09-28-2015, 04:18 PM
As Casey took a step back, Kopaka inched forwards to occupy the entirety of the Lilian female's view. She looked down at the olive green, stained carpet with a hint of fear in her posture. Shrinking in to herself. Somewhere within his cold heart, Kopaka felt vaguely sorry for her. Helping friends was always noble, but when they were wanted by the proper authorities, it was time to question such dedication. Still, he had a job to do. With a frigid grasp, Kopaka hoisted the woman on to her feet, eliciting a small shriek, and staring into her watery brown eyes. Kopaka was not familiar with biological makeups, but the sagging around her ocular organs suggested a long-standing fatigue. Years of skipping just out of the reach of destitution, on and off substance abuse...the faces of these humans told stories that the solid, unmoving Masks of the Bionicle did not. More importantly, their ability to so blatantly display outwards emotion caught Kopaka off guard. He steeled himself and spoke slowly, the Kanohi Rau shimmering softly in the gloom of the apartment.
"Vizehn to en'kar k'useso bah ch'ah vah ran'zituso btin'v nip!" Lilian shouted, trying to wriggle out of Kopaka's solid grasp.
"Your resistance will not aid you. I respect your sense of Unity, but I have the cause of Justice on my side and will not waver in my pursuit of the Michael Valentine Smith human." Kopaka said, gradually letting the elemental power of ice flow from his body. Goosebumps cascaded across the woman's skin and her teeth started to chatter. Even Casey, standing a few feet away, backed up even further to avoid the bitter chill.
"Veo? Veo seo butur? Veo ch'urci vah seo ch'itocet tut'ut?" she said in a resentful tone, gritting her teeth in anger. Kopaka said nothing in response to whatever the woman had said, but Casey did notice the Toa's free hand next to his hip clench into a tight fist. Lilian continued to speak, even through her chattering teeth. "Michael cart ch'a bun vuhn. Vah tuzir nah rcisah rob. Vah cart bten'b ch'at to cseah bah ch'acah."
At this Kopaka released the woman and reigned in the chill he was exuding. The Toa appeared to take a deep breath.
"You doin' okay Kop?" Casey asked. He hadn't expected Kopaka to go all soft all of a sudden; that was totally not how good cop-bad cop was supposed to work! Kopaka glanced back at the human male and squinted his eye. It seemed as though the Toa was about to say something, but at that moment, the door to the room slid open on its rusty track, and another human loomed in the doorway. He was about as tall as Casey and was dressed in strange regalia that Kopaka couldn't quite identify. Casey just thought he looked like a big old thug. These suspicions were verified when the man pulled out a blaster pistol and pointed it at Kopaka (sideways). He couldn't see Casey around the corner, however...
"Yo you muthafuckas BEST be gettin' out ma gurl's face! Lily, get ova here." he said, pointing next to him. Lilian sprung up from the chair she had been sitting in and tried to dash over to where this newcomer stood, but Kopaka held out a hand and blocked her path. The human male adopted a wide-eyed look of surprise on his face and gestured his blaster angrily at Kopaka.
"Did yo ass NOT just hear me? I will WASTE you mothafu-gaaww!" the human said, getting cut off as a hockey stick swatted him in the face from arouns the corner of the door. He fell to the ground, holding his now profusely bleeding mouth. Casey stepped out into the hall and planted a foot on his chest, looming over the punk.
"You have no idea how long I been waiting for an excuse to do that." Casey said, grinning from behind the perpetual scowl of his hockey mask. The thug boyfriend's laser gun or whatever had gone skittering across the concrete floor of the hallway, but as the chain bedecked human lunged for it, there came a sudden brilliant flash of blue.
"YYYYYEEEE-OOOHH SSHHHIT. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" he screeched. Casey turned around with a 'not bad' frown on his face and gave a thumbs up to Kopaka. Ol' Shell Head had used his popsicle mojo to freeze this punk's legs to the ground. Solid. The girlfriend was, of course, hysterical by this point, but a firm grip from Kopaka's metallic hand prevented her from fleeing. Casey turned back to the now panting thug, trying to free his legs from the icey snare.
"Hahh...Hsssst...fuckin...what are you pigs here fo' anyway?" he groaned. Casey knew an opportunity when he saw one.
"Oh, your girl here 'sbeen shacking up with some slick by the name of Mike Smith. You wouldn't know anything about that would ya?" Casey said, at least having enough mercy to remove his foot from the guy's sternum. The man made a furious, puckered face, but instead of screaming at either Kopaka or Casey, he was shouting at Lilian.
"WOMAN, WHAT I TELL YOU 'BOUT LETTING THAT HIPPY SHITBAG INNA YO DAMN HOUSE? LOOK! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TA ME!" he screamed gesturing violently at his entombed legs. She choked a few of her space words between heavy sobs.
"Gabriel...t-ttis'ah... ttis'ah, Ch'ah morco ch'epasahn ch'at v-vatt'ah-"
"Oh HELL no. Don't gimme dat new age bantha shit. I told you. I muthafuckin' told you he was trouble!"
