Indignation

[Anna Lux]

Meeda almost cringed as more Institute thugs came towards the alley. Apparently they had noticed their companion stopping to look in and then not continuing on after a moment. Now she was diffinately going to fight... But how many of them could she beat? Meeda had never thought of herself as strong... The one who had originally found her took a step forward and she heard a sharp cry from Serris as the falcon took off, and a moment later dove at the man's head. He cried out and fired off a shot, missing Meeda by inches as he dropped his gun, swipping at the attacking raptor. There was no time to watch the interesting scene in front of her though. That shot may have killed her without even touching her. More Institute members started towards her. Three that were in the group when Serris attacked ran at her. The first, like an idiot, dove straight at her. Stepping to the side she watched him go sprawling onto the ground. Even as she did this she cringed at her slip-up, thinking about the mistake even as she felt someone grab at her, pulling her arms back. She gave a little shout and consentrated. The man cried out in agony as she pulled the water from his body, and he shriveled up quickly into a mear shell. The quick drain left her stumbling for a moment, but she forced herself to turn to face them. She saw the first man rolling on the ground now, clutching at where his eyes should have been, blood leaking quickly through his fingers. Serris was now going at another of the men, but more where coming with every second, and she heard the man that had been on the ground behind her getting up. Turning a little she put her back against the wall, she could see where any attack could come from. For all the good it would do her...  

[XSenkoX]

"Y-yes...se-searching...part-partner... t-taken during t-the ra-raid..."

Tripp hashed out words, holding some bizarre hope that the other man was at least able to follow what he was saying. It tended to happen that when he was talking to people who were not Radé, they couldn't always follow his train of thought. Hell, half the time he couldn't follow his train of thought. Tripp noticed that the other was watching him carefully, apparently at least half-expecting a weapon-grab. Tripp moved slowly and removed his gun and holster, tossing them in his chair across the room. While he wasn't anywhere near disarmed, the removal of visible weapons tended to help people feel more at ease.

Tripp moved over to his computer and tapped a few commands out without jacking into the system, pulling up a few pictures of Radé and her file. One was the infamous picture that had been used to identify them as mercs. by the Institute and buy out their services however long ago. Tripp hadn't had a good sense of time ever, and it had only gotten worse recently.

Dealing with amnesia isn't any fun to start with. Starting to make progress against it, losing that progress and discovering that you're missing more time than you were before... well, it hadn't left him in a good place. That much was certain. The fact that he hadn't brutally murdered Jay in the chopper crashes just for good measure was more than a little astonishing.

He shook his head to clear it, looking back to the files and gesturing at the screen, "R-Radé... my p-partner... o-old f-file... no n-new on th-their serv-server... m-must have an-another... sep-separate... n-no access..."

 

[skullvampire]

Jay looked at the picture on the computer monitor and thought she was pretty cute. He then would speak, " Hey I kinda can find her just by a picture I have to have something that I could be able to get her scent from in order to find her for you. Also you know my name big man but whats yours?" He continued to look at the monitor reading the file that was by the picture. " If you want me to find this girl I will but this is the only time it won't be for money because you saved me from those institute goons. Its the least I can do." He began to wait and see what this large man could muster in order of speaking.  

[XSenkoX]

"We can't just leave her?" Radé blinked, clearly trying to sort out a good reason why they couldn't. There had always been three good reasons not to leave someone behind, they were family, they were a partner, they hadn't paid you yet. This girl was none of the above. "Why can't we just..." Radé paused, rubbing her face with her hand, wry grin showing that her thoughts had finally balanced themselves out.

"Yeah, sorry. Old habits die hard." The wry grin was still plastered to her face as she pulled her sword free and let it fall point-first to the ground. "My suggestion is just to bust 'em up. It's easiest... Maybe I won't even have to change. There aren't enough to make me have to do that..." Radé shifted slightly, leaning on her sword as she looked up at Alice, "If you wanna hang back, that's fine, probably better for avoiding friendly fire."

Radé's grin shifted suddenly from wry to one that would be recognisable from her past. Cold and ready to kill people. Even her brother had commented on how creepy it was that she just shifted like that, no mid-ground or anything.

Without another word, Radé rushed across the open ground to the Altered that was being mobbed. As she grew closer, Radé realized the true close-quarters problem the alley would cause; no real room for her blade. s**t. Too late to stop...plan B, I guess...

