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Deus Ex Machina (BlisteredBlood x darkangel76)

Mara took in Deadman’s words about changing course slightly in order to adapt to the changing formations of the heat signatures. That right there had said it all. Those heat sources were indeed part of a recon group. Or worse. Regardless, it made it quite clear that they were the enemy and that they were indeed searching for them. Damn! They shouldn’t have let those men go! Still and all, she wouldn’t have been able to live with herself had they killed them in cold blood. She wasn’t a murderer and she wasn’t about to let her grandfather’s greatest creation become one either. There might be some out there willing to kill people needlessly, but she was not one of them. Only in the most dire of situations would she go there and even then she knew she’d feel guilty afterwards.

James, Mara’s trainer back when she’d first joined up, had told her there would come a time when she’d have to kill. That she’d have to learn to let go and see the bigger picture, the greater good. And that sometimes that meant making a sacrifice and sometimes even losing a part of yourself in the process. Those were words she’d had a difficult time swallowing back then. Hell, even now. But it was as she clung tightly onto Deadman, witnessing first hand the aftermath of a decision, that made her see the truth in those horrible words James had told her two years ago.

“Bumpy?” Mara squeaked, though she knew full well what Deadman had meant and why. They had to pull out all the stops now if they were to make it to their ship. Clutching onto him tightly, her body pressed firmly against his, she braced herself for what was to come. “I’m ready. I won’t let go,” she whispered against him. Burying her face, she held on for dear life, her thoughts wild but still finding that one ‘constant’.

Must get away. Must stay alive.

Terrified, Mara held onto Deadman, her body trembling against his though not solely from the cold. Trying to stay focused, placing her trust in the man that would lead them to safety, she concentrated on the warmth she felt from his cyborg body. It truly was an amazing feat of engineering to make him so warm. That warmth kept her calm, kept her mind at ease. And that was something she sorely needed since panicking would only get them into further trouble.

“I trust you…” Mara said as her voice trailed and then got lost with the bitter howling winds.
 
As Deadman continued to run, the warning on his heat scanning radar systems continued to remind him of the LOS advisory that was still in effect. He needed to get out of the recon squad's sight range and remain out of sight, but it just seemed as though he couldn't shake them fast enough at his current running speed. No, he was going to have to do something drastic in order to ensure their safety and he had to do it quickly. He probably thought the same thing that Mara was thinking, cursing the fact that he shouldn't have let those two soldiers go free, but then again, there was nothing that he could've done that would've made things any better or worse than what was going on as of currently. It was either he let them live with the lesson of the day or else face death at his hands. But now, it seemed as thought things may have easily gone awry here and now, he had to dig him and Mara out of this mess.

Soon enough, Deadman leaned hard against the wind that was whipping around them now, his running speed beginning to increase at a steady pace. The green cone shape on his heat scanning radar was beginning to fade now, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before that LOS advisory began to make itself known to him yet again. However, there was a red line on the radar that began to unnerve the cyborg quite a bit. Was that an aiming module of some sort, he wondered as he continued to move as quick as he could. If so, what was it for? But then again, Deadman didn't have any time to answer those questions, not with the way those formations were looking on his screen.

And just before he knew it, a certain muffled report from something that sounded like a cannon got his attention. Soon enough, a warning accompanied by a buzzer in his helmet was now shining in front of his eyes, informing him that a shell had been fired from an unknown vehicle that was coming in on their location! So it was an aiming mechanism of some type, the cyborg thought as he continued to run hard against the wind as fast as he could manage.

A whistling sound could now be heard overhead, roaring close to them as it crashed into the ground some several feet off, the explosion nearly knocking Deadman over from the tremendous blast. It was a tank! A damned tank in a recon squad?! If he didn't know any better, it was worse than a recon squad! It had to be a search-and-destroy regiment!

As the cyborg attempted to keep himself steady after the blast, Deadman looked over his shoulder to Mara again with an urgent look on his face. "Do you know of any recon squads that have tanks in them?! Because I sure as hell never heard of it!" He spoke to her rather urgently as he continued to run again with all due speed behind his movements.
 
Mara clutched tightly to Deadman, her face buried against him as he ran. She found it strange that she could trust him so quickly, but given their situation, and the fact that he’d been created by her grandfather, she was able to make exceptions to her usual rule about trusting people. People. Were cyborgs, such as Deadman, considered people? In all honesty, it didn’t matter to her. She saw him as a person despite it all. For some reason, she found that easier to grasp onto than the fact that he was some cold metallic shell. Besides, the warmth she felt emanating from his body onto hers was more than enough to make her think otherwise.

As Mara held onto Deadman, she wondered what his scanners and sensors were picking up. She still feared the worst and would continue to do so until they stepped foot on their ship and left everything going on behind them. And even then, she’d probably still worry until they were back in the EUS safe and sound. Would they ever make it back? Shaking the morbid thought from her mind, she tried to think positively. She had to.

All of a sudden, Mara could hear a strange echoing sound in the distance. ‘What the… no…’ she thought to herself. ‘Oh shit!’ Daring to peek, she lifted her head a little, leaving the warmth of Deadman’s body behind. Looking up, she could hear the sound getting closer and as it did she had no doubt what it was that making it. Just then there was a loud explosion causing the ground to shake. Immediately, she felt her arms hug about his body tightly, clinging onto him with dear life. She feared that they’d fall over, losing their balance and thus giving the enemy time to hunt them down for capture.

No! That couldn’t happen!

Luckily, the explosion had little affect on Deadman, his cybernetic body withstanding the blast wave, barely faltering. When Mara looked up after everything had settled, her eyes went wide and the panic started setting in.

“Do you know of any recon squads that have tanks in them?!” Deadman asked, his thoughts echoing Mara’s. “Because I sure as hell never heard of it!” At that, he set out a run, his course set. She hoped they’d make it. They had to.

“No,” Mara said against Deadman’s ear as he ran away from their enemy yet gained ground on their destination. “This was not anticipated. At all.” And it wasn’t.

Mara was dumbfounded that the others would make such a move, bring in such armory. Recon, she expected, but a full out battalion? What the hell was going on? Just what was it about Deadman that made their enemy go to such lengths to acquire him? At that thought her eyes suddenly went wide with both fear and panic. She hoped they weren’t trying to destroy him. That was just something she couldn’t let happen. This was personal now, not just a mission request from the resistance. This man meant something to her since it was a link to a past nearly forgotten, a connection to the legacy of her family, her bloodline.

“Alex is waiting at the ship. We have to get there. He knows the area well and can help us make a get away. We can worry about dropping him off later,” Mara said against Deadman’s ear, her breathing heavy and erratic as her adrenaline began to surge.

Mara was glad that she was with a cyborg just then. Someone who could place logic and reason above all else no matter the cost. No matter the situation.

“Please get us there,” Mara begged, her voice the barest of whispers. She was half pleading, half hoping as she’d spoken, not knowing if they’d make it out alive. All she had now was hope. Hope that Deadman would somehow get them past this battalion unscathed and very much alive.
 
