Somewhere in Pacific Point...

"Bunch of eight-bit freaks running around in the streets, giant cubes floating across the sky vaporizin' shit, and wouldn't ya know it...we STILL had to come into work today!"

"Preach," the brown-shirted security guard's friend said lazily, not even rising from his chair behind the desk.

"I mean, seriously," the irritated guard said, impatiently pacing back and forth in front of him. "Who in their right mind would be trying to break in here today of all days? With all of that crap going on downtown?"

"Take it up with the Feds, man," his friend responded, leaning back in his seat and pulling his peaked cap over his eyes. "Me, I'm getting some shut-eye, this stuff ain't going nowhere anyway."

The pacing guard groaned irritably, brandishing his nightstick by beating it against his open palm. Rather then continuing his rant, he vented his frustrations by whacking the water cooler with the nightstick, leaving a mark on the plastic container. Swearing under his breath, the guard suddenly lifted his head with a start.

"You hear something?"

"Just you making a racket, Murph' "

"No, not that. Sounds like an engine." The guards went silent, and over the distant sounds of chaos, there was the distinctive rumble of a distant engine.

"Maybe it's one of those mushroom-looking characters in the little carts?" the lazy guard suggested as the rumbling grew in volume. "Bastard dented my windshield with a damned turtle shell."

"That's too big to be a go-cart," 'Murph' pondered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "And is that getting louder...?"

"Dude, you worry too m-"

CRASH

The guard yet out a cry of shock and sprung to his feet as the far wall exploded. His friend was swallowed up in the shower of dirt and debris as something massive and metallic erupted from the wave of rubble before coming to a halt just a few steps from the front desk, throwing a fine mist of dust across the clean white tile floors. Frantically wiping the dirt from his eyes, he realized with a start that the massive metal thing was the front bumper of a semi truck that just crashed through the wall. Too stunned to move or even speak, he was further surprised when three people jumped from the cab, dressed in yellow and black biker gear, their faces obscured by helmets. Instinctively, he reached for his sidearm.

"Hands in the air, togiba!" one of them screamed, brandishing a shotgun in his direction. "Unless you're ready to die today!" Glaring angrily, the guard slowly lifted his hand from his holster and raised his hands obediently. The third biker strode over and cracked him on the back of the head with a nightstick, knocking him out cold.

"Nice one, my Cogs," the shotgun-wielding biker said, obviously their leader, as he tossed them all crowbars from the cab of the truck. "Let's see what toys they have in here!"

"Haiteku, this has to be the best idea the gang's ever had," one of the thieves said as she stepped over the unconscious form of the guard to wrench open some crates. "Nobody's guarding these places!"

"And the whole gang's out there 'shopping'!" the third thief said with a dark chuckle, peering into a crate he just tore open. "Nice, looks like armor plating in here. We could put this on our bikes."

"Someone told me that Luna's team found some sort of futuristic laser gun, you think that's true?"

"It's Pacific Point, baka, all the cool tech stuff is here," the leader said before turning his attention to the largest crate in the room, standing three heads taller then any of them and nestled against the far wall so the light wouldn't illuminate it. Raising a flashlight to get a better, the beam traveled across the stylized symbol of a hammer striking an anvil to the words embossed below; DARROW. "Yo Cogs, help me with this crate, looks like something good." The two other thieves obediently ran up to the crate and began working the sides off. The creaking wood grew louder as the nails were released, and the leader took a step back as the cover finally tore away from the edge and fell to the ground, revealing...

"Are!!!" the two thieves chorused as their leader lifted the visor of his helmet to get a better look, awestruck by his find.

"Call Taki, tell her we need more manpower for this one, Cogs," the leader said, not taking his eyes from his prize. The pair bowed curtly and went on their way, leaving their leader alone. He clenched his fist triumphantly at the sight of it, the first of what would surely be many more.

"The Neo Ronin are going to rule this city!"

Rach knew she had gotten reckless. She knew it the moment when she spotted a large and metal coming in for a strike. Her face turned away instinctively, pain erupted across her skull side as she let out a frustrated snarl. A metallic taste spilt into her tongue from the inflicted back to keep herself from screaming out. There was a slight cracking sensation from what she assumed it to be her head nearly caving in and more pain rippled through her brain, the tissue tingling like needles pressed deeply without a careful hand. It hurt beyond anything she could’ve known as she plummeted down into the concrete ground.

Shortly, rubble piled onto her. The dust floated and wafted out, settling into the ground when everything went still. Moments passed into seconds before suddenly a hand shot out from the destruction. Brick crumbled from the small made hole as Rach stirred, her figure gradually worked herself upward into the night air. Several gashes, some broken bones and worst dotted her body from the fall creating several blacken stains against her outfit. Thankfully, they were difficult to see against the color scheme. Several rebars stuck out at odd angles from her legs to her torso, some penetrating her very mass. Heaving hard, her mind turned inward as she focused on the matter literally causing her suffering.

Crack, screech… the sounds were soft at first. Like metal being bent and busted, one of the rebars crunching inward then vanishing in a short period inside her. Her breath became harder with the strain on her nanites while more of the steel was broken down then used to reconstruct her missing and damaged tissue. A few dripped from her mouth and dropped to the ground where they tore into the street. They died in a matter of seconds afterwards.

At a shambling pace, Rach started to creep out of the alley way. She mentally chuckle how she likely looked like a walking undead.

“Huh, and I thought the plant man was weird.”

Rach would look up from her pathway to see a lone figure sitting on the edge of a nearby fire escape overlooking the alleyway. The silver flash of his battle suit was more than indication of who the figure was, taking the moment of surprise to push off of the scaffolding and drop into the concrete, blocking the pathway of the recovering bioweapon.

“I'm going to go out on a limb here...you’re Racheli, aren't you?” War-Pulse started, pointing at her as he spoke, a few nonchalant strides placing him just outside of arm’s length.

Rach studied him, her wounds still healing over, as she considered her options. She fought the subtle drop of her heart into her stomach when she heard her name slipped through his masked lips and that he knew who she was. Instinctively, she denied it, “Pfftt, no. Name’s Nemesis. So you were the asshole chasing after Evergreen?”

She fought through the pain drifting across her skin while her body continued to mend itself. Wounds gradually drew closed, the blood stopped pouring out, and would eventually seal if she could draw out enough time. Rachelii held out her hand and leaned against the brick wall, balancing herself from the weakness swirling in her head. In the background, subtly, a few metal rebars jiggled when she tapped into her magnetic ability.

“That I was, and that’s how I know you’re lying through your teeth ‘Nemesis’.” The merc said, folding his arms as he spoke, a sneer evident in his arrogant tone. “Or should I just assume every meta in Lost Haven knows greenpeace by name?”

The merc gave Nemesis a once over, his eyes momentarily crossing the rebar sticking out of her as he sized her up. The evidence of his conflict was only in his attire. His battle suit had stained a substantial amount of damage. Fraying edges and torn seams told the story of his battle with Evergreen, along with the delightful scent of flowers. Yet the damage didn't deter the merc in the slightest, His stance just as cocky and self-assured as ever, the snarky smirk clear through his facemask.

“So, what do you want… a fucking lollipop?” Rach snapped back as she cleared her head, letting her power spread through the rebars from the rumble. They jiggled behind her figure harder and harder, her peripheral vision retaining their progress until the last possible moment. Without a warning, her legs jerked to the side as three bars suddenly shot into War Pulse’s direction. Their points blunt but the speed fast, the weapons aimed for his chest and torso section.

In one smooth motion, the mercenary responded, lifting a hand to extend a transparent kinetic barrier. The rebar was sent ricocheting off the barrier, finding their mark into the brick walls and cement around him, embedding into the rock with a metal screech. “Oh, there’s a bunch of stuff I want. Fame, fortune, respect, an outfit that doesn’t ride up in all the wrong spots OR keeps all of the stink in like a full-body condom…”

He paused, taking the brief lapse in his speech to adjust his stance, his muscle memory alone driving his body to take a stance he had taken so many times before. Energy crackled off of him, causing some of the loose rubble in the alleyway to shake and quiver slightly as he spoke.

“But I’ll settle for kicking your metal-slinging ass in the short term...unless you want to spoil the fun and surrender now.”

“In your fucking dreams,” Nemesis spoke quietly. Her eyes darkened as black swallowed her irises, the usual color faded from sight, causing her magnetic power to once more seize the rebars impaling the wall. They shook and rattled, gradually working themselves loose. One managed to fly from the wall into her outstretched hand where her fingers gripped it tightly in her fist. Her eyes watched him while she manipulated the metal into a liquid state. The metallic substance oozed down her sleeve, leaving behind enough to coat her fist, and over to her other where another metal glove was fashioned over her other hand. She flexed it a moment to get a feel for the ‘gloves’ which was now her flesh.

“I’m getting tired of running,” Rach said then bolted forward. Her shoes thumped heavily across the pavement when her right hooked out at the merc’s jaw on the left side. Meanwhile, her left fist pulled back in a defensive position and ready to protect her face should he strike at her.

“Good, I was worried that this would be easy or something.” The merc responded, ducking underneath her strike as it came, Her blow was well thrown, her hips and weight were behind the blow, but the mercenary had seen more than enough strikes like this to see that it was telegraphed in some manner. The very sound of her metallic fist whistled past him with an impressive momentum, the mercenary utilizing his footwork to slide behind the young woman’s wide arc and get within striking distance of her back.

Only he did not strike, a mixture of curiosity and arrogance manipulating his features as he placed his hands behind the back, giving the woman a taunting snicker.

“Hooo boy, we’ve barely got into it and you’re already swinging for the fences!” The mercenary jeered, swaying slightly out of her strike zone in order to force another charge. “You must be like...mad at me or something. Is this because I attacked your buddy? In my defense, it was only because he didn’t give you up.”

Rach snarled at her miss, “No, you’re pissing me off because you’re an asshole.”

Her eyes narrowed over her shoulder as she noted where War Pulse went, her eyebrows narrowed in anger over her miss. Breathing harder from the extend of energy, she extended her fist fully out then activated the metal once more. The metal quivered and liquefied on her skin. Her right foot carried her through as she twisted about, jerking her arm toward War Pulse’s new direction. Droplets flung from the hand, narrowing into thin but dangerous spikes. They sped forward across the man’s chest.

Another kinetic barrier flashed up with a wave of Pulse’s hand, the metal pinging off the wall of force to bounce into the surrounding concrete.

“Right, and you’re such sweet young lady,” Trent shot back, again holding off on retaliatory shots while he continued to strike with his words, swaying back and forth slightly as a boxer would in case of another strike. “I can really tell by the blunt attitude and earthquakes.”

“You have no idea how far from ‘sweet’ I can be,” She snapped, her anger rising in her chest. Heat spread like a wild fire within her core as she glared at him. A form shimmered, invisible to War Pulse, into the form of Michael. His arms were crossed over his chest while he eyed the destruction being limited within the area and spoke to her.

”He’s not just going to go away. You’ll have to remove him.”

“Shut up,” Rach replied over her shoulder, her expression hidden by her mask. However the fury was easily seen through her tone.

Michael sighed then focused inward, his lips slightly smirked at her arrogance about the matter and watched the effect of his influence. Rach’s energy sparked larger as she tighten her fist through her gloves. Her right hand reached out in a clawed display and spread her ability to the metal in her surroundings, feeling the location of it around her. She smirked darkly at him then jerked her hand back.

Metal screeched and lurched forward. First several rebars still buried within the rubbish launched forward, their form melting into a mercury like consistency, and aimed to splatter onto the merc. Next the bars within the two siding buildings shook and protested in loud rumblings as they bent inward to collapse upon her target.

The mercenary had prepared himself for another shot of rebar, but not for a liquid mass now hurtling towards him. The metal spattered into his chest, launching him backwards and having him slide across the tar.

“Gah! Who throws liquid metal!?” The mercenary objected, glancing out towards the darkened opponent. “Looks like I’m going to get the right amount of iron in my diet with this fight....”

The mercenary’s taunts became mixed between grunting and struggling as he tried to get up, his eyes widening in shock as he realized the metal had once again changed consistency. He was now encased in a hardened steel shell welded to the floor, his chest bound by a thick metal place that forced him to remain in his current prone state.

Which played extremely well into the collapsing buildings, before the force of nature was able to attempt an escape, he could only watch as the brick and mortar of the alleys fell upon him in a cacophony of destruction. A short scream emitted from the merc before the rocks crashed into his body.

A brief silence followed after the dust began to clear, just enough for Rach to possibly consider that the merc was really all hot air. Of course, that theory was kiboshed when a rippling kinetic burst tore open a hole in the rubble, which would force Rach to shield herself momentarily. The mercenary stepped out, his facemask torn asunder to reveal an admittedly impressed raise of the eyebrows and a smirk.

Racheli naturally assumed he was trapped rather than dead. He showed a serious amount of power and that was likely enough to keep him alive, easing her guilt over losing her temper. Her gait remained casual as her shoulders heaved slightly, her feet turned on heel to leave. The anger should've subsided but it burned hotter still, her fists clenched at her side with a desire to punch something lingering in her veins.

She paused when she heard a subtle hiss. In moments a sudden boom echoed off the ruins causing her head to turn over her shoulder, her hands raised to shield her face. When the dust cleared… There emerged War Pulse.

“Alright, I’ll give that to you, T-2000, that was a nifty move.” The mercenary said, shearing the metal away from his body like tin foil as he stepped away from the rubble. “Let’s up the ante and see if you’re really the gold standard everyone wants to find.”

With a quick sweep of his hand in a chopping motion, a kinetic wave exploded across the ground, hurtling towards Rach’s feet. Pulse was not playing stupid this time, she was at the very least trained, and depending on how trained, would see an attack like this coming from a mile away. He decided he would be ready for that, a kinetic blast from his shoulderblades releasing him to sprint down the broken alleyway and launch into the air, intending to intercept her dodge attempt with a knee to the sternum.

“Shit,” Racheli cursed as her eyes watched the telegraphed move, the concrete street roared with the kinetic energy. Her foot stepped back then tingled with energy, the nanites increasing the energy with her limbs. On instinct she jumped backwards toward the alley’s entrance at about double human strength to clear the danger. Suddenly, a blue blue interrupted her vision as War Pulse’s knee collided with her sternum. All the wind immediately left her lungs and her figure bent over in pain. Her body went flying across the street before she came to a stop after plowing into a store front.

A few bystanders, those who routines lined up with the nighttime hours, paused in shock to stare then scrambled out of the way. Racheli groaned from the impact. Her figure shoved off the beam that fallen upon her waist and shifted it to the side with a loud thump. Her hand reached for her mask to adjust it as she shifted upright, her outfit cut in a few places despite its design in durability. Dusting herself off, the woman spoke, “Now.. I’m pissed.”

With those last words, her arms raised up toward her face and her legs widened into a common boxer stance. Her hood had fallen back to reveal her spiky and light brown hair through the flickering lamp lights that still stood.

“Is that like...your tagline or something?” The mercenary called out, strolling out of the alleyway to taunt her from the other side of the street. “You said you were getting pissed off before, is that just your personality type or am I getting the special experience of pissed off levels?”

WIth his words, War-Pulse kicked off the ground to push himself forward, a kinetic blast from the soles of his feet causing the ground to shatter and kick up as he bounded towards his foe, moving in a zigzag fashion to make sure she could not get a bead on his advance. He got within her strike range, enough to engage her in hand-to-hand, before launching a series of blows. She was guarding high, he could read that with her stance she was focusing on her upper body and defending her torso, intending to swerve and block strikes aimed for her face. Instead he started low, intending to cut her legs out from under her with a low sweep, his body moving fluently as it swirled into its next moves.

Blood pounded in Rach’s ears and blotted out her focus on holding back, her veins hummed with the nanites at work. Their attention on mending her wounds and increasing her physical ability while her eyes followed War Pulse easily. Her nanites worked faster than she originally thought when her perspection altered and her reflexes jumped in another level beyond human. Her head moved ever slightly with his zigzag pattern as he cut the distance in seconds. Her body held its position, her nostrils flared at the thought of blood being shed, and let her instincts take over.

It wanted blood. His...hers… anyone’s would do as she learned long ago.

Her ears caught the sound of War Pulse’s leg sweeping underneath at her legs. Normally, she would’ve moved. Instead er metal from her boots traveled from her soles into her leg and rooted her in the spot, the material spreading to cover her leg backs. Her makeshift gloves also shifted down to her legs where they created thin sharp spike almost instantly. They slashed at the material then retracted.

