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Post by Kyubey on Apr 26, 2015 15:01:37 GMT -5
For a few moments, all Morrison could do was simply look up at Sam. Of course he was shocked and taken just a bit aback by her current appearance. He wondered what could have happened to her in Vengeance, that changed her so much. He did know the official story, but also knew there was something more to it, just as he knew the one person he had to blame. But of course, deep down, he knew that was wrong, too. There was more than one.
While he knew the dangers of lingering, he seemed to forget about them as soon as he heard Sam speak, and remained locked in place. The smile was all he needed to understand his friend was still there, behind the haggard surface. All else seemed to vanish and melt away before that one simple fact. For how much Sam had changed, he couldn't even tell how much on the surface, the time that had passed, seemed even greater for the much younger cat. What was only a few years at most, to him were like ages. But still the memory of her was clear and present, and he recognized it in the figure before him. This was only cemented by that scrap of paper, that had, once long ago, been given to Sam by a lonely, frightened, and disgustingly ordinary little cat. It was almost humorous to him, in spite of everything else, that when he first saw the paper, all he could think of was how awful his handwriting used to be. But now, he knew just what he needed to say to her.
He had already gotten his pen out from his backpack, and had started writing, when he was jolted back into his regular alert self by the sudden attack to Sam. He had been so wrapped up in the moment of reunion, that foolishly he had forgotten to remain alert, even then, when they were still very much at risk. When he looked at Sam's fallen form, at first he feared the worst, but her coughing fit put him at ease. Still, there was nothing wrong that couldn't be fixed. And that included the threat to her safety that now stood before him, that now was insulting the Warlord of the Sea by daring to even speak, after the heinous crime he had committed. Stunned by what had occurred, he dropped his pen, leaving it next to the note, that so far only had two completed words written.
I'm sorry
Brivard's presence was of great benefit to Morrison, not only for his help in fighting Jack, but the look in the cat's direction was enough to snap him back to his proper senses. The Warlord tensed his back, stretched all ten of his front claws until they were all visible in their full deadly glory, and flattened his torn ears and flat tail, an optimal position for pouncing. Before him were two options, fall back and shield Sam while trusting Brivard to do the fighting, or go on the offensive, and tear apart the enemy himself. That, he thought, was an excellent word for Jack, "enemy." Clearly, any deals they had made were beyond broken, and all pretenses and lies had been shattered. Not that Morrison really understood any more than he did a few minutes ago, but any truth that was yet to be uncovered simply didn't matter anymore.
In the smallest instant that passed before the cat made his move, he remembered what was possibly the most important thing of all, the reason why he had left Sam to begin with, and why he had gone to such great lengths to find her again. He did not leave only for himself, he left for the sake of power, so that he'd never let his friends be hurt. So therefore, he didn't return to Sam just for any reason as small as a reunion with a friend, he returned so that he could protect her, as he wanted to do from the instant they bonded, before his metallic body made such a dream even possible. Once again, the one person he cared about had been hurt, was in mortal danger, but this was not like any of those other times. Now, as long as he was there, nobody who he wanted to save would ever die, that he knew without any doubt. He would protect her, and then some. And she would be there, to see him do it. A low, but still piercingly loud growl, fearsome and menacing for a creature of such a small frame, emanated from him. While he was looking straight at Jack the whole time, it was possible that his words were directed at the one person present who he knew could understand him.
"You should run."
While this warning lasted for less than a second, he needed that time to gauge the environment. In the immediate area, the only danger he detected was from Jack. Anyone else was simply too far away to be of danger in that moment. Should one of the onlookers in the crowd, Huxley included, approach, his Observation Haki would detect it long before they could actually do anything, and he could adjust his strategy as needed. So, in turn, the best course of action (nevermind that it was also the most satisfying) was to eliminate the biggest and most obvious threat while he had the time. Before he was even finished with those words, he had already begun to attack. The speed at which he moved was of a fundamentally different kind than when he was trying to catch up with Sam. This was more direct, more focused, vicious, and with a seemingly impossible quickness, to the point where the untrained eye probably wouldn't be able to keep up with him. A few short bounds to close the distance, and Morrison was leaping forward, claws in front. With his momentum and drive, the Warlord was essentially a small whirlwind of blades, directed straight to Jack. The forthright nature of his approach may have seemed unfitting for his species, but the pace alone made it incredibly difficult to avoid. It was almost like Morrison was trying to draw as much attention to himself as possible, while he attacked.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 26, 2015 16:35:33 GMT -5
"No, no! We have to go after them, up up! Go back up!"
Terrel was quick to his feet, too concerned about Brivard and Sam to even remember Joe's condition. He ran forward and pounded on the door, then shifted his focus to the controls. It shouldn't have been hard to just stop the elevator altogether, or even change the floor they were headed to. Maybe he could even figure out how to get back to the top floor again. He was even fairly sure he knew how to do it, the buttons weren't that complex, but before he had a chance to press anything his hand was grabbed short of it. One of the other persons in the elevator, a woman with an abnormally strong grasp despite her smaller build, had grabbed his arm and forcibly turned him around.
"I thought I recognized you, you're one of those terrorists. Terry, I think the name was?"
"What, like on the wanted bulletins? I think I remember that, yeah."
Although nothing had been told to them or orders given, based on what had happened on the top floor and how Jack had acted, some of the persons in the elevator were beginning to wise up that something was off about Joe and the others. They didn't know what, but already some were aware that Terrel was a known undesirable, and that there was obviously something wrong with Joe.
They weren't bold enough to approach him in the state he was however, only Solaine did, because she wasn't afraid. Slowly approaching him, she knelt next to him but tried not to touch him like he had told her before.
"Joe... don't leave me here. Please..."
---
"You don't understand yet? If you won't do it... I can't. Maybe... maybe you should just take her- hey! What're you-?!"
Jack wasn't able to overcome his anxiety so easily, but he knew danger when it looked him in the face, and he tried to shift his focus to the metal cat coming for him instead of Sam. Bringing up his hand with the deck of cards, he looked about ready to flick the stack in Morrison's direction, and judging by his stance his intent seemed only for defense. Just before he could let loose a torrent of cards though and keep the feline back, Brivard grabbed him from behind. Both of Jack's arms held in Brivard's own massive hands, and he pulled the chained man's arms in either direction so that he was an open target for the cat.