As much as he wanted to berate Mara further, Deadman knew that the elements weren't playing to their advantage now. Not with a tank that was firing on them, anyway. Logic would've dictated to him that the only way now was to get up through the middle and punch a hole through their considerable offense and defense, but reasoning also said that they had to evade them for now, through whatever means were possible. After all, he had a woman on his back that wasn't going to last long out here in this frozen wasteland, if at all given the current situation. If it meant that he had to evade them entirely, then Deadman would have to truly put the pedal to the metal in order to get out of the tank's range of fire in order to ensure their safety.

But soon enough, another muffled report was heard, followed by another buzzer that went off in Deadman's sensor array, informing him that another shot had been fired by said vehicle and the shell was coming in quickly from the same location. Without another word, Deadman once again operated the jet functions at his feet as he continued to lean hard against the blizzard, and in the resulting sudden burst of speed that followed, the cyborg had just barely managed to dodge the next explosion by the blast radius that soon followed, scattering dirt and snow everywhere, most of which got onto Deadman's body.

This was starting to get out of hand, Deadman began to think. Their destination was approaching now, but he had to make moves like this in order to stay out of the blast radius or otherwise end up in it. By now, the LOS advisory had now began to approach cautionary levels as represented by a yellow cone on his radar screen. They were getting closer.

By now, it seemed as though Deadman had to really kick it into high gear if they were ever expected to make it to their destination. On top of all that, he had honestly hoped that whoever this woman was associated with was prepared to make a rolling getaway. Looking back over his shoulder as he continued to move at a frantic pace now after the thought occurred to him, Deadman would then look down to Mara as he continued to hold her close to his body before he spoke.

"Call your superior! Inform them that you completed your mission but you need an emergency evacuation!" He demanded hurriedly.
 
Mara could feel the warmth of Deadman’s body against her own as he sped through the chaos that surrounded them. Loud booms resounded in the air as flashes lit up the night sky making it appear as if it were day. Shaking a bit, she could feel her heart pounding beneath her breast as bits of debris slowly fluttered down with the snow, making it hard to tell which was ash and which was not. Biting down on her lip just then, the worry and panic that filled her as total disaster starting unfolding brimmed to levels that were ready to spill over and make the mess they were in even bigger than it was.

‘Not acceptable, Mara,’ Mara scolded herself. ‘Pull your shit together!’

Just then, Deadman peered over his shoulder causing Mara to grip onto him even tighter than she already was. Her body was trembling uncontrollably and a fresh wave of fear rolled over her body. Cold, terrified, she braced herself for even worse news. As if anything could be worse than the shit they were currently in!

“Call your superior! Inform them that you completed your mission but you need an emergency evacuation!” Deadman shouted, the tone in his voice a command, not a request.

Mara just nodded, her knuckles white as she held onto Deadman with all her strength. On her wrist was a comm device and it linked back to Alex on her ship located on the nearby river. Oh god, she hoped he was all right. She’d never forgive herself otherwise. But he was also her only connection at present, her short-ranged device only able to link to him. The resistance’s hidden headquarters was situated in a much more remote location within the boundaries of the SER, nowhere near the area she currently was. Taking a deep breath, she furiously began pushing at the tiny buttons. She needed to get word to Alex immediately, inform him of their present and very dire situation. No doubt he’d already seen and heard the explosions, but he still needed to know the severity of things, the fact that they needed something, anything, to get them out of there. And fast. All of their lives were on the line now.

“Alex… Alex…” Mara rasped out into the device. Silence. Nothing. “Shit! Alex… please! You there?” Again she paused and again nothing. “Fuck! Alex!”

“Mara?”

“Shit, Alex! Don’t do that to me!” Mara shouted, her eyes tearing a bit. “We need an emergency evac. Like now!”

“Figured as much when I heard the first explosion,” Alex answered. “You retrieve the item?”

Item. Alex had called Deadman an ‘item’. Mara didn’t quite know how she felt about that. For some reason it felt all wrong somehow. He might’ve been a cyborg, something created by her grandfather and one of his colleagues, but there was something about him, something that made him seem alive, like the soldier he was at his core.

“Yes!” Mara answered. “He’s with me.”

“Good. I’ll alert HQ,” Alex responded. After a brief pause he then added, “From what I can tell, you’re completely barred from me. No way in hell you’ll make it here.”

“Kind of figured that, Alex,” Mara answered, her tone showing her frustration.

“Right,” Alex answered. “Oh my god. Oh shit!”

Mara’s eyes went wide just then, “Alex?” she shrieked.

“What the…..” Alex began. More loud booms could be heard as the sky continued to flash, debris and snow falling from the sky. Mara waited for the man to continue only his voice didn’t come. All she heard was silence sounding over the comm device.

“Alex! Alex!” Mara shouted. “Alex!”

Nothing. Silence. Static.

“Alex!” Mara could feel her eyes welling with tears. Just then there was another explosion. “Fuck!”

Alex was gone. Their ship… gone. At least he’d been able to relay the information that she’d gotten to Deadman before the enemy. The only problem now was that they were on their own. HQ was too far away to contact let alone get to and Mara’s nearby contact was gone. Their only hope as far as she could see it was to get to the harbor. There they could find a vehicle, something and make a getaway. The problem now was getting around the battalion that seemed to block their way.

Trying to clear her head, her mind spinning, Mara leaned in close to Deadman. “My contact is gone…” her voice faltered for a moment as a warm tear ran down her cheek. “We’re on our own.” She paused a moment, desperate thoughts starting to fill her head. At that, she glanced up into the dark night sky. It seemed to be laughing menacingly down at her as she stared at it. “What if instead of going around it,” she began, her secondary thoughts admonishing her for her stupidity and desperation, “We go over it? That possible without risk of fatality?” she asked. She hoped they could. At present, it was their only option. That was, unless Deadman could use his scanners and find a means to break through their enemy’s formation.
 
At first, Deadman was fully convinced that now she was had finally gotten a hold of her commanding officer for their chance at a successful getaway. The one chance they would get to finally get out of this madness that was surround them slowly like a noose. As he listened to the banter exchanged between Myra and whoever it was she was talking with, the cyborg would then notice a change in her voice, one that went from hope to sudden fear as he continued to move quickly, seeing the river wasn't too far from them now. But his LOS advisory was still informing him that the yellow cone was now starting to change colors again, having now faded to orange. That meant they were starting to close in on them, whoever this group was. Ironically, the second cluster of heat signatures was also starting to move, but it looked as though they were heading for the river as well.

Dammit! This just isn't going as I visualized it! I had honestly hoped this was going to be a smooth evac, but it looks as though I'm going to have to change up my movements yet again. Deadman began to theorize. Just what was he going to do, he wondered as he continued to keep his body leaned down hard against the winds that whipped around them as he resumed his normal dashing, pondering just what he had to do in order to get out of this place.

When she informed him now that they were on their own and the ship that would serve as their emergency evacuation was taken out, the cyborg's eyes narrowed. Double dammit, Deadman cursed to himself in thought. Yet another adjustment he had to make, only this one would have to be a bit more crucial if they were going to get out of this alive. He could offer her to use his neural network in order to get a line of communication out to whoever she worked for, but there was no guarantee that it would work or even if they were even in range.

