Previously, on Verthaven...
Sunday, June 30th. 4:30 PM.
TVs across Verthaven showed a woman in a dark-purple pinstriped suit, standing in front of a bridge that lead into the Downtown Neighborhood - closed off by Police Officers, there was a police blocker, and two policemen standing at attention in front of it - holding a microphone.
"Hello, everybody, this is Molly Schuler with the news. It's one day after the very daunting assault on the Summer Festival, perpetrated by the gang known as the Fiends. A massive firefight took place between the Fiends, the VPD, and NEST as the the latter-two were attempting to restore order. The Fiends retreated, but not before causing damage that the City has to repair. And as a result, the downtown district has been completely locked down.." Clips went by of city-workers cleaning up the damage done to the district. "Reports say that fifty people dead, and hundreds more were injured - some critically - in the attack. As a result, NEST, and VPD efforts have been increased up to put an end to the Fiends, and bring the ones responsible for this attack to justice. The National Guard has been deployed to Verthaven in order to assist in their efforts. Launching Raids against known Fiend hangouts. So far, Raids have been going well, and dozens of Fiends have been arrested, while recovering millions of dollars worth of drugs owned by the Fiends." Videos of Military trucks rolling into the city limits were shown.
"The VPD Police Commissioner has advised everyone to report any and all suspected sighting of the Fiends, but do not approach or engage. They are extremely irrational and dangerous."
Molly dramatically paused for a moment, facing the camera with a neutral expression on her face. "However, that isn't the only news to report today. An Intelligence System Design lab in University Row has been found to be completely desolate. Every scientist has gone missing, every computer has been wiped clean, and several sections of the lab were destroyed entirely. All without a trace or hint as to what happened, or who's behind it. Going off scheduled shifts, every Scientist working was clocked in during the attack on the Summer Festival. It's been deduced that it's very unlikely that the Fiends are behind this. It has also been reported that at least ten other people were kidnapped during the Fiend's attack on the Festival. NEST Reports that each of the people gone missing are Metahumans. Everyone is asking... Are these events related? Now to Mike, with the weather."
The Crystal Shores, The Isabella Isle.
"Ahhhh... that was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" Meifeng said, holding a volleyball over her head, and looking at her fine group of ladies - comprised of herself, Jen, and Ratchet. They just got done playing an intense match of volleyball - so intense that the. Turned out that Meifeng wasn't as good at volleyball as she is at basketball. Whatever, she still thrashed her two friends - and that felt great. Maybe next time they'll remember they don't have a chance with her. Sweat dripped down her head, and the sun almost made her forget about her mom. Yeah, yeah. Nothing but good times from here on in. She looked around, and saw beaches for miles! She ignored the NEST tower looming overhead for... obvious reasons. Yet, the people playing, beautiful people, and ocean as far as she could see really filled her with excitement. She wanted to do something, she wanted to head out, and sin a little. Nobody would mind, really. Meifeng was wearing her basketball team uniform, red basketball pants, and a rather tight jersey - with a matching red two-piece bikini underneath.
Jennifer knelt over, and panting, she wiped some of the sweat off her forehead. "Yeah... summer, eh?" She said to Meifeng. It was hot, and Jennifer wanted to sit down for a second, and be alone. Sports wasn't really her thing. They were something her parents forced her into so she wouldn't be fat and a shut in. And nobody wants that. Jennifer thought to herself, as she rolled her eyes up into her head. It was about time that she stood up - though, she quickly looked down and saw that her outfit - Jean-shorts, and combat boots, and an N7 T-shirt (Mass Effect merchandise she got from Amazon), and underneath it was a cyan blue two-piece bikini- was covered in sand. From where is obvious.
Meifeng quickly walked over to her bag, which was slid up against the volleyball net, she unzipped it, and dropped her ball inside. She grabbed the strap, and heaved it over her shoulder. That was fun, but Meifeng wants more. She kinda wished she was there yesterday, fighting against the Fiends - but Lihua didn't want to take her. Eh. She'll have her second chance later. For now, just enjoy the Crystal Shores. "So, girls, what do you want to do next? The Crystal Shores are full of opportunity, heh."
This was her opportunity to get some alone time, and... maybe something to drink. "Dunno, how about I grab us something to drink?" Jennifer asked.
"Oooooh, you know me, Jen."
"Water? Okay." Jen chirped as she started jogging off to the side (Let's just assume that Ratchet said what she wanted). Now, where's a vending machine...? Jen thought to herself as she finally stepped off the beach, and started walking on the beach front - lined with stores and other locations. People were basically faceless to her - and vice versa - as she waded through the crowds of beach goers. Jennifer eventually saw a vending machine, in between two stores. In an alleyway, basically. Normally, Jen would stay away, but it's only for a second. She walked up to the blue Pepsi vending machine, and dug into her pockets to pull out a few dollars. She got herself a soda, Meifeng water, and Ratchet [INSERT DRINK HERE]. She heard them drop into the slot, and Jennifer bent over for a second to grab them.
"... Hey baby, nice ass!" A group of teenage boys shouted at Jen, which made her immediately blush, and stand straight up.
My ass isn't that big.... Jen thought to herself, and she quickly reached down and grabbed her drinks, and had no other objective in mind other than getting the hell out of here. The pitter patter of small steps behind her made her stop, and slowly look behind her. Just out of curiosity.
... A Yorkshire terrier stepped from around the corner, and stood in the middle of the alleyway. Looking at her. One with a pink collar - just like her own dog.
"... Pudding?" Jen asked, out loud. Okay, she knew that it seemed a little far fetched that her dog would end up two districts away - but, she also knew how crazy this city can be at times. So it isn't that far-fetched. "Pudding, is that you?" Jennifer turned towards the dog, and began taking slow steps towards it, putting out her hand. "C'mere Pudding." She whistled, trying to call the dog, while getting closer. Jennifer was quickly in grabbing range, and the very second she put her hand on the dog - it started ferociously growling, and quickly took a bite out of Jenny's fingers. Breaking skin, and causing bleeding.
