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#FreedomFalls – July 26, 2017
Steve is dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans, his beat up old work boots, and a white t-shirt beneath his heavy winter jacket when he meets up with Renala. There's still a slight limp in his step and the only visible weaponry on him is a Predator pistol that was taken from the body of one of Henrik's men. The fact that his new gear hasn't yet arrived may be a mild inconvenience. As he spots the asari, he makes a conscious
Renala increases her pace as she spots Steve on his way, though not soon enough for her to spot his fascade. She frowns when she realizes just how ill suited for combat he is. If she has thought of that in the chaos, she might have gone against her better judgment and enlisted Redrock help. "Looks like I'll be the one taking point," she says upon catching up with him. "You got the address, right?"
Steve waves her concerns off dismissively. "If that lil' snake didn't rat us out, hopefully it ain't even gonna matter. If we're lucky, he won't even have a chance to know what hit him before it's too late." he says before giving a few nods to her question. He gives her a pat on the shoulder as he nears her but keeps on pace towards their destination.
Renala chuckles. "I don't think he's got a choice in the matter," she says. "The omni-tool is going nowhere until we can confirm our end of the exchange." She keeps his pace towards the destination. "At least that's what I'm hoping for," she says. "I hate this fucking mess...."
Steve listens quietly as Renala speaks before giving a slow nod. "You and me both..." he says softly. He tugs on the sleeve of his winter coat for a moment as he continues alongside Renala, trying to free a bit of fabric caught up on the cast on his arm. Once satisfied, he shoves his hands into his pockets and lowers his head, deciding to proceed quietly for the moment. He seems to purposely avoid looking in Renala's direction for
Renala walks for a few moments beside him in silence. She opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it for another few seconds. The asari does complain every now and then, but she's not one to really talk about feelings. "I cannot trust Fergus long enough go home to see Aeyna, and she hates it," she says. "every minute I spend with Atana is built on a foundation of lies, managment barely tolerates me, and Redrock's
enemies are only getting more sophisticated." She gives a long sigh. "Not all of it is because of you, Steve," she says – maybe she's noticing that he's looking away. "I'd be perfectly capable of making a mess of my life on my own." Another sigh. "It's what I get for running away when everything came crashing down back home," she says. "Maybe I would have been blissfully ignorant of some of the shit
we've seen out there if I had simply found myself a place, a new job,...." She shakes her head as she trails off.
Steve keeps his eyes on the ground in front of him as Renala begins to speak. It's not until she finishes that he stops walking completely and turns to face her. "Ren-..." he begins with a shake of his head, his breath visible as he speaks in the cold, winter air, "...This is the game, right? Survival. We-... we make the moves we've gotta make and do what we've gotta do to keep goin' for one more day. I've been doin' this shit a
long time. And I'd be lyin' if I said I've met many people with half the loyalty you've shown me for-..." he gives another shake of his head and glances off to the side, his voice growing quieter for a moment, "...for whatever reason." He takes a deep breath and looks back to Renala before continuing, "But you're out of your mind if you think your life wouldn't be better if you hadn't met me. And I ain't apologizin' for
it. How can I? Prolly wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you watchin' my ass. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve better." He reaches out and places a hand on the asari's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze as he looks her in the eye. "You're gonna see your lil' girl again." he assures her with a brief, forced smile, "But it's about to get real ugly. You understand? And I ain't gonna hold it against you if you
Renala gives a faint nod at first as acknowledgment, but she's silent for a moment as she gathers her thoughts. "It was my life, then I spent the sunset decades of my maiden years tearing down every last bit of it," she says, "and so can you after we deal with this nuisance." She does not make it clear whether her leaving out his connection and depency on Cross is deliberate, however. "You're the only
level-headed merc I've met on this rock," she says. "That's why I'm sticking with you, and I'd hate to lose you after all we've been through. So no, I'm not backing out now."
