7/4 Instance: The Hero Gotham Needs

[Starfish]

Timeline: Current.


Cecilia: Cecilia stood in the middle of the op room, studying the hooded figure on-screen that entered the records room over and over again, head tilted to one side. "Mm," she said, shifting her body into several positions before she managed to approximate the body language of the person on-screen.

Melati: "Wondering if it was you, after all?" Melati asked with a dry chuckle as she stepped into the room, watching Cecilia study the recording that she felt like knowing by heart at that point. She raised the cup she held in her hand, taking a sip from the steaming hot coffee.

Cecilia: Cecilia startled slightly, straightened up and turned to face Mel. "Actually I was studying the body language to get a better idea of who it might be," she said, indicating the screen and frowning. "Now I'm sorta creeped out though. It could've been me. I mean, I could've been mind-controlled and then...but that's crazy, right?" She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

Melati: "You live at a place like this and still think that really would be crazy?" Wearing a wry half-smile, Melati leaned against the nearby table. "I've actually had the same idea before - the one with the body language, not the mind control." She cradled the warm cup between her hands. "I got as far as you. In the end, I imagined anyone and everyone under that hood."

Cecilia: "Great minds think alike," Cecilia said automatically, leaning back likewise on the control panel, careful to make sure she didn't accidentally press anything with her ass. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I doubt it's me. I'm too short and I really doubt I could fit all my hair under that hood. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

Melati: "Plus, whoever that is, their ass still fits in the camera's field of view," Melati added, grinning over the rim of her cup as she tried really hard not to laugh.

Cecilia: Cecilia raised an eyebrow and leaned side-to-side a bit to observe herself. "It's a gift, really." Her expression turned more serious very quickly though. "I hear it was your code they got in with...the enemy's getting pretty crafty, boss."

Melati: "Yeah, it hasn't been the most glorious month for me to be honest." Melati bent her head and rubbed the back of her head, trying to conceal the tired, worn look on her face. "It looks like they used this very camera to look over my shoulder when I entered it, so knowing that I didn't stupidly blurt it out while being drunk is at least a little consolation."

Cecilia: Cecilia tucked her legs under herself indian-style. "Wanna talk? I've heard a few things, mostly that you're starting to sound like me, but I don't know the full story and I got time."

Melati: That earned her a laugh coming from the lizard mutant, who looked down and shook her head. "You know, now that you mention it, I think you might even have a point," she admitted. "In any case, I've certainly been yelling more often lately."

Melati: After running a hand over her face, Melati slowly let the air flow from her lungs and raised her head again. "It's just difficult to keep that laid back attitude when everything around you seems to be falling apart a little more each day."

Cecilia: "Sometimes you have to shout to be heard," Cecilia said. "I wouldn't do it if everybody listened to me all the time - but they don't. Hell, if I didn't yell I'm pretty sure I'd be ignored...I'd rather be considered a bitch and speak my mind than be silent and have everyone like me," she admitted.

Cecilia: She frowned. "How so?"

Melati: "See, that's why I like you." Melati showed the other a crooked smile, before she put her cup down on the table. She was silent for a moment, her expression unreadable, while she contemplated how to answer Cecilia's other question. "Do you think we're in a better place now than one year ago? Two years ago?"

Cecilia: "Glad some do," she replied. She shrugged, "I wasn't here two years ago - I missed out on all the Apocalypse shit, well... sorta - and I'm just coming up on my one year anniversary but as I recall when I arrived half the school was in Traskland so...it depends. How do you define 'better'?"

Melati: "I don't know, but I can tell you what I don't define it as," Melati replied, pulling herself up on the table to sit on the edge, her legs and tail dangling in the air. "Just moving from one fight to the next, without any sign that your enemies are ever going to give you a moment to breathe, and all you can hope for is stalling the moment of eventual defeat."

Melati: She picked up her cup again and took another sip. "That's what it feels like, anyway. Always on the retreat, fighting this losing battle, while all we can do is count our losses and move on."

Cecilia: Cecilia thought for awhile. "I'll admit I feel the same a lot of the time...but I think I've learned to accept it to a degree by now since my life's always been something of a struggle."

