05-12-2014, 08:38 PM
Nicholas had let go of the power once he was out of any real danger. There was always this strange sense of loss - all the colors getting a little more washed out, the sounds a little more muted - that followed release, and it left him unsure as to the wisdom of constant seizure. The journey to the 'Fortress' was uneventful, save for a couple firefights. He half-smiled at that; he'd been more than happy to leave that sort of thing behind him. One bullet in his general direction was five too many, and he'd had close calls with more than one: blood oozed from a graze on his forehead, and a pair of holes in his coat caused him to make a mental note to visit a church sometime soon.
At least they made it to safety - if 'safety' was really what you could call a hastily barricaded section of airport terminal. The Custody troops were holed up inside an area that appeared to be primarily for cargo - and as such, solid concrete walls concealed the eyesore from outside eyes. The closest thing to a fortress they'd have under the circumstances, he supposed. Most of the gunfire had died down by that point - and it left Nicholas with the distinct feeling that he was being stalked. Crazy jihadists didn't just stop.
They pulled the barricades apart once they saw the Knights leading Nicholas's little group of civilians. He and Reed stuck with the group, but within seconds of passing through the barricade they were pulled aside by a captain, presumably the man in charge. "Mr. Nicholas Trano?"
He asked in a short voice. The guy was clearly not in the mood for bullshit. Which was fair - being under siege by thousands of religious extremists who'd happily draw and quarter you if they had the chance isn't a great time for stupidity to rear its ugly head. "Please make your way to the back of the Terminal. I shall have a guard assigned to you immediately. Your safety is a priority, sir."
At the man's offer, Nicholas could only give a friendly smile. If he pulled a guard for every member of the press corps, he wouldn't have many people left to defend the wall. "I think my assistant can protect me well enough."
A quick glance at Reed - she'd already managed to convince the Knights to give her back her pistol - confirmed that statement. "You look short staffed as it is, Captain. I'm not worth it."
Captain Miko barely suppressed a grimace. Clearly that was the wrong answer. "I'm afraid it's an order, sir. Whether you believe so or not, your safety is worth more than all of my men combined. I will not take any risks."
His voice and eyes were flat. Made him wonder if he and Reed might be long lost relatives.
Nicholas just shrugged. No point trying to order around the guy who actually knew what he was doing. "Do what you have to do, then. Thanks for sending those men, they showed up just in time."
Captain Miko gave a short nod. "Thank you, sir. An evacuation team has been sent for, keep your head down and we will make it out of this alive."
Sounded more like wishful thinking at this point - he'd really hoped more troops had survived - but the man's confidence was contagious.
Nicholas turned to go towards the back, where the captain had ordered, but didn't make two steps before bullets started pinging on the walls nearby. Apparently the stalking was over, and the bad guys were ready to make another assault. Reed sprung into action in a heartbeat, running to help the men pushing the barricade back in place. Nicholas seized the power, but stayed back. He didn't need to be on the front line to be dangerous, and he didn't want to show that he could even be dangerous unless absolutely necessary. With seizure of power came new awareness - he could hear every bullet's impact, see the tiny bits of lead tumble through the air. Strangely, that sensitivity of the senses didn't carry with it the expected cost - the screams and shots were not deafening.
The Arabs were assaulting in earnest - he heard dozens of AKs firing simultaneously; just one of those rounds costed a dollar in the United States, and they were burning through magazines like a wildfire. Reed and her new friends almost had the barricade closed. She glanced back at him - even when she was the only one in danger, she worked to keep him safe - when a sudden blast rocked the room. Nicholas only barely kept himself from tripping, and only had the time to think a strangled what the fuck
before he cleared his vision. The barricade was in flames - and knocked twenty or thirty feet wide of its intended resting place.
