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Summary: Arsenal and Domino ambush Caleb, near-death the Hound is captured and Rashmi arrives to inspect.
Date: July 7. 2020.
Log Title Wait and Bleed
Rating: R.
The Future - NYC
The Metropolitan area, New York City, a city that once stood for diversity, freedom and liberty, a city that was once the largest city in America and home to the United Nations now stands for something else. New York City was the first city to get attacked after the Sentinel attack on Xavier's. Most of its residents have fled the area leaving many neighborhoods empty, shops forgotten about and the streets deserted. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, electricity is only in select areas. Sentinels patrol the streets of New York like clockwork making it almost impossible for any mutant to be safe. The United Nations building has been taken over as a base for those against mutants, for those trying to destroy the race of those born with the X-Gene.
The husk of a Sentinel not more than a month old lay toppled against a building, looking like some toy thrown away by a godling, broken and in disjointed. Arsenal was upon it in a crouch, the back of it's head was opened, his hands were inside of it, electric light flashes came from within, "Scavengers picked this thing clean… barely anything in here worthwhile." He complained out loud, his helmet hiding his frustration but his voice wouldn't. Wearing his standard armaments, the day was beginning to break into dusk darkness creeping in within the next hour.
Domino was seated on one of the Sentinel legs, her own legs straddling that large hunk of now nearly dismantled machinery. Her hand withdrew from its thrust within the wiring at the back of the "knee" joint, ripping out a fistful of wiring and with a flash of her wrist sheath the metal severed some of the wires and she picked through them for ones needed to ignite her explosives. Her eyes never remained trained just on that job alone, she was scanning the city-scape as well for any signs of other movements that were not normal, or their own. "I am not surprised, this is the plains of Africa and everyone is whittled down to hyenas amongst lions anymore." She grunted lightly though and even on her tones nothing told of joy or displeasure in the fact, simple adaptation and it was normal to her; living in the past would only get her killed.
As usual Caleb is out patrolling for members of the rebellion, his dressed in his usual outfit of dark grey cargos, a black t-shirt, a grey jacket, black airwalk trainers and the stone in the silver wristband on his right wrist is clear, he doesn't expect to find anyone, the rebellion is getting smarter, "And I know something you don't, it comes and goes like the strength in your bones, woah to keep your mind at rest I'll never let the two of us be friends, does that hurt?", is sung under his breath.
Arsenal would halt, his hand holding up in the air thrust behind him with his palm out curling into a fist, the obvious freeze gesture. His motion sensors and along with auditory pick-ups were scanning out, something larger than a muskrat was in vicinity. A hand rose up to his ear, indicating he was picking up something, one finger thrusting up into the air before he circled it off towards his left around the side of the building the Sentinel was laid out against. Motioning with his closed hand and a thumb that she cover that area, himself straightening up as he crouched and began to circle around the opposite side of the structure, moving with as much stealth as could be expected of one of SHIELDs espionage agents. The modified OICW brought up to his shoulder as he let it lead him, Caleb's path having been towards them on the Sentinel, figuring Domino would take cover and he could flank the incoming hunter. Not that he knew what it was yet but preparation didn't hurt in the least.
Domino's eyes were also capable of periphery, and seeing Arsenal's motions she stopped her work, the silent hiss of the blade retracting back beneath the one sleeve of her attire was all that came. The uncut wires were dropped back within the knee cavity of the Sentinel and the ones she had cut were swiftly tucked into her tac belt as she slid down the leg of the Sentinel and made for the side of the building, motions like a liquid shadow in the encroaching darkness, her HK pulled over her shoulder as she ceased all movements just in time to catch a soft sound of something other than what should be in the air. One hand coming up to cup around her ear and then point in an assumed direction it was coming from. Her back pressed against the building and she took that moment to peer around the sharp edge of the building to sweep another look over the grounds. Happens every time, never fails.
