|You'll probably be able to see why I didn't want to save this one. Not even going to try and justify it. - Aldiev|
Close to the Chest
The ceiling took quite some time to come into focus, though Helena had woken earlier that day she was still having trouble adjusting to light. This time, she managed to sit herself upright, where this morning the doctors had kept her from doing so. She now saw why, feeling pain flare up her entire abdomen when it bent to accommodate her wish. She kept sitting straight once she was finally through with the simple movement, as returning to lying down would hurt just as much. Glancing down as she moved the sheets, she lifted the hospital gown to look at the two heavily stitched diagonal lines in her flesh over the ribs, feeling an equivalent just a bit lower on her back against the wall. Brushing a hand over the warped surface of her midsection, she wondered what exactly had happened.
All she could really recall was that Osem Peaks had ended, for her, with searing agony and a sense of weightlessness. There were flashes of Steven's worried face, Laera with blood on her hands, and the sounds of gunfire and roars. What concerned her the most at this point, however, was that she was so alone in the patient's room. Had her team not stayed by her side, or were they unable to?
It was later in the day, after routine checks by doctors and nurses, that Ms. Goodwitch entered the room. Her classic mannerisms of keeping straight and pushing up her glasses calmed Helena somewhat, finally seeing something that had been usual in her life before now.
"Ms. Teroi. How are you feeling?"
"Mm... better. Than before, at least." The gown was back down before she'd heard the door begin to open. "Where's Steven? The girls?"
"Steven has replaced Regis in leading the rest of team Resolve. Teresa... stabbed you."
Helena stared without comprehension, but after a moment cracked a smile. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you? What kind of joke is that?"
"I'm sorry, but it's true. I can understand this must be hard for you, Ms. Teroi... You lived in the same room with her. Fought the same battles... You will have at least a few more days to recover, but if you need more time than that, simply say the word."
Helena's gaze lowered, and she clutched the thin sheets with force enough to tear. "Why did my teammate turn on me?"
"It wasn't just her. Regis, Teresa and Nicole all had another agenda in mind. They were at Beacon for Omeghis..." She moved on so quickly that Helena hardly had time to get over her other teammate's betrayal, focused on what her teacher was saying. "Weiss Schnee was their target, we believe. The Calypse twins were there to study combat ability and behaviour in students near to Weiss' own, such as Juniper. Regis asserted himself and his team both close to Weiss herself, to give location and other data to Omeghis."
Helena squinted, more confused now than ever. She had basic knowledge of Omeghis as a corporation, but knew nothing of the shady dealings and experimental projects. "Why would they be targeting her when Omeghis wants a merger with Schnee Dust? Monitoring her or outright killing her is hardly beneficial in the face of that."
"That much, we don't know, but this wouldn't be the first time their CEO or affiliates have lied... we're in a delicate situation." Ms. Goodwitch seemed almost vulnerable, which was starting to frighten her. "We can't tell anyone what really happened to you yet. If word got out that the three of them feigned being Hunters, and attacked one of our own, students would be screaming for blood. Just one wrong move by one of our more rash students, and Omeghis would retaliate against all of Beacon. We can't have that, not now... not until we can get Vale on our side."
Helena pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on with how much she was processing all at once. "W-... Why wouldn't Vale be on our side?"
"This is an internal affair. Both Beacon and Omeghis stand individual from the country in this case, so even if Regis and the girls did what they did, it's our problem. If we can prove Omeghis is acting outside what they are permitted to by Vale, when and if they stand against us, the military will intervene on our behalf. This includes the visiting Atlesians if they're still here by then... There is a catch, though. We can't tell any more students about the truth who aren't already involved, and the rest of our staff have their hands full. You're the only one we know for sure is both involved already, and trustworthy –they wouldn't harm one of their own operatives. As of now, since your team has dissolved and Steven was made to lead Solace, we can only turn to you. This is a mission of the utmost importance, and whether you choose to accept it is entirely up to you."
There was no hesitation in Helena's voice. "Once these scars are healed, I'll do anything you ask of me. I'm not going to take this lying down."
