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Post by Tales93 on Dec 29, 2018 4:02:21 GMT
[Offer to drop a few of the smaller crimes]
He shouldn't get away with anything too severe, but if we drop some of the smaller crimes, he might be willing to be more cooperative. Also, I've been meaning to ask. How did Marshal know this guy was the one who took Elizabeth? If I'm not mistaken, he never actually saw the man before. I remember Filip and someone else helping Lecia deal with him when he first confronted the group, but I don't remember Marshal ever directly meeting him before.
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Post by Kal on Dec 29, 2018 4:52:32 GMT
[Offer to drop a few of the smaller crimes]
He shouldn't get away with anything too severe, but if we drop some of the smaller crimes, he might be willing to be more cooperative. Also, I've been meaning to ask. How did Marshal know this guy was the one who took Elizabeth? If I'm not mistaken, he never actually saw the man before. I remember Filip and someone else helping Lecia deal with him when he first confronted the group, but I don't remember Marshal ever directly meeting him before. Marshal hasn’t had any interactions with him, but Adam has been watching the Voyagers for a pretty long time in order to learn more about them. After getting Lecia alone, Filip told her that Marshal knew about him but didn't believe he was a threat and deciding that staying quiet on it would be better for the group. He also mentioned that the scouts knew that Adam changed his hair color nearly every time he’d been seen.
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Post by supersagig on Dec 30, 2018 23:33:00 GMT
[Offer to drop one of the larger crimes]
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Post by LiquidChicagoTed on Jan 1, 2019 20:43:19 GMT
[Offer to drop a few of the smaller crimes]
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Post by Kal on Jan 1, 2019 20:45:37 GMT
Voting is closed!
Zachary is going to offer to drop a few of the smaller crimes.
I can't say how this is going to turn out, but I can say that it's going to impact the rest of the chapter and the rest of the chapter is going to influence probably the rest of the first Act.
The part should be out later today!
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Post by Kal on Jan 4, 2019 2:53:40 GMT
7.9
Zachary took the file and left the interrogation room, going to the breakroom and grabbing a bottle of water. He stayed there, thinking over it until he went up to his office, taking a seat at his desk and dialing the phone.
He got an immediate response, Chelsea’s panicked voice greeting him. “Zachary, what happened? Are you alright? One of the officers said he was armed.”
“Yeah, I’m fine and everyone else is too, don’t worry about it.” He unintentionally let a sigh out while trying to think on what to say, but knew immediately that Chelsea would catch it.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I’m having a bit of a problem making a decision.” He looked over the file he had brought up with him. “He admitted to three counts of kidnapping and one count of aggravated assault. We already know he impersonated the doctor at the hospital, along with possession and distribution of illegal substances, then assault of an Onyx official along with resisting arrest, and finally, possession of an unauthorized weapon. My problem is that I still don’t know where Elizabeth is, I know he’s guilty but he has no reason to give up a location. He claimed that she was already gone, I can’t believe that.”
“And you’re considering dropping a charge or two to get him to give yeah a location?”
He looked over the file and the ten charges again. “I would be if I had any idea what to drop. I know I don’t want to let him off easy with the kidnapping or aggravated assault, but I can get by with the assault against an Onyx official since nobody really got hurt and it was more so his obvious ill intentions. It’s not my place decided if I should drop the distribution charge since you were the person he distributed them to.”
Chelsea hummed slightly, likely trying to come up with something. “I would drop the assault against an Onyx official, but that can easily be replaced with the destruction of private property if he doesn't go for it.” She paused. “Oh, yeah I forgot to mention that your phone is completely shattered. Was he wearing steel-toed shoes or something?”
“That or a hell of a lot of force. Either way, I’m glad it was the phone.” He heard Chelsea chuckle, a small wave of relief hitting him. “Did you and Whitlock make it home okay?”
“We finished up at the store but we eventually made it home. Gillian put him to sleep while I’m working on getting everything set up. Do you think you’re going to be here for the social worker’s visit tomorrow?”
He looked at the clock, seeing it was already approaching midnight. “Of course, but probably not the dentist. I put myself in a position once again that I can’t get myself out of work. Has Elias said anything to you?”
Chelsea didn’t answer but sounded very hesitant when she eventually spoke up. “Thanks for reminding me about that. Apparently, he’s been looking through your office and found some files relating to his family. He asked me if you were investigating his family got something wrong and I told him that I didn’t know because I don’t really keep up with what you do.”
“Do me a favor and lock the office.” Zachary sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I told him he could do literally whatever he wanted with the exception of going through the files in the desk.”
“You can never give a teenager enough freedom, I suppose.”
He nodded, taking a deep breath. “I gotta get back to my guy, but I’ll see you when I get home.”
“How are you going to get home when I have the car?”
“I didn’t really think about that… I can walk so you can finish what you’re doing over there.”
“Just call me when you’re ready to come home, I’ll pick you up.” She sighed, knowing he was going to question her about it. “After hearing what you did tonight, I don’t feel entirely comfortable with the idea of you walking home alone while it’s pitch black and completely frozen outside.”
He knew better than to argue with her because she was going to win either way and he currently needed to save time instead of wasting it. “Okay then, I’ll call you when I’m done here.”
“See? It wasn’t that hard to agree with me.” Zachary rolled his eyes as Chelsea laughed on the other end of the phone. “I’ll talk to you later.”
After hanging up the phone, he took a moment to decide if dropping anything was what he wanted to do, ultimately deciding on dropping the minor assault charge and the impersonation charge.
He grabbed the file and left the office, going back to the interrogation room and sitting back in his chair across from Adam. “Alright, I’m only going to offer you one chance to avoid getting chipped and not dropping anything.” He set the file out, pulling the reports of the assault charge and the impersonation charge. He pointed at the assault charge. “This is the biggest one that I can drop because you’re definitely due for the time you’ve earned. I can’t drop the assault charge on Yvette Williams because you explained to me that you were fully aware of what you had done and showed absolutely no remorse for it while you talked to me about it.” He then stopped pointing at the paper. “I’ll drop those two charges if you give me the location of where you kept Elizabeth, Yvette, and Gregory. Refuse the offer and you get chipped longer enough for me to get the information, both of those charges stay and two more get added on.”
“What more could you possibly add on that makes a difference? I’m already going away for a long time and you only want to make it longer so stop acting like you’re trying to help me.”
“That’s not at all what I want, but to answer your question I can add destruction of personal property and obstruction of justice. The latter will automatically put you away for life, no matter what.” Adam stayed silent, looking as if he was on the verge of tears. “Adam, I want to drop my charges against you and I did ask Chelsea if she would consider dropping hers as well, but what you did to her was worse than what you did to me. Her decision to keep the charge against you doesn’t change mine but you need to give me a reason to drop my charge and not add another one.”
Adam leaned back in his seat, going as far as the handcuffs would allow him. “What reason do you have to care for anyone? Why Elizabeth? Yvette? Gregory? Chelsea?” He refuses to look at Zachary. “You’re one of the only two people who can press charges for people and that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“Because they’re the victims of the crimes you committed. Elizabeth’s husband gave himself and his son up just so he could get her back, Gregory’s mother has probably spent every single night lying awake in bed because she can’t mentally cope with her son being missing for the second time. There are people who suffer other than the direct victims and if your intention was to hurt the Voyagers, congratulations, you did it but in the worst way possible since you’re going to jail no matter what you say.”
“That’s exactly it, I go to jail no matter what so why give away all I know for just two years less than two life sentences?”
The question stunned Zachary a bit, mainly because he didn’t understand how even two years wasn’t good enough. “I want to help you, I really do. I can see that there’s something wrong with you because something’s not clicking with you and I want to help. You might be able to make a plea to get even less time but if you sit here and do nothing but deny what you’ve already confirmed to me, you’re gaining time.” He stood up, closing the file while leaving the two reports in plain view. “I’m going to go get a map so you can mark down the location and make a call, I want you to think on it until I get back, you have ten minutes once I get back before I add the two charges and chip you.”