The odd sound of metal clashing into him caused the merc to raise a brow in confusion. The spike had sheared clear through his bodysuit, tearing it like tissue paper, stopping only at his kinetically enhanced skin. He had not expected her not only to read him, but her powers perfectly defended his offensive momentum, stopping his assault dead in its tracks.

Without waiting to tally the damage, her outstretched leg jerked up then slammed down on the lower leg in the middle of its swiping motion.

Trent felt his body jerk as his the sound of his leg being stamped on echoed throughout the compound, slamming his knee into the ground and once more shattering the concrete. He let out a yelp of shock when the leg came down, his body losing balance and falling to a kneeling position in front of her as he retracted his leg from the mini crater that had been generated. The merc pulled his leg back, using his other leg as a push off point to come up from the ground in a straight elbow to her gut, a kinetic burst from the point driving his weapon towards his target with amplified force.

Racheli’s mind redirected the metal toward her navel and blocked War Pulse’s dirty little shot. The elbow impacted and kinetic energy sprung forth, the power sending her backwards toward the pile she originally came from. Her feet reflexively dug in to stop her fly back as she tore up the dirt and ground underneath where War Pulse had darted through earlier, leaving no concrete left. A few meters and she came to a halt, a powerful throbbing in her torso, while she grunted in pain. Her arm reached to touch the injury careful and noted the metal had been completely bent into her body.

Fresh, black blood dropped from the clothing then hissed into the ground, her arm pulled away and let the nanites mend the tissue. Her hand hovered over the ground where she sensed something heavy and metallic, buried under meters of dirt, earth and rock. The magnetic energy spread from her toward various metal things. Street lamps screeched and twisted before they were ripped from their foundations toward her. Upon coming into a few feet, they melted down and condensed into a metal ball. More and more metal followed the same suit, adding to the mass. As the lights flickered out, the scene was slowly engulfed in darkness with only the moon over head to illuminate the scene.

Behind Racheli, a figure came into focus, Micheal. The man’s eyes looked to War Pulse and thin lips twisted into a smirk at Rach’s powerful display, his eyes were the same dark color her’s had usually become: souless, black and empty. His words spoke toward the merc with a tone voided of emotional concern as Rach continued to let her anger build, “You shouldn’t have gotten involved but I’m so glad you did…”

For once in his life, the merc ended up momentarily biting his tongue when the secondary figure materialized from thin air, his opponent becoming completely silent as this new, mysterious figure almost seemed to speak for her.

“Pulse? Pulse what are you doing?”[ Came to static voice of Warden through his comm link, apparently he had recovered connection during the fight, but had only chosen to speak now when the mercenary hesitated. “You’re letting her acquire power, keep the pressure on her!”

The words sparked in the mercenary, the broker was right in every regard. He had to put her down now, and like hell was this newcomer going to get him to back down from a fight.

“What can I say? A little bit of Pulse makes everything better!” War-Pulse called to the materialized man, strolling over to a large power generator positioned for one of the nearby buildings, an industrial factory just up the street. “Though I’m going to say it’s mighty rude to join in on an uninvited party. Nevertheless, I’ll be taking your girl back to my employer whether I have to put you down or not, so if you want to get out of the way of this freakshow, now’s the time to do it!”

As he spoke, he jammed his hand into the power generator, causing sparks to fly randomly off as the live electricity surged to meet the merc. His aura flared like wildfire, crackling power sparking off of his body as countless volts flew through his body, converting to their raw kinetic state to distort the very air about him.

Rach retained control and manipulated the ball until it was about three times her own mass. The ball hovered there for several moments before she condensed then twisted it around her, her skin coated in the element and finally hardened. It was about an inch in thickness at least, more than enough for her needs, as her foot stepped forward. Her eyes narrowed on her target whose own hands held a counter measure against her aggressive collection of metal.

“I don’t know who the fuck sent you, but I’m going to send your broken body back with a message: Leave me the hell alone,” With those words, her arm swiped horizontally across her chest. Several feather like metal daggers separated from her arms then shot out at War Pulse’s location.

The mercenary, who currently had his hand inside of an active generator, didn’t exactly have the mobility to avoid or defend against the daggers, so he was pelted relentlessly by them. The shards of metal shredded his clothing, his face covered by his free arm as the blades impacted along his kinetically charged skin, causing him to grunt in aggravated pain.

“Yknow what? I got a better idea!” The merc said, yanking his arm out of the generator as the barrage of daggers was halted. “How about I kick your tin-plated ass from here to Little Paris, then we go visit who the fuck sent me to tell him yourself!” He responded. In one smooth motion, War-Pulse swing his arm forward like a baseball pitched, releasing a kinetic orb no larger than a snowball with extreme velocity, the air shrieking as the projectile was launched towards Rach’s location.

---

Ms Sparks watched from the relative safety of the SUV as War-Pulse and their target laid into each other with vicious assaults that made even her cringe. Through her years of service to Midas, Ms Sparks had seen her fair share of carnage, however, she had never seen anything quite like this, at least, not in person.

“Maybe we should have just hired the merc to bring her in.” She said to no one in particular with an exasperated chuckle as she watched the meta brawl unfold before her.

“Team One, what’s your status?” She said over the secure com system. Team One was responsible for incapacitating the young woman, and if need be, War-Pulse as well. However, as she watched the pair tear into each other, she became less and less confident that they had enough in their arsenal to get the job done.

“We’re in position. Awaiting your orders.” came the reply from Team One.

“Stand by.” Ms Sparks replied coolly. “Team Two, are you in position?”

Team Two had a simple job. Once the target was down, they were to speed in and load her into the back of the containment van, which had been specially outfitted to keep even the most reluctant “guest” secured in place.

“Yes Ma’am, we’re just waiting for you to give the all clear.” Team Two responded.

“Very good.” Ms Sparks said. She was about to give the order for Team One to begin their assault on the two metas, however, as she saw the young woman launch several metal daggers from her arms at the mercenary, she decided to delay the order. She wanted to see more, she wanted to know what this woman was capable of.

“Stand by, Team One. I want to see where this goes.”

---

Racheli’s eyes watched War Pulse’s orb sail through the air toward her. Her right arm raised upright then brought up with it the liquid metal. It rounded and formed a half dome like shield, taking the impact of the kinetic energy. Dust, concrete and more were blown into the air a few feet creating a hazy debris cover. When the dust settled, the shield was dented as it flowed back behind thanks to her magnetic ability and hovered there a moment.

She continued to stare at the man, the liquid metal dripped onto her skin and slithered to coat her completely. Her skin ceased the shimmering hue then dulled into a hardened and flexible substance like metal. Rach’s right leg took one step hen followed with her left to cover the distance between them quickly. Her left fist came swinging at War Pulse’s face side.

The blow hit home, the thunderous impact causing a shockwave as the merc’s body shuddered, his face wrenching backwards as he failed to estimate the time to react to her blows. He returned fire with a slug of his own, a heavy right cross to the metallic opponent’s jaw.

Racheli jerked back, her foot widened to catch her balance from the sting of the last blow. Her left hook whipped out in reaction at the merc’s lower side and around where the kidney was. It didn’t have quite the power she had before as her chest heaved up and down, her mind realizing she should be getting tired around now.

Another impact, the merc’s body actually being flung back and bouncing along the concrete before sliding along the floor in a face down position. He slid his hands underneath him, pushing his body back to its feet. He could feel the adrenaline taking over, his body pinning for the air that burned in his lungs. He glanced up to see his metallic foe, pure and smooth, transformed from the punk girl he squared with the beginning of this fight. His second fight, even with the energy he had gathered the back-to-back fighting was beginning to take its toll. He could feel his body pushing to throw his kinetic power into his body, his battle suit battered and torn. And yet, she barely looked injured, any cuts and scrapes she suffered were either completely healed or hidden behind a wall of metal.

And yet, there was something about the way she stood, the way she fought. Her body didn’t show it, but she was getting worn down. He could feel in her strikes, in their exchanges, she was slowing down just like he was.

It was rare someone pushed him so hard, and the eager little smirk on his face made it clear that he was in total bliss to reach that limit as he charged her once more, pushing off the ground with a kinetic burst to launch himself forward. He impacted her with a shoulder tackle, careening both of them straight into the brick wall of an apartment building, shattering it upon impact.

Rach tried to dig her heels in when she felt War Pulse impact into her chest. Her arms wrapped about and legs stiffen, but her body still rocketed into the wall. Her body impacted the ground, unable to stand up to his force.

A chunk of her steel encasing broke off from the brick’s sturdiness, revealing several unhealed cuts that renewed in bleeding. It seemed the nanites had went into survival mode and mended only life threatening wounds rather than everything. Black blood oozed through the lower part of the jacket as it stained the wall where she landed. Pain, something Rach wasn’t expecting, washed over in an intensity she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Ignoring it, she huffed in resistance then moved. Her mask slipped from her face revealing herself to the public but the woman didn’t give a damn. All she wanted to do was get on her feet even if it killed her. Her fingers curled into fist and popped off a punch to his lower back, her feet slipped underneath to kick the idiot off of her.

Sure enough, the punch made it’s mark, buckling the merc’s body enough to the foot shoving the mercenary off, throwing him over her and landing flat on his back.

“Damn girl, you’re really making me work for my pay, aren’t you?” The mercenary groaned, rolling over to his stomach to wearily push himself to his feet. “Unfortunately...your banter needs work, it’s not fun to fight someone with no rapport.”

“Fuck you.” Rach said, doing the same.

War-Pulse let out a chuckle, the weariness evident in the rasp of his voice as he got to his feet. “See? That’s what I’m talking about. You aren’t making this any fun for you. The power to shake the world and you don’t even take the time of day to enjoy it. Though I think that’s what people are afraid of...hence why I’m here.”

“You’re real charmer, you know that? I got fucking enough problems in my life and this is just another one to top the shit storm. I didn’t meet society standards before this virus, this only makes things much worse,” Rach huffed, then fell back into another boxing stance, “Now are you going to run your mouth or what?”

War-Pulse gave a hoarse laugh, offering her his signature cocky little smirk while he squared up his hips in a fighting stance as well. “How about you come over here and try to stop me, pretty lady?” He teased, gesturing for her to strike.

“You should’ve just walked away,” With those words, Rach lashed out another punch at his throat.

---

Ms Sparks watched as War-Pulse and Racheli continued to tear into each other. As the battle between the two metas raged on, it was clear that both combatants were being worn down by the battle. War-Pulse seemed more sluggish than he had been earlier in the fight, and Racheli appeared to be less focused. And though Ms Sparks found the entire confrontation fascinating, she knew that unless they were stopped, Chinatown would be levelled.

“Team One, it’s time. Put them down.” She said into the radio.

“Yes Ma’am.” came the reply from Team One.

Moments later, two small metallic objects appeared on the horizon. The experimental drones, designated MIHK Predators were equipped with a number of different high powered ordinances, and could be deployed in just about any battlefield, however, they were specially designed for urban warfare. There were a number of parties that were interested in the drones, however, their lack of field testing was an issue. However, after today, that would no longer be a concern.

“The drones are within range, awaiting your orders.” Came the voice of Team One’s leader.

“Take them down.” Ms Sparks replied.

Ms Sparks had barely lowered the radio from her lips when the drones struck. The first drone engaged both War-Pulse and Racheli with a high powered sonic attack, the sound waves assailing them with such a force that it drove to their knees. The sustained sonic attack had been designed to combat high powered metas such as War-Pulse and even Icon himself. As unrelenting as the sonic attack was, it was not enough to put the two combatants down for long.
As both Racheli and War-Pulse struggled to their feet, the second drone unleashed its arsenal of high powered explosives. It released a pair of rockets, no larger than a soda can. When they impacted the ground just behind War-Pulse, it triggered an explosion that was large enough to take out nearly half a city block. Fortunately, the battle had driven the residents of Chinatown away from the blast zone, and with a little push from Midas Industries, the media would soon be reporting on how War-Pulse had ignited a gas leak which was caused by the confrontation, and therefore was responsible for the damage. No one would know of Midas’ involvement in any of this…no one except for potential buyers for his drones, anyhow.

When the dust had settled, both War-Pulse and Racheli lay motionless amongst the rubble. Seconds after the blast, the containment van pulled up beside Racheli’s prone form, and three men got out of the vehicle. They quickly grabbed her and placed her into the back of the van, where they frantically went about securing her in the restraints that they had been assured would hold her.

“The subject is secured. Repeat, the subject is secured.” Team Two called over the radio once they had her locked in the restraints.

“Very good. Return to base, We’ll meet you there.” Ms Sparks ordered.

“Yes Ma’am. What about the merc?” the Team Two leader asked.

“Leave him. He’s got enough to worry about. He won’t be a problem for us.” She said as her armored SUV pulled away and headed back toward Midas Industries.

“SHIT!” Kaya ran down the street, barely dodging the strange bimetallic chains of her opponent as they whipped up asphalt and crashed into the window behind her. They were like steel whips, one hit from them would leave her in serious danger. Another came smashing from right below her, swung in an awkward angle. She jumped just barely over in a roll. Grabbing her MP-5 from the duffel bag while still in a run she rolled up in a crouch. Without hesitation, she let out a burst of rapid fire, not aiming as much as trying to suppress the meta. The man retracted the chains into a orb around him and let them bounce off his new shield. Kaya quickly scooped up a flash grenade and clipped it to her belt along with her knife and her 9mm glock.

The gangster didn’t waste much time between his defence and offence. A small gap opened in the shield to spot kayas position then he let the chains shoot back out, one by one, keeping his defence up while smashing against Kaya. Reflexively she raised her arm in the thai guard. The chain snapped across the metal with a clang, the guard all that saving her from a broken arm.

“AGH! FUCK!” Kaya dropped her gun and had to dive out the way from a chain intended to spear her chest. IT ended in a nasty spearlike tip. Only for a chain to wrap around her and lift her up. “FUCKING STOP, OH HOLY SHIT. NOOOOO” She was tossed through the air, across the street and trough the window of a small fish shop. Her fall was broken by wood, metal and a coolers worth of fish. She grunted and looked up only to see a lamp post get thrown her way. She dived out of the way once more. Not having time to appreciate that she now smelled of tuna and salmon.

"WOHA WAY TO CLOSE. WHO THROWS A GODDAMN LAMP POST?!" She yelled as she took a few potshots at him with the remaining handgun, keeping him from advancing while she got her bearings back. Stepping out, still firing, she stepped in a shard of glass, the sole of her army boot apparently having torn in the fight.. “SHIT SHIT SHIT. OW OW OW” She growled as she dove under cover of a dumper while pulling the bloody start out.

“FFfffffffffff. Now. Now you fucking die.” She unclipped her flashbang and tossed it up high in the air before bull rushing him. Taking the chains on her armguard while gritting her teeth, she stared down at ground as the flashbang went off. The man screamed as he was blinded, she threw her now empty gun away and let her powers flare. She kicked his shield hard enough for him to go flying, then was upon the dazed and confused Triad, smashing his chain shield to pieces with mystically charged fists of fire. As she got through she grabbed her knife and jammed it as deep as he could between his fifth and fourth rib. Sinking it deep into him as he gurgled and. She twisted and saw the light leave his eyes. Tearing it out she looked around. The other triads were still out. They would be left to leave message, and their lieutenant was dead. It would by this area some time. She shook her arms, they had numbed a bit from taking so many strikes.

“Allright. Time to see if the old crone is alive and kicking.” She said as she began to stagger back home, making sure to grab her guns and sweep what she could away of her presence. No need to make it to easy on people to track her down.

Double post

Location-Natural History Museum, NYC
Time-Noon
@fdeviant @Fallenreaper@VATROU@Demonic Angel

Face forming into a deep scowl, Ji could feel her displeasure at the company of the elder vampire and his voice was gaining nothing but more displeasure. She tried her hardest to keep the stone wall up, but it was hard when the bastard was drilling right through it like it was fucking cheese. She was so focused on trying to keep the wall up, she didn't notice the blood cage the guy put Ben in. Fucking dick! Figuring the wall was useless now, she let it crumble tothe ground.

Turning her head back, shock took her like a storm when she saw Skylar suddenly leave. What in the world is he doing? Now they were really on their own now. She flinched when the door alarm went off, making her deaf for a few seconds before her hearing returned. Feeling her ear drums beginning to throb, she covered her ears in an attempt to block out the sound, not noticing that the blood

[lavender]”Fuck! God damn! We have to get out here now!”[/color] She screamed over the noise. She looked at Ben, wondering what she should do. The only thing she can use as earth was the stone, but it was obviously not going to try using it again knowing that it was nothing compared to the male before them. She glared at him when she heard his words.

