Planet - Newhall - Dr. Evan Nakamora's Ranch

[Hollywood Heidi]

Dr. Evan Nakamora's Ranch

Located on the planet Newhall, the retired Blue Sun doctor spends most of his time on his ranch, his old employers and the Alliance keeping a distant eye on him via one satellite in orbit.

[DarkSideCookie]

The soothing sound of a crackling fire in the chimney, along with a monotonous noise of typing on a keyboard, was all that gave away somebody was at home. A figure, clothed in a white lab coat, was sitting in front of a computer that seemed to be the only left tech instrument on the ranch, a place surely any retired person dreamed of.

With his back turned towards the door and his arms hidden behind the rest of his upper body, one might be getting the idea that the doctor had grown stiff while, actually, he was moving only his fingers, yet with remarkable touch typing system, as they flew over the keys. "Mh," left him, eventually, a thoughtful but thoroughly positive utterance. The fingers stopped in the middle of their task, yet only to resume even more quickly right after.

A cat's meowing suddenly mixed up with the noises of the subtle fire crackling, knocking the doctor out of his stride for another moment. The cat slowly rose from its position at the chimney and, although old and, nowadays, practically anosmic, grew with a feeling of something not being right. With tottering steps, the doctor's loyal friend neared the work desk to claim its proper amount of attention. Once having reached the top with one rather clumsy jump, the cat startled all of a sudden.

"Oh, hello, little friend," the doctor greeted the pet with a whimsically smirk, slightly facing away from the computer for the first time since the cat had returned from its expedition outside. This was not the doctor! Not its doctor. "Shhh...," the stranger, wearing an odd pair of big black glasses around his forehead, uttered in a whispered tone and with one finger raised to his thin lipline. The cat grew with confusion and finally with panic, especially when that man, sitting in its human's chair, started to reach out to its head with one of his hands. With a hissing sound, the frightened animal flinched before jumping off the desk and disappearing to another corner of the room.

The doctor, who apparently was not the doctor, turned his head back around towards the computer. He had almost forgotten the time whilst updating his knowledge about the subject of interest. Well, very soon, he would gain more information first-hand anyway. The smirk around his lips widened, growing more mischievous. It was not too long ago that he had heard from his wolf in sheep's clothing, but he should send out another message to make sure to not run out of time.

Pulling up his sleeve, Zane activated the communicating device around his wrist by identifying himself with one fingerprint of his other hand.

"Dr. Zed: Mission report." he typed a message towards Dex Wilder in his usual way of a crisp exchange of information, actually quite the contrary of how he would do it in a personal meeting. Oh, how he was looking forward to that. Meeting Dex Wilder in person - the very man he had been studying for more than ten years now, yet still knew practically nothing about. Not the things, at least, he was interested to learn.

Patiently, Zane leaned back in his chair, giving himself a pause while he waited for a response.

[Ariel]

(Dex via text message to Zane from *Serenity - Cargo Bay*)

"Dex: On board Serenity. Target Wendy Carter acquired. Monitoring from afar and gaining valuable intel. Will report with more information once available."

[DarkSideCookie]

"Oh, look! New.. incoming.. message," Zane spoke up in a computer-voice-like-way once he saw that little push notification popping up on the communicator around his wrist, and also as if there would be somebody to hear him. There wasn't. Not in the immediate vicinity, at least. He smirked devilishly. "So, let's see..."

"Dex: On board Serenity. Target Wendy Carter acquired. Monitoring from afar and gaining valuable intel. Will report with more information once available."

The smirk around his face grew wider until it equaled a mad grimace more than a face. There were particularly two words in that text that left Zane satisfied and full of confidence about everything going according to plan. "Hmmm..," he thought noisily before letting his fingers fly over the little touchpad, deciding for a less boring answer this time. Dex could have been a little bit more creative as well. Smileys maybe. Those made a text look a lot friendlier. After all, they were hitting the home stretch. Reason to be happy, wasn't it?

"Dr. Zed: Awesome. :-)))) Replacement seated. More frequent reporting requested," he typed, then hit send.

Very well seated, Zane added in mind as he leaned back in that comfortable chair the doctor had so nicely positioned here at his new workplace. How very attentive. Now he just had to wait for the rabbits to enter the fox's den. Maybe he should give himself a tour around for so long. How often would he find himself on a range, after all?


***

[Ariel]

(Dex via text message to Zane from *Serenity - Cargo Bay*)

"Dex: Roger that. Over."

***

[Ariel]

*** Dex and Wendy enter from the Mission Shuttle ***

"I don't see how there's anything left to say at this juncture,"

Wendy's words rang through Dex's ears repeatedly as he tried to chase her down. Her pace had quickened ever since he had followed her off of the shuttle. He wasn't sure if Mal had been following behind him or not, nor did he care. The only thing he cared about in this moment was how frustrated Wendy was making him feel. Especially with what she had pulled back in the shuttle with the revelation of her little, secret plan that could very well be the end of her. Dex didn't want to live in a galaxy where Wendy Carter ceased to exist. He just couldn't bear the thought without feeling a sense of crushing pain overcome his chest.

"So you don't think there's anything left to say, huh?" Dex huffed slightly in his agitated state, catching his breath as he finally managed to match side by side with Wendy who had been refusing to talk to him, "You reckoned you were just gonna keep me in the dark about your little plan? Without a word? Without a goodbye?!" Dex's voice shook with emotion as he grew confrontational, a side he hadn't shown as his true self in a very long time, "Why, Wendy, just tell me why you are doing this? Speak to me, please!" Dex pleaded with the woman he loved, that also confused the crap out of him. She made him feel all sorts of things, genuine feelings that were truly Dex and not this Wilder persona he had been putting on for so long. He didn't want to lose that - he didn't want to lose her. And yet, she was slipping through his fingers faster than quicksand.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"So you don't think there's anything left to say, huh?"