He did exactly what he said he was going to do, leaving Adam alone for about twenty minutes to get a map and call Chelsea to let her know he was ready. He was stopped by one of the officers who had gone to the gas station with him for a brief talk about what would happen when Adam gave up the location.
Going back into the room, he laid the map out before uncuffing Adam and giving him a marker. “Ten minutes is all you’ve got.”
Adam looked him over, very obviously trying to see if he was armed before putting the marker to the paper. “The Voyagers are here.” He drew a line to the line of the woods farthest from the Voyagers. “That’s where I stayed and where they last were.”
He then looked to Zachary, waiting for him to say something. “I’ll drop the charges once I’ve checked out the location you gave me and it all adds up.” He folded up the map, putting it in the file and grabbing the two reports he’d left out before handcuffing Adam again and taking the marker. “Tell me something. What was the list you were talking about?”
“Marshal Kennedy, Milo Neil, Alyssa Kowalska, Ethan Rikard were my intended targets. Marshal Kennedy gave himself up to the wrong people and Milo Neil lost all of his nerve to where he won’t even walk out the gates.”
Zachary paused, thinking about the correlation before something hit him. “Wait, you don’t have Marshal?”
Adam shook his head and shrugged. “No, your officers got him before I could. I’m done with questions now.”
He moved Adam into an isolation room, locking him up for the night with a key he borrowed from the officer.
Chelsea got to headquarters a bit later and came to the fourth floor to look for him. “You ready or not?”
He considered looking through the isolation rooms but knew he was going to get in trouble for it and that there likely wasn’t much truth to what Adam said so he’d wait until he checked out the location he got. He got up and left headquarters, waiting until they got in the car before saying anything. “I got a location.”
She stopped messing with her seatbelt, looking at him with a look of surprise in her eyes. “Did you really?” Once he nodded, a wide smile came across her face. “I thought you called so soon the second time because you gave up for the night.”
They finished setting up the house for the social worker’s visit once they got home and went to bed when they finished.
The next morning, Elias woke them up about an hour and a half before the social worker was expected, saying that Isaac was at the house. They both got up and dressed as quick as they could since they knew Isaac didn’t like to wait, even if his presence was a complete surprise.
Zachary got Whitlock up and changed, then took him downstairs to eat. Isaac followed him into the kitchen, looking over the new things Chelsea had bought. “I figured you’d use your position as a pass for the social worker, in all honesty.”
He put some scrambled eggs and cut up fruit on the tray of the high chair as well as a sippy cup with water in it, letting Whitlock pick what he wanted out of what he was offered. He didn’t completely process what Isaac had said until he finished what he was doing with Whitlock. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure if you’re aware of it, but you have a thing that you do where you flake out on something and say it’s because you were way too busy. People can’t really question it because they’re not able to ask about Onyx stuff, so they just have to take your word for it.” Isaac crossed his arms. “That aside, you did well on the interrogation last night.”
“I assume you looked over the camera when you got to work, but thanks.”
Isaac nodded. “It was a bold move making the promises you did to him and I was half certain you were going to screw something up along the way, but you surprised me by following the rules and pulling through.” He paused, a look of deliberation on his face. “Personally, I believe you were too emotional for the job when you first started. You proved that much to me when Georgie was around and I didn’t quite understand why. Next time Chelsea’s in trouble, I expect to hear from someone about it when the issue presents itself, not when everyone has conspired on how to fix it behind my back.”
“Did you really not know anything about Georgie?”
“Not a thing. I still don’t know the specifics of it, but after seeing how hard you, Chelsea, Marshal, even Luke Lowell were pushing me to stop it, I figured one of you had to have your heads on straight and based on who all were involved, it wasn’t a conspiracy because there’s no way Luke and Marshal would just agree with each other.” Isaac uncrossed his arms and took a seat at the table, waiting until Zachary sat down as well before saying anything. “Your father was pretty bad at his job, he was really only good for capturing Voyagers. He would never interrogate them, he was never willing to do what he needed to in order to protect his title and was overall a major disappointment to work with.”
Zachary waited for him to go on but quickly realized that that was all he had to say. “You just reminded me of something. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about a group of officers detaining Marshal, would you?”
He shook his head. “If you’re really believing that Adam man, I’d recommend checking the location he gave you before coming to any conclusions. Marshal Kennedy left the hospital and that’s all that happened. He probably went back to the Voyagers if Adam didn’t have him.”
“That’s just not like him. He wouldn’t leave Whitlock at all and I can’t help but be a little thrown off by all this therapist, pediatrician, social worker, and dentist stuff. You’re actively setting us up to be his long-term guardians and that’s fine, but if there’s something you know about Marshal’s whereabouts that you’re not telling us, you should probably do it.”
They dropped the conversation as soon as Chelsea came downstairs, which didn’t ease Zachary’s suspicions. ‘Of course he wouldn’t tell Chelsea about it, she’s genetically bonded to Marshal’s wife and a pretty likely candidate to do what she needs to survive. But that’s when he normally just chips people.’ He paused quickly coming to the conclusion. ‘Chipping Chelsea is against our agreement but I never said anything about any Voyagers that came into the city.’
The social worker arrived just as Zachary was going to talk with Elias about going through the office, completely stopping even the idea of the conversation.
She introduced herself an gave a notice that Isaac had also not given them beforehand. “I’m going to be working as the social worker for both Whitlock and Carmella since they both fit the criteria for requiring a social worker.” She went into the kitchen, seeing Whitlock still eating in the high chair. “Has his eating improved from what you told the therapist and pediatrician yesterday?”
Zachary nodded. “I’ve let him sit there and eat what he wants since he got up, which was about an hour ago.”
“Has his diaper been changed between getting up and eating?”
“That was the first thing we did.”
She looked over what he had on the tray. “Has he been using the sippy cup on his own?”
“We’re working with him on that.” Chelsea joined the conversation. “We’ve got an entire list of things we need to work with him on and we both know how we’re going to help him, we just need time since nothing’s going to change overnight.”
The social worker simply nodded before sending herself upstairs and looking through the rooms. She eventually tried to open the office door, which was still locked. “Could someone unlock this?”
“There’s nothing in there for Whitlock or Carmella.” Chelsea folded her hands in front of her. “That’s Zachary’s office for whenever he works from home and he prefers to be left alone while he’s in there so I didn’t put anything in there.”
She then left the door, going back downstairs to Isaac. “I don’t see anything wrong with what they have here. Whitlock seems to be pretty well provided for and Carmella looks as happy as she can be. I’ll still check in every month, but I think they’re fine for now.”
Noelle Marseille
Nicolas expected daily updates on her progress, some days she came back with nothing but sometimes she came back with good news. She had only come back with bad news one day and the news was something that would completely dismantle the Voyagers.
She had told Nicolas everything there was to say and he had gotten his group and the Voyagers in one place to share the news.
“Onyx knows where the Voyagers are based and they know where Elizabeth is.” Pierre held his hand out, stopping anyone else from speaking. “Noelle has also managed to locate quite a number of your people through Onyx’s systems.”
The Voyagers looked to her, waiting for her to explain herself. “Uh… yeah, I have. Elizabeth and Gregory are together in a bunker of some sort but everything else is odd. Samantha and Filip were last seen in Onyx headquarters while Monty and Vincent were taken to Quarantine. Marshal was also in headquarters before he just stopped showing up on the cameras. I haven’t gotten a location on Yvette, but the condition of the place Elizabeth and Gregory are in leads me to believe that she was there at a time just not the time I looked there.”