”He has to turn back on his own.” She glowered at him. Seeing Ben about to attack the guy, she got in front of him swiftly talking to him telepathically.

’Ben stop, you will get hurt if you attack him.Back down now!

With the street currently empty there was no one to gawk at the young alien hybrid girl clinging affectionately onto the neck of a giant white Monster. As he stood unflinchingly in the middle lane tentacle drooping over the traffic lights as if he were tasting it. ”Right, so if you’re done meeting Dickens we should gather any things we may have and search for the source of all this. My quid’s on following those cubes.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Voyager said, sounding a little breathless. “Just...wow, never thought I’d meet another one of…”

”Yeah, he’s an Alien I’m meeting odd fellows myself. Universe is much smaller than I realized. At least mostly sure it’s a He.”

“You must acquaint us to some of these odd companions of yours once the Order has been vanquished!” Shovel Knight declared in his usual grandiose way.

Eva had rubbed Dicken’s side as he loosed a low rumbling in a somewhat pleased tone.”Climb on, he’s faster than walking and as long you all hold on you shouldn’t fall off.” Once everyone else had piled on Dickens trotted along passing abandoned street after street before he took a pause. As Eva tried to move him along Dickens stumbled with the trio into a alleyway where a large dumpster filled with buffet food laid before him, with all the grace of a bathing elephant he lifted the entire dumpster into his mouth sucking down the contents with ease.

”Of course.” As Eva rolled her eyes. ”Only thing he’d stop for is food. Give him a sec, he’ll cough up anything inedible.”

”...I’m not sure I needed to know that,” Voyager said, looking a little greener than usual.

”Trust me, less gross than you’d think. He’s oddly clean for something that can down trash. None of it is even wet, yeah there it is.” As an odd cube was ejected from his mouth, naught a drop of liquid was left to cover the pile of trash contrary to the amount of slime that drips from Dicken’s mouth. ”Far as we can tell, he eats everything, bacteria included. And can’t get sick. Well hopefully he’s fed enough to move on without distractions.”

There was a momentary silence as Dickens mosied onwards the people have either taken cover or are running towards some hopeful sanctuary in the midst of this chaos, as a small group stopped right in front of the trio before sheer terror set in and had them screaming off.
”Thought there’d be more, you know. Characters running around. Well at least there’s still people alive, let’s make sure they stay that way. We’re seeing more of those cubes, so we should be getting closer.”

“Where are all of these weird cubes and characters coming from anyway? No offense, Mr. Shovel.”

“None taken!” Shovel Knight said promptly.

”Probably from this Game Genie character, supposedly trying to stir up some sort of mess. That’s kinda all I know, saw some of it on the news.”

“He sounds pretty tough if he could shut down this whole place…” Voyager commented, looking around at all the tall buildings proper for the first time

Voyager had a point, Eva mused, how much power did this guy have to do all this, and would the four of them be enough and would Shovel Knight stay on their side if they fought him. Right now though they had yet to find him and there were far more pressing matters at hand. The group that ran ahead of them were being attacked, the odd cubes were shooting beams at them. ”Okay, any ideas? Right now Dickens is the only one with the reach to deal with these things assuming we aren’t making anything worse.

”I think I could do some damage, to them, but I don’t know how much it would take out of me,” Voyager suggested, nervously chewing on her lower lip as she tried to gauge how much damage a powerful PsiBlast could inflict on the cubes. Not a lot, going by the size of them. She would need to fully charge her powers to even get close to taking one down, she thought, feeling a little inadequate.

”I. I do think we don’t know enough about them, perhaps we could be more useful saving those we can from the beams first.”

”That I can do!” Voyager said more confidently. As Voyager prepared herself, Eva flung headlong into the fight, pushing someone out of the way of a beam narrowly missing it. There was panic, the people were scared but between the cube and Dickens they flocked towards the giant monster who had people trying to help them. Riley stayed on Dicken’s back, providing fire support and taking out pixelated mooks that slipped through the cracks of earlier assaults. Shovel Knight prepared to dismount before he exclaimed loudly...

“YOU FIEND!”

“Wait what?” Voyager asked, toasting a couple of Wolfenstein Nazis with a casual PsiBlast over her shoulder.

“Treasure Knight!” the blue-horned knight shouted angrily at the bulky figure, wearing what looked like a diving suit with a drill for an arm. “Has your greed gone so far that you steal children for your coffers? No more, you rogue. Taste the steel of my blade!” And before Voyager could say anything he was off, charging after the lumbering figure with the little girl in tow.

“Godspeed Sir Knight!” Voyager said, giving one last salute. “Good luck finding Shield Maiden!”
”Well.” Eva said as the beams kept shooting out as enemies swarmed in attempting to aid these cube. With Voyager watching her back Eva did her best to lead the remaining survivors off towards safety, for whatever reason while they targeted herself and the people, Voyager and Dickens seemed to be mostly ignored save the mindless goons attacking them. A beam shot down in front of her knocked off course by Dickens slamming into it. While the last person filed into a cafe Dickens stood before it allowing her to climb him before they made their escape and fled deeper into the city searching for the source of these attacks. As more cubes flew across the sky with more and more pouring out from a large building.

”Looks like they’re coming from that building.”

”Does that mean the Game Genie person is in there?”

Eva, unsure, nodded. ”We will find out I presume.”

---

Calamity . . .

That was the only word that aptly described the sheer and utter chaos that was now unfolding in the Museum of Natural History. Marie was left in speechless after the Efreet’s flight from the building, jumping quickly at his ascent, left in anger and desperation at Barron’s words, and left in perpetual worry for the kids trapped behind the vampire’s blood wall. Nothing was right. Nothing was easy. One act led to another, forever sending them all spiraling down into greater danger. Now, not only were they faced with the threat that was the vampire, Barron, but so too came the risk of exposure, which, annoyingly enough, worried Marie more.

As the alarm blared, Marie stepped closer, now much calmer but still quite rigid and firm in her stance and tone.

”Fine,” Marie called to Barron over the harsh echoes of the alarm, ”Go, we don’t need your help. We’ll figure this out on our own. You’ve done more harm than good, and I doubt Ben could calm down enough for you to help him anyway. Leave us.” Marie was almost pleading at this point, her voice shaking, brought nearly to tears by anxiety. She was panicking.

”Calm yourself,” Holt’s voice crept into Marie’s thoughts. He had returned to her shoulder, nestling his head against hers to provide momentary comfort. ”I’ll halt the alarm and bind the doors shut once the vampire leaves. Fear not, you will succeed in this and in your mission.”

It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stop the tears and the shaking. Marie stood straight, waiting for Barron to make an exit. In the meantime, Holt kept true to his word. Flying over to the employee door, he dragged his ethereal claws across the door’s surface, shutting it and willing the alarm to cease. Museum security would soon be upon them, but he hoped that Marie and the wolves would have enough time to reverse Ben’s transformation.

_{banner credit to Hellis}

---

Time: Present Day - Night
Location: England, UK

The crescent moon cast little light across the entrance of the forest grove, The Ambassador and her two companions stood on either side of her. It was a naturally occurring midway point between the Faerie Realms and Earth, somewhere inside Queen Titania waited for The Ambassador to enter. Both Titania and Odette knew of each other's presence, now only formality separated them.

The Queen, however, did not know why of The Ambassador's sudden visit. At least Odette hoped she hadn't a clue. Their past meeting ended poorly, another attempt on Odette's part to broker an alliance with Titania. She had made it very clear she never wanted her help and turned the meeting into a farce.

Titania held the answers to a missing piece of Solomon's Cube, a powerful magical artifact the Broker approached her with rebuilding it. She needed to pull her weight in providing a piece, ensuring her stake in the final product. With a bit of luck, Odette would be walking away with that information tonight.

"Bach, Mandate."

The pair of them focused on her. "Bach if you have any information that may give me an edge or you can glean from our conversation please do step in. Mandate, while I do appreciate your protective nature, if Queen Titania makes a threat or enters my personal space I need you to stay calm and still. This is as much a game and a gamble as our dinner with Lassantra. I trust you to know when to wait and when to act." Odette meant every word. Mandate had shown to be impressively observant, able to pick up the subtleties of a dinner with a fey quickly. Most importantly the golem had waited for her next move. Titania would not expect Odette to arrive with a powerful bodyguard.

It was true. Titania had not expected the golem. "You brought a pet. How cute." Titania spoke with a snap to her voice that betrayed her emotion. "And It isn't even Fae. What is the meaning of this Ambassador? I thought you were clever enough to know I want nothing to do with you. You and your courts meddle with mortal politics and even let... humans in with you. Oops, I forget you are a monkey as well." She crossed her arms and lifted her chin as if looking down on them.

The game was afoot.

Titania's voice resounded through the grove catching Odette off guard. The Queen opted for English and wasn't wasting time holding back so neither would The Ambassador.

"I'm relieved to see that you are not holding back with your contempt, Your Majesty. It certainly says a thing or two that a human like myself is as, if not more so, formidable than you are. I'm almost sure in spite of these things you would love to hear me out. I have an interesting proposal." Odette replied, smoothly stepping through the grove. A smile poised, her eyes cold. The Queen was regal as she was comfortable in her own territory. A crown glittering with jewels, her smooth skin unblemished by time. Silky robes, long soft brown hair wavy past her shoulders. With centuries under her belt Queen Titania looked as young and fit as ever.

The words cut her. Titania's power had waned, she refused to let it show but everyone knew it. Not that she wasn't a monster, but her exile from the realm of mortals had only served to let those like Odette to move more freely. Even the snot-nosed upstart in the North had consolidated his power. Yet Titania, once the greatest of elves, was reduced to tolerating backtalk from a human. None of this showed on her face. Her mask was as perfect as ever. She smiled, but didn't move. "Not another step, changeling child".

"I smell sulfur on you." She said with a sneer. "Have you fallen so low in your desire for power that you consort with demons now? My, ambassador indeed. Your knees must hurt." She said with eyes just as cold and her smile just as unwavering as Odette's.

Odette curtsied in greeting the Queen holding the length of her dress out, "Your nose manages still even past your own back door, congratulations Your Majesty."

"Demons and Hell are an untapped resource, that's not mentioning your previous affairs into... exotic relationships. Very scandalous. However, my new found allies have pointed me back to you. In my proposal, what information you can provide will afford me more power, by extension you will benefit. A notion that I imagine is rather attractive to you and yours. Gaining power that is." Odette went on letting Titania's crude insinuations roll off her back like rain. Her language not far off from the last time she dealt with her. The Queen was reduced to throwing mud to validate her position against Odette.

"So. What demon snared you? Wait. Don't tell me." She closed her eyes, and breathed in. Odette would feel the tendrils over power wrap around her, prodding, searching. For a second, Titania looked like the Queen of old. All full of power and might, the woman who made all faedom, in every realm quake in their boots. Then she withdrew. Her eyes widened.

"YOU DEAL WITH THE PRIMORDIAL OF GREED?! ARE YOU MAD WOMAN!"

The human pulled her lip up feeling the Queen's magic surround her. "It is very rude to read someone without their permission." Odette said then pulling on power from the Arcane Stream, Words of Power rolling off her tongue. Her body outlined in wispy blue, warding herself against Titania's probing.

When she finished she made direct eye contact, "Mad? No. A mad woman would be doing this without payment."

"Payment. You realize this is Greed Incarnate we talk about. By the sacred Grove woman, he counted on you taking payment and thinking you went away the one in favorable position. Do you even know, what Broker has done to us, to the Fae both here and on your continent?!" Her voice rose, the anger rolled off her in waves. Bushes grew darker and denser, sporting thorns. Her crown turned from silver and jewels to dark oak and bone spikes.

"He was there. When the Romans came." Her voice shook. "He told them where the Druids were. How to bypass their spells. He whispered in the Caesar's ear about conquering the world. When they burned our secret groves, they burned them everywhere. Not only here on the Isles. Ask your own, what happened to the practices of the Gauls. All that, so he could lay his hands on the gifts we given our human allies." Her voice shook with anger even more now, her fingers were claw like.

"Do you understand, what you consort with now, Ambassador."

Odette broke her eyes away, noting the environment changing sensing the anger in all directions. Her muscles tensed along her legs while she forced her hands not to clench or brace. She looked to Bach counting on his knowledge to support her. "There is no need for such aggression, Your Majesty. We are aware of our histories, ancient histories."

Bach stepped forward taking his cue, "If I may, Your Majesty." Bowing his head.

"Bach." She said in a voice that was less murderous. "You may. Only because I respect your linage." There was a not so veiled insult towards Odette in there. The human did little to react to her jab.

The Earth Fey held his hands out in a nonthreatening manner, speaking with them as he explained, "Thank you. I was sitting in on the meeting when The Broker approached My Lady with his idea. I am very aware of what The Broker has orchestrated in the past against Faerie, what horrors he has visited upon humanity. While My Lady sees an opportunity to gain considerable advantage it is also about being on..." He gestured vaguely at the darkened surroundings, "The winning side. The Broker has created a Soul Stone containing untold thousands of souls ripped from New York City. To ensure our on going plans and presence in North America is not hindered by the likes of Hell we really had no choice but to agree. That same can be said for you, Your Majesty."

Bach expertly spun the angle that Odette couldn't help but feel impressed. She would thank him when the meeting was over.

"The Soul Stone is massively powerful and what we need from you to ensure that The Broker leaves your grove in peace is the location of a piece of Solomon's Cube." Odette finished for Bach.

For the most part, Mandate obeyed the Ambassador's directions almost to the letter. She was still, silent, and doing her utmost to remain calm as her head flicked to and fro, her gaze switching to follow the discussion. The continuous game of barbs was not lost on her, but it was somewhat distressing to keep track, and so she simply didn't. What truly caught and held her attention was the mention of a Soul Stone and its nature.

Her mind itched, and she saved her questions for later.

Titania had begun to relax a bit when Bach spoke, seemingly being sympathetic to their plight and intrigued by their plans. Then Ambassador showed she was still not quite as sharp as she might think she was. She said the name of the artifact. A soulstone was nothing new to the Fae. Even fae had on occasion created small ones, but the cube. The air practically froze. The darkness returned tenfold.

"You wish to take what!" She all but howled. But she caught herself, and when she smiled at Odette, it was actually of triumph. "I can lead you to it. For a promise." Her smile grew wider.

Odette in turn smiled right back at Queen Titania. This was the game, the favour for favour. The promise, the negotiations. In the past such a phrase would have sent fear shocking through her, back when she had little to offer and little less to say. Now, it was like a boost of adrenaline, the seconds before she would hit stage.

"A promise, not a favour nor a price?"

"A promise. To a Queen. It cannot be broken, to do so would make you an exile. Powerless. Or start a war between yours and all others." Her smile would be a cause of alarm to anyone who saw it.

That intrigued Odette. "As you so kindly reiterated how dangerous The Broker is, allow me to remind you I am the only thing standing in his way. You could weather a war against me but against Hell? I think not. I only hope for your sake whatever promise you propose will be enough to protect yourself and your residual power." Her tone dropping in temperature. There was no backing down from Fey, one had to square their shoulders, stick out their chin further. Queen Titania certainly was not bluffing but neither was The Ambassador.

Quietly, Mandate agreed with the Ambassador's stance. When one held the greater power at their back, it was only right to flex that power when necessary. Crush without remorse, Some corner of herself whispered into her stream of thought. It resonated with the whole of her Self.

"A war with hell. No I imagine not." She said, her voice not angry or challenging. "Maybe even you could wrestle it out of our control with force. The British Isles are dying, Arthur's sword is no longer within these borders. The dragons are leaving Avalon. The druids are dead or dying. Cities crowd out the huntsman and his wild hunt." She said. She smiled at Odette. "Threaten all you want Child. It matters not. I will die on a bed of thousand thorns, I fear not my end. No. This deal, this promise, is for you take. To prove your namesake. Ambassador."

She reached her hand out. "I will give you the piece, in turn you will make a promise to me. You know, that I will hold up the bargain. What will it be? And please, you know you only get the promise after you make the deal. Are you, powerful and mighty Ambassador, willing to gamble on the whims of a Queen past her prime?"

This doesn't sound fair, Mandate did not say, steadily growing warier. Mandate admittedly did not know much about making a deal, but she was fairly certain that making said deal while only one party involved knew the true stakes was a terrible form of deal. That dusty corner of her mind was aggravated, and nervous. Her gaze flickered to the Ambassador, her mouth turning downwards.

