---

Lillian woke up a little early for once, unease sitting in her stomach. They knew the mole for sure and there was a second suspect. She couldn't believe it, honestly. Staring at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair slowly in her morning ritual for when she needed to calm down for the day she wasn't terribly shocked when her communicator started beeping. Quickly she grabbed it and nodded to herself as she read it.

Quickly she got dressed from her pajamas into comfortable clothes, wearing leggings underneath her skirt and a nice and comfy hoodie for the cold. Within 5 minutes she was already on her way, jogging carefully through the streets as the sun rose lazily. Her breath, visible like a smoker's haze, came rhythmically with her steps as she pulled into a near run.

I won't let you down, she thought, a mantra in her head.

When she pulled up into the little cafe she was barely breathing hard as she ordered a hot chocolate and took her seat back in the corner and waited.

Kendall was the first to arrive, asking about the weather. With a small giggle and a raised eyebrow as she glanced out the window, Lillian took a sip before answering.

"Well, it's a little brisk but nothing surprising for this time of year," she replied softly.

As the rest of the Wards arrived she'd greet them with a friendly hello and smile. As Alessa sat down next to her, Lillian reached over and squeezed her hand before returning her attention to the others. Hopefully her girlfriend would recognize that she was worried, at least.

---

---

Jason entered the front of the airport lazily, moving through TSA without any issues with the plane ticket he'd bought and wasn't going to need. The team had spent 15 days preparing for this event. Chatterbox had his influence helping get them their gear inside, they'd planned and thought and argued and there was little that he could see going wrong.

They were going to meet up and retrieve their gear and be ready for...

Something.

Jason honestly wasn't very pleased with the lack of information. But it sounded like it was going to be a great fight, at least.

---

Was she confident this team she'd joined was going to pull this off? Was she ready for whatever mysterious A-class battle was going to occur? Was she surprised that she made it into the airport like this with her metal-coated body at this venture?

For the lattermost thing, Alloy could confidently say 'yes' without a shadow of a doubt. Parahuman and other troubles had seemed to always beef up security, not to mention and potential events to happen that would maybe said security measures even more to boot. Albeit having to avoid any of those 'pat-downs' on her part was rather nice to be frank. Not to mention the chance she'd be confined or arrested for having a metal body, despite nothing 'illegal' or such being on her person at all.

She was walking on her way to where the team was going to meet, albeit with a half-eaten cheeseburger in one hand and a very small McDonalds bag with another one in it sitting in her right hand. Indeed, she'd skipped breakfast proper for this to make sure she was in the right place at the right time. She wasn't an idiot though, at least in her mind, and so had grabbed a couple of 1-dollar burgers last night to put in the fridge and sneak in here on her way to the meeting point.

It had all, their plan and hers with the cheeseburgers that is, seemingly worked well so far. Albeit she couldn't say the cheap greasy fare helped any of the more reasonable nerves she was stifling in the back of her mind about this...

---

---

Midterms. Even right now she was at her dorm room's desk working on a lengthy study guide for one. These former banes of her existence for many of these classes had haunted her, but as of late things hadn't been as hard for her even with them. At least, educationally.

She'd come back here immediately after....after "that" day had occurred. She hadn't even gone out for a drink the next night with friends, which had brought some concern in her direction. Allison had heard them, though, her friends and associates among her peers whispering behind her back...wondering what had happened to her. Even the people from that trainyard party had seemingly been more concerned. Yet her professors? Something about being a bit more sober was leaving them a bit happier about her, less inclined to comment under their breath with wonder at how a hungover girl could ace a test.

It wasn't like she'd stopped drinking, she'd go to parties at times still and have the fun she used to. Just not as often. And perhaps it was those times wherein she found a little comfort, save for a couple near-exposure times where she about used her power amidst drunken slurring and stumbling. She still saw the dead bodies in her dreams, even though at least Farce still seemed to be alive. That...had perhaps been the one thing positive out of this. Farce being alive. Before leaving, she'd even let Farce know that if she needed to get out as well that her dorm room was available. Allison's existing roommate wouldn't mind, at least.

That had been the last time she'd seen anyone from "Lethal Force", however, as since that day she'd kept to college and places near to campus like it was safe haven. That 'hero' business? Forget it, if Mantis was involved alongside her at all. That man....she loathed that man even now with a passion. To her, he was also not in his right mind, after....the events in that room with Limbo. She'd witnessed two events only spoken of in parahuman studies, even, with few if any examples of them having been present when discussing them in class at that. And one of those things were to potentially psychologically smash a person's psyche further according to theory and whatever else, but she didn't need theory to talk about it. She'd seen in person that this was true to a 'T', in her opinion, albeit it was not like Farce didn't....didn't have shit to go through as well.

In part her drive to get that degree and such was enhanced, perhaps, the desire to help the good parahumans out there. People among many of whom had been mentally traumatized terribly, and all that had permanent scars of it written into their flesh. The stigma, the issues on both sides, the bloody reality of a lot of this...it was almost funny to her what the non-negative or paranoid effects had been on her. She would have thought such a thing might've turned her away from her original goals educationally and in terms of a future career. Instead, it had fueled her a bit more, according to some of those around her who had told her point-blank after a time.

