[IC] The Day The Earth Fell

[TheCheshire]

Ravenia was fixing to snap something at Jacob and Tobias but Shay's sudden convulsions made her stop. She rushed to the girl's side, throwing the rifle away from them. Grabbing Shay's face and looking into her eyes, Ravenia could see the Red blood marks of the sickness already taking a Hold of her. "Shay, stay with me baby.".Ravenia said and pulled the girl out of the streaker. Easily, Ravenia swung Shay up into her arms and marched over to the other streaker. "Tobias, get out now. Shay has been infected, I'm phasing us back to the medical center now so we can start treatments immediately. Jacob, you will man the solar streaker back, I cant afford to have any of out out here. We're going on the defensive. Paradise Land is going on strict lockdown."

Holding Shay in her arms still, Ravenia turned and looked to Fen next. "Fen, I will need you to man the streaker back. Anora, send a signal up that the streakers are coming back so Marcus will need to get the gates ready. That's an order, all of you." It was obvious that Ravenia was very upset. There only option at this time was falling back and allowing the Dead to get to the walls. Thereally weren't enough to bring the walls down but the threat was still there. "We only have two possible drivers at this time, Jacob and Fen since Anora can't fit. I don't want to hear any arguing from you Powers, we need you back in the Land. And that's an order. Tobias, Hold onto me and don't let go." She said, leveling everybody with a steely gaze. She nodded her head to Tobias that she was ready whenever he was.

[Metronome]

Fen gave a bark and shifted back into his human form. This back and forthing was really wearing him out. He would deserve a nice nap after this. With a worried look at Shay, who didn't look so good, Fen hopped in the driver's seat of the open car. His driving skills weren't the best, but with literally nothing but flat desert between him and the city, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Everybody in?" He asked, looking behind him. Once everyone had piled back into their cars, Fen took off. He loved going fast, with the wind in his hair. Within minutes, they would be back at the gates.

[Luminance]

While Fen inspected the unconscious mans pockets, Anora was busy watching out for the dead ready to stoke them down if they got too close. Despite the lack of eye contact with Fen she still listened to what he said rather intently. But it was the explanation of the Trojan Horse that had her looking back at him with wide eyes. … Appears innocent and trustworthy on the outside, but is nefarious on the inside…soldiers inside, and they attacked once the men of Achaeans were asleep. Was there someone in Paradise with ill intentions? She would not be able to sleep tonight with this information. Her thoughts were interrupted at the appearance of The Mother.

The ruffling of her pure white feathers was caused by the sudden and quite unexpected snarl directed at her from Ravenia. Frowning she glanced over at Tobias and Jacob in a Solar Car a little further away. The Mother intended to punish them no doubt, but it didn’t sit well with Anora. The two men were worried about their leader and they had full right to. Why should it lead to punishment? Shaking her head, Anora decided that she would step in for them both and take their punishment if need be. After all it was needed to be known that true Leadership only worked through teamwork.

A primary example was the state of Shay who looked to have been injured by one of the dead. The girls condition took a turn for the worse, the Sickness taking hold of her body . Seeing her dear friends hurt was horrible to witness but the worse thing was knowing that it could have been avoided.

Another order, but this time Anora gave no response, instead she turned away and clipped a yellow retreat round into her flare gun and fired it into the sky, letting those back at Paradise know of their return. While the others got back to the solar cars and Ravenia shadow shifted with Tobias and Shay, Anora soared into the sky and made her way back to the wall of Paradise.

[Merman]

Sun was enthralled by the ride he was providing for himself and the children. It wasn't often that he used his sprites for flight, let alone for the flight of others as well. He watched enthusiastically, smiling brightly as Michael swooshed and soared about, completely enveloped in the experience. Sun turned his back and began floating backwards, catching a view of the scenery behind him, until, all of a sudden, he saw a flare go off in the distance of the Red Waste. They were coming back it seemed. Hopefully everyone was alright. Sun swirled his body around in a 180, coming to face forward again. He took a moment to look at Libby and Copper who floated a little ways behind him until all of a sudden he had heard a shriek from down below. MICHAEL!!!, the voice yelled, loudly and raspy.

Sun watched as the woman called for Michael, who slowly and reluctantly floated down in front of the woman who called herself his Aunt. Michael looked pitiful, look a sad puppy whose fun was just disrupted. Sun looked to Libby and Copper and giggled. So were they. He felt bad for Michael, but it was particularly funny to watch he and his Aunt go back and forth. Michael was such a trooper, but when she asked Sun to let him down, she knew his fun was finally over. Sun frowned slighty to Michael and made a pouty face. "Sorry buddy, maybe next time.", Sun said in a comforting tone. Sun held his hands out in the direction of Michael, as the sprites floating and gripping onto his clothes slowly let him down and then dissipated into thin air.

