Participants:
Scene Title | Barracks Banter |
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Synopsis | Ash and Harrison have a chat outside of the Barracks at the Hook |
Date | June 11, 2010 |
Unfinished buildings that look like gutted iron rib cages is all that remains of the unfinished Howland Hook Facility. What was going to be a revitalization of Staten Island's abandoned rail system was cancelled after the bomb of 2006 ripped thorugh Manhattan and sent a poisonous fallout cloud down onto Staten Island. All that remains of this massive abandoned facility is a sprawl of seventeen unfinished buildings in various state of disrepair over 187 acres of land.
Ranging from two floor office spaces to gigantic roofless skeletons of warehouses the Howland Hook new constructions only serve as haunting landmarks between far older though more intact structures. Old rail houses and terminal stations for Staten Island's abandoned rail network rise up from the crumbling concrete parking lots and industrial parkland here, connecting old and derelict rail lines that criss-cross through Staten Island and north into Jersey City through tunnels that cut beneath the northern river.
This complex was intended to be a container ship port and features a derelict ship berth 9,000 feet long that had been intended for the use of loading and unloading cargo. Shipping cranes have since been left abandoned here, reaching up with peeling paint and rust towards the skies.
Ash is standing outside the door of the barracks, wherever it is. He's talking with a couple of other guys, hard bitten men, but older than Ash, trading stories and stuff like that with them, and the stories are… rather morbid and horrific. At the moment Ash is telling them about when he was recruited into the orginization, killing 8 men of the Institute before Knox, Claire and kris showed up to save him from the other half of the team.
In the mood for some air, Harrison walks slowly out of the barracks into the fresh air. His hands are stuck into his pockets when he sees the group of men. Harrison slowly makes his way over yet doesn't speak because he doesn't want to interrupt Ash's story. He just listens from a distance watching him curiously.
Ash finishes his story up, a tale of bloodshed and injustice, the men of the institute having come for him because he was in Moab. When the tale is done, Claire has killed 5 members of the institute point blank by shotgun, Knox has killed a couple, and Ash has claimed a 9th kill. The other men nod a bit before noticing Harrison. Ash's head turns and his eyes settle on the other guy. "Heya kid." He calls to him, gesturing for him to come join the group. "Looked kind of skittish last night, everything okay now?"
As he walks a few more steps towards the group, Harrison runs a hand through his tousled hair and says, "Just a little. I am ok I guess. Never been around so many…well of our kind. You all have seen so much more and have so much more experience then I do. Kind of hope I can help." He looks at the other men and shrugs, "I know I will try my best."
Ash nods his head a touch. He looks to the men, who both smile and say their farewells, heading off on their own. Ash moves over to Harrison, stopping to offer a light smile. "It can be intimidating. There are people here who could kill me with barely more than a thought, and the reverse is true as well. The destructive power inherent on these grounds right now and the other night at the meeting, is… incredible." He admits softly. "I'm sure you'll be able to help. You'd not have been brought in if you couldn't help. Desire to help is not enough, one must have the ability to do so." He tilts his head in an invite to walk with him, moving towards the abandoned rail yard behind the Hook. "How'd they recruit you?"
As he laughs weakly, "Youtube?" He looks down at the ground kicking it slightly as he looks over towards Ash, "I was in London. I was doing a shoot for Ambercrombie and Fitch. My first big modeling gig. I was at a bank and these group of terrorist or something came in and starting shooting it up." He sighs softly, "I couldn't let that happen when they turned their guns on this little girl and her family." Harrison looks down at the ground his eyes growing distant, "I protected the little girl before I ripped the counter off the wall to act a shield. I kind of scared the robbers or whatever they were…what I did not know was the video camera caught all I did. I got back to the United States but the video was leaked. I went into hiding and this man in white…he called himself the White Knight found me hiding. He offered me a second chance and gave me my scarf and phone. I got the text and…" He looks up slowly and smiles slightly, "And here I am."
Ash facepalms audibly at the mention of the White Knight. "Magnes… you're such a fucking moron." he mutters it, his head giving a slow shake before he looks over to Harrison and sighs. "Magnes is a kid playing a game. Until last night he thought this was some kind of super hero gig. Didn't understand the severity of what we are going to be doing. I tried to tell him it was serious business, tried to train him to do what needs to be done, but he doesn't have it in him, hearts not hard enough." He shrugs his shoulders slightly, moving along at a slow pace. "Good, you've got a good heart in you then. We need more of that. Too many sociopathic bastards like me running around, we need a conscience to keep us on a leash, guys like you are that conscience. I'm Ash." He turns, offering his hand out. "And yeah, i saw the video, wasn't sure that was you though." His hand is scarred, and calloused from training with weapons.
