Daniel whipped his head around and scowled at Ghost Town. "Hey!" He realized that Ghost Town was mocking him. Daniel then sighed and relaxed his shoulder. "Morning Emili." His tone and mood completely cleared as he shifted his eyes from Ghost Town, to the AI. A small smile tugged at the edge of his lip as he greeted her. Daniel folded his arms over his chest and looked back at Ghost Town, his smile faded into a grumpy frown. "You still never answered my question." He grumped.
William turned to look at the other man, "Oh? And what question was that?" Shifting his stance, William crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes narrowed. He saw Emili's gaze turn between the two of them. He knew that she could tell what hostility was, even if she had no idea if it was sarcastic or not. She saw the wariness in her face as if she were about to go in to battle. William frowned and shifted his position so that it was neutral instead of defensive. He saw Emili relax a little and turn her attention elsewhere.
Valerie, who still stood inside the apartment building decided to lean against the door frame while watching the scene in front of her - those idiots! making a scene; wait, they are one! - in aggravation. As she watched the boy stalk away, shoulders hunched, she frowned and easily caught up with him. He looked up at her, startled. All she did, however, was press a finger to her lips. "Hush now, kid." Ruffling his hair, she easily stepped in front of him and leaned forwards. "Now, don't you go taking anything she says seriously, alright? You're too adorable to be frowning!" All of the sudden she picked him up in a motherly hug (complete with the coo-ing voice) and twirled around. Setting him down, she met a pair of questioning eyes.
"Miss, are you okay?"
"No. But they're all idiots and fighting so I decided to get a little farther away." Placing a comforting hand on his head, she smiled. "Anyways, be on your way, kid."
He grinned slightly. "I never expected that from someone like you."
"Expect the unexpected, kid. See you around."
"Yeah."
Walking back towards the scene - as slowly as possible which constitued as shuffling her feet inch by in - she placed a hand on the side of Ghost Town's head and shoved it. "You. Shut up." Then sauntering over to Shepard she ruffled his hair. "You, too." Stepping back, she placed her hands on her hips. "One, I did not sleep at all last night. Two, you two are a complete and utter scene so shut up! And three, you're all idiots!" By now she was flailing her arms around before they situated themselves back by her sides. One hand sliding to her hip, she shifted her weight, jutting her hip out - Valerie felt like a total sass-master when she was tired. "Now behave."
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07.08.13
okay, then. unfortunately loving an idiot who doesn't love me back. but i'm not falling. i just kind of... am. .
William's face was pushed sideways, much to his surprise. When he righted himself he saw Dex walk past. He immediately wanted to retaliate, but he remembered her words from the previous night. He would not enrage her temper more than necessary. As nice as last night had been, it was time to focus. Nothing but professionalism from here on out. He would not gaze in her direction unless he needed to tell her something that strictly related to the mission. Until it was over, he was her teammate, nothing more. Behind them the sounds of soft soled shoes pattered toward them. William turned to see an elderly woman approach. Her mouth sat in a hard line across her face and her eyes had a no-nonsense sort of look. William greeted her to which he only received a grunt in reply. The woman looked at each of the Patriots before motioning them to follow, "The rest of your squad is back at the Sanctuary. Lady Gloria is prepping them. You'll all be going along with them, but on a separate vessel. Most likely the one you came in on. Now if you will follow me." William said nothing but followed behind easily while casting a glance backward at his comrades.
Looking at Ghost Town, she waited for a comeback that never came. Ignoring that fact, she analyzed the woman in silence and wondered if, maybe, when she was Valerie's age, she was a brave warrior that commanded men and won every battle. But searching the lines on the face, she pursed her lips. Maybe she was, but all the lines on her face spoke of age and stress. Instead of asking, she murmured a quiet hello to which she recieved a concentrated grunt along with a contempt snort. Offended, Valerie raised an eyebrow in challenge but kept her silence. Now wasn't the time to argue. Stoppig for a moment, she hugged her jacket tighter to her body in an attempt to warm herself from the shivers racing up and down her spine. Valerie looked to the old woman before following in silence. This was it. "Let's go!" breathed Valerie with a smirk.
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07.08.13
okay, then. unfortunately loving an idiot who doesn't love me back. but i'm not falling. i just kind of... am. .
William trotted after the woman through the dark tunnels of Outcast. There was an oppressive silence as they walked, save for the pounding of their feet. Anticipation rose within William, the thought of going in to battle made his blood turn hot and his heart beat faster. Finally the woman led them to the Sanctuary, the entryway to the large hall looked dull and humble. William followed the woman in to the grand hall. On the dais in the back stood his mother Gloria. She looked regal and commanding, he felt his respect for her grow. In front of the dais stood a small company of men and a few woman. William supposed they were the ones they'd be taking with them in to battle. William tossed a look at Dex before approaching the group.