"Underdog, just look at the mess you made, It's such a shame, a shame, we had to find out this way, You must have the must have moment in your hands and it's sad to think that, I'm a season, I'm going to change, Just not face to face, It ain't broke, so don't fix", Caleb has yet to notice the presence of the two rebels and continues on his way past the Sentinel.
instant recognition hit. Caleb, one of the Hounds of Ahab. Arsenal rose the firearm higher; his aim centered onto the Hound high center-mass and he waited, breathing slowed so it was regulated at the apex of one exhale he squeezed down on the trigger and held. Hunters in most cases were an easy kill, they had chosen for their own path to betray mutant-kind and ultimately all the beliefs of the United States but Hounds were almost like slaves, suffering from a form of violation akin to rape. His aim dropped down and leveled on Caleb's left knee-cap his finger finished it's squeeze a single 5.56 round exploded from it's chamber and burst through the air ripping forth in easy excess of 2,000 feet per second. Rapidly he would fire two more. Those two armor piercing rounds would be shot at the Mutant traitor's other leg and his right arm. Crippling shots if they hit, obviously some form of mercy had been employed.
Domino's aim was already made as the one she had seen time and time again from past to present passed by. His phasing ability made him a pain in the ass to pin down and catching him unaware was the best bet. She was aimed dead center at his back, one that would fire a barrage of bullets across his back and spine, but other shots rang out as a prelude and she held her fire. Not a breath taken nor a gesture made as she waited to see the damage they caused and if the necessity was there to blow more ammo on Caleb. She did not move from her point to give it away, it was seconds of a waiting game but it seemed to bleed into a longer waiting time when it came to crucial moments of kill or be killed. Her own mind now tripping into morality for these creatures that would not think twice to end them. This alone kept her aim centered on Caleb's form.
Caleb hears the gunfire and is able to use his super speed to move himself out of the way, however one of the bullets does go into his leg, bringing him to the floor in pain, "AArghhhh!", he clutches at his leg and scans the area to find the source of the shots.
Rather amazed the Hound was able to evade the shots fired by the sound alone, sound that could have drug behind the actual firing, Arsenal spoke up while Keeping Caleb sighted and zero'd in on as a target,"Second time we've ran into each other, seems you're at a major disadvantage this time. Lets just hope I didn't hit an artery and bloodloss doesn't kill you. Where are you headed Hound?" Not yet revealing himself, staying perched on some re-bar and chunk of concrete that jutted out the opposite side the building the Sentinel was leaned up against.
The barrel of the HK was still aimed, even as Caleb dropped despite his swift attempt to dodge. The Sentinel was obscuring her aim now though and swift motion took her along the length of its fallen form, pressed against it now as she moved, keeping herself covered. Cale dropped just around the head of the Sentinel in her estimations and as she neared the head the aim of her HK was dropped back down to sweep ground level. Her muscles recoiled, tensing beneath the coating of reinforced leather suit, telling the signs of a predator about to jump, but hearing Arsenals words slate blue gaze drifted to his location. What was the hold up, why stop to talk? Was there something more here she was missing? This did not fit the typical demeanor and coming around the head of the Sentinel her HK remained leveled on Caleb's location where he had fallen. He was a Hound and it did not matter, their position was revealed so hiding anymore in Domino's mind was pointless. If he called for back up they had minutes to finish this. Once Caleb was sighted the barrel of the large weapon was trained on his head, indifferent eyes, one ringed in a black tattoo staring down at Caleb, lips drawn tight in unspoken words.
Caleb grunts in pain, "Patrolling, whats it to ya?!", Jakob hit something cos the teen hound is bleeding quite badly, he's finding it hard to focus enough to phase or disappear and is cursing himself for getting sloppy, gross as it is his trying to locate the bullet with the intent to phase it out, Domino approaching him with a gun helps him focus enough to phase, he's not able to stand, but he can't get shot again either.
