a great black wave in the middle of the sea

[Shutter]

The hallway seemed like it went on forever, even though this hospital wasn't exactly huge. He was looking just about everywhere, ignorant of what was going on inside the rooms that he was sticking his head into. Sometimes he saw things that he probably shouldn't have seen, but he'd quickly apologize and then excuse himself from the room, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. Of course, such was to be expected so he dealt with it, naturally. There was something that was more important.

He continued on down the long hallway. It was long now that he realized it. The entire building was long, just thin as well. Eventually he found his way to the room where the MRI machine could be found and he looked into the room but didn't see anyone. This was starting to frustrate him. He needed to find Cassidy and they needed to get out of this hospital before things started happening that endangered people other than themselves. That was unacceptable and he knew that. He knew she knew that, but he had to find her.

He walked into the room after making sure the machine wasn't on and looked around. Eventually he wandered to the observation room and there he found her. Pushing the door open he stuck his head inside and nodded to the doctor, but it was Cassidy that held his attention. His eyes visually checked over her to make sure that she was alright before they focused on her face once again.

"We need to go. Trouble's come in the form of two NINE agents."

[Rush]

The moment of warmth quickly dissipated as the urgency of their situation took over. Cassidy turned, smile dropping as she looked at Cole, "Two?" She picked up the rest of her meager possessions and strapped them back on, moving toward the door as she did so. Pausing in front of it, she looked back at the doctor, mouth parted as if to say something further. It seemed rude to leave so abruptly, and even dangerous, as well. If there were agents knocking on every door, they were likely to find him and realize that he was the one who had given them aid. He'd put his own life in jeopardy to save theirs, and it felt wrong to just leave him now.

But before any words could come out, he bowed his head, still smiling, albeit sadly. "Go. I'll try to buy you some time if they come to me."

She wanted to protest, but doing so was ineffective, and ultimately, he'd already decided his fate when he had volunteered himself. There was no way that they could take him with them, even if they wanted to. Still, Cassidy couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Now hurry up, and take care."

She nodded, and stepped out into the corridor. Surveying their surroundings, the hall was clear as far as she could see, and there was hardly a sound. The hospital was severely understaffed, but its emptiness reflected the low population of the island, in general. Cassidy waited for Cole to take the lead. "Two NINE agents, huh? I'm surprised they think that's all they need to take us down," she said with much more confidence than she actually felt, although she wasn't being entirely serious. It was just her sense of humor -- diffusing the tension with a bit of sarcasm. There was a little more gravitas in her tone as she inquired, "Did you get a good enough look at them to ID?" It was good to know what they were up against -- especially if the NINE had only dispatched two of their agents to take care of the Guardians. That increased the likelihood that whomever they were up against, they were probably among the top ranks.

[Shutter]

He watched the Doc for a moment longer, even after Cassidy stepped out. Silently, he mouthed a thank you to the man and smiled before he moved to leave. It was all they could do. The doctor risked his life in attempting to assist them and he very well knew that. There wasn't much they could do, though, as neither of them was really in any condition to fight at the moment. He was worn out and she was still healing. That wasn't exactly a good combination for taking on a couple of NINE agents. Particularly the two that had been up at the front desk moments before. They were strong.

"I don't know their names. I know the one is incredibly strong and he wears a suit that stops most attacks. The other can throw plasma. I've encountered both before."

The way back towards which he'd come wasn't even an option anymore. He turned down the hallway in the other direction and headed towards the end where he found an empty room with a window. Walking inside, he holstered the handgun and examined the window to see if it could be opened. To some it might appear weakness, the two of them running, but he knew better than that and he knew better than to stay and fight the duo that had been sent to investigate the disturbance on the island. It would lead to him or Cassidy, or both, dying.

"We're leaving via window. We'll head to the mainland and find a place to camp out. I've got a thermal shielded tent in my pack."

