Los Angeles

In a small comedy club near downtown LA, Light was performing slapstick and other physical comedy for an audience, needing a bit of money. It varied from simple hammer shenanigans, to more complex body dismemberment things, often times calling up someone from the audience to suggest the next thing to happen, all while Saturday morning cartoon music played in the background. She got a modicum of success when it came to laughs, often from the few kids that some parents brought, but most of the parents seemed appalled. As she was giving her closing speech to not do anything they've seen her do ever, pointing out she was sort of a cartoon herself, a loud thump could be heard from outside the building.

As the people filed out, Light decided to take a look. Storing the wooden hammer prop she had used under her dress, she exited out through the back stage and climbed the nearby fire escape to get to the roof of the buildings, then hopped across a few roofs to get to where she heard the sound to see what was going on. While most of the people nearby either didn't hear the thump or care, Light saw a figure on top of the building, looking out over the horizon. "Hey, careful you don't collapse any buildings. I could hear you from the comedy club down the block there!" she said as she approached the young man with the strange muscular body and racing jacket, part of him looking lke some animal.. She then heard police sirens and ambulences in the distance, something she had gotten used to living in this city.

After all, with all the metas, crime had both gone up and down, depending on the goal of said meta. Light herself usually defended the non metas when she could, especially the children who, from the few that knew her, liked her a lot and often saw her shows. So when she heard gunshots or loud noises near any of the places where she was preforming, she oftne checked them out to see what the problem might be. While sometimes it was nothing, often times it was some meta or gang or something, and this was one of those times. The only question was if the meta was friendly or not.

Dean sprung into action using his powers to protect the non--meta's form the oncoming attack filtering them all out and away form the mayhem as best as he could,"Damn it damn it come on get out of here..." He said to the humans some ran some even throw rocks at his face which annoyed him but he wasn't going to lose himself to his sister who would have killed them already.He kept rushing them along while using a near by debris to protect them form the attackers slowly it was sinking in that he or rather his sister had enough of being thrown around like a rag doll.

"Once all of these filthy humans leave please let me at the nuisance please brother let me kill him" Jenni said but Dean just shook his head making Jenni very angry making him cringe in pain for a moment,"Fuck...fine but once all of these people leave...and please do not kill any innocents...promise me" Dean said calmly letting the rest of the humans to leave while Jenni mentally smiled to herself now that she would have fun.

COLLABERATIVE POST BETWEEN LETTER BEE & RUMIKO
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cypress woke in a room more...hospitable than the one she had been held in. Unlike the cell that Aperture had held her in, this room actually had a bed, a big fluffy piece with pillows and silk sheets. Cypress also found herself in pajamas, instead of the 'shock suit' that she had been wearing. There was also a nearby table with sandwiches and tea, a television, and a computer. On the ceiling there was a large StuCorp label; an open declaration of who brought her here.

How long she'd been out Cypress didn't know but as soon as she felt that she was free of the torture suit she began jacking up her ability to it's max. So when she opened her eyes she almost dropped everything within her range down to zero friction till she looked around puzzled. She was in a comfortable bed and someone had dressed her in PJs and she briefly thought of it as all a trick.

Her suspicions were still running high so she wrapped herself tightly in a Zero field that would deflect attacks on her person. She was though oddly dressed ready for combat as her training swept the room for every advantage. She saw the StuCorp logo but that did little to relax her emotions

The door opened, and a handsome, red-haired, green-eyed man, with tan skin, wearing a formal suit, and looking as though he were in his early 20s (he was actually 30), with an expression of youthful enthusiasm that made him look childlike instead of childish, went through. This was Gary Stuart, the Metahuman CEO of StuCorp; while DIrector Taylor was also a Metahuman, the latter was secretly so, while the former flaunted his status openly. His A-class power? The ability to create portals of darkness, which only worked on inanimate objects, and can penetrate at least four of Avalon's Anti-Meta defenses. Either way, he spoke:

"Hello, Cypress," he said affably. "I see you're awake. Now, let's get down to business."

"I am not here to hold you against your will, nor am I here to coerce you to do anything you don't want to. But, I won't lie; circumstances will force us to work together anyway." He then turned on the television, and showed Cypress a recording of the Anti-Metahuman activist's message, as well as its chaotic aftermath. After waiting for her to absorb the relevant information, he then continued:

"Right now, this is the only place you're both safe and comfortable in. Again, you don't have to do anything for me. If you want, you can stay here in comfort, constantly maintained by me and my company, for an indefinite time. But," he smiled, "you won't want that, would you?"

Cypress allowed Mr. Stuart remain standing as she sorted out her situation and when he seemed determined to make a presentation she took a seat on the edge of the bed. She listened as he played a recording of what seemed only a little better than a KKK Grand Dragon's message of hate. The man went on and on about how people like her were against humanity and needed to be controlled or destroyed. It seemed that she was being used by these haters as a propaganda doll as well and the riot they went into was as bad as any she'd ever seen.

"Right now, this is the only place you're both safe and comfortable in. Again, you don't have to do anything for me. If you want, you can stay here in comfort, constantly maintained by me and my company, for an indefinite time you won't want that, would you?" He finished saying

My, my it seems so much has changed while slept and I seem to have been vilified in the bargain.
It's so good that you offer me your hospitality at no expectation of myself as well.
Though it does sound a bit Catch-22
I mean if as you say I am free you add that I would be in danger if I did leave. Then I am offered a gilded cage in which to reside.
But you were correct in deducing that I couldn't remain still will there is a crisis a foot. she says as sweetly and honestly as possible.

Standing the air around Cypress shimmers as if she were blanketed by heat waves.
I will require full disclosure of any information on any subject I am engaged in directly or indirectly.
I will cooperate but not follow orders in any engagement as I expected to be treated as an equal partner and not a subordinate.
Sorry if I should sound so demanding but in light of recent experience I don't want any misunderstandings

"Done," spoke Gary, "as for the Catch-22, I am a CEO after all. Also, it does help that I only have hazy notions of what to do with you - wait, I have an idea!" He then smiled. "You see, some of the braver Pro-Metahuman groups are staging counter-protests in the city, and let's just say that it is...political suicide to actively defend them; it would be bad for public relations. However, there's nothing saying that one cannot distract the Anti-Metahuman gangs and protesters from harming their opponents." Gary was sure that Cypress was catching up to what he planned for her.

He then pulled out his smartphone, and, with a few presses, projected a map showing the various trouble spots in the city.

"What do you say to diverting the mobs and rioters from harming their fellow citizens? If you don't want that job, well - Erueka! You can also help my friends pursue Nightingale - who turned traitor - and Elijah, who are running away right now. Or perhaps look for Ruby who seems to have been successfully turned to Aperture's side. Or, perhaps look for the person behind these riots in the first place - so many ideas!" He said enthusiastically. "Problem is, I don't have ready-made dossiers. So, basically, I'll just lend you my smartphone; it contains all the info you need."

Cypress listened to Gary talk and couldn't help but realize how cobbled together the group she was joining was. She hated to admit it but one thing AL had going for it was an anal attention to detail that bordered on Obsession.

It was while thinking of AL that Cypress remembered an asset that she once met that worked only on assignment contracts; Miss Elliot Sinclair was her name and her Meta ability was so unusual that she was scary.

I think I know of someone who might be very helpful as an investigator. I met her when I was home visiting the Judge. Her name was Elliot Sinclair and I've never heard of anyone with her talent. Miss Sinclair is a Genius, Omnilinguist and most importantly a Psychometrist. With her ability to look into the past Miss Sinclair is a detective without peer.
When I met her she was working on a strange missing persons case that had led her to Yahzoo. She followed the trail to New Orleans and uncovered human organ distribution network that was responsible for 100s of murders.
I once mentioned her name to the Lab and they said they didn't have much use for someone with her talent.
Now that I think of it her ability to see into the past would make anyone with something to hide nervous. That makes sense now why AL didn't even want me to invite her on the property.
Cypress say as she thinks about what Sinclair told her back then.

1 YEAR AGO

"Cypress I can't tell you how lovely of you to help me with my work this has been though you surely needn't. It's not often that I get to work under such protection as you provide. If not for you when those scum found me too close to their operation I'd be filled with bullet holes" said the sweet english girl as she hugged Cypress.

