Owner Pose
Raven Darkholme Pete had in fact texted Clarice that he would be longer than expected, but an entire day? A full twenty-four hours in Salmon, Idaho, at least that is where he said he was going, but why he'd gone there of all places was unknown.

The last known location the GPS showed for one Pete Olivera was Salmon, Idaho, or rather inside the Salmon-Challis National Forest near Salmon, Idaho. There was no explanation or reason known for why the GPS just went dark, H & D confirmed that the phone with the GPS had been working just fine, battery was still at seventy-eight percent, and should have continued transmitting. When the trouble shooting offered no answers, they sent a message to Mystique, Clarice and Lydia concerning the 'death' of Pete's phone and the location that the death took place.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest was HUGE, no matter what angle one looked at it, it covered a large portion of northern Idaho. One little dot indicated where in the forest the GPS went out, but would Pete still be there?
Clarice Ferguson     "Mister Creed isn't answering," Clarice remarks in frustration as she stares at her own phone with a deep frown. Of //course// she'd want her father figure and mentor along when it comes to tracking someone through the wilderness - but with him seemingly unavailable, that option seems to be removed from the table. "Alright. This is fine. I mean, he's taught me plenty about tracking. I can handle this."
    It's clear - at least to those that know her well - that Clarice is very much trying to convince herself, and reassure herself that everything was going to turn out alright in the end. She shoulders a pack with a first aid kit, water, food, and survival gear that she expects won't be terribly necessary, given the nature of her own gift - but better to bring along what they need rather than exhaust herself unnecessarily.
    "I guess we just go."
Lydia Dietrich     "Yeah," Lydia says, agreeing with Clarice. "I wish we were able to get a hold of him. He'd be able to track Pete down better than I can. I'm no slouch in the city, but that's because I'm used to all the smells and can pick them apart, but I've never really tried it in the wild, so you'll have to be patient with me."

    When she heard that they were going to be trekking through the forests, she had changed outfits. Blue jeans tucked into hiking boots, and a red flannel button up shirt makes her look like the quintessential lumberjack. Or lesbian. Take your pick. She's got her unruly hair put into a simple braid to keep it out of the way.

    "Yeah," she agrees. "Looks like it's just us. Mystique is all tied up and can't get away." A beat. "Not... in /that/ way," she says, flustered. "With work. Tied up with work."
Raven Darkholme How Theo heard about all this is unknown, but he did and he comes running up to Clarice and Lydia, a pack on his back. He arrived just in time to hear Mystique was tied up, which made him almost grin over how flustered Lydia got.

"I'm going with," he states, not asking, telling them both. "I can feel Pete from miles away, you need me, and there's no way I'm sitting around here while my best friend might be in trouble."

The satellite feed of the area causes Clarice's phone to chime, indication that it has been sent, as well that GPS location to match the image. It is behind the offices of the Forestry Center for national forest, a few trees, but mostly some massive bushes and a small parking lot and no one present. The parking lot is presently empty, the lights are off in the offices, perfect for a bright purple portal to go unnoticed.
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice opens her mouth as if she intends to protest, then shuts it. She'd intended to try to run off, and take care of this, without Theo any the wiser. Without having to //worry// him.
    And it's just occured to her that she would absolutely //murder// anyone who pulled that shit on her.
    "Alright," she agrees simply. "We'll need your help. But you stick close, and follow orders. Yes?" She fixes her brother with a stern, no-nonsense stare, and only after she has his agreement, does she study the images on her phone. "Alright, let's go find our brother," she announces - opening a portal for the trio to step through.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia pretty much goes through the same process Clarice does when Theo shows up. At first she was going to protest, but, really, leaving him behind would just make things worse. "Okay," she says, agreeing with Clarice. "But if things look ugly she's going to blink you to safety." She glances over to her sis, "Should we bring the Squad, or is that overkill?" She shakes her head. "Probably overkill."

    She steps through the portal, her nose flaring when she gets to the other side, taking in the sharp change of scents. "This is..." she frowns. "Okay. I'm going to need to go wolf for this." There's a hazy shimmer, and in a matter of moments her form shifts into that of a big black wolf. "Give me a moment," she says, her voice gruff. "I need to sort this all out before we really start."
Clarice Ferguson     "Hey, don't look to me when it comes to Theo's squad. They're not under my command. That's up to them, and him," Clarice answers simply, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "But I got the impression they're not looking for action." She looks to her brother for clarity on the matter.
Raven Darkholme Theo does in fact agree to follow orders, he figured that would be a stipulation to him going and he was prepared for it. In regards to being blinked away if there was danger however, he sort of half ass shrugs, maybe sort of nods, then pounces on the other topic.

"They aren't my squad, and they aren't combatants any more," he says softly. "They're still finding themselves, but Dr. Hathaway and I have found other things they are good at, other than mindless killing, so they aren't going near combat."

