aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

Roger that, Star-Lord.

[ She's moving quickly through the hall, peering into every panel of clear glass that she passes by and finding absolutely nothing. So far, nothing still, though she notices some signs of disarray. ]

There's a few offices down along this hall. Still empty, but some lights on and some screens are still active, so at least it looks like someone's been around.

[ The next thing she notices, however, are sounds that don't quite bode well for the situation. She'd much rather be hearing idle conversation, like two Cerberus lackeys talking about the Illusive Man's freaky eyes or something, but instead she hears something that starts out as indistinguishable groaning, which is way less fun and way more creepy.

The fact that what little lighting there was in the area just blacked out in favor of low, red lights and now sirens are going off is just all too well-timed. Then, an automated voice rings through the halls: Attention all personnel: a breach has been reported in the west wing. I repeat: a breach has been reported in the west wing.

Understandably so, Kasumi's first conclusion is that they must have found her and Peter. ]

I swear to god, Quill, I didn't touch anything--

[ But then the announcement continues on, Personnel present during the beach are unable to contain the situation. Use all necessary force to subdue and eliminate all hostile subjects upon contact. ]

Edited (woops typo) 2014-11-10 05:10 (UTC)

Shit.

[ The alarms make him jump -- which isn't particularly difficult, given the fact that he's wound up tighter than a spring. Then the recorded voice is going off, and he thinks, SHit, they found us. He's about to start demanding Goto's location, asking if she's okay, and then she responds before he can. He sighs in relief. ]

Wasn't me, either. Look, just hurry back--

[ ... And then the recording continues (and Peter hates recorded emergency messages, hates how goddamn calm they always sound), and something cold and heavy drops in his gut. Peter has a moment to think, The hell do they mean by "unable to contain"? before he hears the brief rapport of gunfire, ending with an all too human, all too wet scream from behind one of the doors. And then he hears the scraping of dragging footsteps, hears low, almost metallic moans coming from behind not just one door, but all of them.

One of the doors collapses under the combined weight of grey, ashen, too-thin bodies, skin covered in wiring and tubes and glinting metal, and Peter has just enough time to pull his blasters from his holsters and back up to the entrance. Another door collapses, then another, then another, and Peter is quickly realizing there's a hoard of motherfucking Reaper zombies standing between him and his partner; that he's got his back to a door he can't open, because Kasumi has the transmitter; and that he's so. Fucking. Screwed. ]

Goto. I've got a problem.

[ It's all he can manage to get out before a pair of unnatural blue eyes finally spots him, and a grating scream cuts through the directionless moaning. The creature leaps at him just as all the others turn to face him, and Peter thinks, I'm so fucked, before he begins firing. ]

Hold on, Quill, I'm coming--

[ Still cloaked, she immediately starts back in the direction of the entrance where Peter is. The sound of another door collapsing behind her, though, makes her take a quick glance back only to find a sizable squad of Cerberus troops coming through--no Atlas, at least (it wouldn't have been a problem to dismantle, but with everything else going on right now? It surely would have been a hassle).

She's silent on her end for a moment, leaping and climbing over hoards of Husks to make her way back to Peter, when she gives him the news. ]

I know you're busy, and don't panic, but there's a small-ish group of Cerberus guys heading over. Must be the latecomers to the birthday party. Two big guys, some guys with shields, a sniper--hold on, there's some cloaked chick coming too--how dare she?

[ When she hears the familiar whizzing of electricity through the air, she knows she's getting close to him and--whoa, yup, definitely getting close, seeing as she just had to dodge his own blasts. It's then that she decloaks to start plowing through the Husks, grabbing each one by the head and letting loose a dose of Overload before pulling out her pistol and dispensing them with a well-placed shot to the head. ]

[ Peter’s so goddamned relieved to have backup that he nearly misses the Husk sneaking up on his right side; he just barely has time to whip around and slam the butt of his blaster into its head, firing a bolt of electricity square in its chest. It twitches and writhes before falling motionless to the ground.

The news that they’re not alone, though, is less than comforting. ]

We should bail. Let them deal with-- Shit--

[ A Husk leaps at him, and he has to sidestep out of the way—which, naturally, puts him into the arms of another waiting Husk, who grabs him, pinning his arms to his sides. On instinct he drops to the ground, slipping out of the creature’s hold, and he spins around on a knee to shoot a blast of fire into its chest; he gets back to his feet just in time to shoot at another Husk making a grab for him, kicking it away. ]

-- Still putting in my vote for bailing.

Yeah, let's-- [ the following get out of here that she says is promptly drowned out by the crackling sounds of a chain overload from her omni-tool, current jumping from husk to husk and sending them writhing to their deaths on the floor before a distinctive cry of Hey! Who're those two!? from one of the Cerberus troops catches her attention. ]

--might I also suggest a flashbang grenade?

