[hr][h1][i][color=Lawngreen]Sonya Mayfield[/color], [color=Dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color], [color=Gray]Quentin Taylor[/color] & Task Force RAVEN[/i].[/h1][hr][hider=Psychonauts OST - Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzseE_0Zo3w[/youtube][/hider][hr] Fortunately for the botched evacuation, NEST still had a defensive position back at the Headquarters (They still needed a base of operations to launch counter attacks against the Devil). All they could do was awkwardly stuff the surviving citizens back into the tents and buildings. They ventured so much, and lost far more than they gained. Task Force RAVEN, who, at this point, were the only thing standing in the way of a total massacre, were assembled in their Meeting Room. Silently sitting in the chairs, staring at each other, at a total loss of what the hell to do. Maximilian seemed to have been hit the hardest by the recent events. He was standing, hunched over the table, with his hands pressed against the table. He was vaguely mumbling - only Sonya and Savannah (Two with keen hearing) could hear him mumbling things along the lines of "why didn't they give me more time", and "we were almost out". Other than that, the silence was certainly awkward. Up until Leon broke the silence when he loudly cleared his throat, and all eyes were on him, "... Well, this looks bad." He said. "This looks [i]bad?[/i]" Helena parroted, almost in utter disbelief. "We're [i]trapped[/i] in here with a bitch with a chip off her shoulder, that just so [i]happened[/i] to win the god damn superhuman lottery - and not only [i]that,[/i] we gotta deal with the Changelings and the Hands on top of that." Leon threw his hands up, leaning back in his chair. He casually said, "You should relax... you're always so... [i]high strung[/i]." "Who isn't?" Helena said. "The evac failed, and we lost even more Agents - without getting a [i]single[/i] civilian outside city lines." The next to speak up was a reluctant Lihua. Closing her eyes, and letting out a loud sigh, "It pains me to say this, but I have to agree with Helena on this matter." She opened her eyes, and realized that all attention was on her. "The situation [i]is[/i] bad, but what I have one thing to say... one." She put her finger up. "With the situation looking oh so bad for us - this could very well be the end of everything we once knew - we have two true options." "And those are?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Please, Leon, don't act stupid. Just. This. [i]Once[/i]." The matriarch folded her hands on the table, and stared ahead - at Maximilian who was across from her - as she let her words hang up in the air for a bit. "It's simple... we either give up, and let that lunatic kill us, or we launch a counter attack against her, and kill her with the precision that NEST is known for. I suggest the latter... I refuse to go down without dragging that whore down with me to the underworld." "Yeah, yeah, right, like she's going to just let us go in and shoot her in the head." Helena scoffed. "We gotta find her before we even try that.... Or have your lost your touch during your suspension?" "Child," Lihua hissed through her teeth, "You're [i]always[/i] running your damn mouth without having the slightest idea of what you're even going on about." Lihua leaned over towards Helena, and pointed at her, "Shut up, and let the adults talk, okay? Because clearly, you're [i]just[/i] a gun. Stop trying to act smart, and just stick to what you know. Which clearly isn't all that much." "Hey, screw you, Vuhong," Helena hissed in response. "Condescending bitch." "Oh? At least I [i]earned[/i] the right to look down on nothings li-" "Enough!" Maximilian pounded his hands on the tables so loud that it almost sounded like Echo hit the tables. "Agent Vuhong, Agent Page, don't you think we have more important things to worry about than your stupid feuds?" He was damn near about to punch the table in half. "[i]She[/i] was the one who-" Lihua tried to retort, giving Helena a disgusted look as she threw a finger in her direction - but she was quickly stopped by Max. "And [i]you[/i] played much of a part in it as her." Maximilian was barely containing his anger as he spat out each word. He gave the room one long scan. "Now, if you two are done being children, Agent Vuhong, would you continue?" It seems that Maximilian was barely containing his emotions... Lihua knew when to quit, and this was it. She calmly sighed, before saying, "I'll just cut to the chase when I say that I've been reviewing, and compiling, intelligence. I believe that the Devil is the one behind the... gruesome attacks on Metahumans." "The ones where hearts of Metahumans get torn out by freaky-ass monsters?" Leon said, putting his arms behind his head. "Yeah, yeah... got some theories on that, too." "So, we're on the same page here when I say that she's using them for [i]something,[/i] Vahan?" Lihua tapped her fingernail against the tabletop, and gazed at her fellow agents. This was all or nothing. "I believe she's bringing them directly to herself - [i]something[/i] we can take advantage of... For example, we can, perhaps, poison a heart and present it to her beasts - and if that doesn't kill the bitch, then I also suggest we place a tracker within the hearts so we can at least track her." "Hearts don't grow on trees." Helena stated. Leon scratched the sides of his head, as he said, "Well, they don't grow on trees, but they kinda gro-" "Irrelevant. [i]Vahan.