Multi-optic eye implants pick up the heat change Caleb underwent as he phased, the same stunt he had pulled last time around. "Pointless." Arsenal grunted to himself, pushing upright he kept the weapon trained,"Waste of time Dom, hopefully he'll just bleed out. Right now we can't hurt him and he'll just lay there on his back spouting nonsense trying to stall us. Lets go - he's too wounded to follow, can't even torture the bastard for information like that."
"Well isn't that just peachy.." The sarcasm in Domino's voice was loud and crystal clear. "I am still guessing anyway if we can't hurt him that way he can't hurt us. Fine by me, got everything you need from the tin can?" As she backed off of Caleb's location her unarmed hand rose to knock on the cranium of the large mechanization in passing. They may have moments, but they could still make the best of them before they abandoned ship.
"I wouldn't say i can't hurt you, just that i want a fair fight", Caleb makes up for the injury on his leg by levitating, then unphases, "Come on rebels, give me your best shot", he of course isn't saying shoot me, he's just using a figure of speech.
"Yes, we're golden." Arsenal replies to Domino as the weapon aimed at Caleb lit up a spitfire of rounds came out all at his torso, chest, face and abdomen. Wasted ammo in two bursts (6 rounds), but was worth a shot - in doing so he hadn't realized the man had just now unphased and was levitating about. He wished the SHIELD files on Caleb were not so broken up, the parts he did have indicated salt was a weakness but Arsenal didn't just carry salt around waiting, he honestly never anticipated to encounter the Hound again. Bit off on his part, he was generally the sort who prepared for everything "You heard me right dog? I said you're a waste of time."
"War isn't fair." As she said that and Caleb's challenge was ushered she spun on him and in that moment wasted ammo she was very picky on not wasting. But a challenge she would accept just for the release of the tension she would get from it. The incendiary rounds that fired in a rapid *brrapptt* would have been aimed for where Caleb was last seen and arching across, wasting more than Arsenal in the process. In her spin she saw him come unphased but it did not cease the squeeze on the trigger nor the explosion of sound, no reaction came to features at the sight as she waited to see if any reaction could be had while each step still carried her in a back step away from him.
Several of the bullets penetrate Caleb's body leading him to phase as a form of defense, still he ends up with several bullets in bedded in his chest and stomach, the boy is knock backwards out of the air by the force of the bullets, leaving him on his back severely (and possibly fatally) wounded.
Arsenal stopped mid-step, if anyone could see under the helmet he wore a look of surprise was etched into his features. "I didn't expect that." His casual final shots struck home, Caleb seemed to end up riddled with bullets and on the ground, blood was evident on the ground behind the fallen Hound. Arsenal re-shouldered his weapon and approached the man trapped in a teenagers body, "Well shit, you weren't supposed to unphase… "One of the Rebel's combat boots came out to nudge Caleb in the leg. His own weapon poised to open fire again if need be.
Domino's eyes drifted between the two and her back-stepping came to a halt. The Hk was pushed back over her shoulder to lay resting at an angle across her back while the tell tale sounds of metal scraping leather foretold the draw of one of her Browning's from its shoulder holster. The bullets in that were a little less harder to come by and now that the Hound was incapacitated…"Should we put him down?" The safety was clicked off and the aim was zeroed in for his head once again in the slow steps that had her approaching again. She was torn on this but with Caleb's abilities, taking him was a risk, and with how he was bleeding he would likely die…slowly.
Caleb coughs, "Fuck, that hurts", he looks up at the rebel Arsenal though blurring vision "I said i wanted a fair fight, not fair if i'm phased", he puts one of his hands to his chest and raises it to look at it, "Thats a lot of blood, didn't know i had so much", the hound doesn't have enough strength to attack at this point.
"It's going to, you've been hit with multiple rounds at a close range. Be lucky if we don't have baby fist sized exit wounds sticking out of your backside, your body has about 8-9 pints of blood in it gauging from your size, should we make a wager on how much you've lost already and are going to lose within the next 30 seconds. Keep in mind one of Murphy's Laws all bleeding stops eventually… " The barrel of Arsenal's assault rifle wavered in the air above Caleb's head, "This could be a time for redemption Hound, not sure how far gone you are to who you were once… but you're slag without our help. Maybe you can convince us to try and get you some aid or just maybe even finish you off with a mercy shot."
