monster

Lorelei Kingston, 35 Soldier in 13

[urystonsteppe-blog]

❝ Amazing that you can trust me when I can’t even trust myself. ❞

[loreleikingston-blog]

 “You’re still the man I love, that hasn’t changed. I know you won’t hurt me or our child.”

[urystonsteppe-blog]

 ❝ Even the father of your child? ❞

[loreleikingston-blog]

   “Only if you don’t ask permission.”

[loreleikingston-blog]

“Next person to touch my stomach gets a fork in the eye.”

[loreleikingston-blog]

Flashforward; Gunpoint | Destructo Ship

[urystonsteppe-archive]

His eyes, even colder than before, were trained on Lorelei, watching for any sudden movements. He so wanted to put a bullet through her head, but he’d been told that if he ever had the chance, to take one in alive for questioning and torture. This was his chance. 

Her comment made him snicker. “I know you know I’m not stupid, Lorelei. This could get way more better if you put your weapon down.”

With steady breaths, Uryston began to circle her, slowly, gun still aimed right at her chest. They were close enough to blow each other’s face off, but he wanted her alive. As he was circling her, a memory flashed across his mind. It was of the two of them, just laughing in the grain fields of Thirteen. The memory was gone as quick as it had come. In response to the tight feeling in his chest, his fingers tightened around the gun he held, his nostrils flaring.

"You’re not going to kill me," he finally decided.

[loreleikingston-blog]

"If you remember anything about me, you'll know that's not gonna happen."

The way he said her name, it was wrong, vile. Her eyes remained on him as he moved, looking for any part of him that remained from the man she knew. It was then, as she watched him, that she saw his eyes lose focus, if only for a moment. What had they done to him? She'd heard the discussions, the speculations about the hijacking that was performed on people, suspected to be performed on their captured friends. What thoughts swirled in his head? Was the old man sucked away and replaced with someone new, or did they twist until he broke, molding into the shape they wanted?

"There is a lot a man can endure without dying." She would kill him if she had to, she told herself this over and over again, as if she believed it but she had to make the rest of her believe it, too. There was a shuffle of footsteps overhead and she remembered her companion. If there was no one upstairs for him to deal with, he might just make it down in time for them to capture Uryston without any other Capitol soldiers showing up. To think of Uryston as a part of the Capitol force, it burned her.

"Riddle me this. You have to know the Capitol is losing. What does that mean for you?"

[loreleikingston-blog]

Flashforward; Gunpoint | Destructo Ship

[urystonsteppe-archive]

He wasn’t forced to go to Nine. Rather, when he heard that the Capitol needed back up in Nine, he volunteered to go and help. It was better than being kept under lock and key in the Capitol At least in Nine, he would be able to quench the need to crush a few rebel skulls. He didn’t want his home district to be infested with them, so he was going to kill as many as he could before a) he was killed himself, b) the Capitol brought him back, or c) they lost the war. Uryston knew they weren’t going to win— everyone did. But he’d be damned if he was going to go out without a fight.

At first, he kept count of how many rebel soldiers he had killed, but eventually he lost count. The competition between him and a few other Peacekeepers was won when someone lost track. It could have been in the fifties for all Uryston knew. Hundreds, even. Not like it mattered. However, the more the merrier.

Uryston and the squad he was in were set to stay in a building primarily for wheat processing for the remainder of their stay in Nine. And he certainly didn’t mind it. The smell reminded him of home. But then it reminded him of Thirteen, which just reminded him of Mal, which in turn just made him see red. Uryston hated him and if he ever saw him again, he’d rip his throat out. Suddenly, the warm smell of wheat wasn’t so welcoming anymore.

The sound of gunfire woke him up from a nap, his hand automatically reaching for the rifle that had been resting on his chest. Some of his squad had already left the building, leaving him and a few others alone by the time he heard voices inside. Slowly, Uryston backed up into the shadows of the room he was in, gun pointed at the doorway. He wasn’t about to pussy out and run away from the opportunity of a lifetime.

He could hear two pairs of footsteps, one going upstairs and the other still downstairs with him. Quietly, he moved to get into position should it turn into a shootout. But his guess at where the downstairs person was had been severely miscalculated because one second he was pointing his gun at thin air and the next, a woman who was pointing her gun at him.

