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Summary: The Taskmaster raids Sinister's lair and gets more than he bargained for.
Date: March 30, 2010
An Unlikely Savior
Rating: PG-13
Sinister's Lab-Holding Cells
The holding cell is made of cement with a steel door with bars over a small widow no larger than six by six inches. There's six cots in this room, two attached to three of the walls that don't have a door on it, a flickering dim light several feet above, and a toilet. The ceiling stretches about twenty feet high and there look to be cameras in two of the corners. The steel door has a small door at the bottom, just big enough for food to be shoved through. YThere is obviously no privacy and little comfort in this room.
It's been several days since there's been any activity in the lab. About a week ago, all the mind controlled captives just up and left one afternoon, and never came back. Sinister never said anything about it, except to just smirk knowingly. And now, a few days ago, Sinister himself has stopped showing up leaving Zack alone in his cell to rot. While the boy hasn't had any food, he at least has some water to keep himself going, but for how much longer is anybody's guess.
Zack is sort of laying low for the moment. The lab is sealed, he wouldn't know how to get in and ho to get out anyway, sitting there with what remains of his clothing, legs up to his chest, the large teen letting out slow, well practiced breaths. Breathing comes naturally, using it to keep time almost. He is singing every now and then, for time, or sanity. Opera…he's no longer a beautiful soaring alto, but he's working on his bass. Deep and rumbling, though remaining just as rich. "Madamina, il catalogo questo…" he sings from Don Giovanni, "Delle belle che am il padron mio" letting the sound reverberate…tehre's no other sound after all.
There's a flickering of lights, like the lab is having a brownout, before the power goes down all together for a few seconds. When the power is restored there's the soft sound of somebody walking through the lab, and attempting to be very quiet about it.
Zack shifts his eyes, and he stops his singing, going back to his slow breathing. Hearing footsteps. Rising quietlyhimself he looks around the cell, and of course, of everything that's left here. Taking a deep breath he slides over towards the door, he will wait, wait to see exactly who is there, and if he's going to need to kill them to get out. The first sound he's heard in a week.
At first it's hard to tell who's walking about, since the cell offers very limited visibility into the lab. But at one point a figure dressed in a black armored bodysuit, web belt and a stylized skull helmet stalks past. He's clearly looking for something in the lab, and judging by the way he moves he's clearly not supposed to be in here.
Zack gives a few more clenchs of hish and as he waits by the door, staying out of sight and continuing his breathing, slowly, steady. he doesn't have a lot of energy to really burn, after a week your body begins to feed on itself, if he exposes too much now he's not gonna get another chance to use any power…waiting. Come on, all he has to do is open the door….
The only reason why Zack hadn't been able to bust out of the cell is the the fact that while he's in the cell, his powers are all but turned off. If it wasn't for that Zack could have just ripped the door off it's hinges days ago. The man doesn't seem to be interested in the door. Instead, he looks like he's more interested in the lab equipment. "Bingo," he says softly to himself, finding a cooler filled with samples.
Zack grunts and he has to watch the guy start to work filling up a cool with samples. All right, well he's not a goth reject from Sinister's fan club, nor is he the big man himself, and he's obviously…ripping the guy off. So he's not gonna be looking around for much else, and if he leaves that it. Deciding that itmight be worth the risk, he lets out a whistle, "hey cholo…help a brother out man…" he peers from the door of the cell.
The man's reaction is fast, almost inhumanly so. He twists around and two .45's appear in his hands pointing at Zack through the tiny window. "This wasn't part of the deal," he growls, more to himself than to Zack. "The lab was supposed to be empty. Who are you, and give me two reasons why I shouldn't shoot you."
Zack works his jaw a small bit, "Cause I'm not wearing a cape and I'm almost to the point of starvation. I got left here…if you're gonna be ripping off his chemistry set you can at least open the door for the guys that got left…"
Taskmaster approaches the cell carefully, guns still trained on the teen. He gets within about a yard when he lowers the guns and breathes, "Shit, you're just a kid. What the hell was that man up to here?" He shakes his head in wonder and holsters his weapons and turns back to what he was doing. "I may not be the paragon of morality here," he comments to Zack, "But leaving a kid like you to rot in a cell…" he doesn't finish the sentence but just shakes his head and goes back to filling up the small cooler he brought with him. "I'll let you out, sure. But after I'm done."
