Law Of Conformity: Equilibrium

"Oh boy," Arkham stated just as drolly with a huge grin as he felt Aurielle patting his back which made him feel extremely uncomfortable. As the noise began, it was obvious by her words that Aurielle was certainly not enjoying it...which also made him extremely worried. Night full of extreme feelings. Fun, fun, his voice cheerfully resounded within his own mind. Sure, Miss Eternal's music wasn't his exact favorite which he wasn't afraid to have despite the law of conformity forcing everyone to like everything equally. The mere thought made him nearly laugh, not that it would've been heard over the noise as the crowd cheered at their maximum pitch, at the same pitch and then there was the amazing notes from Miss Eternal and her band.

Gotta at least give them credit, Arkham thought. It's not like it's bad music. It's actually quite catchy. He listened to song after song with Aurielle by his side, waiting for her to whip out a AK-47 and just start killing people. He mentally sighed at the image that formed in his mind and figured it was a good and bad thing security wasn't really tight. Finally, the music came to an end and Miss Eternal began to speak, talking about the formation of her band and such--stuff Arkham was already familiar with along with his partner. They knew many things about their target, so hearing this was like listening to a tape on repeat. He yawned as she spoke and blinked his few eyes a few times when he realized she was singing again.

And he was blown away, his eyes wide in disbelief. Was this song...? No. There was no way. He audibly started laughing. It was mild at first, but as the young woman on that stage began to belt it out, pouring such raw emotion into her words, Arkham's laughter grew out of control and he nudged Aurielle's arm. "You've got to be shitting me!" he exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye. It was not one of sadness, nor one of ridicule. He didn't know where it came from. He was definitely surprised, but definitely happy. "Are you listening to this? I think our girl was one step ahead of us. Seems she had her own plans all along, though I do say it was irresponsible of her not to tell random strangers about it," he told his partner in faux disgust. The song continued, and he stopped laughing. He paid even more attention to the lyrics to confirm his thoughts. There was no doubt about it.

Miss Eternal broke the law.

Sariska was not greeted with applause, like she expected, at least not immediately, but when her song end, the entire audience was quiet, save for a few who laughed or cried. Sariska held onto her guitar, as if she was unsure whether to play something else, or to continue her song. It worked well enough on her band members, so why was the audience here so quiet? Could it be they were too timid to shout out their own voice in rebellion? Seeing as a few hundred people were here, Sariska could see that it would be hard to speak out.

But from the far reaches of the crowd, applause sounded, growing louder and louder until it reached Sariska's ears, and she smiled. The whole concert hall erupted into cheers, everyone's true feelings coming out, but they were soon hushed by a gunshot from behind Sariska.

Sariska spun around, expecting someone to be pointing a gun at her, but what she saw was a group of people pointing guns at the rest of her band. Growling slightly, Sariska began to approached, but one male "tut" stopped her in her tracks as a tall, lean man walked forward. His clothes were made of some hard material, Sariska couldn't remember the name, and his face was hidden under a mask, as were the other men behind him.

"Stand down, you can't win here," the man spoke in a deep, gravely voice, almost mechanical, as if it weren't his actual voice. Sariska frowned, this must be one of the law enforcers the so called "government" enlisted. "Take another step, and I'll have you and your friends executed right here and now."

"You're gonna have to do better than that," Sariska shot back, stepping forward just as the rest of the band proceeded to disarm and disable the ones pointing guns at them. Sariska grinned, "I told my mother the same thing I'm about to tell you, if you want to capture me dead or alive, bring an army." Sariska acted quickly, grabbing the masked man's gun arm and flipping his entire body over her shoulder, twisting his arm until it snapped out of place.

"This is the revolution!" Sariska shouted into the microphone, her eyes flashing out at the crowd. The other band members stayed alert, watching for any other law enforcers. They would not be hesitating to use their guns on them, which meant one wrong move would mean the death of them all. After Sariska shouted into the microphone, she gestured over to her band members and ran out to backstage.