Domino remained where she was, standing at the opposing side of Calebs body with the pistol aimed for his head. It was best in this instance to let Arsenal do the bargaining though she did speak up once after he was done talking to the one bleeding out on the ground and staining the dingy grey and brown with a bright yet deep hue of red. "Do you know how to redeem hounds? I have only heard wind of speculation, and it is not something they can do on their own." So if Caleb said yes, he'd likely be lying unless something inside of him was malfunctioning. "My vote is on ending him or waiting until someone knowledgeable can fix what is broken in him if it is even worth the time and effort, they have enough mouths to feed due to these.." Her pistol waved over Caleb in a gesture, but it was apparent even in her desire to kill her desire to keep him alive showed in small slivers.
Caleb wants to live just as much as the next guy, so he's completely willing to bargain, as long as it doesn't go against his master that is, "Y..y.yeah".
Arsenal wavered the gun in the air above the Hound. "Yeah what? Mercy shot you or do you want us to try and help you?"
Domino just stood there waiting for some answer and in the meantime was queuing up her comm to get ready to radio into base if the vote was in to try and let him live, if he didn't take an hour for an answer and die in the process.
Caleb attempts to grin and probably fails, "The living option would probably be helpful", he coughs again, and struggles to move.
Staring down at Caleb the young seeming features looked sloppy and bizarre trying to grin when he has that many bullets in him and shot through him, exerting any form of energy was just speeding up his possible death. "You'll bleed out quicker the more you move. Dom, you wanna head back see if you can find anyone capable of healing or one of those telepaths. Maybe we can unravel his mind and just make him a vegetable in worse case scenario, I'll stay here and patch him up."
The safety of Domino's Browning was clicked back into place as well as put back in the holster. "Alright.." It seemed there was pause at leaving Arsenal with no backup and nearly being out in the open like this. She didn't move immediately until she surveyed the surroundings once more and satisfied enough she looked back to the two and turned without another word immediately opening into a run towards the base and any possible help or confirmation in this situation. Morals were hold ups in these cases.
Caleb stops trying to move, he may be a hound but he still knows when to do as he's told, especialy when it comes to his life, still he can't help but ask, "Why are you helping me?, my purpose is to hunt you".
"Dom, bring alot of salt!" Arsenal shouted before she was out of voice range."From what I heard you're no more than a slave, this is against your own free will, if that's true… then you deserve help just like anyone else suffering under the bloody fist of these tyrannical bastards., Caleb. "The first time Arsenal had said the Hounds name. Obviously there was familiarity in the voice. "You twitch, move, look, speak, or so much as fart I'm going to end you. I will snap your neck faster than you could say your masters name. Understood?""
The man was bleeding to death, he knew he had to get to his wounds quickly, a satchel was opened up and field bandages were drawn out set aside next to sterilizer and he began tearing at the hounds clothing, shredding it near each entry wound. This would be a quick patch job one to stop bleeding, his right arm lifted up and he removed one of the wiring electricity openly flowed from it in crackles and zaps, this was to cauterize. Pulling a wad of Caleb's clothes up he crammed it into his mouth, stuffing it. "This will hurt. " He'd probably pass out, hopefully he did was the thought at least, then he'd be less to hassle with for now.
Caleb is about to say that he is happy to serve his master, but his strength deserts him again, instead he focuses on biting down on the clothing in his mouth, until yeah, the pain causes him to pass out.
The sound of pounding feet can be heard from down a nearby alleyway, counterpointed by the rattle and clack of plastic containers. Before long, Rashmi bursts from cover, overstuffed knapsack replacing one of her SMGs at her hip. Startled puzzlement smooths the hard edges of her expression, and she wastes no time in making her way to Arsenal's side. "Domino told me," she says, between breaths as she kneels down on the other side of the Hound. "How bad is it?"