Sun looked to the boy's Aunt..."I'm sorry mam, I didn't know. I was just going watch...I mean...he was just going to help me while the others were off on business. He was no trouble at all. Well....anyways...take care then", he said with a pleasent tone. He winked to Michael and waved, before taking a brief moment to look back at the twins, before he and them continued on flying. Several minutes later they had arrived, with Sun placing his fingertips to his temples to focus as he steadied them down to the ground, slowly and gradually descending until their feet lightly planted on the cracked pavement in front of the med center.

Sun turned around briefly and looked to the twins and smiled affectionately..."Alright then...follow me and we can get you two some rest.". Sun proceeded into the med center, with the twins slowly following in after, an odd grin briefly exchanged between them. It went unnoticed.

[Twilights Curse]

Tobias slowed as Jacob suggested, and hearing what he said to the others, he was onboard for it, if they could get the group out and away, they could double back around and make it back to Paradise in no time. nodding to Jacob. "i like the idea" he said, but then he came to the full stop as Ravenia came right for them. he was preparing already a retort that technically her orders ended the moment he got the children safely inside Paradise, after that he took it among himself to come save the rest, but he didnt need to, hearing what had happened to Shay, he moved out of the driver side, the lead form he had currently had on, would vanish, turning him back to normal he ran toward Shay to check her. his eyes found her leg, and he opened the bandage. "she's suffered a massive infection, its going to spread really fast" he nodded about phasing, he first needed to get that leg taken care of.. his fingers moved quick, taking out the first aid kit, he cleaned the leg wound of blood and the sickness that was transmitted in the claws and nails of the dead, the worse attack he'd seen coming from clawing, usually the bite brought it on this fast. he had her legs bound and wrapped in no time, the entire time he checked out the others, noticing the individual male, he wasnt one from Paradise.

hearing Ravenia declare strict lockdown, that meant the dead were coming right to the wall itself, and then the warriors and Blessed Ones were going to have their hands full dealing with them that close to home. the moment her commands were dealt out, he took her arm gentle, ready to go. "good luck" he said to Anora, Fen and Jacob before they'd Phase and be back to the medical center. Once they arrived, Tobias took Shay to a nearby bed. "Ravenia, you take the one beside this one and you rest, that is my order to you" he could tell she was worn out. "Sun, please pull the curtain, they dont need to see this" meaning the two young children.. he had Shay in bed, removed her goggles and sat them under the bed. he then rushed, moving quickly behind the counter and collected a clean set of supplies, before he slid open a panel, typed in a code only himself, Ravenia and Marcus knew, the rule of three.. a hidden panel opened reavealing all the medicine they had.. in the back however, there was a collection of vials. each one about four inches long and half an inch thing.. inside they were full of a bright red type liquid.. it had at once been blood..Tobias's blood. he had found a way to take and seperate the antibioties from his blood, that made him immune to the infection the Dead caused.. it hadnt been pretty, it had taken them at least four times to become infected before his body adapted to it and altered itself, but that had become the saving formula they had now.. as he took one of the vials and closed the panel back, before coming back over. "Shay" he said softly. "this is going to feel.. worse then what you are feeling right now, im sorry.. i havnt found a way to make it painless" and he'd tried too, for him Adapting was an everyday fuction, he felt nothing from it, but for the others, their bodies were meant to be changed like his. "your going to see things, they are not real alright, just remember that, they are not real" he fixed the vial into the injector, and finding a good vein, he stuck the needle in, and gave her the shot, using every last bit of the fluid before he pulled the needle out, she would be alright. he then went to Ravenia. "are you hurt anywhere or are you just exausted?" he asked. "i know your upset with me for coming back out, but technically you ordered me to take the kids and leave you, i did that.. once they were safe i took it upon myself and my oath as a doctor to come back out, if you want to be upset with someone, be with me.. Jacob just took the chance to come, to make sure i wasnt alone in the red wastes" he didnt want Jacob to suffer any type of punishment, if he could manage it.

[Metronome]

Once Fen's car reached the inside of the city gates, Fen hoped out and went to get his unconscious passenger out. The man was nothing but dead weight. Isam, who had been waiting by the gates, jogged up to help him.
"What happened out there?" He questioned, "Who is this man?" He got a shoulder under one of the Russian man's arms and helped Fen half carry, half drag him to the medicine house.

"Um, I'm not sure," Fen said as he struggled under the man's weight. He was glad when they finally got him inside and dropped him down on a cot. "But he was awake when I found him, and he said some weird stuff, and then Shay got hurt, and uh-" Isam seemed to have stopped listening at that point. He had gone over to the bed that Tobias and Ravenia had gathered around.

"Will she be okay?" He asked, a grimace on his face when he saw the blood. "She's not going to turn into one of them, is she?" Isam had seen several of his own people turn, although they were usually dead before it happened. Frankly, he was tired of killing his undead friends.

Fen peaked over at them, not wanting to crowd the doctor, but not wanting their new guest to die, either.
"Um, doc, when you get the chance, this guy might need some, uh... looking at."

