[hr][i][h1][color=00ff7f]Rori[/color], [color=Springgreen]Cindy[/color], [color=dodgerblue]Lihua[/color], [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color], & [color=darkslateblue]Reed[/color].[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Oakdell Harbor, White Coast[/u][/i] It wasn't long before trucks and emergency vehicles swarmed the area. While Meifeng and Quentin were preoccupied in hauling the sniper off... it was up to Cindy and the rest of DOVE to pick up the pieces. With a sigh, Cindy merely adjusted her glasses as she scrolled through the wreckage. Damn. Oakdell took a beating. It'd be months (if not [i]years[/i]) before everything's back to normal. And even then, the true damage was done. They might have caught their mystery sniper, but... everyone's going to assume a Metahuman had done all this damage. At least it wasn't as bad as the mall. Still, it was hard to deny all the deaths that had happened - along with the destruction. Cindy merely sighed as she watched someone placed into an ambulance. There was much work to get done here. Find survivors, assess the damage... and so on. "Ms. Keagan!" Someone called out to Cindy... and she knew exactly who it was. It was Lihua Zhao, coated in dust from concrete, and the windstorm. Her black dress was utterly ruined, and her bikini was showing. She took a few steps towards Cindy, and then Cindy could see the scratches done to the woman. However, she suddenly fell over, exhausted, and wounded. She was on her hands and knees, heavily panting. "Sh- Lihua!" Cindy said as she scampered over to Lihua. "Are you okay?" "D-don't... worry about me... I'm searching for Lijuan... I can't find her anywhere." Lihua said, determined to stay up. "Yeah, yeah... I'll find her," Cindy said. "Just... stay down, I'll-" "No," Lihua said as she pushed herself to her feet, struggling to stand up. [hr] Another mouthful of water was enough to stir Reed from drifting into unconsciousness, arm practically locked around the girl's bod... [i]Lijuan[/i], the storm had practically thrown them out to sea, but he'd been able to keep a hold of her when the tide had tried to claim them. "Lij... Lijuan... can you hear me?" he rasped, "Stay with me, kid, stay with me, we're getting you to shore..." Coughing up water, Lijuan looked up at the man. "Y-yes..." Lijuan said. She was terrified, and shaking. Not too far away, Reed could make out the shore and, with all the energy that he could muster, started swimming for it as swiftly as he could with Lijuan underarm. With each passing moment, it grew closer, then closer again - until he could make out the first response crews at the shore. "Hey!" One of the first responders shouted as they first saw Reed floating. "We have survivors!" Still kicking, he pushed the two of them towards the shore as volunteers and paramedics alike scrambled to pull them onto dry land. [hr] After loading the unconscious Haruka into an ambulance, Shizuka immediately requested for a container to store the dart before he had to snap the suppressant collar around his own brother's neck. He had the strong urge to hop onto the ambulance and continue to stay by his twin's side, but he knew that Haruka would be all right; besides, he still had more important work to do. He raised the transparent container to his eyes - it was hard to imagine whatever the serum this little dart had contained before it was injected into the overloaded victims was enough to cause so much damage in the three cases so far. Which meant that it was something extremely concentrated... and only few organizations would have the capability to create such stuff. The Saviors, the Hands of Science... maybe even DOVE/RAVEN. As he tucked the evidence safely into his breast pocket, his earpiece buzzed. "Ah, Shizuka?" "Holly," he responded while he started up the engine of his bike. "What is it?" "Agent Zhao and Taylor have caught a Pure sniper suspected to be involved in the Overloading incidents, and they have already gone back to the HQ with him." Daphne paused for a moment before she went on in a softer tone, "Although you will probably not be allowed to question him directly due to your relation with Haruka, you can still watch the interrogation if you wish to." "...Got it. I'll be on my way," Shizuka replied and put on his helmet, then he mounted the bike. "I will let Agent Keagan know. I will also continue to scout the area for other survivors." "'Kay." With that, the silver-haired agent shot off on his bike, en route to the Headquarters. [hr] Rori had still been a bird when the winds had slowly died down. They'd hoped to reach the eye of the storm but in the end hadn't been strong enough to do more than seek shelter. It had been easier as a smaller creature. They had nestled themselves into what had once been a building; finding a small space in the rubble. They hadn't exactly