the others are not capable of going after Calico, ticking off the reasons why he considers each of them inadequate. And the more Katarina listens, the more her cheeks burn, not just with embarrassment at this dismissal of herself as useless, but with anger.


Sure, she herself had moments before been thinking she was probably useless in a fight, as was Shira and Chris. But her thinking so privately, and being told to her face that she is, that she can't even try...that was a different story. And for Steven, who couldnt' even stand up, who had been hurt repeatedly since the few days she knew him in a serious manner, to tell her she couldn't do it...Katarina was a stubborn person, and that only made her more determined to do exactly what he was telling her she couldn't.


And for him to bring up the fact that she hurts herself as a reason she can't go...what, did he think she'd deliberately put herself in the line of fire? There was a difference between banging her wrist and purposely getting herself shot in the head. And the fact that Steven would bring it up around everyone else, people who barely knew her, point it out as her weakness, made her burn with anger.


"Yeah, well, you seem to be like a walking target," she shot back. "For a guy who's so big and tough, how many times have you almost died already, and how many times have I? I think that's a ten to zero ratio there. I'm GOING, Xander is going, and Chris is going too. So is Max. Shira we can drop off if she wants, but the rest of us? Forget it. It's not like you could walk there on your own, if you don't shut up about being the big martyr we'll just dump you back in your room and drive off without you."


As they pull into the theater, she jumps out before Steven can, heading straight for teh front door and finding it locked. A girl's head and arms appear in a window then, and Katarina jumps, almost screaming. The girl is small and appears to be supporting herself in the window, her feet not touching the floor, and her face is small, narrow, and delicately featured. She regards Katarina intensely before speaking.


"Who are you?"


**


Julian nodded in response to Jillian's answer. It was about what he had expected. Jillian was too good, too genuinely nice to be the sort of person Julian was. How could he have expected any differently? How could he really understand?


He takes his time in responding, his words hesitant. "I...I st-stole before."


It is longer still before he can answer Jillian's question. His hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched, Jillian lets out a shuddering breath before he can reply. "I just...wanted to know...what kind of person you are...I guess. You're better than me."
 
*Steven moved to Max when they finally stopped and speaks really low so no one else can hear.* Look you know I'm right about this, these are kids that have never even held a gun before in their lives, there is no time for them to suddenly become good at this and even if they could killing someone will scar them for the rest of their lives I don't want them to have to live with that, those people are killers with no remorse and plenty of bodies under their belts, you and me should handle this ourselves cause like me I don't see you losing any sleep over killing some scum bangers. So I need you to help me, just go along with me on this. *Grabs his side again and flinches and gasp for his breath but slowly the pain is fading even his shoulder is starting to feel better and his range of motion is slowly coming back. He turns back to Xander and Chris.* Listen since I can't talk you out of this can I at least get you all to wear a vest and give you a quick lesson on how to use a gun? I have enough gear for you all so it should at least give you a chance against Calico's army.


*Calico finally arrives at the tiger pit, looking at Kyle hanging over it, strangely he doesn't seem amused at this in fact he's pissed off because one he asked for them to grab Xander and two he actually liked Kyle the kid was a great lookout looking all innocent cops never suspected him but Calico doesn't order them to take him down instead he stands in front of the gang raising his hands to silence them.* Tonight I'm gonna put an end to all these attacks, I'm gonna make sure that the world knows not to screw with me, not other gangs, not the cops and especially not some soldier boy that is sad that his mommy and daddy ain't around no more! When this chump shows up no one touches him you get me..NOT ONE OF YOU LAY A DAMN HAND ON HIM OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF! Now where is Whitebread Jessie? *Looks and spots him* Whitebread Jessie is my new right hand, so Singe you're fired. *2 men grab Singe and tosses him head first into the tiger pit, the tigers waste no time in tearing him to pieces. Calico then grins at Jessie.* Oh crap his keys to your new place where in his pocket, you're gonna have to either go get them or wait a few hours for nature to take it's course...Just kidding we'll get you a new set. So we got some time to kill who wants to play Duck Duck Grenade?
 
Xander simply rolls his eyes at Steven, and once everyone is in his car he drives off, Max following. When they get to the theatre, he climbs out, looking over to Steven, "Look Steven, I'm not a kid, okay?" Xander hated the fact Steven kept calling him a kid, sure he may be 17, but that was old enough in his eyes. He didn't care if Calico was in his 20's, Xander wasn't a kid. "You killed men because they hurt your family right? They killed your dad and ruined your mum. Well Calico just took MY little brother, he's probably already hurt him, and I don't give a damn what you think because Kyle's my family, if Calico's so much as flicked Kyle then I'll blow his brains out myself. So yeah, I might be hot tempered, but I have no issues with killing someone who's hurt my family. I AM prepared to do what has to be done to save my baby brother."


