[sub][h3][center]Archie[/center][/h3][/sub][hr]
[i]"What the fuck is this shit, Anderson?"[/i]

Archie's attention shifted instantly, and he recoiled in surprise at the venom in Lynn's voice. The wrinkles of her forehead, the crows feet at the corners of her eyes. She was angry at him, she was so angry at him and he didn't know why. His mind raced, trying to grasp what he had done to earn her ire. She immediately looked away, dismissing him as if someone had thrown out a piece of refuse and continuing on in one hell of a tirade. Lynn looked herself, but didn't. The way she sneered, the crinkle of her eyes, they all reminded him of his mother. Archie hadn't spent much time in his life with people angry at him, but those that had been had stuck with him.

Under the fire Archie saw the signs of a brunette woman six inches taller than Lynn was. He saw it again when Lynn stepped towards him and his chest thundered, the great being that resided in him stirred when he saw her reaching. He gripped his chair so hard that his knuckles turned white, and he almost felt himself let [i]it[/i] out. His eyes were wide, and in that moment he was terrified of Lynn. Completely and utterly stunned.

He didn't move, his heart thundering on in his chest even when Lynn seemed to have decided that he wasn't worth the effort and pulled away. He watched her every movement, refusing to move for a number of moments until Lynn had turned tail and stalked off. As she left he felt his grip slacken, and he saw Lynn for what she was again- his friend. Or at least, the closest he had to one aboard the station. Everyone that had come to the table was more of less his friend now, aside from Radvi and Freaky-D. He wasn't sure how either of them felt about him. Or if they even cared. He looked to Mr. Black and White for a moment and decided that he had to go after her. He'd get his answer in a minute, this mattered more. Lynn had gone after him when he found the body. She had been there to help him as soon as he was kicked on the first day. Lynn had helped him before and she was angry with him and he didn't know why and-

Archie slid out of his chair and his feet carried him after Lynn. Her back was turned to him and in his much less hardened mind that didn't mean much of anything. "Lynn, wait! What's-" he wanted to know what he had done wrong. Needed to know, so he could fix it. Or at least, try to fix it. He reached for her as he rounded a corner after her and caught up out of sight from the rest of the group, his hand reaching out and grabbing onto her upper arm. Time seemed to slow down for a moment. Archie was unused to parahumans, and their effects. Up until his capture he was the first parahuman he had ever met. Sure, he knew Lynn could get hot. He had seen the recordings of her facing off against the lizard, and felt the heat radiating off of her and Salamandra in the Dim Sum restaurant but he himself had never [i]really[/i] experienced it. He felt like he had grabbed onto a hot stove pan or rested his hand against a radiator. "Ow!" he said, almost instantly letting go of her and pulling his hand to his chest and cradling the red and hurt appendage. It wasn't burnt that badly, he had taken much worse working on engines or touching parts that clearly hadn't had enough time to cool down, but the shock and surprise got to him the most.

He stopped where he stood, still holding his hand with the other against his chest. He didn't feel the hammering in his chest like he had earlier. He wasn't scared of her, at least not in this moment. Not anymore. But he had never once thought that she would hurt him- on purpose or not.