"... AAAAAAAAH!" Jen let out a scream, as she pulled back, and she broke free of the dog's grasp. Every drink she had fell out of her arms. Yet, it was still aggressive, it was right there at her feet, growling at her. She swung her leg and kicked the dog right in the snot. Which sent the dog scampering away back into the alleyway. Jen held onto her bleeding finger, as she looked at it - the wound was closing, pretty quickly. The blood had already stopped flowing, and it was disappearing. It stung... no, not the wound, but the healing process. But she'd rather get the pain out of the way while healing the wound, than catch rabies.
"... Jenny, you okay in here?" Meifeng voiced from behind Jennifer - which caused the blonde-haired teen to turn around and look, she saw that Meifeng was standing right in the alleyway. "I heard you scream, what happened?"
Jennifer instinctively put her hand behind her back, and nodded her head, "It's nothing... a rat just scared me." The remaining blood stained the back Jennifer's outfit, but no one would really notice.
Putting her hands on her hips, and shifting her weight to one of them, Meifeng gave Jennifer a playful smile. "You sure?" Meifeng started off. "Sounded like you seen a ghost."
"I-it's nothing, I promise." Jennifer repeated herself, but the stinging pain just stopped. She wiped her finger off against her pants, and pulled her arm around to reveal that the wound was gone, without a scratch. Ripped flesh was mended in less than a minute. And best of all; Meifeng didn't suspect a thing. She crouched down, and grabbed a bottle - before she stopped, and looked up at Meifeng. "... Can you help me pick these up?"
Well, Jen was acting weird - she usually acts weird, but this was even weirder. Yet, Meifeng didn't fret too much about it. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then that's fine. "Sure!" Meifeng yipped, as she crouched and grabbed her water bottle. Which left Jen with her own, and Ratchet's, soda. Both of them stepped out of the alleyway, and into the crowds of people. Meifeng cracked open the bottle of water, and began drinking it.
Jennifer held a bottle in each hand - but felt strangely hungry. Something that happens after she regenerates. "Hey, can we, uh, get something to eat?" She asked.
Meifeng paused for a moment, before all the water in the bottle strangely funneled into her mouth almost like it was getting sucked in. "Sure, I was thinking about getting some food, anyway."
"Sweet, let's go get Ratchet, then we'll grab something to eat."
Knightdale Rows, The Isabella Isle.
"... Come on, sweetheart, we can talk this out."
"No, bitch!" The man, had to be in his mid-twenties, thin, lanky, had brown hair brushed downwards over his forehead, wearing hipster clothes (jeans, a white short-sleeved button up) - yet, here he is, holding a revolver (That's a damn Model 586, Smith and Wesson, no way this little trust-fund baby got it himself.) against her forehead, pushing against the wall while he got more and more aggressive. His arm was shaking, and unsurprisingly, so was Maxine. "Listen here, you bitch, that was some bad grass you gave me, now I want my money back before I blow your sorry-ass head off." He growled at her, with every word, he got closer and closer to her face, until they were practically touching. "I'm counting to ten..." He pulled the trigger, which made the hammer pull into position, and Maxine's heart skipped a beat.
"... 1."
The second this man's countdown began, she almost pissed herself. He was serious, wasn't he? She felt so hopeless here, but she knew she couldn't let him count to ten. She wanted to simply teleport herself out of his grasp, but she didn't know how that'd turn out in the long run. It's a last resort, Maxine, you know this. She'd negotiate with him. Yeah, that'll do it, convince this moron that it'd be dumb to shoot her in a public area. "I don't have money on me, or weed - you went through my pockets and everything. I don't know what you want." Maxine pleaded, shaking her head.
"... 2." He moaned, quickly wiping his face of the sweat - Maxine considered taking her chance, but how he had that trigger pulled, all he had to do was move slightly in order for it to go off.
Christ, christ, christ. This guy is just some hipster, crawling out of whatever concert these over-privileged Knightdale Rows bitches come from. "C'mon, I left it all at my house, I swear. I can go get it for you."
"No! You better pull the money out your ass, bitch." He growled, pressing the gun against her head even tighter. "...3."
Okay, Maxine knew that he was on something else - other than the weed. The way he was acting, the shaking, it had to be amphetamine, or crystal meth. Whatever these Hipster druggies can get their hands on, honestly. Yet, she realized that it was ultimately irrelevant. There was still an angry-ass hipster holding a gun to her head. "C'mon, know where we are?" Maxine quickly looked around - and he counted to five - and looked down the dark alleyway that was illuminated by what little light shined in. She definitely heard people walking by just outside the alleyway. "Knightdale Rows, and we're in between two dive bars. You just know this won't go unnoticed. You'll get busted in a heartbeat, and you'll really be rewarded then." Maxine prepared for the worst, she knew that he was a druggie, and knew that she could just have easily set him off, but she knew that he didn't really intend on killing her. He would have shot her when he found out that she didn't have any money on her.
"Bitch - know what?! You talk too much!" That was not good. "Nine!" He immediately skipped a few numbers to the last one, which meant that she had only a second to react. In less than a second, Maxine's entire body exploded into a mass of glowing hot ashes, fire, and smoke. The mighty roar of the revolver signaled that he had fired the gun. The second the brief flash faded, the bullet had left a hole in the wall. He let out a yell - as the fire Maxine had turned into burned him - and he quickly wiped around, gun outstretched. By the time he turned around, however, Maxine was no where to be seen... Only thing there was a glowing orb that burnt brightly with a fire on the ground. "... Huh?" He said before the orb exploded. Shooting fire, and blanketing the alleyway with smoke.
He loudly began coughing, and hunched over somewhat, he watched out of the alleyway, a hand to his lips as he was coughing. Waving around the gun in order to get some of the smoke out of his face. He was out of the smoke, and he waved his hand around in order to swipe some of the smoke away. He raised his head - and the very first thing he saw was Maxine cocking a table-leg to take a swing at him. She swung the table leg towards his face, and the leg impacted his jaw hard enough to send him tumbling over to the side - it worked in Maxine's favor as he dropped his gun. He reached for it, but Maxine dropped her black combat boot on his hand, hard as she could, and he squealed out in pain. Maxine kept her boot there - Little Knightdale pussy can't even do anything. - as she knelt down and picked up his revolver, and looked at it, tilting it as she did so.
