middleofsomewhere | Blue Team Onward!

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Blue Team Onward!

Initial Guarding

Once the other teams fly off it is quiet once more at the military base. Blue team will be allowed to start patrolling, though there will be some areas such as the main command floor that are off limits. Any medically-inclined Void treckers will be welcome in the med bay and the guards will happily have some volunteers to do outside patrols.

But for the first day or so it is quiet, Hitrinto works as a liaison between the void treckers and the command staff, relaying messages and keeping them informed of the progress of battle.

Attack!

Late on the second day there is a break to the peace, alarms blare and lights flash red. "Enemy ships approach. Enemy ships approach."

Anyone who can get to the hanger quick enough will be given ships and sent off to fight. There aren't many enemy ships, four or five and hopefully they are beaten off easily.

But this becomes a semi regular occurrence. At least twice a day there are attacks. Patrols are stepped up, extra people are put on standby to man ships as quickly as possible.

Sabotage

Perhaps the attacks are a distraction. Because it is clear that something isn't right. Power goes down in one section or other. Equipment is messed with. Emergency doors are tampered with or left open. There aren't many people on this base but sometimes they will get the feeling of being watched. Of not being alone.

It soon becomes clear there are enemies inside the station and they are clearly biding their time. It is not known for what purpose. But finding them is probably a priority.

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He didn't know which one of them decided this was a good idea, but he found himself walking the halls of the station with Madoka searching for spies. They'd first gone to the mess hall where Prompto had attempted to find something that looked edible, but he wound up just eating more rations Iggy had packed for him and sharing with the girl. Some guy had explained to him the noodles he'd been eating the night before were plant based, which made Prompto feel a little better, but he was still wary of the unfamiliar food.

Currently they were going up the stairs to the next mostly abandoned level. So far, Prompto had told Madoka no less than three funny stories about their antics back home that would've had Iggy facepalming if he'd overheard them. They weren't bad but mostly one of the four doing something stupid- usually Noct or himself. This was number four.

"Noct and I were talking on the way back and we realized that Iggy's grocery list had said Caem Pinkshrimp and we'd gotten Cleigne Mollusk. I still don't know how we mixed those two up, but we'd already spent the gil we were told we could spend. So we got it in our head that we could earn a couple of gil and buy both. Noct wanted to fish for it, but you know, fishing takes a while! He's a great at fishing, don't get me wrong, but even the best fisherman needs time. Plus we'd left our poles in the Regalia. I decided maybe we could put on a show for people and earn a couple gil..." Madoka, stop him or he will talk your ear off.

Madoka may be cute and innocent, but she's not dumb. Even she hasn't been oblivious to all of the strange things happening around the base. And honestly, the idea of people sneaking around and doing all of those things is pretty unnerving. The constant feeling of being watched is even worse. But even though something should be done about all of that, no one should be out there looking for whoever is behind it on their own either.

She's not sure what exactly she could do, but.. at least she feels better knowing Prompto isn't out here by himself, just in case something would happen. Besides, so far it isn't too bad. Madoka actually seems to enjoy Prompto's rambly stories, despite not being able to understand half of the things he references. But it's nice to hear about the world they come from anyway, not to mention to just hear about their regular day to day life. So she's listening attentively, nodding along and giggling lightly at the right moments.

And while she does glance around them, her gaze also keeps returning to the palantír she's turning over in her hands. It didn't feel right to not take it along with her - with things randomly disappearing around the base, the last thing she wants to do is lose the important thing Fëanor trusted her with.

Madoka looks up from the black orb to glance at Prompto.

"Put on a show? What, like with dancing?"

To her credit, she does quickly glance at the top of the stairs after she says it, making sure the coast still is clear. She hasn't forgotten why they're out here!

Prompto had one of his relatively large, ornate guns- the lionsheart- drawn, but resting casually at his shoulder. He might as well have had a sport's drink in his hand for how at ease he was holding the weapon. The blonde boy had his usual bouncy swagger going, which gave the impression he wasn't all that worried about where they were or what they were doing- which wasn't the case. He just didn't want Madoka getting scared.

