Ruby quickly inspected her hand where she had carefully inscribed Alto's number. She barely even knew why she wanted to talk to him. Maybe it was about a job? Maybe it was about something else? Ruby was as unpredictable as they come and when she set her mind on something, it usually meant she got that something, even if she had to do it herself. Pulling out her own phone, she dialled the number before hanging up on the first ring. Her phone already picked up on everything she needed so she didn't need to actually call him. Upon further inspection, she suddenly realised that his location was right beside her. That cannot possibly be right. It certainly wasn't a bug - she didn't have bugs in her coding. Frowning once more, she looked up and suddenly noticed Alto & Co walking towards her. There was a male and a younger female, another female and then Alto himself. "You're just the man I was looking for. We need to talk somewhere... private." She nodded quickly; she could already feel her powers curiously poking at the younger girl and the unamused boy. Ruby was certain that those two were physical bodies for the AI on his arms. As for the other girl, well she was very certainly alive but Ruby didn't care about her - there was two intelligent AIs reacting to the world around them. Moving to the left, she hailed a cab before turning to him and nodding. "So, company headquarters or your home?" They all bundled into the back of the cab before the driver took off. "How did you make these two bodies?" She was curious - they looked really damn real and whether she liked it or not, her powers were beginning to reach out and poke at them. Their architecture was impressive, to say the least. So to was their security systems but these things were made to be broken. While they drove to the destination of his choosing, she mentally began to break down the barriers shutting his arm off from her. She was a much more powerful programmer so it didn't take getting at all. Thinking about it, did she really want to do something else with this guy if one of his arms was a twelve year old girl? "They're very impressive." Ruby murmured, poking Theo's hair with a quirked eyebrow just to realise that it was quite real. "How exactly is it that you managed to do this? These must have cost millions to make! Maybe even billions if you used the right parts!" The technopath was stalled from her original goal - she needed to gain Alto Ganze's trust and hopefully his allegiance. If she was ever going to drag herself out of the Underground Movement then a job at Illegal Stuff Pty. Ltd would be well-appreciated. Plus, from what she remembered, Alto was an incredibly strong Meta and he could protect her well enough if push came to shove. All she had to do was worm her way into his affection. "Look, I'm going to cut to the chase, I'm in deep in a group that have been holding me hostage for the last number of years and I need some group to help me get out if need be. I'll do whatever you want and I can still program from inside the compound. I just need some help dragging myself away." Alto was situated beside her with just Con separating them. Reaching over, she gently placed her hand on his arm. "Please."

Alto sighed as the Cab drove to his company. He did have to go back there, his job wasn't exactly over for the day. Emperor. Theo suddenly said in his mind. She has gained external access to our programming. He looked towards Theo in the front seat, Con and Sal beside him sharing a seat, and Ruby on the other side. Alto sighed again. "You can just ask them if you want to know more about them," He said to Ruby, "Theo and Con would be fine if you were the one asking." He looked out Ruby's window for a few seconds to see a person teleporting from roof to roof, simply following the cab. So much to do, so little time. "So, you need to bail, huh?" He said whimsically. "If you need someone's help then you must be in pretty deep." Thankfully, Sal was keeping quiet. At least she knew when things really were serious. "There's a lot of things I can do. I could hack Thor, for instance if you need that much fire-power. But I'd probably be able to dish out more than that by myself." He looked out his window, to see that he'd arrived back at the company. If he remembered correctly, he still had a few bits of paperwork to sign for a few new projects that were coming up. "Looks like I might have to cut this a bit short, I've got a lot of stuff to do." He said, opening his door and stepping out. "Theo, stay with Ruby for a while, follow her commands." He leaned inwards again to talk to Ruby. "I'll need some info on the compound or whatever it is. Just say whatever you want to Theo, and I'll hear it. He also has some combat ability, but he wouldn't be able to take anything above a B. If he gets discovered, he can dissappear and return to me immediately, or you can just command him to do it." He got up, stretched and started walking towards his company's entrance, but not before shooting one more thing over his shoulder. "You're an Empress so he won't be able to harm you or lie to you. Shoot me whatever you can get and I'll bail you out." Alto nodded to Theo as he left, and Theo proceeded to exit the front seat and go into the back seat, closing the door behind him. He walked away as the cab left, and as Con and Sal walked beside him, he could feel them both wanting to ask him a question. "What's wrong?" He asked them both. Quiet stayed quiet as usual, she knew his mind and she knew exactly what she wanted to know. "It's just," Sal said, "Why would you risk yourself for her? Is she special to you?" Alto looked up to the sky. He knew the answer well, and it left a bad taste in his mouth. He sighed, yet again. "Don't tell anyone else this, especially her." He said, "She would probably get angry. And so would anyone else that hears this." Already he could feel a weary guilt build up in him, it was something he'd felt many times, ever since he'd had a certain realization. Once he'd had the realization, he couldn't avoid it, to him any reason was as good as another once he thought that he was left with only a single reason to do anything. "It's because I feel like it." He said finally, "It's the only reason I've done anything." Sal looked up at him, understandably confused. "You know, once I dreamt of punching the stars out of the sky." He raised his right arm towards the sun, and clenched his fist. "And now, I can." Con and Sal followed behind in a solemn mood as he climbed the stairs to the entrance.

