[hr][i][h1][color=lightseagreen]Rowan Campbell[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Zombiedude101][/sub][/i][hr] [i][u]RAVEN/DOVE West Coast Joint Headquarters.[/u][/i] Not too long after seeing Wendy, the doctor had given Rowan the all-clear and had him released from their custody. But that hadn't exactly gotten him off the hook - he'd been told to get some rest and check back in with them if he started feeling more pain where the Black Hound had knocked him down, though in truth he had his stash of painkillers to handle that. What did concern him was once he'd gotten back to the dorm, he couldn't find any sign of Wendy, anywhere - not at any of their usual hangouts or even by her dorm area. Asking around didn't help either - the only one who'd seen her had mentioned her heading outside, wherever that meant. With no alternatives and worried for what was probably an only friend, Rowan grabbed for his phone and sent a text. [quote][pre]where are you? back at dorm cant find you anywhere. im sorry i was useless please just talk to me[/pre][/quote] Guilt had welled up at the back of his mind. Was it his fault, maybe? If Wendy hadn't tried to help him then maybe she could've got her friends and sister back. His phone soon buzzed with a response. [quote][pre]It's okay Rowan. I'm out at the moment, don't worry about me, I'll be back soon.[/pre][/quote] That didn't sound good. He shot another text back. [quote][pre]where? seriously im worried, just tell me[/pre][/quote] [quote][pre]Rowan... keep it to yourself, but I'm getting Diana back the hard way. Sorry, but I have to do this.[/pre][/quote] What? Rowan's concerns proved to have good founding. He frantically tapped out another message. [quote][pre]wait hold up im going with you. not doing this by yourself[/pre][/quote] [quote][pre]Sorry, but I already got you in enough shit.[/pre][/quote] [quote][pre]I got you in shit not the other way round cmon where are you[/pre][/quote] It was a few minutes before the next text came. [quote][pre]1731 Minoma Vale... be careful, and try to come in through the garage and open it with your power.[/pre][/quote] It didn't take Rowan long to recognise the address; New Raygate was a place that the old man had been to enough times and the place that Wendy had given wasn't too far from one he'd seen before. Throwing on his hoodie, Rowan quickly downed a dose of painkillers to dull the ache in his ribs and set off straight for Wendy. [hr][i][h1][color=skyblue]Wendy Emily Lucker[/color] & [color=lightseagreen]Rowan Campbell[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Zombiedude101][/sub][/i][hr] [i][u]New Raygate, Prince Edfield.[/u][/i] After a quick bus ride, then "borrowing" a bicycle to make the trip a little quicker, and then finally walking a shorter distance, Rowan eventually found himself in an alleyway opposite the compound that Wendy had spoken of, hoodie drawn up to avoid making his identity obvious. Whipping out his phone again, he shot another text. [quote][PRE]I'm across the street[/pre][/quote] Wendy was pressed up against the wall of the facility, not too far away from the entrance where she first made infiltration. She peaked around the corner and noticed some guards coming up. She quickly stepped into a janitor's closet, before she looked at her phone. Rowan was here.... [quote][pre]Try to get across the fence. I'm heading to the garage now. Hurry.[/pre][/quote] Wendy said as she stepped out of the supply closet, and walked back over to the garage. Rowan steadily made an approach, sticking to the shadows as he crossed the street. From what he could ses, there were a few people inside the compound, though it was clear they had better things to do than stare put into the street all day and Rowan soon recognised the pattern of their movements. The fence itself looked pretty damned tall however, with barbed wire making it difficult to climb over without making a scene. Not that it made much of a difference - Rowan had a couple gunning for him here. Waiting until he had a clear path, he searched for any handhold he could, then started scaling the fence. As he approached the razor-sharp barbs at the top, all he had to do was just concentrate... and they soon parted and deformed, leaving him a gap to climb over. Now on the other side, his eyes darted for any sign of the "garage" that Wendy had mentioned, but he soon had to scrabble for cover behind a nearby trash canister as another of the security guards started walking past his way. He was, at least, thankful that he could probably screw up the video feed on any security cameras he'd missed. The two security guards simply scrolled by, and ignored the trash canister. They were having a conversation, and didn't think anyone except the stupid would come near here. They continued past the building. By this time, Wendy made her way back to the garage, and had her hand up against the garage door button, and her other hand was texting Rowan. [quote][pre]Are you there yet?[/pre][/quote] She sent. Then she received another text from her benefactor. [quote][pre]What are you doing?[/pre][/quote] Her benefactor sent, Wendy didn't respond. [quote][pre]The more people you get involved, the harder this gets.