14480/Missing Man Formation

Missing Man Formation
Date of Scene:	19 July 2022
Location:	Hydra Base, Location Withheld
Synopsis:	Natasha infiltrates the base where Alexander is being held. The bad guys will regret ever taking him.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Black Widow (Romanoff)

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Phobos has posed:
    A myriad of active radar signals washed over the hull of the Quinjet yet the returned no image back. The stealth systems in the advanced aircraft served their purpose in keeping the vehicle hidden and the adaptive camouflage beneath the vehicle kept it from being spotted too easily from boots on the ground.
    All told Natasha had a good 95% chance that she made the infiltration into their airspace without being spotted. Good odds. But not perfect. Caution was still the order of the day.
    She was able to compare the SATNAV scans against the topography. Whatever they had they were able to spoof the images the satellites would take since all those showed was an area with a mountain lake and surrounding empty terrain. But when Natasha got there...
    It was another story. There was activity all around the lake. Vehicles moving in the compound that was above ground. Four buildings, perhaps barracks, perhaps motor pools. They were present and had soldiers moving about. Several of the soldiers were in some form of power armor or augmented exo-skeletons. Others had advanced weaponry. But what was clear when she saw one of the heavy vehicles roll out of the compound...
    It was the tentacled symbol of Hydra on its side.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That explained a lot. It was only a matter of time before people found ways to hide from satellites. Hydra had the technology to be able to, without resorting to putting up netting and the like. Though netting was effective in the right settings. But this was something more high tech. Or worse, they had access to the satellites and were feeding a loop of old images. If she was here for that reason, she'd be searching for computers to figure that out.

That wasn't her focus. Not this time. There was one person that she was here for. She would find him and bring him home. And if something had happened since his capture, if they had killed him, they would feel her fury.

As she moved through the area scanning, she considered that. Already picking out targets. Places that would be perfect for explosive charges to cause the most damage. Points of entry to the building.

First, she needed to find a place to land. Then work her way to the compound. Her plan was to find entry into the main base. The outbuildings might get a cursory examination, just for tallies of personnel numbers and equipment. But that's not where she would find him. They would have him somewhere deep in the main base.

For now, this would be stealth. Then once she had more intel, she could adjust her plan as needed.

Phobos has posed:
    It wouldn't take her long to work up a profile of the base, of its security measures, to be able to commit the patrols to memory. Though she likely was working fast. Using her experience to extrapolate what those patrols should be, where countermeasures likely would be set, and the perfect places for anti-personnel devices and sensor arrays.
    And her talents served her well. It was almost like clockwork as she was able to surveil and then advance. To find the weakpoints and slip through them in between patrols and in the small deadzones left by sweeping sensors. Then any changes she makes she would be able to recover and repair before pressing on.
    She likely wouldn't have to dig into her bag of tricks until she got to the fencing at the edge of the compound. There were several points of entry. The easiest likely was where the pipe run off was set to help keep the base functioning. Though that often had the extra sensors focused there, it still was the best for evading sight lines.
    Then there was the possibility of hitching a ride in one of the heavy vehicles as they moved in and out of the secure perimeter. But that meant being exposed to the gate and the checkpoint. Perhaps at one point it might be better to wait for one of the sentries to walk past and take their place. But a quick scan of the ones walking the perimeter now... didn't fit her height/weight profile. Though one was short... if she could somehow bulk up.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha was carrying a small backpack. It was allowing for some extra toys that she'd gathered from the armory. She'd also made a stop in the tech office, getting herself some other items that might help. Then lastly there was the broken down sniper rifle in that case. A gal never knew what she might need. Better to overpack.

She considered the guard option then dismissed it. Even if she could use the items she had with her to bulk up, she would still have to eventually walk away from her post. And that would draw attention. Better to have the guards doing what they were supposed to do at the times they were required. If one wasn't in his spot across the compound when another glanced over, that would set off an alarm.

The truck was a good thought. But, if they were worth their salt, they checked the vehicles when they came in. Full search from all angles such as the top and mirrors to look underneath. She might be able to get clear but it was too much of a gamble.

