Star Crossed Lovers [IC, closed]

[blink]

Sometimes Blink really did wonder about the patience that the hero before her showed. It was a weakness, that was for certain. He seemed to know that something was still amiss, but didn't act on it. Did that make him virtuous or foolish. A week ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to say the former, now she wasn't quite so certain. Kidnapping was never really her thing, although this was more of a case of returning a wayward child to their parents. If that was the case, why did it feel so wrong? It was possible that she'd gotten it very wrong all along and that you couldn't tightrope a fine line between legality and thuggery.

Regardless, money was money, and a job a job. With a sigh, she smiled up at Dark Star, blew him a little kiss and said, "You're sweet. However, we really do have to go. Please take care of the boy, I think that between his own anger and the people after him, he's going to need it. Tell your angry friend that he should really learn some manners."

She felt the space around her, a few hundred yards away was a series of row houses. She picked one at random and willed her and the girl to that spot. With any luck no one would be home.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star shook his head and raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Seems the lady is a teleporter..." He focused his senses for a moment, letting them expand outward. "Ah. Edge, I'll be right back. Take care of that fellow please." He didn't wait for Edge to answer; he had faith the boy would do the right thing.

Dark Star flew forward, passing through the wall and coming to a stop in the room with the two women. "Ladies, that was rather rude. And thank you for your concern about the gentleman but he is quite fine. Now where was I? Oh yes. You were going to explain what was going on. You can do so here or back there. Up to you. I am doing my best to be cordial but you are certainly not making it easy you know. While I can do this indefinitely, time is fleeting as they say. Could you please desist and answer the questions? I really do not wish this to degenerate into needless violence." He paused, reconsidered something. "Again that is."

[blink]

"I guess, I didn't expect anything less," Blink said trying to keep the admiration out of her voice. She wasn't sure how he had tracked her, but he had to be fast. Still, how fast and how accurate remained to be seen.

Still holding the girl's hand, she let her senses roam. There was a roof several hundred yards away, then another room beyond that. Her jumps were fast, and as random as she could make them without letting herself land in a wall or a room likely to hold people. She needed some time, and space and that wasn't looking likely. She wasn't sure why she didn't just jump him. She was reasonably sure she could have caught him off guard, and with any luck his powers wouldn't be as effective close in. Any other time she would have... did the job mean that much to her? To pass at a chance for glory?

[Cyroa]

He shook his head as she disappeared yet again. This time, he was already looking. Still, the randomness threw him a little. Regardless, he sped on after her, arriving just after she appeared. "While your dedication might seem admirable, I should tell you it is rather futile. You know, this escape attempt is quite..." She disappeared and he followed again. He picked up right where he left off, as if nothing had happened. "...pointless. Not to mention, that I am doing my best to help and get..." There she went again. She was quite resistent to the notion of talking things through it seemed. "...to the bottom of this. This would certainly go smoother..." And again. He hoped Edge had things well in hand back there. "...with your cooperation and help. Now, are we quite through yet? If I wanted to do violence or harm to either of you, I think we can safely say that I could have. Running away is certainly no way to deal with problem. Help me and I shall endeavor to do the same. Or we could just continue this until you get tired I suppose."

[blink]

"Is that some kind of sick challenge?" Blink said, panting heavily. Porting with the girl was serious work, and she was straining her limits trying to get further and further away. "'Cause I'm just getting my second wind!"

There was a large structure nearby, the spacing suggesting a retail outlet. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to find them in the crowd. Although, her mind raced in it's thoughts, that didn't seem very likely. Still there was no way she was giving up. Not like this.

"Besides, who likes smoother?!" she said before blinking several times rapidly in succession angling each time closer to the mall. Twice, she was sure they appeared in someone's kitchen; once, to a startled and overly amorous couple. Yet they stayed in only one spot long enough to make the next jump. She was still fairly certain that the hero was still right with her. How he could follow her jumps so fast was still beyond her. His words, if any, were a blur as she pushed to get to the mall. Perhaps there the tables could be turned.

