[center]
[h2]Oh God Zoe's Gonna Murder Everything Again[/h2]
[sub](This title is still appropriate)[/sub]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/XZCyPaz.png[/img]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/FWMorlL.png[/img]  [img]https://i.imgur.com/qpk2y0k.png[/img]  [img]http://i.imgur.com/ytozL8X.png[/img]

[h2][color=33ec06]Marcus[/color] | [color 00a99d]Ernie[/color] | [color=8A3DFF]Emma[/color] | [color=palevioletred]Zoe[/color][/h2]

[hr][color=silver]𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕   / /   𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖   / /  ~𝟘𝟝𝟚𝟘[/color][hr][/center]

[hider=Departures]
Marcus hadn't quite made the run as well as the rest of the staff had, being not quite that athletic himself. He certainly couldn't compare to the long strides of the red-headed giant or the quick pace of some of the maids, and he only had to use his power to jump once, just to allow himself a quick breather and catch back up.

They'd left Siena and Brent behind. He'd tried the phone again, only for the same result. For all he knew, they were dead.

He was trying [i]very[/i] hard to not focus on that point. To not focus on the oozing corpse that was likely his roommate. The massacred body that was one of his close friends. Two people he'd done nothing to stop, because they were so sure that they could handle it.

It would have been so easy to just steal her battery again. Damned with the consequences. Hypocrisy could kiss his ass; it would have been easier to stop them, despite the fact he'd do the same for his friends.

Or, apparently he wouldn't, because here he was sprinting down a tunnel running for evacuation. Again. Always running. And it never went as planned.

He barely had enough time to register the situation. There was cutlery, tables and silverware. This was an outpost, and the blood signified that something might have gone wrong here, which didn't bode well for their escape. Or maybe it boded extra well, and whoever had been here had managed to deal with all the hostiles. Only the best for Zhang's guard, right?

It was midway through that thought that he registered a face. The crimson hair that whirled around to glare at him. The angry face which scared him more than it should have, because he'd seen what she could do. He would have stammered out an apology, had it not been for...

Colors. Colors and shapes, and blooming pain. His mind was so clouded that he wasn't even completely sure what had happened to him. She'd plunged her hand straight through his stomach and liquified his organs. His knees buckled and he hit the ground. He was dying, and the fear of that was outclassed by the...

...familiar pain. She hadn't done any of that. She'd simply done one of the worst things humanly possible to a man. She'd football punted him, right in his weakpoint.

Just as the nausea started, he rewound. Before the vomit in his throat could make it out. The sound of static was his reprieve, putting him on his feet again, with a stange feeling of pain that didn't exist. Like he should have still been curled up on the ground, but his own nervous system didn't register it.

"[color 33ec06]What the [i][b]HELL[/b][/i] Zoe!? The fuck is your problem!?[/color]"

It would be a few seconds before the anger subsided enough for him to realize who he was yelling at.

Ernie, on his part, merely regarded the spectacle with a mixed expression of sympathy and sheer horror, too caught with his regrets of the lost duo to complain or intervene.

[color 00a99d][i]Would have been more merciful to melt the guy, really.[/i][/color]

'Sorry's and 'what have I done's were dispelled by a small bark from the Chief, irritation quickly replacing the sorrow. Was this really the time? With a louder yip from the dog, Ernie summoned a makeshift leash around its neck and dropped it to wander the lighthouse for the moment. 

[color 00a99d]"Bloodied ears would have been too nice, huh?"[/color] he grimaced at the pair.

Emma had paused to let her breath catch up to her, Determination close behind. Whatever small reprieve they got between now and whatever the hell Sander smelled out there was quickly soured by the sound of a squalling Marcus behind her. Although, has she wheeled around, she could hardly blame him, having only barely caught sight of what Zoe had done to him. Emma pushed herself towards the trio, laying a gentle hand on Marcus’s back as she shot a venomous glance towards Zoe, [color=8A3DFF]”Is now [i]really[/i] the time for this shit?”[/color] she shouted out. 