As Aurielle's nails pierced his thick arms, Arkham paid full attention to Aurielle. She was a bit erratic at this point, but how on earth could anyone not? He listened to her harried words, her tone a bit unnerving which in turn unnerved him a bit, but he didn't let it show. "I know, I know, Auri, but it doesn't matter anymore. She's done it. I'm not sure she knows what she's done, but she has done it," he tried to reassure his partner in a hushed voice which wasn't necessary due to the applause that had started up, though as soon as a gunshot shattered the atmosphere of the place, the whole area grew deathly quiet.

Arkham stood up suddenly and glared down at the stage. "Damn. Government," he growled in a despair. The whole band was in danger now, as if the guns pointed at them weren't proof of that enough, but Sariska wasn't about to have that, nor were the band members. With bold words, Miss Eternal and the band turned the tables easily on the grunts and the so-called big shot that called Miss Eternal out himself. As of right then, Arkham knew that things were going to get crazy, especially since their mark was getting away through the backstage exit for sure.

"Shit, we've got to go after her," Arkham cursed, looking to Aurielle and pushed the people in the row in front of them aside as he hopped the seats. "Get that gun ready, but try to abstain from using on these people. Something tells me we'lll have some real targets to use it on in enough time." He turned his back on her and started hopping through the rows again, finally scrambling up onto the stage with relative ease. "I mean it!" he called out to her jokingly despite the intense insanity of the situation. He pointed an accusing finger at her before wiggling the end towards himself as a gesture for her to follow.

"Get in the van! The van, you losers!" Sariska shouted at her band members, her legs practically flying her down towards a large, white van. It was unoccupied and had a FedEx logo on the side. Sariska didn't want to use the band's van, so she managed to steal a FedEx van and drive it to the parking lot inconspicuously. Skidding to a stop, Sariska did a quick 360, scanning the area for any followers. She didn't see any.

The band members jumped into the van and Sariska climbed into the driver's seat, starting up the van with relative ease and maneuvering it around and heading for the exit. The other cheered themselves and gave each other a few fist bumps and high-fives. Paige and Kenneth hugged. Sariska grimaced when Tammy hugged her, and told her off for hugging the driver.

"We're not out of the water yet, ladies and gent," Sariska told them grimly. "And let me tell you, this isn't an ocean or a lake we're still in, we're at a oasis, and the desert ahead is pretty bleak."

"But the mountains are nearby," Tammy replied optimistically, placing her hand on Sariska's shoulder, to comfort her. "And they're covered with trees and springs, where life isn't so bad."

"We need to get there first," Sariska jabbed her thumb behind her, towards the back window, where Kenneth was looking out.

"Um...how do I say this...?" Kenneth's voice was a little shaky as he stared out the window and towards the sky. "There's a helicopter flying on our 5, and it doesn't look friendly."

"Fuck, they've even got a chopper!?" Sariska hit the wheel with her fist, cursing their luck, of course there would be a chopper. Anything less would be pointless, after all, this was a big concert hall. If a riot were to break out, the law enforcement would need something big and scary. "Is it armed?"

"My eyes aren't that good," Kenneth grumbled, but squinted out the window. "It might be, I dunno."

"What do we do, Sariska?" Tammy asked worriedly. It was times like this that Sariska wanted to punch Tammy for being so useless. But the girl wasn't the smartest character in the novel, so she ignored her.

"Is there any way you can make some sort of flare or bomb to alter the chopper's course and have them lose our trail?" Sariska asked Kenneth.

Kenneth shook his head, then remembering she couldn't see him (the rear view mirror was removed), said, "Not with anything here. If I had some gunpowder, a casket, and really good aim, I could."

