[IC] Dehumanized

[Penguin]

Angel

The skeleton of New York City was rather beautiful the autumn afternoon of October 3rd. The caramel and red hues of the leaves sprinkled against the grey background as they delicately swam through the wind to the ground. The leaves, decaying as much as the city, still were a treat to the eye. Angel had only been on the third floor of an apartment building a few days now and she longed to be back in the woods. Though there was something eerie about a large city abandoned that really tickled Angel's fancy, it got old pretty quickly. She preferred to venture through woods rather than walk through an open road.

The apartment was very small and clearly for a lower income occupant. It could comfortably fit maybe two people at most. The bedroom was just a large, stained queen mattress on the floor and a small dresser against the wall. The wallpaper was peeling off the wall and had an unpleasant odor. The kitchen had clearly already been ransacked and consisted of a bunch of crappy 20-year old appliances that no longer worked. Angel thought maybe they never did in the first place considering the quality. A roach skittered by on the old grey carpet under her mattress as she reached over to yank the chain hanging by the window to slowly shut the blinds.

She had spent much of her days going through the belongings of the past occupants whilst waiting out a few bandits that were running around. There was a large group of them looting the city. They didn't seem to be any of the super menacing or infamous ones yet they did carry a good number of people. There were at least ten of them. If she had approached them on the ground level, they would easily win the battle. She only needed one of them in particular dead. Angel guessed he was the leader. While advertising her hunting skills, someone in Newark had given her a description of a man in a green bandana and a reward for killing him. It was something that often happened and Angel was beginning to think she had figured out some underground assassin code without realizing it.

Angel didn't feel as much guilt as she used to for ending a life. It became more routine and easy to swallow the more she did it. The people she killed tended to kill and steal just the same so she felt it was fair game. Angel had been undereating for the last week and this was a deal she could not refuse. As voices echoed in the distance, she rolled over to the side of the mattress closer to the window. She sat up on her mattress, the sunlight illuminating part of her face as she loaded her sniper rifle and leaned against the wall. The thin, pale girl was still fully dressed in her clothes as she steadied herself. Her red hair was frizzing due to the humidity of the air. She pulled it back into a low, loose ponytail and loaded the gun onto the ledge of the window, the hum of an vehicle reaching her ears.

There were about four males and one female visible in an old grey jeep with no roof. It slowly came down the road. The car seemed so loud contrast to the silence of the city that it was hard to imagine that this road was once filled with the sound of engines and blaring horns. She held back a sigh of relief. The group must have split up and she was lucky to have the man in the green bandana sitting right up on the back of the car. She lined up her sight and readied her aim as the jeep began to line up with it.

Angel was thankful for the silencer on her rifle as the bullet whizzed out and right into the guy next to her target. He collapsed forward into the seats ahead of him, causing a vocal reaction from the seated boys. It had been a shot through his chest and would probably be fatal. The jeep had sped up a bit just as she had been firing and threw everything off. She cursed under her breath and quickly shot at the tires as they began to attempt their getaway. The jeep swerved to a messy stop as both tires facing her side of the road were blown out. She shot again at her target, finally causing the man in the green bandana to collapse off the back of the truck onto the road. However, this was enough for the others to spot where the shots were coming from. The three remaining jumped out of the car and ran right for her building.

[Alivefalling]

Jet

Perched on a building like a bird, Jet looked more like a mechanical angel as he watched over the city under the clear sky. It was a perfect day for things to scavenge for new supplies. The city was a good place for easy pickings since people go in and out of it constantly. He looked around calmly and spotted a Jeep driving on a road with around five people inside about a block ahead from where he was. Multiple bullets then came down, killing two of the people inside. It seemed as if someone else had the same idea. The jeep had begun to speed up but came to a sudden stop swerving, as two of the tires were shot out from underneath it. Jet knew it was time as he stood up and started his wingsuit and jumped from the building. He flew towards the Jeep as fast as he could. Jet saw three people exit the vehicle and as he reached them, he stretched his legs out in front of him and grabbed one of them by his shoulders, like an eagle picking a fish from the water and slammed him into the ground, cracking the pavement under him. This killed the man instantly from the impact. He then turned around, pulling his energy pistols out and sending two large purple bolts through the chest of the other man, leaving large cauterized holes through his body as he fell lifelessly to the ground. The remaining female was already in the building and out of reach. He wasted no time looting and grabbed what guns and supplies he could inspecting the area once more. Jet then flew to the top of the building opposite of the one the girl had entered and perched on the edge waiting.

[Nyther]

Abel

Abel continued his journey through the woods. It had been a fairly boring journey thus far. Suddenly the sight sound and smell of a small fire caught his attention. Slowly approaching, he saw a single older gentleman, armed with only a hunting rifle sitting in front a small fire. Able composed himself as he broke through the foliage to confront the man. "Hello friend." Abel said, hands extended out in a gesture of nonviolence. The man grabbed his rifle and quickly spun towards the direction Able emerged from the forest. "Easy there friend." Able cooed at the man, hands still outstretched in a nonviolent manner.

