Derek, assigned to keep an eye on Eiko, follows on the scientist's heels. Katana in one hand, the monster gun with a full clip in the other, he keeps a foot to the side and half a foot behind.
When they port through, Derek kneels to the ground immediately, closing his eyes in order to pay better attention to his hearing and sense of smell. Although he's aware of the statues and their far-too-realistic depictions, his mind is on the job. Dead stone is no use to him at the moment.
As each of the others make it through, he notes them by heart rate and their particular mix of body chemicals, his nostrils flaring wide like a hunting dogs as he inhales deeply.
Hipps...Eiko...Ada....himself. The Hands have a distinctly different beat and smell to the others. Custos is a different mix altogether, and definitely unique. Derek mentally catalogs all this, then leans closer to the ground.
Faint...very faintly, he can pick out Ramon, and another entity, the parasitic undertones of their plagas a sharp underscore to the smell of less-than-healthy human flesh. There's still a tang of fear to one set of prints. That would be Ramon. Finally, Derek opens his eyes to see if he can pick out footprints in the debris.
Ada follows well enough. Her mind is on the job, but that doesn't stop her from taking a look around Old Portland as soon as everything is awkwardly hurled into focus. The statues catch her eye, but she forces herself to keep her attention on finding a particular midget. One that hopefully wasn't in as bad of shape as these statues.
Only after a few seconds of looking around does she recall that her place is up front, with Ms. Hollister. Ada has her doubts about working under the emotional woman, but she doesn't say as much. Ada is a hypocrite, but now isn't the time to think of Spain.
Her handgun had been left behind, so she's now armed with the APL she'd gotten at the beginning of all this. The rocket launcher she'd used on the gigante is slung over her shoulder in her now tattered bag.
Ada quickens her pace, careful to stay quiet, and moves next to Hippolyta. The pieces were being set up. How would the last moves be played, she wonders.
If he could, Custo would whistle at Old Portland. Wow.
He ties a convinient bandana over his half-face, and starts looking around, listening and sensing and just really being creeped out.
Hopefully nothing else would crack. No sensory array means his semi-omni-directional senses aren't working and that makes for a nervous, twitchy Custo.
The robot starts checking around for anything out of the ordinary, taking up a stance in front of the crew. It's what scrappers do, after all.
The Hands are through the portal and only take a moment to examine their surroundings, only noting a few things, apparently, before they're immediately moving, brushing past any other teammates that are in their way.
They could sense Master now. His collar is gone and they can 'hear' his Plaga.
He's afraid. He's hurt.
But they can also sense Lord Saddler. There's a good chance that he's the cause of the pain and fear.
That's a bit of a moral and occupational crisis for the Hands.
...They'll deal with that when they get there, however. In the meantime, they simply start moving to seek him out. When they arrive and size up the situation, they'll see what feels like the right thing to do from there.
The pair of Verdugos stride purposefully in the direction they sense Master, growling quietly to themselves.
Hips was watching Derek literally sniff them out, when two things happened at the same time. A small, thin cry drifted across the courtyard, and the Hand started walking toward where she heard that cry come from.
Ramon!
She hisses to the others, waving them to follow...
And starts running.
The statues become a blur to her as she whips past them, bypassing even the Hands in her haste to get to Ramon. She doesn't care that she could be running right into a trap. She doesn't notice whether or not the others are following her. She doesn't feel the muscles in her legs and back and arms protesting.
All she hears and all she knows is that strangled, pained cry. She's heard that voice thousands of times over the last half a year, whispering and laughing and crying and yelling and murmuring oaths of love.
Saddler's plaga-heightened senses detect the arrival of the rest of Salazar's squad before he sees them.
When the do come into view, he roughly hitches the smaller man up off the ground -- again, by his neck, but this time Ramon's front facing outward. He doesn't make much of a shield, given his stature, but it's enough to make his friends think twice before pulling any triggers.
"Speak of the devil! There they are, Ramon; all of your so-called companions." He squeezes his hand tight around the castellan's throat -- long, claw-like nails depressing, puncturing pale flesh.
The vision-enhancing goggles let Eiko pick things out, and the good eye narrows as she follows her best friend as fast as she can, a little wobbly. She knows Derek's there, and doesn't worry about it - he's Derek Bliss and she knows that he's not going to let anything happen to her. It's that simple to her.