With the Hound down and unconscious it made it easy to look over his wounds, cauterize with the freed bit of wiring that spouted heat directly from Arsenal's own converted internal energy source sealing each wound up, cleaning and bandaging as quickly as he could, even using rebar bent and reshaped to create tourniquets where necessary, a gag left in Caleb's mouth. Once this was done Arsenal would haul the form up onto a thin slab of lightweight steel managing to complete this in the time it took Domino to relay the information necessary soon Rashmi's approach had him pivoting his weapon drawn up and eased down once he recognized her. "He's twitch from dead. Lots of bloodloss and I got no way of knowing what kind he requires for transfusion, his wounds are closed for now and his body isn't suffering from too much shock but it could at any point…You got the salt?"
"Got the salt," Rashmi confirms, hauling a mostly-full cylinder of Morton's from the satchel, "and bandages, antiseptic, the usual Volk Cooldown kit." The felled Hound is given another look, the redhead's eyebrows drawing together, and she lets out a breath, scanning the area. "You want to patch him up here, or find a place to haul him?"
"Definitely elsewhere, ain't safe here. Too routinely patrolled." Rashmi would already know this but right now Arsenal was just stating the obvious. "If he dies in transit we can't say we didn't try." Indicating the fast-patch job he had already done, too much time was spent here already soon a Sentinel unit would be passing through and he didn't want to be caught here when they did come by even if Rashmi and himself could handle themselves, the captive Hound would surely die. "We have any medics?" Arsenal inquired, "I figure Psylocke or one of the others could also peel his noodle open and pull out anything he knows." Leaning down he grabbed up the edge of the makeshift gurney easily lifting it to begin walking back towards their resistance camp, conversation could take place during the trip. Not that he would go all the way there. A turn off towards a near secluded location would commence, no point endangering the rest of the mutant rebel forces over one fallen Hound. From there what needed to be done with the hostage could take place.
Rashmi takes hold of the other end, lifting the sheet metal and its dead weight with obvious effort; raw power, never one of the redhead's fortes. "Most of them are with the noncombatants," she answers, eyes flicking frm Arsenal to Caleb and back again as they lug the unconscious Hound, silent for a while. "…You know," she says some moments later, "I've got to say… I'm kind of surprised by this."
"So were we, he phased. We figured he was going to do like he did last time, sit in it and taunt, I swept the gun out for another shot, so did Domino; by luck he unphased ended up eating a dinner full of lead." Arsenal glanced back at Rashmi, assuming that was what she was talking about, keeping a steady pace as they moved. "Or did you mean something else?" Somewhere along the way he'd remember she brought the salt but right now he was too eager to be out of the immediate vicinity.
"Something else," Rashmi says, voice lowered, slightly distant. "Not only is he alive, but you're taking pains to keep him that way. It's surprising. I'd've expected you to be the type that shot first, didn't bother asking questions."
"I am, he may have intel and… I knew him once. Besides that if the rumor is true that they're slaves and don't have a will of their own, they're just victims. Can't kill them on good conscience. Would make us just like Ahab, Kelly, my fa… the others." Arsenal replied, his voice set in that hollow monotone. "I seen your message before they cut it out, not bad. Something else that also got me thinking… and I don't want to lose all of who I am to this hate war."
"…It's a hard line to walk," Rashmi says after a while, eyes lifting to scan their surroundings. "Most of us don't do all that well, either. Volk… he was just a writer, before all this. Robyn only wanted to do sculpting, for movies and stuff. Me…" The redhead lifts a shoulder, a pained look crawling over her eyes. "I'd've been happy being a mom, and a wife, and a lawyer. Back when you first showed up? I'd pretty much mostly lost it, just like they did. …But you're right. We can't let it all go, if we want winning to *mean* anything. It's just… too bad Captain America had to die, to show us that."
