Abandoned Subway Tunnels, Los Angeles, Saturday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

"Stealth said that this place is a kind of refuge for homeless people who didn't want to shelter up on the surface," Banzai said, leading the way through the subway tunnels. "They're really good at policing their own; making it safe for women and families to stay down here. No drugs, no violence, that kind of thing. Isn't perfect, but pretty damn good for people with nothing. But nobody's heard anything from anyone down here in awhile and she wants someone to check in with them. There was no indication that they've had contact with anyone infected, but the silence is weird. She's hoping they're just hunkered down and waiting for this to blow over."

Flickering lights overhead didn't do much to dispel the gloom, illuminating only the area around them and leaving the rest shrouded in darkness. There were sections where the lights were out entirely and that meant that they would have to travel for several yards in true darkness, at least until they reached the next, intact light. "We should be coming up on sentries soon. They might have weapons, so please let's try being nice first?"

[For those guys with her! And NFB]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

"I'm always nice," Dante said, supporting a mildly worrisome grin as he walked along. "Don't worry."

It was Dante. Someone was going to get punched sooner rather than later.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yeah," Banzai said coolly, keeping her eyes on the subway tunnel directly ahead of her. "Sure you are."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante didn't add in much else. He couldn't help tweaking Kathy while this was going on - an innate inclination towards stirring shit - but he could actually be on the ball when he needed to be.

He squinted at the darkness, Rebellion a visible presence against his back.

[spin_kick_snap]

Banzai right now, Dante. Banzai. Vigilantism was still illegal, remember?

"See anything?" she asked. She was not in the mood to have her shit-stirred today, stomach still a knot of uncomfortable and conflicting feelings. "Or anyone? I think we're just entering into the range where we could expect to be met by someone. I'd like to see them coming first, if possible."

Granted, she glowed like a beacon in her bright white gi, but some warning might be nice.

[rebelseekspizza]

It'd be a cold day in hell when Dante as much as remembered the name was Banzai, but at least he hadn't blurted her name out loud again. So far.

"Not catching anything but shadows," he said.

He was taking slightly bigger steps, trying to make sure he'd be the first one hit if something was coming at them. And yes, he'd rather shoot himself in the face than admit it.

[spin_kick_snap]

There was a weird noise in the tunnel now, like a clacking, but hard to tell where it was coming from with all the echoes bouncing around.

"What's that?" Banzai asked. "A signal or something, maybe? You think I should say something?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"If you don't know the signal..." Dante said. His hands were aching to draw Rebellion already, but: no starting trouble this early. So the options were limited.

"Hey?" he called.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Stealth told me what to say, but she didn't say anything about chattering," Banzai told him. "Hey!" she called down the tunnel. "Stealth sent us to check up on you. She says--" she paused to make sure she remembered it correctly. "--In a tree by the brook there's a songbird who sings sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiving."

Whoever came up with the passphrases was a Zepplin fan. Cool.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Somebody's a music nerd," muttered the pot.

He squinted into the darkness. More chattering. Weird. "Maybe they changed passcodes?" he asked, eyes darting back to Kathy.

[spin_kick_snap]

And now the kettle was going to try to eat him.

"That's a really terrible password if they did," Banzai muttered. "I don't--fuck." She pointed to the wall. Or rather, the smear of blood across it, roughly at head height. "Guys, this might possibly not be Kansas anymore."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante followed the stretch of her arm, and pulled a face.

Yeah, never mind, he was drawing Rebellion now, the sword outstretched by his side. "Last chance," he called. "Anybody there?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Please, somebody, say something," Banzai begged softly. "This is a community of something like a hundred people, give or take. There are little kids here. Please, say something."

No words answered her. Just that chattering--and more of it.

[rebelseekspizza]

Rebellion cut through the sound, letting off a gleaming, impossibly sharp chime as Dante filled it up with energy without really thinking about it. "Yeah, I don't think anyone's listening," he said, stalking forward. "Hey, chatty Cathies!"

[not_every_mage]

"I'm not looking for trouble," Anders said mildly as he glanced around the tunnel. "... People live here? Really?"

