(I’m fine with keeping the conversation here, if Zelek doesn’t mind. And Slade, I agree, mother will not approve. Lol. But she can take that up with Sara. )

"What d'ya mean a t... Sara?!"

“yeah it’s me.” Sara forgot he couldn’t really see her when she was inside him. She tugged against the seat, and her face squeezed trying to get her tail loose and not really realizing the effect it had on Slade. “Stupid thing.” Tug tug. “Always gets in the way.” There was that trapped feeling seeping in from the back of Sara’s mind and she removed her hands from her tail, pressing then against the seat in front of her. Half way, because she didn’t want to tumble sideways when such a painful extremity was still caught, half way, because she wanted more space.

Taking in deep breaths, she let her head fall back against the cushion, and her eyes squeezed shut. Swallowing, and trying to keep her heart beat from exceeding the rhythm that wouldn’t pump more adrenalin through her own system. They stopped, and her ears flicked back and forth, listening to all the different sounds. Slade’s sounds. Man, those didn’t sound good.

"Wait there one moment and I'll have it out."

“You can do that?” as it was the hole morphing around her had her off guard. It was cool, but wow…

Obediantly she twisted her body back so that she had her tail. Her eyes squeezed shut as the slight movement shot sharp stings up her back and waist. Whatever was being done, felt so odd.

"Wait there one moment and I'll have it out."

Sara nodded. Forgetting again that he couldn’t see her.

"Now!"

Sara pulled herself loose, falling back on the seat with her back against the back door. Her heart was still hammering, and her tail was a mess. She winced, refusing to let the air that wanted to come out of her, make her cry out. The tail was broken for the moment. Severed half way from getting stuck in a place it probably wouldn’t of been if Sara hadn’t of felt the need to hide herself.

She pressed against the open gash, letting a sharp growl out between her pressed teeth. It would heal it’s self in a few moments. Her fault there. Perhaps the boy back there, soaked in blood, was right. The guy.. .. .. Sara’s heart nearly jumped back out of her chest and her hands started shaking from the left over fear and anger. “Slade!”

No response and Sara let her weight slide against the door to rock the car and get his attention. “SLADE! What is wrong with you?!” she winced as she leaned over and between the front seats, pressing her hands on either side of the radio. “yo! KNIGHT IN SHINING CAR! SLADE! You’ve got to get me back there.”

No response.

“Slade?”

Slade came to, what amounted to his 'head' in this form was pounding. He felt physically sick, it reminded him of when he drank lots back in the day when he could... His radio was off, that was a bad sign. As his external senses slowly returned to him he remembered what he'd done. Stupid f*cking tail... who would plan to take a tail into account when they didn;t even know it was there?! Regardless of that he felt like someone had been hopping violently around his insides, like those alcohol pixies that repeatedly beat your brain to death after a good night. Except unlike the usual hangover this feeling held the distinct aftertaste of someone actually doing the hopping.

Slade flicked on his radio, it blurred and fuzzed as he strained to control it. Everything hurt! Sara was still inside him, that he supposed was a good sign. She sounded worried, not so good a sign.
"...Sara? You ok? How long was I out for..? Ack! God this hurts!"
Slade felt like sh*t. He didn't even know if he could drive himself round the block let alone home. Some pretty unfriendly ideas were emerging and he didn't like the sound of them. If he couldn't drive himself someone would have to, and he didn't know how good a driver sara was.

Sara held her breath while Slade’s radio crackled on. Still leaning over the seats with her hands on either side. Slowly she made herself relax as she moved back to the rear seats.

"...Sara? You ok? How long was I out for..? Ack! God this hurts!"

“I’m fine.” Sara lied. Her tail was still healing, but the bone had at least started to fuse correctly, and it had stopped bleeding. Physically, she would be fine in the next few minutes so no need to make him worry. The mental stress was still there though, and it caused her voice to shake. “I’m sorry.” So sorry. Sorry couldn’t say enough. “Only a moment or two. I wasn’t looking at a clock.”

Sara carefully moved sideways on the seat and moved to open his door. “I hope you understand, I’ve got to go back. Can you walk or drive?” Sara doubted she could physically scoop up a car. She might need some help with this one.

