[IC] Masked

[Elle Santiago]

@Dark Light

When the Guild member finally swung by the airport and identified Levy, they were quick to stow her baggages in the trunk of the car. The woman who picked her up was a normal whose name was Amelia. When Levy entered the car, Amelia immediately drove out the airport and towards the city.

“So, what really is the problem here in Chicago?” Levy started, eyes lazily gazing at the passing surroundings. “Am I really needed or am I just here for show?”

“There are struggles between two factions: the Justice and the Obsidian.” She replied. “The Guild isn’t heavily invested with their fights and we only assist when they ask for it. After all, we wouldn’t want to step on some toes and gain an enemy instead of an ally.”

Levy hummed. “And, are we going to the Guild now?”

“Yes.” Amelia answered. “But it is only to show you your room and drop of your bags. After that, I am tasked to bring you to the site where the video was sent.”

Levy’s eyebrows rose. “Why?”

“I--well, according to your dossier, you have the ability to track people.”

“Um, I don’t?” Levy half-laughed, half-said. “I mean, I do, but I have to see them first in person. And I have limited range.”

Amelia shifted her gaze from the road to Levy for a short moment before she shrugged and focused on the drive ahead. “Well, it came from up high,” Levy resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “so we have to do it. We can just drive around the block and return, just to be safe. I’ll also request an edit on your file.”

“Fair enough.”

The rest of the ride was uneventful, with neither having anything to talk about. Before long, they’ve arrived at the Guild HQ.

[RBYDark]

@Gentlemanvaultboy

Sammy was about to shout down and ask if the guy would go already - maybe people would wander back and he could keep trying. Or throwing down bigger globs of poison. Either way, he didn't need this guy to hang around and either try taking care of the problem before Pyro and Witch arrived, or to keep everyone else away so the two didn't need to show up. Guy was looking for them too, but he could look elsewhere! This was Sammy's idea, and it was going to work! Just...not right away. And maybe not here. Ok, maybe Sammy could leave, but he'd have to walk all the way downstairs first and that didn't sound very fun. He'd probably want to go home after that or find somewhere to crash at, but that sounded like a waste of time too.

He then noticed the guy touching the people. What was he doing? Sammy lowered his hands to brace himself on the ledge of the building and lean forward for a better view. Lucky for him, there was no strong breeze or anything to knock him over. The guy was... moving people. Why? He already scared everyone away! What was going to happen? Or maybe he wanted in on Sammy's turf. Jeez, go into hiding for a while and now other people try playing Keep Away with wallets! First of all, he came up with that-

Ok, no, he was looking up now. And- and- Sammy's eyes widened as the guy cleared almost three stories in a single bound. What the-? Oh, this was going to end badly. Sammy pushed away from the ledge, trying to rebalance himself so he could run for the doorway back into the building. The guy didn't seem like one of them, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to hurt him! The guy was huge! Unluckily, just as Sammy felt the world straighten out before him, the guy swung over the ledge and landed in front of Sammy - between Sammy and the door back inside, more precisely.

"What'd you say?" he asked, curiously. "Am I one of what?"

Sammy gulped. Ok, guy looked big on the ground - but, up here, he easily had a foot over the short teenager. And definitely looked like he could pound Sammy flat if he tried fleeing. Sammy weighed his options - well, maybe he was more like Witch, fine playing around as long as Sammy tried playing nice. And he was looking for Pyro and Witch too...

"Uh, them. I... don't really know what they call themselves." Sammy shrugged. "Witch told me a little bit. They hunt for Powered people and... I dunno, drive them nuts?" She had been vague, but based on what little Sammy had seen, that sounded right enough. "She told me to hide. Said she and Pyro could handle it." His speech began to pick up. "But, well, I saw that video and Witch wasn't anywhere to be seen and I've seen Pyro, like, the only person she asks for help is Witch so unless it's all a trap, I wanna ask Witch what's going on!" He punctuated the river of words with a stomp of his sneaker on the rooftop. Putting it all out there too... it made it feel that much worse. Why WAS Witch missing from the video? Why was Pyro calling for help? And why hadn't either one shown up yet?

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

@RBYDark

An evil organization that went after superheros. A pair of superheros start investigating them. One of them releases a video calling for help, the other goes missing. Danny wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but that didn't mean he couldn't cut.

He reached out and put a steadying hand on the guys shoulder. "These bad guys probably have your friend Witch. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. So we should beat them up!"