The noise of the communicator jolted Elliot awake. For a moment, he could not remember who he was. He only knew that a moment ago he'd been somewhere blissful, bright, and carefree, but he could see it no longer. Just a feeling remained with him as he stared into the darkness of his junk-cluttered room, feeling groggy, sore, and down. His eyes stung as he held the device in front of them, lazy pupils struggling to focus. Already he felt nothing short of miserable, but what he read made him groan aloud. Tossing the machine back onto the nearby desk, he buried himself beneath his pillow and held it tight against his face to muffle his guttural cry.

A few moments later he sat up, mushing his eyes with his knuckle and wiping the despair off his face. For the second time he pored across the message, making sure to take in each word. Do not speak any of the following out loud, he read. With a quizzical expression he looked left to right, examining each shadowy corner of his abode. After examining the rest of the message, Elliot heaved himself up to head to the bathroom and start pulling himself together.

Some time later, a nondescript young man in jeans, a striped gray-and-black t-shirt, and a black windbreaker pushed through the door to the Little Owl cafe. The dark bags under his eyes and weary expression spoke of long nights spent staring at a screen. At a glance, he spotted Lillian, and the new girl with whom he'd scarcely bothered to familiarize itself. Scarcely is that dickweed Dean gone than he's replaced, he'd decided the moment he learned of the new Ward. We're all just warm bodies filling out the roster...but some warmer than others. No matter which faces sneered at him during these stupid meetings, nothing would change. Ignoring the pair, he steered himself stiffly toward the main counter, where he murmured his request to the employee. He stood there, waiting, until a cup of black coffee came his way, and with a shaky hand he paid.

With an utterly dispassionate air, he then made his way over to the table the other Wards occupied. He sought the remotest chair and plopped himself down, then leaned back and closed his eyes. Any empty gestures on the part of his supposed teammates went wholly unheeded—he knew, after all, that a token response would do them just as much good as their token greetings did him, which was none at all.

---

It was early in the morning, a bunch of Rockers sitting in a circle talking at an hour too early for most people to be awake.

‘We’re being led by a bunch of kids, you know? And a girl, at that?’ One of the newer Rockers questioned, looking at the rest of the little gathering in the room. The rest weren’t entirely following along with the reasoning.

‘Your point?’ One of the more senior members asked. The new guy clearly wasn’t considering they were led by Ceramix and Shatterpoint a while back, who were as young.

‘… I’m just a bit worried. They might get overambitious or make some crucial mistake, and then it’ll all fall apart or something. Wouldn’t it be better to have an adult take the reigns, and let the parahumans just be parahuman?’

‘Careful,’ another Rocker said. ‘You never know when Creep might be listening,’

‘Eh, what are the chances she’s listening right now?’ the new guy smiled widely.

‘One can wonder, yeah,’ Creep said, right behind him. His flinch could be categorized as adorable. She had been listening for a bit, and just now lost to the temptation to reveal herself due to the excellent timing.

‘Boss, you’re early today,’ one of the members nodded to her while the new person was still reeling.

‘Yes, I am. I had some scouting to do and an incident to take care of, so now I’m here,’ Creep simply told. ‘Still, our man here has a reasonable worry. Who am I to believe I am mature enough to make the most reasonable decisions in my day-to-day life?’ Creep asked, in an attempt to appear more relatable. She had found that she enjoyed being in power. It had been a remarkable realization.

‘Unfortunately, this world demands respect, and few things in this world gives a group or a leader as much respect as being a parahuman with a leadership role. My name is already known, I have a place in the villain community, and at this point the Rockers would be hurt if I were to be replaced. We’re doing pretty well so far, aren’t we?’ Creep said with a little smile in her tone. It was easy to speak when nobody was interrupting and all eyes were on her.

‘That said, I have no intention of ruling as a tyrant. If you have any suggestions or criticism of any of my or anyone else’s decisions, you’re encouraged to bring it up. I promise you’ll be listened to and taken under consideration. We’re all friends and companions here in the Rockers, are we not…?’ she said. ‘Be nice. Gossip is fine, just make sure to bring things up if you have concerns. The Rockers would not be the Rockers without all of you,’ she simply said, and then turned to leave. She had no idea what kind of impression she was leaving, she didn’t know how their minds worked. Still, nothing to it.

Creep went to her office and checked for reports or what otherwise deskwork there was to do for the leader of an organization like the Rockers. She had the phone on her that the Broker or other allies could call if they needed to make specific moves on the Community. This war of theirs had taught Sheila a lot about troop planning and weird versions of military planning…

The other members of the Rockers could be wherever, Sheila didn’t necessarily want to disturb them this early if they were sleeping or something. There wasn’t an emergency yet, after all.

"Agh ack Rug noooooo!" Silvia pleaded as her big poofy Samoyed unleashed a flurry of licks and love, almost causing Silvia to roll backwards off her bed. "Okay okay! I'm awake I'm awake haha!" Silvia's words seemed to not affect the dog and it continued it's attack until Silvia placed a finger on his nose. "Lets get you some food then, that's what you're wanting right Rug?" Rug would simply run off out of Silvia's bedroom into the kitchen. Silvia slid herself off her bed and stretched herself out her alarm wasn't due till 8AM but she was fined being awake a little early, though she was going to have to train Rug not to wake her up anymore.

As she got herself and Rug breakfast she contemplated what she would do today. There was for sure people out there who needed some help, though she also had to contact Outsider. She'd been keeping an eye on him to see how he was going, though contact was limited at best. Perhaps she'd meet him if she went out and patrolled for a while, yeah that sounded like a good idea. So after making sure the dog had gone to the toilet and was properly fed Silvia took off for an early morning patrol, she doubted anyone would be trying anything so early but hey who knows. It wasn't like not stopping a crime was a bad thing either, that just means that nobody would have committed a crime in the first place.

