[center][u][b]Sector Zero[/u][/b][/center]

Julian was quietly strumming a few soft notes on his Lutar as he sat alone in the middle of one of the cafeteria's tables. He was sitting with his back to the wall, in a position in which he could observe everyone around him as he finished eating his meal. He was given time to unwind and get familiar with his dorm, which was pretty roomy and comfortable relative to his previous shelter. He was even shown to the far ends of the Sector Zero, where the Golden Mercenaries were either training, learning, planning, or deploying. 

"So whatcha' think, Locks?" Julian stirred to attention as the energetic voice broke his concentration. He looked to his side to see Kisheto taking a seat by him in a similar position, looking out to the civilians before them. "Think 'bout what, brothah? Life? Love? Our situation?" he chuckled softly as he continued to pluck out smooth notes on his Lutar. As he waited for Kisheto answer, he reached into his pouch and pulled out another joint, placing it in his mouth before lifting a lighter to the tip and setting it ablaze. Kisheto scoffed, "About joinin' their mutant squad, yo. They want you 'cuz you got one of them in yah, y'know?" Julian inhaled and smiled as he nodded gently. He exhaled slowly and smoothly, turning to Kisheto before speaking. "They want because they need me, brothah. They are fighting for the freedom ah' these people," he said as he gestured towards the civilians with a quick chin nod. "In all honesty, that's enough for me to join the battle, yuh get me, brothah?" Kisheto chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, that's cool."

Julian then raised his brow, "Wait up now, brothah, you aren't a host, then?" He had forgotten to ask the question, rather, he had assumed that Kisheto simply was one. Kisheto shook his head, "Nah, nah, I'm normal, thankfully. Oh, uh, no offense, heheh." He scratched the back of his head as he chuckled, and Julian simply smiled and took another drag of his joint.

Kisheto smiled, "Y'know, I'm gonna join em anyway. I heard they're gonna be going on a scouting mission in a bit and if I can learn to wield a rifle and take the risk, then I'm allowed to tag along. Would be a good experience, plus, I'd be like a hero, heh." Julian laughed as the boy spoke and reached over to pat his back, "Aye, brothah. A hero, indeed."

---
[center][b][u]A dimly lit shuttle en route to Sovereign[/b][/u]

[/center]

"...she'll be an easy one." 

The hum of the shuttle was one of the very few sounds that filled the ominous air as the gathered individuals stared at the man standing in the middle. The shuttle was a miniature transport, and the left and right sides of the interior held 8 individuals fastened to their seats while the man in the center was merely a hologram - a projection of data via long distance 3D video communication. Next to his projected body was the profile and snapshot of a young woman - "Arianna Chyrstein".

"She's at priority stage 2, simply because we want her gone. Her abilities, if honed, could let a lot of intel slip, but reports indicate she has minimal control relative to you gang of fuckers."

The group remained silent save for the snarls of a very heavy-built man at corner of the 4-seated left side. right next to him, a rather contrasting, shrewd and scrawny figure responded to his bout of irritation, "Somethin' the matter, Karth? Can't hit girls?" He snickered at his own remark, angering the larger man, who was dressed pure black, wearing a tank top with heavy military grade pants and boots. His second growl was muffled by a mask that covered the lower half of his face, revealing only two icy blue eyes and a bald head. The smaller man was also dressed in black, like the rest of the group, except his outfit resembled a longer wetsuit, consisting of a thick, fibrous material that covered every inch of his body excluding his head, which simply donned a pair of green goggles. 

The man in the center sighed and looked to the smaller man, "We use codenames here, [i]Lizard,[/i]" he commanded in a firm tone. He then turned to a man sitting across from Karth, "Ah, yes, before we proceed, let me introduce the newcomer. Codename: Ghost." The man sat grasping the handles of the bars that secured him to his seat. He was large as well, not nearly as big or built as Karth, but appeared to be capable of putting up a fight as he seemed rather lean. He wore a black trenchcoat with the same military grade cargo pants underneath a black shirt and black mesh skirt that held multiple pouches. His hair was also black, slicked back, and was healthy enough to have the rest of the group assume he was young, as his eyes were not reliable sources behind the black sunglasses he wore.