What was her problem? That was a pretty long list, but Zoe smiled. [color=palevioletred]"Right now, my problem is that you let our teammates zap off to die without doing anything about it. My [i]problem[/i] is that you lied to my face until we'd gone too far away to help them. Seems pretty fucking reasonable that I might have an issue with that."[/color] She laughed - a bitter chuckle rather than any noise of enjoyment, but it didn't quite come off that way as she glanced at Emma. [color=palevioletred]"And considering we're about to be in the shit again with four people missing, yes, now is [i]exactly[/i] the time. Because I can't take the risk of them letting that happen again."[/color]

"[color 33ec06]What exactly do you think that I could've done?[/color] Marcus said, the heat in his eyes dying down slightly as he shifted towards the comforting presence of Emma. "[color 33ec06]Would you feel better if I had punched her in the face and dragged her down this tunnel? Or smash her E-Reader so she could be completely defenseless if we got into a fight? And, unless you can burrow through solid ground, none of us can do a damn thing about it until we get out of this hole.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]So yes. I [i]lied[/i]. I lied because it made no difference if I told the truth or not.[/color]" he finally finished, his glare dulling further as he looked to the ground.

[color=palevioletred]"Yes, that's [i]exactly[/i] what I'd want you to do."[/color] Hell, it was what she'd been planning if anyone else tried to run. [color=palevioletred]"Sometimes you've gotta hurt people for their own good."[/color] An all-too-familiar phrase, her mouth twisting with disgust as she heard herself say it. Disgust that only grew as she looked at Marcus.

[color=palevioletred]"Don't start this 'woe is me' bullshit either. If you'd told me, maybe I would've had time to do something."[/color] Something undeniably cruel entered Zoe's expression as she looked down at Marcus. [color=palevioletred]"God knows it wouldn't be the [i]first[/i] time I've had to cover for you people. I haven't forgotten Wisford. How you - and Emma, for that matter - did nothing. I can't claim to know what went on in D.C, but people died there too. And now Brent and Siena might well have joined them because you wouldn't throw a punch."[/color]

Unfair, probably. Almost definitely a low blow. But seeing him stand there like he'd been completely helpless in all this got to her. Maybe she had no room to talk, but she at least admitted what she was. [color=palevioletred]"How many more people have to die before you stop making excuses?"[/color]

[color=8A3DFF]”Fuck you, Zoe!”[/color] Emma spat out, her mouth twisting into a distinct frown, [color=8A3DFF]”We’re in the middle of a fucking battle and you’re picking [i]now[/i] to quibble about our performance? You really wanna keep score about how many people died because of us? Are you gonna talk like [i]you’ve[/i] done nothing wrong? I fucking saw what you did to Callan! Sure, you know what, Savannah [i]would[/i] be alive if I did more, but at least I’m not hurting my own fucking team.”[/color] Zoe had obviously struck a nerve, Emma’s voice nearly rising to a shout. 

Determination, who up until now had been keeping his distance, moved a little closer towards Emma, his eyeless gaze falling upon Zoe, mouth forming a hard line. 

Marcus's eyes fell upon the gaze that Zoe gave; it wasn't anger, that much he could deal with. She was looking down on him like she was so righteous, like she was bounds and leaps above them. Disgust. An expression he could recognize, if only because he'd seen it so much as a subnatural. He'd seen it from the people at DC, when he was just trying to enjoy himself at a concert. The fact that a subnatural would look down upon another in the same way angered him more than her words did, and Emma's own confidence only served to bolster his, despite the blow that her mention of Savannah brought; a small shot that he did his best to ignore for now. Which, all things considered, a bolstered anger at this point might not have been the best thing for his health.

He put his hand in front of her to try and keep her back, as if he were trying to protect her. "[color 33ec06]I know that Zoe. But I try to keep from [i]hurting[/i] my friends as much as possible, since [i]I[/i] can at least distinguish between my friends and my enemies. I'm not sure if you noticed during your spree, but your boyfriend Lawrence managed to survive Wisford - I managed to keep him from bleeding out on the [i]dirt[/i]. You're welcome.[/color]"

"[color 33ec06]As for 'excuses'. I don't know. I haven't found that number yet. I'll ring you up when I do.[/color]"

He moved to push past Zoe and up into the lighthouse, looking at Ernie and Emma over his shoulder. "[color 33ec06]I'm going up top. If Sander is smelling people, I'd at least like to know which direction the ambush is coming from.[/color]"

On his way up, as he was passing the tables, he grabbed one of the stools that had been left slightly askew. It would work wonders for being an improvised weapon when he took it apart, as well as being an excellent stress reliever when he started trying to smash it into tiny pieces. Of course, he didn't want to do it here, with everyone around; lest some sign of active aggression set Zoe off and reduce him to dust.

