The Enabled (Role-Play)

dada_dragon • 9 December 2016 at 12:24 PM

"Kita... about your arm..."

Kita turned back to James. She had been sitting there quietly, almost like she was daydreaming.

"What happened?"

She was quiet for a moment... she always seemed to take forever when answering his questions... He had thought it was a concussion, but he had checked her and there were no signs that this was the case...

"I was training with our old gang." She said, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. "There was an accident with some lightning. I'm fine."

She was training? And with the gang... He had wanted her to be away from all of that... so that she would be safe, but...

"Why weren't you able to mimic Vietkov?"

There was only the slightest hesitation there. She raised her left arm slightly.

"I did mimic him. My left arm is cut off from my ability... It was just bad luck that that was where the knife hit."

He had one other question... but he was too afraid to ask...
Why were you at Vietkov's house the night Sochuv called?

Maybe another time...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 9 December 2016 at 1:34 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan had been forced to sit across from Sochuv. A metal table separated the two. His neck was sore from how badly he had slept and the cuffs dug into his wrists uncomfortably. Three soldiers stood guard inside the room. Two by the door and one behind Vladan.

"Enlighten me Veitkov." Sochuv said. "Tell me how you manage to have so many Enabled all over the country. I want to know how a boy like you has managed to have so many loyal soldiers doing whatever you want."

"Trade secret." Vladan scoffed. "I'll show you how if you uncuff me."

Sochuv slammed a hand on the table. "You think you're in the position to be bargaining?"

Vladan winced at how loud Sochuv was screaming. "Yes." Vladan answered. "There's something you don't know, commander." He smirked now. "There are times when I've fought alongside my Enabled...." Sochuv seemed more intrigued than angry now at what Vladan was implying.

"Show me what you mean."

Vladan could sense Sochuv's curiosity. Part of him wanted to end it right then and there, but the other part of him wanted to play games first. "Yes sir." He said sarcastically. "Tell one of your soldiers to release me."

Sochuv seemed hesitant, but complied. "If you try to escape..." The commander trailed off threateningly.

The soldier standing behind him uncuffed Vladan, and the young man rubbed his wrists gently. He moved the chair sideways from the table so that Sochuv could see exactly what was happening. Vladan motioned for the soldier to kneel down in front of him. The guard complied hesitantly....

Their eyes locked. He kept up his gaze until he saw the telltale sign of his power doing it's work. First, the pupils taking on a red tint, then the eyes following Vladan's every movement as he waited for a command.

Vladan placed a hand on the man's soldier, and something that almost resembled regret graced his features. He leaned in slowly and whispered in the man's ear.

There was a flash of movement. A sharp bang. Blood. Then the soldier falling to the floor. The man's hand still tightly around the gun. Red pooled out of the hole in his head.

Vladan sat back in his chair. He scooted it back to it's regular position, before turning to see Sochuv's open mouth stare. The two men by the door shifted uncomfortably, unsure of the events progressing.

"I don't understand." Sochuv said. "You can make men kill themselves?" He seemed confused and then his face lit up. "Mind control." The commander concluded. There was a long pause, and then he spoke once more. "Show me again." Sochuv motioned for one of the guards by the door to come over, and the two argued angrily in Russian until the shorter one was shoved forwards.

His eyes were beginning to burn, but Vladan forced himself to ignore it. He stood this time, and Vladan noticed the fear in the other man's eyes. He repeated the same process as before. The soldier picked up his gun...

The body fell to the floor with a thud.

Sochuv seemed absolutely amazed at this newfound discovery. Suddenly, the door was burst open. The gunshots had attracted unwanted attention. Sochuv however, seemed too preoccupied to care. The commander waved off the men, telling them to ignore the racket.

Vladan continued to play the obedient captive.

"What next, Commander?"

"Do you know the extent of your power?"

"No." He could feel his eyes stinging angrily now, and tears began to cloud his vision. Vladan refused to show any weakness, and he swallowed back the pain.

"Show me again." Sochuv ordered.

The last living soldier seemed very against the idea, but with a few coaxing threats out of Sochuv's mouth, he had complied.