[/i]" Lihua said, dead serious. "Agent Page... have you forgotten that we, essentially, have a vault full of Metahuman hearts." She said in a near grandoise fashion. "Huh?" "Are you stu-" Lihua was about to say, before she cut herself off. "The [i]morgue[/i]. We have dead Metahumans in the [i]morgue[/i]." She rolled her eyes. It was like talking to an idiot sometimes! "Oh." "It's..." Maximilian said, "The only idea we have." "One thing," Quentin chimed in, noticing the potential for a flaw in that plan. "What if she only takes [i]live[/i] hearts?" He folded his arms, before opining, "Maybe it's time Heartbreaker had hers broken for a change." The tone he used made it difficult to discern whether or not he was being serious about that option or not. Maybe both. At this point, Lihua would have been fine tearing out Heartbreaker's own heart, and feeding it to the Devil. Helena crossed her arms, and gave Lihua a cocky smirk after Quentin said what he had to say. Raising a finger up into the air that almost made Lihua hop over the table and tear her hair out. "Agent Taylor has a point," Maximilian said, "We may need a [i]live[/i] donation." He said. "However... we still need Heartbreaker." He looked over at Lihua, then Quentin. "Even if they recover her, I gave her a little something that'll lead us right back to her." "So, what about the other four lesser Changelings we have in custody?" Lihua mentioned, referencing Fig, The Witch Mother, and the Colossus... the last one would be the perfect bait. There wasn't anything they could get out of the giant. "Oh, onto the next matter I wanted to discuss." Lihua announced, pausing - not for dramatic effect, but attempting to gather her words. Find the best way to phrase this. Because she was certain that not everyone would agree on her with this one. "The odds are overwhelmingly against us. Only a limited supply of combat capable Agents, against an enemy that, as we believe, can infinitely produce an army." There was no doubt about that. Lihua knew that if NEST tried to go the direct route, they would fail so miserably that it wouldn't be funny. "As it stands, we're.against an army that outnumbers us, and will sure as hell [i]outlast[/i] us. Every second, more people are dying... We're going to need everyone we can. I know this isn't a good idea - but, down the line, we're going to have little choice. The circumstances force us to." Lihua sighed, before coming out and saying it, "...I suggest that we get some of the younger Metahumans to help." "Huh, you mean like the kids your daughter hangs out with?" Leon said, scratching his head. "[i]Them?[/i]" "Yes...." Lihua suggested. "They might not seem like much - but underestimating them would be foolish. They are much more capable than they seem, and, if I have to be honest with myself, if we fall, then it'd be down to them, and they won't last long." "What I wanna ask is... yeah... do you wanna put your daughter on the line like that?" Leon said... knowing that Meifeng would want to help. "I don't." Lihua blankly answered. "But I have no choice. I'm not asking to throw them into the front lines like it's nothing." She said, "They can be like... our deputies. Assistants, yeah. They work under our explicit instructions. Take that grey-haired boy - if it wasn't for him, more people would have died trying to kill that giant." Daphne raised an eyebrow - she was amused that Lihua, who was always fierce to keep her precious children off limits to any kind of danger, would be willing to offer such a plan...but even more so at her [i]praising[/i] Shizuka (she had heard from Akemi that the two of them had quite an unpleasant first encounter back when they were trying to get out of Chinatown to Knightdale together). Leon, once again, leaned back in his chair, and quietly chuckled. "That's how bad things are? That we gotta fall back on kids, huh?" He had to state. "Up to Maxi." He snickered. Everyone looked at Maximilian. "Hey, Maxi," Leon said. "If you're gonna agree to any stupid idea," Leon paused as he shrugged. "Miiiiight as well be this one." "Well, Maxi," Sonya finally spoke up, raising her hand as Maria sat next to her in her true form. "That Obott-boy sure knows how to handle himself. Needs a little guidance, yeah, but he ain't [i]useless[/i]." Sonya supported Lihua's ideas.... mostly so that she can have herself a sniper protoge! "Though, he kinda pisses himself in