Cypress laughed saying It was nothing really, all I did was shield us with a zero friction field.
What you did was nothing short of amazing, with you around no murder ever need go unsolved, no crime can escape exposure, me I'm just an elementalist but I've never heard of anyone like you

"Modesty is a charming trait Cypress and you even more lovely because it is so honest." Sinclair then kissed Cypress surprising her

Then as Cypress turned red from embarrassment Sinclair said "For you Cypress I would cheerfully any aid or service you require of me if only to enjoy your company."

After that Sinclair gave Cypress a private why to get in touch with her that she said only her family, the crown and very close friends knew but even then they might need wait for her but for Cypress she'd come on the wings of Mercury.

Cypress looks at Gary and says I know she'll come if I ask her to and even if she can't stay long her help would be invaluable

As she remembers her parting with Sinclair Cypress Blushes deep red"

"That..." spoke Gary, "that would be great! I'd love to meet Ms. Sinclair." He then smiled. "Sorry for the lack of preparedness, but, well, we're the underdogs; we're supposed to roll with the punches and make up our own responses. So..." he continued, "does that mean you've decided to look for the agitator?"

Cypress smiles answering Why certainly I will look for the person that has tried to paint me as some monster against humanity but first I'll need to secure help

"You'll have it," spoke Gary.

((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Mass City))
18,000 feet above Nebraska.

The big blue, sliver, and white plane known as Air Force One was traveling across the US from Hawaii to Washington DC. The Presidential airplane was going to Joint Base Andrews in Washington. The plane was a specialized Boeing 747 that was designed to comfortably be a flying White House. In the back of the plane the deputy press secretary was doing her best to keep the reporters at bay. In the conference room the intelligence staff of the President were discussing potential solutions to the LA Crisis as the media were now dubbing it.
In the nose of the plane sat the President's office and private quarters. The office was in front of the quarters and the presidential quarters were rather nice for a head of state. The President had slept on the bed in the plane many times before. Now was not one of those times.

The LA chaos was making him angry. He hated being angry but the leader of the free world could be allowed to be upset at those murdering his citizens. This massacre that vegan days ago had forced him to come from Hawaii and return to his job. His doctors were warning him that his heart may need to be watched, but he did not get the luxury to take a vacation.The Leader of the Free World had to make a decision, he was against sending troops to enforce the law but now he had no choice.
The President dialed the number for Davis Lawton. "Lawton here." Lawton answered tiredly.

"Lawton when I touch down I will make a brief statement to the press at Andrews.Then get the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Intelligence chiefs, and the Congressional Leadership at the White House. I want to send troops to LA. Also I want to activate a contingency plan."
Lawton was slack jawed at the president's choice of words. "Sir is this a good idea?"
The President sighed. "I don't know Lawton but I will try to protect as many lawful citizens as I can."
"Yes sir." Lawton hung up to arrange the meeting meeting.

LA (somewhere in gridlock)

Elena was very upset her van was blocked in by the horrendous LA traffic that was made worse by recent events in the city. Looters were beginning to gain courage and her scanner had already reported at least twenty-five shootings in the city as she traveled. The FBI tactical team was ready in a helicopter if and when something should pop up.

Then it popped up.
"We interrupt your broadcast to report a massacre at the Disney Concert Hall it is unknown the exact number of dead and injured but Mayor Johansen is missing."
Elena heard the news and flipped on the van's lights and sirens. The FBI van began to slowly move towards the Disney Hall.

Washington DC

In the West Wing of the White House, Davis Lawton was busy reading up on the NSA's new program, Aurora Damocles. The current program was a modification of Echelon 6.0 but if it was used it could find many metas through online activity. It was still six months from large scale trials but the program was successful in the small scale.
Lawton knew the President wanted the program activated early because it was necessary. Lawton hoped the situation was made better soon.

LA (Closer to the Disney Theater)

Elena did not want to do this but she felt she had to call King...
Constantine, who was with Cedric, answered:
"I knew you'd call, Elena. I heard the news; some Rogue Meta successfully abducted the Mayor, right?"
"It's possible, FBI doesn't have a clue right now. I don't know what will happen but martial law is probably a sure thing at the moment because of dead civilians and cops." Reyes said driving the van.
"That's terrible," spoke Constantine, "and, by that, it's completely expected; Gary tried to preempt such an attack by using the Government Registry to send some people to protect the protesters in Walt Disney Hall - he even anticipated that that would be the target because, well, Disney - but he failed. Nevertheless, this is going to put a crimp on our freedom of action." Cedric, meanwhile, was just sitting there, terrified at the implications of Constantine's words.
"Gary's people ought to still be there; watch out for them while the FBI hunts down the Rogue Meta; friendly fire is not something we can afford just now - sorry if I said something you already know."

Cedric, meanwhile, spoke up:
"So, does this mean that the hunt for Elijah and Nightingale is off? I anticipate it might be the case, considering the fact that we have a worse danger."
"We will still search for them but current efforts will be on helping the injured in at the Disney concert hall. " Elena had heard on the radio the President's Press Secretary make a quick statement on how the President had his prayers for those whom have died today.
"Look it may do nothing, Government may not want to deal with metas but the problem them idiots, powered and no are causing will be to difficult to stop once the balloon goes up. I have some familiarity with the plans but most of what I know are just the obvious responses."
"Look King if you go to the theater be careful. And for god sakes don't take the kid there. It's probably a goddamned mess that he not need to see." Reyes was imagining Oklahoma City or the World Trade Center after 9/11. "Also the last thing I need is my boss ripping me a new one because a kid ran into danger! Hey fuck you buddy! FBI! Gett outta my way!" Reyes screamed at an irate Beverly Hills native in his SUV.

Once the commotion had stopped, it was now Constantine's turn to speak again:
"One more question, is it viable to take Healing Spore with me, if I do go to the Walt Disney Concert Hall?" Healing Spore was the Government's secret Meta Doctor, whose sole power was, obviously, to send out spores that instantly regenerated the worst of injuries. Enough to rate an A-Class level in technical terms, but, in actual fighting, less than D. "Or would it be politically inadvisable?" he spoke the last two words with contempt.
"What, are you crazy?" spoke Cedric. "Healing Spore is one of our greatest assets! If we lose her, we might as well have lost the war; Healing-type Metas are one of the few things we have an advantage on. I mean, look at how she healed Caro."

Constantine looked at Cedric with mingled anger and sadness; he seemed to be a lot kinder and milder when directly confronting Elijah, but it seemed as though, right now, the boy was, well, acting like the typical Jerkass Woobie, venting his anger at being abandoned by his family, used as a punching bag by others, and then being put through basic training on others. Well, best to respond:
"Cedric, don't be heartless; that's my job."
"Oh, yeah, well you're doing a bad job at it! That said, yeah, I see where you're coming from; the carnage, it turns my stomach as well. But Healing Spore would just be lynched by the people she'll try to heal!" Cedric was almost shouting; he liked Healing Spore for obvious reasons.
"Healing Spore is to remain where she is. We do not want her exhausted if a larger event occurs." replied Elena.
"Then I won't be going," spoke Constantine. "I'll just have to trust my adoptive brother, then." He sighed; he hated the long wait for events to happen; it was one of the many annoyances of working for Intelligence.
"Then neither goes." Elena was not sending a child towards a damaging area. "That is final."
"You know," Constantine felt the urge to quip, "you're raising Cedric to be like yourself; all cold, hard, and pragmatic. Kind of how I used to be."
"What do you want me to risk him? I am not sending him to a dangerous situation because I care about him." Elena replied.
"Ah," spoke Constantine, "when I spoke about taking Healing Spore, I meant that I was going to take her instead of the kid."
"Fine take her." Elena said dodging traffic.
"Thank you!" shouted Constantine enthusiastically while Cedric scowled, and then said:
"You have a tendency to get your way, you know that?"
"Yes, yes I do," replied Constantine.

Ground Zero…

While skipping through the stairs down to the radio station hall, Alec somehow felt that he was missing something. Like he just had a good opportunity to be a savior but chose to ignore it. He took a glimpse of his watch while moving, before shifting his gaze towards the front door, his escape route. The watch showed 17:59. As expected, a police patrol was waiting to apprehend him just outside.

“Drop the briefcase and put your hands behind your head!”, one of the officers barked, both of them aiming their pistols at him. Miller decided to comply. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from what seemed to be one or two blocks away, accompanied by a number of muffled screams. That caught the two officers off guard and granted the meta an opening. The moment they turned their head around, Alec grabbed his briefcase and swiftly but surely hit one of the officers in the head, instantly knocking him to the ground. He chose the fun route with the other one, disarming him of his gun first before bashing his head in the police car’s wing mirror. Blood was spilled, but nobody died.