With a final jump she found herself surrounded by a small crowd of shoppers. Gasping for breath she turned to the girl, "we'll get out of here... and back to your... home... I don't think he'll... stop us there..."

[angrydurf]

Natasha stuck with Blink through several jumps, at first she assumed that they were leading the Heros astray while Tony was sent somewhere safe, after all Tony seemed to be te one they were after. But as they drew further and further away with only Dark Star in pursuit it dawned on her that her new friend may not be what she seemed.

When Blink mentioned taking her home her eyes went wide, "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!" she shouted drawing startled looks from the mall patrons. She began to edge away from Blink nervously, "I won't go back there you can't make me." She hissed eyes narrowing, "What did you do to Tony? If you hurt him I swear I'll, I'll ..." She trailed off tears begining to stream down her face. She knew it was hopeless, the Heroes had Tony and he'd be in prison or as good as if his family sprung him, she couldn't face down Blink or Dark Star, She didn't even know where she was.

[blink]

"Of course I'm no..." Blink began; the lie coming easily to mind, yet choking in her throat.

What was she doing? Truly? The job was to get a father and his daughter back together. Nothing more. Kidnapping wasn't her thing, there was no thrill and the personal complications were more than Blink ever wanted to handle. She liked her operations military, precise, clean, and with a minimal of collateral damage. So what was the reason for the job? The money, of course.

Yet even that rang false. She had a small apartment, with no doors or windows; spartan furnishing, few comforts, and some pretty decent gear. For each of her scores, she had given the payout to her father. Yet he still lived in the same junk apartment that she had grown up in. What was he doing with the money? She knew that the mob felt they had rights to her services, even if she wanted little to do with them other than contract work. Still, you didn't say no to people like Natasha's father without some serious repercussions. Even so, fear had never been a motivator for her either.

The fact of the matter was that theft, and contract jobs let her live how she wanted without feeling like she was the kind of scum that stole someone's daughter. Or perhaps, even worse, returning them to their monster of a father. It was easy, people with money needed to share the wealth... with her father who deserved more out of life than he had ever received.

She opted for truth seeing as there would be no porting the girl again, not in her agitated state. Morphing back to her natural state she replied, "look Natasha, your father asked me to bring you back. That's all. The thugs were there in case your boyfriend decided to make things difficult... or some supers showed. I didn't lie when I said that Tony's fine. It's just that I'm not going to get him, and there's no plan to get him. With the kind of lawyers his family has, he'll walk in no time. We need to get moving before that guy gets back, or there's going to be a lot of questions that I don't think you want to answer."

[angrydurf]

Natasha stopped at Blinks words the fight going out of her at the words. She saw how hopeless it all was now. She wouldn't be with Tony, she wasn't going to be able to escape Blink and even if she did the Heroes would just send her back there.

Her fathers arms reached just too far. She looked up at Blink her eyes flashing with anger, "You know what my father will do to you if I'm hurt." she spat vehemently and bolted for the the long drop to the first floor of the mall, "You might take me back but you won't collect your paycheck."

Natasha had clearly lost it at this point. Her one hope of getting free of all of this a betrayal.

[blink]

For just a brief moment, Blink stared at the girl running towards the edge. She was going to jump...

What was wrong with this girl?

Or, Blink wondered, what was wrong with her. She had just driven the young girl to throw herself off a ledge. It was one of those moments that a life can be balanced on Occam's Razor. She could strip away all the trappings of money, loyalty, entitlement, and every other reason her life had gone the way it had. Here was a simple choice. Help the girl, or not. Finish the job, or not. She glanced to either side, looking for the hero who had so vexingly and effectively followed her. For this moment, he was not here to save the day; not here to stop what was quickly becoming a tragedy of epic proportions.

That left her.

Thankfully she didn't have to rely on her legs to get her to where she needed to be. With a thought she ported directly on the fleeing girl, trying to take her down.

[blink]

Crashing to a heap on the ground, Blink had already ported around to get her legs wrapped around Natasha's chest, squeezing and pressing to keep the girl in place.

