Scarlet Rivers's Story

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The weather was perfect. Cool, but not cold. Warm, but not hot. The night sky was clouded, but not so densely you couldn't see the moon, or stars, twinkling against their velvet black background. The clouds were dark and grey, heavy with the promise of rain the next day. On the wind, a chilly breeze blew every so often, shuffling branches, shifting the shadows of the overgrown city of New Haven and its surrounding forests. Perfect for making an undetected getaway.

Chloe Rose White was standing high in the remains of an old building. One of the tall ones, that used to stretch high in the sky. Really all that was left of the building were three floors with the full package, (walls, ceiling, and floor), while the rest of the building was all crumbling, rusting framework. But, there happened to be an old staircase in the back of the third floor that, if you followed it all the way up, would eventually rise to the single remaining floor, the thirteenth.

Not many were brave enough to venture up the old staircase. Parts of it were missing, and once you got to the top, the floor had multiple holes in it, that, if you weren't walking carefully, you could easily fall through to your death. As children, the citizens of New Haven often dared each other to climb to the top in the dark. If you were brave enough, you were one of the cool kids.

But Chloe wasn't there on some silly initiation business. No. She was on a mission. She had a bag strapped tightly to her hip, a quiver of arrows resting on her back, a silver bow in one hand, and a pair of binoculars in the other. Next to her, on the floor was a bucket of gasoline she'd taken out of as many, empty, old, wheeled, machines as she could, and a pile of rolled up socks.

With the binoculars, Chloe watched the perimeter of the city for Militia. They were always on duty, making sure no one without a traveling license got in or out of the city. She bit her lip. Please let this work. She thought to herself as she watched the group of Militia guards on duty at the east entrance to the city. Her job was to distract the guards and signal a group of runaways hiding in the shadows. She checked the pocket in her bag, just to be sure her traveling license was still there. They were precious things, and nearly impossible to get. You had to take five years worth of tests to get them, and the Militia was making it especially hard now that the rumors about Utopia were spreading like weeds. But Chloe knew a guy who'd forged hers for her. Still, the guards at the gate held the right to deny you, even with a traveling license, if they thought you were suspicious, or "incapable of handling the wilderness." Something about not wanting to risk the already dwindling population, but Chloe knew better. They didn't care whether you lived or died.

Placing down her binoculars, she rubbed the back of her neck and groaned, setting about her work. Quickly and quietly, she soaked each of the sock bundles in the gasoline, then lodged them each on the tip of an arrow. Three in all. One was for the guards. The other two were to signal the group, lead by her twin, hiding under a tree just a couple hundred feet from the entrance.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe raised her silver bow and lit the socked end of the arrow so that it's flames illuminated her little watching post. Slowly, she pulled the arrow back and let out her breath a little at a time as she aimed carefully.

Then she released, sending the flaming arrow, streaking through the air. Quickly, Chloe picked up her binoculars and looked. She was supposed to distract the guards, then send a signal to the others that it was all clear. If they moved, and the guards hadn't seen her arrow, it was all over. Through the lenses, she watched as all of the guards left their post to chase after the arrow.

Once they were gone, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, shooting two more flaming arrows. This time though, they shot through the air, piercing the bark of the tree that the runaways were under. "You better grab those arrows Cleo, or I'll kill you." She grumbled to herself as she grabbed the bucket of gasoline. Working quickly, she destroyed her evidence, and made her way carefully across the crumbling floorboards to the stairs. Moving as quickly as possible, without killing herself, Chloe took the stairs two at a time. On her way up early that morning, she'd memorized where the holes were and knew where to leap, swinging across the gap on the occasional pole, or flying through empty air, only hoping she'd land on the other side.

At the bottom, she brushed herself off and made her way to the east enterance. When she got there, the group was nowhere to be found, and the guards were back in place. She could only hope they'd gotten away safely. "Looking for something ma'am?" One of the Militia guards asked, and she whirled her head around to look at him. Shit. Maybe he'd hold her back because he thought the way she was looking around frantically was suspicious. Had she already messed things up? How long would Cleo and the others wait for her until they realized she'd failed them?

As she looked at the Militia officer, she wondered if he worked with her parents. Do they know them? She thought silently. Make jokes over lunch? Go on missions with them? "Uhm yeah." She said, pulling out her forged traveling license and handing it to him. "My name is Jessica Jones." She said with a smile. "I'm headed towards Westwood. My aunt lives there and is really sick." Her lies were smooth, but there was always the chance that he could hold her back, or notice a flaw in her forged papers. Silently, Chloe prayed that he couldn't hear her heart thudding away in her chest.

