[center] [h1]Evac Team[/h1] [img]http://i.imgur.com/n1b6iEd.png[/img] [img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img] [IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/2lsi06d.jpg[/IMG] [img]http://i68.tinypic.com/2yorfye.jpg[/img] [h2][color 00ffbb]Lawrence[/color] | [color 33ec06]Marcus[/color] | [color crimson]Savannah[/color] | [color BD892F]Sophia[/color][/h2] [hr][color=silver]𝕄: π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ™πŸœ, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Žπ•šπ•€π•—π• π•£π••, 𝕄𝕒𝕣π•ͺπ•π•’π•Ÿπ•• / / π•‹π• π•¨π•Ÿ / / ~πŸ™πŸŸπŸ˜πŸ˜[/color][hr] [sub]Collab with [@VampireOracle] [@Chasers115] [@Baklava] [@January] and [@RedDusk](Who's actually doing her job for once)[/sub][/center] In all honesty, the deafening silence of their ride over the first day (at least before the attack) was far preferable to the current situation. The thunderous footsteps of some far-off creature were in great contrast to the low humming of the APC. Every snap of timber they drove over, and the soft crunching of the debris underneath served to put Marcus in a slightly tenser state of mind. He’d already finished applying the Wishalloy to his legs, acutely aware to not make the same error that Savannah had. The clear material caught the light every so often as he bounced his leg nervously, sitting silently on a bench under the assumption that Sophia was currently scanning the area. The maps that were being uploaded to their phones was a welcome distraction in some ways, but another layer of his ever-growing nervousness in others. Most of the clockwork forces were right where they should have been, but the ones that weren’t were the most concerning. Designated as β€˜Collector/Elephant’ types, Marcus could only assume that they were the source of the giant footsteps. Part of him wondered what gave them the β€˜Collector’ designation, but the other part hoped he wouldn’t have to find out. The crackling of the radio pierced the ambient silence of the APC as Marcus pulled it off his belt to listen to the monsters. [color=9e0039]"Testing testing. One two three. Angelic here, you guys hear me? I wanted to tell you guys, even if we are all split-up in different groups, we are still a team. Communication is key here. So please, if you spot anything out of the ordinary: a stray Factory's minion, an unknown Mage or whatever, warn the other groups, even if you are not to engage them. Let's keep ourselves updated, so we can adapt if things go wrong."[/color] [color=9e0039]"Y'all stay safe and be careful, alright? Support Team nearing objective. Angel out."[/color] "[color 33ec06]Evac Team; we're reading you, Angel.[/color]" Marcus replied, his tone much more business-like than it usually was. "[color 33ec06]Adding to that list: if anybody sees any groups of civvies, ping it on the map if you can; we'll see what we can do. Like the woman says, be careful out there, you guys. Evac team over and out.[/color]" He put the phone back into safe-keeping, and spoke up, the message having spurred him into impatientness. "[color 33ec06]See anything out there, Sophs?[/color]" Sophia turned on her power once the APC began to move. For the second time, she watched as everything around her faded into shades of gray and as the people around her disappeared, leaving only the clothes and items they wore behind. To make things easier for herself she looked out of the windows around the sides of the truck, head turning side to side as she tried to see through the materials around her, most of them too thick for her to make out any clear shapes. She tried to ignore the occasional ominous footsteps that showed there was something prowling around nearby, but couldn't help jumping almost every time one sounded. Though she also heard the message from one of the other teams through the radio, she didn't respond as Marcus was already doing so. After a particularly loud footstep that made the driver turn down an even narrower road, she began to shake her head in response to Marcus's question when she saw what looked like two sets of clothing ahead, floating in midair. Changing her shake to a nod, she looked over at Marcus, or at least tried to. Her seemingly unfocused gaze rested at the place where Marcus's face should be for a second before she turned back to looking at the two people. [color=BD892F]"There're two people up ahead..."[/color] "[color 33ec06]Well then I guess this is our stop![/color] Marcus said, tapping the armored wall of the APC twice to signal the driver. "[color 33ec06]Got some up ahead![/color]" When the APC came to a stop, Marcus carefully stepped out the back, scanning the ruined town. He looked down for just a moment to check his pistol: safety off. He looked over the rest of the buildings, leaning towards Sophia without turning. He kept his voice low, nearly a whisper. It certainly wouldn't be very good if the two were hostile and he gave away their position by loudly shouting. Not that the armored vehicle driving through town was super stealthy. "[color 33ec06]Just the two of 'em?