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Marcus’s cell has been every bit as lavish as Sergio had promised. The bed was an extravagant affair of silk, satin, and richly embroidered damask. A wardrobe stood to one side of the room done in rosewood, the panels carved intricately with yucca and cactus blossoms. There was a private bathroom done entirely in a maroon marble shot through with veins of creamy color that made the whole of it almost seem as though it were the interior of some titan’s heart. Every fixture was done in gold, the towels and linens a plush, niveous white. Many mirrors, spotless and gleaming of every size and shape, lined the walls; an entire wall was spangled with hand mirrors. When he’d first arrived, he’d found a carved crystal bowl sitting atop a parquet-topped table, filled with enticing red pomegranates, gem-like with juicy pips beneath their rinds, creamy cherimoyas with custard-like flesh clinging to smooth, dark seeds, and fat, purple figs whose skins hid interiors blushing rosy as puppy-love. Meals, drinks, and snacks were furnished every few hours, each delivered by StrexCorp employees in protective suits and masks; as if Marcus were some sort of noxious biohazard to be handled with care.
And yet for all of it, the instant he stepped into the room, Marcus could not help but feel a distant but nagging disorientation; as if there was a car sickness he could not quite shake or some minor but agitating inner ear malady that was inducing a thin, spectral vertigo. The feeling intensified whenever he approached the door or tried to manifest his angelic power. There was minor relief whenever his feet left the floor, but an incessant discomfort dogged him in his opulent surroundings.
It was on the second day of his captivity, along with a light breakfast of soft boiled eggs, coffee, mint tea brewed with cinnamon, and little cakes thick with pine nuts and blackberries, that Sergio came to him, Jake and Luciano in tow.
Jake had done his part. He played the “compliant subject” or whatever role it was he was supposed to be playing. It wasn’t too different than what he was used to. Do as he was told. Keep a straight face. Look sharp.
It was easy to maintain that demeanor, even after seeing Marcus again. He’d been worried but he forced himself to have faith. It was going to pay off, he told himself. Everything was going to be fine. Seeing Marcus calmed most of the nerves he had. As long as his boss was fine, he felt he could do anything.
He was ready to serve in whatever way the scientists needed.
Luciano had always considered himself a rather talented actor. He was an artist, after all—no matter what his state of mind. That talent was proving now to be particularly useful.
It had been an obnoxious strain, maintaining an outward façade of a man still bent to the will of the company—to the will of piano refrains playing notes through his synapses, forcing them along a strict melody. That tune was broken, now, replaced by the high ringing of white walls that stung his eyes and made him blink too much behind silver framed glasses. His posture was steady, despite his trembling gloved hands folded neatly behind his back.
He remembered this. He remembered walking these hallways under false pretense, lying and tricking his way in and out. And here he was again—only this time, Sergio was with him, rather than against him. This time, he wouldn’t be crawling through any vents.
Why had he been crawling through the vents, anyway? Or rather, where had he ended up afterward?
Irrelevant questions, for now. something to figure out later—he was still a little in pieces, after all. For the time being, he could focus his energy on the now. He could ignore the strange, warm prickle that brushed against his skin, ghosting the nape of his neck with the faintest suggestion of laughter. He was done laughing for a while.
Sergio gave a nod to the dining team that had brought the food before closing the door behind them, popping out a small panel in the wall and pressing his thumb to an exposed screen. Instantly, the nausea and dizziness that had haunted Marcus evaporated; as if someone had just removed a blanket of lead from his shoulders and from his head.
"My apologies," he said, sparing a contrite glance to Marcus before pausing to clear a sudden tightness his throat, lifting his glasses momentarily to rub at stinging eyes. Nerves. Who could blame him? "I can’t imagine that was in the least bit comfortable."
The angel sighed, golden wings wilting like wet leaves, and he rubbed the pads of his fingers into his temples for a moment as he stood up, buttoning up his red shirt with his eyes down. The white jacket was tossed over the end of the bed, his shoes at the foot. He did cast a hungry glance toward the food, and meandered toward it first; nerves crawled across his skin like so many spindling fingers, and he only barely managed to set the sensation aside to maintain his appetite.
