[Flame]

Donovan looked cool, collected, and altogether completely unphased by the hostility emanating from the two families as they glared at him through the bars. If anything, he seemed almost amused by their attempt at bravery: A small smile played across his features, although his fathomless brown eyes remained inscrutable. ”Tut tut,” he said, shaking his head lightly in mock disappointment as he eyed the girl with the braids. ”It appears manners don’t run in the family.” It wasn’t his intention to harm the families, if it wasn’t necessary, but if they should refuse to cooperate, there were plenty of other…methods, both conventional and unconventional, that could be used to persuade them otherwise.

”Why not begin by explaining  what the meaning of all this is.”
The doctor turned a somewhat rueful smile on the woman, despite the fact that she refused to meet his gaze. ”I’m afraid that information is of…a sensitive nature, my dear,” he replied, his mellow tone even. ”I can assure you though, that I do not intend to harm either you or your kin.” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. ”Given that you conduct yourselves compliantly.”

He turned, beginning to walk in a circular path around the enclosure, his gaze seemingly fixed on the ground before his feet, hands deep in the pockets of his denim jeans. ”Of course, if you refuse to act obligingly, I’m afraid I may have to resort to…less savory means of convincing you to cooperate.” He stopped in his pacing, looking up at the captives once more, his brooding eyes now piercing. ”I personally prefer the former of the two options, as it would be to my regret, if I were to have to hurt someone in the process.” He clasped his hands in front of him, watching the families intently. ”Naturally, the choice is yours.”

---

”So…how’s the desk job treating you?” Zion knew who it was before she turned to look: She could tell just by the tone of the young woman’s voice and the subtle tease which could faintly be heard beneath the seemingly imperturbable calm. Her gaze fell upon her comrade, one of the leaders of the movement opposing Sianna and her lackeys (which included the Doctor himself) who also happened to be the daughter of one of her closest friends. ”Never thought that you’d be stuck with such a mundane assignment, now did you?” There was a small, amused smile on Mystique’s lips as she regarded Zion, although to anyone watching, they could easily have been mistaken for simply discussing business matters that were related to the current scheme. Both women now had their eyes fixed on the panel of screens before them, watching the feeds, although their attention appeared to be riveted mostly on the one displaying the room where the captives were currently being detained and “welcomed” by Donovan.

”I beg to differ,” Zion murmured in reply, although her eyes never left the task at hand. ”The fun has only just begun,” she commented dryly, although her gaze was grim. For the next few minutes, there was only silence between the two women. If each had their own opinion on the current ongoings which they were watching first-hand, they kept them to themselves, knowing that the whole building was probably (no, most definitely) bugged. Their faces were such perfect replicas of impassiveness though, that one could easily have passed the two of them for twins. They watched as the doctor paced the room in a circular motion around his victims, and although they could not hear exactly what he was saying, it wasn’t difficult to guess what he was talking about. When he finally came to a standstill on-screen, Zion nudged Myst with an elbow. ”I think that’s your cue,” she said, although she knew her companion didn’t need the reminder. Even she couldn’t read the look on Myst’s face at this given moment, but the cream-clad woman simply nodded, and wordlessly padded off towards an unspoken destination.

The door to the cell holding both the wolf and the siren swung open, admitting the raven-haired woman as she walked in, the door closing once more with the distinct clash of metal-on-metal. Myst had walked in just in time to witness the siren shamelessly inflicting more discomfort upon her cell-mate, and she stopped just inside of the portal, hand on a hip as she raised a brow at the offending action. ”Now, now, ladies…let’s play nice.” There was no mockery in her voice, only the matter-of-fact tone which she had so well mastered. ”Save your malevolence for later.” Unfortunately, there would most likely be a “later”, if only to sate their bloodlust. The doctor had, after all, promised them carnage. The young woman was both disgusted by and at the same time, pitied the two abnormal creatures, seeing them not as mere animals being exploited for the doctor’s convenience, but not quite as being human either.

”Ladies, you know the drill,” Myst said, eyeing her charges. ”The doctor would like you on your best behavior tonight. You know what will happen if you displease him.” She waited for an affirmation before walking over to release Saya from her bonds and to lead the pair to the currently-occupied interrogation chamber. Sometimes, a little show of force or déjà vu could go a long way, when it came to information extraction.

