In Fate's Hands

Act IV

Time Lapse

The Wastes were becoming an increasingly dangerous place to live over the last couple of years. The militia was caught in the middle of a feud growing between the people and a rising group that referred to themselves as "The Faction". They'd raided military settlements and overpowered convoys, taking everything they could get their hands on… including the lives of the soldiers caught up in the ordeal.

An attack near Rocket City was the biggest story of the recent week. It played on every news station, from radio to television. It was currently interrupting the music the purple feline had been listening to as she beat her punching bag into submission.

She'd scowl a bit, landing a few more hard hits before she stepped back to snag her water bottle from off the floor close by.

"Gods help the next person to get on your bad side," the voice belonged to a red headed rabbit who was using a towel to dry off her soaking hair. Debris had just finished showering and was preparing to make her escape for the day.

"I can't wait till I get the chance to lay someone out," the feline smirked. It was more than a little apparent that Psych had been rearing for a fight. A lot more as of late than usual. Debris sorta figured it must be a certain time of the month…

She'd crumple her empty bottle and make a shot for the recycling bin, pleased with herself when it sank into the wastebasket, all net. But their attention is taken by the stereo when static would cut out the usual reporter, another newscaster butting in to make a jarring announcement.

"We've just been informed that The Faction has started an invasion on the Easternmost Districts of Rocket City. The insurgents are pouring in and dragging civilians from their homes. The numbers are overwhelming, the Rocket City forces are struggling to push them back."

More details would follow, but the purple cat was already tuning it out, throwing her gloves into her bag as Debris fished for her phone. Just as they'd suspected, an unknown number had messaged them a time and location "No rest for the wicked..." the domino colored rabbit snorted, as the two of them headed out through the nearest exit and beelined it for Psych's jeep.

At some point during the years that followed her return to Defiance, Psych had met up with this spunky little bunny who'd gotten her mixed up in a group called the Phoenix Alliance. Freedom Fighters, they called themselves. With their number one mission being to keep the Wastes safe from organizations like The Faction.. But apparently they weren't doing too swell a job of it.

It was closing in on the time their boss had set for them to meet up at a rondevu point. Psych had spent some time at home to collect a duffle for these sort of situations and get ready. As she was heading for the front door, she'd be stopped by a woman calling her name.

She huffed, taking a few steps backwards to peer into the kitchen where her mom was seated at the island, trying to decide which wine to crack open for the night "Make it quick, Miece. I got plans," the purple feline groaned, making some show of bouncing in place in anticipation.

"Aww, but you promised me a girls night!" The older feline pouted. Miece was Psych's foster mother; a well aged woman who'd been diagnosed with an illness that gave her the excuse she needed to grow her own private marijuana garden. On top of that? She was also a shameless nudist and even as they spoke the only thing hiding her naked posterior from view was the dark wood of the counter. Not that Psych hadn't gotten used to her mother's blatant nudity.

"Sorry, Mom… I got some seriously important business with the band. I'll probably be pretty scarce the next couple of days." she was lying through her teeth. But it was for her own piece of mind that her parents didn't know about her connection with the nameless group of vigilantes that sometimes made it into the morning news.

Miece would make a face, fiending disappoint like it was just the most tragic thing in the world that her precious daughter didn't want to spend any time with her!

"Well… in that case I suppose it doesn't matter which wine I choose then!" one was supposed to be for Psych "I'll just have to drink them both!" she huffed melodramatically.

But the purple cat just snorted and rolled her eyes "You have fun with that, you lush." she snickered, before she called a final goodbye and vanished out to her jeep.

She'd swing by the home of the Nightly family, where Debris was taking her stairs two at a time to meet the feline at the curb, throwing in her own bag and climbing in. She'd give her explicit directions to an area just outside the city limits, where already a small group was forming to follow Ryder's instructions out of the city.

With all that was happening outside the safety of Defiance's defences, it had become nearly impossible for just anyone to get permission to leave without a damn good reason. Military forces were posted at all points in and out of the bustling city-state, keeping tabs on who came in, and making sure no one unauthorized was allowed out.

Luckily for them, Ryder had many connections. And those connections included friends within the Defiance militia itself.