[/pre][/quote] Wendy could just feel the stern irritation, but if this is what it takes. Rowan peered out again, then just about made out the garage she'd mentioned this time. After glancing from one side of the compound to the other to check he was clear, he broke from cover and made a steady beeline for Wendy's position. [Quote][pre]I'm there[/pre][/quote] Wendy pressed the button, and the garage door opened - but when it was low enough for Rowan to crawl through, she stopped it. Opening the whole thing was just a recipe for disaster! Just as quickly as she'd opened it, Rowan ducked down and slipped through the slim gap that Wendy had opened. His scrawny frame only served to help him fit through with ease and as he caught sight of his friend in need, he couldn't help but ask with a rasping voice, "Little help?" Wendy quickly closed the door behind him before anyone could notice, and hopped down. She scratched the back of her neck as she said, "... Thank you for coming." Wendy said as she looked around. She grabbed Rowan by the wrist and dragged him into the depths of the base. "... Come on, we have to go - I'll explain later." [hr] Going down the path that her contact told her, Wendy and Rowan were lead along. They were crouching through the area. She peaked at her phone occasionally for directions. She was going to try to get in and out of here as quickly as possible. [quote][pre]Head for Subject Capitivity, there should be a sign directing you right to it.[/pre][/quote] [quote][pre]... Also tell your friend to stop screwing with the cameras.[/pre][/quote] Wendy nodded her head as she looked up at the sign that was pointing them right for the subject capitivity. She peaked around the corner, and saw that the coast was clear.... There was a giant crash right from where they came from, and Wendy turned around as it sounded like a literal storm was going on inside the garage. "... The hell?" Wendy said to herself as she turned around. That's when the alarms started blaring, and all hell broke loose. There was some gunfire coming from the garage, but that was the least of her concerns. She heard a group of men running towards them, shouting. Wendy was more than certain they weren't after them... but, maybe it wouldn't have ended that well if they were seen. She made it to a T, and quickly turned left with Rowan in tow. "Quickly!" Wendy said in a hushed tone as she moved fast as she could, whilst the scrawny kid was straight on her heels. Eventually, they made it to a wooden door that looked expensive as hell. On the door "EZEKIEL'S QUARTERS" were engraved in gold. Wendy tried to pry the door open, but it was locked. "Shit..." She hissed, before she looked at Rowan. She could hear footsteps. "Rowan," Wendy urgently said. "You have to open the door." "I need a sec." Rowan said in an equally hushed tone as he slipped past Wendy, bending his fingers inwards as his attention was shifted to the lock. Focusing, he twisted towards the left until he heard a faint click, then frantically grasped the handle and pried the unlocked door open, quickly pulling Wendy inside before he shut it behind him. Wendy locked the door behind them, and pressed her ear against the door, trying to listen to see if anyone was coming. Fortunately, all she heard was people running past. She sighed in relief as she tried to figure out where the hell they were... She turned around and looked around the room and all she could see was a [i]mansion.[/i] Like, it looked different from the evil compound that she stepped into. The floors were coat in lush carpet that matched the fancy wooden interior of the building. Mixed with all the fancy furniture, Wendy knew that this was someone's quarters. For Rowan, this was the kind of place you only ever really saw on TV - and here he was standing, out of place. "... Wow." Wendy said as she walked in, and then her eyes centered on one thing, and one thing only. The bookshelf. She skipped over to it, manuevering around the chairs, and scanned it with her fingers. It was a nice distraction from the whole tense rescue mission she was on. Then her hands rested on one book in particular. "Oh!" Wendy said as a sense of excitement had overcame her as she grabbed the book. Rowan picked up on her curiosity but realised that this was probably not the time or the place. "So uh.. what next? "Rowan!" Wendy said, holding onto the book, "Do you know what this book is?!" She said, giddy as a schoolgirl, almost jumping up and down. She presented it to him, and... the book was a very rare book. The first edition copy of The Great Gatsby. Printed in 1925, it had to be worth thousands of dollars. But, to the bibliophile, it was priceless. Even though she read the book a thousand times, the fact that she managed to get her hands on a first edition was going to make her book collection great. Rowan shrugged at that, oblivious to the book's value or contents. He'd never been much of a reader to begin with. "What is it?" "What is it?" Wendy tilted her head in disbelief, her eye twitching slightly. "[i]What is it?![/i]" Wendy loudly said. "This is the first edition of the Great Gatsby, printed in the God damn nineteen-twenties! You know how valuable this book is?!" "Five hundred?" The poor kid was out of his league when it came to such a literary counisseur. "[i]Two. Thousand. [b]Dollars![/b][/i]" Wendy said in excitement, before she calmed down. "I looked it up on Ebay... waiting for the day I can buy it!" "Holy shit!" He finally exclaimed, fumbling with his bag. There had to be space for more. "Any others worth that much? We can grab 'em, then get Diana and the others, we'll be loaded!" "Sell it?" Wendy said, raising an eyebrow. "Hell no! This is going in my book collection, and staying there." "Come on, you don't need all of them, do you? Any you don't like?" He thought about all the uses he'd have for the cash. It was more than anything he'd ever had before. "Well... maybe I'll grab some of the less valuable ones...." Wendy looked at the bookcase, and saw some other rare and valuable books. Man. This Ezekiel guy not only has good tastes, but money! She'd feel bad about robbing him if he wasn't, you know, [i]evil[/i]. She put the Great Gatsby in her satchel, as she looked around. She used her paper manipulation to pull books such as an older edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula, first edition of Cat in the Hat (Which was [i]odd[/i] for a grown man to normally have if they weren't a book collector, after all), and the first edition of Lord of the Rings... though, there was something off about the last book when it came