The First Age

She looked terrible.

Covered in rat blood and bright red claw trails across his neck probably didn't look the best either.

The impromptu bartender made no effort to hide the fact that he studied her closely. She walked without a limp. Her hands were in full use, even if she rubbed sore wrists. She didn't act dizzy or light headed. Probably had a killer headache, though. Jay felt her on that one. He didn't hide his frown either, but if she said she was fine, there was no point in pressing it.

If Vanders was offering healing, Jay wouldn't say no. "Anything you can do about this?"
he waved in the general direction of his neck. "One of those zombie rat things scratched the hell out of me."


Meanwhile, his eyes flicked to Soren, even as the sweep of his gaze made sure the room was indeed empty. He downed a second shot greedily, welcoming the burn on his throat and shiver down his spine, when Natalie offered up a name.

"No. But doesn't mean its meaningless."
He pulled out his Wallet, blessedly connected to a signal again. They were technically still underground, but this was more like a basement level than a subterannean city.

Alistair Pavlo, he searched while the others talked. The shots made easy work to skim any and all hits it made. Also made the results of the search a bit more interesting. He read aloud,
"A leading scientist for VaiaPlus was reported missing late Friday evening by his girlfriend,Lada Yurieva. Pavlo was one of the lead researchers appointed by Dr. Flynn, head of the Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases department of the World Health Organization, to research The Sickness. VaiaPlus has a reward for any tips that lead to their scientists whereabouts and a larger one for the recovery of his person - dead or alive."


That dead or alive bit was interesting. Guy must have fucked up something serious for VaiaPlus if he skipped out on them, and the very same organization wanted him back at any cost. Powerful people were mentioned in that same article. Powerful, rich people.

Jay turned the screen so Natalie could see the picture. "That him?"

Jared didn't drink the offered shot, instead offering it to Jay who looked like he needed it more. Natalie desired no healing, so Jared didn't give it. It always felt wrong to use his healing on others if they didn't want it.

Jay, however, was eager to accept healing, and Jared complied, weaving his powers together into a healing spell. Randomly, Jared wondered what it felt like. He couldn't heal himself so had never been party to it.

Jared just listened as she explained what had happened. Like Jay, he had never heard of Alistair Pavlo, although it brought to memory an old video game he had once played. As Jay described it, Jared leaned against the wall putting thoughts together.

"Sounds like,"
Jared said, not standing to look at the picture. "We have a Dr. Frankenstein to deal with."


The seriousness of his tone said that he wasn't joking. Those creatures as well as the zombieman just seemed like an experiment gone wrong.

Zombie rat creatures had scratched up his neck and he didn't think to mention it sooner? He raked her body for injury despite her assurances that she was fine, but did so under the hardness of her own glare - a dare to contradict her. She was far from fragile. He should have said he was hurt; it was fortunate Jared was here, and the prompt manner in which he tended the wound lessened some of the lingering concern at what might fester in it. The thought of what Alistair Pavlo had been doing made her skin crawl.

She cast her eye over the image Jay held up, nodded, and looked away. The dried blood bothered her. And the dust itching her skin. Both easier grievances to think on than what her stupidity had allowed. Or what would happen when she stepped back into reality. What time was it? She'd clearly missed her appointment at the prison if Alvis was here, and if it was that late into the next day her mother would have completed the registration paperwork by now. Enough time to settle in first, that had been the deal. And the longer Natalie stayed off the radar the more chance Eleanor would find it necessary to intervene. Except she had no desire to return to her apartment or any of the responsibilities awaiting her, and every desire to claw at least some control over her own life.

"Don't do anything stupid."
It was Jared who suggested it, but Natalie's pale gaze was on Jay when she spoke, like he was kindling that might catch. He'd only just discovered what he was; what he could do. And he was knocking back those shots like a buffer. 'So where's the guy I'm going to kill next?' Jay had already been punished once for dereliction, though that wasn't her sole concern. What might Danjou do when he discovered he had two channelers in his arsenal? Or might be forced to do. Jared must know now, and perhaps would feel compelled to honesty, but Jay really ought to consider keeping quiet. And not doing anything to bring attention to himself.

Jared approached and now that Jay paid attention, he figured out the moment the Legionnaire wielded the magic. It was like he was suddenly two inches tall and the shadow of a mountain fell across his world. Then a great wave of heat followed. For the few seconds it lasted, he couldn't breathe, his skin flushed red, and sweat washed over his body. Always a pleasant experience, but it passed soon enough, and yet again, turned out to be worth it. The burning on his neck faded, and he gave his shoulder a few movement tests. Unpleasant, but worth it.

She verified that Pavlo was the guy, and Jay looked at his image a few moments more. He had a sniveling, creepy look about him that made Jay wonder how many women he attacked in the past. A glance at the ruined tunnel told him there was no way to get back to his lair, at least not from this direction. There had to be another way. The guy was alive. He clearly had some kind of operation that rankled all kinds of Jay's counterintelligence whistles. It wouldn't take much thought, barely any planning, but a day or two of information gathering and he could bring down the entire lair with Pavlo inside it. Nox's underground map system was going to assist, of course. Then there were some engineering questions to solve. Would destruction of the lair endanger the buildings at the surface? The dust from the damaged tunnel still flaked in his hair. He could taste it in his throat. Luckily, two shots washed most of that on down.

"I don't plan on doing anything stupid,"
he replied rather calmly. To this day, he didn't regret putting down El Tiburon, even if it cost him his career in the marines. Impulsive maybe. Overreacted, a tad, but definitely not stupid. Killing that evil nombre had been a very, very good idea. Just like killing Pavlo. What would the police do with a channeler anyway? A question for another time.

For now, they needed to get to the surface. Natalie could use a shower and probably a handful of pain pills. Jay wouldn't turn down the former, himself. "Let's get out of here."
He eyed the bar one last time, but decided against a third shot. Instead, he left some money behind. The place was a hole, but stealing liquor wasn't the sort of thing that he liked to do.

Jared was likely to be the most tired of them all. He was probably drained, given he worked the majority of the magic down there. After his healing, Jay was feeling rather spritely, and he led the way out. He took the stairs at a good pace, but carefully, just in case. He still had his firearm, but it was secured out of sight. Openly carrying on the Moscow city streets wasn't his idea of a good idea.


Continued at - Spilled drinks


Edited by Jay Carpenter, Jan 10 2018, 04:38 PM.