That left the pipe. It would likely have sensors and she drew out a few goodies from her bag, slipping them into spots on her utility belt. Then the bag was quietly closed back up and she swung it to her back again. Then she silently made her way to that pipe. A quick visual check of the exterior to look for sensors then she pulled out that hand held scanner for a confirmation she hadn't missed something before she started her entry.

Phobos has posed:
    It's a clean approach, up the curved lines of the gutter, past the trickle of water and some small detritus. Not a flattering way of infiltration, but effective. Especially as her on board system catches the signal being sent from the slave surveillance unit to the master. A duplicate transmission sets itself up to render simulated green system notifications and replay faux imagery. If it was hard-lined it would've been harder, but Natasha's stealth gear is strong and fed by a virtual intelligence on board.
    All she has to do is make sure the system doesn't give her a red warning and she's in the clear. Even when she makes the break through the fence and toward one of the buildings. No electronic systems mark her passage, making her main adversary the Mk. 1 Eyeball. And none have fallen on her yet.
    Only one building seems to be doing steady traffic. The others might be storage facilities. But the one seems to have foot traffic and vehicles. But also as she passes the side of one building she'll find a strange notice that declares.
    'WARNING: All Personnel Use Talisman Argent beyond this point.'

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
So far so good. Natasha wasn't cocky. She knew that anything could go wrong at any moment. But she took her time, worked past anything that she needed in order to gain entry. Then she caught sight of that sign. And paused.

Quickly, she moved back a bit, to an area that allowed for her to be concealed but keep an eye on the comings and goings in that building. It obviously was where she was needing to go.

She took the time to make a quick circuit of the building, espying any potentional entry points, then returned to her original spot to people watch.

That might seem a strange thing but it would allow her to pick out something which might tell her what Talisman Argent was. With Hydra, it could be a codename for some sort of tech or it could be a literal talisman that involved magic. It might even be so simple as a form of I.D. but Natasha doubted it would be that simple. If it was a 'thing' that someone had to have as an I.D., they would have to show it. But there wasn't a check point with a scanner or a person confirming someone was allowed. That led her more to tech or talisman in the literal sense. So she watched. Many times, if someone was entering a place with such a warning, they might reach to touch where they stored said item on their person. A pat of a pocket or the like, just to confirm it was still there. Hopefully that would give her insight.

Phobos has posed:
    When she draws back she's able to get to a decent hidey hole between two large HVAC units and a generator of some sort. Out of the casual glance range, and far enough away from the electronic equipment so as to not test her system's defenses. Yet it gives her what she most needs.
    Time...
    Time to observe the operatives and their comings and goings. To watch the vehicles. To look upon the steady movement of soldiers and officers. It was difficult to discern anything on those that wore the exo-suits or power armor. Hard to see anything on the technicians who were wearing full environmental suits. But some of those officers and foot soldiers... they had what looked like a small rat skull necklace that was worn the same way for each of them. Six inches down from the neck over their clothes. Visible from afar once she started to see them more and more.
    That was likely it.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She really hoped that was tech disguised as magic. Because Natasha was not practiced when it came to magic. She knew of it. She knew that it defied the laws of science. And that irritated her because that equaled unpredictablity. Of course, these were people who had a way to contain an Olympian. So she should have expected it.

Didn't mean she had to like it.

She fell back. Moved toward the area where the vehicles were instead. Doing a quick scan as she did to see if there was a central spot where they got a talisman before going in or did they show up with them on their persons. Again finding a spot to conceal herself as she waited. A central location would be easier to borrow one. But if they were assigned to personnel, it got trickier. If she took the talisman off someone about to go into that area, it would reveal they had one missing. So her best bet was someone 'leaving work' so to speak.

Phobos has posed:
    The talismans seemed to be on each individual and they maintained it at all times. There was no central point where they were handing them out, likely her best chance would be to relieve one of that possession.
    Though that did raise other questions.
    It would take some time to gauge the comings and goings, the routine. But after thirty minutes of observation she might get a better feeling for which door the people going off shift emerged from. Though once of the buildings she might have thought was storage turned out to be a cafeteria of sorts. That could work.
    She had her options available. She could try and liberate it from one of them in passing. Perhaps stage a mishap. Or catch one of the Hydra operatives as they walked by and eliminated them. Though that would require stashing the body.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Things could very easily go downhill but she had to get one of those talismans. Sadly, lifting it off someone seemed to be out of the question at this point. Which took her the direction of removing it from someone in a more physical manner. And if she did that, she was going to have to eliminate them. She couldn't afford any witnesses.

