[IC] The Gifted: A Fast Paced Superpower RP (Relaunch)

[Subject Zero]

As Cer explained her confusion over the 'large animal petting zoo', Nate gently nodded his head up and down. He could understand her confusion. This city was all kinds of crazy. It's residents even more so. If you weren't from around here, he supposed, he whole damn city could be considered a circus. Before he had a chance to reply to her explanation though, there was a rather unexpected appearance.

Nate knew who Light was. Everyone knew who Light was. It was hard, if not impossible to live in LA and not have at least some knowledge of the toon. He sighed slightly upon seeing the hero, his arm still wrapped loosely around grey girls shoulder. He understood the need for people like Light in this world. Someone to stand out like a beacon of hope that maybe the world wasn't as dark and evil as it seemed at times. People liked to look up to heroes like Light.

But Nate had been trained to act the exact opposite way. He was all about stealth. Operating out in the open like Light did would compromise operations. His way of working was so ingrained into his being at this point that being around characters like Light aggravated him slightly. He knew that if he spent too much time around her, the spotlight would eventually shine on him. A prospect he was entirely uncomfortable with. Of course she wouldn't have approached without a reason and he figured the best way to get rid of her would be to find out what she wanted.

As his new buddy admitted that Light was one of her icons, Nate crossed one of his legs over the other and almost leaned on Cer in a manner that implied they were far closer than they actually were. "How can we help you today?" he asked with a well practiced smile.

[Archmage MC]

"More fans? I should've known." Light said with a cheery laugh to the two people. Much like most who knew about Light, they saw her with a mix of awestruck and in the one person's cae, annoyance. At least they weren't part of that anti meta group that was around, those people usually tried to shoot her on sight!

"Well anyway, I'm looking for metas who could use a job." Light said to the pair, not sure what was going on with them. "I don't think you two would know of any would you? That gorilla I saw was one I'd assume. And I'd hazard a guess that you two might be ones as well?" She continued, leaning on a nearby lamp post.

"Of course you'll need to have a strong will and all that fun stuff. But other than that, if your both metas or superhumans or what have you, show me whatchya got if your interested. If not, I can sign a couple things before I go." Light said, trying to play it cool, taking out a piece of food from her pocket space and starting to casually eat it.

@sapphire@subject zero

[Sapphire]

Cer hadn't expected the stranger to lean on her and it took a concentrated effort not to stumble when he leaned against her. He was beginning to annoy her. It was a small consolation to see his aura darken at Light, she was close enough to tell how his aura reacted to other people, one of the few bonuses of the situation. Her ears perked at his question "How can we help you today?" There wasn't any we, they were not a team and definitely not a couple. Was he so eager to get Light to leave that he was trying to use some kind of strength in numbers tactic? She wasn't sure and though he still had no intention of harming her, she shot him a quick skeptical look.

Aside from the stranger acting even more strangely than before, Light was actually saying something interesting. Cer didn't really look up to this Meta, not as much as she pitied her. Her power was like Midas's touch, just in a cartoon style and on steroids. Though in the interest of normalcy it was probably best she 'admired' Light. However it was the job offer that really caught Cer's attention, normally she would say no. It was better to be self sustainable but things were different now. She had been taught to be wary of people who would try to use her powers but this job could help her find the person or people who took down the MHLA. In this case the ends justified the means. her smiled persisted and she chuckled "I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth but just because you're a public figure, doesn't mean we can trust you. Any sane meta is careful about who they work for and who they work with. We're both metas, so assuming we are also both sane, I think its reasonable to ask for more information about this job offer." Cer couldn't help but feel that this was like making a deal with the devil. If the stranger actually disliked Light he wouldn't be interested in the offer, if she was lucky he would leave and stop invading her personal space, she would get a way into the cities inner workings and a fairly reliable source of information, all good things. On the other hand, this job could be a lot worse than Light made it look, she had seen corrupt governments use metas before and she wasn't about to put America above that standard.

[Subject Zero]

'Assuming we're both sane?' Nate thought to himself as grey girl responded to the admittedly light on the detail request from the toon. He couldn't help but feel like the 'sane' comment was at least partially directed at him. With that he finally took his arm from around her shoulder and crossed both arms in front of him, adopting a visibly firm stance. He was ready to call her out on it but realised it was probably justified and instead directed his attention to Light. "Yeah, what she said" he added. He quickly did a doubletake on the grey haired girl though as he wondered how she knew he was a meta. Had she seen him spawn the duplicate? Maybe he was getting rusty. Or maybe he was just getting overly confident.

After a moment he decided it didn't matter and shifted his attention back to where it probably ought to be in the first place. Light and her request.