the face of danger - but so do I! That's why my suit needs to be washed after every mission!" "... So [i]that's[/i] what I keep smelling." Leon said, raising a finger. "... Stop calling me "Maxi", Agent Vahan." Maximilian said, before Leon and Sonya went off track. "In these desperate times... we'll need everyone we can. Because the rules have now been blurred - if they haven't already been crossed off. Yes, Agent Vuhong, we'll let the teenaged Metahumans assist in our operations." This was what Lihua wanted to hear. "I'll even lead our little group." She knew that, under her leadership, they cannot possibly fail. "I'll go ask who wants to be apart of our little unit." Daphne couldn't help but smirk to herself - she was pretty sure that hard-headed phantom boy would rather drive the tough matriarch through the roof than being a slave to her ruthless (and possibly suicidal) orders. Still... "As usual, I will assist in providing backup along with Grue. "Also, another piece of intelligence that I have...gathered, is that the Devil is most likely hiding in the sewers, where there is a huge reserve of those 'substances' she can keep using to create her monstrous army." In truth it was a conclusion drawn from her own deduction (she was unable to locate the target on land, and unfortunately her ability had very limited range underground) plus some bits of Shizuka's theories she had eavesdropped on with her flora network. She made a mental note to treat the young twin for a feast if they could get out of this hell alive. Lihua was about to say something snarky at Daphne... of course she's hiding out in the sewers. Who [i]didn't[/i] piece that together? It's the perfect hiding spot - it's out of the way, and she basically has pathways to anywhere in the city. The problem for [i]NEST[/i] was getting down there... of course. She had every advantage in the sewers. The best bet for NEST was bombing the area from afar. Quentin rubbed his jawline with a palm as he considered what to say next. If he was ever going to be level with them, he may as well have done so whilst it could still make a difference. "Should've mentioned this hell of a lot earlier, but... my power? It's not replication. It's transfer." He let off a wearied sigh, gaze shifting across the room. "I can pick up other powers and use 'em to a degree, yeah... but I can also give them to others. Sometimes even pull them away, though that's a whole other matter. If it's going to help, well... this is as good a time as any." Everyone looked at Quentin, with a curious look on their faces - save for Lihua, who was already informed in a oh so off handed manner. So, all Lihua did was lean back in her chair, and give them a look. [i]Time to see how close you are to your new friends, Taylor.[/i] "Agent Taylor...." Maximilian trailed off. Feeling a little betrayed that Quentin hid this from them, but understanding why. "While I am surprised at this new revelation... you still have the full support of RAVEN." "... That could have been good to know a [i]while[/i] back, Taylor." Helena said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've mentioned it a long time ago, but... well, back then I wasn't sure what to expect with NEST. With you." Quentin's expression was sincere and for once, he was confident in what he'd said. "I was wrong, I earned your trust - and you earned mine." "Hey, hey, hey, now!" Sonya loudly said. "Can't speak for the other lads, but you you [i]always[/i] had [i]my[/i] trust." Sonya's tongue flopped out of her mouth. "Did you think we would turn on you because of one simple white lie? Nope! It doesn't matter if you didn't tell us before anymore, Taylor." "Wait," Helena said, raising a hand, "What about the Hands and the Changeling Unit?" "This is bigger than the Hands, Helena..." Lihua started off, "We're talking about a Metahuman that can possibly destroy everything - we can afford to ignore the Hands and their aberrations just this once. Once this is over, [i]then[/i] we'll go after them. For now, we'll have to let them go.... unobstructed." She sighed afterwards, she'll get her revenge eventually. Leon let out a sigh. "Hate to hear that, but looks like we got no choice." He shrugged. "Speaking of the Hands..." Lihua said, tapping a finger against her jawline. There was another matter that they had to attend to, that they had no choice but to address. "We still have our metal friend in custody, right?" Lihua said. "That is correct, Agent Vuhong," Maximilian responded, shaking his head. "That's a loose end that'll need tying up." Quentin noted. "Agent Taylor just about summed it up. We need to address the matter of what we're going to do about [i]him[/i]." Lihua pressed her finger against the table top. "As we know, he's incredibly powerful, and I doubt that, in these times, we can afford to have him removing more our Agents from the equation if he breaks free - which is [i]much[/i] more likely. Both the Changeling Unit, and the Hands have a teleporter in their ranks." She said. "Which is why I'm suggesting that we dispose of him soon as possible. He's just too big of a risk." "... Which is what we should have done from the get go." Helena spat out, crossing her arms, and leaning back in her chair. "You sure it... 