[IC] The City of Treaft (Superhero Thread- Always Accepting)

[1Hawkeyes]

Agent, also known as Ally Estrada when not in costume, was on her way home. She found the easiest way to get to her apartment after hero work was going roof-to-roof. Tonight wasn't so bad, she caught a couple muggers, nothing too special, and got a dog out of the street. Overall it wasn't a busy night and she was glad. It really made Agent feel like she was making a difference.

Once she reached her apartment building, the super powered woman hopped down onto the fire escape. It would be a littler harder for anyone to see her in the night since her costume was dark red and black. She looked around for anyone who could be looking, but the room was so high up it would be hard to see her from the street. Agent slipped through the window and went inside.

Immediately the woman began to get out of costume and go to PJs. Once changed, she remembered that she needed to check her mail. She went down to the mailslots and opened hers. Inside were mainly bills, but one letter interested her. Her nails tore it open and she read it while climbing up the stairs.

Dear Ally Estrada, Agent, it read, a group of people obtaining abilities similar to you will be meeting together at the warehouse on 10393 Stewart and Grey Avenue. You have been invited to join a team of vigilantes, of heroes. The meeting will be held October 15 at 11:00 PM.

Ally looked at her watch. It was already 10:00. She raced up the rest of the stairs and changed back into costume.

[Crossfire]

October 14th
11:52 P.M.
Northern Lights Hotel
3105 Westsmith Lane
Treaft

Adam Tarrant marched down the hallway towards his hotel room, flanked by similarly well-dressed guards. He was an ambassador of sorts from a tech magnate who was looking to invest in a local up-and-coming company called Vigilance Security Solutions, their scheduled meeting had gone well, if not a little late. Adam felt that his employer had rather over-committed to his well-being, though he could understand where they were coming from, he did have access to an obscene amount of his boss's money. He reached his room and bid goodnight to the bodyguards, who were stationed in the 3 rooms immediately surrounding him. He eased the door open after hearing the beep of the key card being accepted and went inside, shrugging his suit jacket off as he went and tossing it towards the desk chair, the silver buttons catching a slight glare off the light of the bedside lamp. Wait a minute, he hadn't left the light on... Adam reached carefully towards the drawer in front of him where he had stashed a gun.

"Don't bother, I already found it" a barely audible voice growled from the bed "Wouldn't help anyway. Turn around"

Adam held his hands aloft as he spun in place to face the intruder. He was seated comfortably on the bed, jet black sawed off shotgun in hand. Middle-aged, decked out all in black, except for a white skull seemingly spray painted onto his shirt. The attire jogged something in his memory, like something he had read absentmindedly and half-forgotten, then it clicked.
"You're that vigilante then, The Reaper?"

"If that's what they call me, I guess so" Reaper growled "but we're here to talk about you Mr. Tarrant"
"I haven't done anything"
"That's what the guilty ones say. Take a seat at the desk, and take out the notepad and pen in the drawer"
Tarrant did as Reaper commanded, but that didn't stop him from talking.
"You're making a mistake. I'm an investment broker, not a... some kind of... gangster, or something"
Reaper stood and re-positioned himself to sit on the end of the bed.
"I don't make mistakes, and I know exactly who you are. Now, you're gonna write down everything you know about Vigilance Security"
"What? I don't..."
"First warning" Reaper cut in "If you lie again, I cut out your tongue. I want the names of everyone you met, the nature of their business as they described it, and any other information that happens to float up in your mind"
"I just don't see why you want me, I don't work for them"
"I'm gonna let that one slide, because clearly you have no idea who you really work for. Or maybe you do. Either way, get writing. Or do I have to get violent?"