His gut instinct was to tell Light he wanted no part of her "job" and get out of there but then the voice at the back of his head told him "Don't be an idiot! This is exactly what we're looking for. Someone willing to pay us for our unique services. Kaching!" He suddenly perked up at that thought and seemed a lot more interested in what Light had to say. "And also, how much does this 'job' pay?" he added to his previous statement, putting air quotes around the word "job" for some reason.

@Sapphire @Archmage MC

[Archmage MC]

Light watched as the two people in front of her had a funny exchange. Apparently the girl wasn't interested in the man, or so her expression indicated. She thought a bit before trying to find a good way to explain things, as she herself wasn't so sure why Cedric wanted her to recruit more people, she just went along with it.

"Well... the job is more or less being special forces. Its a permanent position if your interested. It pays well and you get to travel all over. I like Germany personally. Schnitzel is so tasty." Light said, standing up, putting away her food and listing things off from a list she made in her head.

"And of course the government will help make aids for your powers if you ask for it. I get to use some technology!" She continued, pointing at the small comms device in her ear, which didn't care that it was cartoony and still functioned fine. "And lots of other nice benefits. Sure sometimes you might need to do a hit or capture people... comes with the territory and all. But its usually murderous psychopaths or cannibals or some sort of ancient cult that wants to destroy the world... stuff like that. Its fun!"

Finishing her little speech, Light waited for the two to digest the information. While she assumed the guy was a mercenary or someone for hire, his interest being in the money, the girl at least had some of Light's interests. Namely the benefits, or so she thought. After waiting for a bit, Light said. "But of course I need to make sure you are metas or superhumans of note, and you do need to go through a few screening tests. But hey, if your a good person you wont have any problems."

@sapphire@subject zero

[Letter Bee]

After calling Hannon Corp, Cedric Wessex would then call Light, saying:

"Hello there, how goes your recruitment mission?" After hearing the Toon Meta's explanation - assuming that she gave one, Cedric would nod, and then tell the Heroine:

"I know the male Metahuman you're referring to. His name is Nathan James Hunter, alias Legion. His ability is to duplicate himself, with each duplicate having its own personality. He used to be a member of the Armed Forces before being a Merc. I could use someone like him in multiple places, including Syria, where he might accompany Adam Savage and John Morrison. Other duplicates can be used in an assault I'm planning."

"As for the albino with purple eyes and light clothing...I seem to remember her. Does the Meta Human Literary Agency mean anything to you? Basically, it's an organization that teaches Metahumans to use their powers; they and we were cautious allies, cautious because they are distrustful of our ties to the Establishment. I and their Master were good friends, and he told me about someone who fits the woman's description. If so, can you ask her how the MHLA is faring?"

[Archmage MC]

Before the two people could do anything, Light paused them as she got a call on her comms device. She reported as to what had happened so far, and after explaining the two people she was interviewing, she got some info on them.

"Ok... So you two are metas. One of you is a merc, I guessed as much. The other... MHLA... I remember that. How are they doing? My handler is interested in knowing." Light said. AFter scratching her head she asked "And I guess with ops vouching for you guys, you can show me whatchya can do if you want, but I think I can just bring ya back there. If your ready to go?"

[Subject Zero]

Special forces.
Travel.
Government.
Kill people.
Capture people.

Those were the ingredients of Nate's old job. Was he being recruited to replace himself? Sure, he liked his old job but he scrunched his face up at the use of the word 'Government'. He wasn't sure he wanted to work for the government again. Not after they kicked him out on his ass. He started to open his mouth to tell Light to shove her job but was as surprised as everyone else when a duplicate suddenly appeared right in front of him, seemingly stepping right out of Nate himself.
"We'll do it!" said the duplicate.

Nate was momentarily lost for words but quickly regained his composure and yelled "Ignore him!" he grabbed the duplicate by the back of his collar and dragged him away, looking over his shoulder at the ladies and saying "Excuse us a moment". He manhandled the duplicate off about ten feet and sternly asked "What do you think you're doing?"
The duplicate pulled itself free of Nate's grip and, after readjusting himself, replied "Saving the day again." Nate only arched his eyebrows and tilted his head at that. "We want this" continued the duplicate "I'm just the side of you that's willing to admit it"
Nate glanced back at Light and the grey haired girl, knowing all too well what they must be thinking right now. Everyone, at some point in their life had been conflicted. Torn between two paths. Had a decision to make. But most people just thought about the situation rationally and came to a decision. Most people didn't need to have a literal argument with themselves about what was the best thing to do. At that moment, Nate shoved his face into his palms and groaned, realizing just how crazy he really was.
"We!?" Nate shout-whispered "There is no we! There's only me!" He flailed his arms at his duplicates face, the duplicate half heartedly mirroring him. They looked like a couple of prepubescent schoolboys for a second. "I make the decisions" said Nate, pointing emphatically at himself "Me! Not y--" He was suddenly cut off as the duplicate grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inches from his own face.
"Grow up!" grumbled the duplicate "I am you. We all are. We're you down to every blonde hair and every scar. Not to mention that weird birthmark on our foot. You need to accept that. You also need to accept that you have an opportunity here. An opportunity to get your life back. To be Legion again. We are one and we are many, remember?"