When the option came for him to go over the incoming battalion, Deadman looked back at Mara with a look of bewilderment in his eyes. Granted, it sounded logical, but what was the guarantee that would work, he wondered as he kept on running hard. For all he knew, there could be well-trained foot soldiers in that squadron. But then again, he had the skills, the technology and the weaponry to settle that in a series of rapid fire moves. But how long would that hold for?

"I don't think that would be advisable Mara. Besides, I don't really know how thick that regiment is. Our only hope as of this very moment is if you synced up your communicator with my communication array to see if you can reach whoever it is you work for and get us out of this mess, but the probability with that would have to range anywhere between 50-60%." He explained as he began to see the break in the formation of the first regiment. Two of the larger signatures began to divide down the middle, and with that, Deadman came to a screeching halt in the snow before he then changed directions sharply before he began to speed off in that direction.

"But I suppose a 50-50 chance is better than no chance, am I correct?!" He spoke again as he kept on moving.

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Mara gritted her teeth at Deadman’s logic, her pale eyes prickling with a damnable wetness she tried desperately to hold back. Yes, fear and anxiety were slowly taking over her entirely and the longer they were stuck in the onslaught of battle, defenseless, alone, the worse it was becoming. Trying to keep calm and keep her emotions settled, she gave him a curt nod and went to her comm device located about her wrist. Without further hesitations, she furiously went to work on syncing it with Deadman’s neural communications array. It was a process that would take several moments and even then, the chances she’d be able to reach HQ were slim to none. She just hoped luck would be on their side for once, since the moment she’d stepped foot in that warehouse things had gone to hell and back.

Shivering, shaking, Mara finally pushed the last of the buttons. Biting down on her lip, she waited for the connection to happen. As she waited, she suddenly tasted the tang of her own blood against her tongue, the coppery flavor strong from the small wound she’d inflicted upon herself. Again, she tried to relax. Panic would get them nowhere. If anything, it would just get them dead. ‘Can Deadman even die?’ she wondered to herself. Shaking the morbid thought from her mind, she went back to concentrating on her comm device, waiting for something, anything to happen.

Just then… crackle… crackle… Mara heard the faint sounds of static trying to come through. She hoped to god that meant there was some kind of connection. Hell, at that point, she’d be happy if she somehow got linked to some kid’s computer. The sound of anything was better than that deafening silence. Silence. That was a fucking laugh.

BOOM! Another explosion. Mara felt her body jolt as the sound echoed throughout the night sky. Things were getting intense and they needed out. ‘Shit!’ At that, she buried her face against Deadman, despair nearly filling her completely.

“Hello?” came a voice.

Mara perked her head up immediately. “Thank fucking god!” she rasped, those tears finally spilling though she’d not wanted them to. But this was just too much. She couldn’t help it and she’d be damned if she tried given the state of everything. “Hello? Hello?” she then shouted back.

“How did you reach this frequency?” came the voice again. “State your name.”

“Mara. Mara Kalish.”

There was a brief pause over the other end causing Mara to wait with bated breath. She wondered if they had an idea of what was going on. “Mara, what the fuck is going on over there? Do you have the item still in your possession?”

Mara had to laugh to herself at that. Item? Possession? They talked as if Deadman was a thing and not a person. Though she couldn’t fault them all for thinking in that way. After all, before she’d gotten a look at him, she thought the same way. But now having laid eyes upon her grandfather’s genius work? There was no way she could call him a thing or an it. Cyborg or not.

“Yes, I have him. We’re together now. But our route to the ship had been cut off by what we’d originally thought to be a recon group only now…” Mara’s voice trailed. “They took out our ship. Alex Gurina is dead. We have no means of evac and are sandwiched between the warehouses and what we think is a battalion.”

Again there was another pause. The silence made Mara want to strangle someone. “Hold tight and evade as best you can, Mara,” the voice finally responded.

‘Hold tight?’ Mara thought to herself. ‘Is this guy fucking serious?’

“We have a sub in the harbor, though that’s civilian territory. Can’t bring a fleet of armory out there,” the voice chuckled. Oh Mara was getting more annoyed by the second. “But we do have a nearby contact that can get you out. He’s a pilot and can fly overhead and lift you out. Though getting onto his ship might be a bit tricky even with its hovering capabilities.”

“You think?” Mara mumbled, her irritation more than apparent. “Hold on,” she then snipped at her comm device. Leaning close against Deadman, she moved her mouth close to his ear. “Deadman, if a pilot flies overhead, you think you can get us out of here and into his ship?” Oh god, she hoped so. This was their only chance and they just couldn’t lose it. Not now. Not if they both wanted to live.
 
Right when the next explosion hit close by, Deadman had to once again use his jet function in order to get a quick burst of speed in order to dodge it, despite the fact that he was nearly knocked over from the blast. A quick scan for damage to any areas of his body turned up nothing at the moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to retaliate. Now that he was sandwiched between the two larger signatures, the LOS advisory retained its high caution level as indicated by two large cone shapes that were looking their way followed by the red line that could be an aiming module from two tanks. It looked as though there was no choice but to fight back in order for them to safely travel onward, but he had to be careful as he was still carrying an innocent civilian on his back.

When Deadman began to recognize that Mara was attempting to sync up her communication device, one indicator popped up over the upper right corner of visor's HUD, informing him that she was attempting to link up with his comm systems in order to reach an outside frequency. At that point, Deadman looked down to his right gauntlet as his wrist computer became visible to him then skidded to a brief stop in an attempt to help optimize the line to a viable level. At that point, he could then hear a conversation taking place between Mara and someone else.

“Hello?” At the sound of the voice, Deadman knew he had a stable enough connection, nodding once before looking back over his shoulder towards Mara and nodded at her again. But before he could inform her of this, he was up and moving once more hurriedly. With the threat of those two LOS warnings looming not more than 100 yards off even with the blizzard, getting sandwiched between them was not a good idea.

“Thank fucking god!” He heard Mara rasp out. He didn't near to listen to that to know for certain that she had finally gotten a hold of someone. “Hello? Hello?” He heard her shouting into her communicator.

“How did you reach this frequency?” came the voice again. “State your name.”

“Mara. Mara Kalish.”

There was a brief pause over the other end, and Deadman's patience was starting to wear thin. There had to be a reply of some sort on the other end now and they had to answer soon. When he did hear a voice, Deadman listened in intently. “Mara, what the fuck is going on over there? Do you have the item still in your possession?”

Item? Just what was he referring to? But even then, Deadman glanced back over his shoulder once more to Mara and looked at her with a confused look on his face.

“Yes, I have him. We’re together now. But our route to the ship had been cut off by what we’d originally thought to be a recon group only now…” Mara’s voice trailed. “They took out our ship. Alex Gurina is dead. We have no means of evac and are sandwiched between the warehouses and what we think is a battalion.”