Casey felt the need to interject at this point.
"So uh...Gabriel. You sayin' there's sumthin' else we should know about?"
The thug glared up at Casey and let out another grimmace as he tugged at his rapidly numbing legs.
"Look, I tell you 'bout this Mike slaemo and you'll just leave? Yeah?"
Casey glanced back at Kopaka who gave only a curt nod.
"Yeah, sure." Casey said with a grin. Lilian had another outburst upon hearing that Michael's information would be given out by her erstwhile lover, but Kop kept her in check as usual. Damn. This Toa dude seriously was cold. Gabriel gestured down at his legs and shot a glance at Kopaka. A moment passed, and the Toa released the man, the ice evaporating into a cool mist. Casey did, of course, grab Gabriel's piece as his legs gradually came back to life.
"Fuuuhck...me..." he muttered, getting to his feet with shakey motions.
"Anyway, yeah. Mikey Smith, the Martian. I dunno where he crib is b-"
"Then how are you of use to us?" Kopaka said with a sharp tone.
"Easy there Fridge Face, lemme say ma shit. Any-fuckin'-way, Mikie and his crew tend to roll around down in the Rat Holes, or as I like to call it Bum City. It's a broke-ass old ventilation system fulla deadbeats between this Tier and five. They roll around there given dese scrubs...Iunno...hugs and food and shit. Mikie ain't always there, but summa his water-bros might be." Gabriel said, rubbing his legs to try and warm them up. Casey arched a skeptical eyebrow.
"Water Bro?"
Gabriel nodded.
"Yeh. Dem's Mikie's homies who just...drank from the same glass of water as him, no homo. But it just means dey tight fo' life. Follow?"
Casey nodded slowly. It wasn't what they'd come for, but it was definitely another link in the chain.
"When do they venture there?" Kopaka asked in his cool voice. Lilian was no longer struggling, just holding her face in her hands and sobbing in intervals. Damn. Casey was kinda feeling bad for this girl.
"Git the fuck out ma house right now and you can probably go catch em." Gabriel said, violently nodding towards the door to the apartment supercomplex. Kopaka released Lilian and brushed past the two male humans. There was no time to waste.
"Oookay then. Guess we're bouncing. Stay outta trouble dawg." Casey said, pointing two fingers from his masked eyes to Gabriel's face. He jogged to catch up to Kopaka, who was walking in a manner that might be described as 'storming'. Casey looked up at the Toa, wondering what, exactly had caused him to soften up on that girl all of a sudden.
"Yo Kop. What'd that chick say back there?"
Kopaka just kept silent and maintained his brisk pace. Casey sighed. Of course. In Kopaka's mind, however, thoughts were racing. Why had he been so quick to use pain as a means to an end? Was that just? Was she deserving? It didn't feel right...but at the same time...Kopaka had wanted to do it. What had he become in this Omniverse?
"Vizehn to en'kar k'useso bah ch'ah vah ran'zituso btin'v nip!" Lilian shouted, trying to wriggle out of Kopaka's solid grasp.
"Your resistance will not aid you. I respect your sense of Unity, but I have the cause of Justice on my side and will not waver in my pursuit of the Michael Valentine Smith human." Kopaka said, gradually letting the elemental power of ice flow from his body. Goosebumps cascaded across the woman's skin and her teeth started to chatter. Even Casey, standing a few feet away, backed up even further to avoid the bitter chill.
"Veo? Veo seo butur? Veo ch'urci vah seo ch'itocet tut'ut?" she said in a resentful tone, gritting her teeth in anger. Kopaka said nothing in response to whatever the woman had said, but Casey did notice the Toa's free hand next to his hip clench into a tight fist. Lilian continued to speak, even through her chattering teeth. "Michael cart ch'a bun vuhn. Vah tuzir nah rcisah rob. Vah cart bten'b ch'at to cseah bah ch'acah."
At this Kopaka released the woman and reigned in the chill he was exuding. The Toa appeared to take a deep breath.
"You doin' okay Kop?" Casey asked. He hadn't expected Kopaka to go all soft all of a sudden; that was totally not how good cop-bad cop was supposed to work! Kopaka glanced back at the human male and squinted his eye. It seemed as though the Toa was about to say something, but at that moment, the door to the room slid open on its rusty track, and another human loomed in the doorway. He was about as tall as Casey and was dressed in strange regalia that Kopaka couldn't quite identify. Casey just thought he looked like a big old thug. These suspicions were verified when the man pulled out a blaster pistol and pointed it at Kopaka (sideways). He couldn't see Casey around the corner, however...
"Yo you muthafuckas BEST be gettin' out ma gurl's face! Lily, get ova here." he said, pointing next to him. Lilian sprung up from the chair she had been sitting in and tried to dash over to where this newcomer stood, but Kopaka held out a hand and blocked her path. The human male adopted a wide-eyed look of surprise on his face and gestured his blaster angrily at Kopaka.