Beating someone up was Danny's go to solution for a bad situation. A lot of people didn't think violence was the answer, but Danny knew for a fact that kicking in walls and punching a lot of things solved meth dealers, corrupt cops, cults, zombies, Melonheads, Goatmen, and the Jersey Devil. He reckoned it could probably solve these guys too.

"They want superpowers? We have superpowers. Lets go do superpowers, then when one of 'em tries to get us we'll turn around and get them! Make'em tell us where their hideout is. Then I'll go there, rescue your friend," he slammed his fist into his open palm for emphasis. "And knock it over. That way you won't have to worry about your other friend either. Everybody wins. Except them. They lose hard!"

[Eviledd1984]

@RBYDark

Ricky was running down the streets following Pyro and had not yet noticed the ongoing fight that he happened to stumble across, Standing now at the same street he was on looking on what was going on. "Eh..sorry must have bothered your little...get together.." He said his eyes moving form Sammy to the guy luckily he still had his mask on because usually after a kill he would take his mask off and go home but this chase was something he had to go after.

"So do you need a little help with this dance?...I can take the lead.." Il Corvo said in his deep voice which was of course changed to mask his real voice, Pulling out what looked like a Hatchet form his jacket pocket getting ready for some action. Looking over to the man and then to Sammy which made Ill Corvo walk back having a bit of regret form what he was doing with these two supers.

[RBYDark]

@Eviledd1984 @Gentlemanvaultboy

Even with Sammy's temporarily doured view, it was hard not to be at least mildly inspired by this guy's own enthusiasm, starting with the slightly-too-tough grip on Sammy's shoulder. Even with the out-loud confirmation of his own fears, this guy at least then offered a solution and help. He wasn't sure if this guy would be affected by these people he was supposed to hide from - though he could probably smash them into the ground with one hand. He seemed like that kind of guy. So, despite his own concerns, Sammy couldn't help but start smiling as West described the ultimate ideal: kicking these people's butts and making sure Witch was okay. Hopefully, she was still with Pyro and Sammy just hadn't been able to see her - it was still possible! - but if not, at least there was something to do to about it. "Yeah! I-" Well, Sammy knew he couldn't really punch. "I can do that!" Gosh, he was lucky that at least, since Pyro hadn't answered yet, it was this guy who had.

And then the meeting took a turn for the even weirder. That was saying a lot, considering Danny's appearance.

That boost of confidence began to evaporate as the strange masked man landed beside him. He didn't seem Obsidian, and he sure wasn't with Pyro. Sammy took a step back - and another as the guy drew what looked like a fairly sharp hatchet from his jacket. His gloves laid abandoned by the bag of gravel, and his hands were almost completely blue with poison. Even as the guy backed off, Sammy couldn't help but wonder where he was planning on using that hatchet. He swallowed.

"Um, we... aren't dancing. Really. We're planning on finding Witch. What're you doing here?" It seemed like the obvious place to start. He glanced at West, hoping the larger super might recognize the guy. Not like Sammy really kept up with things outside of Chicago.

[Eviledd1984]

@RBYDark

"Ah thought you two were going to have a shuffle or is that not happening...or am i wrong,I guess i can answer your question i am following the flying woman in the air..ya know her?" Ill Corvo said now producing a machete form the other side of his jacket pocket feeling the rushing of batting filling up his body.

He looked over to the two thinking of if he should or shouldn't put down his weapon but just to make sure he had his weapons still held, He didn't want to be blindsided by the other male.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

@Eviledd1984@RBYDark

"You saw a flying lady!?" Danny shouted. This bit of lucky news pushed every other thought out of his head, along with any apparent concern for this strange man with the very sharp, deadly looking weapons. "Wait..." Danny said to himself, a thought making the laborious journey across the vast empty space that is his mind. He turned back to the first guy. "Can your friends fly?" He had been looking up all day, under the assumption that for heroes flying was just the default. It hadn't occurred to him that he could just miss her on the ground. OR this guy could be talking about a bad guy. That was always a possibility.

"Hey." He said, turning back to the dangerous looking guy. "What did the flying lady look like?"

[Eviledd1984]

@Gentlemanvaultboy

"Well form what i could see she was on fire and was wearing some sort of super spandex suit" Ricky said letting both of his weapons rest to his sides seeing as they are not his enemy for the time being, "I had a hunch that something bad was going on..so i'm following her to see what the hell is going on?" He added darting his eyes back and forth to the two males in front of him. Their was something in the back of his head about what was going on even though he had yet to see the video of Pyro.

[Elle Santiago]

Well, Levy thought as she sat on the car’s passenger seat yet again after the tour with Chicago’s guild, that could’ve been faster. And, it really could. There was so much introduction from the other Supers and mutants that it wasn’t even funny anymore. All the names and faces were all jumbled into one pile labeled ‘Do not Care’. The genuine politeness she exuded earlier became a mask that soon crumbled as people approached her.