It took Light a bit of time to process what Bo was saying, but once she did she came up with a counter argument, evident by a lightbulb appearing over her head. "You do know those animals only do that because they have nothing else to eat and are hungry, and have no sense of community or higher brain functions, right? So thats a poor comparison." Light casually picked up a plate with bits of the victim still on it, and found herself a bit annoyed that she couldn't put it in her pocket space, forgetting for a second about the dampening field. This left a slight mess on the ground as the plate landed. "As for the role were given. Unlike me, your power doesn't show on the outside. You can still eat other things, but you decide to practice cannibalism. Sure, in some situations, yes it can work when there is no other alternative or other extreme circumstances. But killing someone just to turn around and eat them when there are much better, easier, and more efficient alternatives comes off as idiotic." She said, still keeping a note on where and what Bo was doing, doing a few stretches. "Besides, you can just use your powers for less... destructive... alternatives. Or at least, be a part of the higher authority so you can use them for destructive purposes when given the opportunity. Thats what I did. And now you can't go into a city without at least seeing my face somewhere." Light paused for a second thinking of a peaceful example of bo's power that he could use. "I mean, maybe death row disposal or something. Or work as a meta interrogator or something. I'm sure the government could find a use for you." Though she was unsure of what that would be, the guy seemed a bit insane, but unlike her instability, he channeled his insanity into denying the freedoms of those who didn't deserve such punishment.

Owlman's next question hit Ann a bit hard. Her smile and good manner faded as she looked away. What was the answer to where she was from? Some lab in Arizona? She couldn't remember anything before that so what else could she say? And it was probably best she kept that part of her life a secret so she turned to lie about her answer, something about living somewhere in LA. But she would never get the chance as someone came over, really enthused to meet Owlman. A woman, judging by her voice, and she had some short, messy white hair. Ann couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this woman felt odd. Ariadne must have, too, because Ann could she her now standing in the corner of her eye. It wasn't until she saw that obsessed look in the woman's eyes, that Ann had some type of confirmation on her suspicion. It was a sort of hungry look, as the woman circled like a predatory bird, and it was a tell that Ann could not mistake. A man had once given Ann that look, drunk and hungry, but he wasn't looking to fill his belly. He wasn't expecting Ariadne that night. Needless to say, Ann was uncomfortable with this whole sort of showing. It was surprising to see the Owlman so composed. Ann was watching him with apprehension. Owlman's nod did not provide Ann any reassurance that this was to be considered normal. Next came the touching. Ann visibly recoiled as if she couldn't believe that she was watching this. Then the woman finally focused her attention to Ann. It was eerie being in the woman's gaze. It felt like she was trying to search inside Ann.. for something. The woman kept staring, even as she got onto her knees and continued stroking the feathers of the Owlman. Finally, Ann had enough. "H-hey!" She spoken up, her confidence and voice barely above a speaking voice. "I-I don't think you should be..." She wavered a bit but then remembered why she was here, next to the Owlman in the first place. "You shouldn't be touching him like that!"

Oddity after oddity today. Normally it was two or three quick strokes or pats, not some sort of sustained petting session. He had met people like this before, and Casper's obvious discomfort only strengthened the feeling that this woman might be some kind of pervert. He held up a hand, carefully pushing the woman hand away with the bottom of his palm and shaking his head firmly that that was enough. Familiarity was all well and good, but you had to have at least some dignity. Enough, at least, not to be stroked like a dog. Settling that, he turned his attention back to Casper and held up that same hand palm out to let her know it was okay. He flipped open his book again. turning past the sections for greetings, questions, and requests, to settle on the section for advice. A section filled with things he thought worked for people like him. The new card was a picture of an owl surrounded by people, sun shining brightly in the sky. This owl was saying: No "(Superhero)." This wasn't him speaking as a crime fighter. Just another human being, like them. He waited for her to read it then brought up his talon and tapped himself twice on the chest, tilting his head quizzically as though asking if she understood.

"Clearly one of us is more studied on our animal friends, though I can't blame you. You don't seem the type to care for really understanding what goes on in the world. You're more suited to taking orders." Bo waved a hand at her, as if he were dismissing her and returned to the counter, not entirely willing to allow himself to be any closer to her now. "I doubt you'd understand what it's like to live every second of your life in agonizing pain. Regular food is just a supplementary for the real thing. Metas are the only thing that satiates my hunger. Eating a burger is like putting a band-aid on an amputation and calling it a day. It doesn't work and never will." He was staring at her with some annoyance behind his eyes, his fingers drumming on the counter top as he chewed on his lip, letting her explain 'alternatives'. There was a chance it would work, not very likely of course, but a chance that he could act as a death row disposal or as the world's shittiest superhero. If anyone knew how his powers really worked, that he had to eat his victims to gain their powers though... there'd be no way that the government would allow him to get away with that. He'd grow too powerful to quickly. He was already well above most metas. Hell, before having any of his other powers his strength and power dampening alone were another to take down one of the S tiers of Detroit. If only he had gotten to devour the cunt. This whole thing would've been so much simpler. Shit. Bo clapped his hands together and pointed at Light, "Well, how about we table this little goose chase then, huh? You go and tell 'em I'm willing to come peacefully if they figure out a way for me to continue eating metas. Otherwise, they may as well kill me. I'll be here."

