Reaching Salvation: Post-Acer

Paul couldn't help but laugh. "Heidi, what makes you think I'm going to survive this battle?" he asked her, peering down at her. His face was dark and there was a glint in his eye.

A look of something close to hurt crossed Heidi's face as she pushed herself to her feet, before dusting off her pants and continuing to look for Nathan. No, no, no. She was not going to have this conversation all over again. She may have been angry at Paul, but she was not going to wish on him to get brutally murdered by Lillian's thugs. At least when she killed someone, she usually did it quickly. Usually.

Paul face returned to a blank if not amused look. "But then again, what makes me think I'm gonna die to a bunch of uneducated, unexperienced, kids with guns?" Paul laughed, slinging his gun over his shoulder. "The funny thing is, that's what this one adult a couple years ago said. He's dead now."

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Heidi spoke up, otherwise trying to ignore Paul. Goddammit, why had Nathan picked this one time to not be flashy?

"That's fine, just try not to get yourself killed," Paul told her, branching off towards the encampment, "Oh, and Nathan is that way." He pointed off in Nathan's direction.

"Fuck you," Heidi shot back rather poorly, heading off in the direction that Paul had pointed in.

The jokes Paul held back caused him to chuckle as he approached his group and motioned for them to follow. The walker creaked and buzzed and rumbled ominously as the ragtag group of militia moved forward.

That would be when Neo decided, with a sigh, to walk beside Heidi. Course. He being the most awesome person to ever have been born, was bound to...'try' to put Heidi into a better mood.

"...So, hiya," Neo said from behind the woman. Arms folded behind his neck.

Heidi glanced over at Neo, sighing as she stopped. "I swear to god, Neo, if you're gonna say something, you'd better pray it doesn't piss me off any more than I already am," she stated. It seemed like everyone was going out of their way to make her angry today.

"I'll try not to piss you off then," Neo said, looking up at the sky. "But it is a really nice day out today. Didja notice?"

"Yeah, our impending doom is on its way, but at least it's fuckin' sunny," Heidi snapped in return.

"Always a brighter side to things. And impending doom? Puhlease. I've been more scared of a bird pecking me to death," Neo said, still looking up at the sky. "I see a bunny in the clouds."

"One of my best friends died a few hours ago, sorry for not being in a better mood," Heidi responded sarcastically, folding her arms as she continued walking. Why did everyone seem to make it their personal mission to see that she wasn't in such a bad mood?

"So I've heard. I'm sorry about Eithne," Neo said, still looking up at the sky. "I liked him. But, why be sorry? You have every right to be in as bad of a mood as you are. I'm just here to point at the bunny clouds. Oh hey look, that one looks like a hand."

"Well it's fuckin' annoying. I don't know why everyone seems to feel the need to take it upon themselves and cheer me up. If y' could all just leave me alone, that'd be fuckin' peachy," Heidi responded, running a hand through her short hair. Honestly, the one time she actually wanted to see Nathan, he seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"What makes you think it's everyone?" Neo asked, still looking up at the clouds. "I'm just hanging around you because you're my friend. And also, I'm kinda lost at the moment."

Nathan's perpetual scowl was ever present as he sat on a chair of ice directly at the front of the mountain range. Well to say chair would be an understatement, it looked more like an intricately carved thrown. They'd left the village were it was, directly in front of the mountain range, at the back of which was the former base of the Illuminati that sat on top of the the tallest mountain. It had been an abandoned prison with badly run electricity.

When he'd taken over, Nathan had made it a lot more comfortable complete with kitchens, training rooms, bedrooms, leisure rooms and bathrooms. The whole thing was powered by a hydro-electric generator that was run by the waterfall on the mountain.

His people were with around him and he'd already briefed them, he was just waiting for Paul's group and the Acer Villagers.

Tom helped out wherever he could, setting up the defences as directed, though he didn't ever do it thoughtlessly, and made suggestions where he felt it prudent. He didn't tell anyone else about his morbid vision. He figured Nathan already knew anyway, and just didn't care enough to react. He certainly seemed cold enough, so Tom maintained a stoic detachment as usual.

Inside, he was scared, he had to admit. He was, in truth, frightened of death, and he was still sane enough to want to hang on to his life and carry on as before. He didn't want to let anyone know, though, he kept it to himself. He waited patiently a ways away from Nathan, shaking his head slightly at the man's antics.

"Such a child," he muttered, lighting a cigarette and waiting for everyone to arrive. He could feel Lillian's army coming more than anyone, with as much foreboding as any. He remained calm, keeping his feelings in check as well as ever. He had his plan clear for the battle. It was vitally important to him that they take out the psychic who had advised Tabaris, as it had been that support that had made him so unstoppable. Tom would personally take care of that.

-------

Luke stayed close to Kira as often as possible, spending most of his time either pacing around or next to her, very definitely on edge. He knew that he would have to stay with Kira throughout the battle. It wasn't even for him to look after her, it made him more comfortable when she was around, and he knew she would always look out for him, even in the heat of battle.

It was partly the fact that she had been his team-mate, and he still had a subconscious feeling that they were the two most reliable people to have with him in a scrap, no matter how far from the truth it may be. He had been sitting next to Kira when he got the call from Nathan, standing up and dusting himself off with a look of grim resolve.

"Well go find Nathan and at least look like you're listening to him," Heidi sighed, walking towards Nathan's throne. It was a wonder that his ego didn't suffocate everyone within a half-mile radius of him. A throne? Seriously?

She started walking a little faster when she spotted Tom, her frown turning from angry to a little sad. She was sure it wasn't anything close to the fear Tom was probably going through, but she was scared for him as well. If he died...what else could she do? He was like her last hope for sanity, and that made him a greater friend than the rest, who seemed to push or encourage her towards driving herself insane.

