The Platform of Surrender [SHOWDOWN]

[Nikolai Campbell]

Niko specifically hadn't mentioned that Jesse was holding the gun. Why? Because he was scared, and he didn't want his dad to be scared, too. Plus, Jesse may not have wanted Chase to know. It wasn't exactly on the approved list of conversation. Niko's grip tightened when the phone left his hand, curling into a fist of frustration. That wasn't fair. This time he didn't say that aloud. Instead, he let out a shaky breath, and drew his knees up to his chest.

Paulo's arrival in the room wasn't exactly ignored by Niko, but he didn't look up at the man. He just kept to himself, trying desperately to forget where he was and why as the man spoke with Jesse. Such harsh words! It didn't exactly seem quite as surprising now. Jesse's reply, however, made the blood drain from Niko's expression. His eyes shifted up to Jesse, a film of tears already coating them.

"Leave my dad alone!"Niko objected, "Don't touch him! I didn't tell him you had a gun! Don't shoot him!" To Niko's credit, he kept himself in place to avoid getting himself in trouble, despite the sudden anger in his voice and the tension in his small body. He wasn't exactly physically capable of fighting Jesse, even if he had wanted to throw himself at the blond teen to keep him from his dad.

It was sort of relieving when Jesse turned to leave. Niko got to his feet, his eyes watching the woman who was standing guard on him for any traces of anger. He was getting that phone to see if it was broken (it likely was) so he could call Chase back to tell him. He just didn't want her to shoot him, so he moved very slowly, as though thinking she wouldn't notice he was moving if he did so at a slowed walk.

[Lala & Reese Degreas]

Lala suddenly jerked back from the scope of her gun. The sudden movement roused her from her statue-like sit. Paulo had already announced their arrival on the grounds, and the twins were able to process the information at the same time, if not before he was. “There here.” Lala barked, her voice managing to echo through the floor of the complex that she occupied, reaching the rooms where Kilbourne’s husband and child were being kept.

Reese remained silent and drew her gun from her holster at her hip, letting it dangle at her side as she slipped out the door. “Cover Jesse.” She instructed Paulo, moving to the head of the driveway. She could see them, like vague dots at the end of the property. Like ephemeral shadows, their more details forms were visible to Reese through Lala’s scope as images in her mind. Paulo was right. More than expected.

Out numbered, but not out powered.

Gabe had taught them how to close off their minds, to keep themselves safe…but Reese didn’t want to include the entirety of Hammel. Not yet. Not yet. Gabe’s plan could come later. His revenge needed to come first.

She opened their mind, thinking loudly, the jumbled thoughts of the gestalt pair projected to what they hope would be Sean Neville.

I only want Kilbourne. You needn’t die for him. Not yet.

Her hand tightened on her gun as she watched groups of the little team of would-be heroes marching up the hill. No stealth. No tactics, or so it seemed. Just…blind. Reese wrinkled her nose and let out a heavy breath, waiting for her target to come into sight.

[Delilah Pryce]

The reaction in the estate became tense, even more so than it already had been. The air around the place just seemed heavy and full of uncertainty. Orders were being barked and voices were full of hate, both for the encroaching intruders and for each other. Delilah herself remained silent, pushing her feelings of dread to the side as she readied herself for battle. Slipping backward from the front door as one of the twins headed out toward the entrance of the house and driveway, Delilah formulated her own plan for this mess. Of course, this was a bit harder than it sounded as she had no idea of whom she was facing. The usual plan which consisted of just charging in and destroying everything in sight wasn't going to work this time. Instead, staying back and observing first to find the weakest members of the opposing team would be the best course of action.

Eyes darting from left to right, Delilah continued to back up from the front door, her hand resting comfortably on the pistol at her thigh. Finally, slipping off into a side room, Delilah gazed out one of the windows, looking to see if anyone might be trying to flank the house. She saw no one presently and so, took the opportunity to make her move. Opening the window, Delilah slipped out through it with ease given her small frame and ability. She crouched down into the bushes for a moment, looking around once again before moving out into the open and toward the front of the house to watch the action. She would let the MSAD strike first and then use them as a distraction to move into a better position to attack.