"Nice gun." Maxine complimented him... before she grabbed the handle, and pointed the gun at his face. Holding it like she knew exactly what she was doing. "Look here, buddo, I hate that it had to come to this, but I had no choice." She pulled the trigger somewhat, and watched as the hammer inched towards her. Heh, it felt a lot like her own piece - which is safely hidden in her own room.
"You're a- you're a freak!" The man shouted.
The smoke faded, and disappeared completely. "Shhh, shh, shh... course I am, and it's awesome." Maxine said with a wicked grin. "So, the police are probably on their way - so I'll just cut to the chase; if I ever see your sorry ass ever again, I'm going to make sure that burn your sorry ass to a crisp." Maxine made sure that she sounded extra-sadistic, just to give him even more reason not to fuck with her. "Now, when the police ask you questions, don't mention me to the feds, 'kay? I'll drag your ass down with me, so we'll both be getting ass raped in a prison shower. That is, if I don't decide to cap you with your shitty gun right here and now." Maxine pulled a little tighter on the trigger, and the man let out a yelp and put his hand up into the way - Like that's gonna help.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything... just don't shoot!" The man pleaded.
Alright, she'll take her leave then. Though, she wondered what she'd do about the gun she was holding. She could try to fence it, but if the police find her with a stolen gun, that isn't going to end well. It was better with this jackass. Maxine pulled out the chamber, and tilted the gun upwards so all the bullets in the gun - Only loaded with three shots - slid out and jingled on the ground. Maxine just tossed the revolver over her shoulder and let it hit the ground. Maxine quickly turned back into her elements and quickly dashed down the alleyway, converting back to a human being seconds later. Glowing brightly as ash and cinders reformed into her usual human shape. By the time she was finished, she was already down the alleyway, making a turn.
Maxine sure as hell looked guilty as she fled down the streets of the Knightdale Rows, but she didn't give a shit. Long as she was far away from there when the police start asking questions, then that'd be fine with her. Maxine slowed down to a halt, and knelt over, panting. She noticed a black police cruiser strolling by. She didn't even look at it, she just stood straight up and put her hands into the pockets of her jean jacket, and began whistling as she walked down the sidewalk. She looked down, wondering if that bastard did anything to her clothes. Let's see... Maxine thought to herself, as she began to examine herself. She was wearing a black button-up shirt, with a jean-tie hanging from her neck. Her leather gloves were still on (Good, that means I don't have to worry about my fingerprints on his gun.), and she had on black cargo pants, with black combat boots. Everything was in order, except for one thing... Maxine reached into the pockets of her jeans, and pulled out a cigarette. She put it in between her pokey lips, and reached for her lighter... and of course it wasn't there. That hippie might have lifted it off of her. Bastard. Looks like she's going have to do it the conspicuous way. Maxine leaned forward a bit, and put her hand over her mouth, and summoned a flame to light the cigarette. She put her hands at her sides, before she began to walk again.
Maxine found the side of a diner, and leaned up against it - putting her boot against the wall. Blowing out cigarette smoke a few moments after every puff. Maxine's cellphone started ringing, and she immediately reached in her pocket for it. Without even looking, Maxine answered with a, "Hello."
"Yo, Maaaaaaax, how ya' doing, girl?" Maxine immediately recognized the voice - Britney, a girl that she partied with from Eaglerock Row. Had ties with the Red Crowns.
"Nothing, sister, just uh..." Maxine looked around, and wondered if she should tell Brittney what she just went through. "... Having a smoke."
"Girl, you're always smoking, don't you know that shit is bad for you!?"
One thing that Maxine knew was that she could withstand smoke without suffering even a little bit of trouble, so she was fine. "Yeah, I know, I know..." She smirked - Maybe some day she'll tell Britney about her power.
"But, word, did you hear about what deals the Fiends have been doing?" Britney immediately got Maxine's attention.
"No...?"
"Well, I ain't supposed to tell you... but I know how much you love word on the street..." Britney trailed off, which made Maxine even more curious. "... but all the other gangs are talking about these deals the Fiends have been making, deals to give people powers. And if that shit is true, it's crazy girl, because where are those fucking crackheads getting this stuff from?"
The Fiends... yeah, where are they getting this shit from? The attack on the Festival tells her that these Fiends are more well armed than a small army. "Who knows, sister. They probably know all the right dicks to suck." She joked, she didn't exactly believe her. Yet....
"I know, riiiiiiiight, well, Maxine, I gotta go. My man wants to take me out on a date, and I wanted to tell you that real fast before I forget. See ya later, girl!" Brittney ended the call.
... At the same time, Maxine couldn't help but believe her. Britney's word on the street was never wrong before, and the Fiends seem like the type of maniacs to have this kind of stuff. If Maxine could get her hands on it... well, she'd finally have her ticket out of Verthaven. One way or another.
Now, she just needs to know where to start.
NEST Headquarters, The Isabella Isle.
"Lihua," The NEST Director said, sitting in the opposite end of a large, wooden, oval-shaped table. The room was large, grey, and rectangle-shaped. With no windows, and on the middle of the table there was a projector. Seated all around the table was various NEST Agents (Lihua recognized Michelle, Ariella, Agatha, Sam...). "I've been waiting for you, would you mind getting seated?" On cue, Lihua sat down on the table near the projector. "Now that we have our Intelligence Officer, we can get started." The Director leaned in forward, putting her hands to mouth level, interlocking her fingers. "You all should be well aware of what happened, so I'm not going to beat around the bush when I say that the situation is fu- not looking good." Miranda said.
"We've been played." Michelle said, her arms crossed, and looking forward in the most neutral facial expression she could muster. She was wearing her standard NEST uniform without armor. Underneath the wetsuit there was gauze and bandages wrapped around the bullet wound. Along with bandages around the wounds caused by her transformations. They stung like hell, but she'll be fine in the end. What really bothered her was all the people going missing. She was right. The Fiends were just a distraction, while someone else did their devilish deeds... Michelle turned her head to the side. When I get my hands on Khan... She thought to herself.