"Yeah! I was thinking we could just do a few dances like the Macarena or some of those other ones that were at the party on the train. We settled on 'I'm a Little Teapot'. It worked! We got like half the money we needed. So then we went back to the vendor and I cried till he let us have the other fish."

"You cried?!"

Her volume might be a bit too much for what they're trying to do here.. It won't help much if the spies can actually tell they're coming from far away, after all. But thankfully Madoka seems to realise that as much too a moment after she says it, and after looking a bit more embarrassed she repeats in a quiet voice--

"You cried..? That's so sad though. You shouldn't have to cry for food.. I-If you ever want to eat here, just let me know. I'll make sure you don't have to cry." She may be taking this a little too seriously.

Prompto flushed just a little at her reaction and giggled. He stopped walking so he could give her his full attention. "No- well, technically yes, but I was just doing it to make the guy give us a discount. I wasn't really upset, I swear!" He was too. He'd been convinced Iggy was going to be mad at them and he hadn't wanted to disappoint Mama Iggy.

"I promise, I get plenty of food." He patted his stomach. "You know, you're so sw-"

He was just about to launch into how incredible his new niece was again, but suddenly large clawed arms grab him from behind. One covers his mouth immediately and the other grabs his wrist on the hand hold his gun. Just as he's grabbed, almost that same instant, someone is snatching Madoka up too.

It happens so fast. One moment she's all focused on Prompto, and then the next his story is so suddenly cut off. A hand clamps around her wrist, then around the other one as her tiny wrists are shoved together to be held with one hand, and it's a near miracle that she manages to not drop the palantír in her hands from how startled she is. Instead she quickly balls her hand up to desperately cling onto it, even as she can't move her arms. Maybe she can even hide it from their assailants that way.

Her mind is not fully on that though. No, instead she's just staring with wide-eyed worry at Prompto as he's also captured. "U.. Uncle Prompto..!"

What can she do? She should be able to use the palantír with only her thoughts, but what good is it alerting the other teams when they're all the way out in space? Would anyone from the blue team hear her if she just screamed hard enough?

But right as Madoka contemplates that option, she feels something cold against her temple. The girl can only catch a slight glimpse at it, but Madoka doesn't need more to know what it is. It's one of those blaster guns against her head, reducing any sound she was about to make to just a whimper.

Edited 2020-03-31 10:35 (UTC)

Prompto was all ready to spring into action right up until he sees the gun against her head. He stays rigid and ready, but he can't act without risking her and there was no way he'd do that. The Empire soldier behind her, nods in one direction leading to both dragging their prisoner over closer to the wall. There was a closet there that looked barely big enough for the two of them. However with the silencers (or what Prompto was guessing were silencers) on the end of their guns they weren't being put in their alive.

So he says a quick apology to Iggy and Madoka and drops to the floor. This surprises both soldiers especially when (again, he was so so sorry) he swings his leg out and swipes it hard under Madoka's legs. The motion makes her fall and the soldier who had been holding her was momentarily stunned. Free from the grip of the soldier who had him, Prompto summons a second gun and both are fired repeatedly at both soldiers. Blood sprayed on them from the spots his bullets had gotten through their armor.

He rolled onto his feet and grabbed Madoka, throwing her over his shoulder and racing out of the room. He didn't stop running either till they were back with the others.

The soldiers definitely aren't the only ones surprised at Prompto's sudden movement. Any action on his part would have caught Madoka off guard with how lost she is in her own frantic thoughts about the situation, but even if that wasn't the case, there's no way she could have seen it coming that Prompto would move over to do something to her rather than the spies.

It's hard to even register what happens after it for her. Before the girl knows it, she's already on the ground, her legs hurting. Then there's the unmistakeable sound of gunshots, followed by her getting grabbed again and then carried. It takes a moment for her to realise it's Prompto carrying her with how out of it she is due to the whole situation. Her mind is racing, and it doesn't stop or slow down the whole way as Prompto is running. The only thing she can get herself to do is cling onto him the best she can as he runs so she won't fall.

