"GRAB HER - DONT LET HER ESCAPE!"

Their shouts were getting louder - closer. She could hear them now, their loud footsteps, the shots. Bullets whizzed by, barely missing her body. Her human body at that. She wasn't sure how long she had been running across the rooftops now, but her chest was heaving with the effort, and sweat was beginning to drip from her brow at the effort. Her boots gripped at the rooftops desperately in the rain, splashing against the large puddles that were beginning to form. As she tilted her head back, amber eyes searching the dark, she found multiple lights focused on their target - her.

Sucking in a large breath of air, Sam turned back, flicking her soaked hair away from her eyes in the process. She knew she couldn't run all night, even with her impeccable stamina. She still had yet to get used to her human body, it was a matter of time before she slipped on the water, before she was caught. Pushing the thought aside, Sam thrust ahead, chest burning against the crisp air, legs aching under the effort. Her hand found it's way to her chest, seizing the warm necklace that rested there, the only thing to keep the beast at bay. 'fzoOoOOm' Another few rounds burst, this time she felt a sting at her left heel, a bullet had clipped the tender skin, blood spurting from the fresh wound.

"SH*T!" Sam bellowed out in pain, her new form was not accustomed to pain - at least, not from bullets. She grit her teeth and took a sudden turn, hoping to confuse her pursuers at the brash move. Her feet quick and agile, she bounced to the side before dashing along the rooftop, forgetting about the blood spurting from her wound, the pain, and the why she was running. Everything blended into one, her mind settling on the idea of escape, her heart pumping furiously. She was running on pure adrenaline now. Aaelith had not escaped to be caught again - she would not die here.

That's when she saw the ledge approaching up ahead, the jump that would secure her safety. She was sure that they had slowed, the police. They would most likely give up on their pursuit after this. She could make it! Breathing hard, fists clenching at her sides, she dashed forward. Her foot found the ledge, her fiery gaze focused ahead. With a push, she felt her muscles protest and ripple in response. With an effort, she leaped into the air, throwing herself to the next building.

BANG!

She had heard it more than she had felt it, her body numb with exhaustion long ago. The tear of her flesh, the sight of her gleaming red blood. The sight reminding her just how human she had become. Falling - she was falling now, wind whipping against her body relentlessly. She had been flying - soaring, and now she was falling, faster and faster. The world spinning, blood splaying in the air, her suddenly fragile life escaping from her wounds, fleeing from her skin.

With a grunt, she landed. Her side aching, her ankle screaming. Her arm bleeding, her soul spitting fire. She sucked in a deep, shaky breath, fiery eyes fluttering open to the dark of the night. She should be dead - her fall should have killed her. Unless.... Straining, the demon lifted her head, each movement sending a fresh wave of pain that decided to make itself heard. She had made the jump. She had soared, and she had fallen - she had made it. Deep amber eyes closed, and a grin split across her face. She made it. Even when the police swarmed around her still body, she smiled.

"Knock her out, let's bring her...."

The words blurred, became deep and distorted - the warmth of her necklace fading into the cool of the night. A sharp pain hit her temple, and only then, did the demon stop grinning. She had made it

---

The blood was the first scent she recognized. Strong - possibly still fresh. Opening her eyes, squinting at the sudden light that shone against her eyes, Sam groaned out her displeasure, her side stinging and her heel buzzing with it's own displeasure. When she could make out the basics in the room, her bearing somewhat gained, she reached for her necklace, only to find her hands locked securely in place. The chains that held them held a faint purple glow - a technological advancement. A power diffuser. She could feel it, the disconnection with herself. Her demon held in a cage made from man. She growled low in her throat, leaning back in her seat.

It would be pointless to struggle, as it would only waste valuable energy. Besides, if she were still alive after her recent killing spree, there was obviously something more to te situation than paperwork and her jailing, or disposal. Licking her dry lips, Aaelith trained her stare on the door, waiting.

She didn't have wait long. The golden knob turned, and a clean black dress shoe stuck into the room. Her brow raised. The shoe slid it's way inside, attached to it, a navy blue suit. Inside the suit, a man. He strode into the room with purpose, his chiseled face set into a deeply set frown. In his arm, he carried a vanilla folder, which he haphazardly tossed onto the table in front of the demon in front of him. Though there was a seat across from her, he didn't sit. Instead, he gazed down at Sam with disinterest, brown eyes locking fiercely with her amber one. They both remained silent - staring, as if measuring each other up.

Just as she was about to question the man, he slithered around the edge of the table, sliding the folder with his fingertips. She watched silently as he opened it, his brown eyes boring into her the entire time. When the folder opened, she was met with a full-body shot of herself in a dark hoodie, her signature red eyes glaring into the dark. The man tapped his pointer finger against the papers, "Do you know what this is?" His voice was gruff, and impatient. Of course she knew - but she wouldn't answer. Instead, she glared defiantly into his eyes. That was all she would give him.

With a sigh, he rolled his eyes, his perfectly trimmed eyebrows moving upwards at the movement. "This is your criminal report," He offered, a gleam forming in his eyes. "But, it doesn't have to be..." He continued, his voice slightly lower. He closed the folder, sliding it to the edge of the table. Sam scoffed, watching the man give her an impatient glare. "Now, I know that you aren't interested. But the alternative is death. I have to set an example against these vigilantes somehow. Even if that means starting with you." He turned away from her, letting that piece of information sink in before continuing.

"I also know that after how far you've come to get here, you wouldn't be too keen on that..." He smiled, his grin stretching against his face, making him appear slightly impish. Sam sucked in a breath, he couldn't know. He couldn't.

