[IC] Unlikely Heroes

[Lady Seraphina]

Ryver et Rhine (Dear Karma)

Callie Wright

Cal covered her mouth with her free hand as she lowered the gun. Her blue eyes were opened to their widest and a strangled cry escaped her throat. She actually succeeded in hitting the poor man. Oh god! She’s such a terrible person. If she had miscalculated, she could have killed him or one of the others. Oh god oh god oh god! The poor airhostess wanted to toss the gun away when her inner voice reminded her about their predicament. Having a gun guaranteed their safety.

Tie him up? Time?

The blonde woman struggled to comprehend what the injured fed was saying. She hesitated and brought the gun close to her chest. Tears leaked down the corners of her eyes as her fear and guilt overwhelmed her. Only when Vida came to did Cal snap out of her self-pity. Swiftly she placed the gun on the ground then hobbled towards Vida. She dropped to her knees and wrapped an arm round the other. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. Tell me if you’re hurt.”

Luckily for the two women, JC was still in shock, or rather that’s what Cal deduced as she observed the poor man clutching his head and quite literally pulling his hair. The mania didn’t last long before he soon appeared to go very quiet. Worriedly the usually upbeat lady egged Vida to move back. The further they were from this man the better she’ll feel.

[Lady Seraphina]

Kirra

Jenna Baxter

"Oh crap." Jenna said wide eyed as the man yelled out in pain before crumpling to the ground lifeless. "Did...did you kill him?" Jenna said with worry as she crept towards the man, keeping just far enough away from Pat so that she was a little over an arm's length away from him in case there was some sort of residual effects of his power that could harm her as well. Crouching down besides the man Jenna gave a sigh of relief as she turned towards Pat. "He only passed out."

Standing up, Jenna paused for a moment as she listened to what the federal agent was saying. It was true, they needed to get out of there soon. It was time to gather everyone together and see if they can get the card back, if it was even worth it at this point. Looking around at the others as she did a quick head count, avoiding looking towards Vida and Cal for too long with the suspicious that their fight did't fare as well and cleanly as hers did. However something didn't add up. "Pat I think we are missing someone." Jenna said with a tone of worry in her voice. She knew there were seven people on the bus. "Christian isn't here. With him being in a new city as well as him not being able to see will he be okay?" With concern written on her face she took another scan at everyone as she walked towards Ester. "Crap, Sam is missing too." She said after noticing the fist time that she counted Tom in her headcount. "Did you see what happened to either of them?" Jenna said directing her question to both Pat and Ester.

"Oh god, what happened to you!" Jenna said panicking as she noticed that Ester was bleeding, too preoccupied to see her injury when she first walked towards the woman. "Maybe they have something inside that we can use to stop the bleeding."

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Samantha Cole

He flashed a smile and snuffed his pipe. As he spoke, he worked to replace the ashes with fresh tobacco from a small, ornate box from within his breast pocket. From the available sounds, it became apparent that this little trinket was not something one could pick up from the corner market.

"Responding to my question with another question," he said, stuffing the tobacco into the pipe. "To buy time to think of a lie. I like it."

The familiar sounds and smells of another lit pipe permeated their private meeting place once again. He considered using Sam as a method for prying more information out of Christian, but decided that honesty was the best policy. After all, he had to have something to lose in negotiation, if it came to that.

"She's here." He said quietly, after a short puff. "Not much for conversation yet, but then she is unconscious. I'm afraid Mr. Walker was a bit overzealous in acquiring you two. She'll wake up soon enough, though."

There were more footsteps. From the space between footfalls, and their volume, it could be surmised that these belonged to the same man. It was difficult to say for certain, due to the echo, but it sounded like he had come around to the back side of their chairs. The footsteps changed as they hit the plastic sheeting, and a new sound began as they stopped; the sound of long hair through fingers.

"She's a pretty one," he continued in that same deadly-serious tone. "And if I get what I want, she'll stay that way. Hell, I'll even promise not to come after you. My word as a businessman."

"So, I ask you again: What do you know?"

[Lady Seraphina]

ArcanicNeon (ReganOs)

Ester Gardner

Ester looked down at Her hip, a medium sized blood stain on her shirt. 'Oh. Jenna, Jenna it's just a graze. I'm fine.' She said, walking towards her and placing her hands on her shoulders. 'It's nothing. It's just a graze. There are worse places he could of shot me.' Ester said reassuringly. Even though she remained her calm demeanor, inside she was freaking out. She was almost shot in the hip, and she noticed how the blood was still going. Was it deep enough to leave a scar? while it would be cool to have one, Ester was still panicking at the fact she was shot at and received a graze. 'I think it's going to leave a scar. Maybe, Not sure. But son of a bitch this really hurts.' She admitted, grunting slightly. 'I'm not sure where Sam and Christian are.' She said, looking around while her hands were on Jenna's shoulders.