It's only when he finally stops and she's put down that Madoka realises that they're out of that situation. And safe. Sure, her legs hurt, and she's most definitely going to be finding bruises there in the morning. But she wasn't shot. She's alive.

Madoka looks down, spotting the red blood staining her blue uniform purple. Actual blood. Blood from people that almost killed them, but got shot and killed by Prompto instead, all in front of her. (For a moment the mental image of Mami's corpse dangling from the witch's mouth shoots through her mind again.)

The girl's face grows as pale as a sheet, her legs trembling as she pushes her hands to her mouth.

"A-.. Ah..."

Ignis had just gotten back on the platform and he wasn't sure what was going on. All he saw was Prompto unloading Madoka from his back and there was blood. What in the name of the Six had just occurred? All he knows now is that he's running and he's hurrying to catch up to the pair.

After reaching them, immediately Ignis went and bent down and checked his daughter for signs of injury. Right away there's a healing potion out to cure her of anything that might be broken bruised or damaged. Green eyes then shot up at Prompto as the healing is occurring and the blonde doesn't look good either.

"Would you care to explain what is going on? Were you two attacked?" He didn't see any enemies or anyone chasing either of them but woe to anyone that hurt his friend or his daughter.

Not on his watch.

Pulling out another potion, Ignis placed it in front of the photographer and had him healed up what could be. And then he pulled his daughter in for a hug. "I'm going to pick you up darling." Ignis said before doing just that. He scanned the area again and held onto Madoka protectively before turning to address the other again.

"What happened?"

Edited 2020-04-05 22:25 (UTC)

Prompto was panting from his mad dash back here and it took him a second to be able to speak. He was relieved for find Ignis here so the advisor could take charge. That always felt better when someone else was leading than it being on Prompto's shoulders. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but he wasn't a natural leader like the rest of his friends. He was completely satisfied being the side kick.

However, in this instance, that had fallen on him and he was feeling terrible that it had gotten so dangerous so fast. He should've been paying better attention to their surroundings. He bobbed his head 'yes'.

"Yeah... we got ambushed." He took another deep breath and pointed down the hall they just came from. "Two down this way. I think they're dead but I didn't wait to make sure. I'm sorry, Iggy, Madoka. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" He asked, also looking the girl over. He winced a bit seeing the red marks on the back of her legs.

He took the potion, but he didn't use it. He wasn't hurt, just shaken. This wouldn't normally be enough to do even that given what they'd been through but he'd been in charge of Iggy's daughter. By the six, he should never have been trusted with that! "She's the only one who got hurt." And the wound was from him, which sucked.

Madoka gladly allows herself to get picked up again, despite only having had her feet on the ground for a moment just now. Usually she'd be a little more worried about some aspects of this - she's probably getting the blood on Ignis too now, after all - but she's a little too panicked still to fully realise that in the moment. Instead she takes the healing potion, feeling the pain in her legs numbing, and then clings to Ignis the best she can.

It helps to slowly calm her down a bit. She's still shaky, but at the very least she doesn't feel as scared with the way Ignis holds her so protectively. It feels hard to believe anymore bad things could happen with her papa right there.

But as she calms down, she slowly finally hears Prompto's words. Mostly him apologizing like that, and that makes her feel bad enough to finally raise her face and turn it to look at the other.

"I'm okay.." Not fully, that much is obvious. But the healing potion sure is helping with the physical part of that, and at the very least Madoka does feel like she'll be emotionally okay too. Just.. not right now. In a little while. But she really wants to reassure Prompto after he helped her out. She turns her gaze back to Ignis. "P-- Papa, uncle Prompto saved me.. He worked really hard."

Green eyes stared venomously in the direction Prompto had indicated. He didn't want to put Madoka down because if something happened to her, he would feel personally responsible. He'd already abandoned his team during the mission and was already pretty upset with himself even if Tony had reassured him that it wasn't his fault. Thinking on that, Ignis shook his head and lifted a hand from his daughter to touch the photographer. "It's alright. Both of you are safe." The strategist wouldn't hesitate to tear someone apart if they tried to hurt either one of these people near him or those dearest to him on this train. His hand went back to holding his daughter and gave her another hug for good measure.