He picked up one of the cakes first, taking a bite as he lifted his eyes to the pair of scientists and his PA, glancing between them. “Thought that was gonna go on forever,” he muttered through a mouthful of food, swallowing before going on with a gesture of his occupied hand. “Can’t complain about the setting, but the atmosphere’s a bit… enh. Wouldn’t leave a great review on the website.”
Marcus did not want to admit that the technology Sergio had just turned off frightened him. If StrexCorp could really suppress his power like that… what else were they capable of that he didn’t yet know about?
He made a note to warn Josie, and the other Erikas. Just to be sure.
“How have you been, sir?” asked Jake, keeping his tone level although he was excited to see he was safe and sound. Marcus might have even noticed Jake’s otherwise hidden enthusiasm in the way he stood straight enough that his chest swelled, his chin facing up. Jake kept his hands folded behind his back to curve the desire to fidget and tap his fingers although they were itching to touch Marcus all over.
He would do that when they got home. Which, he hoped, would be soon.
"I’m fine," Marcus told his PA, even though he was decidedly less fine than he could have been—but that was also just fine.
Luciano’s face was stern; serious. "I really suggest you eat most of that," the scarred scientist said to Marcus, his tone uncharacteristically flat. Or, maybe, it was simply the man under the metaphorical mask. "You’re going to need the energy. Pity to waste good tea, too."
"Luciano’s right," Sergio commented. "Make yourselves comfortable; we don’t have to worry about monitoring just right now."
Fishing around in his pocket for a moment, the re-educator extended a thumb drive in Jake and Marcus’ general direction.
"I’m not sure to whom I should give this," he said. "It contains information pertaining to the methods used to dampen Marcus’ ability to access his angelic form and skills and keep him contained. Marcus, there should be, to my knowledge, nothing impeding you now. If you find that something is still restraining you, let me know and I’ll look into it. If this information can be sent directly to Old Woman Josie, that would be for the best, I think. Otherwise, perhaps you should hold onto it, Jake." Shaking his head, he continued. "When the Disciples of the Smiling God found out about what we had planned, they shared this with our engineers to help modify the construct of the room. I don’t know what all has gone into it - there hasn’t been a great deal of time for me to parse through the information and do the necessary research, however it appears to concern a number of patterns and alchemical symbols - some various compounds with which I’m unfamiliar." He raised his brows. "Which is saying something. If you have people on your staff who may be helpful in deciphering the information and putting it into practice somehow, that would be advisable. I don’t know if this sort of thing is a static phenomena limited to mere location, or if it can be mobilized. If the latter, then appropriate measures and nullifying tech are absolutely paramount."
The angel had taken a seat at the table, lounging back with his wings in a relaxed half-spread as he poured himself a cup of coffee, splashing cream into it. He watched the white plumes dissolve into the dark roast while he listened to Sergio, glancing up at the data stick. He squinted in interest; this wasn’t the first time he’d heard of the disciples. Some of the other angels had expressed their concerns, felt a strange, malicious energy not unlike their own, and yet, somehow toxic…
Sipping his coffee, Marcus cleared his throat, not looking too happy. “Jake, hold onto that,” he said, his tone clipped. “If it’s alchemical, Josie might know something about it. Make sure she gets a copy of the whole thing. I don’t want to keep it on myself, just in case I get thrown back into this box.
"Also," he added, pointing at Luciano with a wag of his finger, "You’re actually still creepy even without the perpetual laughing and smiling, and I still don’t like you."
Of course, Jake was already taking the drive before Marcus could instruct him to. He would make copies. He would hide them, encode them, do whatever he had to do to make sure the information stayed safe and still managed to stay within arm’s reach.
Jake tucked the stick away, giving Marcus a curt stare at his treatment of Luciano. He was too busy planning out his exact motives with the data in his pocket to really get between the two but he didn’t approve of causing trouble amongst such a small group. It would be wiser to approach the problem with complete neutrality, as he was attempting to do. He put aside his fear of Sergio and Luciano’s faces, put aside his love for Marcus and his need to stay by his side, in order to open himself to whatever he needed to do. He was ready to be wherever he needed to be.
He cleared his throat loudly, paying full attention to Sergio while hoping Marcus and Luciano would do the same.
It was a real pity that Marcus couldn’t settle down and act like an adult for a change. It was also a pity that Luciano was incapable of leaving that unnecessary comment to the wind.
