Xandrya

Firefly - Second 'Verse

OOC: collaborative post with @Gunther & @Aalakrys

The food stores had been delivered. As both a deckhand and the boat’s cook, Joe Hooker saw it as his duty to store the food and find something for the boat’s complement to eat. He needed to prepare a meal as soon as possible. He was certain there would be several hungry folk aboard including himself.

The food came packed in either cardboard boxes or insulated crates. A few of the larger items required a second hand to move up to the galley. Afterall, it was two flights of stairs, but each trip seemed shorter. Some items needed to be in cold storage, some in the freezer and others in the walk in pantry. On his last trip down to the cargo bay, he spied a young blonde haired woman step up the ramp. She was shorter than himself. In fact, it appeared all the women aboard were much shorter than the men. He hadn’t met the Captain yet, the first officer was a few inches taller. Hook looked for Abby, but was nowhere to be seen. As was his way, he felt compelled to welcome her aboard.

Joe placed the cardboard box back on the deck, wiped his hands on his coveralls and taking a few steps forward, held out a hand to shake, “The name’s Joe Hooker, but most folks call me Hook.”

The journey to her new home wasn't all that long save for a speed bump along the way, but that was resolved rather quickly. She'd stopped by the temporary quarters where she was staying to make sure she had all her belongings, but some hassler along the way caused quite the ruckus for a passerby as well as herself. In the end, Alana simply ignored him as she tossed some credits for the bastard, shaking her head in disgust. She'd been victimized twice before under similar circumstances, and the memories burned fresh in her mind. This time, what might have saved the stranger from at the very least receiving a mouthful was the constant sea of people surrounding them.

Soon after that, however, she finally came across the China Doll. Alana noticed it to have an empty ramp as she made her way up until seeing a man approaching her who took the time to introduce himself.

"The pleasure's all mine, Hook. I'm Alana Lysanger, the new medic," she responded, returning his handshake with a warm smile.

“Very nice to meet you, Miss Alana. Allow me to show yew to the crew quarters and the infirmary.” Traditional sailors would refer to it as the sick bay or simply, bay, but there are those who used the term infirmary. Joe led Alana to the back of the cargo bay and opened the door. “The bay is right here. Not sure how is stocked. Might’n be supplies in some of them thar boxes. Yew can check em out later.” Joe allowed Alana to take a look inside, and gave her a pause to check it out. Joe had pointed out the boxes in the cargo bay.

She entered the sick bay, looking at her surroundings momentarily. "Yeah, I will check the available supplies later, don't want to hold you up too much..." Alana then reached in her bag and pulled out some medical items, more so to ease the weight being placed on her shoulder rather than for organizational purposes. She set those aside on the counter as she would come back later and do a full inventory and inspection on whatever they had. Stepping out onto the passageway, Alana followed Hook to her quarters. "So what's your role gonna be on here?”

“Miss Alana, I am a simple deckhand and the boat’s cook,” Joe replied. “If you follow me, I’ll lead you up to the crew’s quarters. They be just beyond the galley, on tha’ way to tha’ bridge.” Joe Hooker led Alana Lysanger up two flights of stairs to the Galley and ran into Penelope Randell.

“Miss Alana, this is Miss Penelope, the ship’s pilot,” Joe Hooker introduced the two women.

Penelope had been having herself a real nice time getting to know the flight deck. Overall, she was pretty impressed. Fireflies, after all, were their own breed. Once she'd had the one or twice over up there, she decided it was a fine time to go poking about, meet some passengers, and see what was what. Maybe get an ETA on any departure since the captain hadn't come a callin' yet. Just as she came to the end of the hall, there was Hook again - with a new face.

"Howdy, there." She said at the introduction, eyes turning to Alana and soft smile that was seemingly always on his lips spreading as she extended her hand. "Since Hook is showing ya around, I reckon you're a new part of the crew, too?”

"That'd be right, I'm the new medic here," Alana replied as she shook Penelope's hand, a smile on her face as well. "I'm fresh onboard but so far the crew seems to be friendly." Even though she knew what she herself was talking about, it took Alana a second to realize they didn't know that she had met Cal prior to her arrival. "I mean, I met Captain Strand not that long ago, to be precise. He, um—" In a split second decision, Alana decided to forgo any specific information regarding the incident from earlier, "I had to patch him up real quick and well you know, the rest is history. The timing is perfect, actually, since I'm between employment." She readjusted the strap on her shoulder, looking at Hook as well. "So have you guys known him for some time or are you fresh like myself?”

“I have not yet met the man,” Hook interjected. “If’n yew ladies wouldn’t mind, I need to tend to the food stores and ready a meal for t’night.”

Penelope closes her mouth before words went spilling out as Hook dismissed himself. She nodded, as it was fine with her. She understood the need to make sure things were ship-shape and whatnot. As he departed, she grinned at the woman she was left with. "It's real nice having someone else worryin' after the meals. I can't cook much, so most my last trip had crispy or soggy selections for me. But, anyway, I just met the Cap'n a few hours ago, wantin' to book passage but he was wantin' a pilot. Worked out for both us.”

Upon announcing his departure, Alana nodded at Hook with a smile. She then turned to Penelope. "So you can't cook, huh? Yeah neither can I... Although I can figure out recipes even if they're a little complicated. However, I've been told before that's cheating, so I'm not sure..." she added with a shrug. After a brief pause, the young woman went on again. "But hey, I don't want to keep you if you got anywhere to be. Hook there seemed to be in a bit of a rush himself, especially since he's never worked with the Captain, much less met the man.”