"No don't! I'll let you all g- AGH!"
He hadn't enough time nor a chance to try and reason his way out of this situation, and screamed in pain when the metal cat bounded into him in a slashing, rending mess. He didn't wear armor, and apart from the shackles about his person, he had only common clothes which afforded no protection from the attack. Not only did his body take the significant hit of the cat's weight against it, but among the shreds of clothes flying in every which direction, were clear signs of blood. It was quite a gruesome sight, and some of the people who stayed behind to watch, screamed as well or panicked and ran. Only a fool would deny the devotion or courage of the people of Vengeance, but seeing their comrade attacked like that was too much for some of them to bear. Ironically it wasn't any of them, despite their cries, that actually called for it to stop. Not even Huxley, who was one of the few to still remain after the attack. Instead, it was a voice the cat would be more familiar with.
"Morrison, stop! Please don't kill him!"
Sam had managed to sit up, and her voice was still weak, but she called out with the hope that she would be heard. She had managed to move to the side of the broken window and sat with her back to the wall, a welcome relief since she hadn't yet caught her breath after Jack's attack before that sent her across the floor. It was unclear why she wanted him to stop his attack, but from her voice it was clear to her her anguish over it.
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Post by CJ on Apr 26, 2015 21:51:50 GMT -5
In its last gasp to stay in its current state of existence, the construct found a new target. It was Solaine, which it recognized as someone important in Nathan Smith's life. She was extremely close.
It reached out to Solaine and forcefully grabbed at her hand. It clutched tight, as though it feared Solaine might try to wrestle it away from him. It snapped from Jack's form to Solaine's in a few brief seconds. The mirrored texture slipped into the constructs ears, mouth, nose and even under his eyelids, revealing underneath a mirrored copy of Solaine. Any prominent moles or birthmarks would appear opposite on Joe's body, but otherwise it was a near perfect copy.
Unlike his previous transformation into Sam, the potential embarrassment of the situation failed to cross Joe's mind. There were far more important things going on than to worry about. Any ailment or naturally occurring infliction that Solaine experienced on a daily basis wouldn't be recognized immediately.
"I won't leave you alone so long as you don't let go of me. I feel I'll disappear quick if that happens. But Solaine, when the time comes you have to let go and leave me behind. If I die, I'll go back to Nathan. We'll see each other again, OK? But for now, we have to get you and the others out of here."
It seemed he didn't consider leaving Brivard and Sam behind as an option. His eyes widened for just a brief moment as he realized Solaine's hair was in his face. It wasn't tied up so it fell this way and that about his head. He pushed a portion of it behind his one ear and looked up. The people in the elevator were harassing Terrel. Was it because they recognized him from somewhere?
"Get your hands off him!" Joe yelled with Solaine's voice. "He's not a terrorist!"
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 26, 2015 23:31:13 GMT -5
In his fury, Morrison only barely heard Jack's protests, and wouldn't have heeded them anyway. He couldn't trust Jack, he never would again, and even if there was some chance he was being honest this time, he still needed to pay for what he had done. As such, he paid no heed to the screaming, or the blood, he just kept tearing and slashing. All threats would be removed. With every second that passed, those words became less a goal, and more a creed. Which is why it was so strange, even to him, when he stopped the instant Sam cried out.
Why? Why would Sam try to save Jack? Did she not know about the danger he posed to her? Had she forgotten about what had happened only a second ago? Was her kindness so extensive, that it came before even her own self-worth? And why did Morrison stop, when logically, there was no reason to? Sure, doing so might make Sam happy, but that wouldn't matter if Jack had managed to kill or seriously harm her. She was his friend, not his master, so why did he feel such a strong need to listen? He couldn't say. But one truth still remained. No matter what he did, from that point on, as long as Sam still breathed, Morrison wouldn't kill Jack. He couldn't fight that, though he wanted to, but he could work around it. That was very possible.
In one deft move, Morrison made an attempt to climb on top of Jack, perching there like he was some intrusive bird. While he did use his claws for stability, he did not dig them in, and the pain he caused Jack would feel very minimal, all things considered. The cat's weight, from him being made entirely of metal, would probably have been what he felt the most. What the majority of onlookers would probably take the most notice of, however, was the full set of claws that Morrison would be holding up to Jack's neck, the sharp, bloody edges precariously close to his flesh.
Briefly, Morrison turned up to Brivard, having faith, for the moment, that he could trust the stranger. He then quickly averted his glance to Sam's general direction, flicking his tail the same way. While the language barrier was an issue, he hoped his message would be clear enough without words: "Take Sam and get to safety." He then turned his head to whatever crowd still remained, looking straight at Huxley.
"I want all of you cleared out of here, now!" he meowed, loud enough for Huxley to hear. "And let Sam and her associates leave undisturbed. Understand?"
His body posture, to those who understood such things, signaled, from head to foot, warning and hostility. Even to those who didn't speak cat, it would be plain to see that he wasn't about to let go, until he had what he wanted.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 27, 2015 23:43:57 GMT -5
"Why do I ever have to let go of you then? What if I don't want to?"
Solaine did as Joe wanted, and listened to his words like they were the most important thing possible. That didn't mean she liked what she heard though, and raised the most pertinent question on her mind. She didn't have much time to think about the possibilities of what Joe's words could mean though, because Terrel was facing down the hostility aimed at all of them.
"If he acts against us, then he's a terrorist. That's even setting aside that I'm fairly certain he's a known risk."
Still, at Joe's bidding she took her hands off Terrel, instead just pulling him away from the door and pushing him towards her fellow comrades. Taking the chance, she then smashed the control panel to the lift with surprising ease. Her hand didn't even look to be in any poor condition from it, which was more worrying than her assumed strength, and it seemed like she wasn't fazed by it. Terrel was soon aware of this, and wasn't sure what he could do with just the knife that he had. Solaine however, may as well have punched the controls herself, because she similarly didn't care.