As an Avenger, it was a step that she shouldn't be taking. Even as a SHIELD agent, though they did do such things as needed, it was something they rarely called upon her for due to her Avengers status. With this situation? All bets were off. She would do what she had to do, consequences be damned.

The mess was not a good spot. Too many people coming and going. The exit to that main building would give her a potential target. Someone that was heading off duty. Which meant they likely would be heading for the pool of vehicles. Also hidden in a tent which helped hide them from satellite surveillance. She took her time, going into the vehicle area, picking out one that would allow her to hide the body easily.

Then it was a matter of waiting. Her target was a woman. A bit taller than her but one that her uniform should work well for her to disguise herself should it come to that. When the woman got into the driver's seat, she wouldn't have any time to react as Natasha grabbed her from behind, locking her in a choke so she wouldn't be able to make any noise. She dragged the woman back into the back seat, so she wouldn't be able to hit the horn either. She waited until the woman stopped moving. Then she held on even longer. It took far longer to kill someone this way than it showed on tv but she knew how long it would take and she was patient.

Once that was done, the woman would be stripped and her uniform put into the small backpack Natasha was carrying. Then the body was placed in the back of the SUV under a cover. Very helpful of them to have that handy for her to use. It was meant to provide privacy for people when shopping or the like. In this case, it hid a body perfectly. Unless someone went into the vehicle. She tucked the keys under the body then locked the vehicle and made her way back to those ventilation shafts. The talisman was slipped over her neck and she sent up a prayer that it would work.

Phobos has posed:
    There was little sign that the talisman did anything at first, no glimmer or glow, no palpable feeling of power. Yet after some time she would feel a tingle in the tips of her fingers. As if they had fallen asleep for some reason though it was a sensation that lasted only a few minutes while whatever it was acclimated to her body. The time it took her to secure the area in the motor pool was enough.
    Then she emerged secure with her new gear in her backpack. As she slipped back out onto the main concourse where personnel would move she could tell that the base had entered a new phase of activity. Shift-change must have happened earlier as the foot traffic was much less, so she had a clear avenue to reach that core area where the heavy air processing equipment was as well as the maintenance shafts that when opened would lead down further into the base.
    There was nothing left to do but to venture in.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That was not a sensation she liked. But she had no choice. She had to go in there and find him. She was hoping to go in quiet but, if that failed, going loud would not be a problem. She'd been leaving explosives here or there as she explored the grounds, for just such a situation. It just would be simpler if she was able to keep it stealthy.

She made it back into the tunnels then to the ventilation system. Taking her time, making sure not to trigger any traps though the deeper she went in, the less security measures in the vents. They obviously never expected someone to get past those heavier defenses early on.

As she moved, she would sometimes see people moving around. If they seemed to be on patrol, she made a note and would time if they came back. Most often, that wasn't the case though. Obviously they figured those talisman likely had everything locked down for intruders as well.

The tingle in her fingers began to worsen and she frowned, wiggling them and stretching her hand a bit. Then she saw the body bags in the room below her. A quick scan to see if anyone was in the room. Taking a moment to work past to check rooms nearby, just to see where people were and if they were likely to enter the room with the bags. Only once she had the full information would she return there, intending on entering (if it was safe to do so) and start checking those bags.

Phobos has posed:
    As she entered the room the tingling became worse. Never enough to cause discomfort or difficulty, more that it made her aware of itself with a hint of vibrations that grew stronger as she drew closer to the bodies.
    There were seven of them. All of them were in yellow marked body-bags that were zipped closed. Once one was opened, she would see the face of a poor soul whose face was frozen in a rictus of agony, their heads were shaven and there were burn marks at their temples uniformly as if they had all suffered the same fate. No bio-hazard marks, though there was a symbol on the bags that showed three circles and had one of those circles colored in with black another with red and another with white.
    Otherwise the room was barren, likely a storage area for there were shelves built into it, barely a twenty by twenty foot room. There was only one door in and out, though the ventilation duct had the filter opening she was able to crawl in and out of.
    Though one thing of greater note was that as she moved closer to the West wall the tingling in her fingers and grew stronger and it even seemed to cause the talisman itself to thrum against her neck.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The bad news was she didn't want to waste time trying to find biohazard protection to be able to check the bags. She did throw on a small mask to help a little but needless to say, she may have been exposed to some pretty bad shit here. It didn't matter. She had to make sure it wasn't him in one of those bags.

