Where the hell am I!

Nyx wandered the halls of OCEAN HQ. Although wandering would be putting it nicely. She was lost, She had only been here for a few hours and she was lost. "Go on a walk after you shower." she murmured to herself softly in a smart alec tone of voice. "Go check out the base it will be fun." As of now she was dressed in her underclothes, nothing inappropriate. It was a simple white cloth wrap that wrapped around her chest and tied off on the side. Another cloth wrap was wrapped around her waist, It draped over her hips, giving it the appearance of a medium length shirt. It was thrown together but still more modest then what she had to wear in the past. She wandered around some more hallways. There were a few signs pointing in certain directions but she quickly figured out a downside to this planet. Her universal translator translated voices but not writing, and she couldn't read it at all. After a few more minutes She came across a sliding door, but this one didn't open on it's own. Confused she touched the door and it opened.

She walked into the room. It looked like a locker room, seemed pretty basic, plenty of lockers. She walked around the room a bit more. She took a turn to chec out the next set of lockers and... "Gods I am so sorry." said Nyx, darting to the previous row of lockers before making her way out of the room. She darted out of the door and sat on the ground a few feet away, her back turned to the room. She was blushing, which she thought was odd. It's not like she had never seen anything like it before but still, for some reason it caused her to blush.

Scott hated showers, not so much the cleanliness part but the exposure. As stealthily as he could he crept across the base to the area most resembling a locker room. Upon entry he quickly closed the door behind him and shut off the automatic open function. At this time of the day he did not expect many operatives to be venturing into this part of the facility. It didn't hurt to be cautious though. Once the room was sealed, Scott painstakingly scanned over the room, ensuring that no one was watching, not even Xeonix with his intricate connection to the bases' inner workings. The inside was cleared that was a relief, but now came the hard part. Slowly he removed his skin, removing with it the persona of Redline. As the silver outfit peeled away, it revealed a ragged man, aged far beyond his years. Vulgar tattoos and deep scars marred his back, chest and arms, every last one of them a reminder of his past life and a marking of his uncleansable sin. Scott hated the worm of a man that occupied the Redline suit. It wreaked of death, hatred and evil no matter how hard he tried to wash it away. But it was at the same time a blessing. If he had never become such an unredeemable human being, he could never have become Redline. His greatest personal weakness was his greatest strength, however much it sickened him.

And so after stashing the suit within eye-shot of the shower and laying it out so that he could easily slip in back on in case of an emergency, he entered the tiled fishbowl. He was so exposed in here, so open to the world. All around him he felt as though eyes were watching his every move. Paranoid, his breathing began to escalate and he put his right hand to the respirator mask he still wore. With his free hand he leaned hard against the wall and tried hard to regain his composure without wasting a dose of medicine. It was pathetic, a 45 year old man terrified to be alone and exposed in one of the safest places on earth. It was in moments like this that Scott would doubt. So few things could break his resolve, other than his own mind. Just like all things in Scott's life, he was his greatest enemy. The same things that allowed him to work as Redline constantly threatened to swallow him whole.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of a woman's voice. His dull eyes shot upwards with his head, scanning the room before him. Sitting with her back turned to him was a woman. Not a human woman either, her features were unlike anything he had seen which rose a plethora of questions. Was she friend? Foe? a new operative? How much had she seen? His face? His tattoos? he could not let his identity be known. The Silverfish was a known criminal and killer. If she had recognized any part of him she would know. She would know his horrible secrets and the life that preceded his current one. "Who are you...what are you...doing here!?" His ragged voice rung against the metallic surroundings amidst his harsh and sporadic breathing. "What did you see...tell me... Before he could get and answer Scott burst from the shower and donned his suit in seconds. Even though it now clung awkwardly to his body from the liquid he felt much safer in his skin. But there was still the issue of this woman. He dashed in front of her, lowering to a knee so they were on eye level, his face obscured by his respirator and the shadows cast from his hood. He again spoke, his tone dark and foreboding. "What did you see...

The Black Angel had left her room for the first time in several days, as she'd spent most of the last few days designing a prototype utility belt, which would certainly increase he capabilities. That, and drinking... She'd been increasingly disturbed by what had happened in Chicago, David's death, the Demon who'd attacked her. It was a lot to take in, this last year was a lot to take in.... It was always easier to sleep at night when you didn't know their were things that went bump in the night. Now that she was fully immersed in a world of demons, possessed serial killers, and the plans of some cosmic force of good, it made life... Stranger.... Even though she was a season warrior, she felt a bit like a baby ripped out of her mothers womb. Their was no preparing someone for the occult, it wasn't like a movie, a book, or some midnight story when it was real.