"I can see those gears turning, maybe I can help you a little." His voice raised, he was obviously enjoying his little show. "You aren't the first of your kind to come here - but, you are the first to be stupid enough to show yourself." His grin faded, and a general curious look overtook his snarky face. "I could crush you - but...What good would that do, when I can strike a deal instead?" His eyes flashed again, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile. With a surprisingly elegant wave of his hands, he said, "The current election is looking a little...shaky. But.." He smirked at the demon, pausing to add weight behind his next words. "If I can give the people of this city what they want, you get to live, and I get another term."

The suited man sat upon the desk, leaning slightly closer to Aaelith, the rich cologne forcing t's way down her throat. "What makes you think that I'll agree?" She sneered at him, the fire returning to her gaze.

Without hesitating, he responded with a low voice, leaning closer still. "Because dear, I know your type. That's the reason I choose you, out of everyone else here, I choose you.." He watched as her sneer fell, the fire raging behind her eyes snuffing out. "..Because you don't want to die, to lose the freedom you worked so hard to achieve. In the end, all you care about is you. And that, my dear, is why I choose you. We have that in common." He leaned back, taking his strong cologne with him. "You will be the first of my little team, and you will be their little "leader". But don't get me wrong - you will answer to me."

With that, he stood from the desk, picking up the folder. "There are other...delinquent's like you. They are already being searched for, and, like the hero you are...You will rush in and rescue them from their fate, allowing them onto your team - that had been so kindly blessed by your's truly" He smiled then, not thin-lipped like before, but an actual grin. It sent a shiver down her spine. "Do we have a deal?" He raised a dark brow, as if challenging her to prove him wrong.

She didn't. He was right - she did care about herself more than anything. And - if this team was all it took to keep her alive, she'd take it. Nodding her head, Sam gave her official agreement. Little did she know, she had made a deal with a devil of a man.

Upon seeing her nod, the man turned on his heel and matched toward the door, the folder in his hand. Before he opened the door, he tilted his head to glance her way. "These files will be destroyed, and as Mayor, I can erase any footage of you that needs to be erased. You will start off anew." He opened the door, and made to step outside, but stopped abruptly. Before the door closed fully, she heard that gruff voice followed by words she would never forget.

"Thank you for your cooperation, we'll be seeing more of each other, don't worry about that...Aaelith."

---

Current Day

---

HQ, Millennia Manor, Team Arrival

The dull hum of the plentiful monitors cut through the early morning silence. Each day, Sam had woke with the first glimpse of sun breaking the horizon. She liked her time in the morning - to think. She would sit and stare at the sun for an hour, her own eyes reflecting a fire of their own back at the sun. Only when the sun hung high in the sky did she turn away, pursing her lips at the massive walls around her. The mansion that she had earned. Scoffing, Sam turned on her heel and headed off for the showers. Today was going to be a long day.

She had scanned through the list of who would be joining the team with disinterest, at least, until she found a few that made the demon within her surge, sending warm blasts from her necklace against her skin. Reminded of her long time without shifting, she shifted uneasily, pushing the folder aside; the names forgotten. She longed to she'd her human skin, to breath through the lungs she had been created with once more. She couldn't. Today, she was supposed to appear as far away from evil as possible. The image of redemption - of what the mayor could do. This was all about him after all. That's what they had in common. It had been three weeks, and she could still remember those words crystal-clear; The smell of cologne had stuck too.

With distaste clear on her features, Sam put her somewhat dry hair into a ponytail - messy, yet fitting, strangely graceful. Glancing to the clock to her right, Sam groaned her displeasure. She had mere minutes to prepare a welcoming act, to welcome the newcomers to their new home. Rolling her eyes, Aaelith lifted herself from her seat and double-checked the quarters, moving back to the elegant entryway, fixing her suit jacket, brushing the non-existent dust from her dark blue skinny jeans. Everything had to be perfect. Fixing her bright amber gaze on the tall mirror to her left, she tilted her head. Human bodies were...strangely intricate. She raised a brow at herself, how her body curved and straightened, the muscles that could only be noticed upon intense scrutiny. Taking a deep breath, Sam turned to the large mahogany doors and awaited for the bells to chime. The sound of a new life, a start of the mayors squad of puppets and for the team.

”Yes moma, I got everything,” Dixie said in her thick southern accent. She was in a taxi, talking to Farrah on the phone. Though Farrah wasn’t exactly her mom, legally she could be called such, and Dixie had taken to calling her ‘mom’ not too long after the adoption was completed. ”Well, it’s big,” she said in response to her mother asking about the city. The shy girl used her free hand not holding the phone to play with the hem of her dress, cowboy boots shifting against the dirty floor board mats beneath them. She cleared her throat, looking out the dingy window, soft, unsure gaze in her chocolate brown eyes while taking in her new city. Her new home of sorts. It certainly wasn’t the town of 1500 in Tennessee she was used to.

”Almost there,” said her driver in a voice that sounded like it had been roughened by years of tobacco clawing at his vocal chords.

”Thank ya,” she said in a tone higher pitched than what she spoke to her mother in, her voice rising whenever she was uncomfortable. Looking down at her lap again, she heard her mom ask if she was listening. ”Sorry moma, I got distracted. Look, I’m almost ta my new… home I think. So I oughta go. I’m sawrry,” she said, swallowing hard as she hoped she didn’t offend Farrah. Her mother said she understood though and that she loved her before telling her to call when she could and hanging up. Dixie said goodbye and hung up, quickly shoving the phone into one of her bags that sat next to her. She lifted a hand to her lips, chewing her thumb nail between her teeth, and letting her slightly wavy brown hair fall into her face. The best thing about long hair was letting it hide you in her opinion.

”Here,” said the same gruff voice, pulling up to one of the biggest homes Dixie had ever seen.