came out unscathed; though they thought they'd been fine, the dull nagging pain at their side was actually one of their wings being mauled by debris picked up by the wind. Pulling themselves out of where they had seeked shelter they tried to change back. They weren't going to get anywhere as a bird with a broken wing. The change began painfully. It was slower than it should be, too. [i]Shit[/i]. Something certainly wasn't right. Rori tried to stop transforming, because they were going to get stuck at this rate, but they couldn't revert back either. Most of their body slowly changed back to that of a human, as did their head, but their arms didn't reform. They both stayed as wings with one badly injured. It was obvious these were trying to change back as the bones cracked slightly and shifted slightly. Unable to stay conscious while stuck in this state Rori blacked out among the debris of the harbor. [hr] After Daphne finished her call with Shizuka, she heard the Lush bartender, who had chosen to stay behind to help with the scout, yelling, "Ms. Holly!" She turned around and saw him waving at her frantically. "I've found a survivor!" She moved over to his side, and looked down at where his finger was pointing. A teenage, bird-like girl sprawled among the debris, and Daphne could tell that this young one was only halfway transformed; worse, it seemed like she had some broken bones. A bestial-type Metahuman who got stuck in this form while unconscious was no laughing matter. She turned to the bartender. "...Please go get the medics here. [i]Quickly.[/i]" [hr][i][h1][color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color], [color=gray]Quentin Taylor[/color], [color=Springgreen]Cindy Keagan[/color], & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]RAVEN/DOVE West Coast Joint Headquarters, White Coast.[/u][/i] Everything was getting processed in the Headquarters a few hours later, and Cindy finally managed to get back there after [i]hours[/i] of work. All in a day's work. Cindy took a swig of her coffee as she walked down the halls of the headquarters. Who would have known she and Meifeng were just in the area to catch the sniper? Oh, that reminded her. As she was walking, Cindy took a sharp turn and made it into a interrogation room. Meifeng, Quentin and Shizuka were already there. Meifeng had her arms crossed (but she had a folder underneath her shoulder), and got up off the wall when she saw Cindy. "Yo," Meifeng greeeted her friend. "You're here. Looks like we bagged our mystery sniper indeed." "Good." Cindy nodded her head. "What's the info on him?" Meifeng shook her head for a moment, and gave Cindy a look. "...Well, you're gonna like this," Meifeng said. "Mason Conner... A god damn board executive of the Savior foundation." "W-what?" Cindy said, honestly surprised. "What you were telling me is that the jackasses running around causing all sorts of bullshit was a member of the [i]Saviors[/i]?" "You heard it right," Quentin folded his arms, mouth curled in disgust, "This asshole probably shook hands with us a couple of weeks ago at some publicity event." "That ain't all... a little raid on his home exposed all sorts of shit." Meifeng said. "...He's a Knight of Purity." "Okay... okay..." Cindy.looked through the glass of the interrogation room, and stared at the guy. The bastard was not only up there in with the Savior execs, but the bastard was also a Knight of Purity - a member of the biggest, and meanest members of the Pure. NEST in the past, and RAVEN had been on them. Which is great, because now RAVEN has one of their big wigs. Though, Cindy was wondering what was under Meifeng's arm. "What's that?" "This?" Meifeng held the folder in the air and shook it around a little bit. "This is his [i]"recon data."[/i]" She threw it on a table, and Cindy opened it up and was horrified... Mason here had pictures and all sorts of information on various Metahumans around Baybridge. [i]Including her cases.[/i] There was a folder on Lihua, Wendy, Rowan, and various elemental types... he was going for the people who would cause tons of destruction. All because they wanted to give themselves some ammo. And this was why Cindy thought of the Pure as a cult. "Damn it..." Cindy said. "...He's [i]gotta[/i] have a contact in DOVE or RAVEN - there's no other way he could have gotten this information." "And when we do, there's going to be hell to pay for it..." Quentin spoke with a dangerously low tone that almost sounded like a growl. "Things are bad enough without having a fucking [i]mole[/i] in our own." "Yeah... I'm going to find that bastard, and shove his own head so far up his own ass he's going to watch his shit digest," Meifeng angrily said. The one thing that pisses her off the most is a bastard screwing over everyone else for the sake of a few bucks. Shizuka had remained silent throughout the