Seeking Solidarity [open]

[Rohan]

Rohan didn't mean to be skulking.

Truth to tell, he didn't even really know what the word meant. Some kind of mix between a pout and an evil eye, no doubt, but not knowing the word's meaning didn't do much for getting the expression off his face. Every time he managed to wipe the furrows from his brow it took only a moment before they were back with cousins.

But why not frown? He had a lot on his mind.

For one thing, he'd casually sat down on the edge of the fountain and gotten his favorite pair of jeans wet all up the backside. It looked like he'd peed his pants, and the disgusted looks he kept getting from people around him didn't help rebuild his self-esteem.

For another, he'd been wandering around the market for hours, waiting. It was obvious from the appearance of his dirty black hoodie that it wasn't a fair lady friend he was waiting for, but the scowl on his face seemed more likely to ward off than to invite.

But the people he wanted to talk to weren't the type to wait for an invitation anyway. As far as he knew, the Protectors didn't even have a headquarters.

Rohan leaned against the wall of a shop, carefully keeping his wet rear from view, and glared around at the people passing by.

[Lucian Verdus]

The skulking of the individual was suspicious, but not enough to apprehend him. The expression on his face was typical of meatbag dissatisfaction or displeasure, but not enough to subdue him. What drew the attention of the machine that served as one of the small unofficial police force was that this was a new individual, one that had not been seen before on rounds, and thus inexperienced and of higher potential to transgress protection guidelines. This had been relayed to Lucian, who granted the servitor freedom to approach the subject. It wasn't exactly a friendly sight; a brown-robed half-machine supported by giant metal spider-legs that came out of its back. The way it stared with its green lenses of eyes wasn't too comforting, either. But, it was supposed to be a symbol of order, and the violent suppression of chaos.

"It is presumed by this unit that you are a new member of this compound. It is my duty as Close Combat and Human Suppression Caste Protection Law Enforcer to ensure that you are aware of the basic rules and guidelines put forth by the Progenitor. I am a creation of the Progenitor, as are all enforcers of protection law," The deep reverberations of the combat caste came forth from its mouthplate as it lowered itself to the ground. Its two arms were solid metal made into solid muscle, threatening claws at the end of it showing the occasional spark of electricity. "If you transgress against protection law, you answer to us."

The servitor took a step forward, green lenses level with the boy's eyes, "The basics of protection guidelines are simple: do not steal, do not harm, do not kill, and do not disrupt our operations as enforcers or servitors." There was no tone in the reverberations, but the sternness could be felt in how bluntly the sentence was phrased, "If you disagree with this, you may take it up with the Progenitor. He can be found in the Cellblocks. His is the door with the modified circular lock in the center. It is, effectively, the core of enforcer operations, law making, and servitor creation. If there are any immediate questions, you may ask this unit now. All units are a direct line to the Progenitor." There was, then, an immediate silence as the servitor awaited a response, even if it was an indignant denial of being new. Once, when there was a brief bug in the identification coding, the servitors handed out this near-identical tutorial to all passers by. Lucian was swift to rectify this, though it was an irritating breach of control.

[Rohan]

Robots. For real?

Rohan had stepped back in alarm when the metal thing came his way, panicking before he remembered that he hadn't done anything wrong in a while. He glowered at the bot, but he was paying close attention as it prattled on.

Informative little bugger. Suspicion was plain on Rohan's face. How'd the gadget know what he wanted? He made a face and jammed his hands into his pockets. The cellblocks.

"Suck my unit, tool," he muttered. He took two sideways steps before he stopped and looked again at the robot. "Actually... you seem pretty knowledgeable. Is there a registry of all the people who've been brought here? Even from, like, over three years ago?"

[Sarah I. Dark]

Sarah watched everything around her cautiously until she was given rules to live by from a robot thing. She smiled and nodded to it once before thanking it for the fact it had aided her. Another young man was not so happy. He was scowling like there was no tomorrow and everyone else was ignoring him or avoiding him. She got close enough to hear his next comment.
"Suck my unit, tool," He muttered and she pulled the hood of her black jacket down.

