1.2.2 Dignity Regained (Patreon)

(The rest of the Dignity is Overrates snippet, Dove rescue, guilty Ranger capture. Around 6000 words. PLEASE NOTE: The original snippet (https://www.patreon.com/posts/1-2-2-dignity-is-84628779) is updated with new content too! I suggest rereading it first, it's more info about who hired Dove)

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(reprising last of Dignity is Overrated because the end of it has changed)

......................

"You're still getting paid," you point out, fingers sore.

"If I had known exactly what the cargo was, I would have done it for free." You're not sure that's true, but she likes to believe it.

¨Not cargo,¨ Armadillo says again. ¨You really need to start thinking about your words.¨ The ASL key lets you unlock more nuance in their speech, using Dove's understanding as a dictionary.

"I'm sorry." She lets out a breath and rummages around in another suitcase for a coverall as well, marked with a new logo you're not familiar with. A moving firm? "And could you not cut me down when there's people who understands what you're saying?"

¨Enough of family that they'd be hurt by your words as well.¨ They uses the gender neutral, that's common among Re-Genes. other people call you it.

"Shit." Her mouth creases in a worried smile, and she looks directly at you again. "So I didn't misread the situation then. You're like them." She nods at Armadillo.

"You didn't," you admit, still shaken by the unexpected acceptance by the Re-Gene. "Cuckoo. Infiltration unit." And normally beneath notice for someone like Armadillo.

"You didn't tell me they made those, Arde." She looks over at them, and they shrug.

¨I don't tell you much. That's safer.¨

"They're not wrong." You hold out your hand. "Once I get my call, you can forget you ever met me."

*if verabhired

  "What?" She acts shocked, her hands as mobile as a Re-Gene's. "You know I'm good at my job now, don't tell me you wouldn't have work for me in the future?"

  "Depends on how expensive you are." But she's got a point. If you plan on expanding your influence, you need more allies. Even if they are freelancers.

  "Oh, trust me, I'm expensive, but I'm worth it."

  *if (((oht) or (cht)) or (hght))

    The chuckle is gleeful, and you catch a stray thought that you don't think she intended. She got paid alright, but not just by your crew. There were others putting up money to get you out of here as well, just how much money did she make tonight? "And I'm willing to work for a cut if I like the job enough."

  *else

    Her smile is confident. "And I'm willing to work for a cut if I like the job enough."

  "Or the employer, I suppose." You meet her gaze.

  *if oht

    Is this what Ortega meant? Did ${he} hire her? And did ${he} pay more or less than your crew?

    *if hght

      You also catch a whiff of an assumption on her thoughts. That you are one of Hollow Ground's. It makes your eye twitch, but you don't bother correcting her thoughts for now. The fact that Hollow Ground also paid her is interesting. Looks like whatever caused the crash was not orchestrated by ${hghim}. No sense breaking you out then.

      *if rt

        You knew you could trust ${hghim} to come through for you.

      *else

        Unless it's easier killing you when you're not kept by the Rangers. You did see ${hghis} face.

        $!{swear}.

  *elseif hght

    She's associating you with Hollow Ground. Did ${hghe} also pay to get you out of here? Even without digging, you can sense that's the truth. Interesting. Looks like whatever caused the crash was not orchestrated by ${hghim}. No sense breaking you out then.

    *if rt

      You knew you could trust ${hghim} to come through for you.

    *else

      Unless it's easier killing you when you're not kept by the Rangers. You did see ${hghis} face.

      $!{swear}.

  *else

    Someone else paid her. That much is clear. But you can't pull out exactly who, at least not without digging deeper. And you don't have the focus for that right now, not with your legs screaming at you. Someone she wants to pretend was never involved. Someone she prefers not to think about.

    You're not sure you like unknown friends like that.

  "I am discerning with my employers, life is too short to suffer assholes." She shrugs and opens one of the containers, searching for what turns out to be a burner phone. "And you knowing the truth about Arde makes things easier." She hands you the phone.

  *goto hirefuse

*else

  *goto unknownhire

*label unknownhire

"What?" She acts shocked, her hands as mobile as a Re-Gene's. "Here I am rescuing ${villain_name} and you don't even want to know who hired me?"

*if known_telepath

  "I'm a telepath," you remind her coldly. "Do you really think I don't already know?"

