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They were greeted inside the room by neither sound nor movement. A body was stretched on its back over thin, fold-out bedding, still dewy from a recent shower. A wet pink jacket and wig dripped dry by a heater. Sports tape unravelled from a swollen ankle, angry and black as a storm cloud.

Wires were tangled up in Umbri’s short black hair. Her chest rose and fell with irregular breaths and a crease formed in her brow. Something glistened down her cheek. In her sleep she was crying.

Ako's expression softened into a frown. [color=#ffb561][b]"Poor girl… that shower musta' been a long time coming."[/b][/color]

Alex took in the sight before him. It wasn’t hard to grasp the amount of hell the woman had to have gone through to get like that. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Here’s hoping we can get her fixed up. How the hell did she even get this thrashed? Couldn’t have been just the Thresher.”[/color][/b] He almost reached up to pull his helmet off. Almost.

He turned to Ako. [b][color=deepskyblue]“I can’t say I recognize her. Any clue where she came from?”[/color][/b]

Ako did a double take. [color=#ffb561][b]“You’ve been invincible for half your life, you musta forgotten how it felt to be like us little guys.”[/b][/color] She leaned forward to take a closer look at Umbri. [color=#ffb561][b]“Threshers haven’t been in Northbridge in forever. She survived that, then came through the train at Theta Station. Y’know, the one sprayed from wall to ceiling in Rat guts? You heard about that yet?”[/b][/color] Ako huffed. [color=#ffb561][b]“Cargo’s stolen, people are dead, and Temujin ain’t tellin’ me [i]nothin’.”[/i][/b][/color] She threw her hands up and backed away. 

[b][color=deepskyblue]“I would correct that I’m not actually invincible, but that’s not really important right now.”[/color][/b] Alex looked down at Umbri. Thoughts he had really been trying to keep out of his head starting to crawl back out. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Why is it always fucking Northbridge. Either no rogue wants to bother, they have obligations already, or they just get killed.”[/color][/b] He shook his head. Trying not to feel like he could be the next one to try. 

Wait a second. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Rat guts, What the hell? Was some asshole offing them again?”[/color][/b] The cargo being stolen was a given honestly. It was just looking like that week. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Next thing you're going to tell me there’s been a Ki- uh Lab Rat spotting.”[/color][/b] Saying the Mother of Monster’s name wasn’t exactly bad luck. But most people weren't stupid enough to tempt fate when it came to that particular psycho.

Ako let out a full-body cringe. [color=#ffb561][b]“I’d rather not think about that. The rumours are scary enough.”[/b][/color] She turned around and walked away. [color=#ffb561][b]“Anywho, I better get back to the shop. Gotta do the diagnostics on Temujin, give him a quote on his bills.”[/b][/color] She sighed. [color=#ffb561][b]“He hasn’t paid for the last one, either. I swear, at this point Riko’s gonna cut her losses and dismantle him…”[/b][/color] The door opened and shut behind her, leaving Alex and the Doctor inside.  

Letting her go with the last word, Alex stuck around but opted to give the doctor space. Pretty sure nobody wanted to have a glowing armoured giant looming over them, regardless if they were conscious or not. Though he had already been queuing up his “last resort” in his contacts if things took a turn for the worst. Despite himself, Alex glanced back at Umbri. [b][color=deepskyblue]“You look how I feel. I just have the luxury of not having anyone able to see it.”[/color][/b] He muttered mostly to himself. The Doctor either wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care as they worked.

Umbri’s nose twitched as the Doctor came into contact with her arm. He laid his equipment out beside her on the bed, a thermometer, blood pressure monitor, needle… A mirage flickered over Umbri, opaque and flickering, of a different self. One with long, bubblegum pink hair, black knee stockings and mascara flooding down her cheeks. The doctor reached for her arm again. The mirage gasped. Underneath its shimmer, a red eye snapped open.

In a blink the doctor’s coat was yanked forward and Umbri’s fist was launched across his jaw with enough force to send him over, if she let him. Instead he was thrown to the ground with her whole weight behind it, launching herself off the bed with him. Alex saw the metal spine embedded in her flesh and veins of neon green rippling across the muscles of her back. She jerked her head up from the little balding doctor to the closed door. She was going to punch him again.