"That was rude, he was trying to help you. Insulting others isn't a good way to go." She said before a guard grabbed her arm.
"You have no sense of the word danger little miss. They could hurt you Vanish." Sarah sighed and elbowed him swiftly in the gut. As he buckled over she kneed him mercilessly in the privates. She pushed his body away from hers and looked idlely at the scrapes on her hands. Until now her blonde hair had covered up the scrapes on her face.

One scrape went along her cheekbone and another faint one along her jawbone on the same side of her face.
"Yeah, like you hurt me when you dragged me out from under my car?" She spat before realising that she'd gotten too worked up. Her mutation activated and within three seconds her chocolate brown eyes were the only thing visible.
"Bollocks, why now? Why did I have to get pissed off now?" She growled before thinking for a moment.

Not that anyone could see her, she did a handstand and slowly her body reappeared. She sprung bakwards and stuck the landing, she looked at the young man for a moment before smiling and doing a cart wheel just to relax. Then just because she could she did a one handed hand stand and got back up, getting ready to disappear into the crowds.

[Lucian Verdus]

"It is a poor decision to speak in such a way to an entity who is able to administer a six-hundred minimum volt shock," The servitor said, claws clacking against its palm loathsomely, "Not to mention that there are five more identical to this unit, and the Progenitor himself." Lucian was keeping tabs on the servitor and this new, belligerent individual. Irreverence was a dangerous quality, and such disrespect for clearly-stated authority from such an individual as this warranted some monitoring. It was one thing to grow tired of the authority after it was established, but immediate hostility meant that the skull probe might be following this one around for a while. That would remain to be seen.

"Your request for further information has been denied. While meatbag irrationality is something this unit is equipped to deal with," The servitor paused, letting a jolt of electricity course through the claws of its right hand, "It does not justify immediate hostility towards protection enforcers. If you wish to request information in the future, please do not preface your requests with hostilities towards the unit. Please note that there is no claim that will alter the present registry information denial. If this is a problem, you may now appeal to the Progenitor through myself. If you are fortunate, you may be answered."

The servitor proceeded to stare blankly at the boy. It boggled Lucian's mind how an individual could proverbially shift gears within the space of no more than a few seconds. The irrationality of meatbags knew very little bounds, it seemed, but now he would get to address this himself, assuming the meatbag didn't go off on another spat of rudeness and storm off like an indignant adolescent.

[Rohan]

It is a poor decision, Rohan heard, and then he looked up and away from the robot at the young woman who had addressed him. Who was she, the engine whisperer? She was pretty enough to be in a lame movie about a girl who falls in love with a robot or something. But a creepy spider robot with dead eyes?

His mouth dropped open when she "handled" the guard. Fast enough to catch a trained fighter off guard, and despite having spent three years around freaks, he still almost let out a gasp when she disappeared. He actually did gasp when she cartwheeled. Mutants there were in plenty. Gymnasts were a rare breed.

The sudden silence of the robot made Rohan look at it again, frowning at the distraction and the thing's lengthy rebuke.

"Did you just call me a meatbag?" Rohan asked, then waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. Go blip in someone else's face. I'm a Protector, fuzzbag, and if your progenital doesn't like it, he can suck my unit too."

And, lacking any other clever insults to throw at the metal thing, he stuck his tongue out and then started after the blonde woman.

"Hey, Wonder Woman! Wait up!"

[Sarah I. Dark]

Sarah laughed softly as she picked out the young man's voice through the murmurs of the crowds.
"Did you just call me a meatbag? Forget it. Go blip in someone else's face. I'm a Protector, fuzzbag, and if your progenital doesn't like it, he can suck my unit too." She then half turned to see him wave at the robot in a dismissive manner and she smiled once more. This young man was strange, and quite possibly insane not to know about what was happening in his own faction.

"Hmm, where to go now?" She pondered for a moment and she stopped as she did her thinking. Sarah was startled from her thinking as she heard a familiar voice behind her and she turned around.
"Hey, Wonder Woman! Wait up!" He called out and she raised one eyebrow at him before waiting for him to catch up.

"Wonder Woman, that's a new one...I thought she was meant to have black hair or something." She said in a slightly amused tone before tying up her hair in a messy looking ponytail. Sarah began to walk and then stopped, turning back to look at him.
"Well, now that you've got me to wait for you, where should we go?" She questioned with one hand on her hip. Her brown eyes sparkled slightly as she laughed softly and turned away as if to walk again.

