angry men don't write the rules, and guns don't right the wrongs

[notwitty]

“This isn’t up for debate, Della.” Patrick Brighton stands tall at the head of the room, staring down the witches with a wave of his hand. His wife, Frida, sits on his right, and his daughter Bridget on his left, and while he respects Della and the work she’s done for the coven over the years, this is a line he doesn’t intend to cross. “We’re not joining Tamara Monroe.”

“Well. Playing favorites again, are we?” Della crosses her arms in front of her chest as she stares up at the stage. “You’ll let Eliza come in here and bring that beast —”

“Name calling is beneath you, Del. But then again, maybe it’s the company you’re keeping.”

“Eliza,” Patrick gives her a look. “Not helping.” Eliza holds up her hands in return. “And I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to give Isaac the opportunity to speak.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re taking the side of monsters.” Della glares at Isaac, and Isaac steps behind Eliza, almost as though she might be able to intercept the glare. He then holds up a hand.

“I’m being called a lot of names and I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“And you shouldn’t be allowed to say anything at all! You’re not one of us!”

“No, but I’m trying to help you.” Isaac’s spine straightens as he takes a step closer. “Those hunters that you want to team up with? They’re not doing it to help you. They’re doing it because you’re powerful and they want to control you.” He holds up his hands again. “Tamara Monroe doesn’t want to ally with you to save you. She’s not looking out for your best interest. She’s just making a note of who to kill last.”

Della looks furious. A gasp of silence rolls through the room, but Isaac isn’t one to sugarcoat things, and beating around the bush hasn’t really caused things to sink in. Before she can try to get the upper hand, Isaac interjects again.

“The hunters are here. They tried to kill me this morning for walking down the street. They will come after your coven and your families, and there is no time to debate this anymore. You need to keep your people safe.”

Patrick looks over at Frida, concern in his features. Della looks like she’s going to argue her case, but before she gets too far, someone stands in the back of the room, and there’s the sound of a gun slide being pulled back. Everyone turns, and a man stands in the middle of the crowd, and he has a gun pointed at Isaac.

“What are you doing?” Patrick demands, stepping forward. “Put that down!”

“I don’t have to listen to you, witch.” The man has a wild look in his eyes. Isaac can see another man looking horrified in a way that’s more personal. The hunter had a partner. “If I had a say in any of this, I’d take every one of you abominations down. But right now, I’m just here for him.”

He turns and fires. The bullet shoots through the air, and Isaac quickly steps in front of Elijah, taking two bullets to the chest. Neither of them were kill shots, but they hurt, and the werewolf stumbles backwards into the witch behind him.

“Oh, I forgot how much that hurts,” Isaac grumbles.

“There’s no wolfsbane in these bullets, but I’m sure a headshot will do the trick.” The hunter prepares to shoot again, but the metal begins to heat in his hand, burning his skin and the hunter hisses before dropping it to the ground.

Patrick is on the stage, hand on the staff that marks him the leader of the coven. “That is enough.”

That should have been the end of things. It wasn’t. Instead, the hunter pulls out another gun, extending his hand and shooting Patrick Brighton at center mass. His body jerks three times as the bullets collide and the room erupts into screams, none more than the women at the front of the room. The witches begin to run, trying to find the nearest door to escape the carnage. Another shot sounds, and Frida Brighton follows her husband, landing on the stage in front of them.

Bridget Brighton doesn’t hesitate, however. There’s a reason she’s been designated her father’s heir, and she acts quickly. She takes the staff, letting it settle into her hand before slamming the end of the staff down into the ground, chanting as she does. A shockwave echoes out through the center of the room, blowing down the walls of the building down and sending people flying.

The other hunter in the room had tried to come to his compatriot’s aid. Instead, he gets sent flying, a jagged piece of wood slicing through his chest from behind. The hunter who shot her father gets knocked to the ground, but he comes to his feet again, staring her down.

“Kill me if you want. But there’s more of us here. We’ll take our pound of flesh either way.”

“So you want to play a game, then?” There’s a dangerous edge to her voice.

“Bridget,” Eliza’s voice is calm, but there’s an undercut of fear to it. Bridget is a good girl, but she’s also a grieving one. “Bridget, we’re better than this.”

