Promises, Promises

[Jaxen Marveet]

"What do you mean they aren't atharim any more? Can you just unjoin the secret cult society that likes to kill people for no good reason any time you want? Doesn't sound right."


What he was going to do with this information was another story. This Dorian guy was a cop and a mole? Now that was interesting. The atharim really had their hands everywhere. Did it spread through the government? Did the precious ascendancy use them himself? He called them terrorists and traitors, but maybe there was more to the story.

"Did the atharim really try to nuke the Red Square?"
He glanced at Nox to gauge his reaction. So far the guy was forthcoming, but one never knew when touchy subjects came up.

They pulled up to the house and Jaxen sat a little straighter in his seat. Threads of power were thrown everywhere. Hungry eyes drank it all in. Ideas triggered. Good thing that cop had friends in powerful places.

[Nox]

Nox shrugged at the question before he opened the door into the cooling air outside. "You don't just leave. You are always one of them, but they can strip you of rank and connection leaving you to be hunted like the monsters we hunt."
Nox stepped out of the car and stretched his long legs. The wound hurt like a mother fucker, but he carefully stretched it out. "Dorian refused to kill his own son for being a god. He's a traitor now. Almost as bad as being a god yourself."
Nox said with finality in his voice. There wasn't much more on that.

One of the spirit trigger wires was faltering, Nox wondered when Cruz had been out here last to redo the weaves. If one was failing, the others might be too. Nox grabbed the power and wrestled it to his hand. It felt good to do so unbidden having been cooped up without his power had been worse than death. The pain in his leg ebbed to the outside and there was nothing but him and the power and his new found friend. Nox started reworking the weaves where needed and reinforcing those that hadn't decayed too much.

That last question caught him off guard, he turned and looked at Jaxen with a frown. "You don't believe the Atharim did that?"
It wasn't common knowledge but Nox smirked to confirm that they had. "It wasn't a nuke. That was just the cover story because of the burns the Ascendancy received. The Atharim did go in to try and kill Apollyon - their name for the Ascendancy - The destroyer of worlds, a prophecy born. That weapon."
Nox pulled out the weapon he had in the pouch of his hoodie. "This weapon, or one like it was what caused the damage. The Atharim we to be led into a trap laid by Ascendancy, but Aria didn't know the Atharim's plan to use these weapons or an ijiraq - a monster that apparently feeds on our power. There was loss on both sides, though mostly Ascendancy was near dead. I don't know how he miraculously healed I assumed he has a man or woman that can heal with their power."
Nox missed his sister in that moment. He diverted his attention to the weaves outside. "Thank you for your help. I don't know what information I have that will help you but I'll give you whatever I have."
It was hardly a payment... saving his life and he repays him with information.


Edited by Nox, Apr 10 2018, 05:56 AM.

[Jaxen Marveet]

Jaxen was near giddy. It was entirely possible Nox was full of shit, but he was willing to bet that wasn't the case. So much, he barely knew where to start. Nuke, Apollyon, Ijiraq, healers, prophecy.... Traps. It was all he could do to not twiddle his fingers with glee.

Thankfully, Nox was distracted with all these glorious traps to be laid anew. Useful stuff to be sure. Jax strolled up to Nox, scanning all that he had done. In that moment, he seized hold of the Ancient Power himself, but less than half of what he knew he could handle. A sly smirk touched his lips. Let's just see what this does.

Tentacles of silvery spirit snaked from the power, cutting through the trips and wires and nets dangling across the lawn. He strolled forward a few paces, sweeping the blades like a mower spinning across tall grass.

[Nox]

Nox felt the menacing presence and then the first line snapped, and then another. There was little time to do much of anything. Nox couldn't shout a warning before the first one let loose. The flash was bright in the waning light, the sound deafening. And then the next and next went off as the lines were tripped. The delay was too long, Nox noted but not long enough to do anything.

Nox threw air up in the general vicinity of Jaxen. There was little else he could do to protect him from the concussive force of the barrage of sound. He hoped Jaxen closed his eyes. Nox turned and huddled against his own body and the car. But it would do little for his own ears as it was that loud.

He knew that Dorian and Cruz would likely be outside by now. Ana and Christian too. Nox wondered if Sage or Elyse were home yet - if Elyse ever came back - he'd fucked that one up big time.

[Jaxen Marveet]

He didn't make it far.

A thunder rang in his ears. He spun, hands thrown up on instinct. The roars pounded. He fell to his knees and threw his hands over his head. He couldn't hear his own screams through the noise.

He didn't know how long it lasted. But when he braved opening his eyes, lights dot his vision for a few moments. His head rang with pain, and when he pushed to stand up, his balance wavered.

He blinked away the specks filling the horizon only to find himself staring down the barrel of gun.