[Lucian Verdus]

The robot moved swiftly when the words had left the boy's mouth. The rules had changed, in that very instant, and a claw shot forth in an attempt to grip the insolent meatbag by the waist and, so the servitor hoped, give him a good paralyzing shock so that it may outline just what the infraction was. Indeed, Lucian was almost spurred to revel, were he able, at the level of spectacular stupidity that this particular meatbag had descended to. Now, the show would begin. A challenge for the servitor. The other five close combat servitors, as well as the two long-ranged servitors, began closing in on the area, prepared to provide support if needed. This would be some show, if there was defiance.

"As an admitted member of the protectors, you are now under extended protection law, and thus guilty of insubordination. Do not resist and you will only be placed under probation. A second offense will result in a hearing and potential expulsion from the protectors," The servitor said, applying another, lighter shock for good measure (under the assumption that he managed to pull off the first one) "You will respect the Progenitor. He is your superior, and you may remove yourself from protector status if you do not like it, perpetrator."

The servitor would then (presumably) let go of the perpetrator, lifting itself up on electrified spider-legs, kept so for the sake of safety, staring down at the insubordinate meatbag with its characteristic mechanical dullness, claws hanging loosely at its sides. "Were you a true protector, you would have more respect for rules." The statement was of a higher, more human pitch than the deep and semi-distorted reverberation of the combat servitor, which signified one thing; Lucian had taken control, if only to say something beyond the wit of the average drone.

[Rohan]

Rohan had never been the stupid kind, the kind that needed to stand around and see the hurt expression on someone's face after he'd insulted them. His tongue wasn't even back in his mouth before he was moving, and the bot's claw closed around his wrist before he yanked it up and pelted after the girl.

"I think we should go . . . away," he said, his eyes lifting past her shoulder to the bots scurrying their way. Robotic voices echoed in Rohan's head, and he had a moment's regret that he hadn't simply thanked the machine and gone on his merry way.

Too late now. His gaze dropped again to the woman as he unconsciously ducked into a half-crouch, eyes darting towards the bots. He couldn't outrun them, not without blowing off a leg or something lame like that. Was it too late to apologize?

He turned his back to the girl, the only person in the vicinity he instinctively trusted. "You wouldn't happen to know where the crotch on these things are, would you?"

[Sarah I. Dark]

"I think we should go . . . away," He ducked into a half crouch and she noticed the robots, yet again he'd pissed someone off.
"Do you mean to always piss people off? Or do you do it without realising?" She frowned before grabbing him tightly.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the crotch on these things are, would you?" He asked and she scowled before an idea came into her head.
"Of course I don't! I've just gotten in here! Look, hold tightly around my waist and don't let go." She hiked up her t shirt and jacket before placing his hands on the warm skin that was there.

"Now, you gotta trust me here...I haven't disappeared with another person before, so you gotta hold on." She whispered before thinking of things, things that would make her angry. The guards, her father's company, being bossed around for most of her life....
"Here we go...and for god's sake close your eyes!" She pressed her hands on his and she grew as furious as she could get. Then, they weren't there any more after three seconds.

She began walking silently, half dragging the poor young man with her. Why was she saving his sorry arse anyway. That reminded her, when she got to the place she was taking him....she would kick it! She stayed furious and lead him through the crowds, magically finding places that people had moved from to dart into. Sarah spotted a dimly lit shop and she walked in calmly after an unsuspecting mutant.

[Rohan]

The automatic grin that settled on his face at the feel of warm girl-flesh disappeared when she did. He let out a yelp before he realized the stroke of luck that had just smacked him upside the head. With a nod she probably didn't see he shut his mouth, set a hand on either side of her waist, and stumbled down the street after her, away from the crotchety robot.

He opened his eyes every once in a while to see where they were going, but when he did he immediately felt sick at not seeing himself. He hadn't realized how accustomed he was to catching a glimpse of his own hair, of seeing his hands and feet, of being there.

And then they were inside, and from the way her body relaxed under his hands Rohan had the feeling that they were a lot safer than they'd been a few minutes ago. He kept his eyes wide and innocent and let his hands linger for as long as she'd let them.