Jade looked a little confused when Owlman pushed her away, and sat back with a look of intense thought as she tried to think what had prompted it. It didn't take her long, however, as something similar ad happened before and she slapped herself in the forehead once she realized what she had done wrong. "My apologies to the both of you, I must've seemed very strange right now. I have a self-control issue when it comes to analyzing and observing things that interest me. Meta's like Owlman here are one that I bear a special interest in, as they are extremely fascinating to observe." Taking on a bit of an embarrassed look, Jade had begun to absent-mindedly play with her hair, the color changing as she ran her fingers through it. "A similar incident happened not to long ago where I got overzealous in my observation of a man who was part bear, and it set of his base animal instincts. Next thing I knew, he had torn off my arm in his mouth and had to be restrained until he regained his senses. He seemed a deal more distraught about the event then I was, even after I explained to him the fact that I wouldn't suffer for it at all. I just reattached the arm and, after a few minutes, it was good as new. Oh, that gives me an idea on how to apologize to you both for being so rude. I have a little something I wish to do, but I must give you warning that it isn't the most. . . wholesome thing to witness. Nothing wrong with it per se, just that people feel uncomfortable when they witness it. But I still insist upon it, as I do think you'll enjoy the result, if not the process."

Ann was finally feeling some relief from this strange episode. Owlman was standing up for himself, which satisfied Ann who still believed him to be a victim to mankind. The Owlman signaled for the woman to stop and that same gesture, Ann figured, was offered for Ann to remain calm and probably a way of saying "Don't worry" but she wasn't sure. The Owlman then flipped through his book, unchanged by the whole episode and now ignoring that woman for the time being. He settled on something that Ann really didn't know how to decipher it at first. "Be seen and experienced. Familiarity is the greatest enemy of fear..." Ann squinted, mouth agate, at the card as she tried to think. An Owl being praised by people. Well obviously the Owlman was the Owl so that meant he was trying to tell Ann that he was okay with this sort of thing? All the gawking, laughing, and touching was something he did to receive praise? But Ann didn't see people praising the Owlman. Between two girls laughing and taking photos and a overly obsessed fan, she saw hardly a spec of respect being given to Owlman. She was about to inquire, possibly even challenge the motto, if she had understood what was said before the white-haired woman chimed in again. Only this time her hair was changing. The woman proclaimed a whole story and explanation on something she could do. Ann could only speculate as her only clue was the woman's arm being severed and her reattaching casually as if it were like a watch. Ann wasn't a stranger to blood and gore. Ariadne made a mess of others and herself whenever she switched with Ann, but Ann didn't want to witness whatever she was offering, fearing the worst. "No thanks..." Ann's voice was barely that above a whisper as slipped away from her seat and backed up a bit. Ariadne was so close to Ann, that saner twin feared that they might bump into each other and cause a mess. "I don't want it." Whatever it was.

"Mm... k. I mean, I don't see why cannibalism equals 'no hunger pain' since its just meat in the long run. Probably just all in your head. You wanna know pain? Try blowing yourself up by swallowing 10 sticks of TNT every couple of days. Yeah, you can't play that card with me. But I'll see what I can do. Gimmie a sec." Light said, watching as he was slowly moving away. Moving back as well but keeping him in eyesight, she touched the comms device in her ear and quietly relayed the situation. She hoped Bo didn't overhear her mentioning that they should lie about the eating meta part and just feed him tofu or something. After a bit of back and forth over the comms device, Light told Bo. "So, thats a yes on the eating bit. Shall we go/" Light said, motioning out towards the door. It would be nice to finish a mission without beating the target unconscious, the last fight she was in had some ansty collateral, including a skyscraper and a major highway.

Cedric had gone back to the International Heroes' Headquarters in order to chill out and prepare, when he had gotten that call from Light, who seemed to have found Bo. Normally, he would have said a regretful 'no' to Light, but now, a solution had appeared in his mind. "So, a burning compulsion - plus - pain whenever he doesn't eat Metas;" I belive we've found a remedy to that, or rather, a remedy will appear in two weeks," he meant Eden and the fruits he can produce. "I must confess; I was going to send you, Adam, and Dean to Syria in said time, but as a reward for bringing me this opportunity, I'm going to tell you all about this solution." "You see, a new Meta is to be born soon, a Meta who can transform into a tree whose fruit brings perfect healing to Metahumans, and gives Metahuman powers to Non-Metas. Both functions can probably serve as a cure for his condition. Until then, I'll have my blood mixed with the tofu so that he'll at least be injesting something from a Metahuman."