"You were a mom and a lawyer? Guess I can see that. Can't say I'm not mildly surprised though. " Arsenal stopped in their walk as his head craned to the side, looking over a mound of wreckage, rubble piled up on old cars and what was once an old bus. Just as quickly as he stops he is moving again,"Robyn… I didn't know him, or Jericho, or alot of the others who died. It's a shame, just to be snuffed out like that, everyone's lost something, someone, ourselves. But it's good there are those of you… of us, who still strive and fight. Captain America's death is the most obvious sign that says we need to remember what America stands for and he very much stood for that dream, we are actually doing that… even if the rest of our country doesn't realize it and sees us as criminals. May as well start taking those steps myself. I firmly believe we can still win this. The people won't remain behind Kelly. Not as long as we make our voices heard - that is what I got from your speech, so I have to thank you for that. You re-enforced my conviction and realization that I am still human, not just a machine." He stops again, looking the location they were in over, "You think we're close enough to the tunnels we can stop and set up shop?"
Rashmi nods, stooping to set her end of the sheet-metal travois down, looping the satchel to over her head to set next to it. "This'll probably do… You any good with field dressing, Arsenal? There's some knockout pills too, for keeping him under." The can of salt, placed over to his side within easy reach. "…Thanks, by the way. Even if nobody else got the message… I'm glad some people on our side did."
"Took me a while in mulling it over. The voting confused me at first but then I realized what the implications for it where. It's one foot forward in change, one that people can control and will feel safe with, that will breed it's own realization. That is of course if I caught it's delivery right…" A wry smile that was more like a grimace appeared on Arsenal's features behind the helmet as he drops his gaze towards Caleb, the salt being lifted in his hand to then be dumped over poured in a circle around the Hounds body on the gurney. "I'm decent, hopefully the pills don't thin his blood and kill him, but we probably don't have a choice. "
Caleb is about to say that he is happy to serve his master, but his strength deserts him again, instead he focuses on biting down on the clothing in his mouth, until yeah, the pain causes him to pass out.
The sound of pounding feet can be heard from down a nearby alleyway, counterpointed by the rattle and clack of plastic containers. Before long, Rashmi bursts from cover, overstuffed knapsack replacing one of her SMGs at her hip. Startled puzzlement smooths the hard edges of her expression, and she wastes no time in making her way to Arsenal's side. "Domino told me," she says, between breaths as she kneels down on the other side of the Hound. "How bad is it?"
With the Hound down and unconscious it made it easy to look over his wounds, cauterize with the freed bit of wiring that spouted heat directly from Arsenal's own converted internal energy source sealing each wound up, cleaning and bandaging as quickly as he could, even using re bar bent and reshaped to create tourniquets where necessary, a gag left in Caleb's mouth. Once this was done Arsenal would haul the form up onto a thin slab of lightweight steel managing to complete this in the time it took Domino to relay the information necessary soon Rashmi's approach had him pivoting his weapon drawn up and eased down once he recognized her. "He's twitch from dead. Lots of blood-loss and I got no way of knowing what kind he requires for transfusion, his wounds are closed for now and his body isn't suffering from too much shock but it could at any point… You got the salt?"
"Got the salt," Rashmi confirms, hauling a mostly-full cylinder of Morton's from the satchel, "and bandages, antiseptic, the usual Volk Cooldown kit." The felled Hound is given another look, the redhead's eyebrows drawing together, and she lets out a breath, scanning the area. "You want to patch him up here, or find a place to haul him?"
"Definitely elsewhere, ain't safe here. Too routinely patroled." Rashmi would already know this but right now Arsenal was just stating the obvious. "If he dies in transit we can't say we didn't try." Indicating the fast-patch job he had already done, too much time was spent here already soon a Sentinel unit would be passing through and he didn't want to be caught here when they did come by even if Rashmi and himself could handle themselves, the captive Hound would surely die. "We have any medics?" Arsenal inquired, "I figure Psylocke or one of the others could also peel his noodle open and pull out anything he knows." Leaning down he grabbed up the edge of the makeshift gurney easily lifting it to begin walking back towards their resistance camp, conversation could take place during the trip. Not that he would go all the way there. A turn off towards a near secluded location would commence, no point endagering the rest of the mutant rebel forces over one fallen Hound. From there what needed to be done with the hostage could take place.
