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Jun 17, 2016 15:41:27 GMT
Post by nemesis on Jun 17, 2016 15:41:27 GMT
"you're lying."
he's breathing hard, his legs sore with effort. one of his gloves has split, his palm sliced and bleeding through it, but max doesn't care: his heart is racing with the chase, the one that ended so abruptly with the man at his feet stammering excuses and lies.
usually it would be easier, but it's been a run of bad luck: he hadnt been subtle enough in his first enquiries, the guy had told the rest of his scumbag friends, and the trail has led him to a guy with latent shielding to mental intrusion. he can get just far enough to determine intent, emotion, but nothing like how far he needs, to, say, locate his neighbour's daughter.
(the kid is sweet. she is apparently always his first stop when girl scout cookie season starts. he buys like ten boxes of thin mints for the project team every goddamn time just because she has the same pouty puppydog thing jess does and max is nothing if not a slave to his emotions. a big dumb slave.)
it's worked well enough to scare the shit out of the guy, pursuing him through back alleys and over fences, into arkham - because yeah, it probably is terrifying to be chased by someone who knows exactly which way you're gonna turn the second you decide - and max isn't gonna say no to getting his knuckles bloodied.
"talk. or i start making sure you never get lucky again, dude. nina perez. where?" he sets his boot against the guy's shoulder and shoves, sets the sole heavy against the fly of the asshole's jeans.
(i'm pretty sure there's been porn like this, he thinks. people are fucking weird.)
"i-i-i don't know, man, i swear."
"you grabbed her, you ought to."
"i didn't-"
(incorrect! and what do we do when people lie?)
the thug screams, more in fear than pain at the tightening pressure om his groin. "OKAY, o-okay, fine, i did, but once we bring 'em in we don't have anything to do with 'em, swear to god."
"making progress, man, but you really have to stop fucking with me here. obviously i wanna know where."
physis |
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Jun 17, 2016 23:46:48 GMT
Post by physis on Jun 17, 2016 23:46:48 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend Physis is of a divided existence. She's a singularity, except for when she isn't. She's a think tank, except for when she's just an force of nature. (Is she a law anymore when there are so many conditionals?) She presses her back against a storage unit and listens closely to their conversation. There's no need to create more witnesses if the man is going to do her job for her. She's been following by taking shortcuts - walking through walls and such. Something about his voice is familiar, but she's too far removed from Sophia to remember where. A man sneaks up behind her and smashes a wooden board on her head. Thankfully, the helmet provides limited protection. Unfortunately, the sound of wood hitting polycarbonate is loud. She's down, but not for long. He can't trap her when he can't gain a grip on her body. Physis rights herself. She grabs him by the head and pulls him forward, delivering him a punishing blow to the gut with her knee. The man doubles over. Well, her cover is blown anyway. She may as well conclude the inevitable end. Physis delivers a swift punch, which sends the man crashing against the storage unit. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Jun 18, 2016 18:17:44 GMT
Post by nemesis on Jun 18, 2016 18:17:44 GMT
"th-there's another warehouse -"
and that's as far as he gets, because the sound that rings out like a gunshot makes them both startle, but unfortunately the convulsion of max's body slams his weight down onto the ball of his foot and the scumbag screams.
not that max was planning to let the guy go unbruised, but crushing his balls probably wasn't on the agenda.
it's hard to devote much thought to that, though, because with his concentration broken he can hear them, the others, and he's wheeling, kicking the downed trafficker none-too-gently into line behind him, reaching out to the dark figure's mind. the lasting buzz of the psionic null is lingering but he can get enough of a grip to throw up a flash of black, long enough to pull up the black cloth mask around his neck and hide his face. he's not about to take a risk on someone who can end a fight that savagely.
"so i hope you didn't bring any more with you," he says, feigns the conversational tone. asshat behind him is trying to crawl, so he steps back, puts his full weight on one of the guy's hands and doesn't blink at the piercing scream. "i was kind of hoping not to be disturbed, but can i help you?"
he's sizing her up, pupils dilated in the half-dark as his eyes flick her up and down. doesn't know if he can take her in a straight-up fight. doesn't really like the thought of stepping back on his captive scumbag's neck to get rid of the loud buzz in his mind, but if it comes down to his life or max's own it's an easy decision. hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he can feel his hands locked into fists.
one, two drops of blood fall from his hand to the asphalt. |
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Post by physis on Jun 19, 2016 0:44:23 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend Now that the action is over, Physis is not a woman of a lot of words.
"Are you her family?" She can extend special considerations for brothers, cousins, or young fathers. Beyond that, his trustworthiness remains to be seen. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Post by nemesis on Jun 19, 2016 6:19:49 GMT
he blinks deliberately, twice, trying to push the static buzz out of his mind. at least she probably doesn't want to maul him. probably. he's still not about to turn his back on her, but he wouldn't do that with most of the people in this town.