A few small dots could be seen toward the edge of the property, more intruders than Delilah thought would come to this party. This certainly wasn't going to be easy, but it would be fun none the less. The small group was congregating and making ready, no doubt getting their own plans into order before attacking. Hammel's little good guy team would be prepared and no doubt better trained at this sort of thing. If Delilah survived this little outing she might walk away with some new tricks to add to her stolen skill list.

[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan was one of the first to break the crest of the hill and he was surprised at how normal everything looked. No trenches fell of deadly sharp-shooters. No other signs of ‘pure evil.’ Only one woman standing at the head of the drive and a man behind her, something dangling from his hand. Morgan squinted. “IS that…” He took a few steps. “Is that a violin that guy is holding?” Morgan mused to himself.

It was, in fact. Morgan never claimed to know anything about Meta abilities, but the one thing he was fairly certain of was that they came in shapes and sizes beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Working at the institute had taught him that. Morgan put out his arm to keep Anya behind him. “Hold on…this is shady.” He murmured as the dark-haired man put the violin to his shoulder and began to play.

It seemed harmless enough for a while, though Morgan did notice a colleague looking rather horrified. Morgan turned to Anya and shrugged, turning back to face the other man in time to realize he’d been noticed…

…and just exactly what was going on.

Morgan’s chest tightened and his vision swam, an incredibly painful, shrill buzzing in his ears where once the distant music had been. He clapped his hands over his ears to try and keep it out, gritting his teeth, but it only grew louder until it pounded behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut and groaned. That sound, it was horrible. How was everyone managing to function with it all around them?

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya slunk, stealthy as a cat behind Morgan, the shotgun nestled into the crook of her arm. She, too, noticed the tiny congregation of people, her eyebrows raising into her hairline. This surely couldn't be it? She dropped her arms slightly, her previously raised brows knitting together in a frown. "I agree." She said to Morgan, though also to herself. The violin was an odd touch, but perhaps it was melodramatics, or - oh god, maybe it was the platform for a power.

"Morgan!" The woman called, about to get the blonde man away from the sound when it struck. Grappling onto Morgan's shoulders, she shook the man gently,trying to get him out of the sound's power. She looked to the others and shouted out to them. "Don't come closer!" Her ears were beginning to throb like her companion's, but she fought it, edging around the sound and trying to push her own power onto this horrible violinist.

Anya dropped down as the sound began to penetrate further into her mind, eyes watering as she desperately tried to reach her ability around the man to stop the madness. She imagined a mute button over the musician, body shaking with the effort. "Oh god." She croaked, struggling as the music overcame her. It felt like every orifice in her body was bleeding, the notes vile and unnatural. Her hands came over her ears much like Morgan's had around his, and she tried again to concentrate.

"I can't... get it!" She said, her voice unhappy, pained. Her hand came around Morgan's for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze before fumbling for her shotgun. Every movement was becoming sheer agony as the sound throbbed through her. One finger curled around the gun, before things got too much and she coiled on the floor, in the foetal position. Anya clamped her hands tighter around her ears and tried to hum to block the shrieking, immortal notes out. How could she be of any use if she was removed at the first hurdle? Anger and frustration stung her eyes as well as the notes of the violin.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

((OOC: If you haven’t posted yet, you’re still able to post. Remember, no posting order. Also, let’s just assume that anything Sean says telepathically is projected to all members of TGG unless posted otherwise. It makes it easier.))


The telepath assumed that they were expected, or at least he and Chase were. Violent kidnapping of James and Niko, of an innocent child and a staff member, Chase’s husband, was a tactic intended to incite them and to flush them out. They had to know that Chase would spring to action, even though he was still in recovery. And the twins knew that he had been there last time, and viewed him as an accomplice. In that way, they’d lost the element of surprise, although he doubted that M.S.A.D. had expected that they would enlist friends. That would be their salvation. Their strength would come from their unity and their devotion to bringing their taken back home safely.