conversation; he finally spoke up coolly, "I don't think it's a surprise that we might have a traitor among us, especially in a big organization like this where the stakes are high, and also after all the recent shits that have been going on... But if some asshole among us has a part in the overloading, then this case is more complicated than we'd have thought." He pulled out the container with the emptied dart. "For one, this serum can easily worth a fortune if it ever gets commercialized. It's not just some petty cash - we're talking about [i]thousands of millions[/i]. Making weak Metas much stronger... even awakening anyone with dormant Meta-energy." He forced down the rising anger at the thought of how his twin was used as a lab rat for the drug, and simply shrugged. "This is like holy water to the pro-Meta extremists - they'd probably love to get their hands on it. Of course, as shown by the overloading cases, the effect is devastating if this falls into the wrong hands." "What I want to know is; where did he get this stuff from?" Cindy asked. "This shit doesn't appear out of nowhere; this is Hands-level serum." Meifeng shrugged and leaned back up against the wall. "He mentioned this mysterious dude in black armor selling it to him... Calling him the [i]Black Hound[/i] or something." Shrugging again, she added, "Hell if I know... but we should look into the guy," Meifeng sternly said as she pointed at Cindy. "Agreed." Quentin nodded. "This could be turn out bad as it did before if we don't end this now, the sooner we move, the better." "Also, we better sniff out whoever our bastard mole is, [i]as soon as possible[/i]," Shizuka added. "...I've a bad feeling about this." He narrowed his eyes at the Pure sniper beyond the tinted glass. "Well, we got a lot of work to do." Cindy said. [hr][i][h1]Baron Moreau.[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Seattle.[/u][/i] After a long day of teaching, Baron Moreau merely resigned to his lounge with a bottle of fine wine. He rested in his lounging chair, and poured himself a cup of red wine while listening to some classy music. He took a sip of his wine, and... He immediately tensed up, beginning to choke. He lost sensation in his body as he began to struggle. Baron dropped the glass of wine as he fell over in his chair. Unable to move his body. He could only watch as he was completely paralyzed. Only able to breathe. "...Don't bother, my neuromuscular-blocker will ensure you won't be able to move for [i]hours[/i]." A mechanical voice spoke from above as the Mannequin dropped down. Landing on all fours, and then standing straight up and looking at Baron. "Hello, Baron Moreau... surprised to see me?" The Mannequin sarcastically asked. "Confident that you killed me?" The Mannequin's words, despite his monotone, mechanical voice, were laced with poison. "It's amusing... you speak so highly of yourself for being so... unreliant on your power... yet, you fall into the same trap that the likes of Luis have fallen into." The Mannequin leaned forward so much that he was practically face to face with Baron. "However... I have not come here for revenge... there's something that you have that I want," The Mannequin explained. "Jiang?" "Yes, yes, I have found Peter's research!" Jiang said, very cheerfully. "My, my, my, he was quite brillliant." "Good, place it into the vehicle," The Mannequin stared Baron right in the eye. "It'll do better in my hands, than rotting in your safes and vaults." The Mannequin took a few steps back, before he walked over towards the kitchen. He pulled the oven back, and reached back and slashed the gas valve. He walked back to Baron, and Jiang had returned - holding red petrol canisters. The Mannequin grabbed the petrol and opened it, pouring it all over the place. "...Unfortunately, I cannot let you live," The Mannequin said. "I am removing a possible threat from the equation... I wished you could live to see my plan reach fruition... but I [i]cannot[/i] take that risk." Jiang was walking off by the time the place was soaked. "...Enjoy death, Baron." The Mannequin said as he shot a stream of fire at the pool of petrol, and began walking off. There was nothing that Baron could do, but wait for death as his home was consumed with flames. [hr][i][h1]The Mannequin, & Jiang Song.[/h1][/i][hr][hider=Armored Core Ost - Scientist][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xklleXyya7I[/youtube][/hider][hr] [i][u]Eastgriffin Ruins, Roseview.