"I mean no harm to you." Able said in monotonous tone. "I saw your fire and would like to rest my weary bones." Able continued. The man shook nervously as he tried to discern Abel's motives. "Are, are you a bandit?" The man demanded, pushing his rifle forward towards Able. "Not at all friend." Able replied. "If you look, all I have is a shotgun on my back and a satchel on my back. I'm not equipped to be a bandit." Able continued to walk closer to the man. His revolver and knife hidden in his waistband.

The man lowered his rifle slightly. "Ok, but if you try anything, I'll kill you." The man said trying to sound intimidating. "Fair enough." Able said plopping himself down in front of the fire. For the next hour the two men exchanged pleasantries. The man began to relax around Able as they continued to talk. Suddenly, when the opportunity presented itself, Able took and sucker punched the man, knocking him unconscience.

Several hours later the man awoke, tied to a tree. He saw Able squatted over and stoking the fire. "What the fuck?" The man exclaimed. Able turned from the fire and walked to the man. "Morning sunshine." Able said laughing. "What do you want you sick fuck?" The man asked Able. "I've just got a quick question for you." Able said. He pulled his knife out of his lower back sheath and held it to the man's neck. "Want to know how I got these scars?" Able asked.

"Wha, what?" The man replied. Able took his knife and pulled it back from the man's throat. Able laughed loudly. "You should have seen your face." Able laughed. The man joined in on the laughter. Abel's eyes narrowed. "I didn't say you could laugh." as he jammed the knife into the man's throat. Able held the knife in the man's throat as he watched the life drain from the man.

Able cleaned and dressed the man. As he cut off pieces of meat from the man he began to cook it. It would help the meat last slightly longer than it otherwise would. About halfway from cooking the man Able heard a twig snap behind him. He turned to see a mutated mountain lion. It was the size of a bear, it's teeth long and jagged and clumps of hair missing from its coat. The mountain lion was in attack mode as Able put his hands out in a non aggressive gesture.

"Hey there bud." He said to the wild cat. "I've cooked as much as I can carry of this. So, you can have everything else. I'm just going to walk away and you can have it all." The wild cat went from an attack posture to a relaxed one. Able slowly slunk into the woods as the cat crept into the camp and devoured the remains of the man Able had not cooked. Once Able was sure the wild cat was not following him, he turned and began to continue to jog east.

[Penguin]

Angel

Most times Angel had found herself in hot pursuit, she had found herself in the bony hands of death, nearly escaping from its strong grasp. She had learned in recent years turning and facing your opponent head-on often shocked them and gave her the upper hand. She slung her bag over her shoulder and darted out the door of the apartment and into the corridor at full speed. She threw herself into a run down the stairs, making sure every step was loud and not soon after the other. The girl that had been coming up the stairs herself, probably trying to be stealthy, was very much caught off guard and did not have much time to think when Angel's boot slammed her into her stomach, sending her down the stairs. Angel let her tumble quite a few steps before she ran to grab her by the back of her shirt and slammed her up against the wall.

She was a young brunette, younger than Angel had expected. Her brown eyes were brimming with tears and wide with fear. Her nose was out of place and drenching the lower half of her face with blood. The girl's gun had fallen out of her hand and was a few steps down from them. "Who do you work for?"She demanded, keeping voice steady and cold. Part of her had wanted to soften and be nice to the girl, but she knew better than to not be wary of crocodile tears. She had to keep her poker face.

"The Wolves."She said quietly without much hesitation. The girl wasn't trained well at all. Surely, a member of The Wolves would be able to hold their tongue a little longer than that. The Wolves were very infamous for being absolutely destructive and well-trained. She had been told her target had been a no-one. Angel couldn't help but grit her teeth a little. Killing two of them were going to paint a giant target on her back. She had assumed they'd be much smarter than to just drive through the middle of the street and get picked off as easily as they did. Her only regret was that she had killed more than necessary. This girl had been kicked down the stairs as easy as kicking a child. With her looks, Angel thought maybe it had not been so long ago that she had been one.

Why would they send amateurs into the city? Angel thought, wracking her brain. They had to have been some sort of bait for someone or something. There definitely was some sort of testing going on. "Alright."She said and pulled out her handgun. Roughly gripping the girl's shoulder, she turned her around so she was in front of her. She pressed it to her back, pushing her forward. "There were two more with you. Where are they?"

"They were right behind me."She replied, her voice choking up. The girl began to whimper as she said, "Please don't kill me. "

Angel pushed her forward, doing her best to ignore the empathetic side of her. "Don't make me then." Her voice came out like venom from a snake, startling herself a bit. Once at the front door, she ordered her, "Open the door."

