Outside In (ID)

[ColArana]

Ryan wasn't surprised at Max's outburst. But he was upset by it. Of course he was. Because she was exactly right. He cringed under her verbal assault, and although his cheeks couldn't physically flush with shame, the shame was evident in every line of his face that could still express it. "Y...You're right... We shouldn't have..." But mercifully Will took over and began explaining everything. Or at least half of everything. Exactly where Lydia was.

"....So... Yeah. Lydia's right here in the room with us. Somewhere inside of Will. It was some project from Mexus that her dad was working on. Apparently saboteurs attacked in the middle of it. LunArc saboteurs, and wrecked the machine used to shrink her down. I don't know the details of what happened afterwards, but they stole one of the chips needed to restore Lydia to normal. And it's almost certainly here." Ryan admitted. Given Will was spilling the beans he figured he needed to as well, now. He didn't have a voice in his head telling him to stop at least.

"...And.... Lydia's running on borrowed time. She's got a limited oxygen supply in her pod right now. Maybe a few hours, before it runs out. We... We have to get the chip from LunArc and get her back to normal before then." Ryan cringed again as if waiting for another verbal assault.

"Max... This is our fault. We should have told you. Even if Lydia told us not to, we should have said something." Ryan murmured weakly. "...I'm so sorry that we dragged you into this."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"..........................."

The face that Max was giving Will and Ryan was nothing short of incredulous.

What were these two talking about? Lydia was somehow inside Will? Shrunk? That's what this was all about?

Max softly groaned and rubbed her head. "This is coming from LunArc's weird miniaturization project, right?" She looked back up at the boys with a deadpan frown. "Guys... I don't know how much you know about Mexus, but that has got to be the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard someone accuse them of attempting. Okay? These guys deal with things like security systems, transportation, the odd bit of weaponr- Really, shrinking?? You expect me to buy that?! Next you'll be telling me the Phoenix Project really was about developing immortality! Lydia might've hated whatever her dad hired her for, but I find it hard to believe she would let herself get suckered into something that absurd!"

Then Max turned away from them again, sitting back down and leaning against the wall. "Making up stories isn't gonna make me feel better, guys..."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Ahh, Max, come on! Of all the times for you to be a skeptic!"

Lydia dropped her head into her hand in exasperation. She wasn't particularly surprised by Max's bullheadedness in the face of what really was a pretty preposterous situation, but it was still frustrating to see Max continue to reject her when she was finally letting the truth come out. She was getting desperate to mend this bridge, not just so they could get her out of Will alive, but because Max deserved to know why Lydia had acted the way she did for so long. Again, it was hard to adequately convey that in her position, but she think she had an idea how to remedy that...

"Alright, Will..." Lydia sighed, sitting up straight, gathering her thoughts. "Looks like we're gonna have to convince her. I want you to repeat back to Max exactly what I tell you. Okay?"

Once she was certain Will was hinging on her every word, Lydia looked deep into her monitor, staring at Max's back. She put herself in that position she knew too well, standing there alone, trying to reassure her despondent girlfriend, letting absolutely everything off her chest that she had been painfully holding in and desperate to say all this time...

"Max..."

[DanteMGalileo]

Of course it wasn't going to be easy. Hell, if he hadn't experienced this first-hand, Will would have called bullshit on this himself.

Still, if he had to pick one time he'd rather have it go the easy way...

It was time for him to play relay. No translating. Just relaying Lydia's words. He coughed to clear his throat, before directing his words directly at the woman before him.

"Max... you didn't deserve this," Will started, the words foreign in his mouth. "You didn't deserve to go through this hell for my sake." He looked around at the mostly-featureless cell they were being held in. "From the moment we met, you've been nothing but gracious and supportive of me..." He vaguely recalled an argument in the bar a few nights ago. Gods, he was glad Percy was just a smartarse, not a hardarse. "... and I know I squandered every opportunity to tell you... just... how much I appreciated you being there for me. You were my rock... even when I pushed you away." The words stopped sounding so foreign to Will. He paused to collect himself for a moment.

