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Phenix raised an eyebrow at the compartment, then clipped up his own paper target and sent it to the back of the range. Before drawing his own weapon, he put on a pair of safety glasses, slightly tinted.

"Don't look directly at the muzzle if you're going to watch," he said, opening his own briefcase and drawing the purple veined weapon. Running a few checks over it, Phenix turned off the safety and put a round in the chamber after inserting a clip. Leveling the handgun, he fired three times. One shot his the heat of the target, the second hit the chest, and the third hit the belly. Drawing the target back, Phenix disarmed and showed the damage: Three bullet holes, though the paper was smoldering around the holes. Dark spots about an inch and a half in diameter surrounded the bullets holes. Even though they didn't spread, the char seemed to be intensifying, slowly crumbling away after a few moments.

"Very impressive" Jaxon praises. "That will be quite useful if it comes down to a fight." He shivers at the thought of being shot by something like that. "I don't think you ever explained how you came across a weapon like that. Did you make it yourself?" Jaxon's words are nearly drown out by Asher, who had paid to borrow a pistol and was busy firing it at the target. All of the shots land outside the bullseye, none are even close to landing. It was obvious that his skills were all about combat.

"The little cube you saw me drop in, that's my work. This is just a handgun that's been mauled by the nanites. Little lines around the inside of the barrel accelerate the bullet absurdly, but they generate a lot of heat. So, via a logic keep, they heat up the bullet even more and project the heat as a sort of shield around it." He removed the clip from his gun, slid three bullets in to refill it, then stashed it away in his briefcase again. "Care to test anything else?"

"Remind me to never turn against you- you would definitely be a deadly opponent if you are able to craft a weapon like that." Jaxon doesn't respond to Phenix's last question, instead he turns around to glance at Asher, who was struggling to fire at bullseye on the target. After a moment, he gives up, he tosses the protective ear wear aside with a defeated groan.
"I think we're ready" Jaxon responds. Like Phenix, he reloads his clip before putting it back inside the briefcase. "Let's go get our family back" he adds confidently.

Phenix chuckled, then closed his briefcase and started towards the stairs that lead to the upper half of the range. "Agreed, we'll be there by.." He checked his watch once more. "Only an hour or so. There's plenty of time to figure out every little part of our plan. I have Derek Vlaanheren meeting us at the station." He lead the way out and to the car, nodding to the keeper of the range as they left. Sitting down in the vehicle, Phenix spoke once more. "To the station."

"How does one obtain so many connections?" Jaxon questions as he and Asher enter the vehicle. Sure, under normal circumstances, a victor could easily create many connections with powerful people. But Phenix and Maci's victor status wasn't ordinary. That was clear. Who would dare create a connection with somebody like them?

Still, whatever the answer. Jaxon could tell that he would like these type of people. The one who used their social status and money for good. People who wouldn't hesitate to take an opportunity to go against the Capitol. The Capitol could no loner get away with their evil schemes. Jaxon could no longer stand for it. It was a shame that it took threatening Maci's and Phenix's kid's lives for him to realize this.

Listening to the woman half heartedly, Lauriam broke off as soon as he could. It was easy to identify what he was good at, steering clear of the survival stations. Living in the woods was almost a cake walk in comparison to living in the streets. With multitudes of man made diseases crawling over the dingy alleys and infesting the very waters with very little resources to use, living in the forest was almost a luxury. Finding poisonous plants was also laughably easy. He would be a sham of a flower enthusiast if he didn't know what was safe and what wasn't, having used the poisonous variety to take down those that got in his way more than once. Instead Lauriam focused on the weapons. Scythes seemed like the ideal weapon but they were too clunky and close ranged for his tastes. Long ranged weapons seemed like the best idea with him naturally gravitating to bows. But those were tricky as they required arrows to fire and years of training that Lauriam didn't have. But one thing that he definitely did have was upper arm strength from carrying around potted plants so when his glaze flickered over to the whip he immediately went over to it. The ones on display were wicked things, metal tied into the cord at different intervals and obviously made for flogging instead of the kinky ones sold at the red light district with smooth leather and flat edges. It was a weapon. Plain and simple. It certainly wouldn't kill with one hit and it was more of a torture device than an actual murder instrument but Lauriam found it to his tastes. As long as he could defend himself while keeping his distance, he would be satisfied with it.

Picking one up, Lauriam experimentally cracked it against the floor and sparks flew for a second as the smooth floor came away scratched up, deep uneven grooves dug into the metal. Letting out a low whistle, he turned to the trainer present with a feral grin. This might be a bit fun actually

---

"How? Well, it takes a bit of digging, but you find the few that really share interests. Derek is a cybernetics expert, and a gun enthusiast as well. He also has a history of attacking and defying the Capitol. He tried to order a bomb scheme a few years ago on November Fourth. Apparently there's an old holiday then for a country called Britain. Bonfire Day, or Guy Fawkes Day. This Fawkes tried to blow up his own leading government, Parliament. Derek seemed to find this attractive, and made himself a whole suit of light armor to go with a mask of his. A few days before he was scheduled to make the hit, he was arrested for a while." Phenix sighed, grinning at the idea for some reason. "He's a bit soft, despite his aggressive appearance and composure."