The first thing that made Angel hesitate was the scent of burnt flesh. The second being the girl bursting into tears. She easily was able to glance over the girl's shoulder, towering over her in height. There was a dead body strewn in front of them with a giant, gaping hole burned through his chest. The smell was dreadful. A few feet of them, someone's bloodied and smashed body was shoved into a crater in the pavement. Angel drew the girl back by her arm as she scoped the scene as quickly as possible, spotting a winged figure up on the building across from them. She reached over the girl and slammed the door shut. "What the fuck is that robot thing?"Angel snapped at her.

"I-I don't know! Oh my God... My brother...No no..."She broke down, falling to her knees with loud sobs wracking her body. Angel bit her lip and forced herself to slap her. "Shut up or we die next." The girl crawled away from her onto the steps and curled up, trying to silence herself. She was going to be useless. Angel moved over to the side of the window and put her handgun away, taking out her rifle. She didn't care what the hell that thing was. Person or robot, it was a killing machine and they could not get out of here safely with it standing there. This was a lot more effort than she had signed up for. "Looks like it's bird hunting season." She muttered to herself, trying to angle herself so she could get a good shot at the thing without making herself too evident.

[Alivefalling]

Jet

Jet stood at the top of the building for what felt like half an hour waiting in anticipation for someone to exit the building. Just as he began to get bored, he saw the door open to the building with two girls, one who had looked up and saw him. Neither of them came outside but instead quickly shut the door. Jet knew that the scene he had left and the sight of him must have scared them and caused them to retreat back to safety. He decided to go see for himself knowing that they would not be coming outside and jumped quickly, falling before landing lightly on the pavement, using his wings to slow his descent. "I am getting sick of you dirty wolves entering my territory!" he shouted coldly. Jet slowly walked closer before making a sudden stop. "I know one of you was hunting them along with me. I would like to speak with you, I promise I will not bring any harm to you." Jet said in a calmer tone.

[Potter]

Savannah

- Pennsylvania, one mile from Wolves camp

---

Soft, nearly inaudible, crunching of leaves filled the crisp autumn air of Pennsylvania. A young female clad in black with her hair in a ponytail approached a cave. Most people avoided these now; they were usually filled with mutated animals ready to rip someone's throat out. This one, however, was inhabited by her best friend: a mutated fox named Pepper. He was the size of a Great Dane with the agility of a fox and strength of a wolf. He had come to her in her time of need and she had never stopped repaying him her gratitude. With a bloody spear in hand and a grin on her face, she entered the cave. She glanced over at the greenery behind her and was thankful for their cover. It provided an ominous setting at night which kept any trespassers at bay.

It wasn't much, but it was home. She had a sleeping bag she often shared with him, her backpack, weaponry, a shredded but usable pillow, blanket and even some lanterns. She had become accustomed to the dark, though she relied on her hearing rather than eyesight. She had another bag filled with the few clothing items she possessed. She also had a makeshift clothing line hanging near the back for when she washed her clothes. She had an assorted amount of trinkets - bracelets, necklaces, all hand made and also on her own. Craft making wasn't her specialty. She had been hoping to scavenge more so she could sell it and in turn buy more food rather than stealing.

"Pepper, I found food!" Savannah called as she slipped the backpack off. She twirled the spear and set it up against the wall to clean later. She tore off her black gloves and set them nearby the spear. A pair of bright yellow eyes greeted her as she approached the end of the cave. "I even got your fav, bud. C'mere." Pepper yawned as he approached her and watched as she emptied the backpack. She could tell by his dazed expression he had been napping. The poor baby had been up all night protecting her, she realized. It had made her feel guilty and determined to find him food. "I got you berries! A whole back of them, Pep. Can you believe it?" She smiled as the fox sniffed the contents and nodded his appreciation. She pulled more items out of her bag, thrown together unceremoniously. She had tied the dead animals into a separate bag though, knowing better than to mix that together with the fresh food.

"And I even found you some vegetables. You need those," She smirked at his upturned nose and laughed. "You need your vitamins. It's tough living out here, Pep. Do you know how many people and animals don't have veggies?"

She sighed as he scowled and narrowed his eyes. "Okay. Fine. I got you a squirrel, one rabbit and even eggs. Can you imagine? Eggs! When's the last time we had that, bud?" She reached over and began to stroke his head and he licked her face. She laughed as she set the contents back except for the berries. "I'll cook all of this later. We can eat the berries but remember to ration, okay? I can't keep stealing too much at once."

