April 03, 2016:
The Authority fly to Cambodia to meet with the founder and C.E.O of Searchers. Inc.
Somewhere in Cambodia
Characters
NPCs: Peabody, Adeline Wilson, Waller (Male), and nearly the entire Searchers Inc, crew.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
The droning WHUMPWHUMPWHUMPWHUMP of the rotor blades blankets any noise the others might make, the oddly heavy feel of chopper flight keeps anyone sane pinned to their seat as Peabody whips the Blackhawk so low over the trees one could conceivably reach out the open door and with a little lean pick up a handful of leaves. The air screams in through the open sliding door where Deathstroke sits, his feet on the runner outside, one arm resting in a comfortable manner on the mounted minigun peeks out of the door-space like the nose of a curious puppy on a car ride. Something white flickers and flaps in his hand.
4 HOURS AGO:
"I don't understand." Slade says flatly, eyeing the small scrap Lunair is holding out to him, though he makes no move to touch it, in fact, he appears to be fighting the reflex to step away from her like he was afraid of it. "You found it… in a radiation zone?" he asks, shooting her a look. Lunair merely bobs her head half happily and half in 'why not' sort of blaise way. He takes a slow breath and reaches out to take the scrap of paper, his eye stuck on it unblinkingly, "And this is where Taskmaster took you, led you to the cell that Peabody found." he's asked the question twice now so it sounds more like a statement then a question. Another nod, this time accompanied by a look of slight concern. Slade looks a wee bit wonky all the sudden, green around the gills so to speak. There's the smallest flutter of the paper in his hand, surely caused by air recyclers, not by his fingers shaking. Couldn't be that. Newp. "Okay then." he says, something in his voice is resigned, heavy. Peabody comes around the corner just then, his eyes wide and worried, "Sla-" Slade stops the wood with a single upheld hand, "It's where the lead takes us." Peabody just stares harder, opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens. Pause. "I'm coming." he says and turns to leave the way he came. Slade moves to follow, "Gear up," he says behind him into the room with the waiting women who came for a debriefing and just got… whatever that was instead. "We're going to be making a trip. I hope none of you get air sick."
PRESENT:
The paper flutters and snaps again and his gauntlet fingers curl over it into a fist, crushing the Searchers Inc. logo in his fist where he can't see it anymore. Peabody, the guy flying only a couple of feet over dense jungle tree cover, keeps glancing worriedly over his shoulder, first at the boss and then at the others in the heavily armed military chopper. He does say anything but he gives the girls a mostly inscrutable look.
"Look alive ladies and gents," he says, his levity seeming a touch forced, "we'll be coming in low and warm, don't expect to be shot down but with where we're headed who the hell could be sure? Amirite!?" he grins almost desperately, "And for you first time illegal immigrants, welcome to Cambodia, land of genocide, record levels of poisonous life threatening wildlife, a shockingly high rate of babies born with odd bullet hole shaped scars thought to be reincarnated souls of the murdered, and Angkor Wat, which you really /must/ see before you go because it's flat out amazeballs. We're no where near it so tough titties. Also, current home to the mobile HQ of Searchers Inc, Founder and C.E.O. one Adeline Wilson." the last is mumbled really quickly and hard to hear over the mix of rushing air, whumping blades, and crackly radio coms headsets.
Well. Why not? Lunair nodded at Slade. "Is where I found it. Yes." Lunair is concerned by Slade's green gills and - welll then. "Hi Peabody boss!" She beams. She is glad to see him, but she seems kind of cheery in general. Then again, this is like, the nicest gig she's ever had. "Okay." Nod.
And thankfully, Lunair does not get air sick. She is puzzled. While she is socially impaired to the nth degree, she can catch on to the worry. "One of my old teachers survived Phnom Penh. It was a good teacher." She falls silent, distant after that. She looks over her shoulders. "And wait." Did he say something Wilson? Lunair is puzzled. But she also knows better than to push Deathstroke. Still, there's little question marks over her head.