A bright green hedgehog would lift his hand, a grin streaking across his metal studded face when the pair arrived in the equally green vehicle. Psych would park it inside the warehouse the meetup was taking place in, and Debris would toss her shit out for the hedgehog to catch.

"Well, well~ Fancy meeting you here~" the male beamed, as the rabbit stepped down from the car, amusement lighting up her own eyes.

"What's a punk like you do'n in a dump like this?" she shot off as the two made some show of a secret handshake while Psych unloaded her own duffle. She'd shoulder it, rolling her eyes at the antics of her companions.

Manic, a punk hedgehog that the purple feline had actually grown rather fond of, but knew was off limits by the way Debris constantly talked his ego up. He was a musician like her, and often times reminded her somewhat painfully of a boy she'd known a few years back.

He also had a habit of keeping sticky fingers anywhere they went. He'd steal the shirt off your damn chest if you weren't careful! And you'd never see it coming.

Right now, the nerves that had been steadily gathering in her gut had her unwilling to join in on whatever the two were going on about. Instead, she stepped away to light up a smoke, frowning to herself as she awaited whatever commands Ryder's inside help had in mind.

Finally a whistle had all of their attention facing a large, blonde canine. He waved everyone to step forward as he gave detailed instruction on what would be happening next. They only had a small time frame to slip out of the city without hitch, a time frame provided by important people in high places paying soldiers to step away from their posts for a few short minutes.

He'd direct them to a line of military grade vehicles and left them all to decide which one they'd be riding in. Of course Psych would choose whichever one Manic and Debris were sliding into, throwing her duffle into the back as she leaned against the door.

"Hey uh… Psy? You good over there?" Manic leaned forward to raise a brow at her oddly quiet mood.

"Ya don't wanna ask, Thief. One of the districts getting hit hold some bad juju for her." The rabbit came to the defense, flickering her attention to the purple feline.

"... Ah. Ex?" Manic dared to ask, his tone hushed.

"He's probably moved somewhere else by now. It's no big deal…" But Psych wasn't entirely sure if she believed that herself. It was only a hope, not really anything she could prove to herself.

The hedgehog shared a look with the redhead, but nothing more would be said on the topic.

The Alabaskian Wastes were a vast desert of red stone and little vegetation. If one weren't prepared for the harsh conditions, they'd likely be dead before their third day. It wasn't totally uninhabitable however, as the ingenuity of mobians had brought about hundreds of settlements that thrived under the scorching sun.

It was at one of these small dust towns that they'd be meeting up with the rest of their teams, including a scrawny, brightly clad aardwolf who was currently perched on the roof of an armored bus.

But as soon as their convoy came to a halt, she was hopping down, the biggest grin lighting up on her muzzle as they filed out from the covered back. Their belongings were left in the trucks while Psych, Manic, and Debris formed the front of the mass that clustered around the small woman.

"It's about damn time!" She exclaimed in melodramatic flare, throwing her hands up towards the bus "We were about t'leave withouchya!"

As the dozens of men and women gathered around, Ryder would wave them into structured lines. With hands tucked behind her, she made a spectacle of throwing her shoulders back and attempting to look commanding.

"Y'all been hear'n duh static," she called loudly, words dripping heavily with an indistinguishable accent "Rocket Citeh's taken damage in duh outta districts. Duh militareh's on duh defensive, baracad'n the roads furthuh intuh duh citeh. Our first priority is t'clear the districts of civilians an' gettem to a safe'a location."

She came to a stop in front of the trio, giving them a quick once over before beaming at the restless warmongers "Then once duh locals are secure, we'll see about send'n those Faction dogs to duh fireh depths of whatever unduhworld they believe in!"

The horde rallied the more she spoke, eager to get on with the mission. Most of Ryder's followers were trigger happy Wastelanders she'd collected during her time as a top tier mercenary.

But Psych wasn't among them. She only felt her stomach pooling with anxiety. When Ryder began arranging the squadrons, she quickly volunteered for the Cherryridge Park District. The aardwolf would raise a brow "Aight; Manic, Debris, you're with her. My intel tells me duh enemeh combatants are sparse around those parts. Ah trust ya three can 'andle it."