It would keep them from being spotted by cameras. It was also camo patterned so they would be hidden from prying eyes. Popping the window open after a bit of struggle, he climbed through into the narrow alleyway and looked about. As near as he could tell the coast was clear so he motioned for her to come through and waited for her to do so before he closed the window behind them. A thorough search would reveal their escape route, but not until they were long gone.

"Can you fly?"

[Rush]

"Throw plasma? They're pulling out all the stops just for us..." she replied drolly as they walked briskly down the pale lighted corridors. Cass tried hard not to look like she was struggling to keep up, but his legs were much longer than her own, not to mention that she still felt drained from the previous chase and the recent MRI. Still, she was too stubborn (if not stupidly so) to admit she was feeling weaker than he needed her to be at the moment. He didn't need reason to doubt her at so crucial a time for both of them.

Climbing through the window was another test, as the motion put pressure on her still aching arm. She bit down hard on her lip as she pushed herself up and out, drawing blood, but making no verbal indication of her pain. Looking around, the streets were dark, both an advantage and disadvantage. Nightfall gave them cover, but it also made it more difficult for her to gather her bearings. When he asked if she could fly, Cassidy was too distracted to give him a typical flippant reply. "Maybe. I think so. Definitely," she changed her mind quickly, completely willing to push herself to her limits. That's what the situation called for, after all.

She could smell the sea on the breeze that swept around them, somewhat comforted by the presence of fresh air. It was a re-energizing force in some strange way. Of course, she was still exhausted, but she felt more awake and in tune with the world. Cassidy closed her eyes and inhaled, before opening them again, "Which way are we heading?" Although one might not have suspected it of her, considering Cassidy's general attitude toward formal education, geography was her strong suit. It happens when one grows up being accustomed to traveling. "Corsica's to the west. French territory. Closer to Maddie. Unless you think we'll be better at shaking them off by going through the mainland, and not just cutting across the sea." In spite of being a team leader in her own right, Cassidy was more than willing to follow his decisions.

[Shutter]

"France is the worst possible place to go right now. It's crawling with NINE agents. You won't get a moments peace there."

He looked up and down the alley, taking in everything he could see in both directions before he turned back to her. If they went to France they wouldn't be able to rest and neither of them could survive with that. They had to rest. He was tired, she was recovering from an injury. They both needed to find somewhere secretive and safe so that they could rest and the best chance of that was in Italy itself, on the mainland. He pointed in that direction so that she would understand.

"We go to Italy. I'll meet you there."

He smiled at her and then looked up to the roof of the building next to them and teleported to the top of it. It was already starting to hurt, so he knew he was going to have to be quick about all of this. There was quiet, for the moment, though, so he stood there and looked around before he realized that he hadn't said his customary phrase to her so he walked back over to the edge of the building and yelled down to her.

"Activate your transponder and fly below the radar!"

Turning on his own transponder, he made sure that she would know exactly where he was. Then it was off. Teleporting from one spot to the next, across the water without getting wet. Coming to a stop on the mainland he looked around and then continued, moving off towards a secluded wooded area. Once there, he started setting up the thermal shielded tent so that the satellite's wouldn't be able to see them. Then he just had to wait.

[Rush]

After coming such a long way to find each other, Cassidy was reluctant to have to split up again, even if it was the logical, obvious decision to make. Part of her would've easily traded a moment's rest for some time with at least two more of the Guardians, but it was an irrational desire. Loneliness was irrelevant to their necessary survival. Still, she couldn't help but fear that something could happen to either one of them between the moment they parted in that alleyway and their planned reunion on the mainland later on. The thought of winding up completely alone again was upsetting, but she attempted to put off her anxiety as she turned on her transponder (she'd kept it off all this time for fear of the signal's detection by unwanted third parties, but if he thought it was safe, she could take his word for it).

It was easier to draw the winds around her when the airflow was more accessible, so she moved toward a more open street as soon as Shutter was out of sight. Rush would've preferred to take off from a higher vantage point and soar rather than have to force a propulsion thrust to get her started, but there was no time for that. She was tired, but she had to focus and get herself up in the air. Then she could relax, and let the wind carry her to her destination.

