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[IC] Fugitive Powers Page 4

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Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Gonzo
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Gonzo Narcissist and Sarcastic Neucance

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Brooklyn -- Safe House

Diego had barely enough time to smile before a flying Maribeth came shooting at him like a bullet. She was small, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t pack a good punch. Diego only had enough time to reinforce his stance with Mari’s power before she crashed into him. Although they stayed in place, the wind was just about knocked out of the poor man. He took a deep breath, once he was actually able to recover it, and let out a small laugh.

“Yeah Mari,” he said as he returned the hug. “I’m alright, and in one piece.”

He reached up and placed his hand over the one she had put on his face for just a moment before letting it slowly fall to his side.

“I’ve been out and about, Mari. I thought I’d take a break from fighting the government head on… you know, a bullet to the stomach kind of wakes you up like that. Instead, I’ve been across the country helping the Supers who aren’t in gangs, or who haven’t been captured set up safe houses and things like that. I’ve also been helping to train most of them with their powers as well. You know, for self-defense reasons, mostly.”

Diego turned his head toward his friend and gave him a small nod, acknowledging the thanks.
“It’s no problem at all. I mean, I am a Super after all. I can’t just sit back and let them do what they did to us. Besides, someone has to train these guys to fend for themselves and to fight back against the assholes in D.C. Who better to do it than me?” Diego smiled again, then turned his attention back to Mari, who somehow had already managed to pull him towards the table.

“Uh huh, sure you can, Mari. You’ve only gotten lucky the past few times, and plus, I go easy on you every time.” Diego laughed and pulled Mari closer once more. “I bet you a hundred dollars I’m better with your own power than you are. Speaking of which, I have to thank you for letting me copy it. It’s come in handy more than a few times.”
A sudden realization washed over Diego. This was the happiest that he had felt in months. Even watching the life drain from the weak humans didn’t give him the joy he was feeling at that moment. His best friend, along with…whatever Mari was to him (he’d have to ask her later on), accepted him for who he was. But as happy as he was, eventually, he would grow tired of Julius’ attempts to try to create peace between the Normals and the Empowered, and he would probably have to leave again.

“Are you here to stay?”

The question pulled Diego back into reality, and he blinked at Mari. Would he really stay? Sure, he thought he would have to leave again, but did he really have to? There was no telling for sure. Maybe the Normals would finally give up. Maybe there would be peace. Or maybe he would have to go and knock down the front door and take over himself to ensure that the Empowered were never persecuted again.

“Yeah Mari. For now I am.” The words no doubtedly would have stung Mari. They almost seemed to hurt Diego. There was no time to think about his choice of words further, because at that moment, a strange woman appeared through the doorway.

Diego turned from Mari and took a small step forward, placing himself between her and the unknown woman. Whoever she was, and whatever she wanted, it wasn’t friendly. He could see it in those eyes. He took another small step forward, fists clenching and unclenching in uneasiness. Before Julius could take the woman up on her offer, Diego took a bigger step forward, effectively closing in the distance between the two. He managed a smile, but his brown eyes only mirrored the cold of the two spheres of ice he was staring into.

“Hey there,” Diego said, looking down at the woman, never breaking eye contact. “I’m not sure what you want to talk to my friend Julius about, but here’s the deal. I just got here not even a few minutes ago, and I intend to spend as much time with these two as I can. You see, they’re really good friends of mine. Now, it doesn’t make a difference what you say to him in private, because he’s just going to tell us after, anyway. Plus, I don’t trust, nor do I really like you at this present moment. So why don’t you just talk about whatever you’re gonna talk about in front of the three of us. Does that sound good to you? Because it does to me.”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Whisket
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"Awesome, yes that is totally what I needed to hear." Sean said as she finished her sentence. He looked around briefly, the rain was cold and it later than he expected, but he doubted that it would impede his progress. He was about to say something but Yolanda warned him. "Nah nah nah, hey I know I was kinda sketchy but I was like desperate y'know?" Sean said calming down a bit, hopefully to show that he was truly an OK guy.

"We should probably get in the station or something. No use chillin' out here freezing to death." He said as he ushered her to follow him "Hey so when I creeped you out earlier, you said something in a different language... What was it?" Sean said as they made their way towards the station. He figured it was an insult, not that he cared much, last time he creepes someone out he got shot at.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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"Hold fire for a bit, Diego." Julius admonished his friend, laying a calming hand on the other young man's shoulder. "She deliberately allowed me to detect her when she entered the building; she has no intention of starting any violence here. Am I right, ma'am?" He smiled gentle at the new entrant; his easy and gentle expression as much a mask as her neutral one. The happy reunion of moments ago had turned back to business and while he felt some regret at the lost of the moment, Julius knew how dangerous a predicament they were all in. This was a safe place to stay... if they played their cards right. He had prepared for this ahead of time; one of the few things he had managed when he realised lasting peace would not be possible in the short term. Julius turned to Diego and shrugged as he brought his friend up to speed; Brooklyn had its own set of rules now.