"Yes, Sir," all of them gave a smart salute and waited until the little woman gave them the order to move out.

Midnight was rolling in on them by the time they started nearing the city limits. Ryder gave the order to go dark and at once her caravan of armored vehicles shut down their lights. Psych felt as if her heart was going to pound itself right out of her chest. She found herself digging her claws into her own leg by the time the aardwolfs voice came through again, this time signalling for the conga line to disperse.

Soon enough their ride slowed to a halt and Debris waved her musketeers out into the night. They'd traverse the rest of the distance to the city on foot, keeping silent as the protective fence line came into view. With a few quick snips of a bolt cutter, knowing the electrical aspect had gone down long ago, the three of them snuck towards the safety of the buildings.

It took Psych a hot minute before she managed to get her bearings. She took lead as they moved through alleyways and ducked across unlit streets. This part of the city was in blackout mode, making it easy for the small band of freedom fighters to go without notice. From what they could gather, it seemed this cluster of blocks had been one of the first hit. Every building they checked came up ransacked and empty.

The purple feline felt something drop in her chest. What if she were too late? She tried her best to shake those thoughts away as Debris finally told her she was free to check on her former friends.

The road they were on would take them straight to the old bar. She recalled a day when her old spark had shown her the safe room hidden behind the liquor display "Just, y'know, in case. Giles is kind of a doomsday prepper," Ezra had said and she was holding onto the idea that when everything started going to shit, he would have made for the Night Owl.

As they closed in she could see that the place had been looted. The windows were shattered and the shelves of liquor looked as if they'd been picked clean. She swallowed, giving a signal to Debris and Manic to keep an eye out on the street.

"Just be quick," the rabbit hissed as she drew her weapon and joined Manic in the shadow of the entrance.

Psych edged deeper in, putting her hand down on the counter to hop it. She rolled her shoulders back, straining her ears for any signs of life. She'd go to a knee in front of one of the cabinets, steadying a trembling hand as she opened the doors and reach in to knock on the false back. She held her breath.

She heard a subtle rustling coming from behind the wall. She counted the seconds with the feel of her pulse as the panel finally shifted to the side. The man holding a shotgun to her face waned immediately in disbelieve, mouth falling agape.

"Who's there, Pops?" The familiar voice that followed stung, but she tried not to let it show.

"See for yourself, Ezra…" And the older man stepped back, nodding for Psych to come in. With another breath to steady her nerves, She slipped through the crawl space and dropped inside, weapon holstered to her back. With a quick scan she took note of the other bodies in the room.

A few faces she didn't recognize lingered around in fold-up chairs, staring at her in what looked to be a mixture of curiosity and fear. In another corner Jerome was sitting with the still burly weasel, Rafael, keeping a hand on his shoulder as if to keep the man in check. It didn't take a genius to assume he was probably worried about his family in the East Valley District.

Then her eyes came to rest on the face she'd done her best to put out of her mind for the past couple of years... Ezra's expression was harder to read. Shock. Confusion… Pain?

She tore her gaze away from his icy blues and cleared her throat. She needed to focus "I don't have a lot of time to explain but I'm with the Phoenix Alliance and we're here to get as many survivors away from the city as possible."

She heard Ezra beginning to say something in response, but he was cut off by Giles, who'd straightened up when she'd spoken of the freedom fighters "You said "we", how many others are there?"

"Enough, Sir. Ryder sent me here with as many as she thought I needed, given that this sector has more or less been wiped clean. You're the only people we've found thus far."

The man nodded gravely and Psych heard a desperate growl from where Rafael and the dragon were sitting. She swallowed and gave a nod in return. Then she was gone. Inside the secret room, she could hear Ezra speaking to Giles "Are we gonna do as she says, Pops?"

"Of course," he paused to give the three a proper answer "If the Phoenix Alliance is involved, we should do as they say. Rumor is their leaders' one helluva force to be reckoned with. Get yer things. We're leaving."

Psych was waiting just on the other side of the bar as the conversation took place, unable to help feeling relieved that they weren't gonna fight it. As everyone filtered out of the crawlspace, Psych ushered them towards the entrance where Debris and Manic were waiting. Psych watched the group as the rabbit ordered them into a single file line

"We need to find my family!" the weasel blurted, almost snarling.