Nate relaxed slightly at that last comment. "We are one..." he began.
"...And we are many" finished the duplicate.

It seemed almost like a mantra. A code phrase. The duplicate let go of his creator and Nate straightened his jacket and breathed in deeply, releasing the air slowly from his nostrils. The duplicate was right. Damn it, he was right. Since leaving the military, Nate had been lost. Whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. Maybe he could get some semblance of normality back into his life by accepting this offer from Light. As normal as his life ever got anyway. Both men nodded at each other before Nate turned and made his way back to the others, his duplicate dutifully behind him.

As he returned, he noticed Light switch her comm off. Orders from the boss he assumed. She suggested they show her what they could do, prompting Nate to look at his duplicate. He turned back to Light and said simply "I guess you can already see what I can do."

[NarcissisticPotato]

Olivia could sense his awkwardness - here was some newcomer who was coming into his meeting and pointing holes through his arguments. She would have to apologise later, even if she thought that what she was doing was for the greater good. "Mr Wessex, I am very aware of Al-Bagdhadi's powers." With that, she slipped her finger down under her shirt before gripping it and dragging it down her arm. The exposure of skin revealed a long scar running parallel to the strap of her bra. Covering herself again, she fixed him with a hard stare. "Despite my anger at the man, I do believe that keeping him alive is key to finally removing the tension in the Middle East. If you think that killing him is necessary then I beg of you to inform your would-be assassin to covertly end his life in a manner that doesn't look overly suspicious. Your choice of assassin impairs this, however, as you chose a man who'll want to go and spill as much blood as possible."

Cedric was a nice enough guy but she wasn't going to sit there and accept his apparent outcome. She was the one who parted rivers of blood and brought together warring sides in the Middle East. She was the one who was instrumental in driving forward the abolition of metahuman-discrimination. She was the one who the Heroes entrusted one of the most volatile areas in the planet for Metahumans - LA. Olivia was going to get her peace and she was going to do it just so she could have a smug smile when she informed Cedric Wessex of her abilities.

"La vie est drôle." With that, she rose from her chair and gathered her books before nodding to Cedric. "I'll be up in my new room, Mr Wessex. If you need my assistance then do not be afraid to call." Turning away, she gave him a wide sweep of both hair and skirt. Cedric was definitely an interesting character. His voice changed when he spoke to her. The difference was subtle, at best, but she picked up on it nonetheless. Olivia was here to do a job, not play hot secretery for her playboy-millionaire boss. [/i]Maybe if he tries a little.[/i] Playing hard to get would be interesting, especially with this one.

A short time later, she had the most of her items packed away. The Reformists had gifted her with a luxury suite near the penthouse and she was appreciative of it - LA was a sight to behold at night time. Finally, she moved over to the intercom at the door and clicked it on, hoping to address the secretaries at the ground floor desk. "Hello, could you please extend an invitation to Mr Wessex to join me in my room? Inform him that I wish to apologise for my behaviour earlier." Once the secretary had told her that she would, Olivia let out a shaky sigh and moved to her sound system. This could be awkward.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

The Owlman turned slowly to the boy who had walked up, while the guy at the desk just smiled. "Well speak of the devil and he appears. You been getting settled in ok?" He asked. The Owlman, meanwhile, had started reaching into his jacket pocket only for the reseptionist to put a mand on his arm. "You try talking to him and you'll be here all day. You're already late, ya know? Cedric wants you up there now."

The Owlman puts both hands on his desk and just stares at the man, then looks at Ann. "Dude she'll be fine without you for the duration of a meeting." The man says as the Owlman turns back to him. No words seem to be exchanged, but then the man says, "You're being unreasonable. Look I just....would you just.... gah!" He turns to Ann and says, sweet as he can, "Hi, I'm Max," before turning back to him. "There, now she knows me too. Oh, okay, you know what? I helped you skip once and you know who caught shit for that? Hint: it was't you. So you go up now or I'm gonna tell them how we met. You think I won't? All right, it was dark, snowy, and both of us were naked..."