Pierre crossed his arms, his vision focused on Francine. “That’s a problem for you because with Onyx acting later this afternoon, we can’t beat them to the location and that leaves Gregory either in Onyx custody or alone in the bunker. Because of Marshal’s deal with Isaac Hampton, we can’t act before they do and basically banish Elizabeth.”
“Are you suggesting we just sit around and wait?” Alyssa spoke up from her seat, looking at her hands until she looked at Pierre, a rather conflicted look on her face. “I respect you and appreciate what you’re doing for our group, but I can’t agree with that. It’s not fair to Elizabeth, Leah, Milo, Gregory, and Francine. While they’re certainly a minority of the group, this isn’t something that’s going to impact them lightly.”
He seemed to take what she said into consideration, thinking of a response before Francine beat him to it. “I can go to the location so that whatever happens with them, I’m with Gregory.” She paused, looking at Leah with a sad look in her eyes. “I don’t know what to say about Elizabeth, though. Marshal made a deal with her fate and while I don’t agree with it but understand he had good intentions, Isaac Hampton doesn’t have those same intentions.”
“It sounds to me like you’re wanting to go before Onyx.” Carlos crossed his arms, studying Francine.
She shook her head, taking a moment to think. “I do think that would be a good idea but what’s going to happen to Marshal if he can’t deliver on his word to Isaac?”
“Is one life worth an entire group? Especially a life that turned against that group when they most needed him.” Gus chimed in, a series of mixed reactions following what he had said.
“Marshal was put in a position of leading the group and leaving his son without a mother or keeping his family together and leaving the group with a solid plan of action.” Milo quickly snapped back at him. “It may seem like he’s being a coward and backing out because things seemed bad once we lost Elizabeth but our family is the only thing that stays with us if we fail, easily making it the most important thing.”
Gus simply nodded, turning away from Milo. “Yet another thing you and I don’t agree on.” He then snickered. “I don’t think you can surprise me anymore.”
“Isn’t it your sister that he’s married to? Part of his deal is splitting up your own family but you’re not bothered by that?” Carlos uncrossed his arms, now focusing on Milo.
“No, I’m not.” He shrugged, seeing the look he got from his mother. “Elizabeth has her own family now, I shouldn’t be holding her back just because she’s my sister. That’s not to mention that I also have my own family and can already say that I’d put the twins before anything else.”
“That’s pretty easy to say when you don’t think you’ll have to live up to your words but those twins aren’t biologically yours so they’re not entirely your family, isn’t that right?” Noelle couldn’t pin down what Gus was trying to do by instigating something with Milo but nobody stepped in.
She could see a brief look of shock on Milo’s face before he shook his head and stayed quiet, the twins sitting on each side of him looking a little upset by the comment.
“I’d argue that family can be more than just a biological connection.” Noelle spoke out into the silent room. “A family is a bond between people, regardless of their blood relation to each other.”
“Thank you, Noelle.” Grady jumped into the conversation, likely to instigate Gus to direct a comment at him rather than at her.
Alyssa looked like something was on her mind, stopping Gus before he did retort. “We’re way off topic and that’s normally not a bad thing, but we’re not in the best place and we need to work out a plan of action.”
“The plan Onyx is acting on is Isaac Hampton’s but Zachary Bennington will be going with the group this afternoon. I don’t believe Gregory is in any trouble because they’re only going there for Elizabeth so I wouldn’t recommend sending Francine to the place.” Noelle frowned, knowing the Voyagers weren’t going to like her say on it. “Instead, I think once Onyx comes here then everyone who is a known associate of the Voyagers needs to surrender. Everyone here will continue to act and eventually recover those who’ve been surrendered but if the Voyagers don’t give up then Onyx will break down every single door here and take everybody here, regardless of their faction.”
Leah was going to say something until Alyssa cleared her throat. “I hate the idea but it’s one we have to work with.” She sighed, a frown forming on her face. “I completely trust Pierre and his group to help us and in the long shot, all of us being in the city gives us an easier chance. None of our talents are going to change and if we all play by the rules, we’ll all meet up again. Every Voyager is expected to be in the courtyard at Noelle’s warning.” She looked at Leona’s group of people, a pleading look of sadness is Jade’s eyes. “Leona and Pierre’s people need to stay hidden. No shots should be fired by any groups unless there’s an immediate threat to life.” She paused, her eyes meeting Morgan. “Morgan, Kimber, and Jude need to get away from here. Grady, have you had an encounter with any Onyx official other than Zachary?”
“No, not many of our part of the group has.”
She nodded. “You need to take them somewhere out of the area. Find a way to keep in connection with Noelle and don’t return until she gives you an all clear.”
“What if something happens that prevents communication?”
“Then you don’t come back at all.” Alyssa got up from her seat, preparing to address the entire group. “Every Voyager we have is known, I’ve got no idea about Leona’s group and while I have the feeling that the people who came from Rocco’s group are relatively unknown, I can’t be certain because they’ve been with us through the past two attacks from Onyx.”
“Why are you sending the kids away?” Lecia held onto Morgan, her question directed at Alyssa but her eyes focused on Milo, likely hoping that he would speak against the idea of sending the kids away.
“They’ve still got lives to live and if this is really it for the Voyagers then they shouldn’t be dragged down with the group.” Kyle answered the question, looking at the table with a sad look in his eyes. “They’re not going to let most of us live if they believe without a doubt that they’ve got the whole group. Some of you will be chipped and let go, some of you will be chipped and kept either in headquarters or quarantine, but a majority of us aren’t going to live. It’s smarter to send the kids away instead of issuing them a life sentence at the ages of nine and seven.”
Lecia looked at Cecilia, letting go of Morgan. “Cecilia, can you take the kids out of here?” She nodded, getting out of her seat and taking the three kids out of the dining hall.
“What was that for?” Jean Luc whispered to Noelle, unaware that Lecia picked up on what he had said.
“Leah and Kyle, you two know your kids so if Whitlock were in this situation, would Marshal and Elizabeth just let him go?” Lecia then looked back at Milo. “Milo, you’re the only parental figure those twins have and you know what they’ve been through, you can’t even try to tell me that you’re entirely comfortable just letting them go.”
“Marshal and Elizabeth would do what feels right to them, even if it’s wrong.” Leah put her hands in her lap. “I can say that you’re upset with a good reason and I’d be pretty upset if it were me with Milo and Elizabeth but my kids have a tendency to reconnect with what’s important to them. If there’s no clear way, they find a way. If there are obstacles, they were raised to overcome those obstacles. I don’t like the idea at all but I know Milo and Elizabeth well enough to know that they’re going to be just fine wherever Onyx sends them. I would have thought differently if they were Morgan’s age because you never really know who your child is going to turn out to be. I would want them to leave.”
Milo nodded along. “You’re right about me knowing what the twins have been through and knowing what I do, I can’t let them be sent back to Quarantine with a clear conscience. They’ve never had a life outside of Quarantine and if I can provide them with some sort of a stable life by sending them away, that’s what I’ll do and I’ll do it without hesitation.”
Kyle didn’t answer the question, instead focusing on a different topic. “Grady can’t take the kids. He and Horatio were part of Marshal’s group when he confronted Luke. That confrontation resulted in a number of our people being publicly identified and because of it Milo, Joseph, Ethan, Horatio, Grady, and Cyrus have to give themselves up. Leona would have to as well if she were here and it may be a good thing that she’s not.”
Pierre looked over his people before stopping on Jean Luc. “Jean Luc, you’ve been getting along well with the oldest child and I’m sure you’ll have no problem keeping in contact with your cousin, you’ll take them.”
Francine stayed silent through most of the conversation. “That leaves me as the only one here.” Alyssa nodded. “I’m going with the group. If they do end up taking Greg, I’m going to be there for him with no exception.”
“Ada, you’ve got the choice of sending Joy with Jean Luc or bringing her back to the city.” Alyssa folded her hands, looking at the young mother with her baby in arms.
