Bring Her Home (ID)

[ThePopcornFairy]

"We're shutting it down."

Dr. Pendleton stared back at Lydia as he reached the top of the stairs, answering her question before it was asked. "Proteus has served its purpose. We've caused enough damage. It's time to terminate it."

Jack pursed his lips and nodded. He knew it was coming, he agreed with the sentiment, but there were still concerns evident in his face. "The whole smash?"

"All of it." The doctor briefly eyed Jack, letting the message sink in, then he marched over to his desk and sat down, prepping the final steps to his plan without hesitation. "Apologies, Mr. Lowe. You may feel a slight irritation in your eye and ear."

A single program. A few clicks. One by one, Dr. Pendleton watched as the nanomachines in each of the Proteus Project's subjects went permanently offline.

Though a wary gleam lingered in his eyes, Jack grinned at Lydia and gave her a one-armed hug. If nothing else, maybe the worst of it was over for her. He could take comfort in that.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Max snickered to Ryan before glancing back at Will and Percy. Empathy and gratitude filled her face at the dinner offer, one that she had been ready to accept since the flight back to the island. They all needed some levity.

As for the Pendletons... Max watched in silence, not quite understanding what Lydia was trying to say at first. When the matter of shutting the project down altogether arose, Max felt some amount of tension lift from her shoulders. To know that this would be the end of this experiment that had caused Lydia so much grief, affected so many lives, driven the girlfriends apart and ultimately brought them back together... it was a relief, to put it mildly. Max almost felt a tear as the source of all this drama was terminated before her very eyes.

Turning back to Ryan, Max took a deep breath and mumbled, "You know? As crazy as this whole adventure was, I think I really got a lot out of it. I dare say I had fun meeting you guys, traveling around with you... Maybe it's a little early to be asking this, we can definitely talk it over more with the guys at dinner, but... you think you would be interested in sticking with me, Ryan? I could use a photographer."

[DanteMGalileo]

"... I've felt worse. Way worse."

Will simply blinked when he felt something in his eyes and ear. He placed a hand behind his head and stretched a bit. "So, uh... I guess for a last night, it's dinner, perhaps somewhere a bit more upscale? Or heck, I could even cook! ... Yes, I know how to cook. Might have to make some substitutions, but..."

"Will, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think pre-apocalypse people want to eat like-ten-thousand-years-post-apocalypse food."

"Shut up, Percy, for two minutes, please. You have a point, but still." Turning to face the others, Will gave a small smile. "So, uh, do you know any fancy joints?"

[ColArana]

Ryan watched as Lydia, the Professor and Jack all had their moment of closing down the project. He certainly wasn't one to judge on the situation-- it certainly had been insane enough. When Max brought up her offer though, Ryan seemed surprised, before momentarily contemplative. Momentarily. "I'd love to Max! Thank you!" He exclaimed. Ryan had finally found some people that didn't treat him any differently for what he was. Who made him feel like he was normal again. Why would he refuse an offer like that?

Ryan grinned at Will though. "I know a few places in town. It's not gonna be pizza, but they should be pretty good. I'll have to try your cooking another time Will."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

A wide, grateful smile stretched across Lydia's face. She hadn't expected Dr. Pendleton to be on the same wavelength as her, but she could certainly appreciate it. Today really was a day of discovery.

She stepped closer to the desk, eyes on the monitor. So many familiar names flashed before her eyes. The shutdown prompt appeared again and again. The damage was undone, and with it, the guilt that had weighed upon her, the secrets she had forced herself to keep. It was over. Finally, she could breathe. "Thanks, Dad."

Slowly, her eyes trailed up, lingering on the submersible pod sitting in a sad heap in the chamber below. Through all the ups and downs, ins and outs, Proteus II had been good to her. Any sense of regret was fading away along with the nanomachines she had implanted. She was ready to lay it to rest, but in a weird way, she would miss the little ship.

All that was left to do now was move on...

Turning to her circle of friends old and new, Lydia donned a perky grin and chimed in, "Sounds good, guys! If you don't mind, I'll catch up with you in a bit. Got some stuff I need to do first."

She whipped around, ready to make a break for it, only to lock up, turn back around, and raise a hand. "Uh, who has my keys?"

---------------------------

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Lydia sighed and ran a hand through her matted bangs. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but if she was truly putting this whole fiasco behind her, she knew she had to cover every base. Besides, if she didn't instigate it, it would just come back to bite her eventually.

The back door of the camper van flew open. A painfully familiar anthro girl stared at her with apparent skepticism. "Uh, hi? Whadda you...?"

Slowly, Cat raised an eyebrow and pointed to the young woman, two and two coming together in her head. "Wait... Are you...?"