Thankfully, Levy didn’t make quite a mess such as throwing curses at people without any of them knowing. It happened at times when her patience was at its thinnest and it promptly snapped. The calm that her ghost-friend exuded was a godsend, really. Keeps her in check when her temper’s high. It was disappointing, though, that her supposed friend, Kain, wasn’t there to meet with her.

Perhaps he was just all talk, after all. Or a dead body. He did request for her help for some reason that made him talk to her. As the driver’s side door opened and Amelia got in, she revved the engine, the two of them heading towards the site where the video was uploaded. Levy was hoping that nothing will happen so she could rest and deal with the Pyro thing tomorrow.

[auspiciousPetal]

@Eviledd1984@Gentlemanvaultboy@RBYDark

Sally's reaction was immediate. She spun on her heels, one leg lifting and swinging as she turned. Her heel swung at head height before returning to the ground after she completed her spin. She wasn't quite sure if she had hot him, desensitized as she always was when fighting, but she didn't give herself time to find out. Her primary goal was finding those who she had called. After a moment, she corrected herself. Her first goal should be to locate the one Power she knew hadn't been captured by Sulfur's gang; Sammy.

The kid might be a menace of great proportions, though harmless due to his nonlethal attitude, but he was still a decent asset. Without waiting to see if the person she had swung at was alright, or even conscious, she did a back flip off the building, diving upside down into the air a few dozen feet before lighting up the air currents and taking off in search off the impish kid. Man, did she have a lot to tell him. He was probably worried to death about where Witch was. He might even be looking for her, odd thought that it was.

Her thoughts drifted a bit as she searched the ground for his head of black tangles. Well, for whatever neon clothing he happened to be wearing for the day. Her thoughts drifted to the Justice hero's who had been taken from the surrounding cities. The reason she had called for help in the first place; every single one of the hero's that she and Witch knew in the surrounding areas were missing. And they knew a lot of people. As far out as South Beloit, Powers were missing. And now that she knew what had happened to them, after so many weeks, she could finally get to work on fixing it.

Out of the corner of her eye, just as she was turning to search a different part of town, she saw him. Him and... What.. What was that? She quickly did a tunnel roll in the air before allowing herself to spiral toward the ground. As she got closer, she could begin to hear some of the conversation. She gave a small snort as she halted herself silently about ten feet above the three Powers in the street. How lucky for her that they were already gathering together.

"I wasn't on fire. What you saw was the super heated air current that I use to fly and float. I can set myself on fire if you'd like, but I'm kind of fond of my hair." Without waiting for a response, or likely ignoring any given, she allowed herself to land just in front of the small group, her eyes taking in the two newcomers briefly before flickering to Sammy. "Didn't Witch ever elaborate on the dangers of talking to strangers?"

[Eviledd1984]

@auspiciousPetal

"Oh your the flying fire chick...i guess ya can say i'm a stranger since ya don't know me...although i thought ya super's would at least know about Ill Crovo..." The crow masked hero shrugged his shoulder like this matter meant nothing for him. Keeping his hatchet and machete close to him he would speak up again for a question to ask.

"So what now?" He then asked looking over to the person she was looking at.

[RBYDark]

Fly? Heck yeah, Pyro could fly. Sammy was pretty sure Witch could too. Big reason why Sammy had been looking to the skies before giving up and going to Operation Gravel Drop. Which, he guessed, kinda had worked, but Pyro and Witch were still missing. So hadn't worked, really. But he had tried his best! Maybe he should resume while these two talked it out, especially since the new guy's description didn't quite make sense so maybe he hadn't seen either one of them after all. Just, you know, in case the big guy was wrong and Pyro and Witch were both still out there and could come explain what was going on. He still wasn't sure why the other guy assumed a fight was going to go down. Because they had powers? ....granted, it was possible. He got into fights with other Powers over the dumbest things sometimes. Some of them just didn't have a sense of humor.

Then, there was heat. Sammy glanced down for signs of fire before remembering to look up - and lo and behold, there she floated. The reason he was bothering to come out of hiding. Half the reason. Correcting the new guy on her powers and then landing. Great, great- right, gloves. Sammy bent down to pick up the gloves he had removed and took a second to hold them wrist-down. The poisoned ooze landed with a wet splat. Good thing everyone here was wearing shoes, he thought as he pulled the gloves back on. Though, hey, there was a new joke idea. Sammy made a mental note to visit the public pool once things got better again.