[ Right after she says that, she waves her omni-tool another time as a surprisingly convincing holographic projection of Kasumi appears in the midst of the Husk party, moving almost as though its actually interacting (read: beating the crap out of) the nearby targets. The real Kasumi cloaks in the meantime, only to reappear to strike at a Husk sneaking up beside Peter. ]

Hey.

[ Peter’s not sure what makes him jump more -- the casual way Kasumi uncloaks beside him, or the gurgling moan of the Husk very nearly right in his ear -- but if she ever points it out, he’d totally deny it until the day he died. (“I did not jump. I was not startled. I was totally aware of my surroundings at all times, yep.”)

And in any case, now that Kasumi’s here, he digs in his pocket for one of Rocket’s patented flashbangs. ]

Prepping a light show. Be a doll and get the door, would you?

Only because you asked so nicely. [ She moves on out, slipping between two approaching Husks and then taking each by the head and smashing them together before zapping them for good measure. Her decoy, meanwhile, fizzles now and then, but luckily Husks aren't the most intelligent beings to roam the galaxy, and many of them are content trying to attack it.

With the facility going into lockdown the transmitter they used to get in doesn't quite respond as favorably as before, but at least it gives Kasumi enough to work with in accessing the security program, and she makes quick work of hacking in and overriding the lockdown procedure. The lights are still red and sirens are still sounding off, but the elevator's doors open and that's all they need. ]

Got it, Quill!

[ She steps into the threshold and fires up her omni-tool, ready to unleash another chain of electricity to provide cover for Peter when he would eventually have to make his way back. ]

[ That's all the prompting he needs before he activates the flashbang and chucks it into the fray. He hasn't faced this many Husks before, doesn't know what effect it might have on them, but they'll at least distract the Cerberus guards long enough to make good their escape.

The thing about Rocket's devices is that they tend to be a little over the top, tend to do their jobs a little too well. So when the flashbang detonates, there's a brilliant burst of light and a god damn strobe effect, accompanied by a high-pitched wail from the device, even louder than the sirens, somehow.

For good measure, though, he fires at the closest Husks before turning to the elevator and making a run for it. ]

[ Kasumi's sure to look away, but even then she can tell just how bright and obnoxious the flashes are, so her reaction is a mix between oooh, aaah and good god. Definitely more potent than Kasumi's own flashbangs, which is totally fine given that they're shaking off two types of enemies at once. When her eyes begin adjusting again and the sound dies out, she leans out of the elevator a bit, waiting for Peter. ]

Come on!

[ Her omni-tool is already crackling. And her decoy? Totally exploding now, knocking back the already-blinded and discombobulated Cerberus lackeys. Unfortunately for them, there always seems to be a lot of sparks flying around whenever these two are involved. ]

[ Say what you will about these two -- at the very least, they don't do anything halfway.

Unfortunately, that's butting right up against the fact that Peter is, at best, unlucky as fuck. So while he's distracted in getting his ass out of the fight, he doesn't see the Husk coming in from his left, leaping and wrapping its limbs around him bringing him to the ground. Its teeth clamp down on his shoulder before he's able to shuck it off, blasting it with a bolt of lightning from his gun. He leaps to his feet again and jumps into the elevator beside Kasumi ]

Get us the fuck out of here.

[ There's a moment of silent panic on her part when her "On your left!" comes too little too late, and he gets tackled to the ground. But he's made it, which is one hell of a relief, and with that Kasumi unleashes the chain overload. It jumps from Husk to Husk to Cerberus guy to whatever's next. She ducks back into the elevator just in time as the doors start to close, and she takes care of one last, very resilient Husk whose arm is about to block the door from closing all the way by shooting it in the face.

The doors close, finally, and so begins the most excruciating elevator ride ever. The silence that follows makes Kasumi realize how her heart is beating quickly, how "adrenaline rush" doesn't even begin to describe this, and how hard she's breathing, but it only takes her a moment until she turns to Peter, Medi-Gel ready. ]

That looks like one hell of a bite, Quill. Let me take care of it for you.

Edited 2014-11-11 12:00 (UTC)

[ These elevators seriously suck, but at least they have time to catch their breaths, now. At some point he had holstered his guns in favor of applying pressure to the injury in his shoulder, but once Kasumi turns to him, he moves his hand aside. The bite is angry and red and bleeding with definite teeth marks there, but at least the Husk didn't end up taking a chunk out of him. ]

Christ, that asshole probably had rabies or something. Fuck husks.

[ As soon as he moves his hand out of the way, her omni-tool glows as she goes in and starts applying Medi-Gel to his wound to stop the bleeding and close it up. ]

Hold still, alright? Fortunately for you, turning into a husk isn't really quite like turning into zombies in the movies. You'd either have to be impaled on a giant Reaper stake... or piss Cerberus off and get zapped into one, apparently.