”Wow… I get ta live here?” she whispered, overwhelmed a bit as the driver ignored her and got out, going for her bags to help increase his tip. Dixie was too shy to ask him not to, as the grease on his fingers that he’d used to wipe his nose during the trip did not appeal to her touching her things, so she just looked downwards and got out without a word.

The driver set her bags on the steps of the mansion and mumbled her fare, causing Dixie to look through her purse in a flustered fashion. ”A course, um…,” she pulled out the fare plus a $10, handing it to him, unsure if that was right. He seemed pleased though, pocketing the cash and walking off back to his vehicle. She watched him for a moment, eyes wide and curious as to what she should do next. Now she was here she supposed. So… knock? Ring a doorbell? Yes, that would be the polite thing to do.

Clearing her throat once again, Dixie approached the front door and began searching all around it for a button to push. Ah! There was one. She let her finger hover in front of it for several seconds before pushing it inward, jumping noticeably at the bell sound that rang out. She took a few steps backwards and tripped over her belongings, sliding back down the steps and landing on her rear on the drive. She turned beet red , sitting with her legs in a V in front of her and hands having skidded and caught herself from behind, leaving her looking rather silly. She scrambled to right herself, thinking of the humiliation if anyone had possibly seen her spill. Though the few scratches on her palms and a dirt streak on the side of her dress bespoke of a fall either way.

Already wandering around the mansion was Mack. He had been with Sam since the day she had found him, and even though he could review his database within a second, the seven days he had spent with her felt like a month. As Bladewolf strolled around the mansion, he checked himself over for anything that could be updated. Currently, he was at one-hundred per-cent charge, as he had spent the previous night laying under the brightest light in the mansion, the solar panels absorbing the artificial light and turning it into electricity. The reason the light had been shining so intensely was because he may or may not have overloaded the fusebox of the mansion a little bit. The light was no longer functioning.

After another stroll, he find himself back where he started. A lot of the time at the mansion was spent trying to make a 'mental' map of the building. Mack used that map to direct himself toward the area where the new members of the team would be entering from. Upon arriving at the large mohagony doors, he saw that Sam was already there. "Good morning." His synthesized voice said. Mack had been constantly tweaking his social and communication routines, trying to get more into the concept of 'general conversation'. So far, he had been making some progress.

Suddenly, the door bell rang, as well as a lot of thoughts in Mack's head. Lots of holes needed to be filled in his data streams, and within a half second a lot of them were filled. "It appears we have someone at the door." Mack states the obvious, before quickly trotting up to the door. He let out a groan. Mack had learned that he had to 'let his emotions flow' in order to make himself a bit more interactive. Nonetheless, the groan showed how he was feeling about the door handle. The rounded door handle. Living in a mansion, he had learned how to open these, however they were still tricky. His tail reaches up to the door handle, and twists around it, tightening the grip. He then twists his tail, and the door opens.

Mack sees nobody at the door, but sees what seems to be some belongings. Stepping outside, and around the belongings, he sees a girl at the bottom of the steps. A quick look at her indicated that something had happened, most likely she had fallen down, indicated by the dirt streak on her dress. "Hello." He says, standing at the top of the steps. "Are you alright?" He asks, cocking his head at the girl.

“Are you sure about this, Sky?” A light, pleasant voice spoke with a soft tone. The two of them had been doing this for a very long time, living up to what they were made for, in a way. Now that they had been offered a new position which actually would sustain them it was hard to say no. “Sky?” The voice repeated. Surrounding them one could hear the gentle noise of a computer humming, a clock ticking and a TV turned to low volume. It was a small apartment, barely bigger than a students flat with two separate small beds besides each other and a set of windows offering a grand view of the city stretching out far below. The young man who spoke couldn’t have been older than twenty. The bright blond hair atop his head was a compliment to the ocean blue eyes above his nose and most would agree that his visage was a sight to behold. The young man’s demeanour would hint towards an introvert and perhaps shy personality.

Next to him sat another male of a similar age but with a more earthly scheme of colours donning his frame. The handgun gripped lightly and absentmindedly in his hand was no doubt a tool used often and seemed to be the centre of their conversation. “I’m tired of being hounded.” The young man finally replied, his dark brown eyes resting their gaze upon the black wooden table in front of them. Earlier that day, they had been approached with an offer, or rather, an ultimatum. They could either continue their vigilante activities and do good while avoiding the law, or work with the law. In the end, the choice was simple.

“We’ll probably get to meet some other people like us.” Evan, the blonde young man spoke. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice but Skyler knew how hard it was for his friend to truly trust other individuals. Others ‘like them’ wasn’t necessarily a good thing, either. Skyler had fought super powered villains in the past and two of them actually came from the same facility as Sky and Evan. These are troubled, sometimes damaged individuals. A short fuse and low tolerance was to be expected from someone who has been persecuted, tortured and abused their entire life.

“If we can do this professionally, let’s go for it.” Skyler stood, stretching his body. “Aren’t you tired of working with that dated computer? I’d rather not end up in a fire fight with the police again.”

“You made it out alive. Besides, they needed some sleep.” Evan smirked and motioned towards the shock darts in the clip on the table.

Skyler raised an eyebrow but couldn’t help the chuckle leaving his lips. Despite his violent hobby, Skyler had never taken a life and he wasn’t about to start anytime soon. “Alright, let’s go and tell the gentleman that we’re playing on his team now.”

Two and a half weeks had now passed. Evan and Skyler were both embraced by the decision to create a team of super charged soldiers to take down crime, and they’d be lying if they said that they weren’t a little excited. Evan had a hard time hiding the slight anxiety creeping up his spine but once placed behind one of their computers, he’d feel at home. They couldn’t complain about the service either as they were picked up a few blocks from their home. As one would expect, a jet black car stood waiting with a man in an equally black suit holding up the door for them. No words left the guard’s mouth. He wasn’t paid to speak. “Hello.” Skyler displayed a more talkative personality, though a response was not given before the door closed behind them and the guard moved to the front. “I bet he loves his job.” Sky grinned at the remark and saw how the guard spared a moment to look at the young sniper through the rear view mirror but took off without dignifying it with a reply.