"My name's Lydia Pendleton," she stated with a heavy sigh. "And I'm here to make amends."

"Well, hot DOG!" Cat clapped her hands and chuckled with ecstatic stupor. "So you're the germ they were gonna stick in our mage, huh?! How's it feel to be back on the outside?"

"Feels great, actually," Lydia muttered in an unbefitting, begrudging tone. "Can I come in?"

"I'unno."

"May I come in?"

"Kinda prefer if you didn't. I think you've meddled in our business enough. Wouldn't you say?"

[ThePopcornFairy]

Dr. Pendleton gazed at Lydia out of the corner of his eye, offering a single, slow nod in return. The feeling of relief seemed mutual to some extent; although he was still visibly shaken and perhaps carrying a few reservations, he was definitely less tense. From there, he could only watch in thoughtful silence as Lydia departed, letting herself loose upon the world once more.

Likewise, Jack beamed back at Lydia and graciously waved her off. "Go on. Take care of yourself. We'll see you later!"

Freedom... he felt that euphoric emotion radiating off of Lydia, and he couldn't be happier to see her run towards it.

The moment she was out the door, Jack's smile fell. He looked down at Dr. Pendleton as the chief engineer slumped back in his chair, staring at the ceiling and catching his breath. What now? They both had that question on their mind, but somehow Jack was the one who felt far less certain.

Even now, you're still not telling her the whole truth.

Dr. Pendleton cast Jack a solemn frown. I'm perfectly willing to correct my mistake of invading these people's privacy, but I can't retract absolutely everything. We need these protective measures now more than ever.

We can at least TELL her, can't we? She deserves to know what we've gotten ourselves into.

YOU don't even know what we've gotten ourselves into. Dr. Pendleton leaned forward and nodded in acceptance. But you're right. It's time that you both knew the full extent of the Protean Program. If you would permit me, I could sit down with you and discuss everything I know one of these days.

Jack peeked over his shoulder, nervously looking over the ragtag little group behind him. Max, Ryan, Percy, Will... Time would tell what this misadventure would spiral into, and it pained him to imagine what worse fates could befall any of them because of their involvement. Still, he bucked up enough to respond to the doctor's offer. Square deal. But... not today. We still have a lot of pieces to pick up first.

Agreed. We'll settle this eventually. And Jack?

Yes...?

If you see a strange black cat wandering around the facility, let me know. Things are going to go to hell in a handbasket soon, and the last thing we need is one more shadow looming over us.

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Absolutely, buddy. If everything works out with this story, I'm sure the crew at Lacuna will be glad to have you," Max offered warmly, patting Ryan on the shoulder. "If you have a place in mind, I'll buy. I think it's the least we deserve."

---------------------------

"Cat, who's out there...?"

Rio appeared behind the obstructing coyote-weasel-robin, peering around to glimpse the woman standing outside the camper van. The unfamiliar face briefly caught him by surprise, but in light of the circumstances, it didn't take long for him to deduce her identity. His shoulders slumped as he let out a deep sigh through a weary, apologetic smile.

"So you're Lydia, then?" Rio nudged Cat aside with a stern frown before politely turning back to their guest. "Please, come in. I'm guessing you already know who we are."

[ColArana]

Rising up behind Rio was the now somewhat familiar, black cloaked figure in a hat. Golden eyes still gleaming with a deep seated malice. "Ah. I see Master was successful." He almost appeared disappointed by this. "How was your brush with death? Nothing makes one feel quite so alive as coming to the brink and returning, does it?" Avenger smiled, one of his wicked smiles that seemed more malicious than friendly as he stepped backwards as well to give Lydia space to enter the room. "I imagine Master is well then? He must be relieved to see you well."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Cat scowled and grumbled under her breath as Rio shoved her away. If butt-kicking really was off the table, then she saw no point in this interaction. She hated settling tension with conversation.

Lydia offered a meek smile as she stepped inside with Rio's blessing. "Thank you..."

Before she could get down to brass tacks, Lydia noticed the man in the cloak. A shiver briefly ran down her spine. She had only seen this odd fellow through the pod's visual feed, and from what she had observed, he seemed to be on their side, if not entirely friendly, so she wasn't sure how to approach this official first meeting. "Y-You were with Jack, right? You helped him? I-I don't know how exactly you got roped into this whole mess too, but still... thank you."

"So far, his only major contributions seem to be getting in my way and trying to loot my fridge!" Cat spat from the corner of the room.

