Aberrant: Dead Rising - God of Fear - Born of War [Complete]

[Ali Badren]

Ali looked nervously at his sister and peered closely. The hole was probably fifteen feet, undoubtedly deep enough to require the use of rope. By now, the hotel was a 20-minute return trip. They might not get back for up to an hour. But Leyla was sitting on her legs, and the blood flow did not look like she would be bleeding to death. He swallowed and turned his plaintive gaze on Pammy and Dallas.

"You two go back and get rope and medical supplies. I'm staying here with my sister."

[Einherjar]

"No-one's going anywhere." Dallas keyed his radio and spoke into it. "Dallas here. Come in, Jack." With a cool rush of relief, Ali realised that in his fear for his sister, he'd forgotten the convenience of the radios. Dallas winked at him, and Pammy gave the young doctor a reassuring pat on the shoulder as they waited for Jack to answer.

"This is Jack. What's the sitch, Dallas?"

"Leyla's fallen into a sinkhole. We need rope and medical supplies, and some more folks wouldn't hurt." The answer wasn't Jack, but a younger-yet-indefinably-older voice.

"How bad is she hurt?" Phobos asked them over the airwaves, his tone calm. Dallas nodded at Ali and handed him the radio.

"She's hurt her legs, maybe broken them. Can't tell yet. Bleeding, but it doesn't seem bad."

"Sit tight, watch the area around you. Don't focus on the hole so much the zombies can sneak up on you. This is Phobos to all search parties. Groups 1 through 4, return to base. Group 5, listen to Dallas. Dallas, give us some directions. Group 5 has a medical kit, and I'll catch up with some rope. Dallas, over to you." Dallas took the radio back from Ali. The ex-soldier gave the best directions he could, remembering the landmarks and turns they'd taken to get here. When he was done, Phobos came back on the line. "We'll be there soon." he told them tersely.

Back at the hotel, Martin clipped the radio to his waist and looked over at his half-asleep mother as a couple of people readied a coil of rope for him to wear. He crossed and knelt before her.

"I've got to go out, Mom." he told her quietly, keeping his voice soothing. "I'll be back, though. Just got to go help someone." He was heartened to see her give him a tired, wan smile and touch his cheek gently. He kissed her, and straightened up, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, let's do this." he told the two men accompanying him as they went out into the night, carrying a spare medical bag and a coil of rope.

[Dawn OOC]

In the darkness, it took a bit longer to find them than they thought. The wind had a soft howl to it tonight; it was eerie. Worse for Ali was the sound of Leyla trying not to cry. When she spoke, it was to reassure them that she was alright - though she clearly wasn't. During a moment of silence, Ali heard something odd. Leaning over, he pointed his light into the hole - not at his sister, but at the rubble and dirt to the side of her. There were some thick gray worms slowly wiggling; Ali quickly moved the light away. Leyla was afraid of bugs crawling on her.

Worms didn't have fingernails.

Ali snapped the light back to the spot. Time seemed to slow as the hand pushed out of the soil. Leyla screams sounded far away and muffled over the hammering of his heart. The hand clutched at her and tried to pull her down; another arm was curling up on the other side of her, seeking to draw her into the dark ground.

[Ali Badren]

"Leyla!" Ali screamed, all thoughts of caution thrown to the wind for his sister. Even as he rushed ahead while Pammy and Dallas were still reacting, a part of him still wondered in those beats whether he was consigning himself to death. Even if he consiously thought about it, he would have decided that in that case, the Z-virus would have been transferred to Leyla too by then. The last of the Badrens would go down together then.

Ali felt soft earth beneath him as he landed in the pit. Leyla was whimpering and struggling, but losing the battle to the underground undead thing yanking at her. Ali cried out and grabbed around Leyla in turn, pulling backwards in counter-motions. The wind seemed to howl at that moment, connecting the dramatic tug-of-war going on.

Then, desperation and adrenaline won, and Ali found himself falling back with Leyla and himself and the rifle falling backwards and to the ground. With rapid effort, the zombie exploded from the ground and then started ominously advancing on Ali. It snapped forward to bite him, but Ali barely managed to buttstroke the zed with his rifle, pushing it back.

Gunshots from Dallas and Pammy rung out, but they kicked up dirt around the inner area combatants. The zombie tried to outflank Ali, in a sort of side-lunge, but Ali evaded and got his rifle up. The retort pummeled his ears at close range, the bullet blew up the zombie's head. The corpse truly a corpse again, shuddered and sunk to the ground.

Ali sighed with relief, then as Leyla got up and they made a sort of hug, Ali froze suddenly, then pulled away with fear. Leyla looked confused, but then she saw what Ali had recognized. The two small but newly received nail cuts close to his elbow were like a death sentence.

[Dawn OOC]

"Oh, no, no, no," Leyla said, her voice thickening with tears. "Ali, no!"

"Everyone stay calm, damnit!" Dallas snapped.

"Good advice," Martin said as he trotted out of the darkness, no more winded than if he'd walked there. The two men with him were gasping for air as the three of them stopped. Jack handed over the coiled rope and Martin started to make a loop on the end to get them out. With the rope, it only took a few minutes of work to get Leyla and Ali out.

The moment Ali was up, Dallas grabbed his arm and turned the flashlight on it. He stared in silence at the small, lightly seeping wound, then let go of Ali's arm. "Let's get you back and get that cleaned." Leyla couldn't walk, and Martin and Dallas picked her up in a chair lift. Ali wanted to carry her, but the others were adament that he was hurt, too and to not exert himself. They were already being too nice, far too nice to him. And Leyla was staring at him with terrified eyes.

