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[h2]oh god zoe's gonna murder everything again[/h2]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/XZCyPaz.png[/img]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/FWMorlL.png[/img]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/qdJ8I7l.jpg[/img]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/ytozL8X.png[/img]

[h2][color=33ec06]Marcus[/color] | [color 00a99d]Ernie[/color] | [color red]Chris[/color] | [color=palevioletred]Zoe[/color][/h2]

[hr][color=silver]𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /    𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   ℤ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘'𝕤 𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖   / /    ~𝟘𝟝𝟘𝟘[/color][hr][/center]

Marcus watched as Siena cast one last glance over the group, trying to meet her eyes as they simply went by him. The thought that this might be the last time he saw his roommate wouldn't even hit until a few seconds after she vanished. He just wanted her to be safe, despite their argument and the terrible thing he'd done without realizing it. They were still roommates, and somewhere Marcus hoped they were still friends too, and he was worried for her safety.

What was he supposed to do as she grabbed Brent? Wave goodbye, like she was going on some sort of cruise or something? Wish her well? [i]'[color 33ec06]Oh, I know you're going out to do a suicidal rescue, but have fun![/color]'[/i]. All he could do was watch.

Watch as something seemed to go wrong. Watch as the fear and uncertainty seemed to spread throughout her. Watch as, for a moment, just before she vanished, everything seemed completely fall apart.

He'd stumbled once getting teleported by Siena and had almost gotten his arm sheared clean off. His stomach flipped at the thought of what else could happen if she wasn't prepared. Uncertainty turned to panic, and Marcus found himself fumbling for the satellite phone he didn't have.

"[color 33ec06]Shit![/color]" the single word that escaped his mouth as he checked himself over. All he had was the cuff and his own phone. His mind was beginning to race and become hasty. "[color 33ec06]God- Transm- no![/color]" Marcus stammered out, stopping himself and quickly shouting out an "[color 33ec06]Over![/color]" just in case. 

He couldn't use the cuffs; Anyone hearing that through Angel or Missing Guy's cuff would know about them. Bad choices. Bad reactions. Think clearer.

Siena had a normal phone! Her source backup; so she'd definitely have it on her. The best solution he could think of. He whipped it out quickly, nervously tapping his foot as he pulled her from the contacts. 

[b]No Service[/b].

"[color 33ec06]Goddammit![/color]" he muttered sharply, resisting the urge to throw the device.

"[color 33ec06]Ernie. You got your satellite phone?[/color]" Marcus asked, head quickly turning to the boy. There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and an even bigger hint of it in his eyes.

Definitely a mistake.

Ernie wondered if a battle would ever pass without him majorly fucking up somehow. As Siena's veneer shattered before the jump, he could only watch as the realisation of what he'd just let pass hit him like a freight train. Big mistake. They were just some rookie kids. They knew they couldn't handle these seasoned mercenaries. [i]He[/i] knew that.

[color=00a99d][i]What have you done?[/i][/color]

The Aberration remained stock still as Marcus stammered and shook. God, he wanted to break down and do the same so badly. But panic would only draw attention. Instead, he took his mind off the teleport team. Kept his gaze locked on the Arbiter, his model of exactly how not to react. Not with the classmates so near, anyway.

He shook his head apologetically. [color=00a99d]"Hazel poofed it at Wisford."[/color]

His eyes darted furiously. Ernie wasn't an option, and the closest other student was...

"[color 33ec06]Scales. Sat Phone.[/color]" Marcus barked, making his request clear.

Without hesitation, Chris took out his phone and offered it to Marcus, His care was placed more so on Brent and Siena then their current situation, and his solemn expression made that clear. [color=red]"Right."[/color] He had said with a flat tone.

Marcus took the phone with no further dialogue. Navigating to the contacts menu, he was just about to tap Siena's name when another caught his eye. Right above hers; Roless, Brent. 

Siena wouldn't tell him even if anything [i]was[/i] wrong. Maybe Brent would be a little more forthcoming. They were Team SAP after all, and Marcus was willing to take advantage of any emotional connection he could if needed. He tapped Brent's name, bringing the phone to his ear.

[i]But only silence accompanied the rings.[/i]

To be honest, Marcus didn't know if he preferred screams over silence. At least with screams you [i]knew[/i] what was happening.

Once again resisting the urge to throw the phone, Marcus calmly handed it back to Chris, only offering a muted "[color 33ec06]Thanks.[/color]" as he continued past and leaned against the wall, running his hands through his hair again. The satellite phone probably just hadn't picked up the call, that was it. It was storming, they were underground. It was probably fine.

It was getting harder to lie to himself.

Ernie reached a hand to the Arbiter's shoulder but thought against it in the end. They didn't need emotion right now, they needed to move.

Still, he hated seeing such pain on a friend's face. As the call went unanswered, he thought up a quick remedy.

[color=00a99d]"It's supposed to be a quick operation,"[/color] Ernie attempted some reassurance, [color=00a99d]"They won't have time for distractions."[/color]

"[color 33ec06]Right.[/color]" Marcus said, running his hands over his face. There was still a sickening sense of panic in his stomach that threatened to well over, but at least Ernie was actually giving something that he could believe. Siena and Brent were hot headed, they were probably just focused on the mission. The least they could do was wait and do their part.