"Here I was thinkin' it was me." Penelope gave a breath of a laugh, shaking her head gently before turning her amused gaze back to the doctor. She gave a little shrug as it faded, soft smile left behind. "I ain't got no special place to be - just giving a self-guided tour to myself 'fore I'm bound to the flight deck for a while. But, reckon ya want to settle in - them hatches down lead to open rooms. I was told just to pick one, so I reckon the same goes for you. Won't keep ya none.”

Though Penelope was also dismissing herself to give the other woman time to settle in, she didn't continue on her way immediately. There wasn't much she could do by way of answering any questions about the ship or crew, but if Alana had anything else on her mind, it was obvious she was welcome to share.

Alana nodded in the direction she needed to go. "Then that way I'm heading. I should be going now, need to run some inventory myself and make sure we're all set. Pleasure meeting with ya, I'll see you around.”

After a small wave, the young woman made her way in the direction she had been told. She wanted to make sure the essentials were all accounted for before they were scheduled to leave.

The Haunted House [18+]

"This place is a dump," Mikaela stated with disgust before taking another sip of beer. She eyed the place warily, scratching an itch on the back of her neck. "Y'all are a trip, y'all know that? One idiot is apparently terrified of clowns and the other one is shitting himself. She's cool though," Mikaela then motioned towards Adele, "and she's the only other girl in our group. Honestly, I should have just stayed my ass in detention..."

The girl then decided she might as well go explore the property. "Anyone wanna tag along? Maybe we can find something valuable so this little excursion isn't a total waste," she added as she walked to the door farthest to the left that lead to the living room.

To inquire for a potential partner was uncharacteristic of Mikaela, but she'd be lying to herself is she said she wasn't at least a little bit apprehensive of the place.

The Energy Storm

The previous night...

---

^{A collaborative post between @Chulance & @Xandrya}

Reaper had a devious grin on his face underneath his mask. He was poised & ready for what he was about to do next. Earlier today he'd been walking around San Francisco in his civilian guise & happened to run into Olivia whose beauty had caught his eye. What started off as harmless flirting had become so much more when he got an inkling of who he was actually dealing with. Or rather who he would be dealing with if his plans for her went off without a hitch. And so after uncovering this pertinent information the stage was set, and he'd offered to take her out on a date that very night. In the end was receptive to his flirtatious behavior and agreed to meet up with him that evening. She found herself wooed by his game that was so good it was almost as if he was reading her mind.

Of course a romantic night out was not the real reason he'd offered her dinner, no his purpose for luring her out was for more sinister. He was parked in his car, a 2013 silver camry hybrid across the street from the place he'd invited Olivia to. Unlike earlier when he met her, he was dressed in his full reaper garb & heavy tint was applied to the windows so no one could see into the vehicle. He was smoking a cigarette as he awaited Olivia's approach, also checking his phone just in case he messaged her. As soon as she got to the restaurant he'd make his move and the games would begin.

The Altered incident from the previous day had Jack Damore on edge. He threatened Olivia once more, demanding she return home but she wouldn’t have it, not caring what he nor what the rest of her family had to say. Olivia was actually excited despite the chaos surrounding her. She was going on a date for the first time in a while; nothing fancy, just a nice dinner to get to know each other and talk. She liked first date dinners as she was able to get to know the guy a lot better versus having to sit in silence at a movie.

Heading to her car, Olivia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She had on a floral dress and red heels. Maybe a bit too much for a dinner date, but she was dressed to impress. Turning on her vehicle after getting inside of it, she set her GPS to take her to the restaurant. On the way there, Olivia listened to a variety of songs from her phone. She preferred listening to her playlist rather than listen to the radio as their commercials were annoying most of the time, especially those involving injury attorneys.

The spot was on the opposite end of town from the catastrophe from the previous day. After maybe 15 minutes, Olivia arrived. She put the car in park and texted Alex.

I’m here.

Putting the phone away, Olivia turned off the vehicle and grabbed her purse. As she was stepping out, she noticed the parking lot was a bit deserted save for a few cars, but given what had occurred, that didn’t seem out of place.

As he was ashing his smoke in the holder his phone buzzed. Perfect Timing He thought to himself as he shot her a text that he was here. A brief stretch of his neck and a satisfying popping noise after he was ready to get going on his mission. Looking out the passenger window he spotted Olivia and she was dressed down. A smirk crept across the edge of his lips as he looked her up and down. He briefly entertained following through with the actual date and maybe whatever came after. No, as sexy as she is I can't allow that to interfere with my mission, there's too much at stake.

Reaper followed dismissed any thoughts romantic, sexual or otherwise involving himself & Olivia. A switch went off within him then he was locked into his mission. Turning the keys he started the car and drove to the other side of the street the parking lot was on. He pressed down on a button to partially roll down the driver side window slowly. “Olivia!” He called out in his voice as Alex as he pulled up next to her.

Right as he did that the street lights near her as well as all the lights in the restaurant turned off & two muscular man rushed out the restaurant tackling her against the car hard. A third man emerged from the restaurant with a gun in hand. He approached Olivia and pressed the cold barrel of the gun against her skull. Reaper pressed the button again now mostly rolling down most of the window. Reaper unleashed his power on her causing her sight/vision to b replaced by pitch black, & also cause his voice to sound extremely loud, distorted & demonic.