(Very amazing title)
Claire Silva (Imagine amazingly pretty font, this way it's good and interesting for everyone)

She sits against the wall in the building she had just finished clearing out, playing the scene in her mind over and over. She had entered her breaker form before entered the building, throwing the door off the hinges, slamming it against the far wall.

"What an entrance," she mutters, before continuing to play the scene over in her mind for the tenth time.

She hovered into the room, the goons reaching for the pistols they had on the table when they saw her, two of them fired their guns at her, one bullet embedding itself where her heart was, the other ricocheting off the side of my left arm. In response she contorted her hands in a painful looking way, picking up the chairs that the two had been sitting on and throwing them into them, breaking the chairs on impact and knocking them out instantly. She turned to the others who saw how their friend's attempts at shooting her had one but still fired upon her as they did. A few bullets buried themselves in her torso and arms but most had missed or ricocheted off of her. Once more in response, she threw the two chairs at two of the people, knocking them clean off their feet, there was more room for her to build up the momentum of the chairs before they hit the goons and knocked them out as they hit the floor. She turned to the last one and hovered over too him

"Drop the gun and you won't be hurt like the others." She said in a demanding tone, really wishing he'd cooperate, for his sakes.

He quickly shook his head no and in a fight or flight reaction fired upon her, two of the shots hit her in the head, one embedding itself in her cheek, the other ricochetting off of her. She contorted her hands once more, this time picking up the table in the centre of the room and threw it at him, extremely annoyed that he hadn't just cooperated. Her hands stopped short of a full throw, not wanting to kill him, the table flew slammed him into the wall behind. The table fell to the ground not long after and he fell as well, slumping over it with a broken nose and a few cracked ribs from the impact. Once she had calmed down and talked herself into leaving the breaker form, she tied the goons up with the rope she had found in a cupboard in the room.

She sighed knowing she had almost gone over the top, the job was to just simply rough them up, not kill them. She also knew the risks and the target it would paint on her back for roughing up members of Community. She glanced up at them curiously as one of them stirred, quickly moving over to where they were tied up.

"My job was to rough you up, but your friend is going to need to go to a doctor soon." She gestures toward the unconscious body of the fifth guy, knowing he's in very bad shape, internally grinning at the horrified look on the man's face. "I know you're a small pawn in a larger picture, but you caused issues for my contractor and well, now I have caused issues for you." She smirked and walks out of the building calling back, "let your leader know my name, let it be known who was here, it was Abaddon and she's coming to take you down." Internally getting herself worked up just thinking about what she'd learnt on her way to this town, in the small amount of research about Community and their leader Patriarch.

Leaving the building she took off her gloves and mask, putting them away walking quietly down the main street to take her mind off having almost killed someone.

Chaotic Coffee?
Another (short) collab between @solokolos and @Lemonzest1337

Emergency mission...? Huh. Well, this was a good time for it, wasn’t it? But, if it was so crucial, maybe it’d be worth investigating. And Lily was the one providing the details, at that. Alessa could only wonder what was going on there. But, no mentioning it out loud; she wasn’t one to mull over details like that with nobody to chat about them with, anyway, so best to get to the point.

---

Jogging to the cafe designated by the alert, dressed in blue jeans and a fairly frilly light grey shirt that, she felt, didn’t suit her overmuch, she entered to realise she was actually one of the later arrivals there. Lillian was there already, as were the newest recruit Kendall- Mastar, in her guise as a cape- and Elliot, in... well, his usual state. She never had gotten to properly apologise, had she? Not for lack of trying, but because he’d promptly brushed her off as insincere. She’d settled for telling him that when he was ready to talk about how he felt, she’d be ready to receive him, the same spiel that she’d essentially given Evelyn - but no response on that front, either. It was like he was actively avoiding her.

Even so, she smiled to him, despite his closed eyes, and to everyone else present; went up to the counter and purchased a latte; and then took a seat next to Lillian. Her girlfriend. Gosh, had it really been two weeks? And already, she was getting closer to her, by the day if she looked at it that way. Enough, as it happened, to recognise that Lillian squeezing her hand was a bit too tight to be a simple gesture of appreciation. She was worried about this mission, actually, if her expression was anything to go by.

‘Well, this is nice, isn’t it?’ she asked, an effort to break the tension. ‘A morning out before school, breakfast coffees, and in such a lovely place. I don’t think I could ask for better.’ She wasn’t sure how well she did there, but... well, it was a start.

---

Funnily enough, when it came to missions, fifteen days was a lot of time. Time to plan, time to prepare. Time to get his weapon and clothing into the airport. Time to stock up on the right sort of ammunition. Rubber bullets, in his case; they could still be lethal, of course, but there would be an active show of minimising the force he was using. And besides, he decided what shots were and were not lethal.

And in civilian clothing, with Drake’s thralls opening the way, entry into the area was an almost casual affair. The reason: to stop an A-class villain. How the Broker knew: there were obvious options, even without using a Thinker to divine the future. On the other hand, whilst their civilian get-ups meant they could get inside the building and to their designated meeting point more easily, it’d be getting into costume in such a way that they could remain inconspicuous until the attack began that’d be the kicker. He hoped those thralls had placed his gear somewhere suitable.

---

It was, to be frank, a bit terrifying how true the expression rang: “the more things change, the more they stay the same”.

