[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/B34p2kI.png][/img][hr][hr][img]http://i.imgur.com/MF0oX0C.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/Ikcy0p9.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/W1qYmgD.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/Ikcy0p9.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/K8mbZHg.png[/img][hr][hr][sup]Collab with: [@Silent Observer] [@reiko]
Location: The Watchtower Laboratory[/sup][/center]
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[indent]Turning his attention to the newcomer in the room, Nathaniel shifted his weight slightly and faced Hailey. The leader of the Coalition had to bite back the urge to give her a blatant and honest answer; they were doing [i]poorly[/i]. They had failed, and they were continuing to fail. On what was perhaps a slippery slope before the attack on the mayor, the assassination had been the push to send them crashing down. If they were relatively accepted beforehand, they faced open vitriol now. He wanted to tell her the truth, he wanted to tell her that they were fucked, that everything was going to change, that the world probably had more of them in it, and that they would crop up, and that they wouldn’t all be good. That there could very well be more villains out there, possibly even stronger ones than the one they faced.

But Nathan couldn’t.

It wasn’t what he did. No matter what, he maintained a vigilant stance. No matter what, he kept up appearances. No matter what, he did everything in his power to make sure that they were looked upon in a good light. No matter what, the Sentinel could not falter, and he could not fail.

So, he wouldn’t tell her the truth.

Instead, Nathaniel smiled at her confidently, and gave her a nod before speaking. [color=ff5f0f][b]“Of course. Everything is alright, we’re doing our best to make progress on locating the man that fought back and beat us. Once we find him, and any other Enhanced, we’ll work out how to move forward.”[/b][/color]

Austin stared blankly at Nathaniel. The guy was lying through his teeth. Just seconds ago, he was telling Austin exactly how he felt - if not through words, than through the bleak disappointment in his posture. How could he do that? Pretend like everything was fine when it was clearly [i]not fine[/i]. White lies for the benefit of others was a social construct that flew far above Dr. Daley’s head.

The scruffy nerd turned his attention to Hailey now. He became suddenly aware of the fact that we was not well-suited for interaction with a female; Be it the uncombed-since-yesterday hair, the crumb-covered pajama pants, or the unmistakable coffee breath. [i]At least it wasn’t Serenity[/i]. Now, there was a thought that sent him straight into sudden and uncontrolled discomfort, especially with Nathaniel being right there. Without saying a word, Austin turned around and went to the coffee table to gather up the files and articles that he was leafing through. His face felt hot, and he certainly wasn’t about to participate in the whole… charade going on with Nathan.

To anyone else, it wouldn't have been too hard to infer that Nathaniel was lying. To Hailey, she took his word at face value. He was the Coalition's leader, their foundation. He wouldn't lie to [i]them[/i], right? It was true that a week had passed and with every ticking minute their chances of finding this villain were slimming, but Nathaniel seemed confident, and he had never been overconfident before; only right. Hailey had to place her trust in the Sentinel, or else nothing would work.

A genuine smile momentarily flashed across her face as she nodded as if to affirm his words. It was sad that the young woman could claim she knew this man for two years. However, if there was one thing that she picked up on in his reply, it was that he had referred to the fiend as a man. She didn't think too hard on it, but it sounded wrong to her ears.

[b][color=ff8fa0]“Monster,"[/color][/b] the girl subconsciously commented.

Immediately, she felt heat flood her cheeks and she lowered her line of vision to the floor. She apologized. She was out of place. Brushing back a loose strand of black hair behind her ear, she continued to avoid eye contact with the others. [b][color=ff8fa0]“Um, if you need any help with finding or capturing them, I’d be more than willing to help,"[/color][/b] Hailey fumbled through her sentence, realizing halfway through that the offer didn't provide much considering [i]she[/i] didn't provide much.

She slowly lifted her head to receive her response. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Austin shuffling away from the pair. It seemed like her comment costed her more than she anticipated.