“Olivia listen to me closely if you want to live. Do not fight, do not struggle, or you will be shot dead.” Reaper barked orders at her, while one of the first two men who initially bum rushed her against the car took out a pair of hand-cuffs & attempted to cuff them around Olivia’s hands/arms.

Her phone went off. A moment later she also heard her name being called out. Olivia looked behind her, smiling. They had arrived together it seemed, but her smile faded as the lights suddenly gave out with no warning, startling her a bit. She then heard some shuffling which confused her as she was sure she was alone in the parking lot. The young woman turned towards the noise, and her eyes widened when she saw the outlines of two figures rush her. She didn't have any time to react, being unable to brace herself immediately before being slammed into a car. In the heat of the moment, Olivia dropped her purse with her cell phone and her wallet in it.

"What are you—"

Olivia then felt something being pushed against her skull, and given what was transpiring, it wasn't hard to guess it to be a gun. "Please, I can give you money!" Her vision then went black, and an inhuman voice addressed her. She was at a loss for words as she listened to the instructions, her heart nearly about to burst through her chest. She wanted to push back and defend herself, get away from whoever these monsters were, but she feared for her life. Once she felt the cold, hard steel come in contact with her wrists, Olivia tensed up. She didn't struggle, but nonetheless they weren't gentle, forcing her arms together to handcuff her. The fact that she was practically blind and unable to see her attackers was really scaring her. "What do you want from me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Your soul, hahaha no just your life." Reaper chuckled he couldn't help but to threaten her soul with the demonic voice he was using. He had a sick twisted sense of dark humor, He had the men open the door and shove Olivia inside the car before getting two of them got in the vehicle with her in the back-seat, while the third man took a seat in the front passenger seat.

Reaper went to his apple maps on his phone, and put an address in. Siri’s robotic monotone voice was heard and began giving instructions. Reaper pulled off from the restaurant and began heading towards the location an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. “We don’t want your money bitch, we want you! If you follow my instructions you may end up being able to keep your life. Of course much of that depends on your father, and his willingness to comply with our demands. You know him best, what do you think matters more to your father his precious daughter or national security?” Reaper poised to her trying to drill into her that she was being taken because of her father & his position. He felt a rush as he sped through the streets in the car, having snatched the daughter of the head of the CIA.

"Oh, you're using me to get to him", she responded with a slightly bitter tone. She was still a little scared, but the initial shock was beginning to wear off. A couple of years ago, prior to her father's promotion to the position he was currently holding, Olivia, along with her mother, were instructed to watch a safety video. The content highlighted various topics such as what to expect being related to someone in her father's position. Thinking back, Olivia should have paid closer attention to the video, though it probably would not help change her current situation for the better. "I think he would do just about anything to get me back. Of course, that depends on the manner in which you're willing to conduct business..." she trailed off, wondering to herself the lengths her father would be willing to go to get her back. In a lot of instances, he tended to put his job ahead of a lot of things. "If you lay a damn finger on me, you and your goons are dead, and he'll make sure of that."

Reaper laughed at Olivia's commentary and at a red light reached back to slap her as hard as he could before getting back to driving. "Listen here BITCH, a LONG AS your still BREATHINg your in good enough condition for me to bargain with your father." Reaper growled after saying that wanting Olivia to know he was not going to treat her humanely if she irritated him or talked back. He didn't have to give her any sort of majestic treatment either, he wanted her father to know that she was suffering in order to truly motivate him to listen and give into his demands. Soon they arrived at the warehouse, and Reaper parked out back. The goons in the back opened the door and tugged/pulled at Olivia to bring her out the car and follow Reaper into the warehouse.

The slap stung, and she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming obscenities while struggling against her handcuffs. But instead of fighting a losing battle, Olivia took a few deep breaths and thought of something to say. "Look, I'm not saying my father will play fair, but he's been involved in enough hostage negotiations to know when he's going to lose." That last bit was a lie. Her father was never a cop nor a detective, but no one else knew that. "If you harm me and I'm barely breathing, he won't concede. Trust me, I want to get out of this alive...it's my life, not his."

She was then roughly pulled out of the vehicle, nearly losing her footing. "Wait, do you have my belongings? Please, just give me my sight back!"

Reaper rolled his eyes under his mask as she complained about her purse & phone. "Are you really worried about your damn stuff, yeah we have it." Reaper announced seeing that one of the guys actually had her stuff although. hewonderd why he even cared considering her situation.

Once they made it inside the warehouse, he decided the least. he could do was honor her last request. Focusing his power on her he caused the darkness to dissipate, as well as removing the distortion caused by his voice. Even with her sight restored the abandoned warehouse waw as dimly lit building. "By the way don't bother lying to me, I knowwhen your lying it's kind of me thing if you will. But if you don't believe me you can put me to the test if you want me to help you realize that I can know all your lies." Reaper announced as he went to sit down in a chair and took out his phone. Now the next step was to contact her father and let him know that he had Olivia.

Reaper had the three men standing around Olivia where she was now sitting. He picked up her cell phone and walked a few steps away from her. He went to her contacts and texted Olivia's father. We have your daughter, if you ever want to see her alive again, call now.