Somewhere in LA an airplane touched down, it seemed a bit old fashioned but a trip half way around the world took half the time it did ten years ago. In that airplane was Cer, who seemed more than a little depressed and scared, when she left the MHLA they had been up at full speed, well protected, and helping people. It had been only two, maybe three years and she went back to find piles of charred remains and old bodies. She had no idea how to tell who was who, and had left one base to find another in the same condition. Some were older than others, some had been found by locals, and some were destroyed completely. It was horrifying and Cer still felt her skin crawling from the last one, animals had gotten in and eaten the remains, it was less than a year old. The last few were in America, she already knew that the old farm had been burned down and the city based ones had been found due to smell. However she hadn't anything found anything about the one in LA so here she was, the last 'stronghold' of an organization that had saved her from a dismal existence. A tap on her shoulder pulled her out of her darkening thoughts, the poor flight attendants were trying to get her to leave. She felt bad for them, Cer could not travel without some kind of meta identification and some people were natural afraid of Metas, it was a natural response, instincts made people feel hatred or fear towards imposters who were, in this case, Metas . But however badly she was treated by normal people, bureaucrats were the worst with all their documentation just to travel, if she weren't so worried about people knowing that she replicated abilities it would be so much easier because then she would just fly places, maybe in another world where ranks did not exist it would be possible but not here. After getting off the plane she was guided towards a special desk for Metas arriving. LA was a lot better than other places, she wasn't stared at for being there, a tired man stamped her US passport and pointed her to a screening room where they asked her a few questions, simply routine stuff, checked her bag and sent her out into the exit path. She hadn't realized how long the whole process had taken until she was out side, she had arrived early in the morning and it was already midday, fortunately she planned ahead and should have a rental car ready for her. She entered the rental place and approached the desk "It's under Kytel." Cer probably didn't realize that she was staring directly into the sales person's eyes with out break. "E-excuse me?" The man stammered taken back by her intense stare, Cer was pretty confusing to look at with her color less hair, dark blue eyes, barely tanned skin. It made her stand out a bit and people often took a moment trying to figure out whether she was young or old. "My rental, I called a day in advance you said it would be ready. Perhaps the spelling is the issue, would you like me to write it down?" Cer's calm manner and ceasless stare made it pretty obvious that she was unaware of social norms. This thought didn't occur to the man at the desk who was just getting more uncomfortable. Cer however, felt she had little time to waste, "Fine I will do it, so much for customer service." She went behind the desk to the shock of the sales rep and entered her name, swiped her card and found the keys. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Leaving the man dazed she found her car, some fancy fast car of course, as her mentor had been a rich man and she had expensive tastes as a result. She could afford it and if worst came to worst she could call in her debts but that didn't stop it from being bad for her, nice things only sparked more greed. Cer tried to chastise herself but the sound of the engine revving was so awesome she had to forgive herself. Most contries were more about efficiency and being cost effective, not America, everything was as big and as loud as it possibly could be. At least that's what it felt like to her, she hadn't been in America for a long time. Cer pulled up to an abandoned warehouse, even in the changed scene of LA somethings from the past still remained in the form of abandoned ware houses usually. There was a fishy smell everywhere but also something more sinister beneath it, in a way she knew what she was going to find before she even entered On the inside it looked fairly unsuspicious, empty crates and tarps everywhere, stereotypical warehouse stuff. But if you looked carefully it was clear it was a set up and the key pad on the office was way to nice for the run down area. It wasn't meant to trick everyone, just the local vagrants mostly. Gingerly, Cer entered a code into the keypad, it didn't work. Looking carefully at the door she noticed a crack left, it was almost official at this point that something had gone wrong here but she needed to be sure. Wrenching the door open she dry heaved at the sight, it was a good thing she didn't need to eat any more because she would have thrown up whatever was in her stomach. The scene was somewhere around a week old and the decay was literally sickening. A lot of puncture wounds, not as many burns, total death count was at around 29, everyone who belonged to this sector of the organization was dead. As far as she knew everyone in it was dead, which meant that everyone she had met for the majority of her life was a pile of charred bones, barely more than a skeleton, or a corpse in some stage of decay. The reality of the situation left her a little winded and very empty inside, it was like that children's book about the dinosaur, all her friends were dead. She could have cried or promised to avenge them or even felt anger, but she just robotically carried out the data termination sequence. It was pointless, the culprit could have taken all the info already with out her knowing but she moved it all on to her personal drive anyway. It was more of a safety blanket than a necessary task. She went on to properly gasoline the place and toss the match in, per procedure. Retreating a safe distance away she watched the flames for a moment before returning to the car. She tossed the drive into a pocket of her duffle bag where it came to rest with many others just like it. Cer knew that the chances of the LA base surviving was comically low but she still felt woefully unprepared to face the truth. All that was left now was the safe house, bases in large cities often had places for members to stay and LA's was a magnificent loft with a stunning view of the city. Cer needed to make sure no trace was left and sign it back over to the building owner, who was probably very eager to have it back. Then she would... visit her parents? No, they adopted her when they were in their mid 50s, for reasons she still did not understand, they were probably almost 80 now and dead or dying. She hadn't seen them since she was nine. If she wasn't going to visit her parents she could find her real ones. Which of course wouldn't work either, the trail always went cold, someone had taken a lot of time to cover them up. Cer knew the obvious choice was to at least get to the bottom of her friend's deaths but she didn't really want to know who did it. Closure wasn't what she needed but she could just walk away and not feel guilty about it. Pulling into the building's garage she exited the car and took the elevator up to the top floor. Using the elevator jey, that had been so nicely left, she punched in the top floor. Soon enough the elevator opened with a ding to reveal an untrashed, bodyless apartment. It was a nice change in scenery. It felt rather odd having a 'home' she hadn't really ever stayed in one place for more than a couple of months even when she was part of the MHLA. Realizing she was going to have to figure out what had happened, she froze, how was she even going to start? She was facing a challenge worse than any opponent she had ever fought, human interaction. This was going to require research and finding other people to interact with. Which posed yet another challenge, she had to figure out where people spent their time and what people did the things they spent in their free time. This was too difficult, where could she even start. When she was in the Eurasia zone she usually just went from slum to slum making sure all was right. Unfortunately picking fights with organized crime, gangs, and ne're do wells was probably not what normal people did or even most metas did. Though she couldn't be sure, she hadn't met any other metas outside of the organization. After much deliberation Cer took to the streets, after all when in doubt wander aimlessly.... she was going to have to come up with a better saying than that. While aimless wandering didn't help her understand people much it did give her a bit of understanding, in LA meta was pretty much every where. Prostituting themselves for money, power, or maybe acceptance. It was depressing and entirely unhelpful to figuring out what people did, her task was still as daunting as ever. At least she could pretend like she knew what she was doing, fake it until you make it... That was definitely a better motto.

