The Causeway, Wednesday Afternoon

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison was really starting to hate standing at this spot on the Causeway, computer in hand as he selected which of the off-duty portals to hack. Every time he sent a portal into Kathy's world, they'd got something good back (Raven and Kathy both), but his heart jumped into his throat every time he had to send his people through to go back there.

He'd really, really been hoping last time would be the last time, but here they were again.

"A'ight, so good news, bad news, an' ironic news," he said to the small group clustered around him. "Good news: the portal is successfully hacked, it'll show up in about a minute, an' it's definitely goin' to Kathy's LA. Bad news: the last coordinates I sent y'all to got lost, so I'mma have to send you somewhere else. Ironic news..." His expression was wry. "I got the exact coordinates for the Griffith Observatory. So that's where y'all are gettin' dropped off."

Which still counted as bad news actually.

"Which means you're gonna have to get to the Mount," he said softly. "Once you're in LA, you might be able to reach Kathy again an' arrange some kinda escort or pickup, but, worst case, you're gonna have to hike five miles through zombie territory before you're safe."

Dante	Fuck. "Sounds like one hell of a time," Dante said lightly, but his eyes were sharp. "So you're all gonna want to stick close to me, guys. They can't do shit to me." Going back to Kathy's home world was exactly everything he hadn't wanted to do with his life, but at least he could be useful.
Anders	"Stay together and fight hard," Anders nodded. He'd bitten his nails down to nubs, but he was doing his best to at least seem calm. "Get in, get out, don't get eaten. Easy, really."
Raven	Raven snorted softly. Nothing about Kathy's world was easy. Were you imagining it, or was she slightly . . . bulkier than she'd been a moment ago?
Hardison	Hardison definitely thought she was. Raven was getting worried looks now. "I got earbuds for y'all again," he said, passing a box around. "So y'all can stay in touch. Five miles is a lot of distance though. Is there anything you can bring, maybe?" He was grasping at straws here, but if they wanted to turtle up with shields like a Roman legion, he wouldn't complain.
Eliot	"I got an extra set of body armor, if someone wants that," Eliot offered, finishing strapping on the last of the set he was wearing. "Anders, your healing mojo works on the bites if you get to 'em fast enough, right?"
Dante	"Fucks him up pretty bad, though," Dante said, his fingers brushing over Anders' shoulder for a second.
Anders	"I made extra mana potions this time," Anders said, aiming a slight smile at Dante's concern. "I should be all right as long as you don't all go getting bit."
Raven	"So don't get bit," Raven summarized. "But don't panic if you do." Her teeth were sharper than they were when she got here, her scales much, much thicker. "Seriously. Panicking just makes it spread faster."
Ezra	Ezra had been examining his nails through most of this. Not because he wasn't listening - oh, no, he had all his senses trained on the whole of their little group here - but because he felt the need to overcompensate for the wrenching feeling in his gut by appearing as calm and relaxed as possible. Now, he looked up. "I'd ask what to do if you get a chance to bite one of them yourself --" well, he was a fox. And also prone to dealing with quips. "-- but I can infer that would be unwise."
Hardison	"Yeah, them things are crawlin' with diseases," Hardison said, and for once he wasn't just being dramatic. "It ain't the zombie virus that kills you, it's everything else these things got swimminin' in 'em. It's just what picks you back up after you succumb to whatever it is they got." The portal flickered to life behind him. Reaching out for Eliot, he murmured, "Be safe. Get your girl an' come back to us, okay?"
Eliot	Eliot pulled him into a quick, tight hug. "I will," he promised. "And I'll keep an eye on yours while I'm at it." Hardison's and Raven's relationship was shaped very differently from Eliot's and Kathy's, but that didn't make it any less important.
Hardison	"You better," he said hoarsely. "I don't wanna open one of these again cause she's doin' another walk across the country." Eliot was getting a brief, hard kiss and then Hardison was turning to Raven. Her, he didn't hug, as much as he wanted to. She was putting off some pretty strong no uninvited touching vibes. "You got this," he told her. "You know it. I'm just lettin' you know I know it, too."
Raven	There was rather a lot of adrenaline running through Raven, had been since she found out where Kathy had gone (and it hadn't exactly been a low level since Kathy disappeared). It took her a fraction of a second longer than usual for her to remember how to, you know, talk to people without killing them. "Yeah," she said, giving Hardison a quick nod and a shaky smile. "'Cause you've got us." Raven was not going to walk across the country again. She was either coming back through Hardison's portal with Kathy, or she wasn't coming back at all.
Dante	Dante's gaze flicked from Raven, Hardison and Eliot over to Anders, and then to Ezra. He would've looked vaguely apologetic - this was the second mess Ez'd gotten dragged into over them - but that wasn't his style. He didn't even set his jaw, even though the tension in him really wanted to. "Eh," he said, "Look at us. We'll be back before anyone knows we're gone." Bravado would be the way to go.
Anders	"When we get back, we should make sure Kathy buys the first round," Anders declared. And let himself set his jaw. He wasn't quite as good at seeming cool as Dante was.
Ezra	Ezra merely looked expectant. Guess he'd used up his quips for now. So he just wanted to go.
Hardison	There was really nothing else to say, and no time to say it. The portal finished coming into being, the wrecked interior of Griffith's Observatory a shadowy landscape on the other side. "Good luck, y'all," Hardison said softly as he gestured for them all to cross. He didn't bother to add that they were almost certainly going to need it.

[Preplayed with the vdistinctive (who is also playing double-duty as tigerundercover), rebelseekspizza, not_every_mage, and smilestopscars, all of whom have been rockstars and shining beacons of sanity in the face of my panic. NFI, NFB, off we goooo! Previous entries here and here Next Entry]