Quentin,Cassius and Reed Taylor, & Trevor Kevin Obott
Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen JBeing sat in this damned cot, in a refugee tent of all places was probably one of the most frustrating situations that Reed had ever found himself in. "I'm not dead you know, I can still help out somehow, even with the logistics!" He'd argued his usefulness on both the medics and his uncle, for what was probably the fifeenth time, yet it was the latter who seemed to be more persistent.
"Look, you might feel that way but you've took a hell of a knock," Cass shot back, thumbing the dressing above his eye where he'd smacked his head on the wheel, "You were barely walking not too long ago. You don't give your body a rest - let alone that arm - you're gonna collapse from exhaustion before you're outsi-" A familiar voice stopped him from finishing the sentence.
"First re-union in a long time and this is how it is. Shit, we're pretty messed up, aren't we?" Quentin cracked a thin smile, looking for some form of respite in all this mess. Approaching Reed's cot, his eyes were drawn the thick dressing which covered his baby brother's forearm before he noticed the IV which fed into the other. Reed quickly noticed what he was staring at, however, which prompted the elder of the two brothers to avert his eyes and lean in to throw an arm around his good shoulder for a brief, brotherly embrace, before offering Cass a paternal hug.
"You cops are tough, I'll give you that," he cracked another smile, this one less noticably thin, "Cass filled me in, I hear you both had more than a little help from our mutual friend. Second time for you, yeah?"
Reed dryly chuckled, "Yeah. Small fucking world, you called it. That girl's a fucking lifesaver, and her friends too - dammit, I was stupid.." Cass was quick to put an end to that train of thought, however, "No, you did as best as you could. Half the cops I know wouldn't have made it in that situation, but you kept your cool, did your duty - still trying to like the stubborn kid I've always known. I'm proud of you, shit.. I'm proud of both of you."
"Thanks," the two brothers said in near-unison. "But," Reed began, "Doesn't change the fact my career's on the desk now, does it? You don't see many cops heading back onto the streets after this.." He just about flexed a few of the fingers on his left hand, though even that made him feel like broken tool. "That's bullshit and you know it," Quentin cut in for a change. "I know you. You'll be out on the streets again in a few weeks, beating crooks to death with your cast - might even slap an arm like Arnie's on you."
"I'll be back." Reed's hoarse, faux-Austrian accent was a wonder to behold, and it made Cass nearly splutter out the contents of the plastic cup of water he'd been drinking.
The chit chat with his friends was great and all, but Trevor wanted to help lighten the load a bit before they move on. By healing as many wounded as possible, then they'll have less people to haul around when the time comes for them to move on out of here. Trevor stood straight up, and started stretching - extending his hands above his head. He looked around at his group of friends.
"Alright, ya'll, I think I'm going to get back to healin' people." Trevor put his hands behind his head, pushing out his chest. "See ya'll." He said, only getting a response from Cindy nodding her head, waving.
Alright, so, there's still a lot of people that need to be healed. Trevor could tell from the get-go that he probably needed to focus on the people who can fight. Which meant NEST Agents, VPD, etc... Whatever it took, he guessed. Trevor scanned the area for anyone, and noticed that someone had taken a nasty blow to the shoulder. Which was covered in bandages, but Trevor knew that it had to be a nasty one if he was stitched up like that. He vaguely recognized the injured... An African-American cop, and an older guy that Trevor never seen before.
But, hey, if they need his healing magic, so he'll give it.
"Heeeey, I'm, uh, Trevor." The boy introduced himself. "I'm one of those Metas goin' around and healing people so they're in tip top shape when we go on the move. You, uh, want some healing? Ah, don't know why I asked that question, you probably can't wait to get back up."
"Huh?" Cass arched an eyebrow for a moment, though Quentin quickly recognised the kid once he turned around. "Obott, right? Yeah, that.. drug of yours could come in handy here, I guess."