"Nope," she tossed out lightly, maintaining her stride.


"You reckoned you were just gonna keep me in the dark about your little plan?

"Yup," she tossed out just as lightly, still without faltering her steps. He was making this even harder than it already was and she could feel herself starting to become agitated at him for it.


Without a word? Without a goodbye?!"

The guilt that struck her for the hurt she heard in his voice finally slowed her to a stop. She kept her eyes on the horizon before her, unable to turn to look him in the eye quite yet.


"Why, Wendy, just tell me why you are doing this? Speak to me, please!"

Mal hadn't joined them yet. Either he still had a few words for River, or he was letting her and Dex work out whatever this was. Or he was simply just avoiding being around it. Not having that simple out only added to her agitation. Her hands fisted at her sides. "Because it is the right thing to do," she grounded out. "We had our goodbye; in the cargo bay. A rather nice one, I thought." She suddenly recalled that at the point, she'd been the only one to known her plan to leave, so she'd been the only able to see it as a goodbye. Taking on the additional guilt of that realization, she finally turned to round on him and shoot some of the guilt back his way. "Why are you insisting on making this harder than it already is?" she asked, exasperation clearly in her tone.

[Ariel]

"Because it is the right thing to do," "We had our goodbye; in the cargo bay. A rather nice one, I thought." "Why are you insisting on making this harder than it already is?"

Wendy had slowed to a stop, showing outwardly that she was equally as frustrated with Dex as he was with her. Perhaps even more, given the circumstances. She was right, they had already said their goodbyes and that should have been it. But that was before reality had hit him. Wendy Carter surely did a number on his heart, but he wasn't sorry. Not one bit. He felt slightly offended when she turned the situation back into his corner. She didn't get it, she couldn't see what he saw. What he felt. Or so he thought. And then, Dex met his boiling point before the kettle finally poured over.

"Don't you get it?!" Dex's voice grew louder in his agitation, allowing himself to pour all of what he felt into Wendy for the very first time, "Wendy - I would rather die a thousand deaths to the sun than to let you go through all of this alone. I tried and tried, so damn hard to not care, to forget what we have - but, I just cant," Dex was very firm in his words, yet his passion for Wendy was there as he gently placed both of his hands on his shoulders, his face inches away from hers as he began to soften, lowering his voice, "I will follow you to the edges of the galaxy...for as long as you shall live. And if this god forsaken condition takes you early, you can bet that I'll be right there with you in my arms. You deserve that, Wendy...don't you dare be thinking about leaving me. Not for a minute." Dex wasn't sure where Mal was, if he had followed behind them or if he was still at the ship. As far as Dex was concerned, the only two people that existed on this planet right now were him and Wendy. 

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy wanted nothing more than to close the distance and kiss him with everything she felt. Instead, she ducked her head slightly, letting the brim of her hat shield her eyes and the emotions she felt had launched right into them at his words. This was all so crazy. It just wasn't possible, she tried to tell herself, even though her own feelings toward him, so impossibly strong in such a short time, soundly drowned out her attempt at what should be a logical reasoning.

Still, it was easier to deny his feelings than to admit her own. "This is..." she finally lifted her head to look him in the eyes again. "It's just... not possible. You have a good heart, Dex," she said, her hand automatically raising to rest against his chest where she could feel the beats of it against her palm. "You have compassion and that's rare, especially when shown toward strangers, but... that's really what we are. I mean," she began on a forced chuckled that silently was asking if he didn't also see the impossibility of what they were feeling, "we didn't even know the other existed before yesterday." All the logic was easily flowing out of her even though what she felt toward him was always so easily readable on the surface, even now. She glanced down at her hand over his heart, wondering when it had found its way there, and pulled it away as she took a step back, out of the comforting feeling of his hands on her shoulders. The nearness and physical contact had been making it even more difficult to be logical.

Wendy squared her shoulders and marched forward with logic. "You're just feeling sorry for me," she said softly, not wanting it to come off as an insult. "I admire your compassion, but don't let it lead you into danger on my behalf. I'm a lost cause, Dex, and if you really knew me--knew the things I've done--" She didn't like having to leave him with any thoughts that she was anything but the good things he seemed to see in her. Wendy shifted back toward their heading in an effort to disconnect the strong emotions pulling at her and the wish for the picture he'd painted of what he'd thought she deserved. "I don't deserve any of that," she finished starting to take steps toward their destination again whether Dex would follow or Mal for that matter, too distracted to have known if he'd even shown up yet.

[Ariel]

"You're just feeling sorry for me,"  "I admire your compassion, but don't let it lead you into danger on my behalf. I'm a lost cause, Dex, and if you really knew me--knew the things I've done--" "I don't deserve any of that," 

As Wendy turned to continue walking, Dex was left in a standstill with an unhinged jaw. "No," Dex's hurt filled response echoed softly through the landscape that surrounded them, yet loud enough to still reach Wendy's earshot. She was slipping through his fingers, and Dex felt that no matter how hard he tried to hold on it wasn't enough. He sauntered back up to Wendy, like a kid avidly trying to keep up with their parent, but trailed behind her this time as to give her the space she wanted, "You can bet I've seen danger in my life too, done things that would change your opinions of me. Things I ain't proud of either. But - that's just it! Life in this god forsaken existence. Wendy, I...I...," In a moment of weakness, Dex wondered if he was ready to tell her everything. Lay down his fabricated identity and allow her into the man he really was. Yet, before he could say anything else, they both stopped as a lonely house on a ranch came into their view in the distance. 

