Without being able to properly listen to his surroundings, Nathan continued to yell at the top of his lungs towards anyone who could help him. While he personally believed that he was yelling in a voice that would considered to be normal, anyone else nearby would hear him screaming like an absolute lunatic. This should promptly alert the corporate forces to confiscate him for his lunacy-like behavior, however they would luckily be picked up by people more akin to him.

The first person to arrive that Nathan saw was a well-toned man with pink-and-white hair. He only saw him just as he turned around, where he saw him approaching him cautiously while being low to the ground. Overjoyed, he crouched as he began pointing to the fallen member.

"Oh thank god you're here!" Nathan expressed desperately in a louder than normal tone, "My comrade here is trapped under the rubble and~!"

Suddenly, Atkin would feel something push him aside as he nearly found himself tumbling down a small pile of debris. He was quickly able to catch his balance, but nonetheless he felt fairly shaken up by the encounter. He didn't hear him coming from behind him at all. In fact, he couldn't hear what the man said afterwards outside of a blurred noise resembling speech, almost as if he was hearing from underwater.

"HEY!" Nathan shouted back defensively as he hopped back onto his feet, "There was no need for~!"

Thankfully Nathan would cease his spastic yelling as he saw both men assisting his fallen comrade. He didn't need to hear to see what was going on and how absolutely torturous it was for his fallen friend. Quickly he too began to comfort the fallen man as he began muttering for him to keep going.

"C'mon man, you're going to be alright." Nathan encouraged hopefully as he tried to help with pushing away the statue, but to no avail. It was too heavy for even the three of them to lift. Tears glistened in his comrade's eyes in a heart wrenching gaze that would sadden even the most pitiful of bastards. Nathan truthfully had not seen his face before but the fact that he was one of his own was enough to move his resolve in getting him out alive.

However the more they tried, the worse the circumstance became. Even Nathan's own eyes began to tear up in despair. Suddenly, his comrade would look to him and speak in a desperate tone. Nathan's head got closer to him in an attempt to listen close at what he has to say. Yet he would be presented with both his bracelet and a package of some kind.

What Nathan would hear next would be vital for the safety of the materials presented to him. While he couldn't hear exactly all that he said, he would catch three phrases in his speech:

"...𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝙼𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗..."

"...𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚊..."

"...𝙷𝙿𝙵𝙶 ..."

Nathan's brain quickly began to engrave them into his physique; being the only three phrases his ears would relay. They would begin to playback in his mind over and over again, making sure that he gets the idea. Yet it would be enough knowledge for him to understand what he wanted him to do. He grasped the fallen man's hand as he began to stare into his hazy eyes, growing more lifeless by the second. More tears streamed down his own as he watched him leave the physical world and into the afterlife.,,

"I..." Nathan croaked as he sniffled in place, "I won't let you down... I swear by it."

With that he finally lets his partner go and grabs ahold of both items. Glancing over the bracelet first, Nathan read the writing that was engraved into it. It would only show the name:

"Isaiah Relgo".

Nathan went through his memory in order to dig up anything revolving around that name. Yet his conscious was too busy playing back those three words he heard as they quickly constructed a mission goal that he could understand:

"Deliver the Package to Free Mountain.
Bring it to the fallen comrade's brutha.
It will help against the HPFG."

As long as he keeps to that goal, he should have no problem in accomplishing it. And luckily for him, he knew just where to go. Free Mountain is not a literal mountain of the free. Rather it is the largest MLI enclave found right in the middle of the neutral zone. If he can deliver the package there, then his job will be done.

But to accomplish this, he must first get himself out of HERE.

Nathan glanced up to the dark-skinned man who barked something in a rushed tone. No doubt he wanted to get out of here as much as they did. Tucking the package in between his arms, he quickly began to follow Johnny, hoping he had figured a way to get out of here. While he did so, he would finally notice another person that happened to be around them - a tall pale woman with colorful hair and sported a few tattoos on her body. She would to ask something to the rest of the group, which Nathan interpreted as something among the lines of "What the fuck is going on?".

That's when Nathan prematurely spoke his mind regarding his current predicament.

"Free Mountain..." he spoke in a semi-dazed state, not realizing that he was speaking aloud, "I must get to Free Mountain."

^{@DeadDrop@Blizz}



To free more mutants? Tilting his skull to the side in confusion, Paulo stepped aside as commanded, as several questions began bouncing around within him.