Steve gives a distant nod at the sentiment. A small amount of guilt bubbles up at Renala's implication that he may be able to put his past to rest once Henrik is dealt with. It implies a certain amount of trust in his character when he knows damn well that Henrik is just one of the many ghosts from his past looking to haunt him. But the guilt quickly subsides. For now, he had his priorities in front of him. He can worry about
tomorrow's enemies tomorrow. He gives her shoulder one more squeeze before bringing his hand back and continuing down the block. "Let's get this over with, darlin'."
Renala gives a nod. "Let's," she simply says in response, and nothing more. She was relieved to have gotten a chance to get some mental noise out of her system by way of her rant, which certainly won't hurt her focus in the difficult task ahead. Her omni-tool comes ot life as she checks her armor's systems one last time before the assault, and she prepares her little programs in case she needs to unlock a door
The address leads to a simple prefabricated housing unit not too far from Litae's Grace. It's not exactly luxurious and it's a good distance away from the heart of Freedom Falls, but that's probably a plus for someone like Henrik attempting to stay out of sight. There's a front door and, if someone were to circle around, a back door. The numerous windows are all covered by blinds or curtains and offer no insight into what might be inside.
There's a car out front with a familiar logo on the back bumper. 'Cheatum and Howe Affordable Car Rentals'
Steve slows his pace as they near the building. There's nobody outside. No additional vehicles. Nothing to immediately set off any red flags. The last thing you want to do is just stand around outside of the building you're about to raise hell in- nevermind the time constraints they're looking at imposed upon them by Quinn- so he simply walks right up to the door. His hand hovers over the Predator holstered on his thigh.
Renala lets out a tiny amused snort at seeing the familiar car rental company's logo, though she resumes focusing on the house rather than mentioning anything of it. "I'll look for alternative exits," she whispers over comms. She enables her omni-tool to scan for any nearby active wireless devices before starting on her way around the house.
The doors- front and back- are both locked. But this is a simple rental and Renala should have little problem bypassing the locks given a few minutes. Outside of the two doors, the only alternative exits would be the windows, of which there's two on either side of the front door, two on either side of the back door, and then a single window on the last two remaining sides of the building.
Steve gives a nod to himself as he remains near the front door. "Copy. What are you thinkin'?" he responds over comms, "Confident you can drop the locks on this place so we can waltz right in or are we knockin' politely?" He gives an uncomfortable glance around, not particularly excited to just stand out front of the house in the open for any length of time. He leans a hand against the wall beside the door, hoping to look as if
he's just waiting for someone to answer the door to anyone who may pass by. Thankfully, due to a combination of the weather and the part of town, there's not exactly an abundance of foot traffic.
Renala nods. "There's a back door, not to mention all the windows," she replies over the comms. She walks back around to join up with Steve, and enables her omni-tool to start on the lock. "Do not open until I'm ready at other door," she says while the program does its thing.
Steve gives a nod of his head, his gaze focused on the door. He sucks in a deep breath as Renala's program goes to work and the switch is flipped. He's already got that look about him. The look he gets right before shit is about to hit the fan. His free hand rests against his hip, just above his holstered pistol as he continues to lean against the wall. "Just say the word."
Renala's program makes relatively quick work of the locks. It does take a minute or two, leading to a bit of awkward, uncomfortable standing around outside the front door. And it's probably safe to assume the same expectation at the back door.
Renala nods and walks briskly around the house towards the other door, triying her best to make her steps as quiet as she can. If he hasn't noticed the door unlocking, she'd rather not lose them their concealment by stepping too loudly. "If he tries anything, you know what to do," she whispers over the comms as she gets to work on the second door.
Just as with the first, the second door is handled without much of a problem. Just time. Though there's been no noticeable movement inside. No blinds or curtains shuffling. No loud noises.
Steve continues to stare a hole through the front door. "You bet your ass..." he mutters under his breath.
Renala gives a small smile as the interface sputters out and offers up a much more welcoming color. "I'm ready," she mutters, a faint blue shimmer forming around her left hand. "On three, two, one,..." She then hits the door's panel and takes a step back. She hasn't even drawn her weapon, instead relying entirely on her biotics and whatever Steve has in store for him.