"Look's like someone's home," Dex uttered with stark curiosity as smoke billowed from the cobblestone chimney top that resided on the side of the cozy looking residence. He looked to Wendy and Mal who had similar expressions stretched across their faces. Although he knew very well who was inside, and it wasn't who they were expecting.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Mal had finally emerged from the shuttle but had been keeping a respectful distance, more like keeping distance between himself and an uncomfortable situation, judging by the look Wendy had caught on his face when glancing back to be sure the whole party was in line after she'd irrationally started on her way before making sure everyone was ready, which she'd have done if she'd been levelheaded.

It was breaking her heart to hold back from responding to Dex and taking the highest level of her training to keep from letting her emotions show on the surface. Wendy would have loved nothing more than to give in stay with Dex or letting him stay with her for the little time she had. But that would have been incredibly selfish and completely unfair to Dex. Anyone who stayed here would be a sitting duck, but that didn't matter in her case as she figured she'd be gone before the Alliance or Blue Sun got here. Most likely in a permanent sense, but if by some miracle, Nakamura had what he needed here to help her, she'd find a way off-planet before they arrived or would hide out somewhere until she did find a way off-planet to continue living in hiding somewhere in the 'verse.

Neither scenario would be fair for Dex or any of the Serenity crew to have to go through and Wendy wanted River to be as far away from here as possible before Alliance or Blue Sun came around.

A cabin came into view and the party came to a stop near the edge of the forest.


"Look's like someone's home,"

Wendy went into a crouch and slowly crawled near to the edge of the tree line, glancing from her spot hidden behind foliage. She glanced at the two men crouching and watching nearby her. "We do this my way. We are not going in blind," she said in authoritative whisper, stern expression on her face as she leveled her serious gaze at each man in turn, making it clear she wanted no protests. She'd been keeping the new side effect of using her gift from everyone. Inara was the only one who knew after happening across her at the wrong time. But there was no way in hell Wendy would lead Dex or Mal into a trap, which put her in a situation that would reveal how badly off she'd gotten.

Pulling the handkerchief from her pocket, spotted in the evidence of dried blood, she bunched it in her fist at the ready, then closed her eyes and concentrated, empathically reaching out toward the cabin. Wendy mentally scanned it. "There's one person inside," she began. Feeling the warm wetness trickling from her nose, Wendy swiped at it with her handkerchief, holding up her free hand to signal that she was still working out more details and that voicing worries or protests she could feel radiating near her would only distract her from finishing what she was determined to do and just make it worse. In a thorough left-to-right manner, she started to mentally sweep, starting at the upper level, working her way down, until her mind finally pinpointed the emotional read of a human being. "He's in the lower level toward the front of the house." Wendy ducked her head, swiping and blotting the handkerchief under her nose. "We should go around back," she concluded, still keeping her eyes on the cabin in front of her to avoid catching any concerning looks.

But something was niggling the back of her mind and just wouldn't let up. As she was starting to rise from her crouch, it hit her. "Wait!" she whispered with a new sense of unease, holding out a hand to signal they should remain still a moment longer. "Something isn't right." Taking a calming breath, Wendy relaxed and reached out again, holding the handkerchief to her nose as she knew taking this deeper look into the emotional read of the person would worsen her situation. It was just as she'd suspected. "It's not Dr. Nakamura," she said, pulling the handkerchief away, continuing to mentally look at the emotional build of the person as any other person would look for the familiarity of someone's features. Wendy was growing lightheaded and starting to sway on increasingly unsteady crouched legs as determination had her flipping through mental files in hopes of putting a face to the emotional structure of the person.

[DarkSideCookie]

Mal
(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)


After he had made sure River would stay on board the shuttle, Mal had finally started to follow Dex and Wendy outside, keeping his distance, though. He wasn't keen to become part of something that looked like a personal argument. Once a cabin came into view, he quickened his steps after all. The mission was more important than personal stuff, a priority that, luckily, seemed to hit his companions as well.

"Look's like someone's home,"

Just when Mal was going to add his two cents as well, Wendy preempted him.

"We do this my way. We are not going in blind,"

And just when he wanted to say first of all, we're doing it MY way for he was still the captain and she not even a member of their crew, she did it once again, preempting him, this time with her gaze only. It surely needed more to intimidate him - he'd exchanged a lot of serious glances with Inara in the past and present - but he also wasn't keen on having any more discussions here, especially not while they were so close to fulfilling this mission. With a sigh, he gave her the understanding that he was willing to listen. Going in blind wasn't what Mal had been up to, anyway. However, when she suddenly started to look like she was doing some kind of meditation, he took a breath already to intervene, but once again, not quick enough.

"There's one person inside,""He's in the lower level toward the front of the house.""We should go around back,"

Of course, the bleeding of her nose and the exertion her mental scan seemed to mean didn't escape Mal, but he was sure that she was well aware of her own limits. These information were important for them to not taketoo much of a risk, so all he did was slightly nodding at what she revealed to them. Dex was the better person to take care of her that way, anyway, in case she needed it, and wouldn't be too stubborn to take the help.

"Wait!""Something isn't right.""It's not Dr. Nakamura,"

At that, Mal got slightly alarmed. On the other hand, when had a mission ever gone as expected? He sighed, then finally spoke up as well, this time without being preempted. "Well, then we find out who we have to deal with, instead." Mal was better at taking action instead of talking things out, anyway. And with that, he rose back into a standing position, giving Dex a subtle look as if to silently tell him to have an eye on Wendy while they would go into it.