Plan B, always there in case, but definitely not her favourite tactic. Radé jumped as high as she could in this form, still an impressive height but there had been better acrobats, launching her sword down at the ground (and any Institute goon that wasn't fast enough). The only problem with throwing the massive blade being it liked to knock her trajectory off, making landing a little difficult without hurting or being off balance badly. The sword smashed into the ground at about the same time Radé hit the ground in a low crouch. Her entrance had been suitably dramatic enough to pull attention away from the girl pinned at the wall.

"Your turn"

 

[XSenkoX]

"m-my name...? Tripp..." Tripp stood, looking Jay over quickly again, just out of reflex. No one really asked for his name... It was unusual.

Another shake of his head to clear it brought Tripp back to the idea of finding Radé. He turned and started towards the hall that led deeper into the flat, waving for Jay to follow him. "H-her ro-room... ran-ransacked... I-I... p-put it back to-together... M-might be som-something."

Tripp opened a door off of the hallway and led Jay into the room. Compared to the rest of the flat, Radé's old room was in perfect condition. It was pretty clear that Tripp had spent a lot of time making sure that it stayed clean and orderly in her room, just like she had normally kept it. There were a few flashes of humanity in Tripp that proved his loyalty to her was more than just necessity, and this was one of them. The drug-riddled cyborg had managed to keep himself clean long enough to fix the walls the Institute had destroyed and all sorts of other things.

"Be c-careful... her th-things..."

 

[skullvampire]

Jay began to walk around the room sniffing the air and sniffing other things and putting them back in their places. He soon found something he could get a well enough scent that he could get a trail. " I'v got it, lets get moving." Jay began to walk out the door but stopped and looked waiting for Tripp to follow. " Hey tin head lets get movin or we will lose your friend." He moved over to Tripp and pulled on the mechanical man and pulled him into the hallway. " Ok ok how about I just bring her to you how does that sound? Because you will probably just slow me down there big man." He looked at Tripp and began to wait for him to speak or make any movement to see if he could just go or get him to move.  

[Anna Lux]

Meeda almost jumped out of her skin as a strange woman came sailing out of the sky, following a sword that blew apart several of the Institute members. She found herself uncertain of what to do. Serris left her third man on the ground without eyes and flew to Meeda, perching unsteadily on her shoulder. Most of the Institute members were now focused on the new girl. Taking a deep breath she tied her hair in a knot to keep it out of her eyes and looked at the alley again. It was re-filling. Someone must have contacted the Institute base to send troops. She wasn't going back there. Not again. Raising one hand she drew water from the air, shaping them into icicles, long and sharp, before sending them flying at the gathering Institute thugs. There were screams as several were impaled throughout their bodies, some losing arms and legs. Some simply ending up with a hole in their torsos. Meeda didn't smile, she grimased. Killing wasn't her strong point. It was not something she enjoyed. As it was said back at the base, she was "a lover, not a fighter". A healer in literal terms. Not a killer. One man pulled back, seemingly the highest official in the group.
"Form lines, organize yourselves!" He shouted. Something about his seemed off. Tougher or smarter then the others, maybe both. He didn't seem afraid, but neither did he come across as overconfident... He stared at the two of them coldly. Waiting for the next move as his soldiers organized themselves, moving out the dead or dying or wounded.  

[XSenkoX]

Tripp turned sharply when Jay touched him and though he didn't react visibly, the sound of metal sliding from it's sheath could be heard. That was the only reaction, though, and not intentional. Tripp was unused to strangers touching him, so naturally, he had reacted in an almost violent fashion. He was back under control in no time, literal and metaphorical claws away. Gesturing for Jay to wait for a moment, Tripp ducked back inside and grabbed his trench-coat and gun, putting them on as he walked back out.

"S-she d-doesn't know y-you... b-bad for y-your he-health."

Tripp gestured for Jay to lead on, the lanky cyborg standing at ease in the corridor after making sure his door was secured. He shifted slightly, the vials of pain-killers chattering quietly as they rubbed against each other.

 

[skullvampire]

" Tripp I hope you can keep up with me." Jay soon vanished in a blur of speed. His feet carrieing him as fast they can. He sniffed the air every now and then trying to make sure he can keep the girls scent. Jay would continue to take turns and more turns, he saw multiple institute soldiers he quickly ran up a building and stopped waiting to see if he could find a better way to find the women. He also wanted to wait for Tripp.  

[XSenkoX]

Tripp soon appeared at Jay's side without so much as a breath to betray his arrival. The cyborg had returned to stony silence in the time it took him to catch up with the other, his look no longer drifting away from the other's eyes.