While the others continued walking, Valerie kept a safe distance away from the men and woman in front of the dais, examining them and determing their weak points. She ignored the look Ghost Town sent her and felt Gloria's cautious gaze on her. Rather, she ignored them and stood with her hands folded in front of her. She met many curious sets of eyes - blue and cautious, green and angry, brown and watchful, black and indifferent - but ignored the emotion and attempted to resume examining their weaknesses. One man would be crippled with an overwhelming pain in his knee from the way he stood. A woman had constant migranes from the way she held two fingers to a temple and constantly closed her eyes. A man was slightly slower than the others. A woman had little upper body strength. Satisfied with all her examinations, her body seemed to relax, though she didn't step closer. In a situation like such, she felt it was like looking into the mouth of some beast and sticking your head in. A risk.
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07.08.13
okay, then. unfortunately loving an idiot who doesn't love me back. but i'm not falling. i just kind of... am. .
Daniel switched his gaze from Ghost Town to Dex and back to Ghost Town many times, before he looked forward to the men and women. He felt a sudden awkwardness. He loathed just standing around, Daniel wanted action, and he wanted it fast. Really fast. He almost let a groan escape his mouth, but quickly held his composure so he did not seem bored. Daniel's arms hung loosly at his sides, though his fingers twitched once or twice, longing the feeling of a gun in their grasp.
William stepped closer toward the crowd, all of whom looked at the Patriots with contempt and distrust. William ignored them and instead listened to Gloria as she began to speak. "My dear friends," spoke the woman, "I have gathered you here at this early hour to prepare you for your mission. As you know there is an addition to the team. Before it was the squadron of our top warriors and technology experts. Now we have a specialized group that knows the ins and outs of the NAGA corporation." Gloria motioned to William his companions. He said nothing and only looked as indifferent as a statue when the eyes of the Outcast group looked at them. "We are going to need there help," Gloria continued, "We have recently acquired the blue prints and schematics of the NAGA Headquarters." William frowned, the headquarters was where he had originally met his entire team. "At NAGA there will be a main computer in the lower levels. This computer has the last known whereabouts of the AI President." William felt Emili shift beside him. "This will be useless to us however. If there is any other information on the NAGA computer that you can find, download it and take it with you. Otherwise, terminate the computer." William's eyes narrowed a moment, "How're we going to do that exactly?" Gloria's eyes passed over him, "We have given the Outcast team various explosives. They will hold back until your team clears the way. You have the most combat experience. Close combat anyway. You've been trained to fight with stealth and subtlety. This is going to be a valuable assets. Radio the Outcast team when you clear a path to the lower levels. They will begin to unload their cargo. Check the computer for any valuable information and then get out of there. Is that clear?" William frowned, "Is that all? Just a simple information gather session?" Gloria sighed heavily, "No William. Once the charges are set, the computer will explode. Let me ask you, do you know what its made of?" William shook his head. Gloria's eyes narrowed, "The super computer's power core is made with unstable elements." "Why would they do that?" William snorted. "Because those materials allow them to power the computer without an actual source of energy. Its self sufficient. Set off the bomb when you are a good distance away and you will have set off the equivalent of a small nuclear explosion." The hall went silent. William's eyes went wide, "Excuse me?" Gloria's eyes locked with him, "You will have set of a small nuclear explosion." "And just how are we supposed to get away from that, let alone actually setting charges next it?" William barked. "Placing the charges will be up to you. The NAGA headquarters is a good distance outside of a major city. The explosion shouldn't be large enough to affect them." "How are you even sure of this?!" William growled, "I don't want to kill innocent people!" Gloria looked away, "Major cities have shielding from such blasts. The radiation will not get through their shields." William bristled, "Isn't there any other way?" Gloria's eyes snapped back to him, "If you can find a way then do it! Other than that you are dismissed." "Bu-" "Dismissed!" William's teeth clenched and his body tensed. There was no way he was going to set off a nuclear explosion. He would get rid of NAGA and not kill any innocents in the process. Turning from the other group, William hissed, "Let's go."
Watching Ghost Town throw a little hissy fit was definitely not helping her unstable emotions. With her arms crossed in front of her, she struck out a hand, stopping him as the others continued moving. "We can do this. But if you let your emotions get in the way, you're not doing us any good." Looking up to Gloria, her gaze held an unidentified emotion. Taking a deep breath, her gaze connected with Ghost Town's furious one. "I have vowed my life for these people and so have you. You will follow orders as they were given. If I suspect any insubordination I will take the reigns and control the outcome of the mission. Do you understand that, Ghost Town?" Turning around coldly, she wrapped her arms around her body. Valerie's soft gaze looked over her shoulder to him, eyes connecting once more. "I love you and I love everything innocent and pure and that had good intentions, Ghost Town. But sometimes, the good have to die to accomplish something worth talking about." Turning around, she pursed her lips. "If push comes to shove and we are discovered, I will remain behind to protect the explosives until it is detonated." Deciding she was done, she took a shaky breath. Holding out a shaking hand, she gave him a soft smile. "Because this is our one chance." Turning back around she walked off to follow the voices of the other troops.
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07.08.13
okay, then. unfortunately loving an idiot who doesn't love me back. but i'm not falling. i just kind of... am. .