Rann, Irma's Ship

"If you're feeling guilty, just quit. Sell the rithum, burn that paper you take notes on, and whatever else you have to do to get rid of the research. Or, you could just work on the force fields; they save lives."

Rann paused long enough to manuever the ship out of the biodome.

"If you do quit, the HDF probably won't be able to find you; I mean, once Irma's done, God himself could have trouble finding us."

Ed-Irma's ship

"Quit? I never considered that," he said, then sitting silently for a few minutes,

"I can't quit. What would happen to me afterwards. What would I have to live for? I would be without a purpose."

Rann, Irma's ship

"Well," Rann began. "I don't see how working for the military could be a purpose in life, but to each their own, I guess."

Then he suddenly thought of something. "I don't know how good you are with organic stuff, but you might be able to work at the station with my sister. She does something or another with food. If you want, we can go to RS 413 after we're done here."

Ed-Irma's ship

"It's not who I work for that defines a purpose, it is the work I do," he began to argue but seeing no point in it soon fell silent. He fell into his thoughts while glancing out the window, "Organics really aren't my thing, but I could give them a try. Weapons design while intriguing serves no end than finding more expedient ways of defeating an enemy."

Rann, Irma's Ship

"The only work like that I've done was for about a day with you, so I really never thought about it. I made my guns for self-defense, and usually I can scare someone enough to leave me alone. If they don't, I run like hell. I haven't been able to kill anyone; I tried to kill that man that got into the lab at the university, and I ended up just whiacking him real good."

"You could even work with Irma; if you could stand it." Rann said, thinking of another option. "Sure, the work she does is extremely illegal, but not malicious. All the work she does is for guys like me; small-time smugglers that can't kill anyone."

Ed-Irma's ship

Standing up Ed began walking to the back of the ship. as he passed Rann he placed a hand on his shoulder,

"Not being able to shoot a man undeserving of death is not a weakness," he then left the cockpit and walked to the back of the ship were he threw himself onto the floor and leaned against the wall. his eyes became unfocused as he was once again consumed by thoughts.

Rann, Irma's Ship

"That bastarde just missed the point and turned it around onto me." he muttered quietly and disbelievingly.

Ed was getting a little scary, with the suicide talk and the not having a purpose...

Edward-Irma's ship

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting in that corner, but he thought he would g and check on Rann. He stuck his ehad through the door.

"So how much longer till we get there?"

Rann, Irma's Ship

"We just landed." Rann answered with an eyebrow raised. How could he have missed that?

Rann pulled out a computer that Irma let him borrow and looked at the map for a second.

"It's some sort of warehouse, supposedly overrun with criminals." Rann said as he stood up. He tightened his gun belt and opened the exit ramp.

"You can stay here if you want." he said to Ed; he was getting kind of worried about him.

Ed- Irma's ship

"We did. That's strange I don't recall landing,"

He didn't really react to the situation Rann described, simply saying,

"I'll come with, and I'll try and stay out of the way." Before walking down the ramp and waited on Rann.

Rann, Landing Platform

"Suit yourself." he said, following Ed down the ramp. He closed it, and walked with Ed out of the docking area and into the city.

"We'll scout it out first, before doing anything." he said, more thinking out loud than actually informing anyone.

Ed followed Rann out into the city. He followed from a distance, with his hadns in pockets and head lowered. He didn't say anything. He didn't have anything to say. He didn't even care to look at the city around him.

Rann, Jupiter

Rann noticed Ed lagging behind and stopped until he caught up. "Look, you really dont have to do this. I'll be fine."

Rann pointed down the street. "How about you go in there and have a drink? I'll be back in a couple hours when I'm done."

Rann thought that maybe a drink would help Ed out, and besides that, he didn't want to be stealing things with a possibly suicidal person; there was no telling what he might pull.

Ed-Jupiter city

Ed followed Rann's finger to the bar, then looked abck at Rann,

"Are you sure? I can help if you want me too,"

Rann, Jupiter

"I'm sure. Go get yourself a drink." he said. "or twelve." he added quietly. "If I'm not back in four hours....wait longer." he said with a smirk, and headed off down the road.

Ed-Jupiter's surface

"Okay if you are sure" he said, turning and heading for the bar. "Guess I am entirely useless" he told himself as he kicked a soda can someone had discarded in the street. He turned at a corner and walked away from the bar. Feeling sorry for himself was no way to improve his condition, but he somehow felt as though he deserved to feel sorry for himself.

Rann, Jupiter

Rann walked the next few blocks, and found himself in the not-so-respectable part of town.