Melati: "I can't say I've had an easy childhood, and I probably don't need to tell you that growing up came with its fair share of violence for me." Melati took another sip and lowered her cup again, sitting hunched over on the edge of the table. "I was a tough kid living in a mean sprawl, and no matter what, when another day was done, I always ended up on top."

Melati: "Back then I was sure nothing could keep me down -there was no enemy big enough, no fight dangerous enough, and more trouble just meant more fun. I thought I was invincible." She chuckled, her voice devoid of humor. "Took me a while to figure out all of that were just a child's games compared to the real deal."

Melati: "And I guess that's what I am, in the end." A pained smile appeared on her lips, as she looked down at her hands. "A child playing soldier, thinking she's a real one."

Cecilia: "I wouldn't say you - or I, even - aren't soliders," Cecilia said. "We've done much of the same things my brother has in the army. We've fought, we've been hurt, we've lost friends and we've championed a cause bigger than ourselves - the biggest difference is we do it for free and we're fighting a war that doesn't offically exist but somehow is there anyway."

Melati: "Wouldn't that make us more freedom fighters?" Melati asked, a weak smile playing across the corner of her mouth when she looked up at Cecilia. "And you're right, I guess." She ran a clawed hand over her head. "In that case, no matter what you would like to call us, it's still harder than I thought it would be."

Cecilia: "No-one ever said it would be easy," Cecilia said, studying Mel. "Is it too hard though? I hear Hisako's gunning for your spot." She made a face at that. "You're not stepping down are you?"

Melati: "Hell no!" Tired and worn as she may have looked, the grin Melati flashed lit up her face with rekindled fire. "As long as one of you keeps up our struggle, I owe it you to stand by your side. I've gone through too much to just give up like that. Besides, a few setbacks only make me come back for more. I'm stubborn like that."

Melati: She chuckled softly. "I wouldn't mind a win, though."

Cecilia: Cecilia sighed heavily. "Thank Christ," she muttered, genuinely pleased to hear that. "I'll warn you I don't ever intend on giving up - not until I'm six feet under - so it's a huge commitment to make."

Melati: "Victory or death, eh? Now there's a slogan for our school." Melati chuckled and raised her cup as if to toast. "Why let that stop you, though? We'll just have Melody keep us around as part of her zombie army." She grinned at Cecilia. "Kicking ass from beyond the grave."

Cecilia: Cecilia thought about the zombies raised by Death in New Orleans and Cassandra for a minute. "As much as I like kicking ass I think I'd like things to be over after that," she said. "I don't care if there's a heaven waiting for me - though it'd be nice - or nothing at all. I guess 'I hope the end is joyful, and I hope never to return.'"

Cecilia: She smiled slightly. "Frida Kahlo. Shitty artist in my opinion but not a bad writer."

Melati: "Words to live by," Melati remarked, giving Cecilia a thoughtful look, a faint smile on her face. "I don't waste any time thinking about whatever end I may meet.. If or when it finally comes, it'll be too late to change anything anyway, so why bother dwelling on that? All that does is distract us from the life we still have to live, here and now."

Cecilia: Cecilia smiled back. "Not many people have the same philosophy towards life as I do. I'm glad to see you do though. Nothing kills me more than watching other people hover indescively between what they want to do and what they 'should do.'" She hopped down from the control panel and settled herself down heavily beside Mel. "I've always tried to move on and forget bad things too, but it's only recently I've learned that while that's fine you do have to put away things properly in the first place before you can do that. Otherwise shit seeps through, y'know?"

Melati: "Tell me about it." Melati huffed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "I think I get what you mean. Rolling with the punches works only if they don't just keep coming." She sat up and stretched her back. "Maybe I need a vacation."

Cecilia: "A vacation isn't a bad idea. It helped me a lot to leave and spend a summer in Puerto Rico," Cecilia admitted. "I was talking more though about going back and...I dunno, retracing my steps from last semester...I spoke to Officer Knight awhile back," she confided.

Melati: "Yeah? About Puerto Rico?" Melati fixed Cecilia with a curious look and took another sip from her coffee.

Cecilia: Cecilia laughed. "No, about the Galactus cult, dumbass," she said affectionately. "I went to ask some questions about some of the people involved...but in a way I suppose I was also looking for some sorta closure."