The scientist’s beetle-black eyes narrowed behind oval lenses, and the scarred corner of his mouth twitched. He drew in a slow breath and let it out, deliberately leaving no pause between Jake clearing his throat and his own voice snipping out a quick retort, his dry wit as sharp as ever.
"As much as I so deeply value your opinion, Mr. Vansten,” he sighed, nudging his glasses up his strong nose with a gloved middle finger, "I do not believe now is the time to share such sentiments. I thought we were past this. All I did was cut out his heart," he said, gesturing vaguely to Jake with one hand. “Which I’m sure you are destined to do yourself, what with your rampantly promiscuous behaviour. But we all have our flaws, now, don’t we?”
Luciano’s smile was not pleasant or mirthful. It was cold, and sharp, and vicious.
Marcus bristled like an angry cat that had just been spritzed with water, his wings flaring out behind him as he lurched forward in his seat. It was only a combination of Sergio’s warning word and the look on Jake’s face that kept him from getting to his feet and outright grabbing Luciano to shake him by the collar until he took that comment back.
Still, he wasn’t happy. He bared his teeth in a grimace, muttering something undoubtedly offensive in Arabic that sounded suspiciously like ‘take it easy’ but was most definitely not by translation.
Luciano’s words stuck somewhere in Jake’s subconscious but he ignored it for the time being. There were more important things to worry about than the layer of truth in his statement. It was easy to forget when he reminded himself that metaphors held no real value in the real world. The possibility of Marcus breaking Jake’s heart was real but it didn’t compare to actually having the organ removed and replaced.
From the instant the angel had directed his attention to Luciano, Sergio felt a twinge of exasperation uncurl itself at the base of his spine. Luc’s retort was not unexpected, nor was Jake’s attempt to focus his employer’s attention back to pertinent matters at hand, however the whole of it was something the re-educator had hoped they could avoid.
Oh, this was all going to go swimmingly.
“Gentlemen,” Sergio said, eyeing his multiple and Marcus in turn, each syllable crisply enunciated. ”That’s quite enough. The last thing we need is to be sniping at one another. We don’t have much time here and the last thing we want is for someone’s attention to be called to what we’re doing. I have considerable capital afforded to me due to my rank, but don’t think for a moment I’m completely beyond scrutiny. A disengagement of the security system here, masked or no, will not go unnoticed forever. If there are no questions, let’s get down to business.”
Sergio removed an object looking like a smart phone with a fisheye lens bubbling out from the center of its screen. Setting it down on a nearby tabletop and tapping out a few commands on its surface, the little device emitted a high-pitched whine before a skeletal schematic of StrexCorp’s facilities manifested in a floating, slowly rotating hologram before the quartet.
"I have a loose outline in mind and a few useful tools I can distribute now, but nothing set in stone."
He gave the holographic image a flick of one hand, causing it to spin rapidly.
"This is a model of the facility. If you have questions or wish to manipulate the image to better illustrate points and queries, feel free.
"We are in a unique position to cause potentially irreparable damage to the company and put us in a very good spot to strike at a later date when they are still reeling. What I want to do is release as many people we’re holding prisoner as possible and cause an information crisis for StrexCorp that will leave them senseless. Each of you will play an integral role in this, and it is crucial that we can manage as a team. We are up against a highly coordinated, well-informed and ludicrously well-funded enemy who has the home advantage. Marcus, unless you have angelic abilities I am unaware of, there is no way we’re going to outgun them. So, we’re going to out-maneuver and discombobulate them.
"With my level of access, there’s a good deal I can do to manipulate our environment to our advantage," Sergio informed them. "If the facility is doing the fighting for us, we can focus on other things. And this place," he confided in a low tone, "has a lot of nasty little tricks up its sleeves. When we make our move, I think the best thing we can do is isolate and disarm our enemies. I don’t want to kill anybody if I don’t have to."
Pointing to a few of the lower levels, Sergio continued.
"This is where the prisoners and those destined for re-education are typically kept. Jake, you’ve been a special case, but what I’m going to do is get you transferred there. I’ll tell them it’s a psychological element of your regimen - it’s something I’ve used before on people, so no one ought to question it. I need you there because we’re going to orchestrate a prison break and you’re going to have to guide these people. You’re organized, astute, detail-oriented, responsible, and good at direction and delegation. I feel confident in your ability to pull this off."
Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Sergio’s brow knit in consternation.
"Not…all of the prisoners will be fit to escape, however. Some will be more liability than asset. Unfortunately, resources and time being what they are, we can’t take them with us just now. However, I’m going to give you dossiers on all of the ones I’m on the fence about. It will be up to you to make the final call on whether or not they’re capable of joining you and the others in leaving this place. I trust you implicitly to know your own limitations and capabilities and what you will be able to take on. You won’t have any of us with you, but you absolutely will not be alone. There are prisoners you’ll free who will be more than capable of support; I’ll specify which ones they are in the files I’ll share with you. Once we know how many people we need to move, I can prepare a mode of extraction to get you quickly from here to a safe location.”
Jake lifted his head when he was addressed. He didn’t need to take any notes; Sergio would be able to give him names and faces and they’d stick with him for at least a week. His memory was viciously sharp in that manner. So he took it all in, nodding every sentence or two. “I’ll do what I can,” he said, knowing full well that there would be people left behind.
It was no skin off of his bones. Working with Marcus lended itself to becoming callous to the outside world. There’d been more than enough times where the ends had to justify the means. The ends being a fistful of money.
Jake wouldn’t needlessly leave anyone behind but he wasn’t a charity. He was efficient and he was ready to do his job.
Sergio nodded to Jake and Luciano before continuing. "Marcus, Luc, you’ll be with me. We’re going to cause the information crisis."
Pointing to another portion of the building Sergio’s back stiffened.
"This is a part of the building very few have access to. It’s connected to the StrexCorp communications network and data bases throughout the company. In a dire emergency in which no other course of action would do, two authorized personnel," he pointed to himself, and then Luciano, "could activate a computer worm that would completely devastate StrexCorp’s computers and swallow up any and all electronic files the company has. Furthermore, small, contained fires would be set off in store rooms of physical files throughout the company, causing just enough damage to render the information unusable before being extinguished. Luc and I have the authority to do this. We could potentially leave them with nothing. Even if it doesn’t get everything, it’s going to be a while before they’ll manage to get things up and running again and leave a window of opportunity to strike at the company when they are highly vulnerable…”
He waved a hand.
"…provided, of course, that my own information is correct. We’ll need quick extraction, and protection, which is where you come in, Marcus. That Disciple tech notwithstanding, you’re capable of taking and dealing a considerable amount of punishment along with any unique abilities you may have access to by virtue of your angelic nature."
Pausing, Sergio cleared his throat, blinking rapidly before speaking again.
"Alright. Are there any questions so far?"
Marcus listened patiently to the plan, emerald eyes settling on the schematic while Sergio spoke. He had the utmost faith in Jake to be able to handle the part he was given—not a doubt in his head of what his PA was capable of. He arched a thick brow at the last bit, though. Taking and dealing a considerable amount of punishment?
"I’m gonna get shot, aren’t I," he sighed, but he shook his head, deciding to just suck it up. He’d recover. "Yeah, a’right, sounds good. I mean, worst case scenario, I can teleport with a passenger. Might be able to do two, but I’ve never tried, so. No guarantees." He looked up, staring at Sergio with that solemn intensity again. "If we fuck up and I gotta deal with that Disciple crap or whatever," he began, "I’m taking Jake and bailing. Sorry, but that’s gonna be my policy. I’ll do everything I can to rain fire and judgment down on your obstacles, though. I’ll even try not to kill anybody. I’ve got your back."
"Don’t die, sir," Jake remarked, casting Marcus a glance. There was genuine concern somewhere but it was hiding well in the back of Jake’s mind while he was busy processing information and formulating plans based on the StrexCorp building’s schematics.
"Nothing quite like a plan that might work," Luciano muttered to himself, pressing his tongue hard into the back of his teeth. He curled his gloved fingers into his labcoat sleeves, thinking as he listened. It seemed like a sound plan—there was something familiar about it, actually. Lying one’s way into the more tightly restricted areas of Headquarters… getting their hands on information that didn’t belong to them.
For some reason, Luciano thought of flowers, and snakes.
Shaking the notion off, he gestured with a hand to Marcus’s personal assistant. “Jake,” he said, “I should specifically tell you not to bother with any patients wearing masks.” He pointed at himself, making the vague outline of a mask around the upper half of his face. “They can’t be moved or helped without my direct interference. They’ll have to be left alone, for now.”