She was not just any woman, though. Recognition and confusion flickered across his face as he scanned her, causing him to falter just as she did. Memories flashed in his head, some good, some…. he couldn’t describe it. 

Lorelei. Girlfriend. Rebel. Kill. In an instant, that recognition and confusion turned into hate and disgust. She was a rebel. Still sided with the rebels. She had to be killed. His finger still hovered over the trigger, but something was keeping him from pulling it. Waiting it out seemed to be the best option.. For now.

"This certainly is a surprise," he quipped, body rigid and eyes cold.

[loreleikingston-blog]

At first, it was almost a surprise she even recognized him. His signature facial hair was gone. His beard had been his biggest feature and she couldn't imagine him getting rid of it in any normal situation. But he was hijacked, it wasn't normal, he wasn't normal. It wasn't the only hair that got cut, either. Long locks no longer fell from atop his head. All in all, he looked clean shaved, like a brand new soldier.

Her grip tightened on her gun handle. He was never meant to be a soldier. They'd turned him into something he wasn't. God, how she wish her gun was aimed at someone else at that very moment. She wanted to kill someone, hurt them, watch them bleed. Somebody deserved to bleed for what they'd done, and not just bleed, but burn and writhe in pain. She would see to it someone did.

"A rather unpleasant one," she replied, her voice almost curdling into a snarl. Lorelei had wanted to save him, not meet him at gunpoint. She couldn't kill him and if she changed her aim, he'd have just enough time to shoot her between the eyes. She couldn't take him alone, not when she wanted him to live. Showing mercy, or —as she liked to think of it— being a hero, put her at a major disadvantage. Of course, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him if it meant she would live. She was fighting to two now, and that trumped fighting for three.

"This could get a lot better if you'd drop your weapon."

[loreleikingston-blog]

Flashforward; Gunpoint | Destructo Ship

She didn't know what she'd do without Malcolm. Nobody seemed to understand just how much she needed to get out, to be a part of the front lines. It wasn't just about the fighting, it was about the people they lost, the ones they needed to get back. If somebody wanted to hear a reason, she had dozens to give them. It didn't matter how, because she was on the hovercraft, armed with a gun, just like she wanted to be. The doctors wouldn't be too happy about it, and the higher officers would probably have her head because of —and if it wasn't for— the baby in her belly. Six months in and it was still hard to tell. She'd sit back and focus on her health and pre-natal care soon enough. She just couldn't give up, not yet, not without really trying. 

Nine wasn't look so great anymore. The Capitol was fighting hard to keep it, their last stronghold in a resource district. Without food, they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer, especially not through the winter. If all went well, the war would be over by February, or that was the hope. They had to secure District Nine if they wanted that to happen. They could hear gun fire the moment the craft landed, soldiers piling out. Intel suggested reinforcements, but that was a given. Their craft had landed just in time.

The soldiers already in place were holding back any advancement, but they needed to push the Capitol back. Splitting up the soldiers, one group was sent to the left and one to the right as they began to determine the perimeter. Lorelei followed a taller man into a seemingly quiet building, he going upstairs while she checked out the rooms downstairs. There was the sound of a scuff and she stilled herself carefully, listened to her surroundings. With a small adjustment of her grip on her gun, she rounded the corner with precision and speed, her rifle finding the forehead of the man she faced. She faulted for only a second, her hard expression falling until she blinked, cleared her mind and drew her lips into a hard line once more.  

"Uryston."

[augustwinslade-archive]

Of course I am, what do you think I’ve been doing these past days? Honestly, I feel a bit insulted that you would doubt my intelligence.

[loreleikingston-blog]

I'm not insulting your intelligence, just your ability to remember all of those maps of tunnels. 

[augustwinslade-archive]

Yes, indeed it will. I figured it would be good to get out at least once. Besides, I don’t trust the Holo’s to do all the work for you. So, I’ll be acting as your map.

[loreleikingston-blog]

You're getting pale, you need to get out a bit. You're leading the team through the tunnels? You better be studying the maps, if you forget a turn I won't let you live it down. 

[augustwinslade-archive]

Actually, yes! I will be accompanying you!