"That's interesting." Eli said watching the woman changing her hair color on what looked a whim. "What is? What's going on?" The driver Eva Adams "The Jackal Skank just changed her hair color. Makes me wonder what else she can do or how far the changes can go." Eli stated with fixated eyes. "What do you mean how far the changes can go? Is something about to happen?" Eva asked with a hint of worry. "Metas ain't one trick ponies. Example, everyone knows I control fire better than hound dog hunts. What people don't know is I can see in infrared, and I can purge damn near anything outta my blood. Snaggletooth over there changed its hair. Can she become he? Can she become he, who can grow claws or some silly shit? For someone who works for metas you don't seem to know jackshit about us." "Are you always going to be so insulting?" “I was walking among the fires of Hell, delighted with the enjoyments of Genius; which to Angels look like torment and insanity. William Blake said that, which means, Just because something seems one way doesn't mean it is."

Ann was finally feeling some relief from this strange episode. Owlman was standing up for himself, which satisfied Ann who still believed him to be a victim to mankind. The Owlman signaled for the woman to stop and that same gesture, Ann figured, was offered for Ann to remain calm and probably a way of saying "Don't worry" but she wasn't sure. The Owlman then flipped through his book, unchanged by the whole episode and now ignoring that woman for the time being. He settled on something that Ann really didn't know how to decipher it at first. "Be seen and experienced. Familiarity is the greatest enemy of fear..." Ann squinted, mouth agate, at the card as she tried to think. An Owl being praised by people. Well obviously the Owlman was the Owl so that meant he was trying to tell Ann that he was okay with this sort of thing? All the gawking, laughing, and touching was something he did to receive praise? But Ann didn't see people praising the Owlman. Between two girls laughing and taking photos and a overly obsessed fan, she saw hardly a spec of respect being given to Owlman. She was about to inquire, possibly even challenge the motto, if she had understood what was said before the white-haired woman chimed in again. Only this time her hair was changing. The woman proclaimed a whole story and explanation on something she could do. Ann could only speculate as her only clue was the woman's arm being severed and her reattaching casually as if it were like a watch. Ann wasn't a stranger to blood and gore. Ariadne made a mess of others and herself whenever she switched with Ann, but Ann didn't want to witness whatever she was offering, fearing the worst. "No thanks..." Ann's voice was barely that above a whisper as slipped away from her seat and backed up a bit. Ariadne was so close to Ann, that saner twin feared that they might bump into each other and cause a mess. "I don't want it." Whatever it was.

The Owlman stood up as well. This person was obviously having a negative effect on Casper. Maybe he was just picking up on her vibes, but he was actually starting to feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was just knowing that this person had powers that he didn't know the extent of, which was sort of like being near a stranger you know is armed. Whatever the case he really didn't have the time nor the desire to see whatever trick she had right now. He shook his head at her, but still reached into the opposite side of his jacket from where he'd pulled his book. What he laid on the grass near the woman was a professional looking white card, reading: Contact The Owlman at: WWW.Humanstateofmind.com He hoped it wasn't something rude, but he mimed tapping on a wristwatch and shook his head to her. He then pointed to the card and shrugged. That was the best he could do on short notice. After all, she hadn't done anything threatening yet, she was just strange. Then he turned back to Casper and rolled his hand over toward the path in a "shall we go?" sort of gesture before carefully scooping his cane up off the grass and hanging it from the crook of his arm. He didn't really need a cane, couldn't use one at all, but it completed the look.

Jade made a small nid to Owlman, feeling throughly depressed and embarrassed. She'd terrified the girl and disturbed Owlman. As usual , her attempts at talking to people proved less than effective. She pocketed the card and left with a quiet "Good-bye." Walking off, needing a way to get rid of all the frustration and self-loathing she was feeling. 'Dammit, why is Jaden so good at talking to people, yet I can't say one sentences before people want to run from me.' She thought depressingly, as she entered an alleyway absent-mindedly. "Hey beautiful, what is some like you doing in a-" A creepy looking man that had been hiding in the alley came out, a knife in his hand, only to suffer from a fatal case of knife hand through throat, leaving him to gurgle slightly before falling over dead. Jade barely noticed him, he wasn't even worth eating. The blood that hit her was immediately absorbed, though it left her feeling slightly ill, meaning he was probably heavily diseased. Jade's immune system was strong enough to with stand it easy, but it still made her stomach feel a bit uneasy. "I'm done for today, you can take over again Jaden." She said, before she dissolved and Jade went back to being Jaden. Jaden sighed, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Jade. She tried her best, but she still couldn't contain herself around things that excited her, which was almost everything that had to do with Metas. Jaden walked out of the alley and went for a walk, he had no idea where he was going and didn't really care. Life was an adventure and sometimes it was best to just wander around.

Loki blinked himself awake, the plain white ceiling meeting his eyes. He sat up in his bed and yawned, wondering what’d woken him up. He turned his head to look at the clock, and noticed that it was still fairly early for him. Earlier than usual, anyway. He didn’t have to work today, so he should’ve been sleeping till noon. He checked a phone and found out that he had something like 20 unread messages. So far, so standard. He didn’t have anything against people who messaged him, but he just couldn’t be bothered checking his phone. Loki felt a nagging feeling of Déjà vu, but he felt something like that every morning, because he didn’t read his texts all that often. Shrugging the feeling aside, he tossed it back onto his bed and walked down the stairs. The first thing in line for the day was always breakfast, as always. In the downstairs kitchen, he quickly looked around to see if Tom and Claire were around. He noticed a note on the table and took it to read.