Though it didn’t seem like it, the loud explosive noise did catch Alec’s attention too. He accommodated himself in the cruisers driver’s seat before leaning a bit close to listen to what the dispatcher has to say.

“Call to all units in the vicinity! We got a 10-80, Disney Concert Hall!”, the woman spoke in a rather unconcerned tone. Either being cold blooded was a requirement to be a dispatcher, or she didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

Soon as he heard the call, Alec started the engine and made a run for it. Ever since he returned from his short vacation, things started moving a lot faster. Or maybe they always moved at this same pace, he wasn’t sure. The car was a police one, so he wasn’t as vigilant this time; he kept navigating through tight spaces, lightly bumping into other cars all just so that he could save some time and reach the place before things would get out of hand. A 10-80 is a police code for an explosion, so an explosion of that magnitude must have left a lot of civilian casualties.

By the time he arrived at the location, the damage had already been done. The police vehicle and the entire Disney Concert Hall had something in common; they were both wrecked beyond repair. Whoever did this was a meta, and a powerful one at that. What came close to surprising Alec was that there were other metas on the sites who were aiding the protester, even though the protesters weren’t reciprocating.

Out of all the most horrible scenarios Alec had witnessed, and that’s a long list of events, seeing a meta attempt to evacuate civilians while being greeted with a barrage of rocks from the same people he’s trying to spare was the most painful one. It was an enormous waste of time and energy.

But of course, the ungratefulness of a group doesn’t reflect the stance that the entire society has on metahumans. Even though overwhelmed, Alec still believed that they could come to a mutual agreement, always if there is a war prevented.

His pondering was interrupted by the sound of sirens in the distance. The cavalry was coming, which meant it was time for the hero to make himself scarce.

"I want to heal those people as much as you do, but, well, are you sure you can hide me from them?" Healing Spore, a beautiful, black-haired, green-eyed, muscular and buxom 25-year old clad in a green spandex suit, spoke. Her tone was worried, she was not often used to being outside, due to the fact that as the Government's medic, she spent most of her time healing others. Right now, she and Constantine were in a car heading towards the battlezone, a car marked FBI.

"Don't worry; Elena will be there, too, and if all else fails, I have my image-manipulation powers," Constantine then smiled, hiding his fear for the both of them. Finally, though, they reached the scene of the massacre, where, it seemed, Gary's people - or person - was being pelted with stones by the people he was trying to protect. Well, at least they would be distracted. Using his powers to make himself and Healing Spore invisible (except to Elena if she's here), as well as to make it look as though the car hadn't been opened at all, Constantine/Insert and Spore went outside, looking for those who can be saved.

Healing Spore's, well, spores, are usually emittted from her hands, and have a range of a few meters. So, Constantine and Spore will have to do some travelling; going from knot after knot of wounded people, showering them with healing spores, then using Constantine's power to hide said spores, making it look as though the people spontaneously regenerated.

Of course, the crowd was not dumb, and knew that a Meta was healing them, and that said Meta was in the premises. So, they got out their clubs and rocks and improvised weapons and started looking for them. But thanks to Constantine's power, they were always one step ahead. Oh, and whenever Constantine and Healing Spore did stumble across someone, they made themselves look like ordinary protesters.

John was jumping from building to building like a superhuman athlete when he heard someone shout at him as he landed on the roof of another building. he turned around and saw Light.

"I am busy doing hero work or vigilantism however you want to call it, I don't really care if my superhuman leaping skills are disruptive of your comedy club, they're practically almost dead thanks to the internet and television" he said to her and would he would have said more, but then he heard a scream for help and John turned to see where the cry was coming from. his keen eyes spotted a woman hanging by one hand on the ledge of a tall building that was at least twelve stories high and he knew he only had a matter of second before she fell to her certain death.

"Sorry to cut our nice conversation short, but duty calls" John said and with those words he leaped from the building sailing over a city black and then landed on the roof of a store across the street from the building. just then the woman fell and began to descend at a rapidly quick rate towards the pavement below. John timed his leap and jumped towards the falling woman. He reached out for her with his outstretched hands and he grabbed her out of the air. he then held her safely in his arms as they continued to fall towards the ground. he braced himself for the impact and slammed his feet into the ground causing the ground to crack from sheer force of the impact.

witnesses who had seen the whole thing were cheering at his act of heroics and John wondered this meant that he was going to be the next big hero on the scene. he didn't care too much for popularity, as long as he got to take it to the bad guys.

"Thank you sir" the woman said in a shaken voice as he let her stand on her own.

"No problem just be careful next time, i can't be everywhere at once like Superman" John said with a smile and then leaped five three hundred feet into the air and then landed the roof of a apartment. he then jumped from one roof to the next until he was back on the roof where he had left Light. He was about to talk some more when he heard commotion going on at the Disney Theater off in the distance.

"If you want to talk some more then I suggest you keep up and don't get killed, it looks like there's a riot going on over there" he said to Light and then jumped off of the roof and began leaping towards the Disney Theater.

Light watched as the guy jumped to save someone who, by all intents and purposes, probably shouldn't have been in that position, then act all tough and jump towards where Light heard the police sirens. Taking a closer look, she saw that it was the disney concert hall, a place she played at only once, though the owners didn't approve of her slapstick shenanigans, probably because they were disney and not warner bros, but she digressed.
"Well, hes got the right idea I suppose. but man does he have a stick up his butt." Light said to herself as she follows the guy, not able to make the leaps he was doing, but was still able to keep to the rooftops all the same. while the other guy got there much faster than she did, she did manage to get there in a timely fasion.

Light observed from the rooftop she was currently on a big riot around the Disney Center, which was undoubtedly on fire. Most of the rioters seemed to be yelling about very hateful things about metas. Surprisingly enough the police weren't doing much of anything, Light would think that they'd at least use some riot grenades or tear gas considering the violent weapons most of these rioters were using, but nope.
"You'd think the LAPD would be all over this. Do they want vigilanties to take all the blame or glory for stopping a violent riot? I dunno anymore...." Light said to herself in annoyance. while she was sure none of the rioters was an actal threat to her, she stayed where she was until things got violent again. If the police did nothing, she'dprobably jump in and so something.

Who protects the rearguard?

In a helicopter above LA

"Wonderful little stunt that's being performed down at that riot. Whomever is behind it certainly knows how to attract every person with a scrap of authority in a twenty mile radius." This statement was followed by a smooth chuckle as the Doctor filled Ruby in on what exactly she was doing so high up. "Every Hero in this city is down there trying to keep the peace. Every cop is either dead, dying or holding back from a crowd that they don't even want to approach. So, who else to call up but the Federal Bureau themselves! This really is quite wonderful! I'm sending details to your system now, I'll fill you in as you go."

Ruby was precariously leaning from the side of the helicopter as the pilot made a quick turn, heading deeper into the city. They were high up and their unmarked copter wasn't going to draw much attention - the entire area was covered with either police helicopters or news helicopters. Ruby did spare a slight thought to the chaos she could cause by slamming one into another but that wasn't her objective right now. She could see the chaos mounting down below as the swathes of rioters clashed with people who were genuinely interested in helping them. "I know how you love infiltrating places you aren't welcome so this mission will hold a special place in your heart, Ruby." That did earn the Doctor a small smirk beneath her helmet as she surveyed the scene.

Soon enough, all vision of the chaos was lost to her and the small team of confused-looking soldiers. She was going in by herself, they were just the mop-up crew if everything went awry. "Got that Doc. Bringing files up now." She informed him, sounding preoccupied as she checked her wrist-mount for the details of the job. Terrorist plot mock-up: easy. "They must have pissed you off something serious Doc." She murmured as she analysed just what she had to do.

"Not particularly." The man languished, she could hear the boredom from his tone of voice. Doctor Taylor was a man of science and corruption - blowing stuff up wasn't exactly his most favoured process of bringing something to heel. "It's just that the president thinks he can rely on those fools. I need him to invest in building a small army of those new comba- well, you know the rest." She smiled softly at that - girls were usually impressed by flowers or romantic acts. What impressed Ruby was when the Doctor, an admittedly attractive looking man, built her a whole suit of armour (the third one), some brand new weapons and then began development on some new machines directly for her to control. She was starting to think he liked her.