As he takes Ash's hand he shakes it and says, "Harrison." He gives it a firm shake and releases it and says, "Magnes? You mean that guy who flipped over the crowd the other night and confronted the leader dude?" He blinks a few times and then cocks his head to the side, "We all have our sins. I have my secrets. I just did not want some poor girl dead over some morons with guns. I wasn't thinking. It just kind of happened and I had jumped in before I knew it."
Ash nods his head a little bit to the question of the guy who pulled the flip. "Yeah, that guy. He's styled himself as the White Knight before." He rolls his eyes towards the heavens, then just shrugs his broad shoulders again, his hands tucking into the pockets of his wool coat. "We all do have our sins, and we all have secrets as well. But, the fact that you jumped in like that speaks worlds for your character, whether you know it or not." He offers the kid a smile, then looks back out over the ruined and abandoned rail yard. "I've done a fair bit of recruiting myself. Rebel tells me who, and where, and I bring them in. Kept me busy while waiting for all this to begin." He looks over to him and then tilts hsi head to the side curiously. "If what I saw on the net is accurate, you'll be pretty valuable to the team. Hell, anyone willing to fight the good fight is valuable to the team."
Harrison shrugs and says, "Not really sure what I can yet I am willing to try. I saw that iron man. I don't know his name but I have some questions for him when I see him again. I only know that bullets can't hurt me, and I am kind of strong…yet not really if that makes sense. I might need some training. Compared to some of you guys I don't think I have the skills to do this…I will try though. I don't know shit about guns. Only fights I ever got in was in high school. So…not sure what to do or ask for yet."
Ash laughs a little bit before nodding his head to the mention of strong. "I know exactly what you mean, and that man was Rickham. Former President of the United states. But, I know the strength thing. It's not so much that you're strong yourself, it's that your body can take stresses far beyond the mortal ken, which by association, makes you stronger than a normal person, indirectly, but it's still the same effect." He chuckles lightly, still strolling through the train yard, stepping over tracks and bits of debris. "I'm as strong as the strongest human in the world, but no stronger. Perfect human, or… Peak Human Condition is what my power was labeled as. I'm as strong as it's possible for a normal human to be, as fast, as durable, as quick, all that jazz. It's useful, and it's subtle. Mine isn't an obvious power. But, still, I'll never be as strong as a super strengther, or a speedster, or anything like that. Balanced. You can survive bullets and god knows what else." He winks at him before chuckling lightly. "Skills we can teach you, it's the will that needs to be there, the will and the ability, you have both. I can help you learn if you want."
As he nods and says, "I think you could call mine Metal Form? Or Titanium Mimicry. I think I look like titanium when I am shifted." He ponders to himself and adds, "I did fall from a cliff once. It was like 500 feet. My body shifted…and I lived. I do know that when I am my metal form. I don't move as easily as…Rickham. Wait…are you sure? I remember that President being…well he seemed to much bigger on television." Harrison chuckles and says, "What do I know….yet I am willing to learn from anyone who wants to teach me. I don't want toe be the noob who makes mistakes or gets anyone killed."
Ash listens to the story of the cliff, giving his head a slight tilt. "500 feet? Yeah, probably titanium, and from what I saw in the video? Looked like titanium. And of course you don't, your body is heavy, different. You won't move as well. Rickham has had a long time to get used to his condition so… a bit different there, and yeah, he used to seem bigger, but that's television for you. I watched that man stop an armored van cold in the street when we raided a vaccine shipment for Messiah members." He chuckles a bit, stopping and leaaning up against one of the derelict train cars. "Noob? Guessing that's supposed to mean something, but I get the idea. And yeah, that's why I'm offering to help train you. So you don't get people killed, and so you don't get yourself killed. Losing members is not the idea. Especially not one with the potential you have. I probably wouldn't be a huge loss, but someone like you, or Claire well, we /can't/ lose Claire so… but yeah, people with talents like yours would be a huge loss."
As he cocks his head to the side, Harrison asks, "Who's Claire?" Harrison adds with a smile, "and I would be sad if you were killed. You seem like a cool dude." He runs a hand through his hair. Harrison wonders if Claire was the Russian chick that greeted him at the meeting.