~

"This is 4-GH7, reporting in about the location of Sariska Eternal and her band," a deep voice spoke into a small microphone attached to his headgear. He wore a pilot's uniform, a dark blue heavy with a lot of pockets and a Airforce logo on the right upper chest pocket. He steered the helicopter down and forward a bit, making sure to keep the white van in his sights. He could track it with a heat sensor, but did not want to waste the battery on his headgear just yet.

"Naught Tower responding to your call, 4-GH7," a feminine voice replied, "Does the van have any distinctive features about it that you can see?"

"A FedEx logo."

"I'm sorry?"

"The van has a FedEx logo on the side," the pilot frowned, peering down his vision towards the van. "It's a white van travelling north on Route 81."

"Continue the chase, 4-GH7, the Naught Tower will contact the agents still inside the concert hall." The female gave her orders with a very instructive, polite air that made the pilot smile.

"It's been a long time since I've had a good chase. Give Aurielle my love, would you?"

"You're living in a fantasy world, Rodney." The other end disconnected, leaving the pilot grinning in his seat.

Figuring his gesture was enough to get Aurielle provoked, Arkham instantly located a door that would lead to the part of the stadium that housed the dressing rooms and such. Rushing forward with great intensity, he hurtled through the door and wound up in a hallway with doors on one side. He continued down it and took a sharp turn, and was pleased to see a door with a neon EXIT sign overhead. It would undoubtedly take him to the back lot where Sariska and her cohorts must have planned their getaway. He had to hand it to the girl; at least the plan was at least semi-decently carried out. Just as he was about to sprint to the exit, he felt his phone vibrating in his pants pocket and whipped it out. Whoever was calling had horrible timing.

"Hello, this is Dr. Arkham Goodenough speaking. If it's important, make it quick," he said hurriedly, his tone still formal yet holding the impending urgency regarding the current situation.

"Yes, Agent Goodenough. This is Naught Tower informing," a female spoke from the other end of the line. "In regards to your partner...well, you have no more partner. The organization has issued Miss Aurielle Clain as a threat to herself and others, including you along with Sariska Eternal. As such, she has been terminated."

The silence of the hall was dreadful. Arkham almost wished he were back in the stadium with all the cheering fans to drown out the sense of discomfort he felt. Sure, Aurielle was a bit...creepy and had some interesting hobbies, but was she really that dangerous? "Who the hell am I trying to kid?" he said flatly into the phone, almost forgetting he was on the line with someone.

"Pardon?"

"All right, well that explains why she isn't following me and I don't hear gun shots," Arkham replied lightheartedly, trying his best to make the best out of the situation. "Where did Sariska and her band head? They got a good head start on me."

"Sariska Eternal is currently being trailed by 4-GH7 from the air, her van heading north from your location. Route 81."

"You've got Rodney flying, don't you?" There was no response. "I see we're not pulling any punches. She's in good hands then."

"Naught Tower requests your immediate pursuit on the ground in the case of emergency. The organization believes if we are to make contact with Sariska Eternal, then someone who has already spoken with her would be the best bet. This is your task after all, Agent Goodenough."

Arkham sighed and made no attempt to hide it. This was turning out not to be a relaxing evening at all. At least Aurielle would be getting some rest. Eternally. This brought a smile of relief to his face, and once again, he made no attempt to hide it. It wasn't like anyone could see him in the vacant corridor anyway. "Transport?"

"You are on your own, 'Officer' Goodenough," the female replied promptly with a few tints of teasing in her tone. "The organization is pleased with your improvisation efforts and looks forward to you continuing to please them. Naught Tower over and out."

Arkham tucked his phone back into his pocket, for the other end had disconnected. Now was going to be critical. Finishing his sprint down the corridor, he exited the dressing room area and onto a small platform with concrete steps leading down to the asphalt that made up the back parking lot. He could see skid marks from where Sariska and the others must have taken off. Looking around, he saw only a few cars. He rushed over to the closest one and tried the handle. Locked. Groaning, Arkham realized he was totally unprepared for this. "I don't even have any weapons, except a couple of syringes full of my newest peroxytoxin," he mumbled as he rushed to another nearby car and tried its handle. Locked again. He was about to straight up give up when he noticed a motorcycle near the edge of the lot and rushed towards it. Sweat had formed on his brow by the time he reached it, but he was rewarded when he noticed the key was still in the ignition.