The next couple of minutes were silent except for the scratches of pen on paper.
"Ok" Tarrant said holding up the notepad "That's everything"
Reaper ripped off the page and folded it before slipping it into a pocket.
"Thank you Adam. Now there's one other thing to deal with. Part of it has to do with the bodyguards stationed in the rooms around us, and the other has to do with September 17th. 8 years ago"
"What!? No!"
"Honesty suits you better scum. You know I can't just let you walk away from this. That girl had a family, so did I once. Stand up and face me like a man"

He was shaking, tears started to form in his eyes.
"Please, you don't have to."
"Oh but I do Adam. You understand right, it's all strictly business. I promise you, it'll be less painful than what you did to her."
Before Tarrant could object further, Reaper pulled the trigger, letting loose a loud blast of buckshot straight into the man's chest. Tarrant fell with a wet smack, already long dead before his corpse had dropped. Reaper racked the shotgun and moved quickly, already he could hear the sounds of the men moving all around him, mobilizing into action. He pulled on a balaclava as he stepped into the bathroom and stood in the dark, Adam's pistol in hand.

October 15th
12:09 A.M.
Northern Lights Hotel
3105 Westsmith Lane
Treaft

Reaper pushed open the door leading to the back alley, allowing the glow of a nearby streetlight to bathe over his blood-soaked face and clothing. He could hear the sirens getting closer, no time to lose. He moved to the car he had procured for this mission, kicked the engine into gear and tore off into the night, hoping the police of the city would be competent enough to find the manila envelope he had left on the bed containing copies of the evidence against Tarrant and a short listing of atrocities committed by certain members of the bodyguard squad, who were lying helplessly on the hotel floor with blood pouring out of their freshly shot kneecaps.

Back at base, Castle began settling down for the night, after unloading and storing both the shotgun and the newly acquired pistol, then a quick shower and change of clothes later and he was in his usual perch at the worn down desk his out-of-date computer sat on. Closing out his intel file on Tarrant, he noticed an unmarked message, sitting innocuously on his desktop.

The warehouse on 10393 Stewart and Grey Avenue. October 15 at 11:00 PM.

Thinking it to be another intel drop from one of his sources, he pulled up a map of the city and found the location, marking possible sniper nests, ambush points, and escape routes. He fully intended to be there in time to do a full recon of the place before whatever was to happen.

[KatherinWinter]

Zack loved his live for the most part. He had a job hw loged. Two technically. One paid and the other one didnt. He didnt mind. He had enough to be comfortable. He started the day by doing some parkour through the city. He thought that parkour was a good way for him to stay agile. He needed that for his nonpayment job.

He made his way through town listening for trouble. The city had alot of crime. He did his best to help as many people as he could. He wanted to protect other's. He had failed once. He would not allow himself to fail again. He would protect and help as much as he was capable of.

[1Hawkeyes]

Agent peeked out of the fire escape, making sure no one else was out before she climbed out of her window. She raced up the stairs until she reached the roof. It was a long way down if she missed any drops, but Agent did her best to keep that from phasing her.

The woman was about seven very from the edge to get a slight running start and leaped across. She easily landed on the next roof and continued this until she was across town and on a ten story skyscraper above the warehouse. She hooked the end of her grappling hook gun to a sturdy piece of metal and let it lower her until she was dangling at the second story, a little higher than the warehouse roof. Her heels dug into the side of the skyscraper and she pushed herself hard, allowing the grapple to detach from the building, and landed on the warehouse.

Assuming any of the doors were locked because this was probably a secret meeting, Agent dropped through a broken skylight.

There were a few old oil lamps lighting up the dim building. In the center was an old, chipped table. Each chair had a hero's name carved into the back. Agent found hers and patiently waited. Her watch told her it was only 10:48. Just be patient, she thought, leaning back in the chair.

[KatherinWinter]

Zackk spent the day doing his usual stuff. He painted a mural for a new doctor's office. He took his time wanting to get it just right. He was very particular about his painting. He wanted every piece to be perfect. After spending the day of working he headed home to shower and change.

He planned to go out and patrol. His plan changed when he saw the letter:
Dear Zack Campbell, Techno, it read, a group of people obtaining abilities similar to you will be meeting together at the warehouse on 10393 Stewart and Grey Avenue. You have been invited to join a team of vigilantes, of heroes. The meeting will be held October 15 at 11:00 PM.