"Wait, drug? Hold on here, we don't even kn-" Cass was almost about to cut in when his eldest nephew dove back in. "It's not what it sounds like, I've seen the stuff in use. It's uh, got regenerative properties and works like morphine in a ways." For once, it was strange to see Quentin actually advocating the use of narcotics - let alone on his own brother, yet he knew it was a necessary evil, just this once - it wasn't as if he was planning on letting him get hooked on the stuff.
"Do I get a say in any of this?" Reed finally piped up. "Quent, you vouch for this guy?"
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "Yeah, he's with NEST. Kind of."
"And Cass, what's your take on it?"
The old man gave the kid a look up and down, before finally relenting like a parent who's just been convinced to let their teenage kid stay out for a couple more hours. "I trust your judgement, kid."
With that, the youngest of the three Taylors gave Trevor a look, then nodded to the IV stand next to his cot. "Will that do it?" If a one-off high meant he would still be of use to this city, then it was worth it.
"Well," Trevor shrugged as he stared at the medical equipment. A lot of stuff can go wrong here! Yet, he was going to try his best. He wondered how he was going to get his drugs into the IV - he could just go the direct route. "We could use this fancy dancy machinery." He smiled wildly as he scoffed off the machine. "But I was never one to deal with that." He held his hands up. Without another word, Trevor quickly moved in, and put his hands on Reed's chest. "Yeah. You'll be drugged for a few minutes, but once it wears off, you'll be A-okay!" He kept his hands on Reed. "'Less your heart stops - but that's just unlikely."
"Well, shit. This better be worth it."
"It will be..." Trevor kept his hands pressed up against Reed's chest. "Just sit back and... enjoy." He said with a certain flavor in his voice. He needed to be very careful, because this can seriously mess him up if used wrong. "Okay, here it comes!" That's what she said.
Trevor warned Reed before he dispensed the drugs out of his hands. The drugs would heal him... after he experienced psychedlic hallucinations and incredible pleasure.
Quentin Taylor, Lihua Vuhong, Meifeng Vuhong, & Mika Baozai
Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen JEven though they were safe (Even for a moment) from the hellish war the people of Verthaven were waging against the invaders, Lihua knew that the safezone was it's own version of chaotic. She wasn't going to allow it.
Which is why she secured Meifeng, Mika, and, most importantly, Lijuan, a nice cozy spot in the NEST Headquarters in the meantime. The lounge, usually reserved for the RAVENS, now held the three. Meifeng and Mika (With Lijuan in her arms) sitting in the nice little chairs not spaced apart by a meter or a half.
The sounds of boots tapping against the tile floor signalled that Lihua had returned to them. She stood in the doorway for a moment, and caught the attention of the girls. The major difference about her was that she was wearing her NEST armor, and had a pistol in her holster.
"Hey, Mom," Meifeng said in Chinese, looking over to her mother. She leaned back in her chair, and looked at her. "Nice armor." She said.
The compliment went right over Lihua's head, as she focused on the task at hand. She walked over to them. "Let's cut to the chase, girls." Lihua said, flopping down on the sofa right across from them. Damn, she could really go for a drink right now, but she needed to stay focused as possible for this. "Verthaven has truly gone to hell in an instant."
Meifeng was completely silent for a moment, before she shrugged and said, "That's an understatement."
"This may be the last time you ever see the city...." Lihua said to herself, crossing her arms. "That's a shame, I know how much you liked it."
"Yeah.... things change." Meifeng scratched the back of her neck. "So, it's really no-shit that we're getting out of here, but do you know when and how?"
"... By APC of course. We have a whole lot of them. We're going to make one solid convoy and push out of here by eleven or twelve. Depends on how quickly we can get the APCs loaded." Lihua said, sighing. "However, it isn't going to be that easy...." She mentioned to herself.
"That implies you have a theory on what'll happen next, yes?" Mika noted, cuddling the sleeping infant in her arms.
"You're right, Mika." Lihua said. "Those abominations pulled back - they're letting us catch our breath, lulling us into a false sense of security. Likely, they're gathering their own forces so they can launch one final assault with us in one place, or wait until we're trying to leave when we lose the homefield advantage we have here."