Odette stared down Titania, she chewed at the inside of her cheek, considering what Titania could really want from her. She had slapped a generous alliance out of her hands before, one that promised protection and resources. Her reputation as The Ambassador grew, more Fey were wary of what Odette offered. What a human offered.

There were options laid out, varying from violence to simple acceptance, rolling with whatever Titania had to throw at her. She knew she could survive it and adapt as she had done so many times before, it surely wasn't her first deal out of her hands she had made nor will it be the last. One last try to change Titania's mind. "England falls to the wayside and Paris rises in prominence. Fey have settled into Paris to give London's Underground competition. The success I've brought is undeniable, I've built my power and reputation from the ground up."

Odette took a couple steps forward her tone changing, warming. "Your Majesty, we may dislike one another, throw barbed words and insults but I would much rather have you as an ally than an enemy. As I took up the name The Ambassador I have always had the Fey's interest at heart. I do not burn bridges, I build them. Most importantly, I maintain them." Her sincerity ringing clear, her hand lifted to the Queen. Fey were difficult, tricky and turbulent in their moods. Earning an alliance, winning an argument, or spending time with them was satisfying for those very same reasons.

"If the promise you intend for me to take is unreasonable, then so be it. If it means being one step closer to building a bridge, the happier I will be." She finished bowing her head allowing silence to drive home her words.

Titania smiled. "Unreasonable? No. Cruel? Debatable. Necessary? I'm afraid so." She clasped the woman's hand as the thorns and darkness resided. Then her eyes blacked out into dark pools of power. When she spoke next, it was voice of prophecy. The first prophecy from Titania in hundreds of years.

“When the foundation shakes. When the world breaks, when the scream catches in your throat, and the demon rises. When smoke chokes the living, and the sky boils. When thorns turn to blades, when one realm become many, and many realms become but one. When you hold silence in your hand, kill it and scream your anguish for the world to hear. This is the promise you make to me, and all of faerie. When it becomes all encompassing, when nothing can breathe underneath it. You must end the Silence."

Titania's eyes returned to normal and she gave a slight shiver as the power poured out of her.

Mandate had grown even more rigid, if that was possible. Her eye was a red beacon amongst mercurial power, focused singularly upon Titania as she flexed some strange form of power. She had been prepared to act, like a terribly deadly muscle coiled and ready to spring, but the pronouncement of the future that came from the queen left her... Confused. A prophecy, an omen of the future? Did such a thing truly exist?

A part of her wished to scream in the negative. Other parts of her were simply mystified, and her silence remained heavy as the questions accumulated. Memories of fortune tellers and tricksters danced in her mind, a far-cry from the figure of power before her.

Fascinating. Unnerving. I don't like this.

Bach practically blurted, "Another prophecy! Puck and now you as well?" He shrank under his partner's glare.

Odette held her hand once Titania let go, the foreboding feeling washing over. This time she held her composure. She glanced again at Titania. "I can't imagine any of that comes with some clarification?"

"No. You know how these things go. For what it is worth. I wish this all turns out for the best, for all of us. Now, I shall uphold my end of the bargain." She held her hand out and a man stepped forth, previously unfelt and unseen. The man whispered something into her ear. "The piece lies buried under the stones of Stonehenge. I can undo the spell that hides its exact location. But the Guardian, well I guess that is why you brought the Golem."

Mandate tilted her head, and her mouth switched into a smile once more. She was to be useful to her friend? And, perhaps, gain the opportunity to tear apart and examine, as she had been hungering for since she had met the ambassador? The golem treasured her friend more than anything, but if there was one flaw in her stay, it was that she had not yet been allowed to rend asunder any curious objects.

Perhaps that would change.

Bach and Odette shared a look of understanding at the mention of Stonehenge, then eyed the stranger. It would have done them well to be more cautious but this was the Queen's Grove, her rules and magic were terribly difficult to beat short of protecting themselves as Odette had demonstrated earlier with her ward. "Thank you, Your Majesty for sharing your wisdom and information concerning the piece. I intend to keep that promise, within my understanding of the interpretation. I have been dealing a fair amount with oracles and prophecies as of late. Frustrating as they may be, there's always wiggle room to be found in interpretation." Odette smiled with smug confidence then bowed her head one last time.

"The grove's beauty travels with you Ambassador. I hope for your sake, that the flower doesn't wilt among the sulfur." She held no hostility or negativity in her words this time. It was more melancholic. As if she knew something she wasn't letting on, but it gnawed at her. The queen turned and left, her strange consort leaving only after the Queen had melded with foliage. Then it spoke. Its voice was wooden, as if the body was not meant for human vocalization.

"The Queen mourned for a long time, when her lover died to the Roman's fire. Do not take her promise lightly. You may think you can best her, but her wits have never dulled." And with that the strange creature melded into the foliage as well. As he did, Ambassador would suddenly feel something tug at her, a powerful magical source. The piece of Solomon's Cube, no longer hidden to the world.

"I am not a flower to wilt." She hissed in Common Fey at the grove where Titania and her familiar disappeared. Turning on her heel she took her leave, her companions falling in step behind her.

Outside the Grove she cast a lingering glance at the sanctuary, fingers tapping to a tempo against the leather strap of her purse the prophecy rolling through her mind on repeat, she recorded the prophecy into a voice memo on her smartphone filed it away with Puck's prophecy. "Doomsayers, prophets and oracles. It would be too soon if I hear another vague mention of the future." She muttered staring at the screen.

Mandate spoke, the first time she had done so since the group had entered the Queen's domain. "You encounter them a lot, Miss Ambassador?" Her tone was equal parts curious and nervous. She shifted in place, her head tilting as she turned to examine the aforementioned sanctuary. "Usually, fortune tellers aren't so important and... Flashy. And magical royalty. Can she really see things of the future, Miss Ambassador?" What a terrible power to wield, Mandate was certain.

"Mm, they typically aren't. Fey fortunetellers have been spelling my doom for as long as I can remember." Odette replied facing Mandate looking up at the Golem whom towered over her.

Had she prophecized the coming of that 'Primordial' and never realized until doom had come? Or did she understand her own predictions? I want to tear her open, but it won't tell me anything. What a sad thought. Or maybe I have to pry her open from a different angle. Will Miss Ambassador approve of that? Magic is just a different layer, right? Would she help, if I asked? She didn't.

However, a more pressing concern came to mind quickly. "Also, do things get darker when she is angry? How does she see anything? Royalty always seems to be angry, Miss Ambassador! Or is that an unfair judgement? I've only met a Princess and a Queen. Are they all as mean as that royalty? Are they related?" Several pressing concerns, rather. The questions had reached a bursting point.

Patiently she explained, "The Grove we were just in, Titania's sanctuary and personal access to the Faerie Realms changes according to her will. If she shows a lot of emotion, her environment changes to reflect that. She's apart of the Grove as the Grove is apart of her. Fey are tricky to deal with, my dear. Royalty more so because of their apparent connection to power. Queen Titania gave us what we wanted and her vague promise left a lot of room for me to work with. A promise to her will be easy when we figure out what she meant, then we bend the rules like a sapling in a hurricane."

Mandate giggled in response to the Ambassador's metaphor, content with the answers she had received and rolling them in her mind. She took them to mean that she would have to burn the Grove if she wished to see Queen Titania dead, but most of it was simply interesting to her. Although, questions lingered. "And what about that 'Guardian' Queen Titania mentioned, Miss Ambassador? Is it something I'll have to break? I'm good at bending things like saplings in hurricanes."

Odette lifted her hands to the sky, calling upon the Arcane Stream to open a portal. As soon as she had a location in mind, the Arcane Stream reacted in such a way that it seemed almost eager. When the portal formed a short minute later, the door came into existence brightening the area considerably. The magic around her body was crackling across her skin.

Bach noticed the intense energy of the portal as well Odette felt the draw even from miles and miles away, the draw of the ancient piece was very strong. "I expect it will attack on sight now that it's veil has been lifted. Whatever layers of magical protection are surrounding the piece, I will need you to keep the Guardian busy while I work. Stonehenge is a leyline anchor point, the access I will have with the Arcane Stream will be direct."

Lowering her hands she wore a smug smile, pink tinted lips illuminated by the light. "I had previous concerns regarding Stonehenge but... No one knows the Arcane Stream quite like I do. Là où il ya une volonté, il ya un moyen. Where there is a will, there is a way."

Location: Midas Industries, Lost Haven-Maine
Time: Morning (some time around 3-4 am)

Richard Midas stepped into the laboratory in the sub basement of Midas Industries with a smile on his face. Since the so-called meta humans began showing up in Lost Haven, and in various cities around the world, he had wanted to get his hands on one. He wanted a powerful meta that would be at his beck and call, a meta that would answer only to him and see that his will be done. Shortly after Icon had made his spectacular debut in Lost Haven, Midas had reached out to him, offering his hand in friendship in hopes of cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship that would ensure their places in this world. However, the blue and silver clad hero had rebuffed him. It was a rejection that still fueled Midas to this day.

However, due to recent events in Chinatown, his fortunes had changed.

He had first heard about an amazing young woman through a well placed mole that he had placed within one of his largest rivals. The young woman in question, Racheli Desdemona supposedly had an almost unlimited potential, and if her potential was realized, could rival Icon himself, as well as any potential threat that could endanger this world. However, in order to reach that potential, her abilities, and whatever it was that was inside of her that gave her those abilities would have to be nurtured.

Not only would he be the man to nurture her and her gifts, but he would study them, and if at all possible, replicate those gifts in others. However, those aspirations would have to wait, because for now, he needed gain her trust, if at all possible. And if her trust proved difficult to gain…he had other ways to get her to cooperate.

Midas approached the hospital bed in which Racheli lay, still unconscious after her battle with the super powered mercenary War-Pulse had been cut short by his drones. Her torn and burned clothes had been replaced by a thin hospital gown. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath, as he waited for her to awaken. Fortunately for Midas, who was never known for his patience, he did not have to wait long. Almost as if on cue, her eyes fluttered, and then opened. Midas watched her as she stood up suddenly and slowly came to the awareness she was no longer in Chinatown’s street, battling War Pulse.

“It’s alright, Ms Desdemona. You’re quite safe. Nobody is going to come looking for you here, I can assure you of that.” Midas said with a warm smile as he addressed his guest for the first time.

Racheli’s hand reached up then started to rub away the grit in her eyes, clearing her vision. Her head cocked toward Midas’ voice when he spoke causing her to stare a bit and tried to register his face from her memories. Nothing. That meant, she quickly deduced, she had never encountered him before in her life as her feet slide to the side of her current bed and hung down. It was then it came to her attention that she was currently dressed within a very thin gown instead of her usually thicker clothes.

Her head snapped up, bring her spine to stiffen in reaction to this fact. If had been possible, then all color would’ve faded from her skin and given her a sickly look before her eyes darkened into anger, “Where the hell are my clothes and who the fuck are you?”

Midas had expected such a reaction. While he was not accustomed to being addressed in such a manner, he was slightly amused by it, and due to the extraordinary events that had lead her to be in his possession, he was willing to forgive her abruptness, for now.

“My name is Richard Midas, and I own this facility.” Midas started. “But more importantly, I’m a friend. I’ve been following you for some time, Ms Desdemona. You have drawn quite a bit of attention to yourself, some of that from people whose attention you really do not want. I can help you with that.” Midas told her, noting that her expression did not change; it remained one of anger and contempt.

“Of course, once we know that it’s safe, you’ll be free to go. Your clothes have been boxed up and I’ll personally bring them to you if you would like.” Midas told her. “Racheli, you’re safe now, you don’t have to fight anymore. We can help you.” He said, his tone softening as he offered her a kind smile.

Inwardly, Rach was wondering why she kept getting into these types of situations. Was the bastard upstairs trying to tell herself and didn’t quite take no for an answer or was she just unlucky? Either way, complaining wasn’t going to help her now. Shifting slightly on her bed edge, Rach tried to keep her tone steady and calmer than she felt in the moment,[colo=indianred] “While I appreciate the offer, I have friends trying to help me and I don’t think I need your help. So, would it be much trouble to get my clothes so I can be on my way?”[/color]

“I’m afraid that you can’t leave, not quite yet, anyhow. You see, Ms Desdemona, I have plans for you. I believe that we are under an unprecedented threat posed by these meta humans. And you, my dear, are the key in ensuring our survival.” Midas told her, his tone taking a slightly darker turn. “I’m well aware of your friends, and it would be a real shame if something...were to happen to them due to your refusal of my offer.” Midas said plainly.

Rach’s lips frowned. She didn’t like what she was hearing and her expression showed it, her mind ticking over what he had said for several moments, “It would take a lot to imprison my friends. I don’t think you have enough power or resources to keep or even hurt them. Now… either you kindly get my clothes and I walk out, or you will regret it.”

“You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice in this matter, my dear.” Midas said with a smirk. “As for your friends, I have little interest in imprisoning them.” He told her, allowing the implication of his words to sink in. “Why don’t you run your fingers behind your left ear?” He waited for her to do so.

Rach gave Midas a confused looked as she raised her hand toward the indicated spot and felt something underneath her skin. It was thin and protruded from the bone, making her spine seep with dread while she followed it right into the back of her skull. She knew deep down the nanites should’ve dismantled and reconfigured anything that wasn’t natural to her anatomy, but this wasn’t affected.

“Do you feel that bump at the base of your skull? It’s an explosive charge that my doctors implanted in your head. Should you become a problem, it will detonate, and all of your problems will be over, if you get my meaning.”

A shocked and stunned look crossed her earlier scowling one, replacing it quickly. Immediately her fingers, more out of instinct, started to dig into the flesh where the device was. Her desire to get out clear with the deeper her fingers started to tear into her skin. Meanwhile the bed frame screeched then made a metallic scream when crumbled slight from her magnetic abilities showing through. Several metal tools nearby on the cart jerked and flew from the top, burying into the wall nearest the room’s door.

”What the fuck did you do to me? This isn’t possible, the nanites and… how did you do it?” Rach growled in frustration, still trying to remove the foreign object in her skull. Her eyes narrowed on the man as she began to stand upright from her bed and took one step toward him.

“You may want to rethink that.” Midas said to Racheli, who was moving toward him, no doubt to put an end to him here and now. He calmly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open, revealing a small incision in his chest, about the length of a quarter.

It took everything within Rach to pause when Midas spoke. Her left fist was clenched at her side, the other one occupied, and every fiber wanting to force him to fix this then finally rip him to pieces. Her voice, filled with rage, spoke, “Funny, that’s what everyone fucking says. Give me one good reason why I should?”

“You see, that device in your head is directly linked to my heartbeat. Should anything happen to me…” Midas said as he brought his hands to the side of his head and mimicked her head exploding.

“Also, you may want to stop trying to pull it out...it has a real hair trigger.” He told her, purposely not answering her questions. “You see my dear, you really have no choice in this matter. I was hoping that you would be see reason and we could do this the easy way. But you seriously underestimate my ability to play dirty. I always get what I want.”

Feeling her fury about to burst, Rach’s hand stopped picking at her skin and fell to her side. Blood trickled down her ear and along her neck where it gradually dried, the nanites dying in the air. Her eyes didn’t move from Midas as she trembled in rage, her figure subtly shaking. With little warning, her right fist darted out in immense speed. The wall cracked inches from the man’s head, the impact spider webbing as she pulled away causing the plaster to crumble onto the floor and his suit.

Rach was still breathing hard when she decided to voice her thoughts outloud, “You are a spoiled shit, aren’t you? You have my attention so what happens now?”

“Listen, I’m a reasonable guy. I need your help to safeguard not just this city, but the entire world. Once we have done that, you’ll be free to go, if that is what you want. But somehow, I get the feeling that once you see what’s going on, and once you get to know me...You won’t want to leave.” Midas told her confidently. “You’ll be well paid, and you’ll be provided with everything you need. I need you to trust me, or at least trust in the fact that I will do whatever I have to do in order to get what I’m after...even if it’s something that I really don’t want to do.”

“Well, you’ve started off being a real charmer. How can I resist trusting you after this,” Rach shot back sarcastically, her figure gradually lowered back down to the bed. Impulsively she shifted her hospital gown to cover her as much as possible, her ears still listening, “Instead of planting a bomb in my head, shouldn’t you be finding like minded individuals with abilities? I don’t care about your damn war or desire to protect the city. If you haven’t opened your eyes, I pretty much tore up a whole street in one small skirmish and brought down most of one building at least.”