---

The Militia had control of the best in-tact building in New Haven. It was a skyscraper with a needle that reached high above, even the tallest trees and sat directly in the center of the city. It was the only building that pierced the thick cloak of trees that hovered over New Haven. It was evident that the city had not always been overgrown. That another life had died somehow, but the Militia had long-since stopped teaching the history of The Blackout. Knowledge meant power, and the Militia wanted to be the seat of all that power. So, while they still had school, only the richest could afford it, and they didn't teach anything about the Blackout. History began, when the Militia began. Those who were lucky enough to make it into the Militia, had the privilege of learning what happened from a special training school that they had to attend for two years before being appointed full officer.

The whole of the Militia headquarters was kept in tact. Only a few, rarely used floors at the top were crumbling and Scarlet Rivers and her brother, leaders of the Militia, made sure that the building was kept in glittering condition, shining like the sun.

"M-M-M-Miss Rivers?" Scarlet heard a stutter and looked up from a file on her desk. Paper was another rarity, but The Militia had scores of it. She was a workaholic, so sitting at her desk, flipping through file after file at 12:13 in the morning, by candlelight, was not unusual for her. Candles. Another rarity that the Militia had boxes and boxes of.

"Yes Bret? Spit it out, you know I hate when you stutter." Scarlet said, leaning back in her chair to place her hazel gaze on the small man standing in her doorway. Absently, she used one hand to twirl the tip of a knife on the surface of her desk smoothly.

"There's been a um... A breakout ma'am. Runaways." He came forward cautiously and placed something on her desk before sprinting away, ducking out of the doorway just in time to miss the knife Scarlet had hurled after him, lodging itself hilt-deep, in her door. Scarlet glanced across the room to where her brother sat in his desk.

"Do you always have to be like that with him Scar? The man is just trying to bring you some news. He's afraid to even pass you in the hallway." Her brother groaned, rubbing his temples.

Scarlet shrugged. "Good." She smirked simply. "Keeping messenger boy in his place." She glanced down at her desk and grabbed what Bret had set there. It was an arrow. Scarlet's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The end had a little sock balled up on it, and it smelled of gasoline. A flaming arrow? Why was that significant? She looked closer. Wrapped tightly around the arrow's silver shaft, was a little piece of paper. Raising one eyebrow, she looked up to see that her brother was now hovering over her shoulder, looking extremely interested.

With a sigh, she unrolled the piece of paper. On it, six simple words were scrawled. Catch me if you can, bitch. The initials, C.W at the bottom. "Fuck." She heard her brother whisper breathily behind her and she whirled in her chair, taking him by surprise as she stood quickly, advancing on him.

"Do you know something about this that I don't? Because if you value your life," she said, pushing the arrow tip against his throat. "You'll tell me now. Why the hell do you think it's okay to keep something from me?"

"Relax sis, yes I know something, I was going to tell you in the morning." He rubbed his neck. "You know that city everyone's been rumoring about?"

Scarlet eased off him and grumbled. "Don't remind me."

"Anyway, you know the officers who lost their children quite a while back? No? Maybe you were too young. Anyway, agents John and Taylor White had three missing daughters. We recovered one of them the other night, planning something against us."

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Who gives a rats ass? Throw her in the Pits like we usually do. Honestly, you've gone soft."

Her brother just rolled his eyes at her. "God you're such an idiot sometimes." He hissed. "Anyway, I was going to throw her in the pits, when they brought in another prisoner. A protester who's brother had been planning something against us too. Seeing it as more than a coincidence, I decided to have them locked up for a few days in case something happened." He pulled the arrow out of her hand and waved it gently in front of her face. "Looks like I was right. C.W is the initials of the girl's twin sisters. One of them, John White told me, was an excellent shot with a bow. He taught her himself. Looks like we've got a pack of runaways on our hands. Headed for Utopia."

Scarlet leaned back to take in everything he was telling her for a moment before sighing. "Alright. You rally together a team to do a little hunting. I'll talk to the prisoners and get them prepped for a trip." She grinned wickedly and turned on her heel, headed towards the stairs, where she descended to the basement. In the basement, she moved down the rows of doors. There was a woman standing outside one of them, hand placed gently on it. "Taylor White?" Scarlet said, gesturing to the door. "I take it your daughter's in there?"

"Can I see her? Please? Just once?" The woman asked, brown eyes pleading.

"Alright, stop whining. You can sit in on the interrogation.

Scarlet had the guard blindfold and handcuff the girl, Kyerie White as well as the boy, Nathaniel Lochness, and lead them to the interrogation room. A blank white room with a silver table in the center, candles on either side, two chairs on one side of the table, and one on the other. The right wall was all cabinets. Once in the room, Scarlet told Taylor to stand in the corner, and whipped off the blind folds of the prisoners.

"I'm the Militia leader. Scarlet Rivers. Welcome to hell." She said with a smirk, glaring down at them with cold hazel eyes.

---

With a sigh, he watched Scarlet go, then went out into the hallway to Bret's desk. "Bret," he said. "Gather this list of names for me." He placed a list on the desk and went back into his office.