"That's more like it," the good doctor said with a mischievous grin as he hopped on and cranked the thing up. Looking north, he couldn't make out the chopper very easily, but he knew it was out there tailing Sariska. Zooming out of the lot and getting on the road, he kept the direction and route in mind. It would take a hell of a lot of speed to catch up with the girl who was driving for her life right now.

Tammy had started singing to herself only a few seconds ago, and already Sariska was tired of hearing it. She would put up with it, since Tammy was frightened and attempting to control her own nerves. Singing a replay of Sariska's song wasn't the best choice though. Sariska was glad Tammy liked it, but there were just some songs that should only be heard once.

"Kenneth, is there anything you can make with what we have?" Sariska asked, hating her pleading voice. She was driving, so she couldn't do anything, and that chopper was still trailing them, though it wasn't using any lights to spot them in the dark. Most likely the pilot didn't need the lights, or had a heat-sensing visor. Maybe both.

"I can seal up a package of toothpaste and athlete's foot spray for Jim Renolds at Penn State University," Kenneth offered, noticing one of the boxes on the floor of the truck. Sariska hadn't enough time to empty the truck of mail, so some boxes were left behind. Sariska paused for a moment, concentrating on the road and the foot spray Kenneth mentioned. The sounds of boxes being ripped open distracted her, and Sariska nearly slammed on the breaks, but managed to control herself.

"Hey, there's a few lighters in here!" Paige offered, tossing one of them to Kenneth. "Looks like mom is supporting a bad habit." The band was finding useful things. Great. That was perfect.

"Is that foot spray flammable?" Sariska asked, trying to look into the rear-view mirror that wasn't actually there. She quickly put her eyes back on the road. She never had problems with foot fungus, so she never bothered to look at the product.

"Oh yeah it is, Tinactin." Kenneth said, naming the brand. "Me and Tinactin go way back."

"Ew," Tammy whispered, but Sariska laughed.

"You know what to do, Kenny."

"I will forge you a bomb worthy of Mordor!"

~

Rodney dipped the chopper lower to the van, he didn't want it out of his sights. That part shouldn't be a problem though, Route 81 stretched on for miles still, and the road was practically empty. He was enjoying the chase, it had been awhile since he got any flying time to himself. Except this wasn't really for himself, but regardless. It was a nice fly. His only concern was being unable to see inside Miss Eternal's head, to see what her next move would be. No doubt they've spotted him by now, that was part of the plan.

"She probably thinks this is a government chopper," Rodney muttered to himself, instinctively pulling the helicopter back up, just beneath the cloud layer. He flicked the transmission device on his headgear. "4-GH7 reporting. Any sign of my back-up squad?"

"Naught Tower responding, sir. Agent Goodenough is on his way, Agent Clain has been terminated, as was planned. We have a roadblock prepared two miles from your position. All exits have been closed off. You're running in clear skies, no signs of government choppers." Was the response, the same female voice giving Rodney a smile. He liked this woman, so formal, so nice, never telling him to piss off or anything.

"It is possible that our target believes that this is a government chopper," Rodney mentioned.

"Then prove her wrong," was the short reply. A long pause ensued as Rodney attempted to figure out what that meant. How was he supposed to convince Miss Eternal that he was on her side? Agent Goodenough certainly couldn't do it, and Agent Clain only made it worse.

"Should I use the loud speakers?" Rodney wondered, thinking how much of an effect that would have.

"That's not good enough."

"Oh, I see what you did there. Put me on a line with Agent Goodenough. I hope he has bluetooth."