"Did yo ass NOT just hear me? I will WASTE you mothafu-gaaww!" the human said, getting cut off as a hockey stick swatted him in the face from arouns the corner of the door. He fell to the ground, holding his now profusely bleeding mouth. Casey stepped out into the hall and planted a foot on his chest, looming over the punk.
"You have no idea how long I been waiting for an excuse to do that." Casey said, grinning from behind the perpetual scowl of his hockey mask. The thug boyfriend's laser gun or whatever had gone skittering across the concrete floor of the hallway, but as the chain bedecked human lunged for it, there came a sudden brilliant flash of blue.
"YYYYYEEEE-OOOHH SSHHHIT. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" he screeched. Casey turned around with a 'not bad' frown on his face and gave a thumbs up to Kopaka. Ol' Shell Head had used his popsicle mojo to freeze this punk's legs to the ground. Solid. The girlfriend was, of course, hysterical by this point, but a firm grip from Kopaka's metallic hand prevented her from fleeing. Casey turned back to the now panting thug, trying to free his legs from the icey snare.
"Hahh...Hsssst...fuckin...what are you pigs here fo' anyway?" he groaned. Casey knew an opportunity when he saw one.
"Oh, your girl here 'sbeen shacking up with some slick by the name of Mike Smith. You wouldn't know anything about that would ya?" Casey said, at least having enough mercy to remove his foot from the guy's sternum. The man made a furious, puckered face, but instead of screaming at either Kopaka or Casey, he was shouting at Lilian.
"WOMAN, WHAT I TELL YOU 'BOUT LETTING THAT HIPPY SHITBAG INNA YO DAMN HOUSE? LOOK! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TA ME!" he screamed gesturing violently at his entombed legs. She choked a few of her space words between heavy sobs.
"Gabriel...t-ttis'ah... ttis'ah, Ch'ah morco ch'epasahn ch'at v-vatt'ah-"
"Oh HELL no. Don't gimme dat new age bantha shit. I told you. I muthafuckin' told you he was trouble!"
Casey felt the need to interject at this point.
"So uh...Gabriel. You sayin' there's sumthin' else we should know about?"
The thug glared up at Casey and let out another grimmace as he tugged at his rapidly numbing legs.
"Look, I tell you 'bout this Mike slaemo and you'll just leave? Yeah?"
Casey glanced back at Kopaka who gave only a curt nod.
"Yeah, sure." Casey said with a grin. Lilian had another outburst upon hearing that Michael's information would be given out by her erstwhile lover, but Kop kept her in check as usual. Damn. This Toa dude seriously was cold. Gabriel gestured down at his legs and shot a glance at Kopaka. A moment passed, and the Toa released the man, the ice evaporating into a cool mist. Casey did, of course, grab Gabriel's piece as his legs gradually came back to life.
"Fuuuhck...me..." he muttered, getting to his feet with shakey motions.
"Anyway, yeah. Mikey Smith, the Martian. I dunno where he crib is b-"
"Then how are you of use to us?" Kopaka said with a sharp tone.
"Easy there Fridge Face, lemme say ma shit. Any-fuckin'-way, Mikie and his crew tend to roll around down in the Rat Holes, or as I like to call it Bum City. It's a broke-ass old ventilation system fulla deadbeats between this Tier and five. They roll around there given dese scrubs...Iunno...hugs and food and shit. Mikie ain't always there, but summa his water-bros might be." Gabriel said, rubbing his legs to try and warm them up. Casey arched a skeptical eyebrow.
"Water Bro?"
Gabriel nodded.
"Yeh. Dem's Mikie's homies who just...drank from the same glass of water as him, no homo. But it just means dey tight fo' life. Follow?"
Casey nodded slowly. It wasn't what they'd come for, but it was definitely another link in the chain.
"When do they venture there?" Kopaka asked in his cool voice. Lilian was no longer struggling, just holding her face in her hands and sobbing in intervals. Damn. Casey was kinda feeling bad for this girl.
"Git the fuck out ma house right now and you can probably go catch em." Gabriel said, violently nodding towards the door to the apartment supercomplex. Kopaka released Lilian and brushed past the two male humans. There was no time to waste.
"Oookay then. Guess we're bouncing. Stay outta trouble dawg." Casey said, pointing two fingers from his masked eyes to Gabriel's face. He jogged to catch up to Kopaka, who was walking in a manner that might be described as 'storming'. Casey looked up at the Toa, wondering what, exactly had caused him to soften up on that girl all of a sudden.
"Yo Kop. What'd that chick say back there?"
Kopaka just kept silent and maintained his brisk pace. Casey sighed. Of course. In Kopaka's mind, however, thoughts were racing. Why had he been so quick to use pain as a means to an end? Was that just? Was she deserving? It didn't feel right...but at the same time...Kopaka had wanted to do it. What had he become in this Omniverse?
C O L D