[Ariel]

"There's one person inside,""He's in the lower level toward the front of the house.""We should go around back,"

Dex hated that Wendy put herself through all of this pain and blood at the expense of the mission. Though, she was a grown woman and he trusted that she would know to stop if the symptoms got too gruesome to handle. Dex remained silent and attentive as Wendy found the answers that they had been looking for.

"Wait!""Something isn't right.""It's not Dr. Nakamura,"

Dex acted as if there was a bad feeling rising within him as he shared the same striking concern. Yet, he knew that who they were about to meet was from The Alliance. In fact, Dex had secretly been conversing with this doctor. He thought about grabbing Wendy's hand and fleeing right now. And yet, he still felt as if he had to play along with the narrative. And if things went sideways, well, then Dex would gladly choose a side. Wendy's side. He wouldn't let anyone take her, even if it meant committing crimes against the Alliance.

"Well, then we find out who we have to deal with, instead." 

Dex gave Mal a single nod once the mental message was retrieved, knowing that Mal depended on him to keep a close eye out for Wendy. She began to sway in her spot, her features growing woozy, "Hey, I got you," Dex spoke gently, placing a hand on her shoulder as he helped steady her until the color ran back into her cheeks. Once Wendy was stable and ready, Dex helped her climb onto her feet. Though, as they began to follow Mal in the direction of the ranch, Dex couldn't help but to notice a stray drop of blood still perched in the upper corner of Wendy's lip, "Wendy, you uh...," Their footsteps almost halted in sync right in front of one another as Dex carefully reached his thumb up to Wendy's upper lip. The tip of his thumb glided gently over the skin of her lip only to swipe away the remnant of blood, "...missed a spot." Dex could feel the magnetic force trying to pull them together again, yet once he came to realization he quickly turned forward again and continued to follow Mal.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Well, then we find out who we have to deal with, instead."

Wendy was still going through her mental file of people from her past but registered his words. It had been clear that Mal, used to being in charge, did not like being told what to do which had made her appreciate it all the more when he had acquiesced to her demand that they do this her way. They were doing her a huge favor so she'd especially rather have him annoyed at her than to lead them into a trap.

The information she'd been able to provide seemed to appease him further. Good. There were enough difficulties lying ahead. They did not need to deal with any amongst themselves. It also put her own mind at ease. While it wasn't Nakamura inside the cabin as expected, at least they knew they weren't about to walk into an ambush.

The fact that it wasn't Nakamura was also troubling. Why wasn't he there? Did the Alliance anticipate her coming here? If they had, surely they would have had more in waiting for her. Then again, they'd know she'd get a read and automatically know it was an ambush if more than one person was in residence. The possibilities kept piling up in her mind in a never-ending list as she continued to try to get a read on the person in the cabin, still swaying slightly until a hand on her shoulder steadied her.


"Hey, I got you,"

The deep, gentle timbre of his voice finally pulled her from her tenacious attempt at pinpointing the identity of the person in the cabin. "Thanks," she said, self-consciously keeping her head down as she dabbed under her nose with the handkerchief.

With Dex's help, she got to her feet without evidence of the wobbliness she still felt in her legs.


"Wendy, you uh...,"

"Oh." 'How terribly gruesome and unattractive,' she thought dryly, self-consciously ducking her head and starting to raise the handkerchief to get what she had missed, but Dex's hand gently lifted her face back up as his thumb gently glided over her lip.


"...missed a spot."

There was that flash of a moment again where she felt herself entranced to the spot, completely forgetting said gruesome and unattractive nature that had led to the moment until the sight of red on his thumb in the corner of her eye snapped her out of the moment. Seemingly just as fast, he'd managed to pull himself free and turn forward to continue on.

Clear minded again, that something that had been niggling at her mind over who this Not-Nakamura person was returned. There was a vague familiarity and frustratingly, she hadn't been able to place it. Glad to be taking up the rear, she continued a less strenuous, but continuous probing of the inner workings of the person inside, dabbing under her nose again as they ducked and worked their way from the side of the house to the back.

"He's still in the same spot," she whispered, studying the back of the cabin as she remained with back to the wall. Wendy slowly edged toward the sliding glass door, hoping that living so remotely had given the resident a sense of security that allowed them to leave doors unlocked or to simply forget about always making sure they did. No such luck. A gentle nudge and the door did not budge.

Wendy assessed the back of the house from her spot against the wall, tipping her hat back to take in the balcony off the second floor bedroom. Now those were far more often left unlocked in people's assumptions that someone couldn't get up there. Perhaps not the average person, but Wendy had a lifetime of training that made such a feat quite simple. And even if it was locked, it'd be far easier to not get caught or overheard picking that lock than the one on the level where the person was.

She studied the logs that made up the wall of the house. There was a nice corner a few feet from the balcony where the house jutted out a little that offered an easy way up and a short shimmy over to a fairly easy drop into the balcony.

Smirking confidently as the plan came together, she looked back to the men. "We can take him by surprise," she whispered. "I'll get the door. Hang on to this for me, would ya?" she asked as she removed her hat and placed it on Dex's head.

Keeping check of the person inside to be sure remained at the front of the large cabin, Wendy darted toward the corner, using the momentum and jutting rocks and logs, she ran her way up the corner of the house, grabbed the ledge of the roof, shimmied herself several feet over, and stealthily dropping into a soundless squat onto the balcony, all in a flash.

