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*With a deep sigh of repressed anger, Brie looked out of the small hole in the top of the left tower wall which she was using as a window. The Australian Outback was sprawled before her as far as the eye could see. From this vantage point, she could not see the winding dirt track that she had driven her beloved Jeep down only three days ago. What she had thought was going to be a relaxed Christmas visit with her brother had turned quickly into a living nightmare as Johnathon had tricked her into a tour of his fortress, before locking her up inside of it.

Brie had always had a problem with authority and being told what to do, and the fact that she was now locked up with little chance of escaping filled her with an almost blinding rage. The small room he had provided her with was comfortable enough, but there were no windows anywhere around the perimiter of the fortress, meaning she could not see the beautifully clear Australian sky she loved so much.

He had told her it was for her own good and that tomorrow she would see for herself that the world was going to end. Brie had responded by slamming the door in his face and throwing herself onto her bed. An hour later, she had started her own tour of the compound and had to admit that she was impressed by what he had accomplished over the past ten years.

There were six farms, from what she could see, complete with irrigation and livestock. He had weapons, canned goods, bottled water and toilet paper in mass supply as well as about ten - twenty men he had recruited along the way. During her tour yesterday, Brie had found the staircase which led up to the left tower. Excited to find a small hole between two bricks, she had worked on the hole for hours to create a small opening which she could use as a window. Estimating the height to be at least 150 feet from the ground, Brie closed her eyes to steady herself against her growing vertigo, before she climbed back down the stairs.

Wiping her hands on the thighs of her jeans, Brie began to walk around the compound again looking for a way out. The few men that she saw offered her a mildly curious glance before returning to their task at hand, leaving her to wander around freely. Brie came across a large makeshift shed and peeked inside. Seeing over a hundred different type of guns, she stepped inside and picked up a small revolver. Inspecting it like it was smelly dog turd, she dropped it back onto the table, screaming as a loud bang exploded behind her. *
Jett reacting to the obvious gun fire, drew his gun looking to find a criminal this early would be too much, maybe a guard being a little to harsh, that was more likely as his time here had been filled with things he didn't like. These men carrying fully automatic rifles? This just felt sketchy to say the least.

Jett approached the shed in which he had heard the fire come from...

"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP OR I WILL PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY!"

Jett steadied his hands hoping he didn't have to kill someone, thinking so many could die in the near future.
*Brie jumped a foot when she heard the booming voice from outside the shed. Scanning the dark shed for any room where she could hide but quickly finding none, Brie cursed under her breath before turning around slowly and making her way towards the door.

With a shaky deep breath to steady herself, she pushed the door open and stepped outside with her hands raised above her head.

~Uh.. you can shoot.. if you must. But I think my brother will be pretty pissed off. He seems to have gone to alot of trouble to get me here. Don't think he is really going to like me being all dead..~ she shrugged and offered a lopsided grin, her hands still raised above her head. *
Jett horrified by whom he had threatened immediately holstered his gun and ran over the Ms. Taylor.

"Ms. Taylor I am so sorry, please put down your hands, are you okay? I just wanted to be ready to defend these people, is there someone in there? Has anyone hurt you?"

Jett knew that if this got back to The Boss, he'd be in serious shit. He frantically helped he out of the shed and searched to see if anyone had been in there with her.

"Ms. Taylor, can I get you anything? Were you looking for something?"

Holding his breath he awaited he response.
*Brie lowered her hands slowly as the whole "Ms. Taylor" thing processed in her head. Clearly Johnathon had alot more clout within these walls than she thought. And - as his sister - it seemed like she might have a bit more power than she first thought.

Glancing back towards the shed, she shrugged with a sheepish look on her face. ~Nah.. nobody is in there. There was an idiot woman in there looking at guns.. but I learnt my lesson.~ She offered him a dazzling smile and looked around brightly.