Nathaniel gave her another smile and shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he should just tell her the truth, maybe that would be better for everyone… how much more upset could they be, anyway? [color=ff5f0f][b]“The truth is, Hailey…”[/b][/color]

Austin scoffed a little. Find him? Capture him? Good luck with that. The doctor wasn’t usually one to quickly give up, or turn negative on a situation, not when there was hope; But these last few days… they felt hopeless. He was tired, and he felt useless, and just a touch irritable. [color=FFFF31][b]“The truth is that he is off the radar. We’ll be [i]finding[/i] him when he wants to be found, and no sooner. Monsters are...”[/b][/color] He sighed away the unnecessary bite to his tone, shuffling the papers into a neat stack as he did so. [color=FFFF31][b]“...particularly good at hiding in the dark.”[/b][/color] He said in a much softer voice, meek, even.

[color=ff5f0f][b]“Monsters are evil. And this [i]is[/i] a monster, you’re right. I’m done trying to make things seem better than they are, at least to my team. The fact of the matter is, at it stands now, we’re fucked. We can’t fight what we can’t see, and we can’t see him. We don’t even know if he’ll ever be back. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. Remember what he said? He’s not doing this for any particular reason, he’s just [i]evil[/i]. So if he comes back, what do we do? I don’t know. I can’t tell you what’s right in this situation, because I’ve never been faced with it before, but I can tell you what I’m going to do: I’m going to fight. Until I can’t fight anymore.”[/b][/color] Nathan quickly took over for the doctor, who found himself traveling down a darker path than they needed to be right now. Of course he was right; there was little to no chance that they’d find the villain unless he wanted to be found, but that didn’t mean that they were giving up. [color=ff5f0f][b]“These people depend on us, as a unit, for their safety and their security. I won’t let them down, ever again. The fact that I faltered when I did makes me… less than what I want to be. Our city deserves the best, so we will be the best. It’s that simple.”[/b][/color] Unlike Austin, who had seemed bitter and simply [i]done[/i] with the situation, Nathaniel stayed true to himself and spoke as truthfully and as confidently as possible. Things were laid out in front of Hailey now, and what she did with the information was her own prerogative.

Nathaniel would move forward with the Coalition, or he would do so without them. He would not let the monster win.

Despite Nathaniel's more positive tone towards the end, Hailey couldn't help but feel discomfort. Of course she would stand with her family on what they decided to do, but the fact that someone could commit such a heinous act and simply get away with it left her feeling hollow. And it all came down to power. The only reason he wasn't being held responsible for his actions was because he was stronger than them. And now he was making everyone on edge and indirectly starting internal fights.

Hailey caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she listened to the two higher ups give their opinions on how they should approach the masked opponent. The atmosphere was heavy with tension and anxiety. And the small girl reacted so poorly under those conditions. Both men were wound up from the lack of information, both were blaming themselves, and she was just told that the ones she believed to be the most capable in finding this murderer didn't even have faith that they would. She had come up here to get her spirits up, or at least some good news.

Without meaning to, her jumbled psyche began to levitate the papers off of Austin's coffee table. Slightly panicking, because she was in the lab where there were much more dangerous and valuable items to be messed with, she solely focused her thought to having the sheets simply stop being suspended in the air. Unfortunately, that caused them to scatter and flutter to the floor... and all over the table.

Hailey sighed in exasperation, closing her eyes and slouching forward. Great.

Austin tried to catch the papers that started floating out of his hands to no avail. By the time he reached his hands out, the pages fluttered every which way and scattered about the lounge. For some reason, be it the stress, or the lack of sleep and excess of caffeine, that made Austin laugh. Not an intense laugh, but a light, yet noticeable chuckle. There he was, halfway to the mad scientist trope he had been pondering earlier.