Loki and Scarlett, We’re off to buy some groceries. We made you some breakfast, so eat it. Loki, that means you. No Lucky charms with tonnes of sugar. You’ll just get diabetes. Also, we’ve closed up shop today, because… You know. Don’t worry about selling flowers today and take it easy. And seriously, Loki. No lucky charms.

Loki smiled at the note. It was Tom and Claire’s anniversary today, so he should leave them alone for the time being. He looked back at the table and noticed that there was indeed a plate of food, wrapped in cling wrap. He glanced over to the sink and saw that there was another dish in it, implying that Scarlett had already had breakfast. He looked at his own plate and noted that they were pancakes. That was good. But pancakes were only as good as their toppings, and Loki was in some kind of stupid mood, so he moved to the pantry and grabbed his box of lucky charms. Looking in the cupboard, he quickly located a bowl and a spoon. He also took the sugar pot, some maple syrup and the milk and sat down on the table. The operation was ready to begin. First of all, Loki took the cling wrap off of the pancakes and swiftly extracted them from the plate and plopped them into the bowl instead. He took the plate and put it in the sink to wash later. Secondly, he added some maple syrup onto the pancakes. Afterwards, he tipped the box of lucky charms out onto the pancakes and added some sugar onto it. Next, he added some more maple syrup and finished it off with milk. An unholy mixture of sugar and pancakes was just what he needed to start the day. Loki stared at the mixture for a while, sizing up the challenge. Maybe this was a bit too much. Loki thought. He shrugged. It would be a waste not to eat it now, especially since he put effort into it. He sunk his spoon into a pancake and severed the piece, his spoon coming up with a bit of pancake and some lucky charms. He put the whole thing in his mouth and smiled as the sweetness permeated through his body. The feeling of déjà vu came back, however, and Loki didn’t know why. He quickly finished the rest of his breakfast and washed the dishes, heading back upstairs to take a shower. Shower done, he fell onto his bed once again. Today was a rare day of doing absolutely nothing, so he wanted to take advantage of it. He took his phone and opened up his new app: Angry birds Meta edition. Yup, it existed. Thanks to the reformation movement (that he was slightly a part of), Metas got a much more favourable view in society, and the meta edition of Angry birds was a bid to make relations better, which came out around 2 years ago. He was busy then, so he never had a chance to play it, but he figured he could use the time to finish it now. As the colourful intro finished, he was treated to another colourful splash screen, displaying the assorted ‘birds’ throughout the game. He recognised a few, like Owlman, and Light, who he worked with on that movie one time. The majority of the birds he only really knew from reputation, but it was interesting nonetheless. Loki played it for a few minutes before the sense of Déjà vu came back, harder than ever. He felt like he was replaying an exact situation he’d had once before, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly he’d done. Sighing, he closed the game. He couldn’t concentrate. Instead, he checked his texts. As he scrolled through his standard parade of movie offers, his feeling of déjà vu got stronger and stronger, until he happened on a message.

To Trickster: You don't know me, but Gary Stuart has fond memories of you. If you are still working for cash, I have 5 Million if you can find out stuff about the Underground Movement; also, if you encounter any plans to mass-murder another few thousand people like in Disney, don't hesitate to tell me. Oh, and if I and your leader can meet in person, I'll be visiting Gary at the StuCorp labs.

“Ah.” Loki said out loud. That was what’d woken him up. He checked the time, and it was dated to about an hour ago. Better get dressed. He thought. A few minutes later, Loki was ready. Shirt, tie, pants, belt, sweater, coat, throwing knives and the secret weapon. Loki had a particular holster for it, and he slid his ‘secret weapon’, a cylindrical object, into a holster on his belt. He made his way down the stairs, pulling on his socks while hopping on one foot. He passed by Tom’s bedroom door and stopped for a moment, contemplating something. He decided that he would bring it, and ducked into Tom’s room to grab it. Behind the bookshelf lay Loki, Tom and Claire’s old army stuff. Fatigues, bullet proof jackets and more importantly, their guns. There was only one he wanted for now. He shoved the bookshelf aside and took a slightly dated pistol from the rack. He took it out of the holster and did some basic checks, ensuring that it could work. Satisfied, he hooked it onto his belt and put the bookshelf back into place. It was Loki’s old favourite pistol. It had served him well in his time of service, and he felt like having it around for now. Exiting the room, he made his way to the front door, grabbing his shoes on the way. As he put them on and tied the laces, he remembered that Scarlett was still here. Things are a bit different this time around... Loki reflected. “Hey, Scarlett!” He called. “I’m going to be out for a while, so don’t open the door to any strangers, alright?” With that, he exited the flower shop and headed towards Stucorp.