Very, very, frightening words. Mika thought to herself. She wanted to leave this city more than anything - but was it going to be easy as everyone was idealising? Most likely, no. "[i]What is the plan, then, Auntie?" Mika asked. "Please tell me that NEST has some plan so that we can get out of here safely."
"God Mika...." Meifeng rolled her eyes up into her head as she leaned back into the chair. "... It's simple, those bastards come at us, we fucking swing back and kick their ass. But harder."
"Watch your mouth, little lady." Lihua had to note - only earning an eyeroll from Meifeng in response. Lihua, however, ultimately resigned with a simple sigh. "But, I digress, Meifeng is correct... It's the only thing we can do." She looked at the two girls, hanging her head in almost defeat. "The Metahuman responsible... she wants a massacre, and she's sure as hell bent on getting it. She's pushed us to the utter brink of desperation in an hour...." Lihua let out another sign.
This disaster was taking it's toll on her, too. It was making her wonder if she can keep her daughters safe in this bloodbath. She was going to do everything she could - even if it meant she had to give up her own life - to make sure that they get out of this alive.
Both girls were looking on at her. "That's..." Meifeng trailed off, scratching the back of her neck. "Heavy." She shrugged. Things weren't looking good for them - but she was going to keep her head up, and make sure that everyone gets out alive. She swears on her life that she'll never turn her back on anyone who needs it.
"I'm going to be blunt here," Lihua started off, looking up at them. "People are going to die. It's unavoidable in this disaster. It could be your friends, or people you never got the chance to meet... but, what I ask of you two is to make sure that it neither of you are the ones that become a casualty."
"Wasn't planning on it." Meifeng said.
"And most importantly... keep Lijuan safe above all else." Lihua pointed towards the infant in Mika's arms. "Everyone stay together. With the three of us pooling our strengths, we are quite the force. If anyone's in danger, I'll do my best to pull you to safety. Worst comes to worst, we'll have to find our own way out of the city."
While Meifeng agreed, she was worried that Lihua wasn't considering her friends here... She was hoping for the best for everyone here. Not just herself and the Vuhongs.
The sound of footsteps entering the lounge signalled Quentin's approach. What had been a chance to clear his head in private seemed to have been dashed when he noticed who it was that occupied the seats.
The group of brown eyes immediately shifted towards the door, and immediately Meifeng and Lihua recognized the person (While Mika had little idea who this man was - though, he looked somewhat familar). Meifeng half-smiled, kicking her legs back and fourth. It was impossible to hide the fact that she was glad to see him.
"Agent Vuhong," he affirmed Lihua's presence with a nod, not entirely sure how her suspension had affected her demeanour. If she was still anything like the Concrete Dragon that broke the Changelings, it was for the better. "It's good to see you back. Place needs you in a time like this." Then, his gaze shifted to Meifeng and Mika. Damn, it'd been a while since he'd seen her - her scar had healed up, it seemed, but there was that same, fired up girl who'd pulled him out of that cell all that time ago. He was glad he'd had this opportunity.
"Agent Taylor." Lihua returned the gesture by putting her hand on her hip, and shifting her weight back. She was unsure of whether or not she's glad to see Quentin. Part of her was glad that he was one of the people who helped her against those Changeling bastards, another part of her knew that he was likely looking down at her. Solely because anyone with eyes can see that she was only let back into NEST due to circumstances they find themselves in...
Benefit of the doubt, and all that.
"The both of you saved my uncle and my little brother, and helped get them back in one piece. For that, I'm grateful - and I won't forget it. Thank you." He shot Lihua a knowing look to reaffirm that he meant it.
"Heh, don't mention it." Meifeng said, brushing her ponytail back behind her head as she kept her attention on Quentin. "I just saw some people getting thrown into a river, and had to help them before it was too late." Meifeng awkwardly laughed because she thought about how well things turned out because of her. "I had no idea that Reed, your uncle, and Jen, were even in there... I'm glad that we were in the right place at the right time... right Mika?" Meifeng turned towards her older cousin.