Vladan just needed to get rid of this last guard to get to his prize...

dada_dragon • 9 December 2016 at 4:49 PM

Are you concerned for them?

There was nothing when he said it. He missed the reaction... It had been awfully silent for so long.

It's painful to watch, isn't it? Being able to do nothing while I plot their demise... Not being able to warn them...

Still no reaction.

Is it difficult not being able to move or speak? To be a prisoner in your own body...? Did you miss it?

Nothing.

He laughed. I didn't think you would break so easily.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 9 December 2016 at 6:53 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

The soldier was staring at Vladan fearfully, but he ignored it. Sochuv seemed completely smitten by Vladan's abilities to notice that this was the last guard in the room. He pulled the soldier close to his body. Vladan patted the guard on the cheek and shushed him, it looked much like a wolf trying to calm down a white sheep. Vladan whispered in the man's ear.

"Incapacitate Sochuv." He mumbled.

The soldier picked up his gun, and it almost looked like he was going to follow the previous 2 men's end but...

Sochuv cried out in pain when the bullet entered his leg.

Vladan took this opportunity to jump over the table and knock the commander out of his chair. The two of them rolled across the ground. It was a good thing Sochuv was caught off guard, as the russian was significantly larger than Vladan.

However, he manged to pin the man on the ground with the weight of his body, and his bloodshot eyes held Sochuv's blue eyes.

"N-no!" The commander cried out in protest. Vladan grabbed the man by the neck and smashed his head onto the ground. "Sh Shh Shhh." Vladan muttered repeatedly. It took a while, but Sochuv eventually quieted down.

"Feels good to come up on top." Vladan taunted. "How does it feel in there? Trapped inside your own head." He decided to put off his teasing until after he was free. The young man picked his words carefully... He only had one command per usage of his eyes...and he wanted to make the most of it.

"Call your men off my back." Vladan glanced over, and realized that the last soldier was cowering in the corner. He stepped over and knocked the man out.

Sochuv nodded stiffly, and he walked robotically to the door. Vladan could hear him giving commands, and the loud speakers rang out in russian. Though Vladan could only understand parts of it, he could tell that Sochuv had complied.

Vladan's eyes were intensely stinging by this time. His vision was beginning to blur, and when the door closed behind Sochuv's back, he pushed the man into the wall and gave another order.

"Bring every single one of my men here..." He hesitated. "Two more along with them. A patient named Andrew and a woman with an arm injury."

The burning had reached it's peak and Vladan heaved heavily from the pain. It wasn't going to be long until he couldn't see at all... He had two..if not only one more chance to use them.

dada_dragon • 9 December 2016 at 7:12 PM

James looked up as a soldier approached them. Kita sat up, eyeing him curiously.

"You three... are to go to Sochuv." he said in very broken English. "I will take you there."

James looked at Kita, but could not tell how she felt... Either Vladan had pulled through, or they had been found out... They were led down a hallway to Sochuv's office, James carrying Andrew.

There were a lot of confused expressions as they passed, but no one moved to stop them. Kita was looking straight ahead, acknowledging neither James nor any of the soldiers, though she had a glassy look in her eye that told him that she was scanning the hallways with her sensory powers. Perhaps she suspected something...

They were brought in front of a door and the man indicated that they should go inside. Kita grabbed the doorknob, still apparently using her power, and opened the door...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 9 December 2016 at 9:30 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan had managed to wrestle Sochuv back with the help of his men. The two dead soldiers were laying in gradually growing pools of blood, while the one that had been knocked out had a decent sized dent on his forehead.

It had taken quite a bit for the commander's soldiers to bring in Kita and his men. The 3 enabled were holding Sochuv down against the floor, and the Russian man was still struggling in an attempt to escape.

There was a fourth body on the floor, and it belonged to the man that had decided to backtalk Sochuv days before. He supposed that Sochuv didn't make it clear he only wanted the breathing ones brought in.

Vladan was shirtless. He was holding the cloth tightly over Sochuv's mouth, and he motioned with his free hand for Kita and James to hurry in before the soldiers outside caught sight of the messy interior.