[b][color=deepskyblue]“Oh we are NOT doing this right now.”[/color][/b] Alex clapped his hands together quickly, and there was a flash of blue that encased everything in the room but Alex and the doctor in hardlight. Umbri screamed. Ok, bit overkill. He wasn’t used to this kind of energy level. Still, Umbri was restrained and unable to thrash about. Doc didn’t seem that worried. Whether that was due to Alex’s presence or that he was used to violently startled patients was anyone’s guess. Alex didn’t really see any doctors that often. 

[b][color=deepskyblue]“Lady, you’ve been through hell and back in what sounds like less than twenty four hours. You're safe here. But I’d advise not hitting the doctor trying to help save your life.”[/color][/b] Despite the edge of frustration, Alex spoke softly. The excess light around the room faded out leaving Umbri still loosely restrained by telekinetic force. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Now, I’ll let you go if you're willing to let us help you. You do still have Thresher venom in you and I really don’t want to just let you die after all this crap.” [/color][/b]

Umbri looked frantically around the room, between the shut door, the bruised doctor and his cracked glasses, towards the sound of that voice she couldn’t turn her head to see the owner of. She was taking it in, she was becoming aware of her situation, and she was still in a closed room with two strangers, one with freaky superpowers, and the other of which had been touching her in her sleep. [color=#A4303F][b]“Tem?”[/b][/color] she tried, [i][color=#A4303F][b]“TEM!!!!!”[/b][/color][/i]

Beyond the thick stone walls, within the main hall of the workshop, Ako scribbled into a clipboard in front of Temujin. [color=#ffb561][b]“Okay, so with all the damages to account for, plus the service charge, plus taxes and shipping, everything comes up to…”[/b][/color] Ako tapped her pen three times on the board. [color=#ffb561][b]“900 Clat. On TOP of your 32 000 IOU.”[/b][/color]

Temujin’s mask was locked in slack-jawed horror. [color=DC091C][b]“MotherFU-” [/b][/color]

… No familiar face was coming for her. Umbri shut her eyes and curled in her lips, holding back shaky breaths until they dropped little by little and she could ask the doctor calmly, [color=#A4303F][b]“What were you doing to me?”[/b][/color]

[b][i]“I was just taking your blood pressure,”[/i][/b] the Doctor wheezed his defense, Umbri’s weight still pressing down on the wispy man’s ribcage. Umbri nodded as much as she could, and even though she couldn’t move, her shoulders deflated just enough to notice.

[color=#A4303F][b]“When you let me go, will you let the door open?”[/b][/color]

[b][color=deepskyblue]“Sure, but you might kill yourself if you start freaking out more or running. Still have venom in your blood.”[/color][/b] He was getting way too used to dealing with people acting irrationally. With a flick of his wrist, Umbri was lifted off a few feet while Alex got the doctor off the floor. Even without the hard light she was frozen in surprise as she hovered.

When the poor man was brushed off, Alex went and opened the door then looked back over at Umbri. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Call me Aegis. Welcome to my town by the way. Not like I run it though. I just live here.”[/color][/b]

He put his hands on his hips. [b][color=deepskyblue]“Now I’m going to let you go, but it’s really easy to grab you again without hurting you so please don’t do anything stupid.” [/color][/b]

Umbri tracked Aegis as each heavy metal boot clanked their way around her, her eyes inching wider as she took in just. How. BIG. the Rogue was. An almost seven foot tall and proportionally wide legionnaire with glowing eyes was in the room with her and magically had her bound with his brain. Her heart was hammering to get out of the claustrophobic blue glow and she was ready to agree to almost anything. This was the first time she knew she'd encountered any kind of powers and [i]of course[/i] they were being used against her. [i]He could definitely grab me again WITH hurting me too,[/i] her nerves warned her. [i]Be careful.[/i]

[color=#A4303F][b]"You have bad bedside manner."[/b][/color]