Once they'd all arrived, he smiled. Vesper Norton, their tacker, Remy Carter, the Militia's best female hunter, and John Doe, another hunter whom had a reputation for not stopping once placed on a trail. "We've got an assignment." He said, proceeding to tell them about the runaways. "We will be setting out as soon as Miss Rivers gets back. Go and pack anything you'll need on a hunting mission and be back here in no less than a half an hour." He turned to Bret. "Scrape up files of whomever's missing in New Haven. I want names for these runaways."

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NOTE: Not going to post from Johnathon Thatcher until Fallen posts from Cleo, any runaways, I would suggest doing the same. If you have a Militia or prisoner character though, go ahead and post.

Ky was sitting in the corner of the cell, her head in her hands swearing to herself “why…why…why” she kept asking herself. Just the other day she was out during the middle of the night, she planned on getting some food for her two younger sisters but she was caught and not caught by anyone. Her mother, Taylor White, caught her and didn’t even think twice of bringing her into the Militia. She was sure she was going to the pit but no they put her in the basement in a cell where they only kept a few people.

She was put in the cell that night, her mother did try to talk to her. Asked about Chloe and Cleo, but Ky said nothing. She has been silent since she was placed in the cell. All that was going through her head was hope. She hoped that Chloe and Cleo would follow out the plan they have been working on the past few months. Ky trusted them and drilled them down to bone making sure they knew what to do if something happened to her. She knew today was the day they where planning to make the move.

Over the past months Ky has been watching people of New Haven, finding out who is a runaway. She has searched the city and made a list of people that she knew where runaways. She hid the list somewhere safe and told her sisters a few nights before she got caught where that list was just in case anything happened, she knew having a list was a bad idea but it was the only way to keep things in track.

Flash back

Ky was getting a back pack ready when she looked to her two sisters “Chloe and Cleo I need to show you both something so follow me".

As the three sisters went for the walk she began talking “I’ve been hiding part of the plan from you two but I feel I need to share it with you both now in case something happened to me” they walked into and old building and climbed to the third floor, going into one of the rooms then to a broken window where there was a large tree just outside of it. Ky reached out to the tree where there was a hole and in the hole was the list.

“I made a list of runaways. You know how I have gone out at night alone. Well that was when I went searching. I have found a group of runaways that I want to take with us. If anything is to happen to me I want you both to find everyone on this list and go forward with the plan. No matter what, you have to promise me you will go find the runaways. There is their names and area where they usually hide out,” she looked deep into her sisters eyes and heard them both promise her.

Ky put the list back into the tree and they went back to where they were staying that night. Two nights later Ky was caught.

Ky snapped out of her flashback when she heard her cell door unlocked by two guards. She was quickly blindfolded by the guards and handcuffed. She didn’t say one word as they walked to another room. She was put in a chair then the blindfold was taken off. It took her a few minutes for her eyes to adjust because of the whiteness of the room. Once her eyes adjusted she took a look at who else was in the room. She first say the boy next to her that she guessed was a prisoner also, she then saw her mother in the corner. She didn’t even take a second look at her mother. To Ky, her mother was no longer her mom, she was just another militia officer.

"I'm the Militia leader. Scarlet Rivers. Welcome to hell." she heard the words of the women and Ky’s head turned to look at Scarlet Rivers. She has heard of the women and already hated everything to do with the women that was looking at her with the cold hazel eyes. Ky didn’t say one word, she just glared back into the eyes of the militia leader with a look of hate and distaste.

---

Remy was in the training area with her crossbow. There was a few other militia officers there with her but her focus wasn’t on them. It was the target in front of her. She pulled her crossbow up and was ready to send the arrow to her target when she heard footsteps coming towards her.

“Remmington Carter, Mr. and Miss Rivers would like to see you at their office right now”. She looked to the guy, putting down her cross bow and walked over to the man. She grabbed him by his wrist and quickly pulled it behind the guy and put the guy in a headlock. Being tall was something that Remy liked about herself. She whispered into the guys ear “Never. Call. Me. Remmington. Ever. If you know what is good for you” she then quickly snapped the guys wrist and pushed him away.

She turned her back on the guy that now seemed to be in pain and grabbed her crossbow. She heard a few whistles on her way out but she didn’t think twice about them. She made her way to the office and saw Bret there. He motioned her into Mr. River’s room and she walked in. When the others arrived she looked at them once but that was all. Her eyes went right back to Mr. Rivers and listened quietly to what he had to say.

"We've got an assignment." She grinned as she heard about the assignment, she was up for some hunting and this gave her the best chance. “We will be setting out as soon as Miss Rivers gets back. Go and pack anything you'll need on a hunting mission and be back here in no less than a half an hour." Remy nodded and left the room heading to her own room.

She got dressed in black skinny jeans, boots, a long sleeve green cotton shirt and her vest. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and also put on a pair of sunglasses. When she knew she was ready she grabbed her crossbow and headed back to the office. She stood there and waited for Scarlet to come back, her closes and only friend she has had her whole life. She spoke no words to anyone as she stood there.