The ex-wife. Talk about a potential goldmine of information about Deathstroke. Although if he was married to her, she's probably at least equally as deadly and inscrutable, so. No sense in expecting to get anything too deep. Which doesn't mean Audrey isn't going to be looking for new information. It does mean, though, that she's not going to show the woman her true features. As soon as that name comes out, she makes a few subtle changes to her features. Eyes to hazel. Hair to a dirty blonde. Features sharpened. The heavy layers of combat gear should do to hide some of her build, at least.
At least that's one thing that doesn't make Rant sick to her stomach. Being in the air. She was holed up in the corner, pretty much pressed against the side of the Blackhawk, looking out and down into the fields and passing waters, even up towards the clouds, trying to keep herself occupied by counting the swings of the chopper blades..
She was lost in those thoughts, at least until Peabody begins his grand introduction into Cambodia, which draws her attention forward to listen and…
..nothing.
Talk about a serious dead-pan going on there. Like really, hanging with a crew of whoever the hell these people were, there was really no reason for her to be shocked or surprised anymore. Or it could be that it was probably beaten out of her through a month of hard training and damn near swimming ocean sized waters and eating like crap.
Peabody nods his head at Lunair as she seems to be trying to work it out, and Audrey's alteration go with just a small knowing smile, he offers her a wink and a shake of his head one hand miming pulling a mask over his face before he turns back to the flying thing. "Adeline Wilson is argueably the most dangerous woman on the planet. Gear up properly before we make entrance, our reception is… not going to go over well." Peabody's snort can clearly be heard on the radio, "What he's trying to tell you is that Adeline is his wife. And that they are estranged. Viciously. Also she has access to the latest in military tech and an entire army of loyal globally trained counter intelligence spec ops badasses." he's quite for a moment and Slade clearly doesn't feel like adding anything so Peabody does instead, "She taught me everything I know." his voice sounds sad and heavy with layers of emotion. Slade turns his mask just a little so he can glance at Peabody who seems lost in thought for a moment before he swings the bird in low to the ground, "Aaaaaand there it is." he says as the jungle suddenly vanishes, showing a space where the jungle canopy is just gone for about 2 hundred yards in every direction. There's a ring of small buildings forming up what looks like a large circular defensive wall, inside which is a second ring of buildings, mostly tends and prefab temp structures, and then inside that ring is a massive square clearly made for various VTOL aircraft (a fact made more obvious by the dozen or more Stark Tech fighters currently sitting parking-lot style to the side), and what looks like a large and very complicated communications hub. Peabody swings the chopper around and sets it down in a swirl of dust and dirt even as every 'threat assessment' light, panel, and alarm begins to hyperventilate all over the inside of the cockpit. "She is going to be so mad at me." he whispers into his mic as he flicks the switch that kills the engines letting the blades drift, starting the path to slowing down.
Slade hops out of the door and lands heavily on the ground, his head scanning side to side, tracking the, frankly, impressive response the chopper's arrival has garnered. It's not unlike kicking over an anthill, if anthills came complete with weapons mounted military vehicles and dozens of scary hard looking men in fatigues to man them. Weapons, both the kind carried by the soldiers and those mounted, range from your basic scary as balls assault rifles and heavy machine guns to super advanced things with light up doohickies and names like LexCorp somewhere in their title. Some of the men, making no qualms about it, glow, fly, of in one interesting case simply light on fire as they approach. Metahumans. Whosever this woman is, she is not one with which someone should fuck. Clearly.
Suddenly it all clicks. "I should have probably brought her cupcakes," Lunair muses. "Or wine." It seems rude to turn up without a gift, now that she thinks about it. "Oh well." She lets it go. And then they all see it. Wow, Stark Tech. This place is SERIOUS. She is taking in all of the details. There's a nod back for Peabody, at least. And a curious look at Audrey. Lunair doesn't really 'get' Audrey sometimes. But Lunair is very much a creature of 'now'. Of is. And anyone who taught Slade all he knows? Clearly a badass of the highest order, the 9th circle of kick ass in ninja hell and so on.