The letter worried him. Someone knew who and what he was. He didnt know if this person was friend or foe. He would have to check it out and see. He would hve to be prepared. Luckily his power was very useful when it came to spying.

[Crossfire]

Reaper arrived at the warehouse around 9PM to find the entire location abandoned. He made a full loop around the perimeter, checking every dark corner for any trace of the reason he'd been summoned, but there was nothing. All entrances were locked, and there were no easy ways onto the roof, so he sat back in the van and waited, eyes on constant surveillance for any sign of movement. His hands kept busy by pulling apart and reassembling the pistols he had brought.

Nearly 11. 15 minutes prior to be exact, his eye was drawn to the slight shadow of motion above the warehouse. A figure was being lowered onto the roof on some kind of cable.
'Wouldn't send me all the way out here to deal with a minor break and enter' he thought as he loaded the pistols and checked the safety 'Better get in for a closer look.'

Out of the van, Castle made his way up to one of the side entrances. He took out his knife and began to fiddle with the locks. It took a minute or two, but he finally heard the click of it giving way. He eased the door open gingerly, then slipped inside. He cautiously walked down the hallway, and peered around a corner to get his first look at the main room. Oil lamps gave light to the dark and dusty warehouse. At the center of the room was an old table, lined with rickety chairs, one of which were occupied. Female, young. Castle put his hand on his holstered gun and stepped inside.

"Ok, talk. Who are you and why did you call me here?"

[Simple Unicycle]

Phantom's Journal, October 15th, [YEAR REDACTED], Entry #1

Found a dog carcass in the alley last night. Rats and roaches and flies swarmed around it, defiling it. Reminds me of this city. A once great place, corroded and swarmed by all the low-life scum with their drugs and murder and pornography. The streets are extended gutters, and the gutters are filled with blood. When the drains finally scab over and all the vermin drown, they'll look up and shout "save us!"

And I'll look down and whisper "no."

Closing his journal shut and stuffing it and the pen into his coat pocket, Phantom stood from his crouching position and looked on at the city of Treaft. It disgusted him. One of these days, someone will clean this place up. That someday will be no time soon. Until it comes, he's trying to clean up as much as he can.

He heard a scream nearby. Straightening his fedora, he broke into a sprint, leaped across a three meter gap to another rooftop, then, when he reached the edge of that roof, kneeled down and looked into the alley below. A mugging in progress. Two guys ganging up on a woman. And, if things go their way, it's more than likely they'll rape her.

That's not going to happen on his watch.

Phantom pulled out his grappling hook, then took aim at the fire escape on the other roof. He fired, and the hook wrapped around the railing. Making sure it was secured, Phantom then let it pull him across the gap. After clearing it, he retracted the hook and walked down the fire escape as quietly as possible. He dropped down onto the ground without a sound, then looked over at the two men.

"Gentlemen." He said, before darting into the cover of a barrel as the men looked around in confusion. When they weren't looking, he darted to another bit of cover, a dumpster, getting closer to them. Picking up a brick, he chucked it down the other end of the alley. When the thugs were looking away towards the sound of the brick, he slowly walked up behind them, looking to their victim and putting a finger up to his lips.

Then, he grabbed both of their heads and slammed them together, hard enough to probably cause a concussion. He quickly broke the arms of one of the thugs, then stomped on the knees of the other. As the woman screamed in terror and ran, Phantom beat down on the incapacitated thugs until they were bloodied and bruised and nearly dead. Normally he'd keep going until they were dead, but he felt merciful that night. He pulled a small card out of his pocket, which had his symbol on it: a smiley face. Quickly, he turned and ran away.

Phantom then walked to the post office. It was closed at this time of night, being 3 in the morning, but he had a way of getting inside. That meant grabbing a nearby pot and throwing it at the window, breaking it open and stepping inside, ignoring the alarm. He then went to his PO box, and leafed through the letters inside. He found one that caught his interest, talking about a team of vigilantes forming, and to meet at a warehouse. It gave him an address, a time and a day. 11 PM, October 15th. That was 18 hours from now. He had time.

