Combing the Grid

[Giovanni]

Giovanni stood by, just listening and watching. It had been a long time since he had a conversation with several people for this long. The other man pick up the body and hefted it. While the other man, Jensen, took the head and brought it to them. Giovanni missed the conversation they had, but it was clear Jensen was weak.

Giovanni moved quickly and hoisted Jensen up, pulling the man's arm to his shoulder to assist the injured man. Giovanni carried most of the man's weight, feeling Jensen collapse as he picked him up.

Giovanni looked to the man, "You lead the way. I'll follow"

[Connor Kent]

Connor had stopped talking and it was silent. But Jensen didnt leave. He'd decided to stay, at least for the moment. Connor felt better knoeing he'd not go off and die from his injuries. One thing was taken care of...sort of. Jensen didnt look like he was going to be able to follow too far and Connor's hands were full.

So he was surprised when Giovanni rounded the cornor of the alley, took one look at Jensen, and immediately went to his side and physically supported him with a look of concern and determination. Connor doubted these people were being honest with him. That comraderie or sense of connection between them came from somewhere. But he honestly didnt mind their dissembling. They didnt know him. Clearly their....work...required them to fly underneath the radar. Who'd have thought there was a real live men in black crew out there fighting monsters. He found himself liking these people, even, against all logic, trusting them. What a job they had. But they took care of their own. Giovanni's concern was proof of that.

Initially, when he had gone silent and then didn t follow them, Connor assumed that he had been ready to leave. But it wasnt like that. Connor gave him an approving smile and nod. Good people.

With Jensen taken care of, and Giovanni looking to him for the next step, Connor turned to Aria. She seemed like she was in charge. "All right miss. This is your show. Where do you want me to take this thing. The quicker we get...him disposed of, the sooner we can get help for Jensen.
"


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 24 2014, 12:23 PM.

[Aria]

Aria was slightly miffed that they never listened and they were being chivalrous. She was fully capable of doing this all on her own. Granted the blood smear would have been hard to do something about. But on the bright side, she had two power wielding men who could do a big bit of the tedious labor.

Aria could feel the newcomer, Conner, placing her in a leadership role. That was a first, but then again she was the only who knew what was going on.

Aria pointed to a corner. "That's good enough.
They were far enough from the street to get away with most observation and it was still dark, thought the fire would bring attention she was sure. But in reality she would have to call headquarters and tell them to come clean up the mess. It was procedure. At least it had been beheaded. She'd have to play dumb on this one, like she had with the Rougarou.

Aria reached in her pocket and pulled out an archaic zippo lighter. One of the small melted candles fell from her pocket and she picked it back up and put it back in her pocket. It was nearing time to buy a new one. But this one had done her well since coming to Moscow. She sighed it would have lasted much longer in Vatican City.

"Burning it won't smell nice."
She looked back at the sick man, Jensen she thought she heard his name was. It tugged at her memory too. But then again so much about this night was strange.

Aria tried to start burning the body, but nothing would catch. She sighed, "There isn't enough fuel here.
She looked up at the two men who could channel and she sighed. "You two want to get out of here. I need make a call, and when they get her you don't want to be here."
She looked at Conner. "You probably don't want to be here either. My bosses don't look kindly on your kind, nor on the civilian onlookers. I'd hate to see you three get the raw end of the deal after all this.
Aria waved her hand at this. "You all have been a great help but you need to forget this happened."

[Connor Kent]

Aria's breathing seemed irritated, but she gestured to a corner. That's it? That's where you're gonna do this? But he shrugged. It was her show and she seemed like she knew what she was about. Connor threw the head into the corner, ignoring the sound it made, and then put the body down. Part of the shoulder ended up on top of the head. The arrangement of the corpse was strange, but he didn't feel like fixing it. He was sure she'd say something if she didn't like it.

She pulled out a zippo lighter...something he hadn't seen since he was in his 20's. Old school. After fussing with the body, she tried to light it up. The flickering light is going to be visible from the street, he thought, not to mention the smoke. But he said nothing. If they were part of clandestine MIB group, then they had their reasons for doing it this way.

The body wouldn't light though. All that wet blood, not to mention the lack of fuel ensured that. Then it dawned on him. She was going to burn the body just enough for it not to be recognized. Unless she had fuel of any kind, the body would remain. She was going to leave it. It seemed oddly careless, as if leaving a beheaded and burned corpse to confound police and scare people was no big deal. He looked at her and started to reassess his MIB theory. It didn't appear that she was going to be busting out a memory erasing device or anything eithrr. He wasn't too thrilled at the idea of leaving a corpse and his opinion of her dropped a bit.