The young woman blinked a few times as her vision returned and the darkness surrounding her slowly dissipated. She wasn't surprised to see that those who had taken her were wearing masks in order to protect their identities. Olivia sighed, realizing the little bit of leverage she had was useless at that point. Out of all the Altered she could have encountered, it just so happened to be she was kidnapped by one able to read minds.
___

The text Jack received nearly paralyzed him, especially since the message was sent from his daughter's phone. With a shaky hand, Jack placed the phone call, bringing the device up to his ear as he waited for an answer. He simultaneously got up from his desk to close the window blinds of his office, wanting to have complete privacy as to what was about to occur.

Reaper had the three men standing around Olivia where she was now sitting. He picked up her cell phone and walked a few steps away from her. He went to her contacts and texted Olivia's father. We have your daughter, if you ever want to see her alive again, call now

A sly grin formed on Reaper's face underneath the mask as it dawned on Olivia that any lies to him were a fruitless antic. "Alright time to speak with dad and see how he feels about his wittle girl being gone." Reaper had mockingly used a baby voice tone to further antagonize her. He made a mhmm hmm sound of satisfaction as the face-time call he placed to Olivia's father went through. Sliding to the right the call was accepted, and after a few moments said connected. The call went through and Reaper flipped the camera phone to to be facing Olivia.

While two goons stood guard of Olivia, the third guard approached Olivia and pulled out a taser. Reaper gave him a nod and the third goon proceeded to use the taser on her, while Reaper held the phone still wanting her father to be able to see his men harming his daughter. "How do you like the view Mr. Damore? My name is Reaper you might have heard of me with your profession, although I'm sure your people are focused on finding that rather large woman Lori Martinez. I assure you that while I can't grow big and step on your daughter, i can do so many other horrible things to her like dousing her in gasoline and "dropping" a match, plucking her hair out with tweezers or even better her teeth, or maybe just slowly beat her to death among other things, all of which you can prevent if you co-operate." Reaper said the last part slow but steady anunincating his words to indicate he had no qualms with bringing serious harm to his daughter

Her body suddenly tensed to the point where she could not do anything but scream in pure agony in response to the pain spreading through her body. The feeling was truly indescribable, and her hands were unintentionally struggling and pulling against the handcuffs to the point where her wrists would be bruising later on that evening.
___

The video didn't seem real and Jack could only stare as his daughter was tased for what felt like an eternity by some asshole twice her size. However, he found his words relatively quickly.

"Alright, enough!" he barked, barely able to maintain his composure. "Tell me your demands and I'll do the best I can to make sure it gets done, just please don't hurt her."

Reaper's hands clapped at the screams of agony being emitted from Olivia. Hearing the pain & suffering from a regular human with ties the CIA was music to his ears. He had developed an intense hatred for anyone involved with and related to the government since they'd chosen to persecute his kind. "I'm glad you understand the gravity of the situation sir, most importantly I need to procure the location of the Tartarus Compound. From what I hear it's a secret underground prison facility for altered humans & the numbers of hostages you have has rising rapidly the past two months." With access to Tartarus he'd be have access to hundreds or more altered who were already suffering the worst fate at the hands of the America Government. "A cash stipend as well wouldn't hurt, I mean what's 200K for your daughters immediate release?"

A lump caught in his throat. The cash was not an issue, but the exact location of the Tartarus compound was something he did not have access to. Not because of a lack of security clearance, obviously, but he was not on the access list for the facility and thus he didn't know exactly where it was. That was handled by another branch altogether.

"I can get you the cash right away, you just need to send me the details so I can get that to you immediately. However, I need to speak to someone to find out the location of the facility as I don't know exactly where it is"

Reaper wished he could extend his power through visual chat but as well as that would be he required close physical proximity for his talents to take effect. Unlike Olivia it was very unlikely he'd be able to approach her father so easily. "As I said sir the cash is a welcome ADDED bonus, the icing if you will but Tartarus is the cake, and I much prefer the cake if i HAVE to pick." Reaper made a hand motion to the taser carrying goon.

The goon set the taser down and slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. He clenched his fist and after making sure the camera was focused on Olivia the goon threw four hard blows to Olivia’s chest. “Speak with them fast, lightning speed if you will, next up is boiling water or slowly cutting her fingers & toes off, I need the location of Tartarus right away otherwise I’ll be mailing your daughter to you in pieces.” Reaper spat back with venom, a sick twisted joy could be heard in his tone as he was taking pleasure In drawing out Olivia’s torture. It was a power trip to cause pain & agony to the daughter of a man in the same government that abused & violated the rights of altered humans with no regards for there well being.

An unknown amount of time passed by, but eventually, Olivia stopped screaming once the pain vanished. It was gone instantly, and she looked around scared before noticing a figure standing in front of her. Olivia looked up only to see the man’s fists coming down on her. The few blows he delivered were enough to knock Olivia off of the chair. She fell over with a loud thud, her chest heaving up and down as she was finding it hard to breathe. Unable to speak, Olivia lay there with tears rolling down her cheeks and a thousand yard stare expression on her face.
___

Jack gasped, seeing what was happening to his daughter. “I’ll get you what you need as soon as I possibly can, just please don’t hurt her anymore! I will start making my phone calls right away!"

"Hit her again!!!!!! In the face!" Reaper yelled as the goon was about to punch her in the face. "Stop" Reaper commanded the goon right before he punched her in the face with the brass knuckles. "I think you understand the seriousness of your daughters plight and hopefully for her sake you act in accordance. You have one hour to give me an update, hopefully you have the location by then, but I'm not an entirely unreasonable individual. However I'd be a shame for her if no progress has been made by update time. Talk to ya soon pops." Reaper hung up and put her phone in his pocket.