"friend of the family," he says slowly, shifting his weight to his back foot. "i'm looking for her without them knowing, they're going through enough as it is. you know something, or...?"
it's worth a shot, at least. he vaguely remembers something like this, some thing pasting traffickers from the shadows, but he might not be at risk of being put through a container after all.
physis
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Post by physis on Jun 19, 2016 7:01:58 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend She does not know if he is telling the truth. What's important is that he believes they are both telling the same story.
"That would explain why Mrs. Perez did not mention you."And more seriously: "The family would undergo more hardship if their friend disappeared on the same trail." She looks at him dispassionately, though it's impossible to tell from the helmet. As if she were not doing the exact same thing. "Your heart lead you here. Not the need to do right." Vigilante justice isn't right. Physis has been doing it for long enough to understand that much. She doesn't even seem remotely embarassed at having used the "H" word in front of a stranger. She sighs and walks over to the man's captive. She rummages through his coat pocket and pulls out a card key. She can get into any building fine, but that didn't mean that she could ghost a child out. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Post by nemesis on Jun 20, 2016 9:24:45 GMT
it's a little hard to know what to say to that. "yeah, that'd do it." his boot scrapes against the ground quietly as he turns his ankle, poised to move if he needs to. looking like his retaliation is certain to be physical is deception, of course, but she doesn't need to know that. "rosa worries. 'sides, i doubt the whole violent retribution thing is something she'd wanna know about."
he watches her approach, tenses. trusting his instinct, he neatly sidesteps out of her way. "disappearing isn't something i'm planning on, so it's not exactly an issue. neither is righteousness or whatever. nina reminds me of my kid sister, that's all it is. she's a good kid. i'm not about to leave her in the wind."
max isn't exactly one for 'fair', so it's with a complete discarding of their unspoken detente that he grits his teeth, pushes past the null interference to sink the psychic hook into her. "freeze." it's underhanded, yeah, but he also doesn't fucking trust her at all. "give that to me."
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Jun 20, 2016 10:10:46 GMT
Post by physis on Jun 20, 2016 10:10:46 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend Physis is a suspicious control freak. Certainly. It's a fair argument. It's also fair to say that she wasn't expecting an assault from within. He's also not telling her to jump off a bridge, which also helps. 'Freeze' happens first. That command is overridden by 'give that to me'. Her hand extends to him. She has no idea why she's doing it. She did not want the transaction to take place. She has no idea who this man is. Physis stares at her thumb, the one holding the card. Failure is not disobedience. Her masters have taught that lesson well. Move. Move, move, move, move.Rvy966I3 <50 her thumb moves slightly outward She drops the card key, which falls to the ground. The rest of her body remains at rest, hand extended. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Jun 21, 2016 16:38:03 GMT
Post by nemesis on Jun 21, 2016 16:38:03 GMT
the blur he has to project through is thick, nigh-painful, and of course it doesn’t quite work right, but it’s enough for his purposes. fuck, but he wants to get out of the scumbag’s blanking range. he’s not safe like this.
“sorry about that, but you know how it is. i don’t know who you are, i definitely don’t know what you’re gonna do with her. taking chances, right?” he circles round her, slowly, stands behind her. “stay exactly where you are, i’m gonna just. take that, thanks.”
max uses the toe of his boot to drag the card towards himself, out of arm’s reach. “no offence, seriously, i don’t wanna get into any kind of fight with you, but.” he considers extending the sentiment, brushing his mind against hers more closely, but he can’t be sure it will take through the interference. he has to get out of here. he circles back around, wiggling the card in what he figures her sightline is gonna be through the helmet.
“so, i mean. i figure you probably followed us, and the second i leave you’re gonna be able to do whatever again and probably come after me. so what i figure is this. i keep hold of this -” another flick of the keycard in the dim light, a glance to read the writing printed on it, “you promise not to try and kill me and i promise not to make you do anything you don’t wanna. nina goes home. we hopefully never see each other again.”
max cocks his head. “how’s that sound to you?”
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Post by physis on Jun 22, 2016 0:07:05 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend He's a coward, she decides. If he had any real conviction in his suspicions, then he would have cut her throat. The man is very fortunate that Physis is not a villain towards small children. Tonight could have gone a lot of different ways. She doesn't say anything. What's the point? Something is still holding her against her will, and there's nothing that Physis can do about it. If anything, the real cruelty lies in the man's willingness to pretend that there is a choice in a scenario where there is none. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Post by nemesis on Jun 22, 2016 1:04:00 GMT
deafening silence. great.
he’s a talkative person, he knows that, and as much as he lives in and out of the heads of other people he tends to put a lot of stock in words said. to say something is to take the time to commit to it, even if it’s a gigantic lie. and this woman is still a completely unknown quantity. the second he turns his back she could turn the attack on him, she could probably beat the ever-loving shit out of him, and then he’s pretty much fucked. but what else is there? he tucks the card inside his jacket, secure.
