The back alley door to the hideout screeches open to Audrey with a look of shock on her face. She's met by Brian carrying Zaunya with one of her arms slung over his shoulder completely unconscious. Audrey's heart drops at the sight as her eyes open wide... she immediately helps Brian carry her in as Zaunya's feet drag behind them.
"What the FUCK HAPPENED!?" Audrey shouts in a panic as her and Brian make their way to one of the bedrooms frantically talking back and forth about the op. The kid slowly steps into the hideout after them looking around at the place in stunned admiration.
"Nova..." The kid whispers to himself in awe. The contrast in location to the quality of the living space catches him off guard. Its a level of comfort and cleanliness just not found in this part of town.
"How would they... tch.. why would they setup here..?... They on the run too..?" He thinks to himself. His thoughts are abruptly cut off as he hears escalating commotion coming from the bedroom behind him, making him glance back at it.
He turns to see Audrey B-Line it out of the room with iron in hand... with Brian quickly following behind her. "Audrey.. come on." Brian pleads in a mutter. Audrey with her eyes locked on the kid shoves him up against the closed apartment door pinning him by his throat and pressing her iron to his face.
"WHAT THE FFUCK DID YOU DO TO HER!!!!!!!" She screams scaring the shit out of the kid... unable to speak while being choked, he looks at her with his eyes open wide in complete fear and surrender.
"AUDREY!!" Brian yells
She ignores him and yanks the kid off the wall... throwing him to the ground by his throat. The palm of her hand grips his throat tightly as she digs her knee into his chest with the iron pressed to his cheek... making him squeal as he starts shaking. The fire and intensity in her eyes is primal... the look of someone who has shown restraint for countless years... burying their instincts behind a surrendered veil now re-awoken.
She whispers in a softened tone gritting her teeth... looking directly into his eyes as she changes the energy of the moment with growing rage.
"Shh... shh... listen to me... shh... listen..... if she has permanent neuro damage from this shit... i will END you do you UNDERSTAND ME!!? DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAN-"
"-AUDREY!" Brian yells as he yanks her off of the kid by her shoulders. The kid lays there with his hands up shaking... overwhelmed by the situation. She turns to Brian and shoves him hard.
"What the FUCK happened out there!? And why the hell would you bring this kid HERE-"
"-Kid tripped us up... rat gave us the slip. We had to do some clean up... no shots fired so we got outta there pretty unnoticed before the-"
"-PRETTY UNNOTICED!?" She shouts.
"-WE WEREN'T NOTICED." Brian shouts back sternly... changing the energy of the moment... briefly calming Audrey. "The kid knows where he ran off too... and its not his corp...... its not a loss, its a reset."
A tense silence rests in the room briefly with subsiding energy.
Audrey turns away from Brian and looks at the kid on the floor with fire... she glances back at Brian before B-Lining back toward Zaunya's bedroom is laying in. She stares daggers at the kid as she steps over him... saying nothing and sliding the door closed. The kid watches her walk back to the room before Brian yanks him up to his feet by his hoodie.
"Get up.. come on." Brian says as he yanks the kid over to the couch and shoves him down onto it. He grabs a chair and places it right in front of the kid before sitting down and looking directly into his eyes... his blood red, crimson Nue rested on his lap. The kid finally speaks after glancing over at the occupied room... and down at Brian's glimmering iron.
"Yo man... l-look, I... I promise i-"
"-The rat.. where's he gonna be." Brian says during an exhale. Carrying the tone and energy of someone who's been here before.
"No. S-Seriously choom I didn't mean to hurt your girl. She has-" Brian lightly slaps the kid in the face, cutting him off.
"-Focus kid. Focus." He says in a calmed tone. "The rat." He repeats sternly.
"I can help her! Let me help her!" The kid pleads frustrated.
Brian opens his mouth to speak but the kid cuts him off in a serious tone speaking in a near whisper.
"Listen.. she's got vulnerability points that she can't just be runnin' around with out there... If i can do what I did to her... there's no tellin' what another runner out there with bad intentions can do."
Brian sits back in his chair... staring at the kid with his hand rested on his iron saying nothing for a long pause.
The break and silence makes the kid uncomfortable as he impatiently waits for Brian to say something. The quiet tension in the apartment takes over as the kid in unfamiliar territory restlessly squirms in it... He glances over at the room and then back at Brian.
"L-Look choom its gonna get worse before it gets better!" The kid says impatiently with his hands out... looking at Brian with a serious expression on his face.
Brian looks deep into the kids eyes... the kid returns the look with the same depth and seriousness.
Brian recognizes the truth in them as he continues to stare him down... the kid does the same unwaning.