[pyroman]

Seeing the flare in the sky, Marcus knew to open the gates back up for possibly everybody to return back to the city. He assumed that the threat had been taken care of, and sighed softly to himself. He'd have to ask Shay how it went out in the waste once she got back. He opened the gates quickly and watched as the solar car made it's way into the city. He closed the gates afterwards and shot an odd look at the people who were in the car. Shay wasn't there, so was she back out in the waste? He was curious to know, but he had to stay at the gates for the time being.

The metalworker walked over to the gate and leaned against it. He was still on guard, and would continue to stay vigilant until given the order to do otherwise.

[docblargle]

Jacob was just preparing to start the radiation trail when Ravenia gave her orders. He stepped out of the the solar streaker as Tobias did and got a good look at Shay. "Shit!" he muttered audibly under his breath. That certainly complicated things. With no driver, Jacob's distraction plan was toast. He wasn't happy about having to follow Ravenia's order, but without a driver there was no other option. He didn't say anything, just waited as Ravenia, Tobias, and Shay phased back to the med center. As Fen changed to human, Jacob turned to him and said "Go on first. I'll be right behind you." As Fen and Anora took off, Jacob through off his gloves. He held his hands apart and began to focus. Streams of green radioactive energy pulsed between them, forming into a large orb. Jacob pulled his hands back, and through the orb as hard as he could to the west. When it landed, it would make a radioactive fire. It wasn't as effective as his trail plan, but it would hopefully draw a small number away from the herd.

Jacob hopped back in the solar streaker, taking off back to the wall. With the engines still overclocked, he managed to catch up to Fen in no time at all. But just as he reached him, the green energy in the car began to sputter out, and the car slowed to its normal speed. Jacob again swore under his breath. In the driver seat, he wouldn't be able to overclock it again. Besides, the engine would need to cool down anyway.

Reaching the gates, Jacob immediately hopped out of his solar streaker. Turning to Fen, he called, "Handle that, then get back to the walls. You saw how close they're getting." He followed up by calling to Marcus, shouting "Marcus, get the wall on the defensive immediately! The herd is on its way here!" He quickly scaled the wall, taking a place on it to track the proximity of the herd, waiting to strike.

[Merman]

As Sun walked down one of the corridors of the hospital with Libby and Copper entail, he was completely taken by surprise as he saw from the corner of his eyes Ravenia phasing through the shadows in one of the empty rooms with an injured Shay. The doctor, Tobias was his name, was there as well. Sun gasped and covered his mouth as he rushed to the door, leaning his body against the frame of the threshold, his eyes watering and pearly. Tobias noticed Sun, asking him to pull the curtains. He was most likely concerned about the children seeing the situation unfold.

Sun was trembling, too scared for Shay's safety to move or to get close to her. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he knew he would only be in the way. Sun closed his eyes and focused momentarily as small butterfly-shaped sprites began emanating from the center of his forehead like an automatic bubble blower. They glided through the air and danced across the room until they reached the curtains to Shay's hospital bed. Latching on, they slowly began to close the curtains shut until the view of Shay disappeared. Once the task was done, the sprites dissipated and Sun opened his teary eyes. She looked so broken and incapacitated and fragile, which was so unlike her usually dynamic and warm disposition. Sun looked out into the hallway as tears trickled. He called out for a nurse.

A middle aged woman arrived, dark complexion with black curly hair tied in a bun. He wiped his eyes as he talked slowly, trying to catch his breath from his crying. "I'm sorry to bother you, but could you take these two children to a room and give them some food and water? They need to rest too. They were out in the Red Waste and I'm sure they are exhausted." The woman smiled to him politely and nodded, before grabbing Libby and Copper's hand and trailing them into a room two doors down from where Shay was getting treated. Sun looked to them and smiled faintly. It was obvious he was distraught. "You'll be fine. I'll check up on you in a few minutes. Just get some rest okay.", Sun said...his tone very low and almost wimpy.

"Yes mam...I mean sir.", Libby said as she stuttered trying to catch her mistake. She laid her hand on her brothers head and rubbed it. He had been mute the entire time, but it seemed as though little communication was needed between the two. Their love for eachother seemed appearant. "We'll be fine. We've got friends now. Didn't ya hear?", she said to Copper. He smiled very briefly, before Libby looked back to Sun and winked as they were being towed away to a room down by the nurse. Sun smiled softly, before looking back into the room that Shay was in. He couldn't see her from behind the curtains he had closed, but listened intently to the words Tobias was speaking. He had even asked Ravenia to lay down. That was bold....but she would probably comply he thought.

All of a sudden Sun heard Fen rushing into the med center with Isam, along with an unknown man who seemed to be unconscious. Sun, still crying, stepped aside from the threshold quickly as they rushed in and laid him down on another cot. Such a large crowd had been gathered into the room in such short notice. Sun's eyes were red from all the crying, but he straightened up from off the wall and wiped his eyes lightly before semi-gaining his composure and walking over to the body of the man, gently carressing his arms with his dainty fingers. The man was large and muscular. Whoever took him down was either much stronger, or alot smarter. Sun looked to Fen, trying to speak as if he had calm down, but it was kinda obvious he was still trembling for Shay's safety. "Ummmm...wh...who is this man? I've never seen before. Not even in my dreams. Did you find him from the outside? What hap....what happened there? What happened to Shay?", he spoke daintly and nervously as his eyes slowly gazed back down to the unconscious man's face, analyzing it intently.

