[IC] The Ministry Reborn (Silver & KiraVanhelsing)

[Silver]

Phineas looked out over the narrowing expanse of water.

"I wouldn't really say 'morning'," he replied, eyeing the high moon, "But I suppose it's accurate enough." He turned his chair around. "I can't tell where we are, but when we land I can try and check the charts."

Another gust of wind shook the craft, and Phineas grabbed the arm of his seat to steady himself. When it had passed, he grabbed the steering column and maneuvered the craft to the ground. He set it down roughly behind a large dune, and it kicked up a cloud of sand that shrouded the cockpit. As soon as it had stopped moving, he cut the power. The lights shut off, cloaking the interior of the craft in a harsh darkness.

Phineas fumbled out of his seat. "Better to lay as low as possible until we know where we are." he said, but he could not for the life of him deduce where Eliza was. "Can you find me the torch and chart bundle? Should be in the equipment piled under the lockers."

[KiraVanhelsing]

(<.< Well it seems I never responded. How rude of me.)

Eliza ignored the dull pain of an awkward sleep and stretched slowly, her wounds were still sore and her bandages showed a tad more blood than she liked but she did feel a tad better after a long nap. She clutched the seat as the craft descended, her stomach heaving slightly as the earth came up beneath them. She was slowly finding her footing when the lights cut out and the inner hold turned black. Phineas' words filled the darkness and without a word she headed over towards where she believed the lockers were. The wall was the first thing her fingers hit before cold rectangular metal touched sprouted outwards. She leaned down and took out the items necessary, and then walked over to Phineas without a hindrance, thanks to basic training acquired back at the Ministry.

"Righty-o! Here is the chart and the torch."

After handing over the items, she moved to the side of the craft and opened the door a smidgen, in order to get some air, immediately some sand poured in, but otherwise the world seemed quiet.

[Silver]

Phineas fumbled for Eliza's fingers in the darkness, taking the flashlight and a bundle of weathered maps into his hands. He flipped the flashlight's switch, but was met with only a dull click. He wiggled it back and forth, but it was no use.

"Balls," he mumbled, dropping the useless metal tube to the ground, "Torch's broken." He sighed, stretching his arms into the lockers and cursing his poor night vision. Eventually his hands encountered the small box of matches amidst the other survival equipment, which he snatched up and stuffed into his pocket. Eliza had cracked the door open already; he finished the job with a hefty kick that left a deep resonance in the air and a sharp pain in his leg.

The moon was bright, but not half bright enough to make out the writing on the maps. After several attempts, he managed to strike a match. He held it in the air, scrutinizing the Mediterranean Region map until the match died and he had to light another. He frowned. The map was replete with landmarks and cities, but all he could see around himself was dunes, trees and endless ocean. He tossed the map onto the sand and sifted through the other charts. He discarded every sovereign state he was greeted with until he found the one he was looking for: a compact atlas of constellations. As his match went out, he lit another and got to work.

Within a few minutes, he managed to determine their location. They were farther west than he'd expected, he noted with distaste. He picked up the charts, blew out his sixth or seventh match, and turned back to Eliza.

"The good news," he said, "Is that I know precisely where we are. The bad news is that we're in Libya." He swallowed. After their recent run-in with Libyan special forces, he was quite sure that they would not be welcome guests. "We ought to remedy that and get to Egypt as soon as we can. If we walked due east along the beach, we would be in Egypt by tomorrow evening, if the sun didn't get us. I propose a different solution. A few miles south from here there's a little trading hub. Zanzik, it's called. If we make it there, which should only take until dawn, we can take the roads south to a border crossing and maybe figure out just what's going on along the way."

He glanced out across the dark landscape. "I, for one, would like to know exactly who's been trying to kill us, and why."

[KiraVanhelsing]

Whilst Phineas was mapping out there location, Eliza turned back to the lockers and pulled out what she could for items of use. Unfortunately for them there wasn't much left, apart from some spare uniforms, a blanket, and the remains of the first aid kit. She turned back to him at his announcement that he deduced their location. She listened quietly, remaining still for a few minutes before nodding at his suggestions.