It took a while before they’d eventually reach their destination, the trip rather quiet. Evan and Sky shared a few words but they were ultimately stumped by the lack of answers they could give one another. Every question they had about this new team would be answered in due time, but it was nice to speculate. “What if someone can transform people into sheep?” Evan rubbed his chin. A random thought but before Skyler could return his own theories, the car stopped. The car door opened and they stepped out to be met by a mansion stretching out before them.

“No one said we’d be living like this.” Sky smiled brightly, happy to know that they’d live in comfort. It had been a struggle at times but if this was what they had been offered, the future looked bright.

"Is that girl on the ground?" Evan peered over to the stairs up to the mansion and saw how a robot canine approached her. "Is that a..."

"Yes, Evan. A girl and her robot dog...come on." Skyler reached over and grabbed their bags, tossing one at Evan. "C'mon. Let's say hi."

Remember Axle, You work for us.

That was the last thing that Axles boss, known simply as E, said to him. Not the Mayor, not this Aaelith character, E. The Mayor says jump, E tells Axle how high. 'tis the way of business' Axle replays that memory whilst riding the Epsilon branded limo in his white suit. His gloved hands brush through his long white hair. He then grabs a pack of cigarettes from his pocket stick one in his mouth, and lights it with a car lighter near him. "Oh?" He says seeing that others have arrived before him. "It appears that our new friends are all ready making there acquaints." The limo slows to a stop and he steps out of the vehicle. "Hmm... What a colorful group of characters..." Axle says as he takes a drag from his cig.

Cassandra appeared in a grove of willows which surrounded a small three acre lake in a city park. Sitting atop her left shoulder was Flicly a large Raven female who had attached herself to the Avalonain Sorceress.

"Well what do you think?" Cassandra asks the ebony bird

Flicly launches herself from Cassandra shoulder and flies a short distance before landing in an old oak tree. Then she becomes very vocal cawing loudly and at length as she paces back and forth on her limb.

Cassandra walks over under the tree an chuckles as she agrees with her friend
"I agree it does smell funny and is noisy. It is the city to which I was sent so that I may experience the practical use of my art."

Flicly caws a bit more then flies off.
Cassandra watches her friend fly away and laughs softly.
"Well I suppose she would be the best one among us to get a bird's eye view of our new home"

Cassandra then pulls a crystal pendulum from her hip poke and begins to swing it back and forth while humming. The crystal glowed softly but flashed brighter as it swung in one direction. Finally Cassandra is satisfied with her tracer spell and head in that direction.

She was dressed very much like a Goth Gypsy and drew a few stares as she wandered down the street. Her eyes on the pendulum she walked across a busy street through the traffic which contained cars who's drivers honked furiously, some screaming rude names as they swerved to avoid hitting her.

When a police officer stopped his car beside her an turned on his lights this caused Cassandra to pause and look at the beautiful strobing blue bars.

"Miss are you all right" said the officer as her realized she seemed harmless and possibly out of it due to drugs, drink or a mental disorder.

"I am well and fit constable and trust you too feel so blessed" says Cassie with a cheerful tone

"Are you on drugs or have you been drinking" he asks as he studies her with a suspicious eye.

"No constable I have taken no drug nor drink this day because as I said I am feeling fit an happy." she says as she shifts her attention from the lights to the officer.

"I ask because I saw you walk against the crossing light" he says

"Did I do something wrong?" she asks with a concerned pout

"Technically yes but if you'll cooperate with a little test then I won't be forced to arrest you" he says

"Of course constable, I will stand any test you wish to apply" Cassie says cheerfully

The young officer can't help but smile as he regards the pretty blonde. She's was cooperative and innocent she seems to have come from some other world. He applies to her a field sobriety test which she asks questions about but performs without failure.

He was about to leave after warning her about crossing the street when his radio squawked as the dispatcher talked to another officer.

"It talked" says Cassie

"Yes that was the dispatcher" he answers

"A Pleasure to meet you dispatcher" says Cassie to the patrol cruiser

"Miss Moonchild I think you should let me take you to a hospital" says the officer

"But as I said I feel well constable, why would you believe me ill and in need of the services of a leech?" she asks with a smile

The officer knowing he can't actually force her to the hospital tries to coax her to go. "Miss I think there are people there you should talk to, I only say this out of concern"

About that time the division sergeant pulls up and gets out of his car and motions the young officer over who asks Cassie to wait as he talks to his superior.

Cassie remains beside the cruiser and studies it. She soon realizes that the disembodied dispatcher isn't the car but perhaps a technomancer who talks through an unusual method to all patrol cruisers

The young officer returned and thanked cassie for cooperating after his commander told him what he already knew and that being without a charge or proof of danger she could go on her way.

After the two officers left Cassie resumed following her pendulum but also careful of roads and their crossings

Several days prior...

There was a succession of patting noises, and then a shuffle, then a click and the darkness was alight with a faint glow. The lighter in Sophie's hand was raised to the cigarette in her teeth, igniting it as she returned the tool to her jacket's pocket. Still using only her right hand for the whole ordeal, she grabbed the cigarette, inhaled deeply, and pulled it out before exhaling smoke. Her body twitched briefly, her neck suddenly jolting to the side and cracking as if powered by tremors rather than intentionally and for relief. Sophie rubbed the back of her neck with cigarette still in hand and took a drag again.