Nathaniel Lochness

"I'm the Militia leader. Scarlet Rivers. Welcome to hell!

Two sentences can hurt your body so badly.These words were the worst nightmare for Nathaniel.And in that moment, when they were whispered in his ears, he felt a cold shiver trough his entire body.He knew the woman.Of course he knew her, everyone know who is the leader.Everyone is talking...But hearing her was tottaly different.She had a cold, but somehow sweet voice.She wasn't speaking loud but she wasn't quiet neither..Scarlet..If it wasn't near the word Militia, it would be a beautiful innocent name.But how can it be innocent, when she was the one who distroyed his family, and many others.If at the first sentence he remained quiet like a stone, at the second one, a little smile appeared on his face.The smile remained where it was when they incovered his eyes.Now he could actually see her, she was exactly how Nate thought.A heartless but beautiful queen bee.He closed his eyes and told her ironicaly, remaining still:

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, miss Rivers. You are very sweet to welcome us in this amazing prison of yours.I appreciate this, but I am not intending staying in here too much.And I am sure she thinks the same.."

Nate opened his eyes and pointed with his fingers the girl near him.He didn't need to look first in the room to realise that he was not alone.When he was caught and tied he heared a girl screaming.Then, when the guards took him to this room, he heared her breathing next to him.But now, as he throw his eyes in the room , he saw her.She seemed a little bit older then him, but she was very beautiful.Was she scared?Maybe, maybe not. She seemed more angry then scared.But, of course if she got caught, she was not affraid.If you try escaping or protesting, you have to be brave..Nate smiled to her, then turned again to face the leader.He looked into her eyes then bit his lips.He was angry too, more then that, he was annoyed and bored of too much evil grins.Who she thought she was ? Of course, now she was a leader but before that?? She was as normal as he was.Nate didn't protest because he wanted to leave. NO.He wanted to give Militia a big lesson of life.What is their goal, if everyone is suffering?? He didn't understand that...He left the cold chair and walked where the four guards were staying silently, looking at them. They were taller then him, even if he was tall enough to intimidate someone, and they were armed with guns and knives.. Nate looked at them a few seconds, then asked Scarlet Rivers:

"So, these are your puppets? Oh, sorry, a few of your puppets? What did you give them to be on your side? Money?Drugs?Something else??I am really curious, because they are very loyal.. Or is just a facade? "

The last word was whispered just for himself. He didn't need a fight or something else right now, so he had to behave nice.He couldn't escape from here on his own and obviously not so fast.He needed to be patient..He quickly got back to his chair and closed his eyes again..Trying to remember what happened yesterday..He was alone, trying to find his big brother. Nate thought he was in danger because he wanted to escape, so he went after him .He knew he couldn't help his brother, but he still tried....Nate opened his eyes and sighed when he saw Rivers standing at the table in front of him..He didn't want to remember what happened, but it was necessary, so he closed his eyes once again... He was all alone, in the darkness, scared and injured. After he had an awful fight with some guards, he was standing in a bush in the nearest forest.He didn't find his brother and he got a big scar on his left arm.He found out that he was too weak to fight with every hunter and guard.But he wanted to know his brother safe.As he stayed quietly in the bush, a guard came and took him up.He knew he hadn't the strength to fight so he waited to be carried in a cell.That night was just a headache...This time, Nathaniel refused to remember anything else so he opened his eyes.He put his hands on his head then shouted..

"What are you going to do with us? Put us in the prison? Come on, you know that if you do this, you will not stop what is coming. AND you know what is coming..You will be defeat soon, along with your puppets.. And you can't stop it..."

Chloe watched as the guard before her was shot dead, an arrow to the throat. With a soft groan, she rolled her eyes and bent to grab her forged Traveling license just as a girl dropped out of a tree above her. "Son of a bitch..." She whispered before turning to her. "Common." The girl said, pushing her through the gate. Chloe bit her tonuge and slipped her papers away before coming to a stop under the tree Cleo was in.

She was about to say something when one of the other runaways came over. A little girl in tow. He was the first one they'd picked up. A smuggler. “You both know that there was no reason to kill him right? He might have let her go for all you know, now it’s pretty obvious which way were going. What I’m trying to tell you is that because of that little hair brain stunt you pulled you just endangered all our lives even more, including this little girl right here. Now then, what are we gonna do cause you just guaranteed they’ll be sending a squad or so after us……also little miss bow and arrow up there, if you can’t carry your gear then don’t bring it.” He said and Chloe simply reached up and ripped her arrows out of her sisters hand, slipping them back into her quiver.

"He's right." She hissed, gesturing to the girl who'd pushed her, and the dead guard in the bushes. "Do you always have to be so reckless Cleo? He might have let me through. Maybe, wait next time. The whole point of a plan is to follow it." She rolled her eyes. "How are we supposed to expect all these people to listen to us if we don't even listen to each other?" The two bickered a lot, but they were sisters. It was one of the things that made them so close. They challenged each other constantly. With a sigh, Chloe picked up the archers bags and shoved them into her hands. "Whatever. Now that you idiots have slowed us down when I could have just caught up, we've got to run like hell. Carry your own shit honey. Let's go."

