Chris - Outpost
"I need anyone-- anyone-- willing to join my people to do so. We need to fight for our community or before long there will be no community to fight for. If you care about Outpost, then I urge you to join me."
Reggie's voice boomed inside his head. Chris recited in his head the speech the man had given a month ago, urging the people of Outpost to take up arms; The same speech that had prompted Chris to join the scouts in the first place. He hadn't taken to Enrique like the others had at the time, for Chris found the idea being one of Outpost's warriors sort of novel. He hadn't taken it seriously at all until that battle at the art museum, where Simon was blown to bits right before his eyes. Then, with Reggie dying soon later and the scouts being hauled around like someone's plaything, it gave Chris a new perspective on things. He wanted to be someone this community could rely on. That was the most prestigious position nowadays-- Forget the council, a warrior was what people looked up to.
He spent most of his morning gathering the dead and assisting in burials. They were going to have to burn the rotting biters, so that their stench and disease didn't linger. It was a strange process, one that reminded Chris of the burning cabins the night before. How the fires started were unknown, but Rhonda had made a huge stink about Matt and Enrique being the culprits. Considering both had left during the attack and had stolen supplies... well, Chris doubted it could have been anyone else. They had even attacked one of their own, Aoife, in the supply cabin. Chris and a few others had the grim task of cleaning the blood, but the task was only making him more angry. He didn't know Aoife too well, neither did he know Amanda very well, but damn it, their deaths felt so meaningless. It was the work of monsters. Enrique and Matt were no doubt monsters, just like the biters.
When the clean-up was finally finished, Chris stepped out of the cabin to find Elliot and Richard in heated debate-- Or at least, Chris figured it was heated. Elliot looked hurt as his hands cut through the air, and Richard's hand signs seemed rather aggressive, as if he rather be hitting Elliot with his hands rather than communicating with them. With a growl, the older brother turned away from Elliot and stopped Chris in his tracks. "Hey, are you leaving with Sylar?" Richard asked. "If you-- If you are, I need you to--"
Chris cut him off by shaking his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Sylar's leaving?"
Richard sighed and glanced back toward his brother. "... Yes." He turned back to Chris with a glare on his face. "He's taking a group of scouts to hunt down Enrique, I believe. I need to--"
"Excuse me." Chris quickly stepped away from Richard, suddenly too incensed to listen to what he had to say. If there was a group going to hunt down Enrique then Chris was going to be on that team, whether they liked it or not. That stupid stupid Jamie managed to completely bundle the mission yesterday and yet he then continued to spit in everyone's face by leaving with Enrique. Chris had a bone to pick to pick with Jamie and the monsters that he followed.
He found the group quickly enough-- Sylar would of course be bringing the veteran scouts with him. They were gathered around the only remaining vehicle and looked guarded as they saw Chris approach. "I want in," he said curtly. "And none of you can stop me."
The big man, Jerry, rolled his eyes, but Lucas peered at Chris with vague amusement. "You're not the first to ask," he said. He touched at his glasses and lightly shook his head. "And you're not the first we're turning away."
Chris stomped forward, stepping in the middle of the group. He was one of the biggest men there, and he knew he could throw his weight around if he needed to. "I've been with the scouts longer than these three," Chris said, pointing to Charlie, Phineas, and Zane. "Hell, she was injured yesterday. How can you possibly--"
"Hey," Charlie said, staring at him defiantly. She was practically daring him to badmouth her. Chris only grunted.
"My point is, what reason is there for me not to go? All the scouts that joined when I did have either died or booked it with Enrique. I deserve to be here." Jerry stepped dangerously close to Chris and stared him in the eyes. Chris didn't dare step back, choosing to stand his ground. Lucas let out a sigh.
"Let him come," Cody said from the back of the group. "He was with me yesterday, and he kept a level head. I'd consider it an asset if he came along."
Lucas stepped in between Chris and Jerry and sheepishly smiled. "Sylar is the one who gets the final word, but if Cody is for it, I think you're in, Chris." Jerry backed off and sniffed heavily. They were all on edge from the events last night. Chris tried to shake off his anger and held out his hand, offering it to whoever scout wanted to take it. Thankfully, Jerry obliged first.
Danny - Cabin -Emma/Rob/Finch/Enrique
Emma took her place next to him, with Shannon and Rob taking the other side of the hall. Finch was on guard duty in the back room protecting James. Danny looked down at Emma and saw her mouth the words "I'm sorry I blamed you." He felt the sudden urge to respond to her in sign language, but he simply shook his head, meaning to convey: "Don't worry about it."
Their attention was turned toward the door as three knocks fell upon it. Danny steadied his rifle, doing his usual obsessive check of the safety as he did so. He wondered who might be beyond the door and if they intended to appear friendly by knocking. Enrique might have sent one of the scouts in on their own, but Enrique was more the type to head in himself. In fact, the more Danny thought about it, the more sure he was that Enrique was behind the door. He considered firing on it right away and ending the tension. The bullets would pierce the wood easily, and hopefully pierce Enrique's heart as well. It would be revenge for Samantha; Revenge for Reggie as well.
Yet, Danny couldn't bring himself to fire. Enrique or not, firing now would eliminate the whole point of their surprise. He turned his head toward Shannon and Rob, miming the action of opening a door. He looked at everybody in turn and mouthed the words: "Don't shoot. Don't move." They could not kill this intruder, at least not yet. If the intruder decided to step inside, they would need to capture them, or possibly even negotiate with them. If as many scouts were out there as Danny believed, they had no other choice.
Tyler - Baton Rouge/Apartment - Scarlett/Katie/Liam/Jacob
After dinner-- A meal mostly consisting of vegetables-- everyone decided to turn in for the night. Tyler's group kept to the living room, though there was a lack of sheets for them to keep warm during the night. Tina explained they only had enough for five people, not ten. George complained about it in the morning, after a small meal of fruit was offered to everyone. Jace replied that hopefully they would find some today on their run.
"Blankets, pillows, sleeping bags-- That's what we'll need," Caleb explained. "We'll also have to gather some supplies for the cat, and I suppose whatever else you guys want."
"Uhh, hold up," Tina said from the hallway. She stepped into the living room with a box of flashlights and set them down on the carpet. "Don't go crazy and bring back a bunch of stuff. We don't do that many runs, but this is just so we can keep you guys warm, all right?"
Adam, who was looking a lot more relaxed today, groaned and stretched from his seat on the couch. "You guys made me go out yesterday, so I think I should stay behind today. Tyler's honestly pretty bad ass, so I don't think you have to worry."
Tyler turned to Tina and he could tell that she was holding off on rolling her eyes. "Well that's if Tyler wants to go," she said. "Jace and Caleb should be fine on their own, so if you guys--"
"I'm going," Tyler quickly said. "Definitely. But I don't speak for everyone." He turned to everyone gathered around the room. "I think we'll be fine, so you guys can sit here and relax if you want... It's up to you." George only shrugged at the offer. Tyler's eyes then met Katie's, and he knew she'd object. "Katie, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to separate for a little bit."
"We'll bring your daddy back as soon as possible," Caleb added, smiling.