~So... your name is...?~ *
Standing up straight

"My name is Jettikai, you can call me Jett if that is more comfortable for you ma'am. Can I escort you to your quarters? Have you had a tour? May I take you to find something to eat?"

Jett begins to calm down hoping that this was just an awkward situation across the board. Jett offers his assistance hoping she'd forget he could've potentially killed her moments ago.

"I even know a great place to get a drink, if you like to drink?"
*Brie continued to smile brightly while her mind raced a million miles an hour. This guy clearly knew his way around and she thought he could prove useful in the future. Sidling up to him, she tried to link arms with him and should he allow her to, she would now be standing side by side with the man who had threatened to kill her a few moments ago.

~Nice to meet you Jett. Please.. call me Brie. Nobody but my students call me Ms. Taylor..~ She trailed off at the thought of her beloved students and wondered if she would ever see them again. Forcing herself to remain bright and cheerful (on the outside at least), Brie smiled at Jett.

~I have already spent far too much time in my quarters as you so eloquently call my small room and have therefore been roaming about for a while now... I suppose a tour would be useful.~ She grinned up at him when he mentioned having a drink.

~We teachers.. we have a motto... "I teach, therefore I drink." It is a motto I live by, so please.. lead me to a drink my good man! And... I suppose I could eat..~ *
"Yes ma'am!"

He allows her to link arms, knowing that he is a ~Higher Up~ he to be very careful about the way he approached this. He pretended not to enjoy her company as much as he did. It was a lie, but it was also his ass, so he shrugged a little of his grin off. He then took her to his favorite spot to get a drink, up the several flights of stairs. Part of the way up he offers another helping hand.

"Would you like me to carry you, it's a bit further to go"

They made it to The Officer's Lounge contained all of the other roughnecks that were "supposed" to protect this place along side him... still Jett didn't like these people, they felt like their lives were more important than anyone else's. This more or less pissed Jett off, but the Officer's Lounge was not the destination. Taking her completely through the bar to the back kitchen to this spot next to where the dishwasher worked over the sink.

"Mind taking a short break? I'd appreciate it"

Surely this confused, the newly called Brie, but he wasn't done yet.

"I know this seems like a place to have a drink especially since we walked through a very nice bar, but I want to show you this..."

Jett moved the large sink just far out of the way to expose crack in the wall... sunlight showed through. It was beautiful... at least to Jett who literally hadn't left the stronghold in years, it was the only sun he got to see. It made him smile.

"What do you think? I can order us some drinks and get us a table, these guys love me, I keep the guards off their back."
*Huffing and puffing as she followed him up the stairs, Brie waved away Jett's offer to carry her with an arched brow.

~I appreciate the chivalry, but I dont want to break your back on our first date..~

Finally they stopped climbing the stairs and made their way through what appeared to be a makeshift drinking spot for Johnathons "guys" as he called them. Brie was used to being checked out by men, but something about the way that some of them looked at her made her shiver as a chill ran down her spine.

She happily followed Jett to a spot near the wall and smiled at the sunlight.

~ooooh this spot looks perfect..~ she smiled. ~I haven't been here that long and I already miss the sun. How long have you been here Jett?~ She leant against the wall and tried to keep her eyes out for anyone who might be responsible for the frightening chill she still felt running down her spine as Jett set about getting them a drink.*
"Well I don't know that I'd call it a date..."

He smirked larger than he could probably hide. He managed to get a couple of very poor tasting beers that Jetticus poured into the nicest Mason jars he could find, he then checked his pack for an orange, he cut it up and stuck a slice in each glass and offered the remainder of the orange to the young lady he was beginning to find a friend in.

"This is a really good orange, I have some friends in the fields... if your brother found out... I might get an ass-er butt kicking... sorry about the language, haven't been around a real lady in a while. I hope you'll forgive me."

He then toasts to his new friend.

"To you, welcome to the best seat in the house!"