  "Oh, I didn't think about that." She keeps a straight face, but you can feel her thoughts take a skittish turn, like birds take off in the presence of a cat. Truth be told her thoughts are harder to read than most, something distinctively bird-like about their tangled nature. But your gentle prodding makes the thoughts you are looking for surge to the surface while she's rummaging for a burner phone in one of the containers. 

  *if verahghired

    "Though I suppose it's not that secret. We work for the same boss after all." She hands you the phone. 

  *elseif veraohired

    "I didn't ask any questions, your secret is safe with me." She hands you the phone. 

  *else

    "I wonder if he did, or if he counted on you finding out." She hands you the phone. 

*else

  "I can make an educated guess." You know it's useless to sound too curious about these things, if you're lucky your lack of interest might draw some more information out of her. She doesn't seem to know you're a telepath, a careless thought will reveal more than her words.

  *if verahghired

    "Well, having friends in high places pays off." She shrugs and opens one of the containers, searching for what turns out to be a burner phone. "And since we work for the same boss on occasion, we'll probably run into each other again." She hands you the phone. 

  *elseif veraohired

    "I can imagine. Must feel nice to have people willing to break the law for you." She smiles and opens one of the containers, searching for what turns out to be a burner phone. "It's almost sweet, if you ask me." She hands you the phone. 

  *else

    "Oh, I really doubt that." She chuckles and opens one of the containers, searching for what turns out to be a burner phone. "Not gonna lie, I could hardly believe my ears." She hands you the phone. 

*goto hirefuse

*label hirefuse

"Thank you." You take the phone, keeping your face cool and collected.

*if veraohired

  Why her? It doesn't surprise you that Ortega would know people who could break you out, but is there anything more between them? You press against her oddly structured mind, but you don't find anything deeper. A job. She likes Charge. Flashy. Never been in direct conflict. Paid well.

  So that's it. You look down at the phone, suppressing a grimace. Ortega's willing to spend a fortune on breaking you out, as long as ${he} doesn't have to sully ${his} hands to do it. A message as clear as any where ${his} loyalties lie.

  A final favor. You shouldn't expect anything more.

*elseif verahghired

  Hollow Ground. Looks like whatever caused the crash was not orchestrated by ${hghim}. No sense breaking you out then.

  *if rt

    The feeling of relief is as surprising as it is welcome. Trust. Not something that comes to you lightly. It made no sense that ${hghe} would betray you after you agreed to work together, but you're used to living a life of paranoia. Trust nobody.

    But maybe this time you can make an exception.

  *else

    Especially not paying a small fortune to do it, you know that tangling with the Rangers doesn't come cheap. Easier targets if you're more interested in money than personal grudges. Maybe Hollow Ground actually spoke the truth about working together.

    Unless... 

    You force yourself to keep quiet, despite the spike of paranoia driven into your heart. No sense breaking you out if ${hghe} was responsible for the crash. No reason to... unless it's easier killing you when you're not kept by the Rangers. 

    You did see ${hghis} face.

*elseif verachired

  Are you understanding the implications of her thought? You look down at the phone, pretending to study it while you try to unravel her thoughts without being noticed. Being hired in secret. A great amount of money, but not enough to go up against the Rangers. Not enough to take the risk. Unless...

  She truly thinks that the person who hired her was the Marshal himself. Cautious. In disguise. But this is her job, and birds are chatty. Easy enough to check with some presumably innocent bystanders when he left.

  Is she right? Did Marshal Steel really pay a criminal to break you out?

  It sounds preposterous. But she believes it.

  Was that why she took the job? Because it would give her blackmail material against the Marshal?

  No. Because she was curious what kind of person would make the Marshal take that kind of risk.

*else

  *if wealth = "rich"

    You're not too concerned about her fee. Pelayo did the right thing, you can afford to lose a bit of money in exchange for your freedom. Being rich has it's perks.

    She never even questioned if she would be paid, you're working in the same field, of course she would have paid attention to your exploits.

    You can afford her.

    *if (((oht) or (cht)) or (hght))

      The fact that more than one person wants to pay to get you out of here is just icing on the cake.

  *elseif wealth = "well-off"

    This is going to cost you. You don't blame Pelayo for hiring her, money is no good if you won't be around to spend it. That's why you've been saving up, for moments like this.

    He did the right thing. You can afford her. Barely.