Reaper waltzed over to Olivia who was now sprawled out on the floor. He put the chair back up-right and motioned for the goons to help her up back into the chair. “Olivia I want you to know I’m many many things but a liar is not one of them….most of the time. If your father gives me what I want you will live and regain your freedom. However if he doesn’t, the taser and brass knuckles is just the warm up.” Reaper said In a sinister yet smooth tone.

Jack hung up the phone, slamming it down on his desk as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. He would have to find a way to give Reaper the location of the facility or else Olivia was as good as dead. Unless...

Being the head of the CIA had its perks. Jack phoned the San Francisco Police himself, speaking directly to the SWAT supervisor to let him know of his plan. Yes, just about anyone who had a gun was busy that evening, but this took precedence. While the team was being rounded up and debriefed, Jack contacted one of the analysts to pin down Olivia's cell phone's exact location. It didn't take long for the results to come back to some warehouses quite a ways from downtown. Jack video called the SWAT supervisor to give him the location of the warehouse. They discussed possible entry methods with the least risk possible to Olivia. As time went on, Jack was mindful of his deadline.
___

Her hair was a mess as it was matted to the sides of her face. The mascara and eyeliner she had put on earlier that evening was streaking down her cheeks. Her chest was on fire, and Olivia was breathing slowly in order to avoid worsening the pain she already felt. With her head down, anything she said was barely audible. "So are you really going to kill me if you don't get what you want?"

Reaper brushed at Olivia's hair while humming. It wasn't a violent action but it was one that was no doubt unwanted from the man who'd kidnapped her & had men harm her on his command. "If you want me to be brutally honest, then it's a 95% possibility I will murder you if he does not comply. Otherwise I risk my future threats not being taken as seriously, the remaining 5% is the small chance you have something else to offer in light of your father's failure that compensates for his lack of co-operation." Reaper answered plainly remaining honest as he told he was.

She recoiled as the man who had caused her so much pain in so little time began to play with her hair. The fact that she would never see the light of day sunk in, and Olivia started sobbing. "I-I don't know what to offer you! I don't have anything of value with me, no information..." She then stopped, looking up at him. "I know the password to my dad's work laptop. He keeps it in his study but if I can somehow get my hands on it, you'll be able to access a ton of files obviously not meant to be seen by anyone else." The sound of desperation was obvious in her voice as she clung to what little bit of hope she could.

One of the three goons left the open part of the warehouse they were in and returned with a wireless speaker. Reaper took out a third cell phone, & went to his notes clicking a saved mp3 audio recording. He pressed pause before the pre-made recording played & connected the phone to speaker via blue-tooth. He had the goon who fetched the speaker place it in the corner of the room they were in. He made no commentary about what the purpose of this tactic was and simply continued stroking Olivia’s hair for a little bit until stopping.

Reaper was giddy with twisted excitement at causing her to be uncomfortable, the feeling of having power over another person was addictive. Reaper rubbed his fingers together underneath his gloves while considering what she said. Unfiltered access to the computer owned by the CIA Director? That could prove to be invaluable "Well well well you are certainly full of surprises, that last ditch effort to preserve your life is amusing. Of course with the skill I have, I technically don't need to keep you alive anymore." Reaper said tapping his head jokingly to refer to his own talent. "I want you to know I am not evil, men like your father are evil, and unfortunately your collateral damage as a loved one of an evil man. If you were on my side Olivia you'd already be free, there is NO information, career or money I'd put ahead the life of any of my family or people, yet here we are still which likely means your father isn't planning on giving me what I want." Reaper added pointing out that while he was a violent extremist he valued the people he loved more then anything else unlike her dad.

"He's not giving you what you want but I am! Clearly like you said, my dear father isn't gonna do jack shit to save me. They know me at his job, I have Level 1 unrestricted access meaning I can come and go into his office as I please. Wouldn't you want someone like that on your side?"

Olivia was jumping through hoops to save herself, and she meant it when she said she'd be willing to betray her father to save herself. He'd just done the same to her. In fact, what he did was way worse, and she hated him for it.

"Hmmm perhaps you have a point after all." Reaper considered what Olivia was saying, of course fearing for her life was a powerful motive. Unlike her father she had relented giving up his secrets, and he'd clearly chosen the security of the nation & his career over that of his daughter's own well being. "Well then Olivia you've just saved your own life, welcome aboard to the revolution." Reaper clapped his hands together as he was now fully sold & on-board with utilizing Olivia as a vital tool for the war brewing against the Altered.

She finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief, looking around the warehouse. “Thank you, it’s much appreciated,” she added, never having been so honest in her life. The goons were still around, and Olivia didn’t know how she felt about them just yet. "So, uh...can you take off these handcuffs? They're starting to hurt quite a bit.”

Reaper debated on what she said internally before fishing the keys out his pocket. Without a moment's wait he unlocked the cuffs & released her.

Within thirty minutes it was on, SWAT had been dispatched to the warehouse. Luckily Reaper had the ability to detect them long before they had arrived at the door of the warehouse & adjusted accordingly. As the warehouse was two stories, he’d taken them to the top floor. As the first SWAT team burst in, the radio was playing a recorded message. “Everyone shoot yourself In the head, kill yourself you have NO reason to live, come on everybody let’s go, shoot yourself in the head if you not a hoe.” A recording of Reaper’s voice was playing.