No shit. The cyborg thought as he then looked ahead of him as he kept on monitoring the two LOS warnings. But the odd thing of it was, those two tanks had stopped firing at this moment, but that still didn't mean that they had secondary weapons, if memory served him correctly. Perhaps they were too close to each other? On top of all that, just what was the whole point of that "item" and "possession" comment? Something wasn't adding up and hopefully, he'll be getting answers soon. But trying to get them now was not the time.

Then another silence followed. This only got the cyborg angrier that he had to listen to Mara basically pull teeth in order to get anything out of whoever these people were. But then, a little tidbit came to his attention.

“We have a sub in the harbor, though that’s civilian territory. Can’t bring a fleet of armory out there,” the voice chuckled. Oh Mara was getting more annoyed by the second. “But we do have a nearby contact that can get you out. He’s a pilot and can fly overhead and lift you out. Though getting onto his ship might be a bit tricky even with its hovering capabilities.”

Again, Deadman had to roll his eyes at this. Since when was joking around at a time like this really necessary? With a possible battalion looming at their doorstep, he honestly just wanted to reach in through Mara's communicator and strangle that smartass through the other line. But at least now, they had a way to get out of this mess. But he had to know one thing. When was that pilot supposed to show up?

Then again, Deadman didn't need to hear her speak into his ear for him to then make up his mind. As far as he knew, he was already thinking the same thing at this point. "When is he going to show up?! What's the ETA?!" He shouted out to her.
 
Mara shook her head furiously at Deadman’s questions. She had no idea what the deal was with the pilot who would hopefully be picking them up. So, without further thought, she spoke into the comm device. Her voice was frantic and sick of the person on the other end’s lackadaisical manner. After all, couldn’t he tell that their situation was dire? Plus, how in the hell would he feel if he was in the middle of what seemed to be a battle zone, him the primary target! “When is the pilot going to get here? And from what direction will he be coming?”

There was a faint chuckling sound coming from over the other end of the comm device just then. Instantly, Mara narrowed her blue eyes, glaring at the gadget fastened about her wrist. Yes, she could feel her blood pressure rising, her teeth grinding. Whoever the man was on the other end, if she got the chance to meet him, she’d knee him in the balls as she greeted him hello. It was the least she could do after this shit. Just then there was a loud whoosh causing her to look up overhead.

“Well fuck me,” Mara grumbled, her lips turning upward into the smallest of smiles. “Fucking stealth mode, I’ll be damned.”

Up in the black sky, Mara could clearly see a ship approaching. Its lights blinking brightly as it came closer and closer. Squinting to get a better look at the thing, she could see that it wasn’t anything much, but it was fast and it was hardy. And it was about fucking time! At that, she leaned in close to Deadman once again, ready to tell him what she was sure he already knew.

“Deadman,” Mara began. “They’re already here!”

Bringing her hand up along his back, Mara reached out and pointed to where the ship was slowly beginning to hover. She could see it was already in Deadman’s line of sight, but she couldn’t stop the urge to show him where it was anyway. The instinct to do so had been strong for some reason. Perhaps it was because it made the idea that they’d actually be saved a bit more real. She just hoped nothing bad happened as they boarded the thing.

“Do you think you can make it over there?” Mara asked, her voice showing her worry, yet it was laced with a hope that they might actually make it out of the hot zone they were in. “That’s our ticket out of here, our ticket home!”
 
When he got no reply to his demanding questions, Deadman was looking in between the two of them now just as he then began to manipulate his hands into both gauntlets now, planning on using both arm cannons to take out both tanks in the area when he then heard not only the sound of a ship soaring overhead, but also Mara calling out to him that the ship was now already there, directly in the cyborg's field of vision. He didn't need to scan that in order to tell what it was, that much was certain.

"Right!" The crimson cyborg exclaimed as he then made another mad dash, this time dodging heavy machine gun fire, indicated by the bullets smacking into the ground with heavy smacks into the snow covered ground. "Better hang on! I just hope they're ready to start moving the second that I get into their cargo hold!" Deadman added as he looked over his shoulder one more time towards his left flank where he could see the outline of a tank aiming its main turret at them. Reacting purely on computerized instinct, Deadman's right hand quickly receded into the gauntlet before he turned around sharply with the same amount of boost that was racing out of his armored legs, Deadman unleashed a high powered blast from his right arm cannon, the bright green sphere of energy rocketing from his arm and crashed into the tank and destroying it in a fantastic explosion.

"Tell them to open the cargo hatch! NOW!" Deadman shouted again.
 
“Right,” Mara whispered to herself as she lifted her face away from Deadman’s back. Loosening her grip on him, she was still a bit shaken over his maneuver with his arm canon. It had been a necessary maneuver given the state of things, but it still had shocked the hell out of her nonetheless.

Blinking several times, Mara tried to clear her head a little, forcing the shock out of her system. Setting her jaw, she then immediately went to work on her comm device once more. Her fingers furious began pushing buttons causing the thing to beep and blink. For a brief moment all she could hear was the irritating hissing sound of static.

‘Damn it!’ Mara thought to herself.

“Gotcha on my sights, Mara,” came a voice. Male. The pilot.

Mara felt an odd sense of relief roll over her skin in that moment and her grip on Deadman tightened once more. She was ecstatic that the pilot was preparing for them to board. Hell, that he was even there at all! Her eyes fixed upon the now hovering ship and she brought her wrist up close to her lips.

“Open the cargo hatch ASAP!” Mara shouted.

“Roger that,” the voice answered. At least this person didn’t seem to have that same annoying demeanor of the guy at HQ. Yeah, she still owed that schmuck a swift kick to the groin.

“Excellent,” Mara hissed. “Deadman, they’re ready! Door’s opening!”

Heart racing at an unbelievable rate as her adrenaline surged well above and beyond normal levels, she felt her body tense once more. Her arms wrapped themselves about Deadman’s body in a vice like grip as she braced herself for their hopeful escape. Oh god, they were so fucking close! If anything went wrong now she was sure her psyche would plummet to depths most would never be able to climb out of.

“Move out now, Mara!” came that voice over Mara’s comm device once more. “You had a nice shot on that one tank, but there’s another looking to target your ass. So I suggest hauling it over this way and getting the fuck on board!”

Despite the chaos, Mara actually pouted. Holding on tightly to Deadman, she leaned in and whispered. “Get us out of here, please! Now! Another tank is coming!”
 
"Understood!" Deadman answered as he once again turned back around again and started making his way over to the ship as he saw the cargo door opening. By now, he could begin to tell how close they were when he began to hear the mechanical whirring of the hatch and at that, Deadman gave one last hard charge towards it with as much thrust behind it he could muster.

Another volley of machine gun fire was soon following them, pelting at the ground angrily in a preventative measure against them. With each shot that was fired at them, the cyborg began to juke left and right with seemingly split second reactions all while keeping one arm wrapped around Mara's back and holding her as tight as he could manage - and without crushing her, he hoped - as he began to move closer and closer to the opened hatch. Before he hopped onto it though, the cyborg once more stuck his right arm cannon outward before he firing another nuclear-fused bolt of energy towards the second tank, taking that one out in the same devastating explosion as before.

"We're clear!" Deadman called to Mara as he then charged hard once more before taking a literal flying leap for the hatch and landed on the ramp before scurrying up into it.
 