“I’m well aware of your destructive abilities, and your...lack of discipline in utilizing them. That building that you tore down belonged to me. Hell, child, I own half of this city. And as far as you’re concerned, I did what I had to do to ensure your cooperation. Once you get to know me, you’ll realize that I’m not a bad guy. And more importantly, once this is all over, you’ll realize that I’m right.”

“Until then, if ever, I’ll keep hating your filthy guts. It makes me feel better,” Rach snapped, still unimpressed with the argument, “You still avoided my question: what now? I assume you aren’t going to keep me locked up here and since I have no choice, I want to know what is going to happen next.”

“You’re right, I’m not going to keep you locked up. In fact, as we speak my people are preparing your penthouse apartment in Sherman Square. There you’ll find a new cell phone, which you will want to keep on you at all times. Should I need you, I’ll call, and you’ll come, lest you want to lose your head.” Midas said in a tone which made it difficult to tell whether he was joking or not. “You’ll be free to go after I get one small thing from you.” Midas said as he walked over to Racheli. He put hand down on the bed next to her and leaned in slightly. “I just need a blood sample.”

Racheli leaned away to look at him, commenting on the odd fact he hadn’t gotten one yet, “I’m surprised you didn’t get one while I was out. It would’ve been easier.”

“Indeed it would have been.” Midas conceded. “But I was hoping to get your approval first.” He said with a smile.

Annoyance swept over her face at the fact the choice was out of Rach’s hands as she glared at him, her arm extended for the blood to be taken, “You’re really funny, you know that? Get it done and over with.”

Midas beamed as he produced a needle to take the blood sample. “Relax, this might sting a bit.” He said with a smile as he plunged the needle into her arm, taking a vial full of viscous black blood. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Midas asked as he took the sample and placed it in a lock box to be processed by his scientists as soon as possible.

Moments later, the door to the lab opened and Ms Sparks stepped inside with a small box containing Racheli’s clothes. She looked over to Midas and then to the Racheli. She leered when she saw the barely covered form of Racheli. She glided over to the infuriated woman and dropped the box of clothes at her feet.

“Get dressed, we’re getting you out of here.” Ms Sparks said as she turned and led Midas out of the lab.
“Gee, thanks for the update. Keep leering like that, it might stick that way,” Rach said in the woman’s wake, hopping off the bed and started to dress.

Broker stared at the soul stone, as it hovered above the pedestal in his home. His shone with unchecked, unbridled greed. It represented a shift in power. A new era. Around him, The circle of Greed was busier than ever, imps and other cretin hopped and skipped and climbed the walls and shells of warehouses worth of old scrolls, magical swords and rune inscribed bone totems. An Appalachian death beak was carted of to be handed to a midtwestern, necromantic cowboy. He was One of Brokers many c-list villains in training. Things were sliding into place. Some of the supernatural worlds most powerful and selfish creatures were seriously considering sitting down by a table and discuss business. This was an unprecedented move that had no equal in history. And Broker was not only part of it but heading the project. He had the idea almost a millennia ago, when the pesky influence of the Arthurian Round Table made pursuing the last of the druids an impossibility. That and pesky, powerful magicians not wanting a primordial evil get in on their business. That very dislike for direct business agreements was what had galled him then. Evil people were shortsighted, petty and arrogant. But no longer. Now it was those that dedicated themselves to the “long con” that ruled.

Now the world could see the profit in working together. If banks and companies could move capital between them to better establish monopolies and grew filthy rich, why shouldn’t those of morally reprehensible representation move resources between themselves to become obscenely powerful.

So much was happening. The world lulled itself in a sense of security, but their greed was off the chart. It fed him like never before. And with Metas crawling out of the woodwork, lowkey magical criminals felt as if they were stuck in arms race with exceedingly more extravagant vigilantes with genetically gifted powers. It was extremely good for business.

“Ah…” He looked at a paper put in front of him. “It seems we got the first real contender for fool of the year.“ he said looking down onto the files. “Who decided to call him “Rune'” Bookers asked as another imp fetched him a goblet of wine. “Hmm. Lets see. He is a Fae Champion? To the King of the Elves none the less…”

He stroked his chin in curious wonder. “Odette is dealing with Titania. So I cannot ask her to deal with this. Gods know she would be perfect to snub some uppity royalty. Where are you headed Johan…” His eyes narrowed. “Nevada? Ah heavens tolling church bells! The last piece!? Does he know?”

He gritted his teeth as he snatched a wayward imp and hissed. “Get me a scrier now. I need to know who is in Nevada and why.” He tossed the imp carelessly over his shoulder as he stared at daggers at the image of a bearded, very viking like man with disheveled hair and a rune inscribed trenchcoat.

When the scrier arrived the woman blinked her blind eyes. “You know it is hard to see into Nevada my lord. The Vampire has powerful friends. And you gave away the last of our holdings.”

“Not now Aashvani. Just look at the weaves. Look for a particularly strong one. One of arcane might. It should be headed that way. Tell me who are tied to him, who his allies might be.”

“I see…” She closed her eyes and her aura flared. “I see…. A blazing storm in human form, feytouched, yes, this is the Champion?”

“Indeed.” Broker said dryly and not a bit impatiently.

“He is a storm indeed. Satans blight, he draws threads fate around him like a Vortex” She said almost wistfully. Brooker rolled his eyes and lamented outsourcing vision and surveillance to the Circle of Lust. But what could you do, Greed scriers were so damn… greedy.

“Yes. And? What does he seek?”

“..He seeks a wolf before he journey towards Nevada.”

“A wolf? A bloody werewolf? In vampire central. Ohhhh this must really get on Barrons nerves. But why that wolf. Last I checked, the mans best friend was a hexenwulf.”

“Yes. One with gifts. One that your big gambit have awoken early. His threads of fate are strong, golden, it grows ever brighter with every fate that is tied to his. A future leader…”

That made Brookers eyes to widen. “Ah. An alpha. That will be a problem. You said he is still growing, meaning he is young. That means he isn’t as wiley or experienced yet. I wonder if the current Van Hellsing would be up for adding another pelt to his collection.” But Aashvani was not done. Her eyes stared into nothingness.

“Where the one known as Rune is a storm, Ben is calm. When they meet, I see.. A Great obstacle.”

“Obstacle? A runt and an alcoholic faerie booty call? No, no I shouldn’t grow arrogance. Pride is not my sin to bear. If they are as you say. Then I guess I should do something before some ridiculous last minute alliance end up ruining my plans.”

“I see the sword in the stone… Fangs of Earth and the Wind… “ She kept speaking, unhearing or uncaring for her employers musing. This got Brokers attention. His nostrils flared, Greed incarnate stared at his scryer. Then he roared.

“EXCALIBUR?!” His near roar shocked the demon out of her vision. Broker had a history with the British Isles and their former king. Under the romans, he was able to turns greed into the cataclyst of mass murder and the plundering of druids. Romans subjugated the lands and weakened the Faes influence to near nothingness in some parts. But the Arthur happened. Hundreds of years later, a upstart with a magical sword unwittingly reinforced the magic of the Isles. Bosted by the the devils son Merlin, England was no longer as easy to plunder.

“Y-yes” The scryer said, clearly understanding the rage of her employer.

[color=ed1c24]“LUCIFIERS BROODING BALLS!” He swore. “That thing can actually HURT me.” Seething he growled. “Blueberry!”

“Yes Daddy?!” A bubbly, excited voice rang out from behind the Scryer who jumped from the sudden appearance of Brokers daughter. The blueskinned perpetual teenager was wearing what seemed to be half a hot topic store.

“What on earth are you wearing?” He said, eyebrow raised.

“You like it?” She asked, twirling around in place.

“I guess it fits you, are you in a rebellious phase? Will I have to kill a bunch untalented moody musicians?” He smiled softly at her.

“No, I just like the clothes. I am a more of a K-pop girl music wise.”

“ Very well, I think I will do it anyways. I can’t stand them. K-pop huh? A music business that truly mass produce their stars after capitalistic principles. I approve. Now, fetch my overcoat. I have other business to attend.”

“Yes daddy!”

I’m trying not to freak out right now. Even though I can look around, I cannot perceive any physical form. I don't feel my arms or legs or my body in general moving, despite still being able to examine my surroundings. This can’t be the afterlife, can it? I mean, all these 1’s and 0’s look like something from a computer. Since that Game Genie guy has unleashed a bunch of video game characters on the city, this must mean that I am still alive, somehow. This must be some sort of prison or something. How am I going to escape? I have no idea.

“Hey, Vol!” I suddenly heard Talus’ voice in the sea of green numbers. “I finally found you!”

It is official. I’m in hell.

“I’ve got some good news and some bad news.” His voice echoed through the darkness.

“Yes?”

“I have found a way to get you out of there.”

“Finally! Now get me out of here!”

“Well, I still have the bad news. The only way I can get you out at the moment is by using the same technology that the Game Genie utilized to summon those video game characters. However, the code only allows me to generate characters labelled as antagonists.

“Wait? I’m going to be a bad guy?”

“Not quite. An antagonist can be a good guy, like in an evil campaign or something.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this”

“I’ll make a deal with you. If you don’t get mad at me, I’ll reverse engineer this technology for your next photoshoot.”

“I don’t know. That sounds like an awfully large blank check that I would be giving you. Wait, how did you know about that photoshoot?”

Before he answered me, a rush of light filled the darkness that I had been in. Then, I could start to discern a location in Pacific Point. I think it was near city hall. I guess that this meant that I’m now free from wherever I had been imprisoned. But as soon as I could tell that I was back in the real world, I realized that I was falling, as if Talus had released me above the ground. My fall was not high enough to actually injury me, but it did hurt a little.

“Lady Camilla!” I heard a young woman’s voice call out. At first, I ignored the call. However, when I heard footsteps hurrying towards me, I turned my head in the direction of the voice. Two young women, who were dressed in a mixture of medieval and fantasy clothing. The first girl, who called out to someone, had dark red hair that was tied into two ridiculously long pigtails. The second girl, who followed closely behind the first, had dull blue hair (not quite sure how that is possible besides with dyes). Her hair, unlike the first, was short. Not quite a pixie cut, but still short, at least for a girl.

“Lady Camilla!” The redhead said again when she stopped right next to me. Before she said anything else, she bent over as she tried to catch her breath. The other girl was also breathing hard, probably because they had been running a lot, but she hid it better. “Thank Naga that we found you! We had been looking all over for you!”

“Are you talking to me?” I asked the girl, since I am pretty sure my name is not Camilla.

“Why of course I am! Do you see any other Crown Princesses of Nohr around here?” She sarcastically answered me, as if the answer was obvious. At this moment, I realized that there were locks of lavender hair covering up my left eye. How do I have lavender hair?

“Do I know you?”

“Do you know us?” The young woman with the red hair furrowed her brow when she heard my question. “First Corrin did not recognize us and now you are having amnesia! Sure, we did lurk in the shadows as we protected Corrin as he grew up, but we have always been at your side, Camilla!”

“You still haven’t answered my question. And why do you keep calling me Camilla?”

“Because you are Camilla, the Crown Princess of Nohr. And we’re your retinue! Does Selena and Beruka ring a bell? Because that’s us!”

“Um…what?”

“Here, let us help you up, Lady Camilla.” Selena offered as both herself and the other girl approached closer and pulled me to my feet. When I finally was on my feet, I suddenly got a good look at what I was wearing. I am so going to make Talus’ head roll. I’m not even kidding!

“What am I wearing? Why are my arms and legs completely covered with plate armor while this breastplate isn’t even shielding what’s in its name! It is like I am putting a giant bullseye on my chest and saying ‘please hit me right here’!”

“Since you always ride a wyvern into battle, I would think that you should be more concerned about a stray arrow shooting your dragon out of the sky than about one that might hit some exposed skin.” Selena counter-argued, crossing her arms as she talked.

“And what’s the purpose of this translucent cloth? And why the hell am I essentially wearing a bikini bottom instead of pants? And what is this strap that is going over my left boob even doing?” I then peered into the front window of a nearby store so that I could at least see some sort of reflection of myself. It just felt like an out-of-body experience. Besides my now lavender hair, I looked more or less the same. The only weird thing was the clothes that I was wearing. And I was a little surprised that I looked entirely human instead of being a drider. That’s a plus, right? “If I were to guess, I would say that I look like a cross between some sort of fantasy-genre knight and a stripper. I am so killing Talus for this.”

“Well, Lady Camilla.” Selena spoke again, “Since your mother was a concubine of King Garon, I guess it is kind of fitting.”

“Who is this Talus person.” Beruka finally spoke, pulling a dagger out of her cloak at the same time. “I will hunt down and dispatch him for you.”

“Wait, what? I didn’t mean it like that! It was more of a figure of speech.” I then turned to Selena. “Where did you find her?”

“Where did I find her?” Selena laughed. “You’re the one who hired her on the spot even though she was there to assassinate you!”

“WHAT.”

No sooner did ℝoot commit to the act, than did her computer present her the opportunity to make good on her word. A ping from an algorithm monitoring the city's hacked CCTV network detected escalating collateral damage in China Town. ℝoot smirked as she focused her algorithm on the event it began correlating data from key word searches of popular media sites and reconstructing events from eye witness accounts and cell phone recordings that were posted online.

While much of the bystander footage was focused on the meta-spectacle several cameras caught glimpses of things not shown on the CCTV. Conspicuously inconspicuous observers. Her software reconstructed the audio of the fight, piecing it together from footage that was cleaned and digitally enhanced, or patched together from lip-reading software that scanned each still image of all of the video.

Most of the audio consisted of meaningless banter but a few important details were also revealed. Not so much the identity of those fighting, as a simple media cross-reference search would do that based off of the powers displayed and outfits worn, but of the nature of their relationship: that one was employed to capture the other. She played back the audio reconstruction on a delayed loop while scanning the footage for outliers.

"Nevertheless, I’ll be taking your girl back to my employer whether I have to put you down or not..."

She was looking for observers. People likely smart enough not to be caught on CCTV, and she compared civilian footage she could attain against the CCTV footage to find them. It was the rapid response time of the drones that told her someone must be observing the battle on site, and if they were there then they would stick out like a sore thumb. They would be the people reacting to the end of the conflict, rather than its spectacle or beginning, and with that ℝoot narrowed down the list to a handful of vehicles. Three of which were easily tracked by traffic cam and their plates came up registered to civilians.

Two others on the other-hand were less so. The black SUV screamed private military and was likely a command vehicle while the other, a van, sat heavier on its suspension than it had any right to do so. Given what the reconstructed conversation told her about why the two were fighting, she reasoned it must have some addition heavy-duty off-market equipment inside to restrain a meta guest of the caliber that was captured.

"That one," ℝoot mumbled as she tapped the van on her screen, "That one has the payload so it must be going to the hideout." She turned to another screen that was monitoring the SUV. "Which means this one must have an agent in it." She tabbed over to the cell tower network which monitored communication traffic.

While it'd be absurd to suggest that the contents of communication were monitored, it was the job of a cell tower to monitor the devices that are establishing connections and communicating. China Town was a cultural hub of activity which mandated that service providers have multiple towers to handle the network load, and as a result ℝoot was able to use the physical location of the vehicle as the primary point of reference to ID the devices inside by triangulating them on the network.

She captured the IMEI numbers of the devices but noted that none had been used for the duration of the activity. Paramilitary types obviously know better, but there was also the hole that a comm system has to make in every day activity to remain secure, so the secure comm system too was ID'd by the whole it left in ordinary traffic, and each of the signal could be tracked independently.

"Bingo." ℝoot muttered at identifying the existence of the blatant out-of-the-ordinary signifier. It reeked of organized crime of the modern era. She got to work analyzing the interference signature that was left as a ghost in the cell tower network. It wouldn't be enough to identify the signal of the comm unit producing the interference, let alone tap them, but it would serve as a beacon to track the unit itself.

At that moment an instant message popped up on her computer with a link to an unrelated news story detailing police raiding an old-folks home where staff were being carted out in droves with allegations of abusing and neglecting the elderly and running all manner of illegal substances, and money-laundering. As reporters interviewed one of the tenants ℝoot put it together and quickly banged out a response on her keyboard. "Riemann, I could just kiss you!"

