There's so much fuss being kicked up that you'd think the Queen was arriving. Of course, Rico knows this isn't so. No Queen. The Prince and Princess, perhaps.
He isn't happy with any part of this. He's not happy that they're being forced here, he isn't happy that they ARE here to once again become the sole object of people's concern, and he's not happy of the role Grigori plays in this.
Rico's actually a bit angry about that. The Heavy isn't like him. He had the ability to refuse, but didn't make use of it. As fond as he was growing of the Russian, his constant lack of capitalizing on his lack of strings drove Rico crazy. But, Grigori was the responsible type. That and the damage done to his self-esteem and his own physical hurdles were strings of their own, he supposed.
Still didn't change the fact that he could snap the necks of anyone in his way if he wanted to leave, though.
Sighing, the Sniper leans against the wall, hidden in the shadows as the train appears in the distance. It was going to be chaotic. He might have appreciated at least that much before.
I followed you on my main, because my rp is a side blog! Sorry for any confusion! Hello there! I can't follow you back on it, but I can follow you on my main!
He looks completely satisfied. Like a sleek black cat who's just made a meal of some unfortunate yellow songbird.
Watching the scenery speed by outside the train window, Alexandre Coeurnoir makes his knife dance in his fingers. Oh, not that he'll need it for this- a few well placed words and one of his special darts should be more than enough to ensure the target's cooperation. He just enjoys having the elegant blade with him, making it waltz in his hands. He never cut himself. The knife obeyed his whims.
There was something wonderfully erotic about having something dangerous at your will. The knife wasn't the only thing he had that obeyed him. It was only part of a growing collection, one he hid in plain sight.
The moment people's guards dropped, he would be adding another marionette or two to that collection. But all in good time. First, the dear lambs had to be led home.
He lifts the glossy black reciever next to him, hailing the next car back. The oversized car, meant for an oversized passenger.
When Marius had brought Joe back to the infirmary, his hope hung on the slenderest of threads.
Here it is, you bastard. Here's the punishment for every sin you ever committed.
You just had to love someone.
Fool.
Extensive tests, scans and what little questioning he could do, and he was no closer to finding out what had gone wrong with Joe than he had been when he'd found the boy in an animal fury, attacking Chase with his own wrench. He'd kept Joe separate from the other children, hoping he could find some way to repair the damage or at least explain to them that the little boy would be fine with proper treatment.
But there was nothing. At last, he had had to admit that, unless something changed, Joe was permanently damaged.
Your fault. Not clever enough. Not insightful or resourceful enough. You overlooked something and now a child - your child - has to bear up the consequences.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
In one hand, Marius crumbles a tiny scrap of paper.
Hiram would be here any minute now, and when he left, he would take with him a stabilizing force that had been with Joe since the day he was born.
Unless Hiram decided otherwise, today was the day Yvonne was leaving.
(( In which I rediscover my brush pens and confirm that I am not Doug Tennapel. Pictured are: Hanna, Alexandre, Felix, Rico (whom I am not at all pleased with and will redesign), Marius, Joe, Grigori, Yiv and the ratties Ernie and Clancy. A departure from my usual style - trying something new. ))
Marius comes to The Administrator’s office when summoned, tapping politely on the door before entering, standing just within the room.
"You wished to see me, Helen?"
"Yes. Come in, come closer."
Her long, thin fingers drum on the desk. Talon-like violet fingernails click rhythmically. The other hand has the everpresent cigarette held between two fingers.
"I want a status report, Dr. Lang. Because from the rumors I’m getting wind of, this little project of yours is getting a touch out of hand."
Cigarette is raised to lips adorned with violet lipstick. Drug on, a cloud of smoke exhaled.
"I hear things about runaways, for one. And… possible leakage of classified information to a sensitive party, and I’m sure you know what I mean by that."
The severe, imposing woman leans forward, her eyes narrowing.
"What is going on, Dr. Lang? This pet project of yours hasn’t… outlived its usefulness, has it?"
He'd been hoping that something could have been done to avoid this. Even now he wondered if it was possible to divert the inevitable conclusion of this meeting.
He did not blame Joe for what was happening, but the actions of the Soldier had made things so much more difficult. Had he stayed away from Yvonne after Nucleus, things would likely have been fine. While there was damage, it was manageable. Unfortunately, when the Administrator had killed Duncan as punishment for Joe's insubordination, she had removed the only person who could have kept the Soldier in line. The stress coupled with the inherent instability of Dr. Lang's 'son' had resulted in his flight from Mann Co.'s facilities. By the time Marius had found his charge, it was too late - he was already with Yvonne and made it remarkably difficult to extract him. There was no way of having him just disappear - the Sniper would have hunted until she found him and started asking all kinds of uncomfortable questions.
Had Joe's reaction to his accidental disclosure not been so violent, things still might have been salvageable. It could easily have just been taken as a slip of the tongue and things would have proceeded from there. His fit, however, only brought what he had said into sharper relief; shined a veritable spot light on it.
How long would her memories stay suppressed? From what he could observe, Yvonne was already having lapses and flash backs in the form of dreams. The programming had been stricken at a keystone and now the rest of the structure was beginning to collapse. Marius had seem this before, and its progressive nature was incredibly aggressive. What time was there for her? A month? A week? Perhaps less? The questions she was asking would only speed the collapse - Yvonne was destroying her life as she knew it with every inquiry and didn't even realize it.
"Unfortunately, Joe did escape the facilities and find his way to Coldfront. By the time I knew what was happening, he'd already contacted Yvonne and she helped to take him in. He's been running missions there with RED ever since. Reining him in with Duncan is, of course, no longer an option, however Yvonne appears to have a stabilizing effect upon him that is quite similar to our dearly departed Demoman. Because of Joe's inherent instabilities, the voice command issued do not always work - before we always had Duncan to help fill in the gaps where they did not meet our needs. Therefore, I've been at a loss as to how to extract him without causing undue attention. Joe has...let slip his relationship to Yvonne."
He swallows around a lump in his throat.
"I believe that the experiment has rendered satisfactory results and answered the questions we first set forth. Of the engineered mercenaries, the ones reared outside of the facility with a designate caregiver have produced the most stable and wholly realized units. Yvonne is a fully developed and functional Sniper and her sessions in the Theatre have created memories which have melded seamlessly with what she experienced after Hiram took her from us to rear. Until Joe's arrival at Coldfront, she had no reason to doubt them. While I have not been able to isolate the problem with Joe and identify its origin, I believe the accelerated maturation process yields unstable results and should be used sparingly, if at all. Joe still has useful battlefield applications, of course, and is invaluable as a Soldier, but I do not know if he could exist in the outside world without significant oversight and care management.
"I believe that our studies with Yvonne can continue, however there will be a necessity for further Theatre sessions should this be the case."
Who was he trying to kid? The Administrator would never agree to that. Helen was about effectiveness and simplicity. Whatever met the bottom line was what she was interested in. There were too many loose ends to deal with here - too many variables. With a growing dread he does not outwardly express, the Medic awaits the inevitable verdict - time for all the little lambs to be gathered up and brought back into the fold.