Luciano then looked at Sergio, sighing, shifting his weight uneasily to the other foot. “Can we control which data is erased? I ask because of my personal research, but also on behalf of Daniel. His backup is stored in the mainframe, isn’t it.”
"Already taken care of," Sergio assured Luciano. "Everything that we might need later or could come in handy has been backed up in safe places. I wouldn’t…"
His expression dimmed, eyes distant and dull.
"…I wouldn’t jeopardize him. Daniel’s innocence has to be beyond reproach if worse comes to worst. He can’t be any part of this."
Daniel existed in a separate class than his surrogate father. If there was any treachery suspected with the biomachine, there was a good chance his mind would be wiped. He would, for all intents and purposes, be murdered.
They could come back for him later. Him and so many others.
Turning to address Marcus, Sergio held up a hand.
"Hopefully, no one will be shot. I’m going to take measures to disarm and corral any personnel who would have access to firearms."
Highlighting several rooms within the holographic lay out of the building, he continued.
"These are the armories for the facility. Most personnel are armed with knives, and a few have firearms on them at all times, but these are where the really dangerous things are kept. When we make our move, every room and hallway will be locked down with the exception of the ones we need to get through to get the job done. I’m going to scramble all of the access codes and replace them with new ones that require identification matching ours. Every communication device will be dead, so the separate parts of the facility will be isolated from one another. Just to hedge our bets on keeping the nastier weapons out of security’s hands, when this all begins, the fire safety systems will be activated in the armories. The rooms will be filled with a fire retardant, impact-activated expansion foam that will render the guns useless, even if they’re managed to be gotten to somehow. That means StrexCorp security should be limited to small firearms they keep on their persons at all times and various bladed implements. Hardly ideal, but more manageable.”
Marcus pursed his lips. So he wouldn’t get shot—probably. Maybe he’d get stabbed. Or only shot a little. Or maybe someone would spring some more disciple tech on him! That sounded like fun. The angel grimaced, his wings flexing uncomfortably where he sat, tipping his head back a bit.
Sparing a glance at Jake, Sergio raised a brow.
"Hopefully you won’t run into any resistance on your way out. I’m going to take special precautions to ensure typical security that looks after the prisoners is kept out of your way. Even without access to the more heavy duty weaponry, however, any personnel you may run into could potentially present a problem. Guns induce an effect not unlike that of a psychotropic drug - they engender recklessness, delusions of grandeur, and feelings of invincibility. I want you to keep that in mind for two reasons. One, if you run into any security, they’re likely going to be subject to these feelings to one degree or another. Two, I’m about to give you a gun, and I want you to be fully aware of these things in the event that you need to use it.”
Reaching into his jacket, Sergio produced what looked like a bulky hand gun broken into two pieces. Kneeling, he presented it to the PA.
"Taking into consideration any potential threat you may run into, this is going to be your best bet. The gun comes together like so," he said, demonstrating, "and is loaded with six S.H.A.P.E. rounds, which is five more than you will need to get yourself around any obstacle you may encounter. The acronym stands for Super Heated Armor Piercing Explosive. This is the kind of ammunition Diego fantasizes about. If it does not instantly kill whatever or whoever you run into, it will give them compelling incentive to have a good long sit-down and think about the life choices that brought them to their current predicament. Use this only if you must. Even with the silencer built in, when you fire this, you will alert anyone within the vicinity to your presence. Furthermore, the recoil is immense and you will likely need recovery between firing any subsequent shots. Hopefully, it will not come to that.
"The entertainment unit in your cell is hooked up to the company intranet. I’m going to give you codes that will grant you superuser access so that you can control which cells open when the jail break occurs. That should also help in the event that you need to do any improvising and manipulation of the environment should you run into any hitches or unexpected events."
He drew in a breath through his teeth, looking back to Marcus.
"If it comes down to it, and you can only teleport with one of us, take Luc. I’ll manage."
Luciano gave his other an uncomfortable look. Frowning, Sergio rubbed his eyes.