“I’ll take her back with me.”
The room stayed silent, Alyssa briefly looking at Milo. “Then our plan is settled. Everyone from the Voyagers, Quarantine, and Rocco’s group will be in the courtyard at Noelle’s warning later this afternoon. The kids will leave immediately.” She started going for the door, Milo and Pierre following after her.
Conrad
This was it. The day the Earth had told him to be afraid of.
‘The Voyagers will one day give up. Praying and hoping for them isn’t enough strength and they won’t be able to keep on. It is inevitable, but chance shows they can overcome it with absolute accuracy.’
Conrad kneeled in front a hole he had dug, his eyes closed with a handful of dirt just an inch away from his face. “How can I help them?”
There was absolute silence. The Earth spoke to him in a whisper. ‘Find the other group, isolated from the main group but willing to help.’
He put the dirt back in the hole, patting it before getting off the ground and walking down his driveway. “Isolated from the main group.”
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Post by Kal on Jan 14, 2019 1:17:22 GMT
7.10
Pierre had made it a point to work under the table, knowing he’d have to use Marie for most of what he wanted to do since Alyssa was usually pretty quick to call him out on something he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
Noelle had known about Onyx’s plan for an ambush since the day they arrived, but Pierre had made her stay quiet about it because they still didn’t know where the missing Voyagers were and there was no foolproof plan that could take place in such a short amount of time.
That was what he thought, anyway.
He finally picked up an idea after overhearing a conversation between Leah and Milo in the dining hall one day. He had missed the first part of the conversation but walked in just in time to hear Leah admit with her son that she was pretty upset with him because he showed absolutely no interest in having children of his own, saying it was unfair to Alyssa because he wasn’t being completely honest with her.
It likely wasn’t the first time they’d had that conversation, judging by how quickly it upset Milo. “That’s not it, I just don’t feel comfortable bringing a child into a life where the next day could be our last. It may not be fair to Alyssa but it’s cruel to do that to anyone, let alone a kid.”
“It seems like Elizabeth got all the confidence.” Pierre commented, easing his way into the conversation just to get the feel of it.
Milo rolled his eyes, looking like he wanted to say something but holding onto it for a moment. “I wouldn’t say Elizabeth does what she does in confidence.”
“It also seems that Elizabeth is the only kid of yours that can and will speak her mind.” Pierre looked at Leah, seeing a smirk on her face.
“Elizabeth has always been the golden child and my mom will agree with every single nice thing you say about her. That doesn’t change the fact that she only actually knew her for a total of four years.”
That was all Pierre needed to hear and it helped him understand why Leah was pushing him on the topic of having a child earlier.
He’d always known Milo was stubborn and he normally wouldn’t push him, but he realized that by pushing the idea that he thought Elizabeth was the better sibling, Milo reacted by getting defensive but ultimately showing Pierre that he could speak his mind with confidence.
“One thing Elizabeth will always have you beat on is a family.” Pierre leaned on the table, a smirk fixed on his face. “You may be the parental figure of two kids but she’s already happily married with a child of her own and has a good relationship with Kyle, as far as I’m aware.”
Pierre already knew Milo and Elizabeth were both pretty family oriented and by challenging his idea of a family rather than his willingness to have a child, he’d likely achieve what Leah was trying to.
It wasn’t long into their conversation that Alyssa and the twins had come back from the garden with Lecia, Morgan, and Jean Luc. Milo took that as an opportunity to end the conversation, Pierre briefly hearing Alyssa ask him if he was okay and saying he was acting weird before they left.
He was already in Milo’s head and likely wouldn’t need to push much more to get what he wanted, but he knew he was eventually going to have to figure out exactly why Leah was trying to push for it.
Marie Duval
Nicolas had told her about his plan that night and told her to talk to Leah Neil and find out why she was so adamant on Milo having a child.
The next afternoon, she found Leah alone in the garden with a book, taking the chance to talk to her about it. “Your friend has decorated the garden quite nicely.” Leah shut her book, immediately starting a conversation with Marie. “Milo says Samantha would be livid, I say it’s a good thing she’s not here to get mad.”
Marie took a seat next to her on the bench, trying to decide how she would handle the topic. She figured Leah would catch on to her attempts at subtlety and close her off, meaning she would just have to be direct with her. “Yesterday Nicolas walked into a conversation with you and Milo about Milo not having a child of his own, he told me you were quite determined to convince Milo. Why were you?”
“I guess there’s no such thing as a stranger after all.” Leah chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m only going to tell you because Pierre got through to him and I feel like you’re going to find out either way. Milo and Elizabeth were both genetically engineered because my husband and I couldn’t get pregnant. We went out of our way to make sure that the same thing wouldn’t happen to our kids and it obviously worked for Elizabeth, but she was engineered with a lot of care because of her connection with Isaac Hampton’s daughter.”
“I’m a little confused as to why this relates.”
“Infertility causes can be genetic and I’ve been noticing that Milo is completely different from who he was supposed to be, leading me to fear that he’s going to have the same problems that we did. Those problems are only going to get worse if he waits any longer.”
Marie stayed silent, thinking on something for a moment. “What is the likelihood that Milo isn’t the same child you and your husband had engineered?” She saw the look of confusion on Leah’s face. “I mean what are the chances you lost that baby and just happened to get pregnant naturally with Milo?”
Leah looked as if she was immediately going to dispute the theory but instead took a few moments to think over it. “It’s not impossible, just really unlikely.”
“I would agree with that but I have always heard that it is easier to get pregnant when you are not focusing on it. It is a safe assumption that getting pregnant would not be your first concern if you already believed you were pregnant, right?”
Marie could tell that she had sparked a completely different line of thought in Leah as she got up, grabbing her book. “I’ve got something else to handle.”
Leah hurried off, leaving Marie alone for a brief moment.
Marie got up to leave herself, the sight of someone coming from the other end of the garden stopping her in her tracks. She stayed out until the frail blonde woman joined her, the dog trotting behind her.
Eris had a smile on her face as she stopped next to Marie. “You missed the mark with Leah, but your theory is a pretty solid one.”
“What do you mean?”
“Leah wants Milo to have a child because she’s afraid she’s never going to see Elizabeth and Whitlock again, the only person she has left in that case is Milo.” She paused, the dog sitting at her feet. “According to Onyx records, Leah and David’s first child was engineered in January of 2159 and supposed to be implanted immediately, Milo was born ten months later and records said he was born at 35 weeks, making him premature.”
Marie froze, a bit surprised that her conversation topic turned out to be true. “How do you know all this?”
“I didn’t, Elizabeth did about ten years ago.” Eris crossed her arms. “The geneticist knows about it and tested his blood just to be sure he was David’s, which they apparently did without permission.” She looked down to see the dog going into the courtyard. “Riley says it’s time to get moving but just to finish, he is David’s kid but it’s completely coincidental that his physical traits are what Leah and David wanted for the child they had engineered.”
Eris left Marie alone. She was still a bit stunned over what all Leah and Eris had both told her. ‘I didn’t need to know any of that but I think I should be glad they trust me with their gossip.’
Noelle Marseille
As soon as Nicolas’s group caught wind of what his plan was, Isabel was quick to say that it seemed like too much for something they could fix themselves with just a little extra time.
He later called a meeting with just his people because Isabel disagreed with it and she had a tendency to be a bit unpredictable.
“Onyx is going to come for these people and I personally have no idea if we’re safe or not. Isaac Hampton rarely lets people associated with the Voyagers go and it’s u likely he’d pass up the opportunity to try and reinstate Aquamarine. Zachary Bennington is far more forgiving towards the Voyagers but there’s not much that he can do against Isaac beside filling an official dispute that can take years to solve.”
“How does that have anything to do with trying to get Alyssa pregnant?” Isabel crosses her arms, staring Nicolas down.