He glanced to Kat then, seeing she was distracted, before he looked back at him, "You should remember that if you ever start dating my sister." Ooh yes, Xander just played the overprotective brother role. With that, he nodded at Max before running over to stand beside Kat, he stopped beside her as he saw a girl in the window, asking who they were and he glanced to his twin before looking back to the pixie-girl. "Uh, hey? I'm Xander, this is Katarina, um....is Natalia there?" He heard a voice from behind the pixie girl then, "Rikarah, calm down, it's just Xander." Suddenly the copy-cat girl had jumped from another window and bounded over to stand infront of Xander, grinning, "Hey Sparks, did you guys sort out your, um, family shizz?" She tilted her head, smirking, and Xander rolled his eyes, "Uh, maybe, but then Calico's goons showed up and grabbed my little brother, I was wondering if you wanted to help us get him back?" Natalia rose an eyebrow, "Do I get to shock people?" "Uh, yeah sure, just not Calico. If he's hurt Kyle then I will shock his brains out of his ears myself." Natalia grinned, "Yeah whatever." Xander then looked to the girl in the window, the pixie one who Natalia had called Rikarah and offered politely, "Do you want to come aswell? The more the merrier I guess."


Xander looked to his twin, nudging her lightly, "Kat, this is Natalia, Natalia this is Kat." Natalia rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure." Then strolled past the pair and clambered into the back of the car. Yeah...she needed to work on those manners. Xander looked back at Rikarah, wondering if she'd agree to come with them or not.
 
(hold up Macal, we have to pick up everyone before they're at the zoo, lol)


Katarina takes the vest from Steven with no further comment, shrugging into it and taking the gun, her face still tensed with her now repressed anger. She is surprised by its heaviness but tries not to show it in her face. She lets Steven demonstrate to her once, and only once, how to use it, and takes a practice shot herself, caught off guard by its kick. Wincing, she shakes it off and declares that it was practice enough. She would either figure it out or just hit people with the gun, but either way, she was coming and she was getting into it with everyone else.


As Katarina asks her who she is, not a trace of a smile on her lips, then, upon Natalia's introduction, pulls herself out the window and drops onto the ground before them outside the theater, Katarina looks her over, silently judging her size. The girl looks as young as Shira, except something about the expression of her eyes, and she is a full six inches shorter than Katarina, who is far from a giant. How this tiny girl is going to help is beyond her, but if she's willing, Katarina isn't about to judge.


Rikarah, meanwhile, is very much interested. The moment she heard the name "Calico" and that he had kidnapped Xander's brother, that they all planned to attack and possibly kill him, she was more than in on this. It was working out more perfectly than she could have planned herself...here she had wanted to find and kill him, and now people who also did were showing up at her door. It was serendipity.


"I will come," she says simply. "I am always ready for adventure."


This is rather an understatement, but she does not elaborate. Instead she touches Steven's arm, which causes Katarina to look at her again, watching just to make sure she isn't catching his eye. "I will take a weapon, as well."


In Xander's car it is rather crowded. With Xander driving, Max up front, that left Natalia, Chris, Katarina, and Rikarah to crowd into the backseat together. Rikarah was small enough to sit on someone's lap, making a rather awkward situation for them all. As they drew closer Katarina's heart beat faster, and her hands shook slightly as she opened her car door to get out. She couldn't yet see or hear Kyle.
 
(Max drove his own car, I guess we've moved outside the zoo now?)


*Outside the zoo Steven pulls Kat's arm to get her to look at him.* You're pissed at me aren't you? All I want to do all I've ever wanted to do was protect you and you're pissed at me for trying to talk some sense into you all. Kat you all hate me but sense we're here you have to listen to me or you will all die, we have to be smart about this, cause yeah I'm been hurt but I've been hitting Calico and his gang for weeks I know how to knock them off balance, I just need you to trust me. *Moves his hand and touches her cheek gently rubbing it.* I don't care if I die tonight but I can't have anything happen to you, for me that would be my entire world being destroyed, I can't lose someone else I love to this monster, he's taken to many people from me already. Please at least lets plan this out better you have to trust me. *Even as his body is slowly healing itself he still feels weak around her.*
 
Katarina looked up at Steven somewhat unwillingly as he started to talk, trying not to flinch from even his gentle grip on her arm. Its skin has seen so much repeated roughness in the past few days that even brief touches can cause aching. She does not want to listen to what he has to say, because she is sure she knows what it will be. She's too weak, too unstable, too crazy, too inexperienced to even try to protect her own brother. It might be true, but that doesn't mean she wants to hear it.


But then Steven is touching her cheek, telling her that she's his world...that he wants to protect her. That he loves her.