Lunair sees what is coming out here, and she frowns. "I REALLY wish I had brought a greeting gift." And she isn't sure the expensive chocolate bar she keeps with her on each mission (sugar is precious fuel) is gonna cut it. Still, she is cautious, shifting her weight and looking to the others. Her armor is boring, military looking colors that match the others' gear. She took Peabody's advice, even if she was a bit miffed by some of it. And she has a Metal Gear-esque black visor that snapped over her face.
This is not a time when being invisible is going to be helpful. As the soldiers and metahumans come spilling out of the compound, Audrey stays quiet and still behind her illusion, waiting for orders. If she were to go invisible, she'd need to get past various levels of security if she needed to do anything. As a presumably normal soldier, they'll walk her through. Hopefully without ever realizing what she can do. Though she's watching all of them, cataloging the abilities she sees, the weapons, and whatever information she can gather.
It was really a good time to wish that she had the ability to decline to leave the Resolve. As it looks like the entire nation rolls out, Melody keeps herself at the back of the crowd, not hidden but there. This was bonkers. She didn't even move, she was sure that they were tracking each and every one of their intentions and hers probably screamed the loudest at all. She really, really didn't want to be there. Or at least, be anywhere near those high powered rifles and souped up Meta-humans who could turn her into a crisp with just a blink. "This is so not fair." She mumbles out.
Deathstroke eyes the gathering storm of people, oddly enough, his own mind running the same calculations as Lux's. Then comes the smarmy fella, $1,000 loafers, a suit so pressed it's a wonder the creases aren't weaponized, a hair cut that's just floppy enough to be intentional and chiseled boyish good looks that are somewhat annoying to stare at. When he speaks the Brit in him is obvious, posh as fuck, "You're not welcome here Slade." he says, flicking a small bit of dirt from his sleeve with a motion that's both dismissive and insulting. "Waller." Slade rejoins quietly, "I'm going to give you ten seconds to contact Adeline and tell her I'm here and that we're going to talk, after those ten seconds are up I'm going to fit you, alive, inside of his," he points a finger towards a man so massive he /clearly/ isn't ordinary human levels of anything, "corpse." he points with his single finger to each of them in turn.
The men around them shuffle slightly and the audible sound of safeties clicking off can be heard from all around them. Deathstroke doesn't seem impressed. 'Waller' seems annoyed.
Peabody hops down out of the chopper and looks around, "Okay, so this escalated quickly." he says warmly. He grins at the giant meta warmly, "Hey there Puny," he then looks around the gathered soldiers, "James, Matt, Smitty." then finally to Waller, "Douchebag." he adds finally. A few of the others grin at that and Waller grows noticeably annoyed, "Take us to her or he'll do as he says. He's not in a mood," Peabody advances on Waller, walking away from the others, "and neither am I. Quit trying to compete with him Douchey, you'll always come up short." Peabody's fingers come up about an inch apart and he shoots a short glance at Waller's crotch before walking past him, "Come on Puny, where is she." the big man pauses for a second, then points, "SHE WONT BE HAPPY." his voice is deep as one would think, but also crazy loud, like he was talking through a bullhorn. Peabody just pats the man on the arm and keeps on walking towards the building in question, "I know big man, I know." Slade moves to follow, assuming the others will join.
The building in question is where the communications satellites are all housed and where, it appears, the beating heart of the entire instillation exists if the wires and electrical transformers were any indication. Through the doors and a lay out that's tactically built to be defensible from the inside, with many long coverless corridors and blind corners, Peabody, now joined by a jogging Waller, lead them to a room filled with monitors and fatigued people sitting at them, at least thirty, all working feverishly at … something. Slowly moving from one to the next is an Old Lady, capital letters. She's gone completely white haired, and it's pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail that's not cinched up tight, and she's in a wheelchair, the IV stand poking up over her shoulder holds 2 different bags of indeterminate fluid. She's dressed in fatigues of her own, though they're clearly custom made for her, softer material, and the wheel chair isn't exactly 'standard' issue either. She glances up as they arrive and grows deathly still, his eyes boring into Slade's mask. He actually stops in his tracks as if he'd been pinned in place.