"How well can you hold onto me, Joe? I might need to move around a little bit."
---
"Well, you heard the ma- cat, everyone out of here. He's got our representative hostage after all, let's not make things worse."
Huxley spoke to the others around her, as they soon began to clear out in a hasty manner. It wasn't a situation where they respected her or she commanded anyone, it's just that she spoke the truth as far as anyone was willing to risk it, so for Jack's sake they withdrew. It was probable that they actually just went around the corners and waited, watched maybe even, but by that point they'd be more than far enough away to not even matter anymore.
Brivard meanwhile just kept watch in case anything needed his attention, and when he picked up on what Morrison had in mind, he let go of Jack to make his way to Sam. When he did though, the man in shackles hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. It seemed the cat's attack had taken its toll, and in addition to the bloody mess, Jack was also unconscious now. Morrison could threaten all he wanted, and no one would really stop him, least of all the very person he was threatening. Even Huxley just remained a passive onlooker, though it was unclear where her attention actually lay, what with the confinement mask.
Even Sam, despite her present state, was more or less on the same page as everyone else. Morrison had effectively defused the situation, but he made all the difference by stopping. He wasn't aware of her past history with Jack, and why she didn't want to see him killed, she knew that. They didn't have time to get into that though, what mattered was that he listened to her, when he clearly didn't have to. It was entirely probable that Jack had wronged Morrison in ways that she did not know about, but if she could deal with it then she knew that he could. At least, if he was even half the cat she remembered him to be. He of course would have his own opinions on the matter, but the important thing was that now they could understand it together, they had that chance again now that they were together. It was a reunion years in the making, but fate be damned, if the crew breaking up and the War of the Best couldn't keep them apart then what could?
Struggling to her feet, she actually felt good about things for once, the first time in a long time. The troubles of Vengeance and even lands beyond seemed so small to her now, in the face of possibly returning to her original purpose in life. The people of this nation had suffered and she had been able to help them, but reforming the old crew had always been first on her mind, and now she had what she needed.
"Morrison..."
It didn't matter how loud she spoke, he wouldn't ever hear what she had to say, not over the gunshot that sounded. If he cared to look he might see that the shot found its mark, but one way or another he would know as the force was enough to take her off her feet in the worst possible direction; the broken window. She didn't even scream, just one moment she was there, and the next she was not. Brivard didn't even have a chance to prevent it, he simply wasn't close enough and though he shouted after her and made it to the window in mere moments, he was already too late.
Perhaps alarmingly though, it wasn't Jack that had fired the gun. No, he was still unconscious on the floor by Morrison's mercy. No, instead it would seem that it was Huxley who was a good enough shot, at least at about a hundred feet or so. At least good enough to land a torso shot on Sam at this range, and let the fall kill her if the bullet did not. As always her emotions and expression were impossible to discern because of the mask, but actually holding the smoking gun still, said everything she did not.
Like Brivard, she just remained silent for as long as she still held the gun raised, only slowly lowering it after awhile. Although, while he was silent from disbelief and despair, she offered no explanation or snappy saying for decencies sake. It wasn't a pretty picture, and she didn't need to make it worse. All that mattered was that Samantha Faro was gone, and she had only thing to say.
"It is finished."
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Post by CJ on Apr 28, 2015 22:02:18 GMT -5
"I..."
Joe didn't expect that kind of response from Solaine. What if she didn't want to? Of course she wouldn't want to. Why would she ever want to leave him behind in a place like this? But he knew the truth. If she was to get out of here, she couldn't have dead weight to carry along. There was more than likely going to be a point where she had to let go of him.
He was terrified of disappearing. He always was when it happened, but he knew that at the end he always woke up back home, in front of Nathan, and everything was fine. He wanted to be back at that place.
Even if it meant excruciating pain, he wanted to go back home.
"It's OK, Solaine," Joe said. "I can hold on for a little bit if you need to do something."
He let go of her hand and leaned back against the elevator doors. He even looked up at Terrel's face, when he finally realized that he didn't look like the man anymore but rather a duplicate of Solaine. Thoughts spun in his mind over the craziness of the situation. Brivard and Sam were still likely in terrible danger and all they could do was pray they had another way up the building.
Joe smiled at Solaine the best that he could. The metal texture began to stream out from the inside of his left ear and eye. It was a much more rapid transformation than before.
"I'm fine," he lied. "See?"
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 29, 2015 20:45:32 GMT -5
What did he expect? Did he really think it could have ended any other way? How far did he imagine he could have gone?
Morrison did not turn around when he heard the gunshot. He didn't move at all. Like he was trapped in a moment, his claws dangled over Jack's neck, his ears and tail were in the same place as they had been when he made his threat, and he showed no signs of doing anything different. His eyes were the only indication that his brain was even still functioning inside his metal skull. He didn't need to look, to know what had happened. He wouldn't have even needed to hear the shot, or Sam crashing through the window. He had heard her heartbeat, and now he didn't. That was all. Like Huxley had said, it was finished.
After having his threat so clearly ignored, Huxley or Brivard might have expected Morrison to take the opportunity to rip Jack's throat right out from his neck, to tear him apart, to slash and mangle him until there was nothing left for his followers to recognize. By all appearances, he had no reason not to, and he was not known for forgiveness. But he didn't. His ears lifted, his claws receded back into his paws, his tail relaxed, and his needlelike fur settled back down. Slowly, gingerly, even, he got down from Jack's unconscious form, leaving his enemy still very much alive. Was it because Sam had asked him not to? Or was it pity? His silent, calm form gave no answers.
Cats do not show emotions, not like humans or other creatures do. By their nature, it seems as though they do not need them. They are solitary creatures. And certainly, there was no rational cause for one to ever need to show it, they didn't have the means to. Whatever Morrison felt at the moment Sam died a second time, was known only to himself. If Huxley or Brivard were waiting to hear him yowl or scream in anguish and rage, or see him curl up in his despair, they would be rather let down, because he didn't.