And hearing that, Katarina finds herself no longer able to remember why she's angry. Had he really just said that...that he loved her? LOVED her? Steven...Steven loved her? Even if he did think she was weak and stupid, even if he did think she couldn't help...even if the first day he saw her, she hadn't taken a real bath in several days, even though she was homeless and poor, even though he knew everything wrong with her...he still loved her?


She started to smile, paused outside the zoo gates, and the remnants of her anger left abruptly as she nods. "Okay."


Rikarah barely glances at them, no longer interested in their exchange. They are showing what to her appears to be a foolish amount of sentimentality, particularly given that from what she understands, they have known each other not long at all. But then, even in the brief minutes she has known Katarina, even without reading her thoughts, she can see that the girl is hardly as intelligent or insightful as Rikarah considers herself to be. No doubt she would be fooled by the words of a young man, any young man.


"I do not see how an elaborate plan is something we even have time for," she stated. "The way I see it, we should split into groups of two or so, with a more skilled person paired with one who is less so. Come at Calico from separate corners of teh zoo and surround him. There are several areas of the fence we can jump to enter from different angles."
 
*Steven looks back at Rikarah and smirks* I'm a marine improvising and adapting is what we do best, unless we can disperse some of those gang members the only ones getting surrounded is gonna be us. Rushing is not smart in the long haul taking a few extra minutes to prepare can be the difference between life and death. Now which one of you is good at hide and seek? Cause I have a plan a much better plan then my previous one of sacrificing myself. *Moves back to the trunk of the car and pulls out the bag of explosives.*team one, someone quiet and sneaky to plant some charges we'll funnel them all into a narrow path on the east side of the zoo, team two will move up the west side of the zoo with little resistence they'll be covered by team three who will sweep anyone else out of there path so they can reach Kyle and free him. This is about saving Kyle not going after Calico there is no time to do both so decide now save Kyle or go after Calico who none of us stand a chance against right now. Xander and Max would you be team two and grab Kyle, *looks at Rika and the other girl* you plant the charges where I'll point to so we can force the main force away from Kyle, knowing my own limits myself, Kat and Chris will provide cover for you all..We call this a Shock and Awe tactic to keep a large force off balance and distracted. Anyone got a better idea lets hear it.
 
Xander, once people have clambered out from the car, watches the interaction between Katarina and Steven, he frowns, clearly not liking it, and the grip on the gun he has taken tightens considerably. His teeth grit as Katarina smiles, and nods, and he looks away from the pair, over at Rikarah and Natalia who are standing beside eachother. As Rikarah speaks, he finds himself glad she came along, she seemed to know what she was doing - much more so than the lovely dovey pair who Xander was seconds away from breaking up - plus she didn't seem all too enthralled with Steven.


Almost everyone he knew was enthralled with Steven. It pissed him off.


He moved to stand beside Rikarah, he was worried he would slap Steven across the face with his gun if he stayed so close to the guy. It was Steven's fault that Kyle had been taken, Steven's fault that Kyle could be hurt, dead even, and Xander was NOT in the mood to take orders from him.


He looks over to Steven once he has finished talking, unable to stop himself from glaring at the marine, "I thought you were a run-away marine? You really shouldn't be using that title so loosely if the marine cops are looking for you." He couldn't help but sneak that in there, he didn't like Steven in the slightest. Even if he was right about how to get Kyle. He sighs, "Fine, we'll use your plan. But if I 'accidentally' shoot Calico in the head while I'm saving Kyle don't blame me."


Natalia chuckled, causing Xander to glance at her, "Calm down Sparks" She nodded to his hand, and he looked down to see it was covered in blue lines, darting off his hand and all across it as it made a pretty little sizzling sound. He frowned, closing his hand to stop the electricity as he looked back up with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused expression, only slightly, "Sparks? What is that? A nickname?" Natalia nodded, "Yup. You're always shorting out and sparking, so... Sparks."


Natalia then looked to Steven and nodded, saluting with a smirk, "Aye aye Captain" She dropped her hand, crossing her arms, "I'm the best there is at hide and seek, so I'm good with planting the bombs or whatever." It was true. Natalia hid from her Mum, she hid from her Mum's boyfriend, she hid from the bullies and now she hides from the cops and the occasional people who catch her pick-pocketing from them. She then turned to Xander and gripped his arm, then held up her hand and made a spark. "Yay! I got your power again!" She grinned at him, "Your power is awesome Xander, how do you keep from doing this all the time?" She then gripped hold of him and sent a shock through him, making his body jolt, he leapt back and glared at her lightly, "Natalia!" "It's so much fun! If I were you I'd just run around shocking people all day." He rolled his eyes at her then looked to their group, "Everyone ready?"