"It sure seems that way." The Director said, "We are entirely unsure of who is behind the disappearances in the lab, but we are certain it is not the Fiends." She closed her eyes, and looked around the group. "I want to devote efforts towards investigating the disappearances... but, the NEST Council demands that we focus most of our efforts on eliminating the Fiends." She took in a deep breath, then let it all out. "Which is what we'll do. Intelligence Officer Lihua, did you gather the information I requested?"
"I have, ma'am." Lihua replied, monotone.
"Review the information, please."
Lihua nodded her head, stood up, and placed the USB drive into the projector. The lights of the room went dim as the projector turned on. "First, I'd like to discuss the Fiend's special mutagen." It displayed pictures of the Fiends brandishing their mutagens vials, and Fiends after they've mutated. Lihua stood up, and walked over to the projection. "The attack on the Festival told us that their use of Mutagens was much more widespread than previously believed. Before we thought they only sold small amounts of it at a high-price, and few members took it during gang brawls." Lihua nodded her head, as the imagine changed to a Fiend that was hideously covered in muscles, throwing a hot-stand stand several meters in the air. "After analyzing the Mutagen Agent recovered by Agent Gallus, it has been discovered that the Agents use low dosages of the raw form of the Metahuman energy in order to induce temporary powers at the cost of hideous deformities." The image changed again to a female Fiend breathing a toxic. "Only organization that is allowed to use raw Metahuman energy is the Intelligent System Designs corporation."
"So what you're saying is that the ISD is giving the Fiends this stuff?" Michelle asked Lihua, with a raised eyebrow.
"It could be the ISD..." Lihua looked at Miranda Caryl for a moment, and they exchanged looks. "... It could be a splinter group of them, or a whole new faction altogether. Point being is that someone is supplying them with this toxic mutagen." She grabbed the tips of her glasses, and adjusted them slightly. "... It goes without saying what we have to do."
"Does anyone know where do we even start?" Michelle asked.
"... Thus far..." Lihua sighed, "We have no solid leads, but does anyone have anything to contribute before I review anymore intelligence?"
"Exactly how difficult would it be for someone else to acquire metahuman energy, though?" Sam asked "It doesn't sound like something which is easy to acquire, but I'm sure that other scientific agencies with a less ethical approach to things could theoretically acquire them. Perhaps the Fiends are being fed by someone else. If I am correct, however, I believe that my colleague Samson Omondi, codename KINGFISHER CONDOR, has been researching the mutagen alongside the FBI." He turned to CONDOR, who stood up at his seat.
"I have been working with the FBI as well as VPD detectives, but we haven't found anything more than what agent VuHong has already said. I would like permission to look into the Intelligent Defense System more closely. Perhaps the FBI and I can find some more compelling leads. It's possible that there could be a double agent within the company who is supplying the Fiends with the mutagen." The word "double agent" seemed to ripple through the room like the shockwave of an explosion. Sam sat back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. God this was dull. He wished the conference room had a window to stare out of.
Lihua's gaze from underneath her glasses went directly to Agent Clarke, and CONDOR. They certainly have much to contribute. "The ISD's method of extracting raw Metahuman energy is via a device specially designed to drain the energy out of Metahumans.... Theoretically speaking; anyone that gets their hands on such a device, and have the methods of containing it, could obtain Metahuman energy." Lihua answered Sam's question with the most professional demeanor. She thinks that she got it clear why she's NEST's Intelligence Officer. And why that filled her with so much pride. She earned the position, and was dedicated enough to spend the last couple hours absorbing as much information as possible - as per the Director's orders. Though, she doubted any of these jarheads even reviewed anything... Which is why she's here to fill them in.
Hmph? Raw Metahuman energy? Michelle honestly didn't know that there was a way to extract the energy... but, maybe there was something else going on here. While they were talking, she was fiddling with her gigantic thumbs, trying to make sense of all of this. She didn't know why they made her come to this meeting. Meetings and arrangements like this weren't her kind of thing. Michelle was more of a soldier. Yet, she was determined to get to the bottom of this as every other person in the room. Which is why she was going to give it her all. "... Permission to speak, Director?" Michelle said the very second Lihua and KINGFISHER stopped talking, standing straight up at attention.
The Director answered, "You may proceed."
"Thank you, Director." Michelle said, in the most orderly manner she could. She was talking to the Director, and usually she'd be a bit more lax - but you don't disrespect the Director. She'll have you scrubbing toilets having someone took a super-shit in it. Michelle looked around the room - all eyes were on her, she knew she couldn't screw this up - before she began with her theory, "I have a personal theory; what if the attack on the lab was to recover means to steal Metahuman energy?" She started off, looking around for reactions in the room. "It only makes sense, ma'am. A lab gets raided for all it's equipment, and ten people were kidnapped - doesn't that sound like someone wants to get some of the energy?" It quickly became clear to Michelle that, in the Super-Science world, Metahuman energy was as valuable as oil to the United States... and people are just as willing to spill blood for it. "Continuing off that, what if it was an inside job, too? It's entirely possible that crooked ISD Scientists have been creating Mutagen for the Fiends."
"Interesting thesis, Ms. Gallus..." The Director said, "Which is why I'm all for investigating the lab in University Row - and all ISD operations within the bounds of Verthaven." The Director turned towards CONDOR and Sam. "You have full permission to launch an investigation into the ISD."
There was something about this Lihua couldn't put her finger on - she didn't know what, but she knew it was best that she keeps it to herself. At least until she gets something more concrete. She nodded her head. "... If we're off this subject, may I continuing reviewing information? I have much to say about the Fiend's Hierarchy, and other key notes." Lihua adjusted her glasses.
"You may proceed, Agent VuHong." The Director said.
Lihua nodded her head, and the projection changed to a line of Fiends, armed with garden tools, walking down the street. "The Fiend's chain of leadership, due to their chaotic nature, is very hard for us to be certain." Lihua adjusted her glasses, and then continued, "Yet, we know that there are at least four high-ranking members of the Fiends under Khan. Each of them command different areas of the Fiend's territory, and they were likely chosen by her because they're equally dangerous Metahumans."