"And I hated myself more and more every time I did that to you. I thought I was protecting you by keeping Mexus's secrets from you... but I see now that I was just protecting myself." Wow, was he talking about himself or Lydia? Only the talk about Mexus kept it about Lydia. "I don't blame you for giving up on me. I don't blame you for walking out on me. You probably are better off without me. But I want you to know..." He placed a hand on his heart, hoping Lydia would have made a similar gesture, looking at Max's back.

"... that it was my heart that was hurting and not my cheek."

And then, silence. It would be up for Max to decide if she wanted to accept Lydia's apology or not.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Max had no response at first. Will's apologies sounded fairly standard, and she was in no mood for empty words.

Her shoulders slowly relaxed the longer Will went on, his wording striking her as odd. Why was he addressing her like they had some long history together? Since when was she his rock? Max had no idea where Will was coming from, but she sensed nothing but sincerity in his voice. She didn't dare interrupt him, her emotions finally getting the better of her. Maybe it was just curiosity, wanting to see where he was going with this. Maybe it was a genuine sense of connection, a need to hear this, a familiarity in the wording.

She turned around slightly to look up at Will, her expression confused but cognizant. There was an air of actual appreciation coming off of her now, but when Will name-dropped Mexus, when he spoke of defensiveness and acknowledgement of that harmful silence, that was when things really started to stick. Max's eyes started to widen, her lips parting in awe. Somehow, in some way she couldn't explain, this didn't feel like an apology exclusively from Will. All this talk of Max giving up and walking out... this clear, empathetic understanding of why she did it... it was too intricately woven for it to be Will's words.

And then... a moment still so fresh in Max's mind... a moment Will couldn't have possibly known about... unless...

"...Lydia??"



Max slowly, shakily stood up, stepping closer to the tall, blond-haired man, staring at him with new eyes. She didn't want to believe it, but... in a strange way, it all made sense. Will's behavior, chaotic as it was, showing hints of that reservation and aloofness that she knew so well... The sporadic, unpredictable twists and turns he made, heedless of her advice but insisting it was in her best interests... The skills he displayed that couldn't have possibly been his own...

It was... absurd. And yet, it was her.

There was so much to be concerned and even frustrated about, but for whatever reason, all Max could do was let out a stiff, baffled laugh.

"My God... Lydia..." Fully surrendering to this lunacy, Max gazed deep into Will's eyes, looking right through him and at the person within. "This... This is what you've been doing all this time? I... Um... Wow, I... I can see now why your drinking got so much worse after your dad hired you on."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Despite the heavy truth that had just been placed out in the open, despite the unfortunate scenario they were all still in, Lydia still found it in herself to laugh at Max's response. Part of her had expected more anger from her ex, all things considered, but the fact that Max actually managed to take this in good humor, the fact that she seemed more relieved than frustrated to finally know what was going on... the fact that Lydia had gotten Max to smile for the first time in what felt like forever... honestly, in that moment, it was the best feeling in the world.

"Hahah... Yeah... Not gonna call it an excuse, but it definitely was a catalyst in that downward spiral." Lydia held a hand up to her monitor, gingerly rubbing her thumb along the image of Max's cheek. Max might not have been able to hear her directly, but she suddenly found herself in too good a mood to care. She was nearly in tears, she was so relieved. "Wow... You have... no idea how good this feels. I've been wanting to say this for so long. I just... didn't know how to. Especially not like this."

[DanteMGalileo]

"'S not good to keep things bottled up," Will said in response to both girls, feeling a wave of relaxation wash over him despite their current situation. "Well, except potions and fairies, but I'm sure we don't have any of those right now, do we?"

Well, at least we don't have to deal with exes counseling now?

"Lydia feels a lot better now that she's gotten this off her chest," he continued. "She also says that the Mexus stuff isn't entirely to blame for the alcoholism, but that's something we can work on later, yeah?" The tall blonde glanced at the door, the only barrier between them and whatever was beyond it. "So, Max, Ryan... how do you suppose we get out of this cell?"

