[IC] Rescue and Revenge (Katherin and Raptra)

[KatherinWinter]

"This is where I'm staying for the moment." Roxy answered. She wasn't planning on staying here long. Eventually her father would remember this place and come looking. She couldn't be here when they came. She would be overpowered. She needed a weapon. There was only one she could think of that would guarantee that she kept her freedom. "That was here when I got here." She was pretty sure that the place had been a safe house and that's why it was set up the way it was.

Roxy snorted when Wyn asked about aspirin. "I should let you suffer. Maybe you'd learn a lesson." She locked the hatch before heading to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin. She took them into the living room. "There's some food in the kitchen." She told him as she handed him the items.

[Raptra]

"When you got here? Any idea what happened to the previous owners?" He blurted out curiously, and then realized that he probably would not want to know if something bad had happened to them and if she had something to do with it if that were the case. "Actually, never mind. You uh... don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Woah..." he muttered, amused at the remark she made about his headache, and then playfully smirked when she passed him the medication and water anyway. "A reprimand followed by a show that you're still soft for me? Isn't that typical girlfriend stuff? Unfortunately, that spot's taken, I think. She said she needed some time apart, I guess that means that we're still- It's complicated, forget it, you probably don't care. I'll um, get rid of this pain first."

He stopped rambling and popped the aspirin while cracking the bottle open to wash it down with the water. "Seriously though, thanks. Food? I guess we're going to discuss this chip thing you need and where it might be over dinner?"

[KatherinWinter]

"I think my father's gang set it up for people stupid enough to attracted too much attention. As far as I know no one as actually used the place." Roxy explained. She was pretty sure no one ever used the place. Mostly because there hadn't been any food. Not even non pershiables.she figure her father had bought the place years ago and only checked on it ever few years to keep the place up to date. According to the record she found on the place someone had checked on it not long ago so they should be safe for awhile.

"I wouldn't know jack about girlfriend stuff. I just don't want to hear you wine because you can't handle alcohol." Roxy assured him. She didn't understand people who drank. Control was simply too important. "It's late and your drunk. We can discuss the chip in the morning." She saw no sense in discussing anything serious with him tonight. He wasn't capable of deep thought. She would have to wait.

[Raptra]

"Oh, so this place belongs to your dad..." he trailed off, a slightly judgmental attitude seeping out. "I see you're a risk taker."

So, she really was going up against her father with practically nothing, probably until she got her hands on the chip she kept mentioning anyway. She must have known that they were fine staying where they were for the time being, since she likely wanted to avoid trouble just as much as he did. Well, he would consider himself pretty deep in trouble already, as anyone else who had just gotten snatched off the sidewalk would. The chip was her problem, and for him, he figured that the aim was to simply get out of this without getting killed or maimed. Still, she seemed accommodating enough to have as company, so it should be safe to at least continue having light-hearted conversations with her.

"So whining's going to get me anything I want here?" He asked playfully, and then laughed when she spoke about putting off the discussion about the chip till morning. "Hey, if you want me around longer, just say so. I get it, must get kind of lonely all by yourself. Are we going to do the whole sleeping in shifts thing, or are you confident that no one will smash that hatch in while we're in dreamland?"

[KatherinWinter]

"He has dozens places like this all over." She explained with a shrug. She made her way back over to the hatch. She had been very careful with her search. She took as few risks as possible. "It isn't likely he remembers this one. I hope to be gone by the time he thinks to check here." He wouldn't think she was brave enough to stay close. Not after the way she had taken off.

Roxy picked up two locks. One was a key lock the other a combination lock. She but them on the hatch. She doubted he would get passed both. Even if he did there was no where for him to go. Once the hatch was taken care of she headed towards one of the bedrooms. "I'm used to being alone." She assured him. She had been alone her whole life. She didn't see that changing. "I think you can both sleep."

[Raptra]

"You hope," he repeated in amusement, but said nothing else regarding the matter.

She could just be trying to mess with him for all he knew. Considering the fact that they just met, and under circumstances that were not exactly ideal, it was not as if he could tell what exactly her idea of a joke was. Maybe they were going to be around each other long enough for him to find out, though, he doubted that either of them actually wanted that. He just wanted his life back and she just wanted some chip that was supposedly connected to him. He watched as she further secured the hatch and then vanished into what seemed like a bedroom.