[/color]" he asked. "[color 33ec06]Where are they at?[/color]" As the APC came to a stop and Marcus stepped out, Sophia made herself follow a few seconds later. She would rather stay in the "safety" of the APC, but it would be easier to point out where the two people were if they were both standing on the same spot. Noting the soft voice that Marcus used to speak, her reply was soft as well, not that that was unusual for her. Raising an arm and hoping her finger was pointing in the right direction, she aimed her index finger towards the building where the two people were huddled. [color=BD892F]"Around there... I think?"[/color] Lawrence followed her gesture with his eyes, standing up and leaving the APC behind Marcus. [color f7976a]"Whether we kill them or save them, better make it fast. We don't want to stay in place too long."[/color] A glance at Marcus and a quick look at the approximate location Sophia had pointed out gave the Arbiter a few milliseconds of pause before he spoke up again. [color f7976a]"Marcus. The more dangerous move of opening that door is on you. I'll be ready to calm them down if whoever's behind that door is agitated."[/color] He shifted the loaded shotgun in his arms, the alternative clear as well. [color f7976a]"What about me?"[/color] Savannah called out loudly, not catching the quieter tones of conversation. [color f7976a]"Stay quiet. Stay inside,"[/color] came Lawrence's curt answer. While Lawrence's curt response of "kill them or save them" had seemed like daily business to him, Marcus was a little taken aback by the statement, truthfully. Still, he gave Lawrence a nod, taking a defensive position near the door.With his back to the wall, Marcus checked his gun one more time, taking a deep before he moved. Four seconds. Whatever happened, he needed to make sure that he had four seconds of safety. He grabbed the handle with his free hand, allowing himself one more breath. On the exhale, he flung the door open, immediately raising his pistol while taking a step inside, readying a rewind if needed. Rustling movement to his right and down greeted the armed savior (of a sort) and the brown-haired boy had to hold back his sister from running off in fear, the girl's muffled screaming taking long seconds to finally quiet down as she stared up at the decidedly unimposing Marcus, fear slowly turning into a careful stare at his face. Both siblings' eyes were a cool shade of jade green, but that was all the similarity they shared having both taken very different sides of the genetic lottery. The older brother's features were sharper and more defined, while his little sister--who didn't look any older than 7 or 8--had inherited someone's softer cheeks and wide brow, looking far more innocent than even a child her age had a right to appear. His quick scan wasn't exactly necessary, as the muffled scream of a small child immediately directed his attention to the two figures in the corner. Two of them, a young looking girl and a slightly older looking boy, neither of them marked with DC's lovingly rendered stamps. He immediately holstered his gun, raising his hands to show he meant no harm and giving a quick "[color 33ec06]Clear![/color]" to the rest of Evac team. "[color 33ec06]Don't worry; we're here to help.[/color]" Marcus said, kneeling slightly, his tone as calm and cool as he could make it. The older brother blinked at the scarred boy currently kneeling before them, shoulders relaxing just a touch when he heard the word β€˜help’. However, tension bled back into his limbs once he spotted the white mark right below Marcus’ eye. β€œ[color=f7976a]N-No. You’re a sub.[/color]” -Wide eyes brimmed with fear, and he unconsciously pulled his sister closer to himself β€“β€œ[color=f7976a]Stay away![/color]” "[color 33ec06]Hey, hey, hey.[/color]" Marcus said, in what was probably a poor attempt to defuse the situation. "[color 33ec06]I'm one of the good guys, see?[/color]" he said, giving his cheekbone a quick tap. There was a part of him that was unconsciously ashamed of the divide between the abes and arbs he'd pointed out, but it was a necessary evil at this moment. "[color 33ec06]What's your name, kid?[/color]" he punctuated this sentence by kneeling further, his right knee fully touching the ground now. β€œ[color=f7976a]J-Jake.[/color]” -Came the breathy answer, and wide eyes were still wary of Marcus’ every move. "[color 33ec06]Alright Jake, I'm Marcus. We're going to get you and your sister to safety, and get your arm all patched up, okay?