Outcast Villiage

"As if I would betray you," Ranger hissed, angry. "I wouldn't put my own through that pain, or bring you unnecessary suffering. Don't think I haven't seen Citlali cry over these years, because I have, and so much more. The cruel part of it all, Alex?" Ranger all but spat his name out. "With the contract adjusted, she remembers everything. So imagine how that makes her feel."

"You made your choice, it's not something that we can all forgive and forget Ranger." Xander told him.

"And that is what you'd do." Alex told him.

((do you think we should have the numbers come for them?))

"Made my choice? When has any of this been my choice, hmm? If you're all so truly blind as to the strings behind this pathetic puppet." Ranger gestured angrily to himself.

((Did you want them to meet up? Were the Numbers going to be free yet, or are still gonna wait a while until that?))

"Stop it!" Moira suddenly shouted. "All of you!" She looked at them. "Look, we're wasting time, we need to work out what we're going to do."

((it's up to you, they're your characters))

((I really don't mind. I'd rather we made the decision together, since it'll affect your characters too))

"If you think it'll help then just leave me behind," Ranger muttered. "Maybe this time I'll actually be killed."

"Don't worry, we will." Alex told him, and then Moira hit him.

"Shut up Alex." Moira hissed.

((well we could start the 'attack' now, why does the woman want to find evelyn, alex and xander anyway? haha i forgot))

((Because she sees them as a threat, and she sees them as reasons why she can't fully control certain Numbers))

"Perhaps - " Ranger suddenly grunted in pain, a horrible burning smell filling the room. The Agency had reached the location and so the tracker inside of Ranger was self destructing by burning itself up and everything around it. "Oh, fuck, they're here, they're here."

"You three take the girls and go, I'll stay and try and give you some time." Moira told them and Alex and Evelyn picked up their daughters running out of the back door where it wasn;t guarded.

((ah right, thank you))

"I'm not exactly going anywhere either." Ranger grunted as he sat up and was startled when Citlali was suddenly there in the room with them, having arrived at sudden speed.

"Hello Citlali." Moira greeted her.

Citlali braved a smile, getting as far as "Hi M-" before she was falling to her knees and spasming in pain, hands clenched by her neck.

"We do not deserve to speak, since we are less than human," Ranger muttered. "The golden rule we were 'taught'."

"Helpful." She told him. "And yet you can talk?" She asked, before something out of the window caught her eye and she noticed Evelyn had stayed behind and she was heading back to the house, when she got inside Moira ran to her before she stopped and ran back to Ranger, kissing his lips deeply. "I've missed you and I'm sorry for this." She told him, before she took Evelyn's hand and they both ran from the house.

"I ripped my control unit out," Ranger murmured, staring desolately at Citlali.

---

Several of the other numbers were outside, including Ephraim, Disaster, Clockwork and Death, all of who looked worse for wear and half starved, same as Citlali had been.

Evelyn pulled Moira through a group of tunnels as they got to some wooded area, she was trying to avoid being spotted by anyone.

Patience, number 2, was at the other end of the tunnel, Chiquita and the head woman, Carla, with her.

"Oh, it looks like we found you," Carla said, her voice sickly sweet.

Evelyn skidded to a stop and she stood in between her and Moira. "Moira, run, I'll deal with these three."

"Oh, no. She shouldn't leave. She's someone I want to get rid of too." Carla gestured something and Patience, hissing in pain, her apology in her eyes, froze their feet to the ground.

Moira gripped hold of Evelyn's hand as Evelyn absorbed the ice but she couldn't move yet.

Patience just froze their legs further and further, the strain of sustaining her ability clear on her face.

Evelyn shielded Moira's eyes as a flash of red suddenly shot at the ice so they could move and Moira ran, just as Evelyn did, though she stayed in ice form for now until she found something warmer and stronger.

"Go," Carla simply said and Chiquita shuddered as she lifted a hand and set the forest around them on fire, even as she coughed up blood in pain.

Evelyn managed to keep a path clear for them, but not for long she had to return back to normal when the ice started to melt.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," Carla called mockingly after them as they followed. "You can't hide forever."

With that, they all split up, trying to find Xander and the girls.

((Should we skip?))