[TheCheshire]

Tobias was right, Ravenia was completely exhausted. She didn't say anything else as she dragged herself over towards the bed and slowly sat upon it. She watched silently as Tobias quickly fixed Shay up. Seeing Shay lay there, a lump rose in Ravenia's throat. She brushed her hair from her eyes as she watched silently. When Tobias came over to her, she looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something but Nothing came out. Instead, a single tear rolled down her cheek. A little shocked herself, Ravenia wiped it away. Without a word, she grabbed Tobias by the front of his shirt and pulled him to her. Still Sitting on the side of the bed, she wrapped her arms about his torso and rested her head against his chest. It wasn't very often she had a moment of weakness like this.

"It is my fault, Tobias. I had requested her to come out to pick me up. If I hadn't been the one to stay, this wouldn't have happened. But I couldn't bear the thought you staying out there in my place. I'm Mother, I'm supposed to have this shit together and have everything worked out. It was a good plan, but I put too many people on the line." She said, her voice cracked from holding back the tears that threatened to well up. "I'm sorry, I shouldnt be doing this." Ravenia said as she removed her arms from around Tobias.

"Sun, report to Marcus. Tell him to shut the gates down immediately. Have everybody waiting at the gates for me. We will be having a council meeting in 10 minutes. I just need some time to gather myself." She spoke to the young boy, unabashed that he too had seen her break down.

[Exit]

--CLO--
...Yellow...
Clo watched from the shadows of one of the many dilapidated buildings as the flare streaked across the sky. It seemed everyone was heading back and rather soon. ...Was someone hurt?... She was only a few minutes away now from her destination and as she picked up her pace, the question continued to burn at her curiosity in the back of her mind.

It was answered as soon as she stepped into the medical center. What was once a Children's Hospital had since turned into Tobias' place of work being the city's doctor. The outside was as old and rundown as any of the buildings in the city but the inside was surprisingly well kept. Although there were no longer standards to medicine, Paradise did it's best to give it's citizens the greatest care it could starting with it's own cleanliness. There were plenty of supplies, all scavenged from other abandoned hospitals, retirement homes and other odd places. Medicine however was extremely hard to get with any that was manufactured pre-fall already well beyond it's expiration date. Most forms of first aid were now quite primitive, surgeries a dangerous and uncertain feat that few survived and most drugs were substances that had very little testing. Of course metahumans usually made modern medicine pale in comparison. Tobias manufactured his own drugs all of which he technically tested against himself and proved time and time again that they indeed worked. Through many of the books they'd managed to collect over time, Tobias skill grew until he was the doctor everyone knew today. If there was anything wrong with anyone, he was the man to see.

Of course, knowing all this didn't stop the uneasy feeling that crept into Clo's gut when she walked through the doors and into the emergency halls. At the far end she could make out everyone crowding around a figure, the curtain obscuring most of her view. Sun had just parted with the children, putting them in the care of a nurse. His face was red and his eyes puffy. He'd clearly been crying but for why... or more specifically, for whom? Fen was standing next to someone Clo hadn't seen before. A rather large man who was unconscious and been left in another room. He was white, with light almost bleached short hair and his body had been looked after. There were masses of bulging muscle pushing against his skin and the fact that he looked like he'd taken a severe beating confused her. He was quickly joined too by Sun who began to sputter concerned for him at Fen.

"What the hell happened?" She said when she was finally next to them both. It was a question for both Sun and Fen in a way. She wanted to know why everyone was here and why Sun had clearly been shedding tears. The water stains streaked across his cheeks were still there. Clo gave him a weak smile, dropping to a knew and placing a hand on his back to try and ease his pain. "I take the scenic route to the hospital and I find you all here and Sun in tears... What the hell did I miss? Who the hell is this guy and who's in the room with everyone?"

It was probably too many questions to begin with but she couldn't help it. Her mind was racing and she wanted answers. She hoped to whatever God remained that this wasn't her doing.

[Metronome]

Fen was visibly anxious. He wanted to go check on Shay, but he didn't want to leave the Russian guy here by himself. What if he woke up? What if he was crazy? Fen gave a little jump when Sun came in, crying. That alarmed him.
"What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is Shay gonna' be okay?" His bombard of questions wasn't helping, but Fen could hardly stop himself. He was like a child, all wound up and ready to burst.

Then Clo walked in and started asking the same question that they all wanted an answer to. Who the hell was this guy? Fen looked down at him and shook his head.
"I don't know. I found him." He looked the Russian man over. His clothes and skin were bloody and caked with desert dirt. "Hey, do you think he's supposed to be this pale? Or, uh, is he just short on blood?" The guy looked as though he might have lost quite a bit. "Do you think we should clean him up? You know. Uh, help the nurses since they might be busy with Shay. Oh, Shay got hurt. I'd really like to go in there and see her, but, um, there's a lot of people in there already and I don't want to get in the way."