“Maybe we are. But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to defend ourselves.” The wind picks up around her and she draws her hands out in front of her. She chanted another incantation, before drawing her hands together. The world flickers, and Eliza’s eyes widen.

“What did you do?”

“I trapped them in here with us.”

The hunter’s eyes widen. “You can’t do that.”

“Oh, I can do whatever I want. You’re the one who started this.”

“We’ll find a way out. We’ll stop the spell, even if we have to kill you.”

Bridget smirks. “You’ll have to catch me first.” And with that, she disappears from sight.

The hunter tries to leave but Isaac is there before he can get far. The werewolf clotheslines him down to the ground, before shoving a hand into his chest, claws first. The man cries out in pain, before looking up at him, eyes still filled with that wild energy.

“You’re one of Scott McCall’s wolves. You won’t kill me.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Isaac twists, feeling the blood start to leak through the wounds. “But you forgot two things. One, Scott’s not here right now, and you shot me. Twice.”

The hunter snarls as Eliza comes up over Isaac’s shoulder.

“And what’s the second?”

“It’s not the head of my coven you just killed.”

Comments

[undermyfeet]

["Danny!" Bridget bursts through the front door, staff in hand, and drops the invisibility spell. She doesn't have a lot of time, but she needs to make sure her brother is safe. She needs to make sure he makes it out of this alive, even if she won't.

She closes the door behind her, eyes scanning the rooms.

"Danny, where are you?"

Danny, in the meantime, is groggily forcing himself out of bed, confusion written on his features.]

What? What's happening?

[moralitypolice]

( Bonnie wasn't asleep, she was on a FaceTime call with Caroline when she feels it. She pauses - mid-thought - in the middle of explaining that if anybody can help a new vampire like this Ryan guy, it's Caroline. She learned from the best, didn't she?

(Stefan, who also had his foibles.)

And then down the hall, she hears Danny's sister. )

I will. I'll call when - I know. And I'll be safe. I have to go.

( She ends the call with Caroline and tosses her tablet aside, grabs her phone and heads out into the living room, still in the day's clothes. )

Bridget?

( Danny's young and not fully tapped into the coven's power. He wouldn't have felt it. Not like Bonnie did. )

[undermyfeet]

Where's Mom and Dad?

[His eyes go to the staff in her hand, and subconsciously, he knows what he means. He can already feel the panic creeping up his throat but maybe it's not that bad. Maybe dad is just busy.

Bridget, however, looks much more solemn. "Hunters. They attacked the elders meeting. They ... they shot them, Danny."]

[moralitypolice]

Both of them?

( She instinctively moves closer to Danny, ready to, if she needs to, hold him or catch him, or anything else he might need. )

[undermyfeet]

[Danny doesn't seem like he's processing any of it, like the idea simply doesn't compute. His parents can't be shot. They can't be. Their family has always been safe - why is everything on fire.

Bridget swallows than nods. "I cast a containment spell to trap the hunters in with us. Things are going to get ... messy. But I need you to get Danny out. I'll draw them away, but maybe if you go underground, to the sewers you'll be able to get around the edges of the spell."]

Where are you going to go?

[Bridget doesn't answer right away, and that's when Danny snaps.]

No! We should stick together! We're all we have left!

[moralitypolice]

You what?

( Bonnie puts a hand on Danny's shoulder, for comfort, for something while he processes this. No, while he - doesn't get to process this. While he runs. )

Bridget...

( She steps in front of him, then. )

Spelling them in with us, you in with them. It's a suicide mission.

[undermyfeet]

["They shouldn't be allowed to escape with what they've done!" Bridget's upset, but her face is determined. She knows the risk she took. And she's not going to let them take anything else.

She turns to Danny, and takes the staff in her hand and waves her hand over it. It slowly shrinks into something about the size of a pen, that could fit neatly into a pocket. She then goes to push it into her brother's hand.

He tries to say no, to step away, but she pushes the issue, taking his hand and forcing it into it.

"You have to take it. We can't let it fall into their hands."

Danny stares at it, jaw set, before launching himself forward into his sister's arms, holding her tightly.]

Don't die.

["Danny ..."]

I don't care. Don't die. You have to come and take this back.