That said and the portal open, he steps through before anyone can change their minds. Just as the image showed, there is no one there and the night sky over head is filled with stars. There is a single light attempting to light up the parking lot and failing, it creates a circle around itself on the ground and nothing more. A huge sign at the edge of the parking lot marks out all the 'visitor trails', those paths in the forest open to those who come to enjoy nature without shooting at it.
Clarice Ferguson     Well, there you are then. Good for them," Clarice agrees - with complete sincerity. She wraps an arm briefly around her brother, then releases him as they turn to study their surroundings. She pulls out a flashlight, but it emits a deep red light, which is enough to illuminate their path without ruining their night-vision, should they need it.
    "Lydia, is there any hint of a scent on any of these paths?" Clarice asks, as she studies her phone again, trying to see if the last reading they got on Pete's phone points them in a specific direction.
Raven Darkholme The image on Clarice's phone, when she pinches the screen, would show her the exact location that the GPS dropped. The direction is southwest of the parking lot, along one of the less traveled trails, or at least it looks like very few people take it.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia stands there for a good couple of minutes, nose in the air inhaling the scents of the forest deeply to try to sort them out and categorize them in her mind. She ends this with a violent sneeze and looks up at Clarice. "I've got his scent," she says. "The rain helps kick it back up in the air, but it's faint. I think I can follow it, though."

    She looks back at Theo, "That's good!" she says, sounding proud. "You'll have to tell me what it is that they've found that they enjoy doing after we recover Pete." She looks off into the distance, "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. With the angels and everything..." She trails off, with the rest of the thought.

    "Anyway. Follow me. Hopefully we'll recover his phone along the way." With that she takes off at a brisk pace, down one of the less used paths into the park. She's pacing herself to make sure that she doesn't leave any of her human companions behind, otherwise she would just tear off.
Raven Darkholme Theo hasn't really been around a lot of trees, or forest for that matter, so this was a new and exciting experience coupled with complete and total anxiety over Pete being missing. It was like Pete to disappear off the radar, so to speak. He always checked in with Theo, more than Clarice even, in fact they were constantly texting each other, so for him to /not/ have texted in the last five hours is a big deal.

"We'll find the time," he offered, patting Lydia on the back lightly. "Lots happening, it's called life kicking your ass."

The trail least traveled is just that, the further away from the parking lot you got, the less it looked like anyone ever used it. There is no light save the moon, the trees start to close in around the trail rather quickly, though they aren't super thick or large, there are a lot of thin trunked, super tall trees around, with just a smidge of underbrush. The northern parts of Idaho were greener than the southern part, but it was no Oregon when it came to forest.
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice has experience with forests like this from her time with Creed, so moving through the forest - especially while on a path - is easy for her. She travels at an easy lope, pacing herself so she wouldn't tire too quickly. After all, it was hard to know how far they had to travel, or what they would face when they arrived. There's a grim, determined look on her features as she moves - the flashlight still in her hand, and pointed low towards the ground. The last thing she wanted was any flashes of light warning anyone that they were coming.
    "Youc an't sense Pete yet?" she asks her brother quietly.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia keeps the pace slow, now that they're moving in moonlight. To her, it's practically daylight, and Clarice might be used to running around the forest with naught but the moon, but she doubts Theo has had any kind of experience with this. She does her best to avoid low hanging branches that might thwap an unwary person in the face, and skirts around terrain that's too uneven. "Watch your step," she says more than once, warning them of a root or a big rock.

    After a good half hour of tracking, she pauses to look back at Clarice. "How close are we to where we lost his signal?"
Raven Darkholme At the slow pace chosen, the walk to the lost signal will take over two hours to reach. At the hour mark however, having been following the trail, they reached the point where the mark on the map indicates having to leave the trail and go directly into the trees.

"I don't feel him at all," Theo whispers, no idea why he's whispering. "It's just... blank, nothing, and I hate it. I wish I could at least /smell/ he was here like Lydia can."

The scent that Lydia follows also takes a sudden left off the trail, directly into the trees with the only indication on the ground of anyone having passed that way being a slight imprint of a work boot and nothing else.
Lydia Dietrich     "No you don't," Lydia tells Theo. "Then you'd have to smell teenaged boy /all the time/." With that dig in she pauses at the workboot imprint, lowering her nose to catch the scents there. "Just Pete," she tells them. "Stronger, too. He's /definitely/ come this way." She lifts her head and peers out into the night. "What the hell was he doing out here, anyway? Deer can't appreciate drag like we can." Lydia realizes that her attempt at humor might fall a little flat considering the circumstances. "Sorry," she says. "I'll just... keep sniffing."
Clarice Ferguson     "Why did he leave the trail?" Clarice murmurs quietly, as she crouches for a moment to study the footprint - and a few recently broken branches. Pete was no more accustomed to woods like this than Theo - and she knew that.
    After giving Theo a reassuring clasp on the shoulder, she continues on their hike into the woods, trying not to look as anxious as she, herself felt. Hopefully there would be a simple explination for this at the end, and Pete would be fine. A twisted ankle that kept him from returning home? A phone clumsily dropped?
    If anyone had done anything to Pete, though... there would be hell to pay.
Raven Darkholme Theo actually giggle snorts at Lydia's joke, for one brief moment imaging a herd of deer cheering Pete on when he was in drag. Why not? It could happen! Not really, but it did amuse him.

"It's alright, Lydia," he offers with a smile. "Deer can't appreciate drag, you're right."

He looks toward the path Pete took, still wishing he could sense him, or smell him, something, anything. "The only reason Pete would be out there is if he felt something, or heard someone calling," he then offers. "He doesn't do mountain man, and hiking is far from his list of enjoyed hobbies, so something or someone had to have drawn him out here."

