"Just a second," Mina said, but by now she didn't believe it at all. The truth was, she didn't know what she was doing. She thought she understood the vague principles, but that wasn't bringing her any closer to making progress.
At the same time, she didn't want to give up. She didn't like admitting defeat. As long as she was working on this, she hadn't quite failed. She was just experiencing some difficulties, that was all. Maybe if she poked around long enough, she'd luck out and somehow flip the perfect invisible switch and the lock would just pop right open anyways.
The needle stuck deeper into the cuffs, caught something, and for a moment Mina thought this was it. She jiggled the arm of the cuff a little, but encountered no further movement. Frowning, she pulled at the needle, and found it really wedged in; there was some substantial resistance when she tried to withdraw it. That sent a flash of fear through Mina. If she messed up the lock entirely, well, they'd still be able to get the other side off if they recovered the key, so it wasn't quite as dire as she'd immediately imagined, but it would leave Marion lugging around an unwieldy bracelet with the remnants of a syringe sticking out of it, and that'd be entirely Mina's fault. It would also probably further complicated the girl's already-limited movement.
Trying to act like nothing was abnormal, Mina gave a few light tugs on the EpiPen, still bracing Marion's hand with her own, but when that didn't work she grabbed her improvised tool with both hands and tugged with all her strength, no longer overly worried if she pulled Marion off balance. At this point, though, the force was far greater than needed, and the needle popped free, sending Mina stumbling backwards, trying not to fall from her crouch.
"Fuck," she hissed.
Exploring
Phase 1 (0-12 Hours)
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3462
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Shit!"
Kassandra already had a bad feeling when she saw Marion trying to pull at the needle with both hands, and those concerns were founded when Mina was completely thrown back with the needle in hand. Even with no practical knowledge of lockpicking, it was far beyond obvious that somewhere in the process, something had gone wrong. She was struck by a bad feeling, but didn't have time to process it before she dropped down to offer assistance.
She put her hands on Marion's shoulders to steady her, then moved one hand under her wrists to get a better look at the cuffs. Just as she thought, they were still there. If all of Mina's fiddling had accomplished anything, she sure as hell didn't see it.
Damn, she had been feeling optimistic too. She didn't really know anything about lockpicking, but she had it on a few TV shows before, and they always stuck wires into holes and maneuvered them around for a while, kinda like what Mina did with her needle. So with this a bust, that either proved that lockpicks weren't so simple, or Mina was just bad at it.
"What happened?" Kass quickly shot off her mouth. They had accomplished nothing, so what the hell was the point?
Kassandra already had a bad feeling when she saw Marion trying to pull at the needle with both hands, and those concerns were founded when Mina was completely thrown back with the needle in hand. Even with no practical knowledge of lockpicking, it was far beyond obvious that somewhere in the process, something had gone wrong. She was struck by a bad feeling, but didn't have time to process it before she dropped down to offer assistance.
She put her hands on Marion's shoulders to steady her, then moved one hand under her wrists to get a better look at the cuffs. Just as she thought, they were still there. If all of Mina's fiddling had accomplished anything, she sure as hell didn't see it.
Damn, she had been feeling optimistic too. She didn't really know anything about lockpicking, but she had it on a few TV shows before, and they always stuck wires into holes and maneuvered them around for a while, kinda like what Mina did with her needle. So with this a bust, that either proved that lockpicks weren't so simple, or Mina was just bad at it.
"What happened?" Kass quickly shot off her mouth. They had accomplished nothing, so what the hell was the point?
"What happened is that Mina found out an epipen is a terrible lockpicking tool," Marion stated matter-of-factly. "It was worth a shot anyway, but I don't think these cuffs are getting picked anytime soon. Let's just go now. Did we decide on a destination yet?"
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3462
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"These are tougher than what I've seen before," Mina said, which was technically true.
"They must have given you the real pro stuff," she added, which she couldn't say was false really, more of a fabricated surmise based on what would be convenient rather than what evidence suggested.
She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and stood, smoothing her clothes again. Then she spiked the EpiPen at the ground and stomped at it with her boot, hoping to crush it into pieces, but she missed because the plastic tube had bounced and rolled further beyond her reach. She could feel the heat in her face now, so she turned away from the other girls, taking a lot longer than she had to zipping her bag back up.
This wasn't the end of the world. Kassandra wasn't happy, but Marion was again sticking up for Mina, and as long as that was the case, Mina didn't think she had much to fear from Kassandra. She'd just have to make sure to stay in Marion's good graces at least, and given that the girl was being so easygoing about little things like being left behind in what they thought was mortal peril and Mina's complete inability to put her money where her mouth was, it might be alright just so long as nothing bad actually ended up happening to the girl. Her philosophy seemed very no-harm-no-foul.
"We can go soon," Mina added. "I just need to... I just need a moment here to get straightened out."
"They must have given you the real pro stuff," she added, which she couldn't say was false really, more of a fabricated surmise based on what would be convenient rather than what evidence suggested.