"New rules have been made to prevent we Empowered unnecessarily clashing in this area, Diego. I made contact before to notify them we'd be here, or else they'd try to eject us from this territory immediately. This is their turf so it's only fair to obey by their rules while we're here. There's no sense in starting a fight when we could avoid one all together with a little diplomacy." He turned to the young woman and gestured outside.

"There's an old office room down there, I'm sure you're familiar with it. We can speak there, if you'd rather some privacy. Like Diego said, I'll be passing on the entirety of our conversation to them but it may be simpler without an audience." Julius picked up his laptop and the files he had brought with him from the table where he had placed them, sliding them under one arm as he limped towards the door, using furniture to support his left side where possible. As he passed Diego to walk out of the conference room he spoke more quietly so only he could hear.

"They have the home advantage here and they could be useful allies. Let's play nice for now. Besides... I'm sure you and Mari could do with some private catching up of your own. Let me handle this one." Julius joined Nilin in the doorway and gestured down the hallway.

"Well then, here with all of us or in the office down there for a little privacy; the choice is yours."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AllOurPrettySongs
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Yolanda followed after Sean, soon falling into step with him as the rain still poured. She clutched at her bag of belongings tightly, briefly considering using it again as shelter but soon deciding against it. The bag was soaked enough already; if she wanted any of her possessions still dry by the time they reached shelter, she needed to be more careful.

Yolanda cast a glance at him and couldn't help but give a quiet laugh at his question. "That different language was Afrikaans and I called you a 'snake in the grass'. You didn't seem as trustworthy then as you do now and I thought it suited," She paused briefly. "I thought you kind of like the serpent in the Garden of Eden."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lillium
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Nilin shifted her body to face the tall man who was speaking, his forceful words causing no other reaction from her than the raise of an eyebrow. <It appears I’ve run into Diego Gomez. He’s got quite the way with words.> She told Karen dryly, sarcasm woven into her words with a touch of amusement.

As Diego continued to speak, she stood there patiently as if observing a somewhat interesting subject, letting him run his course before she said anything. His angry words and brash attitude seemed much like a threat display resorted to by certain species of birds and mammals – such was the male ego. Diego Gomez was listed by the government as one of the most dangerous unnaturals, more so due to his volatile nature than his powers. She glanced at the woman at his side, or rather, a little bit behind him. She deduced that the woman was Maribeth Wilson, another one of Ragnarson’s group.

“Of course.” She nodded as Julius Ragnarson attempted to diffuse the situation before it could escalate. The gesture was appreciated, even if Nilin was hardly likely to take offense to words like the ones Diego had thrown at her.

“I don’t mind speaking here. I only offered out of common courtesy as I didn’t want to interrupt the reunion – such moments can be rare in times like this.” She glanced at Maribeth and Diego once again, not really minding that the discussion was going to extend to them as well.

Truth be told, all three of them being here was what she preferred as she could gauge their reactions far more easily that way. And from what she’d gathered, despite serving as their unofficial leader, the other two were equally as powerful and influential in their own way.

"You may call me Mira, it is what I go by now,"

“As I’m sure you’re already aware, this safe house is under our protection. That’s how its stayed off the government’s radar for so long. You are visitors here, honored guests, if you will. We understand the need for cooperation and we welcome alliances.” It was true, despite the Syndicate’s rather fearsome reputation, they were pragmatic in such matters. They understood that all out war between the Empowered would only help further the government’s goals and wipe them out faster. “However, I would also like to point out that while we do welcome other Empowered, we do not stand for conspiracy or anything that would lead to sour relations between other factions. Please keep in mind that as you are within our borders, whichever actions you take will reflect on us. If it is known that you are trying to cause war between gangs, or collude with the government, we will be forced to take action.”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by wolverbells
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Safe house, Brooklyn

Maribeth frowned as she heard the words "For now I am" and nodded once without saying anything. She was about to change the subject when the voice of a woman filled the room and she turned around to see who it was. For a second, she thought it was just someone else who had heard word on the safe house, but as soon as she began speaking, it was obvious that that was not the case. In a blink of an eye, Diego was already in front of Maribeth and blocked the young woman from her view. She would have hated to see his reaction with the other man's introduction that was in the building with them already.

Rolling her eyes, Maribeth lifted herself off of the ground and floated up to see over Diego's shoulder, smiling at the young woman across the room. She was stunning, to say the least. Her pale blue eyes caught all of Mari's attention and she could easily tell that she wasn't there to make friends. If she was putting off any hostility signs, by the sudden tension in Diego, Maribeth wasn't receiving them. Nor did the cold and distant look in her eyes touch Mari's happiness at the moment. "Diego...." As he moved forward, Maribeth followed, floating after him and placing a hand on his arm as she came a bit more to his side. "Let the girl breathe." Maribeth grinned at the stranger and floated along Diego's side. Part of her was making sure the girl didn't attack Diego, and the other because she didn't want Diego to have any physical contact with the girl and copy her power. Whether that was because of her past experience with it or because she was protecting him was a good question, but nonetheless, she was there to make sure it didn't happen.