[loreleikingston-blog]

Well, would you look at that. Never thought I'd see you dressed up in gear and marching along with us, but apparently, that day will come. 

[loreleikingston-blog]

Surprises | Oneshot

The last thing she remembered was being in the training wing. But now she was staring at the roof, a roof that was too low, too white and clean to be the training wing. She knew exactly what the roof of the medical wing looked like, it was seared in her memory from when she’d regained her eyesight.

Lorelei immediately tried to sit up, but there was a doctor at her side before she could get her head fully off the pillow. He held a chart in one hand, which he began to scan once more when she lied back, getting the idea not to move. Staying still made her restless, but she could hold out for a minute or two while they checked her over. Whatever had caused her to faint had to be a one-time deal, they’d discharge her soon enough.

The doctor’s eyebrows furrowed and she knew something wasn’t right. She tried to ask him what was wrong, what had happened, but either he didn’t have the answer or he didn’t want to tell her. He placed the chart down, far enough away that she couldn’t grab it, and disappeared for a moment in search of something. Lorelei was left to grumble and stare at the ceiling. She’d fainted. The stress of training and getting ready to break into the Capitol was bearing down on them all, it was bound to happen to someone sooner or later.

But the doctor returned with some strange machine, one she had never seen before. He told her he needed to examine her abdomen. She thought nothing of it, diverting her gaze elsewhere in the area while he applied a cool cream to her skin. It was quiet, the doctor’s silent thoughts filling the air with a buzz that caused her attention to defer somewhere else quickly.

“So?” she asked finally, feeling a little irritated that she was still stuck in a bed when she needed to go back to hand to hand practice. “What is it? I need to go back to training.”

“You won’t be going back, Ms. Kingston,” the doctor replied calmly, though she could see a hint of a smile on his face. It only served to annoy her more. She tried to sit up, only getting her shoulders and head up before he turned his head to meet her eyes.

“Congratulations,” he continued, turning the little machine toward her. “You’re pregnant.”

Every emotion melted from her as she stared at the screen, seeing a small form there. She couldn’t be, that wasn’t possible. She certainly couldn't be this far along, she could already see the baby's small body forming. Wouldn’t she have noticed? There would have been signs.

The doctor seemed to recognise that her stunned silence wasn’t changing quickly and became concerned. Lorelei bit the inside of her cheek.

Now she absolutely had to go to the Capitol.

She had to save Uryston so he could meet their baby. 

[augustwinslade-archive]

I sense a bit of sarcasm in that, but since I’m in such a good mood I shall choose to ignore that.

[loreleikingston-blog]

Just a little bit. Are you coming with us into the tunnels?

[augustwinslade-archive]

Yes. Yes, we are and it’s going to include lots of explosives.

[loreleikingston-blog]

Don't we just love those. 

[augustwinslade-archive]

Exactly! I mean it bothers me that I didn’t even know about the tunnels, but nothing to be done there. Oh! Beetee has been accepting designs for grenades and bombs that will be useful to us, so if you have ideas for those give them to him. I’m supposed to tell that to everyone who talks to me..

[loreleikingston-blog]

At least someone thought of it before this war dragged on any longer. Perfect. I'll spread the word and see if I can't come up with anything for him. Are you planning the next attack, now that you have an in?

[augustwinslade-archive]

Tunnels. The ones underneath the Capitol, the service tunnels, if you will. Avoxes used them— probably still do— to get around the Capitol unseen. No cameras. No security. It’s perfect.

[loreleikingston-blog]

That's genius. They probably don't think of them as something they need to secure. They're be a perfect route into the Captol to hit them where they don't expect it. We can hit them hard, and hit them from the inside. 

[augustwinslade-archive]

Tunnels.. She’s brilliant. The plan is brilliant. Why didn’t we think of this before?

[loreleikingston-blog]

Tunnels?

[faith-magnolia-bennett]

...I think I'm officially out of things to do.

I’ve cleaned the store room twice, alphabetized the shelves, and made a list of everything we need and may need within the next few weeks. I…I don’t know what to do now. 

[loreleikingston-blog]

Wanna me where I can get pills to settle my stomach?

[mal-cain-blog]

[loreleikingston-blog]