9461/Gen13 Flashback: Rainmaker's Post-Rescue

Gen13 Flashback: Rainmaker's Post-Rescue
Date of Scene:	05 January 2022
Location:	W01 - Caitlin's Dorm - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Flashback to 2019: Caitlin helps Sarah Rainmaker get settled into her new life in New York shortly after being rescued.
Cast of Characters:	Caitlin Fairchild, Sarah Rainmaker

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Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Getting someone out of a top-secret, paramilitary research facility was not all that hard. Especially with a crack team of former DEO Special Team commandos led by a redhead built like a proverbial brick house.

It turns out the more difficult task, for both Caitlin Fairchild and Sarah Rainmaker, is getting new lives and new identities put in place. New York is the obvious place to re-settle; lots of metahumans, lots of travel, and a population big enough to blend in with.

There had been a good number of subjects rescued before they could be black-bagged in the night, shuffled off to be 'cared for' by the DEO or shuttled into black-bag operations for shadowy, even nefarious alphabet agencies. Sarah was of majority and easy enough to provide a cover for; new apartment, cover ID, even some legit looking paperwork establishing her as a dual citizen of Mexico and the USA.

It's to Sarah's apartment that Caitlin goes, a very modest but tidy five-story on the outskirts of Queens. She heads upstairs with a book bag slung over one shoulder and a fistful of grocery bags dangling from her hand and wrist. Her modest attire is a calf-length blue dress over an ivory camisole, hair pinned back and simple black ballet flats helping to downplay her sheer size.

Caitlin knocks on the door twice, pauses, then three times. "It's Cait," she announces, raising her voice. "I brought groceries!"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
It's been hard on Sarah on an emotional level and something she's not particularly handled well. Going to finding that your life is a lie, that you're wanted for experimentation.. She's been on the run since the rescue and has been trying to sort out just what she is. What to believe. How to survive.
    And most of all the trauma that was seeing her two siblings and what they were capable of. Nicole. Michael. Were they always monsters? Thresshold having a hole where his eye had been.
    Adjustment and what training it took to keep unnoticed and constant traveling had been also hard.
    Sarah's apartment is done up with posters. Of bands she likes, of various causes she supports.. Several up of local rallies that she hasn't gone to. "Coming!" She would go to roll off the chair she had been sitting in, a light fizzle of ozone going from her movements, the gauntlets she wore to keep her grounded having a faint hum.
    "Hey, thank you." She would move to open the door, going through the numerous latches, and go to the side. "I really, really appreciate this."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It's nothing," Caitlin reassures Sarah automatically and flashes a smile. "I know what a pain it is to shop in a new city." She walks past her with a deference for Sarah's bubble and starts dropping the groceries off on the counter. Caitlin takes a second to sweep her eyes around the apartment, sniffing the air. She's pretty far from a covert agent but the redhead's got a keen eye for detail and is obviously concerned for Sarah's safety.

Once the door is shut she reaches into her bookbag for a folio and offers it over to Sarah. "Last of the secret ID stuff," Caitlin tells her. "My friend says as long as you don't end up in front of the FBI or something, this will stand up to scrutiny." Sarah can open the binder if she wants; it's full of things like newspaper clippings, hometown events and mentions, even some pictures that conceivably place her in Mexico with her 'parents'.

"I'm still working an angle with the DEO to try and get you a secure identity, but it's kind of out of my hands for the moment," Caitlin apologizes. She starts putting the groceries up automatically. "But until someone can guarantee me that the CADMUS directorate can't get into the DEO databases, I don't trust 'em half as far as I can throw 'em."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker had just learned to go along with it. Survival skills, self defense, learning her powers.. "Thank you. I'm still not used to the city. I suppose that will have to change. I might be able to stay here awhile." Her eyes would look up and over with adoration, it quickly pushed back in her mind.

"Thank you, for this, for everything.." SHe would go to look at the ID, evaluating it and inspecting it. "Thorough. I wouldn't have thought of that.." Thought of before this life that one needed to make a life look more than just a driver's liscence and a social media page."