He opened his mouth to answer but stayed silent for a moment. “It sounds bad when you say it like that.” Isabel nodded, waiting for him to go on. “From the time I’ve been spending with Alyssa, I’ve learned that she’s too smart for her own good. Milo told me a bit of how the chip impacted her mind’s consciousness and I’ve determined that she was still pretty conscious through her time with Onyx, she just never stepped out of line unless something new and interesting provoked her to do so. Her memories are likely going to be altered to remove every trace of the Voyagers, but I want you all to really consider this- if she were to end up pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to live with not knowing who the father is. Milo’s blood, as well as Leah, David, and Elizabeth’s blood are already in Onyx records.”
“If Elizabeth is already in the records, her son probably is as well.” Marie looked to Noelle for confirmation.
“Elizabeth, Marshal, and Whitlock are all in Onyx records. If Alyssa were to have a child with Milo and test the child’s blood like Nicolas is hoping for, she’ll be informed that Milo is the father along with his ties to the Voyagers and if she doesn’t believe that. She’ll also find that her child is connected to the entire Neil family and the Kennedy family, both of those families being extremely active within the Voyagers.”
Nicolas nodded, looking excited that someone picked up on his exact thought process. “Zachary’s involvement with the Voyagers is something she’ll likely learn in her first few days and if she remembers it, she’ll find it safer for her and her child to ask Zachary about her own involvement with the Voyagers.”
“But from that point, you’re just hoping that an Onyx owner to just not lie about who exactly Milo is and how she got connected with him when she was led to believe that she would never turn her back on Onyx.” It wasn’t a surprise that Gus saw the situation through Isabel’s eyes, but it was a bit of a surprise that he spoke against the idea. “Once she’s in the city, there’s nothing any of us can do without getting ourselves caught.”
“Zachary and his wife have both been among the Voyagers and are pretty sympathetic towards their cause. He’s also under the impression that he owes something to the Voyagers.” Isabel seemed to take easier to the idea after hearing that part, uncrossing her arms. “Having her figure out her allegiance in the city is easier than risking any of our people and it’ll give her and Milo a reason to continue their resistance despite being in custody. It matters a lot to Leah and it’ll eventually get to Milo.”
Zachary Bennington
After the social worker left, Isaac informed him that he’d be going with the scouting group to the location Adam gave.
He had to go to headquarters first, which is where he learned that Isaac had rehired Luke without mentioning a word to him.
Luke caught on to Zachary’s off nature and was quick to call him out on it. “I don’t intend to lose my job because of you for a second time and if that’s going to be an issue for you, you’d better take it up with Isaac before we leave.”
“You didn't lose your job because of me, you lost your job because of your bad decisions. I simply agreed that you weren’t an ideal employee at the time and we couldn’t have your mistakes reflecting badly on the entire organization.” Zachary paused, knowing that he’d be better off being kinder to Luke. “But I’m interested in seeing how your performance has changed since your termination.”
Luke and Zachary had taken Adam to the location he gave in a separate vehicle, the three buses that were going to be used for the Voyagers following behind them.
They were the only three who went into the bunker, Adam going out of his way to prove that everyone he had was gone.
Luke stayed watch at the door, Zachary going through the bunker with Adam.
He was afraid, his body language said that much. The way he constantly tapped his fingers together, the way he kept looking behind him. He was hiding something, Zachary just didn’t know what.
Adam eventually led him to a room that looked completely plain. More than plain, it was spotless and that alone made Zachary a bit suspicious.
He watched over Adam to see how he reacted to Zachary being in certain places before he stopped in front of a door. He turned to see Adam restraining himself with a panicked look in his eyes and his breathing sped up.
Opening the door, a light turned on to reveal a second door that had been covered with posters.
Zachary moved out of the doorway, pushing Adam into it. “Open it. You’re probably the only one who’s supposed to open it and if something’s waiting for you on the other side then I would appreciate not learning the hard way.”
Adam shuffled towards the other wall, pushing on the door until it popped open with a click. “I haven’t been in here since they left.”
“Why’s that?” Once Adam made it into the room without anything happening, Zachary followed him in and looked around. The immediate area was completely torn up, furniture was scattered and most breakable objects were broken on the concrete floor. The smell of the room was nauseating, but Zachary couldn’t place exactly what it was.
“I always thought that even if one of them stayed, they would kill me.” He started tapping his fingertips together. “They all hated me and as fucked up as the women in that group come, I had right to be scared. The kid- the kid, though. He wanted to kill me as soon as he could..” He stared down Zachary, moving his hands to try and calm himself down. “I could see it in his eyes, it was the same way you look at me.”
Adam started backing away, eyeing Zachary’s gun. “If I were going to use it on you, I would have done it while your back was to me.”
Zachary noticed something on the other side of the room, it was something metal and gleaming. As he made his way to the object, he heard a sudden shift in his own footsteps on the floor.
He took a step forward, noting that it did sound like he was walking on concrete. He then turned around and started walking back towards Adam, stopping once he heard something other than concrete.
“You’ve got one chance to be completely honest with me and I feel the need to remind you that there will be consequences if you lie- What am I standing on right now?” Zachary locked eyes with Adam, seeing his panic continue. Regardless, Adam stayed silent and turned away, crossing his arms. “Or not, I guess.”
Zachary kneeled, feeling the ground below him. It felt and looked like concrete but also felt as if it was worn down by something.
He only looked up from the ground when he heard a snicker, looking up to see Luke standing next to Adam. “What the fuck are you doing, man?”
“There’s something under me and-“
“Yeah, the ground.” Luke crossed his arms, watching Zachary. “We’ve got somewhere to be, just hurry up.”
“Why don’t you bitch to Adam? I’m sure he’ll listen.” Zachary sighed, looking back at the ground.
“No, I won’t listen, it’ll just get me put away for something else.”
Zachary felt along the space he was kneeling on, eventually running his fingers along an expansion joint in the concrete. He traced it, needing to turn around to find the center of it.
He backed up, pulling the slab up before turning to Luke. “Look at that, there was something there.”
Luke put his hand on his gun as he passed Adam, going next to Zachary to look down the hatch he had just opened up. “Interesting.” He then looked at Zachary, shrugging. “Orders are orders, though.”
“What orders are you talking about?” Adam saw a sudden shift between the two men, Zachary getting off the ground and slightly backing away from Luke. “Your only orders were to make sure Adam didn’t bolt.”
Luke looked away, nodding slightly. “I got a different set of orders from Isaac.” He then pulled out his gun, aiming it straight at Zachary’s chest.
Adam saw Zachary’s face go pale as he realized what was going on and raised his own gun to aim at Adam. He looked at Adam before sighing and tossing his gun down the hatch. He then looked to Luke, seeming to accept his fate. “At least tell me why this is happening.”
“Elias told his parents that you’re investigating them for an undisclosed reason and they’re rightfully pissed off. The other investors heard about it and are threatening to withdraw their investments if you don’t get your act together. Isaac doesn’t believe that’s possible and went as far as to say that you’d find a way to drag Chelsea and Onyx down with you, which we can’t let happen.” Luke briefly shrugged. “It’s nothing personal, just work stuff, I’m sure you understand.”
Adam saw Zachary’s eyes go wide as he tried to reason with Luke during the few seconds he had left. “Wait! I can explain the investigations and Isaac needs to hear about them. He’s in danger and I was trying to figure out who was causing the threat.”
“Isaac has been in power for twenty-eight years and if there were a threat against him, it would be known.” Luke seemed to be losing his patience. “That, and it’s way too convenient that there’s a threat against him when your life is in danger and you’re also the one who spent at least ten years with the Voyagers, a group of criminals and pathological liars.”
One thing Adam had heard from the Voyagers is that when Onyx officials had reached a decision, it wasn’t going to change. The officials were ruthless, but he’d never figured they’d throw one of their own into the ditch.