Admitting the truth may not make it more comfortable for Clarice or Lydia, but it did for Theo. As he followed his sister along the path again, knowing that Pete was trying to help someone made it easier to accept that he was being stupid in the process. One thing Theo knew, you don't go out in the middle of no where alone, not unless something major was happening.
Clarice Ferguson     "His heart's too big for his own good," Clarice remarks softly, flashing Theo a brief smile. "If we're going to fast, tell us," she warns her brother as she urges Lydia on ahead of them - keeping up at a slow jog still, while remaining hyper aware of Theo's presence behind her. Focused as she is on the mission - she has no comment on drag-based humor - not at the moment.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia pauses in her tracks when she thinks of something. "I've got an idea." She shifts up into human and turns around to face Theo. "Theo, come here a sec." When he does so she gives him a grin and tells him, "Just stay there a moment. This might tingle a little bit."

    She places one hand on his chest, and another covering his eyes. She starts muttering an incantation, having her ectoplasm form a dark circle around him, lines of arcane symbols being sketched in darkness. She lets some power flow through her and into the teens eyes. "There." she says. "You should be able to see in the dark for the next twelve hours or so. Be careful with any sudden flashes of light, it might blind you. This should help us move quicker if we don't have to worry about you stumbling over your feet in the dark."

    With that she turns back to the trail, shifts back into a wolf, and continues forward, tracking at a much quicker pace.
Raven Darkholme Theo had in fact been doing his best to keep up, and it wasn't really that good. He didn't care about the scraps and bumps, it was more important to him to keep moving and find Pete. So when Lydia called him over, he does in fact step right over and bam, magic. That was still new to him as well, but when she moved her hand and he could see, actually see, his jaw dropped.

"Holy shit," he blurts out, looking around at the not-night surrounding them. "That's so cool!"

Able to see now, he moves right along with them without any more troubles because he can /see/ the damn underbrush and low hanging branches.

Thirty more minutes and the forest goes from the thickest it can be fore the region, to thin and in the distance a very old looking, two story log cabin looms. It looks like something right out of a horror movie, no lights, no signs of life, and sitting exactly where the GPS signal ended.

"Not a house," Theo mutters, suddenly coming a complete stop. "Not a house... not a house..." over and over again, his entire body starting to shake. "Don't go in... not a house..."
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice stops at the edge of the clearing, her red-hued light clicking off. She studies the dark house without making any attempt to approach, or cross the open ground between them and it. As Theo begins to speak, she turns towards him, concern and puzzlement on her features. She reaches out, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder, and watches his face.
    "Are you sensing something?" she asks softly. "From Pete? What is it, Theo? Can you tell where Pete is?"
Lydia Dietrich     "You two stay here," Lydia says, looking at the cabin. "I'll scout around the house and see what scents I can pick up. If anybody sees me, they'll just see a plain old wolf. Be right back."

    She creeps up on the eerily silent and dark house, nose perked up to take in it's scents. She looks confused for a second and makes a quick trip around the place. She has this funny kind of look, and takes /another/ trip around before padding back to Clarice and Theo.

    "Something's not right," she says as she shifts into human. "Pete's scent goes up into the cabin but then..." she trails off, looking over her shoulder to the building. "It just /stops/. /All/ the scents stop there. The cabin it.... smells /wrong/. I can't put my finger on what it is but I've never smelled anything like it before."
Raven Darkholme One step back, one step forward, Theo shakes his head violently, trying to get his own mind back while fighting the urge that came out of no where to run, just run and not look back. It was Pete, he knew that, but it wasn't Pete in his right mind.

"Don't go in... it's not a house," he repeats, but the tone is less panic and more firm, more himself. "Pete... it's him, not him... he's in there, but not alone, yet alone..."

The level of frustration Theo was feeling came through in his voice, so he started to pace. Emotions were always something he fought inside himself, and pacing helped, as if the walking, counting the steps or just feeling his body in motion helped bring the crashing tsunami waves down to a size he could surf. "I'm trying," he finally voices. "To figure out what I'm... seeing, feeling, what's going on... but... we aren't safe here. We need to," he suddenly looks up at the cabin and without further warning starts shoving at Clarice and Lydia, trying to get them behind the largest tree. "Hide! Hide!" he finally hisses.

Whether or not he manages to get them concealed, the 'door' of the cabin open and what walks out is most definitely not human. The entire body of this being is covered in a deep blue chiton-like armor, much like an insect. It walks on two legs, but has four arms and a set of tiny wings on its back, not large enough to fly with. On the head are two huge black eyes, no pupils, no iris, all black, and above those eyes spiked ridges that go from eyebrow, over the head, and to the back of the neck.
Clarice Ferguson     "Pete's in there - and he's warning us off?" Clarice asks - trying to help her brother clarify what he was feeling. "Can you communicate with him? Tell him I give my permission. I want to know what you're feeling - what you're sensing," she says in a firm voice, without any hesitation. She'd rather make her decisions with first-hand knowledge - unfiltered. Because there's no chance in hell that they're simply leaving Pete in there.
    At the sudden change in Theo's demeanor, she pulls him down behind a large shrubbery with her. After all - she quite deliberately hadn't stepped out beyond available cover for a reason. She goes still and quiet - trying to catch glimpses of the cabin through the leaves - but it's hard, in the dark and without proper night-vision herself.
    "If we can lure it away from the cabin, I could teleport it to a holding cell," she murmurs. "But that could tip them off to our presence."
Lydia Dietrich     At Theo's insistence to hide, Lydia's form changes again, but this time into a raven, flapping up into the trees. From here she can keep one eye on her two friends and the other on the bug thing. Alien? Extradimensional being? She's not sure. She tentatively reaches out with her magic senses, careful not to trip that being that it's being scanned, but what she finds is a void.

