Crossing her arms as the Gentleman began speaking, Pixie gave Florian an assuring nod. She understood the two didn't get along and wanted him to feel comfortable, especially now. The Gentleman made a compelling point about Elizabeth, and if he was willing to spare the resources she'd let him send his people to watch over the young noble.
As the Gentleman stepped closer, Pixie stiffened up. Though her face was still flushed, she held herself in a far more business-like manner now. She knew then Gentleman could see through any ruse, but it was important he know that she was making an effort to pull herself together. She needed him to understand that she wouldn't let all this defeat her. Not now.
"... The details are... not exactly pretty, but this all hinges on how badly you want to see that man's head on a spike."
Pixie nodded solemnly, "I'd like ta' here this proposal as soon as---"
"Meredith! Who on The Rock is 'Chromey'?"
"Finally!" Pixie shouted as she slipped by the Gentleman and sprinted down the hall. "Thank you." She whispered to Amy as she slid the chair out, plopped down in it and clutched the mic. Carlos cocked an eye brow at the Gentleman and gestured towards the door.
"Cranston! Cranston, is'at you?! Thank fuckn' Christ, it's good ta' hear ya'!" Pixie laughed.
"-----zzzttttt----Pixie, I just got a Code: Black, what the hell are you laughing for?! Over!---zzzztttt----"
Planting her elbow on the table, Pixie cradled her forehead with the tips of her fingers, "Sorry, I just... it's been a day."
There was a short period of silence on the other end before Cranston replied, "---zzzttt---I hear ya'. What happened?---zzzzttt----"
Pixie proceeded to give Cranston a quick and dirty version of Florian's tale as well as the results of the heist and their subsequent run-in with Carlos. With the whole situation laid out before him, albeit with a few omitted details, Pixie asked the question they'd both been waiting to arrive at, "So, is it safe ta' initiate the Gjallarhorn Protocol?"
"---zzztttt----No, the rendezvous has been compromised. I've received word that one of our contacts was tortured to death in Geno Dome and spilled the beans yesterday. Unless you know of a safe alternative, it is simply too risky to meet up there.---zzzttt----"
"Fuck," Pixie cursed under her breath. Turning around in her chair, she glanced around the room and took in the inquisitive stares she was receiving. She sighed. "'Reckon there ain't no point'n keep'n it secret from y'all. Gjallarhorn Protocol is 'ar 'nuclear meltdown' solution. In the event the Maiden gets destroyed 'er taken we're ta' call on all Maidens to gather together. Consolidate ar' forces an' whatnot. Don' do much good if we don' have a safe place ta' lie low'n lick 'ar wounds."
Carlos looked around the room for a moment and then stepped forward, "I know a place."
"Yer manor in Bengali? Fuck no, Carlos, we'll stick out like'a sore thumb!"
"No, I have another place. I've made a lot of enemies in my line of work, as all of you know. As insurance, I had an underground bunker constructed out in the middle of the ashlands where no one could ever find me. It's safe, I promise." Carlos sighed heavily after making his bid. He knew it was asking a lot for them to trust him and was hoping their shared history would give him the credibility he needed.
Pixie stared at him for a moment, holding the mic under her chin. She grunted and leaned forward in her seat, "Ya' get all that, Cranston?"
"----zzztttt----Yeah. Can we trust him?----zzztttt-----"
Pixie stared into Carlos' eyes in silence as if trying to look into his soul. Carlos was a thief, a con-man. If he wanted you to think he was trustworthy he'd sure as hell do it. That in-of-itself made him dangerous, however, no one else knew him quite like Pixie did. Or rather, no one else had sway over his soul like she did. After a time, Carlos gave her a nod, "Yes... Yes, we can trust 'im."
"--------zzzzttt----Okay, I'll send the protocol out tonight along with the coordinates of the new rendezvous. Hopefully word will have reached everyone within the week. Anyway, Pixie... there's something else we have to discuss.----zzztttt------"
His tone suggested it was dire, but after everything that had happened today Pixie figured she could take anything Cranston could dish out. Grinning, Pixie sighed, "After all this there's still bad news, Chromey? Lemme guess, ya' got ass cancer?"
Cranston didn't laugh, "----zzztttt-----It's your son, Meredith. He's been shot.-----zzzzttt-----"
Pixie's sarcastic joy vanished in the blink of an eye. Turning around in her seat, she planted a hand firmly on the desk and stood up, leaning over the radio, "C-Cranston..."
"---zzzttt----He's okay, Meredith. I would have brought it up sooner if it were more serious. He's still out, but he'll make a full recovery.----zzzztttt----"
Pixie let out a drawn out sigh of relief. Though they couldn't see her face, everyone in the room knew she was still gripped by fear. Such was the fate of mothers, "An' Lilith?" She muttered.
"-----zzztttt----She's right here. Do you want to talk to her?-------zzzzttttt------"
Pixie nodded her head frantically despite Cranston not being able to see her, "Y-yes." She whispered.
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Lilith listened intently as Cranston and Pixie discussed their next move. Would her and Sprout be included? She'd have to find out later.