    *if (((oht) or (cht)) or (hght))

      Part of you are annoyed that she'll collect money from more sources than you. The other part is quietly amazed that there are others willing to pay for your release.

      Should you be grateful?

  *else

    You can't afford her. You don't know how Pelayo talked her into it, but you know the state of your finances better than he does. 

    You're going to owe her your life and your freedom. Does she know? You brush your mind against hers as you look down on the phone.

    *if (((oht) or (cht)) or (hght))

      Yes. Yes she knows. But since she's already collected money from other parties interested in your release, she won't lose out. It was worth giving the impression that she might be working for cheap to sate her curiosity. 

    *else

      She does. You work in the same field, she knows what you've been doing, and while she can't chart your expenses, she can make an educated guess.

      You can't afford her.

      And yet she agreed, knowing that a promise of future payment and favors might hold little weight when it comes to villains. Why did she do it?

      You're not sure. Maybe she's not sure herself.

"Do you want some privacy?" Vera gestures to the phone. "You know, for calling for backup."

"I have no way of scanning for bugs, this entire truck is probably wired. Possibly recording us." You look at her, but from the widening of her eyes that doesn't seem to be the case. "Whatever privacy you'd give would be just for show. Let's get this over with. Where are we?"

"Below an underpass, not far from old Jefferson Park." She looks over at Armadillo. "No traffic this time of the night. You mind taking a look around for anything off? My birds are sleeping this time of the night." Her gestures look more worried than her words reveal.

¨I'll make sure everything is secure.¨ Armadillo stands up, letting out a pained breath as you can see their skin ripple as the change rushes over them. 

It's fascinating to see, this close up. The metal plates shifting through the skin, the skin turning rubbery and hard. Everything locking together with a soft, inorganic sound. No tattoos on the armor, just a sleek shine, wet with bodily fluids, not oil.

It hurts. Especially the changes to the head and skull. You can feel it even through the quiet void of their thoughts. It hurts a lot, but the pain-gate shuts it down to bearable levels.

You miss that feeling.

"Sorry," Vera offers, and you realize that she knows it hurts. Armadillo has told her. Has trusted her with something Re-Genes hides from humans at all costs. Their weaknesses.

*fake_choice

  #Their humanity.

    Re-Genes are tools. Not soldiers. Weapons. You are not supposed to feel. To hurt. To admit to things like that means you'd risk being seen as broken. Defective. 

    Broken Re-Genes don't live long.

    The fact that Armadillo has trusted Vera with this means that they doesn't see her as a human. As a threat.

    But as family.

  #You never dared. Not even to Ortega.

    You never dared to let on how much things hurt, even with the pain-gate. Pretending it was a scratch was easier than dealing with being seen as weak.

    Ortega did that already. Worried. Fretted. Wanted to help. Take care of you.

    It was a dangerous temptation. You never dared to fall for it. Not back then.

    You're not sure if things are different now.

  #You remember how hard it was to admit things like this.

    You remember how hard it was to admit that you hurt. That you weren't perfect. That you might need help.

    You remember the fear of rejection. Of being seen as weak.

    You remember realizing that maybe you were allowed to. Be weak. Be helped. 

    You remember Ortega's hand, pulling you to your feet.

    *if ((veraohired) or (oht))

      $!{swear}. It's the same now, isn't it? 

      You thought you had grown beyond being helped. Grown beyond ${his} will to help you.

¨I'll be back soon.¨ The signs are more quiet in their deployed form, reduced to the minute gestures you remember. Vera picks them up regardless.

"We'll be here," Vera says with an upbeat sign. 

Armadillo moves to the back of the van, a pale glow lining what would be their throat and chest. Sensory? Offensive? You're not sure, this is a configuration you haven't seen before. The light dims as they slip out.

Leaving you and Vera alone.

"I'll check the scanners up front," she offers, giving you some small amount of privacy. "Arde will keep an eye out, but it doesn't hurt to make sure."

"True." You don't doubt that, a terror-beast who has stayed on the loose long enough to make human friends won't be sloppy. And, even though your mental powers are near exhausted, you would pick up on an attack before it happened. You hope. "Let me know if you pick up something suspicious."

"Will do." 

She slips up front, and you allow yourself to drop back on the bunk with a groan of pain once you're alone. You can feel your body shivering with the effort of staying conscious, the pain nearly overwhelming now that you don't have to keep your mask on.