[Lady Seraphina]

Prince of Seraphs

Christian Tylers

Christian heard the sounds of something small clipping shut. It sounded wooden, older styled hinges, a bit creaky but with that sort of antique feel to the sound. Christian decided to hope that it wasn't a box full of small sharp knives that would soon be applied to his skin. A far more likely conclusion given the estimated size would be a tobacco box, or possible a cigar box Christian still wasn't completely sure what it was the man in the expensive suit was smoking.

Christian let out a slow shaky breath, the man had seen through what his question was intended to do. In another instant Christian heard another match being struck and quickly sucked in a breath as the smell of tobacco filled the air. He didn't really want to spent his final moments having an asthma attack.

Christian was relieved to hear that Sam was alright but at the same time he was worried. Between the two of them she was the tough one. Sure she seemed to have a great deal of emotional baggage but as far as survival skills went she trumped him every time. So if he was the one that had woken up first then she must have hit her head harder than he'd realized. She could have a concussion or else be bleeding severely.

While Christian contemplated there situation he tracked the man in the expensive suit's foot steps over the concrete, circling there chairs till he crossed onto the tarp that seemed to be laid out beneath them. He came to stop somewhere close behind there chairs, assuming of course that Sam's was set up right beside his.

When the man talked about the condition Sam was currently in he heard a soft swish sound, like too soft substances brushing against each other. It was the sound he traditionally heard in the morning while he was brushing his hair. Christian was left with the disturbing image of the man in the expensive suit running his fingers over Sam's hair, caressing her face. Christian shook the image off with a shudder. He still didn't know how to answer the man, what response would get them out alive but it was op to him. Sam was unconscious and even when she did wake up though she seemed to have more experience dealing with things like this she also a disturbing lack of social grace. She might know the right thing to say but more likely the way she said it would be enough to have them both put in the ground. Christian just needed to keep the man talking.

"Hypothetically," he said starting to form the questions, questions were best, in most people it was hard wired into them not to leave a question unanswered, whether they responded with the truth or not. Questions would at least for the moment keep them alive. "Let's say we were there by chance dumpster diving, isn't this meeting we're having now enough to have... what do you call them, your clean up crew take care of us?"

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

Vida had her sights completely locked on to her hands when she felt something touch her. Instantly her eyes wide with terror moved to Cal. The color of her face was drained, she looked worse than death. The warmth of Cal's hand sunk into her skin as a bitter reminder that she was awake and these events had happened. Everything was real. This is real. She snapped out of it and slapped Cal's hand away. She didn't want to hurt anyone else. Why was she cursed to have such a twisted ability? The others had powers that were less evil than hers, she was like an evil villain. Sliding back from Cal her eyes darted around until they settled on her jacket that had been tossed to the side. Slowly she stood up, her legs still shaken from before, and walked to her jacket.

Getting to her jacket she reached down and picked it up, not even bothering to dust it off she put in on. It was still to big for her. Thank God.. She thought has she slid her arms into the sleeves then zipped it up. The jacket swallowed her whole, it was comforting. She reached up and pulled the hood over her head, when it stopped it ended up covering most of her face. Keeping her hands in her sleeves she looked to Cal, she was calmer now. The jacket seemed like a security blanket, but she still didn't want anyone to touch her. "D-did I touch y-you?" She stuttered. Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked over Cal to make sure there were no injuries that looked like something she had done. She didn't see any, maybe they were hidden..

She looked around at the others finally. They were all still alive, she sighed in relief. She wanted to go home, curl up on her bed, and hold her cats. She wanted to close her eyes and wake up to her alarm going off telling her it was time for work. "I want to g-go back..." She said more to herself.

[Lady Seraphina]

Ryver et Rhine (Dear Karma)

Callie Wright

"Monsters… ha ha… monsters … I … Father forgive me… I have sinned. Never no more..."

Each subsequent word showed the extent of the mental trauma experienced by the poor man. He was babbling mess and hardly a threat anymore. Cal can’t help but dread thinking how long he'd take to recover – maybe a year or even a decade. She closed her eyes and blinked away her own tears. This whole thing was really too much. Why didn’t they leave when she suggested it? Why?

The sharp slap caused her to recoil. Her tear filled eyes stared dumbly as Vida backed away from her. More tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She pressed her own trembling hands against her lips and whimpered. However, the mix of self-pity, hurt, horror and shock ebbed away when she saw the other woman’s wide-eyed unwavering gaze. It reminded her of a hurt and frightened puppy. Callie chided herself and remained where she was. Clearly, Vida needed some space. Probably to get over the shock of everything. Gods! Cal, you are so selfish at times.

“Monster… mo-monsters all of them…”

"D-did I touch y-you?" asked Vida.

“Touch … monsters … they hide under your bed… they will kill. Kill us! Father, Lord Jesus …” JC rambled as he crabbed away. The whites of his eyes showing clearly as he began stuttering. His mouth worked in such a frenzy that spittle was dribbling down his chin.

“No… you didn’t…” Cal replied as she bit back her sob. She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand as she got to her feet. The air hostess was about to embrace Vida to reassure the trembling woman when the now depraved man shrieked.