[Ali Badren]

As they went- Ali felt, no he really couldn't quite pin the exact feeling down. Perhaps because the intellectual and experiential knowledge of what zomb-inflicted wounds meant had not completely and utterly extinguished the refusal to acknowledge that he was going to die... the fact that otherwise he would become an equal danger to Leyla and the rest in due course being a terribly putrid cherry on top. What hurt the most, was Leyla's fear.

They had been together, relying on each other for familial connection when the Badren parents were bloodliy slaughtered by that viscious bully... Hercules acting with all the insanity of his namesake and no remorse or penance whatsoever to stare him in the face. And now, the way Leyla regarded Ali? It hurt more than anything he could think of.

Eventually, everything became a numb blur. Returning, wound cleaning, back to bed...

Time seemed to slow with the buildup of an eternal fever. And yet Ali had enough consious thought for this: It... can't end now. I wanted to make sure everyone was safe and hidden away. And yeah, I'd have gone back with Martin and left two shells straight through Numbskull's brain and the rest of his petulant 'divinities.' And I cannot see the Badren family end this way, with Leyla alone.

A faint, hoarse whisper came, in his voice, though he wasn't sure he was speaking. "God and his angels will have to drag me screaming to Heaven. I don't want to die! Damn you all to Hell!"

[Dawn OOC]

Everyone had trouble sleeping that night. Their community was small enough that the troubles of one were the troubles of a close friend. Leyla was clearly terrified and finally had to be drugged into sleep. As the sun came up, people clustered together in small groups to talk, their hushed voice more appropriate for a funeral than a refugee encampment. Even Martin's cat was subdued, offering quiet comfort to anyone who seemed to need some furry therapy.

The hours wore on and hope slowly built. Whispers, "Surely he'd be sick by now" or "Maybe he got lucky". But it was not luck, merely Ali's good health. It was almost dark again before Ali began to feel the first effects. The fever swept over him with a shocking suddenness and the sweats followed soon after. He could see the grief in everyone's face, even as they tried to put a good face on it.

By the time dinner was ready, it was confirmed: Ali had the Z.

[Ali Badren]

Perhaps he'd been feeling a hypochondriac before. It didn't really matter. The fever was real now, and he knew his body would be breaking down slowly but inevitably. A funny thing. He'd been trained as a doctor, to help, heal, and preserve a patient's life by his father, but it was blackly funny that your charges die at some point, sooner or later. And even the most powerful humans die by lightning bolt, weapon, grief, illness, drowning, a litany list of woes.

And now, en masse the world had been nearly taken away by a sickness that killed and then raised the dead. It was now going to take him. Pathetic, what a way to go. And Leyla... she would be alone now, and that would not be good, the last of the Badrens. He'd heard how she'd had to be drugged, and he knew it would be a fate worse than dying to the zombie, her around but alone.

Speaking of the maiden, she was entering now, fearful and terrified, but her hand rested on his. "Ali..." she quavered...

"Don't worry." Ali finally rasped, eyes meeting hers. "Since I'm in for it... promise me these two things. Stay strong, for Mom, Dad and me. Don't break down and head for us in the realms above. Oh, and it's a given Martin's going back for those in Tartarus at some point. I know you're not a fighting girl... but keep with him. If nothing else, when he stares into the abyss, and it looks back, you can keep him from blinking. Do this for me."

HE should have been able to join Martin, and get one in for the parents and the other souls. For Hannah, and the rest. God, Allah, Yahweh, couldn't you have given me that chance? Oh well, maybe I can chatter about it with Michael or whoever is on gate duty.

[Einherjar]

He was on the roof again, staring out into the setting sun as it brushed the mountains. Irrationally, he wished that the blazing fire was truly touching the ground there, to consume the rot that hid beneath mountains. West was the direction they'd fled from, the direction from which pursuit would come. West was Olympus. Grasscutter lay across his lap, it's blade shimmering with a soft red light as the daylight died. It needed no sharpening, no polishing. It had scarcely needed cleaning the few times he had drawn it against zombies, the blood and filth sliding from it's surface with but a flick of his hand.

"You're supposed to be for the monsters." he told the blade quietly. "The mindless and the intelligent, the zombies and the gods. You're not supposed to be for him. He's no monster."

He will become one, the sword seemed to whisper. He will die, then rise a zombie. Better to make a quick, clean end of it.

"Yes." Phobos murmured. "Quick and clean."

He rose, sliding the blood-red blade into it's sheath, and left the roof, descending the stairs with a deliberate tread. There were a few people waiting below, lingering in the halls, but one look at the glowing eyes and the mask their young leader's face had become caused questions to dry up, suggestions to be stillborn. There was little doubt what was on Martin's mind.

"He's going to do it... Shame, but for the best... Shouldn't he wait...?" A susurrus of whispers, meant to be pitched low to neighbouring ears, yet it blew along behind Phobos like dead leaves on an autumn wind, marking his progress through the hotel as the word spread until, finally, he came to Ali's room to find Dallas, Fiona and Pammy waiting outside. One look at him, and the three knew his purpose in being here. Fiona opened her mouth as though to protest, but closed it again, arguments dying in the face of the inexorable logic Martin's presence represented. Dallas stepped forward.

"His sister's with him." the veteran said in a low tone. Martin hesitated, then nodded.

"Then I'll wait for her to say goodbye." he replied in a taut, even tone. Pammy opened the door and slipped into the room.

"Martin's here." she told Ali and his sister, those two words, together with the look on her face, carrying the whole story to the siblings.

[Dawn OOC]

For a second there was a fear-filled silence. Leyla stared at Pammy, her brown eyes wide. Her cinnamon skin grayed until she looked just as corpse-like as her brother. "No," she whispered, then more loudly. "No! No!" She dropped into Arabic ranting and shouting.

"Leyla, please calm down," Pammy said softly. "You aren't helping."

"Neither is Martin! No, he can't kill my brother. I will not let him murder Ali!" Leyla's face was regaining color as rage suffused her features.