Gently, she pushed past the smuggler, and made her way back to the trees that the others were all hiding in, waiting for her. "Get down." She said simply. "We're moving." And with that, she took off into the woods, nimble feet leaping over obstacles that only a hunter could see in the dark. They would run until they came to a place Chloe knew well and make camp. She shifted the weight of the bag on her shoulder and glanced behind her as she moved. She couldn't see the others, but she knew they were there, streaking their way through the night behind her.

---

Scarlet let a wicked grin creep onto her face as the girl just stared at her in hard defiance. She glanced behind her at Taylor. "Nervous because Mommy's in the room?." She smirked and grabbed the girls chin, pulling her close and locking eyes with her. "She misses you and your sisters, you know that?" When she got no response, she leaned back and smiled. "I guess you do. Though you don't care."

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, miss Rivers. You are very sweet to welcome us in this amazing prison of yours.I appreciate this, but I am not intending staying in here too much.And I am sure she thinks the same.." She could practically taste the sarcasm in the boys voice and she turned her eyes on him, the girl now forgotten.

"Not a problem honey." She said with a smirk, her eyes following him as she moved to her guards.

"So, these are your puppets? Oh, sorry, a few of your puppets? What did you give them to be on your side? Money? Drugs? Something else? I am really curious, because they are very loyal.. Or is just a facade?"

Scarlet leaned back and inspected her nails. "Actually, it's much simpler than all that. I gave them knowledge and a high salary, and they give me loyal service." She lifted her eyes to the boy with a smile, knowing that wasn't the answer he was expecting. "What? You've never heard the saying: Knowledge is power?"

She watched him sit down again. "What are you going to do with us?" He said after a moment of silence. "Put us in the prison? Come on, you know that if you do this, you will not stop what is coming. AND you know what is coming..You will be defeat soon, along with your puppets.. And you can't stop it..."

Angered, she leaned forward and gave him a slap so hard, she knew it would bruise. She was famous for these slaps, and she knew the guards behind her were all putting their hands to their cheeks, as they'd all been there before. She grinned, satisfied, and leaned back. "No. Actually, I'm not putting you back in the prison. Or the Pitts. I'm taking you with me." She looked at the girl. "You two are going to help us hunt down your siblings. I don't care if I have to break every bone in your bodies to get you to talk." She gestured to the guards. "Cuff the boy again." She tossed a pair of cuffs to Taylor. "Get the girl."

Scarlet stepped back and watched as Taylor handcuffed her own daughter and the guards handcuffed the boy, hands behind their backs. "Alright." She said. "To my office." And with that, she turned, Taylor, her daughter, the boy, and the guards behind her.

Once upstairs, she pushed the double doors to her office open to find that her brother had already gathered their hunters together, along with the tracker. She grinned. "Alright, well." She began, moving to stand next to her brother. "We've got a group of Runaways on our hands, so we're going on a little trip. I'll only be another minute." She said as she disappeared behind a door in the back of the room, heading into her own room.

Quickly, Scarlet peeled off her high heels and velvet dress, slipping into a black tanktop, leather jacket, dark grey pants, and combat boots. She then grabbed the bag next to her bed that always kept at the ready before heading back out into her office. "I hope everyone's ready." She said looking at them. Remy and Frankie seemed to be the only ones who'd grabbed supplies. "We wont be waiting."

---

John waited in the shadows with the runaways. They were to be waiting for some sort of signal. What exactly it was, he didn't know, only the leaders did, but he didn't mind. He was more than willing to lie planning in their capable hands. He'd never been the smartest guy in the world and was always happy to hand over decision making to someone more qualified.

Next to him, was his girlfriend, Evangeline. He was running away with her. The city, with all the rapes and murders, was no place for her anymore, and he just wanted her to be safe. Silently, he slipped his hand into hers and placed a small kiss on her cheek, just as a ball of flame streaked through the night towards them. He ducked, avoiding the flame as it struck the tree behind him. Then a second. That must be the signal, for the other leader Cleo, shouted for them to move.

So he did, tugging Evangeline along with him. Once in the safe cover of the forest, he turned back to Cleo, taking in her instructions. "Come one Angel." He whispered, helping Evangeline climb a nearby tree, and crawling across a low-hanging branch to sit next to her, waiting for Cleo and Chloe's return.

There was a pause, then sounds of bickering, then an order from Chloe to get down and get moving. With a sigh, he jumped down, then caught Angel gently, taking her hand and leading her off after Chloe.

