Drako and Claw

[CrypticAsterisk]

((DINGDINGDING))

 

Radian hopped out of the back of the van, hiding behind Mina and trying to make himself unseen. The man wasn't as tall as the scientist, but he was built like a tank and had the scent of whiskey on his breath. He wasn't about to mess with him. Not now, and probably not ever. "Oh, look who it is," he scoffed, walking up to Mina and glaring down at her. "It's Officer Mina and Blabberbeak. What a shock, I thought you were dead. As did the rest of the ****ing base! What, were you too preoccupied to drop in for an hour or something? Just to say you were alive? Every other soldier in this base has found some way to keep in touch. The groundlines, messengers, hell, one man sent in a letter via carrier pigeon. From his deathbed. Written in his own blood. Where were you, huh!?"

 

Then, Radian stumbled, Cyrus slipping in his grip and forcing him to move quickly. When he looked up, he saw Venom lock eyes with him and knew immediately that there was no escape. "And who's this?" he growled, walking around behind Mina and began giving the visitor a not-so-warm welcome. "State your name, private!" The doctor recoiled, scrunching his nose. He couldn't help it; the man smelled of sweat and cheap liquor. "Dr. Radian," he stated, about to leave it there when he felt a hand snatch his collar. Guess who? "Ack! I mean, Dr. Radian, sir!"

 

"And don't you forget it!" barked the half-drunk sergeant, shoving him away and nearly causing him to fall. "Oh, and one more thing. Welcome to Squadron Ray 7, cupcake." With that, he turned and walked away, off to find other people to bark orders at. This left Radian stunned, frightened and confused. Mina wasn't kidding when she said he wasn't friendly.

[shadow_claw]

Mina's look hardened and grin faded away. She tried to keep her mouth closed, but her temper got the better of her. Listen here ***, I've been busy recruiting people and getting the medical supplies people here need! At least I've been making myself useful! she snapped back. She stormed after the man, catching up to him and grabbing him by the collar. With him stopped, her gaze softened and eyes flickered a blue. Venom...you haven't... She could smell the alcohol from where she stood. Without warning, she flung her arms around him. Don't think I didn't miss you. I was afraid contacting base would alert the loyalists in the Pit. We got attacked as we were leaving. Their turf's spreading...and I wanted to come back alive.

[CrypticAsterisk]

Venom seemed momentarily startled by Mina's sudden show of affection, especially since she sounded like she was going to rip his head off of his head just seconds ago. Then, he returned the embrace, sighing and practically going limp in her grasp. He was sober enough to hold back the tears, but too drunk to care about what the other soldiers thought of him after this was over. "I'm sorry, Mina," he muttered, guilt creeping into his tone. "They keep trying to get in, and the other squadrons keep saying that keeping them out is a lost cause, and the Commanders are threatening to shut us down since I obviously can't lead these people and..."

 

His voice cracked, his body beginning to shake. It was clear that the man was under a lot of pressure, and had reached his breaking point. "Please, don't leave me on my own here. I'm sorry, just don't scare me like that again. I thought I'd lost you..."

 

While Venom tried his best not to completely break down, Vinzenz stood up and quietly led Radian away. Staying out of sight, he began to head towards the medical wards. They needed to get Cyrus on a bed; those burns looked rather delicate.

[shadow_claw]

Hey, I'm here. You don't need to worry about that now. Radian and Cyrus...they're mutants. Stronger than me, that's for sure. Cyrus took out the loyalists attacking us singlehandedly. They might just be our fighting chance, Venom. Mina said softly. She was used to having to be the mother of the group, and it was obvious she'd been doing it for a while. When she let go, she kept a supporting arm around Venom. You take a break for a little bit. I can take over for now. How's about we meet with the others at medical? You'll want to meet Cyrus. Hopefully Vinzenz and Radian understood why she had to step out. Everything was falling apart and it was her job to try keeping everything together. She could just handle pressure better than most because she was used to it.

 

((Oh my gosh, Cyrus and Venom are going to be hilarious.))