Another flash, and she was unlocking and sliding the door open, quietly sliding it closed again as she rejoined them outside and finally got a look at Dex. "Hm, cute, but it's a shame to cover up that hair," she said in a last chance to be playful as she took back her hat and turned serious once again to finalize plans as they huddled against the wall of the house, out of sight of any windows.

"I couldn't get a look at the guy but I must have crossed paths with him before. There's a vague familiarity but..." she finally let some of the concern show on her face, both for the type of person that was waiting inside and for the lack of faith she had in the person being of any help to her situation. Wendy glanced off distractedly, mentally reading the man again to try to put into words the feeling she got off of him. "Something's off about him." She delved deeper. "He's somewhat... disconnected. Incomplete." She could feel the blood again, retrieving her handkerchief with a silent 'yah, I know, I'll stop' answer to their looks. "He doesn't seem to have the full spectrum or depth of emotions that people generally have. There's a chance we're dealing with someone who is unhinged," she summarized.

Wendy looked to Mal, satisfied that she'd done everything she could to their benefit and ready to let him take the lead on how they would proceed. "What's the plan, Captain?"

[DarkSideCookie]

Mal
(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)

Since this was all for Wendy and her field of expertise, Mal, for now, left the commando to her. He trusted her abilities and knew she was well aware of risks and dangers. As soon as she was back from her spot to watch the stranger, he rose an eyebrow, after all, in expectation of getting briefed.

"I couldn't get a look at the guy but I must have crossed paths with him before. There's a vague familiarity but..."

Mal filled her pause with a deep sigh, not of annoyance about her not going on right away, but because of the news. Of course, this mission wouldn't work out as planned. On the other hand, when did a mission ever?

"Something's off about him.""He's somewhat... disconnected. Incomplete.""He doesn't seem to have the full spectrum or depth of emotions that people generally have. There's a chance we're dealing with someone who is unhinged,"

Oh, dear. That didn't sound like a person he would want to meet. Mal sighed again, this time even harder.

"What's the plan, Captain?"

"Same plan," he replied without any pause for thought before he repeated his former instruction. "We find out who we have to deal with, in person. But we'll be careful with sharing any information while we give him the feeling that we trust him. As for the two of us," Mal added with a look at Dex, "we should not even give our real names." Then he turned back towards Wendy. "Will it be easier for you to read him some more once inside and eye to eye with that man?"

[Ariel]

Dex moved with Wendy and Mal as they made their way discreetly and quickly around the side of the log house towards the back. Dex followed suit and ducked, pressing his hand against the wood of the house to steady himself as they closed in on the target location. He watched Wendy as she worked her special skill to try and get a better reading of the man inside the house, anticipating her reactions and findings. The closer they got to the trap, the more nervous Dex grew and had a feeling that he would soon have to conjure up some sort of plan of his own. Though, he figured damage control might as well be out the window at this point, even if he felt as if he had to pull everything out of his pockets and try.

"We can take him by surprise," "I'll get the door. Hang on to this for me, would ya?"

Dex had only heard half of what Wendy had said before she plopped her hat onto Dex's head. He wasn't much of a hat guy, though he new that this article was special and he would protect it until it returned to it's owner. With a single hand, Dex fixed it comfortably to fit better on his head while watching Wendy dart around the corner, landing herself onto the balcony. Wendy had managed to unlock their entry point with swift ease before returning back to Dex and Mal.

"Hm, cute, but it's a shame to cover up that hair,"

Dex chuckled lightly despite their circumstances as Wendy retrieved her hat back and placed it back onto her own head, "It suits you better anyway," Dex was warmed by their tiny charming banters back and forth again. Kind of bittersweet despite the situation and the information Dex was withholding. He knew that he needed to get a handle on the situation once inside and in front of the Doctor. How, was the question.

"Something's off about him.""He's somewhat... disconnected. Incomplete.""He doesn't seem to have the full spectrum or depth of emotions that people generally have. There's a chance we're dealing with someone who is unhinged,"

"What's the plan, Captain?"

"Same plan," "We find out who we have to deal with, in person. But we'll be careful with sharing any information while we give him the feeling that we trust him. As for the two of us," "we should not even give our real names." "Will it be easier for you to read him some more once inside and eye to eye with that man?"

Dex made eye contact with the Captain and nodded in silent agreement before the attention turned back onto Wendy. He gulped back a ball of nerves that began to form within his throat as the trio grew closer to meeting face to face with the Doctor from the Alliance. Dex rested his hand on his holster holding the loaded device, ready to use it if things went very bad. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, but he'd be damned if anything happened to Wendy or Mal.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Same plan," "We find out who we have to deal with, in person. But we'll be careful with sharing any information while we give him the feeling that we trust him. As for the two of us," "we should not even give our real names." "Will it be easier for you to read him some more once inside and eye to eye with that man?"

Wendy gave a single confident nod. "Yes, the closer the vicinity, the clearer the read." Speaking of, she was picking up particularly heightened nerves coming off Dex but did not single him out when giving them one last out. "It's not too late for you guys to bow out. You could just turn and walk away," she said with a casual ease that held no judgement. On the contrary, her tone sounded encouraging. With the person she'd expected not being the one waiting for them, this felt, at best, a waste of time, and at worst, a trap.

Their response was to simply step past her through the doorway. Wendy felt herself momentarily choked up. Sometimes actions did speak louder than words. Wendy had grown up around the worst of people and her missions always led her to more of the same. That kind of care and dedication to a relative stranger by Dex and Mal and his entire crew was not something she was accustomed to.