“clearly not great. shame. i’m gonna do it anyway. really would appreciate you doing me a solid and not getting mad.” max’s gaze flicks to the trafficker, now curled in a rather sorry heap by the wall, and he thinks a moment. the general feeling of potence is probably not a great thing to put stock in, but the math of ranges isn’t the most complex otherwise. roof? no, not worth it. which unit is this? how many rows along?
fuck it, taking a chance it is.
he takes off running, vaulting the fence that had caught out scumbag #1, injured hand be damned. right now it’s more important that he clears this distance.
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Jun 23, 2016 13:21:13 GMT
Post by physis on Jun 23, 2016 13:21:13 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend Physis lets him run. It's not like she doesn't know where he's going. His first mistake was letting her live. His second mistake was not killing the man that he had just interrogated. It takes only a few blows to the face for him to spill everything that she needed to know, and more. With the information in hand, she makes headway to the warehouse in question. Just because there's a vigilante on the case does not mean that the day will be saved. (Truth works both ways) nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Jun 26, 2016 12:59:41 GMT
Post by nemesis on Jun 26, 2016 12:59:41 GMT
the handwritten bay number on the keycard doesn’t seem to have steered him wrong - and really, c’mon guys, this is serious organized crime, not amateur hour.
he slips through the side door of the warehouse with the faint chime of the card reader. time is of the essence, now, because the vigilante (?) is probably hot on his tail. something about her makes him feel deeply uncomfortable, moreso than the whole ‘being hunted’ part, and he can’t quite shake the feeling. he’s heard of the ghost of arkham, and yeah, that is probably her, but -
he’s climbing the stairs to the foreman’s office, because the window’s going to give him a better aerial view, but he flattens himself against the steps when he sees the three backs through the doorway. just his luck that there’s a fucking meeting, but that’s a manageable number. right up until he has to disengage with a little girl over his shoulder, but he can deal with that later.
max is still formulating the plan when he hears one of them whimper “but boss” and then he realises that the presence just at the edge of his range is another person, someone furious, someone murderous.
he very suddenly wants to do something that is probably really, really stupid.
he reaches out to the big goon, the closest one, grabs hold tightly, starts pulling the files of short-term and recent memories and discarding them, searching, feeling the first tingle of the agony of haste start to creep up. you’re going to take your gun, he instructs, and you’re gonna shoot this fucker.
back-left from the foreman’s office. he glances over, sees the top of the wire-fenced enclosures and nothing more through the crates and shelves.
now.
the gunshot rings out, and max is already sprinting.
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Post by physis on Jul 5, 2016 16:23:19 GMT
Dignitydiligence i cannot defend Physis travels fast. Unlike the rumors, it's not because she has the powers of teleportation. It's because she doesn't have to dodge the chain-link fences or the one-way alleys. The Ghost cannot change the walls, but she can change herself. She can force her composition to become more acceptable to the physical world. She has no intention of stealing his credit, not if he's competent. She doesn't need the thanks of the little girl or her parents. She just needs to know that tonight won't end in a pool of blood for an innocent. Physis rushes in past the fences when she hears the gunshot. She stops when she sees the man sprinting in her direction. In the midst of all the running, someone trips the signal for the security droids in the yard. They buzz to life, shining a strong light intended to blind. nemesis made by redox of gs |
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change your name and keep your face
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Jul 26, 2016 15:22:14 GMT
Post by nemesis on Jul 26, 2016 15:22:14 GMT
it has taken TWO WEEKS FOR THIS REPLY and i have no excuses
the chaos is immediate, loud, and he sees the woman and registers the droid activation at the same instant, the instant he skids around the corner of the shelving unit, and he’s cursing with every breath. his hands are clumsy as he reaches for the keycard because he’s looking for someone, anyone in range who knows the shut-offs. swipe, buzzing, the magnetic lock giving, control panel with a security key and it’s the triggerman’s buddy, currently wrestling his partner for the gun with a desperate red mist across his eyes -
max is fumbling. being two places at once takes conversation he does not have.
“here to rescue you, sweetheart, it’s okay,” and nina perez is not her bright-eyed self but a blank, shell-shocked doll in his arms and his shoulder catches the doorway hard as he ducks out of the enclosure, forces a wordless cry from him that he bites down on. shitshitshit. get up, get out, hit the killswitch, where’s the nearest fucking exit?
do something.
the light is dazzling, a vague concern when he’s forcing goon #2 to get up upstairs, scramble over to the controls, but it’s not fast enough and he doesn’t know what he can do to keep them from getting shot full of holes.
“we’ve gotta move,” he tells the woman in black, more confident than he feels. he doesn’t even care if she’s here to kick his ass, that can wait until his neighbour’s daughter is safe. “now!”
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