[MillietheWarrior]

Kom’rk nodded calmly, before relaying the information straight to Ordo. Despite listening to his brother speak. Ordo kept his gaze firmly on Chayah, red eyes unblinking and unwavering. Kom’rk ended by telling Ordo that his stare was bothering Chayah, but still, the red-eyed man didn’t move his gaze. “North,” he said at last. He continued to watch Chayah closely, as if studying her would give him some sort of clue as to what had happened. He reached out to take the paper from her when she handed it to him, and let his gaze waver to study the crude picture she’d drawn. “Interesting…” He soundlessly reached behind him and handed to picture to Jaing, who studying it intently. “Never seen it before,” Jaing grunted, handing it back to Ordo with a worried look. “It’s not ours, and it’s not Sep. It’s…something completely different. But I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

He glanced at Chayah, before grabbing Ordo by the shoulder, steering him away from her slightly as if he could read what was on his red-eyed brother’s mind. “She had nothing to do with this, Ord’ika. Don’t blame her for what happened.” Ordo narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t blame her, but that doesn’t mean I trust her. How are we to know that she-” He was cut off by Kom’rk clearing his throat meaningfully. “If I might interrupt…I suggest you stop that train of thought right there. Chayah wasn’t involved; trust me.” Ordo stared at Kom’rk for a few moments, the two men locking gazes silently as though a quiet message was being passed between them. Finally, Ordo dipped his head in a slow, curt nod, and turned back to Boss. “Continue monitoring the civilian channels for any abnormalities or any transmissions from comlink codes 1132 and 1134.”

Boss nodded soundlessly, and sat back down in his chair to monitor the channels. His face and armor was lit up by the flickering of the blue screens as he carefully ran through each separate code and tried to track them. Corr sat in a chair beside him, head held in his good hand as he cradled the other close to him. Ordo could distinctly hear small mumbling noises coming from him, and worried that perhaps Corr was being tipped over the edge. He’d address that in a few moments. Now, however, they had to figure out some way to track the vessel that had taken the families. Ordo pinched the bridge of his nose, gaze thoughtful as he stared at the ship that had been drawn on the piece of paper in his hands. It wasn’t Sep, it wasn’t Republic. Who was it then? “Sir?” Ordo and Jaing looked up simultaneously as Boss called to them from his seat.

“Sir, I’ve picked up traces of comlink codes 1132 and 1134 five hundred and twenty-four clicks north of the base. The signals from the coms are faint, but I think I can trace them to their current location.” He pointed at the screen as Jaing hurried over to stand behind him, Ordo at his side. “Based on their flight pattern, I’d say they continued on the course for another two hundred clicks, give or take. There right around here somewhere.” He made a circular motion with his finger, displaying a 2-D map on the screen in front of them, with two small beacons lighting up in the general vicinity Boss had indicated. “That’s not any place I’m familiar with,” Jaing whispered, his gaze narrowing. “That’s way out of the way too. I don’t think there’s anything near that general location.” He exchanged a look with Ordo. “About the only thing near there would be…A droid factory and a few abandoned warehouses.” Boss nodded, glancing up at his superiors.

“Correct, sir. Privates Scorch, Fixer and Sev are en route back to the base; they just finished with a mission in that general area involving the droid factory.” Ordo straightened, arms folded loosely in front of him. “Contact Scorch, and tell him to get his shebs in here as soon as possible. Now that we know their general location, it should be easy enough to find them.” Jaing shared Ordo’s confidence, they were nulls. They were used to doing the impossible. Corr, however, wasn’t so sure. He eyed the two Nulls skeptically, eyes lost as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened. “Kom’rk,” Ordo’s voice startled Corr. “I want you to accompany Private Corr and Chayah to the infirmary; see that their injuries are tended to and treated, then I want all three of you back here ASAP. We’ve got a mission to plan.”

Kom’rk nodded, his arm wrapping around Chayah’s shoulder protectively. He patiently waited for Corr to stand up, watching as the man slowly willed his body to move. Kom’rk offered him a sympathetic glance, but Corr ignored it as he slipped past him, leading the way to the infirmary. Kom’rk shook his head, knowing that if it had been Chayah who was abducted, he’d have felt the same way. He gave Chayah’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Come on, cyar’ika. Let’s get you looked after, then we’ll see to your sister and her family.”

-----------------------------------------

Oyala growled. “I don’t care what you think. I don’t have to be nice to you, or anyone else who hurts my family.” She had the sudden urge to ram the cage bars, but knew that would only result in a very painful, and most likely bruised, shoulder. It would be stupid to bang herself up for now reason; she needed to conserve her strength and energy. Jori leaned against his mother’s leg, his eyes wide, terrified, and locked onto the man with every movement he made. Jori was finding it extremely difficult to move. His arms felt like lead, his body was freezing. He glanced at his mother, more for reassurance than anything, and sniffled. “I don’t feel so good,” he murmured.

