Part One:
>>47924 ------------
[-y-] Keep on driving. You're just being paranoid.
It was a 2/2/2 vote. I picked the two that didn't send all the bear in the city on your tail, and flipped a coin. Never mind, someone voted. I was too far along to change it, but I'm glad it settled itself. ------------
You shouldn't react so rashly to this car. Granted, you are
quite certain that it is following you. However, you are on a major highway circling a large city. The chance that you might see two of the same cars behind you is larger than zero.
Instead, you decide to try to play things safely. Turning away from you introspection of the vehicle in your mirror, you start looking at the road signs to see how far it is to the next exit. "…Alright, that seems like it's the best way out of here…"
Minoriko frowns a bit as she tries to lean forward and check the car herself. "So, we're going to keep driving? I have the feeling that we can't exactly get away as it is."
"No, we can't. She's a good truck, but Lisa is not built for doing such things. Even if we dumped the trailer, with Letty along with it, we probably couldn't get away."
"Pity." She snorts a bit as she continues to try and look. "So, instead, we are changing our route? They've already spotted us; I don't think that it's going to help very much."
"I doubt it will. However, I'd rather at least put some room between us and the high population areas. I'd rather have as little trouble going on in case we
have to do anything at all."
She idly nods as she continues looking about. "…Are you asking me to stop it once we are out of sight of people then? I believe that I can accomplish such a thing, although it would take a great deal of power to try and stop whoever it is."
"I might ask you to do that. I don't suppose that you can do anything like that fairy did? Or are you just going to throw potatoes at them until they finally stop following?"
Minoriko snorts and doesn't respond for a few minutes as you finally turn off the main roadway. As you glance behind, you notice that the car does eventually appear in your mirror, even though it does take it quite a while to chug down the ramp. "…Hardly. Although, doing so would weaken me greatly. There's only so much that I can do with this believe." Seconds later, she continues somewhat reluctantly. "…However, I could perform that brand of magic. It would not do anything permanent, although it would leave our pursuer quite bruised."
Personally, you'd much rather them be incapacitated. If you manage to have them set someone onto your tail… Well, you would rather not say. "I'd rather not kill them, if that's what you mean. We have enough troubles going on as it is."
"…I do not aim to kill. What do you think I am?" At your snort, she just shakes her head. "That is a problem, isn't it?"
"We don't have time for this now." You turn left and start heading northeast, going away from the city as quickly as you can. "There's no guarantee that this will throw them off our trail. We
are just on a state highway. We'll be crossing under the interstate soon. That was our original destination anyways. But we're not going that way yet."
She purses her lips, but she doesn't say anything against you. "Very well. It seems like we're just stuck waiting and seeing what this man wants to do, doesn't it?"
"Indeed." You fall silent as you continue to roll along the road, slowly making your way through the afternoon traffic. Nothing spectacular seems to be occurring, and instead you wait to see if the vehicle that has been shadowing you the entire time fades away and onto the off ramp. As you drive by the exit, and your tail follows you thirty seconds later, your mouth thins. "Suspicious enough, it seems. Still can't be completely sure, but it seems like we've a tail on our rear."
The girl that is yet awake sighs a bit, as if she expected nothing left. How unfortunate. If I didn't know better, I'd think that the one poor goddess was accompanying us as well. However, as that does not seem to be the case…" Reaching up with one hand, she gives the one laying on her shoulder one
good shake. "Wake up, sister. Seems like we've already been found."
"I know. I had planned to wait it out." Shizuha immediately pulls herself straight, not bothering to wipe the sleep from her eyes or even yawn. It is somewhat unsettling how quickly the switch had been flipped. "You two are not exactly the quietest of conversationalists, after all."
A smudge or red tinges your ears at the slight rebuke, but now's not the time for dithering. "Well, that makes the job easier for the two of us. Go ahead and wake up Rengeteki, Shizuha. I'd rather not have her barely awake and wondering what's going on if something
does happen." Well, it would also be nice to have Miss Laser Beam up and ready to shoot at somebody that is not you."
The elder sister nods and begins to shake awake the little girl as you turn your attention back to the road in front of you. Now that you are past the outside boundaries of the city, you notice to your satisfaction that many of the vestiges of civilization fade away into the woodwork. Where once were houses and shopping centers are now farmlands and the occasional gas station. Nearly ten minutes later, you find one that is appropriately deserted and pull off. "Well, let's take care of this now. If they aren't following us, they'll drive on by. Even though I doubt that would be the case at all."