Of the several people knocked to the ground by what he could only assume was an RPG, Reed stumbled to her feet first. Green tracers flickering through the air around her, and the awkward movements and slow reactions made it plain that she was in shock. She looked around - he imagined her wondering how she got there, in the center of a war zone with flaming wreckage all around her. It was with dazed eyes that she saw the face of her killer. A man in tattered traditional clothing raised his antique rifle and screamed a war cry. In another ten heartbeats Reed would be dead - and Nicholas's heart was beating very fast.
Threads of fire formed before Nicholas was even sure what he was doing, and air yanked her aside more roughly than intended. A wave of flames rolled over the gap in the walls, only barely missing the wounded men still laying near the breach. A strong feeling of nausea took him when he saw the results of his casting - it looked like the smoldering remains of an accident at a tomato cannery, and far larger than one body could be the culprit of. It took a moment to collect himself.
So much for secrets
, he thought. More than one soldier looked over in his direction. Oddly, the interest was more short-lived than he expected - but then again, he supposed the angry Arabs trying to kill them all were a bit more pressing of a concern. Before he thought better of it, he picked the smoldering barricade - most of which was metal - and dropped it back in its proper place. Reed was sitting against a wall, far from the battle. He didn't know when he did that.
A momentary fear swelled in his chest before he made out the steady rise and fall of breathing. She was alive, if unconscious. He ran over to check on her anyways. Halfway through his run - more of a mad sprint if anything - the people on both sides regained their wits and started shooting at each other again, but it was clear that the enemy was retreating. He slid to his knees right next to her. Her head lolled to the side at an awkward angle, and he cupped her cheek and steadied it. Her hair tangled in his fingers, silky blackness marred by gritty white dust. She looked oddly tranquil, so unlike her conscious self. His hands were quick after that, checking her over for wounds. There were none to be found aside from a few cuts and bruises. They were lucky.
A few seconds after he finished she started to come to. He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he she blinked at him. She regained control of her limbs, and touched the wall. He could tell she wasn't quite there yet, but she was lucid enough to ask, "Why am I sitting against a fucking wall?"
Nicholas laughed in spite of himself. "Because I put you here."
Then his voice turned, maybe a little, to scolding. "You almost died trying to push the barricade back in place!"
She squeezed her eyes shut, if only to listen to what was going on around them. "Well somebody had to get off their ass and get shit done around here." Grimacing, she tried to use Nicholas to stand before thinking better of it. She got back to business surprisingly quickly given her situation. "Brief me."
"You got knocked down by an explosion. I had to cast a spell to save you."
He paused and sighed, glancing around at the surprising number of eyes on them. "Everyone knows.
"
Reed followed his gaze around. "Since you're out of the closet, can you do something useful? And go blow up the power grid now?" She really didn't have any problem with the fact that she came half a second away from an ending.
Nicholas just grimaced. "Sure. Let me just get my rainbow slippers."
He realized what he was doing and stopped - being angry with her didn't make any sense. "I'll do it. Once we get permission from that captain over there who's either about to arrest us or thank me."
Miko was walking that way, remarkably nonchalant for someone who'd just witnessed the death of any current physics model of the universe. The gunfire had died down and been replaced yet again with an eerie silence.
"Finally. You know, you can be a bitch to order around, sometimes." She frowned in concentration and let him help her up. She was still a little wobbly, but Nicholas couldn't blame her. He doubted he'd be standing at all.
Nicholas shrugged. "I think that's one of my better qualities."
Before Reed could respond - and he knew she liked getting the last word - Captain Miko reached them. Nicholas turned to him, letting go of Reed's arm. He was confident she could stand on her own. "So, Captain. I've just disproved everything you know about the world around you. How are you going to react?"
His tone was more like that of a reporter giving an interview than a man who'd just been more terrified than ever before in his life.
The Captain let out a bark of laughter, wiping blood from a split lip. "I don't know what you did, and I don't care, you saved my men, I am grateful."
The man paused and surveyed the disheartened crowd of civilians. "I have something you can do that will help us get out of here. You think you can blow a power grid, Harry Potter?"
Nicholas shared a look with Reed. "Guess great minds think alike, huh."
