There were lots of things going on in Sage's head. Lots of processes he was following just for the day. And he was slightly distracted by the fact that Nox had a baby strapped to his chest. It seemed perfectly normal to Nox. He acted like it was, but that child was an aberration. Though Nox dotted on it like it was his own. Sage had done all the paperwork and officially the kid was his, so were all the refugees from the Blackthorn mansion. All the paperwork would be completed by the time they landed the other side of the ocean.
They had another man joining them and Sage was waiting to ID the man, he hadn't even been given a name, only to book his flight under an alias. Sage could have let the CCD fly them in, but it looked better being totally under Nox's dime. Though Nox didn't know he'd paid for it, he barely understood the money he had in his bank account -- or rather the one Sage had set up for him. Nox could fund himself a little army if he wanted to. That was the benefits of letting Sage use his name as a holding, he got a percentage, even if he didn't know it. Aurora would want Sage to look after her little brother, and that's what he did.
When the strange number came in Sage was already tracing it and Nox knew that he would. It wouldn't take long to know how they'd gotten the number. And who it was on the other end.
Connor tried to relax, remembering Nox from the restaurant, remembering the guy who tried to protect him and Ayden from his Atharim cohorts.
It wasn't like he had memorized every part of their interaction. Yeah, he had a good memory. But a lot had happened for one single evening to be more than a blur. But he retained enough.
The thing was tryjng to be believable. But what was the question? Was he concerned? Yeah. Did he remember Nox with, maybe not fondness. But certainly with some sense of concern. So yeah. And did he just want to talk?
Very much yes.
So he relaxed as the wallet rang. And then. "Hello? Is this Nox? This is Connor Kent. We ran into each other back in Moscow. More like we decided to crash your meal. But you did me - did US a favor. I'd like to return it. Do you have a moment to talk?"
Lily was asleep so Nox spoke softly once he heard the voice on the otherside. He was supposed to bed dead. Why was he reaching out? Nox hadn't beleived they were dead, Ayden was good at her job, but why was he reaching out.
Nox bounced Lily softly as he paced back and forth. He reached into the slime of the horde and grasped the power on the otherside. He wondered if it was getting worse or if he was just repulsed by it more and more. Probably a little bit of both. The more he accepted it the more he hated himself for it. He wove a bubble of silence around his body and spoke at a normal voice but to the world he was just mouthing along to something on his earbuds. And Lily was none the wiser to his conversation. Sage was the only person who knew, and that's because he was always listening in. Nox never doubted it. And from the way Sage sat up right he knew and he was already tracing and tracking and doing all the things he did. Connor should have stayed dead.
"This is Nox. And I remember you. You don't owe me anything, I'm just doing my job. You are supposed to be dead. Why are you reaching out to me? To an Atharim you barely know, and I know for she doesn't trust me, not even a little bit."
Connor sighed. Ok, this was gonna be a bit tough. He'd have to think fast. For some reason, it reminded him of the older guy he ran into in that antique bookstore in Moscow. There was a sense of menace to him and despite the innocent situation and Connor had had to lie his ass off for all he was worth.
It wasn't amy sense of menace he got from Nox. But the situation was delicate all the same. He'd had some vague ideas of what to say, but, as they say, the best laid plans go up in smoke after the first shot is fired.
He looked at Ayden. His wife. Carrying his child. This wasn't about his life. This was aboilut his family. Which meant he had to dance.
He laughed, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I wouldn't say taking my wife off the Ath- their radar was nothing. So I do owe you."
He paused. This was all completely true, even of being said to manipulate. "And, well...I've seen videos of you online. I watched a bunch of them, honestly. A bunch of times. And then I just got to thinking about it- what it must be like with this power and the attention and the fighting- and, for some reason I just got kinda worried about you. I know you can take care of yourself. I know that. He didn't say thay Nox reminded him of his son.
But of he had to put words to it, that was it. And Connor would have done anything to help Hayden. Anything.
"Anyway, doing what I do and knowing the people I know, I tracked you down. It.was just gonna be a call to say hey. But here you are back in the States. And, well, I just figured maybe you could use help- or at least a friend.
