Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[KentaEzren]

Kenta woke up in the wagon he was in. He seemed rushed, but in a good way.

[Nanami Touko]

The rest of their wagon ride had been rather quiet, after the talk died down. Amalia's mind had wandered to her back once again as the pain hit her, but luckily, one of the few things that hadn't broken in that fight was the bottle of laudanum she'd been given. She took a swig of what she approximated to be a spoonful, because having to go on the search for one was just out of the question. It was, again, not the most pleasant of tastes, but all that fight had gotten her agitated, and she needed the relief before walking into the meeting room with everyone else.

"What on Sardius...?" Raquel was... On the ceiling. Not dangling from it, just... As if gravity were reversed. "That's quite the party trick," she managed, after the bewilderment faded. It wasn't something she thought she'd ever have seen, but here she was, seeing it. Hopefully this is the only magical surprise, today...

[Phoenix]

Return Stragglers

They couldn't fly back; Tacito could carry two people at most, and not comfortably. Anna led the group back to Weyland Enterprises after a few close calls with some patrols out in the northern suburbs. Gabbie filled her in on the details of what had happened with her, Lois, and her partners, Zachary and James. Anna seemed a little annoyed by the outside help, but only because it meant the execution of the plan had been far from perfect. Gabbie hadn't said a word about what happened to Alexis and Perugia; the woman seemed irritated enough with the rest of what she had to say, particularly Lois' horrible condition.

Axel was waiting for them just outside Headquarters when they arrived. "Hey," Anna waved to him, "we got her!" No thanks to putting too much work on Gabbie, though, Anna berated herself, At least Samael didn't show up.

Return Gravity

"I was trying to figure out how to fly, actually," Raquel began. She never thought she'd be able to speak so casually about self propelled flight. She couldn't help but be cheerful now that she could do so with casual ease. "I sort of did it after Lilith attacked me so it was worth a try. Once I got up here, I ... got bored. I can't do this stuff outside or people will panic, so I started trying to make this more interesting."

"And that's how you wound up on the ceiling," Zerachiel smirked, "I can't wait to hear about father's reaction to this."

"... yeah," Raquel said, not sure who Zerachiel was or what to make of his battle scarred clothes. A faint golden glow surrounded her as she pulled Chip up into her arms and stood up from the ceiling. Her feet left the surface as her body began to right itself in midair, and she landed so gently on her feet that the maneuver was completely silent. The glow faded and they were all left with a more inconspicuous Raquel.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Phoenix

[Snike]

"Great, and with no casualties, either," Axel said, as he noticed that Lois wasn't present. That was probably going to be explained later, so instead of posing that question, he went over to the door and held it open for everyone - except Gabbie, who still had Tacito to address. "Come on in. I don't think they've started talking about Zerachiel yet."

***

"I see," Lane said, still smiling as he entered the room and quietly put some distance between himself and Zerachiel. "So, can you walk on walls in a sense as well, or is it just the ceiling?"

[Script]

Xenia

"Well, you've opened up ceiling artist as a future career choice, at least," Xenia said and shrugged. She looked over at the guy announcing success. "You actually made it out without any injured?" Even less of a guilty conscious for her!

[Snowy_One]

For Robin the meeting room was not the place to be. She had suffered greatly in the battle, having a lance thrust through her chest, and could still feel its drain upon her body as she tried to keep moving. She hadn't been infected, she hoped, but being impaled takes a lot out of you. As such she headed to the infirmary, especially since her clothes had been badly damaged and bloodsoaked.

[Phoenix]

Main Entrance

Anna nodded, then turned halfway back around to face Gabbie. "If it's not too much trouble, can you keep an eye on the building? If any of our guests start to wander I want to know about it as soon as possible."

"Yeah, sure," Gabbie said, heading on her way with Tacito close behind her. Zachary and James followed Axel into the building, alongside Anna.

Meeting Room

Raquel's expression was completely blank at first; she hadn't actually tried walking around. "It'd be really dumb if that was where I started having trouble," she said, looking annoyed by the thought of a potential hurdle. So far, none of this had taken any serious effort on her part, not like a normal spell would. Once she figured out how to 'will it', she got the results she expected. Defying gravity was a lifelong skill she now possessed.

"I wouldn't say uninjured," Gabriel admitted to Xenia, "but no deaths on our side."

Infirmary

Leo sat on the edge of a bed while one of several healers checked him for any injuries she might have missed. His eyes wandered over Lucille and Tonya, both of whom were sound asleep, covered up to their necks in some rather fluffy looking blankets. Leo had no intention of fighting back or trying to escape, but the staff here apparently didn't know that. Two capable looking guards flanked the infirmary's entrance from the inside, and they were not just well armed, but both had close range and relatively long range options. They'd probably have at least one crossbow bolt in him before he could take a hostage, and using someone as a shield wouldn't get him anywhere with two guards to deal with. He'd have to face one in a futile effort to defend himself, and be quickly flanked by the other. Maybe if Tonya were was in better shape it'd be feasible.

"So," he forced a smile for the nurse, "how long have you been working here?"