The mood changes... Jett feels something and very carefully and stealthily puts his hand on his gun... his eyes glow a little green, he doesn't realize it, but it's likely Brie sees this...
*Brie grinned at Jett as he returned with a mason jar full of beer and a slice of orange.

~Ooooh, ~ she teased. ~ I don't know if I'm used to anything this fancy..~

Gratefully she accepted the offered drink and raised her jar in answer to his toast, smiling happily as she nodded at his words while her eyes flickered to the right.

A man had drifted over closer to the duo and was now looking at Brie in a hungry way that made her skin crawl. She glanced over at Jett to see if he had noticed and was taken aback to see that his eyes looked like they were glowing. But of course, that was impossible.. probably a trick of the light or something.

Seeing that Jett's hand had drifted towards his gun, Brie tensed visibly and stood up with her jar in her hand.

~Uh..it's pretty crowded in here... could we go somewhere a bit less.. populated?~ she pointedly shot a look towards the man who was now glaring at Jett and licking his lips. Seeing Brie stand up, the man stepped closer to her and leered down at her

~You the boss mans sister, huh? Pretty thing aintcha? You know..~ he leant in closer and she had to hold her breath to stop from breathing in the stench of sweat and stale beer. ~We don't get many girls around here.. apart from old Jett of course. He's just a big girl aren'tcha Jett?~

Three men in the background sniggered but immediately piped down when Brie shot them a look. Turning her gaze back towards Jett, she smiled a little too brightly tugged on his sleeve.

~Didn't you promise me something to eat?~ she asked softly, while giving him a look that clearly said "calm down and get me the hell out of here". *
Having noticed the man, whom he did not know personally, but had seen. He stood up in between the man and Brie.

"We were leaving boys, best clear a path... 'fore I make one."

Jett's eyes glowed and so did the rest of his body in a very intimidating fashion. Jett stops his glow, looks back at Brie.

"You're safe, you're with me... This guy knows I'm in charge for a reason... He can call me all the names he wants, but words don't make men move... respect does."

Jett then looks back at the men and to be best described, aims to force them aside without their choice by a force they do not understand. Using his Ki powers, very discreetly pushes the men out of the way, if it is successful.

if it is successful he says,
"Thank you gentleman, I didn't want to get violent in front of the lady."
*Confused by what was happening but eager to get out of this room before it turned into more of a situation, Brie offered the men a slight nervous smile as she followed Jett down the pathway he had somehow cleared through the men. Nodding at his words, she smiled ~Luckily I found myself such a big strong man, hmm?~ before she stepped around him and quickly made her way out the door.

Without waiting for Jett, Brie quickly ran down the stairs, careful not to drop her jar of beer and not stopping until she was back on the ground. They were close to a small farm which someone was using to grow what appeared to be grapes and wheat. A young lamb wandered over and bleated at her, causing Brie to forget her worries for a moment and lean over to stroke the soft wooly coat. The lamb bleated again and nudged against her hand, causing her to giggle softly before dropping to her knees beside the lamb. Putting the jar down on the ground beside her, Brie looked up to see a patch of sky high above her head.

It made sense that Johnathon would have allowed for sunlight, given the fact he was clearly trying to grow crops to sustain them for the supposed "big waves". Straining her eyes, she could see the lever that Johnathon would obviously pull to shut the hole and close the world out of the fortress should the need arise. Sighing deeply, Brie stroked the lamb thoughtfully as she waited for Jett to find her. *
Jett made sure to follow Brie as closely as he could knowing that half the men in this place are like those men. He felt bad that she would probably be badgered her entire time here. He also wanted to be able to explain what happened back there... he really wished those men had just left when he told them to... he was worried that his new friend would not want him to be around... he found her next to a goat and her beer. He walked up slowly and put his hand on her shoulder softly.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry... those guys are the worst it's all up hill from them you know? You shouldn't have anymore trouble. I just want to make sure that you're okay, can I do something for you?"