"Leyla," Ali said softly.

"No!" She spun and pointed a finger at him. "No, you lie still, rest and fight this thing. Fight it, for me!" She turned back to Pammy. "And you tell Martin if he wants to murder my brother, he'll have to murder me first!"

[Einherjar]

Martin heard the shouting from outside the room and sighed, closing his eyes. I'm not equipped to deal with this he told himself, but deep down within the fifteen year old boy, there was a dissonant chord. Part of him knew exactly how to deal with such situations. The dark part. The part that had grown to replace the portion of Martin that had died in Tartarus.

Phobos opened his eyes once more and stepped into the doorway.

"Your brother is going to die." he told the grieving, defiant girl, his voice cold. "He was sentenced to death the moment he got infected. It wasn't through his choice, or any of ours, but he is going to die." Blazing white eyes moved from Leyla to Ali, and Phobos moved over to the young man's bedside, looking down at him. "I'm sorry, Ali. I wouldn't wish this on anyone." he said more gently, resting his hand on Ali's brow, feeling the fever there.

"Get away from him!" Leyla started towards Phobos but stopped as he fixed his eyes on her.

"This isn't the common cold. It's not measles, or food poisoning. It cannot be fought." he told the girl. "Right now, he is suffering. And it will get worse. His blood will burn, his muscles will twitch. He'll shit himself and not even notice, that's how far the pain will drive him away from awareness. But he won't be able to pass out, either." Throughout, Phobos didn't raise his voice, kept his attention on Leyla, his awful message made more terrible by the matter-of-fact delivery. "And then, once he finally dies in pain and delirium, he'll rise again, knowing only hunger. And he'll infect whoever's nearest."

"I can't just watch you do-"

"Then don't." Phobos turned his back on Leyla. "Leave. Hate me if you want to, but don't interfere." He looked back at Ali, his hand gentle as it stroked the sick man's brow. "Are you ready?" he asked more quietly.

[Ali Badren]

Oddly, Ali felt lifted by Leyla's words, and her determination to not see him, go if misguided as it was. But it at least was cool and refreshing a feeling that someone wouldn't be fatalistic... cool? Refreshing? Martin too, found suddenly that as he was stroking Ali's head, that it was a lot cooler than a minute ago. That was to say, a normal temperature. Everyone else present also noticed a vague color returning to his skin as well.

Ali even managed to roll up a bit and glance at everyone, before connecting the dots. "Are we looking at a stay of execution here?" Even as he coughed a bit more, Pammy immediately scrambled for a thermometer, and stuck it under his tongue. With bated breath, the onlookers heard the beep, and Leyla moved to inspect it before anyone else could. Joy and tears seemed to come to her face.

"98.7 degrees..." She quavered, shocked to see it.

[Dawn OOC]

"I told you!" Leyla cried and threw herself forward to wrap her arms around her brother's neck. "I told you not to kill him!" She was crying again, but this time it was hot tears of joy that spilled down her face. "Oh, Ali!" She was also shaking, shuddering as the stress and tension of the last few hours was finally released. She breathed a prayer of thanks in Arabic; she hadn't been sure there was a God anymore but now she was willing to believe. This wasn't a completely evil place if it would allow this miracle.

Martin had seen this before - in the Tartarus, when he'd thought he was dying. It seemed that another super had joined their ranks.

[Ali Badren]

Ali moved his arms around Leyla and hugged her very tightly too. Apparently, he'd put up too much protest for Allah/Yahweh to decide he was worth the while. For a long bit, they held each other in a thankful, fraternal embrace, thankful that the family wasn't going down to one yet. Still, something nagged at Ali's memory, that his sudden first recovery did not mesh with what happened to sufferers of the Z...

His head turned to Martin, eyes having tears from joy, but his mouth worked into a sudden, suspecting line. "What do you make of this miracle?" Truth be told, he thought he knew the answer already.

[Einherjar]

"There's only one reason for your recovery." Martin told him, unsmiling. Despite his stoic demeanour, Ali got the sense that the boy was relieved... and concerned. "So when you feel up to it, we'll go away from here a little distance and do some testing."

"What do you mean, testing?" Leyla demanded, but Ali was nodding in agreement. He gave his sister's hand a gently squeeze.

"He means I'm like him." Ali said quietly. "And he's right about the testing. I should know what I can do before I do it by accident, perhaps to someone here." Phobos nodded, turning to go.

"I'll be downstairs. You'll probably be hungry... I was. We'll eat before we do anything else." He stopped at the doorway, then turned part-way back to the two of them. "I'm glad you're not dead, Ali." he said softly, seeming very much a boy in that moment. "I'm glad I didn't have to... You know." Then he was gone. Outside, Dallas and Pammy looked at him, both noticing and pretending not to notice the tears leaking down his cheeks.

"Ali's fine." he told them both with a faint smile. "He's changed, like me. Make sure people know... and make sure they know how lucky he was, too. I'll be getting some dinner." He headed downstairs.

[Dawn OOC]

Martin told everyone the good news as he descended the stairs. The atmosphere of celebration had proceeded him; though people didn’t know the good news, the aura of relief was spreading. “What’s happened?” his mother asked as he reached the kitchen.

“He’s fine,” he said, moving around his mother to grab the cat before she made off with a slice of spam. “He’s like me, and he’ll live.” I don’t have to kill him. He cuddled the cat to his chest, smiling when she pushed herself up to rub her head against his wet cheeks. It left streaks of fur clinging to his face, but she was drying his tears. “We need to test his powers to make sure he has control of them, but he’ll live.” She was a sweet cat; most would have been annoyed to be pulled away from food.