Lunair is quiet, but one can FEEL her eyes going wide inside of her armor. "… hi." She's kind of polite, and this is a new, startling way of business. But otherwise, she is looking at them. She is taking it all in. She winces at the big man, and tilts her head. She asks quietly, "Does she like cupcakes?" Hey, just in case. Lunair's gotta help keep her skin in one piece and sometimes it comes to diplomacy. And sugar.
Lunair doesn't run into too many 'old ladies' and now she is curious. "Hello, ma'am," Lunair does greet the woman politely. Why not? Better polite than - well, not. She lowers her head respectfully. And she looks to the others, watching. Just - watching.
Observe. Remain quiet. Audrey follows behind Slade and Peabody with measured steps. While the illusion of her features looks straight ahead, she watches the soldiers around them from behind it, trying to figure out what they can do and where any threat might come from. Though Peabody seems to have it handled. By the time they reach the control room, she's back to watching impassively…with her hands away from any triggers. These people seem like the jumpy sorts.
One had to admire that. The way Peabody just handled everything with the sort of ease a ma—.. She shakes her head a little, then snaps out of it. Her hands immediately went behind herself, lacing and latching at the wrist as she follows along, her own little glows reserved as her dark eyes shine just a little brighter. She was recording everything she sees, even looking up towards the skyline, back and behind herself as they enter into the complex.
The monitors were briefly glanced at, lingered upon for a quick second before she follows forward again, stopping once she sees the older woman who.. well.. is it Adeline? People are weird. She just doesn't say anything, nope. Nothing at all.
She's a handsome woman, and once upon a time she must have been gorgeous. It's still there, in the way her jaw maintains it's shape, but time works on everyone, or nearly everyone, and her skin is /deeply/ lined, the craggy layers of wrinkles criss crossing her face until there is nothing smooth left in it. She doesn't wear make up to hide them, doesn't try to do much of anything, and she doesn't have to. As frail as her body appears, as wrinkled as her skin is, as old as she looks which /must/ be pushing mid 80's, her eyes are crystal clear and sharp enough to cut. And right that moment they are filled with the most pure and distilled hatred any of them have ever seen. Well. Any of them save one. Slade doesn't take a step back, but he leans slightly away from it, and his shoulders seems to somehow sink a little, bowed under sudden weight. "What," her voice is high, sharp, like a taut drawn garrote, "is /he/ doing /here/?" she asks coldly. Waller makes to answer but her hand cuts the air, "I wasn't talking to you." Peabody clears his throat and moves over towards the woman, "Hey Mama." he says as he nears. She finally looks away from Slade and as hard and hateful as her expression was, it softens when she lays her gaze on Peabody, warming instantly. She reaches up to stroke his cheek gently, "You look just like your father." she says softly, patting him twice and leaning in to kiss his other cheek. Then there's a 'crack' sound as the back of her hand snaps across his face in a single bluring stroke, "And you make the same mistakes as him too." she keeps Peabody pinned with her eyes, "That's for bringing him here at all." she says, then kisses the slapped cheek a second time all warm and maternal once more, "Next time come alone. I heard about Kenya and I was worried, you didn't check in. Don't do that again."
Lunair's voice draws her attention away from Peabody and towards the group, Peabody himself stands to his feet once more, one hand idly rubbing his cheek in a sheepish manner. Clearly he's not bothered by the treatment. "Armory, Lux, Rant." she says, pointing to each in turn, "Girls this time Slade?" she asks, she looks like she wants to say more but cuts herself off, "Everyone, out." two words cause people to push back from chair and head for the doors in a quiet and discipline manner. Waller sticks around until Adeline has to turn her head to look at him too, and with an affronted chuff, he follows, leaving them in the room. "Girls?" she asks again.