He was scanning; he had his mental shields up for combat purposes only, and he was tuned in mentally to everything he could hear. Thus when he heard that loathsome, familiar voice try to bargain with him, he was prepared. He wouldn’t turn on Chase; he hadn’t turned on him for any of the months leading up to this moment. They were in this together. The threat was more concerning, because he knew precisely what they wanted, and that it was a devil’s bargain. Left to their own devices, they would come for him; this was about more than revenge for Gabriel’s death.

He projected to the other members of their group, They’ve made contact, and they want Chase. Make sure that someone covers him at all times.

And then, as they neared the mansion...he felt like his ears were imploding because of a blasted violin. Sound distortion had the potential to make this even more unpleasant than it already was. He brought his hands to his ears, trying to tune out the noise, and he began to hum to himself, entirely because when one hummed, it caused muscles in the ears to flex, helping to cut down on noise otherwise processed. It got him through concerts he didn’t enjoy, but it wasn’t good enough here.

Someone get him to stop that! Vincent, Yulia, Anya...anyone.

[Morgan Tonaya]

Morgan was having horrible visions. His mother. His faceless father. Darryl and his baby. All maimed beyond recognition. Terrible hallucinations, and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop seeing them. Or stop thinking about him. Only Anya’s grip on his shoulders reminded him why he was here.

He couldn’t open his mouth to speak, the sound slashing at his insides, but he could act. He elbowed Anya away from him and managed to take his hand off his ears. Another sound had joined the din, but Morgan couldn’t discern it. It was his own voice, howling in pain like a
wounded animal.

The air around Morgan rippled, growing simultaneously dim and very hot. Morgan had never had the experience of seeing red, but this time he was. Accompanied by an agonizing pressure behind his eyes that caused him to wobble and squeeze them shut. He only prayed he’d aimed correctly. At a distance of thirty feet, an amazing flash engulfed the figure playing the violin, travelling like a bolt of lightning from Morgan’s body.

Now shadowed as if by a solitary cloud, Morgan crumpled near Anya’s feet, still hollering for all his life. His hands were clamped over his eyes as he curled into a tight fetal position, his exposed skin a bright, angry red. Welts rose on his hands and when he finally pried them away, blood welled out from his eyes like tears, rolling down and staining his cheeks.

“Anya…Anya?!” He shouted, his shaky, blistered hands groping at the air. “God…I can’t…I can’t…” Morgan began to shake, his hands falling to the grown as he faded from consciousness. “I can’t see…” He managed to whisper before collapsing in a faint.

In the distance, the player had released the violin and was staring blankly in the direction of the Hammel group, shouting something nearly inaudible, though it was something similar to
“Oh god, I can’t see!”While Morgan had succeeded in ending the violin and blinding his opponent, he too had been thrust into a sudden night.

[Yulia Sokolov]

Yulia stayed close to the group. She was fairly sure this bunch didn’t have any military training, heck, some of them were not even armed. Sure it was noble, but it meant that this fight had a good chance of not being fair, and the odds were not in their favor. Yulia lingered back a little at first, but then drew more to the little. She had to remember that she could not stand back on this one, even if she wasn’t too hot to get into a battle like this again. She followed behind Morgan and Anya, perhaps ten feet or so. Her fingers twitched, she would be so much comfortable with her hands on the pistols, but she didn’t want to draw attention to them before she had to used them.

Yulia had been looking to the side, sure that they would not be foolish to come at them head on. She was not sure what she had been expecting, but the quite made her anxious. They weren’t having force thrown that them, which meant that there would be strategy to get past. So much for surprise having the upper hand, but then again with telepaths there never was any surprise. Then a sound made her cringe. Her shoulders drew up and her ears twitched back as much as they could. Immediately her hands flew to them. This was something new to her. She looked, trying to target the source of the noise. There was the man with the violin.

Yulia’s hand flew to the pistol. In a moment she knew that this would not be effective, he was too far away. Also he wasn’t really looking at them. The noise rang through her head, echoing in her skull. It was horribly painful and Yulia ducked her head down, trying to block it out. She did manage to look up a bit, out of concern for the two ahead of her. It looked like Morgan and Anya had it even worse. Still, it looked at if the former was bold enough to act anyways. Yulia immediately tried to pull herself together. Seven years in the military, this was nothing new to her, she needed to concentrate.

