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Post by Cassandra Nida on Sept 27, 2009 22:14:46 GMT -6
A spike of fear and guilt went through her knowing there were more people who knew about her. But it wasn't exactly a secret anymore. Two more people wouldn't make a difference. And Magdalen was right. They'd be able to care for her better if they knew. And maybe they wouldn't be so worried when they found Cass without her legs on, or with an arm off.
"I will... I think." Cass prodded at her back once more, "I need stitches there, but I think everything important is still okay."
Then she suddenly remembered the parts. What would happen to them? She spent so much money on them, but she couldn't walk in and get them, and they were exactly what she needed. Cass grabbed her bag and dug through it, coming up with a key, "I spent money on spare parts today and stored them at this storage place. I... I didn't want to alert anybody by bringing them back to the ship at all once. I don't even know if you can get to them or not but... if you can..." She didn't need to finish the sentence. Cass didn't know if Mags could get to the parts, or even bring them to her considering how deep in the woods they were, but she could hope.
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 27, 2009 22:35:29 GMT -6
Magdalen nodded as Cass explained she’d need stitches, turning to Eloise as the older woman entered the kitchen and set a bundle of soft fluffy towels on the countertop. “Don’t worry,” she reassured them both. “You’d be surprised at how many times that clumsy husband of mine has needed stitches in the past due to his silly blunders outside.” Winking at Cassandra then, she left the room once more to give the girls their space.
And then Mags was presented with a key, taking it quietly and squeezing it within the palm of her hand.
“Back at port you mean? I’ll do what I can. All you have to worry about from this point on is taking care of yourself and accepting the Denvers’ hospitality without feeling like a burden. Now …” She smiled again, placing one hand against Cass’ cheek. “I’m going to change and head out. After all, I want those soldiers to stay as far as possible from this place. That means I’ll need to meet them as close to the halfway point as possible so they won’t be able to figure out which direction I may have come from.”
Rising to her feet, she nodded to John who had grabbed a spare pair of track pants and a black tank-top for her wear in place of the dress. Taking them, she gave the old couple a hug and said her goodbyes; promising to return as soon as she was able.
“You’ll be fine Cassandra. Trust me.”
And with that, she vanished outside into the evening air.
Eloise watched her go with a worried expression, but recollected her composure as she hunted for the first aid kit she normally kept in the cupboard over the sink. “Have faith in that girl, Cassandra. She’s a loyal friend. I have no doubt she’ll come back for you.”
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After approximately twenty minutes Magdalen had changed, also managing to get deep enough into the forest that she was sure the soldiers were still setting up patrols and scouring the bush. Not worried about making too much noise now, she trampled carelessly over upturned roots and jumped over fallen logs. Not enough time had elapsed for them to have given up. So where were they?
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Post by Cassandra Nida on Sept 27, 2009 23:11:06 GMT -6
It took everything she had not to cry yet again when Magdalen assured Cass that she would be okay, and she'd be back soon. If she cried, she was pretty sure she'd just make Magdalen cry and that wouldn't do either of them any good. So she nodded.
Cass watched Magdalen leave and looked at Eloise. The older woman had towels for Cassandra. That would be good. She nodded at her works, and this time she let some of the tears break through, "I hope so." After being so hopeless, having someone to believe in would be wonderful.
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 27, 2009 23:18:31 GMT -6
Searching for the cyborg was proving to be boring and hard work. They'd found some blood and oil on the underbrush, and places where she'd trampled it flat and left a path, but then there would be bits where they couldn't find anything. It was also getting dark, which was only making the search harder. They didn't dare call it off. Cain would have everyone's hides if they came back empty-handed and early.
There was a sound of someone moving. The few soldiers looked at one another from where they were crouched in the underbrush. The squad leader was really hoping they were about to get lucky and get Cassandra. And when a female shape came toward them, he almost thought he was right for a moment.
"Hold it there!" The soldier stood up and raised his weapon. The light attached to the end of the barrel lit up the area and the shape. It was a woman standing there but it wasn't the cyborg. This woman was older, and she had the wrong hair colour. He resisted the urge to sigh. "Ma'am, could you please identify yourself?"
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 27, 2009 23:24:55 GMT -6
Having a gun pointed at her felt oddly familiar and unsettling, but Magdalen neither jumped nor gasped when one of the soldiers she’d been searching for emerged from the bush a few feet away. After all, she’d been hoping she’d find them sooner than later.
Resisting the urge to smile, she tossed the one who had spoken a serious look and took another step forward into the light.
“Magdalen Verena. I arrived on Antheia recently, though my stay was only intended to be temporary.”
A pause ensued as she folded her arms, regarding the group of them intently.
“I suppose you’re searching for someone, are you?”
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 27, 2009 23:40:10 GMT -6
The soldier glanced at one of his team members. Great, a civilian. At least this one didn't seem like she was about to yell at them for going over the spaceport. Apparently a lot of other people (and non-people) were pissed about it. Cain was dealing with whoever it was that ruled this planet.
"We're looking for this girl." He got out his photopaper and brought up the photo of Cassandra Nida. It was the kid's family portrait. The soldier wasn't too keen on shooting down a kid but it was better than facing down Cain. He showed the picture to Magdalen. "Have you seen her?"
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 27, 2009 23:44:34 GMT -6
Magdalen’s heart was racing and it took every ounce of self-respect to keep her legs from giving out underneath her.