Good news, it wasn't. Though the bodies in there had obviously suffered horribly before their deaths. The burn marks made her wonder if electrocution had been involved, as did their facial expressions and postures. After each was checked, they were zipped up just as they had been.

She felt that vibration intensify and moved toward the west wall. The talisman itself joined in the act. Which had her frowning as she tried to piece this together.

The talismans protected against something. Was it just some sort of magic they had around the exterior of the building, so someone without would die? Or was it more to track to the Olympian if he escaped? Though another thought was added. Could it protect them against his power? Because if he was awake, he could have gotten out of here otherwise. Though most likely, they were keeping him unconscious.

All theories, no facts. She moved for the ventilation shaft and entered again, closing it carefully behind her and making sure screws were back in place. Then she eased along to the west. Trying to triangulate the source and if there was a way into the room without going into the hallways.

She didn't expect there to be. Which meant things were about to get far more difficult.

Phobos has posed:
    It took some doing.
    For the ventilation system in that direction twisted about widely, circling what must have been a large area or room. There were few places to look through, and each vent gave her a view of similar storage areas though no activity was seen within them. But then the shaft she was in merged with another creating a central duct that pushed downward at a ten degree decline leading her deeper into the system...
    Until she started to hear chanting...
    Distantly, to be sure, but chanting. A steady sound of several voices all speaking together a steady phrase that sounded softly as, 'Om Nom Ray Kay Ho' repeated over and over. It grew louder as she descended, deeper still until finally she reached a large air filtration point with a steady 'whum whum whum' of fans in front of her. It was through their slow spinning that she could see what looked like a large earthen chamber with her being some twenty feet above the floor, the ground covered in old dirt and loam. The chanting came from six figures all in red robes who were seated with beads in their hands as they massaged them chanting all the while as they slowly rocked back and forth. Those six figures were all equi-distant from a seventh that she would instantly recognize as Alexander.
    He sat as the other figures sat, cross-legged upon the floor. Though his head was bowed and his features very pale, to such a degree that he looked almost grey in color. Still wearing the under suit of the gear he had been issued by SHIELD, across his lap was the crimson-bladed katana, Grasscutter. He did not move, did not sway, did not even seem to breathe. The only sign of life that was obvious was the faint sheen of sweat on his brow.
    Then she heard the voice.
    A grating sharp voice growling in English coming from a tall blind-folded figure in a white and red kimono. His own swords were at his hip and his arms were folded over his chest as he spoke, "How long until Lady Strucker arrives?"
    Then there was the click of audio and from speakers somewhere in the ceiling system there was an answer, "Four hours, my lord."
    Natasha could see the venitlation duct past those fans curved around in a circle likely around the entirety of that chamber. To get at them she would likely have to disable the fans for a period of time, then to the vent areas which she could see were spaced evenly every fifteen feet. Yet what might be more concerning is that each vent into the room had compressed gas cannisters connected directly to the system.
    Suddenly there was a scream as one of the six surrounding Alexander SHRIEKED with some sort of horrible pain as his head burst into flames with a snap of flash fire then collapsed backward onto the floor, abruptly very very dead. The remaining five raise their voices and start to chant faster, more animatedly as they take up the slack.
    Yet this did not seem to upset the man in the kimono. Behind him sliding double doors open and two orderlies rush in quickly to grab the body of the recently deceased... and to just as quickly carry him out into the hall. While another figure in red robes rushes in to take up the vacated spot to resume the chanting.
    "Maintain this level of containment. I will have that sword."
    "Yes, my lord."
    That is when the blind-folded Hydra lord walks across the distance into the circle, clears his throat, then /spits/ toward Alexander. Though it never lands as it evaporates almost as soon as it comes into contact with the young Olympian...
    Who seems entirely unaware. The samurai turns to leave.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Things were getting far more complicated. She may end up having to resort to the hallways. She was hoping to avoid that because it was just asking for things to go loud. But it would be necessary so she wanted to make sure she had an idea of the floorplan. It was just bits and pieces though.