[ColArana]

Ryan gave an awkward smile at the apparent reconciliation between Max and Lydia. Though he had to admit. He felt a little like a third wheel here. He actually... wasn't sure what to do or say, during the moment, partially because he didn't want to ruin it.

Thankfully.... Will did that for him, bringing the group back to their present concerns.

Ryan looked at Max and the door. "I can always give it my best shot." He admitted. "I doubt it'd work. As I said. It looks like LunArc had a role in... Well." Ryan didn't want to say the lines "building me" as if he were only the machine. "I can overload my body, take power away from critical systems for a boost in performance. But I'm not sure if it'd work and even if it did, it'd be really loud. We'd be noticed for sure." He admitted.

"I'm also sure we're on surveillance." Ryan admitted, continuing to watch the door. Could they maybe take out the guards that would come to collect them, when the time came? ....No. No, that would put Lydia at risk. Ryan checked the ceiling for anything like air vents. "Lydia, do you have any ideas yourself?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Max let out a low, airy, somewhat morbid chuckle despite herself. She could rather easily imagine what Lydia was saying that Will had paraphrased, but regardless of how it was translated, in spite of the unusual circumstances, it really was a relief to hear it, as was the confirmation that the feeling was mutual. "I'm not gonna say I told you so," Max stated in what was clearly a playful jab. "Not while we're still in such an awkward spot. But, uh... I get it now, I really do. This isn't a matter easily brought up in casual conversation, is it?"

She looked into Will's eyes with a calm and collected smirk, imagining herself looking Lydia square in the face. Her tone was warm, lacking any sort of condescension, ever so slightly teasing. "But you and I are gonna have a long talk about this once you're outta there, okay?"

With that said, Max returned to the true subject at hand. With her emotional baggage effectively unloaded, ready now more than ever to save her ex, she turned away from Will and studied the lone door in the room. "Gonna be honest, guys, I'm not sure where we can go from here. The door mechanism looks simple enough, but..." She awkwardly frowned at Ryan. "Yeah, if Dr. Micheals knows as much about you as she lets on, she'll definitely have accounted for whatever firepower you have. Even if we could break through here, for all we know, there's someone right outside ready to push us back in."

Max stepped away from the door and started pacing, tapping her chin and squinting her eyes. "I'm gonna have to think about this... You said that LunArc has the stolen chip we need to get Lydia back to normal. Do you know what exactly they might want from us?" Her eyes turned somewhat fretful as she looked to Will again. "How much time do we have to steal that chip back and get you back to Mexus?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Pfft... I wouldn't have expected any less." Lydia allowed herself a moment to laugh, to revel in this tender moment of levity. Then she took a deep breath and let Max, Will and Ryan's motivation rub off on her. She had all the more reason to get herself back to normal now.

Hearing Max's questions prompted Lydia to check her oxygen gauge. Will and Ryan could explain what LunArc wanted. They didn't have an accurate answer for the second inquiry, and upon deducing it for herself, Lydia had to let out a sharp hiss through her teeth, unnerved to find her earlier fears confirmed. "At this rate, I'd say I have three hours' worth of oxygen left. Dropped down to maybe two if we have to do the whole puppet routine again fly us back to the island."

She leaned her head into her hand and stared at her monitor, struggling to really judge their surroundings and situation. "Like I said before... there's not really much that I can do in here."

[DanteMGalileo]

"She's... got about three hours left in 'ere," Will relayed. Three hours was not very encouraging now. "Maybe two if she has to do that bodyjack routine again." No pressure, right? Especially not with their present problem, well besides being stuck in a room with a very securely-locked door.

"As for what LunArc wants..." The tall blonde exhaled to calm himself and to get the images of being cut open out of his head. "... They need a chip. They have one of the chips, stole it from Mexus. Lydia's got the other one on her. That's why they need to cut me open and extract Lydia and... okay, gonna stop that mental image!!" A slight self-inflicted slap was enough to cut off that train of thought.

