and though our parts are slightly used

[soldiergenes]

Who: Jessica Jones, Pietro Maximoff, & Solid Snake
When: During the Runoff event
Where: The slave trade outpost
What: Snake sneaks his way onto the outpost to be part of the rescue effort and runs into two superpowered escapees.
Warnings: References to slave trade, violence, murder, etc.


As soon as news comes through about where the missing members of the Moira have gone, Snake jumps into action, pulling on his sneaking suit and tying his bandana into place. It's not as if this would be his first time extracting prisoners, not by a long shot, and he figures that he has a better chance of actually getting people out compared to some of the less experienced (yet eager to help) members of the crew.

Niko contacts him and from there it doesn't take long for them to pick out a small transport ship to fly into the outpost. At least the anonymity of any buyers means that they're not given any trouble when it comes to landing. Snake elects to take it from there, asking Niko to wait on the ship and be ready for a quick getaway. Just like the last time they teamed up on something like this.

The outpost is what Snake would expect, the sort of place that makes you feel like you need a shower just by being there. There are enough stalls and other structures that he can stay out of sight, though he stops from time to time to check the tracker on his MID.

As he gets closer to the arena where people are supposedly being pit against each other, he spots two blips on his MID that are heading toward him at a quick pace. It looks like at least two of the crew managed to break themselves free of their chains.

Once they're close enough, Snake slips out from behind a stall and waves them down. One of them he recognizes -- Jessica, wasn't it? They'd interacted briefly on the prison planet, and she'd already proved to him back then that she knew what she was doing. The man with her is a stranger to Snake, but that doesn't matter. He needs to get them out.

"Guess you two didn't really need any rescuing, huh," he says under his breath as he gestures them over to safe cover. "I have a ship waiting to fly us all back." They both look worse for the wear, but Snake doesn't ask any questions about what they were made to do. It can't have been good and he doubts they're in the mood for chatting about it.

Comments

[twelveminutesolder]

Pietro, to say the least, is not pleased. It probably has something to do with waking up from cryo into a pit that reminded him far too much of dilapidated buildings and rubble everywhere, even if there weren't any actual buildings.

There were cells, though. Pietro can handle a lot of things, but being caged like an animal? Not so much. Too much like Hydra, too much of the stench of greed and poor conditions. If he hadn't been recovering from cryo he would have shot out there immediately--plus, there was also the girl. Jessica.

It had to be Jessica. When they weren't bickering back and forth, he'd actually seen she had a point when it came to escaping. As much as he hated to admit it, her plan was solid and, once Pietro could manage some of his speed, they put it into action. The only issue is Pietro--who can look past his perpetual annoyance at the older woman--can only go so far so quickly. He'll never admit he's recovering, though.

That would be admitting weakness.

"Oh, we have a funny man," he says as he stops, hearing the mumbled words. He sets Jessica down and rests his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He still feels like shit and this is proof.

At least the funny man has a goddamn ship.

[higginsdrive]

Jess didn't like to be carried, at this point didn't even really want to be touched. Every nerve seemed to be frayed, hyper-sensitive to so much as a wrong look cast her way. She was having a hard time differentiating between what was real and what was in her head, making for a fairly deadly cocktail. If they'd stayed much longer, she'd have done a lot worse than killing some poor schmuck that had the unfortunate fate of facing her.

Ignoring Pietro, she's already moving towards Snake - relief evident on her face. Yes, they'd gotten out but her plan hadn't really gone much further than that. "I'm too impatient to play damsel." If she doesn't resort to sarcasm, she'll crack - can't do that yet. Need to get to the ship. Need to avoid Trish for awhile, avoid that sharp gaze and gentle words.

"How far to the ship?" Because she didn't have the stamina to stand around and chat. Stopping meant giving the pain a chance to play catch up, as well as the slavers that were probably starting to come after them and right now? They stuck out like sore fucking thumbs. Or at least, she's guessing they do. No mirrors meant she had no idea how she looked, other than probably really shitty. Definitely still coated in blood on some spots, most of it hers and the rest not. It made for interesting tones on her skin against the darkness of the shredded outfit they'd shoved her in. The one time she'll be grateful for those stupid jumpsuits.

[soldiergenes]

It isn't often that someone actually acknowledges Snake's particular brand of dry humor, though there isn't time to dwell on that now. Not when both of them are obviously eager to get the hell off of this outpost as soon as possible. Snake doesn't blame them; he can only assume they went through hell in that arena.

If he'd known, he would have brought them some less conspicuous clothing, but as things stand he'll just have to make sure to lead them back the way he'd come, through narrow alleyways away from any prying eyes.

"About a twenty minute walk." He looks between them, jaw clenching as he makes himself clear. "Follow me as close as you can and stay as quiet as you can. If someone finds us, I'm armed, but I'd rather not resort to that." When alarms get sounded and reinforcements are called in, it gets ugly fast.

