Stealing My Way To Power

After things were settled with Lisa everyone dragged the discussion away from such a public place. Tammi was a little mad at the date being cut short but the situation being as dire as it was for Lisa smothered most of that anger. She had a pout on her face as they traveled out of the cafe.

Lisa still looked like she had something on her mind but Cole did drop quite a bit on her lap. Cole was going to bring Lisa back to the motel where Tammi was staying but perhaps this was a better time to update things. Cole certainly had enough money to get things working out well and Lisa should be able to find the things they need.

He looked over at Lisa as they walked absently towards some sort of destination. Bringing up the topic of where they were going was important but perhaps it could wait until they were in a location that was a bit more private.

Cole ran through the map in his head and decided on a place. The Boardwalk was typically a beachfront property-type place but it did merge into a more suburban area after a while. That area had a nice little park where they could sit down for a moment while they hashed over this last detail.

The deal was pretty much struck by this point but getting a nice place to settle down as home base was equally important. As he thought that over Cole paused and checked his energy reserves. He was not really thinking about this aspect of things but he had effectively stolen Lisa away from Coil and the Undersiders. 

While stealing Taylor's Flute sent waves of energy stealing Lisa was like dealing with a fucking Tsunami. His Energy reserves were large enough that he felt slightly awwed at the amount he was given. If he knew that this was what was going to wait for him at the end of this he would not have even questioned getting Lisa on board to his pirate ship.

He should have expected considering the role Lisa played in the story but he was more overwhelmed by the sudden intrusion into his life. Like he said Lisa was the cog piece that held the Undersiders together and drove their path forward. Without her, they would not be able to 'recruit' Taylor quite as easily and that was just something apparent. Her disappearance from the Undersiders was going to bring about changes for a very long time.

It was a bit concerning since the future was going to become increasingly unclear but he was just going to have to deal with it. When he stole that flute from the locker he was determined to face the coming future as he wished instead of being a slave to the whims of the plot. Hell, he had already changed things drastically enough with him keeping Tammi out of the reach of the Empire. It was just that his own feelings in regard to Tammi caused him to overlook that fact.

A butterfly's wings might cause a tsunami on another side of the world so his simply being in this world was always going to change things. No, matter how tightly he clung to a sacred timeline. Not, that he tried particularly hard at that route.

"Anything on your mind boss man? You look like someone just revealed that you were theoretically raped in another timeline." Lisa questioned with a roll of her eyes. Her words had a bit of bite to them but Lisa always enjoyed pushing buttons.

Cole recovered and let out a sigh.

"Just thinking over my actions and the future," Cole spoke out with a wry smile. Lisa blinked at his reply and clearly had some interest back in her eyes but she just hummed for now. She was still not quite sure where she stood here after all. She was just running from Coil and the unspeakable horrors that might have been inflicted on her.

Tammi reached over and interlocked her fingers with Cole as they walked. She squeezed his hand and gave him a look that screamed she supported him in everything that was to come. In return, he squeezed her hand and gave her a soft smile.

"You know I don't enjoy being the third wheel here all the time." Lisa shot out in a snarky tone as the two displayed affection. Tammi glared at Lisa and Lisa backed off with her hands in the air.

"Never mind, make all the kissy faces you want to." She spoke out quickly while making sure to keep a slight distance from Tammi again.

Cole let out a light laugh at Lisa backing down so easily. Seeing that Lisa glared at Cole while she was standing out of sight of Tammi. He was tempted to stick his tongue at her in a childish display but Lisa really did have too much on her plate.

"Okay, I'll save the kissy face until Tammi and I are alone. I did have a question for you Lisa." Cole spoke out as he looked around at their surroundings. They were almost at the park but they were not quite there yet. Still, the bustling crowd slowed to only a person passing idly on their way home.

Lisa perked up at another topic coming up instead of having to watch the two stare longingly at each other. Not exactly how she wanted to spend her afternoon but that plan was shot in a back alley after Cole and Tammi waltzed into the Cafe.