Now, to focus on finding a way out. "Ryan, don't hurt yourself. Maybe some brute strength if we need it, but... Yeah, that's not gonna cut it." Will reached into a pocket, finding the pointed earrings to miraculously, still be there. "Believe it or not, these scraps of metal are actually earrings." He gestured to some slight scarring on his ears. "But the pointy pieces here? I could use 'em as crude picks. Maybe there's a grate that we're missing? Maybe I could try the door?"

[ColArana]

Ryan breathed easier with the tension between Max and Lydia cut. But.... Will's next lines made things a little less easy for him. Three hours.... He was trying his best not to panic. "....When.... we get out of here... Do any of you think it'd be possible to use LunArc's equipment to re-enlarge the pod here?" He asked the group, as he paced towards the center of the room. If Cora had the other chip, it was possible, right?

Ryan's body emitted a soft "ping" sound as he stood in the center of the room, and he closed his eyes for a moment. "......D'Arvit..." He growled out. "Nothing... No flaws or gaps in this chamber. No grates, nothing." He murmured in frustration. "I'd have noticed if there was..." Ryan gave a frustrated sigh. "...I don't mind hurting myself as long as it's for a good reason." He glowered at the door. "But you're right that our options aren't great right now. Any chance Percy might show up Will?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Two to three hours..." Max repeated in a low mumble as she continued to pace the room, being mindful to keep her voice low in case someone was listening in on them. "If they need the microchip Lydia has on her, they could very well be biding their time until she runs out of power, provided they are actually aware of the time constraint. They're gonna have to come back for us eventually if they need to get her out of you. It's just a matter of deducing how they intend to do that so that we can potentially work around it, or barring that, getting ourselves out of here before they can try."

She came to a halt and looked up at Ryan with a curious tilt of her head. "That's not a bad idea, in all fairness. Thing is, how do we know any of us can operate their miniaturization tech? Lydia, could you walk us through it?"

Max then turned back to Will, taking note of the spiked earrings in his hand. "Oh! Could make some headway with that, actually. No telling what kind of security that door might have, let alone what kind of security may be behind it, but any shot we have is worth at this point, I say."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Only one way out, huh?" Lydia leaned on her knees and made a steeple with her hands, taking deep breaths as she mulled over what little they had to work with. "I think it's safe to say a stealth mission is out of the question by now. If we're busting out, it's not gonna be quiet. Pfft... Percy would've been a huge help here, that's for sure..."

She shot Max and Ryan an apologetic voice through her monitor, a gesture that came through in her voice. "Can't say I know how any of the actual miniaturization process works. I'm just the space monkey here. Honestly, I'd rather not risk it. I think I can at least trust my dad to work the machines if we can bring back the chip."

With so few options available to them, the sight of Will's earrings at least got Lydia to smirk. "Well, it's better than nothing. Shall we see what kind of damage we can do?"

[DanteMGalileo]

"... Lydia says she's just the pilot, but if we can get the chip down to Mexus, they can probably handle the reenlargement and all that other junk," Will relayed, glancing at Ryan. "I don't like the idea of you getting hurt because of... our mistakes, man." Also, this kid seemed pretty fresh to the world. Let's not get his blood on our hands, yeah?

He couldn't help but chuckle at Lydia's comment about Percy, before going back to serious mode when Max asked about him. "Knowing Percy? I'd imagine he'll at least try to fly up here, whether by his own power or some other way. But we shouldn't count on him suddenly showing up to save us. Hope for the best, plan for the worst and whatnot." Looking at the earrings in his hand, Will put one in his pocket as a backup and began to walk up to the door. "I make no promises about this working, and I'm certain we'll have company on the other side. But this is the least I can try. Ryan, you got my back?"

With the cyborg watching over him just in case this actually worked, Will began to pick at the door with the earring, producing small but interesting sounds. "Motherfucker."

He expected this to happen, but still!