Zachary took a deep breath and started messing with his wedding ring, a chuckle escaping him before he put his hands on his hips and looked down at his feet. “Get on with it, you don’t have time to fuck around today and I respect that.”
Adam saw a mix of emotions on Luke’s face before he pulled the trigger and turned on his heel, grabbing Adam’s arm and pulling him along as he left the room.
Elizabeth Kennedy
Gregory had told her what he was hearing from above the hatch.
It was clear that he was scared so she tried to calm him down, starting with getting him away from the hatch.
She moved to put herself between him and the hatch, easing him away until the hatch opened, stopping them both in place.
“Look at that, there was something there.” A sour look crossed Elizabeth’s face as she immediately placed the voice to the one person who deserted the group just for his own benefit.
“Interesting. Orders are orders, though.” Elizabeth started pushing Gregory farther away from the hatch once she place both voices, knowing that they were in danger with both Zachary and Luke around.
The man had been gone for days, which was the only reason they were anywhere near the hatch. They had been waiting for Leona to return but feared the worst after waiting for so long.
They only stayed out of confusion, they didn’t know if there was a group to go back to or if Marshal’s leave had put the group in a bad situation.
When the gun dropped down the hatch, Elizabeth snuck over to the opening, grabbing the gun and backing away from the hatch as soon as she grabbed it.
She listened to the altercation for a bit longer until a gunshot popped off and Gregory ran to her side. She wasn’t going to do anything until she heard someone moving around above the hatch.
They walked to the hatch’s entry, looking above to see if they could spot anyone before climbing up.
Elizabeth went up first, a simple “Come on.” to tell Gregory that it was clear. She looked around the room, seeing a streak of blood on the floor the went out of the room.
Gregory climbed up and stuck to her side, keeping an eye out himself. They left the room, going into the hallway.
They each looked their own direction before Gregory gasped and pointed, tugging on Elizabeth’s hand. “Zachary’s over there!” The boy took off like a bullet down the hall, stopping once he reached him. He then called out to Elizabeth, a sad look on his face. “He’s hurt, really hurt.”
She joined him, the bullet wound on Zachary’s stomach being the first thing that caught her eye. “It’s in the same place Milo was shot, it can be fixed if we act quick.” She kneeled next to him on the ground as Gregory got up and ran back into the other room, likely to go back into the hatch for the first aid kit.
“Don’t waste your time.” Zachary took a deep breath once Gregory left the area. “Your group is in trouble, you have to go back.”
“I can do that after I help you.” Elizabeth frowned. “You’re a complete bastard for what you did but that doesn’t mean you need to die.”
“Go show that kindness to the people that need to be won over, not me. I’m sure you heard Luke, I earned this.”
“What’ll happen to the group if I go?”
He shrugged slightly. “You’ll all go to the city and probably be put through the reformation process. I wouldn’t bet on you being able to stay with your family, though.”
“Then there’s no point in me going.”
“You’ll be putting your group through hell until Isaac finds either you or your body.”
Elizabeth looked back to see Gregory coming with the first aid kit, then turned back to focus on Zachary. “It’s a good thing we’re durable people, isn’t it?”
He stopped talking once Gregory arrived, but clearly expected Elizabeth to listen to him and go back to the group.
She looked at Gregory, seeing he was eager to help in whatever way he could. She then looked at Zachary, unable to read his face.
If the problem was with Isaac, he wouldn’t be able to return the city which meant he would have to return to the Voyagers, most of the group not being too keen on having him around after he left.
The idea of vanishing him didn’t sit well with her because it went against the group beliefs and their own statements. Marshal could leave multiple times and return with no problem, but Zachary had a reason to lie about who he was.
“Elizabeth?” Gregory was staring at her, waiting for her to make the first move.
[Stay and help Zachary| [Leave and find the group]
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Post by Tales93 on Jan 15, 2019 1:47:20 GMT
[Stay and help Zachary]
Well, this is a no brainer for me. Zachary is an important asset for the Voyager's, and any conflicting feelings about remaining loyal to Onyx should be gone after Issac's betrayal. Plus, I like his character and don't want him to go out like this. Also, if Chelsea learns about how her father tried to have her husband killed; she will definitely fully switch sides. I'm also curious to see how she reacts when she learns Luke pulled the trigger, since I think they had a history together. I knew Zachary was in danger when it was discovered that he was looking into the Dumont's, but I'm surprised something happened so soon. Could this have been prevented if we decided to focus on Elias's training instead of baby Whitlock, or was Isaac planning to do this all along? With him gone he would have complete control of Onyx. (even though he pretty much already does) He could just lie to Chelsea about what happened.
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Post by Kal on Jan 15, 2019 2:11:46 GMT
[Stay and help Zachary]Well, this is a no brainer for me. Zachary is an important asset for the Voyager's, and any conflicting feelings about remaining loyal to Onyx should be gone after Issac's betrayal. Plus, I like his character and don't want him to go out like this. Also, if Chelsea learns about how her father tried to have her husband killed; she will definitely fully switch sides. I'm also curious to see how she reacts when she learns Luke pulled the trigger, since I think they had a history together. I knew Zachary was in danger when it was discovered that he was looking into the Dumont's, but I'm surprised something happened so soon. Could this have been prevented if we decided to focus on Elias's training instead of baby Whitlock, or was Isaac planning to do this all along? With him gone he would have complete control of Onyx. (even though he pretty much already does) He could just lie to Chelsea about what happened. Chelsea and Luke do have a lot of history, going all the way back to their childhood, and it's safe to say it's going to be a little conflicting for her if she finds out what happened. Unfortunately, that could be a while depending on choices, mainly this specific choice. It could have indeed been prevented by focusing on Elias's training as he wouldn't have looked through the office and found out about Zachary's investigation. On the other side of the coin, Chelsea would have been upset about Zachary turning his back on her and Whitlock.
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Post by Kal on Jan 17, 2019 16:05:38 GMT
Voting is closed!
This is a super early closing and I'm going to explain why that is in a moment, but first: Elizabeth will try to help Zachary.
The reason this voting is super short is that I've finally got the main story for the next chapter set up and I'm dying to get into it. The next chapter was supposed to be completely different from what the plans are now, I've completely scrapped most of the former plans but I feel they've been replaced with better stuff.
The finale is going to be pretty short for a Voyagers part in general, let alone a finale. That'll be made up for with chapter eight having more than the usual eleven parts and having a more unique way of making choices.
That'll all be explained in the chapter eight thread once I make it later today.
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Post by Kal on Jan 17, 2019 19:04:34 GMT
7.11- Chapter Seven Finale
The week after Zachary’s death had been a complete nightmare for Chelsea.
The night her father had stopped by the house to tell her what happened was the same night Elias went home, leaving her with Carmella, Whitlock, and Gillian.
The day after that was the day the social worker returned with the news that Carmella wouldn’t be able to stay with Chelsea because there was no blood relation between them. Carmella pushed to stay, saying that there had never been a problem with Chelsea but the social worker wouldn’t listen and had her sent to Quarantine, leaving her with Whitlock and Gillian.
The weekend before she went back to work, Amanda had stopped by to take Gillian as she was required to be decommissioned after Zachary’s death since he was the one who owned her. Amanda was the only one who seemed really upset to be taking another person from Chelsea but she had to do her job, leaving Chelsea with just Whitlock.
When she returned to work, she was informed that because of the way Zachary’s will was worded, she would be getting his share of Onyx. Normally it would have gone straight to her dad as he was the longest Onyx partner, but she knew that he had been highly against her dad getting full control of Onyx.
She spent her first day back as her last day in Cyber Security then moved to Zachary’s old office after she collected her own stuff.
Lyla had stopped by her office a few times to try and talk with her, very clearly doing so at someone else’s order.