Deathstroke's chest moves in a way that suggests he's breathing deep and slow, controlled, "Soldiers." he responds, "I… There are bigger forces at play again. The last time that happened someone told me I couldn't do it all alone." the woman's hate filled eyes narrow to slits and it's suddenly very clear where Slade learned his deathstare from, only she has 2 eyes and it's twice as efficient. "Someone has to do the work and-" he cuts off there, not adding more, "You're the best." she finishes for him, the tone mocking somehow. "He's going to get you all killed," she says, her eyes falling on the trio of women, "assuming he doesn't gut you all himself. It's sort of his thing, killing his protege's himself, so no one else can." Peabody shuffles foot to foot beside her, looking embarrassed. Slade doesn't respond.
Lunair tilts her head. She's feisty! Lunair is processing it all. There's sympathy and sorrow, "Yes'm. That's me." There's a pause. "It is an honor to meet you, despite all circumstances." A respectful head bob.
Asf or the rest, she falls silent. She says nothing more. She simply has accepted it all. It's hard for Lunair to think of herself as a person, much as simply a bit of material. As for being killed, Lunair is respectfully silent. She has already lived 3 times longer than she should have. She cannot complain.
Adeline's words are nothing less than Audrey has ever expected out of Deathstroke. Which…probably speaks volumes to her own issues, but there it is. She responds to the words as she would to a drill instructor - no reaction except to stare straight ahead, still at attention.
There was just a touch of amusement as Peabody gets smacked. Adeline kind of reminds her of her own mother but, less smacking. More pinching and cheek pulling and embarrassing nicknames followed by frothy cups of coffee with at least fifteen shots of espresso. Those sound good right about now. Though as Adeline calls them out one by one, Rant kinda.. frowns. It wasn't a bad frown, nor an 'oh-shit' frown, but it was a frown that says.. 'Wow, not bad. Not bad at all.'
The woman's wise words were noted, and Rant finally breaks her stoic look and grins sheepishly. Her hand rises up to rub slightly at the back of her neck as she looks down and away. "Hi." Pause. "Kinda figured he'd do that, ma'am."
Deathstroke's head bows a bit to join his shoulders downward angle, his own people's complete lack of faith in him is not something he fully expected, to be honest, he thought he was getting somewhere with them. To discover he was not… Doubt is unfamiliar to him. "Awww." the woman's tone is mocking, deeply cutting, "Feeling sorry for yourself now? Well, there's always my daughter to kill, so cheer up. Or you could try your hand at gutting Joey a second time. Maybe that'll give you a little pep in your step." Deathstroke actually seems to flinch at the words, as if they were real blows he could feel, and one of his heels slides back a half an inch. No one would notice it if they weren't being very attentive. Like Adeline. She leans forward even as he seems to lean back, as if she could move him with the power of her will alone, "I told you I would kill you if I saw you again, did you think I lied? It was foreplay?" she moves to speak again but she's beaten to the punch by "ENOUGH!" Peabody's voice cuts through the room like rolling gunfire, and all the happy-go-lucky is gone from his expression, in it's place is hurt and anger, "That is enough." he says a second later more quietly. He rests a hand on Adeline's shoulder, "You know I love you like you were my own mother, but you're done with that now." Adeline's eyes blaze, "I a-" Peabody's expression grows tight, "-are done." he finishes for her. "This is family business and you're airing it out because you like to hurt people. Say what you want about him, about the things he's done, he's /never/ been a sadist. Not once." her turn to flinch, the corner of her eye twitching, "So for today, while we're here, you bury your shit, /our/ shit, because there are bigger goddamned things going on then us." he takes a knee next to her, "Please mama." her lips purse which cause her whole face to wrinkle up before she nods once and runs her papery skinned hand down his jaw, "Fine." she reaches into a pocket on the side of her chair and pulls out a thumb drive, this she offers out to who ever is brave enough to approach and get it, "Kenya, the Tick-Tock files, and a dossier on some interesting DNA profiles appearing all over the world in various corpses found mutilated by what appear to be animals. Non-terrestrial DNA, all with similar markers." she pointedly talks to the girls, ignoring Slade, "You're caught up in an alien shadow war of some kind, if I were you, I'd leave Deathsentence there and go find some actual heroes to hide behind. This one will let you down in time. Sooner rather then later if I had to guess."