Wendy stepped in right on their heels, keeping close and prepared to dedicate as much of her ability as she could to keep them from harm on her behalf. Spotting pegs on the wall near the door, Wendy removed her hat and hung it on a free one as she quietly freed her gun from her holster. Some cultures believed it was bad luck to wear hats indoors. While Wendy wasn't particularly the superstitious type, she'd take whatever luck she could, but mostly, it was to free up any blockage to her peripherals and her abilities.

Wendy reached out for a read. "He hasn't moved. Straight ahead, to the left," she whispered.

With a mental curse of frustration over the inconvenience of her condition, Wendy retrieved her handkerchief to keep in her free hand, swiping at the warm liquid she felt trickling from her nose. She hated the painless physical evidence far more than the increasingly growing pain in her head that was invisible to the eye.

[DarkSideCookie]

Mal
(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)

With hardened features, although more like naturally whenever it was mission time, Mal, once again, allowed Wendy to lead the way, of course, while he made sure Dex and himself were right behind, ready to chime in when needed. However, this was her appointment, not theirs.

While Wendy put her hat on a free holder, Mal threw a look around, one hand close to the holster underneath his cloak. Plans of making this man believe that they were trusting him aside, nobody could be blamed for being careful. Their safety was priority number one, after all.

"He hasn't moved. Straight ahead, to the left,"

Mal responded to her words with no more than a look in her direction, not even nodding in agreement. Then, after all, he decided it was best to lead the way together with Dex, who he was giving a slight nod now. He wasn't a man who would allow a lady to meet with a potential danger while standing behind himself. Without checking if Dex was following behind, Mal stepped closer to the left side of the house, meeting the said unhinged man, who was not exactly looking unhinged to him. But on the other hand, did they ever?

[DarkSideCookie]

Zane had been already well aware of having visitors in his house - or the house that, in his mad mind, had become his house in the little time he had started to make himself feel home there - when the steps grew louder, soon reaching the kitchen to have a first meeting with the doctor who was so kind to step in for the so sadly prevented Nakamura. After Dex Wilder's last message - oh man, he was still very curious to hear that man's story as soon as they would be able to talk in a one-on-one -, he had made sure to change into an outfit that matched his alter ego, the queer and nerdy lab worker, a little better than his long cloak and big glasses. So, Glasses swapped and an unremarkable shirt put on, Zane had made himself presentable for the stage.

He just poured himself some tea inside a mug, looking up in feinted surprise as soon as they - Serenity's leader, Wendy herself, and (wow!) Dex Wilder, who was quite a catch - walked in. "Oh, hello. I mu-must have overheard the knock on the door," Zane uttered with a slight stammer, not like this would be out of nervosity but a permanent quirk that he actually suffered from in his childhood and young teenage years. Since Zane was well aware of Wendy's abilities, he'd trained himself to not only act, but also feel his role, not too difficult for him due to a past where he'd been just that, a poor lame duck with a lot of social awkwardness. Zane also made sure not to look at any of them too much observing, actually prevented looking into their eyes for too long directly as a part of his alter ego's personality. "Y-you must be Wendy Ca-Carter," he added with a shy smile, nodding in her direction.

[Ariel]

Dex followed Mal's lead as he led the trio to the left side of the house, walking them straight into the path of the Doctor. Though, Dex knew that not all was as it seemed as he tried to keep his sweating to a minimum. He hated himself for going this far, but there was no turning back now. He just knew that if this Doctor were to try anything to inflict danger upon Wendy, that he would have to flip the switch - and fast.

"Oh, hello. I mu-must have overheard the knock on the door," "Y-you must be Wendy Ca-Carter,"

Dex remained silent as the Doctor addressed Wendy directly, watching the scene unfolding before him with dread and guilt knotting in the pit of his stomach.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy kept her gun at the ready tucked close to her side in case she needed to raise it quickly. A peak around the corner into the kitchen showed the one occupant that she'd read, casually making tea and seemingly oblivious to the fact he had company.

She followed closely behind Dex and Mal in stepping into the kitchen to face the man.


"Oh, hello. I mu-must have overheard the knock on the door,"

Feeling no threat and seeing no evidence of a weapon near him or on his person, Wendy holstered her gun. Noticing the slight tremble in her hand when she did so, she was glad to not have had to use it. Wendy hid the new evidence of her declining health by closing her hands into fists as she defensively crossed her arms.


"Y-you must be Wendy Ca-Carter,"

His personality and mannerisms appeared to be just as vanilla and non-threatening as his manner of dress. Wendy tried digging deeper with her read of him, though wasn't picking up on anything that wasn't visibly shown about him. She started to wonder if the scattered mind she'd picked up on and had read as unhinged was instead a mind scattered in the same manner or due to the same affliction that affected his speech. Her head was positively splitting and dark spots were starting to appear in her vision, which had her retreating from her mental reading. With one last swipe at the new blood under her nose, she crossed her arms once again and switched to depending on her companion training of reading body language, expressions, and reactions.

The dark spots diminished somewhat but right on its heels, the dizziness started to creep in. She'd been treading so carefully up until their arrival but had since pushed herself way too hard and right into the final steps. Wendy returned to treading carefully to postpone the seizure that would most likely land her in a coma for as long as possible, hopefully to sometime after she managed to get Dex and Mal heading out on their merry way.

She was in agony. The thought of going into that sleeping death was almost welcoming. But outside of the bloody nose that had finally let up due to no longer using her mental reading, Wendy deftly hid any signs of what was happening to her by resting her hip against the counter for balance under the guise of a defiantly casual lean. "Who are you? Where's Dr. Nakamura?" she asked assertively, neither confirming nor denying his assumption of her identity.