When she saw Alexander, she felt that wave of relief just to see him alive. Yet it was short lived when she saw the state of him. The sickly pallor. The fact he wasn't moving at all. Just sitting there with his sword. A sword she knew had it's own inherent abilities from the brief moment she had held it in the past.

The man's head bursting into flames had her frowning anew. That explained the body bags. They were all people who had been here in this circle. Containment the samurai said. The fact he was blind-folded warned her he had abilities far beyond the norm. She knew that Daredevil was blind yet could fight with the best of them. There was going to be no taking for granted the threat level this guy might represent.

She glanced to the canister not far from her position. There was no telling what kind of gas might be in there. She could use a rebreather. She had a spare as well. But if it was something that was topical, then that wasn't going to help much. She'd seen nerve gas used on the battlefield and she had no desire to experience that painful death herself.

Which meant fans and gas canisters were her first priorities. She would need to try to disable them before making entry into the room.

Phobos has posed:
    It would take some doing once she disabled the fans. They were monitored for activity, but all it would take was a simple bypass to feed its signal back to itself letting whomever was monitoring the status that it was still showing green. Once they had stopped spinning it was easy to get them retracted into the maintenance position and so she could move through the tunnel easily...
    Which left the gas cannisters themselves, also monitored. Those would prove to take more time, long enough to rewire them and then disengage the remote detonators and triggering mechanisms. Six of them all told which would take slightly less than an hour if she executed with precision and double-checking the viability of each reroute. She could manage faster but if she made a mistake less likely she'd be aware of it.
    Though once she was on the opposite side of the circular ventilation system she would find a junction box and from there... she actually had her own monitor and mini-keyboard as well as dataport that she could access many interesting things. Including the camera controls and environmental systems...
    And the alarm systems.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She knew he was alive. If someone came in to try to change that, she would just abandon what she was doing and take care of business. So she had time for now. She took it. Working through each system. Making sure all her rerouting was done correctly.

Then she accessed the other systems and that brought a smile to her face. She was still in a cramped ventilation shaft but she'd been in more uncomfortable places for far longer in her history. Some quick reviews of all the camera views. Planning out a potential exit if they had to use hallways. Making sure to set some of those cameras on loops. The alarm system was quietly disabled. Oh, it looked fine from the point of view of those monitoring. But if they hit the alert, nothing would go out to anyone. The most that would happen was a light blinking on her mini keyboard here in the vent. Which wouldn't even be bright enough to be seen by those outside. Last the environmental systems got a bit of love as she prepared a few fails she could trigger.

One final step was to pull out a small recording device. She recorded the chants being performed in the room. Hoping that if they were not performed by live people, they wouldn't have the same effect on Alexander.

She ran through the cameras to be sure no one was approaching this room, particularly that samurai. Once she was sure, everything was folded up and tucked away. Then she moved to the vent and silently removed the screws as she prepared for entry. The grating for the vent was removed and pulled into the vent with her the rested against the wall to the side.

Three discs were held between her fingers on each hand. With a flick of both wrists, the discs were fired unerringly to the six robed figures in the room. The Widow's Bite should lock their systems, preventing them from making a sound as they were knocked unconscious. Then she pushed that play button on the recording, so that those outside the chamber wouldn't suddenly not hear the noises from within.

A moment later she was out of the vent, dropping to the floor below and moving quickly toward the captive Olympian.

"Alexander?" her voice was barely a whisper.

Phobos has posed:
    All went smoothly, though the security was tougher in places than the normal Hydra bases she had been through over the last five years. Yet nothing that SHIELD's tech and her expertise couldn't handle. It was done quickly enough until she had the steps of her plan in place. No sign of the samurai in white, he apparently had left the building at some point for he never entered within range of her feeds.
    Once she had it as secure as she felt was safe she leaned out...
    And those hurled discs sliced across the distance hitting home then triggering in synchronized unison the short sharp /zorch!/ of their electrical charges that had those figures all going suddenly tense then falling backwards or forwards as their awareness flees. She dropped down, silently, landing with barely even a shadow as the light within was very subdued. Then she drew closer and whispered...
    Which was when those pale hazel eyes opened, the Olympian's gaze lifting as he slowly... very slowly smiled and said to her, "Hey."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
It took every bit of willpower not to fling her arms around his neck and hug him. He might see her hands twitch and realize what she stopped herself for doing. But her smile would not be hidden as she heard that word from him. Saw those beautiful eyes and his smile. "Hey, yourself. You gave us quite a fright." Us she said but honestly, she meant herself. "What say we blow this popsicle stand--figuratively or literally speaking."