Even though she was still shaky, she was starting to think better. She needed to spread the word about this, and the fastest way would be Slate, who should be boarding a plane, in the next few minutes. Hadn’t he told her to think what she needed to, his way? She paused with the door open, making sure she wasn’t leaving anything in the car,.. in Slade, then consintrated on Slate’s name. Hoping that the order of her thoughts, and fraises running through her mind, that she wanted to send him, were understandable. Including what the mutant, covered in blood looked like, the bodies in the dumpster, and the girls, Sara had barely had a chance to focus on, when they had crossed the end of the alley way. Ending with the, please get this. She wasn’t exactly sure what she should do, but she knew what was going to happen next.

She climbed out of the car, and took out her cell phone. Dialing for the police.

Slade snarled, she wanted to what?
"Look sara I jus' got your arse out of there, you want to go back!?"
Slade groaned and began to transform into his humanoid form. He was sore all over and transforming made his insides burn. As the last pieces slotted jaggedly into place he staggered cumbersomely before collapsing onto his side. His head was pounding and he could feel his systems whining with the strain.

"God damnit, just give me a minute... So why we going back?"
As damaged as he felt, there was no way he was letting her go back against that man, if he was still there, alone. He climbed to a standing position and lurched forwards in her direction. He hadn't lost too much of his matter in the opening conflict so his autopistol was still available, although his heavier ammunition would definitely knock him out in this state. Slade hoped that they weren't making a colossal mistake by going back... She'd better not get killed...

((ooc: One-shot nose-sticking-in.))

The message was jumbled at best, and chaotic at worst. Slate's mouth curved down in distaste as it entered his head. Granted, he had told the woman--as well as all those he trusted--to take advantage of his open receiving of messages anytime she saw fit, but clearly he had failed to mention that she should do so in a neat and orderly fashion. The message itself, however, turned out to be quite the distraction.

"Sir...? Sir, your ticket. Sir, you're holding up the line. Sir." The flight attendant was chewing gum. Slate had noticed this as he watched her view the tickets of those passengers ahead of him in line to board the plane. Now he stood in front of her, the handle of his rolling suitcase in one hand, with his other arm relaxing in mid-air on the path to the ticket stored in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Now she was still chewing the gum, and each of her rapid-fire sentences was punctuated with a smack of her lips. Slate would have found it really quite distasteful if he was of a mind to pay attention. As it was, he was preparing his own reply. "Sir. I'm going to have to ask you to step out of line. Sir. Sir? Sir. Sir, don't you make me call no security."

"Pardon me, ma'am." The teenager behind the immobile man stepped forward, one hand reaching with evasive finesse into his teacher's coat and slinking the ticket out for the flight attendant's viewing pleasure. This was done as the teenager slumped under his black backpack, and as he managed the trick of never looking up--or never appearing to look up--from the sleek black handheld gaming consol that had long ago worked a groove into his left palm. The fingers of that hand worked in eerily noiseless staccato bursts as his other hand reached back around, partially unzipped a pocket on his backpack, and produced his own ticket for the woman's viewing pleasure. "You'll have to excuse Professor Swartz. He does that, sometimes."

The woman looked over both their tickets with a hard glare and many a smack of her lips. She stared up over them at the teen. The teen's thumb raced. Paused. Tap-tapped. "He sick, or something? I ain't gonna have you two on my plane if he's sick. This is a long ride."

The teen shook his head. "No, ma'am. Professor Swartz just has epileptic symptoms, sometimes--he'll be back to normal soon."

"He's got epilepsy?" The woman did a double-take as she handed the tickets back to the teen. That wasn't what he said, but it was what he meant her to hear. She smacked her gum critically at the teen whose ticket read 'Thomas'. "You know you're going to have to turn that thing off before we take off."

"Yes, ma'am." He knew that was the rule.

"What game you playin', anyway?"

Thomas had taken Slate's arm, and was gently pulling him off to the side, and out of the line. "Pokémon Black."

The flight attendant smacked her gum as she flicked her eyes over the next woman's ticket, then shooed her on towards the boarding ramp. "Ain't that the one where you can be either all good or completely evil?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"My kids love that version. It makes my skin crawl when they talk about stealin' and lootin' and back-stabbing their old mentor Professor Oak and all that, though. I feel like we've got enough of that in the world without it bein' in no Po-ké-mon game. So which you gonna be? Good or evil?"

"I haven't decided yet." Thomas said simply. "Probably whichever is more fun."

Slate's head suddenly drew up, and his hand continued on its course into his pocket for a moment before his eyes caught up with the changed scene. His hand dropped back to his side. "Thank you, Thomas."