'he' can be destroyed, though?" Quentin raised an eyebrow, something else cooking in that head of his. "NEST Headquarters has heavy duty equipment in the basement." Lihua said. "Drills, saws, etc. Just in case something like this happens. I suggest the smelters." "Still, that's a lot of effort to go to when we're under siege," Quentin poked a hole in that idea. "And the way I see it, we've got a golden opportunity. Something like that's going to draw a [i]ton[/i] of attention. Why not use our friend as a shield against these things whilst we move against the bitch? She'd probably do the job for us." Lihua, who personally just wanted a front row seat to see the bastard die, didn't take too kindly to this idea. "Is that a risk we want to take... Agent Taylor?" She asked him, giving him a doubtful look. "He's with the Hands. Worst outcome, he goes back to them, and we gave them back [i]another[/i] weapon to use against [i]us." And I'm done fighting him.[/i] That put a halt to his train of thought. He definitely didn't want to put something like [i]that[/i] into those bastards' hands. "God-dammit." "... Not necessarily, Agent Vuhong." Dana said, as she rolled into the room. "Daaanaaaaa.... hey!" Leon said cheerfully at Dana. Daphne quickly fell in behind her direct superior - she was glad to see her alive and well. "I've been reviewing the interrogation - which was thankfully recovered - and I deduced that he's not as loyal to the Hands as you think." Dana said to Lihua (But, it was directed at the entire Task Force). "He only joined with them so he could continue his research... Which we recovered when we launched the raid on their headquarters." "Oooooh, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, clever girl?" Sonya said with a wide smile on her face. "Yes." Dana said. "We [i]offer[/i] to give him back his research [i]if[/i] he plays nice, and agrees to fight the Devil for us. If he doesn't play ball, [i]then[/i] we destroy him." "[I]if[/i] we do, then we're taking some precautions," Quentin said, "His powers. I'm going to.. borrow them, figure out who to pass them onto and make sure we have something on him." "A lovely idea, Taylor!" Sonya said. "Why didn't we do that in the first.... Oh, oh yeah, you never told us!" Sonya's tongue flopped out of her mouth with her cheerful smile on her face. She was joking of course. "Yeah, yeah," Quentin snorted, "Strongest powers I've ever touched are the ones I got when NEST first found me, courtesy of that big bastard in the mask. No idea what something like this could do." He wondered where the Nemesis was now. Probably reducing some of those things to a puddle of goo. "While Agent Vuhong raises some points... she's forgetting her own point when she said that we "need all the help we can get"." Maximilian said, briefly turning towards Lihua. "We have to at least [i]try[/i] Quentin and Dana's ideas. As Dana said, if PR-1 doesn't play ball, then we'll just destroy him - [i]but,[/i] we'll at least have one powerhouse." Lihua sighed. She was still [i]heavily[/i] against the idea of doing anything other than destroying Peter - just because of the off chance that he gets away with all of this - but it seems that she's... outvoted. So, she'll play along, just this once. If it blows up in their face... well, with that super weapon bearing down on them, she likely won't even get the satisfaction of saying "I told you so". Though, she didn't want to say this, but she agreed with Quentin's idea - up until you considered just [i]who[/i] he was going to give the power to. "... Very well." "Alright, meeting adjourned." Maximilian said as he stood straight up. "Let's get to work, RAVENs." [hr][i][h1][color=Lawngreen]Sonya[/color], [color=Dodgerblue]Lihua[/color], [color=Red]Meifeng[/color], [color=Yellow]Mika[/color], [color=aqua]Jennifer[/color], [color=Springgreen]Cindy[/color], [color=Plum]Trevor[/color], [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color], [color=Gray]Quentin[/color], [Put other characters here] & Task Force RAVEN.[/h1][/i][hr][hider=Psychonauts OST - Agent Cruller's Sacred Hall][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzseE_0Zo3w[/youtube][/hider][hr] "C'mon, darlings, you'll miss the big announcement!" Sonya said, as she pushed Cindy through the doors of the assembly room, with various friends - Consisting of, of course, Meifeng, Jennifer, Trevor, Shizuka, and Mika - following behind her. "Okay, okay, I'm going." Cindy pleaded as this crazy frog woman damn near threw her into the room. The assembly room was what you'd expect an assembly room to be like; a large rectangle-shaped room, with plenty of chairs that sat on both sides of a path that lead directly to a large wooden stage (With a finely carved wooden podium). Which had Maximilian, Lihua (With Lihua standing behind the podium), Quentin, and Adam, standing on it. Sonya hopped from the door, over to the stage - earning a look from everyone as she awkwardly shuffled over to the fellow NEST Agents, and folded her hands behind her back. Lihua rolled her eyes, as she said, "Everyone have a seat, please." Everyone sat down in separate parts of the Assembly room. [i]Alright, let's get this over with, shall we?