"What's up, boss man?" Lisa questioned with that glint rising in her eyes. Cole rolled his eyes at her incessant need to call him that but maybe that was just her pushing more buttons.

"Well, Tammi does not really have a nice place to rest right now. I got her holed up in a Motel but that's not good long term. I have enough money to get a lease for a decent place. Know any places that won't ask any questions? Or a way to get those questions answered?" Cole asked as he made sure no one was nearby as they walked inside the park.

Lisa hummed as she walked ahead with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Honestly, in the Bay if you throw enough money at people they learn to not ask shit but I do know of a nice spot downtown that should pass the inspection. Bit pricey but if you are sure you got the dough then it should be good." Lisa spoke out after a moment, thoughts flashing across her face but it appeared that she did not have any malicious intent.

Figures Cole was the only thing standing between her and being dragged back into Coil's clutches. This time she would be a lot more aware of what was happening at that thought would slowly eat her alive. Hell, Coil might not even give her the illusion of safety that he did before now that she knew too much.

"Does it have enough space for the both of you?" Cole asked calmly but Tammi's hand stiffened in his grip. He looked over at her and he could see she was not happy about this but she was holding back on saying anything just yet. Lisa frowned as well but then she gave Tammi a disarming smile.

"Ut does boss man but please before you two do the nasty give a girl some warning," Lisa spoke out with a faux serious face. Tammi went beet red and she glared at Lisa but the discomfort she was feeling at living with Lisa lessened even if she did not realize it just yet.

"Sure, but I was not planning on anything of the sort," Cole spoke out with a roll of his eyes. Tammi nodded but Cole could see that she was watching him from the side of her eyes. Clearly, Lisa put some ideas in her head even if she did not want to acknowledge them at the moment.

"Right then we should be all good on setting up a safe house," Lisa spoke out with a shrug. Cole took out another disguise and some money placed them in a bag and handed it to Lisa. Honestly, it was the majority of his haul from Buy More but cash was easy to get.

Perfect Clones that he could swap with at any time made stealing from a Bank a complete Cakewalk. Even if the PRT managed to knock him out and cuff him he would be able to walk out scot-free. That might change as they know more about him but he was effectively a blank canvas to them. Sure, they knew some things but not enough to really show anything.

Lisa took the offered items with a grin on her face. She then walked towards the public washroom to change her outfit. So that just left Tammi and him waiting around for her to get back.

"Do you really trust her that much?" Tammi asked nervously as she looked over at Cole. She supported his decision no matter what but she was still nervous about the motives behind his thoughts.

"Not really, but you heard what is going on with her. She is in a desperate spot so she will do her very best here to ensure that she does not have even a single percent chance of going back there." Cole spoke out as she looked over at the entrance of the park. There was a pair of men who were watching the park with unnatural focus.

Even if Coil gave her the freedom to walk around she was clearly not completely out of his thumb. Spotting those two was easy thanks to Kaito. So far they were just watching but Lisa had not gotten out of their sight yet.

Cole was sure they were going to act up soon but sadly for them, they ran out of time. The clone that he left behind to deal with them tossed a sleeping pellet at their feet. The smokeless gas leaked out with a hiss. The last thing those two mercs saw was his clone waving mockingly at them under the guise of Principle Blackwell.

Say what you will about Cole but being petty was the name of the game.

Making that clone cut into his energy reserves but as he dispersed it he got it back.

"She….yeah, everything should be fine." Tammi's thoughts ground to a halt as the situation was brought up again. Cole patted her head as they waited on the bench for Lisa to come back. 

"Actually here, you should go change your disguise as well. Lisa should get the both of you settled." Cole spoke out as he took another mask out of his inventory. Tammi took the disguise with a frown on her face.