She was undeniably lucky to have a good sense of direction. Shutter was traveling much faster than she could ever possibly catch up with -- after all, he could go from A to B and an instant, while she had to still cover the distance physically. Furthermore, there were some cloudy patches she was attempting to avoid in order to prevent herself from getting disoriented, but it was sometimes necessary to dart into their cover when she caught the occasional flicker of light in the distance that definitely didn't come from the stars. The NINE weren't stupid; they were already sending out their search parties via land, sea, and air. Finding the right medium of below radar and high enough to have to exert less effort wasn't easy, but she eventually made her way across the water without much, if any, hassle.

By the time she could see the shores of the mainland, Cassidy was certain that Cole had probably already set up camp. She was lagging behind, but not without need nor caution. Even though she had the potential to break the sound barrier and catch up, doing so would've garnered more attention than they could afford, not to mention she would've likely had to make an emergency crash landing, headfirst into the depths of the Mediterranean. It took still more time to locate him beneath the canopy of trees he'd taken shelter in; true to form, their camp wasn't going to be spotted easily -- even by Rush herself. Instead of trying to combat branches on her descent, she decided to land in a nearby clearing and walk the rest of the way.

Although there was some illumination from the pale moon overhead, a flashlight would've come in handy, if she could have afforded to carry one. But she traveled lightly, and that wasn't among her sparse survival instruments. Letting the transponder signal guide her through the dense underbrush, Cassidy tread through the wooded area as swiftly and silently as possible until the trees thinned out just enough so that she could make out the shape of a tent, and Cole's tall figure in the dim light. "Hey," she said, louder than a whisper to catch his attention, but not enough to overcome the low rustle of leaves around them. She took a few steps closer, better able to make out his features. She smiled, "Sorry I missed out on all the fun of making camp. Better late than never, right?"

[Shutter]

All he could do was shrug. Making camp was like second nature for him, having done it for so long. His time in the military had brought about his camp making skills, but over time he'd perfected it through practice while on the run from NINE. It wasn't a very nice way of practicing but it was what he had to do and he had to do well in order to not get caught. Having a thermal shielded tent was nice too. It kept the radar off of them while they were resting. Of course, they couldn't have a fire which meant a cold camp.

"I do this all the time. You get used to it."

Motioning with his hand for her to follow him he climbed inside of the tent which was actually quite cozy. There was a little burner for heating up meals and providing light and heat. It wasn't anything fancy but it did the job better than nothing. He was just able to get enough fuel for it by scrounging around whenever he was in a city. Right now they'd be using the last bit of what he had stored up from his time in France. For the most part, though, they were just about out.

He found a seat and brought out a pan which he put some beans and bacon in from his rations, which were minimal. He used to have MRE's but he ran out of those. Setting the pan over the fire, he stirred it just a bit to keep it going. That done he brought out his canteen and took a drink from it before he offered it to Cassidy. They were both going to need plenty of fluids.

"It's not home, but it works."

[Rush]

A tent in the forest was a downgrade from an abandoned home in a seaside village, but the amount of security in their small camp was certainly an improvement -- not to mention the company. Even if the tent seemed like it could get a little cramped for the both of them, she was more than happy to share a space with another human being for the first time in a long time.

Cassidy was tempted to just flop to the ground inside and fall asleep as soon as she took a seat, but her stomach begged to differ. Upon further reflection, it had been nearly 24 hours since she'd last had anything real to eat -- protein bars definitely didn't count, and that was about all she could carry on her, in addition to spare clothing. At least she'd managed a decent, if not hurried, shower at the hospital. When she was younger, she never would've imagined a time in her life when personal hygiene was going to be more of a luxury than a necessity.

A warm meal was definitely higher up on the priority list, and she was glad to finally get one. Beans and bacon seemed practically gourmet at this point. For a moment, she thought to offer some help with anything, but Cole seemed to have everything under control. Besides that, domestic skills weren't exactly her forte, and she was fairly convinced that under her watch, their dinner would wind up being charred somehow. She took the canteen gratefully and took a long sip, almost a swig; Cass was thirstier than she'd realized, which wasn't a good sign as far as hydration went.