"Right... goodnight, I guess?"

The silence and stillness hit him like a brick right after she left the area, allowing his mind to finally focus on the gravity of his current situation with no distractions. Great, was he even going to be able to sleep knowing what he had just been pulled into, and in this unfamiliar location? Well, perhaps it was not too unfamiliar. Just like at his quarters back at the university, he still had a cozy common room, a kitchen with food, and a dormmate, of sorts. Of course, Kirk and Roxy were nothing alike, so that did not exactly make him feel better. In addition, she represented a shadow of his past, which he had spent so long working to forget. It was going to be bad if his trauma resurfaces at any point during this ordeal.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy had done what she could to keep Wyn safe. She didn't owe him anything but he had something she needed. With the chip she could safe guard her and Drake's future. This whole thing was mostly about making sure that she couldn't be trapped again. Once had been enough. She was too strong and independent to bow to a man.

It took some time for her to drift off to sleep. Not because there was a strange man in her space. Wyn wasn't a threat to her. Even if he decided to try to attack her, which she didn't see happening, she was sure she could take him. She had trained in martial arts for years.

She tossed and turned all night. Memories of the past invaded her dreams. At six she gave up. She got up and got dressed. She tried to be as quiet as possible but she wasn't used to worrying about it her people.

[Raptra]

The whole ordeal of being abducted turned out to have been more tiring than Wyn had thought, allowing him to get some rest even in the unfamiliar bunker. Well, it did help that the place was decorated to look way cozier than what it would have looked like if it actually reflected the current circumstances. He had fortunately been able to find some psychological relief by escaping into his dreams, and that was sufficient to make him forget where he was during the first moment after waking up.

He stirred awake at some subtle background noise, rolled over on the couch, and then fell right over the edge, landing on the floor with a thud. He let out a soft groan, the reality of his situation hitting him as hard as the impact of the fall. He rubbed his eyes and blinked to clear his vision before checking the branded analogue watch on his wrist, seeing that it was a little past six in the morning. Roxy sure was up early, though, it probably was not a surprise, considering how on edge she seemed to be about this whole thing as well. They had to have that talk about this chip and where it could be. The only belongings he had from back then were in that parcel back at the campus, and if her father's people were going to search the place like she said they were, they would find it before her. Unless...

He glanced back to his watch, only now remembering that it was the only thing he had taken with him after his parents were killed. How could he have forgotten about it the night before? Perhaps it had been the alcohol messing with his ability to recollect what he needed to, but what were the chances of the disc being in the accessory? It would be ideal if it was, then he could just give her what she wanted and it would all be over, right? That was all going to be discussed soon, he figured. It was time to freshen up a little first.

"Roxy, hun?" He called out, assume it was her making those sounds. "Where's the bathroom in this place?"

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy stepped into the main room. She had been in the kitchen making coffee. She rolled her eyes. "How did you get into college?" She asked him. It seemed that he wasn't capable of taking care of himself. "You know you don't have to sleep on the couch right?" She pointed out instead of answering. She didn't understand why he hadn't taken the second bedroom. It was like he hadn't bothered to look around. She knew it had been late and he had been drunk but still it seemed like he could have taken time too look around. She knew she would have. No matter how tried she was. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall. The door should be open." She told him.

[Raptra]

Wyn let out a laugh at Roxy's first question, catching the implication of it. "You sound like my roommate back at the campus. Dang, I miss him already. Would you believe me if I said I got in with my book smarts?"

He pulled himself back up onto the couch as she mentioned that he could have slept elsewhere. "Eh, I guess that didn't occur to me last night. I didn't want you to have to kill me in case I stumbled upon something I'm not supposed to see while poking around. You've been pretty nice so far, but you are still some sort of mafia princess, aren't you? I mean, people like you usually have secrets."

"Ah, thanks babe," he responded while getting up, after she gave him the directions he had asked for. "I'll see you later."