Arkham was well on his way now, pushing the motorcycle to its limits. He felt the warm night air tousle his hair wildly, and the sheer speed was pushing his glasses back against his face. It wasn't as if he was completely blind; he should have taken them off before speeding along like he was. That's when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. "You have GOT to be kidding me," the doctor groaned as he took his hand off the handle with the brake to reach into his pocket carefully to retrieve his phone. Steering with one hand was hard enough, and now he had no way to brake. He flipped it open quickly and settled it between his face and his shoulder so he could use both his hands. He hated Bluetooth, but now he wished he had brought it. It all went back to how unprepared he had been for the events of the night, but no one could have seen this coming.

"Dr. Arkham Goodenough speaking," he answered as loudly as he could, for the roar of the motorcycle was sure to interfere.

"Naught Tower informing," the female responded. "Rodney wishes to speak to you, Agent Goodenough. Patching you through." There was silence as her line was disconnected and then reconnected with Rodney's.

Arkham waited for a small tone alerting him to the fact that the line had been reconnected. "Hey there, Rodney. It's Ark. Good night to be flying, am I right? So what's going down?" he spoke as casually as he could, focusing to make sure he still had a grip on the motorcycle. He was glad the route was fairly devoid of traffic. Thoughts of roadblocks passed through his mind. Might explain why practically no one's using this particular thoroughfare. Keeping his eyes on the road, he awaited his fellow operative's response.

Sariska stayed quiet as Kenneth started making the bomb. It was dangerous work, and he needed to focus on how to actually do it. But for some reason, Sariska felt odd, as if something was waiting for her up ahead. She examined the next exit they passed closely, but only saw it was blocked off with a dark car. The last exit had the same thing, it couldn't be a coincidence. Sariska looked at the oncoming road to the side through her side mirror. The exits were free of cars there.

"I'm not liking this," Sariska said, starting to slow the van down. Kenneth and Paige looked up from their work. Amber looked up at the chopper outside, but didn't say anything. "The roads are too quiet, and the last two exits were blocked off." No one responded, confirming Sariska's suspicions. They thought the same thing. Someone was leading them into a trap, but who? The government would have sent many more vehicles than just a chopper, and they would have blocked off every possibility. The rebellion organization might have done the same thing, but their resources were much thinner than the government's.

"This is a rebel chopper," Sariska deduced, "And it's leading us into some sort of trap."

"Isn't that fine though?" Tammy asked, her voice squeaking. "We're trying to help the cause, so they don't want us harmed, do they?"

"That depends on how they reacted to our performance," Sariska replied gravely. "I'm turning around." Sariska hit the breaks, slowing down to a comfortable speed before twisting the wheel around and going over the line to the other side of the road. The van nearly tipped over, because Sariska was still going at a pretty good speed, but it righted itself with a jerk and Sariska hit the gas pedal, passing the chopper before it knew what was happening.

~

"Hey Ark, Rodney here," Rodney said with a grin, though Arkham couldn't see it. "Great skies after a great concert, don't you think?" Rodney tilted the chopper up a bit more, the van was slowing down a little and he wanted to gain altitude as it did. "You've had a talk with Miss Eternal before, so tell me something. How do you- hold on!" Rodney suddenly shot up, peering down at the van. It wasn't just slowing down, it was turning around.

"Shit, she noticed!" Rodney cursed, slowing down the helicopter so he could turn around, "Clever girl, we didn't plan for this. She turned the van around and is headed in the opposite direction. Looks like she's taking the next exit off of 81." Rodney finally managed to make his chopper turn around and immediately set off chasing the van again. He taped a switch on his helmet and turned on the heat-sensing visor. He would need to keep his eyes trained on the van now that they knew what was going on.

"Okay Ark, I've got a job for you," Rodney said, his expression grim. "Have Naught Tower give you Miss Eternal's cell number and give her a call. Try to convince her we're on her side and trying to help her. If our records are correct, she never goes anywhere without her cellphone. Naught Tower should give you some information about the status of her family if you tell them what's going on. Okay, returning the call to Naught Tower in 5."