"Yes, I am glad to have helped." Mika stated... she kept the fact that she only really helped because Meifeng was quick to rush in there. Not that she didn't care... just that she knew a lost cause when she sees it. Though, it was more than apparent that she was wrong. Maybe she should think differently.
It took a great deal of restraint for Lihua to keep her mouth shut. What Meifeng and Mika did was risky, in every unnecessary way possible. They only saved them due to dumb luck that they weren't already dead due to other factors. Lihua let out a sigh. Let them pat themselves on the back. It was impossible for Meifeng to keep this up - going out of her way to help people. It'd only come crashing down when she expects it the least - then she'll realize what Lihua's been telling her all along... for now, Lihua's lips were sealed.
Quentin wasn't blind to Lihua's muted irritation, if that wasn't an understatement, and decides to get to why he'd wanted to see her specifically. "Look, uh, can I speak with you in private, Agent Vuhong?"
Lihua crossed her arms, and looked at Quentin. Hm.... She was quite curious about just what he had to discuss out of earshot of her lovely family. She gave a nod to them, affirming that she is going to have her little chit-chat, and took a few steps forward. "Of course you can..."The two stepped out of the room.
Once the others were out of range, Quentin turned back to her with a markedly changed tone. "I'm sure you're aware of a certain changeling they've got locked up, right?" He was, of course, referring to that bitch who'd hurt both of them - Quentin and, as he knew, Vuhong's daughter - which ultimately had led the two of them here. "Even with all this shit going on outside, I know they're up to something, if they aren't already involved in this."
Hmph. He has to be talking about the Changelings they captured. That bitch... Heartbreaker. Lihua had a personal hatred of the woman, and so did Quentin apparently. Though, she had a feeling that there was a greater fire inside of Quentin that could only be quelled with violence. "Yes... I've been reviewing all relevant files on RAVEN." Lihua said as she leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed. "I have a feeling that they are behind this... those bastards.... yes, they are among the most ruthless and inhuman opponents I have faced thus far." This sounded like something they'd do, create a bigger threat and capitalize on the situation. They're probably on a rampage as they spoke. Yet, they haven't made a move on NEST. Yet.
"She knows something and I suspect I'm not the only one who wants to find that out. Are we on the same page?"
"Obviously." Lihua said, shrugging. "Heartbreaker is the Changeling second-in-command, which means she likely knows a great deal about the Unit, and any secrets they might hold." Lihua stepped off the walls, narrowing her eyes that indicated that she knew what he was implying. She placed her hand on her hip, and spoke, "It is disturbing how little information we have on them, yes...? Well, now that I am reinstated, I still have all of my previous access privileges... With all the rushing feet and whatnot going on, I figure we can have a word with Heartbreaker...."
"Good, I've already got a couple of things in mind."
Lihua nodded her head and began walking off. She was hoping that Meifeng and Mika would stay put in here - they have no point but to, what with all the chaos going on. With Quentin behind her, she quickly made her way to the detention center. Few Agents paid them mind - because there truly were few Agents in here. All other Agents were scrambling to get the convoy ready, are guarding the place with their lives, or are making sure anarchy doesn't break out in the safezone. Now, Lihua knew the NEST headquarters like the back of her hand. The two stepped into an elevator, and rode it all the way up. Silently (Lihua didn't want to make it anymore awkward than it already was).
Once the doors opened, Lihua pressed on through it, and walked on. They made it to the cell where Heartbreaker was being kept - the secret one - in no time. Lihua put the keys in through the door, and turned her head to Quentin, giving him a nod before she turned the key... The door opened and revealed Heartbreaker - a collar around her neck - sitting down on her bed, twiddling her thumbs. She looked up at them, before grinning wide.
"Oh looky here," Heartbreaker said. "Quentin-boy and Mama-bear decided to pay me a visit...." She narrowed her eyes, sporting the same grin. "How nice of ya' - Though, I heard that there's one hell of a shitstorm going on outside and, for once, I don-"
"That is enough, Natalie." Lihua immediately cut her off. "We came here because we wanted to have a word with you concerning your Changelings..."