It was quite a mess they had stumbled upon.

dada_dragon • 9 December 2016 at 9:45 PM

James looked around the room in shock, closing the door. He looked over at Kita, who seemed concerned but not surprised.

She looked around the room before grabbing the arm of one of Vladan's men who James knew to have the ability to grow spikes from his arms. The man was startled by this, but she either didn't notice or care.

Clearly, she was anticipating a fight...

James turned to Vladan. "What now?"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 9 December 2016 at 10:03 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"We leave." Vladan said matter of factly. Sochuv was screaming through the shirt, but it was muffled by the cloth. He was acting aloof, but in reality he couldn't tell what was up and what was down.

"Hand me a gun." Vladan said. He looked up towards the direction of the voices, but couldn't make out anything. It was like he was looking at everybody through a dark screen. On top of that, there was a layer of fog.

It took a bit, but he could feel the weight of a pistol in his hand. He could feel Sochuv struggling a bit, but he focused instead on finding the trigger. Vladan tried to put the gun up onto the Russian's face, but missed by several inches...

"Vladan..." One of the enabled muttered warningly.

"What?" Vladan said, obviously annoyed.

"That's not where his face is..."

"Y-yeah.." He faltered as he squinted heavily. Vladan lifted the gun up, then sent it down in an attempt to knock Sochuv out. He grunted angrily when he smashed his own hand.

"Can somebody else do it for me?" Vladan said with embarrassment. "I want to bring him with us." He said quickly.

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 1:18 AM

James reached over and placed his hand on Sochuv's shoulder. Sochuv looked annoyed for a moment, but soon began drifting off until his eyes closed and he slumped forward, asleep.

"So how are we getting out of here?" He asked. "There are still a ton of guards here."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 1:38 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. "I'm not quite sure." He admitted. "I was going to have us escorted out by Sochuv but we can't let his men see him like this." Vladan closed his eyes, giving them some rest instead of straining them further.

He knew it would go smoothly if they all left now, but Vladan knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left without Sochuv. He knew it was petty, and he knew it was a stupid idea but yet...

"The soldiers here shouldn't attack us... but the longer we wait the more suspicious they may get." Vladan said.

"You guys leave first." He said. "I need to stay. I'll meet you guys at the drop off zone...the pilot should be waiting."

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 1:50 AM

"I'll stay with you. Kita and the others can head out. The soldiers will just assume that they're headed out for a mission, so long as they look like they belong." James said. "You're going to need help getting out with your eyes like that. I assume they'll go back to normal eventually, but I might be able to speed up the process while you come up with a plan."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 1:54 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Yeah, alright." Vladan said absentmindedly. He opened his eyes and blinked back some tears.

He waited until everyone had left the room, before he motioned James over besides him.

"Sit." Vladan said calmly, though he looked the exact opposite of that. "We've got some time." He turned to face James.

"How does it look?"

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 2:09 AM

James set Andrew down on a chair before taking a seat next to Vladan.

"Like a really terrible sunburn on your eyeballs..." he said, placing a hand on the side of Vladan's head. "I can speed up your body's self-repairing a bit... But that isn't the only reason I stayed behind..."

He hated confiding in Vladan... the very thought of it made him ill... but Vladan was the only one who could understand...

"Did Kita seem... off... to you?"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 11:54 AM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"A little bit." Vladan admitted. "She seemed unusually quiet." He could feel the burning turn into a slight sting.

"Do..." He trailed off a little bit. "Do you think it's worth it?" Vladan said a bit timidly, referring to staying behind for Sochuv. The man didn't know why he bothered even asking James. He was wrestling between his pride and his intelligence now. The smart idea would be to let it go, but his arrogance refused.

Maybe it was time to change.

Maybe it was time to stop holding grudges.

Maybe it was finally time to show a little mercy and let something go.

"He would have killed us." Vladan said to James, almost as if he was trying to convince the healer.

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 12:35 PM

James sighed.