 

Cyrus awoke with a start in Radian's arms, a jolt of panic surging through him. His first instinct was to run away. He didn't know where he was and wasn't fully conscious quite yet. So when he tried to wriggle from Radian's arms, he fell face-first onto the tile. The mutant let out a pitiful groan and slid the rest of the way onto the floor.

[CrypticAsterisk]

((Oh jeez, I can see it now.))

 

Venom nodded, trying his best to maintain his composure. However, this didn't mean he was defused for now. This was made clear when another soldier began laughing at the sergeant, mocking him for his show of emotion. Infuriated by the nerve of the soldier, he temporarily broke away from Mina, grabbed his neck and proceeded to electrocute him, only stopping when he looked like he was going to black out. Then, he dropped him, leaving him gasping for air on the concrete floor. "You think that's funny, private?" he growled, pointing down at the ground. "Now stay down there and give me twenty!"

 

~~

 

Both doctors winced when Cyrus hit the ground, letting him slide down the rest of the way before Radian gently picked up the mutant, trying to soothe him. "Hey, it's okay," he soothed, carrying him bridal style into the medical wards. "You went a little crazy back there, and Vinzenz had to patch you up. But on the bright side, we all made it out alive, and now we're at the rebel base. We'll be safe here... Well, relatively at least. Now don't move; you're a little burnt."

 

With that, he set the half-conscious mutant on one of the more isolated beds, keeping him as far away as he could from the other patients.

[shadow_claw]

Oh yeah, Venom and Cyrus would get along fine. At least Cyrus wasn't able to pick a fight now. Take it easy, you're on break now. That's a order, by the way. Now, Cyrus is a pretty volitile guy. But he's got more power than any of the weapons we have and any of our militia. We witnessed him freak out earlier, where it seemed like he couldn't control it. she explained softly. As she spoke, she guided him away from the underling he assualted and towards the medical wing.

 

Cyrus winced, his whole body stiffening at the pain all over. His head was pounding and everything was blurry. Please tell me I didn't...I did, didn't I? Is everyone alright? Where's Namina? The thought of killing someone he hadn't intended to actually bothered him. And for Cyrus, this was a startling development. When set down on a bed, he practically melted into the cool sheets.

 

((It's gonna be a major sass-off.

Also, is Venom's fangs teeth filed into points or are they legit? Because actual fangs would be freaking awesome. And is he a mutant?))

[CrypticAsterisk]

((Those fangs are legit. Think snake fangs. And yes, he is a mutant.))

 

Venom growled softly as be was being pulled away, making sure that the rebel had obeyed his orders before taking his eyes off of him. He listened intently to Namina's description of Cyrus, grinning when he heard that he was volitile. If there was one thing the sergeant loved, it was a challenge. Though, he always tended to get himself in too deep, and would often need Namina to help him out. "Volitile, you say?" he grinned, revealing his needle-sharp fangs. "Yes, I think we'll get along just fine... And what about that doctor you brought back? Is he of any use?"

 

~~

 

Radian put a hand on Cyrus's shoulder, staying mindful of the burnt patches. "She's alright. She just had to talk down the sergeant, was all," he said, trying to reassure the boy that everything was okay. "Like I said, we all made it out alive. Do you need any painkillers? Those burns look kind of painful."

 

Vinzenz had walked off, gone away to help other patients. He seemed to fall into this zone when he was treating his patients, and would stay completely silent.

[shadow_claw]

((That's awesome!))

 

Don't be so sure of yourself. When I say volitile, I mean 'dangerous sociopath who wiped out more than forty loyalists and then came after us'. Namina warned. As they walked inside the room, she led Venom to Cyrus's bed. Why don't you ask him? She looked Cyrus over with a small smile, but kept her distance.

 

Cyrus scowled at the new face, but he was obviously pretty weak. He was started to feel cornered, with so many people around. He gripped the side of the bed with a hand, his knuckles turning white with the strength he was gripping the metal. As the boy got worked up, he grew steadily paler, and everything electronic around them began to fluctuate. The lights intensified, heart monitors spiked, and everything else started going crazy too.