Slowly, he walked closer to Huxley, tail and head down to show he did not mean any harm or hostility. Really, the only reason he motioned to close the distance at all was just so that he could be understood, while speaking in a normal tone, and he stopped with a safe degree of separation between them.
"Thank you for letting me take up so much of your time," he mewled quietly. "I'm sorry for all the blood on the carpet. I'll send you enough money to pay for any damages I caused during my visit. I think I'll be taking my leave now."
Saying and doing nothing else, he turned and walked the other way, looking to find the exit. Once he started to pass by Jack's unconscious body, though, he halted. His eyes fell on the deck of cards, that the shackled man had tried to use as a weapon against him, and he removed one up using his teeth. Then, picking up the pen he had dropped after Sam was hit with the poker chips, he wrote a few words on the backside of the card, and rested the card against Jack's hand. Finally, he retrieved the paper that Sam had left for Morrison to write on, using his tail so that the blood on his paws or teeth would not sully it, and placed it in his own backpack, as carefully as if he was handling a valuable treasure. With nothing else to say, he began to walk out, though there was still time for Brivard or Huxley to stop him or call after him.
If Jack when he woke up, or anyone else in the meantime, looked at the card Morrison had scribbled on, despite all the blood they'd be easily able to make out the four words he had written:
Don't ever forget this.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 24, 2015 3:56:49 GMT -5
"Ok, just stay with me. It won't take long."
"You can say you're going to do something, but we're not actually going to le-"
Holding tightly onto Joe before she finally let go, Solaine got off her knees but didn't have to actually move that much, they were all right there in the elevator after all. The woman who'd given Terrel a bit of trouble spoke towards the obvious nature of the situation, that with six of them in the lift against Joe, Terrel and Solaine, the odds were obvious. She didn't get to finish her sentence though because Solaine made a fairly simple effort to reach out and grab for her face. Either she wasn't expecting it or she wasn't afraid, because she wasn't able to react in time to stop it even though it wasn't particularly fast. Maybe she should have though, because once Solaine's hand made contact, she more or less crushed a large portion of the woman's face. She probably would have screamed but that wasn't possible now, though a point of interest that there wasn't any blood or gore, just a crunching of metal and various mechanical parts spilling forth from the damage.
Without hesitation, the others jumped to action and attacked and or otherwise took hostile action against Solaine. She didn't possess super speed or anything so some of them found their mark, did damage to with a slash here or a strike there with what weapons they had or even just their own hands, but when she was able to outright pull someone's machine arm off with seemingly little effort... well it wasn't an even fight to say the least, particularly so since she wasn't utilizing any proper fighting or martial art, more just breaking people with some unseen strength and fortitude. All in all the brutal ordeal took no more than thirty seconds, and Terrel at least was sufficiently mortified. Probably more at seeing what was inside some of the enemies, the key word being some of them. At least three appeared to be normal humans with unaltered bodies, and Solaine's tactic of ripping and tearing didn't work to the same effect, so she just broke limbs or beat them into submission.
When she had sufficiently put aside any further resistance and the opponents were either unconscious or nearly so (and being fairly vocal about it too), she returned to her position at Joe's side, taking a knee. Terrel had been sort of frozen by fear through the ordeal but when she came close again he jumped and backed away a little, as though he were frightened of her as well. She didn't seem to notice or care though, and just kept her focus on Joe, as they completed their descent.
"See, that wasn't too long... right?"
She looked anxiously towards him, hoping with all her being that it really wasn't too long.
---
The fishwoman stood by during all the commotion, just watching and waiting. Partly because she had been summoned, but mostly because she knew she wasn't in a position to really help in any meaningful way. Let those who could, do what they can.
"He really did a number then eh? I got ganged up on though, if it were a fair fight, he'd be leaving with more than a scratched up chest I can tell you that!"
"There's only so much we can do to help Brother, bandages and disinfectant aren't going to cut it. We need the proper facilities in one of the hospitals or a clinic."
"Right right, I'll go there myself in just a bit, just let me take care of one last thing. Tend to the hostages if they need it in the meantime, they're more important than me."
His comment didn't seem well received for whatever reason, but the people tending to his injured heeded Jack's words. They were back in the dining hall where the last few captives were being moved from so it was a pretty public place, but with privacy screens between the cots, Jack figured it would have to suffice.
"You called for me, Comrade Merrick."
"I know you control all our fleets but do you have to be so formal, Erin? You were calling me Jack when we fought together, not so long ag-"
"What do you need Jack."
Her words were fast and her tone resembled annoyance, almost as if she wanted him to know that she was just placating him. This seemed to have more of an effect on Jack than just interrupting him, and a sour look played across his face. She didn't want to be here if she didn't have to and he knew why, which made him feel rather guilty, and he'd always wished their situation could be better than it was.
"Look I know you're busy, I'm sorry to drag you here, but I seriously need your help."
"You have your helpers. The regular one...s." her response was completely deadpan, but her words caused obvious discomfort for him.
"Huxley's done something... something I never thought she would. I can't trust her. Please, I know how you feel about me, but I can at least trust you. Do this for me, not as an order or request, but as a favor."
Jack was keeping a low tone, and by the way he kept looking around, she guessed that he was worried they might be heard. It was perhaps a little alarming because she hadn't seen him like this in a long time. In a way, she was curious to know why, even if it meant spending time around him. Her dislike for Jack was clear enough, but at the end of the day she was obligated to help him. At least, if he was more or less begging her. With a sigh, she folded her arms and moved closer.
"Tell me what you need then, and I'll think about it."
"Thank you, thank you." his eyes lit up for just a moment, and he went to take her hand in thanks, of which she wasn't really able to deny even if she was obviously uncomfortable with it. "There is... a cat here, in the city somewhere. You probably know it, the warlord. He's able to think well enough and will probably be leaving soon, but not gone yet. If you could just find him, and actually tell him that I'd... I want to speak to him one last time. Take all the help you need, but don't force him if he doesn't want to. Just let him know, and don't let anyone else know."
"I... should be able to handle it, though I can't make any promises. You know the city isn't my home. I'll take a few able bodies with me, keep an eye on any last departures. If it isn't gone yet, we'll find it. In the meantime Jack, go see a doctor."