On two accounts. Then he turned back to the captain. "I think so. I'm not exactly an expert, but get me within eyesight and I can take it out."
"Good,"
Captain Miko said, wasting no time. "Here is the plan..."
Edited by Nick Trano, May 13 2014, 03:58 AM.
At least they made it to safety - if 'safety' was really what you could call a hastily barricaded section of airport terminal. The Custody troops were holed up inside an area that appeared to be primarily for cargo - and as such, solid concrete walls concealed the eyesore from outside eyes. The closest thing to a fortress they'd have under the circumstances, he supposed. Most of the gunfire had died down by that point - and it left Nicholas with the distinct feeling that he was being stalked. Crazy jihadists didn't just stop.
They pulled the barricades apart once they saw the Knights leading Nicholas's little group of civilians. He and Reed stuck with the group, but within seconds of passing through the barricade they were pulled aside by a captain, presumably the man in charge. "Mr. Nicholas Trano?"
He asked in a short voice. The guy was clearly not in the mood for bullshit. Which was fair - being under siege by thousands of religious extremists who'd happily draw and quarter you if they had the chance isn't a great time for stupidity to rear its ugly head. "Please make your way to the back of the Terminal. I shall have a guard assigned to you immediately. Your safety is a priority, sir."
At the man's offer, Nicholas could only give a friendly smile. If he pulled a guard for every member of the press corps, he wouldn't have many people left to defend the wall. "I think my assistant can protect me well enough."
A quick glance at Reed - she'd already managed to convince the Knights to give her back her pistol - confirmed that statement. "You look short staffed as it is, Captain. I'm not worth it."
Captain Miko barely suppressed a grimace. Clearly that was the wrong answer. "I'm afraid it's an order, sir. Whether you believe so or not, your safety is worth more than all of my men combined. I will not take any risks."
His voice and eyes were flat. Made him wonder if he and Reed might be long lost relatives.
Nicholas just shrugged. No point trying to order around the guy who actually knew what he was doing. "Do what you have to do, then. Thanks for sending those men, they showed up just in time."
Captain Miko gave a short nod. "Thank you, sir. An evacuation team has been sent for, keep your head down and we will make it out of this alive."
Sounded more like wishful thinking at this point - he'd really hoped more troops had survived - but the man's confidence was contagious.
Nicholas turned to go towards the back, where the captain had ordered, but didn't make two steps before bullets started pinging on the walls nearby. Apparently the stalking was over, and the bad guys were ready to make another assault. Reed sprung into action in a heartbeat, running to help the men pushing the barricade back in place. Nicholas seized the power, but stayed back. He didn't need to be on the front line to be dangerous, and he didn't want to show that he could even be dangerous unless absolutely necessary. With seizure of power came new awareness - he could hear every bullet's impact, see the tiny bits of lead tumble through the air. Strangely, that sensitivity of the senses didn't carry with it the expected cost - the screams and shots were not deafening.
The Arabs were assaulting in earnest - he heard dozens of AKs firing simultaneously; just one of those rounds costed a dollar in the United States, and they were burning through magazines like a wildfire. Reed and her new friends almost had the barricade closed. She glanced back at him - even when she was the only one in danger, she worked to keep him safe - when a sudden blast rocked the room. Nicholas only barely kept himself from tripping, and only had the time to think a strangled what the fuck
before he cleared his vision. The barricade was in flames - and knocked twenty or thirty feet wide of its intended resting place.
Of the several people knocked to the ground by what he could only assume was an RPG, Reed stumbled to her feet first. Green tracers flickering through the air around her, and the awkward movements and slow reactions made it plain that she was in shock. She looked around - he imagined her wondering how she got there, in the center of a war zone with flaming wreckage all around her. It was with dazed eyes that she saw the face of her killer. A man in tattered traditional clothing raised his antique rifle and screamed a war cry. In another ten heartbeats Reed would be dead - and Nicholas's heart was beating very fast.