Calico was going down for kidnapping Kyle. No-one hurt Xander's family.
 
Rikarah is neither pleased nor intimidated by Steven's attempt to take charge. Though he is considerably taller and larger than her, she continues to look him directly in the eye, ignoring Katarina beside him as she tells him her take on the situation.


"You look all of eighteen or nineteen years old. You could not have been a marine for very long, and you are certainly not a marine now. You also do not listen very carefully. I did not say to "rush" Calico. I merely said that we should come to confront him from all sides. Your plan is unwise. Katarina and Chris together, that is not a wise plan because both are unskilled. Pairing Xander and Max as the only people actively fighting Calico is not wise, because if he has others with him, you will be outnumbered. Natalia has the ability to take on active powers and she should certainly be involved in active confrontation. And I myself also have abilities."


She will not elaborate upon her ability to force people to bend to her will, but it is certainly something she has in mind as a possibility. Not to mention that Rikarah is very used to killing others as she sees fit.


Still speaking to Steven plainly, she continues, "If you merely attempt to extract Kyle, then it is more than likely that you will be left behind, and possibly killed. You may be willing to be a martyr, as Katarina has stated, but others may not be excited about that plan. I, personally, do not like the thought of Calico taking any of us. If we work together we could at least have a chance of causing him damage. Leaving him fully well and free to pursue us and to come after us all later is not the risk I would take. We can still use the explosives, of course, and still aim to get Kyle out above all else. But splitting into the pairs as you have made them and choosing deliberately not to even attempt to kill Calico is not a plan I would go for."


But then, it doesn't matter to her. It is Rikarah's intention to attempt to harm hiim no matter what the others do or agree to.
 
*Steven slams his fist into the hood of his own car leaving a very large dent* DAMMIT I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT CALICO ANYMORE! I'll deal with him one day but today it's to get Kyle and leave this place with EVERYONE ALIVE! I assure you despite what all of you think about me. *Looks at Rika* You don't respect or believe me, I could give a shit! *Turns to Xander* You hate my guts cause your little brother looked up to me and because I want to be with your sister, well get over it.*Chris's turn* You don't like me cause I beat up Max who at the time we thought was kidnapping you..sue me for giving a crap and trying to save you. *Turns back to Xander* You're damn right I ran from the Marines but not because I'm a coward I wanted revenge one the ones that took my parents from me, just because you don't love your parents don't mean I didn't love mine! *Grabs his sniper rifle and starts walking towards a building he picked that will give him a vantage point to cover Xander and Max.* This is exactly why I didn't think any of you are prepared for this! You're wasting time that Kyle might not have do it my way or not but it won't be me that gets that boy killed!


*Inside Calico is getting bored waiting and a bit hungry* This is boring I don't think he's coming cause you fools shot him and he probably bled out in the sewers! I swear if you denied me my satisfaction of killing him I'll pull your tongues out! Now someone go get me a snowcone...Blueberry!
 
Xander looks to Rikarah as she begins to speak, and with each point she makes, he finds himself agreeing. She's right. Kat and Chris, they could get hurt, neither of them would be able to kill a man and be mentally stable afterwards, plus, he didn't want his little sisters to be killing anyone, not if they didn't have to. And yeah, Natalia could shock people, as could Xander, and this Rikarah girl, she says she has a power, an ability, and she seems stable enough to kill a man without blinking.


Which is kinda scary in a hot sort of way.


His eyes widened and he looked away quickly at that thought. What on earth? Was he even allowed to think like that? Sure other teenage guys did, but Xander wasn't like other teenage guys. But still, he nodded, finding the courage to look back. "She's got a lot of good points. Steven." Ouch, bitterness in Steven's name there. "I'm all for my sisters coming along - couldn't stop them even if I wanted to - but I don't want them to have to kill anybody, ever, and you putting them out there in the line of fire with you is the best way to get them killed." He bites his tongue, stopping himself from saying 'like you've gotten Kyle almost killed', but the pause is there, and if Steven is smart enough - which he seems to be - then he would hear the implied meaning behind the deliberate pause.


He looks to Rikarah, speaking about her even though he is looking at her, "Rikarah's got the best idea. We should pair skilled with unskilled, people who are willing to kill with people who aren't." He looked around then, trying to guess who would be okay with killing and who wouldn't. He knew he was fine with it, Steven too, this Rikarah girl seemed like she could handle it, Max he honestly has no idea, Chris no, Kat no, Natalia----


"Yeah, that sounds like the best thing to do. I'd rather not kill anyone, but if someone shoots at me I'll do what I have to survive - whether that means killing them or not." Natalia spoke seriously then, infact more serious than Xander had heard from her yet - besides when she was confronting him about his power though - and he nods at her. "Let's hope you don't have to kill anyone then."