His power was infused with the message, causing the SWAT agents who’d burst in to fall under his spell. The agents were stripped off there willpower and put their guns to their head. Within seconds gun-shots went off as the agents that had entered had all killed themselves. Up on the second floor Reaper had head-phones covering his ear, and had given head-phones to Olivia as well as the three goons on the second floor to prevent them from falling under the mind-controlled message on the speaker. The speaker was still replaying the same message over and over ready to trap any other agents who entered.

Firefly - Second 'Verse

OOC: collaborative post with @wanderingwolf

She was drinking alone, choosing to sit between two empty bar stools on either side of her. However, after her arrival, the spot to her immediate right was occupied by her medium-sized bag. Alana figured it was one less option for anyone looking to sit next to her to strike up a conversation. Shortly after gulping down the last of her drink, Alana waived at the bartender, trying to catch his attention. Seemingly busy, the man held up a finger to let her know he'd be with her momentarily. But the wait wasn't all that long. As he turned around, Alana mouthed the words "another one" as she tapped the rim of her now empty glass. Happy to oblige, the bartender smiled and nodded at her, and Alana returned the smile. Shen then leaned forward, resting her forearms on the bar top as she waited.

Down the bar, a man in a duster and a Montana fold had been quietly downing shots as fast as the barkeep could fill them. Now, another man, clearly drunk, approached him. After a tap on the shoulder and a drunken-hush, the newcomer grabbed the fellow’s collar and reeled back his fist.

The first punch caught Cal off guard, head turned to sip the latest shot glass of whiskey. The man’s poor aim hit Captain Strand square on the right ear, sending the shot flying toward the barkeep and his shelves of liquor. Having trouble keeping balance, the aggressor leaned into Cal to steady himself before mounting a sluggish second attack. In response, Strand shoved the man toppling into a table and chairs. Meanwhile, the nonplussed Captain turned back to the bar, fingers curled around the next shot and down the hatch.

Scrambling to his feet, the drunk let out a cry and rushed Strand who answered the man’s show with a swift strike to the throat. The man collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Cal stooped to pick up his hat, batting it against his knee, “Now, was that really necessary?” he asked the suffocating man. The barkeep flashed Cal a scowl when he looked to him for support. “What? He started it!”

Some tussling not all that far from her perked her right up. Alana turned her head, wary of the brawling duo with one of them who looked to be a little too drunk past his limit. She placed a hand on her bag, but didn’t necessarily pull it closer to her. Instead, she watched as the man who had been a few spots down from her ended the fight before any more damage could be inflicted. Looking around momentarily, Alana noticed the remaining patrons minding their own business once more. It was then she decided to hop off the stool and offer some help, approaching the two.

“Excuse me, mind if I take a look?”

She didn’t so much ask as she slightly shoved the man kneeling over the downed drunk. Alana placed her bag beside her and directed her attention to her new patient, looking him over once before taking action. “Hold still, I’m going to help you, alright?” With one hand firmly placed on his forehead and the other under his chin, Alana tilted his head back to allow his airway to open. It was at that time the man grasped her wrist with a rather tight grip, a sudden look of desperation on his face before it melted away moments later as his breathing slowly evened out. “There you go, just try to relax. Come on, just take it easy now.”

Once he was stable, Alana asked the other stranger to open the main compartment of her bag. Mid sentence, however, her hands were swatted away from the drunk's face. She then watched as he struggled to get to his feet, knocking down the only upright chair in the process but eventually managing to stand.

“Well, guess I’m done here. You alright, by the way?"

Cal watched as a concerned citizen made it her business to administer to the drunk, pushing him aside in the process. Next, as she laid hands ‘round the man’s neck, Cal figured she just wanted the pleasure of finishing him herself. “Listen, think I already gave him a dose of his own medicine--” he began, then the drunkard’s neck straightened out and he started breathing again.

Ah, she was a doctor then, whose bossy demeanor was cemented with her instruction for him to open her bag. A fine spectacle it was, her kneeling over a guy who smelled like he’d bathed in the bottle, giving orders and whatnot. Then the fella rose, or tried to at least, and stood eye to eye with them.

Captain Strand stood, too, fixing the man with a placating smile. Hard as it was to read the eyes of a man who could barely stand upright, the drunk made his feelings clear from the string of curses and middle finger waving that he wanted nothing to do with either of them. He meandered away, coughing and sucking air off and on.

By the time the doc turned her attentions on Cal, the line of blood from the blow to his right ear had made it’s winding way down his chin. From the amount he’d imbibed, Strand still felt like a million bucks, what with the adrenaline coursing. Turning to the woman, he pushed the brim of his hat back so he could see her better.

Young as she was, it struck him strange to find her here in this seedy bar off the beaten path; the sort of place you go when you want to crawl up into a bottle. Lady weren’t bad looking neither, something captivating about her face made all the more prominent by her brows. Especially the way they were furrowing at him now as he was staring a bit too long.

“I’m right as the mail. So you’re a doctor, huh?”

Her eyes had tracked the drunkard until he was quite a ways from them. Before slinging her bag over her shoulder, the young woman pulled out a dissolvable disinfectant wipe, figuring she then would pay for her drinks and leave a tip for the bartender for his troubles, not that she was responsible for any of it. With a slight head shake, she turned to the stranger, noticing he was staring after a few moments of silence between them two.