Martin realized that she wasn’t acting like a cat at all. His glowing eyes dropped to her green ones as he pulled her away from him. He stared at her suspiciously and saw those green eyes widen. Now she was wiggling, trying to get down as he held her in the air.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Leyla couldn’t stop hugging her brother, as if she was the source of his powers and he might get sick again if she let go. She was still murmuring prayers of thanks; this had restored her faith in Allah. Gradually, the door edged open and Pammy poked her head in. “Hey, Ali,” she said, as if he wasn’t rising from his deathbed. “Whatcha want to eat? If we’ve got it, it’s yours, no matter what!”

[Einherjar]

"Martin, honey? What is it?" his mother asked. Beyond her, Margaret looked on, her tension reflecting Martin's sudden intensity.

"One sec, Mom." Martin didn't take his eyes off the cat he was holding. "I think it's time to drop the play-acting." he told it, his glowing white eyes boring into its own. "We both know, now. How do you want to do this?" The cat froze in the headlights of his stare, its struggles ceasing for a moment. Then it gave a curious little feline sigh and looked towards the store room. Martin nodded. "Okay."

"Mom? Tell everyone to be on their guard. No panic, just watch the skies and streets." If this was an Olympian scout or spy... then they could already be here... Martin's mouth set in a grim line that was roughly two centuries older than his fifteen years. He carried the cat into the store room, then gently set it down on the bare floor. Then he turned and closed the door on the curious and worried faces in the next room, before standing with his back against it and watching the cat.

"Okay. We're alone." he told her simply.

[Ali Badren]

Ali smiled at Pammy gratefully. "Soup, chicken noodle if you can manage it." Pammy nodded and disappeared to fulfill his request, leaving Ali with Leyla and the thoughts about being super. Well, there was opportunity in this now- and risk. Martin was right, he needed to determine what exactly as a super he could do, and in a place without risk to others.

And the risk that more might follow him- except for the empowering part. As a medic in the post-Z world, he knew that

chances of recovery were nearly impossible, and it was only the rare of the rare that made it out. Truth be told, he SHOULD have died, or rather been executed before that. But he'd heard the joke the other night going around, and it was as stupid and dangerous as they came.

Leyla's hug distracted him from that. Be thankful. Time to celebrate.

[z-Silvestru]

The cat turned and darted behind a shelving unit. Scowling, Martin started to follow it, only to realize that there was now a lot more of the cat behind the unit. There was, from what he could see around the shadows, also a lot less fur than there had been a moment before. He caught a flash of green eyes. “Um,” a very young and very feminine voice asked, “can I have your coat?”

“I… oh!” Martin said, pulling off his coat as he realized the problem. “Here,” he offered, extending it and turning his head away. He felt the coat pull out of his hand, followed by the rustle of the leather and finally the hum of the zipper.

“Alright,” the girl said, and he turned around to see that his cat was now about five-three with long brown hair and green eyes. She gave him a timid smile, trying to look casual though she was clearly uncomfortable. Martin was uncomfortable with the way his eyes kept trying to stare at her legs. “So, um… Hi. I’m Sylvan. We’ve… talked. Sorry about the cat-thing.”

[Dawn OOC]

Leyla sat up, holding his hands. “You know, we should have a feast,” she said, her eyes shining. “This is about more than you living. Martin is our protection against the Olympains, and now you are too. I mean that scares me a little. But it makes me proud to know that you’ll be helping us stay safe. So I think a big celebration is in order.”

“Not a bad idea,” Fiona said from the doorway, grinning at Ali on the bed. “We do have a lot of food. I mean, we don’t want to eat everything we have, but we should do something more than feed Ali chicken soup. What do you think, Ali? It’d be your feast.”

[Einherjar]

"That's okay." Phobos answered, his tone coolly matter-of-fact. "You were scouting us out. Scouting me out." It wasn't an accusation, not in the slightest, but the girl's face flickered to an expression of nervous chagrin, her eyes dropping to the floor for a moment before rising to meet his again. She gave a diffident nod.

"You already know all about me." he continued as though he hadn't seen her discomfort. He leaned against the door, his arms folded across his chest. Grasscutter was out in the kitchen - he'd set it aside during his relief at Ali's recovery. His bow was in his room. The only weapon he had at his disposal was the one he'd used but once - the soul withering blast of terror that had sent one god screaming and curled another up into a catatonic ball. Studying Sylvan, however, Phobos didn't get a sense of hostile intent. "So... Are you alone out here, and why did you try to steer us away from Denver?" he asked in a businesslike way, trying desperately to ignore the fact that a very beautiful girl was wearing nothing but the oversized jacket that had once been his father's.

Despite his best efforts, that was hard.

[z-Silvestru]

Sylvan attempted to put her hands in the coat's pockets, but the sleeves that Martin had rolled back to make it fit him still fell past her fingers. She was smaller than him and the coat swam on her. He watched as the wiggled her fingers out of the sleeves and finally got her hands out, only to realize that the pockets fell lower on her than was comfortable. With a sigh, she crossed her arms. "I'm not out here alone. We have a small forward scouting team here that keeps an eye on the Olympians. Only six-men, but I or Calvin stay with them all the time, just in case they're found," she said. Like Martin, she talked like she was older than her years; the Z had matured people well past their age, especially the youth. "We are out of Denver, and I was trying to keep you from finding Home."

"Understandable," Martin said, his mind both catching everything she said and wondering if those legs were as smooth as they looked.

"Had I known that you were good guys, I wouldn't have done the spying," Sylvan added, frowning. "But I wouldn't know you were the good guys without spying. I mean, I guess we could have trusted you. But we've done that before. We brought Pele into our group for a time, when we lived in Boulder." Her jaw hardened as she continued, "He was Olympian, and they recaptured a number of our people because of his betrayal. So I guess I'd rather beg forgiveness from potential allies than give another Olympian a chance to stab us in the back." The green-eyed girl uncrossed her arms and took a seat on a milk-carton. He noticed that she was careful to keep the jacket in place and her knees together. "If you guys want, we can join forces." She grinned as she patted the crate she was perched on. "I think you guys have already found some of our food stashes, so we're cooperating already. Wanna make it official?"