The projection switched to the image of a very tall (Nearly the height of Michelle) Caucasian man, thin, lanky, and was wearing a longcoat that dragged onto the floor, and had a greasy head of unkempt hair. Along with the Fiend trademark gas mask. "This is Aiden Smith, also known as Long Dragon, first of the Fiend's lieutenants, and the one who we know the most about. He is known to command Fiends in the Bazaar Riviera." The projection snapped to another image, of a tall, black-skinned, reptilian creature. At least twenty-feet tall, and had very thin limbs, hands tipped off with massive claws, a long snout, glowing white eyes, and, and four wings. "As you can see here, he is capable of transforming into a massive Dragon-like creature. Capable of breathing fire, flight, extreme feats of strength, and is tough enough to resist small arms."
"I fought him, he's one tough bastard." Michelle mentioned.
The projection image changed to a woman, Asian, sickly pale skin, short, and had very lanky - very well toned - limbs. She was shooting down a group of Highway Stars with an AK-47 - while they took cover. "Sulfur, the second Lieutenant we discovered - yet, we haven't confirmed her actual identity. She's seemingly Khan second in command, going off how often they're seen together on the field, and the authority she holds over the Fiends. We suspect that she has familiar ties with Khan." The image changed to a greenish-black sludge stretching forward, filling the street - seemingly melting vehicles as it created a yellow gas. "We don't know her exact ability, but it seemingly revolves around creating a toxic substance that causes a chemical reaction when it collides with metal that breaks it down, and produces a toxic gas in the process. This gas is capable of causing severe chemical-burns, and severe lung damage, and suffocation, if inhaled." The Gai Hexin Yuan would have made her a fine soldier. Lihua thought to herself as she continued.
The projection changed, to a tall, Caucasian, that was very muscular, and shirtless. He stood in between two gates, with his arms rested on both sides of the gate. He looked at the camera-person very seductively through his gas mask. Lihua looked at the projection for a moment, confused, as she looked through the files she was holding. "This is John Travis, also known as... Miss Director, are you sure we have the correct name?"
"Yes." She answered.
Which made Lihua sigh. "I don't get paid enough for this..." She muttered underneath her breath, "... Big-Dong Travis-" She made it clear that it was painful to say that, a direct insult to her pride. "-one of the lieutents that we know the most about. He usually engages in... fornication parties, with the other Fiends, and willing participants. Yet, Travis is the Fiend responsible for many of the Fiends larger drug trades with organized crime in, and out, of Verthaven. It is also suspected that Travis has access to serums that can give people powers - most commonly sold to the wealthy in Turtle-Creek." Lihua adjusted her glasses, and continued, "... Which we believe that he has taken himself. Up until a few months ago, he had no powers. Now, he's likely their most destructive Fiend." The image changed to Travis, now several feet tall, and skin was jet-black and shiny (Coated with bulging red veins), being fired upon by teams of NEST Agents - which had no effect on him. "Like Long Dragon, he is capable of changing forms. He can transform into a super-strong, super-dense, form - which is seemingly impervious to physical attacks - yet, we suspect that energy attacks may have an effect on him."
Everyone looked on and wondered how a lowly band of tweakers were getting all this stuff.
Lihua coughed, and the projection flipped to another image, to an thin Caucasian female, wearing combat pants, and a t-shirt, her face was obscured by a gas mask. Various burns on her body was seen as was in the middle of what seemed to be a tornado - objects and debris were flying around wildly, and getting crushed. "This is Burnmark, the newest Fiend Lieutenant we identified, and she's the most unpredictable one - suspected to be a side-effect of her." Lihua stepped to the side, and continued, "As you can see, she's telekinetic without control... Her power creates a wild telekinetic storm that destroys everything that's close enough."
Lihua nodded her head, before the projection changed to Khan herself, standing on a roof with a grenade launcher over her shoulder. "You all should know who this is, Khan. The one Fiend that has authority over them all. We have little information as to who she is, or where she came from - but we do know that she is a soldier of some sort. She's demonstrated impressive hand-to-hand and combat skills. She is our highest priority target." The last image the projection displayed was her fog, and the creatures she revived shambling inside the fog as silhouettes. "Her power is... very strange. She is capable of creating a fog that revives the dead and unconscious, which Khan seemingly has control over. The fog also causes hallucinations to the point where standing inside the fog can cause insanity. Along with the ability to turn into the fog, Khan is very hard to apprehend and track." Lihua nodded her head. "The attack on the Festival told us that the range she's capable of spreading the fog is much larger than we believed. She's capable of blanketing an entire city neighborhood with it - even for a few minutes." Lihua looked around the room, before nodding her head.
"This is all we know about the Fiends lieutenants."
"I have a question..." Michelle raised her hand. "... Where the hell were they during the attack on the Festival?" She then shrugged.
The two women exchanged glances for a moment, before Lihua answered, "Their whereabouts were unknown at the time." She looked around the room. "Any comments or suggestions?" She asked the group.
Sunday, June 30th. 4:30 PM.
TVs across Verthaven showed a woman in a dark-purple pinstriped suit, standing in front of a bridge that lead into the Downtown Neighborhood - closed off by Police Officers, there was a police blocker, and two policemen standing at attention in front of it - holding a microphone.
"Hello, everybody, this is Molly Schuler with the news. It's one day after the very daunting assault on the Summer Festival, perpetrated by the gang known as the Fiends. A massive firefight took place between the Fiends, the VPD, and NEST as the the latter-two were attempting to restore order. The Fiends retreated, but not before causing damage that the City has to repair. And as a result, the downtown district has been completely locked down.." Clips went by of city-workers cleaning up the damage done to the district. "Reports say that fifty people dead, and hundreds more were injured - some critically - in the attack. As a result, NEST, and VPD efforts have been increased up to put an end to the Fiends, and bring the ones responsible for this attack to justice. The National Guard has been deployed to Verthaven in order to assist in their efforts. Launching Raids against known Fiend hangouts. So far, Raids have been going well, and dozens of Fiends have been arrested, while recovering millions of dollars worth of drugs owned by the Fiends." Videos of Military trucks rolling into the city limits were shown.
"The VPD Police Commissioner has advised everyone to report any and all suspected sighting of the Fiends, but do not approach or engage. They are extremely irrational and dangerous."