[color 00a99d]"I think there's someone up there already. Watch out for your own ambush."[/color] Ernie warned quietly, breaking his uncharacteristic silence to nod at the dog sniffing at damp footprints. With the canine's investigation completed, he dissipated the leash and picked the pet back up. 

Zoe couldn't stop herself from chuckling as Callan was brought up; Emma clearly had no idea how much worse that particular situation could get. As for the boyfriend comment, it hadn't been met with much more than genuine confusion in her expression, but as Marcus walked past she couldn't quite manage to hold her tongue.

[color=palevioletred]"I've never hidden from the fact that I'm a terrible fucking person."[/color] Zoe said, appearing mostly unashamed of that fact. [color=palevioletred]"Hell, I'll give you two more for your list. I almost killed Kusari a day after we got here, and I spent half my time in Wisford torturing and blinding some kid who didn't know shit. Fun times."[/color] And while it might have made her life easier, she didn't mention Ernie's part in it.

[color=palevioletred]"I'm trying to get better now,"[/color] Zoe frowned, [color=palevioletred]"but unlike you, I won't pretend I had no choice in any of that. [i]I'm[/i] not that pathetic."[/color] There was a slight pause before she shook her head. She'd planned to head up the stairs as well, but right now she didn't want to risk exiting Lawrence's range for fear that she'd melt Marcus into a puddle.

Emma sneered at Zoe, following close after Marcus. As she passed the redhead she muttered [color=8A3DFF]”Fucking psycho.”[/color] [i]just[/i] loud enough for her to hear. Determination quickly followed as well, maintaining his gaze on Zoe.

Ernie waited for the two to leave, the communicator he'd borrowed from Chris still clamped tightly in his hand. This wasn't the time to bring up beef from weeks ago, nor to spout frustrations at each other. Though fury and irritation had broiled in the pit of his stomach the Aberration forced his mouth to stay shut, keeping his eyes locked on Brent and Siena's GPS icons instead. No reason to provide Zoe with another target for verbal abuse. No need to have more of the obvious stated. He'd ignored the spat for this reason and yet something still managed to jump out at him.

What had really transpired at Wisford. She'd kept to her word after all. Ernie hadn't caught it the first time in the tunnels but now she was outright lying. He was the only one benefiting from this false retelling and while he appreciated the social safety, the paranoiac cogs in his mind started whirring once again. Not good at all. This was leverage against him, wasn't it? What was this demon playing at?

With a calculated tone of nonchalance, Ernie called out. [color 00a99d]"Always gotta play the bad guy, huh?"[/color]

Zoe's shoulders slumped as Emma and Marcus headed up the stairs, and she glanced towards Ernie with a sigh. She didn't see why he'd be questioning her on it now. [color=palevioletred]"You already know that. Not like they're wrong about me anyway, so I may as well take a little extra heat."[/color] To tell the truth, despite sounding slightly bitter, the redhead looked more tired than angry. [color=palevioletred]"If you're gonna try and lecture me too, just get on with it. We've got a fight to prepare for."[/color]

'May as well'? Ernie failed to understand the reasoning behind that. Why would you [i]want[/i] to take that sort of shit? The admission made him pause, his mind trying to recalibrate with the new information and failing miserably. Urgh, she had a point about the lecturing too. It's not like anything would get fixed in this time frame. Probably best not to talk himself out of breath right before a fight.

[color 00a99d]"I guess it can wait,"[/color] he said somewhat sheepishly.

Surely he had something to say, right? Ernie looked at the communicator once again.