"Are… are these the ones that took your…" The small voice of the fairy trails off as you glance at her. "I mean… Is this another man who tried to take me away?"
"No idea. However, I can't think of who would be following us, at least at this juncture." A bit of uncertainty creeps into you voice as you think of a few you've angered over the years. It's not as if you've not your own share of enemies that you've made. "Well, like I said, we'll see soon enough."
The trailer barely manages to squeeze under the crumbling roof of the station you've picked as your stop. It certainly has seen better days, especially as the price for regular on the ancient sign is under a dollar and fifty. There's no one that'd be around here, as anything of value would have been picked clean if the owners simply didn't take it when they left. Angled around the far side so that you can pull straight out and into the road, you barely have to turn your head to look back down as the car approaches.
A curse passes your lips as he slows down and turns into the lot. Seems that your paranoia wasn't for nothing after all. "Great. …You two stay here for now. I'll see what the man wants." A thought comes to mind and you turn to look between the two. "…Minoriko? That gun behind the seat is yours if anyone asks."
"…Ok? Why bother mentioning it?" The girl looks on in confusion as you shake your head and open the door. You slide down onto the broken concrete before walking towards the car. A few seconds later, you hear the opposite door open up, which make you curse under your breath once more.
You have to put them out of mind as a familiar man in a black suit steps on out of the car. Glancing inside the front window of his vehicle, you see that he is alone. That, and the lack of a gun being drawn and pointed at your head encourage you enough to speak first. "So, mind telling me why you've been following us? I'm pretty sure that is getting too close to stalking for a judge to find favorable."
"An interesting accusation coming from you, Mr. Stevens. I doubt there are many judges that would find much favorable with you." The man adjusts his glasses a little before folding his hands together in front of him. "However, I did say we would be in touch. This is merely a bit sooner than we expected."
"…I imagine." Well, they are certainly as forthcoming as the last time. "So, what makes you approach me so soon, then? It isn't as if I have been causing any trouble."
The man shakes his head, his expression never changing one bit. "It is your very actions that caused our renewed interest. After all, you left your home in such a hurry that we couldn't help but to take notice. You, and your friends, are persons of interest. We can hardly turn a blind eye, even if you merely have
yet to cause any damage on a scale that some of the others. Or have you not paid attention to the news in the past few days."
"It would be hard to miss it. Although, I can't bother to stomach watching it for hours on end. How many times can you listen to the same thing said a couple of dozen times over with only the barest change in the actual information being provided."
"Very well. At least you are aware of it. It is hardly my job to make you aware of some of the tragedies that have taken place already. However, the damage is not widespread yet, and will not become any greater, so long as we contain it appropriately."
"So you are the ones involved with that. I had wondered…" Grumbling, you shove your hands in your pockets and look at the ground. "How did you manage to find us so quickly then? It's not like we stand out that much. Or did another concerned neighbor tip you off?"
The man shakes his head and begins to circle around you, his feet nearly soundless on the concrete. "Not this time. You gave yourself away with your phone call to try and locate your parents. You then gave specific directions that you were headed to this city." After a moment, he deices to clarify. "Lexington, not Paris."
Well, perhaps it was a little dumb to come up this direction. However, you would have thought that anyone that was following you would have moved on from a stakeout, especially if there were other things that were slightly more important. "Then why wait? If it was obvious that I wasn't showing up, you should have moved on."
"We were able to track the passive transmissions made by your phone. It was easy enough to see that you were deviating from your declared path. It is on file that you are a quite the professional liar, so we didn't take your words at face value. Besides, you performed a similar trick back in Sacramento."
Now
that was a long time ago. Back before… Well, before quite a lot. "I'm surprised you dug that far. …Was that before or after Buffalo?"
"After. It was a few months before you were caught." He smiles thinly, the first sign of emotion that he has shown the entire time. "I'm sure that your parole officer would not look kindly on you aiding some that may prove to be a threat to the country."
Alright, that one line of thought is going too far. "Never mind that. You are aware of what was done to my family? If they were taken by you…"
His smile disappears as his face returns to that placid and unreadable state. "Not myself, personally, but they were suspected of being in prolonged contact with one of our targets. They were taken for examination, if that happens to be the case."
"…Examination. They were taken prisoner, then. Which is something I imagine you want of us."