"Already looking forward to getting rid of me?" She asked bitterly. It was clearly a rhetorical question and she was just throwing some bite in his direction but did feel bad. So Cole leaned forward and kissed her forehead pulling her head into his chest.

"Never, I would rather pry my chest open and pull out my heart before doing that Tammi. I hope you never forget that." Cole spoke out softly as his steady heartbeat calmed her anxious mood. Tammi let out a light laugh and looked up at him with slightly misty eyes.

"You are a real dork." She spoke out with a bright smile overshadowing the unsteady mood she was just in. Cole just gave her a wry smile in return as his words really were a bit….much even if they were an accurate assessment of his mood.

He was going to continue but Lisa had managed to change into the disguise and was standing awkwardly nearby. She felt like the current matters were more urgent but she also knew breaking up this moment would only widen the gap between her and Tammi.

"Guilty as charged, now go get changed," Cole spoke out softly while dragging her to her feet from the bench. Lisa let out a soft sigh of relief that Tammi did not manage to pick up on. Tammi rolled her eyes at Cole but went to the public restroom as well. She paused to see Lisa out already but just gave her a nod.

As she left a silence fell between Cole and Lisa. He was waiting for her to say something but Lisa was in a bit of a complicated mood. She was so used to having all the knowledge she needed to push people in the direction she wanted so having her power out of her reach was unnerving. With Tammi here she could at least read her to get a general state of affairs but when it was just her and Cole the pressure was back on.

"Just…get over here," Cole spoke out with a helpless sigh. Lisa stiffened slightly at those words but walked over. She still seemed like a cat trying to gauge how dangerous the man offering a treat was but again there was interest clear in her gaze.

"Going to put the moves on me now that your girl is out of the picture?" Lisa eventually asked in a snarky tone as she tried to provoke some sort of response from him. Cole rolled his eyes but took another device out of his inventory. Lisa took one look at it and frowned before another grimace flashed across her face.

"I'm sure you already know what this is for," Cole spoke out with a wry smile as he handed the device to Lisa. She took it with that frown and a twitch in her but she gripped onto it like the thing owed her money.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm likely to be being tracked like Coil prized breeding bitch." She spat out with a grimace on her face as she activated the thing. The Device beeped and sent out a small EMP that fried any electronics in the area near them. Lisa let out a hiss and gripped her sides and the grimace on her face furthered but she let out a sigh of relief. 

"Guess I was right to worry. I doubt he had anything that could transmit audio 24/7 as the human body makes okay sound insulation and anything that recorded clear sounds would need a proper power source." Cole spoke out with a small shrug. He also left out the fact that Coil probably enjoyed dragging the information of Lisa's daily life out of her through….inventive ways.

 Lisa frowned some more before letting go of her side and trying to ignore the pain coming from it.

"You really know all the words to make me uncomfortable." She shot out bitterly. Cole gave her a wry smile.

"Not liking it from the other side are you?" Cole asked rhetorically. Lisa let out a laugh and gave her own wry smile.

"No, I guess I not. At least I will be able to put a bullet in that bastard's head eventually." She spoke out with a pointed look on her face. She was clearly fishing to see if she would actually get that privilege. Cole rolled his eyes but Lisa would always be Lisa.

"I may find the man distasteful but I have no personal grudge with him so yes you can murder him in any way you want," Cole spoke out with a roll of his eyes. Lisa gave him that fox like smile that was filled with satisfaction. Sadly her current face could not pull off that move nearly as well as her usual image.

"Great, you got to brainstorm with me later boss man. Trust me knowing that bastard you not having any personal bad feelings for him would change incredibly quickly." Lisa shot out with a murderous look flashing across her face. Cole blinked at her words but figured she was right on that.

Coil really would have done something absolutely disgusting to his loved ones in an alternative timeline. That thought alone meant Cole would not shy away from the likely gruesome ending waiting for the snake.