Ves had been occupying his time with examining the floorboards in his boredom he noted the texture and patterns. Well, he supposed it was a nice floor all things considered. Far better then his which consisted of a badly torn carpet and cold concrete, but at least his had a nice 'down trodden homie' feel about it. He supposed it fit the Rivers just fine, but Ves was not sure what he would do if he did not have his oppressed and beaten look to his house. It was all the fashion craze among the other people of New Haven. The sound of the door opening caught his attention, and he hoped it would be Miss. Rivers, so they could get the show on the road, but instead it was just another man. He had no idea who he was, but since it was not Miss. Rivers, he truly did not care either... but the man was not one to be ignored wasting no time in running his mouth. If he hunted half as fast as he blabbered, it would be a short trip.

Ves raised his eyebrow when the man spoke his name, did he know this man? No... at least, not to his memory, but if he had met him it would not surprise Ves that he had written the man off and forgotten him. Oh well, he was sure he had forgotten for a good reason. Tactical? Jeans, a knife, and a shirt was tactical? Ves was sure he did not want to know what this man considered to be deadly. He didn't respond to the comment simply because he would rather just not go at all. If he had to pick between chasing fugitives through the woods with people who were mentally unstable, or sitting at home eating a tiny dinner with his daughter and watching the stars, well, it wasn't that hard of a choice when it all came down to it.

Finally the door opened again this time it was Miss. Rivers and... some other people. He waited patiently for her to explain, but she didn't... seemed civility escaped her, but he did not fail to catch the 'we're'. Ves sighed and reached up to rub his forehead. He was right, this was going to be a long... long mission. Not only had Miss. Rivers seemed to deem it worthy of her time and attention, but she wanted to take two other potential runaways with her? This was probably some cruel intention she had, those two were probably friends or family of the runaways, and she just wanted to watch them squirm, of course, in Ves's opinion it was a stupid... stupid... outrageously stupid idea. Manpower would have to be spared to watch them, they would not be able to move as fast with two restrained people, and he knew they would attempt to slow them down. Why did her need for cruelty outweigh her common sense?

It also would have been nice with a little briefing. Did she know how many they were chasing? Their ages? Their social status? When they left? Which direction they were seen leaving in? All these little details would help him find the trail. Unless she expected him to be able to magical point in a direction and just start walking. He covered his eyes with his hand trying very hard to stop himself from rolling his eyes. If she didn't want to wait for him to grab the gear that would probably at some point keep her alive then so be it. If she really wanted to attempt to go cross-country without him, knock yourself out. As far as he was concerned, if she didn't want him on this destined to be clusterfuck then praise whatever being was watching over him.

"Tracking in the dark is not possible." Ves said finally. It was extremely difficult to see the slight bends and shapes in the earth in the dark not to mention there was a very, very, very good chance they would just get lost and have to camp out in the woods for no reason. "It would be better to start fresh in the morning." Ves continued. As the Tracker it was his job to tell Miss. Rivers this even if she didn't want to hear it. If she wanted to threaten him, his family, and jump up and down and throw a tantrum was up to her, but it was a mistake to attempt to track anyone at night, "We would only get in each others way, get lost, or worse yet, destroy their tracks ourselves. If they ran away today, they won't have gone far, and I have tracked down people who have been gone for more then a week. Just a suggestion of course, but instead we should use tonight to attempt to gain any and all information we can about who is running away." He finished, and awaited the highly probable threats and undermining, but he would be a piss poor tracker if he didn't at least inform her.

Two additional bodies had filled the space within the office shortly after he made his appearance within. One, Vesper Norton, was not, in his mind, a favorable character. Of course, he had excellent skills in tracking, but he never enjoyed his presence. This had bothered him time and time again, during his stay here. Not understanding it made it close to unbearable to the point of walking out of the room, sometimes the building, just to think alone. As his gaze brushed past the features of the man, he couldn't help, but give a small start, 'He is passing judgement over me.' With eyes narrowing to slits, the hood began to drift over them, hiding them from the world. A thought passed through his mind, but was quickly abolished. One who has a ruined tongue, and very poor vocal chords, could not speak in a legible fashion. So he stayed silent, while slowly reaching for his weapon and whetstone.

The soft whisk-whisk filled his mind, banishing all thought, as the weapon and whetstone struck and slid across their surfaces in a slow rhythm. His mind was wholly consumed with the whetstone, before finally stopping to examine the weapon closely. The eyes took on a dreamy look, before resuming with the soft whisk-whisk of the two for a few more heartbeats. Once satisfied, he placed the two in their respective pouches, then turned to see as Frankie appeared in the doorway. He couldn't help, but remove his half mask and mouthed the word "Woof" at the sound of his own nickname, before securing it in place once more. 'I will die eventually,' he thought to himself, 'but not this day, nor the next.'