And now, she was left with a robot which seemed to be under her control. Yes, things were definitely going to plan - she had intended to use other methods to try and attract Alto Ganze into helping her but if all she needed to do was ask for help then she would do that. Granted, Ruby did have emotions and she would be very grateful if he somehow did manage to drag her out of the Underground Movement which was incredibly unlikely, even for a Meta of his standing. There were a number of incredibly powerful Metas at her compound and even she wouldn't dare speak out against them. Others, however, like Isabella or Harper, she knew she could toy with. "Right, can you drop us off at the end of the street." She noticed a small cafe there so that was probably the best place to upload every drop of information that Alto needed on her holding grounds. Once they entered the small cafe, Ruby turned to the more mature looking robot and quirked an eyebrow. "You can drink, can't you?" Once her question was met with a resounding nod, she smiled and pointed him to a table before moving to the dark-haired cashier and issuing their order. "It feels good to rest." She yawned as she settled down into the chair facing Theo. Once she had stretched a little further, she fixed him with an interesting look. "You can't lie to me? Interesting. If I asked Mr Ganze's motives, would you be willing to discuss or are you not privy to that information?" She questioned as she drew her phone and began taking all the information she needed from her secure data server. Once everything was on her phone, she began wirelessly uploading it to Theo, which was probably a weird experience to him - he was being filled with new information and considering he could feel emotions, she didn't know how he would react. A huge explosion suddenly rocked the large compound, joining the long list of explosions that had occurred at the oil refinery that day. It started only a few hours prior with a fire that almost seemed uncontrollable, despite best attempts. Said fire spread quicker than anything before, wrapping the refinery in a wall of flames and trapping any workers inside of it. Various news agencies had already arrived on scene, held back by Iraqi Army officials who stated that the situation was under control. "As you can see behind me, the large Baiji Oil Refinery in Northern Iraq has retained a massive amount of damage but it's easy to tell that the fire is not yet over. Engineers are still working on cutting off the oil supply but until then, we are very certain that this fire will rage on." One particular reporter began, pulling out a small tablet which he held in the crook of his arm. "Sources say that heroes have been dispatched to attempt a rescue but we have yet to get an update on that. Things are rapidly moving from bad to worse here. Back to you, studio." It was just as the camera cut off its live feed that the real show began. "Overwatch, this is Max Velocity, I'm inbound on the Refinery." Max Velocity was a figurehead of the International Hero movement. He was an SS-Class Meta capable of applying a large amount of force to his body while removing other forces - to put it simply, he was the only Meta who could fly for a long period and reach speeds greater than that of conventional fighter jets. "Rodger that, Max, everything looks good on the ground. We're sending routes to your HUD now where we think the fire should be low enough to allow you to get in and out. We've readied any staff in there to gather to that point but there may be more around. Haphazard is moving in on the ground and he'll get anyone stuck inside. You focus on those gathered there." "Rodger that, HQ, Max out." He soared through the air, gradually slowing himself as he neared the mass of smoke that had encompassed most of the surrounding air. Green, dotted lines suddenly appeared on his HUD and he followed them, diving and raising himself up until he found a gap in the flames. Upon entering it, he was met by about half a dozen employees, desperate to escape. Somehow, the very presence of the Meta laid down hope and the men eagerly waited to get out. Once Max had dropped the last one off, the man who seemed to speak good English, turned to him. "There is another inside there. A woman that was behind us." With a quick nod, Max turned and flew up again. The TV cameras were on again and following his every move. He barely flew a few metres above the ground when three oddly-shaped blades blasted towards him at speeds even he couldn't process. The cameras captured everything as the blades ripped through him, causing him to pause mid-flight as blood began to pour from the large wounds. The blades, guided by some external presence, did a loop in the air and flew back towards him. The killing blow was impossible to dodge as they rapidly rotated to a locked position and drove themselves into his back. Instead of moving straight through, the rammed him down into the desert sand. Silence engulfed the entirety of the onlookers and not even the roar of the flames could rupture it. Here was one of the strongest and most recognised Meta on the planet who was dying before them. Out of the smoke and flame, an oddly-dressed woman descended. Her clothing was black but lines of silver danced along it, making them look alive. She only stepped down onto land when she reached the writhing body of Max Velocity. "Such strength." She mused, her eyes brimming with a sick excitement as the blades removed themselves before hovering in front of her. Leaning down, she dragged his bloodied body from the sand and held him before her. "You reek of good intentions but your end will be the same." His body glided upwards, freeing the strain on her arms as she reached up to his lips. His eyes, although hazed by pain, spoke lengths of the fear he was going through. "We hunger." She whispered, her lips delicately casting every word as if she had created them herself. "And we shall reap the seed we've sown." With that, her fingers sealed over his lips and his body fell limp as his life-energy ran down along her arm before being soaked up by her body. She allowed her head to fall back, her lips falling open to allow the escape of a small noise of pleasure. "I'll never tire of that." With that, she allowed his body to drop as she turned and walked back into the blaze, closely followed by her blades. "Max!? Max come in!" Screamed the radio-operator into his helmet but her words were lost - he was dead.