Molly dramatically paused for a moment, facing the camera with a neutral expression on her face. "However, that isn't the only news to report today. An Intelligence System Design lab in University Row has been found to be completely desolate. Every scientist has gone missing, every computer has been wiped clean, and several sections of the lab were destroyed entirely. All without a trace or hint as to what happened, or who's behind it. Going off scheduled shifts, every Scientist working was clocked in during the attack on the Summer Festival. It's been deduced that it's very unlikely that the Fiends are behind this. It has also been reported that at least ten other people were kidnapped during the Fiend's attack on the Festival. NEST Reports that each of the people gone missing are Metahumans. Everyone is asking... Are these events related? Now to Mike, with the weather."
Jennifer Caspin & Meifeng Vuhong
@ToadRopesThe Crystal Shores, The Isabella Isle.
"Ahhhh... that was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" Meifeng said, holding a volleyball over her head, and looking at her fine group of ladies - comprised of herself, Jen, and Ratchet. They just got done playing an intense match of volleyball - so intense that the. Turned out that Meifeng wasn't as good at volleyball as she is at basketball. Whatever, she still thrashed her two friends - and that felt great. Maybe next time they'll remember they don't have a chance with her. Sweat dripped down her head, and the sun almost made her forget about her mom. Yeah, yeah. Nothing but good times from here on in. She looked around, and saw beaches for miles! She ignored the NEST tower looming overhead for... obvious reasons. Yet, the people playing, beautiful people, and ocean as far as she could see really filled her with excitement. She wanted to do something, she wanted to head out, and sin a little. Nobody would mind, really. Meifeng was wearing her basketball team uniform, red basketball pants, and a rather tight jersey - with a matching red two-piece bikini underneath.
Jennifer knelt over, and panting, she wiped some of the sweat off her forehead. "Yeah... summer, eh?" She said to Meifeng. It was hot, and Jennifer wanted to sit down for a second, and be alone. Sports wasn't really her thing. They were something her parents forced her into so she wouldn't be fat and a shut in. And nobody wants that. Jennifer thought to herself, as she rolled her eyes up into her head. It was about time that she stood up - though, she quickly looked down and saw that her outfit - Jean-shorts, and combat boots, and an N7 T-shirt (Mass Effect merchandise she got from Amazon), and underneath it was a cyan blue two-piece bikini- was covered in sand. From where is obvious.
Meifeng quickly walked over to her bag, which was slid up against the volleyball net, she unzipped it, and dropped her ball inside. She grabbed the strap, and heaved it over her shoulder. That was fun, but Meifeng wants more. She kinda wished she was there yesterday, fighting against the Fiends - but Lihua didn't want to take her. Eh. She'll have her second chance later. For now, just enjoy the Crystal Shores. "So, girls, what do you want to do next? The Crystal Shores are full of opportunity, heh."
This was her opportunity to get some alone time, and... maybe something to drink. "Dunno, how about I grab us something to drink?" Jennifer asked.
"Oooooh, you know me, Jen."
"Water? Okay." Jen chirped as she started jogging off to the side (Let's just assume that Ratchet said what she wanted). Now, where's a vending machine...? Jen thought to herself as she finally stepped off the beach, and started walking on the beach front - lined with stores and other locations. People were basically faceless to her - and vice versa - as she waded through the crowds of beach goers. Jennifer eventually saw a vending machine, in between two stores. In an alleyway, basically. Normally, Jen would stay away, but it's only for a second. She walked up to the blue Pepsi vending machine, and dug into her pockets to pull out a few dollars. She got herself a soda, Meifeng water, and Ratchet [INSERT DRINK HERE]. She heard them drop into the slot, and Jennifer bent over for a second to grab them.
"... Hey baby, nice ass!" A group of teenage boys shouted at Jen, which made her immediately blush, and stand straight up.
My ass isn't that big.... Jen thought to herself, and she quickly reached down and grabbed her drinks, and had no other objective in mind other than getting the hell out of here. The pitter patter of small steps behind her made her stop, and slowly look behind her. Just out of curiosity.
... A Yorkshire terrier stepped from around the corner, and stood in the middle of the alleyway. Looking at her. One with a pink collar - just like her own dog.
"... Pudding?" Jen asked, out loud. Okay, she knew that it seemed a little far fetched that her dog would end up two districts away - but, she also knew how crazy this city can be at times. So it isn't that far-fetched. "Pudding, is that you?" Jennifer turned towards the dog, and began taking slow steps towards it, putting out her hand. "C'mere Pudding." She whistled, trying to call the dog, while getting closer. Jennifer was quickly in grabbing range, and the very second she put her hand on the dog - it started ferociously growling, and quickly took a bite out of Jenny's fingers. Breaking skin, and causing bleeding.
"... AAAAAAAAH!" Jen let out a scream, as she pulled back, and she broke free of the dog's grasp. Every drink she had fell out of her arms. Yet, it was still aggressive, it was right there at her feet, growling at her. She swung her leg and kicked the dog right in the snot. Which sent the dog scampering away back into the alleyway. Jen held onto her bleeding finger, as she looked at it - the wound was closing, pretty quickly. The blood had already stopped flowing, and it was disappearing. It stung... no, not the wound, but the healing process. But she'd rather get the pain out of the way while healing the wound, than catch rabies.
"... Jenny, you okay in here?" Meifeng voiced from behind Jennifer - which caused the blonde-haired teen to turn around and look, she saw that Meifeng was standing right in the alleyway. "I heard you scream, what happened?"
Jennifer instinctively put her hand behind her back, and nodded her head, "It's nothing... a rat just scared me." The remaining blood stained the back Jennifer's outfit, but no one would really notice.
Putting her hands on her hips, and shifting her weight to one of them, Meifeng gave Jennifer a playful smile. "You sure?" Meifeng started off. "Sounded like you seen a ghost."
"I-it's nothing, I promise." Jennifer repeated herself, but the stinging pain just stopped. She wiped her finger off against her pants, and pulled her arm around to reveal that the wound was gone, without a scratch. Ripped flesh was mended in less than a minute. And best of all; Meifeng didn't suspect a thing. She crouched down, and grabbed a bottle - before she stopped, and looked up at Meifeng. "... Can you help me pick these up?"