Whatever half of that argument The Owlman had been making, this threat caused him to relent. He held his hands up, palms out, in supplication before slowly patting Ann twice on the arm before turning to make his way toward the elevators. As he passed the new kid, Jackson he'd said his name was, he did not waste a perfect opportunity to tip his hat. Max sighed as he watched him go. "I love that guy, but god can he be so stubborn. Soooo, he said your name was Casper and he thinks you might need something to eat and a roof over your head."

--------------

So that was what had happened to Velocity. Honestly, most of the stuff about assassination and pretext had gone over his head. He disagreed with the assassination, but that was mostly the gut reaction that assassinations weren't something that superheros were supposed to be involved with. It just didn't sit right with him, and honestly the moment he was asked to carry out some government wet work was the moment he went back to the woods. He would much rather Syria understood that whoever killed a superhero deserved a good beating and allow investigation without politics getting involved.

The Underground though, that interested him. He'd spoken to a few self proclaimed undergrounders through email, and to a man he hadn't liked any of them. They had nothing but high praise for what he was doing to raise acceptance for monsterouse meta, but they typically had completely misunderstood that he was doing it so they could live normal human lives. Because they were human, human as anyone who was born with a club foot or an extra arm. Undergrounders had bought into this idea that they were something other than human, and that scared him because he saw some of that even in the council.

He reached out to his special keyboard, hooked up to a voice synthesizer, and as he slowly typed and electronic voice sounded in the room.

"does this mean we know where the undergrounds base of operations is located. who is this surroget. more details."

[Letter Bee]

"Yes," Cedric replied to The Owlman's question, "the Underground Movement's Headquarters is under New Sun Corporation's Skyscraper; I'm gathering evidence right now to justify an 'operation' on the premises, although I'm willing to try diplomacy first. As for the surrogate, we don't know her identity, but a woman named Cindy Wade has gone missing, a Metahuman who's a minor member of the Underground Movement, having joined due to, well, being thrown out of her teaching job after it was discovered that she had the power to 'flash-teach' someone by touch. And no, we were not keeping tabs on her; this evidence was discovered by police investigating her sudden disapperance; even then, it was a lucky find."

"Any more questions? I kinda have some people to talk to."

@Gentlemanvaultboy

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

"Yes," Cedric replied to The Owlman's question, "the Underground Movement's Headquarters is under New Sun Corporation's Skyscraper; I'm gathering evidence right now to justify an 'operation' on the premises, although I'm willing to try diplomacy first. As for the surrogate, we don't know her identity, but a woman named Cindy Wade has gone missing, a Metahuman who's a minor member of the Underground Movement, having joined due to, well, being thrown out of her teaching job after it was discovered that she had the power to 'flash-teach' someone by touch. And no, we were not keeping tabs on her; this evidence was discovered by police investigating her sudden disapperance; even then, it was a lucky find."

"Any more questions? I kinda have some people to talk to."

@Gentlemanvaultboy

@Letter Bee

The Owlman stops and thinks for a moment before reaching out and again typing.

"we'll be briefed on combat stregth and details of the plan before we hit them then." The electronic voice asked. He hoped they had the whole story in two weeks time, he was curious why a major corporation would be harboring metahuman-supremists. He hoped they had just been bought, he didn't want to think that they were owned.

[Alternax]

It was a long truck ride, and not necessarily smooth either. Overdrive had to ride along with his equipment in the back of a truck, it was dark, uncomfortable, and stuffy; but those were human problems. The android had no trouble switching his vision, and with his unlimited stamina he stayed standing the whole trip. Upon arriving at the Reformist HQ Overdrive helped some local technicians unload his maintenance equipment, along with other delicate materials, and helped them install the technology into certain areas around the loading bay.

[RoflsMazoy]

This isn't really important to the plot, you don't have to read it

"Finally, he's gone." Sefia said. She was sitting opposite Alto at the other end of the table, sipping more coffee. Sal and Con had come back, and Sal was eating dinner beside Alto while Con helped Theo with some chores.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Sal asked, looking up from her meal.

"I don't mind him when he's serious, Sefia replied, "But when he's not serious he's just really annoying." She turned towards Alto and sighed. "That throne is ridiculous." she said.

Alto looked up from his cookies and cream. "Ridiculous how?" He asked.

"What kind of person has a throne in their dining room?" She said.

"Me." He replied. Sefia returned to staring at him, as he ate another spoon of cookies and cream. He suddenly realised something, grudgingly put his tub down, and sighed. "Oh right, I needed to tell you about all the stuff I was talking about." Sefia put her coffee down with a sour expression on her face.