Unfortunately, Lunair is brave enough. She's friendly. And she gives everyone at least one chance. There's a wince beneath her visor. She likes Joey and Rose. Even if one of them was covered in art supplies and the other periodically gets help and kittenbowl viewings from her. Nevertheless, this is - new. Intense and sorrowful.
Deep breath. Steel herself. "Thank you, ma'am." And Lunair pauses. "We appreciate it." She seems uncertain. She will cautiously take the flash drive. Very carefully and respectfully. She even lowers her head. Politely. "Um. I'd offer something in turn, but I don't really have that. Still. Thank you for it all." And she will back away quietly.
As Deathstroke's foot slides back, Audrey's moves forward ever so slightly. Not enough to touch. Just enough to be in the way of moving back any further. Knowing the man's weak spots is one thing. Seeing them used to no purpose greater than to hurt is another. "We're aware, ma'am. We're not counting on him. He's counting on us. Besides," she adds, arching a brow at the flash drive that gets handed over. "He's not the one who was sitting on information." This is what comes of spending time with Captain America, apparently. You start actually saying some of the things you're thinking. And standing up for people.
It was all too painful to watch. If Melody was sane as she was.. well, before anything, she probably would have snickered with some untold glee at the situation. But the fact that she was recording everything was something, she'd view the files later and promptly delete them. This was personal stuff. And she felt bad.
"Mr. Wilson teaches us not to hide behind heroes, but to fight." She shrugs her shoulders, then mutters quietly to herself. "Besides, there really ain't no real heroes left." And that was her own personal opinion.
Adeline looks at Lux as she speaks up, her gaze appraising, "You're one of the two he carried out of Gamorra on his back away from a fireball the size of Rhode Island." she state, it's not a question, "Don't tell me who's counting on who." she hands the drive over to Lunair without even trying to claw her eyes out or anything, sweet old lady. She leans forward slightly in her chair and her eyes bore into Lux, "You're a strong girl, but not to bright. Who do you think got the intel into the right hands? Got your Daddy to slip up? Let the Program make just a /few/ to many mistakes?" she asks, unnervingly she doesn't blink as she speaks, "You're a child, an infant, and you seem to think that this information should just be handed out, willy nilly. I know things that make your father's secrets look as benign as your father's favorite flavor of ice cream, neopolitan because deep down he's an indecisive asshole with a small prick problem and can't make up his mind about things, and if I were to let my secrets out for free do you think there would be no consequences? No fall back? I let this into the air and as much as you might not like the way the world is, it can be a whole lot worse a lot faster then you think." her gaze snaps to Rant, "He doesn't teach people to fight," she says flatly, "he teaches them to kill. I know. I taught him." she stares at the woman for a long moment, "Then be one." she says simply, "World could use a few."
Then she seems to deflate leaning back in her chair, looking almost winded from all the anger that lurks beneath the surface. Suddenly there's a crack in the wall, behind it all there's deep hurt, pain that never heals. A mother who's lost to much and buried to many children, a wife who grows old and frail while the man she loves, the man she blames for her children's deaths, remains in better then perfect condition. She covers it with more rage thouhg and it fades, "You play a dangerous game," she's talking to Slade but her eyes jump from woman to woman, staying far afield of the man in question. "You'll find something else on there too," she nods at the drive, "I found the one man I hate more then you." Slade's head snaps up and all the pain and heavy weights and sorrow that cloaked him is gone, replaced instantly with muscles drawn to a tight humming tautness. His mask snaps open, his expression is eager, "Lynch." he says, and a predatory smile slowly crawls over her face as she meets his eyes, "I found Lynch." she says as if this were the same as climbing mount Everest naked in winter. Slade doesn't grin then so much as bare his teeth and the two look at one another with a silent moment of shared intent. She doesn't say it, but it hangs in the air, a contract of sorts. He looks over to Peabody, then to the girls, "Load up." he says flatly, his faceplate snikting back into place, "We're going hunting." and he quickly strides from the room, almost desperate to leave
"Audrey." the woman's voice says, cutting through the air, "When he turns on you all, when it all goes to hell, whoever's left alive, come find me. I could use strong women." then she's patting Peabody's hand fondly, "And you visit more often." he leans down to kiss her cheek, "Yes mama." he says in the long suffering tone of all men speaking with their 'mother'.