The unexpected founding of his own icy powers had drained him, and left him feeling weak, cold, and tired. He just wanted to go to sleep, to curl up on the floor and nap. But now was not the time; even though his vision was still swimming, Jori managed to lean carefully against Ruach, his gaze flickering to his sisters, and then to the man outside the cage. Oyala glanced over her shoulder at Jori’s soft voice, and felt her anger grow tenfold. This man had done this to her brother. They had hurt her buir'ika, they had captured the small family. It was all his fault. She turned back around to face Donovan, a low growl ripping itself from her throat. “You…let us out, you chakaar!” she shouted. “We’re not going to be a part of…Of anything you have in mind! Your not going to hurt anyone; we won‘t let you.”

She was no longer afraid of him; her anger had boiled over, smothered the fear she felt inside, and had made her braver than she should have been in the face of a madman. She kicked the cage bars one for emphasis, a very satisfying and resounding clang echoing through the room. Her little hands were bunched into fists behind her backs as she glared at him. “When my buir finds you, he’s going to rip you apart, one body part at a time. And I’m going to help him,” she growled softly, orange eyes, exactly like Corr’s burning with anger and indignation.

-----------------------------------------

Kai let his gaze leave the strange man for a split second as his brother and sister stirred and finally came to. “I’m not really sure,” Kai whispered. He hauled himself to his feet, leaning lightly against his mother’s leg to keep his balance. “That man…That man is bad. He did this…” He nodded his head towards Corr’s small family. “That’s Corr’s wife, and Oyala, Lee and Jori. You remember buir telling us about them?” Now wasn’t the time for long-lost introductions or happy reunions; Kai was too scared to think about the fact that he now had cousins, even if he’d never actually met them.

His musings were cut short by the man as the spoke again. What were they going to be a part of? The man wasn’t explaining anything! Kai’s worries were cut off by Oyala’s voice, and he sucked in a terrified breath as she snarled at the doctor. Kai wished he could be that brave; but was Oyala digging her own grave, or was she just as terrified as he was? It was hard to tell. Kai closed his eyes, leaning against Amala silently. “I want to go home,” He muttered to himself. “I want my buir…”

-----------------------------------------

Posts:
Jaing and Ordo
[62, 4]
Kom’rk, Corr, Boss
[18, 49, 7]
Jori, Oyala, Kai
[15, 15, 6]

[Jessari]

Lee remained at her mother's side, eyes flickering from Aunt Amala and her new-found cousins to her sister, to the man who addressed them. "Oyala," she whispered, a hint of fear cradling the warning in her voice. Couldn't her sister see that she couldn't boss this man around? Right now it seemed that the man thought she was funny, but if she didn't stop, he might decide to change his mind and get mad. Lee didn't want to see what would happen if he got mad.

Tilting her small face upward, the girl looked up at her mother. She wanted to reach up and touch Ruach's arm, to hear her mother's comforting voice in her head, telling her that everything would be alright, but the hut'uun that had tied her up had made sure she wasn't able to do that. With a small, unhappy sniff, Lee settled for resting her head against Ruach's hip. Her eyes, the color now drifting somewhere between pink and red, still searched the room restlessly. There had to be a way out of here!


Ruach listened to the man talk as if they were his guests at a dinner party rather than his captives. Too bad his words weren't as pleasant as his tone. A feeling of dread grew within her as he threatened them, and she curled her fingers into fists without even noticing the pain created by the cuffs. Why are you doing this? she wanted to shout. What do you want from us? But these questions went unasked, silenced by her handicap. The panic that had overtaken her before began to rise again, and Ruach forced her breathing to slow. She might be helpless at the moment, but she couldn't show weakness in front of her children; not now.

She shifted her eyes to the other woman who shared their cage. It was a small blessing to have another adult here, someone who could voice the questions she couldn't ask, someone who might possibly be able to negotiate with their captors. Unfortunately, Ruach didn't think the man in front of them would be willing to bargain. He carried himself with a manner that said he didn't think it possible that anything could be denied him. Thoughts of what he might want, and what lengths he might go through to attain them, made her shiver.

“I don’t feel so good.”

The quiet voice came from her son, and she looked down at him, a worried little frown on her lips. He leaned against her, and even through her clothing, Ruach could feel a slight chill coming from his small body. Her forehead crinkled in thought. Although she hated to turn her eyes from the man who had organized their capture, her son needed her. Kneeling down, she leaned forward to touch her forehead against his. His skin was cold, unnaturally so. A suspicion formed in her mind, along with a slight flicker of hope. If her son was starting to come into powers that he had inherited from her....perhaps he could use that to his advantage later on. It would be, and already had been, rough on his small body, however.

Jori, she spoke through the skin-to-skin contact. You'll be fine. We'll be fine. Corr'buir's on his way, and he'll get us out of here, alright? Then, like a caged wolf unable to keep her eyes from her captors, Ruach turned her head away to watch the man in charge. She was certain he intended to do more than talk, and when he did, she didn't want to be caught off-guard.