“DON’T TOUCH HER!”

Cal pulled back and glared at him. “I don’t see why not. She’s scared and probably hurt. And stop calling her a monster… just stop. STOP!”

Her shrill shriek caused the man to cower. She crossed her arms across her chest. Really, calling Vida a monster was wrong and hurtful. Yes, the girl might have had an episode or something, but it (well to Cal at least) wasn’t Vida’s fault. When you marginalize someone like that, you only make things worse. Hesitantly, she reached out to Vida again and wrapped her arms tentatively around the other woman. “Don’t listen to him Vida. Just don’t. You’re none of you. You’re just you.”

She tried to make eye contact with some of the rest – wincing briefly when she saw Ester was bleeding – until she finally managed to get someone’s attention. Well, possibly two of them, she wasn’t quite sure. The only gentleman in their group and a girl with big, kind eyes. “Guys, can we get out of here?”

Something nagged at the back of her mind. They – the other three – looked like something was terribly wrong. She wasn’t quite sure what. Searching again, she realized they were two persons short. She blinked. Oh crap? They didn’t? Try as she might, Cal couldn’t convince herself that Sam and Christian were safe. After all, she certainly didn’t remember seeing them before running after this bunch in the alley. “H-hey? Are the other two okay? I mean. They didn’t come with us…?”

[Lady Seraphina]

dpickle

Patrick "Pat" Anderson

Pat wasn't sure what he was doing, but it seemed to be working. As soon as he had made contact with the man, his hand felt like water was dripping off of it. The man also started clutching his head he could assume he was experiencing a headache. Suddenly a bunch of pieces fell into place. The first few days after the bus accident he was causing people around him headaches as well, then it stopped for a few days and now it had started again. These different time divisions also happened to perfectly correlate with his migraines. At this point it was pretty obvious that the headache thing was his "power" and it was tied to his migraines. Figuring out that he could give other people headaches gave Pat a sort of weird, sadistic joy. As if there was some sort of karmatic justice in being able to get some benefit out of the migraines he'd suffered from for so long.

Leaving his unfortunate test subject behind, Pat got up and headed over to the girls with a bit of spring in his step. His mood was slightly damaged when he noticed Ester's injury and that Vida seemed to be a bit traumatized by the experience.

“Guys, can we get out of here? H-hey? Are the other two okay? I mean. They didn’t come with us…?”

Pat took a quick glance around and saw that Cal was correct, they were two men down. At this point it would be useless to worry about them, after all it was impossible that they were in a worse situation than they were just in.

"They probably ran off when the guns started firing. No point in trying to find them now, we'd just get lost. I say we try to get back to Wilson and the nice, safe, gloomy base. Unless, of course, you'd like to finish shopping first. Maybe with a tad less getting robbed this time."

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

The words the man on the ground said bit into her.

Monster. Monster... Monster.

She bit her lip holding back a whimper. She could feel that her body was trembling from the shock of her earlier actions. Everything about today was wrong, it was suppose to be a normal day. They were going to get supplies so that they could live and return. Why did everything have to turn out like this? Still the man's words echoes in her head. She already knew that she had been turned into a monster, maybe it had been for the best she had been social isolated.. maybe that was why she had this awful power.

“I don’t see why not. She’s scared and probably hurt. And stop calling her a monster… just stop. STOP!

She heard Cal defend her. She didn't actually know what to do at that point, so she reached up and pulled her hood down even more so that her face was completely hidden. She did not want anyone to see her face if she decided to cry. She was going to cry though, her hands hurt as the raw flesh touched the fabric and applied the pressure needed to pull on her hood. It was so painful. Then she felt the sudden pressure of Cal's arms around her. She wanted to push her away so that she couldn't hurt the woman.

“Don’t listen to him Vida. Just don’t. You’re none of you. You’re just you.”

Vida couldn't hold back her sobs anymore as she broke down in Cal's arms. Cal had managed to say one of the most important things to her. She wasn't a monster, she was just her. Just her. Just me. She couldn't stop herself from crying now that she had started. She really couldn't figure out why she was crying like she was. Was it because she was hurt or relieved? Was she scared to tears or beyond happy? All she knew was there was probably snot involved somewhere on her face.

The other two that were missing didn't register to her at the moment, she had mentally and physically had enough for now. She looked up at Pat tentatively. "I.. I would like t-to go back too." At least to the bus. She need some time to recover from what had happened. If these wounds were like the ones from last night she could heal quickly.

[Lady Seraphina]

Jenna Baxter

“Yes, yes that is true.” Jenna said nodding in response. She was still a bit concerned about Ester’s condition but compared to everything else that was going on, there were more concerning issues to worry about. The others were wanting to go back and she had to agree. Things have gotten out of hand compared to when they first started perusing the thief which led to injuries and causing others to disappear. The repressions that would follow once Wilson and Cameron heard of what happened was one thing she wasn’t looking forward to. Eight hundred dollars was nice sum of money and it was a shame that they would be leaving it behind but facing another person with a gun or who knows what else would be waiting for them but she knew it was one thing she wasn’t keen on facing.