Before another thought could be formed, Miss Rivers barged in. He wanted to address his last assignment quickly, but she was gone as soon as she entered. Puzzled, he looked about himself, wondering where she had gone. As quickly as she had vanished, she appeared in an odd get-up of outdoor gear, asking if everyone was ready. Confusion had entered his mind, and evidently showed within his own dark eyes. He had looked about himself, wondering if anyone else was as confused as he was. Apparently, Vesper was also confused, and began to voice his own opinion about it. "Tracking in the dark is not possible." The Hound's own head bobbed in acknowledgement to this statement. It was true to anyone with half a brain, and unless you had a fleet of flying machines at your beck and called, you were going to have to wait till first light to start the hunt.

"We would only get in each others way, get lost, or worse yet, destroy their tracks ourselves. If they ran away today, they won't have gone far, and I have tracked down people who have been gone for more then a week. Just a suggestion of course, but instead we should use tonight to attempt to gain any and all information we can about who is running away." Again, he bobbed his head in acknowledgement. There were wisdom in his words, and even though he didn't feel comfortable in his presence, he could not refute the man's words. Miss Rivers had appeared to be hyped up and ready to get on with the hunt, but if she tried to go out into the night, she would go without a Tracker and a Hunter.

As Ky was giving dagger eyes to Scarlet she heard the women begin talking "Nervous because Mommy's in the room?." she felt her chin grabbed by Scarlet’s hand pulling her closer. She looked it the militia’s eyes “shes not my mother” she said through her gritted teeth."She misses you and your sisters, you know that?"[b] She felt Scarlet let go of her and she rubbed her chin just a little [b]“I guess you do. Though you don't care." she was about to respond to that when she looked to the boy next to her, he gave her a smile then started talking to Scarlet.

She heard the guy use sarcasm against Scarlet and go at it. Ky sat there quietly but when she heard the boy say "What are you going to do with us? Put us in the prison? Come on, you know that if you do this, you will not stop what is coming. AND you know what is coming..You will be defeat soon, along with your puppets.. And you can't stop it..." Ky couldn’t help but smile, she liked this guy already just because of what he said to Scarlet, this made her smirk towards Scarlet but then watched as she gave the guy a good smack across the face. She heard it and winced, hearing what Scarlet said next made her not so happy.

“No. Actually, I'm not putting you back in the prison. Or the Pitts. I'm taking you with me." She didn’t like the sound of this and knew it probably wasn’t going to end well "You two are going to help us hunt down your siblings. I don't care if I have to break every bone in your bodies to get you to talk." “Bullshit that will be the last thing I will be doing you crazy bitch” she yelled as she jumped from her seat and put her hands on the table “I will die before you get anything out of me” her eyes looking right back into Scarlet’s, Ky was serious and anyone looking in her eyes could tell.

Ky then felt her wrists being cuffed again and looked behind her to see it was her mother “One of these days Taylor you will die from my hands just like you did to my Grandfather” was the last thing she said before she was pushed out of the room. They followed Scarlet up to another room, where there was other Militia hunters and the brother of Scarlet. She took each of them in guessing these where the hunters that would be hunting the group. “Scarlet is crazy if she thinks she will get anything out of me.” she thought to herself as she stood there glaring.

---

Remy was standing there her hands behind her back, she turned her head as each of the other hunters come along. First was the hound, she has hunted with him a few times and they worked good with each other, at least she thought so. They worked in silence never saying one word but they always got the job done. She gave a slight nod to the hound then looked at the door as someone else came in. It was another man, she never hunted with him nor has she had any running in with him. She nodded quietly to the older man then another one came walking in. A bit more cheery then the other ones "How you been Remmy baby?" she heard Frankie say then saw the wink. She shook her head then looked to him “Doing well Frankie” she said in her quiet, soft, dark voice. Not many people hear her speak, she liked to keep to herself most of the time but Frankie amused her an not many people could do that.

As she went back to be silent she heard Scarlet come in with a group behind her and she nodded to the women. Scarlet pretty much is her only ‘friend’ she still owed Scarlet from the year the other girl took her to be in the Militia when she was only seven years old. Scarlet was only five years older then her but Remy always looked up to the women and would always be there for Scarlet no matter what the situation was. "Alright, well. We've got a group of Runaways on our hands, so we're going on a little trip. I'll only be another minute." she watched as Scarlet walked off to the other room. She wanted to ask them why they gave that man her full name, Scarlet and Mr.Rivers where the only one that was suppose to know her full name, she would ask them later when there wasn’t so many people around. She saw as Scarlet came back out dressed better for the hunt they where going on. “I hope everyone’s ready, we won’t be waiting.”

Remy nodded she was ready, always ready to hunt, she was about to say something when one of the men spoke up "Tracking in the dark is not possible. It would be better to start fresh in the morning." Remy couldn’t help but agree, hunting would be hard in the dark but whatever Scarlet decided she would go forth with. She didn’t say anything because she felt her opinion wasn’t needed, so she stood their quietly, her hands behind her back as she waited for the next order.

