43

The decision to scale the bridge in favor of returning to the front deck had its merits. For one, it offered an unrivaled view of the entire convoy as well as its surroundings. Naturally this included the location of the rocketeer, affording Lux a greater window of time to judge a rocket's path and trajectory before intercepting it. And thanks to this being her third stint atop the bridge today, she had been able to fine-tune a method for scaling it in the shortest amount of time possible.

Officially this was how Lux would explain away her actions in the mandatory report upon arrival, but in actuality her motives at the time revolved around testing a theory regarding the inability of C248's deck officers to shoot their obscenely large guest.

It was amidst the combat taking place that Lux began to question whether any of the misses shared something in common. Initially the only common denominator amongst the assortment of misses had been herself. Going off that any sane person would chalk it up to a skill issue. An off day if there ever was one. But such an explanation quickly fell apart when accounting for her successful interception of multiple rockets during the same time span. Because even if any old security officer could shoot a raider from across deck, only someone trained in sharpshooting could hope to intercept something the size and speed of a rocket. Not to mention anticipate its trajectory.

As she wrestled with this fact Heenan had made an unexpected appearance and things suddenly became more interesting. For the commander had been able to shoot their guest without any trouble. More importantly he'd done so from a blind spot, or rather succeeded due to a lack of awareness from the target. After being shot the raider even had the gall to turn away from her. Something she hadn't taken advantage of at the time, the influence of all her prior misses no doubt. Combine that uncertainty with the more pressing need to handle rockets and Lux's decision to stay her finger reached the realms of a guarantee. All things the man might have been counting on when he redirected his attention.

Then following a back in forth that involved keeping a close eye on her movements, it had been Evan's turn to inexplicably miss every shot. Presenting her with a new common denominator in all this. Because during his brief skirmish with Commander Heenan, the raider had made it a point to remain facing the direction of the bridge. More specifically the same direction as the currently unencumbered deck officer with a freshly loaded gun, who also happened to be the same person he'd actively avoided the shots of when caught in an earlier crossfire. Where as he'd practically jumped into her own barrage of free will.

Therefore it stood to reason that the answer to all of their absurd misses until now revolved around the raiders line of sight. More specifically his gaze. He'd expected a barrage to come from Evan, prompting him to maintain his gaze in the direction of Heenan and the bridge. Even when she, the person he'd been out to kill not seconds before, sprinted by, he'd demonstrated indifference to her presence and actions. As if he no longer cared whether she lived to died.

But now, with the rocket's detonation at the center of the convoy drawing everyone's attention, the man's gaze had once again become fixed on her position atop the bridge. Exposing his concern that she'd take advantage of both her new firing position, and the time it would take for the rocketeer to reload and relocate.

As to how this guy was coaxing misses through the use of his gaze...Lux hadn't the slightest idea. It defied reason the more she thought about it, so she promptly stopped thinking about it. Not to mention if she had worked things out correctly then this "tactic" of his became obsolete when faced with multiple opponents. He'd wouldn't be able to contend with them in a three on one. Potentially four, depending on whenever Cade wrapped up his little side project.

That being said it might be best to leave this giant an opening to flee, or rather allow an approach through so it could recover him. Because the only thing more dangerous than an injured animal, is an injured animal that's cornered. And Lux knew that sentiment crossed over to humans from personal experience. In a worst case he might even resort to throwing self-preservation out the window and inviting another rocket, just to make sure they all went with him.

In light of all these thoughts about letting or encouraging their guest to flee, Lux didn't exactly do them any favors by allowing a rather wicked grin to find its way onto her face. All while she was still looking down at him from the bridge no less. She was practically asking to have it wiped from her face. And in most cases she'd be happy to invite an attempt, but with the convoy still under threat of...exploding...Lux didn't have the privilege to selfish.

Willing the smile away from her face, Lux watched as the cornered man tore the face covering from his own, revealing the same angry red eyes from earlier. She half-expected the world to fall away as it had done the first time she'd seen his unobstructed appearance. It didn't, but his warning from earlier did replay in her mind.

"You and your companions are responsible for creating this noise, now follow the world's cries as they plead for silence!"

Who was he even calling noisy!? Shouldn't that complaint be directed at the ones shooting rockets off right and left! They'd explode whether they were intercepted or not! Frustrations mounting, Lux called out to her companions.

"He's shifted his gaze, light him up!"

Evan and Heenan responded in kind and opened fire. Or at least both tried to, but the raider who'd been incapacitated at the foot of the bridge had managed regain consciousness and even on shaky legs found the determination to tackle Heenan to the ground. In response to the sudden assistance their ailing visitor focused on avoiding Evan's line of fire, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on Lux. Up until he was out of her sights.

Cursing, she ran over to the the portion of the bridge closer to the front deck, and went about searching for him. But it was no use, Lux couldn't see him. And all she could hear were the sounds of intermittent gunfire raging around the convoy, coupled with the sounds of Heenan struggling to subdue his wrestling partner.

"Feel free to drag your ass up here, I'll see about breaking that other arm!"

On cue a large hand appeared on the edge of the bridge, soon to be joined by the rest of the man with the quiet demeanor and the scarred jaw.

"You've succeeded in inviting the uninvited. Just how much more will it take?"

Rather than respond to his misplaced preaching, Lux reached behind her and grabbed something from the bridge's surface. And with a grin even more devious than its predecessor plastered on her face, she waved the bucket collected from the deck.

"You tell me."