Lunair nods quietly. "Maybe we should bring her something if you do visit." Otherwise, she goes quiet and follows the others.
Audrey listens, unflinching. As long as Adeline's talking, she's handing out more information. Places she's watched. Sources she has. Somewhere, all that information makes a web, and somewhere in that web are connections. The big picture. At Deathstroke's order, she turns to follow, steps steady. "By that time," she replies to Adeline without turning around, "I don't plan on needing anyone."
Melody cringes. If no one else was showing emotion, she did in that moment. This was starting to get uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. The woman was stone cold, cut from iron and steel. She does NOT remind her of her mother at all, but damn does her mother come close. Though, Adeline's words to her hit deep. Her eyes brighten just a touch as she takes a slight step forward. Even though she was just an old woman in a chair she was fairly certain that the woman could lop her head off with just a quick motion.
"Thank you." She says quietly, bowing her head in a tradition that doesn't belong to her, but much respect was given because there were things that she herself probably needed to hear. And from an unlikely source. "Can I come visit too?" Dumb ass! Ruined it!
But they were moving, so with a brief wave and a turn upon her heels, she follows the lot out with a last look back and a final wave.
Adeline watches the girls and Slade go, and she catches Peabody's hand before he can follow, holding him back for a long moment. She turns to look up at him, her eyes glistening with moisture, "How is… is he…." her words fall apart and she looks suddenly so fragile and so very very old. Peabody takes a knee once more and presses her hand to his lips, "I do as my father before me," he tells her softly, "I do what he allows me to to make sure he stays okay, stays moving. I promised you I would." she lets her fingers play against the short fuzz of his hair and she nods, "And we're a family of our word." he nods back up at her, "I'll keep you informed on what we're up to." he's quiet, "I've never seen him like this mama, he has…" he seems to fight for a word and Adeline just smiles sadly as a tear rolls through the crags of her cheek, "Purpose." she says for him, pulling him close for a weak if fierce hug. "I know. I've seen it before. It's a good sign. I may never forgive him, but maybe one day he will. He's carried it to long and soon I'll be gone and he'll be here, alone." Peabody pulls back and shakes his head, his own years hanging heavy on him suddenly, "No." he says firmly, "He won't." she grins once more and then shoos him away, rubbing at her face with the heel of her hand, "Go. Before he makes a note of you missing. He'll want to kill Lynch first, don't let him. Lynch holds the key to whatever you are chasing, make sure he remembers that." she grins ferraly, "And /then/ let him kill the bastard." Peabody nods once and turns to jog towards the door, "Yes mama." he says over his shoulder.
Outside Slade is already getting the blades to turning on the helo, flipping switches. Luckily it never fully got cold so they won't have to wait long for take off. The army of metas and soldiers keeps a wary eye on everyone returning to the chopper, apparently haven't not moved from where they were before, patiently waiting to wreck anyone that might try something.
A few minutes later, the group racing over the treetops once more, Slade reaches up to que his coms with a fingertip, "When we return to the Resolve," he says slowly, as if picking his words carefully. "I…. may need a cupcake." the silence hangs for a second before Peabody's voice breaks over the coms, "Did he just make a joke? Is he joking? Was that… oh god. We're all gonna die aren't we???"
Audrey waits until they're well in the air before she lets the illusion of appearance drop, sitting back quietly in her straps. It's a lot to think about. More pieces for the puzzle. More pieces for the board. In response to Peabody, though, she's got one comment: "No one jokes about Luna's cupcakes."