"What are you doing! No one is worth that! No one! Just go back to your father and your pampered life. Enjoy what you have and don't throw it away over some infatuation!"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star had been watching, hidden for several moments, hoping to learn what was going on without driving anyone to exhaustion. He'd almost intervened at the girls suicidal action. It turned out to be unnecessary as the girl's 'kidnapper' saved the girl. He was actually surprised and heartened by the action.

His hesitation had gained him some insight though. Not much but it was a start. Dark Star slowly faded into view. "That explains a bit," he said. He turned to the teleporter. "Thank you for saving her." He chose to think she'd done it for the right reasons. He looked at the two women. "I think it's time you explained things. You seem close to the age of majority for this country. And even if you weren't, if you are endangered at home, no one will force you to return. But if you need protection or someone to help you, we need to stop this running and fighting. Now, would both of you care to explain?"

[angrydurf]

Natasha continued to feebly fight off Blinks hold but had no real hope of escape. She cried her pretty tears and glared at Dark Star, "There isn't anywhere he won't find me, I'd rather die than go back ..." She trailed off into incohernant tears once more ocasionally calling for 'Tony'.

[blink]

Blink hated tears. None of the men in her units had ever cried. No one in Afghanistan had cried. Since her mother had passed so many years ago, she had not cried. There was no time for sorrow when you lived on the edge. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she released the hold on Natasha, confident that she wouldn't just try and throw herself to her death.

"What's to explain?" she said looking up at Dark Start, no longer surprised he had followed her so easily. "Her father hired me to return her home. Asked to make sure she didn't get hurt and was pretty convinced something would be happening. What are you going to do with the boy? The girl's not yours for the taking."

Then to Natasha she said, "what's so bad about going back home?"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star paused, looking down at the crying girl. "There's no reason to cry. You're fine and things will always work out. I do not know who you or your father is but I'm fairly certain that he isn't omniscient. There are people in this world that will help those in need. You simply need to ask."

He tilted his head at Blink. "I should point out she is her own person. And if she is required to make a statement or recompense, then she must. But I don't see it as a major problem. If she's in trouble, she'll be helped. As for whats to explain? You could elaborate on how those men acquired energy weapons that originate from hundred of light years from here."

He stopped. "My apologies, I'm being rude. I'm called Dark Star. And you two are?"

[angrydurf]

Natasha alternated between laughs and sobs, "Not omniscient? By this time everyone involved with helping us get away is dead." she curled in on herself then gently rocking and mumbling too quiet to hear.

[blink]

Natasha was likely right, and there would likely be a contract on Blink's head as well by morning... if not already. Failure was not really an option when you dealt with people like Natasha's father. Dark Star was waiting for an answer, patiently, which went against everything she had experienced so far with the heroes of the city. Blink wanted to trust him, to believe that he wasn't just going to use her words against her. Yet old habits held her tongue for far longer than a polite pause.

Finally, some inner dam gave in and she shrugged, "Blink... and Natasha Vaslev."

"As for how they got the weapons? How does a man like Grigori Vaslev get anything? He takes it. All I can say is that the team was in place and I was simply hired to lead and act as a specialist. Get the girl out, unharmed and home. However, I'm not kidding when I said you can't have her. I haven't saved too many people, but put her in a police station and you might as well give her back to her father. Should have let her jump at that point."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star nodded. "Blink, Natasha. Nice to meet you. I still don't know who the Vaslev's are nor how they have interstellar connections but let's leave that for now. Have a little faith in people. No one is going to 'tossed to the wolves' or put in danger. No one is going to hurt or killed while I have anything to say about it. And I daresay that I do. Now that we've been introduced, who is that young man and can we go rejoin the others? I can have us back in a moment."

[blink]

Blink looked over at Natasha and couldn't help but notice the small gleam of hope that rose unbidden. Heading... back? To the heroes? She had been mulling over that same idea, but under far different circumstances. Her version had been more of a smash and grab and take the boy. Although, she hadn't gotten around the multiple heroes who would likely still be there. That, as before, had been a sticking point.