"About a year, sir," she replied absently and continued checking him over. Not even a question back. This one was all business, he realized. Leo sighed, figuring he'd have to find some other way to take his mind off the situation.

[Snike]

"I'm guessing the plan is to not mention the target around Zerachiel," Axel said to Anna, as they entered the building and headed over towards the occupied meeting room. "Beyond that, how do you want to handle him?"

***

"Fair, though either way you probably should test it later," Lane said, with a shrug. Gabriel had responded to the healing question, which reminded the servant of Nyx that he had to take antitoxin later. The thought of it took the smile off of his face, if but momentarily.

[-Cynthia-]

"Sometimes the things that cause us the most challenges are the ones we don't expect- the unknown unknowns. I've found that being able to adapt to surprising situations is very useful in magic and in life," Lysandra advised.

[Script]

Xenia

"Better than your last few runs though," said Xenia. If she had a glass she'd raise it.

[Snowy_One]

Robin, coming into the infirmary, made her way to one of the beds. It really wasn't that surprising of a thing in her mind at this point. In fact she was a bit more surprised that so few of her fellow teammates had arrived here considering that they had all just been in a massive fight and taken some serious wounds. Sitting down on the bed she noticed one of the patients flirting with the nurse.

"Just let her do her job." she mumbled under her breath, not expecting him to hear her.

[Phoenix]

Overkill

Anna nodded, confirming the plan for handling information about Lois. It wasn't just for Zerachiel's sake, either. It would be better for everyone involved for Hammer Industries and Lois' father to not know she'd been found until they had a chance to address her sorry condition. "I don't really want to face that guy in a tight space, but if we have to, Raphael's our best bet, him and that can opener he made. It'll be pretty messy against a human, though."

"Are you talking about that bludgeon he brought to the fight?" Zachary chimed in.

"Yeah, the anti-tank maul."

Challenge Accepted

Raquel scowled at the wall by the door as if she'd been challenged by it. It wasn't going to be an unknown of any sort for much longer, she decided.

"So," Zerachiel's eyes wandered over the group gathering in the room, "what is this, a post-op meeting, or an interrogation?" As soon as he'd asked the question, Raquel stepped onto the wall. The emblem's light was faint and brief, more so than usual, but it removed gravity's hold on Raquel as she made her way up the wall, chip held securely in her arms. "... or a demonstration?" Zerachiel added.

Satisfied, Raquel quickly came back down. "Good, no problem."

"Alright, I'll bite," Zerachiel pointed casually at Raquel, "when did she start pulling stunts like that?"

[Snike]

"If we have firearms, we can use those to at least subdue him," Axel suggested, frowning under his visor. "The maul seems almost unwieldy in tight space, is the thing."

***

"Those are both good questions," Lane said to Zerachiel, smiling a little at Raquel's successful attempt to scale the wall. "I can't answer them for you, though."

[Phoenix]

Options

"Raphael can handle tight spaces," Anna hand waved the concern, "not that we should just stand back and wait for him to make the first move." If anything, she would be the first to move on the artificial if he tried something in there, but a blow from Gravitas would be easier to pull off, either killing Zerachiel outright or crippling him, which felt more reliable than most other options.

Arrival

"Is .... he with us, or ...?" Raquel asked. He seemed to know her, but given the tension surrounding him, his tattered clothing, and the nature of his questions, he seemed like a distant associate at best, and ... perhaps a captured enemy at worst. She couldn't tell, but she was becoming increasingly aware of the possibility that she shouldn't be too open around him.

"You people can't afford me," Zerachiel scoffed.

"Hmm, we'll find out what this is once everyone catches up," Gabriel said, thinking of Zerachiel's other question. Not all of the leadership had shown up, yet. He wasn't sure how long it would take for them to catch up, either; they had taken wagons back while Anna was left on foot, but they had hit some traffic on the way back that she wouldn't have had to deal with for that very reason. It was perfectly feasible that she and the stragglers could have made it back by now.

"Hey," came Anna's voice from just outside the meeting room. Speak of the Anna. "You sit down and keep your hands where everyone can see them," she ordered Zerachiel. He complied with a shrug, and Raquel got a definitive answer to her question. "Looks like Raphael's not here ..." If he wasn't with present company, then they were back to the less reliable methods of superb, split second accuracy, or simply dog-piling the artificial if he got out of control.

[KentaEzren]

Kenta took the time to catch his breath while he sat up. ".... Something doesn't seem right." He thought deeply.

[Snike]

"Fair," Axel said, just before they entered the conference room. Anna quickly ordered Zerachiel to sit down in a way that he wouldn't be able to surprise them, and Axel, to help support that goal as he entered the room, placed himself so that he was just in lance reach of the artificial.

***

It appeared as though Anna and the other mercenaries had returned from the battle, and she immediately went to work dealing with Zerachiel. Hopefully, Lane thought, she'd direct the meeting as well.

[Script]

Xenia

"Your high-and-mighty hiring standards might be remotely effective if you weren't wearing a tailor's nightmare at the moment," said Xenia.