"Hey, come on." Maribeth smiled at Diego and lowered herself, setting her feet on the floor and grabbing his hand, tugging him back a bit. She turned to the female as she began talking and listened intently as she spoke. "Thank you, for, you know.... your manners and being courteous.... But don't worry. We don't mind this at all. Or at least I don't." She didn't know how to respond to what the girl had said about what gang territory they were in. She turned to Julius and stayed quiet so that he could respond, since he was better with words than she was. "Oh, hey, I keep forgetting." She turned to Diego as a thought popped up. She motioned to him to lean down so she could speak to him as Julius and the other woman spoke. "There's a man in one of these rooms. I don't trust him, and I don't think Julius does either." Her voice was soft and quiet, yet had a solemn tone. For the first time in a long time, Maribeth looked dead serious, all signs of happiness gone while she spoke about it. She pulled back and met Diego's eyes with hers; a somber and sincere look in them. The fact that the man worried her and maybe slightly scared her was obvious but she made no further comments, not wanting to escalate the situation even more. She just wanted him to know just in case.

Once she was sure her message got across, she turned her attention back to Julius and the woman, hoping that they had resolved something.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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"Thank you." Julius said, acknowledging her effort to be considerate. He made no effort to pick up on her reference to a previous name; it was hardly unusual amongst the Empowered to conceal their previous identities to protect family or simply disappear. That was no problem for Julius; only his brother still lived and he was safe in an accepting country surrounded by some of the most powerful Empowered in the world, including himself.

"Do not worry, we have no intention of creating any friction with anyone right now. Especially not any like us. The government is the only enemy we have, which I'm sure you can understand." He wouldn't bother embellishing, the Syndicate would have done enough background checks on the three to know all of their history. "I should stress that right now, we're not looking to ally ourselves with anyone immediately. Safety is our priority." Here he would have to step carefully; they were 'honoured guests' but only while they were welcome and obeyed the rules which was terribly restricting. For now it was best to go carefully before committing to any one group; the Syndicate weren't the only influential group around.

"Rest assured, however, that if the government threatens the security of this area we will help in your efforts to throw them out. If conflict arises between our groups then we will leave in a non-violent manner." Julius sat down, making sure not to give off any body language signs. "I do have one request though... if any of the Syndicate do choose to visit us here I would like some measure of warning beforehand to prevent any misunderstandings. It would be better if communication between our two groups was either carried out directly... or be conveyed through the same person at all times."

He watched for any obvious signs of what the woman was thinking but she was even more guarded than himself; he had to admire her self control. Diego and Mari had finished their conversation which he had deliberately tried to ignore, sometimes being able to hear and see everything and remember it in perfect detail could be difficult to manage. Julius turned his attention back to the woman and tilted his head to signify he was awaiting an answer and giving her his complete attention.

"I don't believe my requirements are unreasonable, would you agree?"
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Whisket
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Sean just laughed at what Yolanda said "Oh man, that's pretty tame to what I've been called before, shit that's practically a compliment." He said still laughing in between , he was back to enjoying a conversation again. It the dawned on him that despite both coming out as empowered neither said anything about their abilities. "So I don't wanna push it or anything, but... What is your power anyway?" Sean asked, he was legitimately curious, he elected to know hers first before telling his, not that his was anything crazy, he was just tired of it. That and he couldn't remember the last time he was able to speak to another empowered in such a casual setting. He realized that it could change literally at any second, he hoped it wouldn't but the government is notoriously persistent.

They eventually reached a bench within the dry station, a bench still but at least it wasn't in the rain. Sean slung his backpack around so it was resting on his lap, before Yolanda had a chance to reply to his first question he opened his backpack up and produced a bottle of water "You thirsty at all? I got some jerky and stuff if you're hungry too." He said politely, he figured they'd be there for awhile, so why not get comfortable?
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Blackwolf
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Prattle, prattle and more Prattle. It was, simply put, boring. "I miss war zones" he muttered to himself as he listened as apparently there were more people coming to his little party. Talking about rules and turf he figured she must of been a part of the local empowered in the neighborhood. Laying there he looked around as if it wasn't for his ability it would be so silent in this room, dark as he looked around starting to feel a bit cramped as a shiver ran down his spine. He hopped up out of the bed and stepped out of that room shoving his hands into his pockets while looking down for a moment. Soon he looked up walking back out into the main area seeing the people "So who want's pizza?" he said walking out seeing the newest arrival. Looking at her she looked somewhat familiar, like he had seen a photo of her once, or only seen her in passing, if anything he would just have Jeramy do a background check.