He brought himself back to standing position. He could try and fix the one mistake he'd already made tonight, and probably fix some others as well.

"[color 33ec06]Mysterious cuff listener, if you're there: This is Marcus Howell of Experimental Group B. We have an enemy subnatural threat, and several missing pieces of equipment. I'm requesting that you turn off the GPS tracking features of the Satellite Phones for myself, Lachance, and one other student who has been separated from the rest of us; to prevent this tracking capability from falling into hostile hands. Over.[/color]"

A subtle beep from the communicator was the only indication that the request had been received. 

Marcus turned back to the rest of them, giving a terribly pieced together smile. "[color 33ec06]Guess we wait now, huh?[/color]"

Ernie gulped. A brief pat on the back accompanied his words. [color=00a99d]"We wait. And we move. C'mon, we shouldn't stay down here any longer than we have to."[/color]

Marcus nodded, staring off into space for a moment before taking a deep breath. "[color 33ec06]Agreed.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]Make sure you've got that stupid dog with you. Siena will kick both our asses if Chief goes missing.[/color]" Marcus said, attempting to give a light smile.

[color=00a99d]"Missing? You need to have more faith in our canine superior's navigation skills,"[/color] Ernie tried a quip but something felt off about the delivery. Something was off about Marcus' smile too, as it did nothing to assuage their fears. Adjusting his hold on the dog, he asked, [color=00a99d]"Are you gonna be okay, buddy?"[/color]

"[color 33ec06]No.[/color]" came Marcus's blunt reply. "[color 33ec06]One of my friends is out there presumed dead, one of my roommates has gone off with [i]another[/i] one of my friends to get them both murdered by a literal army of abberations, I'm about five seconds and one light breeze away from having another meltdown, and we might all very well be dead before dawn.[/color]"

He sighed, giving a light shrug and another broken smile. "[color 33ec06]But hey; Mondays, you know?[/color]"

The Aberration didn't know what to focus on. The urge to tell him that this was probably very far from an actual aberration army. The pathetic hope that the Amigos' objectives had nothing to do with the class. The fact that it was actually a Wednesday. 

In the end, he did the only thing he was good at. Lies and speculation.

[color=00a99d]"Siena's smart. Brent too. I know they'll make the right call to retreat when it's needed."[/color]

So far, so good.

[color=00a99d]"We're not gonna die here, Marc. The Amigos are assholes but if they were really going after the mansion then we'd probably already be dead."[/color]

...That probably wasn't smart.

"[color 33ec06]Man, you sure know how to make a guy feel better.[/color]" Marcus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It was certainly helpful to know that if the Amigos wanted them dead, he wouldn't have even woken up. Really made him feel better about his lot in life.

The Aberration visibly deflated. [color=00a99d]"A for effort, at least?"[/color]

"[color 33ec06]A for effort.[/color]" Marcus smirked, his smile at least a little more geniune as he patted his friend on the back. "[color 33ec06]But we should get going. Don't want people gossiping about us or anything.[/color]"

Ernie paled at the mention of gossip about the two, though it was hard to catch in the dim tunnel light. This wasn't the time to think about the tabloid headlines he'd seen during his internet time. [color=00a99d]"Y-yeah..."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"So, you guys mind explaining where the hell Siena and Brent disappeared to?"[/color] Although stern, the voice that cut through the air was uncharacteristically measured for Zoe considering the subject matter. Still, a couple seconds' observation would find an easy explanation in the faint shimmer of white light that surrounded her - a sign of Lawrence's power, more noticeable in the darkness of the tunnel. Despite seeming relatively levelheaded, though, she didn't exactly look [i]happy[/i] either.

[color=palevioletred]"And if it's where I think they've gone, I hope you've got a [i]very[/i] good explanation for why, instead of keeping them here, you're holding the fucking dog while they run off to commit suicide."[/color]

Ernie blinked and turned slowly. Real slowly. God knows he needed the time to come up with a decent excuse. As if sensing the sudden discomfort in the air, Chief Tater Tot whined and squirmed in his arms.

[color=00a99d]"Scouting ahead,"[/color] Ernie lied, a reflexive reaction that prompted a barely noticable stiffness to his voice, [color=00a99d]"Kusari made a fair point about being careful of the only way out of here."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"...that's not much better."[/color] While she failed to catch on to the lie, Zoe still didn't seem happy with the explanation. [color=palevioletred]"If there [i]is[/i] an ambush, we've only got one route; we're gonna have to push through it anyway. Two of them aren't gonna hit harder than the whole damn unit, which brings us back to them warping into a potential death-trap."[/color] It appeared that the wider benefits of recon were lost on her - or at least that she didn't think they were relevant. If there was a roadblock waiting for them, they couldn't do much else but smash it to bits, scouting or no scouting.