Mara held on for dear life as Deadman charged forward yet again, his cyborg body dodging and cutting across the snow-covered expanse as the enemy rained fire upon them both. She buried her face against him, her body cold, her nerves frayed to their core. She just wanted it all to be over, for them to be out of imminent danger and moving out toward somewhere safer than they were. Hell, at that point, that could be anywhere. And to be honest, she was more than fine with that.

As Deadman continued to move at an astounding pace, Mara felt his arm come up behind her, making sure that she was still secure and safe. It was an oddly gentle gesture given their situation, but she was glad of it. It meant he was concerned for her safety and that right there hit her hard at her center, warming her shivering body that much more as his body’s warmth continued to help prevent her from freezing.

The wind was howling, the snow blowing everywhere as it fell from the cold, black sky. Field of vision was getting worse and time was running out. Holding on tightly to Deadman, her face still pressed against him, Mara could sense that they were nearing their ride. The roaring engines growing louder by the second and she could hear the mechanical sounds of the thing opening it’s cargo hatch doors while it hovered and waited for them.

Just then, Mara felt Deadman change his stance ever so slightly. He paused and shifted and she knew immediately what he was about to do. Bracing herself for shock that would run through his body and inevitably her own as he fired off his arm canon at the other tank, she held on to him with a white-knuckled grip that made her hands ache.

“We’re clear!” Deadman shouted just before jumping through the cargo doors and into the holding section of the ship.

The hatch doors began to close automatically, though Mara held her breath until they were fully shut behind them. Only then could she allow herself to relax. A little. Though the moment those doors closed, the wind no longer whipping about them, the snow no longer pelting at their bodies, she let out a long exhale and finally let her hands and arms go limp against his unusually warm cyborg body. A sensation of relief washed over her, but she was still too shaken to allow herself not to be alert.

Lifting her head away from Deadman’s body, Mara looked up the corridor that would lead toward the cockpit where the pilot was seated and manning the ship. “We’re in!” she shouted loudly.

“Right oh!” came the male voice Mara had heard over her comm device not all that long ago. It was distant and muffled since he was at the far end of the ship. But it was clear enough that he understood what he’d said.

At that moment, there was a jolt and the ship began to move. Mara almost fell at the sudden movement, her body exhausted from their recent run in with an enemy battalion. She’d loosened her hold due to that exhaustion and as a result had felt herself sliding off Deadman before she’d expected.

“Oh!” Mara yelped as she suddenly held onto Deadman once more, trying to avoid a potential fall. When the movement settled and she was certain she wasn’t going to land on the hard floor with a thud, she whispered sheepishly, “Sorry.” Her cheeks burned a little in embarrassment. “I was afraid I was going to fall.”
 
Once he was inside of the cargo hold and felt a sudden jolt the ship gave, Deadman steadied himself for a moment before he looked around for a brief moment in the cargo hold, sensing that the worst part was finally over. For now, he assumed as his right have eventually poked back out of the gauntlet as it resumed its normal shape. At that point, the cyborg's grip eased off of Mara's form as sensor array now went into normal status.

"Okay, everything checks out." The cyborg spoke as he carefully set Mara down on her feet, despite he felt her white knuckle grip on his cybernetic body. "You're free to move around and go rest. Something tells me that you'll need it after what happened back there." He added as he then gestured out of the cargo hold with a thumb before glancing back to her, once more catching sight of her blushing face.

Curious of this, Deadman ran a scan on Mara, seeing that her heart rate was right running fairly high and her temperature was also slightly elevated. This once again made Deadman rather curious about her, pondering if she was alright or not. But then again, there was a recurring thought that was running through his mind that he should read into it much. Besides, after that harrowing ordeal, he figured there wasn't much to ask at this point.

"You also check out okay, but try to relax a little. I'm seeing that you must still be strung out from the ordeal." He said.
 
Mara averted her pale eyes as Deadman finally set her down, her grip on him loosening until she finally just let go. She could still feel her heart racing however as her cheeks continued to burn. And to top it all off, her adrenaline was still coursing hard through her veins as an after affect of their recent ordeal outside.

Biting down on her lip, Mara’s eyes focused on the floor of the cargo hold as she was gently let go. Her feet finally steady, she looked up at Deadman. Despite the redness she knew was there in her cheeks, her stare did not falter. There was no way she was about to look away. Stubbornly, she took in the sight of the cyborg all over again, much as she had back at the warehouse, admiring the perfect mesh of the organic with the synthetic.

Oh Deadman truly was a marvel. Whether it was because her grandfather had outdone himself or because the man at this cyborg’s core had influenced his overall behavior and manner Mara didn’t know. Either way, she was grateful for what he’d done when face to face with the enemy as they’d been. He’d saved them both and now, she hoped to eventually learn what she could about her family’s history from him. There had to be a way to make him recall. There just had to be.

“You also check out okay, but try to relax a little. I’m seeing that you must still be strung out from the ordeal,” Deadman finally said interrupting the brief silence they’d shared once the ship had started moving.

Mara smiled a little and couldn’t help but let out a small sighing chuckle. “You could say that,” she answered. Yes, she was more than strung out. Her hands were still shaking from it all. And of course, that only added to her embarrassment over how she’d clutched onto him a bit longer than had been necessary once inside the ship. At that thought, she lost all resolve and looked at the floor again. ‘Damn it, Mara!’ she scolded herself. ‘Grow the fuck up!’

Feeling a bit silly, Mara blinked her blue eyes several times and pushed a stray dark strand of hair behind her one ear. Rubbing her arms quickly and roughly for a moment, trying to shake off the lingering chill from outside, she let out a breath and then clapped her hands against the sides of her thighs.

“Right,” Mara then began. “I do probably need some rest. But first let’s go check in with our pilot. We have to figure out where to be dropped off, whether this hunk of junk can make it to HQ or not.” She paused a moment. “My guess is that this thing won’t make it that far.” Glancing about the room a bit, she brought a hand up toward her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “HQ is pretty damned remote from what they’ve told me. Maybe we should see about getting dropped off closer to the harbor so that we can pick up that sub that one jerk mentioned earlier.”

Mara was trying her best to figure out how to best get both herself and Deadman back to the EUS. After all, it was her top priority to do so. Almost. Sure, she did know it was the safest place for the both of them to be. However, getting there now wasn’t go to be an easy task. With their ship that had been on the river gone, a long-range traveling vehicle wasn’t something they had directly in their custody to use. That said, that sub might be their last chance. HQ wouldn’t mind. Would they? After all, they were a part of the resistance and this was a matter concerning them. One of great importance too according to the files she’d been given to look over. The fact that her wish to get them both to safety also held personal reasons for her wasn’t her problem far as she was concerned. It was just how it was.

At that, Mara began to lead the way up the corridor and toward the cockpit where the pilot was flying the ship. She just hoped the guy could get them to a safe place and one relatively nearby the harbor.

As Mara neared the man flying the ship, he glanced over his shoulder just then and spoke. “We’re in the clear at present. Hot zone far enough behind us. Talk about a fucking crazy scene.” He faced forward once more, maneuvering the controls just so. “Why don’t you two rest. I’ve already locked onto a coordinate that’ll be safe landing for us. From there we’ll figure out how to get you outta here.”