But Debris held her ground, keeping her voice level as she met the large man's gaze "No can do. We've gotta get this group to safety before we go looking for more survivors. Can't be marching civilians around when we're trying to be covert."

Rafael looked as if he were about to argue but bit his tongue when Ezra and Jerome both put hands to his shoulders.

"We'll go looking for them as soon as everyone else is safe…" the hedgehog's voice was soft, reassuring. Psych chewed the inside of her cheek as she took up her position and the three of them began leading the small band of bystanders through the city, retracing their steps to the hole in the chain link fence.

Debris waved them through one by one, giving Psych a quick glance to make sure she was still okay. The purple feline simply nodded and continued on.

They soon reached their evac and Manic began helping the civilians into the back. As soon as everyone had been accounted for, he knocked on the side of the truck to tell their driver they were good to go. All of them fell into silence as the truck carried them roughly over the barren terrain. Psych kept her attention on the landscape, ignoring the feeling of Ezra's gaze burning into her fur.

It felt like a much longer ride than it had been when they first arrived. She could only thank the heavens when their vehicle rolled to a stop just outside a convergence of survivors being delivered by other teams. A line of armored buses awaited transport, ready to deliver the survivors to the other safe-zone cities. Manic hopped out, offering his hand to both of the girls as they followed suit. He then stayed to help the other women while Debris and Psych stood by.

The trio of boys were the last to hit the ground. Rafael stopped and faced the rabbit, fists clenched tightly as he bore into her "I'm not go'n anywhere without my family," he stated plainly.

Debris only smiled "Then we'll have to take it up with the boss lady."

She turned on her heel and started into the crowd with Manic in tow. The boys passed quick glances between themselves before wishing a "Good Luck, Pops" to Giles and rushed to catch up with her.

Psych felt her shoulders drop as she looked after them. She nearly jumped out of her fur when she felt a touch on her arm. She looked over to see Giles giving her a weak smile "T'was nice see'n ya again kid.. Thanks for com'n to our rescue."

As he walked away to be swallowed by the crowd, the feline heaved a sigh. She honesty felt like kicking herself. She ran a hand down her face before turning and heading off to follow her friends as they searched for Ryder.

They found the aardwolf taking inventory of their growing artillery. She was weighing a hefty looking grenade when she heard her name being called. She threw a look over her shoulder, a sharp-toothed grin spreading on her face as she saw some of her favorite faces approaching.

"Oi! Ya made it back alive ah see!" she wheeled around to face them, letting the grenade slide out of her hand and back into a crate pretty haphazardly "We managed to pull in quite duh haul so far! Didja 'ave much luck at duh playground?"

"Well…" Debris half shrugged, cocking a little smile before she stepped to the side and motioned to the boys "This is about one third of the survivors we found. Seemed the place had been pretty much stripped of it's inhabitants…"

The brightly clothed woman tsked, shaking her head in genuine concern "Damn, we got 'ere too late. No tell'n what those fuck'n bastuds 'ave planned for the locals.."

It was then that the weasel stepped forward, bringing the leaders attention to the large male. Her eyes glistened as he growled "I have to go back. I need to find my family." his tone was commanding, urgent. Manic seemed amused over the way Ryder started eyeing the man.

"Yer family 'eh? Which District they in?"

"The East Valley. I'm not going anywhere until I know they're safe-"

He was cut short by the woman lifting her hand up in a signal for him to stop talking. Psych saw the way the weasels eyes widened, threatening to boil over until he heard what came out of the aardwolf next.

"Aight then. We'll take ya to yer family," her silver gaze then fell on the other two men that the group had brought with them "Ah take it yer gonna wanna come too?"

They both gave short nods. She then turned her focus back to the rabbit and bright green hedgehog "Debris, Manic Ah'm leav'n ya tuh finish evacuations. Ah'm gonna see tuh it these boys make it through duh citeh in one piece. Psych," she shifted her attention to the feline "Yer with us."

Psych felt her fur prickle a bit. She chanced a look towards Ezra but the hedgehog was already following his friends as Ryder motioned them to take up arms. She gave herself a shake, telling herself to relax as she waited for Ryder to lead them out.