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Post by CJ on May 28, 2015 15:32:20 GMT -5
Like Terrel, Joe was stunned to see the carnage of machine parts and broken limbs. He backed up as far as he could against the elevator doors. He had seen crueltly and violence in his lifetime, especially when he first came into being on Gomorrah Island, but he had never seen anything like this. Solaine's cold, calculative movements were unlike anything he had ever seen before of her.
Well, anything he hadn't put away in the back of his subconscious.
He tried to find right words, but all he could say was...
"Please don't hurt us!"
He wished he could take back the words, but it was far too late. The shock of situation sent him fully back into the mirror state.
It took everything to keep from attacking Solaine out of fear of the obvious danger she posed. Nathan cares about her. Nathan cares about her. It was impossible to justify not striking out at her for itself. It wasn't human after all. But then, could a human be capable of the atrocities Solaine had committed?
It dug the mirrored replicas of Solaine's fingers into the elevator floor, using the exact strength it took to rip apart the machines. Its blank eyes stared directly at Solaine, accomplained by an equally blank expression.
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Post by Kyubey on Jun 10, 2015 1:35:35 GMT -5
I'm here. But you should know I'm not in my usual mood right now.
After some time had passed, enough for the fishwoman to find him and relay the message, at least, Morrison quietly entered Jack's room, holding his message in his mouth. Unassumingly, as if nothing at all had passed between the two previously, the cat approached Jack, and set the note at the man's feet. His mannerisms, like before in the hallway, did not suggest any anger, but there was a slow caution to them, and it would have been clear just from watching him that he had no intention of making a show out of this visit. In fact, unless there were people specifically on watch for him, and unless they knew where to look, it was likely that very few people, if any, would have known about the Warlord's approach at all, and if it was possible, he would have appeared to Jack only when he was completely alone.
Simply expecting Jack to read the words written, and therefore not even waiting, Morrison immediately set to work writing the next note, which he would likewise leave for the shackled man to pick up. Jack might have noticed that, unlike in their other talks, Morrison did not take a comfortable seated position, as he normally did, and was standing in a neutral position.
You should know how dangerous I am, and trust that I never will forgive you. Just as I trust that whatever you have to say is important enough for you to reach out to me in spite of that. What do you want from me?
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 4, 2015 1:25:03 GMT -5
"What? No... I won't hurt you. Never you."
Solaine wasn't hurt by the reaction, just confused. She wish she could understand what Joe was going through, so she could know how to properly help him. Her experiences with the supernatural however were limited, so she could only work off of what she knew, and she tried to treat him like a person. Like the Joe she knew. Carefully she held her hands up in a visible, non-threatening manner, and slowly reached one out towards the mirror replica. It wasn't her intent to actually touch, just show that she wasn't going to turn to violence against them.
Terrel meanwhile, sitting pretty much right next to them didn't say anything but when Solaine neared, his reaction was roughly similar to the mirror replica. Already shaking from stress or perhaps fear, he drew back and crawled further away as best he could. He probably wasn't thinking straight, but he wasn't afforded much time anyway. Not a minute later, and a little chime sounded to signal their arrival at the intended destination. The doors slid open, and visible beyond was the atrium of the ground floor of the tower. Soft lights in the distance of fireworks, other buildings and the general celebrations, shone through the many windows and glass doors of the entrance and reflected across the smooth stony floor in a distorted fashion. Fortunately enough, though they were in clear view of the reception desk from earlier, the still lone worker behind it did not notice them. Yet, that is. The citizens within the elevator that Solaine had mangled but not killed, groaned if they could, and tried to move if they could. Out of the elevator it seemed.
"We... we're here. We have to go now. Before anyone finds this lot, before they lock this whole place down... if they haven't already."
She crept to the open door, pushing one of the citizens towards the back of the elevator again with her foot, and looked around to the atrium.
"You both know the way out? One of you at least? You found your way here, please tell me it wasn't through the front doors."
Terrel was still a bit shaken and didn't seem in a position to answer yet, though Solaine wasn't going to wait long for any response before acting. If she had to, she'd even carry the both of them out the front doors and into the streets.
---
The meeting place Jack had picked, was not even in the tower. Of all places, he had picked one of the offices of one of the major newspapers of the city. It was itself, still a skyscraper, but the building was not entirely occupied by one business and Jack just picked the one of which was the closest, the emptiest during the celebrations outside and on the lowest floors yet still above the streets. The office itself was dark, save for a lone desk lamp and the dim glow of the outside world seeping through the high windows. With the desk itself, a couple chairs and a couch, and various shelves and stacks of papers, Morrison wouldn't have to worry about some unseen cadre of ninja assassins hiding in the shadows; they really did have the room, and indeed the floor to themselves.
"I won't bother apologizing, I know you won't care to hear it or even believe it. I would have you believe though, that what happened... it was never my intent. Or perhaps, it might have been in the past, but seeing Sam there in person..."
Morrison would probably be able to see Jack was in a bad way, hastily patched up from the severe injuries sustained earlier, and struggling to move and keep focus even. More than just physical though, and he tried to put on a confident face when the cat arrived, but his true colors were rather quickly displayed. His characteristic smile wavered as he spoke, and pretty soon his face rested in his hands propped up on the desk in the soft light of the lamp.
"...I couldn't do it. I did- at the end of the revolution, I did try to kill her, but that was different. The country needed to become Vengeance, not New Myrysaea. It was more than just me and her, it was an entire nation's worth of people and I... they needed Roderick Liberccio in control, not Samantha Faro. You can probably see by now though- I mean maybe she could have, but I can't maintain control anymore, I'm barely holding on as is. When I realized there was no way to regain that control though, I didn't see Sam standing in the way of the wellbeing of a nation... I saw my sister."
Rather suddenly he hammered the desk with his fist, buckling the surface with an unexplained amount of force and causing his chains to rattle rather violently for just a moment. It was clear to see that something had been bothering him, but just by his expression alone before, it might not have been entirely clear. He was obviously angry though, but hurt, anguished. It was guilt he was feeling, more than sadness or anything else. Guilt, and shame. It was very hard for him to do, but he brought himself to look at the cat when he needed to as he spoke.