* * * * *

It took merely a few seconds for Ordo to glance at the drawing, then his eyes were back upon her. Although she was far from cold, Chayah crossed her arms, hands absently rubbing the area of skin that had once been covered by sleeves before they had been burned away. Had she done something wrong? Had she not given them enough information? She had told them everything she could, yet his glare made her feel as if she had been analyzed and found severely lacking.

It was a thought that echoed in her own mind; when push had come to shove, she hadn't done any good for her family. She hadn't done much except escape capture herself. Why had she waited so long before bringing her powers into play? Coward, her mind whispered, and she wondered if that was what Ordo saw when he looked at her. She wondered if that was what Corr thought, if he resented her for being the only one left behind while his whole family had been taken. Chayah wanted to go to him, explain herself, but she had nothing to explain. She had no excuse at all. The only thing she could do now was to steel herself to face those enemies yet again, and make sure that this time the outcome was different. She had to help bring her family home safely. Only then could she redeem herself, to right the wrong that had been done.

A comforting pressure on her shoulder broke her out of her deep thoughts, and Chayah allowed herself to be steered from the room. Once they had exited into the hallway, she glanced up at Kom'rk. Was now the right time to tell him what she was planning? She thought so. If she could convince him, something that would be easier to do away from his brothers, she was sure he could convince the others. She grasped his hand with fingers that trembled only slightly, certain that he wouldn't like what she was about to say. I'm not hurt, Kom'ika. I don't need to see a doctor. Chayah tried to sound strong, shaking off her tiredness to stand straight and tall. Her face was earnest, her eyes determined as she continued. I'm coming with you to rescue Ruach and the children. I'm going to help get them back.

[Kallile]

Kotep gave a single nod to his brother, staggering first to his knees and then to his feet to come and place his back against Amala's. Jaing had always told them family watched out for each other--watched their backs. He didn't like it here one bit, but he wasn't going to say anything or let himself cry about it even though he desperately wanted to. Buir had left he and Kai in charge--they were the men of the house right now. How were they to keep their mother and sister... and now cousins... calm if they were not? Kotep had absolutely no idea--but he knew that crying wasn't going to help.

"I remember." He finally answered his brother, feeling words were needed. He needed to say something--anything--to help keep things from falling back into the panic and chaos it had at the market. He gulped lightly at the prospect and sniffled lightly. He wished his father was here; he would know exactly how to be a good man of the house like he always was.

~*~

Runi curled up to her knees and waddled on the over to her family. She didn't look at the other children or her aunt--right now (and she knew her parents would scold her if they knew) she didn't want to meet them. She wanted to go home to her kitten and forget this had ever happened. Small tears poured down her face as she reached Amala and Kotep--nestling herself between them with a sputtering sob. Her eyes went to Oyala and she wondered how she could be so brave when everyone was so hurt and tired. Part of her wished she were more like that and she wondered how ashamed her father would be of her to see her cowering and crying like she was.

~*~

Though she did not look back to Runi and Kotep as they stirred, Amala felt her heart flutter to hear them awake and (even though Runi was whimpering) doing as well as could be expected. There was not much she could do to soothe any physical pains her daughter was feeling, but now was not the time to turn and soothe them by speaking either. When she felt Kai lean into her and could feel Kotep's eyes on her from behind--she knew what her children needed now more than anything was to be out of here.

"I would rather hear what it is we're supposed to be compliant with. I think I speak for everyone when I tell you we've had enough surprises today." Amala stated, trying her best not to growl at the man as she heard Runi stumble to her feet and give a small yelp. "You haven't had a problem with doing physical harm to us so far--how are we to know that you will keep true to any word you're telling us now? Especially when you aren't telling us why we're here."

~*~

Saya dropped to the floor, quickly shifting to land on a knee and an opposite hand. Her human form was darkly tanned with red and black hair reminiscent to her canine pelt. If either occupant of the room would have blinked, they would have missed the fur disappearing into her new outfit--a miniskirt, amid-drift-bearing tube top, and several banded wraps around her wrists and shoeless feet. Her golden eyes flew up to Legeia and she smirked wickedly.

"There, Water Works, you got your wish. Show time." Her eyes moved more fluidly over to Myst, but the smirk did not dissipate. "Don't worry Boss-lady. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't--so let's just have some fun with this."

She knew Myst would know all too well the weight of those words; Saya was in this position on contract. If she aided the 'Good Doctor' in keeping the real targets cooperative, then she herself wouldn't be intentionally killed in the experiments he had planned for her. If she didn't--he'd take what he desired by force of death.

Legeia hissed and swiped at the shapeshifter as they followed their handler out into the main chamber where they instantly met the caged families. Saya could feel her heart sink a little but didn't show an ounce of her remorse on her being. Children--no one told her she had to keep children cooperative. Legeia, on the other hand, seemed more than happy with the state of things.