"Zanzik it is then. We should probably get on the road as soon as possible before the sun is on us. I dug out a few uniforms and a blanket, but other then that our equipment is low."

She walked over to the small pile and ripped up a shirt which she wrapped around her head to keep her hair out of the way. She then picked up the backpack slinging it on her back, before jumping out into the desert sand. She eyed her bodice and shift with slight distaste, before turning to Phiny, "Welp..we might as well get on with it. I am dying of thirst, and if I don't eat something soon, you are going to see a whole new version of Eliza Blackwell."

She looked out over the ocean they just crossed at the moon overhead, and let out a laugh, "I can't believe we survived such an ordeal with only minimal damage. Some great god must have been looking over us. Anyway. Off we go."

She started walking in the right direction, feeling confident after they survived the previous ordeal.

[Silver]

In addition to the rifle he had brought with him, he found four rifles and ammunition, two pistols, various pieces of equipment, rations of food and water, and four uniforms. In the last locker he opened he finally came across a square white medical kit. He took it off the wall and set it on the floor, kneeling beside Eliza.
\

@Silver

(Not disregarding your previous post, I had just been planning on using some of this aforementioned equipment. Just quoted so I wouldn't confuse you.)

As Eliza readied herself for the journey, Phineas picked up the Mediterranean chart and carefully ripped off the section that contained Egypt and Libya, stuffing it into his shirt pocket for later use. He cast his eyes over the remaining equipment. The rifles would certainly be of no use if they wanted to maintain even the slightest semblance of a low profile. Instead, he picked up the pair of pistols. They were relatively new, polished and loaded, but there was only a single small box of extra ammunition. He tucked one pistol into his belt, hiding it under his shirt behind his back, and placed the other in his bag, along with the ammunition, rations and what remained of the medical kit. He closed the bag tightly and slung it over his shoulder.

Every moment, the sky outside was getting brighter. It was not yet dawn, but the unmistakeable tinge of grey sunlight tinted the otherwise blue sky as the stars slowly faded from view. Phineas quickened his pace to catch up to Eliza, who had already begun to trek up the first dune. His shirt flapped in the wind as he padded through the soft sand.

As they climbed the dune, Phineas glanced at Eliza. "I grabbed the pistols," he said, "But it would likely be best if we avoided using them." He took a breath; the steep dune was unforgiving on his lungs. "We may run into border patrols or a checkpoint if we stick to the roads, in which case we'll have some explaining to do. What's our story, then?"

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza smiled at him,"Oh Good, I didn't think we had any ammunition left." Her eyes remained forward as she kept moving, her toes clinging to the sand,"Well let's hope that no one gives us the opportunity. I have one knife left as well, only for emergency purposes of course."

She paused allowing Phiny to take a breath as she clasped her hips, "Well, seeming as we both are in quite a state of disarray, we could be honest and say we escaped the crash, and we have been walking for days, I could shrug off these burns and bruises if we go that route, other then that we can say that we were robbed. Our wallets and passports stolen. We should go by new names, just in case those Libyan mercenaries are still searching for us. How do you feel about Madison Twatter?"

She let out a light laugh, "I'm Kidding. Married or siblings? Do we even know each other? What do you think?"

She kept moving, her muscles stretching as she pushed onwards. She pulled at one of her bandages, hating the itch that was starting to irritate her skin.

[Silver]

Phineas nodded, surveying the land behind him as Eliza spoke.

"Married, most like," he said, "And tourists. I imagine we're hardly the first married couple to get robbed whilst touring the Libyan highroads. Hell, we're probably not even the first of the day." The alibi didn't hold much water, but in a desert like this he figured it probably didn't have to. The common layman would not inquire too deeply into the past of a couple whose miseries were so fresh. He kept walking as they summited the dune and started down the other side.

"I don't feel like faking an accent, so henceforth you and I shall be Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, Henry and Catherine. We live in Dover, no kids. Wanted to travel North Africa to indulge your anthropology hobby, robbed right off the boat. Sound good?"