Savannah smirked to herself. She had been stealing from the Wolves' supply and food for two months. She had been aware they were near her camp but hadn't realized their close proximity. After nearly starving to death the previous summer, Savannah had decided to risk her neck and steal from them. The first few attempts, she had been terrified she would be caught and killed while her fox starved and never knew she she hadn't returned. As the months passed by, her nerves settled into confidence. It had turned into into an unpredictable schedule of her stealing more food. Thanks to her enhanced hearing, Savannah had began to recognize their guard order and who was Normal and mutated. She knew the regular humans who hadn't mutated were easier to steal on. Savannah secretly hoped they'd start a civil war one one another trying to locate the thief.

Savannah and Pepper had both began to gain weight and muscle mass, eventually becoming healthy. Despite her efforts, they were still underweight. She knew it would take time, but it was starting to irritate her. Savannah glanced at him as she fed him berries form her hand then brushed off her worry. It wouldn't do her any good. After she finished feeding him, she cleaned off her hands with sanitizer (she had stolen it form the Wolves) and then fed herself. She loved finding vegetables - pumpkins, squash and carrots were some of her favorites. She relished finding vegetables that hadn't rotted. It was rare.

When she finished eating, she stuffed everything back into her supply bag and looked at her spear. She sighed as she stood up and looked at Pepper. "I'm going to go clean this. You rest up and later I'll cook us some squirrel. Sweet dreams, Pep." She kissed his head and he returned the favor by licking her face again. She smiled at him, grabbed her spear, and headed out to the river. It wasn't too far. Savannah had only been slightly shocked that the cave hadn't been taken. It was close to the Wolves yet far enough; it was near the town where she'd steal and buy food as well. The river wasn't as polluted as the others and was clearer than most. She was delighted to have found it. The crowded trees nearby shrouded it in darkness and at night, it was ominous. Savannah smiled and tightened her ponytail and went over to the river and began cleaning off her bloody spear.

[Penguin]

Angel

"I am getting sick of you dirty wolves entering my territory!"

Angel looked over her shoulder at the girl. She was hunched up in a ball, terrified. The man's words had not made her move at all. Her knees were stained red over her cargo pants, her hair sprawled out messily over her face. Angel took a small towel out of her bag and threw it at her. "For your nose." She whispered. "Go up the stairs, go out a back door to a back staircase. If you don't want to deal with being bait on the Wolves' fishing rod anymore, stay there and I'll help you. Otherwise, get out while you can." The girl reacted hastily, scampering up the stairs like a startled puppy. She knew that this was a risk to let her go back to the Wolves but she did not think she could bring herself to kill a helpless minor. If they were possibly baited as she suspected, then she knew someone was here to spy anyway. She had a feeling she wasn't the target they were after.

She readjusted her attention to the mechanical bird out the window. Up-close, his appearance was a bit more clear. It seemed to be some sort of high-tech suit that achieved man-made flight, something completely unheard of as far as she knew. The voice coming from it was obviously human and he was wearing a helmet to mask his identity. He was expressing a desire to speak to her for some reason. Her eyes traveled from his gun to the guy with the hole in his chest. This type of weaponry was also unheard of. This must have been the Wolves target. They'd be all over for this the moment they saw it. Without budging, she finally said, "Say what you have to say then. I'm right here and can hear you loud and clear."

Roman

The white-haired boy lounging in the throne of his mansion could be framed in painting at that moment. His skin was almost as white as his hair and his dark eyelashes reached down his sharp cheekbones as his eyelids shut. He looked fairly surreal at that moment. He was fairly tall and lean, with a decent amount of muscle tone. He was dressed in a very expensive black suit and tie at this moment. He never wore anything of any less quality. Nestled at the top of his head was a golden crown. It was without a doubt real.

The mansion had an outdated look to it, clearly one of Pittsburgh's historic mansions. It had almost a castle-feel to it on the outside. He had people touch it up and clean it on the daily. The carpet was that of a dead bear. Two marble staircases on each side of the throne curved up to the second floor. Archways on each side of the room lead to other rooms. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, lighting up the room brilliantly.

The double-doors swung open as armed men in daunting wolf masks came through the door, dragging a family. The family consisted of the parents, a girl, and a boy in their late teens, and then a young male child. All were a mix of blonde hair and brown hair. One man was at each side of the person with an iron grip under their armpits.
They lined up with one family member a time.

Roman sighed, opening his eyes with mild interest. A few hushed gasps as per usual entered the air in reaction to his eye color. He straightened in his throne and glanced at the man. He was very muscular and seemed to have some history in some sort of athletic training.

"Michael Goodwin. He's forty-four years old and served in the army during the war. He and his family have resided in D.C. the past few years but seemed to be relocating. He refuses to tell us why." The armed man holding Michael described him a loud, clearly used to the routine.

"There's a mutant among them, that's why. D.C. has no tolerance for them."Roman said without emotion, standing up. "Is it you, Michael? "

"Yes... It's me..."Michael said defeatedly without picking up his head.

