The mall in Alexandria, afternoon
Isabel still felt a tiny bit guilty for gently bullying Michael into coming shopping with her and Meg. After all, Sherpa detail usually fell under the category of boyfriend duties. But after the events of the previous week, she was still a bit worried about him and spending time together, even if it meant listening to him grumble about carrying packages, made her feel like he was going to be okay.
After lunch, and one last check of the mall directory to make sure they hadn't missed anything, they decided it was time to head back to Fandom.
"I am shopped out," Isabel said to Meg as they headed out the sliding doors to the parking lot.
"Shopped out? I didn't think there was such a thing," Meg said, smirking.
"Good", Michael said, mock-grumbling, from the other side of the car. "Don't think I could carry anything else."
"Oh hush," Isabel told him. "Will if make you happier if I told you that shirt you were drooling over is in one of those bags?"
"...it might", he allowed.
"How about this then," she said, pulling her car keys from her purse and holding them out to Michael. "You can drive home."
He blinked.
"Seriously? You'd let me drive your car?"
Isabel took the packages from him and juggled them in one hand, still holding out the keys in her other. "Just don't get us killed okay?"
"Good rule. I'm a big fan of living," Meg said, going over to help Isabel out with the bags.
"No getting killed", Michael agreed instantly, taking the keys before she changed her mind and hopping into the car.
"Don't change the station on the radio. That noise you like is not music!"
Shaking her head, Isabel motioned Meg towards the back of the car. "I think we can get most of this in the trunk. I have to admit? It's times like these I almost want some big SUV.
"Metallica is not noise!" Michael yelled back before closing the door. His fish in its bag was already safe on the floor in the back seat.
"I'm sure we'll manage to get it all in there somehow," Meg said. "If not, I have no problem having all the shoes I bought sitting in the back with me. I can drool over them some more."
"You might possibly give Parker a run for her money when it comes to shoes," Isabel laughed as she tried to arrange packages in the trunk. She was only barely aware of the dark van moving down the aisle toward the car.
It took a moment or two, but they managed to get the packages in the trunk and the lid shut. Just as the van stopped behind them.
Meg noticed the van and was about to say something when her phone started ringing. She fished around in her purse to get her phone.
Four large guys got out of the van. They split into two pairs immediately, moving purposefully toward Isabel and Meg. All wore large shades, leather jackets, and the dark clothing.
They kind of matched the van in terms of menace. If you have those kinds of muscles, moving purposefully is a threat without any talking.
It only took a half a second for Isabel to realize the incoming threat. The easiest thing to do would be to TK them and then run like hell. But she was sure there were security cameras somewhere and alien-fu on tape would only make things worse.
"Shit! Meg, get in the car!"
Meg didn't have to be told twice. She dropped the phone and bolted for the door.
Only to be intercepted by Thugs One and Two, who grabbed her by the arms and actually lifted her off her feet, turning her around to drag her toward the van.
Meanwhile, Thugs Three and Four had reached Isabel, still unspeaking, but their expressions going grim as they moved more quickly, hoping not to be noticed, one of them shooting Michael a glare.
Isabel was not going down with out a fight. She tried to wrench her arm away from the first guy that grabbed her, kicking out at the other.
Michael was sitting frozen in the driver's seat, cursing his lack of skill with his powers. He was too late to shout any warning to Isabel, but he snapped to action when they grabbed her, lunging for the door.
One of the more useful things Isabel had learned while on Antar was thinking on her feet. Even as she tried to get away, she saw that they had Meg, but that no one had gone for Michael yet. He was in the car.
With the keys.
"Michael go!" she yelled. "Get Wyatt and Dean!"
One of the thugs was alert enough to let go of Meg, and move toward the car to try to detain Michael. Which left Thug Two holding onto Meg alone.
Meg took her chance and started to pull away from the guy who had a hold of her, kicking him whenever and wherever she could.
"Ow! You little--" Meg's kicks landed behind Thug Two's knee, sending him slamming into the van. "A little help here!"
Thug One turned around, and hurried forward, one hand going into his pocket and withdrawing a hypodermic needle. "Hang on, I got her."
In the meantime, Thugs Three and Four were still desperately trying to get Isabel closer to the van, all of their attention in her. One of them also had a hypo, and was looking for a good place to inject her with the sedative, but had enough presence of mind to yell to his cohort, "Don't let that guy leave!"
He couldn't help them, Michael realized reluctantly, except by doing what Isabel had said. Not when it was three against four, too public for powers, and the thugs were obviously well prepared. He couldn't even use the car against them without hurting the girls too.
His next move was to lock the car from inside, then start the engine.
They were too strong to pull away from, and were positioned in such a way that Isabel couldn't land a good kick. But she still wouldn't go down without a fight. Especially once she saw the needle. She slumped down, causing Thug Three to shift his grip, putting his arm within biting distance.
"Ow! Christ!" Thug Three aimed a punch at Isabel's face, and Thug Four leaned forward with the needle in hand, Michael temporarily forgotten.
Between the punch to the face and the prick of the needle in her arm, Isabel was going down for the count fast. Her last thought was a fierce hope that Michael got away.
The thugs should really have been paying better attention.
They just lost their witness.
Meg was so busy concentrating on what was happening to Isabel, she barely felt the prick of the needle going into her arm. The last thing she saw before drifting into unconsciousness was Michael driving away.
"Shit," muttered Thug One, hauling Meg into the van as the other two thugs began dragging Isabel toward them. "Hit it, Marv. Let's get outta here before that guy calls the cops."