Fen spoke quickly, clearly nervous. He drummed his fingers on the side of the man's gurney. "I think there might be some of those hospital gowns in that cabinet there," He nodded to a cabinet under the room's sink, behind Clo. "If you want to help. I'm not sure how, uh, how cooperative he's gonna be once he wakes up." If he woke up. "He was saying some pretty strange things before we brought him back here."

[Twilights Curse]

Tobias stood before Ravenia, he could see her completely drained. he looked down into her eyes, seeing the tear, and then he was pulled forward.. he wrapped his arms around her tightly, rubbing her back. "it wasnt your fault Ravenia, you cant plan for everything and i saw the size of that horde, it was a matter of time before someone would have gotten hurt" he said softly. "i know you couldnt have bared it, just like i couldnt have with knowing you were out there, why do you think i came back?" she was one of the reasons, he had planned to return anyway after delivering the children to safety, hearing Fen's call just made his resolve more complete. he sighed. "you are a great mother to his city and its people.. Blessed Ones and humans, and anyone that says differently, send them to me, i'll set them straight" shaking his head, he removed his arms and looked down at her, cupping her face in his hands. "listen to me, and listen good.. everyone here would put their lives on the line to protect what we have here, you do not get to take all this on your shoulders, its a weight we all bare" he smirked. "i dont mind if you want to hold me, thought might make me grow a lot more arms or hands, and no guarentee they are well behaved as these are" wiggling his own two hands.

hearing Fen, he cleared his throat, and took a measured step back. "she'll be fine Fen, she's not going to turn into anything, she'll have it rough for a few hours, the injection isnt easy on a body that isnt meant to adapt but it will work, i promise" he said, looking to Ravenia, he bent down and kissed her forehead lightly, before he moved on to check on their new guest, and not the children yet. "i gave him a once over before" moving to the large man. "he seems to be suffering from sunstroke and dehydration" checking the man's pulse. he went and collected the things they used as an IV, which was a lot of mismatch hoses, all hooked together to make the tube, with a large glass container.. he filled it with water, clean water, adding a little bit of something that will help get the water to his needed systems and organs, then he came over, and like a pro had the IV hooked up, and the water flowing. "we'll give him the water this way, til he wakes" motioning to Fen. "til we know who he is, best to be prepared" under the bed, Tobias knelt and pulled out the shackles, and hooked the man's right side up, letting Fen get the left. "we cant be to careful" once done, he moved out and saw Clo, and he got stern. "and who told you to take the scenic route here?" he asked, pointing to a bed. "in, now.. when i come back from checking on the children, you better be comfortable in that bed, and ready to get checked out" growing a little somber. "Shay got clawed up real good, but i got her injected with the cure, and her leg bandaged up, she'll be alright, its just a little much for everyone is all" he said, clapping her on the shoulder.. he took his duties as the doc serious, just like his father had. "get in bed Clo before you fall down" looking to the others. "our guest looks russian, if anyone has a book on Russian, even something in Russian if you get it to me, i might be able to speak the language before he comes to, we can find out some answers, we dont know how well he can speak english" sighing. "im going to check on the children, then i'll come back.. Ten minutes in bed Ravenia to collect yourself, Clo your in bed til i check you out and Fen" looking at the wolf shifter. "nicely done" nodding, he turned and went to where the nurse had taken the two children.

[Luminance]

Back at the Wall of Paradise Anora landed beside her eldest sister Ramera, tucking her wings against her back as she stood next to the other Harpy of Three. “Paradise is under lockdown and the others have headed straight to the infirmary. For now it will just be you and me actually doing our duty to defend this city. A massive hoard of the dead is approaching.” She explained slowly, re-sheathing her dual swords after giving them a wipe over with a spare piece of cloth she had in a pocket.

“I’ll gather the collection of pointed rocks we have been chiseling into shape. I don’t want to loose anymore of my throwing knives.” Though when everything was over she could always head back out and collect them back up, then give them a good cleaning. Waiting a few moments for a response from Ramera, Anora quickly headed over to their little shack that the three sisters had built atop the wall. It was used as a place of rest but also contained quite the assortment of various bladed weapons.

Pulling back the fabric made doorway, she went straight to the corner of the room and grabbed the ends of a carpet which had a big pile of rocks on it. Anora hated the thought of loosing any of her adored weapons and so decided that rocks were a good alternative, they could be thrown at targets below the wall and the pointed ends would pierce through skulls.

Dragging the mat back over towards her sister, Anora studied Ramera’s tensed form. “Are you alright, sister?”