He looked at Ayden and smiled. Don't mind my wife. She doesn't bite. Not too hard anyway. Still, if you are worried about her, I can keep her out of this. Not a secret; we don't do that. But not involved."
Nox listened to the dead man speak. Sage was busy, sitting forward on the edge of the bed but not paying any attention to Nox himself. He was off in the ones and zeros and still heard every word of their conversation.
"A bunch of times, huh?" Nox smirked. Normally when someone says they've watched him a bunch of times there is a want of a favor that follows it up. Usually from some fan girl who "saw" his videos and wants to hang out. Since Oriena had offered he'd told most of them not tonight, he usually had other plans. And well he was pretty sure that's not what Connor met -- he was obviously married. Which was news to him. Not that it mattered the guy was cool enough, even if his girlfriend, sorry wife was his so-called mark, he hadn't taken her off the radar, just said he'd take the case. And obviously Connor didn't know Nox wasn't exactly Atharim loved at the moment. Though he was once again working for them.
Connor was thinking like a dad. Something Nox was starting to get a feel for. He didn't need a friend, and he surely didn't need any help. But there was one thing bothering him. "How did you know I was in the States?" That wasn't common knowledge, and well he hadn't even been on the ground long enough for anyone without hacker in their back pocket to know that he was even here. So how does some friend of Aria's know he's here. There had to be a catch. What did he want.
The kid didn't say a lot, so it wasn't like he had much to go on. But he definitely sounded harder. More jaded. Sharp. And a bit of suspicion.
Well, Connor couldn't blame him. Honestly. Being known for stuff made people come out of the woodwork, looking for favors. He'd be thinking Connor was another one like that. Frankly, he felt pretty shitty about all this. Of course, this was about protecting his family. He'd do what he had to. But he didn't have to feel good about it.
His voice softened. "Gah, I'm sorry man. I'm sure you're tired of people wanting something from you." He shook his head as if he was speaking to Nox directly "Humans are shitty like that.". He aware that Ayden was watching him. He gave her tight smile and raised an eyebrow. "As for where you were, well, I had a buddy from college who works in the NSA look you up." He grunted, knowing how that sounded. "Track you down, rather." He paused, looking at Ayden, knowing it was a calculated risk. But he needed to allay his fears. "I'm sorry I bothered you. I just maybe thought you could use a friend. Like I said, what you did took the heat off my wife. Especially after what happened to my son. Those people were not going to let her go." His voice clipped a bit. No, he wasn't acting. He really did appreciate it. Gave them breathing room.
Which was now taken away. Anger spiked and he tamped it down. He knew who the real enemy was and it wasn't Nox. "That's not something I take lightly. As I said, I owe you a debt. I do. So if you want to get together or talk, I'm there. But if not, I totally get it. Truly. And I won't bother you again."
Hopefully, Nox didn't go the latter route. Because frankly, Connor wasn't sure how they should respond. He just wanted to do the right thing. And to keep his family safe. There had to be a way to do both.
[[ooc: Normally Nox would say uh, yeah sorry, not interested but in order to facilitate the thread, Nox agrees to find away to meet up lol ]]
Nox listened. The NSA huh? Sage was already looking at him with a concerned face. But then again, it wouldn't be hard with NSA clearance to follow his ID around the world. It's what else this guy might have uncovered. That was the concerning part. Nox wished he had Sage's ability to text and talk at the same time, but he just didn't have that going for him. Thankfully Lily started crying and Nox put the phone on speaker as he picked her up to console her. She was hungry.
Sage handed Nox a premade bottle and he heated it with a weave of air and fire and held it for her with another, he didn't exactly have two working hands at the moment. "You are on speaker now. Sage is in the room." Nox wasn't sure if he knew who Sage was, didn't really care if he did or not.
"I could eat. I'm in Alexandria."
Sage grinned. "I know a good Pizza place not far from here." This was Sage's home town, he'd made the arrangements. Not that Nox particularly liked pizza which was why Sage was grinning like mad man. It had been a long time since they'd had a good pizza. Too bad they weren't in Chicago or New York.
Nox gave Sage a dirty look before he continued. "I'm not here long, only for a few days. Then I have to get home. I got shit building up there that needs taking care of. Just got a job to do then I'm not coming back this way. And we are on a timetable."