Smiling he looked towards her "Well now darling, pleasure to meet you. Faust, Rude, crude, and all around socially unacceptable !' He smiled his charming little smile as the merc had to adopt many faces and personalities in his line of work. "Seeing as your a local around here maybe you can recommend a good pizza place." He turned his head and looked at diego as he was slightly disappointed. His current contract prevents him from taking on to kill him, and he was some what looking forward to going toe to toe with him. He supposed that would simply have to come later as her turned his attention back to Mira. "Mira right? sorry couldn't help but over hear. Comes with the power" .
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lillium
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Brooklyn, after curfew

Night had fallen over the city of Brooklyn like the massive shadow of monstrous wings. The streets were mostly empty save for a few stragglers who hurried home in fear of being caught outside after curfew. After the so called plague of unnaturals had broken out, the government issued a curfew to be followed after sundown. For when the sun set was when the night police came out to play. The night police were a special branch of squads made up of soldiers and empowered working for the government, their task being to sniff out and capture any unnaturals they came across. Routine patrols were scheduled in areas most likely for refugees to be hiding out in, which would’ve worked were it not for the Syndicate’s involvement. Most of the empowered were too smart to be caught by the patrols, knowing how to navigate the city without crossing paths with them.

However, those who were new to the entire thing were easy pickings. Those unfortunate enough to not be taken under the wing of more experienced empowered or didn’t make it far enough to the multiple safe houses scattered across the city were captured and hauled away none too gently. The patrol squads weren’t taking it well at being evaded at every turn by their prey, leading them to become even more brutal and relentless. A hotline had been set up for citizens to report any suspected unnaturals, or even those who were out past curfew.

Tonight, the patrol squads were excited at finally having caught the trail of their prey. More than a couple of calls had come in about suspicious young people wandering around after curfew. The first sighting had been reports of a couple of youths heading into a deserted station. There had also been reports of a strange man wandering about with a girl, what had drawn the caller’s attention was due to the fact that the man had been dressed in the cloth of the church – men of the cloth followed the curfew and stayed out of trouble, usually. Though the squads were armed fit to deal with unnaturals, they had very specific orders to capture, not kill.

ooc: Sean and Yolanda, you’ll be getting visitors pretty soon. Same goes for the priest and his group as well.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lillium
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Brooklyn - safe house

Nilin was taken by surprise at Maribeth’s actions, specifically the way she floated up to see better. The simple action was perceived by Nilin to be quite out of the ordinary, as it was so carefree – especially in front of a potential enemy. The petite woman’s actions from her quick smile and the way she acted so openly, to her easy expression of gratitude were not what she would’ve expected in the slightest. The way she could bring herself to act as if the world was normal and they were acquaintances in a normal setting instead of the current situation which was more akin to a loaded gun. Her experience in reading people told her that Maribeth’s reactions were genuine, not some façade. Surprisingly, she found the telekinetic the most puzzling of the three powerhouses she was meeting with.

“You’re welcome.” Nilin replied, giving the other woman a slight smile. Maribeth then turned to Diego and began to discuss something that was of no concern to her, so she shifted her attention back to Julius while still keeping an eye on the two.

She listened as he answered what she’d addressed, polite as she herself was being. It was something she appreciated. Diplomacy was far more difficult than war. “Of course.” She nodded as if agreeing. The Syndicate already knew of Julius Ragnarson’s views on the war, as well as the fact that he leaned towards peace. A noble goal to be sure, but one the majority believed to be impossible – herself included. She listened as the man laid out his terms, taking care in choosing his words. Nilin pondered the terms for a few seconds, her face the same professional mask as always. Julius’ terms weren’t unreasonable nor were they unfair to either party.

“I accept your terms.” She gave him a brief nod. “As for your contact, I will serve as intermediary. If something occurs to change that, rest assured, you will be informed. ” Though she wasn’t exactly happy with it, she would be spending most of her time with Julius’ group as the Syndicate’s ambassador and spy.

A new arrival, a man who gave her an assessing look caused the meeting to come to a close. He gave her a smile meant to reassure, or something of the like no doubt, and introduced himself. Nilin returned the smile though hers was more like beautiful, brittle glass. The way he called her darling led her to envision a scene where she stabbed him in the carotid artery and let him bleed out slowly, though her body did not give away signs of her thoughts. “I would love to, but it would be futile. The curfew bars any sort of delivery.” Faust. The name seemed to ring a bell though the sound was far off. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Faust. Sonokinetic, I presume?”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AllOurPrettySongs
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[ooc: Gotcha, Lillium.]

Yolanda laughed a little and his response before falling silent at his question. Hesitantly, she supposed that he would find out eventually, seeings as they were headed to this sanctuary for the Empowered. "It's a little hard to explain. You see, I can manipulate the movements of dead things. Animals. When I discovered my power, I snuck away to the hospital to visit the morgue. I had to know if I could manipulate dead humans, too. As it turned out, yes. I could."

Entering the station, Yolanda put her bag down on the bench and sat down, shaking herself slightly. Water droplets flew as she did. She glanced at the bag Sean had opened and was now offering things from. She shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm fine for now."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Gonzo
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Gonzo Narcissist and Sarcastic Neucance

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Diego stiffened as Julius put a hand on his shoulder. His initial reaction was to quickly pull away, but he thought better of it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the touch, but the manner in which the hand was being given bothered him.

Hold the fire? Hold the fucking fire? Diego chewed on his bottom lip as Julius continued talking. His blood boiled more and more with each passing second, and he did his best to not show it. The chewing of the lip would only show his uneasiness.