"Don't mention it, Professor." The teenager, his eyes never leaving the screen of his sleek black console, gave a cordial nod to the flight attendant. She smacked her gum back, and they headed to the boarding ramp.

Slate had tried to make his reply every bit as coherent as WereCat's message had not been:

The man you confronted is named Zelek; he is of the Kabal. More than that, he is Hunter's "son". If you failed to note these among the abilities you witnessed, then know that he has enhanced speed and strength, as well as that man's blood lust. He is allergic to wood; it can be fatal to him, so be careful what damage you deal. Other damage should be easily healed on his part, if he is anything like his father.

Katrina is in China already, and I am following her. I fear we have taken all of the senior students with us; I ask you to please not involve the juniors--this man is highly dangerous, as you have noticed. Iris, Redemption, and the others should still be in New York if you require backup. Tell me who you require, and I can send them a message. It will be approximately a half-hour until my flight truly departs.

Be safe, and keep those around you safe. We trust you.

Thomas never glanced up from his gameplay, not even as he wrestled his black backpack into an overhead bin.

((ooc: Continued for Slate in [FP] Overture.))

(Hope you don’t mind me rushing a head a little bit Slade.)

"Look sara I jus' got your arse out of there, you want to go back!?

Sara was fumbling with the phone and the numbers kept doubling them selves and going in the wrong order. Stupid shaking fingers. And being confronted wasn’t helping her nerves. “Thank you, but I didn’t ask.” Golly that was the wrong thing to say right there. She liked the fact she was helped but tat was the wrong time to run. Especially after the mentioning of the ‘controlling to population.’ From that sentence, what he had done to two men and the way he had looked at two girls at the end of the alley, Sara had a bad feeling.

"God damnit, just give me a minute... So why we going back?"

“Because he wasn’t after me. Don’t you see Slade? I was in his way.” Now was not one of those times that patents was a virtue. She was pausing just long enough to listen to Slade. To be sure he could move after that. As grateful as she was for someone willing to help, she didn’t want it for her.

Sara was already power walking, still struggling with her phone, when the information from Slate flooded back into her head.

So she had just confronted the son of someone who had power and was easy to anger. “Great! F****** peachy!” Sara glanced behind her, at Slade. She hated just leaving him but the information was just pressing her forward too hard. Hopefuly he wouldn’t have a problem following her too much when she sped her walk into a job, trying to stay calm, though the jog turned into a run.

Sara cleared the corner of the alley way, and Zelek was gone. She went back and forth along the alley way. Taking in the sent of the trash can, and the bodies inside. Zelek’s sent was there Near the wall and there were two new smells that Sara didn’t remember being there before.

Sara had nearly forgotten about her phone. Right. The phone. She halted in the middle of the alley way, with the dumpster. Finally her fingers worked on the buttons of the cell phone, and she waited for the receiver on the other side, to pick up.

“Hey Benjamin. I’d like to report a double homicide, and a possible kidnapping.” As she spoke, her tail twitched, and her hand went into her pocket, where the locket was. The instant he touched it, it looked a though skin was covering her arm. Starting the illusion, again.

Slade growled angrily, why did nobody listen to him? He loped after her, wincing with every crunching pad. His stride was heavy and as he lumbered forward he tried to discern what she was doing. Something had clearly spooked her, and it concerned Slade. Maybe she had something similar to a cat's sixth sense? Either way Slade kept pace and didn't speed up. This speed was already painful and he knew where she was headed.

He lost sight of her as she disappeared back into the alley that they had, so recently, escaped from. He slowed as he turned the corner and saw the woman that he'd believed the man was assailing, how the hell did she do that anyway? He came to a stop next to her, flicking his beams back on so that light flooded the dark alley once more. His right hand whirred and clicked angrily as he transformed it into the shielded pistol form.
"What's with the change in appearance? So what are we looking for Sara?"

Slade rolled his head, it was still stiff. As he did he walked over to the bin he thought had had blood on the inside. He grabbed the lid and hauled it up, so maybe Sara had been right... The broken bodies confirmed this guy needed stopping, not to mention Slade wanted another blast at nailing the man. He wouldn't be able to give this his full attention, he was returning to his work in the kabal in a few days. That didn't mean he wouldn't use his time off to hunt down the guy.

Sara had called in the information on the location, and the information on what she had seen. She’d disconnected the phone, and had sent the next information through to slate, about the girls scents now being in the alley ways. A much simpler thought than before. She wasn’t requesting anyone else’s help yet. Although she might go pick up Bernard. A tracking and training project of hers. Bernard was a blood hound/ basset hound mix. It was always good to have a nose’s second opinion.