Phantom's Journal, October 15th, [YEAR REDACTED], Entry #2

Going to this warehouse. Team of vigilantes, apparently. Maybe they can help me clean up this city. If not, then I can always go back to a solo career. And if this a trap set up by Polybius, then I can fight him off. Always have. Maybe this time I'll kill the bastard.

Leaving now. If there are no more entries after this, I've been killed. If that happens, then, to whoever finds this: burn this book.

Phantom closes the book and stuffs it and the pen into his pocket. He stood from his crouching position, and looked down at the warehouse. Time to find out who this person was that sent him the letter. He climbed down the fire escape and walked to the building silently, sticking to cover and the shadows. No need to alert anyone to his presence.

As he slipped inside, he saw a man that was undoubtedly several years his senior. Big guy, wearing combat armor, and has quite a few guns on his person. He also saw a young woman there, maybe a few years younger than he was. He cleared his throat. "I got the letter. Whoever wrote it can tell me what this is about."

[1Hawkeyes]

Agent was barely able to hear the door open, thanks to her heightened senses. She prepared for both an attack and a friend. When a tall, built man entered, she naively assumed he was a friend and stood to greet him. At his sharp questioning, Agent slowly held both of her hands up. "I'm just as lost as you. I got a letter telling me about people wanting me to join a team of heroes. Are you part of the team?" Then she turned her head to see another man, "I didn't write it." The situation felt hostile and she wondered whether coming was a good idea or not. Both of these men seemed armed and even though she had pain resistance, she wasn't bullet-proof.

"Why don't we all just take a seat and wait for the chairs to fill up?" The woman kept her hands raised and slowly lowered back into the seat with Agent carved into the back. She lowered her hands to her lap where her belt was easily accessible. She didn't have any weapons that were intentionally lethal, just stuff to stun and let her escape. "What did your letters say?"

[Crossfire]

Reaper released his grip on the holstered gun, he wouldn't need it. He recognized the two costumed heroes from the news reports, composite sketches from the police, and tabloid photographs. Until now he had stayed clear of their areas of the city, unless he had a good reason to, and they stayed clear of his. He scoffed slightly at the situation.

'Kids playing in a sandbox they shouldn't'

Noting a chair with "Reaper" carved into it on the end, he marched over and sat.
"Just the address and time. I thought it was an intel drop. Wasn't expecting to find this"

[1Hawkeyes]

"I guess in a way you could call this intel, but more like intel for a group," Agent said, trying to make their situation sound better. "So you weren't part of any team before this?" She recognized him as Reaper, but it was hard to get any information on him since the news reporters had a hard time catching him. Heck, she didn't even know if he had powers or not.

[KatherinWinter]

@Crossfire@1Hawkeyes@Simple Unicycle

Zack arrived late. Or atleast he appeared to have arrived late. He had planned it that way. He wanted to see who showed up. There were two other men and an woman. He didn't think any of them were a serious threat. He might not be strong but he had the world at his fingertips. Almost literally. There was very little today that didn't have some sort of technology he could manipulate. He slowly made his way into the building. He tapped into all the electronic devices in the area to give him as much information as possible. He didn't like spying but sometimes it was necessary. "Hello. Looks like I wasn't the only one to get an odd letter. Anyone know who's in charge?

[1Hawkeyes]

"So you don't know anything either then?" Agent concluded, shaking her head. "None of us are in charge, we all have no idea who sent these letters or what's going on. My letter said something about us forming a team. What did yours say?" He didn't look very familiar, almost like your average Joe. She wondered who his hero persona was.

@KatherinWinter

[KatherinWinter]

@1Hawkeyes
Zack shrugged. So one no knew what was going on? That didnt seem likely to him. Either someone was lying or someone was working them. The question was why. What did the person want to accomplish. It could be getting them together to make them a team. Or it could be to get them together to destroy them. He would have to be cautious so he wasnt taken off guard. "I am afraid that mine wasnt much more informative then yours. Only that those interested would to here."