Lydia sighed and shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about what I just got out of. Jack's fine, everyone's fine... but I just wanna move past all of that." Her eyes met Rio's. "Still, I think you guys are owed an apology, and if Mexus won't deliver it, I will. If it's any consolation, the project's shut down. If my dad keeps his word, none of you have to worry about being injected with nanites anymore. Trust me when I say that I never wanted to hurt anyone, and if I could make it up to everyone I've been inside-"

"Snrk..."

"Yeah, whatever, laugh it up. It's an easy joke." Lydia rolled her eyes once before regaining her composure. "Bottom line, I'm sorry. For all of this."

[ThePopcornFairy]

"Hey, c'mon now, Cat!" Mickey's teasing tone rang out from the third floor balcony, the vampire raccoon having appeared as suddenly and silently as the night itself. "You don't gotta be like that! She's apologizing! We didn't come out of this too worse for wear. Even got some nice kicks out of the whole adventure didn't we?"

Wink...

After addressing his companion, Mickey leaned against the railing and shot Lydia a sly grin. "It's cool, baby boo. Water under the bridge."

[ParamountKeymaster]

Rio looked between his two teammates and one temporary ally with a mixture of annoyance and resignation. He wasn't in the mood to try adjusting their attitudes. When he faced Lydia, it was with a tired but friendly smile and a relaxed posture, the empathy completely evident.

"Apology accepted," he stated, stepping up and offering a handshake. "Really, you don't have to hold yourself accountable. You weren't solely responsible for everything that happened today. You were only doing your job, and I can't exactly fault anyone for getting us involved in that job. I mean, let's not kid ourselves: we're kind of dangerous. Heheh."

Backing into place, Rio rubbed his neck and continued, "I'll consider us even, but I'm going to reserve my judgment towards Mexus. If this truly was the end of this project, I'm glad to hear it. If it's all the same to you, though, I'll be keeping an ear to the ground. I have some legitimate problems with these kinds of businesses."

[ColArana]

Avenger tipped his hat to Lydia as she remembered him. "I've been contracted to the one you call Jack, as his Servant, yes." He stated. "Although, I will disappear soon. The task is done, and there is no need for a Spirit like myself without a war to wage." He added. He looked around the interior of the van. "As places to vanish go, I suppose I've seen worse." He added. He kept an eye on Lydia though, as she made her amends with the rest of the group, just in case there were any final shenanigans at her expense.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"I see..." Lydia nodded to Avenger, keeping her expression polite and unassuming, but internally grateful for his upcoming departure. She genuinely appreciated his help and she hoped that Jack would get a chance to say goodbye to him, but she wasn't sure she liked the idea of having Avenger around for much longer. Mickey's spontaneous arrival earned a jump, but she brushed in off relatively quickly. As long as he wasn't trying to fight or bite her, she could accept his neutral stance.

Turning back to Rio, Lydia smiled and gladly accepted the handshake, thankful that he understood the situation, laughing at his sarcastic quips. When he expressed his reservations towards Mexus, Lydia responded with a sympathetic shrug. "I can't say I blame you, really. Trust me, my dad will have hell to pay if I catch him sticking his nose in other people's business again."

Cat stared up at Mickey in blunt silence, soaking in his words with a blank expression at first. Slowly, an eager grin crept across her muzzle as she let his upbeat attitude rub off on her. With this restored sense of joy, Cat faced Lydia and happily decreed, "Yeah, I guess the guys have a point. You seem alright! No harm done! I'll beat anyone in that building eight ways 'til Wednesday if they come near us again, but you and me? We're cool!"

"Um... Thanks? Please don't go attacking folks over petty bullsh*t. I have friends, family and blue-collar workers that I kind of respect in there," Lydia nervously mumbled, hands raised. Gritting her teeth in an awkward grin, she pointed to the door and continued, "But yeah. If you guys are done here, I can let you go. Don't have to bother with any of the suits. I'll be taking off myself."

[ThePopcornFairy]

"Yeah, I'd say our work here is done," Mickey hummed, patting the railing in anticipation. "It's been real! Not too often you make new friends and enemies in one day. Sounds like a good day in my book. Hey, maybe we'll see you around in less hectic circumstances! Or more! I can go either way!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Well..." Rio looked around at everyone in the room, smiling at the exchange. "I'm glad we could reach some sort of understanding here. I think we've had enough excitement for one week. And you, sir?" He nodded to Avenger. "I appreciate your help, and I appreciate you keeping an eye on all the knuckleheads around here. I wish you the best of luck in whatever new ventures await you."

He tilted his head as he watched Lydia head for the door, opting to reach out in generosity once more. "I suppose we've said our peace for now. Thank you again for the sincerity. If you have somewhere you need to go, would you like a ride?"