    "It's not magic," she hisses down to them. "It's not... anything. There's a complete void. I don't like this."
Raven Darkholme Once the one steps out, a second follows, this one is thinner and the wings on it's back are huge, clearly a flier. The two seem to communicate in some way by merely looking at each other, then the thin one takes off into the night sky. The first one remains standing there, looking around the area slowly, scanning each and every inch of the grounds, trees, brushes, as if it is looking for something specific.

Theo remains silent, slowly working through what punched him in the head. "They don't hear well," he whispers. "But they sense vibrations and movement... don't move at all." The last past is said to Clarice, because Lydia is just a bird, no one ever suspects a bird to be a spy.
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice lets out a low hiss through her teeth. She's not used to... this. To sharing what Pete is thinking, and feeling, and sensing. To allowing someone else into her mind - but it was necessary this time. She digs her fingers into the dirt - feeling that and knowing this is where she is, right now. In the woods, outside the cabin that isn't a cabin.
    We're here, she thinks fiercely 'towards' Pete. It's ridiculous - of course he knows they're there. We're here, and we're going to figure this out. We'll get you home. We'll get you safe. We won't leave you here.
    But is a frontal assault a good call here? They're outnumbered. Do they need more help? "We might need to bring more reinforcements to make sure we get this done," she murmurs quietly. "It seems like they have Pete... cocooned?" She watches one of the creatures fly into the sky - one of her javelins appearing in her hands as she watches for a clear shot. Maybe taking their own prisonner, and retreating to figure this out is their best bet. They could leave Lydia behind - she could contact them if the situation changes for Pete. If taking one of these insect-like beings prompts them to harm their captives.
Lydia Dietrich     There's a moment of hesitation where Lydia thinks to chase after the flying bug. She wouldn't be able to do it as a raven, no, she'd have to shift back to being human and use her mutant powers. And even then she isn't entirely sure if she could catch it. She never did figure out what her top flight speed is. She knows she can outrun traffic but that's, what, 60 miles per hour? Maybe 70? This thing has got to be going faster than that.

    She tilts her head as she listens to Theo. Vibrations, which means that mere /breathing/ might tip them off. She better stay behind to protect the ones she loves. She catches the soft glow of Clarice's summoned javelin and calls down to her as softly as she can, "Your call."
Raven Darkholme Theo remains silent, mostly because at the moment he is trying to help Pete stay calm and focus on what is around him. It wasn't easy, in fact there were times when they both got lost in the waves of emotions, until finally Theo is the one feeling all those people around Pete. By letting himself be the one to hold all those emotions, it gives Pete a singular moment to reach out and touch at the minds around him without having to fight the empathic part.

"Nineteen people, ten bugs" Theo whispers very quietly. "And one Temerengi." No, he has no idea what that is, but that's what Pete managed to share before pulled back into the bliss and euphoria he was fighting.

There is a fifteen second window in which the one flying is visible then no longer visible. Clarice has exactly that long to make the decision.
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice makes her decision - she needs to know what these things are. How strong they are. How they got //Pete//. The kid isn't without his own defenses, his own skills - and that he never even got out a distress message...? What were these things?
    All these thoughts whirl through her head quickly, as she shifts her position just enough to free up her right arm, and tosses the javelin with the precision born of years of tireless drills and practice.
    The Asteroid should soon have another guest in their holding cells.
    Training her thoughts towards Pete, she tries to reassure him as she silently explains her plan. They needed more people - so she and Theo would be leaving - but there would always be someone he could reach out to if his situation changed. And they would be back for him. //Soon//.
Lydia Dietrich     Lydia doesn't look all that surprised that Clarice decided to blink one of them. She gets ready for action, though, hopping down from the tree she's perched in to land softly beside her friends as a human. "What's the plan," she whispers urgently.
Clarice Ferguson     "I'm taking Theo back with me to the Asteroid," Clarice whispers quickly, but quietly. "I'll leave an open comm so you can call for help if things change. Pete will let you know if things start to go bad in there because of our interference. We'll come back with a bigger team. There's 10 or so guards - it's too many for us." Or at least - too many when they know nothing about their strength and capabilities.
    "I'll get you out of here before dawn," she promises Lydia. "Alright?" She'll wait long enough for Lydia's reply, and then regardless of Theo's reaction to this plan - she reaches out to take his arm, and teleport them both out - with a last thought shot towards Pete.
    We love you. Lydia's still here. She's got your back.
Raven Darkholme The holding cells.

The asteroid has quite a few different kinds of holding cells, none of which had windows. Each is designed to hold specific kinds of people, and even mutants if needed, though that rarely happens.