[/color]" he held out his hand slightly, extending it to the injured boy. It took a few more moments of careful staring before the young boy finally relented. It was either this smouldering ruin or the extending hand at this point, and despite his fears, Jake knew what he had to do. For his sister’s sake and his own. He took the hand. β€œ[color=f7976a]Okay.[/color]” "[color 33ec06]Alright, let's get you out of here then.[/color]" He took the young man's hand and stood up, helping the two kids to their feet. With a small gesture to the door, he led the both out, taking a moment to give one last scan to the room before leaving. "[color 33ec06]That all for around here, Sophs?[/color]" he asked, keeping an eye on the kids as they approached the APC. He'd completely forgotten that Savannah was a Abe when he'd been trying to win their trust, and he hoped that it wouldn't come back to haunt them. Worst case scenario, he figured; Lawrence was there to calm them down if they started panicking. He gave Lawrence a quick glance at this thought, hoping he was ready. Despite his injury, the young boy managed to help his sister climb into the truck. Entering after her, he froze as soon as he saw Savannah on the far seat, glancing back at Marcus before deciding it was alright. "[color=f7976a]Move, Isla,[/color]" he muttered, positioning himself between the young girl and the Aberration-- just in case. Savannah took notice, but merely pursed her lips and looked away-- the best thing she could've done considering her current mood and temper. After what had seemed like ages, at last Marcus came out of the building with the two in tow. Now that the civilians were standing, she realized how short one of them was. A child, probably not much older or younger than her sister? It was hard to tell without seeing a face. Continuing to stand watch while the trio approached, she didn't answer Marcus's question immediately, taking the time the civilians took to climb in the APC to have one more look around. Scanning the nearby buildings once again, there seemed to be no one else around. Then paying attention to the objects farther away, she didn't see anything worthy of note eith- wait. Had she been imagining it or had she seen the movement of a person appearing in the distance, before vanishing behind something she couldn't really see through? Maybe she had imagined it. Was it worth mentioning if she might be wrong? Buying herself time to think, she got into the APC while still trying to keep an eye on the place where that person had disappeared. [color=BD892F]"I... don't know."[/color] "I don't know" wasn't a good answer. [color=BD892F]"Maybe?"[/color] Wasting time. Her voice took on a stressed tone as she tried to articulate herself. [color=BD892F]"No one... nearby."[/color] A sigh. [color=BD892F]"But for farther away... I don't know. I might have... but I don't know."[/color] Hidden inside her pockets, her hands made fists. [color=BD892F]"I'll keep looking... but we don't have time."[/color] Marcus clambered in as Sophia spoke, garnering a slightly raised eyebrow from him. It only took her a moment to articulate herself, and Marcus gave a quick look in the direction she was, peeking out the window. There certainly wasn't anything [i]he[/i] could see, but he honestly wasn't even sure if he was looking the right way; she'd mentioned something about '360 vision'. "[color 33ec06]Which way? We might as well head that direction...[/color]" he asked. "[color 33ec06] It's not like we've got any other leads.[/color]" He contemplated asking the kids if they knew were anybody might be, but it didn't seem like a great idea. They'd clearly been through a lot already, and the fact that there were only two of them didn't bode well for any sort of caretakers. Right now, they just needed to rest and try to not think about it. In response to Marcus's question, Sophia pointed with her left arm directly towards the spot the person had disappeared before remembering that the rest couldn't see the way she did. Dropping her arm quickly, she switched to explaining verbally. [color=BD892F]"Around a block ahead, I think it's the road that's on the left?"[/color] Lowering her voice, she muttered, [color=BD892F]"But don't take my word for it."[/color] "[color 33ec06]Hmmm...[/color] Marcus pondered. A block ahead and to the left; he checked his map real quick to make sure his hunch was correct. That was pretty close to Lily's healer team - even if there wasn't anything actually there, it probably wouldn't hurt to go that direction. The alternative was getting dangerously close to whatever the 'collectors' were, which wasn't something he was looking to do. "[color 33ec06]Welp. You heard the girl! Full speed ahead, Captain![/color]" Marcus said, allowing himself a moment of reprive from his own seriousness.