Yulia wasn’t sure of what Morgan’s power was, but his reaction made it clear that he had caused the flash that set the violin aflame. She looked around quickly, her hands still clamped over her ears, at the rest of their group. No one was moving, no one was doing anything. Finally, despite the continued painful ringing in her head, she clicked into gear. She sprinted forward, past Anya and Morgan. She needed to get closer, just a few feet closer. The dazed but still deadly violinist made one mistake then, he turned to look at her. Yulia’s head was up, ready for it. She made eye contact with him and stopped. A rushing sound in her own mind overpowered the disabling noise the man had caused. It filled her mind, her hands clenching as she released it in a sharp blast. Immediately the roaring left her ears as the psionic blast shot like an invisible deadly bullet. A second later the man with the violin fell dead. It wasn’t the first time that Yulia had killed someone using her ability. Yulia was left panting for a moment, her energy knocked down a good peg. She pulled herself back together and then quickly glanced back at the group. Perhaps now they realized just how this could end.

"Are you all ok?"

[Anya Vasiliev]

Everything went in painful slow motion.

The agonising screams from Morgan's mouth made the slight woman feel even more nauseated, her body convulsing with this new sound. The flash of light disturbed her from her own mental torment, and she looked over to her companion, only to barely stifle a scream of her own.

Looking over to Yulia and the others desperately, she pushed herself off the ground, disgarding her shotgun and gently cradling Morgan's hand in her own, careful not to press on the sore looking skin. "You idiot." She hissed tearfully, horrified at the damage the man had done to himself more than anything. Anya carefully leant over him and brushed a little of the red liquid seeping from his eyes away, teeth knitted in her lip.

"It's okay, it's okay." She murmured, as though hushing a crying child. Looking, again, over to the others for aid, she sent out a mental signal for help. "Morgan you... you're a first class..." She couldn't finish the words, instead lifting the unconscious man's head into her lap and waiting for someone to take him back to the van, to hospital.

"Morgan поврежден. Пожалуйста помогите.*" Anya called over to Yulia, attempting to carry her friend towards the entrance to the compound. Her shoulders were not meant to heft this load, and she was so frightened of injuring the man further that she barely wanted to touch him at all. A casualty already, she thought to herself grimly, though privately pleased her fellow russian had dispatched the horrid violinist. Flashes of her conversation with Morgan in the coffee house only a few days ago shimmered around in her mind, then she steeled herself.

Clenching her jaw, she delicately handled Morgan into the hands of another. "I think he's completely roasted himself alive." Her voice was quiet, soothing the unconscious man with a gentle touch to his shoulder. "He needs medical attention fast."

* Morgan is injured. Please help.

[Mason McQueen]

To say that Mason felt like he’s gotten himself way out of his league would be an understatement. He felt like his klutz level just went up a few notches, finding himself fumbling and stumbling after every other step. He desperately tried to keep up with the lizard woman’s pace, but between the heavy pounding of his heart, the cold sweat on his palms and the increased shaking his legs are experiencing, it was all in vain. The silence as they made their trek up the hill only made things worse. He could only hope that his fear and doubt aren’t oozing into the open channel Dr. Neville has created; the last thing he’d want is for his companions to be in danger because of his rather paranoid mind.


He was just about to walk over Chase and offer to watch the man’s back for him (as per Dr. Neville’s orders) when the sound reached his ears. He immediately tensed up, stopping a few paces from Morgan and his troupe and instinctively covering his ears with his hands. As if on cue, his hair spiked out, growing a good three feet and spiking out around him, almost giving him a porcupine-esque appearance. He could barely hear himself think, much less understand what Sean told them with all the pain his ears are experiencing. The man would be lying if he said that he didn’t think he’d die right there and then.

And then, in a flash, the painful sound ended. Quite literally at that.