He sobered up from the outburst and put on a more serious face. Serious, but less on edge than a few moments ago. Nathaniel was right, naturally. [color=FFFF31][b]“Of course, we’ll fight to no end. We’re heroes, it’s our duty and our purpose to protect the people. I’m sorry I didn’t mean--”[/b][/color] he floundered a bit, realizing that something had upset Hailey, and it was probably him. That’s why the papers went everywhere, no doubt. [color=FFFF31][b]“...sorry.”[/b][/color] he repeated timidly and started picking up the mess of papers and tossing them in the shred bin. They didn’t serve any purpose anymore, and the confidential information needed to be made illegible.

Nathaniel watched the pair, flustered and embarrassed alike, until Austin let out a laugh. The Sentinel slightly shook his head, and shifted the weight of his feet a bit. [color=ff5f0f][b]“No apologies. Apologizing doesn’t get anything done, all it does is create a vacuum of self blame and self-depreciation, neither of which we as a team need right now. Despite the factor of a missing fugitive, there are plenty of things that we need to take care of.”[/b][/color] He looked from Austin, to Hailey, then smiled at the girl. Sure, the papers had flown everywhere, but it didn’t really matter. [color=ff5f0f][b]“You’re improving. I’m proud of you.”[/b][/color] Genuine, no sarcasm; never any sarcasm.

After her brief moment of exasperation, Hailey quickly strode over in Austin's direction to assist him with gathering the strewn papers. [b][color=ff8fa0]"I'm sorry,"[/color][/b] she apologized wholeheartedly as she crouched down onto her knees and picked up the sheets that were on the floor. Despite her earlier offer of assistance, she was more than likely coming off as a burden. The brunette only lifted her head from searching for more loose articles at the sound of Austin's voice. Somewhere along their scouting they had ended up beside each other. However, instead of focusing on the vicinity, Hailey was tuned into the other's words. A childlike, warm smile made its way onto her face.

Good. They were all in agreement to keep fighting for their cause even though they had encountered a sizable obstacle. Ah, yes, there it was: that reassurance that she had come to them seeking. That sense of being united and slowly working the cogs of camaraderie.

Despite the comforting feeling that had overcame her, Hailey was still very quick to shake her head at Austin's apology. Placing a hand on his wrist, she offered him another smile before standing up. Looking behind and around her, the girl made sure she didn't miss any papers. However, when she turned back around to place the sheets in her hands on the table, she was met with the scene of Austin throwing them away. Technically, he was shredding them.

So they really did have nothing. Lightly exhaling, she pursed her lips and tried to not appear too disheartened as she handed the other the stack in her hand. It was fine. This was Austin. He was an expert in his field of study and she didn't lose a single ounce of faith in him from the incident. If Austin Daley could not find this villain with all his intelligence and passion, then no one could. She just had to accept the outcome. And she would.

As if able to read her mind (or maybe she was just that expressive with her emotions), Nathaniel reassured the both of them and managed to bring back the smile to Hailey's lips. This was why she followed him and put her belief in him. He was inspiring and wise. Nodding her head in understanding and affirmation, the smaller girl gave a meek –– albeit slightly embarrassed –– thanks of appreciation in regard to his encouraging compliment.

Yes; she would always fight with them.

And she would soon be given a chance.

Nathan felt a buzz on his wrist, and looked down at the watch he wore upon it, frowning slightly. [color=ff5f0f][b]“Something is wrong…”[/b][/color] He said bluntly, scanning the alert that was suddenly apparent on his watch. [color=ff5f0f][b]“Engines are failing on a commercial jet, near the airport. Approximately fifteen minutes before it hits the ground. Come on, we should move now.”[/b][/color] Without another word, Nathaniel was already on his way out of the building. How were they going to stop a plane from falling out of the sky? He didn’t even know. Maybe if he and Hailey could get at it together they could slow its fall enough to make sure it landed smoothly, but there were two problems with that: Hailey’s control over her powers was shaky at best, and she didn’t have a good way to get into the air high enough to use her powers on it anyway.

No, he’d have to grab the entire plane with his own powers, and then gently sit it down.

No, yeah okay. Totally easy. [color=ff5f0f][i]I got this.[/i][/color]

Good vibes.[/indent]