"Oh, yeah, yeah, because your friends totally didn't get the hint the last twenty times they played twenty questions with me...." Heartbreaker put her arms behind her head, and pushed her chest out a bit. "Go fuck yourself. Blow me. Et cetera. I tell ya'll the same thing and you still don't get the hint." She shrugged.
"Well, that's me disappointed. Y'know, I was hoping that maybe you could've told me," Quentin began with a sly, dangerous tone, finally ready to open his side of the interrogation. This time, he was the one outside of that collar, "How's that hand? Bet it must've been a world of hurt, waking up in a collar like that, your trigger finger all nicely crunched up, powerless to do anything but rage at your captors. Tell me, Natalie, what's it like being on the inside of the cell this time?"
The way he said it made things clear that he was enjoying this, and he wasn't trying to hide it whatsoever.
Heartbreaker grabbed her wrist, and started massaging it. That grin was wiped right off her face, and she stared right at Quentin. Almost like she had a sharp-tongued response was boiling in that head of hers, before she sported the same grin. "You know, after a week, my hand healed up quite nicely." Heartbreaker smiled widely, baring her teeth. "Your medics are super." She started laughing.
He almost found it tempting to knock those teeth out.
"And how does it feel?" Heartbreaker said in between chuckles. "Fuckin' wonderful. I think of this as one big vacation. Know how it feels co-heading the Changelings? My partner's a fuckin' disaster!" She spoke so casually, like she wasn't taking Quentin even the least bit seriously. That, or she's trying her best to get under his skin. All with the goal of knowing that she's getting out of here.
"... But you know what'll be even better?" Heartbreaker's tone took a darker tone, tilting her head downwards. "The look on your face when I bust out of here with my buds. I think the first thing I'm going to do when I'm out is take a nice little picture of myself in your condo after the boys smash it up and leave it there for you to find it." She started laughing.
Lihua's eyes narrowed. This woman... she is truly a sociopath. And arrogantly cocky. Even when caged, she is just so certain that she'll be free. Though... Lihua wasn't stupid enough to assume that there wasn't a chance the Changelings could succeed. NEST doesn't know what they're exactly capable of.
"I'd suggest you'd keep your mouth shut, Natalie....." Lihua oh so formally stated as she leaned up against the wall next to the cell door. "You forget; you're playing our game now."
"Being specific," Quentin stepped in yet again, "It's a game you and your twisted crew were playing not too long ago." slipping a hand down his back pocket and withdrawing a set of photos which he waved in Heartbreaker's face for her to look at.
Inside the photos were a variety of animalistic metahumans who had suffered horrific deformities as a result of their conditions, from twisted and inhuman faces that looked incapable of speech to tortured forms that looked a misery to possess. The downtrodden pariahs of Verthaven's metahuman populace, so to speak.
Before much else could be said, Quentin briefly glanced towards Lihua, then shifted his gaze back to Heartbreaker, fire in his eyes. "Agent Vuhong, do me a favour
- restrain her."
"Hey, wait, what?" Heartbreaker said, reaching to her hips for revolvers that aren't there. It wasn't long before Lihua grabbed her by the arm, kicked her leg from underneath her, and threw her to the ground with all her strength. Lihua placed all her strength on Heartbreaker's back, and kept Heartbreaker in a armlock. Where she could only hopelessly squirm. Hrng! She felt so powerless here, - and she's not talking about the collar - she didn't have her weapons on her.
Quentin chuckled just a little bit at that, a cold glare forming across his face as he knelt down beside her. "I remember all the faces that I saw in that... hellhole where you and that german fucker were running that snuff set of yours. And I remember what you forced me to do. How you threatened my family if I didn't transfer those powers into other guinea pigs for you to run your tests on."
Heartbreaker struggled to get free, but Lihua was quite heavier than she was, which, understandably, made it a feat to even squirm free. She growled at her situation, and shouted, "Hey, take that shit up with the Hands!" Heartbreaker tried to turn her body to flip over. What was more irritating than what was going on was the fact that she was paying for what the Hands are responsible for. Again. "I was just in charge of bagging, and keeping ya'll in line."