[CrypticAsterisk]

Radian seemed rather concerned, for his life as well as for Cyrus' sanity. Venom was an intimidating man, and considering how eerily calm he was, he knew that he hadn't come in on his own accord. "I'll just be... Over there..." he muttered, walking over to Mina and leaving the sergeant to his own devices. Once he was by her side, he grabbed her shoulders in a panic. "What are you thinking!?" he whispered, his voice quite frantic. "He's weak, and you're trying to get him to make friends? If he does what he did earlier, goodbye R-7!"

 

Meanwhile, Venom was still standing beside Cyrus, half-glaring down at the sociopath. Though, he wasn't yelling, so that was good. "So," he said flatly, narrowing his eyes at the man below him. "You're Cyrus, huh? You're the volatile, hair-trigger sociopath that I should be wary of. Heh, how quaint."

[shadow_claw]

Mina was rather startled as she was grabbed by the shoulders, but she didn't do anything more than flinch. She met Radian's gaze, going sheepish quickly. I'm sorry, I just can't leave Sarge by himself. I'll take my lead in a moment-I, uh, have a base to run. she muttered softly. Her head shot up as she heard Venom speak. Venom, don't antagonize him! He's been through a lot today and doesn't need to be pestered!

 

As everyone but Venom moved away, Cyrus seemed to relax a bit. At least, all the lights and such stopped going crazy. His green eyes narrowed at the new man as he spoke. Yes. he answered dismissively. He rolled over so his back was facing Venom, wincing as he did so. He didn't want to talk to anyone today.

[CrypticAsterisk]

Radian breathed a sigh, taking his hands off of Mina, looking apologetic. He wasn't the best at handling stress, and this day had been full of stress. Still, he knew that he probably should have held himself back better. "Sorry," he said, regaining his composure. "The past couple days have been... Eventful, to say the least. Is there anything I can do to help?"

 

Venom chuckled, pacing by the sociopath's beside. Oh, this would be fun. If only he hadn't been instructed to back off. "The name's sergeant Venom," he grinned, an authoritative tone leaking into his voice. "But, as my private, you will refer to me as Sarge or sir. Understood?"

 

((Venom needs to back the hell up.))

[shadow_claw]

Mina smiled at Radian. Hm...well, you could get to know everyone. That's just a suggestion, though. she suggested. She refused to let things bother her. It only got ugly when that happened. Or you could come to the office and help me organize. Your choice.

 

Cyrus stiffened visibly. He was silent for a few moments, before rolling quickly and lunging for Venom's throat. His green eyes blazed, flickering the same unnatural blue from earlier. He was unstable, to say the least. The mutant glared daggers at Venom, his body starting to spark dangerously. Cyrus's breakdown from earlier had put him on edge and made him a bit more violent than usual. He remained this mentally unstable for about two days, and was more prone to kill somebody if set off.

Edited December 28, 2013 by shadow_claw

[CrypticAsterisk]

Radian nearly snapped his neck looking over at Cyrus' outburst, watching as Venom least back away with a startling amount of coordination. As the sergeant laughed at the sociopath's futile efforts, the mind reader balled his hands into fists, silently cursing his inability to defend his comrade against his assailant. His only viable means of attack was a last resort option, and would leave his mental state as ravaged as Cyrus' physical state. "Sure, I'll help you," he said, his tone bordering on emotionless. "But after I do... Can you teach me how to fight? I feel as if I'm going to need to know in order to stay here."

[shadow_claw]

Even though Cyrus was unable to actually hit Venom, he didn't exactly have to. Lights burst as he grew more and more upset, suspending them all in darkness.

Venom! Cut that out! Mina spat. Her now cat-like eyes glittered in the darkness of the room. A few seconds later and her body gave off a gentle blue glow. She turned to Radian and rolled her eyes. I swear, the only way he shuts up is if I kiss him. We've got a sorta weird relationship. C'mon, let's get everything sorted and then I can help you learn to fight. I have an idea that might just work... She waved a hand for the doctor to follow and walked out the door. Venom! You're coming too! Her voice left no room for argument.