When she catches sight of the two of them, she bites back a curse as she tries to figure out what she's got... and then she shoves the gun into its holster, and starts to rummage in her back for a Plaga Stun Grenade, and something else.
If she can get Derek to throw the grenade and stun them both, maybe she can use the tractor beam to pull Ramon free...
Derek would be a bit leary of someone putting that much trust in him--he's only human, after all. But right here, right now, he's not worrying about that anyway. He has a job to do, and it involves keeping Eiko safe, and helping to kill that freakazoid son-of-a-bitch if it's at all possible.
He does pause though as he takes in the scene. Hostage. Enemy territory. Psychopathic alien mind-set. Not good.
Derek has no doubt that Saddler plans on killing Ramon either way. He'd apparently had already started in on the guy--it's just that the younger plaga carrier made a good hostage in regards to the more...soft hearted...of this team. There probably weren't many others in this group other than Derek who would be willing to wound Ramon if it meant he could get a sure killing shot on Saddler.
But this wasn't his 'lover', 'best friend', or potential ally, and Derek was surrounded by people who were that to Ramon, and also were geared towards wanting to get him out of this clean.
Not to mention that Ramon himself wouldn't understand. Guy already had a persecution complex. Wounding him intentionally, even for a good reason, would only feed that.
Time to use wits and hope it was enough.
Derek sheathed and holstered his weapons, holding his hands up to show they were empty. Meanwhile, he went through his options. He made note of the hidden weapons in his jacket, boots, jeans. Marked where everyone was standing...noted Eiko digging through her pockets out of the corner of his eye.
Shit. Saddler could probably see this of course.
Still, Derek kept his stance, waiting to see what the others would do. He was ready for anything to happen...he just needed to know what this mixed bag of heroes would try.
Ada isn't all that surprised when Saddler hides behind the castellan, small as she is. Neither does she have any qualms whatsoever about shooting at Ramon if it ensures a kill of Saddler. None save for one.
"Displeasing or no, Ramon Salazar is working for us now. As are you. You will achieve our goal and keep Salazar relatively unharmed. He is your co-worker now..."
The mission.
She had direct orders on what she was supposed to accomplish. So, it isn't care for any of these people that Ada stows her APL away, holding out her empty hands as well. It was for 'S' And her loyalty. At least, this is what Ada tells herself.
Her knife was within reach but hidden, so Ada isn't too worried about that. Worst came to worst she could throw it to buy time enough to draw out the gun again.
"I'm sure you could find a bigger meat shield, Saddler. Long time no see." Ada steps up, trying to stay as close to Ms. Hollister as she can without looking quite as threatening. "I don't suppose you'll play by our rules this time..." She looks to Ramon when she's done talking. She would do her part to rescue him. The mission objectives always came first.
When they port through, Derek kneels to the ground immediately, closing his eyes in order to pay better attention to his hearing and sense of smell. Although he's aware of the statues and their far-too-realistic depictions, his mind is on the job. Dead stone is no use to him at the moment.
As each of the others make it through, he notes them by heart rate and their particular mix of body chemicals, his nostrils flaring wide like a hunting dogs as he inhales deeply.
Hipps...Eiko...Ada....himself. The Hands have a distinctly different beat and smell to the others. Custos is a different mix altogether, and definitely unique. Derek mentally catalogs all this, then leans closer to the ground.
Faint...very faintly, he can pick out Ramon, and another entity, the parasitic undertones of their plagas a sharp underscore to the smell of less-than-healthy human flesh. There's still a tang of fear to one set of prints. That would be Ramon. Finally, Derek opens his eyes to see if he can pick out footprints in the debris.
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Only after a few seconds of looking around does she recall that her place is up front, with Ms. Hollister. Ada has her doubts about working under the emotional woman, but she doesn't say as much. Ada is a hypocrite, but now isn't the time to think of Spain.
Her handgun had been left behind, so she's now armed with the APL she'd gotten at the beginning of all this. The rocket launcher she'd used on the gigante is slung over her shoulder in her now tattered bag.
