Not Tobi. Anyone but him. Let it be a Legionnaire. Let it be Loretta, but not Tobi.
Thanos had no idea how close to home that thought of Loretta had hit, nor did it matter - it was Tobi waiting at the docks to rescue him, and nothing could change that. Had he been thinking more clearly, he would have realized what a blessing it was to have the boy there - in truth, Thanos would not have wanted to face a Legionnaire. 'They're all dead,' he would be forced to say. 'Dead to a man.'
He had lain stunned at the foot of the stairs, unmoving, for far too long before he realized that he could in fact move. Around him were the sounds of falling rubble - any hope of Legion footsteps had long since faded. He was alone in the ruin.
He rose, shaking out his fur and stretching away his aches. Could he make it back up the stairs? No - they were not completely ruined, but the wrong part had survived. A leaper might make it, but not Thanos.
There was nothing to go back for.
He padded his way through the slaughter on the lower level, checking even the most mangled of corpses and wondering which Mulo were responsible. Already doubt and regret consumed him. He should have gathered more intelligence. What had he gained? The docks that could have been his some other way? No, he reminded himself - there was no other way once they knew Mulo ran the lead operation. They would never serve their like again.
But the cost...
He pulled himself into the present and leapt onto the boat, making it bob and dip in the water. Tobi said something inane, but Thanos ignored him - that was much easier to do in his wolf form. Instead, he went below to change in peace.
The Time Has Come...
Ginnie sat in the back of the van, humming Cabbages and Kings softly to herself. Her Merc escorts sat across from her giving good body guard blank face. She'd forgotten their names and that was never good, but she just couldn't seem to keep any extra information in her brain. This whole thing was so monumental for her that erroneous details kept getting lost.
Brock! That was the guy on the left. He had been a Merc for just over twenty years and a vampire for just a little longer than that. He'd been an army calvary man, that was born from linebacker stock. He was a huge wall of a man and so muscled when he'd died that even his muscles had muscles. In other words a perfect bodyguard for The Cobra. The other guy called himself Tag, no one knows why, he'd been a Merc with Tach for all one hundred and seventeen years of his vampire life. He could have been Brock's twin, had they been born in the same era.
As the van slowed, she began to go through a mental checklist of her weaponry. She was dressed for business in a neat pinstriped pencil skirt, matching jacket and garnet red silk blouse. Her jacket had been cut to hide the bulge of her shoulder holster, and at her back she wore a tiny .22 in an inner pants holster. On her left thigh there were three knives in a tight little row and on her right thigh was a garrote and lock picks. In her briefcase were three bomb pens, and most of the normal detritus found in most briefcases were incendiary devices of some kind, even the little stapler was even a triple shot .22, in hers
In the clip in her hair was a small pin hole camera, another was in the handle of her briefcase and and another was in the watch around her wrist. She had a device inserted in her ear, so tiny that no one would be able to see it, to hear the people on their frequency. In the lining of her bra was a microphone, there was one in the clasp of her diamond tennis bracelet and if all of that failed she could activate a secondary set in the toe of her sensible left shoe.
The men in front of her were equally well armed and wired. They were loaded for bear and hopefully none of it would have been necessary. The dark van came to a halt in a dark alley way some four miles from the meeting point. It was well with in the range of their equipment, but hopefully outside of the notice of the people they were meeting.
The front doors slammed, and then the back doors opened. Brock and Tag got out and scanned the area like good bodyguards, then Tag turned and held a hand out to Ginnie. She took it, noting that he was smart and offered for her left hand so that she was free to draw her gun if she needed to. Alec had moved to the limo to check it over, it was one of Tach's and Brock would be driving, but one can't be too careful.
Ginnie stood framed by her bodyguards and the dome light from the van watching Alec and Shay prepare for the coming evening, and was struck with such a feeling of foreboding that she had to close her eyes and take big breaths through her nose.
Thanos
16 years ago
Loretta Emiliano
16 years ago
Loretta dared not get too close to the docks, though she had a reasonable cover story in mind. It was safer to simply get there too slowly – there were others who could transport the survivors.
But no survivors came.
They had gone another way. There would be a wailing howl to let them know that everyone was safe, that they could go home.
But there was only silence.
The boat rocked and swayed – the night was calm, but there was a slight breeze, just enough to disturb the waters.
In the distance she could see her son’s boat, though there was no sign of Tobi. She wished she could have beaten him there, to tell him to go home, but he had gone for the docks at the first sign of trouble. Now the risk of discovery was too late. Instead, she pulled out her rifle once more, peering through the scope at the docks.
And for the second time that night, she suddenly found Thanos in her line of fire. She didn’t know whether to laugh with relief or moan.
But no survivors came.
They had gone another way. There would be a wailing howl to let them know that everyone was safe, that they could go home.
But there was only silence.
The boat rocked and swayed – the night was calm, but there was a slight breeze, just enough to disturb the waters.