[TheCheshire]

Ravenia couldn't help but smile at Tobias's words. When he kissed her on the forehead she felt her cheeks warm. "Thank you." She whispered. At his teasing statement about his arms, Ravenia's eyebrow quirked. "Now that doesn't sound too bad if you ask me." She chuckled as he moved away from her and off towards the others. Clearing her throat, Ravenia stood up and stretched. "Sorry, Doc, No check up for me. You'll have to give me a once over later on." She said with a playful wink. "Tend to those who need it for now." She really didn't even have to say that, she just needed to get back in the swing of things.

Walking over to the sink, she quickly rinsed her face off with cold water and turned to the others. She followed after Tobias as he headed towards the children's room. "Fen, what did you say earlier about a Trojan Horse? Something about things looking innocent but werent what they seemed? " Ravenia asked, stopping suddenly. "What I wanna know is how two little kids made it across the Red Waste? They didn't even look like they've been through a hard time." Ravenia watched Tobias through the blinds interact with the children. Leaning against the door jam she thought about going in but decided to hang back for a moment or two.

[Exit]

"Right..." Clo began feeling the last vestige of her energy drain from her body, her body sore and her eyes sagging with lack of sleep. She wanted to help, wanted to do something for Shay, for Sun, for Mother. They'd all gone through so much and she thought it was her fault, thought that because she'd left to to do her duty, to defend the wall, that they'd all gone out to look for her. She hadn't realized yet that there was something bigger going on.

Clo finally accepted her fate, nodding an "okay" at Tobias before looking for one of the empty rooms that was free of the clutter and chatter. It was no use arguing with the man when he was like this, even if she wanted to argue. He'd get her to bed one way or the other. It's what made him good at his job: He got you better no matter what, an invaluable attitude to have in a doctor. The only thing left for her to do was comply. So laid herself out on her back in one of the cots, folding her wings up behind her so they wouldn't get in the way of anything. The tips stuck out a few feet above her head due to their size but during rest they acted as pillows in a way. So comfortable was her set up and her body so worn out that as soon as her heavy eye lids slide shut, she fell into darkness. She'd be out cold for a while.

[OoTrillionoO]

Ramera, now in the sky let her self-pity sink away as she buried herself in her watch duty. However, her worries were quickly replaced by another, form this height it was suddenly apparent how close the dead were getting. Not long ago she’d viewed the horde from such a differing height and they appeared far off. Now however, they made themselves apparent to Ramera, and despite the other group’s efforts their numbers were still vast. It seemed quite possible the dead would make it to Paradise, but assuming the number of people out there currently fighting them, the opposite didn’t seem impossible. So long as nobody else gets injured, they’ll be able to do just fine, Ramera thought to herself.

But then, at that moment the yellow streak of a flare gun went into the sky. Something was wrong, they were retreating. Although, Ramera couldn’t explain her dislike of the action, it didn’t sit well with her. They were warriors built as the defense of this city. The only retreat available should be that for the dead or dying. That was, unless they’d been overwhelmed somehow. Perhaps the plan was a failure. Perhaps there was the dying among them. Her thoughts shifted to her sister, Anora! Ramera would kill her if she died.

Ramera let herself down onto the wall, staring at the ground with her teeth clenched. Clo had been in the same situation before as well, but Ramera had walked away, abandoning her sister. She hadn’t even bothered to see how she’d faired; all she’d done was look away. She could feel her muscles tense. There wasn’t another person that she’d hated more than herself at that moment. Then, she saw a figure in the distance, while the sight didn’t surprise her; it brought a relieved feeling washing through her like cool water. It was the sight of her sister Anora, quickly closing the distance between them with powerful flaps from her wings.

Anora landed beside Anora and didn’t break stride as she described the situation. “Paradise is under lockdown and the others have headed straight to the infirmary. For now it will just be you and me actually doing our duty to defend this city. A massive horde of the dead is approaching,” she said, while wiping her swords off of a piece of cloth, followed by her sheathing her swords. Ramera knew of the distance between them as well as her sister, nonetheless saying something would be pointless. “I’ll gather the collection of pointed rocks we have been chiseling into shape. I don’t want to lose any more of my throwing knives.” Ramera could feel her regular, dedicated habits slipping back in place in her mind.

“Of course sister, if you wish to use them over the knives, that is your choice. Not mine” She said, nodding her head down and closing her eyes as she did it. She followed her sister as she made her way over to their shack atop the wall. She stood in the cloth doorway as her sister drug a mat from the corner of the room. The carpet had an assortment of rocks, some large, some small, and others with small makeshift handles chiseled out of the stone. Anora turned to her, with a look of concern strewn across her face.

“Are you alright, sister?” Ramera could feel her jaw tense as she heard the question. Telling her sister would only distract them during their confrontation with the incoming invasion.

She let out a long breath before looking her sister in the eyes and giving a soft smile. “It’s nothing, I’ll tell you afterwards,” she said as she bent over to help her sister shift through the make shift knives. She started to put some into her pockets, before feeling a brush of paper on the inside of one of her pockets, it was the fortune. She pulled it out, laying the crumpled paper onto a bench off to the side before continuing inserting the rocks into her pockets. “By the way Anora, I wasn’t down there myself, but from back here at Paradise they seemed kind of… organized.” She looked into her sister’s face. “Did you learn anything regarding them while you were down there?” she said, inquiring to her younger sister about the incoming dead.