Finding several sealed disposable washup kits in the bathroom, he ripped one open to use. He figured that he might as well make himself at home in this place, since he did not know how long he was going to be here. He felt slightly better after cleaning up, and made his way to the kitchen to join Roxy for breakfast. He then grabbed a cinnamon bun from its pack and sat down at the counter, where he poured himself some coffee from the pot.

"Smells good," he commented. "So, this chip you're insisting I have, what's the size of it?"

[KatherinWinter]

Maybe he was book smart but she hadn't seen any proof of it. But she knew this situation hadn't put him in the best light. He had to have been decently smart to get into college. At least from what she knew about college which wasn't much. College wasn't something she had ever thought about. Roxy had thought that her future had been figured out. Now she knew she had just been a place holder.

"Just some scrambled eggs." Roxy replied with a shrug. Her skills in the kitchen were limited. She had only recently started learning out of necessity. "It's the size of on of those SD cards for cameras. My understanding is that it's some kind of file storage thing like those cards."She explained. Roxy was sure he had it even if he didn't know he had it. She had no idea how they would find it if he didn't know he had it but they had it.

[Raptra]

Wyn leaned back in his seat. "I mean, it's something. My roommate said I'd have been dead eating 'that microwavable crap' if he wasn't around to deal with our meals. It's not that I can't, though. I just think it's a lot of work."

He felt a strange sense of comfort while casually conversing with Roxy. He was completely content with the life he had been living and the friends he had made, but the fact that none of them knew of his actual past left a missing piece in his relationships with them - a missing piece he had been happy to ignore until now. He had only known Roxy since the night before, and she did kidnap him from the campus, but she was probably the only person who knew his secret. Well, the only friendly person who did. Her father and his associates were likely aware of it too. Meeting her gave him a sort of relief he would have never known he would appreciate.

At her response about the chip, he held his wrist up and tapped his watch. "In which case, I'm going to need something to crack this open. I can't guarantee it's in here, but if you say I have it, then it's most likely in here."

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy studied the watch. A micro SD card could fit there. She raised her eyebrow wheen hee. Asked if she had anything that he could use to open the watch. Again she wondered how he had made it to college. He didn't seem to have anything. What kind of world had he lived in? She briefly felt bad for dragging him into her world but than she remembered that if she hadn't pulled him in her father would have. At least she could keep him on the outskirts where it was safer.

She pulled a knife out of her boot. "This should do." Roxy took the watch out from Wyn. She used the blade to pop the off. "Have you never replaced a watch battery?" She asked as she slide the knife back her boot. She studied the area where the battery was. Nothing looked out of place. She supposed that it would be too easy if it was that easy.

[Raptra]

He blinked in slight surprise when she undid the watch herself, and then again when she pulled the knife out. The place seemed comfortable and safe enough to let one's guard down, but looking at the situation as a whole, he figured he understood why she would keep a weapon on her person. Maybe he should ask if she had a spare, but that depended on how much longer he was going to be in this mess.

"I take the watch to the store when I need it replaced, and that isn't too often," he replied, and then laughed. "Sometimes I wait for weeks after it stops. It's more of an accessory than anything else. I don't often need it to tell the time since I usually have my phone on me. Unfortunately, during one of the few times I don't, some chick snatches me off the street. Got to hate life sometimes."

He never really thought about why he hung on to that watch despite wanting to forget his past. Perhaps it was evidence that he subconsciously was not as on board with the idea as he had thought. He took the device back from her and curiously picked through the inside of it, wondering if there was anything under the battery. His finger then caught the edge of a smooth, thin film, and he ripped it away, causing a little rectangular chip to fall out and onto the table.

"Well, what do you know?"

[KatherinWinter]

"More than you do." Roxy commented. She was surprised that neither of them had found the card before. She supposed they had little reason to pick inside. Still, it didn't seem like the most secure place to hide something. But maybe because it was so obvious few people would think to look there. After all, neither of them had found the chip over the years.

"Now we access the chip." She needed to know what was on the card so that they could decide how to use it. It had to be something important or her father wouldn't be desperate to get it back. Her phone vibrated. She frowned and pulled it out. She had set a tracker to let her know if someone was close. "Damn it." Roxy growled. So much for out thinking her father. Apparently she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. "Decision time Wyn. Run with me or take your chances with my father." Rixy told him as she slide the chip into her pocket. She headed towards the door.