"Let's go." Without another word, he slips behind one of the abandoned stalls and into an alley.

[twelveminutesolder]

It's mutual ignoring when it comes to Jess and Pietro, though when it comes down to it, Pietro probably doesn't hate her as much as he thought he did. Seeing someone go through shakes and a whole other slew of problems would do that.

Strange. Normally, he'd feel the urge to lord if over her, to remind her he knows a lot more about her than she does him, but he finds himself not wanting to. He's not even sure if he'll tell Wanda--the only thing he really wants to know is the street names she repeats, over and over again.

But that's over and Jess is almost her usual annoyingly angry self. Pietro's not quite up to speed, literally and figuratively, but he's fairly certain he's in better shape.

His gaze moves from Jess to the brunet, listening to what the other says. At the very least, it doesn't seem bossy so much as urgent, so the natural urge to not comply is squashed down. Plus, he doesn't have an option. That helps.

"Yes, sir," He states, sarcastic and biting. Doesn't mean he can't be a bit of an ass about it. He glances over at Jess, raising a brow, the same tone carrying through. "Need a piggy back?"

[higginsdrive]

She's just gonna flip off Pietro as she starts to move because fuck you dude. Jessica opts for conserving the rest of her energy, keeping acerbic comments to herself - knowing she'd eventually need to talk to him about what happened if she survived actually making it back onto the ship.

The idea of 20 minutes until getting off this planet was the only thing keeping her feet moving. She just needed to avoid Trish and anyone who'd wormed their way into what was left of her heart in their weird ways. People that might illicit an uninvited reaction because she would physically feel herself continuing to fracture - those people that would get past her already crumbling wall and offer some form of comfort. Comfort she couldn't take right now, something she didn't exactly feel she deserved. It was a strange sensation, that attempt to internally duct tape yourself back together over and over and over until it just started to shred itself.

Hell, the only reason she'd made it this far was because of her distinct lack of emotional attachment to the people she'd encountered after Bruce left. Keep them on the outside and get through the hurdles one step at a time. Keep a level of focus on the objective rather than the person.

The adrenaline coursing through her veins shifts its purpose, reforming into something of a hyper-vigilance. Similar to what had happened when exhaustion, PTSD, and paranoia had taken over back home. Of course, this time she was gonna shoot for not getting hit by a moving vehicle. She wants to ask about others, knowing they weren't the only ones. To find out if they were still trapped or if they'd already gotten out. As guilty as she might feel leaving people behind, she didn't have it in her to turn around and break them out. There was a reason she'd never claimed to be a hero. Having that stupid fucking word scratched on her tombstone wouldn't do anyone a hell of a lot of good.

But somewhere, deep down, that need to try decided to rear its ugly head. Trying to keep her from adding more nightmares to her plate. Her voice is rough, but soft - already regretting the words that are gonna come out. She moves to catch up to Snake, not really wanting to be overheard given their current setting. "There a plan to get everyone else out or are we the last?" Because she hadn't exactly been paying attention to familiar faces that were left over the past few days. It took more energy than she was willing to spare.

[soldiergenes]

Snake doesn't mind if the guy wants to have a smart mouth so long as he goes along with what he'd said. They're pretty exposed out here, and the chances of them getting tracked down and recaptured is too high for his comfort. If the two of them are willing to cooperate, there's a chance they'll make it out without any incident.

Whatever is going on between Jessica and her "friend," it doesn't have anything to do with Snake. He's far more focused on picking out a path that keeps them the most hidden. Sometimes that requires hopping over a small barrier, or twisting sideways to shimmy through a narrow opening in a wall.

When Jessica eventually speaks up, Snake halts in his tracks and glances over his shoulder at her.

"I'm not the only one doing this," he explains. "I'll have to do a headcount when we get back, but we have to get you out one or two at a time. A large group of people is gonna attract too much attention." In other words, any thoughts about running back to the arena to find more people should be forgotten right now.

"I'll make more trips if I have to," he assures them, half of his attention still on their surroundings. "One step at a time."

[twelveminutesolder]

Pietro follows and does so fairly well, for the most part. He doesn't do stealth per se, but he has learned a thing or two from Strucker and his soldiers. Being naturally light on his feet helps, too, he supposes.

Jessica's asking the right questions--not that Pietro would put it past her, she's a bright girl--and he finds solace in the fact that he doesn't really have to speak. It's strange, but he feels almost like he's with Wanda: they have a set goal in mind, and all of them are trying to obtain it.

Snake shimmies through a small expanse, and Pietro glances at Jessica, briefly, before waiting for the other to go ahead. She's smaller, she'll fit easier, and honestly, she doesn't look too good. They both don't, he imagines.

He really is grateful to this strange. He'll voice it later, when there's time, but for now:

"What do they call you?"