[Merman]

Sun was still wiping residual tears from his eyes but for the most part had gained the majority of his composure back. He nodded to Ravenia as she asked him to send a message to Marcus. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and gently relaxed his body, allowing his arms and hands to hang untensed. Sun took several moments to focus until the ethereal butterfly-shaped sprites began emanating from his forehead once more. To the others, it looked as though he was in some kind of trance, but he wasn't. Forming a telepathic connection was just....draining to say the least and required his up most mental attention. This was a much more convenient way for him to communicate with Marcus without having to leave the hospital. His sprites, about 4 or 5 of them, glided out through the window and traversed over the city to Marcus. Sun was still, maintaining focus while the sprites traveled.

When the sprites arrived to Marcus, they gently floated into his head, entering his mind, and relaying Sun's thoughts. He would hear Sun's telepathic message in his head and would feel a slight tingle, but nothing of major discomfort. The connection made between him and Marcus was brief, but long enough to convey his thoughts.

...Marcus...this is Sun...don't be alarmed...I'm only in your thoughts and I'm sorry to have intruded unannounced....but Ravenia told me to send you a message. She says to put the Gate and wall on full lockdown and to gather the members of the team nearest to you and have them stay at the wall.... Several people are not doing well here......including Shay...but just stay there for now. We will all gather there shortly and recooperate. Oh...and sorry again for the intrusion....

Sun reopened his eyes and sighed deeply after having sent his thoughts to Marcus. Sun's eyes were still red and his face looked emotionally fatigued. When he saw Clo come in and give him a light smile, he returned the same. Briefly laying his head against her as she comforted him by placing her hand on his back. Fen was asking Sun alot of questions...probably because he had been crying initially when he came through the sliding divider. Clo was asking alot of questions too. But really, simply couldn't answer any of there questions. He just shook his head (no) to each of her questions. But when Fen asked about how Shay was doing...Sun sulked and all he could say was..."I don't know...". He was more in the dark than either of them were. He hadn't been out in the Red Waste like they had. He didn't know much of anything.

Sun clasped his hands behind his back and crinkled his nose at Fen's proposition to undress and then redress the man in hospital garments. Sun wasn't keen on the idea, but didn't retort. He wouldnt get involved, but would leave the decision up to them. He did however listen intently when Fen disclosed what information he did know about the Russian man, but it wasn't much to go on frankly. Sun's gaze followed Clo as she followed Tobias' orders to lay down. She complied easily...and without a fuss. Sun's eyes trailed back onto the Russian man as he took his hands from behind his back and braced himself against the table the man was laying on.

Sun was intrigued. Through all of ...whatever it what was that had happened...this man somehow fell into the mix. He hadn't dreamt about him at all. Not saying that he can forsee or dream about everything but...he was a little shocked this man was so nearby the scene and he didn't see him at all. Sun move up a little closer to the man's head and touched his forehead lightly with his fingertip before pulling away. Sun looked around briefly. The divider pretty much seperated him from most of the others, but he heard two pairs of footsteps leave the room. He assumed it was Tobias, but he wasn't sure who followed behind him. Shay was resting. And so was Clo. Only person who was with him it seemed was Fen. He looked to Fen momentarily, before reverting his eyes back to the Russian man's face.

So weird....this guy...being here...

Sun sighed...lost in thought and confused while watching as Fen began cleaning the dried blood from the man. He clasped his hands behind his back once more and pressed himself against the wall. Watching...and just...thinking.

[Metronome]

Fen looked down at the hand restraint given to him. "Uh," He piped in. "I don't think this is really necessary. I don't think he's-" But before Fen could finish his statement, the doctor had already left. Fen sighed and set the cuff aside. The man didn't look like he would be flying out of bed and going Rambo on anyone any time soon. He looked to be in pretty rough shape. His nose was a bit crooked, with quite a bit of dried blood under it; Fen wondered if it could be broken.

Fen cross the room to the sink and got a washcloth to clean the Russian guy's face off with. He felt as though the man should be cleaned up. If nothing else, the guy shouldn't lay in his own bloody clothes. Fen didn't know much about medicine, but he was pretty sure that infections could start that way. He gave Sun a sympathetic glance as he soaked the cloth. Fen knew better than to ask him for help; the poor kid was distraught.

The wolf man took the washcloth and carefully dabbed at the dried blood on the stranger's face. When that didn't work, just sort of...scrubbed it off. He figured the guy was asleep, right? It wasn't like he could feel it. When the dirt and blood was wash away, leaving only the dark purple bruises, Fen rinsed the cloth and got a hospital gown out from under the sink. With one hand cuffed, it would be hard to get the guy out of his dirty clothes and into the gown, but Fen figured he could do it.