Cecilia: She shifted uncomfortably. "I ended up leaving with more questions than answers in a few cases but I got other routes to follow up on...one particular one I've had no luck with and the other I've not really had the courage to pursue," she said, eyes drifting away, ashamed.

Melati: "Hey, my mind is still numbed by looking at that stupid security footage for hours on end," Melati defended yourself. "I'll give you one or two hours more at best, then I'll gladly welcome you in the world of mushy brains."

Melati: She paused, studying the girl sitting by her side, a hint of concern on her features. "How come? A lack of courage isn't something I expected to ever hear from you."

Cecilia: Cecilia sighed and threw up in her hands. "'Cause it involves talking to a group of people that lost relatives to the cult," she said, defeated. "I asked for the number, thinking 'oh, yeah, this'll be a piece of cake. I'll talk to these groups, get some closure while giving them closure!'"

Cecilia: She snorted derisively. "I called once and hung up as soon as someone picked up. It's weird. I've been harassing and playing phone tag with a bunch of different prisons trying to get a few minutes with that psycho Rott but I can't even face the idea of meeting with a group of people who've suffered a similar loss as I have. I'm really fucked up, aren't I?"

Melati: "If it's any consolation, that's something I might balk at, too," Melati told Cecilia, trying to encourage her with an awkward smile. "Tackling some nasty creep head on or running straight into the line of fire are all things I can deal with, but that?" She frowned, looking away. "I guess that takes a wholly different form of courage."

Cecilia: Cecilia swallowed thickly and nodded. "I can't...I don't want to feel like I did last semester and I know talking to them will bring that all back and I don't ever want to feel like I did then - not again. I know it'll keep happening though if I don't face it so I know I'm gonna have to at some point but I'm putting it off 'cause... I dunno, I guess I'm just...selfish," she finished lamely.

Melati: "No, you're not," Melati told her, maintaining a lopsided smile. "If you were, you wouldn't care so much about those people." Looking at the screens lining the wall, she pressed together her lips and remained silent for a moment. "Looks like we're both pretty useless when it comes to dealing with personal fears."

Melati: "Might as well face them together then," she added, a frown on her face. "I could come with you."

Cecilia: "You'd really do that?" Cecilia said, surprised. "I...I'd really appreciate it, man. I'll...I'll owe you one if you do."

Melati: Melati took a breath and exhaled slowly. "It's the least I can do," she said, a slight crack in her voice. "Ever since we put an end to that madness, I wondered if I really did all I could. There were so many we didn't save. The loved ones these people lost among them."

Melati: She looked at the girl next to her. "I feel like I owe them an apology, you know? For not trying hard enough, or... anything, really. I just... hell, I want to do something."

Cecilia: Cecilia nodded. "Same here...and we did do something...or, at least, we didn't do nothing. At least we can say that, right? We tried. That's more than most can say."

Melati: "Yeah," Melati replied, not sounding too convinced. She pulled her feet up on the table and sat cross-legged. "Too bad that doesn't help them either now. I'm really fed up with just trying. For once I want to stop the bad things before they happen instead of only getting to clean up the mess afterwards."

Cecilia: "I keep saying that as well," Cecilia said. "Fabian would say the only way we could do that though is if we were precogs or he'd say that what every law enforcement or military group does to an extent. We do the best we can with what we have." She put an hand on Mel's shoulder. "We didn't kill those people, Mel. The cult did, HYDRA did, the Apcolypse did. We're not responsible for other's actions, we're only responsible for ourselves...or so I tell myself whenever I'm lying awake at night thinking about this."

Melati: "You're right, and I even keep telling me that myself, but I'll be damned if that makes it any easier to accept." Melati ran a hand over her head, before letting it drop back into her lap. "Though, I guess until we got our hands on one of those nifty precogs, trying is all we can do for now - and the best chance the people we protect have."

Cecilia: "We're not the heroes the world deserves, but we are the heroes the world needs," Cecilia said, smirking slightly.

Melati: "And until others step up to the challenge, the best ones it'll get," Melati added, flashing Cecilia a wry grin.

Cecilia: "Well said, boss," Cecilia laughed. "Well said."

[TechPrincess]