She looked down at Natasha, unused to the idea that she was responsible for the girl. What was best for her? Getting away from her father and probably running away with the boy and disappearing forever. Since she was not certain of her ability to escape, much less defeat Dark Star; her options were quite limited.

With a deep sigh she replied, "ok... however, if that crazy guy so much as makes a move, then all bets are off. You seem... reasonable enough... but I'm not sure about anyone else. Trust doesn't come easy in my line of work."

Turning back to Natasha she spoke quietly to the girl, "you've got no reason to trust me... but I give you my word, I'll do what I can to get the boy back and the two of you away from your father. This guy seems ok, and I say it's your only real shot. I made some pretty bad assumptions and... I'm... uh... sorry. I'll do what I can to make it up..."

Even thought the words were true, they sounded small and lame. Especially when compared to what Blink had driven Natasha too. Still, what else could she do?

"Ok Dark Star, let's go."

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk laughed from the shadows. "I assume I'm the crazy guy. No, I'm the one whose spent the past year fighting this city's mob, and if you want them to leave you be, you're going to need my help. Dark Star may have the power and the friends in high places, but he doesn't live in this world. No offence," he glanced at the energy being, "But you probably wouldn't have a clue how to hide someone from an organised crime ring who function in the city with the most superheroes in the world."

"We either need to scare them off, or very visibly in view of the bosses, fake your deaths."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star lifted both women and flew them back to the others within moments. "Now, let's fill in the details shall we? Who is Tony here?"

He looked over at Arrowhawk and gave a little nod. What was there to be offended about? Dark Star spent quite a lot of time away from the city, no question. And he was aware of his limits when it came to understanding the criminal mind. "I don't suppose we can go speak with the man?"

[blink]

As they touched down, Blink whirled as Arrowhawk spoke. It had startled her and she inwardly cursed her reaction. Her answer was blunt and to the point, "yes, you are. I'm surprised your record isn't longer than mine. However... you are right, and your reputation precedes you."

She felt fairly leery around all the assembled heroes and wondered when the other shoe was going to drop. Unknowingly, her stance was readied and she stood lightly on the balls of her feet. While she knew who Tony was, it was up to Natasha to fill the rest of them in.

[angrydurf]

Tony went immediatly to Natashas side when Dark Star brought them back, "Tasha, are you ok?" He said stareing soulfully into her eyes. Natasha clung to his neck desperately not speaking. Still holding his beloved he glances over his shoulder to Dark Star, "Anthony Scarletti." He introduces himself gruffly. His eyes flash to Arrowhawk, "Yea that was the plan but someone told someone what we were doing. I don't know how they knew where we were heading but its over now, no way we can get clear with them looking for us."

[blink]

Blink looked at the couple, for a moment perhaps wishing for that same intimacy. There was something special between these two that was hard not too see. Of course, she had been at least partially to blame, for which she would not try to cover the facts.

"Natasha, your father wanted you back, Tony was of no consequence to him. Perhaps you want to explain what your plan was and why he wants you back so badly? All I know is that I was paid to bring you home, nothing more."

She looked around at the various heroes assembled defiantly, knowing that she was on the wrong side of things, but unwilling to break into long and pointless apology.

[Cyroa]

The boys name meant little to him but he could see where this was going. "Tony, who exactly are your parents?" He nodded at Blink. "She has a point as well. We need you to explain the situation in its entirety. Where you were going, why you are having parental issues, the works. There is no problem we cannot overcome. But understanding makes it significantly easier. We want to help, but we need your help to do so."

[Avenger Assembled]

Edge's eyes were round behind his goggles as he listened to the adults talk. Oh man, it's like Romeo and Juliet! Or Tony and Maria from West Side Story. "We should definitely help you guys stick together," he said with absolute pure belief in his voice. "You know, maybe if we just go to your parents and tell them how you really feel about each other, that'll smooth things over. And with superheroes backing you up, they'll have to believe in you!"