Oh, his turn? Yup, his turn. Strangers. "Well, not me, usually the people who were talking to me?" Maybe she had. Sammy did try to pay attention but, jeez, some days, there was just some really cool-looking beetle flying overhead. Or someone was walking by talking about a really good hot dog they just bought down the road. And then Pyro or Witch would be looking at him sternly and he'd realize, oh yeah, she was saying something, wasn't she? Safer to just nod half the time, or at least wait until there was a bit of distance to say, yup, totally distracted.

"But, hey, I was looking for you, and I found you!" Kinda. Maybe she had heard the reports. Speaking of, he glanced at the still paralyzed-to-unconscious people. "I found them that way. But yeah, saw the video, and-" He hesitated. West had played it up as an easy task, if Witch had gotten grabbed after all. But seeing Pyro alone made that confidence waver. They were usually together - and with what Witch had been saying, she wouldn't have sent Pyro off alone, right? "....well, uh- where's Witch? I...didn't see her with you."

[auspiciousPetal]

@RBYDark@Eviledd1984@Gentlemanvaultboy

Pyro's face fell suddenly into a look of pain, her eyes dropping from Sammy's after a moment and flickering to Ill Crovo. "Sammy.. It would be best to wait until we've gotten somewhere safer. I'm going to take all of you back to the safe house before I explain anything. Just... Be prepared. The news isn't good, kid."

She looked back over to him for a moment before glancing at the unconscious people, as though his words had just finally caught to her. "And we'll talk about that when we aren't all in mortal peril." With that she turned to glance over the third member of the little group, whom she had yet to address. Sally had seen many, many different Supers and Mutants. This one was unique. Far too unique for words. She crossed her arms and tried her hardest not to frown at him.

"And... You are...?" She looked up at him, her eyes hard. She always reserved judgement about people until after she had conversed with them at least once. She would decide after whether they were trustworthy or not.

[Eviledd1984]

@auspiciousPetal

"So are we not leaving to safety?Why are we standing around here for.." Ill Crovo said softly keeping his blades at the ready if needed, He wasn't much to being all nice with people when he wanted to do something he does it. "So did anyone follow you? Why the hell were you being chased?" He said of course asking these questions to get to know the situation better and because he had not seen the video yet.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

"I hope someone followed her. That was the plan until she showed up, after all." Danny said with a big dopey smile. Right now the plan was really coming together. They'd completed a step he hadn't even thought of yet by finding Pyro before they caught a bad guy and made him guide them to his base. Now that she was here they could probably get this all sorted out by dinner.

He tromped out to Pryo and jutted out one enormousness hand. "I'm Frankenstein, nice to meetcha. I've been looking for you all day. I saw your video so I decided to head up this way. Tell me who you need punched and I'll punch 'em." He said, raising his other arm into a fist. Then his expression softened. "Oh yeah, you okay? You sounded pretty frantic on there."

[RBYDark]

@auspiciousPetal

"....oh." That was all Sammy could manage at first. As the other two spoke, Sammy's mind drifted. He knew he wasn't the brightest bulb in the shop. There was a lot about the world that left him confused. Like he'd be doing something fun and then get told it was wrong. Or that he had to grow up. Or he was hurting people when, no? He really couldn't. He just played pranks, whatever happened next wasn't really his fault. He'd been told there was something wrong with the way he acted, and he just really didn't get it. After all, wasn't it only wrong if you hurt people?

He was smart enough to be able to make some distinctions, though. Like threatening people to see them run wasn't a prank, and someone telling you to brace yourself for bad news meant it was really, really bad news. Maybe Witch was captured, and then Frankenstein - ah, that was his name, Sammy was sure he's probably lose it in the next 30 minutes since it was kinda long and the first time he'd ever heard it, but it was good to know - would get to enact his plan of punching people.

Then again, Witch never told him why he needed to go into hiding exactly - what they did with the Powered people. Just to stay safe because, yeah, not the brightest bulb. He'd had his sense of self-preservation repeatedly questioned over the years, and a few overreacting cops and people made even him question it once or twice. So of course she had to tell him.

"...oh no." Some color drained from his face, and the bright blue irises of his eyes stood out in starker contrast.

But what if Frankenstein's plan wouldn't work, because Witch couldn't be saved anymore?

He could be dumb about things like pain and love and staying alive. He wasn't the dumbest about death, though.