She thought about what she'd said to Detective Zambrano "I'll tell you one thing.... You won't mind dying once you've peeked over into the other side... No more then you mind going to work..."., these were truly prophetic words. The Black Angel welcomed death, even though O.C.E.A.N had seemed to structure something missing in her life, she still felt.... Hollow... For all her skills, all her power, she certainly felt weak and powerless. She was tasked with some great cosmic, purposeful mission, yet often times she felt unable to take herself from her bed to the door. She enjoyed O.C.E.A.N though, even if it seemed like she didn't. It was good to be around like minded people, especially Saileyra, who was cut from the same cloth as the Black Angel.

The Black Angel walked into O.C.E.A.N's HQ's communal showers, thinking she was alone. She started the shower, letting the hot water crash onto her face. She'd literally locked herself in her room for a few days going over this new design, which prevented her from seeing the light of day. She forgot just how good a warm shower felt, as she began to clean herself. Her mind began to drift to the further recesses of her mind as she zoned out, welcoming a break from her work. It had been awhile since she'd been so engrossed in a project, and the fact she was working on a long term project, that was progress wasn't it?

Suddenly she heard loud talking, as she realized she'd let her guard down, and she wasn't alone. She'd picked the far stall, so she was pretty far away from the commotion, but she still should have picked up on it. "If that was a Triad "Jade" Assassin" she thought to herself, the outcome being self explanatory. She listened in as she finished showering, it seemed Nyx had stumbled upon Redline in the shower, which he of course wasn't happy about. He seemed to want to hide his identity badly, "Perhaps he was a public figure?" she thought to herself. After a few moments, Saileyra was breaking up what could have turned into an ugly situation.

Dressing in a plain blue tank top and camo shorts, the Black Angel walked out of the shower, and by Nyx, Redline, and Saileyra. She turned and looked, saying only "Is that anyway to treat a guest Redline?" in a sarcastic tone. Truth was she didn't really care one way or another about their quarrel, but if Nyx was a friend of Saileyra, she believed Redline could be more relaxed. Nevertheless it wasn't enough to get her involved, as she leisurely strolled out of the showers, headed back to her room, and placing the finishing touches on her utility belt.

Nyx was bombarded by questions. This man seemed to be very angry at her. Nyx just shrunk back and tried to answer but The man who was now in some sort of costume was intimidating. She was about to say something when Sai made herself known. Nyx bolted and hid behind Sai, even though she was taller then her. Sai stood up for her. Apparently this man known as 'Redline' was very sensitive about his identity. Nyx regain her composer and walked back into front of Redline although she was a bit nervous, she didn't like the fact he seemed to have a short fuse.

Again Nyx was going to say something but another person, a woman this time, walked by. She made a quick comment then began to walk off. Nyx wondered who she was... maybe she will try and find her later. She turned her attention back to Redline. "I'm sorry I walked in on you... I didn't realize you where in there. Your tattoos are nice though..." said Nyx. She started talking normally but then started to talk softer towards the end. Then her memory kicked in and she turned to Sai. "I can't read anything here... My translator only translates sound, not written language."

It was only too soon that Sai arrived to precede over the current situation. Her presence and lack of concern brought an answer to one of Scott's questions before she even spoke. This woman was a new operative. That was better than the alternative of her being some sort of spy. But there was still the issue of his identity regardless of who saw it. That problem was at least partially addressed as well. This woman, Nyx as Sai referred to her as, was alien. And just like to Sai, the markings and gang signs on his body meant little to tell them of who he was. That was a second time Scott had avoided having his identity outed with that explanation and he was damn happy about it. Rarely did he ever actually get a lucky break but it seemed now that they were flowing in to him. However, just as Scott began to cool down a third person entered the room, this one The Black Angel. They had had little interaction before now but her smart remark didn't do well to get on his good side. Luckily she was gone fast and held her tongue from further jests. Thank you...for the compliment...Nyx...however...I wouldn't call...them nice... he said, ending his fractured sentence with a meaty cough. The lungs didn't seem to be holding up well today. Even normal activity was strenuous. A mix of anger and regret filled Scott as he lifted his hand to his mask and administered a dose of medicine to his lungs. The sound of the release of compressed gases filled the room for a breath moment as Scott inhaled deeply. And with his breathing quelled and identity in tact, he felt it best to now introduce himself. "Please...refrain from contact...with me while...I am outside of...my suit...my name is Redline...Operative of...the OCEAN Fighter...Squadron...I wish we could...have met on...better terms." Scot extended his bladed hand as he spoke, as if to offer a handshake.