"Roger that, I'll see what I can do," Arkham replied, still trying to keep steady on his motorcycle, though if it seemed as though he'd have to slow down a bit to keep a lookout for Sariska's van. The line was disconnected, but he knew it would only be momentarily. He continued to drive on noticing the exits were effectively blocked, and he slowed down until he reached a complete stop. The van would be up ahead and Sariska would be zooming off in the direction he just came from looking for the first available exit. He heard the tone that alerted him to the line being reconnected again, only this time it would be with Naught Tower again.

"Naught Tower responding, Agent Goodenough. Go ahead," the female responded tactfully. On her computer screen, she was already pulling up information she was sure Arkham was going to ask for. It always paid to stay ahead of the game.

"I'd like to give our darling Miss Eternal a call, but I don't have her number. Hook me up?" Arkham asked slyly, finally able to hold his phone with a free hand while he waited for Sariska to jet by.

"917-433-2941."

"Anything I can use as leverage? She's pretty neutral towards me. I don't know if I can rope her in myself," the doctor admitted. She had spared him the time and day once for a simple question, but they had not had contact since then, and she probably wasn't a very happy camper at the moment.

"Her grandfather has already come to seek refuge. It is imperative to let her know that by pulling her little stunt, she has put everyone close to her in danger, but the organization has them taken care of quite well. Let her know they're safe in our hands, but she needs to be with us as well." She closed the screen holding all the current updates since the incident. "Are we clear, Agent Goodenough?"

"Crystal. Agent Goodenough, over and out," he responded, the number flashing through his mind over and over again so he wouldn't forget. He ended the call and immediately set about dialing the number the personnel had given him. It began to ring and he waited to see if she would pick up rather patiently given the circumstances.

The exits on this side of the road were blocked as well, Sariska noticed. When she looked over before, she thought that the exits on this side were not blocked, but apparently she didn't look close enough. Now that she had plenty of time to examine each exit, it was clear that they were blocked off. But if she continued down this road, she would come across a exit that wasn't blocked, for sure.

"How's that bomb coming along?" Sariska shot back, still not taking her eyes off the road or the exit. Tammy was helping a little, her eyes weren't as good though, so it was like having a pair of glasses that only made things foggier.

"A bit of trouble here, Star," Paige was the one to reply, "We need some sort of cloth to ignite."

"Use a shirt sleeve," Amber suggested, surprising them all by speaking up. Kenneth nodded and took a pair of scissors they found in another package and ripped off his left sleeve. He almost cut himself in surprise when a loud noise, like gunfire, went off. Sariska's phone, which was lying in the back.

"You've got an unknown caller here," Paige said, picking up the phone. She didn't answer it. "Some 540 number. Do you know anyone with 540?"

"No, but hand it over. Also, we're implementing Code Arson," Sariska said, putting her hand out. Paige gave Sariska the phone and she tapped the touch screen to answer the call. "This is Star. Make it quick, I'm busy."

Arkham was pleased to hear Sariska on the other end seeing as how he figured she might not answer at all considering the position she was in and all. "Good evening there, Miss Eternal," the doctor greeted casually as if nothing were amiss this night. "You made such a huge splash at the concert that I wanted to congratulate you. Me and the late Miss Clain had a wonderful time watching you from the third row." He cleared his throat not wanting to give her time to say anything just yet. He started speaking really quickly in kind of a hushed voice even though it seemed as though there was no one around him on his spot on the freeway.