"I'll be honest, it might be better to just leave him here. People like him value their pride above their kneecaps, as Xavior used to say... Humiliation works better than physical damage." He chuckled quietly to himself. "Kita used to disagree with him, but I get it... You defeat him, then walk away. He knows it's not out of sympathy, so to him you're basically saying he isn't worth your time."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 1:54 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Xavior..." Vladan trailed off thoughtfully. "I would have liked to meet him." He stood now, before blearily wandering over to one of the soldiers. The man shivered lightly from the cold, and pulled the jacket off one of the guards and put it on over his naked torso.

"Let's head out then." Vladan said matter of factly. "I don't know how much of this area you know, but I can figure out where the exit is if you describe the surroundings."

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 2:03 PM

"I can get us to the exit... my only concern is the soldiers out there... Sochuv or not, they won't let us just walk out..."

James placed his hand on the side of Vladan's head, focusing on speeding up the self-recovery on Vladan's eyes. He removed his hands after about a minute.

"There... you should at least have basic vision now... if we had more time, I would heal you the rest of the way, but we really need to get out of here." He said.

"Cover your face somehow and pretend to escort me out of the building... so long as they don't look too close at you, it won't seem suspicious. I was sometimes brought out of the building to heal soldiers in the field..."

The only trouble was Andrew...

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 2:13 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Right." Vladan said. He took off the helmet and mask off of one of the guards. "This should work." He muttered as he pulled the cloth up and put on the helmet. Vladan picked up one of the guns, checking it to see how loaded it was.

The man turned over to see James's hesitation, and his gaze dropped down onto the patient. "What's wrong with h-nevermind." Vladan decided to wait for a better time to ask questions.

Vladan closed his eyes, before exhaling noisily.

"I've got him." He muttered. "I know enough russian to deter any questions."

Vladan picked up the patient, before placing him(though a little bit roughly) over his shoulder.

"You get out first, I'll be right behind you."

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 4:32 PM

James stepped out into the hallway, careful not to open the door too widely to prevent anyone from seeing the mess inside.

There were a few soldiers, but they seemed mostly disinterested. He led Vladan down a side hallway, doing his best to look like he was just doing his job.

They had nearly reached the door when a soldier approached them, asking James something in Russian and sounding awfully suspicious of them.

He turned to Vladan.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 4:49 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

Vladan could make it out as something along the lines of "Where are you going? The commander made order that you don't leave as a combat medic until next week."

Vladan shoved the gun into James's back violently, almost as if he was trying to urge an unruly animal forwards. "Commander ask I take him out today because most patients are fine with regular doctors." Vladan said through the mask.

The soldier turned to face Vladan now, and he motioned at Andrew. "As for this....patient?" He asked gruffly.

Vladan cleared his threat. "Commander recommended execution. Waste of resources he said."

The soldier seemed to buy it, though he did hesitate slightly before stepping aside. Vladan used this opportunity to shove James forward roughly, treating the healer like he would a captive.

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 5:11 PM

James stepped past the guard. He was a bit anxious, but Vladan seemed to have handled it. The second they were out of sight of the guards, James relaxed.

"That went better than expected." he said. "But we need to get out of here before they realize that their commander is unconscious in room full of dead guys... So where are we meeting the others."

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 5:37 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"It's a long walk." Vladan said once they were out of the building. Freedom seemed so close, but he knew they weren't actually free until they were on the plane. He looked up at the sky, and saw dark clouds sitting on the horizon. It was midday, and soldiers patrolled up and down the cleared path. "It took Kita and I more than an hour to get here and that was at a near jog and no breaks."

A group of soldiers neared, and Vladan took this opportunity to shove James forwards roughly once again. Though he did it to keep the cover up, it also gave him satisfaction.

The fence loomed ahead.

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 5:55 PM

James was beginning to get the feeling that Vladan was enjoying pushing him around. Even more irritating was that if he retaliated, he would likely be shot on sight by the other soldiers who would perceive it as an attack on one of their own.

He rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm them up. It was freezing and the wind was beginning to blow hard.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 6:07 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"Wha-"

Vladan cut the soldier off before he could finish his sentence. "Commander's orders." The fence was opened. Perhaps it was his confidence that threw the guards off, or maybe it was the word 'Commander'. Regardless, they were finally out.