That night Dr. Dominguez stopped by the house with another man in tow. “His name is Asher, he’s a medical student and while he would normally sit in on sessions, I believe it’s better if he takes Whitlock upstairs.”
“This isn’t about Whitlock?”
“No, and you’ll understand why once it’s just you and I.” The doctor let himself in, the medical student staying at the door until Chelsea let him in.
“Dr. Dominguez, you didn’t have to come all this way for this, everything is fine.”
“I did have to come here. You’re refusing to open up to anyone else and your father is concerned about you. I must also remind you that if I believe you’re not in a good mental condition, Whitlock will have to be removed from your care.” He could tell that the thought of losing the only other person left in the house was what got her as she shut the front door, allowing Asher to go upstairs. “Let’s start. It’s been a week now since Zachary died, you’ve taken over the very job that got him killed and the person who did it is still alive and well, what’s going on in your head?”
She scoffed while she took a seat on the couch, Dr. Dominguez sitting on the chair next to the couch. “You practically just put all my thoughts on the table. The only thing you’re missing is that I’m responsible for the well-being of the same man who murdered my husband while he’s in Onyx custody.”
He was studying her, trying to decipher what she was feeling. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re more mad than anything right now.”
“Rightfully so.” Chelsea crossed her arms. “I’ve never disliked a person more. Zachary was working with him to get him the lightest sentence he could and he treated him kinder than any other higher-up would have when he had every right to be an asshole to him. I’m upset that for the past week, I’ve lost something or someone every single day.”
“I’m unaware of you losing more than Zachary, please enlighten me.”
She uncrossed her arms. “Last Wednesday was Zachary, Thursday was Elias, Friday was Carmella, Saturday was Gillian, Amanda quit on Sunday, I lost my old position on Monday, then Ada McCoy disappeared again yesterday. That’s why your little threat of taking Whitlock away isn’t going to work for me. He’s not all I have left, but he’s my only chance to do right by his parents and Zachary.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s your only chance at doing right by Zachary.” The doctor waited until she looked up to go on. “You have his position and a good influence when you’re not cutting people off- use it in the way that feels right to you, even if it’s not what your father wants or what Zachary would have wanted.”
“I’ll think about that but for now I just have to get ready for the funeral and my official orientation as a partner.”
The doctor nodded. “Understandable. You seem like the type to work through things like this on your own, so I’ll let you do that. You have my personal number if anything comes up that you’d like to discuss.”
“What about Whitlock? He’s going to stay with me, right?”
He got out of his seat, heading to the staircase. “For now. I’ll return after your orientation and if I determine you’re not progressing well enough then I’ll have him put with a certified foster family.”
That thought was enough the keep her going for the next six months until her father had told her that Whitlock would have to be separated from her.
“The investors are getting worried that you’re too concerned with the former Voyagers and Whitlock than you are your job.”
“Dad, Whitlock and I have been with each other since before Zachary died, we stuck together when everyone else disappeared. He’s been with me just as long as he was with his own parents and sending him away is going to break him because he doesn’t know any more than everyone leaving him.”
She could tell by the look she got in response that she wasn’t going to be able to get through to him. “He doesn’t think the way you do Chelsea, he’s just a baby. He doesn’t understand that you’re not his real mother, he doesn’t understand that his parents are gone because he hardly knew his parents.”
“He does understand, Dr. Dominguez said it himself.” She stopped, seeing that he was about to cut her off either way.
“This is happening whether you want it to or not, it’s completely out of your control. He’s going to go to a family that specializes in his issues and he’s going to get better, knowing that should be good enough for you.” He took a deep breath. “Most of the reforming Voyagers are having their own problems and to appeal to the investors, you need to distance yourself. The Bennington family had a home in Vermont, go there and stay there for a week or two while the people here work on fixing the issues.”
She stayed in the city six more months after Whitlock went to a new family. Focusing on her work, which had slowly become the only thing she knew how to do.
She stopped seeing Dr. Dominguez about a week before she intended to go to Vermont, which she never really intended to do but knew that eventually her father was going to make her go.
The night she left was a blur and where she ended up wasn't Bennington, Vermont but a forced destination after she lost control of the car.
“Three, go get Seven, tell them it’s an emergency and Nine needs to be prepped for surgery as soon as they get there.” Chelsea opened her eyes to barely see a masked person hovering over her. The voice she was hearing sounded robotic as if it wasn’t a real voice. “Two, try and get in contact with her father. Four, Five, and Six stay posted nearby. Fifteen, go get Ten and Thirteen to look over the car and find out what caused the accident.”
She didn’t remember much from that night and she only remembered what she had heard because she remembered all the numbers being thrown around confused the hell out of her.
“That’s all I remember from the past year.” She found herself lying in a hospital best with two masked people by her side, along with her father.
The masks they had were exactly the same, they both wore black gloves with black jackets and black pants. Their voices when they spoke were robotic, likely because they were using something to make their voices sound different.
“She can’t go back home.” One of the masked people said, their body facing Isaac. “Our mechanic found that the brakes on her car had been tampered with, likely in an attempt at her life.”
She could see her dad was worried as he crossed his arms and shook his head. “If it was an attempt, they’re going to find her either way. She’s not exactly someone you can just pass on the street without people making a fuss over.”
“That’s why I was going to recommend she stay here. The masks and voice changers are a requirement and to hold up a sense of trust, we go by numbers based on when they joined the group. If she chooses to unmask herself, she can do so in private but we don’t allow it in public. She’ll have her own home and if she would like, she can work for a source of income here.”
“How many people would know she’s here?”
The two masked people looked at each other before shrugging, the one previously talking to Isaac turning back to him. “Only the eleven of us that were present. You shouldn’t worry about anyone giving away her location while she’s here, though, exposing someone else’s identity are strictly forbidden and seen as a breach of trust, subject to whatever punishment the victim feels necessary.”
Her father nodded, seeming to buy the idea. “How will I know she’s safe here?”
“Our goal isn’t to isolate anybody, it’s to protect ourselves. We have our own police crew, a medical team, and constant patrols. People without masks or authorization are monitored while they’re in our town and I’m updated over their behavior, whether the patrol person thinks they’re being suspicious or not, stuff like that.”
“Which numbers are you two?”
“I’m One.” The person then looked to the other masked person. “That’s Seven, they’re responsible for your daughter’s recovery while she’s here. Nine is also part of our medical team, so they’ll also be a bit active around your daughter.”
“Are they good people?”
The person nodded. “They’re great people and wouldn’t be in the positions they’re in if I thought otherwise. There’s in this town that I don’t know or don’t trust, your daughter will be in good hands if she stays here.”
Isaac looked over to Chelsea, prompting a small smile from her. “I’m guessing this is another thing I don’t have a choice in?” He nodded. “Good thing I sort of like the idea then. It could sound a little less like a cult, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
“For your sake, I hope you never run into an actual cult.” Seven commented before leaving the room, getting a small chuckle out of One that Chelsea barely heard.
Seven had kept her in the hospital for a week before letting her go. They met up with another masked person outside the hospital. “You’ll have to come back when Two’s around tomorrow so we can help you with your mask, but for now Fifteen will take you straight home,” They turned their head towards Fifteen, their tone getting more serious. “Like they’ve been told to.”
Fifteen gave a thumbs up, spinning on their heel. And leading Chelsea down the street.
They were pretty quiet, which made Chelsea a bit nervous and made her start a conversation. “So, this place is new, what do you think of it?”
Just as Chelsea suspected, their voice was also robotic when they spoke. “I love it here. It’s more of a home than I’ve ever had and the people are very accepting here.” They briefly turned back to Chelsea. “I know the whole idea of it can sound kind of scary, maybe a little cult-like, but it’s not like that. We’ve built up a strong community with mostly trustworthy people.”
“Mostly?”
They nodded, continuing forward. “Some people can be a bit odd or cold in their demeanor, but they still contribute to the jobs they chose. They’re just hard to get used to.”