[moralitypolice]

If - it did reach down below, in the tunnels, I might be able to bypass a corner. Enough of one to get us out.

( She almost says Danny alone, because, she's not sure she could leave anyone behind. Witches are spelled in with the hunters. Bridget didn't think this through, but she's grieving.

Bonnie stands back and waits for their hug to end. )

And, if my vote counts, too. Don't.

[undermyfeet]

["I'll do my best." She pulls back from the hug, but she doesn't make any promises. She knows how this is going to end. "Just be careful."

With that, she gives Bonnie a small smile, before waving her hand and disappearing from view. With that, the door opens and closes, before she disappears back into the streets again.

Danny slumps back, staring down at the tiny staff in his hand, before looking back at Bonnie. As much as he may be eighteen, he seems a bit too much like a kid in this moment, looking to the adult to make a choice he's no where close to prepared for.]

What do we do now?

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop comes to, and everyone is shouting. His ears are ringing as he slowly forces himself to his feet, and his balance is all off. His hand comes up to brush the side of his face, and a temporary assessment of his limps reveals that nothing's broken.

He takes a deep breath and winces. Okay, maybe a cracked rib.

His eyes lift as he scans through the rubble, looking for a sign of what might be coming next. What he sees is dead bodies. One, is Weller, claw marks in his chest, but his head twisted at a rather unnatural angle. Ahead of him, there are two bodies on the stage with gunshot wounds.

And then to his right, is his brother.

He doesn't register that Lucas is dead at first. The other man's eyes are open, staring at him in the darkness. If Coop didn't move his eyes lower, he might have been convinced that he was still alive.

But his eyes do move lower. And that's when he takes note of the large, jagged piece of wood poking out of his brother's chest.

And even then, it feels like it can't be real. He takes a step forward and his voice is timid, like he's a little kid that doesn't know what to do.]

Luke?

[pumping]

( Making it inside was supposed to be the easy part. Keep cover, observe, get answers. The blast knocks Mickey through the nearest window, into the hallway.

He comes to, as well. He's just getting oriented so any pain that should set in, doesn't. He assesses. He will probably be in shock for a few hours, especially because whatever happened is still ongoing. Small cuts litter his face and along his arms. His tactical hoodie is good for concealment but not for defense. It's not bulletproof. )

Coop.

( His voice is low at first, as he lifts himself up among rubble and glass. Shit. He cuts his hand, too, and his forearms.

Carefully, he stands himself up, crunching glass as he walks toward the window he was thrown through. Hence the cuts. Shit. He sees Cooper, but doesn't say anything. Because, he sees Cooper's brother, too. And Weller. Unzipping his jacket, he wraps it around a fist and punches the rest of the glass out, along the sides, and bottom, as he pulls himself back up and through, wincing.

He steps back down, walking toward him. And then he looks up, onto the stage. Four bodies. )

Coop.

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop's eyes are still on his brother. He moves closer, hands reaching out to pull at Lucas' shoulders as though that will allow him to wrench the body free.]

I can't ... I'm not gonna leave him here.

[How is he going to carry a body through the chaotic streets of London? Fuck if he knows, but grief isn't logical. He tugs sometimes harder than others, but the body won't give and eventually he stumbles back.]

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

[pumping]

( He shakes his head, his own eyes trying to focus. But, he has to. If Coop falls apart, Mickey needs to step up. He steels himself, swallows, and looks down as Coop, shit, falls back. He moves around the bodies, crouching down. )

Coop. Hey. We have to get out of here.

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop knows he's right, and that they have to go, but he doesn't want to. He can't just leave his brother here to rot. At the same time, he knows what Lucas would say to him.

He's alive. Lucas is not. He needs to stay alive if he's going to be of any good to anyone else. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath and shoves himself up to his feet.]

Yeah. Yeah, let's go.

[pumping]

( As Coop comes to his feet, Mickey reaches out, pulling him towards him as he moves Cooper away from the bodies, away from his brother's body, to the double doors at the back. )

Do we rendezvous?

[positiveinfluence]

We have to. We get caught by the witches in these streets and we're dead.

[With their leaders dead, they're going to be out for blood. He glances around, before seeing an alleyway that seems to let out into another street.]