[Raptra]

"I mean, that was just an expr- Nah, you probably knew that, didn't you?" He replied, pointing out her tendency to roast him whenever she could.

It was starting to sink in how bizarre it was that he had unknowingly been carrying around a storage device wanted by an organized crime group all those years. Now that it was right in front of him, he was more curious than he would want to admit about the contents of the chip. He had been satisfied to never acknowledge his past ever again, but perhaps this might provide him with a sort of closure he never knew he needed. Well, whatever was on the chip as well as what what came next.

At the way Roxy reacted to what she saw on her phone, he knew it was some sort of setback, but his eyes widened in shock at what she said next. "You're kidding! You mean he's like, on the way here?"

He caught up with her as she made her way out. Sure, he had just been thinking about finding closure, but he figured discovering if that was what he needed or not was not worth dying for. If he was going to face the man responsible for his childhood trauma, he had to be prepared. For now, he was just going to run, with or without her.

"How close is he?" He urgently asked, as they headed to the vehicle.

[KatherinWinter]

"He's too close. I'm not taking the chance he or someone with him remembers this place." Roxy told him as she opened the barn doors. She was pissed that they were so close. She thought she had been careful. She had no idea where they could go. She had a little bit of money but not a lot. A hotel was dangerous. Her mind raced trying to come up without a place for them to go. She made her way towards the van.

She was glad he was with her even if she didn't need him anymore. She got into the driver's seat and started the van. Leaving the headlights off she backed the van out of the barn. Her phone vibrated warning her they didn't have much time.

She wasn't sure which way they were coming but she decide it was probably safest to move away from the city. She followed the dirt road. Luckily it was daylight so that she could see. She didn't go fast for fear they would see the dust trail.

[Raptra]

"Well, that's about as vague as it can get," he muttered, referring to her answer.

He clambered into the front passenger's seat as she got into the driver's. "Hope you don't mind me calling shotgun this time."

It was unlikely a coincidence that her father's people happened to find them just after they discovered the chip, but it was not as if they had done anything to it that could have possibly alerted them of its location. They seemed to be fine as Roxy drove even further away from the city area, so far. There was nothing ahead of them yet, but as for behind them, did he dare to look? If the chip really did have a tracker on it, then there was no way of losing their pursuers until they figured out how to deactivate it. However, if it was him they were after, then he was going to have a problem getting back to his life even if he did not have the chip anymore.

"I don't suppose you have anything on you that can access the chip?" He asked. "I mean, the only places I can see us ending up at from here on are run-down motels or standalone, 1950's-themed roadside diners."

[KatherinWinter]

"Unfortunately anyone I know my father knows." She told him bluntly. She hadn't had time to find her own resources. She barely built a way to support herself when she had to go after him. "We're going to have to wing it." She searched her mind. She hadn't really thought about what to do once she had the chip. She hadn't thought she would get this far. She had only planned up to grabbing him.

"We're not staying in motels. Especially run down ones." She might not be able to uses her credit cards but that didn't mean that she was without resources. They wouldn't be staying at any four star places but that didn't mean they would be in dumps. They needed to blend in as much as possible. They more average they could be the less noticeable they would be. "We're going to have to blend in until I can figure out how to access that chip."

[Raptra]

He leaned back in his seat as he responded. "I guess now that he knows who I am, that would be the same for anyone I know, but you said that he's only after me and won't bother anyone else, right? So what if I could contact someone I know to help us without your dad knowing? Because believe me, I've got friends who'd totally be up for something crazy like this."

He then turned to her. "I'm guessing that you have some sort of idea of what we're going to do next even though we're, as you've said, 'winging it', since you know where we won't be ending up. Assuming it was just a coincidence that he was heading over to search the bunker when we found the chip and that we didn't activate some sort of tracker, then our best bet for now would probably be to find some internet cafe so we can see what's on it?"

He could only hope that the people they were running from were not tracking the chip itself. If that were the case, then he and Roxy would be dead even if they could find somewhere to blend in unless they gave up holding on to it. Trying to access the chip on a public system would be risky, but that would at least give them a chance to escape if they were found.