He looked at his map one more time to confirm the location of the place before shutting down the datapad. He turned the corner, and looked in front of him.

This isn't a warehouse! It's a damned stronghold!

With a sigh, Rann slowly walked around it, acting as if he were lost just in case they had exterior security cameras.

He saw two possible openings, but they were doors; and likely guarded. There had to be another way.

He turned back the way he came, far enough to be out of sight of any cameras, and suddenly formed an idea. He turned the datapad back on, and loaded the schematics of this part of town that Irma put on there for his use.

He looked at the sewers, and found that there was a way under the facility through them; but was there an entrance into the facility itself? Only one way to find out, Rann decided.

He quickly looked around to make sure nobody was around before pulling out his pistol and firing at the meager lock that held the sewer hatch.

He felt the urge to throw up from the smell, but went down anyway.

Ed-Jupiter City

It didn't take long before Ed was lost, he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings nor which way he had turned. He saw a bioarea arranged like a park and worked his way to it. He found a quiet corner in the park and sat himself down on a bench, where he would remain until Rann found him, if Rann would choose to look for him

Rann, Jupiter

Rann climbed down the ladder, and found himself walking along the hanging platforms for maintenance.

He couldn't stnad the smell, so he began breathing through his mouth, but that made it worse; he would rather smell sewage than taste it.

He looked at his datapad one more time, and found an entrance into the criminal facility.

He pulled out a small electronic device of his own design, and within moments, he had the door open.

OOC: this is pretty dead, but I think everyone ws waiting on me...

Rann, Jupiter

He got by the guards easily enough, and he used his unnatural eyes to see heat intead of light. That way, he could see any guards through the thinner walls.

He made it to the control room and took waht he needed; some sort of disc with whatever information Irma wanted on it.

He turned to go back, and he saw an enormous red shape infront of him. Switching his eyes to see light again, he realized that it was a guard.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Uhh..." Rann stammered. Unable to htink of anything clever, he ran bac kthe way he came, and he heard an alarm sounding.

Lily, Jupiter

Lily congratulated herself on her ability to stowaway on the ship without the two young men notiicing her.

She had followed the two until they split up, and then she started to follow the one she didn't know; Ed.

And now she was standing across the street from where he sat on a bench.

OOC: lol yeah and not sure where to go. Like the elad you put.

Ed-Jupiter

Ed stared at the ground lost in thought. But then something bothered him. a set of eyes watching him. Ed looked around him to find out where the stare was coming from. his eyes caught on a beautiful young woman who had her eyes on him. Ed managed to pull out a forced smile, and moved slightly leaving an open invitation for ehr to come and sit down.

Lily, Jupiter

Seeing the silent invitation, Lily seated herself on the bench.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Rann, Jupiter

He was doing fine for awhile. He even made it to the sewers. A guard tackling him made him lose all progress, and he found himself face-first in the muck.

"Get him in the brig." he heard one of them say, after the disc was taken from his hand.

Ed-Jupiter

Ed sat in silence for a minute or two, then he looked at Lily,

"yes, I am fine," he said softly,

He then looked at Lily,

"Why are you here?" he asked rather bluntly.

Lily, Jupiter

"Nice to meet you too, Ed. I'm Lily." she said, holding out her hand.

Rann, Jupiter

Rann found himself strapped down in a chair. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

None of the guards aroundh im answered, but dutifully stripped him of all his belongings except for his clothes.

"Now for these." a guard said, brandishing a tool that Rann was unfamiliar with.

"Get that thing away from me!" he shouted, suddenly realizing the man's intent. Unable to move, Rann couldn't do a thing while the guard took his eyes. He couldn't do anything when he was knocked out either.

Ed-Jupiter

Rather confused Ed shook Lily's hand,

"pleasure to meet you," he said then looked around him, suddenly realizing Rann wasn't around. in his daze he hadn't paid Rann the slightest attention so he had no recolelction fo twhere he was.

"Where did Rann go off to?"

Lily, Jupiter

"Rann? He's probably doing whatever my granny sent him here to do. Did he not tell you? You were talking to him not an hour ago."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Rann, Jupiter

He woke up and stood, wondering for a second why he couldn't see a damned thing. When he remembered, he merely put his hands on the wall and walked along it, trying to get an idea of where he was.

He got the idea that he was in a cylindrical room, not ten feet across.

"Can I get some food in here? Or some vision?" he shouted angrily, pounding on the wall.

Ed-Jupiter

"yeah I'm fine, I think. I remember talking to him, but I don't recall what it was about, or him ever leaving." Ed said rather worried standing up.