"Close. More like a medic..." she trailed off, suddenly pulled to the blood dripping from the man's ear down to his chin. Maybe it was the couple of drinks she'd had, but that sight was not one she was expecting, and it showed on her face. "Quick, you need to sit down!" Even though he towered over her, Alana guided him back onto a stool. She placed her hands on his upper arms and walked him backwards until he was off his feet. Nothing life-threatening was occurring, but ear damage often resulted in a loss of balance. Would she be able to catch him if he were to suddenly go down? Most certainly not. In fact, she was surprised he'd been fine up to that point. She smiled at him despite the circumstances. "Sorry, but you're bleeding."

Instead of waiting for a response, Alana gently forced his head to the side to examine him. She couldn't tell how deep the damage was, but the fact that he hadn't gone down was a good sign. "Is it okay if I clean you up? I'm gonna also give you some antibiotic ear drops and a painkiller. You ain't too bright in the head if you continue drinking tonight though..." Alana set her bag on the adjacent barstool, one hand on his chest in case he slumped forward.

“Really--” his protestations were waived away by the woman as she guided him into the one seat the drunk hadn’t upended. Then, as she swiveled his neck fro, his own finger traced the warm line coming from his ear. The sticky sensation between thumb and forefinger explained the look in her eye.

“Oh, it’s nothin’ really. Lucky húndàn clipped me is all.” He attempted to stand, but the woman’s hand on his chest urged him to reconsider. “Wow, full service aren’t we? I imagine you don’t get told no often,” he continued, “and you’d be drinking too if you had the day I’m having.” Maybe it was the alcohol, but Cal forged ahead, “Can’t rightly say no to being shook down when the only way off this rock and to keep the China Doll from rot is to take a deal with Badger.” He waved a hand over the woman’s shoulder at the bartender for two more shots, but the man simply huffed, ignoring Strand, and turned to cleanup the mess he’d made.

“And there ain’t enough crew to keep her in working order. I may look like a hot shot, honey, but even I can’t sail the whole ship myself. Hell, no mechanic, no pilot, and no… Say,” A thought began forming as his dazed vision began to focus on Alana in earnest.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't ya tough guy?" Alana added with a bit of a smirk, reaching for a pair of gloves and some gauze. "You know I'm a transient myself, haven't been here all that long, but even I've heard of that Badger guy. It's safe to say that at this point, a bleeding ear is the least of your worries."

A moment later, Alana was wiping his face clean. She noticed some blood spots on his clothes, but there was nothing she could do about that. Tossing the bloodied wipe aside, Alana then gently angled his head in order to administer the ear drops. "Hold still for me," she added, standing closer to him than she normally would. But she was a couple drinks deep into the evening and her inhibitions weren't all there. After a few moments, once she allowed enough time for the liquid to filter down, Alana tapped him on the shoulder. "You're good to go! But sorry, what were you gonna say?" she turned away from him in order to tidy up and put everything back in its place.

“Transient?” he asked, between being turned this way and that, dabbed here and there, and finally dripped in the ear, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight. As she leaned in, he thought she smelled like coconut and alcohol, but that could have been the shots finally hitting his blood in earnest.

“I was just thinking,” he said, eyeing the ‘medic’ who had revived the man he’d docked, and treated him besides, “you look to have a knack, and I seem to have a need.” He rubbed the back of his neck, picking up his hat. “Who knows when something like this is liable to happen again--tends to crop up on days that end with ‘y.’” He cleared his throat. “The China Doll’s headed for New Melbourne on a job or two. Got need of someone with your touch, and the pay’s decent. If’n you’re looking to travel a bit, that is, given your transient ways.” The Captain was on his feet, rubbing at the ear she’d been tugging on.

"Hm, as compelling as that sounds," she led him on, waving the bartender down in order to make her payment, "how can I say no?" With a small laugh, the young woman turned to complete the transaction. A few moments later, she turned back to the man and held out a hand in order to introduce herself, which at that point was overdue. "Name's Alana, though oftentimes they refer to me as doc, whatever floats your boat. What about you, Captain?"

“Cal Strand,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Welcome to the China Doll.” He glanced through the window at the fading light, Badger’s time a-calling. “You’ll find her in slip eight down by the docks. Feel free to settle in; should be a redhead there what’s holding down the fort. She’s got info for you on the standard pay for the work we do, dohn mah?” Settling his Montana fold around his ears, Strand added, “Got some more business to take care of ‘fore I meet you there. Oh, and you’ll find the infirmary ‘mostly’ stocked,” he gave an iffy gesture. “Last doc took most of it with ‘em on the way out.”

As the medic wound her way back to the China Doll, Cal thought to himself, Hell, I oughta insult drunks to their faces more often.

The Haunted House [18+]

The only immediate response from the girl was a side glance followed by an eye roll. "We'll go in first, sure, gotta make sure y'all don't wet your pants." Not waiting for a response, Mikaela grabbed Adele by the wrist and pulled her along with her. In turn, Adele started to protest but realized that she was going in whether she wanted to or not. Despite the boys blocking the way, Mikaela carelessly pushed through them to stand in front of the door, however when she tried to turn the knob, nothing happened.

The Haunted House [18+]

A sudden gust of wind made Mikaela shiver. She pulled the jacket tighter around herself, not at all happy with the current weather. Since she was mildly anemic, one of the lovely side effects was feeling colder than most, as was the case now.