On the one hand, he had been reunited with his best and only friend, and he was a parahuman now. Wherever he looked, his mind made it clear that he was no longer normal. With a thought, rock turned to superheated goo (even if he wasn’t looking at it, he’d eventually realised), and this let him assist Sheila in ways he’d never dreamed plausible before.

And on the other... school was still something he had to attend. He was mostly ignored. Mostly disliked. He got his gym sessions in regularly, of course, until his muscles screamed at him most days. A lot of the time, he had nothing better to do after school anyway. Homework wasn’t especially difficult. Boring, one might even say.

He’d expected more action as Salem. Almost craved it. The thought of melting somebody’s flesh from their bone was a thought that had gone through his head many a time in the past two weeks.

But not this early in the morning. Right now, he was in the middle of breakfast. Honey Nut Cheerios. Tasty stuff. Sugar-loaded, too. Probably not the best breakfast for helping develop muscle, but he had a banana each morning too. That was nice, yeah.

‘So, Chad, big day today?’ his mom asked. She was nice, honestly. Brown hair going grey, getting on in years a little so to speak, but ever-friendly. Nicer than he deserved. She meant well, obviously. She just wasn’t... helpful, so to speak.

‘Not really,’ he said once he’d swallowed his mouthful, shaking his head even before that. ‘I’ve just got, uh... classes and stuff. Might go out to the gym again today, might not. I... I might try going out somewhere else, too, honestly. I’ve been thinking that might be...’

He didn’t really get to finish his sentence, as his dad suddenly petted his hair from behind with a hearty ‘Hey, that’s great to hear, son! It’s good that you’re starting to get out more, you know?’ Rambunctious, was probably the way to describe him, only just starting to show his own years in his hair despite being, what, seven-odd years older than mom? His lifestyle was pretty active. He was a bit more extraverted than either Chad or his mom, so that probably contributed to it.

And yet, he didn’t even think to ask where he might be going. Good for Chad, since he didn’t really want to say anyway, but still a bit disappointing. Again, a nice person. Just not helpful, given Chad’s particular issues. He’d probably be more helpful in a bodybag, frankly. Just cut apart and tossed in, like so many-

‘Er, thanks, dad,’ Chad managed to get out, blinking lightly as he reset his hair. ‘It’s not a big deal, anyway. Gotta start thinking about seeing new people, is all.’

‘Well, I’m very pleased to hear that,’ his mom uttered, smiling gently. ‘And you know what? You’ve gotten more sociable in general recently, I’m realising! Well done.’ Platitudes. She never really believed in him, did she? He considered over another mouthful of cereal that he could probably generate a pool of lava under her right now, and she wouldn’t know who killed her...

Oh, shit. He could just kill them both on a whim, as well, couldn’t he? It wasn’t just Sheila who was at risk with his power. It was anyone he happened to get upset with. And that... that could be the case with anyone right back at him. He’d learned the basics of the Unspoken Rules, one of which was essentially “don’t fuck with people’s real identity”, but if somebody came along who decided they really liked not obeying those rules... if Mire had a moment and decided to hunt his family down...

He blinked a few times as the reality of how much danger his parents could be in hit him. From him. From another cape. Maybe from a disgruntled teammate, if they felt he’d slighted them. Hell, if he thought about it, it could be from some total rando on the street, too. Or a car accident, or...

‘...yeah, that is probably good,’ he mumbled, frowning slightly.

‘Hey, what’s up, sport? You doing okay?’ his dad asked, patting him lightly on the shoulder. He was very touchy-feely. Not in the bad way, but sometimes Chad would rather he wasn’t at all.

‘Yeah. I just... you know, you two are...’ He struggled to put the sentence together for a bit, but eventually managed to phrase himself: ‘Thanks for helping raise me, mom, dad. I think sometimes I don’t appreciate you enough, is all, so... you know. I love you guys.’

And there was the bear hug from dad. ‘Aww, you know we love you too, Chad,’ his mom replied, joining the hug more gently. ‘If there’s ever anything we can help with, you’re always free to tell us. Okay, sweetie?’

There was not anything they could help him with.

‘Okay. Thanks, mom.’

They broke the hug off, and with a slightly lighter heart, Chad kept on eating. He had school today, after all.

Judah's eyes snapped open in the dark bedroom. He shot up to a sitting position as he gasped for air. Cold sweat covered his bed-sheets, "Another nightmare", he thought. Axel whined and nuzzled his master, attempting to comfort him. Judah hesitated for a moment as if he was unsure of what lay next to him. Then he heard the whimper of his faithful friend. Judah smiled and began to pat the German Shepard, "Sorry pal, didn't mean to scare you." Axel panted excitedly. Happy to see his master was okay.

Judah rubbed his face in his hands. The last few nights had been awful. Two more of his allies had been killed and he was indirectly responsible for their deaths. This fact weighed heavily on his soul. Even their latest addition to the team, Excaliblast, had confronted him and left as soon as she could. Healer had a panic attack the day of their battle and Judah hadn't heard from her since... The one thing that gave Mantis some solace was that Farce was alive. And with her...the lives of both Limbo and Whipstich. Even now she proceeded to gather intel from the undead Community Lieutenant. Judah wouldn't have any problems beating her to a pulp a second time, but right now they needed information.