[Ali Badren]

Ali wasn't sure. Because yes, they wanted it, and he wanted it, and it deserved to be a celebration... but already he just knew his faculties had increased, and the feast seemed more... Olympian.. Oh hang this. Allah knows Martin and I have a slippery slope here, but it's their idea, and we deserve something to be happen about, yes?

"If you ask me," he commented, getting up and stretching his limbs carefully, "I'm all in favor for a celebration."

[Einherjar]

"Official..." Martin pretended to think that over, his all-white eyes narrowing as though in consideration before his lips curved in an answering smile. "Sounds good to me."

"Great!" Sylvan said as she bounced off the crate, legs flashing fetchingly. As though realising her reaction was a little too exuberant, she composed herself and stuck a hand out towards him solemnly. "I'll have to run it past the others, but I think they'll be cool. You've killed Olympians and stolen Olympian toys - they'll love you for that." Her eyes regarded him with a certain level of... something that made the youth feel warm inside.

"That's good to know." Martin smiled wider as he took her hand and gave it a shake, gazing at her tanned face and the way it contrasted with her eyes... With a start, he realised he was still holding her hand and let go. "I, uh, should probably run it past my folks too. Not that I think they'll have a problem, just..." he shrugged. "Y'know. It's the sort of thing that should be a group decision. I don't do things the other way." I don't want to be like THEM.

"No." Sylvan said with a little smile as she looked up at him. "You don't." Martin fought the urge to grin stupidly and turned to the storeroom door.

"I'll... uh, tell them you need some clothes, then call a meeting. You can hang onto the jacket." I may never wash it again. He looked back at her smile, feeling as though she'd read his mind. It was good actually, to feel like a teenager again, if only for a short time. "Just gimme a few."

"Take your time." she said, sitting back down on the crate, that smile on her lips still. Martin wondered if she'd dated before Z-Day. What sort of guys did she like? And why was the fearless leader of the Tartarus escapees thinking about that when he should be concentrating on business. He went out into the kitchen, seeing Dallas and a few others standing with his mom and Marilyn, their attitude one of taut vigilance.

"Marilyn, there's a girl in there about so high." Martin indicated with his hand. "She needs clothing that'll fit. She's like me... well, me and Ali now. But she's a friendly, and her own people hate the Olympians. Dallas, call a meeting in the dining hall. We've been made an offer - they want to join forces. They have a base in Denver and one or two super-people of their own. We'll put it to a general vote."

"Got it, boss." Dallas said with a grin as Marilyn bustled off to fetch some spare clothing. "So... the girl has no clothes, huh?" he asked innocently.

"She was a cat before." Phobos said with a level stare that, although he wasn't really trying, downgraded the shit-eating grin on Dallas's face to a slight smile. "Anything else?"

"Nossir." Dallas turned and hurried from the kitchen as Pammy smirked at him. Martin looked at his mom and gave her a smile.

"Looks like we caught a break, mom. Now lets see what they all say."

[Dawn OOC]

“Actually, I don’t think you get a choice,” Fiona told him with a grin. “We thought we’d lost you, and that deserves to be celebrated. So get up, clean up and come down to join the still-living. We all want to give you a hug!”

“And we’re having guests.” Marilyn had come up the hall as they’d been talking. She opened the door they were using as a store room as she said, “Martin found a naked girl in the pantry. He says she’s like him and Ali. Apparently she’s offering to let us join her group.” The older woman dug though boxes, muttering, “This high, he says. What about around? Ah, well, just go for baggy.”

As she came out, she glanced at Ali and said, “Welcome back. You need a bath – you smell like you died.”

“Marilyn!” Fiona snapped, looking shocked.

“The boy was sweating like a pig as he fought for his life,” the older woman grumbled, a bundle of clothing in her arms. “I’m so very happy he made it, but the boy needs a shower.”

[z-Silvestru]

“Yes, a break… you said she’s naked, Martin dear?” his mother asked. There was genuine maternal concern in her voice, the most he’d heard in a while.

“No, I lent her Dad’s jacket,” he said, then flinched when his mom did.

But when she spoke, there was sorrow but no grief in her voice. “Good thing you had it then. So she was that cat that had shown up?”

“Spying on us?” Pammy asked, her expression nervous.

“The Olympians are aware of them, too,” Martin said firmly, cutting off the thoughts that would link Sylvan to the word ‘spy’. It was what she had been doing, but he wasn’t going to let people treat her like one. What she’d done was logical – and brave, he added to himself. “She was making sure it was safe for her people.”

Marilyn returned with the clothing, muttering about showers and being happy despite the funk. Martin was a little too preoccupied to ask as he accepted the clothing and slipped back into the room. Sylvan perked up as he entered, her expression snapping from bored to expectant. There was a slight flush suffusing her cheeks, he noted, giving her a kind of glow. “Thanks!” she chirped, taking the clothes from him. He turned to leave and give her privacy, but she started to talk to him and he ended up staying, his back to her.

“Alright, I heard you talking about a meeting. If you gave me fifteen minutes, I’ll call my people in, too, and we can do this right.” The rustle of clothing sparked a very teenaged desire to turn around, but Martin refrained. “I hid a radio outside,” her voice muffled than cleared as she pulled a shirt over her head. A second later, she put her hand on his arm and he turned to find her smiling up at him while offering the jacket to him. “Wanna come with me while I make that call?”