Why did Cartelli have slaves? How long had that been a thing? How had they covered it up? How did these mutants get freed in the first place? If they were free then someone was most definitely dead. That wasn't concerning but where had they come from?

What... was he doing? No doubt his family heard about the explosion in the square. There would be panic and questions. Had his panic switch been triggered? Before he even realized it, Paulo had pressed a few command keys into the small console on his suit, and a distorted voice recited to him:


^{"Employee N̷am͡e̶-- ̵P̧a̴ulo Mi͟e͘reles̢
Current District-- U҉nk̕now̧n̨
Vital Signs-- Blood Pressure, ẕ͜e̡̩̞̩̠r̛̠̟̥̫o̤.
Heart rate, ze̠r͘o͎̮̘̠.
Oxygen Saturation, ze̖r͓͖̝͖̲͈͝o͏̞̺ͅͅ.
Last recorded vital signs indicate possible demise of service employee. Assistance request sent. MEDICAL ETA U҉nk̕now̧n̨. Dispatcher Notified. Notification-- UNREAD.
Please move to the nearest safety pod if possible, otherwise, remain in place until MEDICAL can locate you.
Go͟͡o̸̶d҉̷̢ ̢̛͜b̶̡͠y̢͠ȩ."}

As the drone of static within the helmet began again, Paulo looked down, then began his awkward shuffle after the mutants, scooping up a piece of something odd on the floor. This would be his example. "ʜᴇʏ-- *BUBL* Hey! I *GURGLE* Help you," Paulo said, catching up to them, with his object in his non-leaking hand. As demonstration, he placed his leaking hand onto the sewer thing, then watched somewhat in awe as it violently deteriorated, sizzling and popping-- as if it had been made of sand, ready to crumble.

Paulo stopped to look down at his hand again.
The hole.
The acid.
THUD--

The sound was soft but he knew the noises in the darkened tunnels well. Without waiting for confirmation if he could join the mutants, he told them, "I *blub* come back. Close the top *gurgle*." as he turned and shuffled back the way they'd came. He had left the manhole cover open which was wildly irresponsible and could also be a problem for these freedom fighters later.

And then he heard a voice from the darkness.
"Hello?"

Paulo slowed, then came to a halt.
He was behind her-- some distance away but he could see her clearly enough.
Preceded by the noise a water-cooler makes, he answered her back, as cheerfully as he could, "Hello."

Mason rifled and picked and poured over the pocket of poor Isaiah Relgo. He's too high at the moment to fully understand that he's digging through the pockets of a dead man. He's barely cooled and Mason figured maybe he has something that can be useful. You never really know. He'd seen holo-vids in the past, some guy important to the plot dies. And no one thinks to check the guys pockets, until sometime later when someone asks, Where's the special video card? and the answer is always, Oh shit! It's in Pappy's pocket...we left it on his dead body! Sure this is no holo-vid, but hey he figured it'd be interesting. He'd never looted someone before. And those times some joy seeker hadn't paid him after a good hard lay don't count. That's just making sure you get your fair price. Trav told him that. Mason continues to loot pulling out some blood stained neo-bucks, he's loath at first to pocket those. He shakes them out, trying to get rid of some of the blood. He then takes a shaky breath, folds them into a wad and stuff it into an inner pocket. The Fuck...why is this guy carrying a USB around. And damn he didn't bring his portable lappy with him like he does sometimes, he'd be able to check the thing or something like that. But well into the pocket that goes. With a soft sigh he takes the picture in hand. Lucidity coming to him as he looks at it, "Fuck son..." He whispers.

After abit he pockets the picture, then looks up at everyone, "Well then...water stores it is. We better get moving." He nods dusting himself off as he stands up.