"Great, he is probably in trouble and I have no idea where," he then added angrily, kicking the bench while doing so. "damn it. Damn it. Damn it!"

OOC: emotionally unstable? *lol*

Llily, Jupiter

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" she said, grabbing Ed by the shoulders. "I remember him saying something about a bar. Did he tell you to meet him there? Come on, try to remember."

Ed-Jupiter

"I can't. what if something happens to him?" Ed fumed, then threw himself back down on the bench.

"bar? yeah he said something about a bar. But I don't remember which one, Maybe we can backtrack?"

Lily, Jupiter

"Alright, You came from that way when I started following you." she said pointing.

Rann, Jupiter

He finished pounding the wall, and he sat down, leaning against the wall.

This is how I always wanted to die; blind and bored as hell. he thought bitterly.

He looked up as he heard a door open, but it was a wasted effort, as his empty sockets couldn't percieve anything.

"Rann, is it?" a voice asked.

"Sure, of you say so." Ran answered.

"I do; that's what your brother called you in that recording."

Rann's eyeless face contorted in confusion for a second.

"In you eyes?" the man pressed.

"Oh. Well are you going to give them back?" he asked.

"Not yet. You see, you and your brother owe me money if you remember correctly. You delivered something, and I haven't been paid."

"You're...him?" he asked incredulously. His luck couldn't be worse.

The man didn't need to answer, for the answer was obvious. "What did you want with that disc?"

"I don't know; it was a job." Rann lied. Sort of.

"Well, who hired you?"

"I don't know! the man was just like you! Never letting me see him or know his name." he shouted. This crimelord that he was speaking to always spoke through a datapad or a voice communication, never video or in person. Rann figured that it was only because of the fact that he was blind that the man was this close to him.

"You had better find out in three days." the crimelord said as Rann heard him moving towards the door. "Or Syke and Satyana might have an accident in that station of yours."

"You leave them alone!" he shouted, as he stood, and ran towards the place where he heard the man last speak. He ran into a closed door.

Ed- Jupiter

Ed stood up and collected himself.
placing a hand on Lily's shoulder,

"I mus apologize for my behavior. I am not normally this...disheveled." He then walked past Lily and headed down the road he had traveled down earlier. looking for a landmark that would help him locate the bar.

After severla minutes of walking he came to a rather large intersection, on the corner across the street was a rather worn down looking place. turning to Lily he pointed to it,

"I think that's the place," as he proceeded to cross the busy street.

Lily, Jupiter

"Maybe we should wait inside and see if he shows up there." she suggested.

Ed- Jupiter bar

"Yes good idea," he said as he opened the door for Lily and followed her inside. The place was grimy, yet moderately busy. Seeing an open table he guided Lily to it, and pulled a chair for her. afer she ahd seated herself he walked over to the bar and ordered a pitcher. he sat down opposite Lily.

"So Lily. tell me. How did you follow us?"

Lily, Jupiter, Bar

"I got on the ship before you two did. Granny never let's me see Rann anymore, and it gets pretty boring with only me and Granny. I would've shown myself earlier, but you started talking about suicide and...it didn't seem like a good time..."

Ed-Jupiter bar

"Oh yeah that. Sorry about that," Ed said thinking about earier. He took a swig from his beer.

"Rann will probably be upset when he sees you. Expressing his concern through anger. That seems like somthing Rann would do." then realizing he was rambling he stopped talking.

"do you want anything to drink? I'm treating,"

Lily, Jupiter

"Yeah he probably will, but he'll get over it. If he doesn't, I'll rip one of those fake eye of his right out of their sockets." she said, jokingly, unaware of the irony of her statement.

"Drink? No, I'm fine. We can just sit here and wait."

Ed- Jupiter Bar

Ed flinched at the comment,

"bit violent wouldn't you say? so what's the thing between you and Rann? have you two ahd some chemistry?"

Lily, Jupiter

"I'm just kidding, lighten up." she said. "Me and Rann? I guess there was, but Granny took care of that pretty quickly."

"So how do you know Rann?"

Rann, Jupiter

Rann had just composed himself and sat down, when he wasa dragged away, kicking, screaming and blind.

He was strapped to what he figured was the same chair, and asked the guards what was going on. He got no answer, but he heard the guards dutifully doing their duties. One ightening the straps, and one standing over him. He realized what was happening as one eye was painfully re-inserted.

He blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings, and the guards had both gone.

"Alright, Rann." he heard through a speaker in the ceiling. "I'm letting you go with one of your eyes. Find out who hired you, and come back with the information. You have a week before I start killing the people I've seen in those recordings of yours."