"What's with the change in appearance? So what are we looking for Sara?"

“The new look is a gift from a friend. It’s an illusion that reacts to when I touch this locket.” She explained as she took the locket out and secured the necklace around her neck. “What I was looking for I found, and I don’t like it. There’s two more scents in this alley way, and it’s female.”

She clicked her phone shut and followed the smell of zelek to the wall, where he climbed up. Had he been up there before he interrupted him? “Our friend blood covered friend, is apparently a son of Hunter. Don’t know if you’re familiar with the man or not.”

Slade was pacing slowly as she explained the locket, lucky her...
"You've got good friends," He paused as she continued talking, pacing rhythmically. The guy, if her nose served her correctly, seemed to have taken two girls. Her last statement stopped Slade in his tracks. He stood stock still, that wasn't...
"Fuck..." Slade muttered softly, this could end badly. Slade worked for this 'Hunter', or more affectionately mr Antonescu.

His chest flinched slightly as the lack of activity brought back the stinging from the earlier antics, how could he have missed that the git was Zelek?! As far as Slade was concerned as soon as mr Antonescu intervened he would stop, until then he'd hunt Zelek with Sara. His priorities, however, had changed. This facade would not be to catch Zelek, but to protect Sara. She had no idea about how much power that she was f*cking with.

He sighed, taking a deep breath he turned to face her, come on poker face!
"I have no idea who that is, i assume from your tone that he's bad ass? Who told you all this?"
He lowered his gaze, care was to be taken now. If he could get mr Antonescu to look for the source maybe he would be distracted from the hunt for Zelek... and Sara... Slade had always held a soft spot, of sorts, for her and he sure as hell wasn't going to watch her die.

Sara stated moving about the alley way. Being careful now, not to touch when might have been touched before. The cops would want to do a hole crime scene thing. They’d dust for prints and all that jazz. Sara didn’t exactly leave finger prints, but the oils on her skin, at the pad on her fingers, would still mess with the evidence. What ever the cops really wanted to collect. What ever they had to collect.

Sara knew enough about Hunter to know he was powerful an dangerous. That was about it. Ten years ago she knew he had the ability, not only to hide mutants from the registration, but the means to support such a group, and a way of having them organized. Not to mention the technology to take down stalker Robots. Those things still gave Sara the willies.

The rest of her information she had was here say, and too vag for her comfort. Even then though, it wasn’t pleasant. It was stressful scary crap. The type of issues Sara dealt with by falling into a protocol, that was developed over the last few years in her work, and putting on a I’m so tough I don’t give a crap face, for the rest of her surroundings to see. Something that she could use as a shield.

"You've got good friends,"

“That I do.” Her eyes flicked up to meet Slade’s, while they waited.

"I have no idea who that is, i assume from your tone that he's bad ass? Who told you all this?"

“Another friend.” It was no offence to Slade, but he didn’t need to know who Sara’s connections were, yet. Maybe in the future he would, but right now, the power of peaceful gods were secret. “But know my source is reliable.”

Waiting was hard to do. Sara had just slowed her body down and stopped shaking. She needed something for her hands to do though. “The police will want sketches of the girls Zelek motioned to at the end of the alley. I better start those.” Sara moved to the end of the alley way where her car was. She had a sketch book in the back.

(Waves to Hunter if he is watching this thread. And to Slade, do you mind a time jump?)

ooc - sure time jump and ill follow

ic - Slade frowned as she turned away, no information to distract mr Antonescu then. Then again why should he have expected her to trust him, they hadn't spoken in what must've been a few years. She was talking about some police mumbo-jumbo, Slade really didn't like the police. Then again he'd given them no reason to like him in return. As he kicked back to watch Sara do her thing he really wished he could fully explain what danger she was getting into...

ooc - jump forward whenever you like

The rest of the scene unraveled around Sara in a predictable façade. She followed the protocol because it was protocol. It was something predictable and with what had just gone on, Predictable was a comfort.

Her friend Benjamin, was among the first cars to roll onto the scene. Along with two other black and white cop cars. Five minutes after she had made the phone call. She’d taken Benjamin to the side, with the composite sketches she had scribbled out of one girl, and while he continued to question her, she scribbled out the second. While they were twins, They had different ways of wearing their hair. Mean while, the other officers secured the scene with yellow police tape. Benjamin had wanted a composite sketch of zelek, but Sara lied. Saying she hadn’t gotten a clear enough view of his face. A partial lie because his face had only been splattered with blood, but if she sent to cops after him, they may not come back. Enough cops died on the streets.