His shoulder was beginning to hurt from Andrew's weight, but he pushed forwards through the snowdrifts around the fence. They were several hundreds of feet away when loud gunshots began echoing in the air. There was Russian yelling, and Vladan turned to see a dozen soldiers tailing after them. They must have figured out what was going on.

"We have to go." Vladan said as he broke out into a run. The forest was only a few hundred feet away. "We can lose them in there."

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 7:00 PM

James nodded, bolting for the treeline. His muscles ached, but he knew better than to stop.

He had just reached the trees when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He didn't have to look to know he'd been shot, but it wasn't terrible and it wasn't deadly, so he kept pushing on.

Ducking into the trees, he ran until he spotted a fallen fir tree with thick branches. He turned around, seeing neither Vladan nor the soldiers, and pushed himself under it, pulling some of the branches closer to himself to stay hidden.

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 9:26 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

It seemed that the greater portion of the soldiers decided to run after Vladan. Whether it was because he was an easier target due to his current handicaps, or because they figured out that he wasn't actually a soldier. The snow was hard to run in, and the soldiers were gradually gaining ground. Though there were more men after him, it seemed that they kept their shooting to a minimum because of Andrew.

He didn't know how long he'd been running. Was it only a few minutes? An hour? It felt like forever.

His face stung, and he wasn't sure if it was from the branches that slapped at his face or the cold wind biting into his skin. There was more shouting, and he turned his head over to see the soldiers hesitantly retreating. Vladan slowed down , but watched wearily as the men left him. He ducked behind a tree, and dropped the patient onto the floor with a thud.

Vladan sucked in a breath when he picked up the retreating men'a words.

"We need to get back before the storm hits."

"He won't stand a chance without shelter."

"We'll come searching for his body when the storm passes."

Soon enough, silence.

"James?" Vladan called out hesitantly. The other man was nowhere in sight. He pulled the jacket tighter around his body. At least he was in clothing fit for the winter.

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 9:52 PM

James shivered under the tree, his light jacket not keeping out the icy wind. Suddenly, he heard footsteps near him and he didn't dare move.

"James?"

James rose slowly, his limbs screaming out in pain as he moved, his skin tight and sore from the cold. Staying still in this cold was definitely not the smartest move and it had taken its toll on him.

"V-Vladan." he said, shivering violently as the wind grew stronger. "D-did we lose t-them?"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 9:59 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

He trudged through the snow, the patient still in his arms. Right when Vladan was beginning to consider leaving the guy, James got up from behind a fallen tree.

Vladan contemplated lying to James, but knew it wouldn't do either of them good. "No." he admitted. "They retreated...left by choice." Vladan trailed off. "There's a big storm coming our way, and they didn't want to get caught up in it."

He looked at James disapprovingly. Vladan's arms hurt from how long he had been carrying the patient, but he knew James wouldn't be in good shape to carry the guy either. The healer was shivering violently, and Vladan took a look around. It didn't take long for him to come to a conclusion.

"I don't know where we are."

dada_dragon • 10 December 2016 at 10:12 PM

James looked around, pointing at a shallow cave.

"There... At l-least there's shelter from the w-wind..."

The cave was deep enough that it would fit the three of them somewhat comfortably. James snatched a few of the branches of the tree he'd been hiding under and brought them over to the entrance of the cave.

"D-do you have any m-matches in that coat?"

@bunnyshadow

bunnyshadow • 10 December 2016 at 10:32 PM

@dada_dragon

~~~

"U-uh yeah let me see." Vladan mumbled. The cold was starting to get to him, but he knew that whatever he was feeling was probably a lot better than how it was for James. Vladan searched the uniform for supplies. There was two packages of extra ammo, a small flashlight, a knife, a half used box of matches and...a picture of a woman smiling brightly with her arms holding a toddler tightly.

He held his breath, and the picture bent from how tightly he was handling it. It was much harder knowing that the soldiers he had killed weren't monsters or robots following orders, but people too. Vladan ripped up the photo, before tossing it aside at the mercy of the wind.

Vladan hands were numb from the cold--he didn't have enough time to take the soldier's gloves as well. He used the tip of his boot to push the matches towards James.