As she brought the glow up to her lips, it illuminated the stains of blood that soaked her glove; her own fluids, not someone else's. The reason she had resorted to using but her right limb became apparent. A deep gash sinking on her shoulder sunk down to her chest, bleeding profusely and exposing bone. An ax sat at her feet. The brutally wounded girl stared over her work; an obscured corpse hidden under wooden rubble with pulverized legs that looked more like a tangle of fleshy roots than distinguishable anatomy.

Sophie hadn't killed anyone in several months, having finally come across someone worth her time. A nameless fellow prone to murder that had returned to the scene of a crime, looking quite suspicious. The police failed to notice his presence, but her hunch was spot-on. When he retreated in silence, hands in his pockets, Sophie tailed him through the night and to his home. The events that ensued resulted in his death and an ax being buried in her shoulder... temporarily. She could not recall much that had transpired, likely a result of the wound she was currently healing from.

Indeed, the flesh did converge upon itself remarkably fast, and while the blood still flowed in a grizzly amount, she seemed unperturbed. Perhaps the smoke aided in that respect at least somewhat. She rolled her head towards the wound and lifted the half-severed limb with a flop. It hadn't come back to her yet, evidently. With another heavy drag she walked from the backyard shed that had become the man's grave, pushing aside a plastic doorway to reach the unkempt yard. Sophie shivered, but the outside air was not cold. The pain was settling in. She winced and grit her teeth, hurriedly inhaling the cigarette again as if to mitigate the feeling. She looked up into the deep dusk-colored sky before throwing her drag to the earth and summarily stomping it into being extinguished.

A flash of light to her side caught her attention, and she jerked into action. Staring in from the backyard window, she witnessed the beams of several flashlights moving about inside the home. Immediately Sophie broke for the fenceline, easily hopping over its six-foot height despite being crippled. The quick movements must have caught the police's attention anyways, as she caught the yells of them behind the distancing wooden barrier. Sprinting across some stranger's yard, she dodged pools, gardens, and toppled tricycles to reach each successive fence, soaring over each as easily as the first.

Having fallen into a mode of physical recovery after taking an ax to the body, she couldn't simply charge straight through nay opposition she met; she was now as human as anyone else. For some time still she'd remain that way, unable to take hits and promptly go berserk. Her only option was running. It wasn't often that she faced the authority after committing a crime, since the ones that involved her getting hurt tended to happen in secluded places. Killing a man in his own home was her first mistake, his screams likely alerting the neighbors and subsequently the police.

Eventually the backyards had run out, and she found herself on a sidewalk in the suburbs. A distant cry of a siren stressed her lack of safety, and she continued the run to the other side of the street, hoping to hop another fenceline. However, a quick joly of pain had inhibited her attention, and her foot caught the edge of the sidewalk. Faceplanting into the concrete, she took but a brief moment to regain her composure... all too late. A cop car pulled up just behind her, and its occupants easily tackled her body before she could reach up for the fence. Slamming into the wood, she immediately resorted to fighting back.

"Fuck you!" Sophie cried out, pushing with all her might against the officers. Only one her arms worked at the time, however, and so her force and effectiveness was severely dampened. "Fuck you!" she yelled again, having been thrust into the ground with her good arm held firmly at her back. Wincing at the concrete, she tried to lift herself up to no avail. The officers spoke some incomprehensible code language into their phones, and Sophie could only grunt in desperation. "Damnit."

---

She expected jail-time, but luck was on her side. Sophie approached the dainty manor with a single-sling backpack in tow. Those fucking idiots could have locked her up for good, but they let her free instead. Terrible choice on their part. She would nod and nod, and they'd believe her when she said she'd help this so-called "team". She would, but of course she never agreed for how long. Ascending the small hill, she witnessed a group of rather strange individuals already making their way up the steps. Among them, a freaking mechanical beast of some sort.

"I was right. Team of freaks," Sophie affirmed to herself. The unamused young woman approached silently, refraining from making eye contact. "Can't imagine what kind of shit'll crop up," she said sarcastically.

Ralph was lying in bed taking a nap from his long night of patrolling for crime, after about several minutes of snoring, he opened his eyes and looked at the clock on his desk by his bed. He cursed when he saw the time.

"Oh cuss! I'm late" he said to himself and he unintentionally created a cartoon construct that was an exact clone of the white rabbit from Disney's Alice in Wonderland. The construct pulled a large pocket watch out of his coat and his eyes went wide with shock.

"Oh my goodness, we're late! We're late for a very important date!" it shouted, and Ralph rolled his eyes.

"I already know that, get out of here rabbit" he said to the construct and it vanished in a puff of smoke. Ralph quickly got dressed into his superhero costume and he quickly said goodbye to his parents, telling them that it was time for him to go to the place where several heroes were forming a team. They told him to be careful and he reassured them as usual. After that, he took off out the front door as quick as possible, hoping that no one would see him leave the house. He then used his powers to create a cartoon Flying Saucer and hopped up on top of it.

The UFO then took off quickly into the air and headed straight for the mansion where the team would be gathered. It took up a good amount of energy, but Ralph made the Flying Saucer fly at incredible speeds which made the journey to Millennial Manor very short, and he saw the house show up in the distance. He had the UFO land in the parking lot before making it disappear. He quickly ran up the steps and wildly smashed into the doors causing them to fly open.

"Am I late?" he said in a dazed voice as he fell onto his rear end from the pain of running into the door. Several cartoon stars appeared about his head and they began to circle around it.

"Oh look! Stars" he said with a looney smile.

One week prior

"Come on, man. Shoot the bast*rd!" Yelled the first thug.

