victory_road | Action/Video — Somewhere in Route 29

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Action/Video — Somewhere in Route 29

[ It'd been a bit of a busy morning, if Angel was being honest. Waking up alive of all things was certainly a highlight. However, finding out that her father was alive as well had certainly brought down her mood, as well as the fact that he was still dead-set on maintaining his tight grip on her.]

[She shuddered at the thought, stumbled, and then caught herself against a tree. She'd lost sight of the town and all its potential menaces awhile ago, but she still didn't feel comfortable stopping. Even as her muscles ached and her heart pounded, her only thoughts were to keep running.]

[Another step knocked the thought right out of her. Her leg quivered, barely able to hold her weight long enough to bring her gracefully to the ground, rather than sending her tumbling into a heap. It didn't take long for Angel's new friend, the small Mareep, to pad up to her and give her a reassuring butt of the head.]

[So she wasn't going anywhere then. Fair enough.]

[After a fair amount of wiggling, Angel struggled her backpack off her body and into her lap. With just a little rustling, Angel plucked out her Pokegear and clicked it on.]

I'm not sure if anyone is going to find this broadcast. It is... difficult, not being in the position to access any communications device at any time. But... I hope that someone is listening. And that that someone tells someone else. And maybe, just maybe, we might all be able to save someone's life.

If you are listening, is absolutely imperative that you pay attention to what I am saying. There is a man here — Jack, often known as Handsome Jack. He is a tyrant. A power hungry megalomaniac who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And I have no doubts that many of you have already fallen under his grasp. You need to know that you mean nothing to him. His own daughter was a pawn for him, a means to a brutal end.

I don't know where I am, or where any of us have found ourselves. But it won't stop Jack. He's already tried to pull me back in. I have no doubts he will recruit others.

If you listen to only one thing, listen to this: if you value your life, you will abandon Handsome Jack.

[Clicking the recording off, Angel sat back, abruptly aware of just how bad all of her limbs seemed to be quaking. For a brief second, she put her head in her hands, allowing a single sniffle to escape before she forced herself to her feet again. With her pokegear clenched in her hand, Angel took a few stumbling steps, followed by a few more. Within a few feet (and after a few quizzical baas from Mari), Angel hit her stride once more, and continued onward]

Private Action | Murphy and Angel
[In truth, Angel didn't make it much further before her legs started to give out once more. This time, she made it to a tree, collapsing beneath the shade with a heavy breath. As if to still the frantic woman, Mari quickly clambered over, plopping down on Angel's lap with a defiant bleat.]

[Angel couldn't keep herself from smiling. It was small and strained, and quickly faded under the weight of everything else she was feeling. But it was a distraction, and a welcome one at that.]

With nothing more to do, and becoming acutely aware of just how in over her head she was, Angel quickly began sifting through her 'gear, frowning until she finally managed to pull up a map. Her stomach bottomed out as she studied the distance between where she had left and where she had to go.]

Perhaps fleeing was a mistake after all...

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[Seriously?]

[Seriously?]

[He hauls his ass all the way to get her, finds her gone, and then turns on his 'gear to see this? At the moment, he's too tired and drained to even lose his temper.]

...Angel.

What the hell?

[And there it was. She had been waiting for his voice to crackle out from the device in her hand. For a moment, she hesitated, wondering if that incessant voice in her head would tell her to back.]

[But her feet trudged onward.]

They needed to know, Jack.

Needed to know what?

'Cause none of that's true, sweetheart. Wanting my daughter home where I know she's safe is hardly trying to lure you into my clutches or whatever the hell you're trying to paint things as. That's what any father would want, even if their daughter wasn't weak and sheltered. And I'm gonna tell ya again: I run a home based greeting card company. What kind of planet-wide scheming do you think I'm getting up to, here? There aren't any lives in danger! I mean, other than mine, from that dude who's constantly threatening to eat my insides....

[Jack sighs. He's just tired. He's been through so many spikes of emotion in the last couple of hours and now he's just tired, sitting somewhere in New Bark and trying to get through to his rebellious and apparently mentally disturbed daughter.]

I...I really don't understand where all this is coming from. Twenty minutes ago you're calling me 'dad' and telling me you miss me, and now this?

Look, fine. You said your little thing, fine. Will you come home now?

[So this is a thing. Finding out Jack has a daughter, well, not too big of a surprise, he and Athena had kinda figured that one out already. Finding out that she's apparently here now? Kinda crazy. Which he only heard about because Jack suddenly demanded a quick fast travel to where she was.

And then she wasn't there.

And now this post is up.

What the fuck.]

Uh... What?

[Not that what she's saying is wrong. It's not, it's all an accurate description of Jack. But... wow, a lot is happening all of a sudden.]

I'm not weak. [As if he couldn't hear her puffing away] And I'm not coming anywhere near you.