Rubbing his eyes as they adjusted back to normal light, he quickly ran over Anya to check on Morgan. He didn’t need Sean to tell him that the boy was hurt. “Don’t worry Anya, I got him,” he nodded, taking the boy (he was the same age as his brother after all) from suppressor’s arms. Clarisse may be of more help in terms of taking care of Morgan, but he figured he’d be the best one to escort the boy out of the war zone. They’d need the French woman’s brute force much more than they’d need his numerous split-ends. I’ll get him to the van, he told Dr. Neville as he curled his hair around the injured light manipulator, trying to create some sort of cradle in an effort to help alleviate the pain. “Thanks Morgan,” he muttered as he made a beeline towards the vans outside, hoping the MSAD in the compound are a bit distracted to see a clump of hair moving down their compound.

[/justify][/blockquote]

[Vincent Romanov]

Vincent wasn't happy to see Morgan and Anya pass him as they headed off up the drive taking point. Neither of them had the training nor the understanding of what was going on to be taking up such a dangerous position. However, Vincent wasn't in the military anymore, he wasn't leading this squad, Sean was and that in and of itself might be their downfall. However, Vincent had a trust in Sean and knew the man would lead to the best of his ability, but still, Vincent just didn't feel right about all this. He nervously clenched his fists together and then his jaw. He himself would be fine in this fight, but his comrades were a different story. Protecting others came natural to Vincent, even as a small boy. It was one of the reasons why he joined the Army in the first place, the need to stop evil all over the world. Sure it sounded like something from some corn ball comic book, but that was how he felt. His superhero complex is also the reason why the Army discharged him. After his last mission where squad was all killed save for him, not to mention the entire village they were patrolling, Vincent just couldn't handle combat stress they way he needed to anymore. As a matter of fact, right now he was giving thought to just leaving this fight altogether. He was nervous and flashes of the night where his friends and allies all died flashed in his head. No doubt Sean would see them, but the man already knew of the horrors which plagued Vincent....to some degree.

As he stood there, willing himself to move, Vincent then heard a small sound, which then began to grow larger in his ears. Sharp pain pierced his ears and his vision blurred quickly. It was a meta attack, the MSAD had struck first and that meant this fight had begun. Vincent tried to shake the sound and pain from his head by putting his hands over his ears, but it didn't help. Soon, he was down to one knee, his eyes closed tightly and teeth grinding against one another in some vain attempt to relieve the pain he was feeling. It was sound manipulation, a power Vincent had seen before, a long time ago, and he knew there was little to stop it save for taking down the one using the power. Sean's voice echoed in Vincent's mind, begging for someone to stop the noise, but no matter how much Vincent wanted to stand, he just could not. All his expert training and it was useless to him right now.

Just when Vincent thought it was all going to end right before it begun, the noise suddenly stopped and the pain with it. It took Vincent a moment to realize what had happened. He opened his eyes, blinking them numerous times to bring his focus back and dropped his hands from his ears where a slight ringing still remained. He shook his head and stood to his feet again, breathing hard, trying to make sense and then it hit him. Morgan and Anya were out there on the front lines, along with the others and they needed him. Training and instinct took over and Vincent's worries and fears left him. He knew what he had to do, he had to get inside the compound and make the way safe for the others. As long as that horrible sound was gone, then he could do his job.

With two quick steps, he broke into a quick stride, straight up the driveway, picking up speed with each step. Vincent was going to hit the house straight on and knock aside anyone foolish enough to stand in his way. There would be no mercy and no hesitation from here on out. If he came across anyone other than his friends, he would destroy them. Something moving toward his direction caused Vincent to stop and stumble a moment though. It was Morgan's body, wrapped up in Mason's hair being dragged from the fight. Morgan must have been the one to stop the sound and it looked like he paid the price for doing so. Vincent clenched his fists and looked toward the MSAD compound again

The man who had been playing the violin was crumpled on the ground, dead from what Vincent guessed but who his killer had been was unknown. Vincent had his assumptions, but it didn't really matter. The MSAD had two bodies to add to their pile now and Vincent was sure that wasn't going to make things any easier if Johnny law caught wind of what was going on around here. Thankfully, there hadn't been any sirens as of yet and likely there wouldn't be. The MSAD wasn't exactly the sort to follow the rules. Still, Vincent hadn't wanted to see any more dead bodies, not that he hadn't seen one before or had killed anyone, he just wanted to end this without death. Vincent had seen enough death in his lifetime and even though, deep down he knew the MSAD wouldn't stop until they were all dead, he still wanted as little bloodshed as possible. He would give this fight his all, even kill if he had, but not because he wanted to, because he had to.