He grins as best he can.
*Jett appeared beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he offered her his appologies for the barbarians upstairs. Grabbing her beer, she took a long swig as she climbed to her feet.

~You have nothing to apologise for Jett.. I appreciate you looking out for me. The truth is though... I don't belong here. ~ She shrugged and gave him one of her most dazzling smiles.

~So how about you and I get out of here? I saw a cute little pub on the outskirts of town... I'm sure we could get a beer there.. We will probably even get glasses!~ She laughed and tried to make out like this was the most normal request in the world right now.

~Come on Jett.. lets get out of here, huh?~ *
"I know it doesn't feel like it Brie, but I promise you, you belong here. At least, I feel like you do."

He gave her a reassuring wink and extended his arm for he to latch onto again, hoping she would take it. Jett finally felt like he had a real friend, not an inferior, or a superior, or someone trying to make him different, just a friend... it'd been a few years for him so he was a little rusty and then his stomach growled loudly.

"Now then, would you like to see about putting some food to put on top of that beer!" he said very excitedly
*Brie sighed and took his arm quietly. She nodded at the mention of food and said ~Yeah.. I'm hungry I guess... but.. couldn't we go and get.. I don't know.. a pizza? I saw a pizza place! Near that pub!!~

She turned to look up at him.

~Jett, listen to me. I don't belong here. Johnathon has.. a vision.. an idea.. I don't know what to call it, and that's cool .. for you guys. I mean, you clearly buy into it all, otherwise you wouldn't be here. But.. I don't believe the world is going to end. I don't want to be here. I'm telling you I want to leave.. why can't I?~

She kicked at the ground with her foot, taking her hand away from Jett's arm. ~You are the only nice person I have met in here.. and Johnathon is always too busy to listen to me. Please Jett.. you're obviously in charge with those guys. You must know a way out of here?~*
Feeling bad for Brie, Jett comes up with a way to convince her to just hold on a little longer.

"I would love some pizza, don't get me wrong, but we can't get it today. I'll make a deal with you... you hold out 'til Christmas, I will personally escort you home. I promise, and I don't care if a single guy tries to stop me. I'll push him down and get you to your home okay? Can we make that deal? If nothing happens before Christmas, I take you home and not even your brother will be able to stop me."

He puts his hand out hoping she'll understand that he's doing everything he can.

"I promise on everything I am, can be, and will be that if we're in the clear on Christmas morning I will take you home... deal?"
*Brie sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

~Fine..~ she muttered, walking away from Jett slightly so that she was now a few metres away. Realising that she was being rude, she turned and gave him a reproachful look.

~I'm sorry Jett.. I just hate being locked up. And that's what is happening! I am being held a prisoner here!! I understand you guys all think the end is nigh and all that shit.. but I DON'T!!! I should've known not to come and see Johnathon on this Christmas of all years...~ she trailed off, her little outburst zapping what little energy she had left to fight. Kicking the ground again, she sighed and nodded sadly.

~Fine CHRISTMAS DAY!! Thats four days away!! I expect you in a Santa suit driving me home in a freakin Ferrari, okay?!~ She realised she was acting like a brat, but she didn't care. Her anger was directed at Johnathon, not Jett, but he was the one closest to her at the moment and therefore he was the one who had to cop it.


Looking around in disdain, Brie sighed again. ~So if I have to spend the next four days in this shit hole.... what do you suggest I do to keep busy?~*
Feeling deflated Jett followed Brie, understanding her frustration having been in a similar situation not that long ago, he followed her further still enduring her very loud expression of frustration. Jett honestly wished he could take her home, but he was so sure that if he did, she would die...

"Look, Brie I understand your frustration... Let's go get some food and we'll plan out this vacation you took, I'm sure you had to get some time off work for this right? Or had to at least put other plans on the back burner for the time being right? So let's do fun things you don't get to do all of the time!"

He ran up, with a big smile on his face, put his arms out, and aimed to pick up Brie up and keep running if successful.