The door slides open, giving view to a small, open kitchenette area that gives a clear sightline to the connected livingroom area. The livingroom door- straight across from Renala on the opposite side of the small housing unit- slides open as well and in steps Steve, gun drawn. The place is sparsely furnished. The small, circular kitchen table has a few thermal clips and small arms atop it. In the livingroom is a couch to Renala's left (and
Steve's right) and a screen on the wall opposite of it to her right (And Steve's left). A small coffee table in front of the couch has numerous bloodied towels atop it and the couch has noticeable stains. It must be where the doctor took care of Henrik. There's two doors along the righthand wall from Renala, one from the kitchen and one from the livingroom. A television can be heard coming from one of the rooms.
Steve steps into the door the moment it opens, weapon raised. Whatever pain he's feeling, he's pushing it down for now. He can worry about it once Henrik is dead. He sweeps a glance across the living room, his gaze following the barrel of his pistol, but he lowers it as he looks to Renala.
Renala looks around the room, her teeth grit as she's ready to give Henrik a second taste of her biotic capabilities upon first sight, but she relaxes once she's certain that he's not in the room with them. The signs add up: out of the way, blood stained towels, weapons; Quinn wasn't lying. She nods upon seeing Steve, and points towards the room where the TV sounds are coming from. She doesn't stack up to that
door however, in case the TV is a diversion. Instead she takes a few quiet steps towards the other doorway and waits for Steve to get into position. He has been a nuisance to Steve for more than just the last day, it was only fair that he should have the highest likelihood of running into him.
A pair of voices can be heard beyond the door closest to Steve as he approaches it. A man and a woman. The man's voice is distinctly that of Henrik's. "What are you doing?" he asks as the door slides open, halting Steve. "I thought I heard-..." comes the woman's voice and a moment later Steve and Renala are given a face to match the voice. She stops cold in her tracks as her eyes meet Renala's. She looks to be in her late-30's, maybe
early-40's. She has short, pale blonde hair that doesn't quite reach her shoulders and she's wearing a pair of comfortable pants and an undershirt. Casual wear one would expect for lounging around the house. She clearly wasn't ready for a siege. Her eyes immediately dart towards the weapons until she hears Steve on the other side of her and cranes her neck to look his way. Her eyes go wide. "Fuck! Henr-..." she begins, but her words are cut
short as a pair of pistol shots from Steve's Predator fill the small housing unit. One tears right through her left knee and the other catches her just above her right knee. Her legs pretty much turn to jelly and she crumbles, unable to hold up her own weight as a loud, pained screetch escapes her.
Steve stomps towards the room, grabbing a fistful of the woman's hair before her body can even hit the ground, and begins dragging her in with his pistol raised in his other hand and pointed towards something out of Renala's sight. The woman immediately begins clawing into his hand, hysterically trying to free herself from his grip as she's dragged.
Renala freezes as well as the door opens, but she keeps her biotics to herself as the woman is neither Henrik nor a threat to her. She winces as two shots are fired and steps back. The screetch causes her to wince, losing focus for a moment. "Fuck," she mutters as she follows Steve into the room. "You really meant what you said...." Even after how yesterday could have gone, she still thinks his methods were
heavy-handed and excessive, but she was not about to object either. She stays near the door to block it off in case Henrik gets the bright idea to escape. Renala remains quiet as she looks around the room, leaving the heavy lifting to Steve until she's absolutely needed.
As expected, the target of Steve's pistol is none other than Henrik. He's laid across the bed of a messy room and looking.... less than ideal. He's dressed in only a pair of shorts and a bandage is across his midsection. He's white as a ghost. Whether due to the sudden home invasion or to his wounds is anyone's guess. He's clammy and shows some obvious signs of pain when he, instinctually, reaches for the pistol on his nightstand. Facing
down the barrel of Steve's pistol is enough to cause him to think twice, however, and he opts to hold his hands up in plain view. Both him, and the woman Steve put two rounds in, are shouting over one another hysterically and it's hard to make out what's being said.