Rann was about to reply when the straps around him were released and the door in front of him was opened.

"You'll get your other eye when you come back."

With that, the man cut off the audio conenction, and Rann began fumbling his way back outside.

Ed-Jupiter Bar

"Can't say I really know him. I spent a few days in a dorm with him at the uni. Then things went AWOL and I left with Rann. and now here I am." He said with a sigh. He was beginning to worry. Hopefully Rann would come back soon.

"your grandmother is quite the lady. Is she always so strict? Or is it only when Rann is around?"

Lily, Jupiter

"Granny? Yeah, she's always strict. Unless it's herself breaking the rules. Then it's 'only in fun' or something like that."

Rann, Jupiter

Rann kept is left eye closed; he didn't want anything getting in the socket. He made his shaggy hair hang the opposite way so that it covered his left eye, hoping that Ed wouldn't notice.

He was almost back to the ship when he remembered. "The bar, right."

He opened the door, and looked around. He saw Ed and the back of some girl's head.

ED- Jupiter Bar

Ed saw the door open and saw Rann enter. with a sigh of relief Ed stood up and walked to meet him. He pulled Rann into a hug.

"Thank god you're alive," he said "I was so worried" he held on tightly for a while longer then slowly let Rann out of the embrae. that's when he noticed something wasn't quite right.

"What's the matter, what happened to your face? Are you alright Rann? Here come and ahve a seat,"

Rann, Jupiter

We have mood swings, now? he thought, laughing to himself until Ed said something about his face. That reminder was enough to take away any mirth.

He sat down, and justthen noticed that it was Lily sitting with Ed.

"What are you doing here? You have to get home. Now." he said angrily.

Lily, Jupiter

"You were right, Ed. He's pretty mad." she said with a laugh. "We'll go home as soon as you're ready. Get your hair out of your eyes, Rann." she said as she brushed it back.

"What's wrong, Rann? Open your eye." When he did, all she could say was "Oh my God! What the hell happened?"

Ed-Jupiter Bar

"...sweet heaven's Rann, what happened?" he asked stunend and appalled. He then proceeded to order some drinks. Now even more nervous since he was worried, Ed was pacing.

Rann, Jupiter

He wouldn't tell the details until Lily was gone, so he jusst said. "I got caught, and they took my eye to teach me a lesson or something. It's not like I can't build a new one; it just won't look as real."

He was torn; did he rat out Irma and Lily, or sacrifice his family? He had to avoid both if at all possible.

I have a week. I can have Irma finish her job, and then I can go to RS413 to take Syke and Satyana somewhere...no, then I only have one day to get Satyana, me and Syke away...Irma has to finish early. Or I have to leave without her finishing...

Then the drinks came. He downed one quickly, and then decided against having anymore; he had to drive back.

"Can we go? I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

Lily, Jupiter

"They just let you go?" she was tempted to ask, but didn't.

"Alright, we can leave." she said, standing up.

Ed-Jupiter Bar

"I can help make a new one. I should have been there to help you, but I wasn't. You can even use some of the rithum." He said, then looking aroun at the stares eh got.

"...ummm yeah let's go," he said as he headed for the door.

Rann, Jupiter

He waited until Lily followed before doing so himself.

When they got to the ship, he turned to Lily. "Wait, where's the ship you took?"

Lily, Jupiter

"I took this one." she said with a smile as she pushed by him and boarded the ship.

Rann, Jupiter

"Huh?" A confused Rann shook his head and went inside to start the engines.

Ed-Jupiter, ship

"She came with us Rann," Ed commented as he entered the ship.

Rann, Ship

"What? How? Oh, of course. that's the only logical way that she oculd have possi- I knew that."

He took off and in about six hours, they were back at Irma's.

Irma, Her house

"Did you get it?" she asked, holding out her hand. Of course he had it.

Rann, Irma's house

"Uhh...No. I mean No Ma'am." he asnwered. Then he remembered that Lily was behind him; this couldn't possibly turn out well. Even if Lily admitted that it was her idea, Irma wouldn't believe him...

Ed- Irma's house

Ed knew this wasn't going to go well. He leaned against the frame of the door and tried looking inconspicuous.

Rann, Irma's House

Rann knew that Irma had seen Lily when he was immediately hit repeatedly by a cane.

"Ow!" he said, trying to block the cane with his arms. He couldn't retaliate; she was an old woman, and he needed her to fix his ship.

Lily, Irma's House

"Granny, stop!" she shouted. When Irma stopped for a second to regard her, she saw Rann back up a few steps.

"I sneaked onto the ship, it isn't their fault. Tell her, Ed."