In the darkest dark

[polyturtle]

Who| Closed to Donatello and Shepard
What| Don learns a few shocking things from Shepard
Where| The Crystal Story
When| During the blackout
Warnings/Notes| None at the moment

Eva's announcement came like a thunderbolt.

No one, least of all him, expected it. But his first instinct was, this was it. Maybe they could get out. Maybe they could escape. But what about those who had died? And afterwards...how would they stop the Capitol from finding them?

First thing was first, though. He needed to meet up with Shepard, somehow. He hoped she hadn't gotten far from the shop as he maneuvered his was through the darkness which the Arena was now plunged into.

They needed a plan. There was no time to waste.

Comments

[earthborn]

For the first few minutes she hadn't known whether to trust it or not. It seemed fantastical-- impossible. It was an obvious trick, like something Cerberus might've thought of, or the Reapers. You tell them they're free to act, then record what they do.

But then it went on. She dared to hope, on a single thread, that the Capitol had never once allowed itself to look weak, not publicly. For a Gamemaker to try and pull this off would be worse than sacrilege, it'd be a short drop with a sudden stop, on the noose he tied for himself. Too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?

It was black, without power, and she could hear voices in the distance, distorted by echo. Somewhere in the dark, out there, Thane moved on silent feet. Somewhere nearby...

"Who's there?" She risked sound, for the sake of clarity. There was something in the air very like that moment after Rogers had declared an impromptu truce. Maybe it would hold.

[polyturtle]

There's a silence, before the whispered response.

"Shepard, its Don."

[earthborn]

"Don?"

It was stupid. So stupid. So, so very stupid, stupid risk, stupid idea, all of it dumb, pointless, a mountain of folly. But Shepard heard her own whisper come out full of hope to her ears, and intention, and knew that the decision had already been made.

Desperate times bore desperate measures, after all and...

"Give me an assessment," And still she reached out with her good hand, groping along the wall towards the sound of his voice. Her own came out assured, deceptively calm. It was an order, "Is this legitimate? It's awfully convenient."

...and she liked Donatello. Thought of him as an ally, a friend, very nearly more than that.

[polyturtle]

"It was Eva's voice," Don replied, picking up a crystal. "I know that much. Could be a fake, but there was also no response to breaking the cameras."

He also stepped forward towards Shepard's voice.

"I'd advocate figuring out a way out for people, unless you have a better idea."

[earthborn]

"There isn't gonna be enough time," The lights could come back up any minute, "...I have a plan."

Her groping hand slipped off the edge of the wall into the air. For a moment she leaned on it and then, in the dark, her hand brushed something dry and pebbled with scales, slid unexpectedly along the surface of Don's knuckles, and stopped. There you are.

She grabbed him, pulled him close.

"I've been in contact with some of the good guys," The Mall was all sharp surfaces and wide open spaces-- it echoed, so she whispered, but even in a whisper hesitated on that forbidden word, rebellion, "They told me they're going to be sending a signal when they're in place. I have a mission."

[polyturtle]

Don nearly jumped at the brushing of his hand, but knew that had to be Shepard. He wasn't exactly expecting the grab, but...well, thank shell the cameras were out. This could be construed as something very different by the Capitol.

Good guys. Mission. His own voice lowered to a whisper, understanding immediately what she meant.

"I'm listening. What is it, if you can tell me?"

[earthborn]

"I get a signal, I start killing. They're supposed to have a guy on the inside, where they bring us back, so if the timing is right..."

If the 'reanimators' who got their hands on the revived tributes belonged to the Rebellion, it wouldn't be the Capitol they woke up in. She bared her teeth in the dark, slightly giddy with purpose after so long adrift.

"I'm still waiting for the signal-- This isn't it," Eva Salazar and her emotional damage was making a hash of Shepard's planning, but she couldn't deny that it was convenient. She only hoped it didn't screw with the other end of things, "We're getting people out of here."

[polyturtle]

We're getting people out of here.

Don couldn't help but widen his eyes at that. Eva's actions weren't a part of the plan? But...even so. A possible out. A possible out...for...

The thought of himself slowly faded as he thought of all the others who should get out first. He'd been here for so long, to endure was all he could do right now. The idea of getting out seemed...impossible for him. He'd been here so long, it had dominated his life, drove him mad, then brought him back, killed so many and yet he-

He took a breath to keep himself from getting thinking further on that.

"What's...what's the plan?"

[earthborn]

"That is the plan, Don, we're working with no budget, no real coordination and our only leg up is that the Rebellion isn't staffed by psychopathic idiots," She gripped him by the shell, gave it a shake, "Wait for the signal, start killing. My team's going to poison the water to make it easier, we've already figured out where they're keeping the main tank for this place. It'll screw everyone over for at least a week, maybe longer."

Maybe she was a little hysterical herself. Deep breaths. Calm the hell down.

"So, what I'm saying is, no matter who wins the fucking Hunger Games, I can't do anything to help them. Copy?"

[polyturtle]

Don was silent as Shepard laid her plan out. Killing. Of course. Poisoning the water. They would poison the water, and then kill everyone they could find. He felt the hands shaking his shell, while the words sunk in.

They'd have to kill anyone they came upon. Old, or young. Killing the kids was something many among the Tributes couldn't imagine doing, even desperately. Shepard was going to do it.

Marking them, and herself and team, for the Rebellion.

No matter who wins the Hunger Games, I can't do anything to help them.

Then he couldn't win. He'd swore that he would win. That he'd do it for his friends, and himself. But this was more important. If the Capitol caught on to the fact that Shepard was doing this, that her team was doing this, they would be killed. Tortured. Worse.

"Copy." He brought his hands steadily onto Shepard's shoulders. "Look, Commander, if you're going to do this, the next two and a half hours would be a good time to get to that tank and do what you need to do. No cameras to catch you."