Skimming through the binder she would close her eyes. "I would guess ten, maybe fifteen kilometers. A bit more if you got a running start." Attempting to make a bit of a joke. "I.. I have a chance now."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It's very doable," Caitlin reassures Sarah with sincere sympathy. "My cover ID was terrible. They didn't even change my name. And it's not like there are a lot of redheaded Caitlins outside of Ireland. But it worked out, and eventually I got smart and figured out how to patch up the holes in it. It was scary, learning to trust some people," she admits. "Early on about the only friends I had were the other Titans. I was so scared. But after a while you start trusting people, and you realize not everyone is out to get you."

She pauses and laughs once, apologetically. "And honestly the third or fourth time you skip going to the movies because you think someone in sunglasses is tailing you-- well, life's meant to be lived," she suggests with a humorous tone.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would glance at Caitlin, "So how many redhead Caitlins are there that are over six feet tall when not wearing boots?" She would inquire. "I'm.. Glad that you had them. Now.." Now she's trying to figure out how to say 'you're the only friend I have' but quickly aborts it. "I wouldn't be where I am without what you and everyone else has done for me today. I want to take inspiration from you and.. Figur eout how to live my life." Her going to take out the food to put it away.

Sorting through things in her head, the Apache woman would be going through emotions. NIght terrors. Hopes. Dreams. All those things that had been discarded.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I wasn't any better off when I got started," Caitlin tells Sarah with a gentle reassurance. "I didn't even know I had powers. I didn't -have- powers. Just a bunch of allergies and some memories from a virtual reality headset. You've got a handle on who you are, what you can do, and who is coming after you. Until I met up with the Titans, I didn't have any of that."

The last of the groceries are put away and Caitlin starts pulling out some fixings for what looks like a salad. "I think ... take a few months. Get your head right. See that therapist I recommended," Caitlin urges. "If nothing else you deserve a little vacation. Then you can see about getting a job or going to school." She smiles at her work, but the expression is muted and bittersweet. "I was going to say 'come meet the Titans sometime', but... I don't think that's ever gonna happen," she admits, and exhales wearily through her nose.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would look out the window, her gauntlets still sizzling and smelling of ozone. Her looking over at Caitlin, "I don't think I can.. Live that life. I don't think I can put my face out there. I know that I'm safe and that there won't be a risk. I just don't think I can do that." Gazing along.

Finally admitting, "I don't know what I'm going to do." Honest admission.

"And I have to figure that part out first. Live a life. Go and try and make a new one. Go somewhere familiar. But I need to feel like I have something normal." Her looking down at those gauntlets on her wrists. "You're brave Cait. The bravest person I know and could ever imagine. You're so much stronger. Not just physically. You're a good person."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin glances at the gauntlets and beckons Sarah over to the counter. She sets aside the cutlery and digs a small toolkit out of her bookbag, and invites Sarah to rest her forearm on the countertop so she can take a look at the device.

"I'm still working on streamlining these," she apologizes. "I know they're clunky as heck. I had to make do with a lot of components that Mister Stark wouldn't go looking for if they turned up missing," she admits, and opens one device up to poke around in the interior. "It was either fifty bucks worth of copper wire, or five grand worth of palladium thread. Maybe I can miniaturize these if I ever get promoted out of the junior engineering section," she says with a dark mutter. "I admit I feel a little wasted just designing better drone rotors."

"Still, I know I can't fix everything," Caitlin admits, "but I can at least make sure you don't have to worry about sneezing in the Apple Store and destroying all the product of the shelves," she offers, and ventures an encouraging smile at Sarah.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would hold her hands up and let Caitlin remove them, "They're fine. They're an aid, not a necessity. They help control.." And ground her. Rather literally. "I appreciate everything. And.. You don't have to scrounge around for things for me, Caitlin. I don't awnt to make you go digging around in junk piles or putting your job or your teammates at risk." Thent houghtfully.
    "Just give me what you need and I can see what I can scrounge up." The Apple Store incident was still a sore spot. "I can always just make a tesla coil and put it near the couch like a lava lamp."
    Her going to take a hand up to try and put it reassuringly up and over on Caitlin's shoulder. Very unsure on the contact and ready to pull away. If not just giving a supportive squeeze.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin smiles at the touch; Sarah's been through enough that even Caitlin knows the importance of regular reassurance and validation. She returns it with an equally gentle, if slightly awkward, pat on Sarah's shoulder in return.