[DarkSideCookie]

Mal
(tempplay by DarkSideCookie)

Just like Dex, Mal kept a low profile while a conversation started unfolding between Wendy and that doctor. However, he still didn't know what to think of him. Of course, his mannerism wouldn't make you think of a contract killer or something, but, on the other hand, a stammer was kind of cliche. Mal kept his eyes glued to the doctor while one of his hands still lingered close to the holster under his coat.

[DarkSideCookie]

Zane resisted the urge to look at Dex for another moment and kept it to the one person who spoke up first instead. Wendy Carter, that was. And, of course, she was acting wary despite his phenomenal acting. He took notice of her condition and her nose bleeding a bit, and, instead of ignoring it, like a worse actor probably would have had to appear not too curious, Zane would go for another tactic.

"Who are you? Where's Dr. Nakamura?"

But, for now, he had to answer a question. He smiled unsurely. "I'm s-sorry if my presence has frightened you in any way," Zane started as he sent the teabag to the trash, slightly blowing over his tea, not taking a sip yet. "Dr. Nakamura is cur-rently tied up-" [Tied up indeed, muhahaha] "-with other matters. I thought he'd get the m-message to you, but he must have had problems with c-c-contacting you. Anyways, he asked me to take his place in this m-meeting." The socially awkward doctor, his role, wasn't used to playing a part outside his own little bubble within the labor, so, of course, he even would forget to introduce himself properly with a name.

[Ariel]

"Who are you? Where's Dr. Nakamura?"

"I'm s-sorry if my presence has frightened you in any way,"  "Dr. Nakamura is cur-rently tied up-"  "-with other matters. I thought he'd get the m-message to you, but he must have had problems with c-c-contacting you. Anyways, he asked me to take his place in this m-meeting."

Dex was aware that this guy was no amateur. He got the feeling that deep down, this man got a kick out of his own sick sense of humor that Dex was able to easily pick up through his words. He couldn't believe how knee deep he was in this black hole he created. And he felt like he had just sucked Wendy in like a raging vortex. Hell, Dex felt as if he was the black hole. Nothing good ever came to anyone who knew him closely so far in his life. Yet, one thing was for sure that he had made up in his mind already. It was that this doctor could not have Wendy. He knew committing this treason would be a death sentence. Though, he'd rather be dead than to hand Wendy over.

"You still haven't told us who you are," Dex finally couldn't help but chime in. The doctor probably thought that Dex was trying to help the conversation along, though if anything Dex was simply tired of this man beating around the bush. Dex was a straight to the point kind of guy, and wondered why the doctor was stalling so much time in introductions.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I'm s-sorry if my presence has frightened you in any way,"

"I rarely frighten. One of the perks of my gift," she interjected, more out of maintaining a strong front and upper hand than for his reassurance.


"Dr. Nakamura is cur-rently tied up-" "-with other matters. I thought he'd get the m-message to you, but he must have had problems with c-c-contacting you. Anyways, he asked me to take his place in this m-meeting."

"You still haven't told us who you are,"

Dex had beaten her to the punch as a more important question took the forefront of her mind. "Understandable, seeing as Dr. Nakamura had no idea where I was..." she said dryly. Wendy did not hold back in eying him with this newfound suspicion as she uncrossed her arms to rest a hand on the handle of her gun as she continued. "I didn't arrange any meeting. In fact, I haven't seen nor spoken to Dr. Nakamura since the botched operation," she gestured with her free hand in the general direction of her head, "so how is it that Dr. Nakamura knew I was looking for him?"


There was a slight possibility that one of her allies had taken it upon themselves to reach out to Nakamura, possibly with the intention that he be prepared with what he'd need to help her. As she'd said, she'd been unreachable since nobody knew where she was. Her intention had been a surprise visit, opposite of the judgment call someone had made... if there was any truth to this theory at all. But Wendy was not going to give this stranger a speck of information that might help him weave a believable lie.

[DarkSideCookie]

"You still haven't told us who you are,"

Zane wasn't too surprised about Dex chiming in. Still, that man was no more than a bounty hunter, even though probably the best. Anyways, he should know his place in this matter. Just when Zane was going to reply, Wendy spoke up again before he could.

"Understandable, seeing as Dr. Nakamura had no idea where I was...""I didn't arrange any meeting. In fact, I haven't seen nor spoken to Dr. Nakamura since the botched operation,""so how is it that Dr. Nakamura knew I was looking for him?"

Her suspicious mind hadn't slipped him right from the start of course. Understandable but not insurmountable. Zane was a genius, after all. Instead of going into a defensive mode, which would be too obvious for everyone, he decided on another tactic. Just a little provoking, slightly taunting maybe, and she wouldn't want to go on with questioning, for the spotlight would get on things Wendy surely wanted to keep to herself.

"Oh... Well, I d-don't know for sure," Zane launched into a reply, explaining like one who felt uncomfortable by the suspicion towards him rather than the question in the first place. "But it m-might be that one of your acco-ciates had reached out to him before. J-Jackson Redding probab-ly," he adds with a shrug as if this was but an unimportant detail to him while, for Wendy, the mere mentioning of the name probably would make her want to go on with another topic. Zane was well-read into the subject of Wendy Carter, so she better not challenges him.

[Hollywood Heidi]

It wasn't often Wendy questioned her read on a person, even when not using her gift. If he was playing a game with them, he was definitely a pro. Wendy was itching to tap into her gift to try to suss out the truth, but if he really was playing them, it was at a level that would take time to read and she couldn't safely use her ability for that amount of time and concentration in her current condition.