Saya stepped forward first, grinning dangerously at the children and mothers as she circled the cage. "Oh, I wouldn't hold out for rescue..." She said in a giggling voice as she shifted between her human and canine forms--leaving a small blood trail behind her from her earlier bonds. "I'll be sure to greet them at the door... give them a 'warm welcome'." Her golden eyes slide to the siren, who had until now been watching the blood droplets hungrily.

Legeia almost seemed to glide across the floor towards Oyala, her lilac eyes aglow with a dangerous hunger. "When /he/ gets here... I'll be waiting for him. And then he'll be one less worry on everyone's mind." She smirked, and began to slowly sing an enchanting song as she moved her body like waves caught in a gentle storm. The women in the room went unaffected, but slowly the male guards began to lower their weapons and seem almost in a trance. Even Kotep leaned around to see what was happening--his orange eyes seeming to glaze over as he watched the strange woman.

Slowly, male guards began walking towards Legeia, dropping their weapons in their wake. One in particular reached her first and reached out to her wantingly. Legeia continued her song, reaching back out to him to run her nails slowly across his chin. And then quickly slice through his throat. The man dropped in a heap, blood spurting across the floor, but it didn't seem to deter the other guards from advancing. Legeia reached out to one more, seeming to catch him in a momentary dance. The guards eyes were completely glazed over and nearly white, a goofy smile rested on his gapping mouth as he watched her and leaned forward to kiss her. Legeia's fingers disappeared through the flesh of his chest, the man sputtered up blood softly, still smiling at the entrancing woman, before she let him drop and watched his blood drip lazily from her fingers before licking it away. As soon as her song stopped, the guards blinked and gasped in horror seeing two of their comrades fallen. All scrambled back to their weapons and trained them to the siren.

"No man who enters here will leave alive."

[60, 6, 6]
[2, 2]

[Flame]

”Sure, sweetheart,” the doctor said, stopping in front of the holding cage once again, his eyes locked on those of the girl clearly defiant of him. She had guts (or was incredibly stupid), he’d give her that much. For now, he continued to humor her as he knew what she apparently didn’t: no one would be coming to their rescue…he’d made sure of that. That small, both subtly mocking and pitying smile still played on his lips as he regarded his captives, letting the tension simmer for a while longer before her proceeded with his plan. He noticed that many of them were unusually quiet – some were scared, and he could tell which ones would be relatively easy pickings, but two of the females, a woman and a child, were both curiously taciturn, for people who had just been detained for reasons unknown to them. They didn’t look scared witless either, so the fact that they were so silent made him curious. He was certain that he would eventually find out the reason though, and made a mental note to do so when it came to their turn.

A woman, one of the mothers, finally spoke up, demanding to be enlightened on the situation. He turned unnerving brown eyes upon her, listening without interruption during her short monologue. ”Well, technically speaking, my dear, it wasn’t I who was inflicting the physical damage…it was the ‘hired help’, and really, most of them are professional thugs.” He shrugged indifferently. ”What can you do about it? Even I can’t dictate every single action they take.” He paused, waiting for the point to die before moving on. ”As for what I would like you to be compliant with…All I’m looking for are a few sample. For scientific reasons, you see.” The way he said it clearly stated that the procedure was not that big of a deal. If they cooperated, they would most likely be released, relatively unscathed, after a few days. What happened after that was yet to be seen, depending on what he found from his studies.

Suddenly, the door leading to the holding room swung open, admitting the shapeshifter, siren, and one of his hired hands. He paid the latter close to no attention, glancing at the first two before looking back over at his captives. As the two women stepped forward, Donovan took one or two steps back, giving them the stage as they got a glimpse of their potential “prey”. He seemed impassive as he watched the scene unfold, his face unreadable as his gaze followed the other occupants in the room. As the men guards were clearly affected by the siren’s song, he still seemed to remain strangely unmoved by the seductive melody which she wove. Perhaps it was because there wasn’t enough humanity left in him to be drawn by her song, perhaps not. Whatever the reason, he didn’t make a move as he watched two of his men dispatched like worthless throw-aways (although they had not been inexpensive to hire). The captives needed an example of what could very well happen to them should they not cooperate and those that might try to interfere with his plans.

After the second man had given his life purposelessly to the siren, the doctor finally moved, clearing his throat meaningfully as he eyed his lackey. ”Alright, that’s quite enough, my dear.” There was a slight edge to his voice as he addressed the woman, who was clearly enjoying herself amidst the bloodshed. ”Let’s not make too much of a mess just yet. Plus, those men weren’t cheap.” He paused, his gaze still even and unaffected by the recent events. ”Remind me next time that I need to have the women guards around when you’re ‘doing your thing’.” There was a hint of humor in his voice as he spoke, although it didn’t reach his cold brown eyes. As if on cue, several female guards filed in to take the place of their fallen comrades, throwing no more than a passing glance at the dead men before settling in position.