As they slowly hovered above a building opposite the FBI LA Headquarters, Ruby stepped to the edge when she heard a worried voice in her helmet. "Ma'am, it's much too high to jump." Smiling brightly, she slipped her helmet off before turning to the source and leaning down to him. "It's not dangerous. It's just falling with style. Thank you for the concern though, I'll see ya around!" She smirked and pulled a piece of gum from his armour before popping it into her mouth, lowering her helmet and hopping free of the moving vehicle.

It wasn't a particularly long fall and if it wasn't for wonderful Aperture, she would have been squashed under the weight of the armour. The suit handled it wonderfully though and as her feet hit the ground, the shock was instantly dispelled by the shock-absorbers mounted to her boots. Giving a small salute to the helicopter which continued flying off, she turned towards her target. "Systems are looking good, Ruby. Deploy aero-bots when you see fit." She climbed to the edge of the building before analysing the opposing windows. Almost naturally, four small robots unfurled from her back and took to the air, following her hand gesture and flying towards a window on the FBI building. Waiting for a few seconds, she allowed them to do their job of cutting the glass away as they stuck themselves to the high-rise window before pushing it open, the entire glass pane falling in a controlled heap.

What happened next wasn't too hard, she just shot a hook that embedded itself in the floor before sliding over there. The next bit was the hard bit - navigating the building. Of course, her drones had now taken up defensive positions around her, sweeping areas and making sure Ruby was safe. The building was nigh-on empty but she kept to the maintenance ladders and various other less-used areas until eventually, she was in the basement. "Doctor Taylor. I've reached the basement. What do you want now?" She questioned a little impatiently, holding her newly-developed weapon out in front.

"You're not allowed to be here!" She heard - big mistake, he should have just shot. Turning, she pulled the trigger, causing an invisible laser to catch the target. What happened next was pretty interesting. Due to the small amount of exploding plasma, the guard was knocked off his feet and looked to be in a lot of pain. Unfortunate - she had used it at a range where permanent paralysis was incredibly likely. Stepping over the man, she took a step into the server room before pulling a small device from one of her utility belts. Guiding it towards a nearby socket, she linked the data up with Aperture. "You got it, Taylor?" A quick grunt indicated he had and he was interested - they wanted info on a few Metas the government had been keeping tabs on.

Second order of business - explosives time! "You really know how to show a girl a good time, Doc." She mumbled as she finally planted the last high-intensity explosive. Moving to the elevator, she ignored the two writhing bodies of the other guards that had got in her way and slowly keyed in the correct floor. Humming softly along with the elevator music, she relaxed and scanned through some of the packets of data she had received before stepping out and padding towards the gap where the window used to be. Although not specified earlier, Ruby had ran into quite a number of individuals that were now shuddering on the floor. "Hive. This is Queen Bee requesting pickup at rendezvous." She spoke through the coms before dropping it as a confirmation came through. Whistling softly, her drones attached themselves back to her armour before she began the long climb back up along the grapple.

Finally, she climbed into the waiting helicopter and sat before willingly pulling her helmet free as they took to the sky. "Hurry up and press the button, Ruby." Ruby sighed at that - he liked spoiling all the fun! Raising a small device, she flicked a key to the right before a button popped out, which she poked. The delay was only momentary before bam! The explosives triggered, burning through a number of floors and quite a few foundations in a matter of milliseconds before dispelling a shock wave that nearly ripped it in two.

"Pity. I would have liked to blow up the cavalry as well."

((Retconned out))

It had all happened so fast. From their positions in the comm bunker, Cedric Wessex and William Plantagenet saw the mysterious infiltrator subdue the defenders of the FBI building, before blowing up the entire building. The comm bunker was safe, thankfully, but, well, the two were now in shock, Cedric taking it worse than William, being a 15-year old kid. With a start, said 15-year old kid hugged William tightly, crying into the man's chest, giving muffled yells as he did so.

"It's okay, it's okay, Cedric," spoke the soldier, ruffling Cedric's hair. "You couldn't have done anything, we couldn't have done anything." William briefly thought of his friends, friends who have died in the builing, and then...he began crying too, but it was a smaller stream of tears, due to the fact that he was more conditioned for such pain. "Look, Ced, it'll be all right, at least Elena and Constantine and Healing Spore are safe."

"We've failed..." spoke the boy, "we failed forever." Parts of his mind were still functioning despite the emotional maelstrom he was going through, processing the data from the attack. It was clear that the attacker had a new model of power armor, a model that was probably kept secret even from the Government. Nevertheless, there were...similar prototypes being developed by armed forces all over the world, just not as advanced as this.

"I think that it was Ruby who did this," Cedric continued. "She had been hurt by us," the boy was now referring to the Government as 'us', "and now she wants to hurt back in return. And, I won't lie...I want to hurt her in turn." The boy's voice now turned terrifyingly adult, like they came from the deepest pits of hell. "And I will. Because she destroyed all hope, all hope for our movement, I am going to tear her apart."

"You're suprisingly coherent," was all William could say; he had to keep talking; that was his coping mechanism. "Not all is lost, though -"

"IT'S LOST TO ME!" shouted the boy, somehow pronouncing allcaps. "My old home is gone, and now my new one is gone, too! And, if Elena, Constantine, and Healing Spore had not gone away, I would have lost them, too! RUBY ATTACKED MY FAMILY AND SHE MUST PAY!" The boy was beside himself with rage, his 'flip-out' complete. William would have taken back his comment about Cedric's coherence, if the boy had not continued on:

"I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her..." he said like a Mantra.

((Part 1 of a Collab Post between Kalas, Letter Bee, and WatermelonTango))

18:23pm Walt Disney Concert Hall, Downtown, Los Angeles

Finding the Mayor was easy. All Aster had to do was follow the trail of guards, who he routinely dispatched one-by-one. He also made sure to convert their corpses into hard-light matter, which he then used to replenish the energy expended whilst creating his earlier explosive lance. He eventually came to a small room, no bigger than your average dining room. Inside he found the Johanssen family, protected by a single guardsmen. The guard fired shots at him as soon as they realized that Aster wasn't a guard but he was far too slow to prevent him from converting the bullets into hard-light and turning them on the shooter. The Mayor himself had cowered as his head of security perished, whilst his wife shielded her children's eyes to the slaughter.

"What the hell are you?!" The Mayor yelled, clearly distraught at the events that had taken place.

"Come now, Mr. Mayor. I think we both know the answer to that question." Aster replied coolly, he was beginning to enjoy the maleficent persona he had created for himself.

"W-Well, what do you want then?" He asked, still staring back and forth between the body and Aster.

"I think you know that one too. Mr. Mayor, you're coming with me." With that, his wife and kids began to shout their protests. Even the Mayor took up a defensive stance. Aster, however, remained still. There's an easy way to deal with this. He raised his right hand and pointed it towards the recently deceased guard. He was simply a corpse now, which meant he could be converted. It took less than a minute, but by the time he was done, the body looked like a frosted glass mannequin. The Johanssen family were in visible shock. The Mayor looked on in disgust whilst his two children only wailed in their mother's arms.

"How about we make a deal?" Aster said, before asserting control over the converted corpse. He forced it to move, as if the man had just been revived from the dead. The corpse sat up, resulting in more screams and the Mayor moving his family to the other side of the room. But it was no use. There was only one exit to this room and Aster currently stood in front of it. He made the guard stand up, it's movements precise and robotic. He then controlled it so that the corpse began walking towards the terror-stricken family. With his left hand, Aster generated more hard-light from random objects that made up the room. He contorted the matter this time, bending and shaping it into something that resembled a rope. He then forced the construct to constrict itself around the Mayor, binding his arms at his side and his legs together. He had made sure to space the rope evenly surrounding the man's body so that he could move him away from his loved ones. All the while, he kept the corpse moving slowly towards the wife and kids.

"S-S-Stop this! What are you doing?! Are you insane?!" The Mayor struggled against his binds but he couldn't over come them.

"That corpse has enough hard-light mass to be able to bludgeon your family to death, Mr Mayor. You have a choice to make. One choice will save the lives of your wife and kids, the other...well, you'll have a front row seat." The three of them were in hysterics by now, screaming and desperately trying to scramble away from the on coming corpse. Aster quickly constructed a cage-like barrier to prevent their escape.

"You don't have to do this, we can work some thing out!" Pleaded the Mayor, desperately fighting against his restraints.

