Bird's eye view

Posted on Fri Mar 21st, 2025 @ 16:37 by Alastair Temple & Effigy

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Avalon Courtyard
Timeline: Late evening, Friday, February 5th, 1993
1411 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

It hadn't been a moment since Effigy had incapacitated Andrew Hallows, a.k.a. Revenant, and she was running at high speed towards the spot where she had prepared the boat that would carry the planted asset across the Loch and to the waiting cadre of G.O.U. agents. As she ran she felt her ribs having taken a severe beating from the P.E. teacher. There were at least a couple that were broken. Nearing the water she slowed down and allowed for her powers to kick in properly. A painful ordeal as the ribs forced themselves back into the right place and knitting themselves back together. She took a deep breath and waded into the cold water to catch up with Winifred, who had taken the raft out onto the lake and was slowly rowing himself across.

The pair of people observed by a pair of eyes in the darkness. Small, beady eyes, belonging to a particular large raven. Alastair slowly unfurled his wings, taking a birdy step off the branch he'd been perching on and gliding lower down, towards the edge of the water. A landing with a soft, almost inaudible thud, the bird went to check on Andrew, caught between wanting to trail that strange fighting woman and Winifred (whom he'd never liked to begin with) and making sure Andrew would be alright. Fortunately, the PE teacher just seemed to be out cold, his breathing was steady and he didn't seem very hurt. No smell of blood - at least, not from him - so the large raven turned its attention back to the water. The sound of large wings beating as he took flight again - surely they would hear him by now, but honestly - what could they do against a bird? If they could even spot his iridescent black plumage in the dead of night? And if they even understood that Alastair wasn't just any ordinary bird?

Effigy started to make her way through the water, clawing through the water with enhanced speed and strength it didn't take long for her to get to the raft. The broken ribs the P.E. teacher had left her with had transferred to her totem by now and so long as she could stave off the crippling fatigue that would accompany that instance of her powers thanks to the cybernetics and chemicals entwined with her being she'd be alright.

Winifred startled when she came alongside and grabbed the rope at the bow. "Bloody hell, I thought for sure that gym shorts gorilla took you out." A tug on his boat evoked another yelp. "Easy!"

There was no response from the G.O.U. operative, one hand holding on to the raft, the other dragging them through the water.

"Did you make sure we're not being followed?" Winifred looked over his shoulder, clearly out of his depth when it came to this type of operation.

Owls managed silent flight by virtue of having specially adapted leading edges to their wings that broke up and dissipated the turbulent air that gave a bird's wings it's characteristic sound. They also had small, almost microscopic downy feathers further along the wing which broke up the sound even more. Furthermore they had large eyes that caught a lot of light, and thus could see much better in low light conditions, making them superb night-time hunters.

Alastair, however, was not an owl. He was a raven. A much noisier flier, that had to venture closer to still be able to see the figures and the boat on the lake. He still tried to keep some distance, of course - after all, he didn't quite know what the woman was capable of, other than laying out a trained soldier and experienced fighter. All the more reason to keep a respectable distance while following them.

Winifred looked around and up in a bit of a panic, "There's something following us." He hissed to Effigy, but the operative simply kept swimming ignoring the loud flap of wings overhead. There was very little she could do to take on the creature so long as it kept high overhead, but on the flip side there was very little it could do either. The files on Avalon staff embedded in her brain told her that it was Alastair Temple, a.k.a. Mr Crowley. As far as his known powers went it hadn't included laserbeams from his eyes or a similar ability. Besides perhaps annoying the brass with protest songs that seemed to resonate with the masses.

Al followed for a while, keeping some distance. Eventually it became clear where the two were headed - the strange fighting mutant and the little bastard teacher Al had never liked. There was a car waiting on the far side of the loch. The music teacher in bird form could barely make it out in the near darkness of the night. It seemed to be a typical government car, blacked out, looking as unassuming as possible - which in itself told Al enough. He landed on a branch of a nearby tree to watch, to make sure this was where the two were headed.

Effigy made it to the short and pulled the boat, still containing Winifred, onto the shore seemingly without too much effort on her part. She made her way over to the car, not looking back at the man she had just extracted from the Institute and arriving at the car turned to scan the surroundings spotting the crow she knew to be Alastair and pointed him out. The man she had approached levelled a rifle at the creature and aimed.

"Jezus Christ, don't shoot him! What can he do? I'm safe now, aren't I." Winifred rushed forward hands flailing. He wasn't too keen on the music teacher but to wish him dead was about three steps too far.

"Security risk." Effigy turned to the G.O.U. trooper and gave a nod again, "Fire at will."

The moment Al spied a weapon being brought out he almost panicked. This wasn't what he'd signed up for! Until the chilling realization set in that - yes. Yes it was exactly what he had signed up for, when he agreed to join the Quantum Knights. Time to stop being Al Temple, music teacher and rock musician, and start being Mr Crowley. The trooper looking through the scope would learn that ravens could scowl. And then that Al could affect shadows, as the black bird disappeared in the expanding darkness of the forest. The beating of wings - for only a moment before silence once more reigned - meant that the large raven was no longer where he'd been before. And Al? Al hoped and prayed that they didn't have an infrared scope, so he kept a steady eye on the trooper to see if the man had followed his movement with the weapon.

Slowly the trooper lowered his weapon. "He's gone m-.." He stopped himself from finishing that sentence. Effigy had gotten into the car and closed the door behind her. He took another look around, trying to peer through the sudden suffocating darkness that rolled through the canopy like a thick black fog. "Eh. What can this Crow thing do?" He stepped closer to the car and looked over at Winifred.

The English teacher had gotten out of the raft and waddled over to the car himself. "He's harmless. Turns into a big bird. Throw a shiny thing out there and he's more likely to chase that than you." He looked up and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Go back to brooding, birdbrain!"

"Traitor!" the word echoed through the forest, spoken by an inhuman voice. The flapping of wings again, the large, shadowy bird form streaked overhead, passing over the vehicle before turning back to the forest and disappearing into the darkness, going back to the instititute.

"Get in." Effigy called to Winifred, clearly done waiting for the man to settle his feud with the music teacher.

Al was already gone. Well back on the way to the castle. His little bird heart was racing; seeing an automatic weapon leveled at him was not an experience he'd ever had before, nor one he cared to repeat. But that was all behind him, and soon enough he found himself approaching the castle again. He needed a cup of tea. He needed to tell Liana what had happened.