"I'm trying, but his as* won't go down!" Screamed the other. Drake was standing on the other side of the street simply letting the bullets harmlessly bounce off his armor. The feint sound of frightened speech from the store clerk inside the street-side shop calling for the police could be heard. "If that's all you got, this little fight is already over," Drake mumbled to himself. Drake took off at a sprint, and was at the position the assailants had taken behind a car in a second. The pair simply stood in fear at the sight before them. Drake snatched the weapon from the shooter and crumbled it up into a ball before dropping it. As soon as metal met concrete, Drake instantly subdued the duo and had them both pinned to the ground.

The sound of police sirens followed by the screech of tires motioned the arrival of law enforcement. Guns drawn as they exited the vehicle. "Freeze!" Cried one of the officers. Drake did not put up a fight and was taken into custody along with the actual criminals. He simply deactivated his armor and was placed inside the cruiser before being ferried off to the station.

A balding man in a black suit awaited him inside the interrogation room. "Good afternoon, Mr. Reese. I hope life has been treating you well." The pair exchanged greetings and went on to talk business. It was rather plain, but neither side showed aggression, nor irritation. The suited figured outlined a deal for Drake, join this new superhero team, and your "criminal" record will be cleaned and you will continue aiding the city. Drake didn't have much choice in the matter, but even if he did, he knew what he would have picked. With a shake of hands, the pair struck the deal, and Drake awaited the time for him to make his arrival at this place called "Millenia Manor" in one week.

Current Day

With a rucksack on his back, Drew followed the directions on the paper he printed out at the local library. The city was large, and his destination could have been anywhere. However, as his journey continued, he noticed the route took him out of the main city and onto the outgoing roads. By the time he reached the road that the destination was on, the sun began breaking the horizon. He watched as several cars passed him at different times. It might have been easier to take a cab, but he believed hiking it would have felt better. By the time reached the terminal point, he could see the place at which he figured was going to be the teams "HQ" A rather large mansion on the side of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. He turned around to see the fading lights of the city in the distance. "D*mn, what a view." He looked back towards the mansion and saw a colorful assortment of characters. A girl resting on her rear end with a mechanical dog overlooking her, two males closely behind them, and another female behind them. "Well isn't this an interesting crew?" He said to himself. And then he saw something rather strange; a flying saucer in a cartoon design. . . "Now this just got weird." After shaking the scene from his mind, he made his way up the driveway to begin his own introductions.

Dixie had managed to find her footing and began brushing herself off, the red of her face still warming her whole body while she smacked at the dirt on her outfit. She thought she heard someone open the door though, and stopped to look up. Her eyes slowly widened, face paling slightly and teeth clenching. A look of fear if there ever was one. She swallowed and continued to look terrified at the metal creature until it spoke, greeting her and asking if she was alright. She slowly blinked a few times, eyes fixated on the thing. A few moments of silence passed before she opened her mouth and tried to remember how to move her tongue.

”Um, yes, I’m fine,” she squeaked with her accent, voice practically where only dogs could hear by how high it had gone in her nervousness. She cleared her throat, trying to bring her voice back down to a normal tone. She had just never seen a… a robot creature? It was certainly intimidating. Perhaps it was friendly though. She tentatively decided it was probably a very nice… thing, as it had asked her if she was alright after all. And she didn’t want to be rude. She was just about to introduce herself when she heard car door after car door as others pulled up. The red returned to the apples of her cheeks as she cast her eyes downwards and moved back up the steps to her things, a slightly shaking hand gripping their handle.

She was taking a deep breath, still not looking anyone in the eye when a boy ran past her and hit the doors to the mansion and fell on his rear end himself, odd shapes appearing around his head. Dixie looked mortified for him, her hands having covered her mouth in shock, but the man seemed to be perfectly fine… physically. Mentally she could not even dare to guess. ”Are… are you alright?” she asked the guy, confusion in her features as she peered into the mansion at him, as she had been right next to the doors anyway. She dared to look up and around at the others who had started to gather after asking him but glanced down at the ground again before anyone else could look her in the eyes.

Ralph was still a little dazed when he heard Dixie asked if he was okay, of course he was okay, he had taken far worse hit than this in his time as a hero.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much" he said to her with a smile as he got back on his feet and then the stars disappeared.

"I guess I should watch where I'm going next time" he chuckled. He didn't mind making mistake like that, he was a goofball after all. He looked at the others and was curious to know who they all were and if he was the only funny guy in the mansion.

"So whose the one that organized this little social gathering, also where are the snacks? I've a got an appetite bigger than Shaggy and Scooby Doo" he said to them as his stomach growled. He had forgotten to eat before coming and it wasn't a good idea to fight crime on an empty stomach.

"Well, I doubt that kid, those stoners would eat a cow if you let them." Axle says to the ridiculous looking kid,he takes a drag of his smoke. 'Looks like the others are starting to arrive' Axle thinks seeing others arrive. "Best get to stepping..." Axle says mid puff of cigarette and walking towards the house.

Cassie walked along the side of the road an began noticing the houses were becoming larger and more scarce till eventually she walked between road and forest. It was then that Flicly found her and came down to land on her friend's offered right arm.

The ebony bird spoke in her harsh language at length about all that she'd seen an discovered. Cassie listened to every detail though only a few seemed relevant to her as a daughter of man; she didn't wish to be rude with her friend.

"Well I suppose you'll either need make do with one of the barbarians if you wish a mate" giggles the golden haired Sorceress as Flicly complains of how uncivilized the local raven population is.

Flicly says something rude about Cassies choice of mate and flies off in a feathered huff. Cassandra laughs loudly and for a while enjoying how marvelous her new has begun.

She soon resumes her trek up the road till she comes to a gated drive which her pendulum shows is the place she's looking for by swinging in a wider an wider circle as she steps onto the property.