He gritted his teeth slowly at the words coming out of his friend’s mouth. “This is their turf,” and “obey their rules,” and “a little diplomacy.” In the end, it didn’t surprise Diego that Julius was talking this way. He was a pushover. Weak. There was no sense in using diplomacy in this world they were now living in, especially when the other Empowered, at any time, could turn on them. Diego knew thugs. He had lived with them long after the Civil war; in the slums of Los Angeles, in the underbelly of Seattle, in Nashville, in Boston, everywhere. They were all just a bunch of assholes, and snow cone over there with her icy eyes and calm façade was no different.

He flinched slightly at Mari’s hand. There was another one of those damn hands. Couldn’t they see he was calm? If he wasn’t calm, he would have melted snow cone by now, and had her charred body hanging from the flagpole a couple blocks from the safe house.

“Diego.” Mari’s voice pulled him back to reality, and he turned to her.

“What?” He snapped. As she continued to talk, Diego took a deep breath. He felt her take his hand in hers and pull him away a bit. He complied, just barely, and took a step back. When she had turned her head away to speak to the other woman, he slowly pulled his hand free and crossed his arms over his chest, not breaking the stare he had on Nilin. Once Mari had turned back to him, he leaned down and turned his head so that his eyes met hers. He nodded at what she said, taking into account her tone. “Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll keep an eye on him. “

“The Hell we will leave,” Diego muttered under his breath, low enough so that only Mari could hear if she was paying attention. “The only way we’re leaving is either in a body bag, or after every last one of those scumbags dead, thugs or government.”

Diego took a step forward, ready to butt into the ongoing conversation, when another man walked in. He looked like another one of those thugs, but when he introduced himself to snow cone, Diego knew that he wasn’t a body guard. He must be that guy Mari was talking about. He doesn’t seem like much at all. In fact, he just looks like an average jackass with an attitude problem. He probably is as harmless as a baby bird. And if he isn’t, then maybe he might be useful in helping me take down the Normals.

“Curfew is the problem, but those who enforce it aren’t. The soldiers are a joke,” Diego said with a scoff. “I ran into one on the way here. Ripped his arm clean off. They’re no more menacing than a kitten.” He turned his head to Faust and gave him a smile, hoping that the man could see the gesture of good will behind it. “Even if we wanted to get a pizza, Faust, the Normals are all at home cowering under their covers. There’s no one working anywhere after dark, except for maybe a couple of shops to keep the soldiers happy. If you want, maybe you and I could head out, maybe find an open pizza place, and get one for free. I have exceptional persuasion skills. Let me know if you’re interested.”

Diego turned his head toward the woman and sighed. “So what are you, exactly, Mira? A lackey and a messenger for the supposed crime boss? His little two-bit side piece that makes sure we do what we’re told?”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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"Diego!" Julius' voice cracked like a whip, startling everyone in the room with the sudden severity from the mild mannered young man. Air rushed out of the room, winds roiling off the blond passively, in tune with his anger. "She has done nothing to warrant your aggression or insults. I negotiated with the Syndicate so we had a place to go, safely. You, I and Mari would be fine by ourselves out there but you know just as well, if not better than I, that most Empowered are barely coming into their powers. They're confused, stumbling around trying to learn about a part of them they never knew before while the whole world looks down on them for being a monster; we need to be a central place for these people to come to, to learn and to be safe. The Syndicate happen to be a natural ally for us against the government when we're strong enough to win a war against them so it only makes sense not to piss them off." He spoke in a low and measured tone, conscious that Diego had a quick temper these days and despite their happy reunion he would barely listen to Julius if he was seen to be told off.

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and thinking how best to convince his friend that this was what they both wanted.

"Look, I agree with you now. We can't let things stand as they are and we can only find any form of peace from a strong position. Whether that's as equals with those without powers or as overlords, I don't know which will be easier to achieve right now." He stood up and limped closer to Diego, meeting his friend's eyes to try and convey his understanding. "We can't do this on our own, Diego. We'll only get so far by ourselves before they wear us down or find a weak point they can exploit. You remember what happened in the Civil War? That was one battle and both you and I were badly injured from fighting a small portion of the army, with no enemy Empowered. The more people we have on our side, listening to what you and I say and following us, the better our chances of coming out the other side victorious and still alive."

He watched carefully for Diego's response, hoping desperately he had convince his friend to stop his aggression for now. No longer was it simply aimed at those without powers, Diego's rage seemed to turn on at the drop of a hat and could be directed at anyone. The way his friend regarded those around him worried Julius; it was as if all he could see were pawns or tools for him to strike at those without powers, or enemies. Part of him suspected Diego might well be suffering from PTSD after the House but that was true of all of them, to some extent; no one could get out of that place and be the same person they were when they entered.

"If we're going to win, we have to take the whole government down and crush their armies all at once. Give it some time and we can take them down, together. Please Diego, just... let me do my thing for a little bit." He turned to Mari, with his easy smile returning.