“What the hell did you guys do!” A stern voice demanded as Josiah walked into the alleyway. “I specifically said not to stir up trouble but look what you’ve done. After the men you face yesterday do you think experimenting on these hooligans out in the open is wise? I thought that you all wouldn’t need a chaperone to babysit you all while you went shopping but I don’t know anymore.”

“Calm down Josiah. Can’t you see they’ve been through enough? You ought to listen to what they have to say before jumping at them for this. I doubt they would be beating up a group for the hell of it.” Although not filled with concerned induced anger such as Josiah, his concern for the situation at hand was present as he surveyed the scene.

“How did you find us so quickly?” Jenna asked with relief. Although a bit wary of the Reformers it was comforting to see someone she knew that would be able to handle a situation such as this.

Tapping his head before making his way towards the center of the group, Daniel responded. “Although I haven’t been able to pinpoint who was doing what, I knew something was going on when I sensed an extra surge of power coming from this vicinity. All we had to do is follow it to the source to find you all.”

“Do you think I should call Cameron? They could leak vital information about us.”

“Who would believe them Josiah?” Daniel said as he gave a pity glance towards JC. “Besides, the storm that Cameron would bring would be something I would rather avoid. Wilson can patch everyone up and we can leave things be.”

“You all have some explaining to do though. I’m not covering anyone’s ass until I know what happened.”

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Samantha Cole

Instinctively, the man in the suit took into consideration the Prisoner's Dilemma. Christian would be compelled to say any thing he could think of, if it would save his skin. He'd "interviewed" enough people to know that. The shudder when he heard his fingers through Sam's hair, the nervousness in his voice, the inability to provide a straightforward answer...they all combined to give their captor the answer he'd asked for. These two were no government agents; that was certain. But, then...that wasn't really why they were here.

"Ordinarily," he began, in response to Christian's question. "You'd be right. There's really no need to wait for you to come around, is there?."

He left Sam's side and began a lazy pace which circumnavigated the two chairs. His footsteps transformed from crinkling plastic to the double-click of leather on cement, indicating that he'd left the confines of the plastic sheeting. The smell of blood became a little stronger with every passing minute; something which might almost pass notice under present circumstances.

"But I never waste resources," he continued. "Mr. Walker believed you were a threat to my operations, but I see now that you're just a couple of frightened citizens who have been unceremoniously uprooted from their daily routines and transplanted into my world."

The sounds of the pipe came again, but they were different this time. It became apparent that he had decided he'd had enough of the pipe and secreted it away within his breast pocket again.

At that moment, Sam stirred in her chair. There was an undeniable 'plop' on the plastic beneath her chair as a drop of blood fell from her temple. She groaned at the prospect of having to face reality once again.

"Speaking of resources..."

"What the fu-"

"You're my guests," the man in the suit cut her off. "I will assume that your eyes function a little better than your counterpart. Go ahead and take a look around, for the little good it will do you."

Sam did as he suggested, though more out of instinct than instruction. They were held in an abandoned warehouse, most probably used for automotive parts distribution during one of the many recent booms in car sales. Her eyes immediately shifted between points of interest, though she could not have known why or for what purpose.

"Your friend has not been very informative." Mr. Suit continued, shifting his attention to the still-groggy Sam. He took a few steps so that he could come face-to-face with her. "Maybe you'll be more cooperative."

"Like hell." Sam retorted, her eyes slits.

Mr. Suit frowned and looked down his nose at her. He had buried lesser people. Still, there was that eerie calm about him which did not quite fit with the profile of a man who would order an abduction.

"When you hear what I have to say, you might reconsider your position."

Sam made her face as hard as she could. Considering the circumstances, the best she could do was the face of a teenager caught with a bottle of vodka. Still, she made it work.

"You hurt either one of us, in any way," she seethed. "I'll become the quietest person you have ever heard of."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't help people who hurt me."

"Well," Mr. Suit replied, wearing his most insolent smirk. "I don't remember telling you that I needed to hurt you."

He started forward, his stride still the same confident, evenly-spaced footfalls which had become his trademark. As he closed the distance, his right hand dove into his pocket. Sam could see the outline of a cell phone even before he laid his hand on it.

"No." Sam whispered. She struggled against the cuffs, without effect. "You can't. You don't know what you're doing!"

"Let's see," Mr. Suit grinned as he wrestled her hand open. "If Mr. Walker was telling the truth."

[Lady Seraphina]

Ryver et Rhine (Dear Karma)

Callie Wright

"Possibly. Anyway, you guys go ahead. I've enough excitement for one day and Vida looks like she needs some rest."

Honestly though, she was a little reluctant to leave matters as they were since there was a big sum in Sam’s card. Plus, she had a sneaking feeling the boy was probably hiding inside scared to death with no one left. Normally she would go and check, but right now she had someone else to care for. Her arms relaxed a little as Vida took another heaving sob. Tears formed in Cal’s eyes as she rubbed the other woman’s back with her injured hand. Her fatigued mind was oblivious to the patchy red stains dotting the hoodie. “Vida, you’re fine. Everyone is safe thanks to you and that man.”