---

Addy was standing there quietly watching the others from the side, she saw the two arrows being shot and went into the tree near them. Addy still wasn’t sure if they where all ready for this big to do but she just went with the flow. She heard one of the twins, Cleo, say “Move out!” She stayed low and ran right through the gate quietly. As they got through the gates she heard Cleo "All of you, get up in those trees, Don't come down no matter what you see, hear or think you hear. If I'm not back in ten minuets, all of you stay together, and find a safe place. Carter, you're with me." She wasn’t one to take orders from someone else but she remember when their older sister, Kyerie, came to her and told them about their plan and how she should go with them. She was unsure about it at first but she had nothing else here for her in New Haven so she agreed to go, but since Kyerie wasn’t here any longer it was hard to go forward with the plan. She really didn’t know the twins and it made her a bit anxious going with a bunch of people she hardly knew.

As she was about to climb a tree she heard the man next to her start talking, he looked much older then her which actually made her feel a bit better they had someone older in the group. “Whatever you do, don’t go hitting anyone with that kiddo. Last thing we need is more killing tonight…..Why don’t’ you come with me real quick.” Addy gave a small smile and chuckled, she didn’t plan on using the bat on anyone. She has only killed once and that was because the guard almost forced her to go to the Militia where she be put in the pit which she would never go, she would rather die then be in the Militia’s hands.

Addy nodded to the man and put her bat in the pack she had on her back. She kept her essentials in there, nothing to heavy to slow her down. She followed the man silently as they went over to Cleo and one girl she believed her name was Carter. She stood silently as she heard the name next to her start grilling out the two girls, which in her mind she thought they deserved it. One thing she didn’t like of what he said was he called her little girl her eyes went up to him and in the quietest but sorta dark voice she whisper “I am not little” was all she said as she went back to being quiet. She may be fifteen but she had been on her own for awhile now and she hated when she was put down because of her age. “age is just a number” she thought to herself.

Then Chloe came up and started bickering with her sister. “Will you two just shut up and stop bickering, it is the last thing we need. The two leaders bickering as the militia could be coming any minute now” this was all thought in her mind, she would never speak the words but the thoughts in her mind did. She kept quiet but she was grinding her teeth. As Chloe moved past the guy, practically shoving her she huffed. She couldn’t wait till they got out and to utopia then she can go on her own not having to deal with anyone. She followed right behind Chloe quietly, she was quiet as a mouse, her long legs helped her move easier through the night. She wasn’t sure where they were going but hopefully it was a little farther away from New Haven so it wouldn’t be easy for the Militia to find them.

Nathaniel Lochness

"So, that is all? You punched me and you keep us near you?Sweetheart, that is your brilliant plan?But, I have to say that playing the bad boy would be funny enough..Hunting my own brother and my friends?Mmm..let me think.No, thank you.Even the bad boy game, sounded well, I have to be loyal to the people I care...Of courses, I can't escape..Too bad right?One more thing, bitch! Try to make me speak and you will suffer.."

Nathaniel almost hissed the words then put his left hand on his cheek.That woman knew how to slapp him.Indeed, she was very powerful and cold.He coughed once and put his hand to his mouth to stop the bleeding.Without saying anything else, before the guards could handcuff him, he jumped to the wooden table and took a napkin.He coughed for the second time and looked at the guards who seemed annoyed and ready to put him down if he wanted to get away..Then, Nate laughed silently and told them trough the napkin, which now was red from the blood:

"Hey, don't worry, you little puppets! I am not gonna run, I am not that stupid. But, you see, your boss is trying to annoy me..And she thinks that if she show of with her skills, she will impress me or make me quiet.No, dear, you are wrong..But now, let's go, wherever you want...Bitch!"

He let the guards handcuff him and looked at Scarlet Rivers, then, at the other woman in the room.As he could hear, he understood that the woman was the other prisoner's mother..He felt bad for the girl..How can your own mother turn bad and hunt your sisters..Look what can power do.But after he saw her smirking to Scarlet, then shouting at her mother with hate in her voice, he realized that she hated her mother.Nate somehow liked the girl.Like him, she was not afraid of bad things and she remained cool.As they were pushed outside the room, he got near her and asked silently:

"Uh, I know is not a good moment, but what's your name, hunny? You seem to keep yourself strong.How can you do it??Sometimes I just want to scream of madness...Oh,don't tell me, you have friends and siblings that are runaways, right?That is annoying!To know you are here and you can't do anything for them.To wait knowing that they are near big dangers, to help the enemy hunt them?..Oh, I will stop, because I talk too much, it seems and I know very well you are not in the mood for talking.."

After saying that in rush, Nathaniel looked around him and saw other hunters and Militia stuff.He saw Scarlet away for a few minutes, then, when she came back, she was dressed in hunting clothes.He grinned then after he heard the others talking about the perfect day when they would hunt the runaways, he spoke to all of them:

"Why waiting? Look, if you are going to take us with you, I can help you.Of course, I will not say anything about where they are, but I can tell you that tomorrow isn't a good day of hunting..That is all I can say."