Theatre of Persecution (JP w/ OhMan, Lorem and Morphy) Pt 1

Township of Story, Wyoming.

Duke knew this was the end for him, he accepted that. As the EAST operators ransacked the gifted community entirely for the last several hours, they still hadn't found what, or rather *who* they were looking for. He wasn't afraid of death, per se, but dying was usually not a painless process. Especially not in these circumstances. That would be up to him though... if he cooperated and told the truth, it would be quick and painless. If he lied to protect someone he cared about, it would be much, much worse. He hated himself for even contemplating the former.

*****
Dominic stepped into the center of the crowd and fired his rifle into the air. The crowd cowered and went quiet. "I am Lt. Rhine with the Enhanced Abilities Suppression and Termination agency or EAST. I have total policing authority in the terrority of Wyoming by order of the United States Government. I am here to carry out a federal warrant for the arrest and immediate execution of a mutant fugitive." His voice carried across the crowd like thunder. His platoon positioned themselves to control the chaos, rifles at the ready. Public executions were never without drama.

***
Sophia watched them go silently as she adjusted one of the pouches she had brought along and looked to Honey. “Why do I feel like he left us behind on purpose?” She asked her companion with a frown. Being only seventeen, a lot of adults treated her like a child when she'd been surviving in this world along for a long while now. She was a hunter, a gatherer, and a loner for the most part. Why did everyone treat her like she didn't belong?

Shaking her head, she leaned on the tree for a few minutes. There wasn't much to actually explore out here, so all she could do was wait...

…

Honey sniffed around as she and Sophia walked through the town. Having chosen to sneak in, they'd been surprised at how easy it was to just step through the front gate. Not a guard was around at the moment. The wolf-dog stayed close to her companion, ears twitching as they took notice of how there weren't many people actually walking around. In fact, Sophia had realized most of the people were at the center where it appeared to be a crowd. A cold feeling formed in her stomach, creating a dreadful sensation that made her pick up speed.

Walking closer, she arrived just in time to hear this Lt. Rhine speak. Stopping at the edge, she kept her hood low and watched with a deep frown on her face. She hadn't seen Perrine yet, the crowd keeping her blocked from most of the vendors around, so she assumed this was a town meeting until she'd heard what this man had to say.

A chill shot into her bones as she noticed Duke and realized what was going to happen soon. She needed to act...

***

Perrine flinched at the sound of the gun firing, it was a sound he actively tried to avoid. Luna likewise reacted to the thunderous noise piercing, and silencing, the clamor of the crowd. Perrine stopped assorting his goods to help settle Luna with some comforting hugs to the neck and face.

Once she was calm again, Perrine continued to go about business, with the occasional glance up to the escalating commotion like a meerkat checking its surroundings every so often. He worked with urgency, hoping to get everything situated soon so he could have a better opportunity to see what was going to happen next.

He already knew what was going to happen next. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Gifted, beaten or killed. He felt nauseous to say the least.

***

Several of the subordinate operatives took spools of rope and began tying nooses. They tossed the knots over the only stoplight in the town, then loosened the lassos. There were three in total. Simultaneously, other operatives escorted three people underneath the nooses, they had bags over their heads and their hands were bound.

"A person who, in any capacity, helps or enables a capital fugitive to commit crimes, or evade capture, will be found guilty of sedition and sentenced to death." Dominic continued.

***

All Sophia could do was watch in horror, her eyes wide. It had been a long time since she'd witnessed something like this - it was why she avoided towns most of the time. Part of her wanted to turn and leave, but she couldn't. It didn't help that Honey was growling next to her.

Setting a hand on the wolf-dog's head, she tried to soothe her companion, but the tension and other emotions that swam through the air made it impossible to truly be calm.

A breeze picked up slightly, barely noticeable at this time...