 

Cyrus's stunt had been too much for him. He staggered, passing out on the floor with an audiable crack as his head hit the floor. Needless to say, he wasn't in a good condition.

 

((I love how Mina's in this awkward flirty thing with everyone but Cyrus. And the funny thing is, none of it is intentional.))

Edited December 28, 2013 by shadow_claw

[CrypticAsterisk]

((She's like everyone's mom, in a way.))

 

Radian raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother asking questions. In this day and age, relationships didn't always follow the binary that they had used to. You did what you needed to b get by, and that was it. Once he heard the sound of combat boots closing in on him, he began to follow Mina, trying to stay out of Venom's sights.

 

Meanwhile, Vinzenz had stopped what he was doing, his chestpiece glowing a bright white in response to the darkness. With an audible sigh, he walked over to the fallen patient, lifting him back up onto his bed. Then, he felt his head, wincing when he felt a lump beginning to form. That was probably going to hurt later on. Fortunately, he still had a syringe full of painkiller in his pocket. Taking it out, he injected it into Cyrus' arm. Hopefully, that would numb the pain when he got up. Now to find some ice and bandages.

[shadow_claw]

((It's also kinda funny how she's the only girl. I'm considering bringing in a new character but don't really know how to quite yet...hm...))

 

Mina stopped only when she was inside a large room with an even larger desk in the center. It was cluttered with papers and empty bottles of liquor. She suppressed a sigh and got straight to work. Venom knew what he did wrong, there was no point in telling him off. So what'dya think of Cyrus? I think a bit of medication and he'd be a great addition to the team. She asked her comrade, not looking up as she organized important papers from the less-mandatory. And feel free to chat, boys. As long as you keep your hands to yourselves, that is. Namina glanced up, a hint of mischief glinting in her now brown eyes. It was good to be back.

Edited December 28, 2013 by shadow_claw

[CrypticAsterisk]

Venom seemed slightly embarrassed by the mess he'd made, but said nothing at first and went straight to cleaning up. "Yeah, perhaps so," he muttered, a contemplative expression on his face. "He doesn't have much of a sense of authority though, which might prove to be problematic. The boy needs to know his place; we aren't on the streets anymore."

 

Radian rolled his eyes. This man had a serious superiority complex. Plus a drinking problem, but he wasn't about to judge the man for that. As he went about cleaning the cans and bottles off of the desk, he accidentally slipped on one, falling forwards with a yelp and catching himself on Mina. Fortunately, he was light, and probably wouldn't bowl her over. Unfortunately, he was now in an extremely awkward situation.

[shadow_claw]

Mina arched an eyebrow at Venom. I'm guessing you don't know what a Sociopath is. They're basically just like psychopaths except everything they do is manipulative and use to get what they want. Another big thing is their burning hatred for any form of society. She explained. She gave the fanged man a knowing look. She just didn't want to see him killed. Namina picked up a stack of papers and began to shuffle through them. These same papers were sent flying as Radian crashed into her. It wasn't that she fell, it was that he automatically dropped what she was doing to catch him. It was her natural reaction. This had Radian inches from her chest...Mina flushed red and steadied him back to his feet. You alright? Watch yourself next time. the shifter muttered sheepishly.

Edited December 29, 2013 by shadow_claw

[CrypticAsterisk]

((Yay super busy fun times.))

 

Radian was absolutely mortified, his face flushed red and his tongue failing to form words, his thoughts coming out as a bunch of gibberish sounds and syllables. That was... embarrassing, to say the least. And as if that wasn't enough, Venom began snickering at the mind reader's plight, making him wish that he could just disappear into the shadows. Eventually, the poor man finally managed to untie his tongue. "S-sorry," he stammered, his gaze shooting to the floor as he bent to pick up the bottle he had slipped on. "I'll have to be more careful next time."