She hugged Vida even tighter. Anger burned inside at the thought of the reckless man who almost got them into trouble. She certainly would never forgive him – hero or not. Killing another person was not the way to solve things. “We’ll head back once everyone is ready. Then I’ll make you my best hot chocolate. Would you like that?”

“What the hell did you guys do! I specifically said not to stir up trouble but look what you’ve done. After the men you face yesterday do you think experimenting on these hooligans out in the open is wise? I thought that you all wouldn’t need a chaperone to babysit you all while you went shopping but I don’t know anymore.”

“EXPERIMENTING? What in Jesus – Gods! People like you drive me up the wall,” she spat as her hand, which had been patting Vida’s back, clamped on the sobbing woman’s shoulder. Her nails dug into the groove between the shoulder and the upper arm. “We tried to do the right thing and get back the card you gave us. Surprise? We felt bad enough to put ourselves into this mess to save your money. THERE HAPPY?”

Her eyes blazed over once more. She didn't care what else was said. The only thing that was stuck in her mind was that Josiah was accusing them without bothering to find out the truth. “Urgh! I am too tired to deal with your silly accusations right now. Come Vida, let’s go.”

A door slammed against the wall eliciting several surprised gasps. There in the doorway stood the wide-eyed punk that pickpocketed Sam earlier. He gave a muffled squeak when he noticed several of them looking in his direction. In a blink of an eye, the frightened lad darted for safety, adroitly dodging anyone who wished to catch. The teen made a sharp right and all but disappeared from sight when a loud scream pierced the stunned silence he left in his wake. Anyone looking in that direction can see him backing pass the mouth of the alleyway. He mouthed dumbly as his finger pointed straight ahead.

“N-no NO WAY!” He screamed as he turned around and tried to run for it.

[Lady Seraphina]

dpickle

Patrick "Pat" Anderson

"I doubt they would be beating up a group for the hell of it.”

"Depends on if Josiah was in the group or not," Pat muttered to himself. Pat knew Josiah had good reason to be angry with them, but being chastised when he had done nothing but defend himself still rubbed him the wrong way. Pat found himself siding with Cal in their argument, despite the fact he still resented them for chasing after the thief in the first place. Speaking of which, they hadn't even gotten the card they fought so hard for. Not that there was a point now, their little shopping expedition was about as over as it could get.

A sudden slammed door drew Pat's attention to a teen in the doorway. Everyone was starred at each other stunned for a moment before the kid made a mad dash for safety in an alley. The kid could then be seen backing away slowly in apparent horror before turning around a running the opposite way in mad panic. Unfortunately for the kid, his chosen direction allowed him only a few steps before he ran right into Pat.

The kid managed to build up enough speed to knock Pat over with himself also falling and landing on top before falling to the side. It all happened to fast for Pat to really take in, he just suddenly found himself on the ground with a sore back and shoulders. This was the second time Pat had found himself on the ground this day, and Pat found himself with a sudden, overwhelming anger at the injustice of it all. Why did he have to get dragged into this mess of a street fight? Why did he, of all people, end up with a superpower after the bus accident? The flare up of his migraine when his head knocked the ground didn't help his mood either.

A scuffling sound caused Pat to look over. It was the brat scrambling to get to his feet, probably wanting to take off to who knows where again. "No you don't!" Pat called out angrily as he managed to grab the kid's angle. Pat felt the now familiar sensation of water flowing as the kid stiffened up in a sort of paralyzed state while the migraine surged into him. Pat felt his anger abate into more of a general grumpiness, using his power on some unsuspecting sod seemed to consistently brighten his mood a bit. Pat moved his sore body into more of a sitting position before finally letting go, causing the kid to collapse, groaning but still very conscious.

"I'm sure if there was something left that could go wrong today it would."

[Lady Seraphina]

Prince of Seraphs

Christian Tylers

Christian could hear the man in the suit start to walk again. Christian's lack of a straight forward response had given him the answer he'd desired, while Christian was trying to fathom why they were not yet dead Sam rejoined the world of the living.

Christian could hear the rustle of the plastic and well as the sound of metal on metal and Sam's handcuffs clanked against her chair. Their was another noise, one that scared Christian far more than any of the others had. The sound of something wet hitting the plastic below Sam's chair. He could only imagine drops of blood dripping silently from her head wound. She'd been hit a lot harder than he had.

And just as he'd suspected earlier she was familiar with this situation and also completely inept at keeping there captor from becoming frustrated. Christian wasn't exactly experienced with being a hostage but he thought that swearing at the captor was not a good way to go.

At the tail end of the man in the suit's conversation with Sam, Christian became aware that something was incredibly wrong. 'If what Mr. Walker said was true' what could that thug have told him. Assuming he'd been watching Christian and Sam for awhile before he made his approach had he heard or seen anything that could be compromising, could he know about there powers?