The sun wasn't even up yet, but already it was growing uncomfortably warm. Phineas cursed his luck. He always seemed to get the shitty jobs.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza was beginning to feel the sweat permeating wherever cloth met skin, but it didn't seem to change her mood,"Catherine Thatcher, I like it. Plus I have some connections with a few indigenous groups from the past, who had a couple problems with poachers advancing on tribal lands. I have a few gifted masks back home at my apartment. Just a few of my treasures."

She sighed, imagining she was lounging on her throw pillows and curtains from India and Morocco. Bright candles from Persia and floral incense from China surrounding her. She groaned, "You know with the amount of time I actually spend in that apartment, I treat it more like a museum or storage compartment. What is your home like? I envision a large library for a promising writer."

A grunt escaped her lips as she pushed forward up another dune, wishing she had a camel between her thighs rather than the over sized garters, that for some idiotic reason she thought matched her damn dress that cost her 30 pounds. She bristled, her inner monologue continued, "I don't even like dresses!" She burst into laughter, covering her mouth so as not to be rude.

[Silver]

Phineas raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Eliza. To his mild disappointment, she wasn't far from the truth.

"I've got a little apartment on the Thames. Yes, lots of books, all of them well-read. Not a very cheerful place, I'm afraid. All the wood's stained dark and the lights are rather dim. I think. To be honest, I don't spend a lot of time there. I can't actually remember the last time I slept in my own bed." He sighed. "Job keeps me busy. I imagine there's a generous helping of dust on all the upholstery. For all I know, someone else might be living there. Gypsies, most like."

At the top of his vision, Phineas noticed a small spot of red on the horizon. He squinted, and was able to make out the shape of a circle of trees around a small pool of shimmering water. An oasis, he thought to himself. A small red canvas hut was flapping in the wind, and Phineas could discern a thin road winding southeast from the camp. He hiked his bag up onto his shoulders and picked up his pace as the sun breached the hills to his left.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza frowned, understanding the loneliness apparent in his words. It is the one thing, they leave out during initiation. Adventure and mystery are always going to arise, but what you sacrifice for those moments is normalcy. The choice was one she never regretted, but at times in between the missions, she felt as if she was missing out on the simple pleasures, of the people around her. She could bet that Phiny was feeling the same. She gave him a soft smile then replied in a joking tone,"Well we will just have to fix that when we return to London. It's a good thing I love decorating."

She laughed before noting that Phineas' focus was stolen by something in the distance. She squinted seeing the small spot of red. She was about to comment on it, her partner seemed to hike up his bag and picked up the pace. She followed his lead, her steps becoming more frequent as they moved towards the camp. She remained silent for most of the way, the sun rising up to an almost unbearable height as they pressed forward. As they got closer she spoke out in heaves,"Did I mention...that I...love...snowy mountains...and storms...or any form of liquid..."

She pushed onwards regardless of her groans, until they were a few miles away,"Do you think..they see us?"

[Silver]

Phineas picked up his gaze from the coarse sand and looked at the red tent, which had grown from a speck into more of a smudge. As he examined it in the distance, he heard a low rumbling. It took him a few minutes to realize the rumbling was originating from the group of trees, and within a few moments a wheeled vehicle emerged from behind the tent and started due north, directly toward him and Eliza.

"Yes," Phineas said, his eyes narrowing, "I think they see us." He reached behind his back and found the comforting grip of the handgun tucked into his belt. He glanced at Eliza. "Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher," he said, and tossed her the handgun from the backpack, hoping she'd hide it. "Dover. Anthropology. No kids." He pulled his shirt tighter to conceal his gun and kept walking.

Within a few minutes, the jeep came roaring over the nearest hill. It skidded to a stop, its treaded tires spraying sand into the air, and three dark-skinned men in faded green fatigues jumped out. To Phineas's alarm, they were all carrying hefty rifles.

Phineas pointed both hands to the sky as the men started shouting commands in a language he neither recognized or comprehended.
"Don't shoot!" he yelled, "Don't shoot! We're lost! Can you speak English?"
The closest man, who wore a plush blue beret, lowered his gun. "English," he echoed, his accent thick and clumsy. "Why you come Zanzik?"

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "This is Zanzik?" he asked, but the look on the leader's face told him not to beat around the bush. Phineas continued, with a shakiness in his voice that was only half fake. "My name is Henry, this is my wife. We're just touring the area and we got lost. We need food and water. Please." The last word came out more desperately than he had intended.

