4/20 Instance: Countdown

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: before the game, after Point of No Return


Hope: Eddie was so going to die. After Hope had discovered that not only had he taken off without her, he had also taken the bike. Hope swore and searched the room for any cash left. Finding just shy of 5 dollars, she swore again. Eddie was going to die.

Hope: Hope changed into her uniform and took her measley 4.98 cents to the bus stop. She noted the odd looks she received along the way, which impressed her somewhat. Didn't New Yorkers have a reputation for being oblivious?

Hope: The bus creaked to a stop at the final destination. Hope hopped off and cracked her knuckles, feeling out the area. Oh yes, Eddie was close. She latched onto his powers instantly, giving a shudder and black and red tendrils swarmed her, latching onto her and forming around her.

Scarlett: A smile crept onto her face. "Time to play!" She took off in the direction Eddie had indicated on the map, noting how easy it was to close the distance. Checking the perimeter for unwanted attention, Scarlett paused at the sounds coming from inside. Well, whatever was inside, she needed to stop it. She moved toward the back, not interested in quite such a grand entrance.

Rott: "Oh, this will absolutely not do," Dr. Algernon Rottwell muttered to himself, hurrying down the corridor, away from the sound of fighting coming from the depth of the building. He always tripped and fell as the scrambled down the flight of stairs. "Who in their right mind could work under these conditions?"

Rott: "Not I, that much is for sure." He slowed his steps long enough to pull a small electric device from his pockets. It looked as if it had been cobbled together out of a phone and several butchered kitchen appliances. "Time for the doctor to cancel all his appointments for the rest of the day."

Scarlett: Scarlett gave the back door handle a turn, glaring when it didn't open. She glanced up at the door, looked around her once more, then gave the door a good kick. She smiled as it crashed open. "Ding dong, mother fuckers!" She slid on into the building, checking around her like all the cops on TV did. She really should train with Phil and Stan more.

Rott: "Gah!" He nearly dropped the little gizmo in his hands when he heard something being broken in a very violent way, and it sounded way too close for his comfort, too. "What is it with these constant interruptions?" Fumbling fingers finally managed to press the right button, causing the hidden doorway in front of him to slide away.

Scarlett: Scarlett continued to head toward the racket, slightly surprised at her end of the station being deserted. Shouldn't there be bodies or something? She rounded a corner just in time to see the hidden doorway open up. "Open Sesame!"

Rott: The moment the figure stepped into view, Rott froze in his step. "Oh, hello there..." He blinked, and hastily retreated. "What is it with that bloody hunter and his friends showing up uninvited to our dinner?" Frantically mashing the control in his hand, he tried to make the door close in time.

Scarlett: Unluckily for Rott, Hope was faster. She dove through the doorway, tsking at him only once she was safe on the other side. Admittedly it had been a bit close, but she would never verbally announce that. "Now, now, now... that was very naughty of you. Time is up for you, buttercup. Where is the flaming kid?"

Rott: Stumbling backwards, Rott dropped the control, wish shattered on the floor. "I'm sorry, but do you have an appointment?" he asked, one hand in the pocket of his blood-stained lab-coat. "I'm on my way to a very important house call, so I regret not having time to stay and chat."

Rott: Pulling out the improvised and souped-up taser, he wasted no time aiming and pulled the trigger right away.

Scarlett: With Venom's spider sense, Hope was easily able to dodge the taser. A cold smile spread onto her face. "And now you're out of ammo." A red tendril shot out to latch around his neck. "WHERE IS THE FIRE MUTANT?"

Rott: Rott made a rather undignified sound, tensing under the tentacles grip around his neck. "Bad touch!" Flicking his wrist, a scalpel slipped from his sleeve and into his hand. "Even if I could tell apart all those mutants, I believe patient data is still confidential."

Rott: His hand came up to swiftly slice through the crimson tendril, while he tried to pull free.

Scarlett: Hope screamed as her tendril was cut, retracting the tendril. She shook a bit as she stepped closer to him, regaining her nerve. "Tell me and you might live. Where is he?" She shot a fresh tendril to get the scalpel from him, bracing herself for another slice.

Rott: His wrist was caught, immobilizing his hand. "I swear I didn't want to do it!" His voice was tense as the tendril twisted his arm. "They threatened to kill my cat!"

Scarlett: "I'll do worse to you, you pathetic little worm. WHERE IS HE?!" She pushed harder on his arm, shoving some weight with the enhanced strength.

Rott: Rott managed a strained smile. "I can emphasize with your agitation," he told his attacker. "I really do. You also strike me as much more open to reason than your friend tangling with my associate back there."

Rott: He squirmed in her grip, but still found the time to rearrange his glasses. "Maybe if you were inclined to guarantee my safety, I might be convinced to make an exception, just for you. I can tell you where to find your friends."

Scarlett: "I don't negotiate with terrorists." She shoved her hand to his throat, keeping his hand locked in her tendril. "Tell me and you might walk away. You might walk away alive... and with all of your apendages." KILL HIM!

Rott: His grin wasn't nearly as confident any more. "That's... also a tempting proposition," Rott replied, his voice strained due to the grip around his throat. "They're... downstairs. That's where my clinic is." Unable to turn his head, he raised his free hand to gesture down the hallway.

Scarlett: Hope released her hold on his neck, but kept his arm, moving to get behind him and twist his arm behind him as well. "Show me."