"It's really OK," she says again. "I'm just doing for you what my dad, and Mr. Wilson, and Wintergreen did for me. You don't deserve what you went through."

She finishes reattaching whatever has worked loose and offers the bracelets back to Sarah. "And I'm not -stealing- stealing," she clarifies, and goes back to dicing up veggies to throw in the salad bowl. "I'll pay for all of it. Eventually. I just have to make sure I hide it in my expense reports so no one wonders 'gee Caitlin, what are you doing with that electromagnetic shielding and why did you lose it?'"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would sigh, "No one does. But you've done your share of duty in this. I.. You saved me and you saved a lot of people. You're going to be.. You already are a real hero. You don't have to worryon things like this. It will survive. And.. I can probably find things if you need them."

The gauntlets would be taken over, and Sarah would adjust them on. A little bit of a fizzle from one. Her hand going up and testing it, another small jolt of power going through it. "Much better, thank you. Like.. Tightening a couple of loose screws."

Her going back to helping make salad, her mind churning. Her wanting to go 'how about I take you to lunch sometime' or 'let me make you dinner'. Realizing that.. It wasn't a good path to bring up.

"I'm going to make some tea while we work." Her going to take out a kettle and filling it with water, then putting it on the stove. Going to take a hand up and carefully focus.. Giving a small bzapt of electricity to the oven, starting up the burner.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I was. Was a hero," Caitlin says, shaking her head. Her eyes go a little flat, focused on the middle distance while she cuts the veggies with a careless disregard for the knife in her hands. In fairness, a chainsaw wouldn't do much more than pinch her obdurate flesh.

But the idea of a 'hero' touches some raw, unhealed nerve, and it takes her a few seconds to climb out of a black reverie with a shudder of her shoulders. Cucumbers, tomatoes, a few thin slivers of pepper and a generous serving of lettuce and fresh spinach.

"Italian or buttercream ranch?" Caitlin inquires, gesturing at two bottles of home-made dressing she'd squirreled in with the groceries. "I don't know if you like light or heavy dressing, so I made both."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would frown, "You are a hero, Caitlin. You've saved a lot of people. You've saved me. You've put your life on the line for a lot of people and you seem more than ready to do it again. You're a good person. Strong, brave.." Shaking her head and noting the tenseness. Leaving herself quiet to give Caitlin a moment to elaborate or to act like it didn't happen.

"Buttercream. Italian has to be real, not grocery store bought." She would go to get out some plates and move to set the table. Getting out a couple of mugs for tea. "I don't have anything exotic, so do you want green, chai, or earl grey?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin looks down at the bottles in her hands. "But it /is/ home--" she mumbles it a little too slow and low, and Sarah's question overrides the confusion on the redhead's face. "Oh, tea? Earl grey, please, with lots of cream and sugar," she requests. "I know, don't judge me. I like it that way," she tells Sarah. "Green tea is OK but it's like... I like /jasmine/ tea and only if you get it authentically, at those Chinese places. And I'm not allowed into Golden Dragon anymore, they banned me at all the buffet chains," she grimaces. "Which I still think is unfair, but..."

She dishes up food for them both and casts around for somewhere to sit. Seeing nothing that she estimates can hold up her weight, Caitlin elects to lean an elbow on the countertop and eat right there, standing up. "So on happier topics, have you thought about real life at all? Past this?" she gestures vaguely around with a fork. "School, job, that sort of thing?"

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would listen to the back and forth, "I know. I'm so put out that I have my own space to drink in and I realize all I have are the two dollar boxes from a convenience store. I should be ashamed of myself in this city with everything available." Being a little playful to try and relax the mood some.