[/u][/i] Inside an old house in the Eastgriffin Ruins, the Mannequin and Jiang have set up shop in the basement. They chose Eastgriffin because it's out of the way of everything else, not to mention completely safe from Eco-Naturá's insane plan. They have a fully functional lab, with everything they need for the upcoming operation. They chose the most stable building, which is heavily booby-trapped in case anyone stumbled across this location. Peter's research was laid out on a table, and Jiang was carefully examining it. "My, my, my... we'll make great usage of this," Jiang said with a grin on his face. "...After your plan, of course." The Mannequin was currently mixing chemicals, and turned his head and looked at Jiang like a vulture. "Yes..." The Mannequin said. "Eco-Naturá is close to launching their operation, and tensions have reached an all time high... all out war is next..." The Mannequin explained. "And... our plan require that both those pesky DOVEs and RAVENs are too busy with them to worry about us, I presume?" Jiang said with a grin on his face. "That is correct," The Mannequin said. "...We need access into their Headquarters if we're going to get what I truly want..." Her jerked his head robotically at Jiang. "...However, that is not what I want to know," Jiang cheerfully said in a sing song as he stopped, and started walking towards the Mannequin. "There's... something I want to know - about you of course." Jiang was practically touching the Mannequin. "[i]Your[/i] origins... you would have had quite the interesting past if you went from a human to... [i]this[/i] " Jiang looked the Mannequin top to bottom. "...Another time." The Mannequin quickly said, as he turned away. "My past... my past is something I am not proud of - I am not actively ready to share." "Oh, yes, yes, I understand," Jiang quickly said. "But, what about Luis...? You were in the same organization as one of the most [i]ruthless[/i] Metahuman terrorists in the world... Surely, you would have learned [i]something[/i] from him?" "The story of Luis... I know much about the man, from his origins, to his very end..." The Mannequin looked over his shoulder and faced Jiang. "To explain, I'll have to tell you a little bit about myself... I was someone who was involved in some of the more... inhuman acts commited in the wars of the past... afterwards, I had to go on the run, that was where I first met Luis." "He had his own group... The Lazarus Society... a group comprised of many Metahumans that wished to defend them from the world," The Mannequin took a few steps around Jiang, "Which meant hiding them, and defeating any threats that would expose them." "Luis knew of my past, but all he was interested in was my redemption, and offered me a position within the Lazarus Society, where I served as the team's scientist. I assisted Luis in his goals, and we added many Metahumans to our ranks. Eventually, we were as strong as a small army." The Mannequin started walking on all forms as he said. "Luis was a kind man, who only wanted the best for everyone else - and regardless of what he faced, he remained just that," The Mannequin said. "The two of us became rather close... Luis told me all about his past, and I eventually became a very close friend of his." "He told me that he was one of the first Metahumans, who started out as a small poor child born in Madrid... He realized he couldn't die, but hid his gift. He became a soldier in the Spanish Army, and fought for the country during the various wars of independence. That's where he became aware of other Metahumans... he battled one in the war, and unfortunately lost." "Afterwards, he abandoned the army, and dedicated his life to traveling, finding out more about these people. He went all over Europe over the course of several years, but barely aged. Luis eventually came across several different European Metahumans, most notably James Blackmore - a Metahuman who could replicate abilities." "James became a mentor for Luis, and the man gave him knowledge like no other - they all formed an organization which was supposed to gather people like him. They eventually gathered every Metahuman in Europe, and at least have thirty members... This organization... it eventually would become the Philosophers." "However, more Metahumans were beginning to appear, and one of which changed the face of everything they once knew. You heard of the Devil, correct?" The Mannequin asked. "Yes," Jiang said. "She was... quite the concern in China, shall I say." "Another Metahuman of her level appeared in Russia, and was utterly bent on destroying the world... A metahuman with the power to burn all to ash. The Philosophers assembled to defeat it... at the cost of their entire organization save for James and Luis." "Afterwards, Luis separated from James, seeing as he had no interest in rebuilding the Philosophers. However, more Metahumans than ever were appearing since this event, and Luis had his own goals for them. That's why he formed the Lazarus Society." "After World War Two, our primary opponent was the Russian Government... who were intent on using Metahumans as weapons. We merely liberated them from imprisonment, and sent them on their way." "It wasn't long until we came across... a utopia, as you'd say." The Mannequin leaned into Jiang's face. "Metahumans and humans living in harmony, hidden far away in the European wilds. It was known as [i]New Eden[/i], a city that would be the catalyst to Luis' fall into darkness... After coming across New Eden we were accepted into the society, and Luis made it his mission to defend the city from all threats; at any costs." "We stayed here for five years, and became heroes to New Eden, and saved the city countless times... Luis even fathered a family there," The Mannequin said. "However... it all came to an end once [i]she[/i] came..." The Mannequin said, "Who is [i]"she"...?