He sighs, getting a bit impatient, he knew they couldn't just rush into this, as both Steven and Rikarah had pointed out, but....every second they spent here, was every second Calico could be hurting Kyle. Every second counted. "Can we just agree on Rikarah's idea and quickly sort ourselves out? Kyle's not safe yet." His little brother's safety is clearly the most important thing to him, and as he speaks he looks down, frowning deeply and rubbing the back of his neck. How did they manage to get into shit like this all the time? The DeSanto's must be a magnet for trouble or something.


He looked to Rikarah momentarily, even though it was unlikely the two would be paired - since both were on the same sort of level - he sorta hoped they would be. Despite the fact that she had reprimanded Steven and shown clear dislike of the ex-marine; she was pretty interesting herself.


But then Steven had stormed off, after yelling at each person in turn, taking a sniper with him. Xander, who really couldn't be asked to try and smash the guy's face in right now for shouting at him and his siblings, turned to Rikarah, seeing her as the next in charge. "Well, guess that means we're going with your plan." He gives her a small, very small, smile, "Got any ideas what sides we should attack from?"


(Just to let you know, Xander might gain a small crush thing on Rikarah, I'm not expecting her to return it or anything, 'cause she's Rikarah xD But I thought it might be interesting to see how she handles it, if she notices it?)
 
Throughout most of the ride and the picking up of people, Chris kept quiet and to herself. She kept on pushing away the urge to run. To flee. To get out of the situation and not have to deal with it. Not have to deal with her little brother being dead or hurt or anything else. She just wanted this to be over and she was afraid of what might happen. She was only fifteen. She shouldn't be involved in this mess.


She got out of the car, shivering and trying to keep her feet planted. She listened as the others fought, but until most of the time, it felt distant and far away. It felt like this wasn't happening. How could it? How could such awful things keep happening to her family.


She was brought out of it by Steven's final yell. She flinched when he addressed her in his angry fit. She didn't hate Steven. She was upset with him, but because he threaten to kill Max not just because they fought. But she felt like she could hate him now. She turned to Kat and opened her mouth to make a sharp comment about Steven. How he shouldn't act like he was all high and mighty and he had a funny way of showing that he cared about them. How his hollering was just going to give away that someone was here. But she didn't. Her sister didn't need that right now.


Instead she moved closer to Xander, trying to seek comfort before anything happened. In some ways she could actually help if she was asked. Her powers would allow her to tell how many people there would be and where if she concentrated hard enough. But she was too nervous to say anything like that.


"What do we do now?" She could feel Steven leaving. He seemed to be too stubborn to consider any other option but his own and she was worried he might get himself hurt again. Hate him. She didn't hate him, but she was disliking the man more and more. He gave her no reason not to as far as what has happened.


----


Jillian looked at Julian and shook his head.


"Don't say that. We've both had different lives. We both been put in different situations. I may not have- I haven't done a lot of bad things, you're right, but that doesn't make me better than you. It just means I've been more lucky."


Jillian hesitated for a moment, then drew Julian into a hug. Unlike earlier, Jillian allowed himself to relax into the hug, holding the boy tightly, but not enough that Julian couldn't push Jillian away. His face ended up in Julian's hair as he was taller. He had no idea what drove him to embrace his friend, but it felt nice.


----


Liselle held back a sigh as the redhead decided to follow them. She was just glad that she wasn't being a *****, although she still seemed to be demanding as ever, But Liselle was distracted by the appearance of someone else. Hailey seemed to know him and as they talked, Liselle took the chance to look him over. She smiled to herself. He was pretty attractive and she wondered vaguely what the two's relationship was. She blushed a little at the thought.


Liselle then looked around in confusion, wondering why exactly Hailey's father or whatever would be here. She looked at Hailey and then decided not to pry.


"Hello," she said awkward, waving at the guy.
 
(Folks are confused Kat and Chris will be with him on top of a building where he'll use his sniper rifle to cover Xander and Max, far away from the action he wasn't going to send a blind girl into a firefight.)
 
(lol doesn't matter, he didn't explain it clearly and is now flipping out, therefore I think he just got overthrown. Just go with it, we can still use the explosive ideas, but Steven is obviously too opinionated and alienating for the others to want to agree with him lol. And Xander having a crush on Rikarah could certainly be interested. I think she thinks of herself as much older than him even though they're the same age, I guess we'll have to see)


Rikarah continued to simply stare at Steven during the course of his outburst, appearing distinctly unruffled by it, her expression still unchanged. Did he truly think he could command the respect of the others by behaving in such a way and attempting simply to bark orders without laying out his logic behind them? And did he truly think that he would continue to earn the support of the family of Katarina, or manage to keep her infatuation, by reacting in such a way?