Mara nodded just then, her body tired, her muscles aching. She did need that rest. Badly. Turning slightly, she leaned against the wall and slumped her weight against it entirely until she slowly dropped to the floor in a seated position. Looking up at Deadman, she said softly. “Thanks back there.” She then gave him a smile and let out a tiny sigh. “I do need that rest. I’m exhausted. But at least the worst is over. For now.”
 
During the time he was left alone when Mara went to go converse with the pilot of this vessel, Deadman was once again looking around the ship with an inquisitive expression on his face before walking about the cargo hold for a little while, pondering over not only where this ship was going to take them, but also thinking back to the conversation he overheard between both Mara and that one ma that just seemed to be a real jerk to her. Perhaps after she did her business to him, she'd probably be kind enough to leave him some scraps for him to pick at a few times before blasting it all away. At least, that was what he hoped for, anyway.

But, at least for right now, the two were given a little bit of a reprieve. As far as Mara went, he knew for certain that she probably wasn't going to do very much in terms of moving around with how strung out he felt on him during that little skirmish not more than a few minutes ago. Chances are, if it hadn't been for his intervention, she'd probably either be their prisoner, dead, or something far worse. Shuddering at the thought, Deadman quickly shook his head from side to side, not wanting to swell on that "something far worse" subject.

Soon enough though, the cyborg would then move over to a wall within the cargo hold and then turned his back to it before lifting up one armored leg and then set his foot against it while his arms crossed over his armored vest as he then looked down at the floor in thought. Deadman knew for a fact that he would have a lot of questions to ask once they arrived at their final destination, wherever it was, but at the moment, those questions would have to wait up until a later date. For now, all he had to do was to just be patient and relax for now.

Soon enough, he heard Mara's footsteps approaching him from the left, causing him to glance up over to her when she told him that it was probably a good idea for her to rest for now. Besides, it looked as though they weren't going anywhere as of right now. Deadman agreed with her sentiment as he eventually sat beside her with a straightforward look on his face for the time being. "Might it be in your best interest if you laid down on me, Mara Kalish?" He asked. "It might not be much, but it would be be better than your current position." He then stated.
 
Mara looked over at Deadman for a moment, her thoughts a bit clouded as she blinked her blue eyes several times over. His words had startled her to be sure, had taken her off guard. She honestly hadn’t expected him to offer her such a thing. It was a kind gesture to be certain and a welcomed one at that but she just hadn’t been ready for it. As a result, her adrenaline immediately surged causing her body to go through a bout of nervousness before she was able to settle herself down a bit and try and think more clearly.

Yes, Deadman’s offer had struck something deep within Mara. It was something she couldn’t quite explain, but she knew something about the way he’d offered touched her somehow. As she looked at him, she had to admit that he truly did seem more human than machine, a true masterpiece. If her grandfather had still been alive, he’d be proud of the results. Or at least, she liked to think so. Having never known the man, she could only guess. But the idea that he would, seemed right to her for some reason.

As Mara felt her cheeks grow hot again, she averted her eyes and looked at the floor. Her thoughts were still reeling, going over everything that had happened from the moment she’d awakened Deadman to the present. From what she could tell from her short time thus far with the man, he seemed an honorable man not to mention a skillful soldier to have out on the field. Honestly, she was glad he’d been with her from the start. She was no fool. Had she been alone the outcome wouldn’t be what it was. She’d have been outnumbered all to quickly and… Just then she shivered and instinctually wrapped her arms about her body.

Mara cleared her throat just then and shifted her body a bit. Looking back into Deadman’s eyes, she tilted her head a little. “Thank you,” she softly, her lips smiling ever so slightly. “Please, just call me Mara.”

At that, Mara moved so that she was sitting on Deadman’s lap. For someone who was cybernetic, she still couldn’t get over how warm his body actually was. Nestling close, she leaned her head against him and allowed her body to relax, to let go of all the tension from what had just transpired. She tried her best to clear her mind of everything, of what could’ve been, and waited for sleep to overtake her.
 
Deadman nodded once as he saw Mara adjust herself around so that she had now settled herself down in his lap. It was a bit different than what he had intended originally, but at least now she was in a much more comfortable position than she was in previously.

Once she was all settled in, Deadman couldn't help but notice once more that her body temperature was a little bit higher than normally, most of which resided in her face. But as before, the cyborg decided to not read into it much. After all, after what happened earlier, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised if she was still frazzled from nearly being shot at to holding onto his cybernetic frame for dear life while he was juking left and right to dodge incoming ballistics from all sides. But at least now, she had a chance to rest on him now, despite it was on a rather different surface.

A quick scan upon himself would also show that despite his weapon energy reserves were still in the process of doing some recharging on its own, it showed him that he was running currently at about 95% efficiency at the moment. Not too shabby, the cyborg figured, but he maybe after a little bit of rest on his own part, he should be right as rain. Still, he had to remain ever vigilant as he began to notice that Mara was eventually starting to drift off to sleep on his body. He didn't know how long it would be until they reached their destination now, but at least they had something to move around in a bit better than just trying to hustle through the snow covered grounds below.

Slowly, Deadman's arms lightly curled around Mara's frame and held her closely to him as she nestled her body close to his own, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on her side, leaving them there in a comforting manner.
 
It didn’t take long for Mara to find sleep. She was beyond exhausted and Deadman’s body, though mostly metal was strangely comfortable. And warm. As she drifted into a fitful slumber her last thoughts were that of relief. Relief that they’d made it onto the ship, that they were heading away from the combat zone they’d just been in. She just hoped they wouldn’t be followed. Or tracked somehow. Though with Deadman with her, she felt much more at ease about that. His scanners no doubt would pick up on such devices had the enemy managed to do something under their noses as they’d escaped.

Everything around Mara was dark and cold. Reaching out her hands, she tried to feel her way toward something. Anything. But as she reached out, she found nothing. For several minutes she lumbered forward, her hands desperately seeking to touch something, to make contact with anything that might be out there. Just when she was about to give up, her hands, which had started to go numb from cold found something.

Mara’s pale eyes went wide as she opened her palm and ran her hands along whatever it was they’d finally found. She wasn’t sure what it was she was feeling, but it was hard and warm. Slowly, she moved her hands along it, hoping that somehow she’d recognize whatever it was that was now blocking her way.

Scowling, Mara wished that she could see in the darkness that surrounded her. Though try as she might, it was impossible. Licking her lips, she continued to move her hands along the hard plane, not knowing what else to do. As she tried to feel what it was that was now in her way, her mind began to drift. She was lucky to be alive, to have a heart beat, to take in lungfuls of air. Then why was she alone?

Just then, Mara felt a wave of panic wash over her. Her body began to tremble and her knees started to buckle. Bracing herself for the fall, her body jerked…

Mara’s eyes snapped open as her body shook slightly from her dream, waking her up with an all too sudden start. A bit dizzy and light headed from the sudden jolt, she tried to make her eyes go into focus. As they did, the first thing she saw was Deadman. The look on his face wasn’t entirely readable, then again, why would she expect any differently?