[Elle Santiago]

@RBYDark@Gentlemanvaultboy@Eviledd1984@auspiciousPetal

The moment they saw the fiery streak in the sky, the car immediately swerved and turned the corner, intent on following Pyro. When they saw her land on top of a building, Levy exited the car, a feeling of apprehension entering her as she saw how high the building was. Her eyes landed on a fire escape ladder, marking it as Plan B. If there was an elevator inside that building, she’d use that first.

Jogging up front, Levy’s gaze was firmly glued towards the pile of human bodies. From the lack of secretion and their odor, she tagged the pile as living, for now. Checking to see the rooftop if there were hostiles, which didn’t have one, she went closer to the scene, finding some pebbles coated with something. Deciding against touching them, she stood up, jogged back to the car, and told Amelia to call an ambulance to help the pile of unconscious humans on the street.

When she saw Amelia reach for her phone, Levy started to walk up the fire escape ladder, seeing the entrance for the building was barricaded by unconscious people. The ladder creaked, filling her with fear that any time now, she’d fall and die. A bit morbid, yes, but she did always have a fear with heights. It had been lowered due to exposure to heights with the vigilante thing she had going on, but she still held that fear.

Sweaty hand gripped the railing of the ladder, knees feeling weak as she glanced down. The annoying but rhythmic chirping of a bird on the rooftop caught her attention, making her move again. Once reaching the rooftop, she pulled out her golden mask and attached it to her face, patting her jacket and jeans to rid off the dust.

Her eyes found a collection of interesting people, eyes gravitating towards Pyro before spreading over yet again to the tall blue man, a guy with a crow mask with sharp weapons, and a guy with colorful clothes. The fact that they weren’t fighting was a good thing on her books, making her approach them.

Of course, the fact that there was a sharp weapon casually displayed made her unnerved, making her ready a nightmare spell. Against the backdrop of an evening sky, the aura of black and blue mildly seeping out of her jacket’s pockets where her hands were placed made an easy cover for it. Steering clear of the person with the crow mask and stepping near to Pyro’s side of the roof, Levy spoke.

“Someone mind telling me what’s the big deal on Chicago and why there’s a pile of unconscious humans in front of this building?”

[Eviledd1984]

@Elle Santiago

"And who the hell are you?" Ill Crovo spoke looking to the new person now moving his weapons close to him just in case she tries to attack him, He wondered if he was some sort of hot spot for supers who are stumbling by. "Damn it why the hell are their so many of these bastards around" The masked man said shaking his head on what was going on.

The new woman who came in here thinking to himself that he should be careful around her, He had a bad feeling about this situations.

[Elle Santiago]

@Eviledd1984@auspiciousPetal

“Shaman from the Guild faction.” Levy answered, feeling exasperation seeping in her bones. Introductions were always a pain in the ass. “They sent me here to investigate what’s going on in Chicago.” She turned her head towards Pyro. “Preferably, to hear it from the source. The Guild’s in the dark and they want to help, extending an olive branch, so to speak.”

[auspiciousPetal]

In order, she quickly responded to the growing cue of questions. First to I'll Crovo, "I wasn't being chased here. We're safe for the moment, but we shouldn't linger." She then replied to Frankenstein while shaking his hand, "I'm alright. My friends aren't. I'll tell you guys all about it when we get back to the hideout."

She opened her mouth to further elaborate, but a small shiver passed down her spin that stopped her. Though her reassurance that they were alright out here, in the open on the roof, she knew they needed to get back to the hideout quickly. It was dangerous for any Powers to be out in the open. The Obsidian crew had been running rampant, and she couldn't singlehandedly control them anymore.

"... Oh no."

She turned to face Sammy, noticing his paling skin. She felt pity for the poor boy. She knew that Witch had done her best to steer him into a better use of his powers, and that she had essentially treated him like her younger brother. He was probably silently thinking of all the things that could have happened to her. She started to step toward him, but a voice piqued up off to the side of the building. She spun on her heels, her hands blazing slightly as she readied to strike. She paused, however, as she took in the woman's words and watched the small exchange between her and Ill Crovo. She was going to have to speak to that man later. He was far exceeding his authority in her city.

To Shaman, she replied with a tilt of her head, "Why don't you come with us. We really shouldn't stay here longer than is necessary. Obsidian has been growing. I won't risk your lives before you know why I'm asking you to." She rose slightly into the air on her current, the air licking out at the Powers around her as if to greet them. It was as hot as summer despite the autumn chill that the night brought.

In a moment of lapse, she turned to her left, where Witch normally would float, to ask her to telepathically implant a sense of where the hideout was before remembering. She ended up frowning to herself before dropping back down. "I'll have to give you all instructions on how to get there, if you to not think you have the ability to keep up with me."