[Ali Badren]

Ali chuckled at Fiona and smiled. "Well, she's right. And I can't ruin the celebration showing up all smelly. So if you two don't mind, scoot so I can comply with Marilyn's edict. See if you can find out about this girl and her group for me... oh--" The part about the naked and Martin kicked in and he maliciously asked, "And ask Martin if we should be playing that song for him. I remember when I was that age... wasn't too long ago."

His sister and Fiona grinned and left, letting Ali go with a change of clothes down the hall into an unused bathroom and shower. The water was warm and felt just wonderful down his body. It's good to be alive.

[Einherjar]

Never going to wash this jacket again. Ever. Never.

"Sure." Martin said, ignoring his traitorous thoughts and smiling slightly at her as he pulled the jacket on. It felt warm, and he fancied it smelled of her. Despite his warm fuzzy 'hee, girl!' feelings, the coldly rational part of him determined that, if Sylvan was going to turn out to be an Olympian stooge, this walk would be the perfect time. He betrayed none of that suspicion as he left the storeroom with her, but nodded as he saw Dallas holding his bow and quiver. Taking a moment to arm up, with Grasscutter across his back and Artemis' bow in his hands, the young god of Fear felt ready for anything.

"Sylvan's going to call her people to meet us, so we can hash things out." he told the assembled curious and worried faces. "I'll be going with her to make sure no Olympians are hanging around waiting to grab all of us at once." He left his suspicions unsaid. "Dallas, keep the watches up until I get back." Dallas nodded, tossing Martin a handset which he clipped to his belt. "Don't call me unless shit has already hit the fan- Sorry mom." he apologised as his mother winced a little at the language, but at least she didn't scold him in front of everyone. "That is, unless there's trouble. I'll call you when we're on our way back." He turned to Sylvan with a smile.

"Okay, let's go."

[z-Silvestru]

Sylvan nodded and led the way out the door; as they walked past Dallas, Martin heard him mutter, "You kids have fun now." The implication made him flush, but Sylvan didn't appear to have heard him, thankfully. Martin guided her outside into the early morning sunlight, feeling her presence almost like a physical force. Still, he kept a sharp eye out for an ambush as they walked, ready for anything.

“How’d you get those anyway?” Sylvan asked. “The bow and sword? I’ve been dying to know.”

“I took the bow from Artemis after killing her,” Martin said, “and found Grasscutter in the armory.” He wondered if maybe he should have embellished that somehow, impressed her more.

“I wished you’d killed Hercules,” Sylvan said softly. “Oh well, I guess I still get to kill him myself.”

“You were there?” Martin asked. “In Olympus?” He sneered the name.

She nodded. “Yeah,” she said, her voice tight. “He raped my mom, a lot. Oh, she said it was okay, that she didn’t mind, but I knew she did. She did it so he wouldn’t mess with me.” She paused and Martin started to ask if her mom had left, too, when she saved him the effort. “He hurt her really bad, inside, the last time. I dunno what he did, but they wouldn’t fix it and she wouldn’t stop bleeding. When she died, he went after me but I knew he was coming and I didn’t wash all week after running laps around the cave. I smelled so awful that no one would get near me. I think he figured it was too much effort to get someone to wash me when there were women throwing themselves at him.” She drew a shuddering breath. “That was before I was able to shift forms. I slipped away from them while we were on a supply run, outside. They almost caught me, but I’d gotten sick and I shifted then. I was able to hide as a cat until they gave up.”

As she’d talked, she’d guided him toward a shed a couple of blocks away from their hideout. Now she walked up to the padlocked door of the shed and put two fingers in knotholes in the door. With an effort, she lifted the door off its hinges and leaned it against the building. The girl gave him a smile, the smile of shared secrets and slipped inside. Martin followed her, watching as she shifted junk and old bags of potting soil aside. There was a bag hidden in the mound of plastic-sealed soil. Sylvan pulled it out and turned to him. “Can you turn around again? I’m going to change.”

“I can wait outside,” Martin offered.

“Okay, though I don’t care. I know you aren’t going to peek,” she told him. “Besides, I can tell you about Home.”

Martin turned around, listening to her get naked again. “Home? Your place in Denver?”

“Yep! We took over the Denver Museum of Nature and Science,” Sylvan said, smiling. “We live on the third floor. It has water nearby and is easy to secure. Plus all the exhibits are cool. It was sad about the lizards and reptiles – they had a big exhibit there and some of the animals died. Some got out. We still find them occasionally though I went through as a mongoose and found most of them. I didn’t kill them out of hand, but some of them couldn’t survive on their own and we couldn’t care for them.”

“How many people do you have?” Martin asked, trying to adjust to the idea of more people. “And empowered people?”

“There’s just me and Calvin,” Sylvan answered, her voice muffling for a moment. There was the sound of velco ripping loose and being reset. “I shapeshift; he’s our tough. So I’m the scout and spy and he’s the one who pounds things,” she explained. Her voice warmed a bit as she said, “You’ll like him. He’s awesome. Always there when you need him, like a rock. Okay, I need some help.”

“What?” Martin asked, stiffening a little at the request.

“I can’t reach my bow,” she said and he glanced over his shoulder to see that she’d changed into dark brown leathers, all handstitched together with thongs rather than thread. A quiver was leaning against the bags, too, arrows sticking out of it. A rifle was also propped against the bags; apparently Sylvan liked big weapons with range. She was pointing up, to the rafters of the shed over their heads. He could just see the end of a bow, barely visible among several boards and a couple of old fishing poles. “Can you lift me up?”