[color 00a99d]"They're alright, if that's what you're worried about. Gregory didn't make it--looks like he got caught outside the manor--but Siena and Brent are in the tunnels. They'll be here soon."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"They're alive? Okay, that's-- Thanks for letting me know."[/color]

Zoe's anger faded a little at the news, relief visibly softening her expression. At the very least, they hadn't caused any more casualties through their softhearted idiocy. Gregory's loss was unfortunate, but she didn't register it as any more than that unlucky. A poor turn of events. Not something to lose her composure about. Something to contemplate later. [color=palevioletred][i]Wish I'd been there to see it.[/i][/color]

Grimacing at the unwanted thought, she spoke shortly. [color=palevioletred]"Watch the tunnel. Hopefully no Amigos will find it, but if they do..."[/color] She didn't exactly mean to order Ernie around, but a sneak attack would mean definite casualties before they could respond. A lot of unpleasant possibilities. [color=palevioletred]"Just... stand guard, alright? I'd do it myself, but I'm more useful attacking."[/color] Offensive tactics were risky, of course but not as risky as keeping everyone cooped up in one building and waiting to die.

[color 00a99d]"Sounds doable,"[/color] Ernie nodded. Wasn't like he could help anywhere else. At the mention of attacking, Ernie's expression became colored with irritated dismay.

[color 00a99d]"The Amigos aren't like the people at Wisford,"[/color] he cast his gaze down at the tracker, [color 00a99d]"They're mercenaries, experienced with a lot of kills and weapons on their belt. Attacking directly is just plain suicide."[/color]

So they were that dangerous, huh? If that were true, much as Zoe hated to admit it, Ernie had a point. [color=palevioletred]"Then I'm not gonna charge right at them, but I'm not much use in here. There's nothing for me to use. Best case scenario, there's some grass or something nearby - I touch that, and you guys just gotta knock 'em over so they get caught. Trees would be even better."[/color]

But that aside... [color=palevioletred]"Playing it completely safe won't work. If they're coming for us, we can't just dig in and try to survive the fight - we have to go out there and [i]win[/i] it."[/color]

He didn't think he'd ever be able to put it into words how much he disliked this mindset. Reckless and borderline suicidal, relied on too many variables in the environment. Ernie hadn't visited the lighthouse enough to remember the layout of the shrubbery. And yet, there was an annoyingly solid point in all that dumbassery.

Trying to talk her out of it would be a waste of time. The best he could do now was increase the chances of success rather than change the method.

[color 00a99d]"Dark and stormy,"[/color] the buzzcut boy murmured, trying to recall Liam's words, [color 00a99d]"It fucks with sound [i]and[/i] sight. If the others make a decent enough distraction with their fight then you could sneak around and put that insta-kill to good use. The less teammates getting seen, the better."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"Fine."[/color] It was times like this that she wished she could take a hit, but even Ernie's plan beat sitting around waiting. Or arguing for that matter. [color=palevioletred]"I'll stay in cover until there's a chance. Might be better I head out before the Amigos get here, though - if they see me, then I'm screwed. Just don't take too long with that distraction."[/color]

Turning, presumably to head out, she paused. There really was a pretty good chance that she died trying this, wasn't there? [color=palevioletred]"If they find me--"[/color] It'd mean a quick death if she was lucky. A slow one if she wasn't. But she didn't have any last words worth remembering - at least, not for him - so she grinned instead, seemingly unafraid. [color=palevioletred]"Don't let anyone risk their life for me. That's all."[/color]

He stared for a moment, something questioning and confused in his gaze. Where did all that ballsiness come from? That final request only made his spirits sink deeper but in the end there wasn't anything he could do but nod. Avoiding risks was his specialty.

The Aberration thought hard for something profound to say. He was possibly sending someone out to their death after all. But in the end he couldn't muster up anything more than a [color 00a99d]"Make it fast, Zoe."[/color]

[color=palevioletred]"Will do."[/color] With a nod, Zoe turned to leave - nothing left to say about the danger she was about to go putting herself in. But it was necessary, right? After all, the Amigos weren't gonna let them leave just because they asked nicely, and ferries weren't renowned for their evasive manoeuvres. This time really was kill or be killed.