Oh, good. [ He says it in a flat voice. ] I'm feeling a lot more reassured. Thanks, Goto.

[ All the same, he sighs in relief when the Medi-Gel gets to work, and a lot of the tenseness goes out of him. He shuts his eyes and tips his head back against the elevator wall. ]

If I turn into one of those things, make sure Rocket does not get free rein of my ship. And make sure Drax doesn't pilot. Actually, you know what? Just make sure Gamora gets the ship. She won't fuck it up.

[ He's joking, of course. No one gets his ship. ]

[ The wicked smile on her face says, why would I want to do that when I could just take it for myself?. First the Milano, then the Normandy. Obviously. ]

Gamora gets the ship. Got it. Maybe you can leave that on a post-it somewhere on the ship too, just in case.

[ By now the medi-gel application is finished, but she's taking another look at his wound just to make sure it's good to go. ]

I've really gotta work on a will.

[ The Medi-Gel's done its job and done it well, it seems, at least judging by the fact that Peter's expression has smoothed out from its pained grimace. His shirt, though, is another story; it's splattered with blood -- some of it his own, but most of it from close quarters combat with Husks. ]

When we get back up, we should, you know. Probably avoid public areas.

[ She steps away from him when she sees his relief and just in time, the elevator is slowing (as it can apparently go even slower) to a stop as they reach the upper floor. ]

I mean, that's a cake walk for me. Maybe you should invest in a tactical cloak sometime, Quill.

Anyway, I'm not too worried. I suspect that a lot of guards that we'd otherwise run into are kind of. Predisposed to dealing with the craziness downstairs, yeah?

I'm thinkin' more about the civilians screaming bloody murder and mobbing me.

[ Again, joking, but he does look, like, super gross. Husks are the worst, he decides, as he steps out of the elevator. ]

We should get the place evacuated. Nuke the entire thing from orbit.

We could. [ She follows him out of the elevator, but turns around with her omni-tool out again, jamming it into the nearby console so the elevator ceases to be functional.

Now usually she would avoid becoming too embroiled in an incident like nuking a settlement, but this? This is screwed up, and it's Cerberus, so she wouldn't feel bad if it came down to that. She did take part in a whole suicide mission that amounted to Shepard giving the Illusive man a big fat middle finger as she blew up the Collector Base, after all, so she's got no problems blowing Cerberus things up. ]

Let's get these people out of here.

How the hell are we gonna stage a mass evacuation without it being suspi--

[ He interrupts himself with a thoughtful, "Hm."

There are a few things that Peter Quill missed out on, being kidnapped and taken from Earth as a child. School dances, for one. Midterms and finals and finishing term papers five minutes before they're due, for another. The Disney Renaissance. MP3 players. Touch screen phones.

But one of the things he really missed out on was high school pranks. (He doesn't know it, but his class' senior prank had been pretty tame -- filling the hallways with hay and calling it good.) And, you know? One of the things he's always wanted to do was set off the fire alarm.

It's probably why he's grinning and locating the closest fire alarm trigger. ]

Ready?

[ What Kasumi had in mind was definitely more elaborate, and probably needlessly complicated for a situation like this where they have to get people out and do it now. Surely, hacking into the intercom system and coming up with some other reason that refugees (or rich cowards, whichever) had to evacuate might have taken a little more time and finesse is the least of their worries right now.

So while at first she looks uncertain, she's quickly and wholeheartedly nodding her head at him. ]

Go for it.

[ Somehow, his grin widens as he yanks at the alarm. And just like moments ago, sirens go off, and the lights along the hallways start flashing an angry red. Over the intercoms, a recorded message in a calm, accented woman’s voice advises people not to panic, and to make their way to the closest exit.

Peter tries to hide his disappointment. He was kind of hoping the sprinklers would go off, too, but that’s neither here nor there. He grabs Kasumi by the hand and starts leading them away – though he doesn’t really have a destination in mind. ]

What’s the plan?

[ She tilts her head at him, since his question has an obvious answer. ]

Get the hell out of here and plow through whatever else gets in our way?

[ Sass aside, luckily he grabbed the hand she doesn't need to use her omni-tool, so she uses that the pull up the schematics again. ]

Not sure if there's a more covert way out, unless you're still up for crawling through vents. Otherwise, we basically come out the way we came in. Or blow a hole in the wall--whichever, really.

[ The idea of going through the vents makes his skin crawl -- not that he'd ever admit it aloud. ]

I'm up for whatever's easiest, honestly. I'm easy like Sunday mornin'.

If I had a credit for every time you've said that, like, ever, I'd quit my job and retire to a remote island.

Anyway, whatever's easiest? Definitely blowing a hole through the wall. Vents are more subtle and all, but I think we sort of threw subtlety out the metaphorical window when we pulled the fire alarm-- [ When they come up to an intersection of hallways, she takes another quick glance at her omni-tool. ] --make a left here.

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