She steadied herself, took a deep breath, and stood, smoothing her clothes again. Then she spiked the EpiPen at the ground and stomped at it with her boot, hoping to crush it into pieces, but she missed because the plastic tube had bounced and rolled further beyond her reach. She could feel the heat in her face now, so she turned away from the other girls, taking a lot longer than she had to zipping her bag back up.
This wasn't the end of the world. Kassandra wasn't happy, but Marion was again sticking up for Mina, and as long as that was the case, Mina didn't think she had much to fear from Kassandra. She'd just have to make sure to stay in Marion's good graces at least, and given that the girl was being so easygoing about little things like being left behind in what they thought was mortal peril and Mina's complete inability to put her money where her mouth was, it might be alright just so long as nothing bad actually ended up happening to the girl. Her philosophy seemed very no-harm-no-foul.
"We can go soon," Mina added. "I just need to... I just need a moment here to get straightened out."
Well, that was a huge letdown. All that hope of a early release, just to go up in an anticlimax. True, it was nice that they at least gave it a shot, but that didn't change the fact that they were still in the same position they had been in when they started. Actually, they were worse off, since Mina didn't have an EpiPen anymore. Hopefully they didn't run into anything she was allergic to, because then Mina would be in a major bind.
So all of that work just to make negative progress. What a fuckin' day.
Kassandra watched Mina's little mini-tantrum, attempting to smash her EpiPen and planting her foot in the dirt instead, adding a touch of awkwardness to the tense aura. Kass would have probably found it funny if she wasn't so stressed out. Instead, she sighed in disappointment.
Well, so much for that.
So all of that work just to make negative progress. What a fuckin' day.
Kassandra watched Mina's little mini-tantrum, attempting to smash her EpiPen and planting her foot in the dirt instead, adding a touch of awkwardness to the tense aura. Kass would have probably found it funny if she wasn't so stressed out. Instead, she sighed in disappointment.
Well, so much for that.
Marion chuckled a little to herself at Mina's failed attempt to crush her epipen. "Better hope you don't have any allergies. Anyway, take your time. Whoever it was that took the potshot at you seems to be in no rush to follow up on it, so we can afford to relax a little."
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3462
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
Were it pretty much anyone but Marion, Mina would've snapped back that she was deathly allergic to obvious comments. Marion, though, was the real victim of Mina's incompetence, yet has risen to defend her nonetheless. Marion could say whatever the fuck she wanted.
Mina took deep breaths, counting to three each inhale and exhale. She forced her posture to loosen, her shoulders to lower. She wiped her forehead like she was clearing sweat, though her forehead was not particularly sweaty. She kept her eyes open. She didn't even know quite what she was so frustrated by: the handcuffs, for being difficult; the whole situation, for being blindingly unfair; or herself, for doing something with results both incredibly stupid and incredibly predictable. She looked at the EpiPen lying in the dirt, just one more piece of trash in this filthy alley.
At least they were still alive. Not too far in the future, she and these other girls would be nothing but more discarded rubbish, rats picking out their eyes. From that perspective, this was a minor setback.
"I'm okay," she said. She'd taken maybe half a minute in silence. "I'm fine. We can go when-and-wherever you want."
Mina took deep breaths, counting to three each inhale and exhale. She forced her posture to loosen, her shoulders to lower. She wiped her forehead like she was clearing sweat, though her forehead was not particularly sweaty. She kept her eyes open. She didn't even know quite what she was so frustrated by: the handcuffs, for being difficult; the whole situation, for being blindingly unfair; or herself, for doing something with results both incredibly stupid and incredibly predictable. She looked at the EpiPen lying in the dirt, just one more piece of trash in this filthy alley.
At least they were still alive. Not too far in the future, she and these other girls would be nothing but more discarded rubbish, rats picking out their eyes. From that perspective, this was a minor setback.
"I'm okay," she said. She'd taken maybe half a minute in silence. "I'm fine. We can go when-and-wherever you want."
Kassandra brushed her hair out of her face with her fingers. All this staying still was starting to get to her. It wasn't so bad when they were sitting on the bed a little while ago, but this was in the middle of an alley, and a pretty filthy one at that. Hell, she could think of a hundred more places where she would feel safer at that moment, other locations in the Program included. She just felt too exposed, even though there were only two logical directions for an attack to come from.
"I'm fine with leaving if you two are." She said, tongue sticking the roof of her mouth from a lack of water, a problem that she really needed to address soon. "You ready to go, Marion?"
"I'm fine with leaving if you two are." She said, tongue sticking the roof of her mouth from a lack of water, a problem that she really needed to address soon. "You ready to go, Marion?"
"Yep," Marion answered. "Where are we going, babe?"
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3462
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
As the others set their course, Mina just kept her attention turned inwards. Calm did not wash over her like a wave. If anything, it surreptitiously peeked around the corner, decided the coast wasn't quite clear, but stuck out one tentative toe anyways.
How had she even ended up part of this group? Their connection had been forged in the fire of a dangerous and stressful situation, but throughout she'd been cautioning herself not to trust the others so easily. She'd betrayed them. And yet, here they were, seemingly sticking together, Mina's sins tolerated if not forgiven and her reservations receding into the distance. She wasn't sure if she liked this or not. She wasn't sure if it could sustain.