Well, Jen was acting weird - she usually acts weird, but this was even weirder. Yet, Meifeng didn't fret too much about it. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then that's fine. "Sure!" Meifeng yipped, as she crouched and grabbed her water bottle. Which left Jen with her own, and Ratchet's, soda. Both of them stepped out of the alleyway, and into the crowds of people. Meifeng cracked open the bottle of water, and began drinking it.
Jennifer held a bottle in each hand - but felt strangely hungry. Something that happens after she regenerates. "Hey, can we, uh, get something to eat?" She asked.
Meifeng paused for a moment, before all the water in the bottle strangely funneled into her mouth almost like it was getting sucked in. "Sure, I was thinking about getting some food, anyway."
"Sweet, let's go get Ratchet, then we'll grab something to eat."
Maxine Mariah Carter
Knightdale Rows, The Isabella Isle.
"... Come on, sweetheart, we can talk this out."
"No, bitch!" The man, had to be in his mid-twenties, thin, lanky, had brown hair brushed downwards over his forehead, wearing hipster clothes (jeans, a white short-sleeved button up) - yet, here he is, holding a revolver (That's a damn Model 586, Smith and Wesson, no way this little trust-fund baby got it himself.) against her forehead, pushing against the wall while he got more and more aggressive. His arm was shaking, and unsurprisingly, so was Maxine. "Listen here, you bitch, that was some bad grass you gave me, now I want my money back before I blow your sorry-ass head off." He growled at her, with every word, he got closer and closer to her face, until they were practically touching. "I'm counting to ten..." He pulled the trigger, which made the hammer pull into position, and Maxine's heart skipped a beat.
"... 1."
The second this man's countdown began, she almost pissed herself. He was serious, wasn't he? She felt so hopeless here, but she knew she couldn't let him count to ten. She wanted to simply teleport herself out of his grasp, but she didn't know how that'd turn out in the long run. It's a last resort, Maxine, you know this. She'd negotiate with him. Yeah, that'll do it, convince this moron that it'd be dumb to shoot her in a public area. "I don't have money on me, or weed - you went through my pockets and everything. I don't know what you want." Maxine pleaded, shaking her head.
"... 2." He moaned, quickly wiping his face of the sweat - Maxine considered taking her chance, but how he had that trigger pulled, all he had to do was move slightly in order for it to go off.
Christ, christ, christ. This guy is just some hipster, crawling out of whatever concert these over-privileged Knightdale Rows bitches come from. "C'mon, I left it all at my house, I swear. I can go get it for you."
"No! You better pull the money out your ass, bitch." He growled, pressing the gun against her head even tighter. "...3."
Okay, Maxine knew that he was on something else - other than the weed. The way he was acting, the shaking, it had to be amphetamine, or crystal meth. Whatever these Hipster druggies can get their hands on, honestly. Yet, she realized that it was ultimately irrelevant. There was still an angry-ass hipster holding a gun to her head. "C'mon, know where we are?" Maxine quickly looked around - and he counted to five - and looked down the dark alleyway that was illuminated by what little light shined in. She definitely heard people walking by just outside the alleyway. "Knightdale Rows, and we're in between two dive bars. You just know this won't go unnoticed. You'll get busted in a heartbeat, and you'll really be rewarded then." Maxine prepared for the worst, she knew that he was a druggie, and knew that she could just have easily set him off, but she knew that he didn't really intend on killing her. He would have shot her when he found out that she didn't have any money on her.
"Bitch - know what?! You talk too much!" That was not good. "Nine!" He immediately skipped a few numbers to the last one, which meant that she had only a second to react. In less than a second, Maxine's entire body exploded into a mass of glowing hot ashes, fire, and smoke. The mighty roar of the revolver signaled that he had fired the gun. The second the brief flash faded, the bullet had left a hole in the wall. He let out a yell - as the fire Maxine had turned into burned him - and he quickly wiped around, gun outstretched. By the time he turned around, however, Maxine was no where to be seen... Only thing there was a glowing orb that burnt brightly with a fire on the ground. "... Huh?" He said before the orb exploded. Shooting fire, and blanketing the alleyway with smoke.
He loudly began coughing, and hunched over somewhat, he watched out of the alleyway, a hand to his lips as he was coughing. Waving around the gun in order to get some of the smoke out of his face. He was out of the smoke, and he waved his hand around in order to swipe some of the smoke away. He raised his head - and the very first thing he saw was Maxine cocking a table-leg to take a swing at him. She swung the table leg towards his face, and the leg impacted his jaw hard enough to send him tumbling over to the side - it worked in Maxine's favor as he dropped his gun. He reached for it, but Maxine dropped her black combat boot on his hand, hard as she could, and he squealed out in pain. Maxine kept her boot there - Little Knightdale pussy can't even do anything. - as she knelt down and picked up his revolver, and looked at it, tilting it as she did so.
"Nice gun." Maxine complimented him... before she grabbed the handle, and pointed the gun at his face. Holding it like she knew exactly what she was doing. "Look here, buddo, I hate that it had to come to this, but I had no choice." She pulled the trigger somewhat, and watched as the hammer inched towards her. Heh, it felt a lot like her own piece - which is safely hidden in her own room.
"You're a- you're a freak!" The man shouted.
The smoke faded, and disappeared completely. "Shhh, shh, shh... course I am, and it's awesome." Maxine said with a wicked grin. "So, the police are probably on their way - so I'll just cut to the chase; if I ever see your sorry ass ever again, I'm going to make sure that burn your sorry ass to a crisp." Maxine made sure that she sounded extra-sadistic, just to give him even more reason not to fuck with her. "Now, when the police ask you questions, don't mention me to the feds, 'kay? I'll drag your ass down with me, so we'll both be getting ass raped in a prison shower. That is, if I don't decide to cap you with your shitty gun right here and now." Maxine pulled a little tighter on the trigger, and the man let out a yelp and put his hand up into the way - Like that's gonna help.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything... just don't shoot!" The man pleaded.