"Precisely." He sighs and looks behind you, staring at your truck. "Those girls are almost certainly targets, and it would be for the greater good if they were quarantined. We do not wish to have anything else happen that could be
unanticipated."
"I bet." You frown as you glance back. Shizuha seems to be sitting down as primly as always, even if you can see her eyes peering out at you. Rengeteki is nowhere to be seen, although you can't see the interior so well. The younger sister is watching from the opposite side, although you're far away enough that they can hear nothing, assuming their hearing is normal. Not really the best of assumptions, considering their claims. "However, you took my family simply because they had contact with the one girl. Something tells me that you'd have me turn myself in, correct?"
The man stares you down and eventually nods. "That would be the case. You might have been affected in some manner we cannot predict. We would have to clear that up before we could even think of letting you go. Professional standards, of course. Nothing else would be acceptable."
"…You've got a
long thing coming if you think I'm going to
volunteer to go back to prison." You don't even have to give the matter at hand a thought to know what you want to do. "I had enough of that place the first time around. And I wouldn't do anything that might even raise the possibility of myself going back."
The frown on the man's face deepens just a bit as he contemplates what to respond with. "Truly? You've no care for the fates of others that might be within our power at the moment? Or is such a thought simply beyond your grasp?"
That is enough of a threat that your hackles raise, but you restrain yourself. He has made no move against you yet, after all. "It doesn't mean a thing what you say. And even if I give myself up, you're not proposing to release them." You cross your arms over your chest as you stare up at the man. "You're showing a lot of sticks, but there are no carrots you've given me so far. There's no reason why I should turn myself and
them in."
"We had hoped that you might consider that the situation is far vaster than one such as you would comprehend. It would be better to leave everything under our control." His frown slowly grows into a thin smile. "Although, nothing I say will convince you, will it?"
"It will not." After glaring at him for a few seconds, you have enough and turn around. "We're through here. It's just the one of you, anyways, so it's not like you can take us into custody. I may not care enough for these girls to throw my life away for them, but I am not going to throw mine own away at the same time."
"A pity." You freeze in your tracks as you hear the unmistakable sound of metal sliding out of leather. Turning about, you find yourself staring down the barrel of a gun. "It will only take myself, anyway. The ones that are accompanying you will not be able to help you at all. They are not strong as the others that we have dealt with. The moment that I notice them try to summon some sort of
magic to help, whether it be some energy orbs that they seem fond of or some other power that we are not completely aware of."
There's not much that you can do besides holding your hands up in the air. Silently, you try to tell yourself that this is much better than the
last time you had to look down the barrel of a gun. At least you were expecting it at some point. "That I see. And what do you hope to accomplish, then? We're going to be in a standoff for quite a while."
He shakes his head as he holds the gun as steady as a rock. "Incorrect. Sooner or later one of them will react. They always have. We have noticed that many of these beings create irrational attachments to the citizens that take them in. The former will go out of their way to protect them, curiously enough. Wherever they may be from, it is different enough from this world that they cannot help themselves from taking to the locals." His eyes dart over your shoulder to look at the two girls. You are unwilling to even dare to look back and see their reaction. "You might want to tell them to stop flying. I am aware of how to shoot up, after all."
Before you say anything, he nods. "Good. Best to save all of that for testing. Although, there doesn't seem to be anything too special about your companions. Two sisters, along with that little girl that I saw slip past that bumper? Dangerous, perhaps, but not enough. There was
one subject that managed to elude our capture, and killed dozens of our agents, and that was with a risk profile much higher than these two have."
"…Far be it from me to ask, but what happened to that one?" You've no choice but to continue talking it out. You can almost see Rengeteki using that blast right now, but you don't know if she can get clear with you being shot in retaliation. And there is little you can do, being so far. If you were closer, you could
try and go in for the hit… At that, you slowly try to edge forward, but are stopped when he shakes his head and then the gun once more.
"Not a step closer. As for that subject? Its fangs were stayed once it laid eyes on the citizen that took it in. Fortunate, as it gave enough of a chance to put it down before it did anymore damage. But that's enough for now. Start calling them over, one by one. Or you die. Something tells me that you don't have it in you to be a hero."
There's not much of that you can deny, at least. You're only in this to take care of yourself, after all. At least, so you believe. A thought crosses your mind, making you wonder if the others care enough to try and help you. Given your experience, that's something very doubtful.