Lilith gulped as Cranston passed her the radio, what would she say? What could she say? Scratching the back of her head, she began to speak, her voice cracking. "Hi Merry, I errr..." She paused slightly, letting loose a nervous laugh. "My scarf got wrecked again."
Pixie replied with her own worried laughter, "-----zzzzttt-----It's okay, sweetheart, I'm sure Sprout'll buy ya' a new one," After a brief pause, she added. "How 'is he?-----zzzzttt-----"
Lilith thought for a second, apologies weren't going to mean anything, Meredith knew she was sorry. "He took a bullet for me, Meredith, your boy took a bullet for me." Her voice wavered slightly as she managed to hold her emotions in check.
There was a long pause on the other end before Pixie replied. Her voice sunk into her throat as she spoke, "-----zzzzttt-----That's m-my boy." Another pause, followed by a sharp inhaling noise. "Lily, t-tell me how it happened, p-please. Tell me everythin'.----zzzztttt-----"
Lilith recalled the entire morning's events, the ambush, the shootout, Sprout's wounding, her knife fight with the hunters, the female doctor, everything.
"Meredith, there's also something else I think you need to know." She bit her bottom lip. "I think Axel killed two men, pretty sure of it, by the looks of it, they were going to flank me and the dwarf. He saved me twice today, and I couldn't even kill the guy who shot him."
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************
Axel...
Pixie slumped back down into the seat and bowed her head. It wasn't suppose to happen like this. She'd sent them away to protect them from the horrors that came with the life she'd adopted. Men hunted her children. Men hurt her children, and for what?! To get to her?! It wasn't fair. They hadn't done anything wrong. This wasn't their fight.
Sprout. She'd prayed he would never have to take a life. Failing that, she had at least hoped to be there for him when the time came. But no, instead he was alone. No one was there to tell him what he'd done was the right thing. He'd had to stomach all his doubts and fears right there on the spot. And now what?! He'd wake from a near fatal wound and immediately recall the event. Sprout was too fragile for that. His heart was too... kind. He couldn't carry such a burden on his own. It would unmake him.
And Lilith. She could hear it in her voice. The fear. The anxiety. The shame. It was something she was all too familiar with. Though she'd been vague on the details, Pixie knew. Pixie understood what she'd done. No, she couldn't let it stand. She couldn't allow Lilith to walk that path.
Pixie's sobs could be heard over the radio before her weak voice eventually came through, "L-Lilith, listen to me, please. I kn-know it was hard... I know how difficult it was. The loneliness. The f-fear... but please, Lilith. Please God, Lilith... turn b-back. I---" Her words got caught in a knot in her throat before she began sobbing over the radio once more.
Carlos looked to the Gentleman, "Come on, we don't need to be here for this."
******************************************************************************************************************************************************
Lilith clenched her jaw as Meredith spilled her guts. For some inexplainable reason, hearing her cry put her own emotions on the backburner. "I didn't kill him Merry, but I hurt him, I hurt him bad. Took the fucker's eye." She clenched a hand into a fist just thinking about it.
After a time the sobbing faded, though Pixie's voice still sounded strained, "----zzzztttt---Lily, listen to me. What about the others, Lily? The other men with 'im? Did you revel in their deaths? Did Gorgon not survive due ta' yer prolongin' 'is sufferin'?! Tell me the truth, Lily!---zzzzttttt---"
Lilith knew where this conversation was heading, "I thought he was dead Merry, I thought he was gone." Her voice remained calm, "But it's okay now, Axel is going to be fine, everything will be fine." She paused for a moment. "They deserved it."
"----zzztttt----Oh God, Lilith," Pixie muttered. "Why did I send y'all away? Wh-why... how could I have been so stupid?!-------zzzttt-----" From then on it was nothing but muffled sobs coming in through the radio.
Cranston furrowed his brow and placed a hand on Lilith's shoulder, "Hey, I think it's time we let her get some rest, okay? She hasn't gotten a wink of sleep in nearly two days."
Lilith nodded her head, "Merry, Merry I've got to go now, you get some sleep, I'll take care of Axel, which I'm sure doesn't mean a lot at the moment, but I'll try anyway." She bit her bottom lip. "I love you Merry, see you soon." She handed the radio back over to Cranston, before burying her head in her hands in exasperation. Christ, why did she say all that shit? She just made things worse.
"This is why I never talk over the radio." She muttered, taking a long drag of her cigarette.
Cranston glanced at her over his shoulder before speaking into the mic, "Hey Pixie, I'll keep them both close from hear on out. Talk to you in the morning, okay?"
There was a long silence before her voice came though once more, "---zzzttt----O-okay... Pixie out.----zzzzttttt-----"
Sighing, Cranston dropped the mic onto the table carelessly before heading for the door. Pausing in the doorway, he said to Lilith, "Check on the kid. I won't be gone long."
***************************************************************************************************************************************************
Upon ending the call, Pixie collapsed on the table, burying her face in her arms. She'd gone through countless ups and downs in the past week, but not even the loss of her Maiden had distressed her to this degree. She wasn't angry, or frustrated... no, this was despair, plain and simple.
She was losing Lilith to a fate worse than death.