[color=00a99d]"Yeah, uh, Brent said he could do some x-ray thingy with his goggles so they wanted to use it,"[/color] the fabricated story was steadily gaining momentum, though Ernie knew it could be dispelled in an instant, [color=00a99d]"It's just a recon mission. No fighting. A-and they said five minutes tops. Right, Marcus?"[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"That so, huh? In that case..."[/color] Zoe narrowed her eyes at the pair before breaking into a smile that was anything but friendly - like a lion who'd just spotted a wounded gazelle. The eerie calm in her eyes, while a lot safer than the usual, wasn't making her behaviour much less unnerving. [color=palevioletred]"I guess you won't mind if I stick around for those five minutes, just to make sure everyone's safe. Wouldn't want any [i]misunderstandings[/i], right, Marcus?"[/color]

'[i][color 33ec06]What!? Why I am suddenly invo-[/color][/i]'

"[color 33ec06]Oh yeah. Not a problem. [i]No problemo[/i]. It makes sense. You'd want to make sure nothing bad happens. Five minutes tops and they'll be back safe and sound![/color]" Marcus rambled, the strain of earlier panic and Zoe-induced fear making his lie [i]slightly[/i] more noticable than Ernie's. He wasn't good at lying under pressure, especially not to his teammates. Why did everyone keep going to him for this stuff?

[color=palevioletred]"Fine by me. Although, say those five minutes pass and they [i]don't[/i] come back, I'm gonna have to assume you've been lying."[/color] Marcus' panic had brought her doubts back with a vengeance. [color=palevioletred]"Don't know if you know this, Marcus, but I don't like liars. Especially ones who don't admit it. If it turns out you're one of those, well..."[/color]

While she had no intention of actually harming either of them, they didn't have to know that. [color=palevioletred]"Own up to it now, and we have a friendly discussion. Don't, and we might have an interrogation on our hands."[/color] She looked at Ernie, well aware that he'd seen her interrogation methods in person before. [color=palevioletred]"I'd prefer not to do that to you, though. Teammates and all."[/color]

'Interrogation'. Ah, that word brought back some memories. Some of Reno and those stern instructions from Liam, but mostly those of Wisford and the unfortunate Arbiter. All at once a sharp grimace painted Ernie's face but he remained steadfast. Number one rule: even if all the evidence is staring you in the face, don't admit to shit.

[color=00a99d]"You'd really send us into battle missing some ears? That's just mean, man,"[/color] Ernie chuckled nervously, [color=00a99d]"Alright. Five minutes then we can all head to the ferry for that sweet ocean cruise."[/color]

All he had to do now was pray for the duo to come back in time. And that his stupid rookie accomplice would keep his cool.

[i][b]Missing ears!?[/b][/i]

Marcus shot a worried look at Ernie, who seemed to be keeping his cool better than he was. Between the worrying that Siena and Brent were [i]already[/i] dead and the worrying that he was about to follow them because of his own teammate, it was almost too much to handle. But Ernie seemed to be handling it well enough.

And Marcus knew Ernie; if he cracked now, they'd [i]both[/i] tear him to pieces.

"[color 33ec06]Yeah, that's little rude and all. We're all friends here. No need for anything more than a nice conversation between classmates! Nothing drastic, or anything.[/color]" Marcus said, trying his best to follow Ernie's lead.

[color=palevioletred]"Like I said, I'd rather not. David wasn't one of us, and Wisford was a different situation."[/color] Zoe said, deciding not to bring up Ernie's part in the torture. As the conversation continued, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. Was this really what she wanted to be doing? She'd come here for an answer, not to try and intimidate them, but it hadn't exactly gone to plan.

In the end, she just shrugged. [color=palevioletred]"You need your ears if we're at risk of a fight. I'm not weakening the group 'cause you pissed me off."[/color] But a little pain went a long way sometimes, and she certainly wasn't above that.

Relieved that the bluff had somewhat been called, Ernie allowed himself a small smirk. Part of him wanted to dwell on how she was the kind of person that always had to use threats and violence to get what she wanted. Was she too stupid to use another method? A lot of Senators he'd known were like that so he knew well that pointing that shit out definitely would end up with lost body parts. Keeping his head down was always the better option.

[color=00a99d]"Good. Cos I've only got two of them and Christmas is quite a walk away."[/color]

Who the hell was David?

It didn't matter. What [i]did[/i] matter was that he and Ernie were going to be in deep trouble if Brent and Siena weren't back by the sudden time limit. Marcus doubted Zoe actually believed either of them, which meant that she was probably going to spend the next five-ish minutes simmering until they either showed up, or everything started to go wrong.

He doubted things would be very pleasant if Zoe had the time to actually think about how she wanted to absolutely destroy the two boys.

There was a short silence, which Marcus filled by giving a nervous shrug and forced smile. "[color 33ec06]Mondays, huh?[/color]"

[color=palevioletred]"It's Wednesday, and don't push your luck."[/color] Zoe grumbled, though genuine anger firmly refused to come into her mind. That worried her, knowing how subdued she was - knowing that this probably had nothing to do with her stigma.

[color=palevioletred]"I'll give you a couple more minutes."[/color] Her smile remained, but obviously forced as the deadline approached. Without her usual urges, she really [i]didn't[/i] want to do this. [color=palevioletred]"Clock's ticking."[/color]