"Ah. So it's not you."Roman concluded, making the man look up quickly in shock. "I'm not an idiot, Mr. Goodwin. I've been through this and I know a man taking the hit for his family when I see it. Regardless, I'm undecided on his life. I will decide after the rest. The mother will remain here with the youngest child. She will be a maid or chef depending on her cooking ability. Bring her and the young boy to a room." If he ended up killing one of them, the parents tended to react the worst. It was best to decide on the children before the parents since their deaths would break them. These two were too old to be broken and turned into weapons. If he was killing either of their kids, then the father would have to die. There was too much of a risk of vengeance. Keeping the young child with the mother would keep the mother in check and be a constant motivation for her loyalty.

The mother started to cry as she was brought up the stairs with the youngest. Roman paid no mind to it. He turned his head to the blonde girl and the dark-haired boy before him. "Names."He ordered

"Lauren and Peter. Twins, age 19. "One wolf announced. "We suspect mutation from Brandon."

Roman stood up, making the two jump a little. He tilted his head, picking up on their facial expressions. They were fighters. Peter was giving him a death glare and Lauren fighting against the restrain. They were going to be rebellious regardless if he killed their father. "Do you have any strange ability, Lauren?" He asked calmly, moving over to stand in front of her.

"No. Even if I did... I'd never tell you!" She spat at him in reply, quite literally spitting at his feet. Roman did not react much, simply gripping her upper arm and feeling it, making her brother react quite negatively. "Any skills? She's weak." He asked like a child disappointed in his new toy. "I thought I told you I want soldiers."

Roman was quickly replied to with, "Her father taught her how to defend herself but she lived a sheltered life in D.C. "

"Right. You guys lived the boring life." Roman mused and took the girl's chin. "She's pretty. Her shit attitude could use some work. Throw her in the whore house." He had a separate house that was always well guarded in case any of his soldiers were lonely. There was no system of dating anymore and the population had dwindled so a pretty girl was hard to come by. Not to mention they were fantastic motivation for lonely young men he found. It was a dangerous world out there so he thought it was fair trade. A safe house that included a nice bed and food along with beautiful clothes and parties as long as they kept his boys happy.

"No!"The father shouted in rage, managing to get out of his restraints. He threw himself toward his daughter only to be viciously shot to death by a machine gunner up over the second-floor railing. Roman laughed at his demise, gaining vengeful stares from the tearing up daughter and son. He composed himself, allowing himself to keep his grin, "It's about time for you birds to fly the nest. Say goodbye to your daddy." He nodded his head to the left, "Boy goes to Alaia, girl to the house. Tell Alaia to shake him up a bit before we throw him into training."

Roman watched the girl taken out the door, screaming obscenities while the boy threatened him with his glare. This scene happened a couple of times a week and he was not particularly moved by their temper tantrums. He sat back in his chair and glanced at the soldiers that remained. "I want updates on the flying man and the thief." Someone had been robbing from their food supply for a long time now. He was getting fed up with it. He couldn't understand what imbecile would not fear them enough to try stealing from them. Whoever it was, was going to be shown no mercy.

"It's been decided that the thief is not among us. We are starting to think that they are not too far from here. I have sent out a search of the nearby surrounding woods. "

Roman's face reddened and he stood up. "You mean to say they've been sitting outside our territory the whole time? I will be accompanying the party then. I want to see the raccoon myself. Lock up the boy for Alaia to play with later. I want her to also accompany me. " He pulled his jacket on and moved swiftly down the main carpet toward the door, pausing in the middle. "And the flying man?"

"We dumped the new recruits in the area, the ones from a few days ago with no experience you wanted to kill. Four spies are in different spots recording to see exactly what kind of weapons he has. They should return with the footage by night time. "A woman reported.

Roman nodded as he listened. "Good. We'll see if the rumors are true then. I'd like him identified and brought to me at some point along with a raid of his fancy weapons if he indeed does possess what people say he does. Iris and him will probably get along well. I'll consider sending her. "
He continued to the door where he made them all stop and wait for Alaia to join them.

[Alivefalling]

Jet

"Say what you have to say then. I'm right here and can hear you loud and clear."

Jet paused for a moment taking off his helmet. He was a tall man who looked very healthy with a quite charming and friendly face. "I know you are not with the wolves, but I am looking for somebody to team up with me. I have lots of food, weapons and other supplies, even a base with an extra bed." he said in a welcoming tone. "I understand that you might lack trust being in a place like this, full of bandits and other people struggling to survive, but I promise I will make sure everything you need will be looked after." Jet said with a smile. "We should leave soon. The wolves might come back. If you would like to come with me, I could carry you there. We could get to my base faster if I flew us both there." he offered, glancing around every so often.

Alaia

Alaia stood there in her torture room with her last victim eviscerated and delimbed, licking the blood off her arm in which she had fashioned into a long blade, smiling at the body parts around the room. "When will I get a toy that will last more than a few minutes?" she thought to herself, disappointed. Just at that moment, a guard had entered her room, freezing in his tracks shocked at the sight. Alaia glared at him.