Rashmi takes hold of the other end, lifting the sheet metal and its dead weight with obvious effort; raw power, never one of the redhead's fortes. "Most of them are with the noncombatants," she answers, eyes flicking frm Arsenal to Caleb and back again as they lug the unconscious Hound, silent for a while. "…You know," she says some moments later, "I've got to say… I'm kind of surprised by this."
"So were we, he phased. We figured he was going to do like he did last time, sit in it and taunt, I swept the gun out for another shot, so did Domino; by luck he unphased ended up eating a dinner full of lead." Arsenal glanced back at Rashmi, assuming that was what she was talking about, keeping a steady pace as they moved. "Or did you mean something else?" Somewhere along the way he'd remember she brought the salt but right now he was too eager to be out of the immediate vicinity.
"Something else," Rashmi says, voice lowered, slightly distant. "Not only is he alive, but you're taking pains to keep him that way. It's surprising. I'd've expected you to be the type that shot first, didn't bother asking questions."
"I am, he may have intel and… I knew him once. Besides that if the rumor is true that they're slaves and don't have a will of their own, they're just victims. Can't kill them on good conscience. Would make us just like Ahab, Kelly, my fa… the others." Arsenal replied, his voice set in that hollow monotone. "I seen your message before they cut it out, not bad. Something else that also got me thinking… and I don't want to lose all of who I am to this hate war."
"…It's a hard line to walk," Rashmi says after a while, eyes lifting to scan their surroundings. "Most of us don't do all that well, either. Volk… he was just a writer, before all this. Robyn only wanted to do sculpting, for movies and stuff. Me…" The redhead lifts a shoulder, a pained look crawling over her eyes. "I'd've been happy being a mom, and a wife, and a lawyer. Back when you first showed up? I'd pretty much mostly lost it, just like they did. …But you're right. We can't let it all go, if we want winning to *mean* anything. It's just… too bad Captain America had to die, to show us that."
"You were a mom and a lawyer? Guess I can see that. Can't say I'm not mildly surprised though. " Arsenal stopped in their walk as his head craned to the side, looking over a mound of wreckage, rubble piled up on old cars and what was once an old bus. Just as quickly as he stops he is moving again,"Robyn… I didn't know him, or Jericho, or alot of the others who died. It's a shame, just to be snuffed out like that, everyones lost something, someone, ourselves. But it's good there are those of you… of us, who still strive and fight. Captain America's death is the most obvious sign that says we need to remember what America stands for and he very much stood for that dream, we are actually doing that… even if the rest of our country doesn't realize it and sees us as criminals. May as well start taking those steps myself. I firmly believe we can still win this. The people won't remain behind Kelly. Not as long as we make our voices heard - that is what I got from your speech, so I have to thank you for that. You re-enforced my conviction and realization that I am still human, not just a machine." He stops again, looking the location they were in over, "You think we're close enough to the tunnels we can stop and set up shop?"
Rashmi nods, stooping to set her end of the sheet-metal travois down, looping the satchel to over her head to set next to it. "This'll probably do… You any good with field dressing, Arsenal? There's some knockout pills too, for keeping him under." The can of salt, placed over to his side within easy reach. "…Thanks, by the way. Even if nobody else got the message… I'm glad some people on our side did."