"The biggest X-factor in all of this is going to be my siblings. Even with the precautions I’m taking to keep everyone locked down and isolated until we get out, there is a chance that my siblings could circumvent our precautions and become a problem for us. As far as I know, my authority should supersede theirs and they shouldn’t be able to get around it, but they could have made some bribes to the engineers and managed to forge a few skeleton keys of which I am unaware."
Looking to each of his conspirators, he sighed.
"Before we talk about the threats they could potentially pose, are there any questions?"
"Yeah, here’s a question. Why’s there gotta be so goddamn many of you?" Marcus was obviously nothing short of annoyed, though his irritation was no doubt little more than a veil for his nerves or his fear. He was walking into this following a plan, but there were too many chances for everything to go wrong.
At least he could probably save his own skin, and Jake’s, if the rest of the family screwed them up. That was the most important thing, anyway.
Jake was looking over the gun he’d been given, wondering how many of these siblings there were to worry about. He entertained the idea of making sure they stayed out of the way but deviating from the plan would only tear it apart. He put the firearm away in pieces, leaving it to be the last resort it was meant to be. There wasn’t time to deal with the recoil of a killing spree. No time to escape, no time to clean the blood from his suit… such a waste of time. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
"I understand my goal," said Jake, "But what do I do with all the prisoners once they’re out? Do we just call a cab and duck out in the nearest Holiday Inn? Or do we just find the nearest exit and let them run free into the desert?" A bit of dry sarcasm to keep things interesting.
Luciano could appreciate a bit of dry sarcasm. His frown shifted into something of a thin line, still fighting the curved scars roped across his cheeks.
"I’ve technically been researching that," he told the angel, sighing and removing his glasses to clean them with the thumb of his glove. "Why there are so many of us, and all. It’s fascinating, really, multiverse theory, six degrees of separation, some other theories regarding population and the concentration thereof. But I can tell you all about it some other time, presuming we make it out of this mad dash alive."
He inclined his head toward Sergio. “Would it be feasible to get all or most of the escapees heading in the direction of Night Vale? It seems the safest place to put them. Any chance we might procure a few company vans or other vehicles to facilitate this?”
Sergio nodded to Luciano.
"Yes, the people we free will be given transport to a safe location in Night Vale. As I said before, once I know how many we’ll be concerning ourselves with, I’ll arrange for the transport. It will likely be ground-based, but I may be able to procure some air support if it’s deemed necessary."
Hesitating a moment, gathering himself, he gave another slow nod.
"My family. As I said - I ought to have authority to keep them where they need to be via manipulation of the facility. If you encounter any of my siblings, do not engage them if at all possible - just try to get away from them. Jake, there are consoles you can access throughout the facility that you can use to manipulate the environment to your favor using the codes I’ll be giving you. Aside from me, you’ll be the only one who will be able to activate and operate them. Just be aware that if you’re unable to destroy or shut the access points, they could be used by others who come across them. Don’t take chances - if you need to make adjustments and can’t shut the console down, just break it unless you have compelling need to keep it in operative condition.
"Ricardo isn’t here and won’t be for a little while. I don’t anticipate he’ll be dropping in for any surprise visits. So, that leaves us with the following."
As Sergio spoke, the holographic image of the facility morphed into depictions of each sibling mentioned.
“Santiago may not look dangerous and does not pose a great physical threat, but he is an immensely capable doctor. Anyone who knows how to heal will also know some of the best ways to harm. If you must engage him, try to overcome him physically, but be aware that he may have some nasty surprises on him. It would be best to catch him by surprise if possible so he doesn’t get a chance to use them.
“Caesar is a bit of the opposite end of the spectrum. He’s in top physical condition and would be formidable in a physical altercation. Unlike the others, however, Caesar is pacifistic - he will not fight unless pressed into it as his only option. Do not threaten those he cares about or is caring for, and convince him a path of non-aggression is his best option. Chances are, he’ll be more focused on protecting those he is looking after and leave us be. He may attempt to convince you to lay down arms - he can be very persuasive and is good at emotional appeals. Don’t listen to him.
"Don’t let Jezabel’s appearance fool you. She may present herself as innocent and will try to make you drop your guard. Before her re-education, she was a soldier in Tamika Flynn’s army, and she retains a great deal of her combat skill, though lacks much of the conscience and sense of decorum in battle she once had. Subdue her physically, but as I said - don’t let her fool you. She won’t hesitate to fight dirty.
