Seoul, South Korea, Asia
They stumbled into the hotel room with a bound Talon merc in tow, a thick hood pulled over his head. The room was spacious and a far cry from the bare minimum of the club, calling it luxurious would be an understatement, which is why there was such a stark contrast to the absolute mess that covered the room. True to what Lucio said, it seemed this was where a majority of the actual work was done, Lucio vaguely mentioned something about a lengthy festival here so getting semi-permanent accommodations was necessary. Though it seemed that those plans would be indefinitely on hold until they could figure out who was calling the shots, the why was obvious; the real question was how Talon knew they were going to hit up Lucio before even they did. Forcing the struggling man across the room, they opened up the door leading to a small bathroom before pushing the Talon goon inside.
"I'm still amazed we got him through the entire building with absolutely no problems." Lucio chuckled.
"At times like this I find it's better to just accepts the graces we're given." Adrian remarked, "Now onto what to do with our guest."
"You brought him along but didn't think of a plan?" Hana admonished.
"Well of course I have a plan and some methods to make him talk, but past experience tells me that my approach tends to clash with Overwatch's code of conduct so to speak." The UNSC wasn't kind to insurrectionists, having witnessed and participated in a number of innie interrogations he felt comfortable in saying he could get answers, the state of the one being interrogated however…was another matter entirely.
Oxton gave an uncomfortable nod, "Yeah, so we'll do it like this. We try it my way first, if the bloke doesn't cough up what we need then I pass it onto you. With the promise that it won't be extreme."
Adrian gave a shrug, "Have it your way." He had a feeling that Talon wouldn't send out an agent they weren't comfortable with, if the little bit he knew about their manifesto was correct – something about using violence to achieve what's best for humanity – then it wouldn't make sense to use agents that weren't wholly committed to the cause. So Oxton's attempt likely wouldn't get anywhere if he was being honest with himself; but he'd prefer if he was proven wrong, interrogation wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone involved except for many if the ONI spooks. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if those secretive bastards got off to the torture.
Eyeing a sizeable balcony outside the window, he made his way across the room and outside onto it. It gave a grand view of the city; it was a refreshing sight to see such a large city bustling with life. Resting his arms on the railing, he twirled a cigarette between his fingers just to keep his hands busy. He wondered if this was how New Mombasa looked before the Covenant, a constant stream of people, interactions, work, every day like the others, a cycle but a comfortable one. He didn't hold hope for surviving the war, no one did because that would imply, we win and hell no one's that stupid. Though in a different world, maybe one like this where humanity won – a childish miracle he knows – could he ever live in a city like this…would he be able to fit into a 'regular' life. The war's been his entire life, he hasn't known a time humanity wasn't fighting against the inevitable. Continuing on his own fantastical hypothetical, it wasn't a matter of him NEEDING to live outside the UNSC, but more a question of…could he. So deep in his musings that he didn't hear the door open up behind him, followed by a series of light steps.
"Smoking's pretty unattractive you know, especially for a guy your age it'll only make you look older." Hana's voice rang out.
He blinked in surprise, his mind brought back to reality, "Huh...uhh. Sorry I was dazing there, what'd you say?"
She didn't respond, just leanded back against the railing with a light laugh, Adrian looked at the city skyline before looking at Hana.
"Could you ever see me living a regular life?"
She turned to him, a quizzical look upon her face, "Regular? Like…how? Cause I mean you are normal already, aren't you?"
"But is what we're doing regular? Normal? We're caught up in some international conspiracy fighting villains that seem straight out of a comic book; I've spent half my life fighting an alien threat that eventually is going to result in the extinction of the human race. I mean what's normal for the average joe, any one of those fools down there just living their life."
"I don't know why you're asking me, I play video games for a living, but I mean maybe you could? Whose to say for sure until you try."
He didn't respond for a minute until he decided to steer away from his own hypothetical crisis, "You have family here right?" She turned to him; surprise evident on her face. "Ziegler told me, you plan to see them while we're here?"
She sighed, "I don't know, I want to but I'm also afraid of involving them in…this." She spread her arms out, "They weren't exactly thrilled when I told them I'd be joining the military, then Overwatch. I've seen them a few times since being in Overwatch but it always feels awkward – like there's a tension, so it doesn't make me eager to go see them."
Adrian nodded in understanding, "Still…you should see them when you can, they're just worried about you, hoping for the best. Even its awkward I'm sure you still enjoy seeing them right? Telling them about everything that's happened?" She nodded, "You won't realize how much you love them till there gone, so make sure to enjoy the time with them that you have."