Seconds later, though, you know something odd. On the side of the gun is the slightest hint of frost. You do your best to resist smiling and instead look back at him, wondering how long you can stall. "Well, now, it depends on which ones are out. And I'd probably have to make sure to call the most dangerous one over. …Besides, what are you planning to do? Put them in cuffs? Fat lot of good that will do."
"I am not that dumb, Mr. Stevens. They will be suitably incapacitated. And if they complain, I might have to shoot them instead." He nods slightly as he looks over the three that he can see, not noticing as frost continues to creep over his gun. "Very well then. The little one with the purple wings, the girl with the hat, or the angry girl without one?"
After a few moments of contemplating, you finally let out a small smirk. "What about the one with lavender hair?"
"Lavender… hair?" His eyes widen in shock as he glances about, looking for Letty. "There's another― Of course there is. You have a trailer, and that frost can't be because you left the A/C on. Wouldn't it even work while it is…" The blathering comes to a stop as he points the pistol at you once more, although you notice he is focused on his hand then on you. "And whoever it
is is doing something to my… The accident in the mountains. The same one, then." Casting aside his thoughts, he looks back at you and pulls the trigger.
Your smirk widens, as the trigger doesn't even move. "Seems that your thoughts are clicking. Too bad that the action isn't as well." Freed of the worry of being shot, you march towards him. He continues to try and fire a few times before throwing the gun to the side. However, the frost had traveled further, and it was frozen to his hand. In frustration, he does his best to work past the encroaching frostbite and grips the gun solidly before swinging it at you head.
Dodging just to the side, you deflect his arm to your left before rearing back with your own fist. While hardly subtle, the haymaker to the stomach is enough to wind him in his rather frazzled state. You grab his head as he doubles over and immediately bring it to your knee, smashing his nose in the process. A shove and a kick later, and you send him sprawling to the grown. "…Hardly what I prefer. Where is my sap when I need it."
While you consider continuing the pummeling, you notice that the frost is continuing to spread over his body. Before he even can get to his feet, you notice that his breath is slowing and that ever movement is exerting even more effort from him. By the time he gets to his knees, the man collapses as his skin takes on a blue tint. "…I see that you decided to help, Letty. Decided to come out to see what the trouble was?"
"Indeed. It was
quite lonely in the back. At least with the fairy I would have had some company. But all by myself…" You turn back and see the girl standing a few feet away with that wide smile on her face. "Although, with the company that you seem to keep, maybe I shouldn't be complaining."
"Hardly the time, I think." You glance towards the others, noticing that they are quickly running forward. For all the man's speech, the only one that looks composed is Shizuha. "So, did you all manage to hear what he said?"
"Bits and pieces. You speak rather softly when it is not Minoriko you are conversing with." Shizuha smiles a bit thinly as she looks down at the man. "Although, I take it we truly are being hunted now, correct?"
"Correct." Looking down, you try and think of what to do with him. You notice that he is still breathing, so he's not quite dead yet. Why would Letty stop, though? "We just need to keep going, and be careful whenever we see something that looks like trouble."
Minoriko just crosses her arms as she stares at you. "I should have just taken him out earlier, and we wouldn't have had to deal with any of this. I think Rengeteki would be quite upset if you were killed right now."
You can't help but to roll your eyes at her. "We did the best we could, although I could have been more careful. …At least we know what
their intentions are now." A sigh passes your lips as you wipe your forehead off. You seem to have become a bit rusty gauging the situation, either due to lack of practice or to age starting to catch up. "However… Why'd you bother helping, Letty? It just doesn't quite fit your…"
Worryingly enough, her smile widens. "Well, you are an interesting one, and I'd hate for your time to be cut too short." You can practically hear her qualifying that in your head, but you decide to not ask whether you need her permission first. "Although, I need to finish the job. We don't need anyone telling any tales."
"Considering the only tales they don't know are the ones that involve you, such a proclamation is hardly surprising." Sighing, you stare down at him as you consider your options.
[ ] Let him be. There's more to be gained by letting him live. Besides, you wouldn't mind some amount of lenience given in the future.
[ ] Have Letty take care of him. She'd probably enjoy it, and it'd keep her happy. He isn't that important to keep alive.
[ ] Do it yourself. Something tells you it'll be bloody if you decide to do this the hard way. Might as well finally get your hands dirty.