Connor felt a sigh of relief and some of the tension he had been holding in his gut dissipated. He shot Ayden a tight smile, but kept his voice neutral. "Ok. I can be there tomorrow. Shoot me the address and time." By flight, it was only 4 hours to Virginia, assuming there was one today. He was sure Ayden was already on it, making arrangements. Albuquerque, Grand Junction or Colorado Springs were the nearest hubs and all about 3 hours away. Unless those assholes who had blown up their lives could get them a helicopter to those airports.
He wasn't sure he liked that option. He didn't like being forced. And telling them too much would tie them to a course of action- would restrict their options. Giving details gave people time to interfere.
His packing, as usual, took 20 minutes. Ayden's....well, she had a lot of equipment to go over. Despite not being a gun enthusiast himself, he did appreciate tools and a craftsman. And Ayden was that. Her guns had been broken down and looked clean. But she took the time to inspect each part, make sure it was clean, that everything worked as expected. Maybe he would ask her to give him training.
They landed in Alexandria at 7am the next day. He wasn't a fan of the east coast. Way too hot and humid. But being on the Atlantic seaboard took away a lot of that. And he DID like the smell of the salt water. Reminded him of his childhood, going to Horatio's restaurant with his mom and dad. Named after a fictional British Royal Officer from the 1800s, the restaurant felt like a ship of the era, with all the authentic- to his mind, anyway- nautical theming. With almost zero exception, he detested sea food. But the one exception had been the clam chowder they served.
That led him into a deep fascination with old style sailing, the feel of New England, sailors, and all the rest. He'd picked up Moby Dick again, years after slogging his way through it in High School, and found himself laughing at the humor and enjoying the story in a way he hadn't as a teenager.
All of which to say was, well, if this hadn't been a seriously fucked up situation, this might be a fun place to explore. He was not foolish enough to imagine that that would this trip. He doubted things were going to go well. Or rather, just expected the worst. That was sort of his motto. Expect the worst and all surprises are good surprises.
They found a hotel and got check in. Sitting on the bed now, looking at Ayden, he felt nervousness gambol about in his gut like a pack of elephants. He shoved it down. He had to focus. "How do you feel about all this? Did you find a spot for....you know?" He trailed off. Focus.
Nox let Sage send a time and place. He would know better how things would work out. It was a pizza joint Sage said, 'they serve pasta too' as if that was something Nox longed to eat. Nox hadn't had a boat load of carbs since the fucking horde. He was lucky to put away a salad in all the rare meat the fucking horde made him crave. Sage just grinned at him.
"Sorry no steak. I want pizza."
Sage had made three separate reservations. One for Nox and Connor, and one for himself, and one for their friend if he wanted to join. They didn't want to be seen together. And they would be on the clock. It wasn't a casual thing. The pizza place was across the street from one of the places they were watching. There were a few across the town all that could be possible targets for their two assassins to take sniper shots at.
Sage would be tech hub and have all cameras and flying some discrete drones around. No one was going anywhere without us knowing about it.
They would set up shop and Nox would leave if they sighted their guys. But for now it was time to wait and eat... it was always fucking time to eat, fucking horde! None of the other things were on the docket for now.
[[
Round and Round we Go ← Nox continues here. I'll start another thread to combine all the things. ]]
Ayden listened to the coversation the best she could. She didn't much like the kid, or the fact that this was going down. He was in Alexandria, too close to DC. He was on the clock, only in town a few days. She didn't like the sounds of any of it. He was certainly here for something nefarious and she intended to make sure Connor didn't get hurt in all this.
She didn't like that they chose the location, though it was a perfect spot for snipers in nearly all directions. She didn't like it at all. But there was nothing in the kids records that said he was a sniper, he killed with the power. So what the fuck was that about?
And who was this fucking Sage he had on speaker? and why was he so cavalier about it all? But nothing turned up when she tried to search for Sage and Nox in any database she could wrangler her way into.
"I don't really like any of this. I should just shoot him in the head and save us all the trouble. Nothing about your conversation with him saved him from that shot. I will have him covered. I don't like you going in to talk to him at all." She didn't like this one bit.