[Einherjar]

"Sure." Martin said, even as his hindbrain gibbered in glee and nervousness. He approached, trying to figure out the least overtone-laden place to, well, grab hold. So to speak. The leathers weren't skin tight, but were close-fitting enough that Sylvan was far from shapeless in them. "Calvin sounds cool." he said, trying to distract himself. "We just got our second empowered person, so... Oh, yeah. You know that." Sylvan was smiling up at him and Martin quit babbling, linking his hands together and crouching slightly so as to give her a boost. She didn't weigh much... though he'd gotten stronger too, so maybe that was it. Regardless, the petite girl rose up easily, her foot cradled in his hands as she fished in the rafters for her bow. He heard the scrape of wood and resisted the urge to look up, aware of her hip's nearness to his face.

"Got it!" she said cheerily, and Martin bent to set her down gently, feeling her her hand grasping his shoulder to steady herself as she stepped down onto the floor. On reflex as she stepped down, he grabbed her waist to prevent any stumbling on either of their part, and as he straightened up he was looking at sparkling green eyes. Whoa! He froze for a moment, but she didn't seem to mind, staring back at him as he felt his face grow hot once more. He remembered himself after a couple of seconds and let his hands drop.

"Sorry." he mumbled. "Didn't want you to stumble." It felt like a lame excuse, even though he knew it was true... well, the bit about his intent was anyway. He wasn't sorry... as long as she wasn't offended.

[z-Silvestru]

“Um,” she murmured, and her face was red, too. “It’s alright. Um, thanks. I mean, for not letting me fall. I… thanks.” Clearing her throat, she gathered up all of her gear, settling it on her body with the ease of long practice. Then she eased back outside and pulled the radio off the belt-clip.

“Outpost, this is Sylvan. Come in,” she said as she keyed the mike.

“Sylvan, good to hear your voice,” the radio said after a moment. It was a man’s voice speaking. “You clear?”

“Better than that,” she replied, giving Martin a smile. “They’re friendlies. I’m speaking with one right now. I offered to join up, pending everyone’s okay.”

There was a bit of silence. “You sure, Chloe?”

Her eyes closed briefly, but when she spoke, her voice was firm. “I’m sure. They’re escapees from the big-O and I’m sure they’re not gonna be turncoats. They want to have a meeting to discuss it on their end, if they’re interested and I thought Outpost should come in and check them out. I mean the final decision lies with Home, but we can do a preliminary assessment, right?”

“Sure. I wanna meet these guys anyway,” the voice replied.

“Roger Outpost. They’re still where they were.”

“Roger. Tell ‘em we’ll be armed for super.”

Sylvan looked at Martin as she said, “Got it. Sylvan out.” When nothing else was said, Sylvan told him, “Like I said, we’ve been burned before. Will you allow them to be armed in the meeting?”

[Dawn OOC]

When Ali had finished his shower, he found clean clothing in the next room. After he'd donned that and went downstairs, he found that he wasn't the only cause for excitement; they'd made contact with another group. "-so pretty, and did you see Martin?" Fiona was whispering to Pammy. "I hope she stays - it'll be good for him to have someone his age around."

"What's going on?" Ali asked, smiling a little.

"There's another group that we might be able to link up with," Pammy said, smiling. "I mean... they were spying on us-"

"I don't think we should look at it like that." Fiona's smile was a little tight as she said, "I'm sure they have good reason for her coming to us as a cat, first."

"I guess, but its still a little unnerving," Pammy admitted. "I mean, we still would have treated her nicely if she'd just trusted us."

[Ali Badren]

"Oh." Ali said as he began connecting the dots in his head. Much easier now since his recovery, he was starting to find. "So that sweet kitty, eh? Look out, Martin." This comment provoked a round of chuckles before Ali went on in response to Pammy. "Well, to be fair, there is a probable reason for them not trusting us and doing all this."

"Why?" The older and shorter woman bluntly asked.

"I think," Ali proposed with a serious look, "that they trusted once and got burned for it. And thus they want to be safe than sorry."

[Einherjar]

Sylvan looked at Martin as she said, “Got it. Sylvan out.” When nothing else was said, Sylvan told him, “Like I said, we’ve been burned before. Will you allow them to be armed in the meeting?”

"As long as we can be, too." Martin replied with a shrug and a smile. "It'll give everyone a reason to be polite."

"It will." The two teens laughed quietly, then fell silent for a comfortable moment before Sylvan nodded towards the door. "So..."

"Oh. Yeah." Martin made for the door, ducking out and looking around and up, scanning the sky on reflex. He waited until Sylvan - Chloe... Pretty name he thought absently - had closed up her hidey-hole behind him and then the two of them headed back to the hotel. Martin kept his mind on the upcoming meeting, trying not to think about the possibility that Sylvan was an Olympian spy... and darkly amused that she might think the same of him. He cast a glance her way as they moved through the alleys only to find her green eyes watching him, a fact that caused both of them to smile and look in different directions. In a short time they were back at the hotel. Ali was up and in the kitchen, eating, and the other refugees were clustered in the dining area adjoining, some looking through the service hatch, others just milling about expectantly.

"Ali. Good to see you're up." Martin told the older man as he came into the kitchen, Sylvan in tow. He looked at all the faces and raised his voice a fraction, though it was scarcely needed. As soon as he began to speak, the Tartarus escapees fell silent. "We're about to have visitors. They'll be armed, and so will we, but this is a peaceful meeting. We'll set it up in the dining area." He pointed. "One of them is like Ali, Sylvan and me, and they are not Olympians to the best of my knowledge. They have similar doubts about us, which is fair and reasonable." He looked around, meeting people's eyes. "I'm inclined to trust them, just as Sylvan is inclined to trust us. So we're going to sit down and pow-wow this out. If it works we'll be going somewhere safe, with others who want to keep the Olympians away. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Great." Phobos stated with a smile. "Let's get ready to receive our guests. Ali?" he caught the doctor's attention as the meeting broke up, people hustling to make ready. "How're you feeling?"