"M-ma'am Roman is looking for you, he wants you to go looking for someone in the woods that has been stealing supplies and food." the guard stuttered, stepping back and quickly rushing out in fear. Alaia laughed at the fear in the man's eyes. She reverted her arm back to its normal state, wiping it clean with a bloody cloth hung up on the wall. She left the building, greeting Roman with a twisted smile. "So let's get this shit started, I want to see some fucking blood."

[Nyther]

Abel

After several hours of walking, he arrived. The trees thinned and the large expanse of New York spread out below him. He took a pull on the cooked meat and smiled to himself. Every time he came to a city he was always able to live his best life. Killing gang members and bandits and stealing from them was always fun, and it had the bonus of making those who were being preyed upon by said "bad guys" trust him. They always saw him as some sort of God send for taking out the "bad guys". Then he could easily exploit those he "rescued" before killing them. His smile slowly faded as he heard a commotion far in the distance.

"Curiouser and curiouser." He muttered to himself. His head awash with so many trivial quotes and radiation he seemed to rarely speak as himself anymore. He put the remaining meat in his satchel and slowly descended the slope towards the disturbance in the distance. Gunshots and, he couldn't figure out the other noises at first. He slunk from building to building as he got closer to make out muffled voices. He slammed himself against a small outcropping of what was probably once a house and his eyes widened in both confusion and wonder at what he saw.

This bird like man picked up and slammed what was most likely a bandit into the ground, killing the man in most horrible fashion. "Oh, Mr. Harvey Birdman. You are a sight to behold." Able muttered. Suddenly the man pulled out some odd shaped guns and blasted a large hole through another man. Able giggled and clapped to himself. "Such sights to behold." He stayed hidden and watched the man grab what he could from the fallen men.

Able remained where he was as the man flew up swiftly to the roof. Able was unable to see what was happening from there, but heard muffled voices. He wanted to know what was going on, but getting closer may reveal his position and, as sure as Able was of himself, didn't dare risk going toe to toe with that monstrosity. Suddenly his mind screamed at him to drop down. Literally the second he dropped down, a hail of bullets flew over his head, missing him by inches.

Able pulled out his revolver and sent a bullet into the head of a bandit who had a machine gun leveled at Able's head. As the man fell, Abel quickly holstered his revolver and scurried over to the man and picked up his machine gun. He then lept to the other side of the building and peered towards the building the birdman was perched on. Abel watched as now the man was now on the street level, talking to someone. Abel checked the magazine and saw it still had about half a clip left. He scanned all around, it appeared as if no one was anywhere around, despite the birdman, whomever he spoke to, and if anyone else was in the building he stood in front. Abel simply peered around the corner and observed what would unfold.

[Penguin]

Angel

The man was offering her shelter and food. She watched as he took off helmet to reveal a good-looking brown-haired man with a friendly demeanor. He probably had a few inches of height on her. It was a lot easier for her to talk to him now that he did not look like someone out of Star Wars. She felt her nervousness increase all of a sudden. Perhaps she wasn't used to one-on-one conversations with people. "That sounds great and all. I really appreciate it that is, if it isn't a weird murder attempt. I doubt you actually need any of my belongings considering the weird-ass alien technology you already have. "

Angel hesitantly moved into the view of the window, revealing herself but keeping a good grip on her gun. "It's a bit hard to trust your words considering the wonderful display you've created." She gestured to the bodies, her token sarcasm already making its arrival into the conversation. "But I guess I can't judge you too much since I was sent here to assassinate one of them. Someone in Newark promised me a pretty good amount of food and I already did it so I don't feel that it's right he dies for nothing." She added mentally in her head, a bit of despair settling in her stomach as she thought, especially since I accidentally killed someone else too.

The whole thing suddenly felt strange. If these people were bait, then why would someone sent her to kill one and tell her it's the leader? Someone obviously overheard their plan to send them here. She couldn't understand why the man in the green bandana then. Bird guy probably did not realize he was being baited here.

Setting her sights on the bird-man, she decided that he probably wouldn't kill her. He had killed the others with ease and probably would have killed her already if he so wanted. He most likely could have just vaporized her through the building. Revealing his face and not aiming at weapons at her were signs that he wanted to earn her trust. It could be that he truly needed to recruit people to help him or possibly even company. On the other hand, he could have an interest in just devouring or raping her. People had various reasons to try to trick you nowadays.

Angel stood up, wary that she may regret her decision. She slowly moved around and to the doorway. "My name is Angel. You should probably tell me yours even though I already have at least seven immature nicknames tied to your whole get-up." A nearby gun-shot startled her before she could say much else. It served as a good reminder to how dangerous the place they were standing around in really was. "Yeah maybe get out of the street."