open for a second - like there was something in it. But, Wendy didn't care because she would check out all these books when she gets back. "Alright," Wendy said. "They probably won't mind if I borrow some of these books... given that we're, you know, intruding in their base." She shrugged as she slung the satchel over her shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here, we have to save Diana," Wendy said as she walked back towards the door, and unlocked it. Peeking out, she saw the coast was clear. Whatever happened certainly distracted them, whatever helps Wendy. She gestured for Rowan to come along as she left Ezekiel's quarters. "Lock the door behind you." She said. Rowan obliged her, leaving the door as it was on his way out. Then they were back into this base. [hr] Following the instructions of their contact, Wendy made her way to the Subject Captivity... It was awful thinking of what they were doing to Diana. She prayed that she got here in time. She made it to the metal door that looked like it belonged in a scifi movie. It was like an elevator door, but thick, and durable. She knew that it'd be difficult, if not impossible for them to force it open... not without causing a hell of a lot of noise. There was a keypad for the locked door off to the side, and Wendy stared at it for a moment. She comteplated texting her contact, asking if he could tell him the code. Or if she could get Rowan to do some weird magnetism... [quote][pre]29854. Hurry up, your distraction has ended, and the base is going on full alert.[/pre][/quote] Wendy nodded her head as she punched the code in, and quickly opened the door. Immediately, Wendy was exposed to the sight of a long hallway with jail cells... and each cell had bars on them. She hesitantly stepped inside with Rowan as the doors closed behind them, only to be caught off-guard by Rowan gasping with shock. There were... so many people here. With each step she took, she saw more people behind the bars. "What the fuck..." Rowan murmured, the many faces staring back at him. [quote][pre]There's no time to look for the keys, just use your magnetism to pry the locks.[/pre][/quote] Wendy nodded her head as she put her phone back in her pockets. She has to be quick. She reached into her satchel, and grabbed one of the batteries tightly. There was the light crackling of electricity as it funneled into her hand. The electricity traveled down her wrist, as she activated her electrical powers. "Alright, Rowan, we gotta unlock these doors the hard way...." Wendy said as she put her hand on the lock, and funneled electricity into it as she unlocked the cell doors. There was a loud click as they opened, and the occupants came running out. Those who didn't soon did once Rowan [i]tore[/i] the damned things off by the hinges, fuelled with a sudden rage at seeing so many people like him and Wendy caged up like animals. Just like how the old man would've had it. "Wait!" Wendy said as she put her hand on their power suppressant collars, and snapped it open with electricity. It fell to the ground, and Wendy said, "Try to get everyone else free. This is a jailbreak." "Yeah, c'mon!" Rowan beckoned in encouragement, helping others by breaking their collars in half with sheer overwhelming force. It wasn't long until a few escapees became many, and Wendy was doing what she could to take their collars off... but, it was becoming apparent that they weren't just kidnapping Metahumans. There were regular, powerless, people here. What did the Founding Family want with them? One cell that Wendy opened had Jessica, and Kiri... and some other girl, but not Diana? Wendy opened the bars, and the two came running out. She quickly broke the collar off Jessica, before the super-strong girl simply just ripped it off. "Wow, I didn't expect you to come save us," Jessica said, putting her hands on her hips. "What... where's Diana?" Wendy had to ask. "I don't know... she was with us, but that big bastard came by and took her, and put another girl in her place." Jessica raised her eyebrow. "The Hound?" Wendy asked. "Oh, yeah," Jessica said. "... I don't know why, he just opened up, reached in, and snatched her." Wendy clenched her fist tightly. "I swear..." Wendy hissed. "I came [i]so[/i] close to finding Diana, only for her to slip between my fingers...." She was holding back tears. "Look, Wen," Jessica said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "We'll find 'er, eventually... but, for now, I think we ought to get out of here." "But, wait..." Wendy stopped them because she had to ask. "... What did they do to you down here?" "Nothing...." Jessica shrugged. "They just said we were going to be needed later." ".... Oh my God!" Someone shouted in the hallway, through all the panicked chattering, the arrival of the Intimidation Unit went all but inaudible. "Everyone get down!" The armed man shouted as he shot in the air. Everyone took their chances, and hauled ass out the other exit... or began to fight back. A pyrokinetic filled the hallway with fire, and left some pretty scatching burns. However, he was gunned down with some heavy crossfire. Which gave Wendy enough time to turn and haul ass to the other door. "Move!" She shouted as she pushed the scared people aside and moved over to the keypad. Reason would be leading her to believe that the other end would have the same code. However, her hands were shaking. When she mean to put in nine, she pressed eight. And slammed her fist against the side the keypad when she had to start over. "Sorry, Wendy!" Jessica shouted as she ran up to the door and punched it hard as she could in the center. She then pried open the door with all of her strength... and that was surprising since Wendy was unsure of whether or not she and Rowan could force it open with their magnetism. "We gotta move!" Jessica said as she kicked over what was left. [i]That works.[/i] Wendy said as she ran out.