Judah looked at his watch which said 6:24 am. He picked up his phone from the nightstand and texted Farce, "Heading over now with Axel. Put some coffee on and please be dressed this time." He didn't want a repeat of a situation that occurred awhile back regarding switching twins. Though now there was only one.

---

After he had packed his things in a duffel bag, Judah took off in his mustang to Farce's place. Axel sat patiently in the backseat with his seat belt on. Judah had trained him well. Axel was one of Judah's only true friends left. He stuck with him through thick and thin.

When they arrived at Farce's apartment, Judah slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and approached the door. He knocked and waited for a reply from Farce. Hopefully she was doing alright. Losing her brother a second time was an experience no one should ever have to go through. Nothing was worth Sparce's death. Nothing could bring him back now. All they could do was press on.

Sofia didn't like how they had to use cars to get everywhere but here they were. Thunderbird had told her that as long as she was covered up and staring at a phone she'd be ignored. So, with a hoodie and baggy sweats making her basically just a lump of gray holding a screen, Sofia walked through the airport with everyone else. An A class threat to an airport huh. Sofia's thoughts wandered. What kind of threat could it be. And what did A class mean again? If it was like school it was the highest threat but how much bigger was that than like a B threat? What was it that made it an A threat and why did Broker know about and why did he want them to stop it? Maybe she could look it up. Sofia tailed along behind Thunderbird, looking now looking up information about A class threats on her phone.

They'd made it. It wasn't hard to find. They advertised themselves quite clearly. Good, bad-guys. Damien chuckled to himself and said aloud, "What a joke. They are actually trying to make themselves look like they are for the people. We're not falling for it." He took a long drag of his cigarette in front of the Rocker HQ. The Rockers had bounced back quite nicely after their disastrous meeting with the Protectorate. Creep had made sure of that. A fact that disgruntled Swarm. However, due to recent circumstances their original plan of destroying the Rockers was indefinitely on hold. They had much more pressing things to worry about...

---

---

With Reflections out of the picture, Swarm was looking for some new allies. Fortunately, they had found a viable canidate for the vial. That individual stood next to Swarm, they were partners of sorts. They didnt need to be friends to work together. No man was an island, even one with many personas. The Rockers would expect an attack by Swarm, but they would not expect to be met with his partner. But was attacking them what he really wanted?

Affliction's tainted blades were sheathed safely in Swarm's belt. Ready for action at any time. Many small tungsten steel balls filled an attachment as well. Perfect for throwing with telekinesis. In a backpack was his mask, to don in a moment's notice. They were ready this time for anything. But the question was, what was their goal in the first place?

The duo stepped toward the door of the HQ and entered. To anybody inside they just looked like normal civillians. Surprise was on their side.

@Spiffy

The place was currently the ground floor of an office building, though they had roughed the place up. However, specifically at the entrance was ruled a dangerous place, so Creep had it abandoned except for those who were keeping watch over it. Some people just sitting around in a window opposite occasionally kept watch, but regardless, there were two grunts in the first little hall. Here were doors to other sections, stairs to go up or down, and two guys sitting by the side at a little table, one writing something extensive on his phone and the other lazing about. Both were typical male Rockers, unremarkable in their appearance. Upon the two strangers’ entrance, however, the lazing one perked up, smirked a roughed up smile and leaned on the table looking towards the people coming in.

’Why, hello there! Now, how might I help you?’

The other guy was simply typing away at his phone…

…

---

Creep’s phone lit up. That was the only indication she got a message, but that was enough for her, because she could make sure she knew whenever her phone screen lit up with her power. It allowed her to be stealthy, even when out on a mission carrying a phone. Still, currently she was just in her office. She reached over and pressed a couple buttons to check.

“strangers in lobby”

… Creep clutched a fist with one of her hands. That could so easily be harmless, maybe someone wanting to join the gang, yet could as easily be the harbingers of their destruction. She couldn’t help but worry every time. Well, looks like she wouldn’t be able to focus on what she was doing now. Time to alert some grunts in the HQ and then go stalk the guests while unseen.

Only if they turned out to be a real threat would she let the capes outside the building know, for now.

The door to Farce's new apartment creaked open as she looked out at Judah. She looked like trash, but actually had wet hair and a clean set of pajamas on this time. Even if she was absolutely trashed, this was the best she had looked since that day. Even with some bandages poking out from under her tanktop.

"... heeey... come in..." The apartment wasn't much, a one bedroom place with a meager kitchenette and living area, but it was decent enough for Gaia, especially since everything else happened. She didn't have much anymore since her old place was trashed, so a small space was fine. The place was really clean, actually, which was a first for Gaia if anything. As soon as Judah stepped in, she closed the door and flopped over onto the couch.

"We're... not gonna have a funeral for him. He died once already, having another would be too much." Gaia explained, waiting for some snappy remark from Limbo or an odd remark from Whip. Surprisingly, only the latter happened.

Oh, so he was supposed to be dead already? Well, at last he's in his place properly now.

"Whipstitch, please... don't." Gaia plead, hoping that she wouldn't have to deal with the bullshit between the two voices in her head. Limbo hadn't spoken since Gaia explained what the hell she'd been through, though, but Whip always found ways to just chastise and annoy the once-ghostly parahuman, and indirectly, the now-depressed parahuman.

"... can you hear the voices, Mantis?" Gaia asked. "Can you hear anything going on in here?"