Glynda softened again, which was still strange to see. She turned toward the door to the hospital room, tapping the doorframe with one knuckle. "You can come in now, Graham."
"Figured." Graham Krieger stepped past the threshold, offering a hand for Helena to take. She tentatively shook it, gauging first impressions with the stranger Ms. Goodwitch had brought in. "This is probably got her running circles again, lady. Just give her the details already."
Glynda frowned at the newcomer, but went through with his suggestion no less. "Mr. Krieger runs a private investigative firm, who has helped us recently with closely related matters. As much as he was concise, he was accurate, enough so that we officially hired him to find the evidence we will need in the event of an altercation with Omeghis. Your mission is to act as his temporary assistant, as well as the eyes and ears of Beacon, as without someone of ours to vouch for the authenticity of his finds, Vale's Government is likely to dismiss them."
"Awfully wordy briefing, but she seems to get it. Should I be adding the Sea Monkeys to this little top-secret mission of yours? The girls are all in the know, and they're friends of the girls –they'll be stomping around in this mess sooner or later." Graham found whatever he was asking the teacher funny, even more so when she showed her utter disdain for the idea.
"They aren't actual students of ours. Keep them out of it if at all possible."
"Roger that, ma'am." Graham looked back over to Helena. "The address to the Graham Agency is uploaded into your scroll now, so when you're feeling up to it, swing on by and we'll get cracking. 'til then, rest up. You'll need your strength."
Helena chuckled. "Funny you should say that... Strength is what I lost to get here. You can certainly count on seeing me soon, though, Mr. Krieger."
Obaz arrived where they had hidden the two Paladins and remains of their nearly-dead APC, knowing the only place Hank knew about that could house such things secretly. The felon had left some suggestive tracks upon being pursued by the Atlesians for the heist, leading to a then-damaged subway entrance, but had actually broken into off-site garage storage belonging to none other than Petto Automotive. It was a location that Obaz once mentioned himself... It wasn't the most respectful thing to have done with the info, but they had been desperate at the time, so Obaz bore no resentment upon entering through the side door to see the once-empty location now sparsely populated. They knew he was coming, seeing as his locker from Beacon had landed here well beforehand.
The garages weren't often used by the small business due to it losing the battle of finance with Averro Co. as of late, since Averro was backed by Omeghis –the site was unlikely to be visited by any proper staff of Petto Auto anytime soon. Ultimately, it was a perfect hiding place for the time being; able to comfortably host two APC's, two Atlesian Paladins, and the anti-air vehicle that turned out to be called an Atlesian SkyAnchor, with space for the people present and much more.
Hank went to say something, likely to defend his case in terms of commandeering the garage, but Obaz made a B-line right past him to the only person present he didn't know. Khiver popped his head up from doing something or other behind the SkyAnchor, but gave a frantic wave of both arms in greeting before disappearing again. Shmots was busy letting the bulky fellow investigate the apparatus on his face, though the man quit what he was doing moments after Obaz stopped before him. They stood regarding one another for a bit longer afterward.
"You've grown less than I expected you would have." He said.
Obaz skipped the smalltalk. "Which one are you? A'Reyons, or Galadrie?"
"The latter. A pleasure to meet you again, Pierce." The wording made Obaz scowl, in turn pulling a laugh out of the Doctor. "At least that frown hasn't changed a bit. Still every bit as disapproving as you were six years back."
"Seven and two weeks, now. Roughly." It had been that long since Obaz had been taken as a subject; three years of being in AMALGAM, then another three spent between Hank on the streets and working at Petto Auto. The last was at Beacon, obviously.
Galadrie offered a dusty seat next to him at the make table, which he took. They weren't facing the table, but rather Shmots, who questioned whether or not they were done with his hands. Obaz looked to the mute this time; "Do you have another of those gloves?"
Gesturing to the wire glove on the boy's arm, Shmots nodded, going to get it from what personal effects he had –likely stashed somewhere around here from where they'd been before, or in the battle-worn of the two APC's. Facing Galadrie again, Obaz continued; "I hear you are planning to perform surgery on him."