"Thank you, Mira. I had a feeling this would be the case. Feel free to find a room to make your own, there should be plenty of space right now." He glanced at Faust, wondering how strictly the man would stick to his employer's instructions. "It might be an idea for you to go with Diego, Faust. The best way to keep me alive is keeping Diego alive, I won't be in any danger while he's around. Besides, if we can remove a few of the curfew teams out it'll be easier to move about. Don't go crazy though or they'll come in force. Oh, and..." He reached into his wallet and held out around $100 in notes to Diego.

"Try not to steal anything, although feel free to skip the queue."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Lillium
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Brooklyn – safe house

Nilin raised a brow at Diego’s callous attitude towards the war – especially the normals. The way he talked about it – bragged, really - and his utter disregard for common sense, such as killing through a squad of soldiers just to get a slice of pizza was worrisome. The man seemed to be on a downward spiral to self destruction and if they weren’t careful, they’d get caught within the blast radius. She wouldn’t even blink if he spontaneously combusted and took down a whole town anywhere out of her territory, it wouldn’t be her problem. Unfortunately, she was set with the task of dealing with him. It seemed like she had her work cut out for her. The young woman would’ve rubbed at her temples if she had been alone or pinched the bridge of her nose. Sadly, neither of those options were currently available.

When he finished talking to Faust, Diego turned to her once again. This time, the words that spewed from his mouth were more than enough to take offense to and strain their fragile truce. However, she’d heard far worse and she wasn’t exactly new to politics and power play. Retorting angrily or showing a less than neutral expression would’ve been accepting the bait – something she knew not to do. Besides, the fact that he was acting like an out of control hormonal teenager amused her greatly since his anger and retorts smacked of typical alpha male attitude. He was in her territory, under a truce with the Syndicate yet he acted like he was above repercussion and consequence.

It seemed that Diego Gomez was in need of a lesson in humility.

For the first time since she’d arrived there, her mask of neutrality broke as she let a smile flit onto her lips. Though her smile was beautiful and certainly held amusement, it lacked any warmth or friendship. It was more like the satisfaction of a predator having found weakness in its target. Before she could utter a word, however, Julius’ voice rang out. The barely suppressed anger in his voice took Nilin completely by surprise and she glanced at him, her earlier attention on Diego forgotten momentarily. The air in the room shifted currents, steadily growing more violent as if a storm was brewing. Julius spoke in a controlled voice despite the anger underlying it. He chastised his friend, explaining to him the matter at hand and Nilin found herself impressed with the man’s talent with words. What she accomplished by fear and cold, hard logic, he accomplished by understanding and reaching out. It was a tactic she’d rarely ever seen in this day and age, few, almost none could pull it off. The Syndicate had been right in choosing to ally with Julius Ragnarson. He was indeed a powerful man. When he was done getting his message across, he turned to her once again and offered her a smile, thanking her and gave her a pick of the rooms. She supplied the appropriate gratitude and obligatory smile and prepared to contact Karen to report the proceedings.

Julius’ answer to Faust pricked her interest and reminded her once again that she needed to look into who he was. He wasn’t a part of Julius’ group, that much was obvious. And he didn’t seem like an Empowered who was in need of a safe house or protection either. She bid Maribeth and Julius goodbye, clarifying that she needed to head back for a little bit and picked out a spacious if threadbare room for herself.

<Ren? Its done. Would you be so kind as to port me back?>

<Of course. Everything go alright? That took a bit longer than I expected. Teleporting you now.>
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by LupusIntus
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LupusIntus Your Inner Wolf

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Brooklyne Heights


Yar! Here be a long intro post! [+]


"Put your hands up and we'll make this quick." The one in front said, stepping in threateningly. Atticus slowly raised his hands above his head, one still clutching the knife. "What's that in your hand? Drop it or we'll drop you." The young man's face remained cold as, after a moment, he let the blade clatter to the floor. With a signal from the one in front, the second soldier moved in on Atticus while holstering the tazer and producing a pair of handcuffs. The first clicked the radio on his shoulder, stun gun never leaving the young man who stared back at him calmly. "We've got him. Send in the retrieval squad."

The soldier reached up and cuffed one of his arms, pulling it down to his back, but just as he reached for the second he noticed the tiny trickle of blood coming from the hand that had been gripping the knife ever so tightly. Before he could speak, the red tendrils shot out and wrapped him around the neck. He let out a choked cry of surprise as they quickly constricted his windpipe. The leader fired his stun-gun in alarm but Atticus was already moving, whipping the tangled soldier around to use as a shield. The prongs went into his chest and the young man wasted no time launching the twitching, jerking body at his comrades. Struck hard by the projectile, neither of the remaining soldiers could react as Atticus jumped through the glass window and landed on the fire-escape. Without a moment of hesitation he rolled over the edge as if to plummet to the alleyway bellow but instead more tendrils of bright crimson stretched out from a few of the dozen small cuts on his arms and face and wrapped around the metal, lowing Atticus safely to the street.