"Enough about the bastard for now. You are going to set up that place with Tammi…. actually, if you have thought about that place being a nice hideaway before look for somewhere new. Coil likely already has it listed as a hideaway spot for you." Cole spoke out with a grimace as he thought over the information he had. Lisa blinked at his words before cursing and frowning again.

"Yeah, he probably has like thirty different ways listed about how I might escape. Should not be too much of an issue finding a new place. Money speaks and I can find the right speakers pretty quick. You not coming along boss man? Figured you would be by her side for a long ass time." Lisa shot out after a moment.

"No, at least not tonight. I figure I should leave you a chance at bonding with her." Cole spoke out with a smirk on his face as he looked over at Lisa. She went to say something but stiffened at his words before giving him a wary look.

"Don't know what you are talking about boss man," Lisa spoke out with an impressive fake smile but he guessed she had experience doing that.

"None of that, like I said I don't trust you much but I trust that you will do whatever lets you come out on top. You can read Tammi and you know she is important to me. You also know she is in a rather vulnerable state right now. So you are likely to worm your way into her heart if only to avoid the inevitable explosion that would come without it." Cole spoke out with a smirk and a shrug. Lisa looked over at him with impressive focus before letting out a sigh and a wry smile.

Cole may not be a Thinker yet but he could certainly piece together the information he had on Lisa to build an image of her. It may not be perfect right but it did not need to be.

"Right Thinkers gotta Think. You don't sound all that torn up about it so you want this to happen bossman?" She asked with a light smile on her face but she was probably shifting her plans and plots already.

"Honestly, yeah I do. I trust that you will not try anything more than to win her support. You are not exactly a risk taker and taking anything too far would upset me. Beyond that, Tammi needs more people in her support system and while you are not perfect you know all the right words to really help her right now." Cole spoke out as he looked over at Lisa.

There was also an unspoken fact that had him considering Lisa a good candidate for Tammi's friend. Lisa was not someone who could leave someone standing on the edge like Tammi currently was. Her brother taught her a painful lesson that would never fade so when given the chance she would not let that come to pass again.

She did not have the knowledge or the right words to say to save her brother but she had them now.

Lisa looked over at him with a sharp annoyed gaze but she read at least some of the undertones in his words. She did not enjoy her mental state being played around with but she preferred dealing with smug pricks over rapists. Even if they were only theoretical in nature.

"I think I owe Alec like twenty fucking apologizes right now." She shot out as she massaged her head. Cole let out a laugh and that only caused her to give him another sharp look.

"Fine, was planning on doing that anyways but now I guess it's an 'official' mission." She shot out eventually with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Great, so get a nice place for the both of you and text me the location," Cole spoke out as she brought out his phone. Lisa blinked at his words and had a small smirk on her face.

"You got anything that you want to be taken out of your old hideout? I should be able to slip past anyone and get your stuff?" Cole added as he thought over his plans for tonight. He was hoping she would ask so he could loot the Undersiders base. After getting such a hefty chunk of energy from taking her he wanted to loot some more items from important people.

"Well, if you could hit up my stash that would be good. You gave me a nice chunk of change but more money would be really helpful right now. Beyond that, we might come into a small problem with me texting you." Lisa shot out with a smug smile on her face that was irritating to look at. With her actual face, her smug look was somewhat attractive but the current face mask did not do it justice.

Cole raised an eyebrow waiting for her to elaborate. He did not really see what sort of problem could have occurred. She rolled her eyes at him before taking her cell out of her pocket and showing the screen to him before hitting the power button. When nothing happened he got the issue and felt stupid.

He just set off an EMP earlier. Sure, it was pretty small but the prime target was literally the girl he was talking to. Seeing the look on his face she let out a chuckle that was annoying to listen to but he was the one being an idiot.

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Stealing a main character from her proper place? How could that not be worth a shit ton? He can still basically any power right now from any of the words he has access to right now. Except from the other System user. He seems a bit too trusting but he has plans, stupid ones but plans all the same.

Keep forgetting to post my bad.