Show no weakness.

There's blood in your mouth where you bit yourself as you were thrown out the window, and you bite yourself again to bring clarity back. No fainting. No throwing up. You can't afford to. Not yet. You can do this. Breathe. 

Breathe.

[i]"It looks clear."[/i] Vera's voice through the speakers.

"Good," you say, though you don't know if she'll hear. A reminder nonetheless that you need to stay focused.

*gosub henchcall

You put the phone down, rubbing your hands together. You had clenched it tightly enough that it's left marks in your palms.

[i]"Arde will keep an eye out from a distance."[/i] Vera's voice crackles. [i]"They'd rather avoid more people seeing them."[/i]

"Makes sense," you say, now certain that she can pick up sound from here. Probably listened in on everything.

It takes a minute or two before she makes her way back inside with you, carrying what must be a portable console for the van's scanners. "I don't think there will be any trouble, but you never know."

*if tech_savvy

  "I hope that's passive listening devices," you try to make out what they might be from what you can see of the console. 

  "Of course." She sounds affronted. "We've gone quiet, nothing getting broadcasted that's out of the ordinary."

*else

  "You've done a good job keeping Armadillo from the limelight," you say, trying to remember what you can about them. Not much. Dove is well known, her partner... less so. "I would never have suspected anything out of the ordinary."

  "I could say the same about you." She smiles thinly. "I had no idea."

"Paranoia is useful in our line of work, I suppose." You try to relax, but it's hard. All you want to do is faint.

"I would say any line of work in this town." She keeps en eye on the scanner, and for the first time you get a whiff of awkwardness from her. Small talk is harder than action.

Don't you know it.

You wait for your ride in silence.

*page_break

Finally, Vera looks up with a smile. "There's a car approaching. Still some distance away, but moving slowly. You think it's your ride?"

*if boss

  *goto veraboss

*elseif rosie

  *goto verarosie

*else

  *goto verabo

*label verabo

*if known_telepath

  "Yes," you say with a sigh of relief. 

*else

  "Better be," you say, though you know the truth.

You can feel Bo's approaching thoughts. They're always slippery when he's driving, hard to mistake for someone else. "I'll give him a call, let him know what to expect."

"Yeah, don't want anybody going trigger happy on us." Vera puts down the scanner, you can feel her tension. 

"Not going to happen." You call Bo, and he picks up right away.

[i]"Approaching destination, boss. I see a parked truck Looks dead, but my scans says otherwise."[/i]

"That's us," you say, once again reminded why he works for you. 

[i]"You're not alone?"[/i] Bo's voice is cautious, you can sense his suspicion. Is this a trap? Are you a hostage? Why the reason for this convoluted pickup?

"I'm hurt," you admit, brushing away his suspicions like cobwebs. He's a cautious man, that's what kept him alive and out of jail so far. "Badly. I've had help getting here, don't worry about them. They're professionals." 

[i]"Shit. I'm pulling over now."[/i] He hangs up, and you can feel the nervous anxiety.

You groan, letting go of the phone as you gesture to Vera to open the back. If Armadillo is playing hide and seek, you need a second pair of hands to carry you out. "You got a stretcher in here?"

"Sure do," she says, standing half behind the door as she avoids the lights of the approaching van. "As long as your driver plays game."

"He will," you assure.

Bo does pull over, just as instructed. You can feel the hesitation, he doesn't like this one bit. Smells like a trap. You can feel the quickly suppressed urge to draw a weapon. 

"It's fine," you call out through the open door. "Just a bit indisposed. Going to need some help to get out of here" You gesture to your legs.

"Shit," Bo curses. "Wasn't sure if you were involved in that crash downtown." Interesting. You didn't tell him any details, looks like he's good at adding things up. "You're sure you're okay with showing me your face, boss?" He's trying not to peer into the darkness, but he's curious.

"We're at the point where I need to reveal some secrets," you admit with a sigh. Luckily nobody questions why he believes you so readily. Trust is an easy thing to pull forward, especially when it is about something he already wants. Be a part of something. Be trusted.

"Well, thanks for trusting me." His eyes go to Vera, who is pulling out a lightweight stretcher. "Looks like I wasn't first on the list."

"No," you admit. "$!{puppet_name} knows."

"That ain't ${puppet_name}." Bo frowns. "Where have I..." 