---

@Gardevoiran@Spiffy
Chapter One: Lethal Force
As the remaining members of Lethal Force gathered, their wounds only just beginning to heal, it was with a heavy air. They had lost much in the last two months and mentally they were on rocky standing at best. Limbo continued to be unhelpful, if not down right hostile at times while Whip was - well - Whip. Could their partnership survive? Three had died, two had ran away, and all seemed like an uphill battle.

With any luck it would get easier, though, right? It couldn't get worse, surely.

It could.

As the parting question passed through Farce's lips there was a flicker to the lights before the wall to Farce's right exploded, the debris shooting into the room as if hit by a tornado. Stepping over the ruins of the wall was a woman in a white leotard with blue marks along her ribs and a white eyemask. A white and blue bandana covered the lower half of her face. Sonika herself stood before them, easily capable of blocking their attempts at an exit by herself.

As if fate itself wanted a piece of the duo, a thunderous clap echoed into the room as the lights flickered again before a blinding flash shot from the lights above as every light in the building exploded. With another thunderous, deafening clash the door burst in, broken right off it's hinges, before another figured stepped through.

Xolotl, heavy hitting enforcer for the Community, stood in all his Aztec glory.

"Patriarch wishes to have a word." Sonika said clearly.

"Surrender now or feel the wrath of a god!" Xolotl commanded, raising a single hand palm up.

---

@PlatinumSkink@Spiffy@BCTheEntity@solokolos@Lemonzest1337
Chapter Two: The Rockers
Adam, who had picked the cape name of Firefly, glanced at Swarm as they entered. While he had only had his powers for a short period of time he had a firm grip on how they functioned and, ultimately, had misgivings about this mission. But they were a team, and he didn't back away from a challenge. As they walked into the 'lobby' he followed just behind Swarm, his hands in his pockets. His unkempt brown hair was a little longer than average, and his brown eyes were more a dirt color. He wore easy clothes you might expect from a 20-something guy fresh out of college.

As the receptionist spoke up, he gestured at Swarm lazily. He wouldn't speak unless he had to, less chance of being tracked later.

Above, unnoticed, two figures appeared on the roof...

---

@Belladonna@Lemonzest1337(Open invitation to Independents to get involved)
Chapter Three: The City
"LOOK AT ME!" Eyeblight yelled maniacally from the center of downtown as he took on his Breaker form. Panic started nearly immediately in the busy time of day while people went to school and work. Several vehicles crashed into buildings and each other, crushing and running over bystanders, as the area quickly devolved into chaos.

Several blocks away, as Claire started walking down the street a sudden crashing sound would catch her attention before half of a car went tumbling down the street ahead of her. Momentarily after two women stepped into view, talking casually while they caused destruction.

"I've always wanted a sister," the first was saying excitedly. "And getting to work together? It's going to be great!"

"Yeah, sure. Here, let's see if you can put this one in a building," the second said casually as she punched into a parked car, the alarm going off as it vaporized around her fists. Shortly it was in two pieces and the first picked up and threw the back end. A loud crash echoed, followed by screams. "Wonder when those jackass capes from the others gonna show?"

"Well, we're doing what Patriarch wanted, so who cares?"

Nearby a certain dragon woman would hear all the chaos around her...

---

@Crusader Lord
Chapter Four: The Girl
Allison had left the cape life behind after getting involved in a fight for her life and watching multiple people die. Even causing two of those deaths herself with that cave in!

She'd gone back to college and her life to go back to normal and forget about everything. And she'd been doing amazingly well, everything considered! As she sat in lecture that day for an early class on Parahumans Theory she was slowly proving herself to be one of the top students for that class.

Before the sound of a series gunshots rang out from outside the lecture hall and the sound of screaming and sobbing could be heard.

And then the PA system crackled to life.

"Listen up you birdbrained fucks, I'm here for one bitch with a message. Patriarch sends his regards, Allison Mead. You kill ours and we kill you. You think hiding behind these people, trying to convince yourself you're anything more than a drunk playing at getting a degree? Ha! You're nothing more than a shitstain on the sidewalk. Worthless, stupid, fucking pathetic. I know all your dirty little secrets, so you can either stab yourself in the gut with those fancy blade powers of yours or I'll make you," the well known voice of Masterbaitor rang out through the campus.

---

All across the city chaos was being spread as various Community members, and apparently every cape aligned with them, started attacking various places of interest. From the mafia to government offices, nowhere seemed safe.

At first, Farce was shocked by the storm that hit everyone in the room, as Xolotl and Sonika both rushed in and demanded for the final two members of Lethal Force (proper) to surrender or receive the other end of the consequences. Farce was blown off the couch and knocked onto the ground, struggling to regain her breath. She looked over at Mantis, and simply listened to the voice in her head.

Heh, here's the cavalry. You guys better surrender before anything bad happens.

What a grand idea, Limbo.

Farce took a second to catch her breath before standing up, raising her hands above her head, not caring her face was being shown to Sonika and Xolotl. For a moment, she kept breathing heavily, before finally speaking.

"I'm not gonna fight," she started. "I don't see the point anymore. Too many people have died for me to care anymore about fighting. If you're gonna kill me, just do it." She put her arms down, looking at Sonika and Xolotl with an apathetic look. "Though, I highly suggest you don't end me here, lest you lose her, too."

Reality decided to glitch for a moment, before Limbo herself made a grand appearance to everyone in the room. It was only a second before her smirking face quickly turned into a face of realization. "... wait... am I a hos-"

Farce reappeared in Limbo's place, putting her hands back up. "Limbo's still alive for the most part, but she won't be if I die, I think." Farce kept her hands in the air before wincing, lowering one to clutch her ribs. "As long as you're gentle, I'll come without resisting. I'm not really in the best shape to do it, anyway."