His brain scrambled at what to do. Tony would want to know what was going on, but at the same time he had more than enough on his plate. "Prompto, make sure that at some future point you go report to Tony everything you know and let him know Madoka is safe. If something like this happens again he needs to know." At the moment the marksman had more information than he did.

And then Madoka piped up and he nodded with a slight smile. "Keeping people safe he is well trained for. You are as safe with him and Uncle Gladio as you would be with me or your Dad." Turning his green eyes back to the blonde he nodded. "You should take a shower and rest before giving your report. Are either of you hungry? I could make you something to eat and I'll check out the mess to clean it up."

They didn't need freaked out passengers if anything was left behind.

Reaching out again to touch Prompto, Ignis nodded. "Thank you for keeping Madoka safe." This wasn't a courtesy polite acknowledgement. This was a man as a friend and as a father thanking the man who'd saved his daughter's life, even if she wasn't his own flesh and blood.

This was all too much. He was feeling terribly guilty and then he was being defended and thanked. He didn't know what to think. Then he was being instructed to go confess what he did to the girl's other dad. "What? I have to tell her dad what I did?" That wasn't actually what Ignis was saying, but it's what he heard. "He's going to be mad isn't he?"

He listened as Ignis explained his job to Madoka and he wavered on whether it felt like he'd actually done that or not. "I- isn't he still out there?" He asked, pointing toward a window of the space station. "No, I'm um.. I don't know, Iggy. I let it happen! I didn't hear anyone until they were right on top of us."

She's more than willing to believe that Prompto has trained to keep people safe.. There's no way he would have been able to pull off what he did back there otherwise, after all. Even if it was a little scary to see happen so quickly, but.. Madoka's mood is slowly getting a bit better. Being this close to Ignis and being reassured by him really helps.

Madoka is about to say she could maybe use something to eat, but Prompto pipes up first, sounding so worried. And that immediately pulls her attention away from her own thoughts and towards him instead.

She's still very much clinging to Ignis, but does at least turn a little to be able to look at Prompto.

"Uncle Prompto.. you shouldn't say that." Maybe it's hypocritical of Madoka to not let anyone else put themselves down when she does it all the time, but whatever! This is just how it is! "You did everything you could back there. A-and if you hadn't been there, I would've been.." Dead. Probably. She doesn't want to say that out loud though, just the thought by itself is too sad, so instead her voice momentarily trails off.

Madoka tries her best to push all her negative thoughts away for the moment, just enough to be able to sound believable when she puffs out her cheeks in determination.

"So.. accept papa's thanks! A--And know that you're great!"

"What you did?" Ignis asked, suddenly confused. But then Prompto explained and the advisor shook his head. "If you were ambushed it's not your fault." He could feel Madoka remaining still and holding herself against him as if he was the most solid thing in her world right now. Maybe he was, but this was his job to be there for her if she needed it. So when she pulled away a bit, he just tried to support what she was doing.

He pulled her to him when she said that the blonde did everything he could to help and if he hadn't been there..the results would've been quite different. But there was a smothered smile to hear her stand up to Prompto and it was deserved. So when she further gave the marksman guff, he maintained a poker face but inwardly he was smiling. That was Tony coming through in those words certainly.

Prompto bit his lip as he fretted, not looking at all convinced by Iggy's words. However, then he has Madoka also telling him he should feel good about what he did. Even if he wasn't so sure he believed it, he doesn't want her to feel bad or start feeling like her reassurance hadn't been good enough. So since she told him to, he nods.

"O- oh, okay. Thanks, Madoka. And um.. thanks- er- you're welcome, Iggy." He really had done his best even if it had gotten them both in trouble. Still, he was nervous about facing her dad. "A- are you sure you can't tell him Iggy?" Could they make Gladio tell him? He seemed to like Gladio.

Oh, poor Prompto. There's no way Madoka can be all pouty at him anymore when he looks like such a kicked puppy. She settles down when he thanks her, instead leaning back against Ignis again for comfort. The girl frowns a little though, like she's trying to think of a good solution that won't make Prompto look so nervous...

"Or else I could tell him, papa."