Running low on patience from hearing their nonsense, the girl pushed past the talking pair to step closer to the dump house. It was actually impressive how shitty it looked, almost as if it were made for a movie. "Are we gonna go in or what?" she added, looking over the structure. It looked dark inside, but given it was morning time, they shouldn't have a problem with lighting, especially since they had phones with flashlights.

Firefly - Second 'Verse

Alana Lysanger

NAME|
Alana Lysanger

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE|
The young woman is a 28 year old female, standing at approximately 5 feet, 4 inches in height. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, normal features that got unnoticed were it not for her prominent eyebrows. Alana has the occasional scar acquired throughout the years but she is blemish-free. She does, however, have a tattoo of a sunflower on the back of her right shoulder.

Fashion wise, Alana dresses for comfort a little more so than for looks. She is practical but that doesn't mean her choice in clothing is poor.

SKILL SET, MANNERISMS|
A bit of a recluse and distant. Alana is not all that much for conversation unless actively busy in the performance of her duties. Nonetheless, she's friendly and welcoming, typically not one to turn away from a conversation when engaged. Despite her past, Alana is able to work well under pressure, having saved quite a few lives in the past. During stressful situations, she'll push aside any form of emotion or feelings. She's honest about who she is, as well as the work she does, and considers herself to be a realist rather than an optimist.

CHARACTER BACKSTORY|
Born and raised in a moderately stable home to Zak and Dev Lysanger, Alana had a happy life during her childhood years. Her older brother of 5 years her senior, Tyson Lysanger, was quite the trouble-maker, though she still loved him regardless. She looked up to him, and even though they went at each other's throats every now and then, the two grew fond of each other with time, shifting from sibling rivalry to a bond that would make them nearly inseparable despite whatever challenges were thrown their way.

Growing up, the siblings were raised with the right values and teachings that shaped them into the adults they would eventually become, or at least, that was the case for Alana. When Tyson was of age, he went to war. The family as a whole was not happy about the decision, but they were well aware of the fact that it was not up to them. Time went on for the remaining Lysangers, going on about their business as usual. One random day out of the blue, Tyson showed up home without any sort of prior notification. Not that they were unhappy to see him, they just weren't expecting him. But once the initial surprise subsided, Zak, Dev, and Alana noticed that something wasn't right. Tyson was different, the person there with them not the Tyson they knew before his deployment. That odd feeling lasted for a few days before the unthinkable happened. As the family was having a quiet supper, Tyson, without so much as a warning, pulled a small weapon from his waistband and subsequently proceeded to shoot his father in the head followed by his mother. Alana sat frozen and wide-eyed, having just witnessed her parents' murder carried out by her older brother. He aimed the gun at her, but he didn't pull the trigger even though his finger was resting on it. Instead, a single tear escaped his left eye before placing the tip of the gun against the side of his head and shooting himself dead.

Needless to say, Alana's traumatic experience led her to experience a level of grief not quite known to her before. She developed depression as a result, and even went through a phase of constant criminal activity. But after all was said and done, Alana knew she had to move on with her life. Given she couldn't do anything to save her family's life on that god awful evening, Alana decided she'd join the medical field, a profession which she'd considered in the past. Still somewhat numb from her trauma, Alana up and left home once she had her career in order, deciding that new adventures would do her some good.

She's currently transitioning between employments, taking the occasional job here and there but nothing solid.

Land of The Giants

It’s been my experience in the past that waiting, for the most part, kills interest. I vote on moving on while allowing players to create multiple characters if they wish to do so.

Land of The Giants

Madeline Crowe

Character Name: Madeline Crowe

Age: 28

Role: Attendant 1

Personality: A young woman who’s had a rather complicated past. Madeline didn’t exactly have a role model growing up, and as a result, she was quite the troublemaker from a young age, regularly getting into trouble with the law which didn’t help her situation for the better. Madeline is honest to a fault, only lying occasionally whenever she benefits from it. Though she’s not typically an aggressive person, whenever she’s in the heat of the moment, her judgment may fail her, sometimes leading her to make regrettable decisions.

Skills: Having prior medic experience, Madeline is knowledgeable enough to treat serious injuries on the spot. She has a hard time feeling an emotional connection to people and thus every decision made when she’s caring for someone is based on prior experience and probability, not on emotion, oddly enough making her a good fit for the job.

Items: In a bag separate from her clothes and other personal items, Madeline has an assortment of items to include her first aid kit, a number of magazines and puzzle books for entertainment, water, and a few snacks. Madeline also carries a small switchblade on her person solely for her own protection.

The Haunted House [18+]

M. Dean

Name: Mikaela Dean

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Role: The forgetful one

Reason for detention: Didn’t turn in her assignment yet again because she “forgot”.

Personality: Mikaela has the typical “couldn’t care less” attitude. She often views a lot of people as an inconvenience rather than as human beings. She has no patience for anything and runs on a short fuse, often acting out when she feels she’s being messed with or manipulated. Her one soft spot is animals. In the yard, Mikaela has a number of rescues she takes care of on a regular basis. She even talks to them when she feels like opening up, knowing that they won’t go ahead and share her secrets. She has one close friend and doesn’t really hang out with anyone else as quite often she’s seen hanging out by herself.

Fears: The dark

Extra: Lives with foster parents