Threads of fire formed before Nicholas was even sure what he was doing, and air yanked her aside more roughly than intended. A wave of flames rolled over the gap in the walls, only barely missing the wounded men still laying near the breach. A strong feeling of nausea took him when he saw the results of his casting - it looked like the smoldering remains of an accident at a tomato cannery, and far larger than one body could be the culprit of. It took a moment to collect himself.
So much for secrets
, he thought. More than one soldier looked over in his direction. Oddly, the interest was more short-lived than he expected - but then again, he supposed the angry Arabs trying to kill them all were a bit more pressing of a concern. Before he thought better of it, he picked the smoldering barricade - most of which was metal - and dropped it back in its proper place. Reed was sitting against a wall, far from the battle. He didn't know when he did that.
A momentary fear swelled in his chest before he made out the steady rise and fall of breathing. She was alive, if unconscious. He ran over to check on her anyways. Halfway through his run - more of a mad sprint if anything - the people on both sides regained their wits and started shooting at each other again, but it was clear that the enemy was retreating. He slid to his knees right next to her. Her head lolled to the side at an awkward angle, and he cupped her cheek and steadied it. Her hair tangled in his fingers, silky blackness marred by gritty white dust. She looked oddly tranquil, so unlike her conscious self. His hands were quick after that, checking her over for wounds. There were none to be found aside from a few cuts and bruises. They were lucky.
A few seconds after he finished she started to come to. He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he she blinked at him. She regained control of her limbs, and touched the wall. He could tell she wasn't quite there yet, but she was lucid enough to ask, "Why am I sitting against a fucking wall?"
Nicholas laughed in spite of himself. "Because I put you here."
Then his voice turned, maybe a little, to scolding. "You almost died trying to push the barricade back in place!"
She squeezed her eyes shut, if only to listen to what was going on around them. "Well somebody had to get off their ass and get shit done around here." Grimacing, she tried to use Nicholas to stand before thinking better of it. She got back to business surprisingly quickly given her situation. "Brief me."
"You got knocked down by an explosion. I had to cast a spell to save you."
He paused and sighed, glancing around at the surprising number of eyes on them. "Everyone knows.
"
Reed followed his gaze around. "Since you're out of the closet, can you do something useful? And go blow up the power grid now?" She really didn't have any problem with the fact that she came half a second away from an ending.
Nicholas just grimaced. "Sure. Let me just get my rainbow slippers."
He realized what he was doing and stopped - being angry with her didn't make any sense. "I'll do it. Once we get permission from that captain over there who's either about to arrest us or thank me."
Miko was walking that way, remarkably nonchalant for someone who'd just witnessed the death of any current physics model of the universe. The gunfire had died down and been replaced yet again with an eerie silence.
"Finally. You know, you can be a bitch to order around, sometimes." She frowned in concentration and let him help her up. She was still a little wobbly, but Nicholas couldn't blame her. He doubted he'd be standing at all.
Nicholas shrugged. "I think that's one of my better qualities."
Before Reed could respond - and he knew she liked getting the last word - Captain Miko reached them. Nicholas turned to him, letting go of Reed's arm. He was confident she could stand on her own. "So, Captain. I've just disproved everything you know about the world around you. How are you going to react?"
His tone was more like that of a reporter giving an interview than a man who'd just been more terrified than ever before in his life.
The Captain let out a bark of laughter, wiping blood from a split lip. "I don't know what you did, and I don't care, you saved my men, I am grateful."
The man paused and surveyed the disheartened crowd of civilians. "I have something you can do that will help us get out of here. You think you can blow a power grid, Harry Potter?"
Nicholas shared a look with Reed. "Guess great minds think alike, huh."
On two accounts. Then he turned back to the captain. "I think so. I'm not exactly an expert, but get me within eyesight and I can take it out."
"Good,"
Captain Miko said, wasting no time. "Here is the plan..."
Edited by Nick Trano, May 13 2014, 03:58 AM.