"That's what I'm trying to do already, Mr. Mayor. Either you come with me now, or you watch your family die. It's a simple choice to make." Aster forced the corpse to move faster now, causing the Mayor to call out to his family. His wife had practically frozen in despair, her kids were trying to break the barrier that held them. The corpse had reached the cage by now and began to raise a clenched fist. More screams and cries filled the room, but none of it phased Aster. After bringing the guard's fist up above his head, he was just about to swing down when the Mayor cried out.

"ALRIGHT!" He yelled. "I'll do it. I'll come with you. J-Just let my family go! Please!" Tears streaked down his face, his breathing was heavily laboured and he'd stopped fighting against the rope construct.

"Excellent." It was all he said before dispelling all of his hard-light constructs. The Mayor collapsed to the ground, physically exhausted. His wife had broken down into a fit of uncontrolled bawling. Her children huddled around their mother, equally as distraught. Aster strode over to where the Mayor was lying unconscious on the floor and grabbed his arm to pull him up over his shoulder. "Time to go."

____________________

This was a disaster. She was tracking a madman, a person who was cold and ruthless and had already taken the lives of hundreds of people since she first laid eyes on him. The only thing Pam had going for her was that this man was easy to track, what with all of the blood stains. The thing that really creeped her out was the lack of bodies. What would you need to do to a human body to make it disappear like that? The more she went the more and more inadequate she felt, but she couldn't turn back. Not now. She followed the trail to an open doorway, and it was then that she finally got her first good look at him. She lifted her gun, but it was only then that she noticed the family in the corner and the unconscious man over the meta's shoulders. This couldn't have ended worse.

"Freeze! Hands where I can see them!" Pam cried as she had the gun pointed to his back. If this guy didn't have hostages the bullets would have already left the barrel, but it was clear that the situation just got a lot more complicated.

((Part 2 of a collab post between Letter Bee, Kalas, and Watermelon Tango))

Constantine Ramiel King and Healing Spore had gotten away from the crowds, and were now in a side passage of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, exhausted. Constantine fed Healing Spore a ration bar; she needed it more than he did, having healed all those people and evaded near-death at their hands. However, after she ate said ration bar, Arisa - Healing Spore's real name - forced him to eat one of his own bars; he needed the strength as well.
They sat down for a while, before Constantine, in addition to his ration bar, gave himself an adrenaline shot from Healing Spore/Arisa's medical kit, and continued on to the Mayor's position, with Healing Spore right behind him. They were going to protect said mayor, and Heaven help those who would try and stop them...

____________________

Aster turned slowly, simultaneously dropping the unconscious Mayor to the floor. He displayed a look of shock on his face and began to raise his hands just as the woman had demanded. As he rose to his full standing height, he dropped the facade of being shocked as well as his hands, which fell to his sides. "Your friends outside had guns, too. Not that it helped them much." He continued to scrutinize the woman, she looked like an ordinary Human. Probably an Officer too. He could tell by the way that she stood, primed and ready to shoot. If she'd had been a killer, she'd have shot him in the back. As it was, however, it was unlikely that she'd survive this encounter.

Pam tried her best to keep her voice level. This man did have the upper hand, but it would be best if she didn't allow him to know that.
"I'll invite you to test that theory. Why don't you step outside for a moment?" It was completely possible that he could kill her at a glance, but she hoped that she had the advantage of the unknown by her side. He didn't know what she was capable of yet.

"As much fun as that sounds, I'm kinda in the middle of something so I'm gonna have to take a raincheck." Aster smiled a little as he said so, she seemed so serious and he knew that if he could just antagonize her into pulling the trigger, she'd have sealed her own fate. "But I'm guessing you're here because you're upset about what happened on the street?"

Pam flinched as he mentioned what happened outside. Who was this guy?
"Is this some sort of game to you? A meta like yourself is gifted with a bit of power, and immediately you think yourself higher then the law." It was clear that by the tone of her voice that she was emotionally affected by what she had seen. Her grip tightened on the gun, but she didn't fire it.
"Justice will catch up to you sooner or later. You're still human, just like the rest of us."

"Like the rest of you?" Aster began. "Is that some kind of joke? What about all those people out there? Do you honestly think they would have taken a second thought about beating me to death, had they known I was a Meta when I passed through the crowd?" Aster felt himself almost offended by what she'd said. He didn't have time for this. "What I did was act before they did. If it was the other way around, if a Human had massacred a bunch of Metas, would you still be standing there saying the same thing?"

"I don't know what I would say. All I know is that..." She hesitated. She had been pondering this question herself as she stood among the anti meta protestors. He was right. They would both have probably been at the mercy of the crowd had they revealed their meta nature.
"All I know is that there has to be a better way of settling the dispute between us and them." It was then that she realized her mistake and lowered her gun.

"Both sides are criminals, both sides are monsters," spoke a voice from the side passage, a voice filled with conviction and force. Said voice came from a handsome blond man with glasses, carrying a cylinder that, thanks to a miracle of Metahuman-made technology, automatically extended until it formed into a spear, a spear that glowed with unnatural light.
"But," he continued, "we don't have to be like them; we can reject both sides of the argument, find the better way that she mentioned. If both sides are monsters, we can say to them: a plague on both their houses! Including, by the way, the house you seem to have chosen." And with that, Constantine attacked as Aster was forming his reply, his spear lunging the very moment the man's mouth opened to speak -

Aster had limited time to react. He'd initially been caught offguard by this new Meta, but as the man revealed his weapon, Aster had anticipated that moving quickly might be needed. As he was about to form his response, however, the man had attacked. Leaving him slightly stunned but not so much that he couldn't squat down to grab ahold of the Mayor's arm and teleport to the other side of the room.
"Cool spear, I believe you've already seen mine." He said, already raising his palm toward the Mayor's wife and children. The room was thrust into silence, a stand off of sorts. Aster looked toward the woman at the door and spoke again, "You said 'Us' so I'm guessing you're a Meta too." He then regarded the Meta who had suddenly tried to attack him. "And you..." He paused, seeing if the man would try to attack again. "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. But your way of not being a monster sure does resemble my way of not being the first casualty." By now a ball of light had formed in his palm, it wasn't the same as the one before, this was just a normal lance, but they wouldn't know that. "There's a war coming and I'll be damned if Metas take the most damage. So you can either join me or get the hell out of my way!"

"Replacing one oppressor with another isn't justice!" Constantine was heated now, his face flush with anger. "And that's all you're doing! Do you not see that this is a question of prejudice in which both sides aren't right? Both sides are the oppressors - or have the potential to be! And I see nothing in you that I do not see in who you claim to fight against!' And with that, Constantine stretched out his hand...and put out the lance. Or rather, it appeared as though the ball of light had vanished, gone, kaput. Aster could pour all the energy he wanted into it, but he would not be able to make the light appear again. Then, on the very moment that the man was mystified, Constantine would open the second stage of his attack: A series of red and blue lights meant to induce epilepsy in its recipient, the same series of red and blue lights seen in the controversial Pokemon episode about the Pokemon Porygon.

"What are you-" Pam began as Constantine used some mysterious power to subdue the rogue meta. Her attention was immediately drawn to one of the children as they ran towards the mayor, concerned for her father's safety. From her perspective, the ball of light was still present in the rogue's hand and with the child involved the risk was just too great for her to allow. She turned to face the most recent entry to their conversation.
"You have to stop! You're risking the life of an innocent child here!" Pam reached out and grabbed Constantine by the shoulders, convinced that whatever he was doing was endangering the child.

Aster's vision returned in an instant. The last thing he remembered was watching the ball of light disappear in front of him. Whatever that Meta had done to him, Aster had been caught off guard. He had stumbled back against the wall and was now vomiting. 'What the fuck did he do to me?!' Looking up, he noticed the woman from earlier grabbing the Meta who'd attacked him and shouting something about a child. He looked at the knocked out Mayor, there wouldn't be a better opportunity. Pushing away from the wall, he launched himself toward the Mayor's limp form. As soon as he could touch him, Aster teleported them instantly. The door had been left open, so his escape was inevitable. Re-appearing on the floor outside of the room, Aster stood quickly, making sure to lift the Mayor back over his shoulder. He needed to get out of this place, and fast.

He teleported again, heading towards the west side of the building. Before coming here to complete the task that had been assigned to him, he'd made sure to study the ground floor layout of the building, which was easily found online. He knew that there was a maintenance level below that lead towards the subway. That would be his route of escape.

((Part 3 of a collab between Letter Bee, Kalas, and Watermelon Tango))

"What have you done?!" Constantine yelled at Pamela once Aster had disappeared. "I had the situation well in hand, no one would have gotten hurt!" Except for that bigot; I want his entrails. "Now, thanks to you, that...that asshole now has the mayor!"