[/i] One of the most dreaded, and powerful Metahumans we've ever encountered." "[i]Verschlinger,[/i] the devourer... the first Metahuman to ever rise, and was insanely powerful. She came to New Eden along with her group, the [i]Coven[/i]... she demanded a Metahuman among us, someone she feared would end the world... Luis rejected, and a battle ensued between New Eden, and the Coven." "Verschlinger... she was far more powerful than we thought, her Coven was easy to defeat, but she was so powerful, cunning, and intelligent, that our best forces were unable to defeat her. Luis was the only one able to fight her on even ground... and even he was hard pressed to defeat her." "But, she was getting desperate... she didn't want anyone to escape, so she merely launched a powerful attack... I barely remember what happened, but it left New Eden in ruins. Killing almost everyone there save for a few... I approached Luis, and saw the look on his face as he stared at the destroyed city... The city he poured so much love into." "Verschlinger escaped - we are unaware of her whereabouts, but she got what she wanted. Her Coven was destroyed, but she has eliminated her target," The Mannequin started off. "Afterwards, Luis was changed. The sheer guilt from failing to stop her, mixed with his hatred against Verschlinger, and the sheer bitterness of it all... drove a noble man insane." "He became more ruthless, changing the group's name from Lazarus, to the Changeling Unit. He became obsessed with the idea of Godhood, and a Perfect World, in order to fix everything that went wrong. Luis became utterly sadistic, and lost every shred of his humanity until there was nothing left. He never even realized that he was losing it." "That was when I realized that following him would not be optimal... and that I pursue my own goals by using Luis, and his Changeling Unit... once that became less than ideal... I pursued it myself... and I am so close - we just need the last key." "Ah... interesting..." Jiang said, stroking his beard. "That explains a lot... but makes me more curious about what the man knew." "[i]Don't be.[/i]" The Mannequin said, voice was nearly showing emotion. "That era... that era should be forgotten." "Shall we get back to work, then?" Jiang said. "Let's." [hr][i][h1][color=Yellowgreen]Fiona Ashley Barrett[/color], & [color=#8B5F65]Livrelle Alendier[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@sakurasan].[/sub][/i][hr] Soon, Livrelle came to a halt as she finally got to Starrybanks. She opened her door and exited the door, waiting for Fiona to do the same. “So this is the place you last saw him? Looks…” Livrelle noticed the increase in litter here along with a club that was in the distance. There was an empty beer bottle on the ground that had yet to be disposed of along with a glass shard near it. Livrelle's expression was clearly one of disgust. [i]”Repulsive.”[/i] she finished in a somewhat quieter voice, pulling up her right glove as she toned the look of disgust down. There was a more enthusiastic hop as Fiona made her way out the vehicle. Her cloak fluttered in the wind. She came to a land as she looked around. Fortunately, her enhanced eyesight gave her a bit of an edge over Livrelle. She scanned the dark and dirty alleyway... unfortunately, there was also plenty of horrid smells that made Fiona regret the fact that her sense of smell was a few notches higher. "Well..." Fiona trailed off, searching for the right words. "He's like me..." She started, but quickly backpedaled. "No, no, I don't mean he's a cricket, but he's... mutated." [i]Another one that was mutated? I wonder how often you see a mutated person around here.[/i] She put her hands together, "And thus... we have to stay out of sight, opposed to...." Her head drifted towards the street. That should shed light on what happened here. "This is the last spot where I saw him... I'm hoping that none of the Pure came after him." The Pure... the boogeyman to Fiona. To the normal looking Metahumans, they were only a threat if they knew what you were. To Fiona and her people they were the... easiest targets. In the distinct, she could hear some chanting... probably because of her enhanced sense of heaing, but it still concerned her. "... You hear that?" Fiona asked. Livrelle looked over to the spot that she spoke of. “So, if the pure found him he’d be… already dead?” she asked, no expression on her face any longer. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that but oh well. She looked up, also noticing the voices that resembled that of a chant. Livrelle began looking around. Fuck. The atmosphere that she was getting was an ominous one and that [i]didn’t[/i] sit well with her. “...What the bloody hell?” she said in a hushed voice. "Should we....?" Fiona trailed off as every fiber in her body was telling her to go investigate further. Swallowing her growing fear, Fiona began to pace towards the chanting. With every step she took, the chanting began to get overwhelming, but she had to get to the bottom of this. When they approached, they came up on a park, and there was a stage... and before it was a lot of people. Loud rock music filled the air. Livrelle had seen a couple of horror movies in her life and she wasn't a fan of [i]investigating[/i] things that needn't be investigated. Should we? No. Would you even listened? Probably not. Just as she had predicted, Fiona was already walking towards the noise so Livrelle sighed, scratching the back of her head and walking behind her but making sure to stay a nice distance away from Fiona. [i]Pure rally.[/i] Fiona immediately identified it, and quickly ducked behind porta-potties. A man walked up on the stage with a megaphone. He was muscular, had a bald head, and had to be in his late-twenties. He wore nothing but a tank-top, and camo shorts. "Everyone here is tired of the dumbasses in DOVE who push act like Metahumans are no different from us - but turn their heads when they massacre a mall!" He screamed into the megaphone. The booming megaphone made Fiona cringe as it caused her pain, but she had to endure. "It means we have to take matters into our [i]own[/i] hands!" The Pure Rallyman shouted as he raised his fist up into the air. "We have to let them know we won't stand by and have our hard work destroyed by [i]MONSTERS![/i]" At this point, someone was hauled onto the stage with a bag over his head. "This right here is one of the Metahumans we found, walking among us like he was normal!" The Rallyman shouted, before he snatched the bag off his head, and revealed the eyeless face of Harmon Rottlage. He was clearly terrified. "Harmon!" Fiona yipped to herself as she covered her mouth. This is what happened to him. "Tell me! Do you want your children to go to school with these freaks?!" "[i]No![/i]" The crowd shouted. "Do you want your cities burned to the ground?!" "[i]No![/i]" The crowd shouted. "Do you want your wives and daughters raped by sub-human defects?!" "[i]No![/i]" The crowd shouted again. "Then join me! As we make the first steps towards genetic [i][b]purity![/b][/i]" The Rallyman suddenly pulled out a revolver, and before Fiona could even let out a scream, he put the revolver against Harmon's head and pulled the trigger. A torrent of blood and brain matter came flying out of Harmon's head as he descended towards the ground at high speeds. The crowd went wild. And this was exactly why she didn't like to go towards things that didn't need to be inspected. Livrelle went over to Fiona, grabbing the back of whatever she was wearing and pulling her away from the scene. She had already made a noise and that alone was something that could get them killed if noticed. Fuck. All the blood. Disgusting. But not worse than what she saw at her job so it wasn't too bad. However, she didn't like how messy it was. She was already pulling her arm and getting the hell out of there. She had practically just finished a surgery and now she had to witness someone get murdered. Great. Just fucking great. Livrelle honestly felt disgusted at the scene, wishing to wash her hands as soon as possible. Seeing someone die always made her feel this way. Tainted. "L-let's... get out of here," Fiona said as she took a few steps back towards the car. They just killed Harmon in broad daylight, she had to get back to the Microcosm soon as possible That was her best friend. "Please. I... I... have to tell the others...." She stopped for a second and looked at the girl. "Tell them what you just saw?" If this child was trying to warn some people, just shit. She didn't care either way as long as she wasn't risking herself for anyone. ".... Yes, I-I have to tell them Har-Harmon's d-dead." Fiona stuttered as she started walking away. "P-please," Fiona said. "Are they somewhere in this shitty place?" she asked. "No.... they're in the Microcos- Um, they're back where I met you." Fiona explained. "J-just get me back there...." "Alright." she says with a sigh, stepping into her car. This is why you don't talk to strangers. Mom always said that but do you listen? Nope. If someone looks