As the alien blinks into the cell there is one guard in the halls to hear the shrieking high pitched scream, his ear drums unable to handle the sound burst. Although the pain is excruciating, he manages to send out a warning to the other guards, which also goes out over the comms. Clarice already knew the creature was there, but now all of the security on the asteroid also know.
Clarice Ferguson     Leaving Lydia behind is hardly Clarice's favorite command decision - but they needed more information, and they needed more backup. And Lydia was their best option for covert surveillance.
    It was all so much more complicated when your family is involved.
    She appears in the hallway, outside the holding cells - a grim expression on her features, and one hand gripped onto Theo's arm. She releases him once they're there, however, and her gaze searches out the guard. "Alright. Have we got any intel yet on the thing we netted?" she asks without any preamble.
Raven Darkholme Blood leaks from the guards ears, as well as looking like he's in pain. He's not on the ground, that's good at least, but he doesn't seem to be able to hear Clarice at the moment. Another guard comes running in about the time Clarice speaks, bringing him to a stop.

"Thing let out a scream," the new guard warns. "Could hear it through the walls, looks like Andrew here got the worst of it. We haven't had a chance to check anything, had to wait and see if the thing would scream again... but it didn't."

Theo waits for his arm to be let go before taking a step toward the door of the cell. He's not stupid enough to open it, but he wants to look inside through the one way window and get a closer look at the thing his sister just blinked into space.
Clarice Ferguson     "Alright. I'll send him to medical." Keying her com for the medbay's frequency she adds, "Teleporting one patient to MedBay. Hearing damage." She waits to be told the best room to use - and then with a reassuring smile and a touch, sends the guard on his way.
    "H&D," she adds into her comm. "Can I assume hearing protection is already enroute to the holding cells?" she asks.
    Only once //that// is taken care of, will she join Theo at the window, her expression grim. Just what has Pete gotten himself into? ...and how do they get their brother back?
Raven Darkholme "Proction enroute," they reply, their attention already focused on the cell block.

From there, things move quickly. The scream had already triggered a series of events, including the arrival of a young lady with over the ear hearing protection. This would allow communication through the ear piece comm units, but block out any external sounds. The next was an energy field around the cell itself, one that Clarice could hear before the ear protection was provided.

Theo had just been staring at the thing, because it wasn't like anything he'd ever seen. It most definitely wasn't human, up close it was obvious the thing had a pair of legs it could walk on, four arms, and a large set of wings, but in the cell it was just curled up on the floor, twitching, like a bug that was dying.
Clarice Ferguson     "We can always count on you - thanks guys," Clarice says warmly into the comms.
    With ear protection in hand, Clarice hands one off to Theo, and puts a pair on herself, staring in through the window with a thoughtful frown on her features. "Do you think teleportation was harmful to it?" she muses. "The air pressure should be at nearly sea level in here. What else could cause this affect?" she muses.
    "What sorts of scans do we have available?" she asks, checking the commands on the panel outside the holding cell.
Raven Darkholme Theo puts the protection over his ears, but he can't take his eyes off the thing. It was human sized, perhaps six feet if it stood up completely straight, weight was hard to determine, but it wasn't that thickly built.

"Shit!" H&D both say at the same time, then from there every two words is one or the other. "Insectoid looking... the electrical shielding on the cell may have an adverse effect, dropping it now... threat level raised."

With the ear protection on there was no way to hear the field go down, but the visible change in the creature is obvious. The twitching stops immediately, the four wings start to move slowly, just a little at first, then slowly getting quicker until they stop. It's alive, that much is clear.
Clarice Ferguson     Pressing an intercom button on the outside of the cell, Clarice speaks slowly and clearly. "I've taken you captive because your people are holding one of my people. We want to know who you are, and what you want - and we want the people you are holding captive to be set free. Do you understand?"
    There's no //real// reason to not try a polite and reasonable response first. Right?
Raven Darkholme The things head snaps up and looks around, spotting the speaker as the source of the sound. The movements are sharp, quick, the head shifting side to side before it stands. Everything about it screams alien, the way it walks toward the speaker, the manner in which it holds all four arms out from its body.

"Shiazzza," it hisses at the speaker, moving close enough now that Clarice and Theo can see the massive black eyes, much like Dyani's. The mouth, or rather what might be the mouth is exceedingly small, maybe two inches across, no nose, the entire thing covered in a reddish/black chiton... and four antennae moving in every direction.

"Reeeeturn ussss!" It then hisses in English.
Clarice Ferguson     "We need information on our people first," Clarice counters calmly and reasonably. "Why are they being held? What is being done to them? Will you return them to us?" she asks simply. "If our people are not returned - then you will not be returned," she adds flatly, while reachingout to wrap one arm around Theo's middle. He must be anxious for Pete, she knows. Well - they both are.
Raven Darkholme Theo is beyond anxious really, but he's holding it all in. Whatever this thing was, whatever reason it had for holding Pete or anyone else, none of that mattered to him. What he wanted was Pete back, the rest of the people in that not-a-house, really he didn't care.

"Weeee doo not knooow," is states, slowly inching right up on the speaker and thus the door. "Weee aaare workeer, weee aaare exxxxpendable." Looking right at the glass, the thing blinks its eyes sideways, several layers of lids closing rapidly then opening again. It really was ugly, but it was also clear that there were also small spikes along its head.