Had it been wise to give her full name? Probably not. She wasn’t positive whether the bounty that had been on her head was still recorded, or if Regan’s criminal activity was linked to her profile. In any case it was too late now and she could do nothing but stare down at Cassandra’s family portrait with a sense of fierce protectiveness.
A handful of moments passed, and she finally looked up beneath her lashes at the soldier that had approached. In a second, her expression changed from neutral to amused and she tilted her head to one side with a knowing smirk.
“Yeah.”
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 27, 2009 23:55:08 GMT -6
The woman looked at the picture. The soldier shifted weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the usual response of "nope" or "doesn't look familiar" or some rant about how they were picking on some kid. Man he wished he was back on Terra. At least you got respect there if you carried a gun.
When the woman answered with a yeah instead, it took the soldier a moment to realize she'd said something different. Once he did, he quickly stuffed the photo away, "Where? What direction was she going in?"
"Was she going north-" Another soldier said.
"Shut up." The squad leader said. Great, way to put misleading information in someone's head. Hopefully the answer wasn't 'north' or he was going to spend all night wondering if she had seen the girl and sent them in the right direction or if she was just messing with them.
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 28, 2009 0:02:27 GMT -6
Stifling laughter at the lack of control this man had over the rest of the group, Magdalen decided to toy with them a little bit and arched an eyebrow; peering over the shoulder of the soldier standing in front of her at the one in the back whom had spoken out of turn.
“Why, do you think she went north?” Smirking again, Magdalen side-stepped the individual in front of her and shrugged … suddenly adopting a more serious and level tone.
“I’ve seen her, and I know quite a lot about her as well. In fact she’s something of a friend, which is why I’d much rather have her alive than dead. Carrying guns doesn’t make me very inclined to share her whereabouts with you. Tough luck I suppose.”
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 28, 2009 0:12:59 GMT -6
What the hell was with this woman? The soldier was suddenly wishing for more of the regular forest crazies. At least they just yelled at him. He shot his subordinate another look that said he was going to get written up for this one.
"We're not here to kill her. Look, Smith and Chester are using traqs." They held up their guns to prove it. The civilian probably couldn't tell the difference, but it didn't matter. "And if you don't share, we'll arrest you for aiding and abetting a fugitive. Your friend is sick, and if you really want to help you, you'll tell us where she's gone."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 28, 2009 0:18:41 GMT -6
“If I really want to help me?” she echoed, no longer moving but eyeing the men that stood nearby closely. “Cassandra is fine right now and not thanks to you. As if the commotion at port earlier wasn’t obvious. I heard gunfire and because I saw that she was wounded, there’s only one explanation. You shot at her.”
Suddenly she was filled with disgust for these men and turned to glare at the one she’d stepped around.
“If you feel the need to escort me back to port, I’m not going to stop you. But I’m afraid I’m unwilling to divulge the location of that girl before I get some straight answers myself. Not from you guys either. From someone who hasn’t already lied to me and who knows what he’s talking about. That’s my compromise. Take it or leave it.”
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 28, 2009 0:26:39 GMT -6
He pinched the bridge of his nose. The soldier hated the planet, the people, and right now he especially hated this woman who wouldn't just tell him what direction the girl had gone in, or where she was stashed. And she apparently wasn't going to believe him. Okay, sure, he had bullets. So did the other squad members, but he wasn't lying about the tranqs.
"Look lady, I can take you back to port to talk with Commandant-General Cain, but you do not want me to do that. What you want to do is point me in the direction your friend went and we'll make sure she gets the help she needs." He looked at the woman, trying to remember her name. "Maggie, right? Just tell us where Cassandra is. There's a reward for her. $10,000 worth of credits. You can buy a new friend with that."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 28, 2009 0:40:27 GMT -6
The more this man spoke, the more he fuelled the anger and frustration that had been welling up inside her since she watched Cassandra tear out of port. Exhausted, confused and upset … his words managed only to strike a nerve that wasn’t hit often and her demeanour changed to quickly became hostile.
“Listen to me you gutless bastard, I don’t know how much they pay you to be so coldhearted and ignorant – but I’m going to offer you some free advice. Whether you’re carrying a weapon or wearing a uniform doesn’t matter very much to me, you don’t have the authority to tell someone what they want to do. Secondly, what help do you intend to offer her? The same help you extended in the form of open gunfire? Because the tranqs are only there for show, right?”
She scoffed, shaking her head as though giving up on any hope they’d ever understand.
“Wow, $10,000? I suppose a man like you would have no trouble stooping to such a superficial mindset. Listen … take me to this General you mentioned. There’s no way in hell I’m trusting you with anything. Oh and by the way, it’s Magdalen. Thanks.”
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Post by Terran Military on Sept 28, 2009 0:53:35 GMT -6
It was only a lifetime of living with his mother and three sisters that kept the soldier from hitting Magdalen. He had no doubt his men would back him up and claim that she'd just fallen and hurt herself if she tried to lodge a complain, but deep in the soldier's mind, he could hear his mother telling him that only scum hit women. Even if they deserved it.
"Oh yeah, because the woman protecting a criminal gets to judge me and my men? Whatever lady. Since you clearly won't listen to reason, you can go ahead and talk to General Cain." He motioned for two men to stand on either side of her and escort her out of the forest. They'd march her into town and make sure Cain got his hands on the woman. And then she'd get what she deserved.
He waited until she was out of earshot and muttered to himself. "Fiking bitch."
"Sir-" One of the other soldiers said.
"Break's over! Get back to searching!" He barked at them and they got mobile. Fik. Maybe he'd get lucky and find some clue. The soldier got back to searching.
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