[Off-screen, Mari seemed to echo Angel's sentiments, giving a defiant bleat while skipping alongside the girl. Angel smiled, likely looking more like a pained grimace, before turning her attention back to the device in her hand.]

Leave me alone, Jack.

[Yeah, she's going to make this private. A guy like Jack... she wouldn't be shocked if he tried spying on any conversations surrounding someone he wants to get under his control.]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are many people here that have been completely fooled by your father.

[Athena is smart. Very smart. It doesn't take much to put two and two together, and her and Tim had already figured it out. The ghosts, the picture... it really isn't all that hard to come to the conclusion that this girl is Jack's daughter.]

... A pawn. What did he do to you?

I'm not being a dick, baby, it's just a fact. You're not physically strong, not enough to hike and camp alone in the wilderness. I am worried about you!

Just...please come home, Angel.

[The voice on the device is expected, but all the same, Angel felt every fiber of her light up in both fear and fury. She lifted the device to her mouth, forcing herself to breathe evenly and avoid giving away her struggle.

You know exactly what I am talking about, Jack. Leave me alone.

No.

[Angel raised the pokegear, leveling a glare at it. It was clear that she wasn't going to get him to stop harassing her, no matter what she said. Instead, she lifted her thumb to the power button and clicked it off.]

[She'd be fine on her own for a little while, right?]

[Oh god, she... she sounds mad. Yeah, he maybe should've made it more clear who he is, but in his defense this is all an awful lot to process.]

Whoa, whoa, wait, I'm not-- I'm not him, so uh, no, I... actually don't know?

What the hell is even going on...

[Jack had once done all he could to keep her lineage a secret. It made someone knowing where she came from surprising. Certainly, she'd hinted at it in her own speech, but it was still startling to hear the connection acknowledged out loud by someone besides herself.]

[But more surprising was the voice on the other end. She had memorized it eons ago, somewhere in the beginnings of her torture, when she did her best to monitor her father's "heroic" mission on Elpis.

[On her own, and carrying a history like she did, the gladiator was a hard woman to forget. But the fact that she had once openly defied Handsome Jack and still lived on...]

You know how he is, Athena. Two could play at the subtle knowledge dropping game. Exactly what he did... that doesn't matter. You know what I am saying is true. [At least, she hoped that she did. Angel didn't want to spend hours recounting every bit of torture she had suffered through. She didn't want to remember the friends she had betrayed, or feel the blood on her hands once again.]

[Almost instantly, Angel found herself regretting her words. Stopping for a moment, she lifted a hand to pinch at the bridge of her nose, before looking to her 'gear once again.]

I'm... sorry. I did not realize that one of his doubles was here as well...

After she spoke, Angel found herself frowning. Just because he wasn't Jack, didn't mean the man was exactly innocent. She'd seen a handful of doppelgangers, had watched them profess their love and devotion for Jack... ]

[So there wasn't exactly a need to feel guilty toward snapping at him.]

I trust you are relaying my messages to him, then?

Uh, that's... that's fine, that's my bad, really.

[She figured that one out quick. That's good, then, because he doesn't want that kind of confusion happening, especially not now.]

What? No! I'm not... I'm not gonna... Shit, hang on, let me just... switch this over...

[Better make this conversation private or Jack can listen to it anyway. Don't wanna risk that.]

Seriously, I'm not planning on doing anything like that. Though, uh... if you don't believe that, I-I don't blame you...

[The double's efforts did little to assuage Angel's fears. If anything, she found herself feeling more suspicious than before. His willingness to make their discussion private, the apologies... Angel gave her pokegear a scrutinizing glance, before lowering it again. Back on Pandora, she could have traced the signal, confirmed identities and felt at least somewhat comfortable — at least as much as she could be around a Hyperion employee.]

[Her... limitations made things difficult. Relying on her own intuition, trusting someone at their word... she wasn't fond of any of it. For all she knew, Jack was simply posing, trying to get her to let her guard down]

[Strange, how powerless she felt.

What do you want then?

[If she's surprised that Angel recognizes her, she certainly doesn't show it. In fact, the closest thing to emotion she shows is just a slight narrowing of her eyes. Because not only is she smart, she's observant. The sunken eyes, the bony cheeks... they aren't the marks of someone naturally thin. She's visited (and razed) enough villages on Pandora to recognize someone who doesn't eat well, and that... that sets off some alarms in her head.]

I believe you. I'm one of the last people that needs convincing for just how cruel Jack can be. [Another pause, as she lets Angel's appearance sink in.] He wasn't kind to you, was he?

Was he kind to anyone?

[Even as she spoke, she could feel the pinpricks of countless needles against her skin. Her blood felt heavy, as if slowed by eridium once again. Her muscles gave a sympathetic ache, remembering a time when all she craved was more of that toxic purple drug. And Athena's gaze was so heavy on her, that Angel could have sworn that the gladiator could see it all playing out before her eyes.]