[/i] Lihua thought to herself as she saw the crowd of people. "Hello, children, I have assembled you all here today to discuss the poor situation that we're in, and how we can possibly get out of it." She closed her eyes, and let the words hang in the air. "Yeah, how so?" Cindy asked, crossing one leg over the other. She looked up at Lihua over her glasses, "... And how does it concern [i]us?[/i]" She had to ask. Lihua sighed. "... I know this is very unreasonable of us to request of you all - you should be able to live without worrying about such matters - but, due to current circumstances, we are dangerously low on NEST Agents, and, due to... obvious reasons...." She let the words hang into the air, "Those numbers aren't going to get any higher." She shook her head. "So... are you suggesting...?" Jennifer asked, putting her hands on her knees. "Yes," Lihua said, giving Jennifer a simple nod of her head. "Each of you contain an ability that is very useful to NEST. Whether it's Cindy's glass manipulation, Shizuka's intangibility, or Trevor's drug. And we need them... now more.than ever." The room continued to be silent as everyone contemplated the implications of what Lihua said. She let out a sigh. "What we're asking is that some of you assist NEST in our operations against the Devil of Verthaven. If you choose not to accept, then that's okay. No one is forcing [i]any[/i] of you to do anything. But, if you do, you'll be helping us save thousands of lives." They were silent yet again. Lihua continued her speech, nonetheless. "I know what you all are thinking - that we'll be throwing you in the face of danger. Not true. We'll be doing our best to keep you out of danger as much as possible. You'll be assisting NEST... specifically the RAVENS, as they do the dangerous tasks. And you'll have them as cover. You have some of [i]the[/i] best Agents helping you... and I honestly can't say that any of you are completely helpless." She took a step back from the podium, and put her hands up. "So, I'm going have to ask; who's with us? Like I said, we aren't going to judge you if you decline." Meifeng was the first to hop up, without saying even a word. "I'm in." She said, so utterly sure of herself and her actions. She was made for this. She wasn't going to just stand by as everyone in this city dies. The next to stand up was Trevor, slinging his bow over his shoulder as he slammed a fist up against his heart. "Agent Trevor, reporting for duty." He said, in a near-sultry tone as he looked up at Lihua. This was going to be the start of his NEST training. "Where ever they go," Jennifer started off, and finished it with, "I'll follow. I can't fight, but... I know I can at least try." She wasn't sure if she should even be saying this. She was never a warrior... but, it was something about these fools she calls friends that made her want to at least try. In hopes of at least getting out of here, she was going to try to be a warrior, and try to keep them alive. Lihua felt like she wasn't getting enough of them. She needed [i]Cindy[/i] and her raw destructive power above all else. "... Did I mention you get to stay in the nice and comfy NEST Headquarters, and not on an uncomfortable cot in the slums out there?" Cindy then raised her hand. "It ain't because of the showers... but I'm going to help." "Sorry Auntie," Mika stood up, and began walking out of the room. "I'm not a soldier. I don't think I'll ever be one." "I'm not expecting you to, Mika." Lihua nodded her head, "Someone needs to watch Lijuan." "Wait, so you're just gonna bail on us like this and stand by as people [i]die?[/i]" Meifeng asked, in utter disbelief. "This is your whole fuckin' problem, Mika. You still have that same bullshit "every man's an island" idea in your head." Mika stopped and looked back for a moment. Almost like she was considering it."... Sorry, cousin, but you won't be able to guilt me this time." She said what she had to say, and then turned around to walk out the door. Meifeng shook her head. "That girl's a piece of work..." Shizuka watched the Asian girl - whom they called Mika - leaving the room; half of him wanted to follow suit to reunite with his aunt and twin, but he knew that his brother was right...besides, the probability of them getting out of this shit would be much higher as a collective whole - the previous battles had shown him how little he (and the rest of the Metahumans) could do with their powers. All alone. "I guess you can count me into the suicide squad, then," he finally spoke, shrugging. "But if anything bad happens I'll save my own skin first." He narrowed his eyes at the NEST agents. "Even if it means defying orders." Lihua couldn't help but roll her eyes at the comment. [i]Oh you[/i] poor [i]misguided fool.