She waited calmly until he was finished speaking, then took her turn again, her calm tone and expression a marked contrast to his, but nevertheless holding a steely undertone.


"You will never earn my respect by having such low self-control and ability to listen to the insight of others. And if you continue to blame others' dislike for you on something inherently wrong or incorrect about them, you will never earn theirs either. Using army seargent bellowing to share your views will only alienate others, and I do not think that is what you want at this point. Nor will insulting the siblings of the girl you have just claimed to love so very much do much to keep her attraction to you, if she is wise."


She meets Katarina's eyes then meaningfully as she says this, and the other girl cringes and twists her hands together, biting her lip as she steps slightly away from Steven. Hesitantly, Katarina says to him, "Steve...calm down...maybe she has some good ideas...and you gotta stop yelling. I"m so sick of everyone yelling, all the time..."


As Xander speaks, backing her up, Rikarah nods shortly, meeting his eyes and giving him a brief smile. "My suggestion is that we each take one of the far corners of the zoo in pairs. I would suggest that Steven pair with Natalia, because it would give her the strongest power, Max pair with Chris, and then Xander, Katarina, and I can take the other two corners on the same side and meet at a certain distance before we move in on Calico. Xander and Katarina can start on a corner together in order for Xander to be able to defend her if needed, and I will start alone and meet them. Chris can use her powers to find him, right here, if she is able to do so from such distance, and we will then know where to meet. If she cannot then we will stay in our pairs and come up upon him from all sides. It is probably best if Max and Chris plant the explosives as well, or if Max covers Chris while she does so."


As Steven stalks away, Rikarah simply raises an eyebrow. "I suppose this means I am in charge?" she calls after him before saying to Natalia, "Catch up with him, and I am sure you will have no problem refusing to allow him to be in full command."


**


As Jillian moved to hug him, Julian stiffened, his heart pounding so hard and fast he was sure the other boy could feel it, maybe hear it too. He swallowed several times, trying to hide the panic he was feeling...as well as the pleasure.


He was enjoying this, being hugged by Jillian again...knowing that Jillian wanted to hug him. He was enjoying being near him, hearing his breath, even smelling him...it was thrilling, comforting, even if it was also terrifying, and Julian slowly closed his arms ever so lightly around him.


He was still hugging him lightly when he found the courage to speak what he had been struggling with ever since he met Jillian, at last making a decision.


"I...J-Jillian...there's st-stuff I have to...tell you...if we're...if we're g-gonna be...f-friends, or..."
 
(I'm kind of wondering why Rikarah and Natalia said nothing to Shira about Cas' condition . . . You'd think a girl would like to know that her brother was just hit by a car. Oh well. I also just realized that Max is only two dead parents away from being Batman, or at least having the same qualifications to be Batman. Think about it. Batman's only powers are being super smart and rich. Max could do it if he tried . . . but he's technically a villain . . . for now.)


Max had left during the lovey dovey scene between Steven and Kat and came back around the time Steven was giving orders. As the ex-marine was assigning teams, Max dropped a bunch of metal doodads into the bushes and wiped oil stained fingers on his jeans. He had been off on a little fun, disabling the engines of the cars around the park other than theirs, and carving the symbols of a rival latino gang into each one. He wasn't sure which ones belonged to Calico's crew but better safe than sorry.


Max paid close attention after hearing this Rikarah chick saying that she and Natalia had powers. He looked over to the girls before looking away. He was pretty good at reading people. He couldn't tell what they were thinking but he could get a general idea of how they worked. And although they had powers, both girls seemed like the type that Max didn't like to work with. They seemed as cunning and careful as he was, which meant he had no use for them at his side.


So he was on the retrieval team. Okay. He wanted to ask a question but Steven had already ran off. "Well, it would've been nice to know how Mr. Marine was going to clean this up after his little plan. I can get rid of bodies fine but damages to the zoo might be a bit difficult to do tonight. Plus there's the noise of the explosions to worry about." He sighed. Max climbed onto the wall of the zoo and looked over to the tiger pit. It was pretty far so he could only make out general shapes but it was enough to count the people there.


Without turning to the others, he said softly, "Your brother is dangling over the tigers as we speak. Cutting him down should be easy but the question is how are we going to catch them. The northern path is heavily manned, as is the eastern one. Our best bet is to go around the colobus monkeys and tropical birds. There is no path behind those exhibits so there are also no street lights. There are a few men there but we can easily drag them off without anyone noticing and- awww, the red panda's just rolled over in his sleep. So cute."


He turned to the others and pulled out a gun from holster under his arm. He had two more strapped to his waist. He was not going to run out of ammo this time. "So has everyone got an idea of what they should do?"