"I'm sorry, but there was a murderous lunatic, an explosive, and a child." Pam said defensively. "I only acted according to my training."

She turned to the family huddled in the corner and slowly made her way towards them. Despite all of the emotional turmoil she went through over since she arrived at the theatre she tried her best to have a calm and reassuring demeanor.

"Is everyone here alright?"

"Everything's fine..." spoke the Mayor's wife, now in better composure. "Thanks for saving Robin, by the way." She then turned to Constantine. "And thank you, for trying to save my husband."

"I'm sorry for all the distress that man caused you Mrs. Johanssen," replied the man. "I promise you, we'll get your husband back; or if not, we'll have the hide of the man who abducted him."

"Promises, promises," spoke Mrs. Johanssen. "Either way, thanks again, but you'd best go; more security is coming, and they won't want any misunderstandings."

"I can't leave you alone here. Not until I'm certain that the perimeter is clear." Pam thought for a moment, but remembered the gun she was still carrying. She took a few steps forward and placed it in the mother's hands.

"Just... take this to protect yourselves until security arrives." She said solemly as she backed out of the room. She nodded to her new friend, signalling that she was ready to get out of here.

"Let's go," spoke Constantine more kindly as he escorted Pamela out of the door as Mrs. Johanssen loudly wept, her reserve breaking at last. Once they were in a safe place, they met up again with Healing Spore, who had been waiting in one of the side corridors. Then, Constantine spoke:

"Sorry for being too harsh on you; it's just that, I was enraged by that man's presumption - telling me to join him when it should be the opposite...and other things besides. I shouldn't have blamed you for this."

"Think nothing of it. That was one of the most tense situations I have ever been in. The stress has gotten to all of us." Pam paused, realizing that she didn't even know this young man's name.

"The name is Pamela Mars. Technically I'm an illegal immigrant on American soil, but we'll keep that on the hush." She said with a friendly tone. She offered him a hand, but it was shaky from the stress and the minor injuries she had taken during the explosion.

"Constantine Ramiel King - FBI Agent," he took her hand in turn. "Nice to meet you."

Hearing the request long before he laid eyes on the newly refreshed Roze. He walked over to a tool box and opened the top drawer. His hands two small mason jars that were Elijah's mind just perfectly sized for what was in his other hand.

His other hand held an over sized flask like bottle that had seen many better days. The while important to Elijah was no where nearly as important as the rich mahogany colored liquid that resided inside. A special bourbon made by man who had perfected his craft over decades and decades. It was Elijah mind truly worth paying almost any price.

He sat all three glasses on the workbench by the tool box and uncorked the bottle. The smell of aged bourbon and oak filled the room and the first thing that made any kind of sense to him what seemed like an age. As finished pouring he finally looked back to see a newly refreshed Roze. A smile crept across his face as he made his way towards her.

Handing her a glass he spoke. "Yes, I do. My name is Elijah Craigh, I'm from the great state of Tennessee, and as of a couple of hours ago public enemy number one. Its nice to meet you Roze." For a moment he thought better of it but he just couldn't help himself. "And if mother doesn't approve, I damn sure do."

Inhaling the delicious scent of the bourbon, she couldn't help but smile as he handed her the glass - or rather, jar. Classy. Not that she was complaining; she'd drank from worse things. Quelling a laugh at Elijah's last comment, she sipped the bourbon. Ah. Although the weaker cousin of whiskey, she did prefer the sweetness of it compared to the harsh burn of other drinks.
"I'm glad; maybe it'll get rid of the temptation of barbecuing me." She said satirically. "So, Tennessee, huh? I passed through there once. The people were pretty friendly... until they realized I was a Meta. Of course, I'm from Italy, originally." She said, then paused. "Not that you can tell much anymore." She'd lost pretty much all of her accent; all that remained was when she exploded into a string of Italian curse words when she lost her temper.
"Oh... and it's nice to meet you too." She said, then couldn't help but grin. "Well, now it is. Not so much when we were in that room together."

"You should have let me kill him. It could have saved us a lot of trouble. Not like he was worth saving or anything." Elijah said with a hint of frustration. Apart of him wanted to know if she was okay with the idea of seeing people burning alive and the stench of death and burning bodies. It was something that was unavoidable with him.

"Ok, elephant in the room, why the shit were you working for the government? That's.... That's just... Ew to me. To be a dog at their beck and call? I don't understand it."

Roze sighed, giving a rueful smile.
"Yeah... Not my idea of fun, to be honest. But I was feeling a bit desperate at the time." She said, then paused, staring into the amber liquid of her bourbon, frowning slightly. "I've been hunted pretty much all of my life by a group - just finding out today that it was Apature." She said, looking back up at Elijah. "They always managed to find me, no matter where I ran to. Sure, it may take them a few weeks, but it meant I could never be truly safe."
"I was working as a small-time cat burglar in Boston when the government got in touch with me; surprising, as I was only doing low paying jobs; nothing to big or fancy to draw any attention." She paused once more to take a sip of the drink, the familiar warmth easing down her throat and sending light shivers up her back. "Anyways, cutting a long story short, they promised me decent pay and protection from whoever was hunting me, in return for my services. The first few weeks weren't so bad. I just had to fly around the city, stay in the shadows, watch out for "instances of injustice"." She scoffed, shaking her head. "No, it was the first real job they put me on that pissed me off; the Caro job." She muttered bitterly. "I regret standing in your way. I really do. The bastard deserved what he got."

Elijah let out a hardy laugh before taking a sip from his glass. "Your first real job was Caro!?" He couldn't help but laugh again. "You get to deal with me on your first go around? G-d most not like you all that much." He trailed off for a moment, letting the idea of what he just learned sink in.

"From what I've seen, God pretty much hates my guts." She replied wryly, finishing the remainoverwhelmedbourbon and setting the mason jar on a tabletop. She wondered how he would react to what he had just learned; no doubt she surprised him by stating that she wasn't as stereotypically squeaky-clean as most superheroes were.
However, her musings were brought up short as her newly acquired phone buzzed in the pocket of her borrowed shorts. Taking it out with a frown, she heard Elijah's phone make a similar noise - no doubt they were wired to keep their lil' pixelated ears on the news - and what news it was.
Roze stared incredulously as the news footage now showcasing on her phone. A crater in the ground, people screaming, police tape, sirens... and a shitload of dead bodies, some missing limbs or even heads, and many burnt to a crisp.
"Merda! What the hell is going on? It's like everyone got a dose of crazy overnight!" She exclaimed, looking back up at Elijah.

It was the first time in a long... Long.... Long time that Elijah had an overwhelming feeling of guilt and anguish but more than anything he felt genuine sadness. For all the jokes he made about his mother he knew she was going to crying her eyes out because her baby boy was going to be labeled a terrorist. The first to home grown American to turn on his country in such a manner and the first American born meta terrorist.

While most of the time he relished being the first of anything but this was the first time he didn't even want to be on the list. He picked up the bottle and turned it upside down. When he was done he walked over to another toolbox and pulled out a burner phone. He called a number that went to voice mail, he spoke with a a mildly shaky voice, one that conveyed his fear. They were going to get blamed for this. The fucking tv dude was going to seen as the mastermind and them his implements. "Momma, I don't know what you've heard by the time you get this but I had nothing to do with the massacre at Disney. As for what happened at the LAPD, I killed two people and set Caro on fire. But I have never committed or been a party to any whole sale slaughter of innocents. I've been apart of some horrible things momma but never that.... I love you an I'm sorry." He composed himself for a moment or two, then called another number. This time there was an answer. It was a cousin Jolee. "Hey Jolee, I left momma a voice mail see that she listens to it... Yeah I did it, I'm guilt of murder not much else.... Thank you Jolee, I'm trashing this phone, I'll make contact again soon.... Yeah, love you guys." With that his phone calls were done. He looked back at Roze told her the most honest thing he could. "Even bad men love their mommas."

He sighed and rubbed his temple before he spoke. "This is going to get a lot worse. We can run or go help or get ready for a fight. Take your pick buts those are our only options right now. This place is about become a disaster zone, a declared state of emergency and the military should be called in. Our only place to run would be the underworld. That'll be fun..." He took another swig of the bottle as he tossed the phone in the air and snapped his fingers, engulfing the phone in flames.

