howlingplayground | Platonic Soulmates

For months, Rachel Silva has been running. HexaDyne is one of the largest corporations in the country, and they have all the resources of the U.S. government, if not more. Ever since discovering the truth about herself and ever since she threw her bastard father into the kitchen cabinets without bothering to check if he was alive afterwards, the teen had been on the move. She'd slept rough, she'd slept in shelters, but she never stayed anywhere for more than a few days at a time. HexaDyne wouldn't let their super-soldier 'proof of concept' go so easily, and she knows if she's caught, she'll be locked up and experimented on.

She's lurking under a bridge, dressed as shabbily as she needs to be, with a backpack that's seen better days. Her blue undercut is likely to attract attention, or it would if she wasn't wearing a beanie. One stubborn lock keeps falling out, and she's smoking a cigarette.

She was smoking a lot more since she'd run away. What had first been an act of teenage rebellion had become a way to calm her frenzied nerves.

Rachel isn't the only one running. Kevin, having ruined Laurie's arm, having killed his father, having lost his temper and almost touched Megan... Kevin Ford is also on the run. He stands in the soup line, keeping his mouth shut. His lank hair falls in his face, and he silently accepts the sandwich and cup of soup that he's given, going and sitting away from the others gathered around the van that is offering food.

He puts the sandwich to the side. They're a pain in the ass to eat, when his lips touch them and they dissolve a little. He's really tired of eating ashes.

But he spies the girl smoking the cigarette, and walks over, offering her the sandwich. "Ya gotta eat." He says. "Smokin' ain't a substitute for food." They've been running together for a few months now, respectful of the silence and the quirks. Hell, he doesn't even mind her smoking, though he still gives her shit about it. She doesn't know what he can do, and he doesn't know her deal. It doesn't matter. They're pals, soul-mates, thanks to some weird quirk of fucking fate. But he ain't interested in anything more than friends, and neither is she. It makes his stomach twist, when thinking about that makes him think of Laurie, but he swallows it down with a sip of soup.

"Come on. We're drawin' attention." He can feel the looks they're getting from the do-gooders. Last thing he needs is someone to tell them they can "help". Last help he'd got? Well, they'd run him out. They are the reason he's on the street, instead of jail. Which, thanks?

"A couple more good pockets, and we'll have enough for a couple of bus tickets. Which way you wanna go?"

"Yeah, but food doesn't calm my nerves," Rachel says with a smile, and accepts the sandwich. Cold Kraft singles on white bread - very Fyre Festival. Still, food is food, and at least she doesn't hate the pseudo-cheese.

"I got a decent one," she says, and taps her pocket. "Guy in a suit. He'll probably freak out when he gets to work, but not my problem." She stooped down to stub out the cigarette, dragging it across the concrete before putting the butt in her pocket. Cigarette butts could be checked for DNA, after all, and she didn't want to make it any easier for the Hexies to find her.

She considers the question as she takes a bite of the sandwich. "West, maybe. I've never been to California. May as well check it off the bucket list, yeah?"

He snorts, sipping the soup. Plain tomato. Gross, but it's warm, and it'll hold him over some. "Good." She got a good pocket, and he's got some left over from a couple days ago.

"California ain't all that." He grumbles, finishing his soup and tossing the cup. "What about southwest?" He asks as they walk. Might as well head toward the border. "Never been to the Grand Canyon."

Sure, he's a little more traveled thanks to those that had gotten him out of Georgia, but he's not going to run the risk of them finding him again.

"Sure, that sounds cool. Always wanted to go and see cougars and junk." Do cougars live in the Grand Canyon? She doesn't really care. She just wants to move.

She takes another bite of her sandwich. Running would get tiring someday, but for now she was still happy to live off of adrenaline and the kindness of strangers. Maybe 'happy' wasn't the right word. Maybe 'content' wasn't even it. But it was what it was, and she'd live with her choices, and her mistakes, until she was either caught or escaped for good.

Kevin snorts and starts heading for Grand Central. Not where he wants to go, but it's the best place to catch a bus. "Think we're more like to see snakes." Kevin comments, as they start to blend in with the crowds. He tosses the empty cup into a trash bin. He hates tomato soup, but literal beggars can't be choosers right now.

He manages to pick a couple pockets on the way to the bus station. That'll give them some extra cash. Not like they haven't gone hungry for a while. They'll live on the road, and then some.

"Your turn to buy the tickets." He hands over his share of the cash, and hangs back. He doesn't want to go into the bus station where there's sure to be cameras and shit that are monitored by Sage. No doubt they've found him on the street cameras, but this is an enclosed area and he doesn't want to start a fight there.

Rachel nods, takes the ticket money, and hustles to the station. She's an old pro at this by now, acting just normal enough to make herself not memorable, looking the clerk in the eye and smiling as she purchases the tickets. It's not unusual for someone to buy tickets with cash, even these days, so at least that part goes easily.

She tips her sunglasses back down over her eyes and scans the area, looking for trouble, both her own and whatever Kevin's might be.

There's no trouble, per se. There are people who seem to be looking around, like tourists. There's a man headed toward the ticket counter with red sunglasses, a Chinese young woman in a yellow coat chattering away at him. He steps past Rachel, with a soft 'excuse me' and steps up to the ticket counter, asking about prices.

It's a busy day in Grand Central, but when isn't it? It's called 'Grand Central' for a reason. Kevin's hanging out near the door when he turns and thinks he sees someone he recognizes. He's paranoid for a reason, and that paranoia pays off, when he spies the yellow coat.

"RUN!" He yells, and then all hell breaks loose. A statuesque black woman breaks away from the crowd and races toward Kevin. The man in red sunglasses lunges for Rachel and fireworks explode into the air. Then, people with earwigs in start running toward her and toward Kevin. Kevin flattens one with a garbage can upside the head. When Rachel gets to him at the door, he grabs her hand and runs. Suddenly there are black SUVs everywhere and men and women in uniforms. Kevin dodges around a group, suddenly stopping and dropping allowing an electrified net to go sailing over their heads.

The insignia on the door of the SUVs is well known: SHIELD. The individuals with powers? Why those would be the X-Men, trying to get back one of their students.

Edited 2021-04-23 15:10 (UTC)

Platonic Soulmates

it's Rachel!

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