[/i] Lihua thought to herself. It's clear that Shizuka just says whatever is on his mind - because what would it accomplish by telling your team mates that you won't help them? It's only damaging cohesion. "Child," Lihua said, "If you disobey an order, you'll be punish, simple as that." Lihua sternly said. "Because, if you were in an [i]actual[/i] military of any sort and disobeyed an order..." She gave him a very narrow look. "... You would figuratively get your teeth kicked in." While Shizuka was acting quite obnoxious, she wasn't having any of it. Because the enemies she's faced... this boy wouldn't last ten seconds against what she has. Merely because he thinks he knows everything. People who think they know everything tend to get a reality check the hard way. Shizuka raised both of his hands. "Whoa there, ma'am - I'm under the impression that I'm only here as a [i]mere volunteer[/i]." He returned Lihua with an equally hard look. "Not a [i]child soldier[/i]." Everyone looked at Lihua, then back at Shizuka. The first to break the silence was Cindy, scolding Shizuka, "Yeah, I'll [i]definitely[/i] keep that in mind when your ass is in the fire." Cindy rolled her eyes at this comment. Her opinion of Shizuka went from being the "loony boy" to actively detesting him. "Whatever the case, I'm sure some of you have abilities that'll be highly valued." Quentin stepped forward, arms folded. "Right now you've got the chance to share those abilities with someone who can pass them onto others." Cindy and Trevor immediately gave Quentin a curious look. Being quite unfamiliar with the NEST Agent - compared to Jennifer and Meifeng who had some fond respect for the man. He could tell by the looks on some faces that a few had their doubts. "You won't lose your powers and it won't be anything invasive of harmful, like what you've heard about from the Hands of Science... that's a promise from [i]me[/i]." His gaze briefly met Meifeng and Jennifer when he got to that part. "I don't know..." Cindy said, looking off to the side. "C'mon," Meifeng said, "You can trust Quentin - he helped pull our ass out the fire when we needed it the most." "I agree..." Jennifer said. "He's... not bad. Not bad at all. You can trust him." "... So, what are you even plannin' when you mean "share those abilities"?" Cindy said. "Who are you even going to give our powers to? How are they gonna use it?" Quentin paused for a moment; she'd made a good point, who [i]was[/i] he going to give these abilities to? Fuck it. He'd figure it out sooner or later, and said "People that [i]I'll[/i] trust. And they'll use it just like many of have; protecting yourselves and those around you from harm." "[i]I refuse[/i]," unlike the other teens, Shizuka was quick to decline, his arms crossed before him defensively. Lending a hand to whatever feeble tactics these adults might have was the only service he was willing to offer. Sharing his ability with random strangers? As if he would loan out his power to anyone like that! "It's not just about trust issue with that Metacop - my ability isn't something that should be shared [i]openly[/i]." His power might not be anything flashy like Cindy's glass manipulation or that Vuhong woman's concrete ability, but in the wrong hands... He shook his head. Everyone in this goddamned meeting had their mind fixed solely on the Devil - they wouldn't understand the need to take precautions in case of unforeseen circumstances. Now that all of them were trapped in this city, the mindless slimes wouldn't just be the only thing they had to fight against... A crowd of psychopathic survivors would probably be as bad, if not worse. He could care less about how much of a dick he's acting before the rest in the room - well, if it would make them chase him out of this stifling place and be back with his family, why not? "Fine, that's your call. Like I said, I'm not going to force that choice on people." Quentin kept his arms folded. Cindy was about to say something - but, for once, she kept her mouth shut. Despite being blunt, she realized that Shizuka was a [i]real[/i] piece of work. They needed everything they could to survive - and having a power that's "not to be shared" openly was a stupid reason not to give them every edge they needed - which is what Cindy would be doing. Her glass powers would do a great deal helping clear groups of the bastards. Though, it might have been pride. Lihua shrugged - it was just more stubborn stupidity on Shizuka's part if he doesn't want to share the very useful ability to cut the monsters off from their network. Though, she kept her mouth shut about it, since