NathanielCoran | 6 December
- Ares Warbander -
Ares turned away from Bellona, the hotheaded temper he'd been trying to suppress these last few days beginning to boil.
"I... I betrayed my clan. I walked out because I couldn't face defeat, and now they've paid for my foolishness."
He sighed. The fire in his mind was burning hotter than it had in a long time. For the the first time in nearly three years, Ares was feeling his rage truly consume him.
"Dozens of men and women!" he growled, his voice nearly reaching a shout. "All of them trusting in me, and I marched them to their deaths. If anyone deserved to be massacred the way they were, it should have been me."
He bit back tears to say his last sentence, turning back to face his rival.
"My sword, Bellona."
- The Harvester -
Orlando narrowed his eyes as the android carried off their mark.
"Right behind you" he said to himself, figuring that even if he shouted his strange new 'ally' would be out of earshot regardless. Springing to action, he ran to the edge of the rooftop and pulled out his grapple gun, hooking the end to the guardrail. Swiftly, he used the device to rappel down the the backalley below, and quickly made his way around to the front to meet Kay at the main door.
- Compound -
Edison shifted uneasily in his office chair, unsure of where to go from here. The broadcast played over and over in his mind, as if trying to force him to think of something he might have missed the first time.
I feel like I should be doing something, but...
His eyes flicked open, and Ed sat bolt upright. Something had crossed his mind, something he wished he didn't have to think about.
The family...
He swiped his monitor screen to awake the computer and pulled up an online phonebook. A quick find function got him straight to the information he needed. Punching the number on his screen into his mobile phone, Ed closed his eyes hard, thinking about what to say.
The phone rang three times before an answer came.
"Hello... who is this?"
"G-good evening. Am I speaking to a Ms. Scott?"
"Yes, speaking. Look, this is-" the woman on the other end of the line paused, clearly distressed. "This is a really bad time. We'd appreciate no calls at th-"
"I am doctor Edison Mills, I'm an associate of the Tower." he also paused, waiting for some sort of audible recognition of what he was saying. "I- I assume you saw the broadcast?"
"Excuse me, doctor, I didn't mean to sound rude. We're just... we're a bit shoc-"
The woman was interrupted by the sound of the phone receiver passing hands. What followed was a different voice, this one male and clearly a lot less calm than his wife.
"Listen up, pal. You'd better be able to tell me where the fuck my daughter is right this instant."
"We're working on it, sir..."
"Yeah sure, 'working on it'. From what I've seen of your 'organisation's efforts as of late, 'working on it' is all you ever seem to be doing. How about something conclusive?"
"I can assure you, the very best resources we have access to are digging as deep as they can right this instant. Anyway, I need to ask-"
"Whatever, fine. Just tell me my daughter is safe."
"I- I wish I could."
"Well that's just dandy. Is there any reason you bothered calling us then?"
Ed inhaled deeply. Mr. Scott didn't sound like he would be in a cooperative mood, but the request Ed was about to make was for the best.
"By now, you must be aware of the double life your daughter Grace has been leading. Part of this life involved making enemies... lots of them, dangerous people with no remorse and no hesitation. Now that her secret is public, we feel it would only be best if..."
"I'm still not entirely sold on my daughter being one of you vigilante zealots, but get to the point."
"We feel we should relocate you and your family to a more protected location, to ensure your safety."
"So you want us to up and leave? Right now, right after finding out our daughter has been kidnapped by some monster?"
"I need you to understand the dire situation we're in right now, Mr. Scott." Ed's voice grew firm. He understood that the man was grieving, but being difficult was helping nobody. "The 'monsters' responsible for kidnapping Grace won't stop with just her. They will keep going, they will come after everyone she loves in order to exact their vengeance. Evil knows no limits other than information, and now every single psychopath your daughter has fought against knows exactly where to go, who to attack, to get back at her."
"I... I just..." Mr. Scott was clearly breaking down, almost choking on his fear. "I just want Gracie to be safe."
Ed smiled a little. Hearing a father so protective, so loving... it brought back some sweet memories for him, that was for sure. He answered as honestly as he could, to reassure the poor soul on the other end of the line.
"Your daughter is strong, far stronger than you know. I'd wager she's already given the poor fool who dared attack her a good beating and is on her way back to safety as we speak. For now, though, all we can do is make sure this doesn't escalate."
"Thank you, doctor." Mr. Scott answered slowly, his tone of voice calming down. "We'll come with you."
"I'm glad to hear it. I'll send a car around to pick you up in a few minutes." Ed waited a few seconds, then hung up the call. Staring at the ceiling, he held his breath for a moment.
That went... well?
Honestly, he didn't know. He pondered the idea as he made his way to the elevator and punched in the ground floor. When he reached the lobby, the receptionist looked up.
"Finally leaving the office, Ed?"
"Starlass might be able to fend for herself, but her family cannot. We've got a responsibility to them, after all. I'll be back within the hour."
He gave the woman a wave and headed through the door to his car. Mindlessly he opened the door and climbed in, starting the engine.
I just hope I get there first.
He was just about to pull out into the street when his phone rang. A number he didn't recognise scrolled across the screen.
I just can't get on with anything, can I?
He held the phone to his ear and pressed the accept button.
"Hello? Edison Mills speaking."