He glanced up to Lihua for a moment, remembering that he'd only told a half truth all that time ago when he signed up with NEST and shot her a firm, yet honest "Sorry, probably should've mentioned that a little earlier," before shifting his focus back to Heartbreaker.
Lihua looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. Wondering if he was serious or not. Because, he just nonchalantly drops an important fact. Lihua kept that to herself, and merely held down this dog.
Admittedly, he felt a little guilty for keeping it from his collleagues, from Vuhong, Max and Sonya, from his family too. But that was in the past - now was an opportunity to get something done.
"Now take a look at these and tell me," he started off again, setting down the photos for her to stare at,"Which could you see as the new 'you'?"
Heartbreaker stared at the photos for a moment, holding still, before she realized what happened. She started trashing back and fourth. "I swear to God!" Heartbreaker roared, "If you do anything to me, I will destroy you when I get out of here! Ain't gonna kill you, but I'll burn everything you know and love to the ground!"
"No? Doesn't work for you? We could try a little mix and match if that's your thing, I'm sure this one," he pointed to one photo, then another, "Would go fine with this one."
"To hell with you, and your photos." Heartbreaker hissed before she snorted in through her nose, and spat out a giant wad of spit.
Quentin frowned at that gesture and responded by aiping it off on her shoulder. After a brief moment of smirking he soon regained a cool, calculating glare. It was a moment to savour as far as he was concerned. This bitch had it coming, long time. "Only one who's headed to hell is you. And then your 'boys'. Question here is how you want that journey to be."
"Making you choke on your own damn blood." Heartbreaker hissed as she turned over her shoulder and looked at Lihua.
"When you're done with the spittle, maybe you could start by answering my colleague's questions." He shot Lihua a nod. "Unless you like the 'new you', of course?"
Struggling with this giant bitch on top of her really brought her piss to a boil. When she gets out of here, she's going to kill all of them. Slowly. "Ugh, fine." Heartbreaker grunted, finally deciding to stop struggling. "I'll answer your stupid questions, lady...." Heartbreaker narrowed her eyebrows.
"Good..." Lihua said, as she lessened the weight on Heartbreaker's back. There were a few questions that Lihua had for the bitch. She finally decided on the question that'd be the most relevant. "Just who are the rest of your friends? I look forward to meeting them...."
Ugh. This eliminates a factor of the element of surprise... however, she doesn't have to tell them everything. "Well, your boys killed a lot of 'em, but obviously there's Luis' group. A big part of our recruitment is making people abandon their former selves, and that shit, but that's a whole 'nother discussion. Shit, now that I think about it, I got the lightweights, Luis' got the heavy hitters - but there ain't a whole lot of us left. First, there's Shade and Wraith. Two high-telekinetics, brother and sister, but they got some weird link that makes them both a lot stronger if they're close. Could knock over a building. Then, you got Count Vicious, the team's metal manipulator. He can control and create any kind of metal. We use his ass to break into places. Primitive Light can absorb energy, n' shoot at you and infuse herself. Your ass is better off foaming 'er."
Lihua made a mental note of all of this. She would have to share this with the rest of the RAVENS when she gets a chance.
"Uh, who else?" Heartbreaker played with them for a moment. "Oh, yeah, the team teleporter, Flashbang. You know that REAPER bitch Revenant? Well, Flashbang's better. She can open portals anywhere she's visited before. Then, we got Skinwalker, who can control people's flesh by attaching himself to them. I think Luis mentioned something about picking up two kids from Toronto.... That's it. Like I said before, you fucks killed the rest of them."
A wry grin formed on Heartbreaker's face.
Quentin didnt take that as a good sign and folded his arms with a growl, muttering beneath his breath, "This 'fuck' might finish the job and kill another one if that smile isn't wiped off her face."
"... Gotta find some more later." Heartbreaker laughed. Hopefully, this will be enough to hide the Contessa, and the Berserker. The former is the Changeling's spy, and the latter is... far too powerful to reveal this early.
"Don't stall us," Quentin shot her another cold glare, suspecting another mind game. "You can either 'find some more' now or you're not worth shit."