(Thought this might be useful: http://www.centralpark2000.com/maps/wildlife_ctr_map.htm )


*****


Shira watched as everyone sped off before she even had a chance to say good bye. Were they that excited to be fighting a cat? Oh well. Shira crawled into the theatre and headed for her room. It was oddly quiet. She wondered were Cas and Abi were. When she opened the door to her room, her eyes widened. Cas . . . Cas was hurt. His entire leg was wrapped in bloody cloth. Why did Rikarah and Natalia not tell her? Did they do this? How did it happen?


She cautiously made her way to the bed. He was pale. Could he be dead? "C-Cas?"


The Asian boy opened his eyes slowly. "Shira. You're safe."


"Cas? What happened? Who did this to you? A-Are you okay?"


He smiled. "I got into a little accident when I went to look for you. I'm not sure who did it. The person left before I could see a license plate or anything."


Shira looked at the ground. She didn't want to see his bloody leg. "I-Is it my fault? Is it because you were looking for me? Is this punishment for staying out late?" Her eyes began tearing up. Oh God. This was all her fault. If she had not left the house. If she had stayed like she usually did, Cas wouldn't have been hit by a car. He wouldn't be laying in this bed in pain with a busted up leg.


Cas reached out and patted Shira on the head. "Shira, it's not your fault. I was careless. I didn't look both ways. Look, I'm going to be fine. I just don't know how we're going to get money for a while. I can't exactly go to work like this."


Shira wiped her tears onto her sleeve. She looked at her big brother, now bedridden. Calming down, she then pulled the blanket over him and patted his head now. "Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll get money. I'll get a whole lot and you can eat a huge buffet in bed. And then you'll get all better and we can go to the park and play. All of us. Abi and Natalia and Rikarah too. And we'll be a big happy family."


"Shira, how are you going to make money."


"Don't worry. I'll get some. Just go to bed now and focus on getting better."


After Cas closed his eyes, Shira left to let him rest in peace. She went to the back stage area and sat in the corner with her legs to the chin. She wasn't crying anymore but she might as well have. She felt terrible. It was her fault Cas got hurt.
 
*When Kat moves away from Steven he spins back around* So much for trusting me. You know what screw this, I've been beaten and shot and all I get is shit from you all. You think I'm bad her plan is to close in on Calico when that's the last thing you should be doing, Kyle will be dead before you lay a finger on him, but she doesn't give a shit about that, Kyle is the only thing you should be focused on, a direct assault is sucide, you said you don't want Chris in the middle of a gun fight what the hell do you think her plan just put her. I had her on a rooftop far away from the fray, and yes I'm yelling I had my damn car stolen and everyone I tried to protect didn't ever give a crap, look into her eyes..a killer knows another killer when they see one. Calico has at least 200 men in there armed with everything from assault rifles to god knows what else. they have no second thoughts on killing anyone and you thing you can do a pincer move on him. Tiger pit is in the north end of the zoo it's elevated which gives him the high ground, rule one in the Rules of Engagement never attack the high ground! *Pushes Xander from his car and throws his rifle in the back seat.* You're all gonna die and I no longer care, I was ready to throw myself into that damn pit for you and none of you give a crap so guess what you're all on you own, so keep the guns not that they'll do you any good. *Climbs into his car and starts to drive off*
 
Rikarah doesn't flinch when Steven calls her a killer. There is no proof of it beyond his wild accusations, and since he clearly, in her eyes, appears to be unbalanced and going off his own agenda, she doubts the others will put stock into his claims either. And even if they do, he hardly knows the details of her kills. They were self-defense and nothing more, at least as she sees them. Perhaps her family, and her other victims, had not harmed her directly, but given the chance, they certainly would have.


She only kills in defense of others or herself. Perhaps prematurely, but it is not the same, to her, as murder.


As he drives away, she turns again to the others, speaking calmly. "He appears rather unbalanced...have you known him long?"


Not giving them any time to reply, she resumes instructions. "I have changed my mind slightly. We know now, if Steven can be trusted, where they are in the zoo. Because Christina is blind and Max has no active power, Christina should go with Xander. Katarina, you should go with Max and make sure you both have weapons. If you are uncomfortable or unaccustomed to using them, Katarina, you should keep back and allow Max to cover for you. Natalia can go with me."


She pauses, then decides that in this instant, revealing her abilities may in fact be wise. It will give them trust towards her plan of action.


"I can pierce people's thoughts, at will, with concentration, and I also have some ability to influence their actions and thoughts. If Natalia goes with me, then she will be able to take this ability as well. Calico will no doubt have men with him, guarding Kyle with him. Natalia and I can keep at a distance where they will be unlikely to shoot or harm us, perhaps we can even hide out of the range of their sight. We can both work to speak into the men's mind telling them to release Kyle and then to kill themselves. We can do this before the others have arrived. When the men have released Kyle and started shooting themselves, then the others can show up amongst the chaos. When Kyle is safely out of range, Xander and Max, when we all meet at the tiger's arena, can directly distract and attack the others, perhaps Kyle as well. If there is a good opportunity Katarina can launch the explosives. We will then all clear out and go. Understood?"