"Hello there, Boris." Vera gestures to the stretcher. "Mind giving me a hand with getting ${chim} on here?."

"Dove." Bo sighs, but acquiesces. "Didn't know you were playing search and rescue?"

"I would like to say I'm making my dad proud," her smile is crooked. "But this is truly just for the money." She is lying about that. Interesting. 

"You two know each other?" You can sense no threat or ill will from either of them. 

"Yeah," Bo admits. "Been her driver a few times. Not in years though."

"Got a regular partner now," she says with a shrug. "No need to hire extras as much." And less risk of discovery for Armadillo.

"Glad to hear you weren't at each other's throats." You make a pained grimace as you look at the stretcher. "You're going to have to lift me over on it. Try to be gentle, my legs are a mess." 

"Not sure there's a gentle way to do this," Bo mutters. "It looks bad."

"It feels worse. Just get it over with."

You just about manage to hold back a scream as they move you to the stretcher as gently as they can manage. Not gently enough. You nearly pass out, whatever reserves of strength you had are almost depleted.

In comparison, moving you over to Bo's van is easy. It's not going to be a comfortable trip, but at least you're almost back at your base.

"I'll be off then," Vera says, jumping back onto the street. "I suggest you get a good doctor who can keep their mouth shut, this wasn't exactly good for your legs."

"You mean unlike jumping out a window?" You can't stop the sarcasm. 

"Fair," she laughs. "I'd say send me the bill, but please don't."

"Don't worry." You lean back and look up at the ceiling. "Not the worst accident I've been in." Gallows humor has never failed you. "Get us back, Bo."

"Alright." Bo closes the doors, leaving you in the dim light. Neither you nor Vera said goodbye. You doubt this is the end of it. Too many things you need to investigate once you're back to normal.

Armadillo. You can't just forget that ever happened.

[i]"Uhm, Boss?"[/i] Bo's voice through the internal speakers. [i]"I didn't want to say anything in front of Dove, but I actually don't know where I'm going."[/i]

"Fine. Leave the speakers on, and I'll guide you. Should have let you know months ago." Just in case. Being cautious is good, but sometimes you need a helping hand. 

You've been so reliant on your puppet. Hopefully once you rest, you'll be able to slip back in. You've got work to do.

The van starts rolling, and you grit your teeth at the vibrations. On the road.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive

*label verarosie

*if known_telepath

  "Yes," you say with a sigh of relief. 

*else

  "Better be," you say, though you know the truth.

You can feel Rosie's approaching thoughts. Tense. Nervous. She's not used to driving such a big van. "I'll give her a call, let her know what to expect."

"Yeah, don't want anybody going trigger happy on us." Vera puts down the scanner, you can feel her tension. 

"Not going to happen." You call Rosie, and she picks up after a few signals, sounding out of breath and frustrated.

[i]"Shit! Sorry boss, nearly dropped my phone. Scared the hell out of me. Is that you in the shady truck?"[/i]

"That's us," you say, trying to stop yourself from smiling. "Just pull over."

[i]"Alright. So I should be expecting others? Just checking, I don't want to punch anybody that don't need punching."[/i] Rosie sounds relaxed, but you can hear the unspoken question. Are you a hostage? Why the reason for this convoluted pickup?

"No need to punch anybody. I'm hurt," you admit, brushing away her worries. She's protective of you. Huh. You must be in worse shape than you thought, the feeling doesn't annoy you. It's almost touching. "I've had help getting here, you don't worry about them. They're professionals." 

[i]"I get it. Will be there in just a sec."[/i] She hangs up.

You groan, letting go of the phone as you gesture to Vera to open the back. If Armadillo is playing hide and seek, you need a second pair of hands to carry you out. "You got a stretcher in here?"

"Sure do," she says, standing half behind the door as she avoids the lights of the approaching van. "As long as your driver plays game."

"She will," you assure.

The light under the overpass is dim, the headlights almost blinds you as the doors open. Rosie shuts them off immediately, but you don't need eyes to see. Good, you're seeing nothing but spots. Vera was smarter, keeping in the shadows of the door.

"Is that you, boss?" Rosie peers into the dimly lit van, confusion coloring her thoughts.

"A bit worse for wear," you admit as you brush away cobwebs of suspicion and doubt. Of course this is you, just without your armor. "As you can see."