[Ali Badren]

Ali smiled lightly back at the younger leader. "Feeling much better." And he was, rather revitalized in complete contrast to his earlier sickbed appearance. "I'm feeling a lot more peppy of all things." Then he got a little more serious onto business. "The funny thing, is danger number three could happen for all we know. Olympians sweeping down on the meeting- do you think they put in the effort to follow us?"

It was a mite paranoid, but that seemed par for the mindset of both groups right now.

[Dawn OOC]

"I think they would have let us know that by now, if they were going to doing it," Dallas said. "They sure weren't shy about jumping us in the bus." Everyone fell silent for a moment as they remembered the savage attack on the bus that had cost them one of their own. Dallas broke the silence by saying to Sylvan, "Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Dallas, and I have gotta say - you are young enough to make me feel like a dirty old man." As Martin gave him a hard stare, he said, "Running around as a cat will cause some awkward, given that I've scratched your ears."

Sylvan turned bright red but gamely replied, "Well, at least I didn't go as a dog. Think how much more awkward that would have been."

Dallas laughed and nodded. "You're right about that, girl. Still good to meet you in your real skin."

"Thank you," Sylvan replied, taking the offered hand.

After that, there was a period of preparation; setting up seats and preparing a bit of refreshment. The latter was at Joan's instance; she thought that having something to eat and drink might make people more comfortable. Martin insisted that food be rationed, so in the end, they used pre-wrapped granola bars and bottled water. He could tell that his mother wanted to do more but he pointed out that the gesture would count for quite a bit.

Their guests knocked on the front door; then six men were shown into the room. All of them were rough-looking, with full beards and shaggy heads. When Sylvan went to stand with them, she looked like the flower among the weeds. “Guys, these are the current members of our Outpost,” Sylvan said, “Ozzie, Doug, Frank, Jerrod, Steve, and Lawrence.” Each man nodded in turn.

“I’m gonna come out and say it,” Steve said when introductions had been made. “Sylvan says you’re good, but how do we know you’re good? You might have tricked or deceived her.”

[Einherjar]

"And she might have tricked me." Martin returned levelly. "Every one of us, every one, has suffered at the hands of the Olympians, and suffered badly. Our trusting you was no easier than you trusting us." He gestured at the six men and Sylvan, then at his own band. "Look at us, compared to you. We're men, women and children, sick and traumatised and injured." He kept his expression calm, but there was some force in his voice. "Do we look like a warband, or a capture party? You want to talk to anyone here, get the story, cross examine us? It's simple - we were toys for arrogant gods and they treated us like toys. Or worse than toys. We escaped, stole their weapons," he pointed at Grasscutter and the silver bow laying on the table, " and used those weapons to kill some of them. Artemis is dead, so is Bast, and some black-skinned creature that attacked us on the road. Want to see our driver's injuries? You can."

He gestured again, taking in the whole room. "These people have put everything on the line for a chance to live free or die trying. They deserve your trust, if you're enemies of the Olympians." Nods from the Tartarans accompanied Phobos's words. "If you have some test in mind, name it. If you want a show of good faith, tell me what it is. My own mother is with us - I'd walk through hell to get her to safety, and all the rest of them too. But don't ask questions like 'how do I know I can trust you?'. You can't. We can't. Trust is earned and built, not given wholesale. We, both sides, are showing plenty of trust just being here, meeting face to face."

[Dawn OOC]

“A show of good faith?” The men looked at one another, then Doug said, “The wolf.”

“No.” Sylvan’s reply was immediate and strongly stated. “No, guys. Not the wolf.”

Martin’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the wolf?”

“It’s a monster,” Sylvan replied, her green eyes worried. “A powerful monster that lives in the area. No one’s been able to kill it yet. It nearly killed Calvin and has shrugged off my arrows.”

“We just avoid it now,” Steve added. “It’s not Olympian. As far as we know, it’s some kind of super-zombie. It stalks around killing and eating. Its range is pretty large, which is the only way we can keep away from it. If you’d help us with that, it would go a long way toward showing that you’re not just talking out your ass.”

“No, it’s too dangerous!” Sylvan was clearly upset.

“And there’s two supers here, with you and him, and the rest of us. He’s got Olympian weapons. If we put in a call to home, we can get Cal out here, and that’s three. It’s the best shot we’ve ever had to get this fucker.”

[Ali Badren]

"Four." Ali said suddenly, causing Sylvan to look worried at him even more. "You just recovered from the bite!" She protested, looking resistant still. "We don't even know what you can do." He stared at her quietly, surprised at himself for speaking out of turn here, but since he had done it, time to carry his part. "I can still help, Sylvan. If that's Martin's call."

A quiet look to the young man who had taken charge, but Ali's expression was readable out of familiarity. We can do this.

[Dawn OOC]

"Even better." Steve was firm as he faced Sylvan. "Look, I know it nearly killed you last time, but that thing is a menace to us. We need to get rid of it so we can expand our war on Olympius."

"Our war is a joke!" Sylvan's vehemence was a bit surprising to the escapees. "We can't stage a direct fight against them, not with the firepower they have." Steve quirked an eyebrow; not in surprise but in reproof, and Sylvan flushed. "I know that we have to fight them. I know that someday, we'll beat them. But we have a long way to go to be done."

"Agreed, and the Wolf is the first step to that." Steve didn't appear to be giving up his stance.

"Then we'll help." Martin's declaration sealed the deal, and he stepped forward with his hand extended. "We'll do it together."

"Yes." Steve agreed, taking the hand and shaking it. "We'll need a couple of days to get Calvin here and then we have to find it." He looked at Sylvan.

"Yes, fine. I'll track it down." Sylvan looked annoyed. "I'll start looking now. It's territory is huge."

Steve clapped her on the shoulder. "Two days, minimum, then. We'll be back when Calvin gets here."

"Sounds good." Martin nodded.