Zack lets out a low sigh, "Whatever it is is in those vials, a dozen or more went through these cells, cutting them open and putting them back together. Whatever the hell you're going to do with that stuff, it's already tainted with blood and suffering. Doubt you'll be able to wash it off." he thinks a small moment, "just how the hell were you able to get in here anyway? I havn't seen as much as a door into this place. It's totally sealed."
Taskmaster snorts derisively at Zack's comment on blood and suffering. "Like I care. I was paid a /lot/ of money to get these, and a few other things while Essex is away." Once he's done filling up the cooler, he moves over to one of the computers. "There's /always/ a door, kid," he says. "Always." He, then, types a few things on the keyboard, and then plugs in a simple USB stick to it. "And I certainly wasn't paid to play the White Knight."
Zack remains leanining against the door, looking out inside it, "I suppose that's true. You're in tights after all, on a job…" he let's out a deep sigh, "I guess I could find out where I am, just gotta get outta here. This place saps my energy…"
Taskmaster taps a few things on the keyboard, staring at the screen. A few more taps and there's the sound of hard drives accessing data. "That'll take a few minutes," he says, glancing at his watch. Deciding that he has enough time, he moves over to the cell, and takes a look at the digital pad that's keeping the boy locked in. He pulls a multitool out of his web belt and pops the cover off the thing and starts fiddling around with the wires inside. After about a minute, there's a soft *click* and the door swings open from Zack's weight.
Zack phews to himself as he watchs, and feels the door lsowly start to drag ope. He takes one step, and then another. He's shirtless with no shoes. Looking a little lean, but still muscled, "Ah. Damn…it's good to be out" he rolls his shoulders and moves more out of the cell, feeling a rush of power come back, "Ah…jesus…"
Taskmaster just shakes his head in wonder at the sheer size of the teen. "They sure grow 'em big where you come from," he mutters, and turns back to the computer. After typing a few more things he nods in satisfaction, and unplugs the usb device. "Think you can make it back home on your own?"
Zack grunts and he leans back against a counter, nearly knocking it over, the movment causing his stomach to gurgle and growl, "Ugh…I think so…I don't even have a wallet, and the guy destroyed my phone…I don't know…I think so. Just…point me to the door"
Taskmaster pockets the device and turns to study the boy. "I'm gonna regret doing this," he grumbles to himself. "You ain't in no condition to go anywhere. Where do you live, kid?"
Zack rubs the back of his head again, looking at the costumed guy, "Well I go to Xavier's special school…outside of the city. But even getting me to Harlem would be close…I don't even know where here is…" watching as you take apart bits of the lab
"Yeeeeah," he says, drawing out the word. "I'm not goin' there. Too many people want my hide." He secures his weapons, and the cooler and heads towards one side of the lab. "C'mon, kid." With that he pops open a door, barely visible in the wall.
Zack cotinues to slowly stumble towards one side of the lab, moving, slowly and he grunts and pushes his hands against the door and tres to really prop it open, "nnngh, God, fresh air, finally"
Taskmaster leads Zack through a maze of tunnels, another secret door which leads into an old abandoned boiler room of all things, and then out into an old, dilapidated school. "There ya go, Kid," he says, gesturing at the wide cityscape. "Harlem." Sure it's not exactly the safest of neighborhoods, but at least it's familiar territory. He pulls out a small, pen like device with a tell tale red button on the top and tosses it to Zack. "Here ya go, kid. I'll let you do the honors. It'll give me a chance to get far away before the cops'll show up." And with that he adjusts a dial on his wrists, which activates an image inducer to make him look like a normal Harlem resident. "Later, kid." And with that, he's off.
Zack nods, Harlem…it's his stomping grounds, he crew up here, ad now he's gotten big enough to fight most things here. he takes a deep breath and he looks at the device, and he taps him a small bit, "Ah…ha, I guess this is, huh…an explosive device…well fuck. you know what. Screw that emo bitch, I'll blow his shit up anyday." he says with another low grunt…"I gotta get to a phone, bet there are no working phones around here…" he sits down, and just tries to catch his breath, letting the guy with the skull mask go away before he moves again.