In the distance she could see her son’s boat, though there was no sign of Tobi. She wished she could have beaten him there, to tell him to go home, but he had gone for the docks at the first sign of trouble. Now the risk of discovery was too late. Instead, she pulled out her rifle once more, peering through the scope at the docks.
And for the second time that night, she suddenly found Thanos in her line of fire. She didn’t know whether to laugh with relief or moan.
Tobi Emiliano
16 years ago
The Jiro brushed him off as easily in wolf form as in human, Tobi noticed. There was nothing to do until Thanos returned from below – the Nothos was touchy about nudity in human form, or so he assumed. Nothos usually were, and Thanos had that scar…
He grimaced as he thought of it – the puckered white skin that arced across the Jiro’s chest. That had been a gift from Vaughn, the night Tobi was born. One of the darkest nights in Vyusher R’asa’s black history. And his birthday. Woot.
One of the sniper boats was heading for his dock – he sighed and stood up, steadying himself with one hand on the ladder. To his surprise, a Legionnaire leapt from the boat onto the dock and landed with a soft thump only a few feet from him. The Legionnaire, for his part, looked just as surprised, though why he could not say.
‘You have the Jiro?’
Oh, right – of course that would be the question of the night.
“Yeah, he’s below. You want him?”
The soldier shook his head no, but seemed tongue tied for a moment before he explained. ‘The Beta must get to safety. I have men out there – can you transport him?”
‘He was expecting a Legionnaire – someone he could order, and trust to carry out those orders,’ Tobi realized, ‘and instead he got me.’
“Sure thing, dude.”
’Actually, I’d like to help with recovery,’ a voice rasped behind him. Tobi rolled his eyes, but the Legionnaire spared him from replying, this time with more confidence.
‘No sir. Our orders are to see you safely out of here.’
Tobi could hear the Jiro grinding his teeth, but he only said, ‘Very well.’ An uncomfortable pause, then he continued. ‘My guards…’
The Legionnaire gave a crisp nod. ‘I’ll see to it.’
Thanos gave a final nod, then went below, plainly annoyed.
“Hey, good luck finding your guys, man.” He said in parting to the soldier, giving a jaunty little mock salute. The Legionnaire gave him a flat look, then leapt off the pier and onto his own boat.
Ho….kay. Tobi shrugged and slid into the cockpit, steering the boat out into the bay. The second sniper boat was still drifting in the water, and he thought, as he passed, that he ought to give them an update. Turning off the engine, he leaned out to shout, but just as his motor slowed to a stop, the other boat’s turned on. Tobi gawked as the boat sped away, watching the driver disappear in a stream of black cloak and blonde hair. She spared one frightened glance over her shoulder, confirming her identity in Tobi’s knowing eyes.
“Mom?”
But she was long gone.
There was nothing to do but go home.
/ooc everyone out
He grimaced as he thought of it – the puckered white skin that arced across the Jiro’s chest. That had been a gift from Vaughn, the night Tobi was born. One of the darkest nights in Vyusher R’asa’s black history. And his birthday. Woot.
One of the sniper boats was heading for his dock – he sighed and stood up, steadying himself with one hand on the ladder. To his surprise, a Legionnaire leapt from the boat onto the dock and landed with a soft thump only a few feet from him. The Legionnaire, for his part, looked just as surprised, though why he could not say.
‘You have the Jiro?’
Oh, right – of course that would be the question of the night.
“Yeah, he’s below. You want him?”
The soldier shook his head no, but seemed tongue tied for a moment before he explained. ‘The Beta must get to safety. I have men out there – can you transport him?”
‘He was expecting a Legionnaire – someone he could order, and trust to carry out those orders,’ Tobi realized, ‘and instead he got me.’
“Sure thing, dude.”
’Actually, I’d like to help with recovery,’ a voice rasped behind him. Tobi rolled his eyes, but the Legionnaire spared him from replying, this time with more confidence.
‘No sir. Our orders are to see you safely out of here.’
Tobi could hear the Jiro grinding his teeth, but he only said, ‘Very well.’ An uncomfortable pause, then he continued. ‘My guards…’
The Legionnaire gave a crisp nod. ‘I’ll see to it.’
Thanos gave a final nod, then went below, plainly annoyed.
“Hey, good luck finding your guys, man.” He said in parting to the soldier, giving a jaunty little mock salute. The Legionnaire gave him a flat look, then leapt off the pier and onto his own boat.
Ho….kay. Tobi shrugged and slid into the cockpit, steering the boat out into the bay. The second sniper boat was still drifting in the water, and he thought, as he passed, that he ought to give them an update. Turning off the engine, he leaned out to shout, but just as his motor slowed to a stop, the other boat’s turned on. Tobi gawked as the boat sped away, watching the driver disappear in a stream of black cloak and blonde hair. She spared one frightened glance over her shoulder, confirming her identity in Tobi’s knowing eyes.
“Mom?”
But she was long gone.
There was nothing to do but go home.
/ooc everyone out