The sound of sirens already filled the air as the retrieval squad answered the call of the containment team and Atticus knew they would be combing the entire area for him in a matter of minutes. He took off on foot, running deeper into downtown Brooklyn and hoping he could reach the gang-controlled territory before they ran him down.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Whisket
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Whisket Real Looker

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Sean drank some water before putting it back in his backpack. His eyes widened a bit and he looked more intently at Yolanda when she received her power "Damn, that's some crazy shit, like something right out of a horror movie." Sean said, sounding rather impressed. "That's pretty sick, haven't run across anyone with anything like that before." Sean said somewhat trailing off. He looked around the station, they were the only ones in it that he could see, places like this were usually safe once curfew went down, but there's no telling what could happen.

"So I know it's late, and probably not the best time to start looking... buuut I think I know which direction to head in when curfews up." Sean said, Completely forgetting to tell her about his power. He was referring to the man whose watch he traded with, he was sure there was something going on with them. And there really was only one way to find out.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by wolverbells
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wolverbells

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Safe house - Brooklyn

Maribeth had smirked at the sound of Diego's comment and held back in a small laugh. It was funny to see how certain things had not changed even from the first day they had all met. Her good mood didn't last though. Not even the man from earlier could take Maribeth's attention away from the short story Diego shared with the group, gasping at what he had done to the soldier. She immediately recalled when he thanked her for letting him copy her power and it was like an off switch had been turned on. Her appalled look quickly turned in to a glare as she took a step away from him. Maybe if she hadn't been so livid, Julius' anger would have scared her, but they had no effect on her.

She stood quietly as the others spoke, trying to calm herself by taking in several deep breaths. When Mira mentioned leaving, Maribeth offered her a warm smile and watched her walk out. The deep breaths had not taken an effect on her; her anger rising once more as she turned her attention back to the three men in front of her. She was mad at Diego for not only using her ability, but for killing others. She understood that she was once willing to kill others with ease, but she had changed that and hoped the others saw it. She was also angry at Julius for choosing to simply scold Diego rather than take action. Usually she wouldn't have been this ridiculously enraged but something in her had snapped. It was weird, as if something elastic in her mind had been stretched to far and literally snapped. An uncomfortable feeling that had made her wince.

Without a word, she turned on her heel and began walking back to the room she had chosen. Sliding the table and chairs to opposite sides of the room as she moved them out of her way. She didn't want to be around anyone, not knowing how to exactly control her ability when she was too upset. If she hurt either one of her friends, she'd hate herself for it later, even if that's all she wanted to do at the moment. As she got to the room, the door slammed shut behind her without even having to flick her wrist or think about it at all. She didn't want to be locked up at the moment, but the curfew didn't allow her to do much, so she paced around in the room. Luckily, the room she had chose had a window that led to the backyard which led into woods. She noticed things around her beginning to shake and hover, including the small furniture. Not wanting to break anything, she walked to the window and opened it with a slight struggle. Once open, Mari climbed out and made her way down to the ground. It was a seemingly normal thing. Anyone that had seen it would had probably thought it was just a teenager trying to sneak out. "I'll be back" she muttered as she walked across the yard and into the trees, paying not attention to her surroundings for once. All she needed at the moment was enough space to be able to take her anger out without causing trouble.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Gonzo
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Gonzo Narcissist and Sarcastic Neucance

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The reaction that he got from Nilin concerning his (almost) genuine question surprised Diego. Usually when any woman was referred to a side piece, the last thing they would do is smile. However, he had no chance to find out her true feelings because of Julius’ outburst.

The outburst didn’t really surprise him, it was understandable and warranted. What surprised him is that he had the guts to stand up to Diego like he was now doing. Diego stayed silent as Julius talked to him. Diego’s eyes burned as his anger steadily increased, but that’s all that he let show of his emotion. It was all the same things he had been saying over and over, and Diego was sick of it.

Diego took a step forward, just in time to be handed $100. He took the cash, but didn’t take his eyes off of Julius at all, even when Mari had stormed out of the room. He waited until Nilin had teleported out, and the three were left. He reached out and took his friend by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up slightly so that his eyes were level Diego’s. He turned his head to Faust, then back to Julius.

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” he said in a low tone. “I will end you.”
Diego turned his head back to Faust. “Sorry. No pizza today.”

“I don’t know what he’s here for. But he’s your problem. Not mine. Don’t think that I’ll keep you alive. I’m not your body guard. You’re weak. Just like the rest of them. The weak don’t survive in this world. Not anymore.” He held up the money in front of Julius’ face and, in an instant, they erupted into flames. “I don’t need your damn charity,” he growled as he shoved Julius back. “I don’t need any of this. I’m not going to sit around and wait for the thugs to double-cross us like they normally do. If you want to do that, that’s fine by me.”

With that, he turned and stormed out of the room, and out of the building. Once outside, he paused, taking a deep breath and clenching his hands into fists. He turned his head toward the group of homeless people he had run into earlier. They stared back at him with a mixture of fear and interest. His eyes shifted to the trashcan. The fire was dying. He smiled darkly and walked closer to the group.

“Stand back. Now.” They complied, and Diego shot two streams of fire into the trashcan. It was like and explosion. Fire rose up at least a good fifteen feet, then died down to a roaring fire once Diego was finished shooting fire. He turned to the homeless, who almost cowered away from Diego. He smiled. Good. He thought to himself. “The fire should last you the rest of the night. You’re welcome.”