interesting and experiment worthy, you go ahead and talk to them. Now you have some jittery chick that just witnessed a death- no, a murder and you had to see it too. Great job Livrelle. Just fuckin great. Livrelle began to drive a bit faster than usual. At the red light, she shuffled through her pocket and found a lighter and a pack of cigs. Quickly, she lit it and took a drag. She needed some alcohol right about now. That cigarette made Fiona shudder as she smelled it. "Can you stop? My smell is enhanced." She asked, pointing up at her antennas. Then she thought about it for a moment. "Actually... can you just drop me off here? I'll walk the rest of the way." [hr] After Liv pulled over, Fiona wasted no time in leaving her behind. It was great that she helped, but she had the feeling that she was better off without Livrelle. Throwing the hood up, Fiona noticed that the rain had picked up, and people were leaving. It didn't bother Fiona since she's an insect, and the rain would draw people indoors. She kept moving, sticking to the shadows and back roads. Before long, she had walked all the way back to Oakdell Harbor. She had to complete her mission - which was find Harmon. She was hoping she wouldn't find her longtime friend dead. If she was correct, they would be back in Oakdell Harbor. It was a short walk before she came across Archie's sack... but, no Archie. She could smell blood. She would have to be careful, she hoped nothing happened. Fiona carefully lifted the sack up, and then carefully stepped inside. [hr][hider=Adele - Skyfall][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeumyOzKqgI[/youtube][[/hider][hr] ... And her heart immediately sank. The community hidden inside a sack was destroyed. Far as the eye could see... all Fiona saw was fire. All she could smell was this community [i]burning[/i]. It utterly overwhelmed her senses, she looked around. To her left was a burnt building, and to her right was a man slouched up against a wall, dead. She gasped in fear. What happened here. Fiona covered her mouth as she looked around. Fiona took a few steps forward, and saw a dead body on the ground. It was... a friend of Archie's. Filled with bulletholes. The mere sight made Fiona recoil. She kept walking. "Hopper!" Fiona loudly called for her father, with no response. "Tracer!" But there was no response... Then, throughout the chaos, Fiona's hearing picked up movement. She immediately turned towards that source, and saw Archie lying on the ground. Her heart started racing as she hopped over to him. "Archie!" Fiona said, "Are you okay?!" The Lamp-head was full of bulletholes. Archie was desperately typing on a phone device, and threw it at Fiona. [quote][pre]Fiona, it was the Pure I won't last much longer you have to get out of here I don't know what will happen[/pre][/quote] With that Fiona warning, Archie's lamp went dead, and Fiona shed tears... However, just as Archie predicted, the Microcosm was beginning to fall apart. The Microcosm was being sucked into a dark expanse. Fiona looked around, as the Microcosm fell apart around her. She was getting desperate. She had one choice; [i]Run.[/i] Fiona jumped up high up into the air, and landed close to the exit. She jumped up top of another building, but it was consumed with darkness - so Fiona had to immediately jump right off of it. She made it to the exit, and saw a brown haired woman run towards it. It was Arianna, an acquaintance of hers. Unfortunately, she was caught in the void, and was killed instantly as she was literally erased from existence. The only thing Fiona could do was hop out.... as the Microcosm was destroyed. She made it out, and landed in the same alleyway. It was utterly consumed by rain. She knelt down, and opened the sack, but it was reverted to a regular sack. Tears were running down her eyes... as she realized the Microcosm was destroyed. For good. She lost another home, and the hundreds of friends that lived there. All because of a Pure massacre. There was... a sorrow inside of Fiona. She lost everything, and won't get it back. She had to... she had to.... [i]Run.[/i] Fiona put the cloak back up, and ran off out of the alleyway. [hr][i][h1]Eco-Naturá.[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Havenfield Market, Roseview.