Not wishing to present herself in her present state after her long walk to find them Cassandra steps off the drive and walks into the manicured woods till she finds a rock outcroping. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her staff and taps the rock several times as she whispers a lovely song to the earth elementals and they accommodate her by creating a hollow.

She smiles as she approves the size of her stone bath and replaces her staff into her bag an pulls out a small jug. She uncorks the jug an pours water from it slowly filling the tub and once it's full puts the jug back into the bag.

Cassandra disrobed and then naked kneels by her bath and begins weaving her hands into complex patterns as she sings softly. In about five minutes her bath water is steaming hot an she begins adding herbs and oils to the water creating a cleansing bath that will work for body and spirit.

She piles her hair atop her head then enters her bath after thanking the great mother for this gift of her power.

Ralph laughed at Axie's comments, never had he heard someone call Shaggy and Scooby stoners, when he thought about it, it actually did make sense in way when it came to Shaggy.

"Good one, dude" he said with a chuckle. He then saw Beauty enter the room and his eyes went wide and his mouth dropped at the sight of her. For a moment he didn't say anything, but a cartoon wolf wearing a tuxedo appeared carrying a chair, and the construct's eyeballs came out of its sockets in cartoon like fashion as it stared at Beauty. after its eyes went back into their sockets It then began to howl as it repeatedly began to smack the chair onto the floor.

I think I'm in love he thought himself and a glowing red cartoon heart appeared above his head.

The rhythmic beating in her chest slowed upon the first ring of the door, her immediate instinct was to reach for her necklace, holding tightly to the jewelry as if it were her lifeline. Which, in a way, it was. No matter how long she had scanned through the files, how well she had hidden them, how collected she believed she could be, she knew it was only a matter of time before everything collapsed.

Tilting her head to focus her narrowed gaze on her robotic compatriot, she offered nothing other than a scoff at his remark. Well - she presumed it was a he anyway. It wasn't her business to ask, and quite frankly, if it wasn't important enough to mention - she didn't give a damn. Biting back her tongue, she watched with disinterest as the wolf-like android opened the door and stepped outside to greet their guests; their teammates.

Yet there she stood. Stoically still, sucking in a gust of air through her perfectly straight white teeth. Cold air stung against her lungs, the outside so close, yet so impossibly far. Clenching her fists at her sides, her face setting into a beautiful mask of calm and control, her red eyes hungry.

Carefully arranging her suit jacket, smoothing out the white t-shirt underneath, the tall woman strode across the floor with passion and power in each step, fitted with a reckless swing of her hips. Opening the door in a fluid and elegant pull, Aaelith brought the door into the house, opening herself to the outside.

What she was met with, made her feel like shutting the door and retreating back to the safety of the manor altogether. Her fire-filled eyes scanned across the expanse of the front walkway, all the way back to in front of her. She had lingered on the cartoon-like hearts in mild curiosity, but her lip and twisted into a disapproving sneer. What was this mayor thinking? A child would prove to connect with younger audiences? Well - of course he was. With a roll of her eyes, she leaned against the door frame, arms folding across her chest. The brunette found herself tracing the young boy's path of sight, met with a young blonde human - beautiful in all respects. With a sigh, Aaelith turned away, her attention drawn to the bodyguard storming through the small crowd gathered near the door.

A snarl forming on her lip, Sam straightened, her arms returning to her sides. Striding out of the doorway and onto the porch, she stopped herself in front of the large man. Her amber eyes sizing him up, all the while her mind raced with all the ways she could tear him apart here and now. Instead of that - she gave a thin-lipped smile. "Now - I doubt Ms. Matthews needs to have her things toted for her...She is, after all, a hero." The words were spit out in a deep and husky voice, her head tilting slightly to the side as she locked her sights on another, eyes widening in shock when she felt a warmth emanate from her glamour charm.

She could feel the evil tug at her soul, her mouth twitched, almost giving way to a smile. Perhaps she would enjoy this team after all...

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sam cleared her throat, lifting her hand a motioning for the arrivals to follow her inside. "Come in, we have much to discuss.." Sam dove back into the house, not bothering to see if anyone had followed, she continued straight ahead to open another set of massive doors, this time leading to the extravagant living room - where lavish furnishings resided. Sam glid over the hardwood floor and graciously sat down on the largest chair in the room, dark leather and equipped with large armrests. She placed each arm upon an armrest, before slowly crossing her legs, a spark igniting behind her eyes.

"Welcome to Millennia Manor. I am Titan, and Sam. The first of this team." The demon didn't bother to appear interested, her sculpted features regarding each individual with a practiced look of disdain. She was testing them, measuring them up. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered if she should let them know about her reading their files - but decided against it. Rather, she sat upon her dark throne, watching and waiting.

Axle takes a long drag of his cigarette, as he walks in to the mansion. He had began to be accustom to them, he had been taken to them ever since he had gotten his prosthetics installed, rich folk either disabled or otherwise have been wanting prosthetics from Epsilon since before his accident, Axle was a hansom model for there parts and that had made people want there prosthetics. He takes another long drag of his smoke, coming back to reality.

He enters the lavish room and finds a seat near an ash tray. He then waits for others to enter and introduce themselves. Axle taps some ash into the tray before puffing on his cigarette.

The semi-trailer jolted from a bump, causing Frostbite to wobble a bit but he seemed unfazed as his battle-armour kept him stable. He was thinking back to about a week and a half ago, when he was 'hired' for this new team of sorts. It was a normal mission for him, he'd hear about a possible planned crime and would make his way there via the sewer system and arrive before the crime actually took place. It seemed someone had figured out he was doing this when his last mission ended up having SWAT and some other police officers waiting for him instead of surprised criminals. A man, who claimed he represented someone else, gave him an ultimatum, work for with a team who had similar methods of dealing with crime, or go to jail. Jail, for Frostbite anyway, would mean death as the prison warden probably wouldn't allow for an energy hog like his heatwave bed. Frostbite agreed to work with these 'heroes' and the police force stood down and backed off. He had then been spending the last week researching who might end up on this 'team'. He got some of the 'big' heroes as well as possible hints to the smaller ones who tried to keep themselves hidden. He honestly hoped these events would help him find Dr. Cold before she left this city as well.