Steve continues dragging the unnamed woman until he can shove her onto the bed beside Henrik. "Quiet!" he orders, and the pair- quite obviously in fear for their lives- oblige. His hand has deep cuts on it from the woman's nails digging into his skin, but he barely even seems to notice. "Well, shit. Ain't this a familiar scenario. Down and out, and people kickin' down your door to put you in the ground." Steve says in amusement,
Henrik and the woman at his side huddle up. Her legs are bleeding quite profusely, causing a pool to form and spread throughout the fabric of the bedsheets beneath her. "You don't have to do this, Steve!" Henrik pleads, "They're all dead, okay!? Everyone is dead! Just-... Just let her go." He gives a passing glance to the woman at his side. His gaze moves to Renala. "...Please."
Renala shakes her head. "After what you tried to pull on me, I owe you and yours no favors," she says. "And to be honest, why should we risk information leaking back to whatever headquarters your dying organization has left?" She frowns deeply as she casts a glance down to the woman. On one hand, she might be right, but there's still the chance they're killing someone who's done little more than being caught in
the middle – Renala herself might have ended up that way had they put off their attack yesterday by an hour.
Henrik glares at Steve with obvious contempt. "My dying organization!?" he scoffs, "You think-... You think this is about Eclipse!? Is that what he told you?" He gives a humorless laugh as he attempts to assist the woman in putting pressure on her wounds. "Fuck Eclipse. This snake killed my sister. Trusted him with her life. He was like family! And he just-... just left her body to rot on some backwater planet like she was
Steve gains an uncomfortable look as he rounds the bed, pistol aimed right between Henrik's eyes. He collects Henrik's pistol and tosses it to the other side of the room before scooping an omni-tool up off the nightstand. With a flip of his wrist, he underhands the omni-tool to Renala, his gaze only leaving Henrik and the woman for a brief moment. "She was trash. Now shut the fuck up. Nobody cares. How many more are with you?"
Henrik continues to give whatever attention he can to the woman at his side as he speaks. It takes him a moment to bite back on his feelings when Steve mentions his sister. "I told you They're all dead. You made damn sure of that yesterday." He sucks a deep breath in through his nose, nostrils flaring as his gaze moves to Renala once more. "Don't tell me you can't see it. He's a fucking psychopath!"
Despite the obvious pain the woman must be in, she merely grits her teeth and stares Steve down. It's not hard to see that the only thought going through her mind is tearing his throat out with her teeth. She's folded one side of the bedsheet over her leg and she's holding it in place.
Renala drops the biotic energy, causing it to fizzle out without any side effects, and grabs the omni-tool. She snorts at his comment, she knows Steve well enough. Renala might even be inclined to agree with his assessment, but she trusts him much more than Henrik. "I'd turn out that way if I had to deal with pieces of shit like you too," she says before stepping out of the room and over to the kitchen counter.
The omni-tool's security is certainly a step up from the previous omni-tool she cracked. But given that it was mere inches away from Henrik and, from the look of things, very recently in-use, it's currently unlocked. From her position, she can still hear Henrik and Steve's back-and-forth.
Steve gives an amused chuckle. "I'm a psychopath? You got your entire crew killed over your own lil' quest for revenge. Was it worth it? Tradin' all their lives for one last shot at puttin' me down?" he taunts.
Henrik immediately snaps back, "Put you down? You think I was trying to kill you? Steve-..." he continues, his tone implying he's been one step ahead the whole time, "I knew exactly where you were the moment you stepped foot on Aite. Before that vigilante decided to go on a rampage throughout Omega, I could've ended your life any time I wanted. But I didn't. Hell, death would've been too good for you anyway. This? This is just
about survival. We do what we gotta do to stay alive, right?" he asks, echoing Steve's own thoughts he expressed merely minutes ago. "But I put you on the chopping block, you understand? Not her. She's just following orders. If there is any part of you that ever gave a fuck about Karen-... If there is any part of you that has any remorse left-... any conscience left-... Let this end with me and let. Her. G-..."