Yes, yes he could. Sam had had a good conversation with Christian about the up and downs other each others powers if Walker had been listening he'd know exactly what they could do, but then again who'd ever believe a story like that. It would be more logical to assume they'd escaped from some sort of asylum.

Of course in Sam's case you could test it. Sam had told Christian that technology was her trigger, at the time he remembered thinking she was lucky to know what set her off. Now however Christian was glad that his power went off randomly because for the fear that was evident in her voice the man in the suit was likely about to see if she really could download information from tech, likely with a cellphone or laptop. Christian had to do something if this kept up neither one of them was getting out of this alive.

As if sensing her panic something deep inside of Christian seemed to break, like a dam in his mind holding back all that which he could observe and that was everything. Just like before every little detail of the world around him came crashing into his head, but this time it seemed more organized, more useful. The relevant pieces of information seemed to prioritize themselves rather than just stacking up in his mind in a huge heap, the things he needed to know became readily apparent, like the exit to this large warehouse, twenty feet from where they sat. And the cellphone slowly being placed on Sam's open palm.

He'd heard about what had happened to her with the lamp, if she touched that he'd be alone in this. "STOP IT!" He shouted and with his yell the cellphone with was inches from Sam's skin shot forward six inches landing on the floor. He also felt something crack, something small and metal and important but at the moment he couldn't have said what it was. "Leave her alone." He said to the man with a bit more calm. "If you're looking for something special look at me."

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Samantha Cole

The man in the suit doubled over on impact. In the following moment, the cell clattered to the floor, broken, and he noted three things; that his employee's suspicions would seem to be correct, that his captives had as much as substantiated that claim, and that his intended course of action would have had an effect. He caught his breath and calmly straightened to his full height, taking the time to adjust his jacket and tie.

"Hold position." he calmly stated, turning his head to monitor Christian's reaction. "No one moves until I give the order."

Sam canted her head and readied a witty retort, but stopped short when she caught sight of a bluetooth ear bud. He was obviously talking to his confederates. How had she been foolish enough to believe he had come alone?

"Now," he continued, stooping to recover the phone. "That was not what I would call an impressive opening bid. Allow me to renegotiate."

As he spoke, the captives had time to gather more information. With his power in full bloom, Christian could readily identify the body of his and Sam's attacker, dead and bloodied at his feet, a small hole in his temple supplying the liquid which pooled there. The warehouse had been abandoned, so far as they could tell, but had not been entirely empty. Surveillance equipment dotted the interior. They were being recorded.

"As you might imagine, only a great fool would dare to order a daylight abduction without at least some precautionary measures. I am not a great fool. My men are waiting on any indication that this meeting is not holding up to my very selective tastes. They have orders to fire their weapons dry if either I do not call a hold, or do not respond within thirty seconds."

Sam's throat went dry. These were not orderlies. They didn't just give you your pills and move on to the next cell. They were serious criminals. Their next move could end up making the difference between freedom and a nice floral arrangement next to a headstone.

[Lady Seraphina]

Izkripp

Vida Curacio

The guys that had brought them to this town finally found them. She was relieved that they were not alone now and were with people that knew about their strange powers. Still she didn't look up or push back the hood to look at them. They already sounded angry, so she didn't want to show them her face or hands in fear that they would get even more angry with her. Callie on the other hand seemed to have no problem dealing out her angry towards them. She felt the pressure of the woman's hand on her shoulder as she spoke. Clearly she was not going to just back down from the accusations that were given. Vida was happy that the woman was so strong willed and wished that she could be like that as well.

The sound the door slamming open, followed by the scream snapped her attention to the boy from earlier. He was the one that cause all of the commotion to start with. If he had no stolen the card then they would be out shopping like normal people instead of in the alley way looking at a scene that could be straight out of a murder/action film. Her eyes followed the boy as he ran into the older man that was in the group. Instinctively she took a speak towards them as Pat fell to the ground, but she stopped herself. She wouldn't be able to help if she went over there. Watching though she noticed that he was able to make the kid pass out by touching him.

She took in a breath. Did he have the same ability as her? She looked at the kid and to the man's hand. The air left her lungs as she noticed no wounds on either. So he was like her, but his ability was not as horrifying. She was jealous of him.

Shaking her head she turned and started to walk out of the alley and back towards the town. "I am g-going to the bus..." She could actually feel her heart beat quicken as she thought about entering the crowd. It was going to be painful. She had open wounds that could easily be brushed against, but more then that, The scene from earlier popped into her head where she had imagined being stuck in a subway crowded with people and no escape. This would be reality. She turned and looked at Daniel and Josiah lifting her head so that her gaze could meet theirs for a moment allowing a small glimpse of the wound on her cheek and neck were she was held earlier. "Is t-there a w-way to get back without..." She trailed off for a moment as if something had crossed her mind then she snapped back. "Without people?"