Another thump from the semi-trailer drew Frostbite back to the present, making him think about making his own form of transportation. He also wondered if the group he would be working with would even have a dedicated transport for such a large city. He quickly pushed that thought away for later as he felt the cargo container come to a stop. Within a few moments, he heard the latch to the door of the cargo container click, with the door opening and the container being bathed in sunlight. The man who had been driving him had given up trying to make small talk with the man within the large suit when there were no responses given to him, at all. As the driver of the semi-truck got the lift ready, Frostbite wheeled his bed to said lift. While he can carry the separate parts to the bed with his battle-armour, the trolley he was using made life a lot easier. As the lift to the semi-trailer lowered slowly, Frostbite took a quick glance at the building he was to call his home for the next little while. While he has been in bases underground that were much bigger than this, it was probably the biggest building he'll ever actually live in himself. However, he wasn't pleased with it. It was not a protected area, it simply was an eye-sore to any strategist who was either trying to defend the place or attack it. Maybe the interior was much more formidable than all the glass walls.

When the lift finally made it to ground level, Frostbite pushed the trolley with his bed up the walkway, ignoring the driver of the semi as he expected thanks. The man drove off in a bad mood while Frostbite ignored all those he passed by on his way to the stairs and inwardly sighed as he realized he would have to carry up his bed manually from here on in. He set it to the side when he could hear voices inside the mansion, and made his way in to 'introduce' himself. He then glanced at those who were now around him. He saw a variety of characters, what peaked his interest the most was the dog and the man with robotic limbs, they stood out like sore-thumbs among the group, not that Frostbite didn't as well.

Frostbite gave his full attention to a woman who introduced herself as Titan and Sam, presumably first name Sam and alias 'Titan'. Since there seemed no one was speaking, Frostbite decided to 'introduce' himself first, ignoring the woman's, who he identified as Beauty, comment. He gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to Sam, "Frostbite." His voice was distorted, sounded like it had a robotic tone with a tiny bit of an echo like that of being in a hollow chamber. He got the feeling some of those around him expected more than that but that's all he cared to say, he wanted to get these introductions over with so he could go and install his bed, do what needs to be done for or with this team of probable misfits and find Dr. Cold.

The sound of a harmonious voice rang out through the woods as Suzy strode through them. She had never caught the name of the song from the radio but she could guess what it was based on the lyrics, something about radiation? Anyway as the song came to an end Suzy gave out a huff of boredom, she had sung the song exactly 37 times within the last 3 hours of leaving the city and it was beginning to wear a little thin... ok that was a lie, she loved the song the same as when she first heard it but repetition was mundane and therefore boring. She just needed something new to do and fast, for risk of being in an irritable mood at arrival.

Plus, if it wasn't enough of the boredom attack, Suzy was incredibly dirty. The tussle with the large creature she found in the cave made sure of that. Giving a grimace, Suzy bucked up and continued on towards her destination while hoping for a decent bath. It had been days since she was able to get one, living on the streets does not bode well for cleanliness. Thankfully she didn't produce plaque, grease, or body odor like normal people, for that she was thankful. However that didn't stop the mud from clinging to her hair and body, which was the real tragedy in all honesty. Suzy's hair was her favorite part of her body and it just broke her little heart to see it in its current condition. Dirty, knotted, and a stick or two lying around. Not the best way to make an introduction.

Soon after a moment of lamentation, Suzy found the gate. Digging through her pocket, Suzy fished for the piece of paper with the address on it. After a moment of pushing pocket change and some lint out of the way, Suzy brought the crumpled piece of paper out into the light of day and peered at the address. Yup, this was the place. Tentatively she opened the gate and took a couple of steps in before closing the gate behind her. Suzy walked a ways before making a scan of her surroundings, first in normal vision then in thermal. The manor or whatever was a beacon of heat, not surprising given that it was a big fancy mansion or whatever but what got her attention was a flare of heat not located at the house but a ways away in the woods.

Whatever it was came up as suspicious to Suzy, maybe it was a fire? Yet, fires don't start on rocks. Her curiosity peaked, Suzy decided that meeting other people could wait. Plus if it was a fire than someone would have to deal with it. Marching her way through the uniform forest, Suzy took a little slower time than she should have given a "maybe fire" going on but she couldn't help it. Were she came from tree's didn't grow very much, too many people fighting to give a darn for gardening. As such the trees gave her a feeling of wonder she hadn't felt in a long time.

After several minutes Suzy arrived to her destination and thankfully there were no signs of a fire. No roaring flames, no burnt nature, just quiet. With the possibility of fire ruled out, what else could have created such heat? Well, the answer was given to her when she rounded a rock and discovered a woman lounging in some form of makeshift bath. With a tentative sniff of the air, Suzy discovered that the water was filled with a combination of herbs. Ranging from the mundane to the exotic, strangely some were even completely unknown to her data banks. However, than the woman came to be the center of focus.

Perking up a bit, Suzy said "Oh hello, you must be on of my new teammates... I'm Suzanne but you can just call me Suzy. I saw the heat of your bath and thought it was a fire so I came to check it out." While it was a little awkward, fact that this woman was naked didn't really effect her train of thought, nudist colonies were plentiful in her time and it was difficult wrapping her head around the cultural norms of this world so at the moment she decided not to and just go with the flow.