”So…now that that’s out of the way, shall we continue?” He stepped forward again to look over his hostages. ”Will you agree to cooperation, or will these lovely ladies get their wish and fill their desire for carnage?”


{Sorry about the long wait guys! Things should be (close to) back to normal, now that most of my apps have been turned in :3}

[MillietheWarrior]

Oyala felt her heart sink, and shut her eyes tightly to block out the carnage. She’d never seen anything like that; how could she have? She was a child, and she’d lived a sheltered life on a farm. Granted, her father was beginning to teach her and her siblings self-defense, but there was nothing he could have said or done to prepare any of them for something like this. She buried her face in her hands; her buir was going to be hurt if he came after them. The scary lady would kill him, or maim him, or tear him apart like she’d done with the guards. Jori looked up at his mother as she spoke to him, her voice a source of great comfort, but he was more worried about Oyala than himself right now; he scooted forward on his knees.

Oyala felt Jori press against her side as he moved away from Ruach for a moment. His body was shaking almost violently with fatigue and fear, and Oyala wished she could wrap an arm around him; around any of her family. Jori sucked in a shaky breath, and Oyala felt him sink to his knees. His eyes were trained on Saya, lip trembling as he tried very valiantly not to cry. This nightmare just kept getting scarier. Oyala lifted her head, narrowing her bright orange-pink eyes at Donovan. There was no resistance in them now; just plain, unbridled fear. She said nothing, but nudged her brother back towards Ruach, to the safety of their mother and Lee as she and Jori cuddled against Ruach’s leg.

--------------------------------

Kai narrowed his eyes slightly at his brother; what was going on? Why did he have that look on his face when the lady sung? Kai was too young, and too ignorant in the ways of the world to understand what the song meant or that it was directed at him. He seemed somewhat unaffected, though he had paused to stare at Legeia when she’d sung. His eyes however, had been trained on Saya. He didn’t know who she was, or what she was, but she was…frightening. How could his buir ever hope to get past something like that? Jaing might have been all powerful in their minds, but something inside Kai told him that not only would this be dangerous for his father, it might even be…No, he didn’t want to think about it. Jaing could never die, never. Kai closed his eyes, lowering his head. He wished this was just a dream, just a stupid dream that he couldn’t wake up from. He lifted his gaze to glare at Donovan through the cage. When he got out of here, he’d find some way to get back at that man.

--------------------------------

Kom’rk sighed softly, still keeping a firm grip on Chayah. He didn’t want her getting any crazy ideas and running off down the hall. Corr trudged ahead of them and passed through the doors to the infirmary, plunking himself down heavily on one of the beds. Kom’rk’s heart ached for his brother; Corr had been excited to see his family again only an hour ago, and in only a few horrifying minutes, he’d had everything snatched away from him. Kom’rk guided Chayah over to the bed beside Corr’s and motioned for her to sit down. A med droid whirred over towards them, before it immediately went to Corr first.

It examined his hand, tsking to itself, before it whirred away to presumably find a replacement. Corr hung his head, arms held limply across his lap; he looked like a man who had just had the stuffing beaten out of him. Kom’rk turned his gaze away and rested his eyes on Chayah, a worried look on his face. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We don’t want them to get you too. And it’s dangerous; what if you get hurt? I won’t let that happen.” He furrowed his brow, taking her hand in his. “Can’t you just stay here and wait for us to get them back?”

--------------------------------

“What is it this time, Boss?” Scorch sat forward in his chair, arms on his legs as he stared over at Boss in the seat beside him. Boss rolled his eyes, before he went back to monitoring the channels and charting a path to their ‘captives.’ “This time,” Jaing said, turning away from a screen he and Ordo had been watching. Ordo glanced up for a moment, before his gaze traveled back to the screen. “Your working for me. And Captain Ordo here, of course.” Ordo snorted, but didn’t turn away from his screen again. “We need some intel on that base, and the area surrounding it.” Jaing folded his arms as Scorch sat up a little straighter. “Now, Scorch, any suspicious activity, besides the droids, of course, going on around there? Any ships moving in or out? Supplies? Personnel? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Scorch looked thoughtful, his face completely straight and serious as he stared up at Jaing with bright eyes. He looked a little worse for the wear; he’d pretty much stepped off the ship and been hauled off to the meeting room when he got back. That had caused a few problems because 1) he hadn’t eaten in nearly fourteen hours, 2) he was in a bad need of a shave and a haircut, and 3) he was covered in scratches, bruises and scorch marks (Which Jaing had a feeling were his own fault). He’d whined for a good few minutes until he’d been explained that it was the Nulls who wanted him in the briefing room; he’d promptly shut up after that. “Now that you mention it sir, there was a lot of suspicious activity due east of the base. It wasn’t charted on any of our maps, and it wasn’t inhabited, as far as we knew, so we didn’t check it out. We had other things to worry about.”