Taking a deep breath, Vincent took one or two steps toward the compound and then broke into a run. He had a small bit of kinetic energy stored up, but nothing major. He knew he would find plenty in this fight. By the way his muscles tensed, Vincent figured he had enough energy to at least tear down the front door of the house and then.....well, he'd figure that part out when the time came. His speed picked up and he was closing the gap between he and the house quickly. So far, no gunshots rang out or at least none that Vincent had heard. He was sure the MSAD would have some sort of armory built up, but maybe he was wrong on that one. Not many meta's resorted to man made weaponry, but then again, not many meta's were hell bent on world domination.

The lone woman left standing at the top of the driveway worried Vincent in his run. She was far too calm looking for all this, as if she were a friend to violence. It was hard to make out the woman's features while running but she looked like on of the gestalt twins. If this were true, then she would be a tough adversary. Strength, intelligence, and determination were three strong factors to have when facing a challenge and there was no doubt the twins possessed all three of these in spades. Perhaps Vincent might be able to catch the woman in his charge, take her through the door with him and taking her out of the fight altogether? That would certainly help things. He was in too fast a run to change direction much and if the woman were quick enough, she could dodge him, causing him to miss her entirely. It was a gamble and Vincent was going to take it. He lowered his shoulder, intent on catching the lone twin and smashing her through the front of the house. However, plans had a way of falling apart at the worst moments.

(If anyone wants to physical beat on Vincent, I give my permission now. Just don't get too carried away. If you want to do something especially wicked to him, feel free to pm me)

[Chase Campbell]

All along, Chase had known that, deep down, this whole thing was his fault. If he hadn’t gone and picked a fight with Gabriel, if he hadn’t killed him, none of this would be happening. He’d told himself as much since this had begun. Now they had his husband and son, and his friends were alongside him, but if they got hurt… it was on his hands.

He felt his heart drop into his stomach the moment he saw Morgan go down. It was painful to watch, and even more painful to know that he could stop it. He was ready to, but he froze. His eyes were on the violinist, his fists clenched, but he froze. Mentally, he seized up. He couldn’t do it. His mind forced him back to that day in the study, watching Gabriel fall to his knees. He couldn’t do it.

He’d heard Sean’s warning, and the command to have someone on him the whole time. But he didn’t want that. Not now. Not with Morgan down, and hurt. The first casualty of what he was sure were many to come. Carefully, purposefully, he stalked closer to the property, eyes on the windows above. It was him they wanted. No one but him.

You want me? Come and get me. He made himself known simply by his proximity to the house. He wasn’t going to let anyone else get hurt. It was game on, and Hammel wasn’t going to lose.


(I'm sorry it's so small, guys. T_T)

[Kateri Rivera]

What was she doing? That was the thought that kept running through her head: first at the meeting at Neville’s house, when she’d mumbled her assent and had actually stayed to listen to the plans, second when she’d received the call that everything was happening a little earlier than expected, and third when she’d actually arrived and had gotten out of the van to stand in front of the mansion. Her heart was pounding, her mouth was dry, and for one of the first times in her life, she felt really and truly terrified. She wasn’t a soldier. She wasn’t a fighter. Why in hell had she signed up for this?

Because she wasn’t one to sit and wait for things to happen to her. Because she didn’t believe in being the defensive line. Because if Chris could do it, then so could she. He’d trained her. Of course he’d had. He’d taught her some defense techniques, and had taught her in the use of a gun. And when he’d left for the war, she’d kept up the training. She still had his old, military-issue handgun on her, actually. She knew Sean hadn’t come armed, but Kateri wouldn’t have called herself that morally righteous. If someone was going to attack her, she was going to fight back in any way she knew how. And yes, if someone had to die…so be it. Terrified, yes. But also determined. Kat was never one to back down from a challenge. And this was a challenge: just of a different sort. Right?