"Can't very well leave those things on his face. They have a timer." Galadrie said, crossing his broad arms over his broad chest with a thoughtful expression taking over. "Not the usual kind, either. It's more like a counter; the mask keeps track of the breaths he takes. When the count reaches a limit, the mechanism sets off, regardless of tampering. The boy's head would be skewered like an ors d'ouvre by now if Khiver hadn't maxed out that limit through the interface... but doing that cleared the display inside, so we don't know how close he is to that limit now. I have a last resort if the mask threatens to activate, but it can be summed up to very carefully hacking the boy's face off, so it would be nice to get the equipment together quickly. His skull could be punctured anywhere between a few hours to a few months from now."
The ticking head-bomb returned with the glove Obaz asked about, setting it on the table between Obaz and the Doctor. As he'd thought, Shmots had both the left and right wire gloves, but didn't wear the right as it interfered with his stun rod; wielding an electrical implement in the same hand as a glove loaded with metallic wires wasn't the greatest idea. Obaz lifted the tool, inspecting the amount of wire, how it worked and so on. He continued to speak as he did so; "Making this place capable of safe practice in surgery will take some work, but I will assist so long as you do something for me, as well."
"That being?" The man wondered. He seemed not just willing to do something for Obaz, but excited about it, which was putting him off.
Taking off his own denim work glove, Obaz pulling the wire glove over his right hand, flexing his grip and already choosing to start taking it apart. Again, he multitasked between this and conversation; "I haven't enough data to go on to make a decision, but I may need use of the facility after Shmots has been taken care of. Furthermore, I would like to have whatever documentation you may have with you, or still have access to, that isn't on the OMS."
"Looking for files above code Ochre, I see. Makes sense." Galadrie withdrew his phone, taking the memory chip from it and putting it in Obaz' now-waiting hand. "The chip is from my work station at the main branch. It has everything you haven't found on the OMS, short of what DeCello does in private."
"On one chip?" Obaz asked skeptically.
"Yes. Code Black has sensitive projects under it, but they are few in number. Namely NOVUS, CATHARSIS, and AMALGAM, along with the now-scrapped SCINTILLA." Obaz made a face at the last one, not familiar with it at all. Galadrie motioned to the chip but explained anyways; "To summarize, SCINTILLA was the net term for the study and development of Siphon Technology. As you know, Siphon Works were illegalized due to consistent deaths related, so while the study itself had been kept from prying eyes the equipment related couldn't be hidden from Vale officials who came snooping; the project was terminated, the weapons scrapped. Sadly, that prevented further research into Auric Atrophy, though I suspect you would want to look into what Omeghis once knew about the subject."
They sat in silence for a few seconds, Obaz simply tinkering. "How could you tell? I am in the early stages."
"Khiver told me about the arm. If it has been this long, the chances would be high that you'd started, and by the look of things you've had to worsen that predicament." With a shift, Galadrie tapped Obaz' shin with his foot, getting a metallic clink in response. "Really, a leg on the opposite side to the arm is the worst that could have happened."
"Okay, that's enough insider talk. What the hell is this that we're on about?" Hank interjected, finding his own spot on the table rather than take another chair. Galadrie looked at Obaz;
"It's been ages since I last heard you give an explanation, Pierce."
Gracing the Doctor with an irritated glance, Obaz began. "If one's aura can increase or decrease, one would think that it is finite in volume. Technically, it is, to an extent –much like blood, your soul does not sit still in your body so to speak, but circulates in order to project outwardly when you need it to in equal force over an area. This allows for it to compensate as needed when expended taking the force of a physical blow, and also to notify your body when some has been used up. Even if aura is used, however, it cannot be overused enough to impact a person's livelihood; there is no way for aura to leave the body outside of one's own will, and if it reaches a critical point, will no longer respond to the user's will as that would be counterproductive to survival. This is why aura reaching red is considered a loss in tournament duels; the remaining aura risks failing to defend against the next attack for the participant, leaving them open to mortal wounding."