At the mention of home, she simply shrugged at him, "What's home, anyway? Not to sound sappy, but in my experience...home is what you make of it. No other place I'd rather be right now, if it meant I was there on my own." As corny as it all sounded, Cassidy spoke with complete sincerity, even if she didn't like to think of herself as being particularly sentimental. She was used to impermanence in location, having spent the first half of her life on the move. In retrospect, she couldn't help but think that she should've realized settling into their lost headquarters was too good to be true. Stability didn't have much of a role in her life.

She cleared her throat, "On that note... Have you heard anything from anyone else, besides Madeline? I suspected she was in Europe, but I wasn't sure, and not many people could tell me. I haven't gotten any word about Phoenix." Three out of four wasn't too bad, but having all of the Guardians together, or at least definitively alive would've been much, much better. Suddenly, she felt incredibly insensitive. Of course she was worried about her fellow team leaders, considering that her attachment to them was more than just personal, but she had barely even given a thought to anyone else involved in the VG. Cassidy looked up from watching the food sizzle in the pan, "I forgot to ask -- how's Alex doing?"

[Shutter]

"Like some people say: Home is where the heart is."

If she could be sappy and strange with what she said then he could as well. It wasn't limited to her and besides, it was the truth. Home could be just about anywhere. Home could be sitting in a tree in the forest if that's what made you happy. It could be on a plane, a submarine, sitting in the arctic. As long as you loved where you were and had the people that you loved around you then you were home. It didn't matter if it was A home or not, it was still your home.

When she asked about Alex his face fell. Not literally, but she would likely be able to tell that what she said had changed his mood. It was a touchy subject, but he couldn't expect word to have reached her about Alex given that she'd been out of touch with all the others. Only Divenera actually knew that Alex was gone and she wasn't going to be going around and telling anyone about it. It was a personal matter of his and he decided who it was that he would tell about it. Thus it was impossible for her to know, until now.

"Alex died in the attack on the base."

His words were quiet, same as his voice. It was enough that he was able to not break down into tears as he said it. Most of the times in the past that he'd talked about it, tears were the end result. For now he just resigned himself to stirring beans and bacon, making sure that none of it burned. He tried to keep his mind off of what he had just said so it didn't seep in and break him down, but it was hard. One of these days he just needed to move on, but doing so would take a lot of time.

[Rush]

"Oh."

That was the only response that Cassidy could think of. In spite of being fully aware that they were living in a time of war, even if it seemed like a futile struggle, and knowing that people, her comrades, had perished in the attack on their headquarters, it had never once occurred to her that someone so close was among the numbers of the deceased. Of the four Guardians, Cole was the only one who had something -- someone -- to lose. They all knew the risks of their occupation, but that it would actually happen just didn't seem possible.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Cass felt incredibly stupid, even though there really was no way of knowing who exactly had died that day. She'd barely made it out alive, herself. Unsure of what to say, she didn't want to come off as pitying or somehow patronizing. She remembered what it was like after her father had died; everyone's condolences rang false, and their concern for her emotional state was more annoying than helpful. Maybe it was just her own personality defect, but she didn't want to share her grief with others, and didn't expect him to want to talk about it, either.

Nevertheless, it didn't seem right not to have a more proper response aside from surprise. She finally said, "Cole, I'm so, so sorry." And she meant it completely; not just for his loss, but for having known his wife. Alex was a good woman, perhaps even more amazing than the average VG member, because she didn't have powers and still gave aid to their cause. It seemed all too unfair for her to have to pay the ultimate price.

For a moment, she thought to reach out and touch him -- hold his hand, give him a hug, something that was intended to be comforting or reassuring. But she couldn't make herself do it, even if it was what he might have needed. Cassidy focused most of her attention on the pan, though she occasionally glanced at him, watching for his reaction without wanting to be obvious. It was hard to tell if this was something she was supposed to ask more about, get him to open up, somehow push him toward acceptance. But that sounded like bullshit, and to be honest, she wished she hadn't even asked. What if he started crying? She wasn't good at handling these kinds of situations; quite frankly, she was atrocious at sharing her feelings and certainly was no better at listening to someone else's.