[Lady Seraphina]

Prince of Seraphs

Christian Tylers

As Christian got over the initial shock of having the world pour into his head certain details that a moment ago were not relevant to the crisis Sam was about to go through now presented themselves. Little things, like the Bluetooth ear bud in the man with the suit’s ear, the body of the man that had attacked them, Walker lying at their feet dripping blood, a fresh kill.

Christian started to panic somewhat, it was became immediately clear that as he’d first thought the man in the suit was not alone. Christian had most of the warehouse mapped out in his head but whoever the man in the suit was talking too was likely just a little further. If Christian had to go to extremes (which they were at) he’d have said there were snipers on neighboring buildings and likely some very well-funded thugs waiting kill anyone that exited the warehouse without their boss’s permission.

The last detail that Christian realized was the source of that metallic crack that he’d caused at the same time as he’d sent the phone flying, it was the handcuffs he and Sam were wearing, he’d accidentally split one of the links of the cuff along the original wielding line. With a bit of work the might be able to get themselves free.

Without time to think of that Christian decided that this was the time for a bluff, something big with both their lives on the line. If he was lucky they’d both get out of this alive. If Lady Luck wasn't smiling on him Christian prayed Sam had some sort of plan cause this was the last card Christian had to play.

Christian drew in a slow even breath. He needed to appear calm, collected. He straightened in his chair his face deadly calm. "I wouldn't' do that if I were you... do you have a name? Well it doesn't matter either way you'll be dead soon enough." Christian paused for a moment to let that sink in. It was of course a bluff but if he could add enough weight to the threat this man might just be inclined to let them go.

"If you'll look on my arm you'll see a long white scar about six inches across." It was from a piece of shrapnel from the accident that cost Christian his eyes but right now it could serve as a bargaining chip. "My employers inserted a GSP tracking device effective worldwide in order to keep an eye on my activities. My partner and I work for a terrorist cell, a break away from a covert government project." The best he could do was mix a little truth in with the amount of complete bullshit he was churning out. Christian kept his face neutral. "My boss is in possession of a very rare form of mutigene that gave birth to the abnormalities you've observed. It gives us the edge when dealing with the government. Our goals are not important, the important thing is that Sam and I are insignificant enough to the organization that no one would think twice about sacrificing our lives to protect the agenda. The agenda that you have compromised by abducting us. If my estimation of the time is correct we have been out of contact for an hour and forty minutes past our last check in. Standard protocol dictates that should one of us be unreachable for more than two hours a covert explosive strike is to be executed on the co ordinates of there last known GSP signal. You have twenty minutes, now you have two choices you can either let us go and I can promise you'll never hear from us again or we can all die together."

Christian was fairly certain at least some of that had come from half a dozen different spy movies and TV shows he'd seen in recent years but it didn't matter. They were in a dire situation and if they were lucky the man with the suit would think that no one would be stupid enough to spin a story like that unless they actually had the resources to back it up. He could only pray and hope that Sam had some other plan in case this fell threw.

[Lady Seraphina]

Kirra

Jenna Baxter

A look of uncertainty crossed Jenna's face as listened to Josiah. She had a feeling that this would be coming but was a bit relived when Cal spoke up for the group. Wondering if Josiah would argue back, she watched him tentatively as Cal headed towards the building. However instead of anger she saw a hint of something else written on his face but before she could wonder what exactly it was, she saw the teen dart past her and into Pat who seemed to be more than ready to intervene. Although the kid was a bit dazed he was still awake and conscious.

With the opponent now just a teen as well as having the others as well as the added support of Josiah and Daniel with her, Jenna wasn't too afraid of stepping up and getting the situation resolved. "Just give us the card back. We'll let you go and end everything right here." Jenna said stretching her hand out towards the kid. "Unless you want a taste of someone else's power? Who knows what we could do to you?"

"Fine." Jake said as he reached into his pocket and retrieved about six different cards. "I'm not sure which one is yours but just take it. Take them all." Tossing them in front of him Jake tried to get to his feet and get away before anyone else could do anything to him but stumbled as he got up, obviously still feeling the residual effects of Pat's ability.

"Seriously?" Daniel chuckled as he watched the kid run, almost running into a garbage can when he looked back towards the group to make sure he wasn't being chased. "If they all were as pathetic as this kid and still tried to steal from people, they deserved what was given to them." Stooping down to collect the cards, Daniel pulled the one that belong to them out of the stack and pocketed the rest. "So who's the unfortunate one that got their card stolen?"

"Sam." Jenna said. "However, we don't know where she went. Christian is gone too."

"Wilson is going to be pissed about this." Josiah said as Vida brought up wanting to go back. He could see that she wasn't in a good state and out of the probably the worst one off out of the group. "Let me bring you back. It'll be faster and besides me and another person if they want to come along you won't have to see anyone else, besides a very concerned doctor." Josiah said with a sigh before looking towards the others to see if any of the others wanted to take the quick route back. "Have you located them?" Josiah said turning towards Daniel who appeared to be busy with an unfocused gaze.