"You understand me better than the others out there," he errantly gestured in a direction off to the side, but it was probably apparent what he meant, "I know you do, I saw it when you caught up with her. That same feeling. You had an idea, a plan of what you were going to do and what was going to happen, but it didn't matter when you saw her again. When she saw you as well, and said your name. I don't pretend to know you but I do know the metal cat, Morrison the warlord doesn't melt when a girl sits beside him... but you did. You can try to be something else, but I saw her sitting with an old friend. I know the feeling, and if our places were swapped, you wouldn't have seen Jack with Five Aces beside her... probably the man or even the boy she grew up with. I don't know what she was to you, but I didn't see competition in my way like I once had. I saw my sister, just trying to live her life, and you know... I wanted to help her, to stand up for her like I did all those years ago."
Reaching for one of the pens that rolled across the desk when he punched it, with a steady hand he dragged the tip across the paper Morrison had given him. It was a quick drawing, and crude given the light and circumstances, but he felt or at least hoped that it got the point across when he returned the paper to the cat; no words but an image of of a bleeding heart and crossbones, the same emblem of the old crew they had both been a part of, and that Morrison would have been familiar with having seen the actual flag itself hanging from Sam's wall in the past.
"I know you understand that, but I think though, you also believe it."
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Post by CJ on Jul 6, 2015 1:49:43 GMT -5
Solaine's mirror image reached out toward her, just as she did for it. It wasn't intending on taking her hand, just mimicking what she did. But as soon as their fingers touched, its face changed.
"Don't let me go," Joe begged as Solaine's features came back about him. "I can't hold myself together by myself anymore. Not without Nathan."
He pulled himself up, hopefully with Solaine's help, dragged his feet across the ground in shoes far too big for his now slender feet.
Joe tugged at his hair with his free hand out of fear and nervousness. The very hair he so adored, he was now almost ripping out in shock and horror of the events in the elevator. But the fear subsided slightly when he realized that Solaine's violence could be used for another purpose. She could save the others.
"Solaine, we need to go back. Brivard and Sam are still up there."
Like Terrel, he was too terrified to properly answer her question. He couldn't fathom leaving the other two behind. His mentality was basically reduced to a child's at this point. Before this point, they were going up against all odds to try and save a helpless girl. Now, it was a wonder how she didn't break herself out in the first place.
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 16, 2015 1:55:06 GMT -5
Morrison listened quietly throughout Jack's entire speech, not stopping to interrupt, or react visibly to any one point, or even move while the entire explanation took place. It's not as if he felt nothing, learning so many truths for the first time after they'd been withheld from him, and it's not as if he didn't believe Jack, either. The events that had taken place, and the words that followed, pointed to the truth anyways, and given what had only just happened, it was impossible for Morrison to have been emotionless while hearing Jack's words. Rather, instead of not feeling anything, he was just unsure how he was supposed to feel about them to begin with.
Even if, on a mental level, he understood, he did not once, for a moment, feel sympathy for Jack. The two of them had both cared deeply for Sam, though on different levels. That, Morrison imagined, was the single aspect in which they were connected. However, even that felt false to the cat. Morrison cared about Sam, so he had first dedicated himself to avenging her after he thought he could no longer protect her, and then, after he found out she was alive, tried to save her. Jack, meanwhile, was almost entirely the instrument of Sam's death, knowingly and willingly. That Jack had second thoughts later on was not even a consideration anymore, compared to the hard truth that if it was not for him, Sam would be alive. That the man who played a direct role in her murder was now calling her his sister and was claiming that he wanted to help her, seemed like just another stab at the cat's heart.
And still, why would he even say these things in the first place? It seemed like an appeal, to sentimentality if nothing else, but the cat could not discern its purpose. Surely, Jack would have known that a plea for friendship or atonement would have come far too late by then, and it didn't seem like the leader of Vengeance was trying to make the cat pity him. The Warlord had a difficult time fully appreciating what was being said, if only because he did not follow the motive. After all that had happened, Morrison had a hard time trusting Jack to do anything without a definite end goal. Unless, of course, Jack was trying to dissuade the cat from carrying out the threat he had made against Vengeance, should anything happen to Sam. If that was the case, however, then calling Morrison at all would have been a mistake.
Still, Jack seemed to speak the truth, so Morrison could only do the courtesy of responding in kind, though answering honestly while also showing restraint, after what had happened, would be near impossible. Taking out another sheet of paper, Morrison began crafting his response.
I can only imagine what it must be like from your position, for it is so different from my own. Even when Sam is gone, you still have many friends and allies who will follow you, care about you, and support you. In that respect, I can only envy you. I have had few bonds over the course of my life that I could say I cared for. One could say I found myself too attached, and they would likely raise a fair case, but still, those bonds are all I have. Or, now, they were. You yourself ensured that the last one is now gone forever.
He had to stop there, in order to compose himself. From the last word written, there were many different things that he wanted to say, know, and make known, and even if Jack had given him all day to write, he wouldn't have been able to put them all down into words. All he could do was write what he could, and hope he got at least some semblance of an answer this time. After all, now that Sam was gone, and Jack now seemed to have all that he wanted, what reason was there for lies, anymore?
I suppose what I cannot understand is, what could be so important that you would want your sister dead to begin with. For all that I have learned, there are still many things of which I am ignorant. I know it is not the people's wellbeing you are concerned with, or else you would not have drawn the anger of the world government so blatantly. What is it about having power that is so enticing to you? What is it you're planning to do with this control that can only come from a world without Sam in it? More to the point, why did she have to die? Perhaps if I could understand that much, I would find it easier to believe you.
As the cat slid his message to Jack, he knew that whatever answer he was given wouldn't ease any of the burden he was carrying. Knowing why was no resolution, and yet, Morrison felt as if he could not do without it. And even if he did know the full cause, it would not change the path he was to take, that was laid clear for him from the moment Huxley pulled the trigger, and no matter what should pass in the future, nothing would give the Warlord any rest. It might have been said in the past that cats and curiosity did not go well together, and this time would be no different, and yet, he couldn't help but want the truth anyways.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 1, 2015 3:42:08 GMT -5
"No, I won't let you go. Count on that."