The leader narrowed his eyes. "Touring," he repeated. He paused a moment, then shouted a command to the soldier standing next to him. The soldier walked toward Eliza, and Phineas moved his hand slightly closer to his gun. Then the leader turned his gaze to Eliza.
"Give bag. Search," he said.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza kept her eyes on the vehicle, nodding at Phineas when he passed her the handgun, "Got it, Henry."

She shoved it down her garter, so the barrel would fit in her holster. She then gave a quick shake, and pulled the shirt off her head, digging her hands in it as she let her brown hair fall in a mess around her. She shivered as the man came closer and she slowly lifted up her arms, whines beginning to wheeze through her lips as she thought of the saddest moment in her life.

When the men hopped out of the car she cringed, moving closer to Phineas as she saw their guns. She looked at the men with wild scared eyes as tears began to fall down her cheeks. As the man came over to her she started to full out sob. She removed the bag off of her shoulder and handed it to the leader at his request before speaking in a high-pitched whiney tone, "THEY TOOK MY DRESSES! I...I...JUST WANTED TO LOOK AT THE ELEPHANTS AND THEY TOOK MY BONAIR!!! IT COST ME 50 DOLLARS. THEY TOOK MY PURSE AND MY SHOES TOO!!!!!"

She began to cry,"NOW WE HAVE MORE MEN WHO ARE GOING TO SHOOT US! LET'S GO TO AFRICA..YOU..YOU SAID! NOW LOOK WHAT PREDICAMENT...AHHHHH"

After the leader had dunked all of there items on the sand, he walked over to Eliza and put the gun closer to her face, "Quiet. Woman."

Woman! I could kill you in several different ways without breaking a sweat.Eliza gave a fake girly squeal,"Henry..."

The leader turned back to Henry,"Why do you have Lybian uniforms if touring?"

Eliza began to cry even harder,"WE FOUND SOME STUPID COPTER THINGY AND STOLE SOME CLOTHES ALONG WITH A FIRST AID KIT! LOOK AT WHAT THOSE ANIMALS DID TO ME! I'VE BEEN BEATEN AND LEFT IN MY GARTER! WE ARE BRITISH!!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

She began to sob, sniffing weakly as the leader turned and raised the gun again,"SPEAK AGAIN..AND YOU WILL REGRET IT! CONTROL YOUR WOMAN!"

Eliza shut up, whimpering as she stared at Phineas, urging him to speak. She was well aware that she appeared to be freaking out and annoying the entire crew, but she would prefer them thinking she was a whiny pain in the butt, than the well to do, undercover agent. Let them think her weak, it would be easier to overtake them later if necessary.

[Silver]

Phineas stepped in front of Eliza, one arm protectively hovering in front of her, the other extending to ward off the leader. Eliza was sobbing now; if she was faking her terror, she was doing a damn good job of it. Phineas addressed the leader, voice shaky.

"Now listen here, you... er, gentleman. This 'woman' is no animal to be beaten and scolded. She is my wife, and it would do well for you to treat her with an ounce of respect. Now, we are British citizens, and we wish to..."

His voice trailed off as it became apparent that the leader wasn't listening to him in the slightest. The burly man's eyes were cast to the ground, focused on the pile of belongings he had dumped from their bags. Slowly, he stooped down and brushed aside a shirt, dislodging a small box from the sand. The leader lifted it into the air, and turned it slowly. One by one, several dozen rounds of pistol ammunition tinkled out of the box and on to the dune. The leader threw the empty box in disgust and turned to Phineas, an expression of cold fury on his countenance.

"You tourists?" he repeated, somehow adding an edge of sarcasm to his rough voice.

[KiraVanhelsing]

(WELL SHIT SON!)

Eliza stopped her tears immediately, as the rounds fell to the ground, the world turning silent as the leader spoke, waiting sarcastically for an answer. She curved her head to the side, her demeanor changing immediately as she began to speak in a moderate tone, her voice calm and cold,"Well..you got me. I never really cared about my dress."