[She shook her head minutely, trying to chase the thoughts from her head.]

Like I said, I was simply a means to an end.

[What does he want? Well, that's a question. One he doesn't have much of an answer to, because hell, he doesn't want much of anything here. Even replying to this whole thing had been mostly an impulse decision.

So...]

I-I don't know? Talk to you, I guess?

I mean, until not too long ago I didn't even know Jack had a kid and uh... Ha, well, uh. Sure didn't expect anything like that post you made. I mean... goddamn.

[That's... odd.]

[Angel cast a concerned look around her. Was he meant to be a distraction then? To keep her mind occupied until her father, or any of his followers, bombarded her? She couldn't see anything suspicious thus far, and Mari didn't appear to be on edge. And while she had no doubts that Jack would be smart enough to pull something like that off, even Jack would have a hard time mustering up that many allies on such a short notice]

[So maybe there was less of a threat than she thought... She wouldn't slow down — even if he wasn't working directly with Jack, that didn't mean Jack would just... stop looking. But maybe she could relax a little.

[At least until she got to the bottom of it all.

You know... a proper Hyperion employee would be scolding me for my sacrilege. What makes you different?

Edited 2016-09-05 23:36 (UTC)

[Angel's not the only one looking around concerned. Tim also pauses for a moment, glancing over his shoulder. Jack's... well, Jack's still off on his own, so it should be safe. It's just that now they're getting into territory he really doesn't want him knowing about.

He just starts moving to a more secluded spot. Just... Just to be on the safe side here.]

Yeah, well, pretty sure proper Hyperion employees actually want to work for Hyperion, so I'm already failing miserably.

I'm not exactly Jack's biggest fan. To put it nicely.

...And you absolutely did not hear me say that, okay?

[That... that actually gets her lip to curl. Because Athena's hurt family before. It's been years since the incident that caused her fallout with Atlas, but even today, she can sometimes feel her sister's blood on her hands. It tore her up, completely destroyed her to the point where she's sure she wasn't able to completely put herself back together again...

She remembered Jack's ghost. The innocent-looking little girl with the round face crawling in her father's lap. She compares that image with the girl she sees before her now, and it isn't hard to jump to conclusions about what Jack might have done. He intentionally hurt his daughter, to the point where she doesn't have one good word to say about him...

There's an odd creaking noise. The sound of plastic whining under pressure. Athena's gripping her gear so hard that, not for the first time, she's surprised that she hasn't broken the damn thing.]

I knew it. Even him acting like a good father was just that. An Act.

[That's all...certainly something. But what he sees most is a too-thin human child, trembling. He has no right to reach out to one such as that, but...]

Do you need someone to help you? Forgive me, but you do not look well.

[What in the world...? Lust watches the video and is almost...bemused. She shakes her head and flips on her own video to respond.]

I don't know the man you're offering warning about in any personal capacity - I've heard him on the Network, I think we all have - but I can assure you...tyrants find no place here. Others have tried. We've had attempts at world domination, attempts at world destruction, one man simply tried to announce he was in charge and yell until everyone listened...

No one listened.

You'll see what I mean, if you're in this world for any length of time. It's a peaceful place, aside from some bizarre natural occurrences. And it manages to stay that way, no matter what violent or power hungry individuals find themselves here.

[Angel's steps slowed down, a bewildered look crossing her face. Mari butted at her calves once, but after looking up, quickly stopped.]

[Angel could appreciate the doppelganger's sentiment. She didn't exactly want to be involved with Hyperion, and she certainly was the furthest thing from Jack's fan. She could almost sympathize with the man.]

[Almost.]

I hope you do not mind me saying so, but that sounds too good to be true.

[Athena's "outburst," if it could even be called as much, surprised the former siren. She was used to the stoic nature of the former assassin. The creak of plastic, and the curl of a lip... it's unexpected, as far as Angel is concerned.]

[But beneath that, there was a hint of contempt. Athena should have known better. Jack had shown time and time again that he was beholden to no one. Even if she was blood, surely the evidence piled up against him.]

You're surprised? [For the most part, Angel kept the annoyance from her voice. She was getting a little frustrated at just how many people seemed to believe his lies. Especially those she might have considered allies.]

No, that's fine. I get it. I mean, I'm literally paid to be him, after all. That doesn't exactly scream trustworthy.

I just... When I got involved with all this, Jack's crazy wasn't quite so... obvious? And after it was, well. Not like I could really quit, you know?

[Quitting would be nice. Getting away from all of this. Not having to deal with Jack anymore or Hyperion or any of that bullshit.

But so long as Jack is here, that's just not possible.]

Still can't really quit...

[...]

I'd... say Athena can vouch for me, but she's... not really happy with me right now, so uh. Maybe not...

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Action/Video — Somewhere in Route 29

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