((Collab Post between Letter Bee, Mass City, and EvilEd))

Constantine finally went outside with Pamela, who was now quiet again, and Healing Spore, all three of whom were now exhausted. Thankfully, most of the crowd outside had gone, evacuated by the FBI, meaning that it was now safe for them to appear openly. However, as the trio emerged from the building, they found another Meta, flying, and Constantine sighed; he can fight another battle, but he had to protect a noncombatant and an emotionally exhausted Meta-Soldier. So, he retracted his spear back into a cylinder, before going to talk with the Meta, his hands up.

"Hello there," spoke Constantine. "What's someone like you doing in a place like this?"

Dean after trying to calm his sister down form not totally taking over his body since she was expecting to kill the man that just left with the mayor though she doesn't care what happens to him,"Hello well we...i mean me are one of the resgistered supers that came here to protect the protesters but i guess i didn't do a good job" Dean said rubbing the back of his head on the fact that yes he protected the human protesters but didn't do so good with the other objective.'LIke we give a shit about these humans and your pathieic mayor..." Jenni said but was silenced by Dean who didn;t want any trouble from anyone.

"Ummm if i may ask what are you too doing here?Are you resgistered superheroes too or police officers?" Dean asked the two but mostly to Constantine since he didn't look like a super though Jenni quiped that he looked like slob but she wasn't as friendly as her brother.

"Both," spoke Constantine, "I'm an FBI agent and these are my partners; okay, the woman in green spandex is my official partner, but the one in rollerskates is a recent recruit. Either way, it's good that we encountered you here; we need all the manpower we can get. Let me escort you to my commanding officer, I think she's on the outskirts of the courtyard."

"Okay so what is the sitiuation conserning the mayor do we have a clue to where the man took him?" Dean asked walking beside him thinking that they might not have a lead right away but they would have to search the area for said clue,"Of course we can find this fool it will be like finding a invilent...now is the time we stop talking and lok around..." Jenni said while Dean ignored her but he didn't want to piss her off.

"No clue," spoke Constantine, "it's been barely half-an-hour since the kidnapper disappeared." He then continued walking until Elena's FBI Truck was in sight, not talking, although his expression was worth a thousand words; in it were dismay and anger and exhaustion, all appearing in the set of his eyes and mouth. Finally, however, he, Healing Spore, and Pamela reached Elena's FBI Truck...or was it car?

The FBI Van that Elena drove had all the modern equipment needed in the FBI. "Where the hell is Constatine? We've just had an attack at the FBI offices!" Elena snapped she was usually cool and calm but she was upset and angry the people went after her friends and coworkers. "Who the hell is this?"

"Bonejangles..and you are?" Dean asked stopping in front of the truck or car he didn't care nor did Jenni,'Bitch i watch your mouth before i cut out that tounge of yours' Jenni said to Dean getting annoyed at eveyone dicking around and not doing their jobs.

"Bonejangles," spoke Constantine, "let me introduce you to FBI officer - wait, there was an attack on the office?!" he shouted out loud. "What happened to Cedric?!" He then took a moment to recover his composure. "Anyway, Elena, meet Bonejangles; he's one of the registered Metas that were trying to protect the people. Anyway, more bad news; we failed to prevent the abduction of the Mayor."

"GODDAMMIT! Why are these assholes winning?" Elena screamed before kicking the door of the van. "We have intel, we have lists, we networks, how the hell does this happen! Thanks to these terrorist the President will declare martial law! And then we'll see how they like living with the military ontrigger response." Elena fumed. She calmed down, "I don't know what happened to Cedric, I don't know what hapened to my friends, I don't know! Why attack the FBI and Disney center? These people must want to lose against the US government." Elena walked away and talked to subordinants as they were talking plans of resue from the FBI building.

"Have you check the area for clues? Or have seen these attacks before; perhaps they are connected to a larger terriorist group?Are their any other supers around so we have enough muscle to beat his guy?" Dean asked either of them corssing his arms,If they gave him a few moments at the sense of the crime he was sure he could try to find some sort of evidence that could bring them closer to the culprit."We will need all the help brother he had a very strong prensence...I do not think we have anyone to battle someone that powerful' Jenni added which Dean agreed with nodding his head to what she was saying.

Constantine was the one who answered:

"What do you think we're doing now? And this was the first time such things happened. As for other supers, we have plenty, but only a few can beat that guy through direct damage; I almost defeated him, but, well, I had to use clever tactics which, though smart, might not work a second time." Suddenly, a radio signal sounded out from the van:

"Hey, it's me, William! I and Ced are all right; we're in the communications bunker! Cedric also thinks, from the recordings, that it was Ruby who attacked the facility; it seems that she had a new suit of power armor that interacts well with her telepathic powers! Also, he's swearing vengance."

"Why would that woman be involved in a terrorist attack? I mean we got people looking for survivors and evidence at the site but it will be hours before the ATF folks get there. She's not for a cause unless there is a payday. Our files said that." Elena released the button on the radio.

"Damn well Jenni see if you can find anyything while they are doing their thing" Dean said to his sister who nodded letting Dean project her to search the area for anything that could be used for evidence."Hopefully we can find something that these morons couldn't" Jenni said to herslef looking around for anything they could use.

What they found...was less important than what they did not find. They found no bodies in the building itself, while there were plenty of casualties outside; this was a valuable clue because the culprit was inside the building, and it signaled that he had the ability to dispose of dead bodies. There were also, on the protest site and the building itself, traces of a strange energy that can be identified as hard light. But, Constantine had already deduced most of that; although additional confirmation was welcome. WIlliam, meanwhile, spoke:

"Also, Cedric went outside; he found a drone. He's dissecting it now; memory chips are burnt down, but he can see the high quality of the piece; he says that such precision can only come either from us, or a few corporations."

"Look it is well funded terrorists. No way would any company be so ruthless and greedy to force a war on the US. And if the US governmet gets really worried they will use all the counter invasion plans they have in the Pentagon and do whatever it takes to keep this threat from spreading. So yes it is a lead but just because it is well made may mean foreign power." Elena huffed.

Elena went to the van and opened the glove box she pulled out a packet of nicotine gum. "Damn, really needed that." she sighed as she chewed. "So where do we go from here? I mean all of us. I am charged with rescue and investigation. You guys... what are you gonna do?"

Jenni couldn't find anything useful for the group and reported this ot her brother who sighed out of equal fustraction wanting ot nab this guy and put him to justice while Jenni wants to kill him and get payed: "I would say go back to HQ and see what else i can do to help with this problem..." He said to the two unfolding his arms to rub the side of his nose.

"Then let's go," spoke Constantine.

John leaped from one building to the next heading for the theater and soon he saw the rioting going on around the area. John looked at the rioters in disgust, they were a bunch of bigots and haters. he was almost tempted to start attacking the rioters and make them flee, but he chose against it. he jumped from the roof and landed on the area in front of the theater and he looked around to see what was going. His eyes spotted a few other metahumans and he decided to investigate the area and looked around for any possible threats. his entrance at the theater had caused several people to to take notice of him

john looked around at the area and wondered if he had missed any of the action. he had been looking forward to bring pain to some criminals and now it looked like he had come too late.

"Goddamn it, I wanted to beat the hell out of criminals" John said angrily to himself and he continued his search around the theater to see if there were any criminals about that he could bring to justice, those kinds of thoughts where fairly common when he having trouble finding people to dish out some justice.

Note: This post has been edited.

Constantine noticed two new Metahumans, both Registered; Light and Bio-Beast - who was different from Bio-Weapon. It was good that they were here, because the Internal Reformist 1.) needed the extra firepower, and 2.) needed to coordinate the 'Heroes' operations better. So, using his knowledge of their Registered Numbers, he sent one of his personnel after Light, and called Bio-Beast on his smartphone.

"John Hammers!" he spoke, using Bio-Beast's real name, "There is an FBI van at the outskirts of the Centre, and I strongly recommend that you get and head there right now; everyone who calls themselves 'Heroes' are being called into action - with the chaos that's happening today, the time for Independent action has passed." The FBI Agent that would go to Light's position, also named John Hammers*, said much the same thing, telling Light to, you know, come to the FBI Van.

Once the two got there, perhaps annoyed, they would find, well, the FBI, as well as a bespectacled man with blond hair, blue eyes, and wearing a T-Shirt and Tan Jeans, along with a black-haired, white-skinned woman with green eyes wearing green spandex, and finally, Dean**. It was the bespectacled man who would speak:

"Hello there, my name is Constantine Ramiel King, and I need your help. As you can see, there's been a massacre, and I just heard news that the FBI building has been blown up. We are heading back there right now to investigate, as well as further coordinate defensive measures and counterattacks for the enemy, and, well," he smiled, "prepare for the coming storm as best as we can."