For now, though, it was the best thing she had going.
How had she even ended up part of this group? Their connection had been forged in the fire of a dangerous and stressful situation, but throughout she'd been cautioning herself not to trust the others so easily. She'd betrayed them. And yet, here they were, seemingly sticking together, Mina's sins tolerated if not forgiven and her reservations receding into the distance. She wasn't sure if she liked this or not. She wasn't sure if it could sustain.
For now, though, it was the best thing she had going.
"Where are we going?" Kass repeated Marion's question. "Hold on, I think I got an idea."
Out of the available options, Kassandra was quite interested in the wet markets. Yes, the housing district sounded more comfortable, but the markets sounded like a better place to scavenge for supplies. At least, she thought it did. Fortunately, they had someone who had already been there on hand, so she could get information straight from the source.
"Hey Mina, did you see anything good down at the markets?" She extended a declarative finger. "If not, then we should probably head to the eastern houses."
Out of the available options, Kassandra was quite interested in the wet markets. Yes, the housing district sounded more comfortable, but the markets sounded like a better place to scavenge for supplies. At least, she thought it did. Fortunately, they had someone who had already been there on hand, so she could get information straight from the source.
"Hey Mina, did you see anything good down at the markets?" She extended a declarative finger. "If not, then we should probably head to the eastern houses."
"Looking to scavenge more supplies, eh Kass?" Marion guessed. "Not a bad idea. Are there any more hooks like the one you have there, Mina?"
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3462
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Yeah," Mina said, "a bunch. I think they hung fish on 'em."
The distraction of being consulted was welcome, even carrying as it did the suggestion that they'd probably be heading right back where she'd come from. That was going to be pretty awkward if KeKe was still hanging around, but Mina could live with awkward. In fact, maybe KeKe's strange hesitation to engage with their situation would dissipate in the face of a larger group, especially one including a girl who had obviously run afoul of some of the hazards of The Program; Marion's handcuffs had sure served as a reality check for Mina, one that made her appreciate her freedom a little bit. And they'd been shot at, or at least in the general direction of, and that again spoke to the truth of their predicament in a way that could maybe draw KeKe from her comfortable little shell.
"Aside from that, not much to recommend it," Mina said. "I mean, besides KeKe. She said she had a taser, I think."
Was that callous, referencing KeKe's weapon as if it was as much a draw as the girl herself? Mina didn't actually think the odds of KeKe joining them were great, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to return to the wet market. This planning, while good for getting her out of her ruminative funk, was also rough due to her desire to be doing something active. She was just about tempted to pick a direction and start walking, but she'd told the others she'd follow their choice.
The distraction of being consulted was welcome, even carrying as it did the suggestion that they'd probably be heading right back where she'd come from. That was going to be pretty awkward if KeKe was still hanging around, but Mina could live with awkward. In fact, maybe KeKe's strange hesitation to engage with their situation would dissipate in the face of a larger group, especially one including a girl who had obviously run afoul of some of the hazards of The Program; Marion's handcuffs had sure served as a reality check for Mina, one that made her appreciate her freedom a little bit. And they'd been shot at, or at least in the general direction of, and that again spoke to the truth of their predicament in a way that could maybe draw KeKe from her comfortable little shell.
"Aside from that, not much to recommend it," Mina said. "I mean, besides KeKe. She said she had a taser, I think."
Was that callous, referencing KeKe's weapon as if it was as much a draw as the girl herself? Mina didn't actually think the odds of KeKe joining them were great, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to return to the wet market. This planning, while good for getting her out of her ruminative funk, was also rough due to her desire to be doing something active. She was just about tempted to pick a direction and start walking, but she'd told the others she'd follow their choice.
-
The Honeless Beard
- Posts: 908
- Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:47 am
- Location: Got it? Good, now get inside.
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
Just then, from the house to Marion's right, glass exploded outwards towards the trio, accompanied by a half-destroyed nightstand that slammed against the far wall and fell in a collapsed heap to the ground.
"So nothing, huh?" Kassandra couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but whatever. It's not like there was any chance that anything at the market could have taken them away from the Program anyway, so it wasn't like there was much of a difference.
"All right, we better get moving-"
Kass wasn't able to finish her sentence before the trio was showered in tiny shards of glass. Kass immediately brought her hands up to shield her face, and prayed the the other girls had done the same. She couldn't see either of them due to her obstruction of her own vision, but she was terrified for both of them, especially Marion.
"Holy fuck!" She cried out. "Marion! Mina! Are you okay?"
Once she knew they were all right, they had to get out of there, fast. Kassandra's suspicions about this place were quickly proving to be very right.
"All right, we better get moving-"
Kass wasn't able to finish her sentence before the trio was showered in tiny shards of glass. Kass immediately brought her hands up to shield her face, and prayed the the other girls had done the same. She couldn't see either of them due to her obstruction of her own vision, but she was terrified for both of them, especially Marion.
"Holy fuck!" She cried out. "Marion! Mina! Are you okay?"
Once she knew they were all right, they had to get out of there, fast. Kassandra's suspicions about this place were quickly proving to be very right.