He set the gown down on the foot of the bed and braced a hand on the man's shoulder and hip to roll him up on one side. However, Russian man was dead weight, and he was, frankly, very heavy. Fen huffed and tried again, slipping a hand under the man's back to push him up. He quickly drew that hand back when it touched something warm and wet. Fen looked down at his fingers, covered in fresh blood. Was the man still bleeding?

With a bit more effort, Fen heaved the man over onto his left side. Underneath him, a large spot of blood was already soaked into the bedsheets. Fen felt his stomach drop. This wasn't some undead monstrosity, this was a real person. With real blood. And he would really die if it kept coming out. Fen lifted up the man's shirt to look at his back. There were several holes, small as they were, that were bleeding copiously. Had those been doing that the whole time? Shoving and hauling the poor guy around probably hadn't helped. Fen took his cloth and wiped one of the wounds to get a better look. Oh god, there was something in there. Fen felt his stomach turn again.

"Doc!" He called out, frantic. "Hey doc, you better see this!"

There was a nail embedded in the guy's back. Several, by the looks of his other wounds. The head of the visible nail was melted, which suggested to Fen that it had probably been shot out of some kind of weapon. Someone had wanted this guy dead pretty badly; enough so to shoot him in the back with some kind of modified nail gun.

[Kaiden]

Shay felt someone grab her face and gently lift it towards them. She struggled to open her eyes; they felt heavier than usual. Blinking a few times she opened them and through blurry eyes saw Ravenia, her Mother, her leader. She felt ashamed at failing her, but her voice and concern comforted her as she shook from the pain coursing through her body. She closed her eyes and gave a small nod. She couldn't speak. And as pain diffused throughout her body, the sounds of her friends were becoming increasingly harder to hear or to even understand. She barely saw and heard Tobias arrive at her side, inspecting her leg. Shay tried to focus on his face as Tobias cleaned her wound. As he started though, her eyes grew heavy and her ears felt more clogged, until her hearing seamed to vanish all together. She tried to focus on something that were could keep her connected to reality, to possibly her life, but the force drawing her away was too strong and she inevitably gave in, falling unconscious.

When Shay came back to consciousness for a moment she saw she was in the hospital. She wasn't sure how they had arrived or how long it took them. She must be running out of time though. She heard her name being called, pulling her attention as she forced her laden eyes open. Her eyes looked up to see Tobias at her side, something in his hand. Was this supposed to help her? Why would he be injecting something in to her if not for a healing property? What was Tobias saying? His words were coming out slow and slurred. She wanted to tell him to speak more clearly, that she couldn't understand him. Was he playing a trick on her? Why couldn't she hear what he was saying? "...feel worse...see things....not real...." or did he say they were real? She was confused, trying to understand what he was saying as she felt the prick of his needle puncture her skin, releasing the red liquid in to her blood. Shay closed her eyes. The pain seemed to dissipate from her body. She could feel her once tensed muscles relaxing, her mind clearing as her focus returned. And as quickly as the reprieve came it halted. A new pain shot through her body. Shay grabbed the sheets on either side of the bed, her back arching. Her body shook and she spun herself in to a fetal position, holding her legs to her chest, shaking and whimpering softly. The pain riveting through her. It was no longer the white heat she felt before. It was an indescribable pain. She felt like she was dying. After a few moments of being curled up and shaking, unaware of the others attending each other, Shay felt a wave of pain strike down her back. She broke her hold on her legs and held on to the bed side with a loud cry of pain. If she was dying why wasn't she dead already? Why was it taking so long? She was broken. She was giving in. Why wouldn't they let her go? Her eyes were physically shut but she felt herself look around, seeing the Dead clinging to the outer walls and watching her. She tried to focus on those she cared about. Sun came to her focus, his sweet face smiling, a calming gesture. Shay shook her head violently from side to side as the pain ripple through her spine. When she fell still for a moment she "saw" across the room Marcus. He stood strong and secure like the gates he protected. He was a vision of safety and security. Was he here to tell her she would be ok? Tears fell down her face, washing streaks through the red waste dust caked on her skin. Across the room she "saw" Isam and Fen standing together. She tried to focus on Isam, her arm raising upwards 'towards' him. Sun screamed at her side. He screamed for her help as he was dragged out of the room by two of the Dead. Nooo! Sun!! Shay silently screamed for him. The pain rippled through her body, agony washing through her chest as she "saw" Sun being pulled away, the Dead ripping int to his soft flesh, his blood splashing across the floor. Ravenia cried out from across the room, sitting on one of the beds. Shay would not fail her again. She felt as if she was getting up to her, a slow motion movement in her mind as she reacted to what she was seeing, which was of course all not realty, as her eyes remained closed. She saw before her the Dead come upon Ravenia, over taking her and clawing at her flesh. No! Mother!! She felt the pain shaking through her body. She needed to help them. The dead were filling the room, each taking a hold of one of her loved ones. She could do nothing. She felt heavy, her body resisting her tries to move and go help. The pain of the antidote working in her body was matched by the emotional agony she endured, watching what her mind played out due to the blood she was given.