[Alivefalling]

@Nyther@Penguin

Jet

"I already know your name Angel, I was the one who hired you for this job. I wanted to test your skills with your weapon and survival tactics. I overheard them heading to New York. My name is Jet, by the way." He said to the red-haired girl in the window. She walked out into the doorway where he could see her. She looked fairly malnourished and very pale, but she was very beautiful despite being in such condition. "Like I promised before I will provide everything for your needs." Jet smiled at the thought of having a friend. He paused, turning his head. "Hold on, stay inside." He said to Angel who was still in the doorway. Jet pulled his gun out and shot his pistol, sending a ball of purple energy at the corner of the building, where he had noticed a head peek out from behind, making sure not to hit him. "Come out!" he yelled.

[Nyther]

Abel

Abel's mind screamed for him to move at the same time he saw a ball of energy shoot towards him. He dove away from the building at the same time the rubble he had hidden behind was obliterated. His heart began to pound harder than it had ever beaten before. He had been in this new world long enough to know when someone was firing a warning shot at him. He still believed his instincts would have saved him from death had the bird man actually aimed at him, but he doubted he would have remained unscathed as the blast moved faster than anything he had ever seen before. He glanced up and saw that enough of the rubble still remained to keep him hidden from view, but his location was compromised.

The bird man yelled for Able to come out from his hiding place. Abel was very certain that whatever that amazing weapon the bird man had was still aimed in his general direction. "No thank you! We're all good here!" Abel shouted out as he army crawled to the next bit of cover he could find. He laid there for a few seconds accessing his situation. He could possibly hop from cover to cover and avoid the metal monstrosity. However, if he took to the sky, Abel doubted his chances for survival.

"Fuck." Abel cursed to himself. "Alright, alright!" He yelled, slowing standing up. His arms in a surrender position, but still holding the machine gun. "I'm just a scavenger friend." He said trying to figure out his next move. He decided to stand still, thinking approaching him would be seen as aggression and retreating might signal some sort of predatory instinct in the man and he'd shoot Abel in the back. Because, that's what Abel would do. "So, I'ma, just, go then? Sound good?" Abel said questioningly. "It sure does. Good luck with all your genocide or whatever it is you've got going on. Big fan, by the way." He then tentatively raised a foot to take a step back.

[Penguin]

Angel

Angel blinked. He knew her name? He was the one who called the shots of this whole thing. She had definitely not seen that coming but it made sense why he happened to be in this exact spot. New York City was very big after all and it was a small chance to stumble upon people. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was being tested of her worth and being made to murder just for that sake. Angel supposed her loyalty to the idea was also tested. Perhaps he could provide her with a weapon and food as she had requested. If the weapon was anything like he was using, this all may be worth the risk. She watched as he started shooting down the road, addressing a new person now. She listened to this exchange and bit her lip. Angel was pretty sure Jet was not super merciful so she stepped out into the road and over to his side. "Let him go if he wants to go, Jet."

[Alivefalling]

@Penguin@Nyther

Jet

Jet stared at the man, who had some nasty scarring on his face, slowly starting to step back. "I mean I do have a place you can stay if you'd like and would rather not be alone." Jet said to the unnamed person. "I will set you both in one of the places I own." he looked at the both of them. "If you guys wanna get out of here I suggest you find two new tires for this jeep then I can lead you to the place." He told them. Jet knew that the place he was sending them was full of cameras. If anything went down, there were enough sentry turrets and explosives rigged in the security system of the building to send it into space but they wouldn't be able to catch on to any of this. He would test and find out how trustworthy this new man by the way he treated Angel. "Also what is your name?" He asked the man.

[Nyther]

Abel

Abel stopped mid-step at the man's offer of joining up. Visible confusion played across his face as he processed his words. "I, uh." Abel stammered, at a loss for words for the first time in his life. He set his foot down lowered his arms and slowly began to walk towards the man and a woman who he just now caught sight of. "I'd love a place to rest these weary bones dear Birdo-O." He stopped a few feet from the man and the woman and sized them both up.

"My name's Able." He spoke looking first at the man. "And I absolutely love this whole Inspector Gadget thing you've got going on there." He grinned, waving his hand at the suit and the guns the man wore and carried. "And you," He turned to the woman. "You've got a very mad Maxine thing going on. It works very well." He smiled. His mind still not believing he had just been invited to join up two strangers at first meeting. He quickly spun and cocked his head towards the man like a bird. "And what are y'alls names?" He inquired, his head darting back and forth between the two.