He paused for a second, looking at the wide and creepy grin that Galadrie took on, before slowly getting back on track. "Siphon works are the exception to this, as they take forcefully like their systems intend, meaning they can both; a) 'bleed' aura if damaged or pushed beyond hardware limits, and b) change the rate of circulation your aura takes throughout your body. Due to my arm being unable to perfectly re-enact the real thing, it causes my aura to fluctuate in its course through my body; my aura's circulation slows until it sits still, leading to what is called Stagnance. This in turn causes Auric Atrophy; stagnant aura suddenly returning to proper circulation, and burning out more quickly than it would normally."
"So... your aura may not be less than it used to be, but you burn through it faster?" Hank asked, getting an acknowledgement. Galadrie piped up from here, earning another spiteful glare;
"If only that were all... Auric Atrophy leads to numerous side effects, as stagnant aura causes backlash creating its own emotional stimuli; Early stages show stronger responses to things that agitate, entertain, or intrigue. As it gets worse, bipolarism and schizophrenia may appear, among other similar conditions. Now that Pierce's arm is in competition with his leg –a Siphon Work literally on the opposite end of his body –his atrophy will only escalate at a faster pace than before."
Obaz cut in like an eager knife, "My leg is much less consuming than my arm without fingers and an extra joint to compensate for. My ear is also not a Siphon Work, in case you were wondering, just a pseudopolymer replacement." The ear drum hadn't been cut out, so all he'd had to do was fix the outside with a substance similar to cartilage and skin.
"Yes, a replacement also acting as a receiver and transponder judging by those pressure points. You'd think a phone or scroll would be good enough." The comment made Obaz self-consciously move away from the man, annoyed and surprised by the level of awareness the Doctor had.
Hank gave Obaz the disapproving look only a sibling could. "And you're gonna fix that how? More attachments?"
"I have no options for that yet, but a member of my team will be able to buy me time. When the atrophy worsens, her semblance may help the condition recede."
"You mean the team you just ran away from?" Obaz scowled again, Hank giving a slap to the side of the head that almost seemed to erase the expression. "This isn't like you. You would've dragged every person willing to help you down here with you, but now, you're putting them above yourself."
Obaz lifted a hand to emphasize, "You are mad at me for learning humility?"
Hank nodded. "Damn right I am. You're only stopping the selfishness as soon as you could actually benefit from being a jerk –I could care less what trouble your friends get in if they'd help you get out of this mess in one piece."
This time, Obaz chuckled. "That is what I have you for... and the twins."
"Twins?" Hank inquired.
"You will see soon enough, and be pleasantly surprised no doubt. There are others to be introduced first, however." Facing the way he himself had entered, Obaz fell silent, the others present looking the way he now did. After this dragged on for a short while, the door he'd left unlocked opened to Emerald, walking in with a slighted look. Mercury followed soonafter, and then Cinder in last for once.
"You know, eavesdropping is hard when everyone just stops talking altogether." She said indignantly.
"That was the point..." Obaz made a round of the people they could see, each person corresponding like he were taking attendance. Khiver popped out again, hearing himself mentioned. "These are Emerald, Mercury, and...?"
"TINDER WALL! We finally meet!" Khiver flipped over the vehicle he still stood near to, landing nearby and earning him a look from the woman in question.
"That's CINDER." Emerald corrected.
"Tinder." Khiver re-blundered, getting the girl to grit her teeth. He actually shoved the smaller one aside to get a better look at the red-clad vixen. "I just missed ya at Mountain Glenn, but this works. We have some things ta discuss."
"I agree." Cinder said, giving the taller man a sweet smile as she passed him. "But we'll get to that later."
"Wh- Oi! No! Bad villain!" He got in between her and Obaz, jutting a finger at her. "Most'a the reason I wanna talk is because you're makin' a side goal outta my boy Pierce, and that's a no-go. You got your own fish ta fry." She laughed at him, passing him by again but as Khiver went to chase, Mercury blocked his path. "Off'a the road, Mackleby."