[Phoenix]

Debrief

"Don't mind the clothes so much," Zerachiel practically handwaved the damage, "that's just a little off duty horseplay. Admittedly," he scowled at Gabriel and Axel, "things got a little rough." He leaned back in the chair to try and get comfortable, crossing his right leg over the left. "I'm perfectly fine, though."

"You won't be for long if you get out of that chair," Anna warned as she circled around him. Gabriel flinched when he saw one of his own pistols, Despair, in Anna's grip, aimed squarely at Zerachiel's head. There wasn't any point checking his back holster, he knew she'd stealthily taken it at some point, he just wasn't sure how. He'd just roll with it, for now; she'd gotten him fair and square. It was just a good thing that pistol was actually loaded.

"Okay so here's the debriefing," Anna began, keeping both herself, and her borrowed pistol on point, "We completed our main objective. No casualties. You can ask Gabbie for the details ... ... and that concludes the debriefing." Zerachiel glanced over at Anna, and was first greeted by the gun barrel. "Anyone who doesn't enjoy interrogations can go and do whatever they want, now."

"Shortest debrief ever," James murmured.

[Snike]

Well, that answered one of the lingering questions about the operations' success. Lane decided to wait and see who left the room before making his choice about whether to stay or not. In the meantime...

"What's your plan for the other prisoners?" he asked Anna, thinking about the injured Invictus fighters in the infirmary. He assumed they'd either try to kill or otherwise hand Zerachiel over, but the others weren't necessarily in the same boat, given they weren't Organization members for certain.

[scorri]

Erion had been surprised at the sight of Raquel on the ceiling but after all he'd seen already, it wasn't enough to knock him out of sorts unlike some of the others. He leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation until Anna said that the debrief was over and that it was time for interrogation. Walking over to Amalia and Uri who had quietly entered to stand next to his fellow avian, he quietly commented, "I think this is the point where the two of you leave. You'll feel better about it if you do." He actually had no intention of leaving as he felt it important that he figure out more about what was going on here.

Uri couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I will be heading to the infirmary to see if there's anything I can help with there. Amalia, will you be ok by yourself? Is there anything you'd need from me before I headed up there?" He was talking as he started to head out of the room.

[Nanami Touko]

Raquel had gone on to... Showcase her talents, once again, while Zerachiel back and forthed some of the group. It was going to be an interesting conversation, especially once Anna pulled a gun on him. "P-Please, we've had enough violence..." She didn't want to see anymore fighting after the horrible conflict earlier. Whatever this interrogation was going to involve, she wished nothing to do with it.

"Would I be able to come with you, Uriel? I want to speak to someone about my wound... You and I both know how terrible light magic can be on the body. I want to make sure there's nothing lasting... Or anything that might be, can be fixed."

She offered Erion a smile after that, nodding. "It is, definitely... I hope it remains civil, but I can't put myself through more of this... Come and see me, once it's finished? You can give me a recount, and we can talk some more. I can find new shirts, heh... See you, then." She started after Uriel, wondering what the healers here would be able to tell her.

[-Cynthia-]

Lysandra bit her lip as Anna threatened Zerachiel. I know he's dangerous and that he's really not much like Gabriel at all but still I... she hesitated, unsure if she would rather stay around for this or leave.

Veronika crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Since Raquel isn't in much of a position to lead right now, I need to know as much as possible so that I can make good decisions for the group. Even if what I really want is a nap...

[Phoenix]

Planz

"Indenture anyone who's willing to work for us and turn the rest over to Belo," Anna answered Lane offhandedly. "I wasn't really impressed with them myself, so you can have first go at them if you want. I'm more concerned with our scruffy look alike, here," she added, glancing at Zerachiel. While he was definitely scruffy compared to Gabriel, the two were otherwise identical, and both looked to be in their early thirties at a most. If Zerachiel was really in his seventies, then he wasn't aging at all. All known artificials had white hair, even Cassandra, so Anna didn't factor that into how 'youthful' either of the two men looked.

"Scruffy?" Zerachiel eyed Anna right back. "It's called a beard."

"Well, for the sake of your beard," Anna said, mock threateningly, "I suggest you be as forthcoming and honest as possible. That thing's the first to go if I don't get anything useful out of you." She definitely preferred Gabriel's clean shaven look now that she thought about it. The token white hair the artificials all sported somehow clashed with their youthful faces, and the beard only added to that, it seemed.

[Snike]

Lane nodded, though he doubted he'd be the one involved in any recruitment for the mercenaries. Who, speaking of, appeared to be hanging around for the interrogation. That made his decision easier, seeing as word would spread quickly should something important be learned.

"OK, well I'm heading over there anyways for antitoxin, so I'll let them know," he said, as he made his way over to the door of the meeting room. "Good luck with the interrogation."

[KentaEzren]

Kenta had to catch up with the rest of the group. "Of course I decided to sleep in the wagon... Now I gotta catch up with everyone else. My mind's a mess right now and I don't know whats up." He muttered to himself as he walked.