"Hey now, Quentin-boy," Heartbreaker said, "I ain't stalling. I told ya'll what you wanted to know. What the hell else do you want to know?" Heartbreaker paused for a second. "Oh, I'm going to spitball here a bit and you want to know about the Hands. Personally, I don't like those bastards myself, but they keep the paper flowing."
"That'd be nice... Who is Dr. Cross?" Lihua asked, before Quentin could make a jab at her.
"Eeeeh.... that broad? Her real name's Emily, or something stupid. We ain't friends, so I don't know too much about her. She's some stupid scientist that failed at getting a job, then the Hands recruited her. Since she was so damn good, she got herself a big fancy seat at the top of the organization."
Okay, this information is useless. Lihua thought to herself. "Anything else...? You were in their base during their meeting, what were they planning?"
"Well..." Heartbreaker rolled her eyes. "In short, they're pissed that you fuckers found them out, and they want to, ah, "defend their assets". But, in truth, they couldn't even hold Fort Knox if a god damn poodle attacked it - without us."
"Natalie," Lihua put all of her weight down on Heartbreaker's back. "I know exactly what you're doing. Stop playing around before I snap your neck."
"Fine, fine." Heartbreaker said. "They're working on this little thing called... Project SCYTHE. A little superweapon like that PR-1 fucker. Except far worse. I dunno what exactly it can do, but it has something to do with lots and lots of the Metahuman energy." If she could, Heartbreaker would shrug. "You're better off asking Dr. Cross about that shit."
"Is that all?" Quentin asked firmly, before leaning forward and asking again with a more direct tone. "Is it?"
"Look, I told you this a thousand fucking times," Heartbreaker hissed, "The Changelings ain't involved in the inner-workings of the Hands. We just do what they say, murder who they want, take who they want, and they hand us money... You're better off asking Luis."
She was quiet for a moment. "So, yeah, that's fucking it."
It took a couple of seconds to process that before Quentin finally nodded, driving a palm into his knee to sound. "Then we've got what we came for. Agent Vuhong?"
There was obviously something that Heartbreaker wasn't telling them. Merely just telling them a few things to preserve her good looks. At this point, they got everything they wanted, Lihua will have to note this soon as possible. She got up off Heartbreaker - pulling her up with her - and gave her a shove which sent her back into her cell. "That is all...." Lihua crossed her arms. "I hope you enjoy rotting in here, dog."
Quentin looked ready to go, holding the door open for Lihua, yet as she passed the threshold he turned back towards the cell's sole occupant. A long overdue desire to get even with this bitch for everything she'd done weighed on him.
"So, Natalie... what was it you called your line of work? 'Baggage?'"
As Heartbreaker sat down on the edge of the cot, wondering if she can score another cigarette, she looked up at Quentin. She couldn't help but grin when Quentin asked that question. "You know... It's hard to give it one word." She laughed a little. "I could call it kidnapping, assassination, wetworks... but, none of them would ever be proper."
"Oh, really?" Quentin's question was laced with sarcasm and just below the surface was a man burning with cold fury. "Funny." He shot at her with that sarcasm again, steadily pacing towards her cot, flexing his fingers like an imaginary stress ball, muttering "I wonder what you'd call this," before grabbing for her collar.
Heartbreaker winced backwards, her eyebrows were furrowed. "Hey, I don't know what the fuck you're up to, but quit it."
He didn't let up - instead, he lunged for her this time with a firm grip.
At this point, Heartbreaker decided to struggle. She put her foot up against Quentin's knee, and pushed, while grabbing onto his fingers to pull them apart.
Brought down to one knee, that rage was briefly replaced with a recollection of the training from his contractor days (plus what NEST had thrown in for him) - which prompted him to grab for her wrist with his free hand and clamp down tight around it with all the strength in his grip.
Heartbreaker tried to pull herself free, but he was strong as an ox. "Let. Me. Go!" Heartbreaker shouted as she snorted in a big glob of snot, and spat it right into Quentin's face, just below his eye. Wincing at that, it pushed him to take a swing at her with the arm that'd just been freed up.