"Weee gatheeer, weee feeed, weee build."
Clarice Ferguson     "What do you gather?" Clarice asks reasonably. "What do you eat? What do you build?" Naturally - it's the second question that causes her the most concern. Pete and the others - they aren't simply... food stores, are they? If they left Pete behind as... expendable cattle? Surely that's not it?
    She does her best to keep her own anxiety concealed for Theo's sake, as she gives him a reassuring look. Pulling her finger off the comm for a moment she adds towards her brother, "We learn what we can. We gather more people. We get Pete back. Alright?"
Raven Darkholme Tilting its head far too much to the right, the creature slams itself against the door, and its face into the glass. This action does nothing, the door holds the glass doesn't break. It was testing.

"Weeee feeed Temerengi," it hisses. "Weeee make it strongeer... iit can taaake ussss home! Leeet uss out! Weee doo not wissssh to harm your home, you... weee musssst go baack."

It slams itself against the door again, once more it's face against the glass but this time the glass is left with something smeared across it. "Weee will releeeeassssse them when Temerengi issss strong."

Theo is a statue, firm in place, even when the thing slams against the door he just remains standing there. "I'm going with you," he says quietly to Clarice once her finger is off the button. There is something dark in his tone, the anger seeping through with it. "This thing, its friends, whatever the hell they are... if they don't let Pete go, I'll kill them all if I have to."
Clarice Ferguson     "Of course we will," Clarice answers matter of factly. "No one gets to harm one of us. We'll get him back, and we'll teach them we're not to be triffled with. But let's see if we can find a peaceful solution - that might be safer for Pete." She gives Theo's middle a reassuring squeeze, then returns her attention to the window. "What is Temerengi?" she asks. "If you give us our people back unharmed - we can work with you to make your Temerengi stronger, so you can go home. What do you need?"
Raven Darkholme It slams itself against the door and more of the liquid smears across the glass. This time however, an alarm sounds.

"Clarice, we got a major problem," H&D say together, then it switched to just D. "Whatever that is, it's acidic in nature and starting to burn into the glass and door. If that thing gets that liquid on the floor or the outer wall..."

"Weeee mussst go baack!" it hisses. "Temerengi mussst be fed to get stronger, weee mussst collect to feed her! Ssshe doess not kill... weee musst go back!"
Clarice Ferguson     "What are you collecting? Are you collecting people?" Clarice asks urgently - letting go of the button again before she adds, "If it breaks through the glass - I'll teleport it clear of the asteroid," she promises. To one of her islands, perhaps. Not ideal but- well. It would work for a temporary holding space.
    All the while - she's devising a plan. If these beings will agree to a trade - perhaps she could go on one of her raids? Collect a bunch of drug runners, or slavers, or the like - and drop them into the clearing in exchange for the other people.
    Or they could just go and kill these damned bugs.
Raven Darkholme The thing watches the smoke starting to rise from the smears, head twitching one way then the other, antennae moving around quickly, sensing the air around it. One step back now, it's waiting. How much of the liquid is on the door Clarice can't see, but H&D can through the camera.

"Weee collect," it repeats. "Weee feed Temerengi... sheee will be strong... sheee will take us home."

Theo wants to scream, to just punch that thing in the face. Standing there listening to it repeat the same things, knowing now it can escape or kill itself in the vacuum of space. "Clarice, its a worker insect... it doesn't know anything. Soldiers, drones, the queen, they might but this thing, it doesn't know shit!"
Clarice Ferguson     "It knows what it's collecting. It knows what it's been ordered to do," Clarice counters.
    Hitting the command that will allow the creature to see Theo and herself she asks simply, "Would you collect me and bring me back Temerengi? Will I make Temerengi strong?"
Raven Darkholme "Clarice!" Theo screams. "That is not happening!"

"Wee musst tasste your air," it says, stepping closer to the glass again. "Wee know the tasste Temerengi requiresss. If your air tasstessss... weee can take you."

H says over the comms, "The hell you thinking Clarice, we already have one in there, looking to add yourself? What are you thinking?"

Without the ability to hear, the sound of the acid eating into the solid metal door can't be heard, but it is working fast enough that on the outside bubbles are starting to form. The glass is slower, acid and glass have never really mixed.
Clarice Ferguson     "Oh for the love of- I'm just trying to make sure it's actively looking for people! If we qualify as what //it's// looking for, to make it's 'Temerengi' stronger. Then maybe we can try to broker an exchange with whoever's giving the orders. Give them some scum-of-the-Earth sorts, in return for the people they already have," Clarice explains, with her finger again off the comm button.
    "Maybe we don't have to make this into a fight. A peaceful exchange would be safer for Pete."
    Clarice gets a thoughtful look on her features. "Actually... It wants to 'taste our air'? Does it need... our exhilations? Maybe we can just give them canisters of gas?"
Raven Darkholme Theo stares at Clarice for a moment like snakes sprouted from her head, the slowly shakes his head. "You should have said that first," he says quietly, body shaking slightly. The idea of Clarice and Pete in the not-a-house... it terrified him more than anything else, including the idea of his father trying to get custody of him, and that scared him pretty badly.

