Rue/Warp - Countdown to Discord

Gathering / Conference

It's the morning of their trip into hell, and two of the B-Team's heroesi decide to convene to discuss their plan for the day.

A message comes through to Rue's phone from Warp; ''Hey Rue, this is very last minute I know, but can you swing by this morning? There's something I want to show you that will hopefully give us an edge against Zaebos.''   ''I can be there in about half an hour if that works for you?''   "Works just fine, see you in a few."   A little over thirty minutes pass before Rue knocks on the door to Frank's home, a tray with two takeaway coffees balanced in their other hand. As the door opens, Rue is greeted with the sight of a very haggard looking Frank, his bloodshot eyes locking with theirs as he smiles in welcome before holding the door open to permit entry, "Morning..."   They frown at Frank's appearance, holding out the tray sympathetically, ''Do you want both of these?'' They ask, their tone betraying some of the concern they feel, ''The one on the left is more sugar than coffee, though.''   Frank takes the coffee flavoured syrup gratefully, his smile weakening slightly as he notices the unspoken worry, "Thanks, bit of a rough night" he says by way of explanation, "And thanks for coming by, I wanted to show you a few new toys I was able to loan from Century," he continues, leading the way towards the rear of the building.   ''I doubt any of us had much sleep last night,'' Rue says with a shrug, following Frank through the apartment, briefly pausing to give Charcoal a quick chin scratch as they pass him, ''So what kind of Archdemon-ass-kicking toys does Century have in its armoury?''   Frank can't help a smirk as he punches in the code to his combat simulator and opens the door, "Only the very best in demon banishing equipment my dear Rue" he says, walking towards the table situated at the rear of the spacious white tiled room, upon which sits two devices side by side. The first, which Frank lifts and presents for Rue's clear inspection, is something that could only be described as the most hi-tech super-soaker ever conceived by man.   Rue stares at the item presented, baffled, until something in their mind seems to click and they raise their eyebrows in surprise, ''Is that what I think it is?'' They ask, bemused.   "IF" Frank begins, an amused smile clear on his face, "You’re thinking, that this little baby pumps out a blast of holy water, guaranteed to ruin any demon's day, then you would be correct. Thoroughly tested and vetted, I was assured, at the Occult Division's annual picnic outing"   ''The-'' Rue stops themself, shaking their head, ''No, nevermind, that's not even close to being the most surprising thing I've heard this week.'' They look back down at the weapon, a faint smile upturning the corners of their mouth, ''I'm usually not a fan of guns, but that's pretty awesome.''   Frank carefully hands the weapon to Rue, "Let me know what you think of the weight, I can't gauge it that well given my own strength makes everything handheld feel feather light"   Rue takes the proffered weapon, feeling the weight of it in their hands. ''I wouldn't call it feather light,'' They explain, taking note of the material and parts as their finger inches closer to the trigger, ''But it's not too heavy.''   "I've currently got it filled with regular water so if you care to give it a test spin, I can get you set up with some targets"   Rue seems uncertain for a moment, an unreadable expression on their face. ''Yeah,'' They nod eventually, ''Sure, why not?''   Frank turns to a touch screen panel just above the table and begins typing in some instructions. Not long after finishing, four projectors come alive in the upper corners of the room and shortly after, three large Hell Knights spring into holographic existence.   Rue clenches their jaw, lifting the gun upward and aiming it at the Hell Knights. Standing steady, they take a deep breath in, pointing the weapon at one of the targets, and pulling the trigger.   With a sudden whirring sound, the weapon fires a cone of water that washes over the holograms, pushing back against Rue's grip even while not being a particularly powerful blast. They get the distinct impression that the weapon is designed to dampen a large area rather than producing a focused spray.   ''Huh,'' Rue says, lowering the gun to observe the range of the area affected, ''That's handy, I suppose. Makes it harder to miss.''   "Should also cover larger crowds of demons if needed" Frank notes approvingly, reclaiming the weapon and setting it back down on the table. He then motions to the other item, "This however, is something I got for your benefit specifically, something that should let you bring down Mercy non-lethally if needed". The item in question appearing to be a compact net gun.   ''You-'' Rue gapes at the item, then at Frank, visibly caught off guard, ''I- That-'' They close their eyes for a beat, composing their addled thoughts, ''Thanks... I suppose that might be more helpful than a flask of rice.''   "The rice can always be plan B" Frank says, only half-joking, "You should have seen the look on the poor man's face when I asked them for some vampire grade restraints... pretty sure the Occult Division thinks I have a BDSM kink now"   Rue lets out an unexpected laugh, one hand moving up to cover their mouth as the sound comes out unexpectedly, ''There's some joke about bite marks in there, but I'm not sure I have the brain capacity left to make it.''   Frank is surprised by the sudden laugh, but the surprise quickly gives way to amusement as he laughs as well, "I'm sure there is". Laughter subsiding, he hands Rue the net gun and three net cartridges, "Seeing as you promised to stop Mercy if he went mad, I think you should hold onto that until we're done, also feel free to shoot him with it if he's just doing something stupid"   ''We may need more than three of these if I do that,'' Rue quips, checking over the weapon before putting it and the cartridges away, ''Thanks, Frank, I appreciate the help.''   "Anytime" Frank says, polishing off his extra sweet coffee, "Everything ready on your end?"   ''Umm...'' Rue moves their own coffee cup up to their lips, avoiding Frank's gaze as they buy themself a couple of seconds to respond by taking a sip, ''Yeah, I think so. I spoke to some people who will help to manage things in Bathala while we're... away...'' They idly tap their coffee cup as they run through the day's events, ''I've spoken to Cryogen and Shade, then Blue - he's helping to coordinate with the other heroes... Oh, and Evelina said she might be able to help, too. It'd be good to check in with Emma and Zero to ensure we've reached out to everyone, but I think that's everything...''   "Good, we just need to get in, kick Zaebos' arse, get Alice and then get out again... Shouldn't be too hard" Frank says with only a trace of sarcasm, "What's the plan for getting your old friend out as well?"   ''Well, hopefully, part of these plans overlap...'' They say uncertainly, ''I still don't fully understand how it works yet, but perhaps once Zaebos' power over her is gone, Jazz will be able to fully latch onto me. I hope.''   "I'll just have to wish you both luck then"   ''I could definitely use some luck,'' Rue huffs wearily, ''We all could.'' They down the last of their coffee, not much enjoying the bitter taste, their eyes locking with Frank's bloodshot ones, ''Are you sure you're okay?''   Frank looks away, his fingers tapping with slight agitation as he considers the question, "You remember what I told you just before we met with the Trinity?"   ''Yeah,'' Rue says gently, sympathetically, ''I remember.''   "The part I didn't tell you, was that it isn't an occasional night terror... it's constant. I've had a variation of the same nightmare  every night since that day" He admits, "My constant therapy, and careful medication have been the only things keeping me sane for the last several years and recently they've begun to stop working. I haven't told my handler or therapist this yet, because if they knew they'd pull me off the team now and I need to see this through, but after? Well, I can't keep up the act much longer"   ''Ah... I'm sorry.'' Rue purses their lips, mulling over their options. They run a hand over their face, leaning against the table with a wry smile, ''You know how I collapsed that day?''   Frank nods, remembering vividly.   ''You can't get nightmares if you don't sleep,'' Rue admits sheepishly, looking down at the ground, ''I've been trying to get some more rest since then, but even with the sleeping pills that Transonic prescribed it hasn't exactly been easy... These weeks have been Hell - no pun intended - and I think it's been taking its toll on all of us. I don't think anyone would blame you if you needed some time after this to sort yourself out.''   Frank smiles slightly, "Thanks Rue, I expect they'll put me on medical leave until they find a way to keep me sane again, they may even get someone like Brainiac to see if they can suppress the nightmare," He shrugs, "In the meantime, they'll assign someone else to take my place on the B-Team, I have someone in mind but it'll be up to the Centurion, I can only give a recommendation"   ''Well, if it's someone you trust, they must be good,'' Rue says, pausing briefly, ''Can we make a deal, though?''   "We can certainly try" Frank says with a smile.   ''Don't just... disappear?'' They phrase it as a question, their tone betraying a hint of anxiety despite their best efforts, ''I'm not just saying that because I want to come here occasionally to see Charcoal. I may not see us as the dysfunctional family Mercy called us, but that doesn't mean I don't like you guys...''   Frank's smile widens ever so slightly, "I wouldn't dream of it, I promised you a holiday to Ireland after all" he reminds them.   ''Good,'' Rue mirrors the smile with a devious glint in their eyes, ''Cause you know I can track you down, right?''   Frank laughs then, "I certainly hope so, because if they lock me away in an asylum for deranged heroes, I expect to see you breaking down the door, fireballs flying"   Rue snorts, ''Depending on how my first official session with Dr Upton goes, we might end up as roommates.''   "We'll just have to start our own crazy villain league then, I can see the headlines now 'The Warper & his dastardly partner Crazy Curls escaped from their cell at Arkham Asylum today'."   ''Crazy Curls?!'' Rue says with mock-indignation, ''I've been given some bad nicknames before, but ouch. Do you have any idea how impossible it is to tame curly hair? Brushing it just makes it worse!''   Frank grins unashamedly, "Just imagine how it'd look after a stint in a loony bin"   Rue looks as though they're about to say something else, but they snap their mouth shut, dramatically rolling their eyes and shaking their head with a faint smile, ''Do you think Charcoal could break us out?''   "Oh he's definitely a ninja in disguise, just waiting for his moment"   ''We can pay him in tuna,'' Rue suggests conspiratorially, ''and chin scratches.''   "Yesss" Frank says, stroking his chin consideringly, "That just might work"   ''It's a plan.'' Rue chuckles, a companionable silence falling between them. They tap their finger on the coffee cup thoughtfully, looking a little awkward as they utter, ''Could I maybe ask for another favour?''   "Careful, you may end up irreparably indebted to me at this rate" he says teasingly, "Name it"   “You can join the club,” Rue deadpans, “I uhh… haven’t really slept yet. I wanted to make sure I’d sorted everything out beforehand, but I also don’t exactly want to start our little Hell heist too tired to focus and end up getting someone killed in the process, so… Could I maybe crash on your sofa for a couple of hours?”   Franks eyebrows rise ever so slightly in surprise but lower back down quickly enough, "Sure, I'll bring you a pillow, just make sure all your ghost friends are accounted for afterwards, I don't need a haunting on top of everything else" he finishes with an amused smirk.   ''I think I can manage that,'' Rue nods appreciatively, ''Thanks. Again.''   Frank's face softens as he nods in return, "Anytime"