"Miss Eternal, the organization isn't mad for what you've done and they want to take you into refuge where you'll be safe. You can think you can outrun the government forever, but they'll find you. And they'll be after those precious to you as well," he rushed on, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. Knowing how brutal the government could be in keeping this worldwide rule, the Law of Conformity, he genuinely felt concern for Sariska and her friends. "They're already safe, you know. Your grandfather. And your sister. Any other close friends you might have. They didn't give me specifics except for the grandfather, but you can count on us. You just have to trust us." He quietened down and stopped talking to give her a chance to respond. He knew she was still driving, Rodney was still tailing, Naught Tower was waiting for results, and the government was doing God knows what, but he didn't want things to draw out that long as to see the results of whatever they were planning.

Arkham Goodenough. Sariska scowled when she heard his voice. He gave no introduction either, so she had to rely on sound alone. Of course, Sariska's ears were better than most, so she recognized that careful voice. From his words, it seemed that the woman that almost attacked her was now dead. Terminated by the organization, no doubt. Good riddance.

Once Ark told Sariska about her grandfather, she slammed on the breaks, the van buckling forward and screeching across the ground. The van finally jerked to a halt and Sariska glared at the receiver indignantly, as if what he said offended her.

"What!?" Sariska almost yelled, startling her band members that were attempting to recover from the sudden stop of the vehicle. Sariska, in a fit of rage, threw her cell phone away where it bounced off the wall near Tammy and bounced off onto the floor. Miraculously, it still worked and the call hadn't ended.

"Star, what in the world is going on with you?" Tammy asked, the most shocked of them all. Her voice was quivering and she was afraid, wondering if Sariska was about to go on a rampage.

"They've got me beat," Sariska sighed, defeated. She slumped in the drivers seat and kicked the parking break down, throwing the keys out of the ignition. She just sat there, unmoving and unflinching, even when Tammy waved her hand over Sariska's eyes.

"Are we still going through with it?" Kenneth asked, his eyebrows and bomb raised.

"Code Arson terminated, the plans are terminated, just sit here and wait," Sariska said, her voice lacking its usual charisma and forcefulness.

"So what, we're going to let the rebellion forces have their way with us?" Paige asked, furrowing her brow. She wasn't the rebellion's biggest fan, and she liked Sariska's idea to lead the world through music.

"Pretty much," Sariska answered. "They have my grandfather." Sariska could practically hear jaws dropping in astonishment. "Not as a prisoner either." At least she assumed as much. Her grandfather would have destroyed the rebellion forces that tried to capture him. He didn't need arms to do it either, which meant he sought them out first.

Arkham had already dismounted his motorcycle and was fixing his suit a bit. It looked like that took care of things for the moment regarding Sariska. He was surprised when he heard ruckus on the other line followed by the others, presumably her band, talking. He definitely wasn't by Sariska's ear anymore, but he figured it wouldn't matter. Up ahead a little ways, he thought he heard the sound of screeching breaks along with the radiance that could only be coming from a set of headlights. Looks like she was getting pretty close, he thought before adjusting his phone. "Well, I guess that's that, then," he spoke into it simply, though with his tone still in good nature. "I'll need to relay the information to my superiors. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Eternal." With that, he lowered his phone and pressed the 'end call' button. Dialing up the previous number, he put the phone back to his ear, waiting for the pickup.

"Naught Tower, responding. How is everything, Agent Goodenough?" the female personnel responded. It seemed that she was in a rather good mood. Perhaps she had expected good news.

"Miss Eternal is willing to cooperate. Her van has stopped up ahead. Rodney can give you exact coordinates," Arkham responded promptly. He couldn't help but feel in a rather good mood as well, though he knew Sariska would be far from feeling all bubbly. "Orders now that this operation is complete?"

"You're on standby, Agent Goodenough," the woman responded as she started typing furiously on a keyboard in front of her. "Go accompany Miss Eternal and her band members until Rodney touches down. You can hitch a ride with him in the chopper. We sent one large enough to be able to hold you all. Any further questions?" She paused a moment in her typing.