“We’ll be landing soon!” the pilot shouted back at them.

Blinking, her eyes still focused on Deadman for the moment, Mara shouted back to the pilot. “All right! Thanks!” Looking away just then, she ran a hand through her dark hair. “How long did I sleep? I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable.”
 
During the time that he saw Mara sleep, Deadman continued to keep his eyes peeled for anything around them that might seem off or anything that seemed out of place as he continued to hold her form close to his own. It wasn't much of a surprise to him however when he began to notice that when he glanced back down to Mara a short time later, he began to noticed that she was fidgeting around somewhat as she slept. Possibly something that registered to him as something called "dreaming". But what was dreaming to someone like him? For all he knew, sleep was pretty much the same thing to cyborgs when it came to recharging one's on power supply before getting back up a predetermined amount of time later and then going back out and doing whatever it was that humans needed to do. Or something in that capacity, anyway.

At one point, however, Deadman would eventually do likewise as he lowered his head down and operated his sleep mode function and within seconds of putting himself into said position, the crystal in his helmet would then begin to blink on and off on occasion with the word "sleep" in it. This would allow the cyborg's energy reserves to recharge a little more rapidly up until he would awaken some time later and be running at full capacity once more.

It would be a short while later when his ears would be graced by the sound of the pilot informing them that they were now arriving at their destination that Deadman would awaken from his sleep, both eyes popping open and then lifted his head upward to look around for a moment then glanced down to Mara when she asked him if he felt uncomfortable with her sleeping on him. Deadman simply shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment before he replied to her. "Not at all, Mara. I am fine." He answered with a nod of his head. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.
 
Mara let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as Deadman told her that she’d not bothered him in the slightest as she’d slept on his lap. For some reason that actually mattered quite greatly to her. Despite the fact that she didn’t really know him yet and that he was a cyborg and thus, according to most it seemed though she’d now have words with them for thinking as such, incapable of feeling anything as a human would, she found herself caring. Looking up into his eyes just then she gave him a warm smile.

“I did, thank you,” Mara answered. Her dream had been odd and she’d awakened so suddenly from it, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt much more refreshed after the small amount of rest she’d gotten. A part of her wanted to share the dream, but it had made no sense to her so how in the world could someone she barely know understand it either? She was pretty sure they wouldn’t. “Now to find out where in the hell we actually are.” Shifting her body in Deadman’s lap, she moved herself to stand up. “I doubt we’re at HQ. I’d been briefed that it’s located in a fairly remote place, hard to get to. And judging by this thing, I highly doubt it could make there. Still…” her voice trailed. “It’s good enough to do that job. But anyway, I guess the pilot can inform us of the details of our whereabouts.”

Mara had a gut feeling that they weren’t too far away from civilian territory. And more than likely somewhat near the river as well. Alex was dead, her ship gone. But, there was that sub the one guy had mentioned back when she and Deadman had been in the thick of a very one-sided war zone. She had a feeling that they were going to loan it out to her so that they could use it to head back to the EUS under the cover of the ocean waters. In all actuality, it was probably a better means of transportation in comparison to the ship she’d had originally. It had an autopilot feature, which made navigation easier. Plus, the sub could stay hidden better, travel in stealth mode and avoid radars and scanners. Yeah, it would be so much easier to stay off the map where the two of them would be the hottest targets if they traveled via that thing.

Standing up, Mara looked down at Deadman. “You might want to come with me so that you can get briefed as well. I want you knowing as much as you can since I very well might need you to save my ass again,” she chuckled, trying to make light of what was a pretty serious situation. It was a sad attempt at trying to make herself feel better and whether or not this man understood that, it at least helped to calm her nerves and fear a little.

At that, Mara turned and headed toward the cockpit. The moment she approached, the pilot glanced over his shoulder. “We’re a few miles out from the harbor,” he spoke. She knew it! “HQ grants permissions for you to use the sub. Just transmit a message to them once you’re on board as to what you’ll be doing and what path you intend to take to get back home,” he then added. “That right there should be enough until you get your asses state side.”

Mara just nodded. She hoped that she and Deadman could make it to the sub. She’d never been in one before. But, she supposed, there was a first time for everything. Hell, this whole night had been nothing but first anyway. ‘May as well add it to the list,’ she mused to herself before turning around once more.
 
Deadman nodded in agreement when he heard her mention to him that she had indeed slept well, but he wasn't exactly too convinced of the subject. Even when not running a scan on her, he could still tell that she was a little bit sleepy from the trip. Perhaps when the two were in the submarine that one man mentioned earlier, they'd in safer waters, so to speak. Soon enough though, Deadman watched as he saw Mara shift herself around and eventually got out of the cyborg's lap and into a standing posture before he did likewise, standing up slowly as well before looking about one more time as he stood there, pondering the same thing. Chances are, they weren't anywhere near their final destination just yet, but for all intents and purposes, they were getting there little at a time.

When she mentioned that he had to go with her in order to receive his briefing as well, Deadman nodded once more before glancing over to Mara with the same look on his face, despite her attempt at humor didn't initially register with him at the moment. Perhaps at a later time he would be able to examine all of the emotions that humans went through and then make them his own. But from what he could gather from her already, he could tell that this woman was pretty much a bundle of frayed nerves for some apparent reason or another. Maybe at some point, she'd tell him all about it.

Glancing up to the pilot who spoke that their destination wasn't very far off now, Deadman would then look back to Mara again and then spoke. "I am to guess we'll receive our briefing once we arrive back in HQ?" The cyborg asked with a curious expression on his face.
 
Mara bit down on her lip as she looked into Deadman’s eyes. There were so many things she was hoping he’d recall if given the right trigger. At one time, he knew her grandfather, had an idea of her family’s history. She so very much wanted to know about such things, about her grandfather. Her father had shielded her from it all and in a way she regretted on his behalf. Though she loved her father, it was the one thing she’d never forgive him for doing. Her family was her world, so to deny any part of it just seemed wrong somehow. The way she saw it, you either tried to learn from your family’s mistakes or embraced your heritage full on. Besides, something in her gut told her that her family’s history wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but something in which they ought to be proud. She didn’t quite know why she felt this way, especially given her father’s intense desire to never speak of such things, but whenever her gut spoke as it was, she tended to listen. Sure, she could be impulsive, but her gut instincts were so rarely ever wrong.

As Mara stared into Deadman’s eyes, she knew they’d have to have seen much in their lifetime. She just hoped he could recall and share such things with her at some point. Despite that, however, she did have her mission to complete. She wondered what exactly her people were going to do once he arrived stateside and was brought before the leaders at their head quarters there. No doubt they didn’t want him falling into enemy hands. After seeing some of his maneuvers on the battlefield, she had an idea of what he was capable of doing. And something told her that she’d only seen a mere fraction at that.

“Well, I suppose we’ll learn more once there. Once stateside, I mean. That’s our final destination anyway. Going to our HQ here would be out of the way and a waste of our time and theirs.” Mara heaved a sigh and chuckled. Averting her eyes, she then mumbled, “Pity though. I wanted to knee that one guy in the balls.”