Prompto helped her out, so the least she can do is try to take away his worries! Although she's not sure why Prompto is so nervous about it, Madoka thinks both her dad and papa are so nice.

"I can certainly inform him." Ignis said with a solemn nod. He thought it best for Prompto to do so since he had been there but with studying the lad, Ignis couldn't bring himself to have the other do it.

But then Madoka started speaking and his green eyes went to her. "I will go with you."

He would have her lead the conversation of course because she was there. And if Tony wanted to speak to Prompto that was between them.

Tell him to face down a coeurl, sure. Go gangbusters on a saberclaw, fine. Go tell Madoka's dad he got her ambush? Mommy! There were limits to his courage! It was also the reverse if he had to give Iggy bad news too.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Iggy took that out of his hands. "So um.. Iggy, Madoka can I get you anything?" He needed something to do other than stand here and slowly come off that adrenaline rush. His hands were already getting a little shaky.

It's nice how expected and familiar it feels to have Ignis immediately say that he'll go with her. Being so reliable is one of Ignis' best traits, after all. (Although Madoka, as biased as she is, thinks he has many!)

But before she can say anything about it, her attention is pulled back to the blonde when he speaks up. Madoka almost replies she's fine out of sheer instinct, but then realises there is one part to all of this that's still at least semi-pressing.

"Um.. I think I need to find a spare uniform.."

Because she really doesn't want to walk around in this one now there's blood on it. But she doesn't voice that part out loud, since she doesn't want to seem too picky or sensitive. Even in a situation like this where she's totally allowed to be.

Holding onto his daughter still, his eyes narrowed in concern for Prompto. But he kept his concern reigned in until Madoka piped up about a uniform. He let her down and knelt down to her level looking up into her eyes. "You two go get changed and take hot showers if you need them. I'll meet you and Uncle Prompto in the kitchen in half an hour so that will give you both time to freshen up."

Green eyes went to the marksman and photographer as he slowly stood up. "Will you to be alright, or would you prefer I accompany you?" He wanted to keep both of these dear people safe but he didn't want to infringe on them either.

Ignis was going to go investigate and report to Tony briefly before he saw these two in the kitchen.

Prompto frowned a bit, watching Ignis with mild suspicion. He'd normally follow Iggy's orders immediately, but something about it didn't feel right. It was possible he was just feeling paranoid after what happened to him, but it was worrying enough to question Iggy (which should say something).

"What are you planning on doing? You can't go back out there alone. What if what we did just made the rest of them angry? What about Gladio? Could you take him with you o- or we get Gladio to watch Madoka and we go back together? You shouldn't go alone."

Honestly, Prompto's concern hadn't even crossed the young girl's mind yet. She was just giving Ignis a small smile as she was starting to slowly calm down from everything, if not just because of how reassuring he's being. But when Prompto brings up those questions, Madoka glances at him with a slightly surprised look in her eyes before looking at Ignis.

"Huh..? Papa, you aren't going to do anything dangerous on your own, right?" Because she won't hesitate to puppy eye him out of that idea if that's the case!

"I'm going to grab Gladio." He didn't want to involve Tony because he wanted to keep the other man safe. He knew better than to go alone. And if he happened to see Bucky on his way instead, he'd grab him. Green eyes looked pointedly at Prompto. "You've no need to go back there, you should rest."

And then there was his daughter's eyes. "No darling. I have far too much to come back for. So go with Uncle Prompto and I'm going to find Gladio or Bucky."

Prompto visibly breathed a sigh of relief for two reason. The first was obviously that Iggy wasn't going back there alone and the other was Iggy hadn't gotten annoyed with him for questioning him. Those were all good things! He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously. That had probably been silly to think Iggy would do something like that in the first place.

"Okay cool. I uh.. Madoka, let's see what other clothes they have okay?" He offered her his hand with a gentle smile. "If not we'll get one of Gladio's shirts and you can wear it like a dress!" Just a joke, but he was sure it'd be monstrous on her.

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happyends - 2020-04-30 18:01 (UTC) - Expand

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Blue Team Onward!

For Madoka~ Uncle to the Rescue! Mission Edition

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