 

Venom chuckled, the sergeant's eyes twinkling with amusement. This was too good. "Ha! He's like a ripe tomato!" he laughed, throwing away a few crumpled-up papers. There were some things he'd when that he felt Mina didn't need to see.

[shadow_claw]

((Because Mina's my favorite...))

 

Mina chuckled, the redness fading almost instantly. Things didn't usually bother her. Especially accidents. She suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Radian by the collar and planting her lips firmly against his. She lingered for a good four seconds before pulling away and letting go of him. Ya could've just asked. The shifter grinned at Radian and then resumed her work as if nothing had happened. Mina was a sort of flirty person, and most men she was close to had been frenched at least once by her. To say she was affectionate was an understatement. Besides, she liked to see peoples' reactions.

[CrypticAsterisk]

If Radian was flustered before, he looked about ready to faint from shock now. His heart raced, his hair stood on end, and his mind raced. What was that? He could hardly hear Mina's thoughts past his own, and he felt as if he'd been jolted by an electrical shock. Yet, despite all of this mental activity, he was frozen in place, as stiff as a stone statue in Antarctica.

 

Venom waved his hand in front of the scientist's face, raising an eyebrow when he never received a reaction. "I think ya broke him," he muttered, stepping away from the dumbfounded doctor. At least now, he had some time to talk. Walking over to Mina, he helped sort the papers, tossing the occasional can or bottle into the trash. "Sorry about the mess," he whispered, a slightly sheepish look on his face. "Guess the pressure got to my head a little..."

[shadow_claw]

Mina chuckled softly at Radian, not needing to look up to know how he reacted. Nothing made a man shut up faster than sticking your tongue down their throat. It might be uncultured, but she had never been that ladylike. Besides, morals didn't exactly exist anymore. I think that was his first french, by the way he's acting. she replied. Mina and Venom were ridiculous together. One couldn't find a pair cheekier than them. Yeah. A little. Namina muttered, picking up a half-drained bottle of Scotch and taking a gulp from it. Strong stuff, but still good enough. Look, I'm real sorry for skipping out on ya like that. I got so much to help R-7, so I hope that can start in making it up to ya.

 

[CrypticAsterisk]

((Playing Prop Hunt on TF2.))

 

After a few more seconds of just standing there in shock, Radian shook his head and began picking up the last of the bottles, muttering to himself all the while. In truth, he wasn't sure how to feel. Pleased? Violated? Maybe both. Plus, she was right in the assumption that this was the scientist's first French kiss. Being a scientist in a top secret government laboratory didn't exactly get the attention of the ladyfolk.

 

Venom smirked, strolling over to Mina and taking her in his arms. When he wanted to be, he was actually quite affectionate. "Hey, no hard feelings," he purred, grinning down at her. "'Sides, you're here now, ain't ya?" With that, he pulled her in close and kissed her full on the lips. All the while, hewas trying to snatch the bottle of scotch from her hands.

[shadow_claw]

Mina clearly had a weakness with Venom. She melted into his grasp and eagerly kissed him back. They had sort of dated a few times, but had never really been anything. She let this linger for a few seconds until she realized the motive behind it. Instantly, Mina locked up. Anger surged through her and her grip tightened on the bottle. She reacted quickly and dumped the rest of the bottle on Venom's head. Dropping the bottle to the floor, she forced herself from his arms and stalked out of the room.

 

((Ya dun goofed Venom.))

 

[CrypticAsterisk]

Venom sputtered when the drink was poured over his head, wiping it out of his eyes and trying to figure out what just happened. When he finally managed to get his eyes open, he smirked. He was a sergeant; he had figured this out a long time ago. They would fight, mainly because of something he'd done, he'd leave her be for a while, then they'd get back together and the cycle would repeat. It was a little crazy, but it was a steady pattern. Besides, she needed him as much as he needed her.

 

By the time Venom opened his eyes, he was already alone. Radian had fled the scene, silently following Mina out the door. She seemed peeved, to say the least. And he couldn't really blame her. "Hey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"