"Antonio and Jezabel often come as a pair. I’m planning on keeping them separated, but if one is free, they may seek out the other specifically. Antonio is something of a shock troop. He is erratic, violent when roused, and has a propensity for knives. Try to maintain your distance from him if you can, but keep in mind he may move quickly and will be unpredictable. This can work in your favor as he doesn’t often think his actions through before taking them. Don’t let him frighten you or pull you into the chaos he creates. He operates from the brainstem - use your higher functions. If you can keep a cool head and think a few steps forward, he’s manageable.
"Divina is another story. She has a sharp mind and extremely advanced pattern recognition. She is resourceful, responsive, and physically capable. Like Caesar, she’s also very good at talking people into and out of things. Don’t listen to a word she says. The best thing you can do is act quickly and either subdue or escape her before she has a chance to act. As far as handling Divina goes, speed is god. She prefers to use guns, and has a private collection, so if you come across her, assume she is armed and act accordingly.
"Diego will almost certainly be armed with at least one gun; possibly and probably more. What Diego lacks in Divina’s way with words, he makes up for in cold, cruel brutality. He is sadistic and bloodthirsty and though he does not possess Antonio’s berserker tendencies, he has a capacity for violence that would make Vlaad the Impaler blush. While he may not consciously recognize it, he also demonstrates a capacity for pattern recognition similar to Divina’s. Little brother is singularly clever with machines. He does, however, tend to listen to his baser instincts. Don’t give him room to think things through - keep him operating at that base level, try to keep him confused, and just do your best to get away from him. He could shoot a fly out from between its wings, so either disarm him or make yourself a hard target to hit; don’t let him get a bead on you.”
The hologram shifted again into the facility and several places became highlighted at opposite ends of the building.
"Per their daily schedules, this is where they’ll all be when the lockdown occurs. This way, even if they do manage to get out, they’ll be as far apart from each other as possible with a number of obstacles to get around. Our paths should not pass too closely to any of them, so we’ll minimize the possibility of contact. Any questions about this so far? Marcus, Jake, do you still want to follow through, or would you prefer to leave now?"
Despite his body language giving off every possible sign that he was utterly bored—wings wilted, eyes half-open, tapping his foot, expression passive and disinterested—Marcus was absorbing everything Sergio was saying with surprising retention of detail. It’d be good to know all of this about these siblings, even if this plan fell to shit around their ears. There was always going to be another chance.
"I’m fine," Marcus said with a shrug, rolling his head toward Jake. "Nothing sounds like I can’t handle it by throwing fire and wrath at it. Jake’s armed. I’m good. You good, champ?"
There was genuine concern, though. He wanted Jake’s safety, above everything else… but he had so much faith in his PA to be able to tackle anything. Jake was the best man he knew. Twice the man he’d ever been.
"Ready," said Jake. He straightened his stance, cracking his neck and pulling down his suit to smooth it out. His mental state cooled as high-speed plans settled and the hologram of the facility embedded itself into his memory. Ready as he’d ever be. "Just say when."
Sergio nodded, turning off the hologram and looking to each of his fellow conspirators in turn.
"I’ll get you all the information you’ll be needing. If there are any changes or developments, I’ll let you know immediately."
Sparing an apologetic look at Marcus, Sergio waved a hand.
"I’m going to have to re-activate the security system in here, but I’ll see what I can do about getting you outside whenever possible so you don’t have to deal with the discomfort. I’ll try to arrange for some visits with Jake, too. I can’t make any guarantees for any of this, but if there’s so much as a hint that someone is catching on and might jeopardize this, I’ll see to yours and Jake’s immediate release. If nothing else, I’m not letting you two languish here."
Pocketing the projector, he exhaled at length.
"This is a daunting task. But I believe we’re equal to it. Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Keep me updated."
With that, Sergio gestured for Luciano and Jake to follow him, giving Marcus a gesture of warning before re-activating the security system, leaving the angel alone once more.
The team dynamic was less than ideal, the plan more nebulous than gave him comfort, and the x-factors numerous and multi-various. The whole thing screamed, ‘Hail Mary,’ from start to finish.
After guiding Jake back to his quarters, Sergio turned and smiled to Luciano.
"Luc, I know it’s not yet five, but I would dearly love a drink."
“Double dearest,” Luciano sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “you read my mind.”