Before they had a chance to say anything, he turned and shot off into the sky.
Diego gritted his teeth as he flew, replaying the events that had just transpired in his head.

He almost didn’t notice the faint sound of sirens as he shot thought the night sky. He slowed significantly, looking around for the source of the sirens.

There, close to downtown Brooklyn, were multiple sets of blue and red lights flashing. It had to be another Super in trouble. Diego quickly shot in the direction, smiling darkly.
It didn’t take him long to find the Super, especially since no one was out at this time of night, and no one would be running like this guy was. Diego shot down into an alley in the Super’s path and waited. Sure enough, the male came running in front of the alley, and Diego lunged out, grabbing the kid by the arm and pulling him in. He shoved him up against the wall and covered his mouth.

“Don’t say a damn word,” he growled. “I’m here to help.”

The police cars shot past the alley, not bothering to slow down at all for fear that they might lose the Empowered. That didn’t mean that there would be foot patrols; they would be there within a couple of minutes. He could already hear them.

Diego stared into the other Empowered’s eyes and took his hand from his mouth. “Stay still. Don’t move. You won’t be able to outrun me if you do.” He flashed the guy a sinister smile, then backed up, letting a couple of sparks of electricity fly from his hands.

As if on cue, a retrieval squad stopped at the entrance of the alley. They raised their guns and paused. One of the soldiers started to speak, but was quickly cut down by a stream of electricity. He fell down in a convulsing heap. This prompted the other soldiers to fire their weapons. Diego shot up into the sky, and landed behind them. Two of the soldiers were picked up from their spots, and repeatedly slammed into the ground, head-first. They were dead in a matter of moments, but that didn’t stop Diego from continuing his assault on their bodies. The other two soldiers turned around and raised their guns again. The one on the right was hit with the flying bodies of the two previously killed soldiers. He was knocked back in front of Atticus, unconscious. The last soldier made a last ditch effort to stop Diego, and pulled the trigger, not letting go. Diego dove to the side, but not before being grazed by one of the bullets. He let out a hiss of pain and fell back. The soldier smiled and took a step forward, ready to kill. Diego stared at the man, urging him to try. The solder raised his gun again and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened. The soldier paused for a second, the fact that there were no more bullets in the gun registering in his head. By the time he was able to pull his pistol out of the holster, Diego was already standing. With a smile, he reached his hand out, then yanked up. The soldier widened his eyes for a moment, and then his head, and spine, were ripped clear out of his body. Diego threw it onto the ground, then made his way back into the alley. He gave Atticus a nod, then put his hand over his wound.

“Hey there. The name is Diego, and you are?”
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jinxer
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Jinxer The British One

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Safe house - Brooklyn

Julius said nothing as Mari and then Diego stormed out of the room separately, refusing to rise to Diego's threats and rage. He had hoped that his friend had calmed down in recent months but he still didn't think logically, as far as Julius was concerned, and had far too much confidence in his own abilities. As Diego left the room, Julius watched his friend go with a sad look spread across his face; it was just like it had been before and they had nearly come to blows then. The one thing he had learned was that he could not trust Diego simply to stand by them and support their efforts, he had his own ideas and would not sign up with anyone who believed in something even slightly different.

Absently, he noted that Mari had also left the building, although in a less dramatic fashion. Sighing, he sat down and massaged his temples with one hand, the other resting on the scarred bullet wound on his upper thigh; he found that when he was stressed it tended to ache more which dulled his mind. Faust was still there and Julius raised an eyebrow at him in sarcastic mirth.

"An interesting crowd, wouldn't you agree?" He asked rhetorically before spinning the chair around and opening the laptop. The two had both left the area he could observe with his power so he had to rely on the street cameras Alexis had hacked for him previously. He watched Diego's confrontation and closed his eyes as the carnage came to a close.

If this carries on we'll end up fighting. I doubt either of us would survive that fight though. No... he'd probably kill me. No matter how bad he gets I won't be able to bring him down.

He moved the streams from the cameras in Diego's area off the screen. If he got intro trouble then it was his choice and he'd reap what he sewed; more likely he'd fight his way out gruesomely and Julius had no desire to see such massacre. He couldn't find Mari which concerned him a little but he knew she could look after herself; his desire to control strategy completely was partially what had caused this divide in their group in the first place. At least he could hope that Mari's attitude towards those without powers, Julius still couldn't bring himself to call them 'Normals' for the negative connotations for those like him, had softened in the last six months. She had certainly showed a few signs to that effect, anyway.

"Sometimes I wished I could kill people like he does... it would make everything so much easier." He muttered, rubbing his wound again. How many more injuries would he sustain in the coming months? He thought of Allistair and thanked whichever cosmic being was listening that he had sent her away until it was safe again, although he could feel the support she had always given him slipping away and his resolve weakening with every day she was gone. He minimised all the programs on the computer so that his desktop picture of her, smiling with their labrador Caesar running between her legs to trip her up, was visible. He closed his eyes and reopened the cameras; he had a job to do, his mental stability could come later.
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