After a frustrated number of minutes, she sighed. "There isn't enough fuel here.
" She looked at Jensen and Giovanni flatly. Then she sighed. She really did seem irritated- or maybe it was frustration. "You two want to get out of here. I need make a call, and when they get her you don't want to be here.
" Her tone and look made it clear that she wasn't kidding. There was concern there, concern for those men- men he'd seen make fire and ice out of nothing.

His mind started working with this new piece of information. Perhaps she was the one who was the hunter...and these men...these two men with gifts, could they be in danger from her group? It explained her repeated attempts to get them all to leave. But how could that be? She'd have had no chance against that mist creature without their abilities. That sword would do nothing to mist. It made no sense. But at this point, he had no more information to go on. She had made it clear she wasn't answering questions.

Then she looked at him and he saw concern there for him too. "You probably don't want to be here either. My bosses don't look kindly on your kind,
"- to the two men- "nor on the civilian onlookers
"- to him. "I'd hate to see you three get the raw end of the deal after all this. You all have been a great help but you need to forget this happened.
" He looked her in the eyes, thinking things through.

Yep, that cemented things in his mind. She was giving away way more now...definitely part of something. But they were a hard group. An organization that wouldn't hesitate to silence those who saw too much, innocent or not. Jensen and Giovanni- what "kind" were they?- would definitely be on their radar if they stuck around. So will I he thought. And he didn't need this, especially after his run-ins with that Constantine woman.

Looking her in the eye, he realizing something. She was decent enough to want to make sure they all got away safe. This group she was part of was hard. But she was giving them a chance. This was a risk she was taking. She was fair. Good people, he thought again. His initial assessment was completely correct.

He nodded to her with an understanding tight smile. "I understand. And I appreciate it. I know this is a risk to you.
" He turned to Jensen and Giovanni. Giovanni was still supporting Jensen. "We should go. She's got this.
" To Jensen he said, "So where do you want us to take you? I imagine you want to avoid the hospital.
" To Giovanni he said, "If you want, I can take him. It's up to you man. Whatever you want to do.
"

He looked back at her one last time. Good people. "Thank you.
"


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 24 2014, 07:44 PM.

[Jensen James]

One of the others came and steadied him. He hadn't realized the imbalance in his footing until then. Giovanni's proximity was needed, but Jensen's mind had a hard time deciphering why. He was unhurt, but fear continued to pound at the doors he'd closed off in his mind. Fear and shock could shred the strongest faiths. What was strange was they were held at bay when he'd run to rescue those boys. He'd stood against something straight out of a nightmare and walked away unscathed, until he woke in the hospital, that is. Tonight, he'd buckled like a flower crushed underfoot. If he wanted to understand why, it was beyond his own self-recognition, just as it was why the company of others seemed so necessary at the moment.

Throughout the fog of his thoughts, the others continued their conversation. Jensen watched them attempt to ignite the body, although he wished he had the clarity to avert his gaze. Aria's orders continued to be discarded, but mostly due to contradicting ones from Connor rather than rebellious differing of opinions.

Jensen snapped out of it enough to darken his brow. Confusion rippled across his features, and he looked to Giovanni as though the man might have an explanation. What kind are we? he thought. Giovanni had done things not only visible to the naked eye but effects that Jensen felt in his bones. He shivered. The angel in the dream kept the demons circling his soul at bay. If Giovanni was another whatever it was Jensen was, then maybe everything he thought he was ... was wrong.

Connor approached. Jensen shook his head no, and pulled his arm out from Giovanni's shoulder. He was capable of holding himself up, though he wasn't sure he wanted to now. "No hospital. I don't think there's anything they can do anyway. Thank-you,"
he replied, mouth dry.

He looked briefly behind him. "I should go back where I live, I guess."
Then pressed his hair back across his scalp, and sighed. He looked back to Connor, "You're owed an explanation. I'm not sure I can provide it, but I owe it to you to try."
He glanced at Giovanni and Aria as well. "She might need someplace to clean up."


About then the noise of a car passing on the street beyond them made him cringe. Jon Little Bird would likely not appreciate having to talk his way out of Jensen being found at the scene of another gruesome murder. Luckily the car continued out of earshot. Jensen hurried to finish, "but I think we should hurry either way."