She looks between them to see that they do. Katarina, meanwhile, is barely paying attention, looking in the direction of Steven's disappeared car with clear distress and tightly gripping her own arms. She is still thinking how he said he doesn't care if anyone lives or not, including her, and trying not to cry. Moving to stand in front of her, Rikarah looks her straight on.


"We have wasted enough time, Katarina," she told her, not ungently. "He has left us. If he is unwilling to work as a team, and you heard himself, he says he does not care who lives or dies....then he is not to take part."


Looking around, she concludes, "If we are all ready and no one has any other questions, take your weapons, get with your partner, and let's go. Remember, Natalia and I will lead the way, and we will try to do as needed from out of sight of the others, or at least while sitting in such a way that we appear inconspicuous and not to be directly attacking their minds."
 
Jillian listened to Julian speak, not letting him go. In some ways he didn't want the hug to end. He did pull away finally and looked thoughtfully at his friend. He blushed as well. This was not what he was use to. Jillian had always been okay with making friends or dating people and all that stuff, but it was slightly different with Julian. It was much the same way with Lionel. Jillian felt he had to be careful and also more understanding.


"Or what," Jillian asked. He wanted to hear Julian say it, if it was what he meant. He wouldn't force the boy though to confess to anything, but he thought he'd try to see if he would say it. "And I am ready to listen. Whenever you are ready to tell me."


Jillian felt nervous. The anxiety he felt after hearing what Julian told him last night bubbled up and he wasn't sure if he was actually ready to hear anymore. But he had to try. If he didn't, then this wouldn't work. Jillian couldn't be around Julian if he couldn't try to understand and listen. And if it was bad? Well then he'd deal with it then.


----


Chris listened as she was first assigned to go with Max, which was somewhat nerve-wracking and somewhat okay with her. She liked Max enough and she wouldn't mind being alone with him.


But when she was instead place with Xander, Chris would admit she felt relieved. She knew Xander better, trusted him more. As much as she had come to enjoy Max's company and like him, she felt safer with her older brother. She moved even closer, taking his hand as if she was suddenly five again and afraid to go off on her own. Then she pulled away, embarrassed.


"I'll help as best I can," she said. "My powers aren't that strong, but if I get close enough, I can most likely see what is going on. I can detect movement well enough, though I'm not sure how long I'd be able to keep it up." Chris shrugged. She wanted to help, even if she was afraid. "I just want Kyle to be safe."


 
(So I guess Raekel, Liselle, Sebastian and Hailey are standing at another entrance to the zoo :8D: )


Calico is yelling yet again, and Jessie’s just smiling at his tendency for both violence and cursing everyone out. Everything seemed to be a little bit funny for him though, even his boss calling him white bread. Apparently he had been promoted to his right hand man, which meant Singe got fed to the tigers (getting a big laugh out of him). They were all stuck waiting for people to show up at the moment, and Jessie took the time to wearily glance around the area. The animals eyes beading back at him made him all the much more weary as he stood close to Calico.


o-o-o


Raekel’s words were lost on Hailey as she was still busy taking in the figure in front of her; he looked a lot more beat up and slightly starved. The recognizable features were still there, and she felt her eyes slowly softening as he finally moved, crushing the cigarette butt under his foot. The words hit her now, she was making a mistake, but then Sebastian spoke, calling her by her name, and she managed a smile.


“Sebastian” she noted, moving forward tentatively before realizing, this was indeed her friend, and she had no idea what she was doing. Hailey jumped forward at that moment, encasing the boy in a hug as she murmured. “It has been long…how are you?” she wonders, but his sharp frame in contrast to her girlish one slightly scares her. It reminds her of last night, much like everything she did brought back the images and made her just want to crawl into somewhere dark and humid to just lie there for a while.


Liselle’s awkward hello also reminds her of the people around and she takes a few steps back from the boy. It had indeed been a long time since they last saw each other, but when they had it wasn’t exactly a happy memory. The reminders of things from the homeless shelter put her at more ease with the boy, but the memory of their last memory reminds her why she is here.


“…Jessie” she notes, suddenly looking behind him, a rather worried look on her face. “I need to make sure he’s alright” the girl looks at Sebastian now, as if to make sure it’s okay before heading off past him into the zoo. What she didn’t expect was to be met with a bunch of Calico’s gang members.


((I don’t know if you want to handle this, Maar?))
 
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