She looked him over quickly, trying to see if there were signs of injury. "Are you able to move? Is the chanting on the recording affecting you negatively?"

She glanced toward the door to the room, aware that they are not seeing what is going on and not wanting to waste too much time. Then a motion toward that vent high up in the wall. She fired a line to it from her wristband, giving them a quick way up if he was up for it. Then her eyes met his again, questioning.

Phobos has posed:
    "I can move," He says quietly, his head turning to the side as his brow furrows. "I'm just..." He pushes himself up, bare feet making no sound in the dirt and loam upon the floor of the chamber, then he rolls a shoulder and murmurs, "Just sore."
    There's no sound of alarm, no blinking red lights, the cameras and the monitoring stations still showing green. The chanting continues and playing on its slow repeat, perhaps helping with the deception. For now the situation seems secure. He turns and lifts his eyes towad the ceiling and the grapple line. Then he smiles, "Let's go."
    He'll advance toward that line, and already she can see the color coming back to him, the flush of blood to his cheeks and his bare arms. Though with the silence of the chanters that she knocked out she likely can tell that her talisman... no longer tingles.
    He grasps the line and quickly begins to pull himself up, legs held straight and ahead as he works with just his arms to ascend as quickly as possible.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha keeps an eye on the robed figures, making sure none of them are stirring. They should be out a good five minutes. Which isn't a lot of time to get out of the building. So as Alexander begins to ascend, she draws a knife from her pack. Then she simply eliminates each of the chanters one by one. There will be nothing to give away that they were interrupted. The recording device will be left in the room to continue playing the sounds.

Once that was done, she wiped her blade on one of the red robes then tucked it back away on her belt. A moment later, she was climbing rapidly up the line. It was left where it was, not bothering with trying to remove the grapple. She did pull the line into the vent then put the vent cover back in place. Hopefully if someone did come in the chamber, that would cause a little confusion. They might think their spell ended and he simply teleported or the like. Hopefully.

"Sore from sitting there so long or...other reasons?" She was going to be sorely tempted to go scorched earth on this place if it was from abuse he had suffered at the hands of his captors.

She eased past him in the vent, brushing against him in the process. Then began to lead the way through the labyrinth to try and make their escape.

Phobos has posed:
    He had pulled himself up into the duct and flipped around, long enough to be able to see that telling moment when she had moved from figure to figure ensuring they would never wake again. Those pale eyes in the shadows watched, gaze following her as she methodically took those live, head tilting slightly. Saying nothing.
    Then when she joined him, brushed past him, he murmured quietly, "I'll be fine," Perhaps knowing the effect it might have on her. But then his hand catches her leg to stop her for a brief moment. Drawing closer alongside in that wider area of the vents before it narrows once again past the disabled fans. In the dark they can barely see each other, just the slight glimmer of their eyes from one of the small LEDs near the fan's control panel. He draws closer, a hand to her cheek, then whispers.
    "Natasha..."
    He looks down, then back, then meets her eyes.
    "That was..."
    "The most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Feeling his hand on her leg, Natasha stopped and glanced his direction. Not that they could really see. Just a vague sense of one another in that tight space. As he crawled up with her, her brow was furrowed slightly in question.

The touch of his hand on her cheek had her pressing against that contact. She had to force herself not to close her eyes and just melt into him. Not now. Not yet. They had to get out of here first.

When he spoke, she looked at his eyes. Romantic? The rescue? But then she figured it out and she glanced down, a little embarassed honestly. Not because of what she did. It was the right thing in the circumstances. Otherwise, those men could've raised an alarm. But that he found it a romantic measure. It was fitting though. For him. For them.

Then she forced her gaze back up to his. "I love you. I would do anything to keep you safe."

And she allowed herself to lean forward, to meet his lips with hers. A gentle kiss as she fought the urge to cry,