As he gets to his feet Mason suddenly takes in a deep breath. It's not quite a voice, but a feeling and a inner...sound? Or inner musical note. Four of them actually. Mason bends over slightly hands on his knees, and it's like everything for the little man slows. He can hear it...four...voices...awarenesses...aspects of being. He can hear them...feel them. He tips his head up and can see them! Four...great...big beautiful, fucking incredible beings! One speaks as time seems to stand still for Mason, "Will you look at this little piece of shit here? Look at him brothers. Seriously just look. This one. Of all of the people on this fucking trash pit of a planet, and he's the one." A second speaks, "Gotta admit the guys got a huge set of balls to be the one." A third, "Look at this...you little cuck. What the actually fuck, like a huge set of cajones on you, you little piece of sewer scum. To think our brother would choose you." And finally the fourth, "Alright alright! So he's not the first choice! Fuck you three and the turd ponies you all rode in on. For fuck sakes it is my choice to make and I choose this little turd burgler." The fourth being looks down on Mason, "Don't fuck this up kid. You've got my eye on you. Use my gift." To Mason it's like the song of the universe for abit, a real existential moment. It wasn't actually awarenesses, but like forces, making noises he could understand. It's sure as hell not the Yellow he shot up earlier.

Time restarts. Mason gasps. Straightens up, and with something like a thrum Gravity around him for about ten meters...TWANGS, between seconds it goes from too little, too to much then right back to normal as if nothing happened within a span of moments.

Mason stands there looking about him, "What the fuck..." Is all he can say, he then starts walking, "Water Stores...right...I'm going." He's seen them before. Best he can do is go there right now. And try to figure out what the hell just happened as he goes. It's all he can think of at the moment. What the hell just happened with Gravity and those water stores. Just go go go! It's all he can do right now, because he feels if he doesn't things are going to go insane!

^@DeadDrop


Paulo did a double take-- he didn't want to get left behind.
"Bye!" He bubbled.

Without waiting a moment longer for a response, Paulo turned, then shuffled after the Mutants. Or... should he be saying 'Fellow Mutants'? As they went along through the tunnels, he followed the Mutants at a distance, with questions on his mind. Within him, there lie the burning desire to find a mirror of some sort. If he was gurgling, then there was definitely something new where his face had been. Then again? Perhaps it was for the best that he didn't find a mirror. Maybe it was also for the best that his suit registered him as deceased.

Wouldn't it be easier this way? Not having to confront his family in a state that-- in a lot of loud opinions-- was worse than death. To be an acid leaking gurgling man in a suit definitely implied that there was a lot of change. What would the "regular people" do with him? What would their reactions be upon seeing him? As the Alpha mutant started up the ladder, Paulo stood and waited, and then the noise picked up--

Was that gunfire?

Where were they?

Opening the wrist console on his suit, Paulo pressed a few buttons, which gave him several error messages, before he closed the stupid thing. A displeased bubblling noise left him just before it came to be his turn to climb the ladder. Whatever lay at the surface, Paulo was about a million percent sure he wasn't ready for it.

Mason tromped along, heading for the water stores. He knew where they are generally anyway. Lots of people talked about them. They held the water fo the enclave. Just like the big gaudy painted ones in Razen's Claim held it there. Mind you Razen's Claim was well a Glitter enclave and it was always gaudy. Mason just kept moving. He'd get there. But something else is on the young man's mind, addled as it is with the tail end of the shot he gave himself earlier. What the hell was that earlier? Those four people he saw. The visions before that, with the dude and the tree and everything. Was that another vision? And what were those four people talking about exactly? It didn't make alot of sense. The fourth guy said he had given Mason a gift. Looking around and ducking as he saw a security team moving down a side path, Mason waited until they turned into another alley. He then continued on towards the stores. They weren't far in the grand scheme of things.

What is also seems to be getting Mason's goat right now is the strange things he's seeing. As he's walking along there are like these silver strings. Running through everything around him now. Even between people. And these strings run through everything and into the ground and then back up and around everything. It just doesn't make alot of sense to the young man. And it's not like they are always there. He blinks and they fade then blinks again and there they are. He could even touch them, and they made that same Twang from just after the vision of the four people. He swallows thickly again then looks up, the Water Stores up ahead. He slows his speed some looking around, not sure who else decided to come this direction. After the water stores then what? What's he doing here. The guy the dead guy said Free Mountain. But that's out in the middle of no where.

Mason feels himself start to panic. And damn is he going to let nerves get him! He digs in his pockets again, bringing out his hypo-injector. Still four more charges on the Juice that Trav had given him at the beginning of his shift. The yellow super drug gave an incredible high. And made some awesome colors swim through the air. He raises the injector to his neck, pressing it to the side of his neck and with a push of the button there is a snap and hiss. Another charge of the drug hitting his system. Mason lets out a slow sigh as he relaxes, "Now what do I do..." He says outloud looking at the Water Stores compound.