"1...2...3..wait...Oh shoot, thats not right", he mumbled to himself quietly. Charlie was sitting at a small mahogany table at the far end of the library, with two of his classmates on the opposite side of the table, flicking each other's foreheads with their pointer fingers. Charlie steadily tapped the end of his pen on his head and bit his lip lightly. He raised his eyes from his book and watched his classmates actions as they were clearly not focusing on the homework like they should have been. He soon found himself lost in a train of thought as his eyes paced back and forth between the two of them. He couldn't help but wonder if they were meta-humans like him, or if anyone he saw was for that matter. It was difficult not to feel like an outcast and it didn't matter that very few people knew about his difference. It was an internal emotional turmoil that he couldn't help but battle. Meta-humans are still humans...right? Just a particularly different branch of humans, but still all in the same. Our differences could be the very thing that brings us together. Charlie softly combed the side of his head with his fingertips, gently gliding them through his hair as he placed his pen behind his ear and closed his books. As he stuffed them into his brown messenger bag, he looked back at his classmates. "Guys, I'm gonna go. I can't seem to really focus today". They stopped their play briefly and looked at him with cocked eyes. He looked around awkwardly before continuing, "Besides...I've gotta be at work soon, so...might as well get a head start. See you tomorrow morning then.", he said, chuckling lightly as his classmates acknowledged his departure before returning back to their banter. Charlie playfully rolled his eyes at them before heading out of the library, slowly pacing himself as he walked down the street, his hands lazily gripped around the leather strap of his messenger bag. As was almost always the case when he wasn't focused on something, his mind was racing. Just random thoughts seemed to always infiltrate his mind. Particularly thoughts about meta-humans and being one and the current events surrounding them. He was always so sensitive to everything around him. He hadn't always been this way though. He had been severely sheltered by his autonomous parents and their strict philosophies. So when he finally moved out on his own, it was, a wake up call to say the least. All of sudden, he was being bombarded by countless stories and news about his kind and...the things that had been done to them. He only knew of two other meta-humans and they had just so happened to meet by chance. Or maybe fate. Maybe there was some deeper connection that drew his kind together. Then again...he'd only met two, so, what would he know? With a somber and crestfallen countenance plastered over his face, he was nearly at the flat that he shared with his older brother. At the pace he was walking, another good 15 minutes or so and he'd be there. Passing by Barney's drug store, Charlie found himself cutting through an alleyway, just between Barney's and Starbucks, his place of work. If he had been in his right mind today, he would have packed his uniform prior to leaving his flat for the library. He disliked having to backtrack. The alleyway was like a 4-way intersection, each path leading to a street opposite of the other. It was an unusually long alleyway, about a 5 minute walk from 1 side to the other. As he made his way, he paused, his senses picking up on voices coming from around the corner in the east alley. It sounded like men, 2 or 3, he guessed. Had it not been for the aggressive and violent nature of their speech, he would have thought nothing of it and continued past them. His heartbeat was definitely increasing for sure. He was getting nervous that much was certain. As inconspicuously as he could, he knelt down on his knees and ever so stealthily peered his head around the corner, hoping to catch a better glimpse.

"So you're leaving then?" Bo perked up slightly at the mention of the word 'go', being brought down again by the weight of the word 'we'. He had become excited by the very idea of this girl leaving his hideout. She was beginning to be a massive nuisance, even with her feigned attempt at helping him. Even worse than her lies about feeding him metas, was her grossly inadequate ability to follow a train of thought. No idea of perspective, no concept of metaphors or association, nothing. There's been discussions with walls that have interpreted what he was saying more fluently than her and yet she was the hero. "Go and make sure everything's all set up for me, I'll gather my things, tidy up, and head over later this evening alright dear?" He said as he crossed the room, moving past her and opening the door up. "I appreciate all your help and I'm sure we'll have the misfortune of working together in the future."

International Heroes HQ Cedric was not in a good mood; Velocity Max's death, coming so soon after the heels of his meeting with Ruby and Elijah, as well as the meet-up with Loki, as well as the preparations for the attack on New Sun Corporation, all those issues were weighing upon his head, particularly Velocity Max's death. Max had been a friend, a close friend of his, and to see him die due to a mysterious threat... Enough of this; he sent out word to Owlman, Adam, and Dean, assuming the latter two would even listen. He also sent word to Healing Spore, asking her to come to the gathering at once; there's a crisis brewing. As for Light, he told the Meta to finish up the situation with Bo right now, because she had some New Metas she had to recruit.

Theo sat quietly, processing the information that was being uploaded to him. He read through all of it of course, but it wasn't for him, It was for the Emperor. He watched as a waiter placed their beverages carefully onto the table. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it hardly mattered. "If you wished to know the Emperor's intentions, then I cannot deny you." He said to her, "But it is likely you would not like what you hear." He leaned back slightly, contemplating his next words. "...I will admit that I was given the ability to feel emotions, but I shut off many of them because I deemed them detrimental." He said, "But as a result, I don't fully understand the Emperor's motives." He picked up the cup in front of him, and took a sip. It was quite bitter, and a little hot, meaning it was coffee. "Even now the Emperor is aware of everything I say and do." He said, putting his coffee down. "Would you still like to know, Empress?"

"Yeah... Sorry but if I'm going your going with me, and probably for the better." light said, noticing his annoyed tone. "I have a partner, and while hes slow, hes not as nice as I am." She continued, holding both hands behind her back and posing as an innocent little girl. "And well... Remember what I said about how your not invincible? Yeah... Your a smart guy, I'm sure you can put 2 and 2 together." She thought for a moment as the man didn't budge but kept gesturing for her to leave. thinking for a moment and remembering back to a previous conversation, she asked. "Question. You say you have some sort of pain. What if there were a way to remove that pain while not losing your power. You know, become a 'normal' person like me just with superpowers? Apparently when I was talking with my supervisor, he greenlit that sorta project if your interested." Of course if he said no, Light would have no choice but to go the violent route. But damaged as he may be, he seemed civil enough. But if not, well, he did leave a giant knife on a counter, and Light was much closer to it than he was... It didn't help that Light was getting some new orders, just as she was finishing up here. She wasn't very close to Velocity Max, but did know him and his work a little. She was eager to figure out the mystery behind his death, so hopefully the guy came along with her. A fight would delay her far longer than she'd like.