Nyx shook Redline's and nodded in agreement with him. "Well Redline if you want we can get to know each other better. I may not be part of OCEAN but if there is anything you want don't hesitate to ask, it's the least I can do for Sai letting me hide here." Said Nyx with a smile. She quickly turned to Sai, noticing a quick problem with what she said. "Uh, Sai that's where a problem lies, I am not speaking your language what so ever, to me I am talking in my own language and you guys are talking in my language. I have no idea what I sound like to you guys. You see once I..." Nyx reached up and took out her translator from her ear, there was a bit of of static then the translator deactivated. "Vi giqu dexa gepto lo val-ra." It translated to, take this off I the translator stop working. Her voice sounded different, and obviously Alien. For a normal person it would probably send shivers down their spine from the quick change in audio. She put the translator back in and there was another second of static. "Now you see the problem, how am I going to teach you the language if one, I am not actually speaking your language, and I don't no what you language is."

Nyx then turned back to Redline, with a kind smile on her face. "I just realized how rude I was being. I saw saw the sins of your past with out permission and as I stated before I am sorry." said Nyx. Nyx raised her arm up. By her armpit there were two clearly visible brands made into her skin. She blushed a bit, she was going to do her best of trying to avoid showing the brands off. But she felt like she could make a connection with Redline through the brands. To show that even though they were from different species they were alike in some way. "You aren't the only one marked by a pass that haunts you. I have nightmares every night. There are somethings I will always want to forget but I don't because it helps shape my future."

"Thank you Sai" Scott responded to her comment. He had somehow missed the showers in his own quarters. That same mistake would not be made again considering recent events. It was good to know regardless that Sai cared for his security. So many others would be skeptical of his secrecy and his private ways. He had to admit he knew it was suspicious on the outside. No one, not even she knew his identity, only who he was on the outside. Redline was all he cared for anyone to know. Scott Silver was just a vehicle for Redlline, baggage for him to carry. Without him Redline could not exist, but that did not mean he was an entity he wished to live with.

As though another sign that he was not alone, Scott's thoughts were interrupted by Nyx. She once again apologized for her intrusion, this time lifting her arm to reveal two brands. They were deep marks in her flesh, obviously painful to obtain. Wherever this alien woman had come from, she had not had it easy. Her words echoed this sentiment. It was as though they were twins linked across space for a brief moment. The nightmares, the haunting feeling, the knowledge that you can never outrun your past, all resonated deep within Scott. Ever since his time in prison he had not had one night of restful sleep. His breathing would keep him up most nights, but if it didn't the nightmares would. So many faces twisted in their last terrified glances, so many lives ruined in bloodshed for no better reason than pleasure, all from his own hands. Whatever this woman had done or been put through, he knew her pain and was committed to stopping those who may attempt to reawaken that pain. Scott quickly wiped away a tear as he spoke to her. "Your words are truer...than you realize...I too bear sin...bear a past I cannot...escape...it is what...defines me...what allows me to function...within these walls...and in this...organization..." He then reached a clawed hand to her side, pointing to the brands. "In whatever you...are here for...let those be...your motivation...your greatest weakness...to become...your greatest strength" It was knowledge Scott felt necessary to give to his fellow being. She may not have been human, but she was alike to him. He had been threw the fires of Hell and come out the other side, he felt it his duty to ensure that others did as well.

Nyx nodded at Sai. "It may take a bit, my language is considered one of the harder ones to learn." said Nyx. She turned her attention back to Redline. "It's nice to meet someone who seems to understand where I am coming from, even if just a bit. If you don't mind may I share some of my stories with you on occasion? Your sins maybe found in the past but I am still hiding from mine. What maybe considered illegal here is legal in other areas of the galaxy. I can tell you the story if you don't mind." Nyx smiled sincerely and rested on the wall by Sai. Then her stomach growled loudly. She placed her hand over her stomach, her face turned a slight red from embarrassment. "Now I remember why I was wandering around. I ran out of rations I brought with me and I was going to look around the base before trying to find food. I wonder how earth food tastes if I can eat it at all."

Nyx seemed very eager to now get to know Scott. He would be more ban happy to learn of another's culture and past. After all this was his team, to learn that sort if information may provide I with into her strategy, fighting style, anything that might give him an edge alongside her in combat. He would not inform her but he did not intend to do he same. Scott's past was vile and kept hidden and secret for a reason. None of the over operatives needed to know who he was under the mask. Redline was his skins and his life, all outside I that was his own problem to deal with.

Smiling under the mask Scott replied. "Please...go on... I would enjoy hearing...of the struggles...in your past...they shape us...make us who we are...I would be honored to...have you reveal such...information to me." He sat down on an adjacent bench awaiting her story. Unfortunately it seemed as though she may have other things in her mind, food for one. But that could wait, at lest in Scott's mind. He wanted whatever information she could provide and his patience usually ran a little thin.