Apology curled his eyebrows high as he slowly lifted his hands. Others watched, but Jaxen only had eyes for the man with the gun. But his head rang too violently. The power wasn't going to help him now.

"Uhh? So that's what that does."

[Nox]

Nox didn't know when the sounds stopped. But he could tell the lights had stopped and one meant the other. Nox turned to see Christian with the barrel of one of the guns from the armory pointed at Jaxen. Nox didn't move. "He's with me Christian."
Nox tried to stand but his balance was off and instead he sat down. "You know there are easier ways to figure things out. You know - like asking."
Nox shouted to hear himself speak.

"There is a three second delay between tripping the spirit and the detonation, we need to cut that down."


Christian laughed as he lowered the gun. "I'll get right on that."

Nox rolled his eyes. "Jaxen Marveet. The Vega family, my benefactors."
Nox looked around and saw Ana in the door Cruz was behind Christian surveying all the damage to our little project. He hadn't started to do any of the repairs yet. "Where is Dorian? Don't tell me he's at work?"


The look on their faces turned grim but no one explained. Cruz spoke then. "He cut the lines. He can help rebuild it? Please tell me he has to help."

Nox shrugged. "He saved my ass today, don't know that I can make him doing anything Cruz. Maybe if you ask him nicely."
Nox turned his gaze to Jaxen. "You don't have to help. We got this."
Though Nox was aching and his leg hurt, good thing he didn't need to stand to work the power.

[Sage]

It was good to be home. In his own bed. Or Christian's bed as the case was. But still it was his for now. He had the little nook under the stairs. And Nova was with him.

Everyone mostly left Sage alone while he did his thing. Cruz made sure he ate. Nox was out and about but he was tracking him. Dorian had gone missing and Sage was doing everything in his power to help find him. Even the cops didn't know where he was.

Cruz and Ana were beside themselves. Christian was holding everything together. They really needed Nox back.

The basement rattled and shook and Sage was on his feet in moments. Nova already tearing his way up the stairs. The noise had stopped by the time Sage got to the front door. And that's when he recognized the dispatch calling out an address to their location. And there was Nox, sitting on the ground. Of course he'd make that kind of entrance.

He walked over calmly to the man and his new friend. Sage gave the new comer a side long gaze before he looked at Nox. "We got a problem. Dispatch is sending cars this way. Do you want me to redirect them?"
Sage was pretty sure that he didn't need permission, but maybe this was all Nox's plan. Maybe this guy was a threat and Nox had set them off on purpose. Weirder things had happened.

[Jaxen Marveet]

The pounding in his head wasn't as easy to shake off as he'd hoped. Nox seemed to speak quiet as a whisper, but when he did, the gun pointed at his face was lowered. Talk about breathing a sigh of relief.

Before he could get recruited into laying traps again, a kid came running out with a warning that certainly held Jax's attention. A frown overtook his features as he surveyed the area again. Walls three-meters high wouldn't protect them from the hounds of the Red Square. This was the wrong kind of attention. While Jaxen looked forward to chatting with Mister Dark Lord Ascendancy at the ball, he intended on doing so on his terms. Not as a criminal in handcuffs.

He brushed the dust from his hands and retrieved his newly acquired Wallet. "I can take care of this. I'll need a few minutes, though, and a local connection."


As the first screen glowed to life, Jaxen remembered something. He looked pointedly at the kid. "What did you say about redirecting?"

[Sage]

Sage looked at Nox and his friend shrugged like he didn't know. "If he was going to do something bad, he's taking himself with him."
Nox grinned at Sage as he offered Nox his hand.

The connection was easily granted, but then it dawned the other man what Sage had said. And Sage couldn't help but smirk. "I'm already jacked into the police dispatch. I've been looking for someone. I can reroute them or cancel the call."


Sage zoned a little into his head while he listened to the feedback on the dispatch. "But whatever you want me to do we need to do fast. Or we can see what your friend wants to do here. Connection's all yours but I'm watching you."

[Nox]

Nox let Sage help him up. Nox didn't let the warmth of his friends hand mean anything more than what it was intended. But it was a hard notion to push aside. His head still hurt, there was a mild ringing in his ears. At least the spots had cleared.

"Jaxen, I'm going to warn you before you connect to Sage's network. Once you do so, you have gained a permanent fan."
Nox smirked and looked at Sage just as the hacker shoved Nox in the shoulder. Nox grinned at his friend. "You look better than I've seen you in months."


Sage smiled. "I feel better than I have in months."
He tapped his head. "New processors works great."
Sage zoned out a little the light in his eyes faded and his entire demeanor changed when he went inside his head.

Strange and unsettling feelings trickled through his skin and Nox looked away from Sage and back to Jaxen. "Sage, Jaxen. Jaxen, Sage. One of you decide."