Farce's inner dialogue was going nuts, yelling at Farce and Whip with obscenities that would make the saltiest of sailors blush. Whip stayed silent, though, observing from within what was developing right now. Farce's own thoughts were off the charts though, trying to arrange themselves in a way that would help make Mantis calm down and follow along. She was familiar enough with his power that she could try, probably fail, but try regardless.

Silvia was slowly gliding through the sky when the sounds of mass hysteria suddenly echoed throughout the streets, she could hear it most notably from the center of downtown so Sylph decided to go that way. She couldn't help but shiver at the sounds of the screaming as she flew towards the source. Smoke was already spewing from crashed cars and there was blood of innocence everywhere! Bloody skid marks left behind by drivers who'd lost control and run other people over. It was pure chaos, Silvia had to stop this.

As she approached the epicenter she spotted a, thing. A scarecrow. Fear washed over her, paralyzing her. Sylph instantly lost her bearings and started hurtling towards the ground, crashing into the pavement with a painful crunch. Luckily the crunch was from the concrete and not her bones. Dazed from the impact Sylph slow picked herself up, her ears ringing as she looked around at the surrounding chaos. She'd not caught sight of the scarecrow again yet, but she knew that whoever they were, they were the one responsible for this.

The wall exploded to Judah's left followed by the door behind him being knocked off its hinges. He instinctively covered his head with his hands and got down to one knee. Axel barked in fright and cowered next to his master. Then, out of the debris stepped some of The Community's heaviest hitters. Sonika and Xolotol. There would be no escape from this..

They informed the duo that Patriarch wanted a word with them and Judah knew it wasn't to discuss the weather. They had pissed The Community off, royally. Was there a way out? That's when Farce spoke up. At first, Judah grimaced. Not wanting to see his friend fall along with the rest of them. However, as she continued to speak, the pieces of her plan formed together in Judah's mind. She was blackmailing them into keeping her alive with Limbo. "Brilliant." He thought.

When she had finished, Judah gave Gaia a knowing look that had a twinge of sadness in it. Axel growled at the intruders, determined to tear them to pieces with a single command. To his surprise, Judah only patted Axel lovingly until the growling subsided. Then Judah directed him to Gaia with a command, "Go boy!" His canine companion hesitated for a moment, but then did as his master ordered, sitting directly at Gaia's feet. He whimpered quietly as if he knew something the others didn't, instinctively.

Judah slowly stood upright, not wanting to surprise the intruders with any sudden movements, yet. Then a thought entered Farce's mind, "Goodbye, Gaia." Suddenly, with all the emotional power he could muster, Judah released a meteor of terror directed at the two intruders. A fear that could bring even a courageous man to his knees. A fear that felt like death itself. With a strangely calm voice Judah stated, "You will have to kill me first." At the same time he drew his 1911 sidearm. With a single motion he fired at Xolotol three times before turning his attention to Sonika and unloading the rest of his magazine on her.

---

The Denver International Airport, a place with high security, higher even than many airports—which were already well guarded and surveilled to begin with. It was a true behemoth, something most criminals would find themselves skulking away from, setting their sights lower.

He was no average criminal. No, he was a performer and a mastermind and he knew how to play a crowd. Thralls in security, thralls entering as civilians, thralls watching cameras. It had taken quite a bit of effort to coordinate it all for this day, but he'd managed to. Schedule switches, work accidents, small things...things no one would think terribly strange. Cameras might pan to see a new region, follow a civilian acting suspicious, a security guard might let someone through who would normally not have passed. Someone watching the items going through security might search someone to distract while contraband got through.

Beyond even this, he'd instructed the other Jacks not to enter all at once, though for Thunderbolt and Whimsy to go together. Their gear got in, getting through checks, though some other poor civilians—fans--were pulled aside for contraband. He'd checked statistics, making sure it wasn't abnormally high for the day. He didn't want people to catch on to how they'd infiltrated retroactively.

He wanted this done carefully and so it was.

Finally, last of the Jacks to enter, Drake went through security. However, he didn't look like his normal self. Indeed he'd donned very light make up—with the help of several fans—and an ensemble different from his usual clothes, to help obscure his identity.

He got through, though with a search of his person. A brief patdown, just to make things look fine. The cameras caught it all, and indeed it was to make him appear even less guilty. After all, they'd checked him and all his luggage extensively and found nothing. It was on camera, it had caught his face and still...they'd have nothing on him.

As he finished passing through TSA, donned his shoes, stylish black jacket, put his built back on and of course reactived his bluetooth, he felt quite satisfied with his performance thus far.

Heading past the first bathroom he saw, Drake used tapcode to notify a few thralls, who converged on his position under the guise of getting food. As he headed for his gate one of his thralls tripped and splashed his clothes with coffee. He made a brief scene, the thrall was apologetic, and then he moved on his way understandably heading back for a bathroom. At the precise moment of his entry his thralls obscured him from the cameras in what would appear total happenstance. He entered with several regular civilians, took care of his business, and washed off his face thoroughly. He also changed his clothes, drying off and getting out of his ruined clothes, all the while muttering angrily.

When he left the bathroom, again with a group, he was not the same man who had entered.