Emerald snickered at this misname, but Mercury simply held his ground, making Khiver look to Obaz for a second before jumping up onto the hood of the SkyAnchor, legs and arms crossed with his cheeks puffed out in mock pouting. Obaz knew what he was doing, surely, and Khiver could easily mess it up for him if he acted without knowing why these people were here.
Standing before the blonde, Cinder stared levelly. "So, how did it go?"
Obaz took the snake-styled mask from a larger side pocket at his thigh, holding it up for her to see. She smirked with approval, running a finger up the side of Obaz' new mark of companionship to the activist group, and he almost flinched even without feeling the contact himself. Something about her felt far too sinister, like standing next to some venomous spider whose web is imperceptibly close at hand. She watched all things with the posture of such a carnivore, ready to devour what might struggle in her strings. Her beginning to speak again drew him away from these thoughts; "So, you got what you wanted, but I'm the only person you didn't make any sort of offer to. Should I call this a favor?"
She would probably like nothing less than to have him at beck and call over this, seeing as her tone said she would lord this debt over him, but what did he have to pay her with for something like a possibility that happened to meet success? She may have risked her reputation by bringing him to the Negotiator, but for all he knew there could have been nothing for her to lose in this, either. There was no way to measure the value of her part here... "Would the information on Beacon staff and students you wanted before suffice?"
Her eyes lit up, and so did his. Both were threatening to set off the other, but both faded in time. She took on an amused grin. "That just won't do. You would have been a convenient source at the time, but I'm afraid it just doesn't measure up as of now." Obaz grimaced, and she chuckled. "Oh, don't make that face... owing someone isn't all that bad. I promise, I'll be nice."
"I need no empty promises. However you request I pay back my debt, I will ultimately be the one choosing to go through with it or not." He gave her a cold glare. "It may be hard to weigh the worth of what you did for me, but there are lines I will not cross, duty-bound or no... I am not your bitch."
Mercury and Emerald had moved to box him in once his confrontational look appeared, but Hank had his spear and shield, Goethe and Vermin, ready to go next to Mercury. Shmots extended his stun rod, eyeing Emerald who also gave him some attention now, while Khiver fumbled with a camcorder and aimed it at the three-on-three fight waiting to happen. Cinder watched Obaz with all the interest of a bug collector, watching a new addition to the ranks get territorial over the jar she provided it, and her obvious assumption of full control made him want to attack on the spot just to prove a point. "You're welcome to your own opinion, Obaz... Just so long as you don't forget that you do, in fact, have an obligation to me."
He nodded, and tensions ceased. Khiver looked disappointed as he shut the camera off, and Galadrie got more relaxed in his seat next to Obaz. Hank waved a finger so it pointed to each of the three guests more than once. "So, I take it you let them follow you here on purpose?"
"Yes. Allowing them to know where our current base of sorts is was meant to be a gesture of goodwill, but I needed to make something clear to those who know of the mask..." Obaz held up the facewear again. "When wearing this, you will be calling me by the name 'Carson'. You have no affiliation to 'Carson', and if in your best interest, fight me as you must. I will operate toward my own ends under this guise, as well. Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury should already know what is entailed while I assume this role."
Khiver began to laugh, which drew a few looks from around the room, only Cinder's lingering on the basket-case. As it was mostly Hank who found this proclamation strange, having to have Obaz explain in what way this wasn't lying, she separated herself from that end of the room to lean beside the SkyAnchor. "Mr. Lybel. I've been wanting to meet you..."
He snickered. "Color me flattered, hot stuff. I already told you the beef I got with you, so I guess you can start." She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised a finger with a face that said he remembered something. "Oh, I ought to mention that I'll shoot you if you try that hypno-toad stare 'a yours, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna tell you the verbal bypass for any of the subjects."
There was a long pause, and Cinder smirked. "Then I suppose there is nothing to discuss. For now..."
Khiver glanced at her, knowing she was already hatching some scheme. She wasn't the type to give up that easily, no doubt about it. "S'pose not. For now."
