[center][h2]Healer Team: Halvost
- Lurkers -[/h2][h3][color=palevioletred]『ℤ𝕠𝕖』 [/color] [color=8493ca]『ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤』[/color] [color=00a99d]『𝔼𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥』 [/color][/h3][/center]
[center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/28qjKqU.png[/img] [img]http://i63.tinypic.com/2h84geb.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/FJt85Te.png[/img] [/center]
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center][hr][center][color=silver]𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟙𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕎𝕚𝕤𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕕, 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕪𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   𝕋𝕠𝕨𝕟   / /  ~𝟙𝟟𝟜𝟘[/color][/center][hr][center][sub]Collab with [@Lasrever] [@A Filthy Yet Glamorous Slug With Nubs] and [@banjoanjo][/sub][/center]

They left "David" at an intersection where the residential lots met a street of small businesses smashed to rubble, the captive's pained sounds his only noises of protest now. On the phone display, Gregory had entered that same street, though a block north, and that much closer to the worst of the fighting. Faint vibrations through the ground denoted furious combat in the direction of both the offensive support team and the strikers while a flash of purple light shot towards the fray from an intact apartment building only meant the defensive supporters had to step in after all, rather than just wait for any stragglers to mop up.

It wasn't ideal, and Gregory so far out of position while a collector type prowled several blocks away only seemed to emphasize just how little control they had over the situation. Nothing seemed to be going as planned, especially when the distant, looming figure of Factory tried to stand again despite two of its legs hanging slack from its body.

It was all too much to take in, really. Just a few hours ago they had been playing at being students in a school, but they hadn't rehearsed enough to play at being soldiers on a battlefield.

Christmas glanced at the reddened skin around the edges of the blindfold, grimacing at the flesh seared by both the orange coloration of pepper spray and the burn of drain cleaner. His own injury sent a sharp pang through his neck as well, reminding him that they truly were taking an eye for an eye here. And then some.

The [i]right[/i] thing to do was heal the victim. They had to be breaking some conventions of war here, he thought, but knew better than to undo the work of two testy Aberrations. Instead Christmas averted his eyes, because not seeing was always easier, especially when everything seemed so bleak--so unbecoming of teenagers who could barely manage themselves let alone a no-holds-barred match against a subnatural capable of [i]this[/i]. He had zipped up Sander's jacket upon leaving earlier, afraid the flapping edges of the loose outerwear would catch on something and he'd be forced to leave it behind in a rush. Now he looked decidedly underwhelming in a blue hoodie that bloused around his arms and sagged where it hung low well past his hips.

But it was soft and it was warm, so he didn't mind the look of swimming in the clothes. He focused on those sensations instead of the destruction around them, the odd stains of dark and brownish red here and there, the occasional distant rumbling of something or other walking---prowling, and the clamor of his own pulse in his ears that the helmet seemed to insulate and amplify in his head.

[color=00a99d]"Hopefully this whole experience'll teach you not to mess with superpowered strangers,"[/color] Ernie commented lightly as he secured David's ankles with more tape. It'd make it harder for Marcus to load the Arbiter onto the truck but at least there'd be less chance of him getting away. Not that there remained much chance at all, considering the healer team's handiwork. With a few more rough kicks to the torso and a violent coughing fit provoked by another direct spray of pepper, David was left on the road as a satisfied Ernie trotted back to his team's new temporary camp.

They were closer to the action now, a lot closer than he would've liked. Wary eyes scanned their whereabouts, determined to not let a second subnatural come as close as David had gotten. They wouldn't be caught off-guard a second time, especially now that the danger lurked closer than ever before. Ernie's gaze flickered back and forth between his phone and the window. The proximity of those dots, not good at all. He observed with worry as one large dot in particular sped down one of the main roads, close to Marcus' team. Too fast. Not good.

[color=00a99d]"Zoe,"[/color] he called, successfully sounding calmer than he really was, [color=00a99d]"do we really need to stay here? I don't like the look of those big guys."[/color]

Zoe glared down at the map, trying to think things through. It was true, they were vulnerable in this position, and the big ones were worryingly close. Still, the idea of fleeing didn't sit well with her, and it showed.

[color=palevioletred]"Not many options. East's closer to the fighting, North's practically all rubble, and we can't head back where we came from in case that mic had a tracker."[/color] She scowled at the rapidly-moving dots, looking more frustrated than worried. [color=palevioletred]"Unless you fancy a hundred-metre sprint over open ground, South's out too."[/color]

After a second's pause, she sighed, managing to look even more annoyed than before. [color=palevioletred]"There's an undamaged building to the Northwest. No real shelter 'til we get there, but I guess it could be an option."[/color] Despite the concern about their safety, Zoe seemed genuinely irritated at making the suggestion. It was dumb, but she felt reluctant to swallow her pride and run away.

[color=00a99d]"Mm,"[/color] Ernie scratched his head as if he were actually debating the option. It was important not to show how much he wanted to take it, [color=00a99d]"I think that's a good move. It's not that much further from our current position and Brent would have a clearer view if we get into trouble again. Healer's safety comes first after all."[/color]

He chose to not raise the topic of David's proximity to the monsters, lest it affected Zoe's course of action. If ensuring their safety meant throwing the chubby bastard to the dogs, then so be it. Ernie was sure that Kardos and whoever monitored the radios would have caught wind of their captive, yet they had remained silent. If they actually wanted Halvost Team to bring David in, then they would have said something. But they hadn't so it was fine to leave him behind. That was Ernie's rationale anyway. Moral standing wasn't even on his list of priorities at the moment.

Christmas blinked at the suggestion, looking between the prone David in the street ahead and his teammates. He knew what they were doing, in a way, but grasping the essence of it--that of leaving someone to die, potentially--was eluding him in a way that felt almost relieving. He didn't want to think about his actions here, or his [i]lack[/i] of action here. The morally right thing wasn't always the situationally right thing, he tried to assure himself, but the feeble attempt to lay out a justification only worsened that nagging guilt.

He hadn't protested any decision Zoe or Ernie had made, nor did he have a mind to after what happened with David, but it scared him to know that were the decision left up to him, he might have chosen the same thing, but after much longer deliberation.

Cold evening air and creeping shadows across the ruined ground pulled his eyes away from David whimpering in the distance, the dampness on his throat icy in the faint wind. He didn't know if something so small warranted the quivering figure across the broken asphalt. More things to not think about unless he wanted to risk finding out their exact weights on the scales of his fear and shame.

[color=palevioletred]"Better get moving then. We can't afford to waste time."[/color]

The situation didn't sit well with Zoe, especially as she caught sight of their victim on their way out. It was obvious what the implications were here, and part of her wanted to fix it, to pretend she was better than this. But instead she kept walking, resolved to do what had to be done despite the bad taste in her mouth. For one of their own group, she'd face down the monsters alone if she had to, but David wasn't someone she cared about. And when it came down to it...

Well, everyone was selfish in their own way. And even if the others wanted to play hero, that was never her place, or her intention. Zoe may not have considered herself as a priority, but her teammates' lives had to be cared for, even if that meant there were victims paying the price. Evil, maybe, if you saw things in black and white, but ultimately necessary. Someone had to take responsibility.

Still, that didn't stop it from weighing on her conscience as the team approached their new location, leaving the constructs and David far behind them.