However, she’d hardly mastered her nerve and stepped down from the van when she saw a violin playing, and when the sudden crippling noise brought her to her knees. She clamped her hands over her head and tried desperately to focus, grab her gun, do something, even as she could feel her power welling in the form of overhead clouds. She could hear Sean call for someone to do something, anything, and carefully managed to get to her feet, teeth clenched against the agony that radiated through her entire body, when, suddenly, it stopped. And all she could hear were Morgan’s cries, even around the ringing still lingering in her own ears. She took a couple of steps toward him, but saw that Anya, Yulia and Mason seemed to be managing with them all right. And the violin player was gone. Good. She decided to keep a hold on the dark clouds that were brewing, even though it could cause her a magnificent headache later, and scanned the area. She watched as Vincent charged straight into the fray and bit back a curse as she noticed Chase heading in that direction, alone, against Sean’s specific orders. Men. Chris probably would have done the same. And she would have, too, if it was a member of her family in there. She hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly decided that Vincent, out of all of them, could probably handle himself the best.

I’ll cover Chase, she projected to Sean, then headed after the man, pulling the gun out of her pocket and readying it as she fell into step behind him, moving quietly, just as he had. She didn’t know if he had a plan. If he did, she doubted it was a very sane one. But she’d wait and see before making any sudden movements. Worst case, she’d…she’d…

Well, she’d figure it out when it happened.

[Paulo Ortiz]

Despite how patronizing it probably was for Jesse to have Reese insist he covered the boy, it was as much for his benefit. He couldn't navigate his way around without help. But it worked out for them both, because Paulo was again smiling. "He's coming, towards the front of the house."

Though Paulo held his gun, his real weapon was his power. He could pinpoint where everyone on this battlefield was. So he kept scrolling through names in his head, sighing when he couldn't locate someone anymore. Surest way for him to know someone was dead. "They killed Mordecai." But he doubted Jesse cared much about that. They had a target now, and Paulo was fine with letting the teenager kill Kilbourne. The man was enough of an idiot to come back, when he knew they wanted to kill him. His partner and son were as good as dead anyway. None of them were going to leave. "But Kilbourne, he's right outside. He'll be in the kitchen soon." He'd play backup now, but then he wanted the boy to guide him out to where Morgan was so he could take a message back to Jake. It was their fault people were dying today.

So what if it wasn't true? He knew what Jake looked like when he was scared; he'd seen it when he and Penny had approached them at the party in December. Now he was going to see it from Morgan as well.

He wasn't going to kill the blond man. Just tell him two things. The other of which was something he'd found out months ago, and had been waiting to use: Elaine Tonaya's address.

[Yulia Sokolov]

Yulia considered her options now in a way that she had not been able to before. The freezing fear that she once felt was gone, completely gone. She had broken herself into what she was doing again, just it was a shame it had to be with the first kill as well. Still, she didn’t regret what she had done, it had needed to be done. Had she only knocked him out then he could have come back at them, and in the thick of it all they could not afford that. She knew it, and the rest of them should as well. Either way, now that the man was dead on the ground she could not worry about it. Anya’s words brought her back.

Yulia’s head snapped around and then took the few strides back to them at a run. She looked down at the pair and knew instantly that there really was nothing she could do. She stared for another moment and then dropped down, trying to help Anya support Morgan until he was settled with Mason. Then her attention turned to Anya completely. She knew that Anya did not have the same military training as she did, despite the fact that they had the same homeland. She gripped the other woman’s shoulders, saying things that she was pretty sure were true.

“It is ok, he is going to be fine,” she told Anya. “But, how are you?” She stressed the word you. Naturally she wasn’t in Anya’s head so she wasn’t really sure how she was doing, but she knew better than to let anyone walk in there even potentially dazed. She hoped now that they could stop pretending like this was going to be either nice or easy. “You have this, you have got this.” It was the best she could do for encouragement in the thick of this. Then the turned and looked at the two groups. Yulia did some quick calculating. Right now it looked like she had the most to loose, and Chase was already covered by Kateri. Vincent, however, was alone.

She booked it down the hill to cover Vincent, still trying to keep the others in her sight as well. It would be no good to be hasty and loose visual.