If this was a game, he'd just expertly made a comment that nobody but the two of them would recognize as a threat. Wendy casually moved her hand from her gun to rest it on the counter beside her. Close enough to reach, should she need it, but no longer making an unspoken threat of her own. "Mr. Redding is not one of my 'associates'," she said, the word pointedly referencing the group she'd secretly been working with to free herself of the Alliance. Wendy purposefully referred to Jax formally to further dissuade a close association, though it wasn't possible that the Alliance didn't already know they had a close bond that had remained since the Alliance had introduced him into her life over two decades ago. It was also easy to pull up both their records and see that on many occasions, Jax just happened to 'coincidentally' take on clients in the general vicinity of where Wendy had been sent on a mission.

Despite that, Wendy spoke the truth when declaring he wasn't an 'associate'. She'd attempted to keep his name clear by keeping him in the dark about her non-Alliance sanctioned activities.

In case what this mystery man had said had been a threat, Wendy changed tactics. "My condition and its treatment was kept top secret. Only Nakamura or someone on his team would know how to help me. I remember the face of every person who ever poked and prodded at me," her voice wavered with a touch of evidence of her anger over that violation, "and yours is not familiar." Wendy knew that some on Nakamura's team had kept to a lab and had never directly worked on her, at least while she was conscious, but she needed to hear that or another plausible explanation from him.

[DarkSideCookie]

He could see the turns wheeling in Wendy's head, even without gaining a special ability like hers. Yes, he was playing with minds at a high level, not even allowing anyone to see the relief on his face at her threatening posture finally fading into something semi-relaxed. Zane was playing his role well, probably due to the fact that he had for so many years already. In some way, the social-awkward doctor had become part of his own personality even, with the difference that he knew how to switch him out for something greater, nowadays that was.

"Mr. Redding is not one of my 'associates',"

Yeah. Sure. And again, Zane wouldn't let his thoughts show on his features but, instead, just looked at her like one who was still unsure about how to make them believe and trust him. A mind player on a lower level would probably actively go on with building that trust. But real people, those who weren't fake personas, were unsure and had moments of hesitation.

"My condition and its treatment was kept top secret. Only Nakamura or someone on his team would know how to help me. I remember the face of every person who ever poked and prodded at me,""and yours is not familiar."

The hesitation slightly vanished from Zane's face then, purposefully, of course. His whole demeanor was part of the plan, after all. Now a friendly yet still shy smile came back to his features while he placed his cup on the counter next to him. "I'm used to work on my own," he explains like someone who just has accepted the fact of being a loner, aware though how unusual it must seem to others. "The lab is like-- a second home to m-me. But Evan," - he purposefully used the doctor's first name now to make it more believable that he was not only part of said team but also personally close with him - "wanted me to step in this t-time, because I'm the most fam-iliar with your file and all."

[Hollywood Heidi]

They were getting nowhere fast and with time she didn't have. Wendy felt as if she was in one of those dreams where you were trying to run from peril, but your body and limbs had a weight to them that felt as if you were attempting to do so in water.

She pinched the bridge of her nose again, partially in frustration and partially over the splitting pain in her head, which she was trying to think around. Okay, so he'd been one of the lab people. Not completely useless, but still, just because he was familiar with her file didn't necessarily mean he knew how to make the meds she needed to survive. From what she'd heard, that was kept top secret and there was a possibility that only the doctor who'd created it knew how to make it. She'd always assumed it was Nakamura and after he'd retired, it was logical that the knowledge had been passed onto the person who'd taken over his position. Wendy hadn't stepped foot into Blue Sun in years and couldn't recall offhand the name of the person who'd taken over Nakamura's position, but that didn't matter. She couldn't exactly go waltzing into Blue Sun now, so finding Nakamura had been her best chance.

But Nakamura wasn't here and she didn't want to waste her last remaining time with a stranger who might not even be able to help her. "Look, Dr. Whatever-your-name-is. Let's get to the point." She retrieved her last half pill from her locket and held it up. "Can you make these or not? If you give me anything but a positive answer," she warned with her free hand of pause up to stress her interjection before hitching her thumb toward Mal and Dex, "then me and the boys, here, are gonna be on our merry."

[DarkSideCookie]

And again, Zane could see the wheels turning in his opponent's head. But this time, that wasn't making him nervous at all, especially not due to the fact that she hadn't much time left; Too little time to keep up with this back and forth of testing if he was truthful or not. Of course, he wasn't, but she would never guess who he was, what he wanted and where Nakamura was. Zane had been making sure to leave no plot holes behind.

Patiently, he waited for Wendy to give herself this push they both needed. Her, because she couldn't afford to stall any more time if she didn't want to risk collapsing right in front of them, and him, because he still had other things to do, one of those including a one-on-one with Dex, who he was meeting for the first time in person. Sure, they had to be careful with the other two still around, but the fact that Dex wasn't even aware that they were talking to the boss himself would make his reaction to any kind of request more believable. But, if Zane was right, Wendy was actually running out of time real quick by now. Definitely something that could play into his hands.

"Look, Dr. Whatever-your-name-is."

"Oh! It's D-Dr. Zane," he quickly threw in with a shy smile, not bothering to give them his real name since that was the one people would find in case they did research about him while other people, including Dex over there, would know him only under his alias Dr. Zed.

"Let's get to the point."

Well, finally. Women. Making it sound like he had been the problem.

"Can you make these or not? If you give me anything but a positive answer,""then me and the boys, here, are gonna be on our merry."

Why so bitchy? Zane added a noise in his mind as if to have himself burned on something hot while the awkward doctor nodded in confirmation and with another shy smile. "I can."