She returned her focus to the static image of the SUV and the van paused on her screen while her computer ran tracking searches in the background. "Hiding in plain sight. That's what I'd do. Now, let's see if you try to lose me where I would..." she said as she flipped back to vector analysis of the drone's flight path. Cracking a secure military encryption to get into the drones after she located them would be a hassle so instead she took a different route. "Damnit. Another shell company." she said in reference to the owners of not only the facility that the drones originated from but also to the one the SUV traced back to.

Her frustration was tempered by the fact that for every obstacle she encountered limited the players that could be involved. Only the biggest players in the region had modus operandi she observed, and her tracking report made identifying which player all too easy. Both vehicles went to Midas Industries and one of the cell phones went deeper into the facility. ℝoot now had identified her agent.

With that she keyed into her VPN and made a call from the governors office. Not to Midus Industries but to the old folk's home that Riemann liberated. ℝoot spoke at her computer which utilized a voice-to-text program to capture her words, and then utilized TTY Telphonic scripting to deliver the message to the intended recipient. The phone rang once and was answered immediately. Ten thousand dollars, as agreed, was wired into the recipients account for merely taking the call. The payment was more of a matter of proving her identity, than any signifier of the contact's personal value.

"I have a task for you." ℝoot said, and awaited the response.

Her side of the conversation ended with "Yes, if it comes to that your family will be well cared for."

Icon stood amidst the smoke and rubble of what remained of Lost Haven’s Downeast Mall, where just a short while ago, the madman known only as the Hybrid caused a massive explosion that gutted the building, leaving little more than a smoldering pile of brick and mortar. In the hours since the explosion, Icon had been assisting local authorities in combing through the rubble trying to locate survivors. However, the explosion had proven so destructive that there were few survivors to be rescued. It soon became obvious that the search and rescue efforts would soon become one of search and recovery.

However, even that proved to be difficult. As the crews poured through the remains of the mall, they found that when The Hybrid had crashed into the mall’s atrium and detonated, the people in the maniac’s vicinity were vaporized in the blast, making any sort of recovery, much less identification, impossible. Icon and the recovery workers pulled body after body from the other parts of the destroyed mall, each one weighing heavier on Icon than the last.

As he dug through the rubble, something on the floor caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. When he looked over to the object, his heart sank. It was a child’s blood soaked shoe. He picked up the pink and white sneaker and held it in his hand, and in that moment he felt the true weight of what had happened here earlier in the day. The lives cut short, the families that had been torn apart, and the dreams that had died all because he wasn’t able to stop The Hybrid in time. Lost in his thoughts, Icon was surprised when he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. He turned toward the person, and was surprised to see a member of the rescue crew staring back at him. He was an older black man who wore the weight of his work in his eyes. However, it was easy to see that he had a certain sympathy for the younger hero.

“Don’t let it.” The older man told him.

“Excuse me?” Icon asked, genuinely confused by the man’s words.

“Don’t let this break you.” The older man clarified. “Look Son, I’ve been at this a long time, and I’ve seen that look more times than I’d care to remember. You did what you could, I know that. Hell, we all know that. You’ve saved this city more times than I can count, and even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, you saved more people than you know today.”

“I don’t know. I could have done more. I should have…” his voice trailed off.

“The thing is, bad things happen. People die. You did what you could.” The older man continued. “Nobody can save everyone, not even you.” He finished with a nod and a sympathetic half smile as he began to walk away to continue the work of sorting through the rubble.

Icon looked down again at the bloodied sneaker in his hand, and after several beats, he dropped it to the ground. Then, with the older man’s words echoing in his mind, he took to the skies, leaving the rescue workers to continue searching through the rubble without him.

Once again, Barron was left agast. Clearly something had gone horribly awry, but what he had no clue. Although as he thought on it he contemplated just how things could have turned so badly. He was polite to the flesh bags, observed common courtesy or so he mused. He knew he did come across a little jerkish nothing that would warrant this extreme of a reaction still he decided he had overstayed his welcome.

”Fine, fine. I’ll leave, this isn’t how you show proper social etiquette when in public. Erecting a wall is plain rude I’ll have you know, and so is freaking out like I have the black plague. It is not how one makes friends, and considering how hostile this environment is I shall take my leave. But I shall return, around seven O’ clock. It’s when I come over for dinner at his house.” Barron said pointing towards the wolfed out Benjamin. Before he turned on his heel and allowed what shreds of his wall to return to his bloodstream.

There was something infuriating being treated like a fiend when he had yet to do anything wholly evil let alone mischievous. Although creating a prison of blood might be on the naughty side Barron shrugged it off as he walked down the same halls he entered, where a Security Guard came rushing down post haste the opposite direction.

“You there! What were you doing down there!” He said adjusting his hat and reaching for a taster.

Barron sighed, before his eyes were encompassed in a crimson glow.”Dealing with Mortals is always a pain. Obey my weighted words you insolent whelp!” The Guard stood entranced as he fell to the sway of the Vampire’s power. His posture slacked, his brain shut off and numbly he walked forward. ”You will ignore all that you see before you. Nothing is out of place and no damage has been done. You see nothing but an empty room behind me, now go. Do your job and report to your superiors. I have a call to place.”

The Security Guard nodded, his mind wiped clean of any other thoughts as he entered the back room much to the surprise of everyone inside and spoke into his radio. “Checking the alarms now. No perps in sight, could just be a dumb prank.” Before sliding it back into his belt clip and inspecting the door.

There was a slight hesitation from Barron but he returned to the room with Ben, the Witch and the others were. ”Welcome by the way.” Before he made his second exit and pulled his phone out of his pocket. ”Your Babysitter for the new Wolf hasn’t quite done his job. And a section of wall within the Natural History Museum is gone, related incidents. Apparently they do not like Vampires, not a bit.”

The woman on the other end took her time to respond, the information that Barron relayed took it’s toll on her, as she desperately remembered what protocol for just such an event. “Who are you. And are you saying your presence escalated into a class four action the destruction of public property?”

”Are you daft. What part about missing a wall do you not understand. And it’s Barron. Barron Vanderbilt. I was just on a leisurely jaunt through the local Museum when the unfortunate happened.” Barron said as he continued this conversation as he took his walk back to his car.

Location- stating point: Natural History Museum, NYC (before, during, and after Barron encounter)
Time: Afternoon

Yeong’s lips lowered from the usual straight face she liked to display around humans, as she turned the a left into the main area, and decided that this might have been a mistake. There wasn't a huge crowd at the entrance but this was a bit more than she was comfortable with. The young woman weighed her opinions carefully. If she stayed here and kill some time then Ji would be able to relax peacefully at home before dinner. If all went well then she would text her sibling from Eric’s phone saying that she was spending the night and wouldn't be back until the following night. One the other side of the scale was more lower towards the ground. First thing that would happen if the girl walked inside the house would be her sister’s equitably scolding, which would twist and churn into a massive argument, nearly destroying their decent home. Afterwards they would most likely be caught for no longer being registered with the agency and eventually cause a senseless amount of trouble. Something best to be avoided for the time being.

A frustrated sigh passed her lips. The answer was clear despite the fact that the werewolf preferred not to linger inside this place. The young woman walked forward with a small group of tourist into the main hallway. Their guild stepped forward, introducing themselves to the whole group before asking where certain picked pairs where they lived, allowing Yeong to slip away without a repercussions. These sights weren't uncommon to see though some of the people's answer were more or less unique.

The werewolf slowly inched towards a different section of the building before the something caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand upwards. A warm feeling seeped into her heels, making them feel much heavier than their normally would be, then vanishing almost completely. A small tingling feel had been left behind as if to lure her thoughts to madness. Yet the werewolf knew what this had meant. Ji was somewhere inside this building, either in danger or just here to train with Benjamin, granted none of these two things were a good thing to be in at the moment.

” S should I search from them or should I stay out of this? W what do I do? Okay just take a deep breath and think about this rationally. If Ji really needed me then she would have texted my cell phone and since it's back at the house then the next step would be to call Eric. Granted that my sister would much rather I start carrying my phone around at all times. Ugh.” she thought to herself. The woman’s nose began to scrunch up just from the thought. ” Back to the topic at hand Yeong. I know that she's in this area but where exactly is certainly unknown. She's too smart to begin that Benjamin’s train here and my twin sense doesn't seem to be picking up anything which would cause alarm. Or is it? No. My breathing isn't panicking like it was when Ji found out she had elemental powers so… Was it a warning to a potential threat?”

Yeong knew something wasn't right with the sudden burst of energy just a few minutes ago. She shook her head, deciding that it was best to wonder around in case there was another sudden burst. The woman stood there for a few minutes until one of the workers walked towards her. “Miss are you alright? Do we need to call some help?” the worker asked her.

” Eh? Oh um… No I'm fine. I was wondering if I had texted my boyfriend to meet me here for our date but it seems like he’s not even going to show up like usual.” the werewolf lied. Actually this would technically be a complete lie. There was quite a few boyfriends that she did go out with suddenly disappear, leaving the woman completely alone to foot any restaurant charges just to say a few bucks.

” Oh no. That's the worst thing that could happen to someone. I can't believe he could do that to you.” the employee said with tears forming inside their eyes. The woman blinked a couple of times in disbelief. She wasn't an expert on making a lie on the spot yet here it was working like a charm.

” Oh my fucking God. How come this never worked when I was a child!? I could have blamed multiple things on Ji and possibly got away with it. Eh, then again this is mom and dad we’re talking about so the possibility of me getting away with it is nearly zero percent. Too bad.” the young woman said mentally. She shook her head clear and placed a hand on her face, lowing it slightly, as if the girl was at the brink of crying. The whiny voice would be fairly tricky but it might just be possible to act out. Yeong attempted sniffling whiny voice to add authenticity to her outrageous story. ” I I was sure h he was going to propose too. How c could I be so s stupid.” she whimpered.

” Oh no. Please don't say that. If you need some time then I know a stop. But you mustn't tell my boss because I could seriously get in trouble since unauthorized personnel isn't allowed in the old exhibits so you must return to the current ones as soon as possible. Please follow me miss.” the person said in a kind voice, placing a hand on the werewolf’s shoulder.

The two of them walked in silence for what felt like hours before the employee cleared their throat. Yeong looked at her, slowly twisting and turning a tiny amount of wind towards her eyes, with small hand movements that wouldn't really be seen. Her iris had a small flick of blue inside them granted in order for the new color to be seen the person had to look fairly hard. ” T thank you so much. I m must look like a complete mess.”

” Not at all. I just can't believe a guy would do that to someone. It really makes my blood boil. If it was me then I would call him either later today or tomorrow and dump him.” she said in a casual voice. The woman slowly brushed her blonde hair away from her eyes and turned her head at Yeong, giving a warm smile, to try and cheer her up. ” I'm sure you will find someone much better. Don't give up on finding that special someone in your life miss. I mean after all there’s always a prince waiting for their very special princess.” the werewolf nodded as she wiped the tear away.

Another moment of silence covered them and before long the employee heard her cell phone beep. She stopped in her tracks and checked the message as a frown worked onto her lips. ” Sorry I have to get back. Seems like a new groups has come inside and they need another guide. You think you can find your way towards the back? Oh, and if you think going home will be the best option and don't want anyone seeing you I would use the back exit. Just please be careful of the guards. If one stops you tell them Tori sent you that way to get something out of her car Kay?”

The werewolf nodded, wiping another tear away, as she said thank you once again. She didn't move from her spot until the human was completely out of view. ” Of course it had to be a blonde who believed me. Guess what they say about them is true. Damn I really can't believe the worked. Well guess it's time to figure out what is going on. Granted I haven't felt another power surge for a while. Maybe they weren't really here… Or perhaps the danger is gone? It is possible I was so focused on my terrible acting that I hadn't noticed another spell being casted. Hmm…” the woman mumbled to herself. She wasn't planning on moving at first but when the faint scent of smoke crept inside her nose a seriously bad feeling washed over her. The girl focused on this single scent, trying to figure out why it was so familiar, until it hit her. This was the same smell they had encountered the night Ben had disappeared. The same exact scent as Skyler. Instinct took over her body and for once Yeong didn't care if someone saw or not. Right now the werewolf needed to follow it and calm the young man down as quick as possible.

A couple of dead ends, a few wrong turns, and some false trail later the girl had found the exact door where the smoke scent was strongest. She quickly opened the door and instantly wished she hadn't. Right inside the room stood Ji and a turned werewolf with looked to be someone else. Though Yeong couldn't really tell due to blinking a few times to see if this moment was a nightmare. Once confirmed that it wasn't the young woman rushed towards her sibling’s side, using a light breeze to force stop her before slamming directing into the oldest one’s backside. ” Man looks like I missed the party. How come you always get to have all the fun while I'm at work Ji? I mean couldn't you have waited for me to come and play or was this not apart of your ultimate plan to train the kid wolf?” she teased while pointing directly at the broken wall.

Ben growled when Barron pointed at him, unable to connect words to meanings yet. Little did he know, he would meet the vampire later that day or his temper would never cease.

His blue eyes lowered onto Ji and fixed there, glaring in frustration at the female wolf in his way. He curled his black lips back farther, revealing more of his teeth, as his ears pinned back upon his head and tried to make her back down. Blond fur bristled and stood upright to make him bigger than his original size adding to his current appearance, seeming on the verge of attacking Ji. However, Ji would know even with his puffery, it was laced within the wolf’s DNA never to draw blood upon another wolf on purpose.

No. Dangerous. Threat to pack. Stand aside, now.

It was obvious that her telepathy message wasn’t getting through to him, the instinct on adrenaline and gnawed at him. Ben couldn’t understand why she didn’t let him protect his pack when every fiber within him cried for him to chase the threat away. Driven by this thought, he tried to sidestep around the older wolf to lunge at Barron’s exposed back. Ji wasn’t able to allow him as she shifted back into his path, preventing him from attacking Barron without risking hurting her too. Another irritating growl rumbled through his chest causing him to resist the urge to react.

When the vampire finally left the first time, Ben’s facial expression slacken from its aggression and relaxed. His figure lowered onto his belly as his tail flicked back and forth, lazily. Sniff...sniff… Ben’s nose twitched catching a whiff of Holt who had ceased the alarm, the wolf noticed him drifting toward them. As a greeting, the wolf gave a canine smirk with a blackish tongue lolling along his mouth side. Most of the blood had been burned away thanks to a combination of Barron’s blood manipulation and Skyler’s exit, leaving a faint ashy scent on the air.

That’s when the human arrived.

Immediately Ben’s head jerked up. A male guardsman waltzed in, his eyes passed over them and then held his radio to sound all clear from the storage before marching out again. For several moments, Ben’s figure tensed upon seeing the guard enter and gradually rose defensively to all fours. When the magical influence whiffed under his nose, the teen wolf immediately started to settle down causing him to lower once more down onto his belly and stretch out on the floor. His head still watched the guard cautiously and with little trust the scent would remain pleasant.

After the guardsman left, Barron popped his head back in with an indignant welcome. Naturally, Ben snorted and bared his fangs at the comment as he remained lying down. Sensing the change in the atmosphere, the wolf seemed to relax through there was no signs of changing back right away. It was still a skill that needed to be taught or ‘triggered’ through outside sources.

When Yeong came charging into the room, a gust of wind and the woman nearly slamming into Ji caused Ben to stand. He gave a snort at the new wolf and began to examine her curiously like he had Ji earlier. His nose twitching to inhale the scent of this new female wolf.

The building before them looked a bit old, nothing ancient by any standards but certainly old enough to be an important city building, and as Eva and Voyager encroached upon it they could see the words ‘City Hall’ in bold letters across the front. As Eva grasped the door handle, Riley couldn’t help but stare up at the imposing marble facade, worried for whatever was waiting for them up there. Her thoughts were brought back down to Earth at the sound of the creaking door, and before them a battle already taking place between two Archers; while a Elephant Man stood by the desk overlooking a seated figure.

”Right, I’d say we might have found our Bad Guy Headquarters. We have a guard and the seated guy must be the one behind this.” She said as she patted Dickens and pointed towards the bulky guard. ”Sick em.” A tentacle lashed at Dicken’s eye ass he stood still for a second probably thinking about eating something. Before he sluggishly moved, soon breaking out into a full on charge.

“What the heck is that?” Gajana said when he heard something beginning to charge in his direction. Both the Elephant Man and Talus barely had enough time to lunge out of the way, causing the giant creature to trample over the reception desk, along with the computer that Talus had been using.

“Oh, come on!” Talus shouted in frustration. “I was so using that computer!”