"So you finally realised, huh?" Sal said. "Sefia hates being left in the dark, you know." She finished off the last bite of her dinner, before picking up her plate and leaving for the kitchen.

He hadn't known that, he probably should've known that. I'll keep that in mind, I suppose. Alto thought.

"Well, first up is Tree Baby Jesus." Alto said, leaning back on his throne. "Someone in the underground movement is giving birth in two weeks, to an SS-class meta." He paused slightly before continuing. "Apparently it'll be able to turn into a tree which drops fruit which gives normal people meta powers and can heal people instantly."

"Huh." Sefia said, still mildly confused. "Alright, well, I guess I see why they're attacking now."

"Yeah..." Alto said, "I don't really know how the found out, or how they knew what its power was going to be, but whatever. Doesn't affect us really." He looked down to see his ice-cream was melting slightly. He probably needed to finish that. "Next thing would probably be my secret agenda..." He said, picking up his spoon.

"If it's dangerous, I'm coming with you." Sefia said suddenly. Alto looked up in surprise. "It's not because I'm worried about you or anything," She said quickly, "I just want to test my sword skills."

"Oh," Alto said, "Alright then?"

She sounds like a Tsundere or something. He thought.

He cleared his throat a little, before speaking again. "Well, I only need to punch someone so it should be fine(@letter Bee)." Sefia raised an eyebrow at that. "Though, it is the Underground Movement's commander. I suppose that is a little dangerous, but whatever. You should probably come along." Sefia nodded in agreement.

"Anyhow," He said as he scraped the bottom of his ice-cream, "The last thing I should probably cover is Ruby."

"Is it bad that I don't know who she is?" Sefia asked.

"Well, not really." He put the finished tub on the dining table. "She sort of used to be wanted, I suppose, because she revealed some stuff the government didn't want her to reveal and blew up an FBI bulding and then she disappeared."

"You talk like you know her pretty well." Sefia piped up.

"Actually, I've only ever met her three times." Alto said, "The first time I tried to bail her out, the second time a week later I was hunting her down, and the third time was this afternoon, when she asked me to bail her out."

"...Huh." Sefia said. She was still confused, and by the looks of things, she looked like she knew it.

"She's done a lot." He said. "Maybe if we'd met under different circumstances, we could've been great friends."

"Still, I don't see why you'd go this far to help her." She said, "Is she even paying you or anything?"

"No she isn't, but you know I only usually take pocket change, right?" He said, "I just feel like doing it. That's all." Sefia drained her coffee and put her mug down with a sigh.

"...Yeah, alright." She got up and started walking towards the kitchen, mug in hand.

"Hey, are you staying over tonight?" He called. She seemed to contemplate the question for a second.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You remember where your room is, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I know where it is." She said.

[Sapphire]

Cer could have cheered at her personal victory, though it came at a cost, passive aggressive comments seemed to work. She noted his surprise when she mentioned he was a meta, identifying metas was not one of her registered powers, she would have to be more careful in the future. She could link it to her energy manipulation powers but it was safer to keep the meta sensing capabilities on the down low. Her smile was more genuine now, this was a lot closer to a normal situation now. The stranger surprised her, he actually wanted to take the job. She could admit that she had not been expecting that. The details seemed to be in order, nothing set off any red flags besides the whole 'hits' thing, Cer as a rule did not intentionally kill but that was a bridge she could cross when the time came. She wasn't really interested in the aesthetics, she should have known that the information about her employers could only be found while working the job. Though the glossed examples of assignments was enlightening, she mentally noted them, just in case.

Before she got a chance to accept the offer, Light caught her off guard and asked about the MHLA. For a moment she stood there completely emotionless, she didn't want to think about it but there it was again, it made sense though. Having spent most of her lifetime in their care it was logical that they would haunt her. Trying not to let her expression become too dark and depressed she responded. "Not very well I suppose, they're all dead. I have no way of knowing if any of them survived or escaped or even who died in most cases. Whoever did it was brutal, fast, and calculated." She could almost feel tears rising, how careless of her. Taking a deep breath she restored her emotional balance, she had to be in control of herself if she wanted to be in control of her other half. "It's really tragic, though I think they would have been delighted to know that no one noticed that they disappeared. As crazy as that may sound, its the truth." A little bittersweet smile formed before she went back to being all business. "I accept your offer, as an energy manipulator with a fairly high healing factor, I hope I can be of use to you. Thanks to the MHLA I'm more well trained than your average meta but I prefer to save it for training and battles only, you never know when you'll have to be ready." This really wasn't her usual style but today was on off day so she let it slide.