((*This was not in the original post.))

((**I don't know his description.))

Keep Your Enemies Closer…

South of Watts, there operated an arms-dealing program composed of different gang members from small-time groups. At first, it seemed like a pretty good idea; business was blooming and every kid above fourteen was in possession of a weapon. Walking with a gun around the block was trendy for a while, but it was also a big mistake. The FBI soon got wind of it and, without hesitation, raided the hood. Those who decided to resist the assault were dead within seconds, while the majority got incarcerated. Jamal Gibson, also known by his edgy street name Lil’ Dark, was the only remnant of the program. He built an underground storage under an abandoned house and managed to slip past the law enforcers. It’s hard to believe a thick-headed bastard of African-American descent like Jamal got all resourceful out of the sudden and succeeded into avoiding custody, but he did. Rumors are he now works as an independent gun runner.

Alec, during his neurotic phase as a gun for hire, had worked once for Lil’ Dark. His then-15 year old daughter was raped by a meta, and a grief-stricken Jamal wanted him dead. For a pathetic fee of two hundred dollars, Alec tracked and subdued the rapist, only to discover that he was tricked; the rapist wasn’t a meta. Though a psychopathic killer, Alec did understand his pain, having lost his fiancée, so he simply carried his mission and parted ways peacefully with the self-proclaimed OG (original gangster). Never would he have thought that their paths would cross again.

Alec had boarded his armored vehicle and was heading towards the neighborhood, as the different thoughts and scenarios were slightly troubling him. Turning the radio on revealed another explosion on the FBI Headquarters and the Mayor’s kidnapping. “This seals the deal!”, was Alec’s first thought. In both, his career as a SEAL operative and his brief run as Metakiller, he was under the mercy of politicians. He knew how they worked, and if his assumptions were right, L.A would be in a total lockdown by tomorrow. Whether that was a good or a bad thing depended on the location of Alec’s target. If Nightingale departed from L.A already, tracking her will be twice as difficult once the lockdown’s set. If she hasn’t, then she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

After a couple of turns and stops, Miller arrived at the spot. The building was near-collapse. What was left of the windows were obstructed by iron bars. It was not difficult to deduce that whoever lived here before was a paranoid fella. If Alec’s predictions were right, Jamal would be a couple of inches below him. He didn’t know the exact location of his underground lair, but he could recall getting his pay at this house. So yeah, it was safe to say that intuition was what brought Alec, a calculative man, at this location. He swept the dust off the floor with his feet to reveal a trap door.

“Jackpot!”, he uttered to himself as a half-smile managed to crawl to his cheekbones. That was the best enthusiastic face Alec ever made.
He grabbed the door’s handle and pulled it up, finally opening it after a brief struggle. He descended down through a ladder only to find his presence acknowledged by a group of armed gangsters, Jamal’s associates presumably. What he had gotten himself into was a dark room, furnished with two chairs, four seats, a table and a couple of crates laying at the corner. There was little light being emitted by a small lamp in the table and what seemed to be a flashlight app from an iPhone. There were cards and poker chips placed on the table, which suggested Alec had just disturbed a game of cards. It took quite some time for him to identify which one of the six was Jamal, due to him failing to remove his shades as he descended down the pit and due to Jamal’s noticeable weight gain. Once he removed his sunglasses, it was Jamal who recognized him

“Jesus motherfuckin’ Christ! HAWK!”, Jamal shouted, a veil of fear covering his face. Alec’s penetrative vision couldn’t see thoughts, but he read what Jamal was thinking at that moment. He was afraid that Alec was there to punish him because of their little escapade a few months ago. Hawk was the nickname he’d given to him, another reference to his radiant eyes.

“Hello, Jamal.”, Alec saluted in the dullest manner ever. Although not classified as a superpower, Alec’s voice did affect the people he conversed with. It was not the deepest, manliest voice ever, but it was rigid. That, coupled with his natural gift of remaining unfazed in spite of the situation, is what makes him menacing and hard to read.

Jamal’s friends had already holstered their guns by now.

“H-How you doin’, man?”, the OG stuttered.

“Good. I’ve been trying to pay you a visit, but you moved places and you didn’t leave an address. I love what you’ve done to your crib, by the way”, Alec made up a response.

“How did you find out ‘bout this place, man? You here to cap me? That’s what’chu here fo’?”, Jamal’s tone got more intense as he segued between three questions at once. His associates were prepared for the worst.

“No. I’m here as a client. Heard you got your hands on some CIA merchandise, so I thought to come by and look.”, the meta responded yet again.

A relieved Jamal ordered his men to find a spot at the corner.

“Man, why didn’t you tell me you were here for the bugs, man? You scared me shitless.”, Jamal enthusiastically pronounced the words in his slightly annoying hood accent.

He moved to the crates at the corner and pulled a silver cigar box. Inside it, there were three tracking devices the size of a sand grain, being held in separate glass containers.

“This sum hi-tech stuff, man. They cost me the amount of three AK-47 crates.”

“How much do you want for it?”, Miller immediately skipped to the business part.

“For you? 200 dollas’! It’s about time I paid you properly for what you’ve done, man. I’ll be forever grateful! Sasha finally got herself togetha’. She going to a nice school and she got new friends”, Jamal’s ramblings were eating Alec inside. He just wanted to get it over with.

He slipped the cigar box in his jacket’s pocket before pulling two 100 dollar bills and extending his hand to Lil’ Dark. The moment he tried to grab the cash, Alec grasped his hand before pulling him towards and moving a knife to the shocked man’s throat.

“Remember when I said I’m not here to kill you? I lied. I’m working for the government now, Jamal. I can’t let scum like you walk the streets of this neighborhood anymore.”, that was all Alec could muster, before pushing the body down. Jamal’s men were already alerted by now, so the best course of action was using Cerebro; experimental mode to dispatch them one by one with his FN Five-Seven, which is what he did. One, two, three, four, five, went down, all headshots. Experimental mode enabled Alec to react faster while he percepts his surroundings as slowed down. His FN Five-Seven had a capacity of twenty rounds, so counting his little shenanigans at the TV station, he had thirteen rounds left. The roughened meta kneeled down to grab the 200 dollars off Jamal’s cold hand before climbing back to the surface.

Immediately after he entered his car, a stream of blood burst out of Alec’s ears. He hadn’t used Cerebro; experimental since a long time. It took him a while to get used to it. He cleaned the blood of his ears using his jacket before starting the engine, a light feeling of guilt bothering his already troubled mind. He didn’t have sympathy for any criminal, but killing him like that, throwing all his hospitality out of the window – was too much.

What was left now was a lead. Alec was desperate to find out about Nightingale’s whereabouts, so he decided to try his luck with his MHRC contact. He went through all the security checks and the number of beeps before finally getting to hear a familiar voice.

“I knew you’d call”, the man on the other end of the line said. “I got some news for you. Tell me which one is of help. So, we have the female metahuman who attacked the FBI headquarters, we have the male metahuman who has kidnapped the mayor and we finally have a name on this fire fugitive that was responsible for setting Caro on fire; Elijah. The FBI traced his call.”, the man babbled.

The last piece of flash news piqued the interested of an exhausted Alec.

“Say that again? You got the fire meta’s address? Give it to me.”

Alec’s Sand Cat took a U-turn. His day had finally come.

Light was lazily watching the riot down below, but when it started to get violent someone flashed a light right into her eyes. Annoyed, Light followed it until she found the guy doing it. He wore a suit and looked fancy, so Light was a bit suspicious, but at least it was a fair above the normal riff raff found in alleyways shes had to deal with from time to time.He introduced himself as John Hammers, an FBI agent. He then pointed out a nearby van for her to go into, apparently there was something big going on and they were calling in metas that they could.

"Fine fine. Sounds like fun, I've got no more shows for a couple weeks anyway." Light said as she listened to another person introduce themselves as Constantine, his outfit not being the same as the others and another woman who was standing next to him.

"So whats up? You guys haven't shown interest in me before. Must be something going down, especially with how ominous your voice is." She continued as she reached under her dress, checking what she had stored today. Apparently only the props she used for todays show were there. She counted a frying pan, a hammer, and some dynamite on a timer that wasn't used due to the show producer deciding it wasn't a good idea. Not much, but the dynamite could at least be useful later on.