15 minutes after Sara’s first initial call, three more cars had joined the cop cars that were already there. There were two mobile CSI vans, and a second detective, who scowled at Sara, when he was handed the composites, and sent to do the foot work inside the building. Knocking on doors and asking if anyone was familiar with the girls.

Cops weren’t fond of Sara. Benjamin being the exception to the rest of the force. Sara was hired by the bond agency. Her work was to bring in the baddys that got through the cops clutches, and she was successful at it. Where they had to go to school and do all their training, Sara’s only job requirement was to be willing to step in front of a loaded gun. They were forced to follow protocol, and Sara could skip it if she chose to. Even if they called on her artistic side, as a forensic artist, that didn’t gain their respect.

Sara didn’t care. She didn’t need to gain their respect. Respect wasn’t a necessity to her job and it wouldn’t get things done that needed to be done.

25 minutes after Sara called, the fact that the girls were missing was confirmed. Crime scene photographers were already snapping images of the two corpses and the scene around them. Cops were taking names and looking for other witnesses. Benjamin was trying to step in Sara’s way when she was moving to leave. He needed her to fill out paper work, but She waved him off. Enough of protocol. Protocol sucked. She walked back to her car anyways. “I’ll fill the paper work out tomorrow morning. You’re buying the coffee and tea.”

She approached Slade again, already starting to feel anxious. 25 minutes was way too long. “Can you drive?”

Slade closed his eyes for the next half hour or so, the less he interfered the better. He recognised some of these pigs, they obviously didn't like him and he didn;t want to give them a reason to get the cr*p kicked out of them. He tried to focus on dealing with the pain. His chest burnt and his limbs were stiff, he began going through the relaxing exercises his therapist, 'mother', had taught him. He lost focus on the little dealings of the pigs and what Sara was upto...

A while later he heard a small voice break his concentration. Slade opened his eyes and groaned, stretching ponderously so to test his health. His matter was beginning to calm and he'd began to replicate damaged matter so he didn't see why he couldn't drive...
"Er... sure sure, but we need to stop off at a station so i can fill up. I always find that fuel helps my systems heal."

Slade didn't know whether this was true but it at least made him feel better, 'food' had always made him feel better! He rolled forward from his seated position and slowly extended forward, his systems rolling and growing with the familiar spins and whirs. It was easier this time, definitely a sign he was getting better. After tonight he'd need at least a days rest though! Mother would not be happy when she heard about this little escapade! His bonnet slapped down in last place as he settled on the tarmac, he felt the pigs mild surprise and smiled inwardly. Anything to unsettle the law...
"Where we headed?"
Maybe mother didn't need to know...

Sara couldn’t help but smirk as well at the reactions to Slade. Sara took out another piece of paper and scribbled down her address so that she could show Slade. “Good. Meet me two bocks north.”

Sara motioned to her old, brown, station wagon she had been using for her stakeout. It wasn’t anything great to look at, but it blended well, with about surroundings. Most stake outs didn’t require high speed chases, and if Sara did have to follow someone, She could afford to take her time and use her nose. “I’ve got to pick some things up, and drop this car off.”

She turned to begin walking away. Pausing just for a moment. "You don't have to follow."

Slade memorised the address, he might need that information later on. He tried to discern any meaning behind her wish for him not to follow her, but he couldn't fathom anything significant other than she didn't want him knowing the whole story... Maybe she thought it was safer that way? He pulled out into the road and sped to the designated location she had given him. As soon as she was out of earshot he flared up the hip hop, it helped him relax while driving, it also helped to numb the dull ache that was his rear seat. It was still throbbing but atleast it was in one piece.

Slade thought about this whole issue, Sara was tenacious. She was also heavily driven when she put her mind to it. Slade didn't think he could talk her out of pursuing Zelek, he'd have to either try misleading her or protecting her when she found the psychopath. Either way if mr Antonescu found out then Slade would have hell to pay, and Sara... well that didn't bear thinking about. She must be working inline with someone, an agency of some sort, if somehow he could work out who it was then maybe that would help him nail who was giving her this information about Zelek. He pulled into the location that she had told him to converge on, no sign of her just yet. Slade tried to focus on what would be her first action in the 'hunt' for Zelek.