"You need to decide quick Clarice," H says, then D continues with. "The acid is almost through the door."

Inside the cell the creature is watching the door, the progress of the acid on the metal. Another minute, maybe a little less, and it would be outside of this small room. Clearly it had no idea it was on an asteroid in space, what it knew was it wasn't where it was supposed to be and it could no longer hear the Queen... and both of those things were bad, very bad, to it.
Clarice Ferguson     "Hey - sorry. Sorry," Clarice says quietly, her tone and expression contrite. She realizes the fright she just gave Theo - and it had been completely unintentional. "I'd never hand myself over like that, okay?" she promises, before turning her attention back to the bug.
    They can't hold it here and- shit. It would just fly away from one of her islands. She lets out a huff of frustrated air. "...I have no idea how to keep this thing contained, and we can't return it yet. If no one had any solid containment ideas then... I think I have to kill it," she remarks simply.
Raven Darkholme "Glass room," Theo says straight away, even if his heart was still racing. "Acid on glass, doesn't work as well, maybe not at all."

"The glass does seem to be holding," H&D say together. "It's marked, but it's not getting through... we'd need exactly seven minutes to construct it in another cell. Stall it... tell it you'll let it get your air, whatever that means... if you have to kill it, then kill it."

The metal on the outer door has a small hole in it now, but H&D have already been airing the room to suck out the acidic smoke and pump in fresh air. It was the only way to ensure that smoke didn't get into the hall.

Leaning down the creature looks through the hole its acid has made. It can see Theo and Clarice's legs, and part of the hall, which seems to upset it. "Weee are in a building," it says hastily. "Why can weee not heear the Queen? Weee must go back, weee musst feed Temerengi... how can weee feed Temerengi if weee are in thisss placccce?!"
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice nods her understanding, while giving Theo an approving smile. He was so much smarter than her - she was convinced of that.
    "We will help you feed Temerengi if you remain calm, and help us to understand," she explains. "I brought you here - I can bring you back to Temerengi. What does tasting my air mean? How do you do that? Do I have to... breathe on you?" she asks uncertainly.
    "Is it my air - mmy breath - that feeds Temerengi?"
Raven Darkholme The hole gets a little bigger and this time the creature aims his antennae at the hole. Two of them wiggle, the other two hold perfectly still.

"Yessss..." it hisses softly, suddenly relaxing, even the tone changes. "You have the air... you could feed Temerengi... sssshe would grow ssstronger from you."

Theo puts himself in front of Clarice, now that the thing had her scent. It was only in that moment he finally put together what the thing had been talking about. "You can't take her yet," he says as calmly as he can manage. "So don't even think about it."
Clarice Ferguson     Clarice switches comm channels to try to get Hathaway on the line. "Hey Doc? It's Blink," she says simply. "Can you put together an air canister that contains the same sort of gases released in human exhilations?" she asks. "I'm trying to work on a theory, and that would be extremely useful to me. Thanks."
    She says all this without removing her attention from the bug, her expression serious, and attentive. "I have an idea that might help feed Temerengi a lot. A lot more than I could. If you are patient - if you wait - we will see if I am right. Okay?"
Raven Darkholme The creature continues to watch the hole getting larger, enough so that it could stick it's head through but instead it merely squats down and looks through it at the people on the other side. This was far more difficult for its mind then most might expect. It was hatched for specific purposes, to gather, to build, to work. This person though, she had the air... she was perfect.

"Weee cannot hear the Queen," it repeats, rolling its head from side to side. "Thisss isss difficult... weee gather, weee musst return with one tonight."

Clarice's request is no small order. The gases in exhalation were most CO2, but each person's breath has other aspects to it. Without much information to go on however, Hathaway uses a generic 'breath out' with your basic bad breath as a guide line. "I'll need a few minutes," Hathaway replies, already getting to work.

Theo keeps himself in front of Clarice, he wasn't taking the chance. "Clarice," he whispers back toward her. "I think it means your scent in general, but I don't know for certain."

The creature shifts slightly one more time, still just watching. "Weee can wait only moment, weee mussst bring one."
Clarice Ferguson     "Are you sure?" Clarice asks in a dubious tone. She looks at her brother - then back to the unfamiliar creature. "Do we //both// have the air you need? Can you tell? Or only me?" If they can start eliminating who does and doesn't - perhaps they can discover what exactly it is that the creature wants.
    ...she'd just been assuming that it wanted CO2. That was the only thing //she// knew was in breath.
Raven Darkholme Centimeter by centimeter the hole gets large, the construction of the metal changing and oozing down the door toward the floor, and still the creature just squats there watching the two of them through it. When Clarice asks about Theo, the two antennae wiggle again toward the young man, then the creature shifts slightly.

"No... it doesss not have the air, there isss sssomthing... off about it, no... not right air," it states sadly.

Theo is trying very hard to piece together the information as it comes. The creature specifically called Clarice a she, but he was an it... because he was a she becoming he? It made sense, the hormones he'd been taking would change his scent, make it seem odd or off.