Just then, Mara felt her cheeks flush once again. ‘Damn it, Mara!’ She couldn’t believe those words just spilled out of her mouth the way they had. It was funny. But for some reason, she felt as though she could be herself around Deadman. And that meant not filtering the things that ran through her head. She’d learned to bite her tongue with her superiors in the resistance and even her friends and such before joining up. It was only a select few who were able to see her without that veil that slightly blurred her features and finer details.

“Sorry,” Mara then apologized. “I forgot to turn on my filter.” Looking back up into Deadman’s eyes, she gave him a warm smile. “Anyway, I can tell you a bit more about what’s going on once we board our sub. I’m not sure how much he knows.” At that moment, she gestured toward the pilot who was busy trying to land the ship. “So it’s best to keep things between us for now.”

Mara could feel the ship going into hover mode as the pilot began to ease it into a landing. She hoped that the trek to the harbor was an uneventful one. After everything that had just happened, she didn’t think she could take much more. At least not for a while and not until she was better prepared. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she felt as though she was out of her league with this mission. Despite that, she wouldn’t have given it up for the world. Deadman was just too important to her, the risks worth it all. Yeah. If given the choice to do it all over again, she’d do it in a heartbeat.
 
Deadman kept his eyes on Mara when she locked eyes with him, pondering once again as to what was on her mind at the given moment. Surely, he could tell there was still quite a bit on her mind as of recently despite they had just met not so long ago. But as to what depth she would have to go to in order to get the answers she so desperately sought from him, he wasn't exactly sure about. Not yet, anyway. Though to be perfectly honest, he wasn't quite sure if he had all the answers in the palm of his cybernetic hands, what with all the things he had yet to learn about this world he had now awakened in. Even if he did, there was a slight chance that he would be able to reveal it all to her now at this very moment.

As he continued to keep his eyes on hers, Deadman could tell that there was still that same hunger for more details concerning her grandfather, the man named "Dr. Zander Kalishinkov", whoever this man might be to her and what his role was in accordance to the very cyborg that stood there in front of her. Once again, if he did now more about this query that she had asked him previously, then he would've possibly told her more about it had he had more time to search through every last detail about the man, because at this very moment, he honestly had not much more to tell Mara about him.

When she spoke, Deadman gave Mara an understanding nod of his head, not really understanding what was the chuckle intended for, but had figured that it was possibly another attempt at something he could decipher as "humor", but for some reason, her facial structure at the time seemed as though she was somewhat saddened for some particular reason. Her mumbling however, once more got Deadman to nod in reaction before he brought both hands upward for a moment before culring the fingers of his right hand into a fist before swatting his left open hand with it. "I am in agreement with you there, Mara. Apparently, there is a time and a place for this thing you call, 'humor' and there is a time for getting us out of the hot zone we were knee-deep in. I will also see to it that you 'knee him in the balls' for his impudent behavior should we ever find him." Deadman answered, sounding 100% serious about it, despite he also wanted to admonish the same man from earlier.

Soon enough though, the cyborg once again saw Mara's blush once more, making him look at her rather curiously as his hands went down to his sides and narrow them at her with the same curious bent to them. He honestly had no idea what it was she had to be so embarrassed about, but something about her seemed rather odd. Then when she spoke of forgetting her filter, Deadman just stood there with a blink of his eyes as he looked at her with a look on his face that could register as confusion for perhaps the longest time. "F-Filter?" Deadman asked, not really understanding what she was getting at. Humans had a filter to begin with? And if so, what did it filter out? He wondered to himself as he then lifted one hand up to his chin and itched it with the same curious expression on his face before looking up at her once more when she continued to speak, nodding once more in reply.

Soon enough, he could feel the ship the two were on beginning to hover over somewhere, making Deadman glance up and around as his expression became hardened once again into a look that seemed as though he was prepared for anything that was to be thrown at them. "My assumption is that we should head for the next vehicle after we land. As far as I can tell, this isn't the sort of area we should be around long in." He answered as he looked towards the cargo hold's hatch.
 
Mara suddenly wondered just how red her cheeks could actually get. Given how hot they currently felt, she knew they had to look absolutely ridiculous. Like lusciously bright apples ready to be plucked off a tree during peak season in autumn. Of course Deadman didn’t get her meaning. Why would he? Oh she felt so stupid. She wanted to hide!

Just as Mara was about to explain what she’d meant, Deadma switched topics making her let out a tiny breath of relief. “My assumption is that we should head for the next vehicle after we land. As far as I can tell, this isn’t the sort of area we should be around long in,” he spoke, his tone logical. Matter of fact.

Happy about the topic change, though figuring they’d probably have to address such human nuances at some point, Mara gave Deadman a nod. She noticed him glance over at the hatch door on the other side of the cargo hold. The very door the two of them had entered through not all that long ago. She had to admit as her pale eyes followed his gaze and fixed themselves upon those doors that they were both damned lucky to be alive at that moment.

“I agree,” Mara began, trying to bring her mind to the present moment, focusing on their situation at hand. “My guess is that we’ll have to travel through civilian territory however. So we’ll have to be sure not to draw too much attention to ourselves.” Pausing just then, she bit down on her lip and frowned a little. “Not sure how we’ll pull that off though. You stand out for miles.”

Mara tapped a foot and brought a delicate hand up to her hair. Immediately, her fingers began to furiously twist and tug at her long locks of brown. It was a nervous habit of hers to play with her hair as she was. She couldn’t help it and half the time, she didn’t even realize what she was doing anyway. Finally, letting her hand drop to her side, it moved to find the handle of her gunblade. It was cool and smooth to the touch, a weapon she sometimes wondered if she truly was worthy enough to wield. James had always told her she was, that she just needed to realize her own potential buried deep down within herself. James. That man had always been full of insightful wit. She wondered what he’d think in her situation with Deadman. What he’d do if he’d been her at that very moment.

“Well, I suppose if we try to hide you, we’ll only make matters worse,” Mara finally said. “Perhaps people will be less likely to react if we just act casually and make our way through the area as if nothing was out of sorts.” At that point, she figured it was the best option. That what she’d decided was exactly what James would’ve done.

“We’re secure,” came the pilot’s voice. Mara could hear his loud and heavy footsteps as he made his way over to them. “We’re not far from the harbor. Maybe a mile. Maybe two to your sub. It shouldn’t take you long to get there.” The man stretched and cracked his knuckles. “Though you might want to try and get to the vehicle as soon as possible. No doubt the people after you are out searching. Best you two be on your way.”

Mara nodded at the pilot and smiled. “Thank you,” she then said as she moved to walk over to the man. Standing on her tiptoes she gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. “For everything. We owe you our lives.”

The pilot grinned sheepishly as his skin pinkened a little. “Well it’s not often I get a thank you accompanied by kiss from a pretty lady,” he said with a wink.

Mara immediately averted her eyes and moved closer to Deadman. She reached one of her hands out to him and let it rest against his arm. “We should go,” she whispered. “The sooner the better. To avoid danger.”
 
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