Getting out some teabags and honey and cream and sugar. "So unfortunate. You should write a letter to complain." She would grin.

"And I.. I don't know. I feel like I have to figure it out. I'm dealing with so many things changing.. NOthing on a level like you had to.." Going from nerd to glamazon.. "But I'm not sure where I stand. I have to.. Figure that out. I'm not sure if it means I want to take classes, get a job.. I don't know. And I feel like I have to figure that out since I can stay here."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I lived off the stipend for a while but it wasn't easy living," Caitlin admits. "Love the Wintergreens but they didn't really account for inflation, and I didn't wanna borrow money from my brother on top of the trust fund." The former family known as Team 7 had pooled their assets into a tontine once, to provide for any orphans like Caitlin. Now that was being used to subsidize Sarah, and others, who needed help getting out from under the thumb of nefarious foes both within and outside the government.

"I'd get a job of some kind. Bike delivery," she suggests. "It's cheap, it's good exercise, and you'll learn to find your way around the city. I know it's not glamorous but it..." she purses her lips. "I don't know. Having a real job it makes you feel /rooted/. I'm not pretending I loved it, but working at the iron yard was really soothing in some way. Like... peaceful. All I had to do was stand around and bend girders, and carry stuff. Made me feel like I was part of something, like I belonged in the city, finally."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would nod, "I'm aware. I was at the point of my life where that would have been plan. Figure out job, figure out if wanted to do college.. I suppose that's a good enough starting point with it. I need some time to.. Find myself and figure it out." she would clos eher eyes. "I'd go for something melodramatic and spiritual but I don't think I'm quite that deserving. But I don't know where I stand and everything is new. I need to start over again. And.. New place to stay, new identity.. Everything else after that. I need to put down roots and see where they grow." Her taking a sip of her tea.

"And you delivering on a bike? I would have loved to see pictures of that. I'm sure you were extremely terrifying. And how did you find a bike that wouldn't break?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Uh, no, I said I would do bike deliveries *if I were you*," Caitlin says with a laugh and a shake of her head. "There isn't a bike out there that I think could hold me. The first time I jumped a curb I'd wreck the bike or wreck the sidewalk. Can you imagine someone cutting /me/ off in traffic and ending up with my head going through their rear windshield?" she jokes.

"No, I got a job at an iron yard. It was just... manual labor, and it was nice. Pick things up, carry them, set them down. Bend girders. Unbend scrap metal. I got good hours, the pay was nice, and since it's not safe to be in the yard while I'm working, I had a lot of time to myself to listen to audiobooks or music," she says. "It wasn't even hard to blend, back then I was just about 'average' as far as super-strength is gauged," she clarifies.

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would laugh, "I'm sure quite a few wouldn't mind having you go through their windshield. You leave that kind of impression." She would close her eyes and lean back and thoughtful. "And I don't think I could do that much on a bike. I'm not that.. Enthusiastic." Enthusiastic seems safer than 'insane', right?

"I can understand that it was relaxing and it was good exercise for you. Something simple. I suppose that my having to work with these.. Is going to be a lot of the same."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"You'll find something," Caitlin promises. "And I'll be on the lookout too. I know a lot of friends who hire covertly in the meta community. Businesses don't like to advertise it but sometimes you find a setup that works really well for your skills and your powers. Maybe they need some help at the hydroelectric facilities," she suggests, going for another joke to try and prompt a smile from the Cheyanne girl.

"Just give New York a chance. And if you are here a while and it's just not clicking, I'll do whatever I can to help you get settled," she promises. "Even if it means moving back West or something."

Sarah Rainmaker has posed:
Sarah Rainmaker would smile, "I know. And I'll figure it out. And i know that you'll be a resource and your contacts will be. And that you're avaialble and all too willing ot help." There's an appreciation of it as she would go to take another sip of her tea. "I may just call you up on it tomorrow. Or awhile."

What she manages to not show at all in her face is that it will be when the nightmares stop. That.. That sort of lie is impressively well put on her expression.