Tripp walked to the edge of the building and scanned the Institute goons on the ground. He shrugged slightly and looked at Jay. He didn't speak, but his body language hadn't changed any from the lax pose he had had since leaving. If anything, his cold metal eyes were more intense than they had been before. Tripp wasn't worried about the people below them, if anything, he was fairly certain that they would fall easily if that was what was necessary. He flexed the muscles in his hands and slipped the hand-blades out of their sheaths. Maybe it was necessary...

A cold grin began spreading across his gaunt features.

 

[skullvampire]

Jay sniffed the air and could smell Tripps friend more easily and she wasn't far. " Follow me." He ran to the left and lept acrossed the street and then from the building he landed on jumped to the next one. Jay looked down into the alley way and saw a girl and another girl runnning to help. He saw the institute and a strong altered that would walk from its crowd. Jay let out a demonic roar and then lept into the alley. He would stand between the institute and the girls, " Run I will handle these goons." Jay would remove his black trench coat to reveal his strong upper body, he grasped the large black sword thats sheathed on his back. " Hey you institute punks how about you pick on someone your own size." He smiled at his own words and at him being cocky. Jay stabbed the large sword into the building beside him as if making a line. The sword would spread out to the roof and stretch out to the other part of the alley and block the way for the institute. " You guys have to deal with me now."  

[XSenkoX]

Tripp watched Jay do some spectacular jumps off the buildings and just shook his head. He wasn't really impressed by the show. Tripp knew that he couldn't make a lot of those acts, so he simply walked to the edge of the building and looked down, deciding that his compensators would survive the fall and thus, so would he. With that thought, Tripp leapt from the top of the building, hitting the ground hard. No bones broke mainly due to the fact that they were all reinforced with metal and shock compensators. He did feel the force of the fall, though, and had to wait a moment for his systems to reset. Once that was done he rushed after Jay, hitting the same alley in no time at all.

He stopped in his tracks as he saw Radé in the alley. There was a moment where he thought he was tripping again, but shook that quickly. Now wasn't the right time. And Jay had led him to someone that at least smelled like her, so it wasn't a complete lie, if anything. The cyborg turned to the Institute men, eyes flitting over the one that had stepped forward. A file appeared, reading off information about Lance. Tripp vaguely remembered their initial confrontation... he growled and walked over to the others, eyes not leaving the opponents, no matter how much he wanted to make sure Radé was really Radé.

Radé slid into a better standing position when the newcomer imposed himself between the girls and the Institute. And while Radé had been staring down Lance, too. What a fool. She was about to snap something when more movement caught her eye and she looked over to see a familiar figure approaching. The tall, black-clad man with anorexic looks seemed in as much disbelief as she was. "Tripp..." She whispered, barely able to stop herself from becoming a mass of emotion, "You're not dead..."

With renewed vigour, Radé turned to the Institute goons and the boy that was between her and them. "I'm not backing down, thanks. These guys are in a lot of trouble already... though I'm sure that we'll take some help in kicking their collective asses." She laughed menacingly as she walked over to her blade and pulled it from the ground easily. The runes flashed brightly for a instant, then stopped as Radé focused on not changing right now. Not enough room, too many friendlies.

"So how about it, guys... let's show the Institute scum what a small handful of Rebels can do to a fully trained military force."

 

[Anna Lux]

Meeda was almost in shock. Other Altered ((Obviously she doesn't know that Jay is a demon instead of Altered.)) started to appear, practically out of nowhere. First there was just the one woman, followed quickly by another, then a strange and rather cocky man, and next some guy who looked like he would fall over if so much as a breeze blew through the alley. Serris flapped her wings nervously and let out a high pitched shriek at the entire situation before taking to the air and circling above them, looking for an opening to attack any of the Institute men. As all this went on and the Institute started to organize itself someone new walked into it all. Meeda looked at him, getting more uncertain of the situation. Something seemed strange about this guy. He was Altered, she could tell when a person was or wasn't human... Obviously he held himself in high reguard, telling them to give up or be killed. The man that had started to take charge of the soldiers looked at the Altered man in annoyance.
"Just who do you think you are giving me orders?" He stated more then asked as he turned around. He would have said more, but then he noticed who he was talking to and backed off, falling into line with the rest of the men, awaiting the order to charge. There didn't seem to be to much worry about the Altered they were against. What could five puny Altered do against all of them? Meeda sucked in a breath as the girl that had first appeared anounced that they were rebels as well. What were the chances of them all being in the same area as her just when she needed them? At that moment Serris let out another shriek and dove at a man in the back of the ranks. Apparently he was most vulnerable. The others around him moved away, letting him roll around on the ground and pull the falcon off on his face on his own.