Another silence fell over them, Adrian still twirling the cigarette stuck it between his lips and pulled out his lighter. Casting a glance towards Hana he saw her casting a dark glare his way, with a sigh he tossed the cigarette aside.
"My mother used to smoke you know, always said it was the stress of her job. She quit years ago but well, the smell always just reminds me of her stress and as a kid I always wanted to try and make her stress go away…so it's…you know."
"What did your mom do?"
"She was a lawyer, worked a lot of important cases for big people so she was usually out of the house or working late, in the end I ended up spending a lot of time with my dad. He was a professional e-sports player, he's the one who got me into games in the first place which I guess is why I ended up in Overwatch."
"Now uh, I'm not one to question your parents love or anything but…a lawyer and an e-sports player?"
She giggled, "I swears it's the truth though I don't think my mom was lawyer yet when they met, still my dads always been really charismatic so it's not too surprising."
"What did your dad go pro in? I wonder if maybe there's an overlap between our worlds aside from history."
"Uhh let me think…its on the tip of my tongue…Ah! It was Starcraft. Ring any bells?"
Adrian shook his head, "Maybe it existed five-hundred years ago, but I've never heard of it."
"That's a shame." She deflated.
Any more conversation was cut off when Oxton walked out onto the balcony, defeat evident on her face."
"He's a tough nut to crack, though I shouldn't be surprised. Talon is bloody scary."
Adrian pushed himself off the railing, "So…?"
"He's all yours, just don't do anything extreme please? Just keep it…" Her words trailed off, she lightly nodded her head to the oblivious Hana who was absorbed on her phone.
"Yeah yeah don't worry, but uhh it may sound worse than it is, so maybe take the pipsqueak out no the town, see her parents maybe." He said as Lena's face visibly blanched.
"You know I was hoping to take my girlfriend here sometime soon, but now I'm not sure I'll be able to with a clear conscious."
"Just think of it as tough love." He spoke absentmindedly as he walked over towards the bathroom, sliding open the door. The Talon merc was bound to a chair, the hood still draped over his face with his hands tied behind his back.
"Break every bone in my body, I'll never fucking talk to you." The goon spat out.
"Oh ho you're gonna regret saying that." He said with a ruthless snarl, closing the door behind him he crouched down in front of the hitched merc, "Now where to begin."
…
…
…
Adrian flicked a splatter of blood of his hand, looking back towards the bound man, who now laid slumped in the chair, any previous confidence gone like dust in the wind.
"That's all you know, nothing more I need to pry out?"
"Christ man no, I sweat that's all I know. Talon doesn't tell us foot soldiers their grand plans, only what's immediately necessary, you want more information you gotta go after those in the upper echelon." He begged out through ragged breath. "I know what I know because I've risen the ranks, heard some conversation I maybe wasn't supposed overhear. Someone's feeding Talon info from the outside, someone not within our ranks but isn't opposed to workin' with us. As for Lucio well honestly seems it more just pure fuckin' coincidence, the eggheads got a lab way north of here in Mongolia, the word floating about is that they've found something…something big. Bunch of resources and guys have been diverted from other operations to this place; but what I've also heard is they're stuck, hit a roadblock and they needed help from the outside. Talon ain't stupid, seems they were lookin' at the same places you were and decided to try to get Lucio before you could, though our plans weren't so kind as to getting' him onboard our operation."
Adrian leaned back against the tiled wall of the bathroom, eyes scanning the form of the man tied in front of him, he'd had an idea who Talon's outside agent was but he wasn't ready to commit to the idea out of paranoia. Onto this lab, it raised a lot of questions but with Talon involved the answers couldn't be good, though while he wasn't entirely sure of the idea of coincidence, it would explain why Talon only sent out a small handful of people, but it might also have just been a piss-poor strategy. He swore under his breath, he hated being in the dark but there wasn't much more he could get out of this guy, even if he resorted to the methods Oxton wanted him to avoid he doubted anything useful would be gained.