"Wow, Wonder Woman," he said. "Where'd you learn a trick like that?"

[Sarah I. Dark]

Sarah's anger drained away, as did some of the energy she had. Which mind you wasn't much to begin with. She turned around to face him and rested her forehead on his chest.
"Wow, Wonder Woman, where'd you learn a trick like that?" He asked and her head pounded as she just stood there.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but can we move away from the shop's display window? We're visible now." She said in a soft murmur and somehow summoned the energy to point at the little kids outside the window.

The children were muttering stuff like:
"Are they gonna kiss yet?" Sarah sighed and stumbled away from the window to sit down with her back against the wall. She placed her hands in her lap and tried not to fall asleep. Her brown eyes looked around for Rohan and she smiled softly when she saw him.
"Can I ask you a favour? Could you stay with me until I wake up? I don't think I can make it back to my cell." Sarah asked before resting her head against the wall. She shifted her body so that if he wanted to Rohan could sit or lay down beside her. The owner of the shop didn't seem to mind that there were two young adults seeking refuge in her shop.

[Lucian Verdus]

"Subjects have eluded Protection forces. One is able to disappear from visual sensors. Should they be tracked?” One of the close combat servitors inquired, ambling up to its master on its large spider-legs. “No. They are not worth tracking and pursuing. Place both subjects on probation,” Lucian ordered. The servitor nodded, lowering itself to Lucian’s level, “Specific charges, Progenitor?” the servitor asked. Lucian nodded, “Subject one, male: Insubordination, disrespect of authority, resisting arrest. Subject two, female: Disruption of protection operations, enabling and assisting of a lawbreaker and their escape from protection law. If subjects are seen violating protection law again, ensure that the male is apprehended. He is a protector by his own definition, and will answer to his leader.”

Each servitor nodded, and the group dispersed, resuming patrol routes.

[Rohan]

It took effort for Rohan to keep himself from doing something really immature when the girl rested her head against his chest, but the whispers and giggles of the kids outside helped him remember that he owed her his life.

"Shut up, you little bastards," he snarled at the kids, and even though the glass muffled some of the anger in his voice they scampered like roaches at the glower on his face.

The frown disappeared as he returned his attention to Wonder Woman, wrapping an arm around her back and carrying as much of her weight as she'd let him to get her to the wall. He dropped to a crouch beside her and returned the smile she flashed his way. Her face was pale, and the exhaustion in her eyes made him feel a little guilty. He hadn't realized that turning him invisible would drain her so badly. Not that he wouldn't have let her do it anyway...

"Do you even have to ask?" he said in reply to her simple request. He plopped himself onto the dusty floor beside her, slouching until his shoulder was in easy head-resting reach. He was silent for a few minutes, trying to decide if he should just let her sleep.

Curiosity won. "Hey, what's your name? Unless you want me to call you Wonder Woman. I'm Rohan, but you can call me Jack, if you want. Where'd you learn to do tricks like that? You a gymnast?"

[Sarah I. Dark]

"Shut up, you little bastards," He had snarled, applauding him for his cussing ability...but at the same time not too impressed that he had made little children frightened. He had helped her to get to the wall, another bonus, but he looked pretty guilty. Why the hell should he be feeling guilty? It was her choice to make them disappear into thin air.
"It's okay Rohan, I chose to hide you. So don't feel guilty about it or I'll kick you, when I wake up..." Sarah tried to growl threateningly but it ended up turning into a yawn.

"Do you even have to ask?" He asked and sat down next to her. Sarah's head was immediately leaned on his shoulder and she smiled a little again before saying three words.
"Thank you Rohan..." She was glad for the few minutes of silence and was almost asleep when he spoke.
"Hey, what's your name? Unless you want me to call you Wonder Woman. I'm Rohan, but you can call me Jack, if you want. Where'd you learn to do tricks like that? You a gymnast?" She jumped in surprise and groaned softly.

"After I answer these questions, no more till I wake up. My name is Sarah Dark, I'll be calling you Rohan, it's my mutation, I am both a gymnast and a dancer." She said before swaying slightly and her head fell onto his shoulder. Sarah was now in a deep sleep, having passed out that is...