[Pre-played with goodgirlmeg and rebelheartalien, NFB for distance, NFI, OOC is love!]
After lunch, and one last check of the mall directory to make sure they hadn't missed anything, they decided it was time to head back to Fandom.
"I am shopped out," Isabel said to Meg as they headed out the sliding doors to the parking lot.
"Shopped out? I didn't think there was such a thing," Meg said, smirking.
"Good", Michael said, mock-grumbling, from the other side of the car. "Don't think I could carry anything else."
"Oh hush," Isabel told him. "Will if make you happier if I told you that shirt you were drooling over is in one of those bags?"
"...it might", he allowed.
"How about this then," she said, pulling her car keys from her purse and holding them out to Michael. "You can drive home."
He blinked.
"Seriously? You'd let me drive your car?"
Isabel took the packages from him and juggled them in one hand, still holding out the keys in her other. "Just don't get us killed okay?"
"Good rule. I'm a big fan of living," Meg said, going over to help Isabel out with the bags.
"No getting killed", Michael agreed instantly, taking the keys before she changed her mind and hopping into the car.
"Don't change the station on the radio. That noise you like is not music!"
Shaking her head, Isabel motioned Meg towards the back of the car. "I think we can get most of this in the trunk. I have to admit? It's times like these I almost want some big SUV.
"Metallica is not noise!" Michael yelled back before closing the door. His fish in its bag was already safe on the floor in the back seat.
"I'm sure we'll manage to get it all in there somehow," Meg said. "If not, I have no problem having all the shoes I bought sitting in the back with me. I can drool over them some more."
"You might possibly give Parker a run for her money when it comes to shoes," Isabel laughed as she tried to arrange packages in the trunk. She was only barely aware of the dark van moving down the aisle toward the car.
It took a moment or two, but they managed to get the packages in the trunk and the lid shut. Just as the van stopped behind them.
Meg noticed the van and was about to say something when her phone started ringing. She fished around in her purse to get her phone.
Four large guys got out of the van. They split into two pairs immediately, moving purposefully toward Isabel and Meg. All wore large shades, leather jackets, and the dark clothing.
They kind of matched the van in terms of menace. If you have those kinds of muscles, moving purposefully is a threat without any talking.
It only took a half a second for Isabel to realize the incoming threat. The easiest thing to do would be to TK them and then run like hell. But she was sure there were security cameras somewhere and alien-fu on tape would only make things worse.
"Shit! Meg, get in the car!"
Meg didn't have to be told twice. She dropped the phone and bolted for the door.
Only to be intercepted by Thugs One and Two, who grabbed her by the arms and actually lifted her off her feet, turning her around to drag her toward the van.
Meanwhile, Thugs Three and Four had reached Isabel, still unspeaking, but their expressions going grim as they moved more quickly, hoping not to be noticed, one of them shooting Michael a glare.
Isabel was not going down with out a fight. She tried to wrench her arm away from the first guy that grabbed her, kicking out at the other.
Michael was sitting frozen in the driver's seat, cursing his lack of skill with his powers. He was too late to shout any warning to Isabel, but he snapped to action when they grabbed her, lunging for the door.
One of the more useful things Isabel had learned while on Antar was thinking on her feet. Even as she tried to get away, she saw that they had Meg, but that no one had gone for Michael yet. He was in the car.
With the keys.
"Michael go!" she yelled. "Get Wyatt and Dean!"
One of the thugs was alert enough to let go of Meg, and move toward the car to try to detain Michael. Which left Thug Two holding onto Meg alone.
Meg took her chance and started to pull away from the guy who had a hold of her, kicking him whenever and wherever she could.
"Ow! You little--" Meg's kicks landed behind Thug Two's knee, sending him slamming into the van. "A little help here!"
Thug One turned around, and hurried forward, one hand going into his pocket and withdrawing a hypodermic needle. "Hang on, I got her."
In the meantime, Thugs Three and Four were still desperately trying to get Isabel closer to the van, all of their attention in her. One of them also had a hypo, and was looking for a good place to inject her with the sedative, but had enough presence of mind to yell to his cohort, "Don't let that guy leave!"
He couldn't help them, Michael realized reluctantly, except by doing what Isabel had said. Not when it was three against four, too public for powers, and the thugs were obviously well prepared. He couldn't even use the car against them without hurting the girls too.
His next move was to lock the car from inside, then start the engine.
They were too strong to pull away from, and were positioned in such a way that Isabel couldn't land a good kick. But she still wouldn't go down without a fight. Especially once she saw the needle. She slumped down, causing Thug Three to shift his grip, putting his arm within biting distance.
"Ow! Christ!" Thug Three aimed a punch at Isabel's face, and Thug Four leaned forward with the needle in hand, Michael temporarily forgotten.
Between the punch to the face and the prick of the needle in her arm, Isabel was going down for the count fast. Her last thought was a fierce hope that Michael got away.
The thugs should really have been paying better attention.
They just lost their witness.
Meg was so busy concentrating on what was happening to Isabel, she barely felt the prick of the needle going into her arm. The last thing she saw before drifting into unconsciousness was Michael driving away.
"Shit," muttered Thug One, hauling Meg into the van as the other two thugs began dragging Isabel toward them. "Hit it, Marv. Let's get outta here before that guy calls the cops."
[Pre-played with goodgirlmeg and rebelheartalien, NFB for distance, NFI, OOC is love!]