[Penguin]

Angel

Angel did a double-take, glancing back and forth between them when Jet suddenly invited them somewhere to stay. Did he expect her to just hang out with people she didn't know? Especially this random man off the street with a very badly scarred face. He could have pissed someone off in order to get those scars as far as they knew. She rubbed her own arm and stepped backward, wary of the situation, listening as he introduced himself as Abel and began to greet them with pop culture references. Angel could follow the Inspector Gadget reference but mad Maxine was lost on her brain. She supposed he kinda reminded her of the Joker from Batman but she felt it would be unwise to say so. "Yeah your look suits you too."She replied. "My name's Angel. "

She wanted one of those guns. Angel could live a smooth life and not have to worry about anyone overpowering her. It would take a second to just vaporize anyone. Not that she wanted to actually pursue such a thing, but it would come in handy and definitely be easy to give a warning shot and ward people away. It seemed like he wasn't going to just hand one over.

Whatever, I'll keep playing your game.

"Tires, huh?"She repeated what Jet had said to get away from the small talk and moved over to a broken down car nearby. "We can take from this car but I don't know how to take them off. "

[Alivefalling]

@Penguin@Nyther

Jet

"First of all, please stop these ramblings of a mad man." Jet said to Abel. "My name is Jet." He replied after Angel had introduced herself. Following Angel with his eyes as she moved over to a broken down car. "We can take from this car but I don't know how to take them off." She had said to them. "Don't worry, I will handle that." Jet then walked over to the car and began to gently take off the tires. He then headed over to the jeep, lifted it with one hand and replaced the flat ones with the newfound tires. It did take him a good ten minutes to get everything in place. "Okay, everything should be ready, get in the jeep." Jet said while looking at her. The two then got into the vehicle. Jet started up his wings and began to take flight, grabbing the jeep with the talons on his suit. He had flown across the city and landed them in front of a very beautiful house just outside the city that would make a millionaire jealous. "Welcome to my home. I have been fixing this place up ever since I came to New York." Jet said to them, smiling at his work.

[Nyther]

Abel

"Madman, madman?" Abel laughed. "I'm not the one wearing a Gundam Big Bird suit firing off some crazy yeet cannons." He sighed and composed himself. "You're right friend. My apologies. All this carnage you caused has just got me a little como se dice?" He snapped his fingers. "Terrified. That's the word." He smiled and took a step back as they moved over to the car and Jet started working on removing the tires. He clenched his jaw as they turned their backs to him and thought of how easily he could kill them right then and there. He feigned a smile as, once Jet was done, he ushered them into the car.

Able stopped mid-climb into the vehicle. "So, Jet? That's a little on the nose isn't it?" He raised his eyebrows and grimaced. "Just get in and shut up? Gotcha." He plopped himself in a seat next to Angel. He looked at her as Jet began to carry them to an unknown destination. "So, flying for business or pleasure?" He shouted over the noise of the wind rushing past them. She didn't respond. "Just want to be left alone and watch the in flight movie. Understood." He mimed zipping his lips and peered out at the scenery as they continued. "What a shit hole." He said to no one in particular.

Soon, Jet set them in front of a surprisingly still intact house. He climbed out of the jeep and took in the sight of the house. He let out a long whistle. "Damn Uncle Phil. This is some 90210 type shit right here." Able couldn't believe a place this nice was still standing. Not because of the war, but because this would be a bandit magnet. This guy must have some next level equipment to maintain and defend it. "What's the turn down service like here?"

[Penguin]

Angel

Angel had glanced over when Abel sat next to her in the jeep. He was shouting something to her that she couldn't make out over the wind. She watched him act out zipping his lips and she decided it probably had not been important. She, however, did overhear him say, "What a shit hole." Following his gaze to the house Jet was landing them in front of, she stared in disbelief. Many people sure did run to mansions during the apocalypse but quickly found that they were a hassle to maintain alone. No way Jet cleaned the whole thing. She expected the inside to be a mess.

She hopped out of the jeep and took a few steps toward the house, glancing at it for a moment then turning back towards the other two. Abel was at it again with the pop culture references of course. "So... Big wings. Big guns. Big house. Compensating for something, buddy?"She quipped with a smirk. Immediately, she started making her way toward the house without waiting for either of them, knowing they'd catch up.

[Alivefalling]

@Penguin@Nyther

Jet

"So... Big wings. Big guns. Big house. Compensating for something, buddy?" Angel had said to Jet. He wasn't too perturbed by her words."I have nothing to compensate for, other than the fact I would rather not be a corpse on the ground like I left back there. It's survival of the fittest in the new world, evolve or die." Jet replied. "Also, I like to have a nice place to sleep rather than a shit hole on the streets." He added to his first comment. Jet then stepped out of his wingsuit, pressing a few buttons on the bracelet around his arm. It then flew on its own to his base, still hidden from Angel and Abel. "So let's go in." He said to the two. Jet removed his helmet again, rushing ahead of Angel and putting his hand and eye into the scanners of the door. It opened revealing a large entry room with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and two large circular staircases leading up to a second floor. The surrounding walls were gold and white. "Well come in." He told them.