Just one more step taken to obscure his identity. Thereafter he headed for the gate, notifying his teammates that he had gotten in fine. Briefly he used tapcode to check with a number of his thralls, then notified the team that everything was in place. Their eyes and ears were open now all they had to do...was wait.

---

---

She'd woken up that morning with the intention of doing some last touches on some homework and perhaps later do some a bit more shopping to fill out a set of new outfits in her wardrobe, but as she dressed, applied light make-up and ate her breakfast she found that her plans would go unfulfilled.

Warning: Do not speak any of the following out loud. Emergency mission for the Wards, approved by Decoy. Details to follow. Meet at the Little Owl Cafe ASAP in civilian clothing. Tiger Lily will provide crucial details on what could be the most important mission of your whole careers.

Frowning slightly, Evelyn laughed a bit to herself, glanced at her phone to check the weather, and then retrieved a coat. When she felt sufficiently prepared she told her parents she was going out for morning coffee with some friends before school. Her mom gave her a kiss on the head and her dad told her not to be late.

She smiled, waved, and headed out getting a taxi to the address. When she got there she thanked the man, tipped him, and got out to walk down the block to the Little Owl Cafe. All the while, unseen, her 'shadow' passed through the street and the walls around her, never visible in her vicinity, but always there...ready.

Pushing open the door with a shoulder Evelyn entered, giving her team a wave and a slightly guarded smile, before she got a coffee—with plenty of cream—and then headed over to sit down with them. Though her makeup was still light, she seemed to be wearing more than normal, though it was perhaps something one might notice only if they were particular observant.

The rest of her demeanor seemed about the same as usual.

"Hey guys. Same message?" She asked, making sure the others had come her for the same reason she had. Frankly she didn't much like that her routine had been interrupted, but oh well...she could tolerate an interruption from time to time. Perhaps this time things might go somewhat smoothly....

....

---

---

Typing away behind his desk, Jake frowned as he heard a faint crashing noise. Then, all of the sudden things went crazy, glass shattered as something struck the building. He ducked under his desk, mind racing, eyes narrowing. People started screaming, some from what sounded like pain, but most in panic and fear.

Not a good sign. With the windows gone he could hear that the chaos was much worse outside. Immediately his mind raced and while he felt no panic or worry he felt a sense of urgency. He had to do something, but how to get out of this situation and not reveal his identity?

Go to the roof.

Quickly he moved and began helping others evacuate, but at the nearest opportunity he slipped away and headed up. He bid others not to go outside as it was more dangerous there than in their office building.

Some listened, some didn't. After a few minutes of straining to keep going up stairs he reached the top of his building. It was a tall one.

His legs hurt pretty badly from the climb. He'd be feeling that later. Fortunately he wouldn't be feeling it now.

The air warped, he felt a sense of nausea, followed by a blast of intense emotion, like surfacing after being underwater for a long...long time. The first breath was most intense, and pleasurable, but quickly it eased off and he could focus.

His senses ecpanded, immediately, and rapidly, giving him a mapping of electrical and bio-electrical activity. Showing him warping fields of magnetic energy. Sound bouncing off things, giving him an incredibly accurate read of the situation.

In short: Absolute Chaos.

Unacceptable.

---

---

---

Feeling the sheer size and strength of his Second Vessel, he rose into the air off the roof of his job, taking off and accelerating suddenly in a burst, displacing air around him. He whirred down from the rooftop and then slowed all at once, his senses honing in on what so many people were retreating from.

That was what he'd hit. As he slowed he whipped the tendrils of his body, entwined to make a wide flat surface like wings, causing a powerful gust of wind to blast down at the cape. Amplifying it, Outside unleashed a barrage of kinetic blasts, uncoiling his tentacles to rush down at the cape.

From what he'd heard and the result of the individual's present, he hazarded that it was Eyeblight.

"Stand down," his deep, hollow voice rang out. Then, less threatening he spoke to the civilians "Exit your vehicles and head away from my location. Do not look in my direction. Villain, Eyeblight on scene."

As he spoke he whipped a three tentacles down through the air at Eyeblight, their speed frightening, the weight behind them potentially devastating.

---

---

Lillian closed her eyes as Elliot brushed them off. At least he came? But Evelyn... She was different. More makeup than Lillian had seen on her before, not by much but it was noticeable. And she seemed almost more confident, perhaps? Maybe that event over Shatterpoint had gone better than she'd thought?

With everyone present though, she cleared her throat nervously. Decoy had trusted her with this for a reason. Right?

"I'm going to ask not to be interrupted while I explain. Please," she pleaded quietly, waiting for a moment before continuing. "I've been working with Decoy the last two weeks and... We've found a Community mole in the PRT. And she's confirmed it to be true. Sonar, Collin... Hasn't ever needed his helmet and he somehow falsified records enough to hide that he never met Hero. He's been spying on the PRT and all of us for months." She took a deep breath and moved on before anyone could speak up. "We need to lay a trap so that Decoy can find who he's relaying his info to. Cause, apparently, he can speak to people with his power and only they'll hear him. We need to convince him, without going to him or tipping him off, that there's something so important he needs to relay it immediately. Once Decoy confirms who he's relaying to we need to move in to take him into custody before he can tell his contact that he's being busted."

With her piece said she looked at her cup, a sad look on her face. "We can't let him get away with this betrayal. I know I haven't been the best teammate to most of you, but I know I can count on you all today. I think that if we pretend we're going after Patriarch, that we know where he is, and we found out somehow that it'll work. Especially if Elliot plays the center piece."