Regardless of the fact she was half-starved and bruised, the training she received from the ministry really showed as she kicked out at the knees of the leader, her shotgun pointed at the back of his skull as she shoved his face in the ground, her weight pressing down on his upper arms to keep him down. As the pistols were raised at her back and at Phineas she really regretted her impulses. She remained calm though and leaned down to speak in the leaders ear,"Call them down, or I might just have to dye my bloomers red."

He spit into the sand,"BRITISH WHORE.."

She shot the sand beside him, silencing him,"Tell them to calm down and hand over there weapons or I swear to Allah, I will kill you."

He grunted, trying to push her off which only made Eliza press the gun harder against his occipital bone. After a few minutes he spoke in Lybian and the men dropped their weapons. She looked up at Phineas with an expression of regret, her head motioning to the weapons as she, kept her hand trained on the leaders head. Robbery and blackmail has always been a last resort option, and she could admit that perhaps her thinking was clouded due to the fact that she was heavily wounded, dehydrated and hungry, but it was too late now, for regrets. She turned to Phineas,"Do you know how to drive that contraption?"

[Silver]

Phineas, a bit surprised by the whole turn of events, hurried to the two soldiers and grabbed their pistols. He stuffed them into the bag, along with all of the other objects that had been dumped onto the sand. He slung the bag over his shoulder and looked to the rugged vehicle that the soldiers had arrived in. It seemed to be a rover of some sort, built for the harsh dunes of the desert. The wheels were large and textured.

"Can't be that hard," he said, looking back at Eliza. "I don't see that I have much of a choice." He glanced over his shoulder at Zanzik. The small outpost was barely a mile away. The soldiers would survive, although he wasn't sure that was the most desirable outcome.

"Let's move it, then," he said, and climbed into the driver's seat. The console was rather alien to him, but the arrangement of the various levers and dials seemed familiar enough. He pulled a bar to the right of the wheel and the engine sputtered to life.

"That's more like it," he said to himself.

[Silver]

Phineas, a bit surprised by the whole turn of events, hurried to the two soldiers and grabbed their pistols. He stuffed them into the bag, along with all of the other objects that had been dumped onto the sand. He slung the bag over his shoulder and looked to the rugged vehicle that the soldiers had arrived in. It seemed to be a rover of some sort, built for the harsh dunes of the desert. The wheels were large and textured.

"Can't be that hard," he said, looking back at Eliza. "I don't see that I have much of a choice." He glanced over his shoulder at Zanzik. The small outpost was barely a mile away. The soldiers would survive, although he wasn't sure that was the most desirable outcome.

"Let's move it, then," he said, and climbed into the driver's seat. The console was rather alien to him, but the arrangement of the various levers and dials seemed familiar enough. He pulled a bar to the right of the wheel and the engine sputtered to life.

"That's more like it," he said to himself.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza stayed on the leader until the pistols were taken and Phineas was in the vehicle. She leaned down, speaking clearly in her hostage's ear, so even his men could understand her,"In a few seconds chap, I am going to remove my pistol from your skull and take a few steps back, if you and your men aren't running into the sunset by the time we are in that vehicle, I will make sure that the one person who plays my target is you. Now."

She stood slowly, the gun still pointed, as she let the man get up and turn to give her the deadliest glare that she has seen in awhile. She tried to mirror it before he spoke,"You will pay for this, next time."

She responded with a simple,"Run."

The men started running and she turned jumping into the car, as Phiny drove off. She kept her gun trained as Phineas brought life to this mechanical creature. She watched the men run for awhile before she felt safe enough to turn around and let out a gasp of air. She slumped in her chair, remaining quiet before a few moments before she asked a perspective question "I suppose you probably think that that was a bit impulsive?"

She waited for the chastise that usually came with her impulsive decisions. This was the second time she had taken action without consultation, and she didn't think that dear Phiny would be as patient with her, this time.

[Silver]

She waited for the chastise that usually came with her impulsive decisions.

@KiraVanhelsing

But the chastise never came.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Hahahahaha Two years!?!?!? Good sir!!! Two years!!! Haha

[Silver]

Phineas is... the kinda man to deliberate over the right words. For a while.