There was a moment of confusion for Dickens, as cords tangled around his foot and he struggled to shake them off. He looked back at the two who dodged out of the way and lunged at the larger man his maws opening as he snapped down trying to bite into him. As Eva charged in herself to help him, Voyager hot on her heels with Psionic energy building in her hands.

Eva needed a good catch line, something Hero like.”Your reign of evil is over.” She said as Dickens rushed forward while Eva paused in embarrassment. That line was cheesy. Horrid and she knew it. She put all her frustration into her swings trying to land them on the Guard.

Gajana in response, rolled out of the way of Eva’s sword swing. Since the swordswoman put much of her strength into that attack, it placed her in an unbalanced position, which allowed Gajana to jump to his feet and counterattack. Since he didn’t want to be sliced by the sword, he immediately grabbed her sword-arm and lifted her off the ground by it.

“Reign of evil? What in the world are you talking about?” The giant of a man demanded out of Eva.

Struggling at the man’s grip she thrashed about.I.. It was a terrible line!” She exclaimed. ”I’ll have something better by the time you’re hauled away by the cops! Once. I get down.” Eva said dropping Excalibur only to summon it to her other hand and slicing awkwardly at the ‘villain’.

“Will you stop that!” Gajana yelled. “You’re going to hurt someone, like yourself.”

Talus hurried forward, leaping into the air and hovering over the ground in order to move just a little faster. While Eva was distracted, he thought he could swipe the sword out of her hand. However, his plan was halted as a purple cluster of energy burst across his chest as Voyager stormed in for the attack, flinging rapid, percussive Psiblasts at the floating menace.

Talus was battered back, although he remained airborne. “Hey, ‘Siris. We have a little situation here. You might want to hurry back.” Talus talked into his wrist where a communicator was built in. He then took aim at the woman who had started to attack him and fired an energy beam in her direction. Voyager just barely got her arms up in time to deflect the energy beam with her Psiforce, leaving her sleeves singed but otherwise unharmed.

”G-gonna need to try a little harder then that!” Voyager taunted, her voice cracking a bit as she took in how strong the heat from that beam was on her arms, even through the Psionic shielding.

As Eva struggled at her captor’s grasp she spoke. ”You’re awfully gentlemanly for an evil Henchman. However. I. Have a Dickens.” With a smile Eva watched as Dickens lunged towards them, maws extended. The charge of the creature knocked Gajana off his feet, which also caused him to let go of Eva, who also fell down to the floor. ”Not, what I had in mind.”

“What the heck is that thing, already?” Gajana mumbled to himself as he pulled himself back up on his feet.

“I don’t know, but he’s pretty cool isn’t he?” Voyager retorted, sounding halfway between a taunt and just gushing about her new alien friend.

”He’s a Dickens. Once we stop you here all these game characters will vanish right? No, no asking. We’ll find out.”

“That really does not clear anything up at all.” Talus shook his head as he listened.

Meanwhile, two young women hurried through the front door. “Is this the right place?” Selena called back to someone who was a little way behind them.

“Who in their right mind would ever wear anything with heels in a situation like this.” Aubrey complained yet again about the form that Talus had given her.

“Well, Lady Camilla.” Selena interjected, “You would normally be on a flying dragon, so it would otherwise not matter, I suppose.”

“And what’s going on in here?” Aubrey called out when she saw the battle that had broken out on the first floor of the city hall building.

”Don’t worry the situation is under cont-” Voyager started before an energy blast ripped by her defenses and slammed her in the chest. The shock was enough to discharge her Psiforce, the combined power of both blasts knocked her airborne. With a loud crash and the tinkle of broken glass, she collided with the last unbroken display case in the battered city hall.

Eva looked towards Arachne, astounded. ”Is that a Fire Emblem character?” As she stumbled to her feet.

“Well, the two girls with her are.” Talus explained after he had blasted Voyager. “The gal with the lavender hair kind-of is. Hey Vol!”

“Screw you, Talus.”

“Is he the one you wanted me to eliminate, Lady Camilla?” Beruka coldly asked Aubrey.

“What? No! No killing!” Aubrey had to chid her supposed retainer. Then she noticed that one of the combatants that the Immortals had been fighting was struggling to pull herself up from the ruins of a display case. When she saw that the woman was bleeding and that nobody was doing anything, she hurried over as quickly as her heels would allow her.

“You okay?”

”M’fine, m’fine,” Voyager slurred, trying to pull herself into a seated position as she struggled with her helmet. Giving up, she pulled the ruined remnants of her headgear off and dropped it next to her, revealing her tentacle-hair. Wiping away greenish blood from the cut on her cheek, she blinked in surprise when she realized someone was standing over her. ”Oh, hello…” she said awkwardly, painfully aware of how alien she must have looked to her.

“Alright. I’ve seen some pretty weird things since I’ve started being a superhero, including animal people, but what exactly are you?”

”I’m Voyager!” the tentacle-haired girl blurted out before thinking. ”Oh, specifically I’m an alien. Half-alien. It’s complicated. Evidently ‘Voyager’ was not used to being put on the spot like this.

“Okay…” Aubrey said before she turned to the others, “So what lame excuse do you have for fighting? I thought we were after that Game Genie guy?”

”Usually I’m arseholed before I start seeing shit. But not the craziest thing I’ve seen yet, Dickens is an Alien after all. Are you lot, not the bad guys then? I mean, you kinda look like it.” Eva said as she rubbed her left side still sore from her fall.

”Yeah, I thought the big silver guy was the Game Genie person,” Voyager said as she got to her feet and brushed sawdust off her uniform.

“You were the ones who attacked us first. And without even checking whether we were the good guys are not!” Talus defended himself.

”To be fair, you’re in Cube central, on a computer where all the Cubes seem to be gathering, and you have Tusk Man over there looking like a bodyguard.”

“Then how do you explain Odysseus over there fighting Pit?” Talus asked. “Because he’s with us.”

There was a moment where Eva had to admit she didn’t have a well thought out plan.”Yeah, well in my defence he is over there, and Pit wasn’t attacking you lot. Well, not when we entered.”

”So, are we all on the same side or something?” Voyager interjected, hoping to stop another fight that would get her thrown into a glass cabinet.

“I guess so.” Talus admitted.

“Then someone please tell that to the tentacle monster.” Gajana pleaded as he again dodged Dickens’ charge. “And I’m not talking about the green space girl.”

Eva walked over, sore and even more embarrassed than she started as but still in one piece.”Here boy. Come.” Dickens stopped at the sound of her voice, yet looked towards the Elephant man, Gajana. His mind wanted to continue, thinking. ‘Meat stack’. ”Dickens. Here.” There was a snort, and he turned on his heel back towards Eva.

Meanwhile, the Son of Osiris finally arrived at the town hall. “I guess everything...” The Son of Osiris communicated via telepathy with everyone, although he quickly corrected himself when he saw that Odysseus was still dealing with a video game character “I mean, almost everything is under control now.”

”Who said that?” Voyager said franticly, charging up energy in her hands.

As a voice resounded within her head she tensed up and quickly scanned the room.”Tell me everyone heard that yeah! I don’t need anymore voices in my head. I already have a ghost, I don’t need no more.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Talus reassured. “That’s just how ‘Siris communicate with people. It might be weird at first, but you eventually get used to it.”

Eva held her hand up, as if to grab attention. Bloody hell then, So I’m Pendragon, owner of an Alien Tentacle Monster and I have a ghost problem. Let’s keep the voices in my head to a minimum right yeah. I already got weird shit to deal with as it is. Anymore surprises I should know moving forward, and yeah. I’m a nitwit okay, sorry for just jumping in and attacking.”

Before any of the Immortals could introduce themselves, a nearby elevator door slid open, revealing a man wearing a black, hooded robe. He took a few steps outside of the elevator and looked around. When he did not see his archenemy present among the heroes assembled, the Game Genie just shook his head.

“I see that the Blue Blur has lost his confidence in himself if he is sending other heroes to face his greatest foe!” The Game Genie boasted. “Is it so much trouble to ask for one to face his archenemy?”

”Is this a bad time? Should we come back, once you're done with your shower?” Eva spoke, partly to mock him, and legitimately unsure if he just stepped out of the shower.

“You cretin!” The Game Genie barked. “I’m no Hugh Hefner wannabe! I’m the Game Genie! Can’t you see why I’m wearing these wizardly robes?”

”I’m no cretin!” the alien girl announced, defiantly steeling herself. ”I’m a hero and I’m going to put a stop to your creepy plans, Hugh Genie!”

The sun started to set over the mountains of Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, crimson red colouring the sky. In the fading sunlight, the dark outline of the nuclear power station, known hundreds of years ago as Arkansas Nuclear One, towered over the entranceway. The cooling tower had been broken through the center of it running north-south, the steam that it once produced long since been gone. The remaining buildings that were a part of the facilities were a mixture of complete rubble and ruins, vegetation coming out of windows and doors. While it looks abandoned, who knows what secrets and dangers lie within, The Wanderer thought, the motorbike that he travelled on silent. While he did manage to get to the power station before nightfall, the journey had been tough. The unforgiving sun had baked the roads so much that fissures completely damaged them and the ground around them. Even with his teleportation abilities to get over the tricky ones, it had been slow going and the fuel that was in the bike ran out shortly after turning off of the I-40, walking-teleporting for an hour with the bike in tow. While it was kind of useless now, he did want to bring the bike back to Settlement 149. But for now, he needed to find where the power source for the machine back at the settlement. That means going through the building and looking for where the nuclear fuel rods are and bringing one back.

Moving the bike to the nearest building, The Wanderer parked the bike up and walked up to the entrance of the building. The entrance was partially filled in with a dead tree trunk that had grown through the steps leading up to it. In another life, you would have become a magnificent tree, he thought, saddened at the sorry-looking flora. Clenching his right hand, he focused on the tree. He raised the clenched hand up and began opening it. The purple flames returned, covering his forearm. A moment later, a beam surged from the palm of his hand, the purple flames dying down and blowing back from the method. The beam left a hole between the left entranceway and the left side of the trunk, splintered wood scattered all over the floor inside. Without reaching for any source of light, he walked through the new opening into the darkness inside.

Inside, the immediate area around The Wanderer was illuminated, seemingly originating from him. The walls, cracked and caked with dust and dirt, was illuminated to a near-white with a hint of purple in the light. Inside, the corridors were barren, disintegrating boxes and furniture scattered all over the floor. There were some skeletal remains of the unfortunate workers, the fabric of the clothing thread-bare and appearing like it could crumble with a mere touch. ”Poor souls,” were the only words he could mutter. The events that led to the creation of the wastelands had killed billions of people around the world, though what had caused it was unknown to people today. Well, that what it had seemed at Settlement 149 as the people there had no passed-down knowledge of what had happened. The deeper he went into the facility, the greater the sadness of the long-forgotten past grew. However, everything that was around him was only seen through his left eye. Through his right, waves of purple energy were around, the waves appearing calm. While he was still being alert for whatever awaits him in this catacomb, he wasn’t on edge from anything in his immediate vicinity.

When he reached what seemed to be the generator room, numerous metal stairs filling the room to reach the top of the generators, the purple waves seen in his right eye began to ripple. Something is here, he thought, standing still when he first saw the state of the waves change. His left hand was outstretched while his right was clenched tight. Looking around to see where the source of the energy came from, he slowly walked into the open area. Unlike sound waves, the psionic waves did not bounce around in the abandoned grounds, so the source of the waves would be easier to find. However, this particular source was hard to find, especially as the ripples seemed to never end. Unless… He scanned around the room, seeing nothing, before looking up to the ceiling. It was then he saw it. While his left eye saw nothing but the dark shapes, his right eye sees nearly-white shapes through the purple waves. The creatures, most likely mutants, were resting on the ceiling and they were probably aware of his presence. If they were, they had not reacted to him yet as both he and them remained motionless. Sensing nothing coming from either side, The Wanderer made his move, slowly moving towards the other side of the room, following where the old steam pipes come from.

Once at the doorway out of the generator room, his left hand reached out to grab for the handle when a large ripple was seen in his right eye. Before he could react, a large hand grabbed him by the scruff of his coat’s collar. Whatever was behind him was large and the force of the throw away from the door suggested as such. As he was launched over the railing to the ground below, both his left and right eye saw his assailant; an 8ft Behemoth. A Behemoth was the end result of both psionic and nuclear radiation of extreme doses affect a large group of people, forcing them into a hulking mass of muscle, heads of the former people scattered around the body. However, the two sets of gigantic arms were very distinctive as numerous tumours were strewn across the surface. The impact of the fall had hurt the comparatively diminutive man was loud enough that it woke up the beings that were on the ceiling. However, as they see the Behemoth in the room, they began to fly away, human-skinned wings flapping straight for the opening in the ceiling. Once the winged mutants were gone, The Wanderer got up off of the ground, looking in the direction of the slow-approaching giant. Through the years of training, he knew a common weakness of the Behemoths: No matter what their design, their large mass had made them extremely slow. They do, however, make up for this disadvantage by the sheer strength and though hide, where in some places had scale patches that were tougher than titanium. Another weakness of theirs was the lack of psionics, despite them being formed by large psionic radiation. Something which suited The Wanderer well.

Getting into a fighting stance, the purple flames returned. Instead of covering his forearm, the flames licked all over his body, the flames small but intense in light. That was not the only thing that The Wanderer had done. On his right forearm, a large gauntlet of purple psionics formed, giving off an appearance of glass. The gauntlet ran down the length of his forearm and formed a disk over his hand. Jutting out from where the fist is, a large, pointed blade formed, a meter in length and made of the same material. Once ready, he ran forward, running faster at a much higher speed than what was suggested for his gear and frame. Pushing off of the ground, he launched himself into the air as he thrusted the weapon towards the mutant’s chest. Unfortunately for him, the beast reacted at a much quicker speed than he had anticipated. The large arms swatted him to the side, crashing through the wall to an office space.

Groaning, The Wanderer got back to his knees and looked as the Behemoth was lurching towards him. Once again, he ran towards the giant, his boots audible on the metal catwalk. As the monster swung at him again, the man ducked underneath the arms, sliding through its legs while the psionic blade slashed at its groin area. However, as The Wanderer had suspected, the blade bounced off at where the legs meet, the scale plate undamaged from the blow. Getting back onto his knees, he slashed at the back of the Behemoth’s knees, the blade cutting through flesh and bone. Unlike what a creature of its stature, the giant let out a high-pitched wail as it sank onto the catwalk, the tendons on where the cuts were severed from the blow. Making no time for the beast to heal and get back up, the man ran to the door he had reached for, opening it during the mad dash. However, instead of running through it, he turned and raised his right arm to the area of the ceiling above the giant, the blade disappearing. A second later, a beam was fired from his palm. Unlike what happened with the tree in the entrance, he closed his hand while the beam came from his hand. As the fingers touched the beam, the front most point of the beam exploded. The force of the explosion rocked the room. The aged ceiling groaned before it started to collapse on itself. It was then The Wanderer ran through the door. The ceiling fell around, the concrete panels collapsing on and around the Behemoth, burying it underneath the rubble.

Reaching to the reactor room, The Wanderer collapsed onto a nearby control console. His body ached from the hits he took from the beast. That was something he could never get used to, no matter the number of time he has faced those creatures. It was a shame that the man who had taught him on how to take Behemoths out, calling himself Mick the Beast Killer, had been killed by one such creature, ripped in two in a solo hunting trip for the scales they had. As he remained on the top of the console, he looks to the storage room where he thought he saw sign for where the fuel was. While he could check to see if any of the rods were there, he thought otherwise as he fell into darkness, the pain and mental exhaustion exceeding his capacities together.
-------

The next day, The Wanderer woke up. The room was still dark, but the sunlight that come from the cracks through the facility crept through them, brightening the areas where his aura is unable to reach. Rubbing his eyes, he slid off of the console and walked to the fuel storage room door. He reached for the handle and tried, unsuccessfully, to open it. Letting go, he punched through the door, grabbing the handle on the other side so he could rip it out of the door. Going through the newly-opened room, his left eye stung as bright light filled his vision. As his eyes adapted to the light, part of the ceiling had collapsed, the dented generators seen in the daylight. Cursing under his breath, he began searching through the containers to find an open one to drag an unused fuel rod out. Minutes later, he had found what he was looking for and it was lugged over his right shoulder, his right arm and hand cradling it. The rod had a lot of weight to it, but his mutant side had made the object seem like it was a baseball bat. Walking back through the rubble of the generator room, he noticed that there was a crater where the Behemoth was, suggesting that the beast had survived the cave in and was searching for him. Luckily for him, the creatures also had a lack of a sense of smell, despite the number of heads that it had.