[Archmage MC]

Light laughed at the little comedy routine both of these metas were doing. She missed most of Nate's skit with his doubleganger, but Cer's reaction to him was pretty noticeable. The demise of the MHLA didn't really impact Light as much as it did Cer, but it was also something she hadn't heard of and was probably worth investigating after the current crisis was over she thought.

"Well, glad you accepted. Follow me and we'll get your papers and probation all sorted out. Who knows? Maybe you'll have your own movie someday." Light said, gesturing for the pair of them to follow, having to walk the streets for once instead of the rooftops. She radioed Cedric saying that she had two metas and were taking them to one of the auxiliary offices while pulling out a black cloak from her pocket space and putting it on.

"This way I wont be bothered as much for autographs and we don't take ages getting back to base due to fans swarming me." Light said to the two people following her. To pass the time, she asked them a bit about themselves and if they had any interesting stories. The three of them chatted, with only a couple people noticing Light, Light ducking out of the way before they gave chase, until they reached the office she had mentioned to Cedric.

"Alrighty, just gotta wait for my buddy to send someone to help you out with the boring stuff and we can probably go on a mission if he has something. If not, we can just hang out for a bit or something. I'm fine with whatever." Light said, smiling as she took off her now cartoonish looking cloak and putting it back in her pocket space.

[Marx]

"We are live in ten... nine... eight..."

"Threetwoone, let's jam!" Sol roared, bounding off of a roof top, short bursts of flame propelling him forward as he dropped onto the street running, cutting straight through traffic. A small camera sitting square on his right shoulder took in everything before him, streaming his daily adventure across several streaming sites across the web, links to it on his twitter, facebook, and every other social media site one could dream up. There were plenty of superheros making themselves known to the world, for the better or for the worse, but few were as ostentatious as Sol. The way Sol lived life was in a way that screamed "Take a look and be amazed!" and to his credit, he was if nothing else: A showman.

"So, whatta we got goin' on today, Archangel?" Sol chirped, grinning beneath his mask as he dodged in an out of traffic toward the little corner store that Archie had sent him to. "Uhh..." Archangel replied, dragging every letter of every word along as if he were moving half as fast as the world around him, "Nothing too big, Sol. Just a pawn store robbery, no metas." Sol clicked his tongue and took a sharp left, bounding over the hood of a moving car as he did so, "Ya killin' me, Archie. We got bigger fish to fry!" Sol laughed, coming to a screeching halt before Mac's Gold and Silver Pawn where an alarm bell was dinging away and folks were yelling inside. "For those of you just tuning in, I'm Sol and I'm here for your entertainment and to help keep this city in line!" Sol said, adjusting the camera slightly before barging in through the front door, making finger guns and two startled and pissed gunmen.

"The fuck is this guy's problem?" One of them snarled, raising a gun on Sol. "You two are my problem," Sol turned the finger guns into middle fingers, his left middle finger catching a bullet, a fleck of blood hitting the lens. "Christ that hurt, you mongoloid!" Sol yelled, shaking his hand, "You could've hurt someone!" Sol moved in quick, a burst from his jets propelling him across the room into a wall of gunfire. Poor, stupid idiots. They only had, what? 19 rounds between the two of them, tops? Sol and most of his viewer base by now knew at least one thing about him; He could come back from looking like Swiss cheese in a matter of seconds. Sol met the closest gunman head on, taking three rounds through the chest, one in the eye, and one that grazed along the side of his ear. In a moment the gunman was on the floor, blood gushing from his nose from the headbutt delivered by the boy with rockets strapped to his feet. Sol paused for a moment, looking from the gunman that was out cold to the one standing and now yelling, wildly firing at him all the while.

"Calm dow-" Sol paused, grabbing and rubbing his jaw, a hole that led straight through the bottom of his jaw, through the back of his left cheek stumbling him. He dropped down, snatched the gun from the knocked out man, and shot quick, the other man dropping to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. "Yeah, fuckin' hurts donnit?" Sol shrugged, shooting the man a second time in the left knee. "Well, hope you two piles of shit have a goodun, don't hesitate to call if you need someone to stitch you back together." Sol delivered a final kick to the man's chest before gathering the guns and tossing them over the cashier's counter. "Toodles, boys."

The stream of Sol's escapades cut as he stepped out of the store and back on to the street, the little red light on the device shutting off. "How'd I do Archie?" Sol almost giggled, fights always getting him into one helluva good mood. "You made yourself look like an ass," Archangel groaned. "But we're getting crazy views aren't we? Thank me later, booboo...." Sol paused, tapping into his mic one last time. "Oh, and Archie?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Mind makin the suit a little less cosmetic? I can heal and all, but getting shot still really fuckin' hurts."