Hearing Lauriam's low whistle, Harmony looked over at him in confusion before looking at the whip in his hand then at the messed up floor. Putting all the pieces together she mentally noted to keep a reasonable distance.

---

"I'm beginning to like him already" Jaxon replies with a smirk. "So how does he fit into our plan? Will he be with us at the Capitol?" Four people, even three could look pretty threatening. If Derek was going to join them, then the smart thing to do would be to let Derek and Asher stay behind when they talk to members of the Capitol. Jaxon decides not to voice his thoughts quite yet, not until he figures out where Derek fits in all of this.

"Derek's going to join us in the initial charge. If we get forced back and denied our families, he'll be in charge of denying the Capitol any monitoring systems. He'll take care of the cameras around the mansion and disable any defense features that might get in the way. If he encounters trouble and needs us to do something, he can contact me. Speaking of which..." Phenix looked down for a moment, his gaze going slightly hazy, then looked back up. "He's already at the station, and expecting us."

Jaxon nods his head as he listens to Derek. This definitely changed things and gave them the upper hand. Jaxon was starting to feel more and more confident about them succeeding in this plan. But he wasn't willing to expect a win quite yet. One should never underestimate their opponent.

After a few more minutes of driving, the car stopped by the station. Nodding his thanks to his driver, Phenix got out and opened the doors for Jaxon and Asher to step out as well. The first thing they might have noticed was that there was very little flow of civilians. Another thing they might have noticed was an enormous man who had just pointed at them and beckoned them over. So Asher and Jaxon, Phenix said, "You'll have to forgive Derek, he's a bit superstitious. We'll be meeting inside." Phenix nodded to one of the train cars at the station, which had two more men in dark suits standing by the door.

Both Asher and Jaxon exchange worried looks. Even though Derek was on their side, they couldn't help but feel intimated by the situation. Just how powerful is this guy? They both seem to wonder as they follow Phenix onto the train and look around for Derek.

As they enter the train car, Phenix gestures to a seat and sits. Across from them, a man sat in a navy suit and black tie. He smiled, nodding to Phenix, then looked at Jaxon and Asher. "Gentlemen." His voice was odd, as if created by a fake vocal chord. The train car was a little dark, but as their eyes adjusted, Jaxon and Asher could see that his skin was grey and sickly, as if he'd been killed and brought back from the grave. Several metallic lines crawled from the edges of his mouth to his eyes, both of which seemed off. His eyes were a shocking amber, and his mouth seemed to bear no teeth. As he extended a hand for Asher and Jaxon to shake, they could see yet another error in him: His hand was made entirely of machinery, the metal pieces tugging and pushing, allowing his movement. Yet another thing, a handgun was at his side on the seat, the clip in his second hand. His eyes kept glancing at the door, as if he were expecting somebody to burst through at any moment.

It was most certainly a shocking sight to see. Even with Phenix's warning, nothing could've possibly prepared the two for what they were about to see. Derek looked more robotic than human, it was quite unnerving. Still, who were they to judge? They both respectfully nod back at him and shake his hand. Asher stays quiet, allowing Jaxon to speak.
"Are you expecting trouble?" Jaxon asks. "You seem a bit distracted."

"Just the usual," he said at first. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Peacekeepers can't be trusted. Anyways, I take it you're ready to go?" He looked expectantly at all three of them, as if daring one of them to say no. Again, he glanced at the doorway.

It wasn't even a question. Both boys nod.
A flicker of excitement flashes in Asher's dark eyes. This is was he has been waiting for, a moment just like this. Sure, a part of him wanted to save Maci. She was his only family afterall. But a much darker part of him was rising up to the surface. All he wanted was revenge. This was his chance to get it
Jaxon on the other hand, had much more pure intentions. All he wanted to do was save Maci and help Phenix get his kids back. He was willing to do anything, even if it meant tearing through the Capitol and fighting every last soul to get to them. "We're ready" Jaxon confirms

"Good, good." Standing up, Derek stepped over to the door and poked his head out, speaking to one of the guards by it. After a few moments, the men nodded and beckoned to the third guard. They started to close up the train, a shorter and sleeker one, and soon clambered aboard just a single car back. The word seemed to pass quickly up the train, and soon it shuddered to a rolling start. As the train started to pick up speed, Derek sighed. "We'll be there shortly." At this, Phenix spoke once more.
"Thank you for agreeing to this, Derek. It means a great deal." Derek waved off the words and sat back down.

"I appreciate your help. Although I have to admit, I hope that it won't come down to it. I think we can all agree that our goal is to keep this as peaceful as possible." Jaxon adds in agreement.
(Oof kinda short)