He brushed some stray cinders off his shoulder with a cheeky grin. “We saw a few unmarked ships, neither Sep nor Republic, hanging around that way, and they were moving quite a bit of personnel and supplies in as well. Delta 07 and Delta 40, and I thought it best to file a report on it when we returned so another squad or intelligence could be sent in to gather intel. If we’d known it was so important, we would’ve checked it out. Sorry, sir.” He looked apologetic, and Jaing only nodded, not faulting him or the squad for not checking it out. He turned back to Boss. “Got a map yet?” Boss nodded curtly, before Jaing strode over to Ordo. “Who’s going in, then? Me, you, Corr, Kom’rk…Are we taking Boss and Scorch? You think we need anyone else?”

Ordo rubbed his chin thoughtfully and chuckled. “Well, you know how we like to go in mob handed. For the time being, we’ll keep it as small as possible. I’ll talk to A’den, and Mereel; have them and the rest of Delta squad on standby in case we need to bang out of there quick. We may need to do a fast extraction here…I don’t know how much security a place like that would have…” He looked up at Jaing, red eyes serious. “But considering what they took from us, I’d say it’ll be thick. I’m thinking infiltration…Unless Scorch wants to demo the whole place.” Scorch perked up slightly, but Boss punched him in the shoulder, mouthing the words ‘No freaking way,’ as he did so. Jaing folded his arms, leaning against the console as Ordo continued scanning over the information he’d managed to gather in the short time they’d been in the briefing room.

“Infiltration, huh? Considering they had a bunch of hired thugs, I think we could manage to slip in among them. Me and you, maybe. The rest can hold steady and surround the base until we need them. Maybe we should call Mereel…you know how he likes to play dress-up.” Jaing chuckled nervously, but on the inside, he was more frightened than he’d ever been in his entire life; he had no idea what was happening to his or Corr’s family. Ordo seemed to sense this, and placed a hand on his shoulder as he rose from his seat. “Don’t worry, vod. We’ll get ‘em back. Just you wait…Now when Kom’rk and Corr get back from the infirmary, we’ll do a quick inventory, get our gear packed up and be on our way. I want us in, out and everyone in one piece. Understood?” A chorus of ‘yes, sir’s echoed from around the room, and Ordo smiled tightly; this was going to be one heck of an operation.


Posts:
Jaing and Ordo
[63, 5]
Kom’rk, Corr, Boss, Scorch
[19, 50, 8, 11]
Jori, Oyala, Kai
[16, 16, 7]

[Jessari]

((Yeah, I have no excuse for the long wait besides a fickle muse and a new semester at college. Sorry for making y'all wait so long! ))

Ruach watched, warily, as the two women slinked into the room. They seemed normal at first glance, but there was something in the good doctor's eyes that made her suspect there was more to them than met the eye. And there was. She watched, horror-struck, as Legeia's song drew the male guards to her. The song was something she'd consider pleasant if she'd heard it in normal circumstances, but they looked as if they'd been hypnotized. A dawning awareness drained the blood from her face; if Corr were to find them, this would happen to him too, and any of his brothers he'd brought along with him. They would die without a fight, without even the shadow of a defense, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Something broke inside of her, and if her disability hadn't made vocal protests an impossibilty, she would've been screaming at the top of her lungs. Ruach hurled herself at the bars, shoulder impacting uselessly against the hard steel. The electric current ran through her, shaking her limbs like a ragdoll in a dog's teeth before hurling her to the floor. She lay there, dazed, tears flowing from her tightly-closed eyes as she gasped for breath. Her body ached, and it was a merciful diversion from the razor-sharp thoughts that had cut through her mind. Her Corr was a dead man if he found them, and she dearly hoped he didn't.

* * * * *

"Stop it!" Lee cried, the first words she'd directed towards those outside the boundaries of their cage. She shook her head, dark curls bouncing across her shoulders and cheeks as she burst into tears. "Stop!" Her voice cracked on the word, taking the strength from her command. Unable to confront their captors as Oyala had, she turned her face away, her shoulders hunched and trembling. She was smart, smart enough to make the connection that the mean ladies wanted her to, but she wouldn't let herself. Her father couldn't die! And yet...despite her mental defiance...despair took root within her soul. Would any of them ever be safe again?

* * * * *

Chayah didn't want to sit down. It made her feel even more useless than she already did. But she did, perching on the edge of the seat beside Corr, eying the medical droid warily. She needn't have worried; Corr had the most visible injury and was apparently first priority.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We don’t want them to get you too. And it’s dangerous; what if you get hurt? I won’t let that happen.”