Rott: Rott winced, but turned to trudge along in front of the red mutant. "I like a woman who knows what she wants," he said, looking over his shoulder. "This feels like the last date I've been to. Say, do you have anything else planned for tonight aside from torturing me?"

Scarlett: Hope smacked him with her free hand. "Yeah, save my fiance. Now less talking, more walking."

Rott: "Oh, don't you say he's your sweetheart." Rott put on an inappropriately dreamy expression. "And you came to his rescue - now isn't that romantic? Who would I be to stand in the way of young love?" He staggered ahead, towards the heavy steel door at the end of the corridor. "Please believe me when I say he only received my best care."

Scarlett: Hope smacked Rott across the head again. "Shut up, I said!"

Rott: Rott winced, almost losing his tinted glasses as his head was pushed forward. "By the way, has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly rude? Is that really the way to treat the only person looking after your fiance's wellbeing? After all, if it weren't for me, I doubt he'd have survived the hospitality of my associates for that long."

Scarlett: That wording made her stomach turn. No, he was alive. He had to be. "Yeah, all the time. Biggest bitch there is. So wise up and shut up."

Rott: "Oh, I'm sorry, but I always tend to ramble when I'm excited," Rott defended himself. fidgeting with the electronic lock attached to the wall next to the heavy security door. "Maybe it would help if you stopped threatening me. Then I might also remember the security code."

Scarlett: "Maybe it would help if you weren't a mass murdering fuckhead," Hope suggested with a shrug.

Rott: "Now now, is that the impression you have of me? You have no idea how much this saddens me." As the heavy door unlocked with a metallic clank and revealed a gap into the hallway beyond, Rott turned and placed his free hand on his chest. "I am many things, my crimson dear, but a mass-murderer I'm not."

Rott: "I assure you, nothing is as important to me as the preservation of life in all its forms." He nodded. "Even though some of these forms could be improved considerably with just a little creativity and surgical equipment."

Scarlett: "You eat people. How the hell is that preserving life? You piss on the very notion of preserving life. Preserving life is what I am here to do. You and your associate are nothing more than disgusting, pitiful excuses for beings."

Rott: "Oh, allow me to apologize for the company I keep, and their somewhat acquired tastes. It's a partnership based on necessity. What they lack in scruples is compensated by their considerable wealth." He offered his captor a grin. "What better working conditions could someone of my expertise hope for?"

Rott: "Their methods may not be as refined as mine, but we're unified by a common goal - to overcome the boundaries of our frail existence." Rott tilted his head and shrugged. "As for the unfortunate souls who offered their lives to our cause, I promise their sacrifice will not be in vain. You could say they fed the always hungry maw of progress."

Scarlett: "There are other ways to achieve progress without murdering innocent people. You don't care about them or the people in their lives. They are nothing but a tool for you to use. It's digusting. You are no better than the vile creatures who experimented on humans during World War two. I think Dr. Mengele is a better name for you. It still equals mass murdering fuckhead though." She glared at Rott, shoving him just a little.

Rott: "Oh, you surely know how to compliment a simple man like me, even though I don't know if I deserve the honour of being named along one the greatest and most visionary of minds." Dr. Rott sounded genuinely charmed as he revealed a smile. "Not yet, anyway."

Rott: "You almost make this sound like an insult, however," he added. "You might not aware just how many lives were saved through Dr. Mengele's discoveries, whether you agree with his methods or not."

Scarlett: Unable to control herself after that one, Hope smacked him over the head again. "You are a sick, psychotic, bastard. No more talking. Just take me to Johnny."

Rott: "Ouch! Is it too much to ask to watch the hair?" Rott rubbed his head, before leading the way down a narrow flight of stairs. "No one appreciates a sophisticated exchange of ideas any more," he muttered. "What is the world coming to?"

Rott: The sound his shoes made on the naked concrete echoed through the dim corridor as they walked past rows of makeshift cells. "Now, let's see... if I remember correctly, we stored your friend in this one." He peered through the bars. "What did he look like? A dismembered torso lacking a head, right? That's all that's left in here, anyway."

Scarlett: Oh God. Hope felt her grip on Rott lessen at the sight of the body in the cell. It was impossible to tell, but it looked like his build. Well, his build minus being eaten. "Johnny," she whispered, placing her hand on the bar and staring down at him. She was too late. But she wasn't too late for this. She quickly swung her fist at Rott's face. "YOU ATE HIM!"

Rott: The good doctor was taken unaware by the powerful strike, allowing it connect unhindered and promptly sending him to the ground. "Oww, you bwoke my jaw!" He spat some more blood on his already stained coat, scrambling backwards on hands on feet. "I didn't eat your fwiend! Aw least I down't think I did..."

Rott: His hands finally free, he let one slip into his specious pockets, fingers closing around the grip of the injector. "I understand you want to rejoin him. Let me help with that..." He pulled out the clunky looking gun, hastily aiming at the mutant to fire off darts with the fast acting toxin.

Scarlett: Spidey sense didn't save her this time. A dart landed in her leg, causing her to cry out. She pulled the dart out quickly, but not before the toxin got into her blood stream. As her red uniform fell away to reveal her own face and her x-man uniform, Hope snarled at him. "You don't know who the fuck I am do you?" She threw the dart to the ground, kicking it with her boot. "I'm Tony Fucking Stark's kid. I am a horsemen... I am War. And I don't need powers." She flew at Rott.

[Ferguson]

Great intro there, Hopey! Heheee