[/u][/i] "We are nearing our goal..." Old Man Winter said as he gently placed his glass of alcohol down on the desk. His sparrows made out of ice were fluttering their wings as a woman with blond hair stood behind him. She wore a pinstriped suit, and had a notepad. "We have everything we need for Operation Reclamation," the Secretary said to Old Man Winter, and adjusted her glasses. "We just need to wait for the right moment to reclaim Baybridge in the name of nature." "Hmph,".The word "Baybridge" irritated Old Man Winter. He nearly crushed his glass in his hand. "Baybridge... a city of fools. This city is a personal affront to nature, and everything it stands for. But, today is the start of our final operation... the day we revery this whole nation to the state it naturally should be." "Agreed, boss," the Secretary said. "But, we have to be prepared... are our fighters ready?" Old Man Winter asked. "We'll need people willing to defend us from the unenlightened." "Yes..." the Secretary said. "They're being assembled, and trained, by Bison as we speak." "Good... good..." Old Man Winter said as he leaned in on the desk. "...In three days, we will launch the operation of a decade..." [hr][i][h1]Three Days Later.[/h1][/i][hr] Three days after the Overloads had been brought to an end, tensions were still quite high between Metahumans, and those against Metahumans. DOVE had been doing their best to quell the situation, but there's only so much they could do. It's only a matter until all hell broke loose. Since then, RAVEN and DOVE had been investigating the source of the Overload serum, a possible mole, and who this mysterious "Black Hound" was. So far, they hadn't found anything substantial. Only dead ends, and meaningless rumors about, more or less, a "boogey man." However, Eco-Naturá was preparing to launch their operation on Baybridge. Which would trigger a chain of events that would change the face of the city forever, and echo throughout the world. Today was a bright and sunny day... but rain was approaching. [hr][i][h1]6:13, PM.[/h1][/i][hr] [hr][i][h1][color=Yellowgreen]Fiona Ashley Barrett[/color], & [color=skyblue]Wendy Lucker[/color].[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Faircrest Woods, Roseview.[/u][/i] After the demise of the Microcosm... Fiona only had one choice. Hide. Until she found the survivors of the incident, she couldn't leave Baybridge. However, she still had hope. Her family weren't exactly the easiest bunch to kill. They were insects to their core, and could easily escape. Which was why Fiona was going to find them before leaving Baybridge. For once, Fiona could ditch the cloak. She was in the Faircrest Woods, standing there on a rock wearing a T-shirt, basketball shorts (both of which barely fit her body), and having the cloak draped around her lower body. She looked off to the side when she noticed something moving in the distance. Fiona would have to find some cover fairly quickly. Or else she would be exposed to the elements. Fiona sent out a chirp which didn't travel very far. She shook her head, as she kept walking. She grabbed onto a nearby branch and yanked it off. It was full of nutritious leaves that she took a bite out of. She was in the neck of the woods, and above her was only the trees. The sun was coming down soon, which meant it was almost night time. Fortunately, Fiona doesn't have to worry about too many people out here, long as she stays out of sight. However, that noise she heard in the distance was approaching. She wasn't sure if someone was looking for her, or if it was someone else bad. A sense of panic overcame her. Fiona merely hopped up into the air, and grabbed onto a tree branch, and hoisted herself up. She remained on the tree branch as the person walked by. It was a girl, with a rather long head of hair, and wearing a red summer dress. Merely scrolling by with a camera in her hand. Fiona had no interest in the girl, or what she was planning in these neck of the woods. All Fiona wanted was for the world to leave her alone. Though, Fiona slipped a little bit, and nearly fell off the branch. She dropped her weight to reorient her weight. Much to her irritation, she caused a lot of noise. The woman turned right around, and stared right at Fiona. "...Hi." Wendy said, looking up at Fiona with the blankest expression on her face. As if she's seen weirder. "I didn't notice you up there." She cheerfully said. Fiona didn't say a word. "Um," That made Wendy very uncomfortable. "What's your name? I'm [i]Wendy.[/i] Are you from the Academy?" She asked some questions. "...[i]Fiona.[/i]" Fiona uncomfortably answered. "And... I'm not from the Academy." "Well, it's nice to meet you, Fiona." Wendy said. "I'm just going for a walk, find stuff to take pictures of... you know" "Oh, you like nature?" Fiona asked. "Yeah, I love it. Places like this... I don't know why, but I love them," Wendy said. "How about you?" "I'm an... animal-Meta," Fiona said. "I think I do better here than city streets..." "I can tell," Wendy started off. "But, I gotta go now... I have a friend to meet... maybe we can talk again later? Do you have a cell phone? Social media?" "No..." Fiona awkwardly said. "Oh, that's cool, too." Wendy said. "I guess I'll find you... I have a friend that I think you have a lot in common with." Wendy turned away, and started waving as she said, "I'll be seeing you around." Fiona awkwardly watched her leave, before muttering, "...Yeah."