“How many are there?”
“Sixteen, not including Two and Sixteen’s children. Then that would be eighteen, which is kind of funny since two plus sixteen is eighteen.” Chelsea heard the person trying not to crack up at their own observation and let a small smile escape her.
“I’ve got a bit of a feeling this is going to be quite the experience, am I wrong to think that?”
Fifteen turned down a street lined with houses, a total of seventeen houses with eight on each side and then one at the end of the road. “Nope! It takes a bit to get used to because of all the numbers but once you know who is who, it’s easy. I base it off of their heights and the way they move.”
“Care to share an example?”
“One is average height but they’re always really nervous, you can tell by their body language. Two slouches a little, Three is one of the shortest people in the group.” Fifteen paused, trying to think of more examples. “Seven stares at the ground a lot, Nine always has a pen sticking out of their right pocket.”
Fifteen stopped in front of a house, quickly running up to the door and knocking. Another masked person came out with a key in hand as Fifteen started walking back the way they had come.
The other masked person led Chelsea to the house next door, unlocking the door and handing her the key. “This is usually Two’s job but I had to move them to another house so you could have this one and they haven’t been in too good of a mood lately. It was your father’s request, I hope you don’t mind.”
Chelsea watched the person’s body language, waiting to see what they did. They eventually slid their hands into their pockets and started tapping their right foot. “My dad can be a little picky, I get it. Thank you for offering to take me in, One.”
They nodded, staying in the doorway while Chelsea looked around the house. “If you need anything I’m next door and Sixteen is on the other side. You should probably just come to me, though, Sixteen doesn’t like visitors. Worse comes to worst, Six is across the street. Fifteen will stop by in the morning and take you back to the hospital to get your mask and meet Two, then they’ll show you around.” They went to leave, but stopped and turned to Chelsea. “You’ll find this place is a lot more homier once you get used to it.”
End of Chapter Seven.
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Post by Tales93 on Jan 19, 2019 12:48:31 GMT
Well this is interesting. I wonder what this mysterious group could be about.
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Post by Kal on Feb 13, 2019 12:12:42 GMT
Voyager Choices7.1: [Attempt to convince Milo to lead the group]- By convincing Milo to lead the group, his focus would be diverted from his relationship with Alyssa, as well as the twins, and would be focused on giving leading his all. Pierre would have been a bit upset to see Milo in a position of power due to his belief that Milo would have turned out to be just like Marshal when it came to leading. 7.2: [Turn him down]- This choice would have completely crushed Milo’s self-esteem and put a complete hold on Alyssa’s friendship with Milo until he eventually got bored of not being around her, seeing a friendship with her to be beneficial. He’d eventually start helping her with leading until Pierre offered to help her with leading to which Milo would have supported Alyssa to learn from Pierre. 7.2: [Take some time to think on it]- Milo would have respected Alyssa’s decision to take some time to think on the choice and would have assisted her through leading from the start, rather than waiting to help her. Their relationship would have progressed on its own but due to the timing of it, Pierre wouldn’t have the idea to use Nora to bypass Onyx’s control over Alyssa. 7.5: [Accuse Onyx]- Accusing Onyx would have prepared the Voyagers and gave them a fair warning of what to actually watch for. However, it would have allowed Adam to strike again and take a few people of his choice. The people he brought along would have showed Gregory and Elizabeth that he wasn’t sticking to his list and encouraged them to find their own way out to warn the other Voyagers. 7.6: [Tell Pierre to wait on sending people]- This choice was a game changer for the next chapter. If Alyssa told Pierre to wait, he would have reluctantly done so but wouldn’t have had his people around while the Voyagers got captured and would have ended up getting captured alongside them. The Crusaders wouldn’t have come into the picture again until late into the 8th chapter. Onyx Choices7.2: [Send a cue]- By sending a cue for Marshal to stop the wedding, he would have misled Isaac to believe that he’d give up the location of another Voyager if he stopped the wedding. Zachary wouldn’t have been bothered by the wedding not going through but he would have gotten pretty upset with Marshal once Isaac told him what Marshal said to stop the wedding and would have told Chelsea the real reason he and Marshal weren’t on good terms. He’d then help Chelsea avoid getting married off to someone else but would be focused more on following Onyx’s rules, ultimately preventing the attempt at his life in the final part of the chapter. 7.3: [Bring Marshal along]- Bringing Marshal and Whitlock to the investors dinner would have boosted Zachary’s reputation with the investors by a large margin. Marshal would have gone along with whatever Zachary and Chelsea said, leading the investors to believe that he was willingly under their control. Having Whitlock at the dinner would have given Zachary and Chelsea something more to talk about with Sebastian and Irene more to talk about and allowed the couples to get to know each other on a more personal level. 7.5: [Leave him alone] or [Leave him alone and ask about it later]- Leaving Zachary alone would have told him that Elias didn’t see him to be approachable, which he would start letting Elias in on certain things that go on behind the scenes in Onyx to show him that he trusts him. That trust would have prevented Elias from going through the office later on and exposing Zachary’s investigation. Zachary wouldn’t have gotten on the investors bad side and wouldn’t have had the hit put on him. 7.6: [Wait until Chelsea wakes up and ask her about it]- Chelsea wouldn’t have been much help in explaining what they gave her and would have told Zachary that one of the doctors tried to move her before another doctor called him out on it. She would have described the doctor but Zachary wouldn’t be able to find him by the time Chelsea woke up. 7.6: [Wait until Isaac arrives and have him question the staff]- Waiting for Isaac would have pleased him as he would feel as if he was helping Chelsea directly, however it would have upset him to see that Zachary couldn’t even handle questioning the staff on his own. They wouldn’t be able to find Adam again but would have camera footage to know exactly what he looked like. 7.7: [Prioritize Elias’s training- This is one of the three choices that would have prevented Isaac from putting a hit on Zachary. Had Zachary prioritized Elias and his training, the investors would have seen that while he’d just recently gotten married to Chelsea and she’d been critically sick, he was still serious about his work. It would have upset Isaac but left a good impression on the rest of the investors. While handling shopping for Whitlock, Chelsea would have run into Adam again and he would have overpowered her, taking her and Whitlock captive. Zachary would have been blamed by Isaac and after Isaac’s constant pressuring for him to resign, he would have done so once Elias went home. 7.8: [Offer to drop one of the larger crimes]- Zachary would have offered to drop the charge of kidnapping and said it was because he couldn’t prove it and Adam hadn’t explicitly stated that he took anybody, he would then advise Adam to not admit to it if he wanted to keep it off his record. Adam would confess to what he was doing, only for Zachary to reinstate the kidnapping charge as he would have admitted it in his explanation of where Elizabeth, Gregory, and Leona were being held. Isaac would have appreciated this choice the best but tell Zachary not to do it again because anyone smarter than Adam would have left out the critical details that put the charge back. 7.8: [Don’t drop any crimes and pressure him into answering]- Adam would have eventually come clean about what he was doing but would have left out some major details that Zachary would have needed to know to handle the situation the best he could. He would have held a grudge against Zachary up until his execution and would have accused him of being the reason for his execution. Gregory and Elizabeth Choices7.3: ”We should wait for the group”- Waiting for the group would have tipped Adam off to believe that Leona, Gregory, and Elizabeth would cooperate with him. Gregory and Elizabeth would have stayed in the bunker and Leona would have stayed with them instead of leaving. Leona would also appreciate Gregory agreeing with her and Elizabeth would eventually come around to the idea of staying put and waiting for the Voyagers. 7.10: [Leave and find the group]- This choice would have for sure killed Zachary and prevented the new community from being formed. Elizabeth and Gregory would have returned to the Voyagers and been caught by Onyx with them. She would be the one to tell Chelsea about Luke killing Zachary.
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