Solaine could guess how dire the situation was for Joe, and she took him by the hand. To silence any doubts, she even tore a length of her jacket off and tied it about their wrists so even if they tripped and fell or in some other way were caught off guard, they couldn't easily be separated. Maybe this brought him to his senses or maybe it was just long enough left to himself, but Terrel had regained his sense of things, and though he was still visibly shaken he was at least lucid as he crawled over to the open doors and moved to his feet.
"Yeah the way... no, you're right. We have to go back for them."
"We're leaving, now." came a familiar voice, more anxious than Joe would know.
"Lin?! No, you can't be here!"
Terrel had been ready to lead the way out but Joe reminded him of their priorities here, and he nearly kicked himself for letting his mind slip so much. Before he had a chance to follow the most sensible course of action and follow Joe's suggestion, he was faced with possibly his worst fear at that moment; his significant other. Not that he was afraid of her, even though he might have been, but he didn't want to imagine her being anywhere near this place. Yet there she was standing outside the elevator with her rifle.
"I am here, and you are coming with me now. Who is she? No, I don't care, we're leaving!"
"Lin, no. We have to go back up there, you don't-"
"What, Brivard is gone? Sam too? I can see that. We're leaving."
It was clear that what she said was not easy and brought her obvious pain, but it was her anger that was probably holding back any tears, and she wasted no time in speaking. Instead she simply grabbed Terrel by the arm after glancing him over (and confirming her fears), and almost threw him out of the elevator. Even after, she went back and pulled Solaine out as well, avoiding touching what she assumed to be Joe given the clothing since she didn't understand how his ability worked. Solaine though oddly enough, didn't resist and willingly followed her out, pulling Joe with her.
"You don't understand though, it all went wrong, they're still up there with Jack himself."
"I don't need to understand! We're taking Amelia and we're getting out of this place, NOW!" It was probably obvious what specifically, but there was something Linesk said that sobered Terrel's mindset faster than any self-preservation or concern for his friends.
"What? Amelia? You brought her here?!"
"That's how serious this is!" she yelled as she grabbed him by the arms and shook him rigid in a concise but rather violent manner. It was an odd exchange though, because her action had a similar effect on Solaine who couldn't have known anything about these people, yet she was mature enough to understand what was going on. Though it was for a different reason, Linesk's presence had near as much an effect on her as it did to Terrel.
---
When Morrison passed the piece of paper across the desk, Jack had to lean further forward a bit in order to read it under the dim light.
"Ha! Friends, allies. It seems their number grow less with each passing day, and after what I've done this eve past, you may yet have more friends than me before this is over. What's the phrase... don't stand too close to a burning building? I imagine anyone with half a lick of sense can see what the future holds for this path I've set us on. If we should fail, they'll serve my head on a platter to save themselves, when this is all said and done... so we cannot fail."
He laughed aloud and responded before he'd even finished reading, shaking his head with a rattle of chains and speaking as he eventually continued reading. An occasional chuckle though indicated that the irony of the situation had not escaped him nor left his mind. With the second portion of writing though, he made an effort to get through all of it before responding, since he needed to think for a bit how to aptly respond.
"Causa latet, vis est notissima. I would have thought my... our motives were clear in the naming of this country. It's not power I want, but freedom. Not for me, no, I learned long ago that there are some things you can never be free of." with a hand he turned the hood of the lamp to better illuminate himself, and leaning back a bit he made an effort to lift up his shirt. Clear to see was the customary mark of slavery, the hoof of the dragon long since burned into his chest. Eventually he let his shirt fall, simply letting go of it as he gestured his hand towards the windows once again. "It is for them, because they cannot do it alone, I know that more than anyone. It is not enough that we should be free from oppression though, but that our oppressors must suffer as well. A vengeance repaid tenfold, and yet still not enough but we will have to settle for that at least."
He didn't presume Morrison to understand his position, but he believed the cat to be at least partially versed on the goings-on of the world at large. In that regard he expected that Morrison would think him mad in knowing what he planned to do, but Jack understood well enough that the cat didn't actually care about his plans. It was Jack's sister he wanted to know about, always had been and to his credit the motive he never strayed from. He might have misjudged then, what would happen in explaining the truth, the full truth.
"As for... Sam, she... she never understood, never accepted that. I assume as her friend you know she was a slave as well, that was our life together, but she never knew a life behind bars. A life as a slave and a life imprisoned are not the same; if you can believe nothing I have ever said, at least believe that. So you see I had a plan for Myrysaea when I came here, but my views were not the same as hers. When Sam arrived amidst the revolution, she wanted to make New Myrysaea, not Vengeance. The problem is, that the people wanted that as well, they shared her vision and they followed her. It was admirable, but it was only beneficial to this country and its people, not the world. I thought things might continue as they should have when she left to fight for Whitebeard at Marineford, but when she returned with more motivation than ever, I knew something had to give. It was at the urging of others, my 'friends' and 'allies' that I set about making a martyr of her, since it was the only safe way to remove her from the picture without losing the people or the cause."
Jack spoke as surely as he had been, but Morrison might have been able to pick on on a glaring inconsistency that did not hold true with the Sam he knew. Her first and foremost concern was and always had been to finding the old crew after it fell apart, and if he had known how far she had gone to follow that goal during their time apart, it would be even easier to notice the issue. For her to suddenly shift her priorities to just some other island along the way, and the plight of its people, was at odds with her staunch adherence to the mindset that had been burned into her as sure as the slave brand on her side. Of course, it all depended on how well Morrison knew her and remembered about her, but either way Jack continued without skipping a beat.