At his words, she twisted to glare at him. The hand not holding his balled into a fist, and she struck his chestplate hard. "You listen, Kom'rk," she nearly growled, her voice unusually firm. You are not leaving me here to sit and wait for news while you go after my sister and her children. Her hand throbbed from the impact, and she pressed it against her thigh. The hand held within his grasp tightened, warmed, though she didn't seem to be conscious of it as she continued to glare at him.

If they really wanted me, you know they'd have tried harder to get me. There were enough of them to do it, but they didn't. They didn't want me. Now people I love are in danger, and I am going to help get them back. You saw what I can do. I'm not helpless. I've got my...talents, and I'm decent with a rifle. Jericho taught Ruach and me to shoot. Chayah neglected to tell him that she'd never shot at a moving target, and that it was Ruach who had shown skill with the rifle. She'd been skittish around the things, never seeing the necessity of knowing how to fire one, but now wasn't the time to tell him her weaknesses. With her next words, her voice softened, but just slightly. I'll find a way to go with or without your permission, ad'ika, so it'd be easier for you to agree now.

[Kallile]

Amala's heart instantly sank, her conversation with the doctor just a distant memory as she watched the two ladies who had entered. The shifter--who circled the cage relentlessly, had her scooting herself more towards the center of the cage. That thing...she'd never imagined something like that could even exist. But there it stood...woman to wolf and back again--in living flesh and blood. Her body trembled, but the horrors were far from over.

The song was perhaps any wife's worst nightmare come true. Especially given the circumstances. Amala watched helplessly as nearly every male in the room, including her eldest son, seemed entranced by the strange woman. She opened her mouth without a word, torn between sobbing and screaming. She looked to her fallen comrade and began scooting closer to her. Like it or not they were in this together...maybe if they stuck closely together they'd be able to make it through.

"Runi...Kai...Kotep..." She whispered out shakily as she neared Ruach, looking down at the other mother with knowing eyes. Their husbands would perish...and in the worst possible case, these sadistic people would kill them in front of their families. Tears streaked down her face and her body quivered with a sob she refused to let go. "Oh Gods...Jaing...."

-----------------------

Runi watched in sheer terror as the blood splayed onto the floor, and she gave Kotep a harsh kick as he started moving towards the singing lady. What was he doing!? She looked over to her mother, now huddling close to their extended family, and wished that these ropes weren't so tight. She just wanted to get up and go over to her family and close her eyes....at this point, she was beginning to not care if she'd ever open them again or not. She'd never hurt so badly in her life; in body or in mind.

Kotep jerked his head to the side as the song stopped, seeming at a slight loss as to what had happened. Slowly his eyes moved down to the bloody bodies on the floor and he scrambled backwards, nearly shoving Runi into Amala's legs. His heart raced in his chest and his young mind whirled. What...how...ten millions questions he didn't dare want to finish asking. All he knew was that if he, the 'man of the house', wasn't strong enough to not hear the song...his father was doomed. Slumping backwards he looked up to Donovan, seeming lost and helpless. But, to the bitter end, he'd protect his family.

"W-what do I need to do?" His eyes moved after Saya, but he held his ground even though his body was trembling with fear. he didn't know what might happen, but he did know his father would have asked the same thing in a situation he couldn't think or fight his way out of. Maybe he had what Donovan wanted...then everyone else could go free.

-------------------------

Saya finally stopped, now in purely her human form though her eyes remained the hungry golden-yellow of a wolf. Though her features were stone cold and hardened...her mind was groaning painfully.

They were children. Children. When she'd made the deal to assist as a special-ops body guard as well as part of the doctor's experiment, she'd thought nothing of it. More life for her and getting to use this curse she was born with for a little bit of fun horror-movie style. Of course...she'd also assumed Donovan had been after other adults and freak-shows like her.

Not children.

She sighed mentally as the boy spoke...Kotep, the girl had called him. Well, this was not going to go well. Silently, the shapeshifter contemplated if sparing herself from death was worth wasting this many young lives...in the name of 'mad science'.

----------------------

Legeia smiled down at Rauch were she lay. She'd seen that look many times before and each time the look only became all the sweeter to savor. Despair, forfeit, hopelessness...it was delectable. Rolling her tongue softly over her lips, the water-witch leaned down. She small tattoo-like portals under her eyes shimmered rapidly as if excited--the colors bright and captivating, and equally hypnotizing.

"Your husband will never cross this threshold..." She whispered, as if just to Ruach. She'd singled one out, and now she was going to break her completely. "Maybe, if you're very lucky, I'll acquire a taste for female blood and kill you in front of him. Then at least he'll know his fight was worthless all the while...just before he gives up his blood to me."

[61, 7, 7]
[3, 3]