In his situation (which was highly unlikely; she'd never had a relationship last longer than six months and never deep enough to warrant a pledge of "'til death do us part"), she would just clam up immediately and change the subject. But for now, Cassidy just quietly waited for the food to be ready.

[Shutter]

All he could do was shrug. What else was there to do? If he started talking about it her fears would be realized because he would break down and start crying right then and there. People always say grown men shouldn't cry, but that's just people being jerks and thinking that they're supposed to be impervious to things. But losing your wife and your unborn child? That was just one of those things that even a grown man like him wasn't able to take. It just brought so much pain to even think about it.

He nodded his head in thanks for her sympathies, but focused mostly on stirring the beans and bacon. It was just about done and he didn't want it to go too long. Burnt bacon and beans didn't exactly taste very good and they couldn't afford to waste a batch and make a new one just because it had burned. When he was sure that it was just about done, he grabbed in his pack for a couple of tin bowls and spooned an equal portion into each of them before handing one to her and shutting off the burner.

A spoon for each of them and then he settled back in his seat, looking down at the beans. For a few moments he just stirred them because he knew they were far too hot to be eating right then. They had to cool some and that meant he needed to stir them so that the air could circulate around them all, otherwise he'd get a mouthful of beans at the right temperature mixed with some that were far too hot and he'd burn his mouth. While he could live with that, he didn't particularly want to experience it right then.

"It's in the past. Still hurts, but life goes on."

[Rush]

"Even if you sometimes don't want it to..." Cassidy added softly, though she hoped that he hadn't heard her mumbling between scooping the beans into her mouth. They were a little too hot, but she could bear it; as stupid as it sounded, she was more comfortable with burning her mouth than using it to say something she would regret. Among those statements might have been an attempt to sympathize, and god forbid, share some of her feelings.

It wasn't as though she didn't understand what loss felt like. Obviously, the circumstances were different and enough years had passed for her to move on, but she remembered the intense sorrow and anger connected to the grieving process. Those were the emotions that had fueled some of her teenaged rebellion -- among other issues at the time. Nevertheless, she didn't feel much like reopening old wounds by discussing their mutual experiences of sorrow.

But just eating and not saying another word was too unbearably awkward for Cassidy to keep her mouth shut for the next few minutes. She didn't particularly want to hit any sensitive spots, but it was difficult not to want to talk to someone she felt close to after so much time spent apart. "This is probably the best meal I've had in...I don't know, but it feels like forever. My compliments to the chef," she said brightly, hoping that he wouldn't find her change of tone and subject to be insensitive. Then again, she figured he knew her well enough by now to realize that heart-to-hearts weren't her thing. Not then, not now -- not likely ever.

Uncontrollably, she let out a yawn, failing to cover her mouth with her hand as she did so. Now that her stomach was sated, if not feeling a bit leaden at this point, the rest of her body was starting to relax. "I'm exhausted... And I bet you are, too. How much sleep did you get while I was out? Couldn't have been more than half an hour. Felt like much longer inside that sardine can, though." If Cass wasn't claustrophobic before...well, she still wasn't now, but she wasn't particularly fond of MRI machines and hoped not to have to see the inside of another one for a long time.

But as prepared as she was to close her eyes and let her mind go, she was already thinking of the tasks after that, "What's the plan for tomorrow? Or at least the morning. Keep backpacking through Italy, or do we actually have a destination in mind?" Again, she deferred to his expertise and leadership; after all, she was too tired to even contemplate their next move, and he, like a boyscout, was the one who seemed to always be prepared.

[Shutter]

Oh he knew all too well the times where he didn't want life to go on. Right after Alex had died he's spent his days planning his revenge until he realized just how difficult such would be and that he couldn't go through with it. Then he'd spiraled into a well of self-pity and degradation as he realized that the only thing he really wanted was to be with her again. There had been times when all he wanted to do was kill himself. Take one of his guns, put it to his head, and squeeze the trigger. He hadn't done it, though, because he knew that Alex would never want that.