[Aria]

Aria sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. These men were stubborn. Clean up? Her clothes were soaked in blood, that wasn't easy to clean up. And she didn't know these men from a hole in the wall. She wasn't so much concerned for her safety. Aria was interested to see what another who could weild the power of the gods thought was happening to them.

Running into her savior again in the middle of Moscow was shocking. Then running into Dane. Fond memories were not in her thoughts. Each time she'd met a man with unspeakable power there were monsters involved. She was either being saved or saving them. Totally against protcol. Aria sighed. Her life was not getting any easier out in the real world. It was just getting more complicated.

Aria pulled her wallet from her pocket and sent a text to headquarters with the location. She sent a minor report of what it was and what had happened. Omitting the actual information. Monster dead. Need assistance to clean up. Coordinates attached

Aria put the wallet back in her pocket and looked back at the Ijiraq it was out of sight for now. They'd clean it up.

"Now can you listen and get out of here."
She looked at Jensen. "Lead the way. They'll be here soon."
Aria would play dumb when confronted by headquarters. But she had other plans. The only place the missing book, that might have a way to kill an Ijiraq was in the Vatican libraries. That would be where she would go as soon as things were settled here. She had to figure out another way to kill these monsters.

Edited by Aria, Mar 28 2014, 12:24 PM.

[Connor Kent]

Jensen had been leaning upon Giovanni, but it seemed that an effort of will gave him the strength to stand up on his own. Not to say that he was better. He still looked drained and Connor was still worried that he'd not make it far.

And then he spoke quickly, indicating that, indeed, the hospital was out of the question. "I don't think there's anything they can do anyway.
" Connor was intrigued at how immediately he refused the hospital, though that had been his initial idea. There were mysteries here. Suddenly, Connor was reminded of Jaimie when Hayden had been sick. His heart still ached at that memory, his failure to get his son the help he needed, The memory of his dear son crying and writhing in pain. Connor felt that impotence and anger all over again. He closed his eyes, hearing his son for a moment.

But he opened, them, putting things together. Jaime had been adamant that they not go to the hospital for fear that they'd bring on the wrong attention. He trusted her. She was Hayden's mom. Jensen is avoiding the hospital for the same reason, he realized. Given the group that Aria seemed to belong to, it made sense. Sort of.

Could it be that he could find some answers about his son from these people? That this chance meeting could assuage his heart and help him find what he was seeking after all these months of frustration and despair? Already, he felt more alive being with them than he had in months. He felt like he had accomplished something.

He wasn't sure if his bearing or countenance showed it, but suddenly he was invigorated. There was a new energy and purpose about him. Answers. He saw the possibility of answers and nothing was going to stand in his way from getting them.

As if reading his mind, Jensen said, "You're owed an explanation. I'm not sure I can provide it, but I owe it to you to try.
" Connor smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder lightly. The man still was weak. "All right man. Let's get you to your home.
"

Jensen glanced at Aria. "She might need someplace to clean up. But I think we should hurry either way.
" Connor had partly turned his back to Aria, trying to respect her wishes and the risk she had taken by revealing what she had. He didn't want to cause her anymore trouble. But he doubted that she would take Jensen up on his offer.

As if on cue, she said, "Now can you listen and get out of here.
" Definitely irritated. He smiled to himself, though he wasn't sure why. Of course, being a member of some clandestine MIB group- it was the only way he could think of them- she had to have been frustrated at the way he and the others had insisted on being involved. She wouldn't have been able to cut the head off that mist-creature without Jensen's help he thought. Or maybe she would. Who knows that she knows? Maybe she had it all taken care of and they had complicated things.

In any case, Connor respected her and was willing to take her at her word. You had to trust people, especially when they showed competence in their job and person. His initial worry- the fear of leaving a woman on the street with a decapitated corpse on her hands ready to fall prey to the police or even worse- was still there. But he had to remind himself that this was the 21st century regardless of how he had been raised. Of course, if she had been a man, he'd have liked to think that he would have shown the same concern and willingness to help. But she had showed herself completely capable of taking care of things without them. Indeed, she had taken risks to allow them to go free when her "bosses" would have been perfectly fine with silencing them.

Again, his mind worked. The group she belonged to...were they the reason Jaime feared the hospital for Hayden?

Then she answered Jensen with "Lead the way. They'll be here soon.
" Connor was completely surprised. But not a little pleased. If Jensen was avoiding hospitals for a reason...and Aria was part of a group that made attention dangerous...finding answers definitely seemed more possible after all these months.