"I'm pretty sure it's something in the scent," he whispers, wishing he knew another language so the creature couldn't understand. "But it could be more than that as well."
Clarice Ferguson     "Pete is not a she," Clarice points out simply. So it's not that the thing is after women. "We're family. You'd think we'd have similar air?" she muses. "Maybe the Doc would have a better idea of what my air has... that yours does not." On the plus side, though - they're probably not interested in Lydia. //At all//.
    "Who makes decisions for you? Only the Queen?" Clarice asks.
Raven Darkholme Hathaway comes down the hall now, carrying a very small canister in her hands. She's wearing ear protection, though it's not really needed. The creature hasn't screamed again and seems calm enough that it likely won't. "It's quick, not the best in my opinion, but you didn't give me much to work with," she states as she offers the canister to Clarice.

"The Queen decccidesss all thingsss," it says. "Weee cannot hear the Queen... weee neeeeed the Queen."

"Glass house is ready," H&D say together over the comm. "Fifth cell, just down the hall from where you are now. You've sent prisoners there before, the Chinese man for example."

Theo leans down to look more directly into the creatures face for a moment, then stands back up. "Four antennae, but only two get used to figure out if you have the right 'air'."
Clarice Ferguson     "Alright," Clarice replies. "Understood." She accepts the canister from Doctor Hathaway, asking curiously, "I can open it here?" After she gets a confirmation, she opens the valve - blowing the air towards the creature in the cell. "Does this have the right air?"
    Looking towards Hathaway she explains a bit tensely, "This creature and the rest of its people have Pete, and some others. They require some sort of... gas, it seems, to repair their 'Temerengi.' If we can figure out what it is they need... maybe we can trade that for Pete and the other people. Otherwise..." She doesn't need to clarify, she doesn't think.
    They are the Brotherhood, after all.
Raven Darkholme Most of the lower half of the door is gone now, so the creature leans forward and from teeny-tiny openings above it's mouth, sprays out something that stop the acid from eating any more of the metal. Why it does this is anyone guess, but it had said it didn't want to hurt them or their stuff.

When the canister is opened, the creature looks extremely perplexed. The two antennae wiggle again, then the other two do as well, but the expression on it's face doesn't change. "Thisss iss not a thing," it hisses, all for antennae wiggling in unison. "Weee do not find the air here... ssshe hasss the air," it suddenly adds, looking to Hathaway. "But thisss... iss nothing."

Theo is now trying to block Clarice and Hathaway, he's not a big man really but he's trying. "Do you know the word smell?" He asks toward the hole. "Or scent?"

The creature shakes its head then slowly starts to move toward the hole. "I musst go... I musst bring one."
Clarice Ferguson     "Alright. Something Pete, Hathaway, and I have - and Theo does not." It only takes Clarice a moment to toss a javelin through the now sizeable opening, causing the creature to disappear, and reappear in its new glass box.
    Clarice then turns her full attention towards Hathaway. "Something that you, I, and Pete have in our 'air' - but that Theo does not, and that apparently wasn't in the canister you brought. I have no idea what that could possibly mean. ...do you think it's something we could produce and provide to these creatures in return for releasing the hostages?"
Raven Darkholme Now the ear protection turns out to be a good idea. The minute the creature is moved, that same scream is released through the halls again. It's powerful and strong enough to go through the metal walls, but the effect is stopped by the metal and the protection.

Theo winces, for a brief moment actually feeling some guilt over tricking the thing, but that passes quickly. It is likely the reason Pete is being held, after all it is the one that gathers.

Hathaway pulls her tablet out of her satchel and starts typing away on it, pulling up information from the scans of the room while the creature was in it. "Honestly? No, I don't think I can pinpoint the exact thing this creature is after, but that doesn't mean I won't try," she says, then looks up at Theo and Clarice. "It Theo is correct about what it looks for being a specific thing in the scent, then it could be any number of things, the possibilities are endless. I'll work with samples from you and myself, see if I can find anything similar or matching in those, and with a sample from Theo, I can maybe figure out what it is he doesn't have... no promises Clarice, I need more information and I know it's not coming."
Clarice Ferguson     "I mean. When the thing calms down - we can always feed it more samples, and see more data about what it is or isn't looking for can help," Clarice says simply. "But we have //hours// to sort this out. I'm not letting them keep Pete. If can't figure out what they want then... We have to decide if we're going to try to parlay with these things without a bargaining chip. ...or if we just go kill the lot of them. And I'm not sure which is the better call."
Raven Darkholme Theo looks toward the cell the thing was in now. "You have a bargaining chip," he says quietly before looking back to Clarice. "That was the only one we saw leave, which means it is likely the only one who collects people for Temerengi, whatever that is. You have their collector Clarice, we just have to figure out how to use that."

Hathaway nods, still typing away on the tablet. "I need to get back to the medbay, this thing is good for taking notes and gathering basic information, but an analyzer it is not. Give me an hour," she looks up to Clarice. "I'll try to have something for you in an hour... after that, I'd suggest you either just attack or maybe use that one as bait... I don't know, I'm not a tactical thinker. I heal."
Clarice Ferguson     "That's alright, Doc. You leave that up to us." Clarice frowns in thought then adds, "Maybe we can parlay - but I'm not sure if can be me. They might simply try to capture me, so..." Theo? She doesn't like //that// idea one bit. "I'm going to guess Lydia doesn't have what they want. Maybe she can parlay for us. We'll have to see."