"Ghost has very.... unique powers. Selective tangibility. You'll find him to be a very strong asset to our cause. Ghost, here we have Orc," he said pointing to Karth, "whom we consider to be the brawn. He's our tank. Next to him we have Lizard, eh, a very unique ability... Able to secrete and project poison and... crawl walls.... and.. creepy lizard shit." He shuddered as Lizard snickered at his description. "Next to Lizard we have Zerox," as he stated this, he gestured towards a rather average-built man who wore a medium-weight black armor upon his torso with the same black cargo pants that Orc and Ghost wore. He also accented his outfit with a black bandanna that covered his medium length, wavy brown hair. "Zerox can clone himself, and, well, pretty simply really. Works well with diverting attention. And next to Zerox, we have Pyrus. He lights things on fire." Pyrus nodded to Ghost. He wore a black tanktop like Orc did, except his arms were covered in combat bandaging, as well as his calves which were exposed as he wore low, baggy black cargo shorts. He was a rather skinny individual, with a very thin frame that contrasted his long, shoulder length, black hair. His eyes were a bright red, which only further accented his face along with multiple piercings. "Across from Pyrus, we got Flash, she's a tough one, she is," he said with a chuckle as he pointed to the woman. She looked rather young, still in her 20's, and she wore a jet black leather jacket over a dark purple tanktop, still donning the familiar black cargos underneath. Her hair was a distinct off-shade black, with unnatural tints of purple in it. "The lass can teleport, enough said. To her right is Nekros... um... he's uh...we don't speak of him much." Mention of the man's name instantly silenced the room, as he was a hooded figure, only his pale lips and chin being visible underneath the black hood that covered it. The hood itself was a part of long black robe that he wore over a black tanktop and cargos. He sat motionless, holding a long scythe vertically in between his legs. The scythe was black, including the blade, and nearly touched the top of the shuttle. "Finally, we have Fang, our devilish, young vampire," he said pointing to a younger looking female. She seemed to be in her late teens, and wore a black, leather suit that seemed to reveal more than it should. She smiled mischievously and nodded to the man on her right. 

[center][youtube]aVxiUNnDPJ4[/youtube][/center]

The man in the center then cleared his throat, "Well, now that that's settled, let's move on with it. Here's a stage 1 that we might as well get out of the way."

The screen flickered and then stabilized, replacing Arianna's picture with that of and Edward Vates. "Little defenseless chap. Well, not really, but just get him the fuck to Sin already. He could easily be a thorn in our side if not dealt with early." Once more, the screen flickered and was replaced with a picture of an 'Iktomi Ascher'. "Ah, a stage 2. Mr. Ascher, well, I believe that's his name. Intel on this fucker is sloppy as all hell. We believe he may be runnin some sort of underground operation. We suspect a possible insurrection or maybe a supply chain, but either way. He needs to be gone." After another flicker, a picture of a female known as the 'Banshee' appeared. "Oh, this little bitch. Stage 2, also, but really, as long as you don't get scared away by her psychotic, satanic little ways, you shouldn't have much a problem snapping the little tormented girl's neck. Tails suspect possible affiliation with the Ascher fucker." The screen began flickering once more only to reveal another image. "Oh. A stage 3. Pay attention."

The man cleared his throat and began, "Ishigo, the damn slippery motherfucker. He's one of the four priority stage 3 targets that we have. Well, 3, now, since we just killed Mrs.- oh, um... nevermind, that's confidential. But yes, the bastard can mold with the shadows and move 'round the field like a fucking streak of lightning. He packs a punch, so don't take the fucker lightly or you'll be bagged, tagged, and dragged to the pits of Sovereign's hell holes. Kill him quick, the SECOND you see him or anyone that looks like anything like him." 

The screen flickered once more to reveal the image of Hector Esteves, "And finally, one of the other stage 3's. Little beaner Hector, god damn I hate this runt. No host, simply a very influential fucker that needs his throat slit faster than I can bust a nut to the thought of decapitated, Gaian whores. You know what to do."

The image faded, and he looked to the group around him. Fang raised her hand and giggled, "Well, Commander Lide, what 'bout the other stage 3? Don't be hiding away possible bites for me, yah hear?" Lide smiled, "Of course, dear, you know I woudn't but... we don't have any names or images of the last stage 3. Our... um, well, a good name to our cause simply tells us that this individual holds a kage that possesses a very great amount of power. Power that should be snatched the second we have the chance, else we risk losing everything. Now. Get ready, we're gonna hit Sovereign soon. You know what you gotta do, Hunters. Enjoy the kills."