Ada quickens her pace, careful to stay quiet, and moves next to Hippolyta. The pieces were being set up. How would the last moves be played, she wonders.
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He ties a convinient bandana over his half-face, and starts looking around, listening and sensing and just really being creeped out.
Hopefully nothing else would crack. No sensory array means his semi-omni-directional senses aren't working and that makes for a nervous, twitchy Custo.
The robot starts checking around for anything out of the ordinary, taking up a stance in front of the crew. It's what scrappers do, after all.
Reply
They could sense Master now. His collar is gone and they can 'hear' his Plaga.
He's afraid. He's hurt.
But they can also sense Lord Saddler. There's a good chance that he's the cause of the pain and fear.
That's a bit of a moral and occupational crisis for the Hands.
...They'll deal with that when they get there, however. In the meantime, they simply start moving to seek him out. When they arrive and size up the situation, they'll see what feels like the right thing to do from there.
The pair of Verdugos stride purposefully in the direction they sense Master, growling quietly to themselves.
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Ramon!
She hisses to the others, waving them to follow...
And starts running.
The statues become a blur to her as she whips past them, bypassing even the Hands in her haste to get to Ramon. She doesn't care that she could be running right into a trap. She doesn't notice whether or not the others are following her. She doesn't feel the muscles in her legs and back and arms protesting.
All she hears and all she knows is that strangled, pained cry. She's heard that voice thousands of times over the last half a year, whispering and laughing and crying and yelling and murmuring oaths of love.
She will not let him hurt any more...
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When the do come into view, he roughly hitches the smaller man up off the ground -- again, by his neck, but this time Ramon's front facing outward. He doesn't make much of a shield, given his stature, but it's enough to make his friends think twice before pulling any triggers.
"Speak of the devil! There they are, Ramon; all of your so-called companions." He squeezes his hand tight around the castellan's throat -- long, claw-like nails depressing, puncturing pale flesh.
Reply
When she catches sight of the two of them, she bites back a curse as she tries to figure out what she's got... and then she shoves the gun into its holster, and starts to rummage in her back for a Plaga Stun Grenade, and something else.
If she can get Derek to throw the grenade and stun them both, maybe she can use the tractor beam to pull Ramon free...
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He does pause though as he takes in the scene. Hostage. Enemy territory. Psychopathic alien mind-set. Not good.
Derek has no doubt that Saddler plans on killing Ramon either way. He'd apparently had already started in on the guy--it's just that the younger plaga carrier made a good hostage in regards to the more...soft hearted...of this team. There probably weren't many others in this group other than Derek who would be willing to wound Ramon if it meant he could get a sure killing shot on Saddler.
But this wasn't his 'lover', 'best friend', or potential ally, and Derek was surrounded by people who were that to Ramon, and also were geared towards wanting to get him out of this clean.
Not to mention that Ramon himself wouldn't understand. Guy already had a persecution complex. Wounding him intentionally, even for a good reason, would only feed that.
Time to use wits and hope it was enough.
Derek sheathed and holstered his weapons, holding his hands up to show they were empty. Meanwhile, he went through his options. He made note of the hidden weapons in his jacket, boots, jeans. Marked where everyone was standing...noted Eiko digging through her pockets out of the corner of his eye.
Shit. Saddler could probably see this of course.
Still, Derek kept his stance, waiting to see what the others would do. He was ready for anything to happen...he just needed to know what this mixed bag of heroes would try.
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"Displeasing or no, Ramon Salazar is working for us now. As are you. You will achieve our goal and keep Salazar relatively unharmed. He is your co-worker now..."
The mission.
She had direct orders on what she was supposed to accomplish. So, it isn't care for any of these people that Ada stows her APL away, holding out her empty hands as well. It was for 'S' And her loyalty. At least, this is what Ada tells herself.
Her knife was within reach but hidden, so Ada isn't too worried about that. Worst came to worst she could throw it to buy time enough to draw out the gun again.
"I'm sure you could find a bigger meat shield, Saddler. Long time no see." Ada steps up, trying to stay as close to Ms. Hollister as she can without looking quite as threatening. "I don't suppose you'll play by our rules this time..." She looks to Ramon when she's done talking. She would do her part to rescue him. The mission objectives always came first.
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