She walked over towards him, pursing her lips slightly in a mixture of agitation and worry, stopping next to him. "How close are they?" she asked quietly, shifting nervously as she waited for Tom's answer.

---

Kira reached over, grabbing Luke's hand as they walked, squeezing it tightly. She was really trying to be brave, and it was sort of working, she thought. Though now that she was thinking about her lack of a home, the dead bodies, and her claustrophobia, along with the upcoming fight, she was feeling a bit sick to her stomach. Stop thinking about it stop thinking about it stop thinking about it.

"D-Don't wander off..." she mumbled, looking over at Luke and biting her lip. That would be horrible, to lose him somewhere in the heat of battle and then find out he was dead because she wasn't there to help him.

I guess I might want to keep closer to Tom, see if I can back him up or something. Hell if I know anymore... Neo thought, looking over at the two, before up at the sky.

"Oh hey. Something that only has one value..." The music manipulator mused when he saw the certain cloud. "Funny how that works out, eh? Clouds sure can prove to be somewhat useful at times. Though, what this particular cloud's one value is...I wonder."

"Maybe I should just let Heidi do her worrying about her friends. I'll do mine. Though, how lame would it be if everyone just died," Neo said to himself, folding his arms. Though, he remembered those two, the Psychic and the huge guy. Mmmm. Maybe he could do something about them...

Paul's group soon marched up in a disorganized and disorderly fashion. The walker rumbled along side a group of sixteen, it's top turret swiveling to scan the area while the middle turret's large cannon protruded from a rectagular opening in it's odd, wood stove like body. Two mechanical legs carried it along and a shimmering green aura signified the Flow proof barrier, a shielding that disabled any and all Flow particles and effects. The group carried automatic weapons and a few had longer rifles showing their role as marksmen. most were covered in dust or soot from the explosions earlier or working hard at making ammunition, fuel, and other essential supplies. Most were upset by the fact that they'd have to fight one more battle; they had left the main group to get away from the consistent fighting, hoping the small, rustic town would be away from the bandits and rouge militias of the wasteland in the south.

"If they keep up at this pace, they'll be on us within the hour," Tom replied quietly, keeping in mind the new lie of the land and how fast they were moving. He noticed Paul and his people moving and wondered if he should offer them some help, but he was pretty sure the guy would have asked. He had never lacked for confidence.

"I could probably slow 'em down, give us another while, but I'm not sure if there's much point at this stage. We've had plenty of time to prepare, I'd rather not risk exposing myself in case they can shut me down. If I have to, I'd rather surprise them and split their forces mid-battle, but not before Paul and Nate let loose whatever they have in store," the big man explained, having been thinking about it for a while.

"I think my main concern is going to have to be Tabaris and more importantly, the psychic that was supporting him. He caused too much damage the first time, and I don't wanna risk letting Nathan go up against him since he'll probably do something stupid," he continued, talking more than usual to distract himself. He wasn't looking forward to another encounter with the man, but he knew that needs must. He would have loved to have had Eithne backing him up.

------

"Huh, I was going to say the same to you," Luke replied with a nervous chuckle, clutching her had gratefully. He was extremely happy to have her at his side, as someone he knew wouldn't leave him in the fray. He swore to himself that he wouldn't abandon her either, steeling himself for the oncoming battle. He grimaced when he got his first glance of what they would be up against, his free hand going to his sword. He could only pray his powers would be working again, though he didn't want to let Kira in on his uncertainty.

Heidi rocked back on her heels, a thoughtful look on her face. "Tabaris...he destroys shit with his hands. I'll go after him. I'm fast, he shouldn't be able to get me too easily, especially not when I'm fucking with 'is blood," she explained, looking up at Tom for some sign of approval.

---

Kira stiffened a bit, closing her eyes and trying to hold off a panic attack. Once this was over, then she could let her fear tear her apart, but not now. Not with so much on the line. When this was over, maybe they could move somewhere far away, where no one would try to kill them. Hopefully.

Her free hand went to her side, making sure the knife she had sheathed was still there. She'd picked it up a few years ago after some trespasser she scared off had dropped it, but Kira never thought she would have to use it...first time for everything. She'd never been good with weapons, though.

"I'll help you," Tom nodded affirmatively, having been worried that Tabaris might prove too much for either of them to handle. He felt a lot more confident about taking on the monstrous opponent when he had Heidi at his side, and what she had said made sense. Nathan was a bit too flashy and confident in his 'ultimate defence' to trust against Tabaris, but neither Heidi nor him would try something like that.

-----

Luke wrapped Kira in a hug when she stiffened as much to comfort himself as for hers. He knew that a battle situation would be especially difficult for someone suffering from her claustrophobia and anxiety, and figured that anything he could do to relieve any of the stress would be a worthwhile effort.

"I guess that means we have to find the psychic first," Heidi frowned slightly, running a hand through her hair. Shima had given her a rather permanent dislike of psychics, whether they were fighting with her or against her, though she found it was usually the latter. She remembered Tabaris kicking Tom's ass before, though she wasn't sure how much of that had been the psychic's doing.

She took a deep breath, looking up at Tom again. "How much would you mind me going for the kill shot?" she asked, a frown covering her face. "I know you don't like that and all, but Tabaris...it'd be awfully hard to keep him prisoner."

---

Kira jumped at first, Luke having taken her off guard. She was a lot jumpier than she normally was in the village for obvious reasons. After a few seconds she hugged him back, feeling a little better at least. It was probably just because they were teammates, but Kira found herself able to trust Luke and even Nathan rather unconditionally.