"I understand now that it was a mistake, but at the time I believed it to be the only choice available since I could not convince her, as hard a choice as it was to make. A terrible thing that I went on believing it, but then I was still Roderick Libbercio fulfilling the needs of his people and country. It was this eve past however, when that man stopped existing and I saw you again as Jack Merrick, that I realized my mistake. Or rather... when I saw her again. In that tower before the broken window I saw two incompatible things before me; the goal I've given so much for and been pursuing for much of my life, and my sister. The choice was clear and if I had it my way, the three of us would have been departing this wretched place this morning, to find your old crew together." as he said this, some realization became more than clear to him as he slowly lowered his head to his hands. It would be wrong to assume it was a sudden realization, and Jack had already known the impact of his words on himself, but it took actually saying them for him to feel it. A realization not of the truth, but that things could have been different. "When you try to do something so hard and for so long though, and you convince people towards the same end, your efforts begin to fulfill themselves whether you actually want them to or not. You saw for yourself, even without me, even against my wishes... Vengeance came calling, spurred on perhaps by Roderick's ghost."
There was a long time after that, when he did not respond, likely affording Morrison a chance to write or act. When he did finally look up though, the great weight of his words was clear on him as he wiped the making of tears from his eyes with a shameful and pained chuckle in an attempt to turn attention elsewhere.
"I imagine now even if I had a chance to stop it, I wouldn't have been able to, for this is a mighty power I have created. Vengeance demands its namesake, and I fear now that none can stop it... not even me, you saw that for yourself. I had a vision that I sought to make a reality and share with people the world over, but now that same vision belongs to no one. Now... we belong to it. We are unwitting actors to its direction now, and soon others will join us in this play. The joke is that because we set the stage, we know that it is a tragedy..."
He finally adjusted the lamp hood as he stood up, and slowly paced to one of the windows. In one simple, concise effort he pulled on the strings for the blinds, quickly drawing them up and flooding the room with the bright lights and colors of the celebrations outside. He stood and marveled at it, a look of pride giving way to fear on his face, illuminated by the vibrant glow of the city and the multi-hued bursts of fireworks.
"...and we already know how it ends."
---
"You can't honestly believe that going back up there will make a difference? If Jack is there, then it's already over."
"No, but we have to try! We can't just leave them!"
"Sam is my friend too, I've known her longer than you or anyone else on this damn island! I don't want to give up on her either, but we have a baby now, a life together. Our family comes first, and I won't have Amelia growing up without parents, Sam would understand that and agree with me. You know she would."
Terrel had tried to object, but part of him knew she was right. He made an effort to change her mind because he didn't want to seem like he could so easily give up on Sam and Brivard, but the much more pressing matter was every moment they lingered here was another moment his infant daughter remained where Linesk left her. It was a hard thing to face, one of the hardest he could remember, and under any other circumstance he would have thrown his life away and gone right back up the tower and tried to kick Jack's teeth down his throat. Indeed, he very likely could have about a year ago before he and Linesk became close. But she was right, they had a daughter now and he loved the both of them more than anything. Even if he went back now and somehow managed to triumph, he knew Sam wouldn't forgive him for taking that kind of risk, and more importantly neither would Linesk.
"But together, we could... you know how well we work together." he began confident, clearly remembering times from their past, but trailed off as his eyes sank to the floor in knowing defeat.
"Not when the mission has already failed. Not when Jack himself is out looking for us." she reached out and held his arm as she spoke, her words more conciliatory than urgent in this case as she understood his plight, but soon her seriousness returned. "We have to go."
At her urging, Terrel finally picked up again, and looked about before making for the maintenance hallway they had used to get into the building in the first place. Of course he had a baby to get to, but it was surprising with how little concern he ran across the atrium, though in truth it just showed how well he trusted Linesk to have cleared their exit already. Either way, she looked back to Joe and Solaine, hefting her rifle as she addressed them.
"You can head back up if you want, you might be able to pull it off. We can't risk it though, we can only try again when we know the entire situation, and have a new plan. I'm sorry, but I have to protect my family now."
She didn't need to tell Solaine though; they were on the same page, and she said as much.
"No you're... you're right, we be with you shortly." she managed to say while maintaining her composure. Linesk seemed to understand what was going through her head though, and with a nod, headed off after Terrel. While he had the baby to get to though, she did wait by the maintenance hallway for Solaine and Joe with her rifle at the ready, though she would probably not wait long.
"Joe, we have to leave with them, this is our only chance. Otherwise we'll both end up prisoners again, and we won't have anyone to come for us. I don't know how things were between you and that girl, but I don't think she helped you, just for us to get caught again. I'd help them too if I could, but you can see by now, we don't understand this place... we don't belong here."
He held onto him as she spoke in the hopes of trying to get her point across, though she didn't start moving since she didn't want to drag him against his will. She wouldn't admit it though because it made her feel bad, but in that moment she was almost hoping that Joe in his damaged state, wouldn't be in his right mind and just accept what she said and go along with it. It wasn't an easy matter to deal with, and she didn't expect him to agree with her or accept it, but she made the same decision Linesk made; to save her loved one first.
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Post by CJ on Aug 5, 2015 0:45:01 GMT -5
Joe felt like he should have been more shocked to see Linesk in the lobby of all people, but the shock of previous events still weighed heavy on his mind. The conversation between Terrel and Linesk seemed to last an eternity. His thoughts ran wild as he attempted to find a way to protest Linesk's wishes.
There had to be another way. Maybe if he focused enough, with Solaine's body, he could...
Memories flooded his mind as his face fell in agony. Solaine crushing the guard from before, her attack in the elevator. He didn't want to be a monster like her. And not just him, Nathan didn't want it either. He created him to be a simple person, not someone who got involved with countries like Vengeance.
Nathan wanted him home. He wanted it the entire time. He could feel it, even from this distance. It was the first order he ever disobeyed from him. He knew the only option now was to leave.
Yet, even with that knowledge, he couldn't move. Tears flowed from his face as he despaired in abandoning Brivard and Sam. Even in the few hours that he knew her, he shared a great deal with Sam. She saved his life and had consoled him when she was going through so much worse.
Like Sam before her, Solaine might have felt disjointed looking at Joe as he was now, her but emotionally unstable. His body trembled as she held onto him.
"Have you ever left someone to die, Solaine?" he asked with wide, unblinking eyes.
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