Walking out of the room, he saw the others outside engaged in various activities, upon seeing his emergence from the bathroom Lena looked at him expectantly. Not wasting anytime, he relayed all the information he'd gained, from the captive. By the time he finished Oxten was already making a call to Winston though deep down they all knew the next step in the plan, it was time to get prepped for a trip to Mongolia. Heading back into the bathroom, he went behind the prisoner and forced him up onto his feet, Overwatch would want him as a captive not another body in the ground. Pushing the man forward, Adrian followed behind the bound man, when he went to push again, he found himself forcing a limp body to the ground. The distinct sound of a bullet cracking through the air echoed throughout the room as glass shattered, the bullet finding it's mark in the throat of the Talon prisoner. Blood spattered across the floor in front of the merc as he fell forward, gurgling on his blood as he struggled to breath. Adrian immediately hit the deck, glancing around he saw the others doing the same, peeking out of the window to try and find the shooter he was forced back down as another bullet passed mere inches from his head.
"Bloody hell, that widow never knows when to quit does she?" Lena snapped from behind gritted teeth.
"Friend of yours?" Adrian spoke back, searching for the gear Winston had smuggled in.
"Windowmaker, seems she's not keen on us learning about their secret little project." Oxton said as she pulled out her iconic dual pistols from a black case while tossing Adrian his SOCOM. "I'll deal with her, keep a perimeter for any other Talon. Lucio, Hana, arm up and keep the room secured and give Adrian back up if it comes to it." With those words she zipped out of existence in a swirl of blue light, a few seconds later the pop of gunfire could be heard outside as wind howled through the broken window.
"Just fucking perfect." Adrian swore as he rolled the Talon merc over, he didn't need to check the man's pulse to know he was dead, dark blood coated the floor in a heavy puddled and the goon's eyes were empty. Well whatever Talon wanted to keep them away from, this attack only served to fuel their curiosity even more, whatever Talon was hiding… he'd find it.
Deep underground the Mongolian Steppe
"What the hell is it?" A scrawny scientist said as she looked closer at the object in question, poking the vessel with a stylized pen. Sealed in a glass container it scurried around in a fruitless attempt at freedom.
"Who knows, but that's what were here to do." The other scientist said as she looked down at her notes, looking up from her work she snapped at the younger girl, "Back away from it! It's highly aggressive, we're still not sure what its capable off so don't go sticking your face near it."
The younger scientist jumped back, dropping her pen on the metal table, "Sorry! But I'm curious…how'd we capture it? It seems so…fragile."
"It was dormant when we found it, almost comatose, it only 'woke up' when we brought it here." She scribbled something down before sticking the notepad under her arm, "Alright enough messing about, we've got to look at the other items from the wreckage."
The two scientists left the room flicking the lights off as they exited, leaving the unknown specimen alone in the dark scuttling about. At once it stopped, freezing in place as if controlled by an outside force, then in an instant it rammed itself into the wall of the glass container. Once more it banged itself into the glass, again and again it rammed it's body into the wall surrounding it until a sliver of a crack appeared. Inching closer to the crack it squirmed, an almost inaudible high-pitch squeal emanating from it as a trio grotesque tentacles seemed to grow outward from its body. From the end of the tentacles red veins like roots spurted forth, gushing a foul ooze as they did so. They touched all over the container, running it's limbs across the wall until it settled on the crack, the red roots worming their way into the tiny fracture within in the glass. Slowly by surely the crack grew as the red feelers implanted themselves in the container, eventually a small piece of glass fell away from the case. The glass piece landed on a metal table with a near inaudible clink, for a moment all in the room was still until a freakish limb inched it's way out of the glass, slowly but surely it began to put itself and by connection the glass container closer to the edge of the table.
With one final heave it inched it's way off the table, the container shattering on impact as it hit the floor. A clack behind it drew its attention to the pen from earlier just as the door to the outside opened. It scrambled away out of sight as the younger scientist from earlier made her way into the room, mumbling to herself, "Why I'd have to loss my pen of all things, I can't do any work without it." She made herself deeper into the room dark room before she caught sight of it laying on the floor, sighing with relief she bent over to pick up but frozen when her hand bumped something else. Looking further up the floor she saw broken glass scattered around the ground, her heart froze in place as her eyes drifted up to the empty table. Any chance to scream, to beg for help was cut off as a set of barbarous tentacles wrapped themselves around her throat, digging in deep and spreading like tree roots. She let out neither a scream no whimper, only struggled gasps for breath as her world darkened around her before all at once her vision turned to nothingness.
A/N: A bit of a short chapter but this is more of a set up for the coming chapters and honestly it just didn't feel right or well-paced when put with the coming chapter. I hope you've been enjoying so far, personally I'm pretty excited about these up coming chapters and how they play out. Anyway remember to leave your thoughts and reviews, helps to keep my motivated as well as give me ideas for the story!