no matter what she'd say, it wouldn't make too much difference. The boy will learn things the hard way. That's another story - however. Lihua wasn't going to mull about him that much longer. She had people with bright futures ahead of her. "Everyone stand up." She ordered them, and the group did as they were instructed. "From this day fourth... you all are deputy NEST Agents, and honorary members of Task Force RAVEN. You will be doing all you can to bring order to this city, and saving all the lives you can. It won't be easy - but I have utter confidence that, under our guidance, you can make a difference." Lihua finished her speech with a nod. "Get going - we have arranged for your own sleeping quarters. Get lots of rest." Lihua said. "Because, tomorrow, we're going to get to work." Everyone split up, and started heading out of the assembly room. "This is great and all..." Jennifer stated as she got up. "But, I think I'm gonna start looking for my family." She got up, and started walking off. "Alright, Jen," Meifeng nodded her head as she went another direction. "Stay safe." [hr][h1][i][color=aqua]Jennifer Marissa Caspin[/color].[/i][/h1][hr] Stepping out into the cold rain, Jennifer was immediately reminded of how this city went from relatively peaceful, to a complete disaster, in no less than a day. There were signs, of course. Signs everywhere. Just that everyone chose to ignore them. Jennifer simply nodded her head as she walked these wet streets. Quickly throwing her hoodie up as she started going from the grounds of the NEST headquarters, to the somewhat less crowded refuge the people of this city was forced to take. Jennifer, looking up, peered at the blue shield that was [i]protecting[/i] the outside world (From them of course). She wondered if she'd ever be able to tell day from night now - though, that question was irrelevant with the storms and the grey clouds looming overhead. All she saw was darkness... hopefully some day she'd see the light that she started to crave since this disaster began. [i]Where do I even start?[/i] Jennifer asked herself as she looked around. The only thing she could think of was asking. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her cellphone. She went through the pictures until she found a photo of her family (Or at least what's left of them without big daddy Caspin). It was a picture of Jen in between her two younger brothers - who both had the same blond hair and blue eyes that Jennifer had - while they posed. Smiling cockily, and throwing peace signs. Both boys were the same age, twelve, and were both short and fiery as ever. Her sister, Kaitlyn, was standing in front of them, and had her arms crossed as she gave the photographer a narrow look. She was only two years older than Justin and Cody - but her hair was worn out longer, and was much more flowing and graceful. Behind them was undoubtedly the matriarch of the Caspin, much taller than all of them, and yet shared the same features as them. Which heavily implied that they got their looks from their mother. She was just standing behind them, with her hands on Justin and Cody's shoulders, a warm smile on her face. Sighing, Jennifer knew that this was a stretch. She just [i]prayed[/i] they were one of the survivors of everything that happened. Only one way to find out. Jenny, using her phone, walked up to one of the NEST Agents that had been guarding the tents - wearing the standard battle dress with a helmet. "Hey, um, excuse me?" She said to get his attention, "Have you seen them?" He shook his hand. "No, ma'am." He stated. Before Jennifer shook her head, and let out a defeated sigh. She kept walking around, showing the photos to people, with no luck thus far. There was nothing more she could do, other than give into despair. However, Jennifer approached a black haired teen that was standing on one of the corners, and tried her luck with [i]her[/i]. "Hey, have you seen any of them?" Jennifer asked as she showed the picture to her. The black haired teen seemed to be more interested in Jennifer than the photo - but for the sake of concealing herself, she took a good hard look at it, and shook her head. "No, sorry." She said. Jennifer turned away disappointed - the teen grabbed onto her arm, stopping her. "But, wait," She started off, "Send it to me, and I'll keep it in mind and call you if I see them." "Really?" Jen asked, surprised. "Really." The stranger replied, "Now give me that phone." The two quickly exchanged phone information, and the photo ended up on the stranger's phone. "Thank you." Jennifer said as she walked off. "I'll see you around." The stranger said with a smile that turned out to be false when she turned off and walked into an alleyway. The teenager pulled that phone out her pocket, and put on a devious grin as she punched in the numbers for her boss - being none other than The Contessa. She put the phone against her ear, "Hey boss," She said, "... I got us leverage."