"I think so but without being around the Charlies long enough I cannot be certain. It's a bit too far for a blind man and a teenager to end up by foot given the amount of time that has passed so they have either hightailed it out of here or something happened. However they are close to the end of my range so I can't be exactly sure on my findings. It does look like none of the Bravos are there so I don't think it's the TSP unless Pearson is leashing them up like dogs again."

"We should go find them. I don't think they would be the type of people that would leave unannounced like this." Jenna said looking intently at Daniel. "We can send those that are injured or wanting to go back to the base back and the others can go search for them. We can't just leave them behind. What if they are in danger?"

"We don't know what we are getting into, it might be dangerous your guys since you are not trained." Josiah giving a slight motion towards the alleyway at what the group already got themselves into.

"It might be dangerous but I promised Sam when I met her that I wouldn't let whoever was after her to get her back. She was freaking out when she spoke about whoever was after her and I intend on keeping my promise." Jenna said with determination.

"Fine. You all need to go to the van either way so you all want to pretend to be superheros, go right ahead. Just make sure you have a group consensus on whether or not you're going after them." Josiah before walking towards Vida and waited to see if anyone else would be joining her. "However if it is big, don't just rush in. We might need to get together and hash out a plan with the others."

[Lady Seraphina]

BlessedWrath (Weaver)

Samantha Cole

The man in the suit smiled, almost psychotically. He stood up, then took a step back from the two in the chairs.

"Secret agents," he said with false reverence. "Wow, I don't know what to do with that."

He paced for a moment, though it was questionable as to whether he had done it for worry or for sarcastic effect. Eventually he came to a stop near to where he had first addressed the two captives.

"I don't know what's worse," he stated calmly. "That you think I'm stupid enough to believe this load of propaganda, or that you're desperate enough to try it."

He snickered, walked his line briefly, then faced them again. "I mean, really? Secret agencies? Standby rescue squads? Next thing you'll tell me you're KGB. Oh, please, don't let me fall prey to the Kremlin."

There was another shark grin, then he turned his head to the side once again. The following conversation was not difficult to make out.

"Are you tracking any signals?"

"Negative."

"Scan again. We don't know what these people are capable of."

When he again brought his gaze to bear on his two hostages, he seemed less like a murderer and more like a businessman.

"Cards on the table time," he offered neutrally. " I'm here to determine your usefulness. What you tell me has a direct bearing on what I tell my superiors. If you want to be obstinate, then it's not my funeral. I'll just get transferred to the East Side and work the protection angle for a few years. But if what my associate whispered into my ear before I gave him what he earned was true...Well, then we could all be much better off than a shallow grave in the Industrial District."

He paused for a moment and, working with the damaged phone he had retrieved, turned the display to show them a very telling app. "This tells me that, although there are many, many signals being broadcast in the local area, none of them are for your extraction. So if you want to make out like you're the Contra Team, then, by all means, tell me another one. Otherwise, I'm ready to get down to business."

[Lady Seraphina]

Prince of Seraphs

Christian Tylers

At this point Christian had lost all hope in his story, though in all fairness it wasn't that far from the truth. There wasn't any possibility of the man in the suit believing it but at this point Christian was stalling for time. They'd not been gone long enough for the Reformers to be looking and likely they were somewhere off the grid, if this guy was paranoid enough to set up snipers and signal trackers a secure location wasn't really a stretch.

No at this point Christian was buy time as he worked out a plan. Earlier he'd accidentally split one of the links on his handcuffs along the wielding line. It wasn't much but with some time and pressure in the right places he could get it to bend. He needed time for his plan and luckily it seemed the man in the suit was amused enough with criticizing and mocking Christian's story to keep the charade going.

He was careful to keep his face impassive as the man in the suit laughed at his story. "I never said secret agents, that implies that we were sanctioned and authorized by the government. I also never said anything about a rescue squad. As I said we are not high level operatives, the organization would sooner drop a bomb on the both of us than risk our knowledge falling into the wrong hands, your hands. I estimate you've got about sixteen minutes."

As Christian spoke he'd been very slowly leveraging his fingers in between the weakened link. It was bending, slowly but surely. The metal bite hard into his fingers, it wouldn't be long before he started to bleed.

"I am rather fond of living and your little mafia family doesn't really concern me overly, so you let us go right now and you'll get to live to 'work the protection angle on the East Side' if not then as I said we all die together. And if my tracker could be picked up by every idiot with a cellphone we wouldn't exactly last long as a group."

When Christian got his hands free it wouldn't take him long to undo the zip ties on his legs but Sam was a different story. He needed a way to signal that he was free without tipping off there captor. He needed her to get herself out of those cuffs or else they weren't both going to make it. He wouldn't have time to release her once the man in the suit realized he was off his leash. Once the bullets started to fly if he and Sam weren't both ready to run they were in big trouble.

Christian worked at the link as he threatened the man in the suit. Soon enough he felt the metal begin to bend but after a couple of minutes a sticky film of blood coated Christians fingers. He paid it no mind, there would be time to lick his wounds later. Right now he needed to get out.