"Couldn't be lower on my to-do list, L."

"Figured as much."

[Letter Bee]

Cedric, still calling Light, heard the tragic news: The MHLA had been destroyed, including their master? This, this was something deserving of outrage, although one should make sure that his retaliation was not for revenge alone, but also to prevent anyone from interfering in any attempt to replace the organization. He then said:

"Light, I'm sending one of our Non-Meta Agents right away. Also, I have an assignment in mind for our two new agents. For Nathan, his 'main self' is going to act as a self-defense - self-defense, not basic training or a 'less harsh version of the spartan training', just self-defense - trainer for a new Meta we have, Jackson Ducarthy. The relevant files will be forwarded via encrypted smartphone."

"Again, no military basic training, and no 'less harsh' spartan-style training, either, just self-defense. I plan to adopt Jackson/Kuro," and perhaps Eden when he's born, and I will not have him be further harmed."

"Cer, meanwhile, will be training my soon-to-be son - or sons considering the split personalities - in how to use his powers."

[NarcissisticPotato]

((Collab post between Letter Bee and NarcissisticPotato))

Flash Forward

Cedric was now heading to Olivia's room, having been notified by the secretaries that the young woman wanted to see him, in order to apologize. This, despite the fact that it was him who had offended; true, his plans made sense to him, but they were not the only options. Besides, Olivia was right about Raqqa; decapitating Islamic State now would just lead to a period of renewed warfare; best to keep that boogeyman around in order to scare the nations towards peace. However, he needed to discover the Mysterious Force that Ruby had alerted him to, and which he was sure had killed Max Velocity...

But still, he felt guilty for this; it was not what Constantine would have done - he should have been more subtle. Enough thoughts; he was at Olivia's door. He knocked a few times, guilt still governing his actions.

Smoothing down her choice of clothing, Olivia padded, bare-footed, towards the door before letting out a soft sigh - she hated apologising for something she believed was right but if it had to be done, it had to be done. Apparently Cedric Wessex had pride and he probably wouldn't take too kindly to someone coming in and stating that his plans were foolish in front of all his subjects. Reaching out, she opened the door before letting her eyes trail up him. He was kind of cute but that wasn't what distracted her - Cedric Wessex, despite his apparent pride, had a guilty look on his face. "Would you like to come in?" She offered, standing back and opening a space for him to enter.

"Thanks, Olivia," the young man, barely 20, entered the room.

Silently, she closed the door before turning and pressing her back against it. What does one say to someone you have to apologise to? The answer was slightly obvious so she began with that. Clearing her throat a little, she began. "Mr Wessex, I apologise whole-heartedly for my earlier actions. They were insensitive to your feelings and how the others view you as a leader. It isn't my place to inform you whether your plans are stupid or not so from here on in, I'll merely take up the role of advisor for you." It pained her to have to apologise for it but it needed to be done. Nodding quickly, she blushed as a stray strand of hair fell down only to be rapidly pushed into place. Olivia didn't have any of her forms active so her confidence was rather lacking.

"It's okay, Olivia, you were standing up for your convictions," Cedric said sincerely. "I mean, I believe that they're...not entirely right, and I'm sticking with my course of action, but, well...I need other people's views, I need their perspectives. And, what you have done was provide another way of looking at things," he then looked at a nearby kitchenette.

"Anyway, as compensation, I'll cook some dinner and steep the tea; how's that sound?" he spoke with a childlike - not childish, childlike - smile, one that combined the energy of youth with the control of adulthood.

She moved closer to him, her eyebrow raising involuntarily as she did so - was this the so-called proud Cedric Wessex admitting that he needed her opinion, even if he did offend it ever so slightly? Olivia was even considering softening the frown that had been plastered to her face for the past few hours that she had been in LA. That was, until, he said that. "Mr Wessex, are you inviting yourself on a date with me?" She questioned, moving her hands down onto her hips as she stared at him, her lips set into a pout.

"A date?!" Cedric said with a surprise that was half-real, half-feigned. "Why, I would never impose on you like that!" he protested, stepping back in mock mortification.

Olivia gave him a dull look, her eyebrow raising at him before she sighed and shook her head. "You're my boss, Mr Wessex. And I'm here for a peace mission. Perhaps for just a while you could keep your eyes focused on the job?" She countered, getting him back for his earlier retort before her features softened and she let out a knowing smile. "Ok, I suppose I would appreciate some dinner, even if it is not imposed at all." She even replicated his voice just for effect as she grinned at him.

"Thank you, Olivia," said Cedric before going onto the kitchenette, putting on a chef's apron, and preparing a meal of Mongolian Beef with chives, followed by a passionfruit milkshake. A few hours later, the food would be prepared, and the young man would then set down two plates, and two glasses, at the table.