"Not used to seeing you this undressed," she says with a nervous smile. "Feels a bit indecent."

"We'll both live." You reinforce her confidence. This is ${villain_name}. She knows this now.

"Of course," she looks you over, shaking her head. "Damn, who the hell messed you up?"

"A car."

"Seriously?" She barely resists tapping one of your casts as she climbs into the truck. 

"Not my proudest moment. And I wasn't wearing my armor."

"See," she straightens her back, "I wouldn't go outside without if I was that soft. No offense boss, but you could have died."

"I am aware of that," you say, not sure whether to be offended or amused by her worry. "But I didn't. And you get the bonus of seeing my face finally."

"Yeah," she says with a grin. "Somewhere behind the bruises. Speaking of..." her eyes narrow in Vera's direction. "What are you doing with her?"

"She broke me out and got me this far." She recognizes Dove, which makes sense. 

"Hey, I could have done that!" Rosie sounds hurt.

"Brealking into the Rangers' headquarters?" Vera chuckles. "Don't think so. You were never subtle, Riveter. And I don't think you could have taken them head on."

"Of course I couldn't." Rosie scoffs, taking a step towards Vera. "Unlike you, I know my limits."

"And that is why we don't work together anymore." Vera crosses her arms. "No hard feelings."

"None." You know Rosie enough to know that's a lie. "It's not like I'm lacking work. And whoever that big lug is you're running with now seems to work out fine."

"We need to get me out of here," you interrupt before the argument can escalate. "Before anything happen."

"Shit, yeah." Rosie looks down at the stretcher. "You look about ready to faint, boss."

"I'm planning to. Just not here."

"Of course, I'll get you back to the base." You can feel Rosie light up at the thought that you did not trust Dove enough to have her take you home directly. But you trust her.

"I think both of you will be able to move me to the stretcher and not make things worse." You're going to have to arrange for a physician as soon as possible, you're not sure how much more damage has been made by your less than gentle escape. 

"Alright, Dove," Rosie looks to Vera with a faint smirk. "Please don't break my boss more than ${che} already is."

"I'll be gentle," she retorts, ignoring your sour look. Your escape has been anything but so far.

To your surprise, they both manage to move you to the stretcher with minimal pain. At this point even breathing hurts, so it's a small mercy. Carrying you over to Rosie's van is easy enough, and there's enough space for you to lie in the back even though it smells of oil and mechanical parts. At least you'll be somewhat comfortable on the floor, as long as there's no sudden terms.

She tends to be a careful driver.

"I'll be off then," Vera says, jumping back onto the street. "I suggest you get a good doctor who can keep their mouth shut, this wasn't exactly good for your legs."

"You mean unlike jumping out a window?" You can't stop the sarcasm. 

"Fair," she laughs. "I'd say send me the bill, but please don't."

"Don't worry." You lean back and look up at the ceiling. "Not the worst accident I've been in." Gallows humor has never failed you. "We can deal. Get me out of here Rosie"

"Sure will." Rosie closes the doors, leaving you in the dim light. Neither you nor Vera said goodbye. You doubt this is the end of it. Too many things you need to investigate once you're back to normal.

Armadillo. You can't just forget that ever happened.

The ringing phone tears you from your near faint, and you answer with a grunt of annoyance. Of course it's Rosie.

[i]"Alright, we're on the road."[/i] Rosie sounds worried. [i]"Where you want me to take you? Looks like a hospital might be a good bet?"[/i]

"No need. Just drive me back to my base. I'll guide you there. Use the speaker function on the phone, I don't want to get into another accident."

[i]"Nice. More secrets."[/i] She sounds almost cheerful. [i]"And don't worry, I drive safely."[/i]

"it's the rest of the traffic I'm worrid about." You put your phone on speaker as well so you can rest your hands. "I should have let you know months ago. Now, turn right at the next intersection." You really should have let her in on a few secrets. Just in case. Being cautious is good, but sometimes you need a helping hand. 

You've been so reliant on your puppet. Hopefully once you rest, you'll be able to slip back in. You've got work to do.

The van turns, and you grit your teeth as you brace as best you can. But it feels good to be on the road.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive

*label veraboss

*if known_telepath

  "Yes," you say with a sigh of relief. 

*else

  "Better be," you say, though you know the truth.

