[IC] This is the end (closed)

[KatherinWinter]

Katherin smiled. "I am more worried about Liz passing out. I've tackled stairs before. I might stub my toe, but see myself incurring a major injury." Katherin felt along the walls where the stairs. She nodded when she was satisfied that had a good feel for the stair way. Then she bent down and ran her hands along the first few stairs. Uneven and steep was better then narrow. Steep gave her room to recover if she missed a step. Katherin was confident she could make it up the stairs. "Lead the way. I will follow Liz."

[MarshiestMallow]

Sintara led tne way, easily climbing up the stairs as if she k ew them. Which she did. Sure, there was some erosion from rain watee, but other than that, the same.

cassandra followed, urging Moe along.

Cody smiled, and started to climb, careful not to go to fast. However, after about 15 minutes, they came to a step that was indeed very tall, nearly reaching his shoulders. He scaled it, shifting back so he was perched on the edge, to assist the others, "careully. Big big step here" he held out his hands.

[nautilusmp]

Noticing that the steps have uneven lengths and heights, Ruslan climbs the steps carefully. In fact, his eyes are currently only on the steps. Since he naturally walks faster than most people, at a number of times Ruslan accidentally steps on the footwear of the team member in front of him.

[KatherinWinter]

Liz grabbed Cody's hand like it was a lifeline. She could see the sky behind him. The might have only been in the tunnel 15 minutes or so but it had felt like an eternity to Liz. All she wanted to do was fresh air breath again. When Cody pulled her over the step Liz moved out of the way of the others. She found an out of the way spot where she could sit and stare at the sky for awhile.

Katherin considered the large step. She knew Cody was reaching for her even if she couldn't see his hands there. Before reaching for his hands Katherin felt along the step. She needed an idea of where to put her feet once Cody took her hands. Deciding that she had a good idea of what to expect Katherin felt around for Cody's hands.

[nautilusmp]

Due to the significant difference in step size, Ruslan recognizes the large step three steps before it. He then looks above to see how high it is, the first time he looked above since the start of the climb. He jumps and tries to grab the ground on the top of it two times, failing the first one. It takes some time before he manage to arrive to the top, after which he takes a deep breath.

[MarshiestMallow]

Cody grabbed Katherins hands, and helped her up, makimg sure she was okay before letting go. "Not too far to go. Looks like three steps and tnats it"

[nautilusmp]

While the rest of the team is being brought past the large step, Ruslan sits down and takes a rest. Fifteen minutes of walking down a road will get him extra two kilometres and that is not much of a problem, but fifteen minutes of walking against the direction of gravity really tires him. "How far are we from the top? Where do these steps lead us to?" he asks Sintara without looking at her.

[MarshiestMallow]

"Safety" Sintara answered simply. "Two or three steps and that's it"

[nautilusmp]

"Well, by safety we always put an asterisk after that, right?" he said to Sintara, giving a remark to the fact that they are rarely safe on the run. While he was driving the carrier, he said that they would be safe for the next 24 hours. He didn't say whether they'll be safe in the hours following the first 24, but he isn't thinking that they will stay here for longer than that. Somehow they were always found. What is wrong with them? What or who keeps giving away their location? Will we ever run out of safe locations? The questions keep getting into Ruslan's head, and they will remain there unless the answers are found. Not to mention that he still didn't think the members of the team had given him a satisfactory answer to the two questions he regards as the most important ones: Do we have a winning condition in this cat-and-mouse game? If we do, what is it?

[MarshiestMallow]

"The only way to this place is up those stairs which few know about. It can't really be seen from air-there's this rock overhanging thing easier once you see-and we'd be able to hear and see anyone coming" Sintara said

[nautilusmp]

Ruslan does not take Sintara's statement at face value due to their experience with those so-called safehouses; at least he will need a proof, which will not arrive until they reach the top. "How did you find this place, anyway?" he asks.

[Drakon rilt]

Pride had his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning the area something didn't really feel right, but he kept his mouth shut and kept moving.

[MarshiestMallow]

"I am full of wonderful things. This here...well it's designed for defense. A last resort. It means war" she sighed then started up the last few steps

Cassandra was exhausted by the time she reached the big step. Her shoulder ached slightly even
Though Liz had healed it and she thought it was just left over pain stored in her nerves or something. She sighed, used her power to get moe up then swung up herself. She sat there panting for a moment

[KatherinWinter]

Liz senced Cassie's discomfort. She frowned at the muscles in her shoulder. She must not have used enough energy the first time. As a healer Liz made it her job to make her patients were as good as new. Since she already had a connect to Cassie and the wound Liz didn't bother getting up. She simply sent her energies into the wound once again.

Roxy didn't like their position. Despite Sinatra's reassurances Roxy felt too exposed up here. She didn't see anything that looked threatening and Katherin was sitting quietly. So Roxy wasn't sure what was bothering her. Maybe she was just getting paranoid.

[MarshiestMallow]

"Let's continue" Sintara said continuing for about another five minutes before coming out I'm what appeared to be a large cliff, that did indeed have an over cropping of stone.

[nautilusmp]

It means war.

Those words stuck in Ruslan's head. Following the government's failed offensive at the underground city, it is reasonable to expect an even harder offensive. The government's willingness to essentially conduct warfare on its own territory against an enemy whose existence is not acknowledge is being tested to the limits. That means the team members' capabilities have to improve to match the threat. At least, members with no combat experience like him will desperately need to be able to hold a rifle, aim and shoot properly.

[KatherinWinter]

War Liz thought sadly. She had knew it was coming. The government was too aggressive in their attempts to capture them. She looked at the group. Liz felt like she had known them a short time, and yet it was like she had known them forever. How would they survive a war. Sure they had amazing abilities, but they were also majorly out numbered. So how they were going to have to be smarter then those that chased them. "I guess someone will have to teach me how to work a weapon. The more able people we have the better our chances will be."

[nautilusmp]

"In fact, Liz, many need the same," Ruslan interrupted. His mind already tries to imagine such a scenario, and it does not look good. People will die for the political goals they will never understand, believing they were right when the opposite holds. And the story will be suppressed by the government who will never acknowledge that they have created a threat to themselves. Wait, suppression. "Does anyone have a camera? In case we die here under their attack, the evidence must live on".

[KatherinWinter]

It means war.

Katherin put her head on her knees trying not to see the visions the words brought she didn't want to see the death and destruction that was coming. Everyone on the team would be able to fight exept her. Katherin knew she was a liability. Her blindness slowed them down. She smiled warily at Ruslan's question about a camera. "Oddly I have one."

[Drakon rilt]

Pride and Sam looked at each other, pride was raised by the government to be a soldier and Sam had been one so it wouldn't be a problem working with a gun, but the problem was that the government put a kill switch in his head. Once the fighting started they would activate it and kill him. They didn't need him they could make someone like him all over again.

Sam knew that look on prides face, he couldn't get the kill switch out of prides skull without killing him. He would tell the others later about it, but he had a feeling that Katherin already knew about the kill switch in prides skull.