While he cooked, Olivia took the time to get a shower and do herself up a little. It was an unofficial date, after all - as much as Cedric wished to deny that fact with his childlike smile. When she finally emerged, she was half-surprised at everything he had prepared. "Where did you learn to cook, Mr Wessex?" She commented, popping her head over his shoulder and staring down into the frying pan. "It seems that your cooking is better than your war-making." Olivia finally concluded, a wisp of an evil grin on her face as she moved to the table to sit down.

Cedric sat down, took a bite of his Mongolian Beef, then continued:
"I was self-taught. Videos, books, and of course, my own Metahuman power. I know a bunch of recepies from all across the world; one of the perks of being a gen - sorry, being prideful!" the 20-year old said, ashamed.

Olivia began eating, making small sounds of appreciation - food on planes really wasn't the best and that was the only food she had today. "Mr Wessex, my mother always said that you should never deny what you truly are. If you live out your life trying to appease others then you'll have a poor life indeed. I've read your file, Sir, you have one of the highest IQs in the Western World. By all rights, you are a genius." She complimented, her bright green eyes never pulling away from him.

"Heh...yeah, true," said Cedric. "That did get me a lot of grief, though." He continued eating, before saying:

"You're not a slouch in intellectual achievements yourself, though," spoke Cedric; he'd read her file, too. "Anyway, have you heard about our new 'refugee', Jackson Ducarthy?" The young man had recieved a call during the meeting saying that William had brought a boy of that name into the HQ; he didn't know about The Owlman bringing Ann, however. "You see, I want to adopt the boy; I feel pity for him."

"You want to adopt?" She questioned bluntly, staring at him for a second before she frowned - had she mistaken the character of Cedric Wessex? Perhaps playboy millionaire wasn't the correct term. "Aren't you only twenty?" She questioned again, placing her knife and fork down so she could converse with him.

"I also have one of the highest IQs in the Western World, remember?" he said with fake incredulity. "Anyway, I sympathize with Jackson; from what preliminary investigations show, that boy has suffered a lot. Almost Project Genesis level, in fact." He had heard of what happened to Jackson from more calls, specifically one from William Plantagenet.

"I see... I must apologise then, Mr Wessex. I had taken you to be more of a playboy millionaire but it seems that you have a conscience." She murmured, bowing her head down a little. Once they were done, she got up and lifted the plates to the sink - she could deal with them later. Moving to her speakers, she selected a song before beckoning over to him. "I suppose I owe you for that meal and judging you wrong but unfortunately, I don't think you're getting a kiss tonight, Mr Wessex. So, how about a dance? Dancing can heal any wound, after all." She quirked an eyebrow at him, extending her hand slightly as she withdrew her pencil and quickly drew the Lepus Constellation in the air.
Cedric smiled, stood up, and took her hand, letting her lead the dance.

Cedric was a surprisingly good dancer, as it turned out but her Lepus Form allowed her to gain a professionalism to her moves that she never really had before. Lepus was a weird one but she enjoyed it. Finally, after much whirling and shared grins, they collapsed down onto the sofa. "You should probably be heading back! I don't want to keep you from your sleep, considering you're a very busy man!" There was a hint of challenge in her voice that not even Olivia knew the origins of.

"All right;" he said, "gotta rest now, although I might squeeze in a talk with Jackson before I sleep." And with that, he left.

[Weird Tales]

Charles was standing on the top of a building and had his arms outstretched towards the sun. The warm rays of the yellow star felt wonderful against his skin and he could feel his powers grow stronger. Charles was a man of the day and his unique abilities were tied to the light. He thought about the prayers he used to do with his family many years ago and memories of his mother and father talking about God's glorious light came to his mind.

Charles soon surrounded himself in the rainbow aura that gave him his powers and lifted off into the sky, watching as the city below him became smaller and smaller. The feeling of flight was incredible to him and thought that this is what God must feel when he is soaring around the heavens. He loved the freedom that came with flying and it made traveling by normal means a thing of the past for him. The wind blew through his hair as he accelerated to supersonic speed and began to do Aeriel maneuvers just for fun.

As he flew above the land below him Charles wondered what the future would hold for him. It seemed like evil may be returning to the world and he may have to make some very tough choices in the near future. He didn't like the idea of possibly having to kill criminals he preferred to not stoop so low, but he may not have a choice in the matter. That was the hardest thing about being a hero for him, it was required of him to make the tough decisions and do what was right. He wondered what the Reformist Council's next move would be and what kind of orders he would receive.