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 26 2014, 11:42 AM.

[Giovanni]

Giovanni remained silent. Jensen's will seemed to give him strength and he leaned less on Giovanni. The woman, Aria, seemed insistent that they leave, saying her companions would be a danger to them even though it seemed as if she said it more to Giovanni and Jensen.

Giovanni kept quiet, allowing his thoughts to take over. Aria knew of their abilities and she didn't want her companions to see them. Could she be Atharim?

Giovanni thought of the possibilities, frowning. She didn't attack them outright. That was odd. She obviously knew they could channel. The other question was would she report them. But then again she was letting them go with no way to get ahold of them. Once again, Giovanni thought she was a very interesting woman.

The other man, Connor, deferred to Jensen to lead the way. Giovanni gave the woman a quizzical glance before turning around to follow the other men in silence.

[Jensen James]

With a heavy heart, Jensen abandoned the nightmarish scene behind in the alley and returned to a normal, night-drenched street. The car which passed by earlier was not to be found, nor any other sign stirred that they were about to be caught. They may have defended themselves, but his gut ached with the conviction of a wrong-doing. He put his hands in his pockets and kept his head down as they walked. The wind stirred his hair about his face as they did, and he glanced up only often enough to check street signs at each corner as though he'd already forgotten what the last one was.

Eventually, the halogen glow of a Metro station sign illuminated their walk. What sickly yellow light colored their faces when they met the ghostly ijiraq was nothing in comparison to the weary, alien-like glare that stung his eyes.

Into the stairwell they descended, and at the turn-gates Jensen paused to fumble through his pockets and dig out his metro card. When he looked up to check if the others possessed their own, he caught himself. Surprise overcame the robotic emptiness of his demeanor these last few blocks. Surprise that somehow, despite every attempt to the contrary, he'd turned into some sort of leader.

He sighed, "If anyone needs to borrow my card, I'll pass it back to you once I'm on the other side."
True to promise, he swiped the piece of plastic on a reader, passed through the teeth-like gate of the turnstile, and offered it back for any of them to borrow. While waiting his gaze raised to the security camera watching them like a cold, alien eyeball. Hopefully the dark colors of Aria's clothing would hide anything suspicious about her recent activities.

[Connor Kent]

It seemed Connor was wrong sbout Aria. Now that she'd alerted her MIB bosses she seemed willing to go with them. Not that he blamed her. Blood soaked pants now drying in the cool of night had to be...uncomfortable was the only word that came to kind, though it had to be a serious understatement. Still, Connor was glad. Giovanni and Jensen were...unique already. But Jensen and Aria both seemed to hold keys to what he sought. And now that it looked like he would finally find out what happened to Hayden, he felt more at peace, willing to see where things went.

Funny how almost getting killed while helping a couple guys who could do magic and a badass MIB chick who kills a mist creature could get you out of the funk that had nearly overwhelmed you.

They all followed Jensen to the metro. Connor remembered how oppressive and closed the city felt. No open skies and endless vistas like home. Gradually, he had gotten used to the feeling of being enclosed by streets and buildings and tunnels, though he didn't like it. He missed the days of driving and seeing endless road and sky, mountains and mesas. He remembered just driving and talking to Hayden about nothing at all. Instead of tearing at him though, it made him smile. So many good memories. He missed that friendship with his son.

As they walked he watched his companions. Jensen in particular kept drawing his attention. The man seemed weighed down. It was like he carried something with him that bore him to the ground. He seemed resigned and adrift, doing things because they were expected or asked. In truth, Connor understood. It was how he had felt for many months. How he felt up until just a few minutes ago, until hed found a reason to continue, a small proof that God hadnt abandoned him. Maybe thats why he recognized it.

It made him want to reach out to Jensen. Jensen offered his metro card, but Connor still had a partially full card he got when he first came here to get into the facility so he declined. After swiping he came closer to Jensen and lightly clapped him on the shoulder. "Man, you look like youre feeling better." He chuckled. "For while there I was worried. But you seem like you're coming out of it." He didnt mean to keep harping on the mans physical state. But what could he say? 'Dude, you look super depressed. You wanna talk about it?' No. All he could do was be supportive and treat him with dignity and maybe that'd be enough to give the guy confidence to get control of his emotions or whatever was getting at him. Sometimes a guy just needs a kind word and a nod to say 'you're good man. I know you got this.'


Edited by Connor Kent, Mar 30 2014, 01:45 PM.