"Took me a while in mulling it over. The voting confused me at first but then I realized what the implications for it where. It's one foot forward in change, one that people can control and will feel safe with, that will breed it's own realization. That is of course if I caught it's delivery right…" A wry smile that was more like a grimace appeared on Arsenal's features behind the helmet as he drops his gaze towards Caleb, the salt being lifted in his hand to then be dumped over poured in a circle around the Hounds body on the gurney. "I'm decent, hopefully the pills don't thin his blood and kill him, but we probably don't have a choice. "
"The vote's the only part that really matters," Rashmi says, crouching down next to Caleb. "We can fight and fight and fight, but if we pulled the President down ourselves, all we'd do is give the people something else to worry about. But we *can* make a stand, and let everyone with the *real* power pull him down the way we designed the country to work, back at the beginning. We're fighting for our lives, every single day… but the best we can hope to do with it, is be the banner the rest of them rally behind."
"What I figured… though, whose to say Kelly doesn't enforce martial law like Lincoln did, not allow himself to be dispossessed, it would be in his ability to suspend the elections. IF the militray backs him he can damn near seat himself as long as he wishes. You were correct in what you did though, we need every bit of footing we can get. " Arsenal's features twisted up under his visor and then he kneeled and began checking over Caleb's wound one by one he would inspect them, "So, take it law school didn't teach you how to put a human being back together? I'm no medic myself… this may be beyond us."
"The military might back him," Rashmi says grimly, "but the soldiers doing the fighting might not. He can keep up martial law all he likes, but his support will dwindle further and further every day. I was *hoping* he'd pull the video, actually. That means people get to see what their civil liberties really mean… And I would bet you Volk's tea stash it'll make them *angry.*" Rocking back on her heels, she peers at the wound, frowning and shaking her head. "About all I'd be good for is getting the bullets out and helping stitch him up, really… After that, it'll be up to him. If you think it's worth it, I'll back you."
Arsenal nods listening as Rashmi spoke, she was correct. Dismantling Kelly's image was the best step, surely the man over the years had done enough already this would be the icing. "Without Freedom… we're no longer America." His words hung in the air, nothing more needed to be said there, his eyes skim over Caleb, checking the wounds once more."He's got no obstructions for breathing, removing the bullets could just open up any arteries they may be keeping blocked or sealed, it's best we leave them in… most of his wounds are caterized so he's not losing blood still, he just needs more in him, wonder if this poor S.O.B. knows what his blood type is. "Arsenal offered a shrug standing up," We've done what we can. He may live if he doesn't go into shock, when he wakes we'll figure on his blood type see if we can't donate some… otherwise, we're done with the prisoner. Lets see if he lives long enough for telepaths or whoever to come tinker with him."
Rashmi levers herself to her feet, nodding once. "All right… Are you going to stay with him, then, make sure he heals up while I start hunting for a decent healer?"
"Yeah, I'll be somewhere around here playing watch and monitoring him to make sure he doesn't end up just another statistic. I'll sitrep in every hour. " Arsenal's finger taps on the side of his helmet with a dull clink, if noone seen him when they arrived it was most likely because he didn't want to be seen. He'd said he would be around so at this point he would be around somewhere. "Good luck, Rashmi. Oh, by the way… I can't say I'm a fan of the new title, 'Internet Terrorist'" A teasing jab as the cyborg climbed up over the lip of a concrete slab, off to find some form of obscurement and to map out the area again.
"Before you go," Rashmi says, digging in the satchel again, rising with a grapefruit-shaped device, "take this. Just in case the salt isn't enough to hold him… or… hell, I don't know. It's one of Theo's. It's kind of like a depowering bomb. It won't last long, but, it *should* give you enough time to put a bullet in him for good." Tossing the bomb up to Arsenal's position, one corner of her mouth twitches upward. "Me either, but… At least now I can cross it off the list, too. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a prize for being the biggest subversive ever."
Ársenal snares the sailing object from the air, turning it over in his hand he then tucked it into his webgear. "Doubt I'll need it with the condition he's in but thanks. Will come in handy no matter what. Wonder what that trophy would look like…in any case it can't be any worse than a Bowling trophy. " The rebel muses, fading from view as he trekked off with one wave over his shoulder.