The blow hit her right in the arm, and she barely got a second to clench her teeth before she realized that she was falling over. Her reflexes were dulled, so she wasn't able to react like she usually could. Which is why it hurt like a bitch when she hit the side of the cot. Saving herself from hitting her head by throwing up her arm. She grit her teeth, stunned as the world spun around her for a second. The sudden rush of pain to her arm reminded her of what just happened. She gave Quentin a look fiercer than a rattlesnake's glare.
"... I'll put an end to you some day, I fuckin' promise you that one."
Wiping his face on a sleeve, Quentin took a few steps back and shook his head, beads of sweat running down his forehead. It looked like he'd cracked bone, at least from where he stood - not that it mattered, this felt more... satisfying than putting a bullet in her ever would've. Instead, he shook his head and turned back towards the cell, heading out without a word.
While Quentin was walking off. Heartbreaker grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, and grinned,
"... You'd make a fine Changeling, Quentin-boy." She snickered at him as the door closed.
That made him pause for a moment, fists clenched, before he continued on - ignoring her. When he left that cell, he felt a couple of pounds lighter and better for it, putting the bitch in her place, even just for a moment.
While Quentin was walking off. Heartbreaker grabbed her arm.
How cruel. Lihua sarcastically thought to herself. She watched the whole scene and didn't do a thing. Unlike most of her co-workers, her sense of justice wasn't that strong... true justice is subjective. In her eyes, it's simply recieving cruelty for cruelty. And Heartbreaker deserved any form of punishment she gets. Period. While Quentin has his grudge against Heartbreaker, Lihua wanted to get at the leader of the Changeling Unit... Luis, as she remembered. The bastard responsible for all of this. She hated the fact that she couldn't have it at him when Obott was attacked.
Well, maybe it was a good thing. Lihua would have destroyed the Crystal shores in the fight.
Lihua started walking off. Wordlessly.
"I know I owe you an apology. A real one. And the others, too.. you trusted me, now I can do the same." Quentin finally said with a guilty conscience, breaking the silence.
Lihua's boot hit the ceramic floor heel first, and she did a pivot on it. She turned towards Quentin and crossed her arms as she stared him down. She was wondering the best way to go about Quentin's rather... nonchalant reveal of his true ability. Did she feel betrayed? Heavens no. Somewhat surprised is the true reaction. "Honestly," Lihua said, "I don't take your little secret as a gross violation of trust." She said, wondering why Quentin was acting. "Your recruitment into NEST was... hazy, yes? I got the feeling that you didn't even trust us. Which is why I find it certainly understandable you'd hide such an ability."
She put her hands on her hips, and sighed. Fortunately for Quentin, Lihua saw things from multiple perspectives and angles.
Quentin arched an eyebrow, markedly surprised by Lihua's lenient approach. She'd made a point that reflected his own when first signing up with NEST; "When I was a kid, some 'bangers tried using me to sell powers for them, then I saw them manipulating others around me.. later on down the road I thought I'd figured it out. Decided that if I had powers, I'd do things on my terms."
In hindsight, it all seemed like bullshit. "Naive hope was what it was. Those fuckers, Heartbreaker, the Hands - they caught wind and tried to use me again snd more people got hurt. There I was, right at the start of it again. So.. yeah, I didn't know what to expect from NEST. Now, well.. I've got a better idea."
Lihua took a few steps backwards until her back was pressed up against the wall. She crossed her arms yet again, and listened as Quentin told his story. "People like the Hands..." She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "They are bastards. Bastards who think they have the right to ruin lives and take what they want because they think they're helping." Lihua grinded her teeth for a moment as she thought about what Peter, and Mark, said to her about their so called "altrusism"... Gah. Bullshit in plain terms.
With those last words, Lihua pushed herself off the wall up onto her feet, and let her hands hang at her sides. "Now, we have business to attend to. Let that whore rot in her cell." She said as she walked down towards the RAVEN meeting room. Quentin finally nodded, and followed suit.