With that thought in mind, her expression was composed as she headed out of the door, dashing for the first sign of cover.
[hr]
Meanwhile, Marcus was unsuccessfully trying to rip the leg off a wooden stool while simultaneously not missing a step and falling down the stairs. His anger had subsided into frustration at first, and was now just weary indignation as he attempted to wiggle the loosest leg he could find, in some method that would leave him with a small club. It wasn't working, although he did have to commend the expert craftsmanship of the furniture. 

Finally, with a sigh, he turned around, offering the stool to the shadow beast that was tagging along. "[color 33ec06]Det, can you be a pal and rip the legs off this? It would be nice to have something to swing around before we find the source of those bloodstains.[/color]"

Emma watched Marcus with an incredulous look, barely containing laughter as he struggled with the chair. Determination, however, had no such reaction, offering a stern [color=580ACC]”Yes.”[/color] before taking the stool and separating it from its legs, first handing one to a reluctant Emma and then offering one to Marcus.

"[color 33ec06]You're alright, buddy.[/color]" Marcus said, examining his new weapon. His still had the screw pointing straight out the top of it, so he could use it as a makeshift spear if things weren't going so well, but it didn't really change the fact that it was a stool leg. As far as weapons went, it wasn't exactly on the top of his list. His mind flashed back to his pistol, likely still sitting on top of the desk in his room. He would have felt way better with that at his side, but he hadn't taken it. All because he believed some of the things Lawrence said. All because he'd made a bad decision. He'd chosen incorrectly, and as much as he tried to think otherwise, Zoe's words especially rang home. 

[color palevioletred][i]I won't pretend I had no choice in any of that.[/i][/color]

He shook his head again, hefting the club to test it's weight. It would make due for now, but he was a little nervous in all honesty. Blood was never a good sign, and whoever the owner was, he was likely either dead, near death, or hostile. Or if they were especially lucky, the dude was untouched and on their side. But things rarely seemed to workout that way for them.

"[color 33ec06]Hey Emma, as much as I like marching towards the unknown, is there any chance you can have Det lead?[/color]" Marcus asked, slightly unsure of who to defer the question to. Sure, Det had free will, but it was clear that Emma was still his...'master'? Would that have been the correct term. It didn't matter; he was wasting time on pointless thoughts.

"[color 33ec06]He can probably take a punch better than I can, and can most certainly deliver a better one.[/color]"

Emma turned to Determination. In truth, she didn’t exactly know who called the shots here either. Determination, as far as she could tell and discern from their conversations, still had to follow orders, but…
 
Well, she wasn’t exactly sure he liked being ordered around. It seemed that things were more of a team effort now. 
 
Luckily it didn’t come down to having to figure it out, as he merely gave a nod, moving ahead of the other two and tossing the chair to the side. A small sigh came from Emma as she ascended the stairs, her eyes moving towards Marcus, giving him a sideways glance. [color=8A3DFF]”Hey, by the way… about what Zoe said… I wouldn’t worry about it too much. We’re all doing our best to adjust, and for what it’s worth… I think you’re doing a good job.”[/color] she said as encouragingly as possible.

Marcus gave her a half smile, watching Determination as he led the way. "[color 33ec06]I appreciate it, and it's worth a fair amount coming from you.[/color]" he said, carefully taking the steps one at a time. "[color 33ec06]It's just stuff I don't want to think about in the middle of all of this, I'll be fine.[/color]"

There was a slight pause in his words before he continued; "[color 33ec06]And...[/color]"

[i][color 33ec06]I want you to stop blaming yourself for Savannah, you have no idea what actually happened there.[/color][/i]

"[color 33ec06]...I think you've been doing a great job yourself, even though you're a little hard on yourself.[/color]" he said, lightly bumping into her as they climbed.

[color=8A3DFF]”I’m…”[/color]
 
Emma cut herself off with a sigh, a smile finding its way onto her face, [color=8A3DFF]”Thanks.”[/color] she was trying to find something to convince herself that he was right, but, of course, he wasn’t. Marcus was right, though, now wasn’t the time for this stuff, so she left it hanging there as she continued up the stairs.
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