He had never liked closed spaces. They made him feel trapped, and the idea there might be zombies in this one didn't make him like it any better.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Beats living up on the street, or in a car, or staying in an abusive relationship because you don't have anywhere else to go," Banzai replied. "Or even in a lot of homeless shelters. Those places range from the decent to the brutal. Down here, they've at least managed to build a community that keeps them safe."

She peered into the gloom, trying to get a glimpse of--anything, really.

"Can you make a light?" she asked him. "Like, make your staff glow or something?"

[not_every_mage]

Anders nodded along. "I just don't like tight spaces," he said, by way of explanation. "But you're right. There are worse things in the world than tunnels."

He peered into the gloom himself, hoping someone had left a torch or some fuel of any description somewhere to make this easier. He saw nothing. "Not exactly, but how's this?"

He twisted his fingers in the air, drawing forth a wisp of veilfire that floated a few feet above their heads. It was dim and blue, but it made things slightly less gloomy for the moment.

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's fine," Banzai replied. "Thanks."

Normally after that kind of admission, she would have offered Anders her hand, at least for a few minutes. Just long enough for a quick squeeze, a silent I'm here, you're not alone. Today, she shoved her hands into her pockets and turned back to view their surroundings in the additional light. "Stealth gave me a passcode to use when we meet up with their sentries. Something to let them know we're friendlies, not officials and not looking to make any trouble. We should be just about at the edge of their range, so expect to be met by someone at any minute."

[not_every_mage]

Anders noticed the official chill in her tone and wasn't sure if she was still angry with him, or if it was just that this was serious business. He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"And what happens then?" he asked. "Will they ask me anything?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Doubtful," Kathy said. "Nothing official, anyway. We're just checking in on them because no one's heard from them in a few days. Stealth wants us to warn them about zombies, even if we don't use the actual word--" people had a tendency to not take them seriously after the z-word was trotted out, go figure "--so they might have questions about what to be on the lookout for, but otherwise it should just be a quick trip in and out. A diplomacy mission, far from any danger."

Did that sound bitter? Oops, that might have sounded bitter.

[not_every_mage]

Ah. So she was angry. Good to know. Anders kicked a pebble and let it skitter off into the dark.

"Then I'll just hang back," he said. "Be a living torch. Jump in if you need help, not that I'm saying you will, since obviously you can take care of yourself and all."

Bitterness was catching.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Where was that belief in me yesterday?" Banzai asked. "Or is your confidence in me in inverse proportion to your concern that I want to bang Nick?"

Really? Now? You were going to wrangle about this now? C'mon, kids.

[not_every_mage]

"At least get it right," Anders sniped. "I think he wants to bang you, not the other way around. And I don't want to talk about that arsehole, anyhow."

He wasn't going to wrangle! Much!

"And are you really saying that if I don't instantly support whatever ridiculous thing you want to do, I don't believe in you? It's not all or nothing, Kathy."

[spin_kick_snap]

"What the hell do you care if he wants to sleep with me if you know that I'm not interested back?" she hissed, because clearly, this was the best place and time for this conversation. Yesterday's engulfing hurt had been pushed aside in favor of anger and simmering resentment. "And wanting to save my city isn't ridiculous! Neither is wanting to protect my family! And, sorry, did you or did you not say I could take care of myself. Oh right--you were being sarcastic!"

He thought she was as useless as Dante did. That hurt.

[not_every_mage]

Anders listened with hurt eyes.

"I can't talk to you," he said, because he was painfully tired of fighting with Kathy. "You're seeing everything I do in the worst possible way, and I don't feel like it. If you ever want to talk to me and not to whoever you're talking to right now, let me know."

[spin_kick_snap]

"If I ever feel like I know you, or you know me, maybe I will," she said. "Because whoever you became when you came to fetch me isn't the guy that I--" She shut her mouth and shook her head. "Forget it."

And then she was stalking forward to catch up with Dante. Her feelings for him, at least, were far less complicated. She was just furious at him.

Of course, because nothing ever could go smoothly, the sentries turned out to be zombies, filling the tunnel with the sounds of teeth chattering. Dante took the three of them out with ease, but Banzai was determined to continue forward, kneeling down to pick the lock that would let them in.