"Understood. Stay fly, my dear. Agent Goodenough, over and out," he said with a hearty laugh before closing the phone. He left the motorcycle by the wayside and started walking along the deserted road until he caught sight of the van. Rodney's chopper was nearby for that matter. Taking a deep breath, he approached the van from the driver's side and tapped lightly on the window after spying Sariska inside. He flashed her a charming smile and gave her a quaint wave. The girl was unpredictable. He seriously hoped she liked him enough not to open the van door and punch his lights out. Oh, the organization would owe me big time for that one, he thought to himself lightly, sighing a bit as he had no idea what to expect. Just because she was 'cooperating' didn't mean she still wasn't going to be difficult. Her distaste for the rebel organization was fairly obvious.

The inside of the van was silent. The call from Arkham ended only a moment ago and Sariska could see him walking casually towards the van. His smiling face ticked her off, and she was about to open the van door just so she could punch his lights out. That wouldn't be satisfying, but only for an instant. Sariska knew that better than anyone.

They had her grandfather on their side. That in of itself told Sariska everything she needed to know, and more. This is where he has been all these years. Not in hiding, but with the rebel organization, plotting the comeback. And she was too blind to see it. No, she had her own agenda. Still did, as a matter of fact. These rebels would have a very hard time trying to sway her. And Sariska knew why they wanted her so badly. Her family history practically defined the role of excellent leadership and great strategic ability.

Unfortunately for the rebellion, Sariska was the youngest of the family who inherited this family trait. Her grandfather was the oldest, and has become reliant on medication to keep his mind in order. He was not longer fit to be a leader, but his cooperation with the rebel group meant that this was the direction he wanted the Eternal family to go. And Sariska wasn't in a position to resist her grandfather.

Sariska unlocked the doors of the van and kicked hers open, jumping out to land near Arkham. She brushed off her jacket and glared up at him. Sariska extended her arm and snatched the man by his collar, pulling him with her powerful arms until he was eye level with her, and only inches away. Arkham being taller than her didn't stop Sariska from doing this.

"Sariska!" Tammy nearly shouted in surprise, Sariska ignored her.

"Listen, Arkham," Sariska growled. "Don't think for a second that I'm going to cooperate with your little group. I know why your organization needs me. I suspect you do as well."

Sariska threw Arkham back a few feet, still glaring at him when the chopper that was trailing them before touched down. They must want her to get on the chopper, then they'll take off for the rebel base, wherever that might be. Her band members were out of the van now and making a little half-circle behind Sariska. When she turned to them, she raised an eyebrow.

"Mellow out," Sariska ordered, and they nodded. Whenever Sariska gave them that order, they were to standby for her to make up her mind on what the next order of business is. Sariska turned back around just in time to see the pilot of the helicopter pat Arkham's shoulder with a large hand. He wasn't much taller than the doctor, but he was certainly much thicker.

"Rodney Cliff," the pilot said to her, introducing himself shortly. "Glad to have you on board, Miss Eternal."

"Tell me," Sariska started, nearly interrupting Rodney. "Can you fly that helicopter with a broken nose?"

Rodney was caught off guard by the question, so his mind didn't exactly process what Sariska was getting to before it was too late, she had already lunged at him, her fist flying toward his face. A loud SNAP filled the air as Rodney stumbled back and nearly fell over. He was clutching his nose now, wincing in pain as it started bleeding.

"It would be a great distraction," Rodney offered, trying to diffuse the situation with humor. He wasn't expecting Sariska to punch him, he expected it to be targeted at Arkham over himself. Maybe Sariska did like someone other than her own family. Good.

"If you get uncomfortable, feel free to let me know," Sariska said, her eyebrows raised. Her band members didn't seem all that surprised by her violence. She flexed her wrist, "I can end your pain and fly the helicopter back to your base." With that said, Sariska motioned for her friends to follow and headed over to the helicopter, helping each one of them board before she did herself.

Rodney snapped his nose back in place, wincing in pain. "I don't think I'm going to be telling her if I'm uncomfortable. Does she really hate the rebels that much? To make death threats?"