[1Hawkeyes]

"Those interested? So that means you guys are interested?" Agent asked the others broadly. She wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't interested in creating a hero team. In fact, the idea quite excited her. Fighting in a group was much better than fighting solo, at least in her mind. Teamwork makes the dream work, she recited in her mind.

[Crossfire]

@1Hawkeyes

"Heh, I've tried the whole team thing, didn't take to it" Reaper said just before another young man walked in.

'I rest my case' he thought.

"Well, if someone doesn't explain why I'm here soon, I'm out. I don't have time to babysit"

[KatherinWinter]

@1Hawkeyes
Zack shrugged. "I honestly haven't decided. I think it would be interesting. I have heard rumors of others but I have never seen them. I think it would depend on who they were and how they worked. I have a pretty strike code I stick to. I would not be willing to go against my beliefs just to be in such a group." He explained. He was determined to be the hero he wanted to be. Not someone else's idea of who he should be.

[Simple Unicycle]

"A team would help clean up the streets more than one hero. I'd be interested in joining," Phantom said, slowly walking up to a chair. It had 'Phantom' carved into it. He ran his finger across the name, then sat down in the chair. "But if I don't get answers, then I'm leaving. For all I know this could be a trap."

[1Hawkeyes]

"I agree with Phantom," Agent put in, "I've been noticing a few gangs popping up here and there. It'll be better taking them down in a team." Agent leaned back a bit in the chair and pondered an arguement for why they should form the team, why this wasn't a trap. "For the most part we've heard of each other on the news, right?" she asked, looking to the others, "Why would heroes set up other heroes? This isn't a football rivalry, this is about saving lives. This can't be a trap."

[KatherinWinter]

@Simple Unicycle

"It could be a trap. But I think that she is right. Heroes have no reason to set up each other up but villians would have alot of reasons to set this up. We have to keep that in mind. However since everyone here already know and admits that they are heroes of some sort maybe we should share some information. Someone already knows our names and identities so why dont we start there. I guess I will go first. My name is Zackary Campbell. I am a painter by day and Techno by night." Zack told them. He watched for reactions to his statement. Maybe one of them would give themselves away.

[King Tai]

October 15th
8:30 PM
2821 Kings Ave.

Coming home after helping close the meat shop, Solomon walked into his apartment, wearing his ear plugs, like he usually does to keep from taking too much input. Shill need to learn to control his hearing but it's a working process. Stretching a bit and looking at his phone to check the time before he'd suit up and rush out to beat some ass.

Before getting cleaned up, he forgot to check his mail as he went back to his mail box, looking through the junk mail, bills and then a letter that was not familiar as he went to open it while walking back to his apartment. He read through it as the letter had his name and whoever this was, knew where he lived and what he could do. with the address given, Solomon looked at the time, seeing he had time to get a shower and get suited up, Solomon was ready to head to this meeting place.

On the way, Solomon ran into a situation with the neighborhood pimp slapping around this woman and talking to these young teenage girls, explaining how he'd turn them out but that was before Solomon confronted the pimp and getting attacked, retaliated with 3 round house kick combos to put an end to the fight and scared off the entourage.

11:05 PM
Checking the time again, Solomon was officially late. Running towards the warehouse, finding it and looking around, Solomon removed his ear plug to listen in to anything suspicious. Listening to the conversations inside and listening for other things, he deduced that it was safe to go in as he walked into the are where the others were and spoke up.

"Don't worry...dis is legit...not a set up or a trap...didn't notice anything suspicious....so...I tink you all will be safe mon..." The man spoke with an Afro-Caribbean accent. walking in with his bo-staff strapped to his back with a hoodie on his head, he had his hands in his pockets and walked towards the chair with his name on it and eyed the three males and voluptuous female among them. He recognized two of them from the newspaper and more than likely heard of the others after listening to their conversation. "So...we gonna be a team ay? Never been in one but....sure..why not... there a team leader?" he asked "Oh....excuse me...Me name's Sound EFX" he said introducing himself.

@Simple Unicycle@KatherinWinter@1Hawkeyes@Crossfire