You can feel Pelayo's approaching thoughts. Someone else too. Ward? Of course. "I'll give him a call, let him know this is the right truck."

"Yeah, would be funny if he accosted some poor truck driver taking a nap." Vera puts down the scanner with a smile. 

"I think we've had enough close calls for one night." You call Pelayo, and he picks up right away.

[i]"We're close, boss. There's a parked truck up ahead, is that you?"[/i]

"That's us," you say, trying to keep your relief from showing. 

[i]"Anything I need to know before pulling over?"[/i] Pelayo sound tense. Did everything go according to plan? Are you sure you're not being watched? Is this a trap?

"Everything went according to plan, but I'm badly hurt," you admit. "Worse than you expected, I think. Otherwise you wouldn't have planned this kind of rescue." You give Vera a look, and she shrugs. She feels guilty though, her thoughts reveals what her mind doesn't. 

[i]"Sorry about that. I'm pulling over now."[/i] He hangs up, and you can feel new worries taking root.

You groan, letting go of the phone as you gesture to Vera to open the back. If Armadillo is playing hide and seek, you need a second pair of hands to carry you out. "You got a stretcher in here?"

"Sure do," she says, standing half behind the door as she avoids the lights of the approaching van. "You never know when you need one."

The familiar van makes a U-turn, then reverses close to the truck. Not too close, and Pelayo leaves the engine running as Ward steps out. Cautious. You never know when you need a fast getaway.

"Boss?"

*if boss_secret

  "It's me, Ward." You give a tired wave from the floor. "Bit underdressed at the moment, you know how it is."

  "Yeah." A quick glance between you and Vera. "Looks like things really were worse than we thought."

  "I'm still alive. Broken bones will heal. Will take more than a crashed car to take me out." You try a lighter tone to brush away some of the mental cobwebs of suspicion. You are still ${villain_name}, even without your armor.

*else

  "It's okay, Ward." You give a tired wave from the floor. "And you can tell Nehal that she was right. Should have gone in my armor."

  "Yeah, no kidding. What the hell happened?" Eyes going to your legs.

  "Car crash. Things got complicated." 

"Shit. So it did turn bad." Ward raises a hand and gestures to Pelayo. You recognize it. Area secured.

"I'll fill you in later, let's not talk business here." You let out a pained sigh. "You wanna help me over so I can get back to the base?"

"Sure." Ward steps forward as Pelayo gets out of the van at last. "Wanna give me a hand, Dove?" 

"You didn't pay me enough for manual labor," she says with a faint smile. "But I'll do this one on the house."

"Huh." Ward gives you a look. "Looks like you've been making friends, boss."

"That's one way of calling it." You can't feel Armadillo's thoughts out there, you're hurting too much to pick out thought-voids. But you feel watched.

"I'm always up for rescue missions," Dove says with a wry smile. "Would make my dad proud." She says it as a joke, but you can sense that she means it. It feels good to do good. Too rarely a thing in Los Diablos.

"Be careful," you caution as they move to shift you to the stretcher. "These casts are not for show."

"I can be gentle." Ward gives Pelayo a pointed look. "Don't worry, let's get this over with. I want to go back to sleep."

You bite back a groan of main as they shift your aching body, and then carries you over to the other van. Pelayo moves to help, and together they place you on the hard floor inside. Not the most comfortable, but the smell is familiar. 

"I'll keep the boss company," Ward says. "You get us out of here."

"I'll be on my way then," Vera gives a small salute. "If you've got other jobs, I can always make room for interesting opportunities."

"I'll think about it." Your line of sight is cut off as the doors close, Ward reaching up to turn on the small ceiling light. 

*if base_secret

  "Turn on the mike, I need to be able to guide you to the base."

  "Sure will," Ward flips the switch and a crackle of static connects you with Pelayo in the front seat.

  [i]"Where to, Boss?"[/i] He sounds relieved to have you back safely.

  "Just get on the road, I'll guide you as we've gotten some distance from here."

*else

  "Don't worry," Ward says as he flips the switch to activate the mike to the front, so Pelayo can keep you updated.

  [i]"Should we be worried about being followed?"[/i] Pelayo sounds staticky but annoyed. [i]"Not sure I trust her not to be curious."[/i]

  "Just get us on the road for now. We need to get some distance."

"Alright." The van hits a steady pace, taking you far away from here.

*page_break Finally

*goto fusedrive