Ash glances over at the question of who Claire is, a light laugh escaping him. "Claire is the shotgun Barbie as I've heard her called. She can't die. Anything done to her she regenerates. She's one of the key people we have on board. Her and sparkles, Kris, he can teleport people around. People like them, and you and Rickham are plan hingers. We can base an entire mission off your abilities. Mine? I'm just a killer. Good at it, but I just kill things." He shrugs his shoulders a bit again, then offers another light laugh. "Cool dude? Haven't been called that before, but thanks."
As he listens intently, he blinks in surprise at the various people and their abilities. "She must be something. Like…she will live forever? That is kind of cool…yet…sad at the same time." He looks over at the empty yard and snaps his head in Ash's direction when he hears the word, "hingers". He clearly is confused by the word yet loses focus when Ash describes his ability, "Can I…can I ask…" He looks down at the ground and says, "Never mind."
Ash looks over and gives his head a slow tip forwards. "Yeah, she'll never change, ever. Physically she'll stay the same. She can't get tattoos, piercings, she can dye her hair, but that's about it. She'll be that age forever. It's cool, and it sucks at the same time really." He presses his lips together before nodding some. "Hingers, a plan hinges on you." He chuckles softly, the man's lips quirking up into an amused smile. "Ask what kid?" He looks over ot him, pushing off of the train he's been leaning against. He reaches into his pocket, pulling a flask of liquor out, which he uncaps and takes a sip before offering it out. "You're already going to be a terrorist, alcohol laws don't really matter. If you want some."
As he looks down at the flask, Harrison has always been kind of a health nut and doesn't drink too often. He chuckles and says, "Thanks I am good yet who knows…maybe in the future." His face grows somber as he looks kind of nervous to ask but does anyway, "How…how many people have you killed?"
Ash nods his head a bit before he lifts the flask to take another sip, a solid swallow this time, then lowers it, caps it, and tucks it back into his pocket. "Helps dull the apprehension and nervousness while waiting for shit to begin." He glances over again at the question of how many people he's killed, breathing in slowly, then letting it out. "A dozen or more in Pinehearst. 5 or 6 guards for the Company founders I helped Adam kill, the smoke woman, her being revived doesn't negate the kill. Several security guards at Pinehearst. The 8 Institute men. The man when my power manifested. Two guards in Moab. Some Triad fucks in the street war…." He looks over, the numbers just rolling off his tongue like a mantra as they come to him. "Alot kid. That's more than two dozen right there, closing on three I think." His shoulders roll a little bit. "Not proud of the tally, but almost every one of them deserved to die. The guy when my power manifested didn't, and the smoke girl. She just happened to be somewhere and see our faces. She couldn't be allowed to live."
Harrison nods slightly and looks ashamed he asked as he says softly, "Sorry…I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I just never met anyone who…killed someone before." He knows he might be crossed with that same issue soon enough and it scares him. It scares the hell out of him that he might have to do the same for a better future.
Ash glances over and smiles a bit, lifting a hand to pat the other guy on the shoulder firmly. "It's fine. Most people haven't killed people, let alone the tally I have. Professional soldiers maybe, hit men, but… most people? No. I'm a cold hearted bastard, make no mistake. I will do whatever it takes to see the oppression of our kind cease." He presses his lips into a thin line before his head gives a slight nod. "It's for a good purpose, even if it's an evil act."
Harrison nods slowly as he smiles weakly at the man, "Yeah…so…when do we start training? Tomorrow?" The young man is athletic and agile with some girth to him. He holds possibilities as Harrison looks at the Ash with an aura of eagerness like a kid getting a birthday gift.
Ash tilts his head to either side before offering a light nod. "Yeah, tomorrow works, whenever really, long as we get you some training before shit hits the fan and really starts to get hairy." He winks, then looks around. He himself is no small guy, though he moves with a smooth and easy grace. "We'll train without the metal form, and with it as well."
Harrison nods as the kid's stomach growls and he places a hand on his firm abs. "I need to go and find me something to eat. It was really cool to talk to you Ash. I will look for you tomorrow. We can meet here?" Harrison pulls his hoodie up as he zips it up quickly.
Ash glances over and laughs lightly at the rumbling stomach. "if you go out for food I'd recomend the Nite Owl, good place, but yeah, tomorrow, right here. I'll bring some boxing gloves and shit like that so I don't hurt you too bad." He winks a bit, then turns and begins to stroll, not towards teh barracks or the Hook, but off towards somewhere else on Staten Island.