Reaching the car park, walking through the gap that he created the day before, he took a few steps before he stopped. On the other side, a group of men stood, assault rifles raised and pointing at him while protecting the Humvee they came here with. It took him a moment before he realized he recognized a couple of them and not by the ‘149’ permanent marker insignia that was on the sleeves. ”Relax, it’s just me,” he started, raising his left hand to show that he recognized him. However, when they did not respond back to him and kept the guns trained at him, he knew that they were not here to help him. ”I see… Well, I’ll certainly have a word with him when I get back…

Before he could finish, the men began firing at him. I guess they forgot who I am, The Wanderer thought, looking at them with an unamused look on his face. With his free left hand, he conjured a near-invisible wall in front of him. Some of the bullets ricocheted off of it, but the majority struck the wall and fell onto the ground, flattened by the impact. Before he could launch an attack of his own, two of the men was suddenly grabbed by the bloodied Behemoth he fought with the night before. With each of its arms, it grabbed both ends of the men and ripped them in half, some of the joints popping before the muscles tore up. “Jesus Christ!” the supposed leader of the assassination group yelped before firing at the beast. The bullets had little effect from where they were hitting as the beast tore through the men and flipped abandoned cars as it gave chase.

Wasting little time, seeing that this beast will be causing him problems in him leaving the place, he propped the fuel rod against the Humvee and began firing beams at the beast’s back, causing it to stumble. As the purple flames flickered all over his body again, he walked up to the beast and fired a body shot to the creature’s left side, sending it crashing through the cooling tower. Giving it no time to get back up, he fired another beam in the gap the creature left behind, detonating it again. This explosion was larger than the one he detonated during the night, the tower’s foundations giving way and causing the giant structure to collapse in on itself. Dust flew everywhere as the tower fell, truly crushing the Behemoth under tonnes of concrete and steel.

As he walked away from where he stood to where the fuel rod was, he noticed the leader slumped against the car. The man didn’t get away from the beast in time and had been struck, his broken body in the crater in the side of the van that he was propped up against. Blood was coming out of his mouth, suggesting that his lungs had been punctured by the impact. While the majority of his bones had been broken by the impact, the soldier feebly raised his left hand towards the man he had tried to kill just moments ago. “Help… me” he wheezed, his raised arm shaking from the sheer strain of keeping it up there.

The Wanderer, instead of assisting the man, reached with his right hand for the holster that was on his left hip. From there, he drew a slightly rusted revolver, a small scope and laser pointer attached with duct tape across the barrel. ”You tried to kill me, no doubt orders from The Officer,” he rebuked. In one swift motion, before the injured soldier had a chance to beg for his life, he turned the revolver on the man’s head and fired. The bullet impacted his head and the sound of the bullet fragments and bone firing through the plastic body of the car. He immediately placed the revolver back into the holster and began loading the fuel rod into the Humvee.

”Now it is time for me to have a word with that bastard.”

Sammy’s heart jumped when she saw Lyger make an appearance on the rooftop of the Crown Ridge Museum of the Arts. Although for some strange reason his voice sounded strange, as if it was electronically altered in order to hide his identity, Sammy knew deep inside herself that this man who had just arrived to face the robber was indeed Lyger.

She eagerly watched Lyger as he dispatched the man who had stolen the Jewel of Horus. Her heart sunk when she saw the man try to attack Lyger. However, she quickly recovered when Lyger effortlessly blocked the man’s attacks and then counterattacked. Before she knew it, Lyger already had the ancient relic, which was secured in a container to protect it from damage, in his possession.

After Lyger had busted this robber, the Crown Ridge Police arrived at the scene. Once he had tossed the museum’s property back to the police, Lyger ordered that the four of them needed to move. Momentarily, the three young metahumans hesitated because it felt wrong running away from the police. Other than performing acts of vigilantism, they had not done anything wrong. In fact, they helped catch a criminal who did commit a crime. However, since the police officers had their firearms drawn, these police officers did not seem like the friendly kind that use a giant strobe light or a special direct phone line to the resident superhero. And if Lyger was telling them to move, they probably should.

As they tried to leave the roof, Sammy was still distracted by Lyger’s presence. However, she quickly returned to reality when she heard the whistle of bullets fly past her and her friends. The danger presented by these flying bullets unnerved Sammy, or at least until Lyger grabbed her arm and began to lead Sammy and her friends to safety. Once Lyger had taken her arm, Sammy was right back to her distracted self.

[color=khaki]“Oh, no.” Kelly mentioned to Zac. “What a time for Sammy to be on Cloud Nine! Thank goodness we’re here to make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”

“Who’s going to make sure we don’t get killed?”

With a firm grip on Bast’s arm, Lyger flung both himself and the cat-girl off of the roof of the Crown Ridge Museum of the Arts, hoping that the other two would be able to keep up. When he saw Bast and the others, he knew that nothing good could possibly come from them being in Crown Ridge. This city wasn’t like Albany, hell; it wasn’t even like Lost Haven. The criminals weren’t the only thing that he had to worry about, the Crown Ridge Police Department had taken a hard-line stance against vigilantism in the city, and on more than one occasion, Lyger had barely escaped their efforts to apprehend him.

As they fell toward the ground, Lyger cradled Bast’s body against his, pulling her close as he shot off a grapnel line from his wrist gauntlet, the hooked end of the line anchored itself in a nearby building and pulling itself taut as they swung out away from the museum, and descended until they landed gently across the street from the museum, and their assailants.

“What’ve we got, Harry?” Lyger said into the com built into his cowl. However, before the old man could respond, bullets whizzed by Lyger and Bast’s heads. Lyger spun quickly to face the gunfire, and to his surprise found that their assailants were not the CRPD, but more members of The Winter Park Gang.

It’s a setup! Lyger thought to himself. He had been putting a lot of pressure on the criminal organization as of late, and he knew that it was only a matter of time until they started pushing back. What he did not anticipate, however, was that they would use the police against him like this. The Winter Park Gang had always been more straightforward when dealing with their enemies. They were brutal and efficient. They were not known to use manipulation in such a manner. Such tactics were likely adopted after they began answering to The Cowl.

“This way!” Lyger shouted as Wasp and Raptor touched down on the sidewalk next to Lyger and Bast. He led them down a side alley just as the Winter Park Gang opened fire on the foursome.

When the first bullets began to pellet the alleyway street, Raptor instinctively used his superhuman speed to push his girlfriend, Sammy, and Lyger to the side, where they took cover behind the side of a dumpster.

“So, what’s the plan to get out of this one?” Raptor proposed this question to the other three heroes.

Wasp, without saying a word, turned to face the dumpster and placed her palms on the bottom of it. She then lifted the dumpster up and placed it on its side so that the metal container would provide some more cover.

“That should hold them for a few minutes until they can find a new vantage point.”

“Oh, I’m sure Lyger has a plan.” Sammy said as she wrapped her arms around Lyger’s torso and resting her head against his shoulder.

Raptor shook his head as he heard his girlfriend’s best friend speak. Anyone could have recognized that Sammy was falling all over the cat-themed hero. Her obsession with Lyger was the reason why they were all in danger at the moment.

“I hope you do have a plan, Lyger.” Raptor said as he heard lead bounce off the garbage dumpster. “Because we really need a plan. I could run us out of here, but I can only do so one at a time. And there’s no telling whether a bullet might ricochet off something and hit one of us.”

“I have a plan.” Lyger said as he turned to face the dumpster and began to push it, moving it from where Kelly had left it. The dumpster was full, which made it very heavy. Lyger struggled at first to get it to budge. However, after a few tries, he was able to get the dumpster rolling. He pushed it and turned it sideways, and as he was getting the dumpster into place, he turned his head to look at Zac.

“Run.” Lyger told him as the dumpster blocked the entire width of the alley, separating the four young heroes from the gunmen rushing toward them. After he locked the wheels in place, he began running to catch up with the other three.

Across Town

Sam Myers sat on the couch listening to the police scanner that she bought shortly after she found out that Kyle spent his nights moonlighting as the vigilante Lyger. It had become something of a nightly ritual for her. She sat there alone in silence, monitoring the police band hoping to get word about his whereabouts, and praying that she didn’t find out that he wouldn’t be coming home that night.

It was something that she wouldn’t ever tell Kyle that she did, not because she was ashamed of it, but because she didn’t know if he would understand. However, she didn’t know that she really understood it herself. It didn’t make him being out there night after night in a city that didn’t appreciate what it was that he was doing any better, but at least she knew that he would probably be coming home.

Suddenly the police scanner came alive with activity. Apparently, gunfire had been exchanged on the rooftop of the Crown Ridge Museum of the Arts between the CRPD and unknown assailants. Then her heart sank as a voice on the scanner reported that the vigilante Lyger, as well as persons unknown were involved in the incident. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, in fact, it didn’t seem like anyone did. However, she could hear the gunfire over the police scanner, and the one thing that she did know for sure was that her boyfriend was caught in the middle of it. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had gotten up from the couch and had gone over to the entryway cabinet next to the front door, had grabbed her car keys and was out the door and making a beeline for the driveway. She jumped into her beat up blue Toyota and backed out into the street before taking off in the direction of the museum.

Sam raced through the streets toward the museum, and before she knew it, she could see the famed building off in the distance. She had been so focused on getting into the area that once she was there, she wasn’t entirely sure how she had gotten there in one piece. As she approached the museum, she found that she had another problem, the police had cordoned of the street leading to the museum.

“Shit.” She said as the blue lights flickered ahead of her, causing her to jerk on the steering wheel, diverting her route to the next street over. However, the sudden diversion proved to be a fortuitous one, as just up the street she saw three young metahumans running out of an ally with Lyger right behind them.

When they had gotten to the end of the alley, Lyger stopped and was about to use a grapnel line from his wrist gauntlet to bring himself and Sammy up to the next rooftop. He figured that Kelly could carry Zac to the rooftop. He just hoped that they had put enough space between them, the police, and the Winter Park Gang, but he had a feeling that their pursuers would be right behind them.

“....” He was about to tell them to head to the rooftops when the sound of squealing tires caught his attention. When he looked toward the source of the commotion, he was shocked to see a familiar beat up blue Toyota racing toward them, then come to a screeching halt directly in front of them. Suddenly, the passenger door flew open, and his disbelieving eyes looked directly at the driver.

Sam must have recognized his surprise, even behind his mask. She shot him a look that was part exasperated and part annoyed, then directed the look at his companions.

“Are you going to wait here for them to figure out where you’ve gone to, or are you going to get in the car?”

---

Historians, philosophers, and tragic poets have long told the tale of my flight from Corinth. Most famously, Euripides wrote of my husband’s betrayal, my agony and longing, my deceitful murder of his bride to be, and the murder of our sons by my hand. None of this, however, is to be taken as truth.

Indeed, ‘twas I who dismembered my brother so that Jason and I could flee Colchis together, I who, with all my magic and cunning, gave Jason his fame, and I who, in my desperation, turned the people of Corinth against me. But it was my vile husband, Jason the Argonaut, who murdered his “beloved,” who slaughtered our children. Their deaths came by way of my craft, but were caused by his infidelity. And though it was common for Greek men to take more than one wife and custom for the first wife to sit idly by with his children and wealth, I neither was nor am a Greek. I am Medea, daughter of Aeetes and princess of Colchis, granddaughter of the Titan, Helios, and descendent of the mighty Gods, niece of Circe and sister of her mighty art, and humble servant of Hekate, the greatest of the immortals. I was no mere woman, no simple wife, but a witch. I would not be treated as anything other, but my damnable husband cared more for his culture than the one who pledged her eternal life and love to him . . . but I digress.

I wish not to speak of my woes, for those have been extensively documented by men of many creeds, but to speak of my ecstasies and triumphs that followed soon after. These same men would have me bounce from one city to the next; from Corinth to Thebes, from Thebes to Athens, always chased away by the denizens therein. Some say that I helped the famed Heracles escape a curse from the Gods, others that I became a being of worship in Iran and other places. There is some truth in this. I did happen upon the demigod in Thebes and did bear a son in Athens. And I did return to Colchis with that son, Medus, who slew my traitorous uncle that had usurped my father’s throne. But then what became of me? Poets lost their muses, the Greeks lost their faith, and so the mysteries of the ancient world were no longer scribed. Yet I lived on, blessed by the agelessness of my parentage and my craft, and so follows the story that has never been written.

---

“Two parts powdered mandrake, one part ground rosebuds . . .” Medea recited the formula from memory, dropping the reagents into a large, bubbling basin. Her auburn hair fell in tight curls over her exposed, pale shoulders. She wore a simple white tunic with a scarlet sash and went barefooted around the marble palace.

“Two crushed myrtle berries, seven drops lavender oil . . .” she continued, walking clockwise around the mixture as it boiled, dropping in each ingredient with care, stirring gently and taking in the sweet aroma. It filled the palace’s halls, grand structures built by the ensorcelled sailors who passed the island by, drawn in by siren song and bewitching nymphs, kept there in suspended age in forms alien and primal.

“And three strands of a maiden’s hair. Simmer, strain, bottle, and bathe in the Moon’s rays at the height of her ascent for three nights.” Medea did just this, setting the mixture on a balcony overlooking the sea, midnight cascading across the rolling waves, bouncing off the glistening walls of polished marble. Below, wolves howled in a jungle scene, but they did not run nor stir in excitement. Instead, they stood idle, on trace of the wild left in their veins.

“A love spell?” the question echoed through the halls and spires, rich, sultry, and highly melodic. In the corridor stood the sorceress, Kirke (Circe to the Romans), dawning a luxurious emerald fabric draped elegantly around her torso, a golden sash around her waist, with hair bright and golden like the son kept in place by a jeweled circlet. “Dearest niece, there are no men on this island, and the affections of the attending nymphs needn’t be gained by magic.”

Medea laughed as she moved about the room, resting on a comfortable bench near the balcony. “’Tis not for my personal use, but for a friend.”

Kirke scoffed. “Friend? What friends could you possibly possess?”

Medea looked hurt, briefly, then waved the comment away.

“Oh, I meant nothing by it.” Kirke apologized, sitting next to Medea and placing a hand on her shoulder. “But given your colorful past, I had reason to doubt that any would still call you their friend.”

“’Tis for the daughter of an old maidservant of mine. Her mother has taken ill and she hasn’t the money to see her well.”

Kirke squinted her eyes in confusion. “So you toil over a love potion instead of bringing the girl a medicinal salve or tonic?”

Medea nodded. “The mother did not wish it of me. She asked that I grant her daughter peace after her death, so I shall do both with one spell. I shall give the daughter this potion before her mother’s death, have her woo whatever prince or warrior she desires, and with his fortune, aid the sickly mother. All are happy.”

Kirke grinned. “How cunning you are, Medea. Quite the testament to our kind.”

“It is the work of our Mistress for gifting us such an art. To her I give all of my thanks and praise.”

The two took each other's hands, raised their heads, and closed their eyes, sending a silent prayer to the Mother of Witches. Soon after, a warm breeze entered the palace, bringing with it a piece of the night, a shadow given life.

“My beautiful daughters” the familiar voice emanated from the thick shadows, becoming a dark apparition, then turning swiftly into a most beloved form. Hekate had come to visit her most favored followers.

And so Medea and Kirke received her well, and the pair become a triumvirate of witches. They spoke of those things that were held in the night, their midnight arts and craft of the wise. They sang and reveled in each other’s company, dancing to the rhythm of the waves crashing onto the land and the dull roars of docile beasts. They flew above Aeaea with bliss and ecstasy, filled with all the powers of heaven, earth, and sea. Such was the witches way.

---

Such was our way in those forgotten days of old. Such was my night after my return to Colchis, the truest account of my flight from Corinth. This was how my days were spent after ridding myself of the loathsome Jason; in the company of those I held most dear. The next three centuries I spent here upon Aeaea, dancing the nights away with my aunt and our patron, selling my gifts to those whom I had known or those who knew of me. But eternity there grew tiresome.

So I traveled. Riding upon the sands of time I spiraled on in a different guise, stopping in each new century to sing the praises of my lady and grant the needy or willing the knowledge of her art. I led many a wyrd in those years under different names, inspiring new poets with my magic, becoming their muse. Such was my way until the new millennia when I once again longed to be held by my greatest love, my mentor and mother in the craft.

I sought her out and found her among her kind, and now we are together again. What magic will we unleash upon this new world? What is my lady’s greatest desire?