C'mon, this way.

[pumping]

( He agrees, following closer, ready to pull a firearm on anyone as he keeps quiet. )

What happened?

[slavophile]

( With the camera feed on the television and Isaac's voice coming through stereo, both Gloria and William are tapped into what's happening. Only William can talk to Isaac directly, but after he and Eliza arrive, William's pretty much quiet, too.

Things are tense, William and Gloria expected them to be, but they take a turn.

One of the witches pull a gun. )

Isaac, they're not witches.

( He didn't know before, assumed that everyone was a witch or a werewolf but the gun comes out. He can't do anything to stop what happens next Isaac tries to appeal to them, but they're unwavered. Isaac is shot. Two of the elders are gunned down. )

Isaac. Isaac.

( The feed cuts out with the first blast. They lose the camera and the sounds glitch, going in and out.

William looks to Gloria as patches come through. He attempts to stream the sound, typing. )

I could get it back if I could lower the radius. ( He'll only be able to hear anything immediate, maybe Isaac's and one other voice, but he tries it. He finally comes back in at "You forgot two things." ) Isaac. Isaac, can you hear me? Cameras are down. That blast of -- energy knocked them out in the main hall.

[notwitty]

I'm here. Eliza and I are fine.

[She did hear all of what William was saying, but he had to focus on the matter at hand, rather than the QB in his ear. He and Eliza are making their way out of the building, heading back towards the streets and the chaos that awaited them.]

There are more hunters here. Is Gloria still with you?

[Gloria nods, because she is also Concerned, and this has gone so much more sideways than she thought it would.]

[slavophile]

( To be fair, Isaac is QB, William is offensive coordinator. William maximizes a window, furiously typing code in to see if he can tap back into the security cameras again. )

Yeah, we're both here. ( He nods as he says it, even though they can't see him. ) Was this the plan? Hit before the solstice?

( Tapping back into the fiberoptics, he forces a reboot of the cameras in the main hall. It's mostly empty, save for -- two dead on the stage, the two hunters and -- two others. )

There are two hunters still alive.

[notwitty]

There's a lot more than two.

[But he draws his eyes over towards the two he means.]

But the ones here are unconscious for now. We need to find a way out of here. One of the witches cast some kind of spell.

["A containment spell." Eliza makes a grim face. "As long as Bridget is breathing, or until she releases it, no one is getting out of here."]

Bridget, that was the redhead with the staff?

[Eliza nods.]

Okay, William, new plan. I need you to find a witch named Bridget. She's young, maybe twenty-one, twenty-two, red hair, and she's got a giant staff with a jade crystal on top. We need to make sure the hunters don't get her.

[slavophile]

( He means back in the room, considering they're -- conscious again, but, more to the point. )

Do you have a last name?

( He starts a deep hack into the municipal cameras of the city blocks. But, if she's already inside, that will turn up empty. Plus, he only has two screens (one tablet) and one TV to work with. If he was in the Arrow cave... )

[notwitty]

Brighton. Her dad was the leader of the coven.

[And he just got murdered. Isaac's head turns as the sound of hunters approaching come from the distance. He reaches for Eliza's arm and begins to lead her out into the shadows.]

Look, we have to move. Eliza's with me, but she might have been made. You guys might want to get out of there too. Gloria, stick with him.

[Gloria nods as she begins to start packing up any evidence they were there. "You got it, boss."]

[slavophile]

( The one with the staff. Brighton, he can track down, at least. )

I have two addresses, one for Patrick and Della Brighton and one for Bridget.

( He forwards the addresses to his and Isaac's phone, as well as air drops it to Gloria's.

Sure, they can -- regroup. He unhooks the cord to his tablet. Eliza will keep some of the accessories for the time being as he pulls his bag and packs it away. )

Where do you want us?

[notwitty]

[There's a brief conversation with Eliza before:]

We're closer to the parents. We'll check that one, you and Gloria head for her place. Stay in touch and be careful.

[And with that, Isaac and Eliza will start moving, leaving William and Gloria together.

Gloria glances over as William finishes packing. "You ever been in something like this before?" She doesn't know William's life, and she wants to figure out how much she has to prep him.]