"Yeah, it's an alright meal. About what I've been living off of for years."

Canned foods and meat. They were just about the easiest things to come by when you were out and about looking for something to survive on. He could easily hunt, but having some bacon with canned foods from one of the local markets was easier and usually better. Killing something and then cooking it took skill. As good a cook as he was, even he sometimes messed it up and ended up getting sick from a rabbit or something else that he'd shot to supply his supper.

He finished off his food and set the pan to the side. In the morning, before they packed up to move on, he'd clean them. For now, though, there was a bit of time for talk and then they'd both have to rest. He was exhausted, and she was exhausted, judging by the yawn that she let out. They both needed about a day or two's rest before they moved on, but they wouldn't get it. They'd sleep for the night, pack up and move, and then rest the next night and so on for as long as they could.

"I got about an hour of not so good sleep. And as for plans, I don't really know. We could go anywhere, really. We can't go to France, but we can go looking for Gleam if we want."

[Rush]

"Any ideas where he'd be?" she asked, trying to sound as alert as possible, but it was hard to avoid yawning again after opening her mouth. Cassidy drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head on her knees. Partially curled up around herself, she looked even smaller than usual, but she was keeping herself warm. "Probably not Africa, seeing as we didn't run into each other there. Even if it is a massive continent to cover, didn't hear a word about him." She had to believe that Gleam Master was still alive. He was resourceful, and beyond that, simply too powerful to take down without anyone knowing about it. The NINE would've been gloating if they had him in their hands, or worse yet, if they'd managed to eliminate him completely. In some ways, it was better not to know where he was.

There was little use in continuing to resist the forces of gravity. Using her meager pack of belongings as a makeshift pillow, she shifted the small bag behind her and laid back. Cass turned to her side so she was still looking at Cole, albeit through half-closed eyes. The volume of her voice was fading as she settled in, "Bigger question is...what are we going to do once we find him?"

Ostensibly, the Guardians were supposed to band together and fight back against the NINE and restore the proper order to the world. But that was just the ends, not the means. Of course the planning was up to them, but actually facing that kind of responsibility was daunting. Easier said than done. The contingency plan of their predecessors rested with them, and thus far, things hadn't exactly gone in their favor. When the VG was still active and together, Rush had given off the image of cool confidence, but after it fell, it was hard not for Cassidy to start feeling intense doubt, even fear. What scared her wasn't the chance of getting hurt or worse in the process, but the chance of failing completely.

[Shutter]

"Not a single clue, to be honest. The last thing that I'd heard was that he was in Africa, but upon my investigation there I didn't find a single mention of his whereabouts or even where he was last seen."

It was starting to really get late and as she was getting tired he was getting tired. Her yawning set off the contagious effect of him yawning which reminded him and his body that he hadn't properly slept in days. If he kept going at this rate he'd collapse right in the middle of something important and then he'd be a goner. Or worse, one of his friends and companions would be a goner. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if such a thing occurred and Cassidy was taken or killed. It would be devastating to say the least.

He found a comfortable spot and laid down with his head on his rolled up suitcase. He didn't feel like sleeping in the thing given that it would take quite a while to get out of it should the need arise. It was warm enough in the tent anyways. The body heat from two people kept things just about right when added to the warmth of their clothing. In other words they didn't have to worry about freezing at least.

"I'm not sure what we'll do when we're all together. I'm just focused on getting us all together right now."

That was his focus from the day that they'd all been split up. It hadn't taken him long to find Madeline because he knew where she was likely to go and he was in contact with her computer on a regular basis. It was Rush and Gleam that he knew it would take a long time to find and thankfully he'd finally found one of them. The rewards of finding Cassidy had been that he'd been able to help save her. What would have happened if he hadn't gotten there? Would she have died? That was a scary, scary thought.

"Stay close tonight, alright?"