Alright, she'll take her leave then. Though, she wondered what she'd do about the gun she was holding. She could try to fence it, but if the police find her with a stolen gun, that isn't going to end well. It was better with this jackass. Maxine pulled out the chamber, and tilted the gun upwards so all the bullets in the gun - Only loaded with three shots - slid out and jingled on the ground. Maxine just tossed the revolver over her shoulder and let it hit the ground. Maxine quickly turned back into her elements and quickly dashed down the alleyway, converting back to a human being seconds later. Glowing brightly as ash and cinders reformed into her usual human shape. By the time she was finished, she was already down the alleyway, making a turn.
Maxine sure as hell looked guilty as she fled down the streets of the Knightdale Rows, but she didn't give a shit. Long as she was far away from there when the police start asking questions, then that'd be fine with her. Maxine slowed down to a halt, and knelt over, panting. She noticed a black police cruiser strolling by. She didn't even look at it, she just stood straight up and put her hands into the pockets of her jean jacket, and began whistling as she walked down the sidewalk. She looked down, wondering if that bastard did anything to her clothes. Let's see... Maxine thought to herself, as she began to examine herself. She was wearing a black button-up shirt, with a jean-tie hanging from her neck. Her leather gloves were still on (Good, that means I don't have to worry about my fingerprints on his gun.), and she had on black cargo pants, with black combat boots. Everything was in order, except for one thing... Maxine reached into the pockets of her jeans, and pulled out a cigarette. She put it in between her pokey lips, and reached for her lighter... and of course it wasn't there. That hippie might have lifted it off of her. Bastard. Looks like she's going have to do it the conspicuous way. Maxine leaned forward a bit, and put her hand over her mouth, and summoned a flame to light the cigarette. She put her hands at her sides, before she began to walk again.
Maxine found the side of a diner, and leaned up against it - putting her boot against the wall. Blowing out cigarette smoke a few moments after every puff. Maxine's cellphone started ringing, and she immediately reached in her pocket for it. Without even looking, Maxine answered with a, "Hello."
"Yo, Maaaaaaax, how ya' doing, girl?" Maxine immediately recognized the voice - Britney, a girl that she partied with from Eaglerock Row. Had ties with the Red Crowns.
"Nothing, sister, just uh..." Maxine looked around, and wondered if she should tell Brittney what she just went through. "... Having a smoke."
"Girl, you're always smoking, don't you know that shit is bad for you!?"
One thing that Maxine knew was that she could withstand smoke without suffering even a little bit of trouble, so she was fine. "Yeah, I know, I know..." She smirked - Maybe some day she'll tell Britney about her power.
"But, word, did you hear about what deals the Fiends have been doing?" Britney immediately got Maxine's attention.
"No...?"
"Well, I ain't supposed to tell you... but I know how much you love word on the street..." Britney trailed off, which made Maxine even more curious. "... but all the other gangs are talking about these deals the Fiends have been making, deals to give people powers. And if that shit is true, it's crazy girl, because where are those fucking crackheads getting this stuff from?"
The Fiends... yeah, where are they getting this shit from? The attack on the Festival tells her that these Fiends are more well armed than a small army. "Who knows, sister. They probably know all the right dicks to suck." She joked, she didn't exactly believe her. Yet....
"I know, riiiiiiiight, well, Maxine, I gotta go. My man wants to take me out on a date, and I wanted to tell you that real fast before I forget. See ya later, girl!" Brittney ended the call.
... At the same time, Maxine couldn't help but believe her. Britney's word on the street was never wrong before, and the Fiends seem like the type of maniacs to have this kind of stuff. If Maxine could get her hands on it... well, she'd finally have her ticket out of Verthaven. One way or another.
Now, she just needs to know where to start.
NEST Meeting
@He Who Walks Behind@Maxx@SepticGentlemanNEST Headquarters, The Isabella Isle.
"Lihua," The NEST Director said, sitting in the opposite end of a large, wooden, oval-shaped table. The room was large, grey, and rectangle-shaped. With no windows, and on the middle of the table there was a projector. Seated all around the table was various NEST Agents (Lihua recognized Michelle, Ariella, Agatha, Sam...). "I've been waiting for you, would you mind getting seated?" On cue, Lihua sat down on the table near the projector. "Now that we have our Intelligence Officer, we can get started." The Director leaned in forward, putting her hands to mouth level, interlocking her fingers. "You all should be well aware of what happened, so I'm not going to beat around the bush when I say that the situation is fu- not looking good." Miranda said.
"We've been played." Michelle said, her arms crossed, and looking forward in the most neutral facial expression she could muster. She was wearing her standard NEST uniform without armor. Underneath the wetsuit there was gauze and bandages wrapped around the bullet wound. Along with bandages around the wounds caused by her transformations. They stung like hell, but she'll be fine in the end. What really bothered her was all the people going missing. She was right. The Fiends were just a distraction, while someone else did their devilish deeds... Michelle turned her head to the side. When I get my hands on Khan... She thought to herself.
"It sure seems that way." The Director said, "We are entirely unsure of who is behind the disappearances in the lab, but we are certain it is not the Fiends." She closed her eyes, and looked around the group. "I want to devote efforts towards investigating the disappearances... but, the NEST Council demands that we focus most of our efforts on eliminating the Fiends." She took in a deep breath, then let it all out. "Which is what we'll do. Intelligence Officer Lihua, did you gather the information I requested?"
"I have, ma'am." Lihua replied, monotone.
"Review the information, please."
Lihua nodded her head, stood up, and placed the USB drive into the projector. The lights of the room went dim as the projector turned on. "First, I'd like to discuss the Fiend's special mutagen." It displayed pictures of the Fiends brandishing their mutagens vials, and Fiends after they've mutated. Lihua stood up, and walked over to the projection. "The attack on the Festival told us that their use of Mutagens was much more widespread than previously believed. Before we thought they only sold small amounts of it at a high-price, and few members took it during gang brawls." Lihua nodded her head, as the imagine changed to a Fiend that was hideously covered in muscles, throwing a hot-stand stand several meters in the air. "After analyzing the Mutagen Agent recovered by Agent Gallus, it has been discovered that the Agents use low dosages of the raw form of the Metahuman energy in order to induce temporary powers at the cost of hideous deformities." The image changed again to a female Fiend breathing a toxic. "Only organization that is allowed to use raw Metahuman energy is the Intelligent System Designs corporation."
"So what you're saying is that the ISD is giving the Fiends this stuff?" Michelle asked Lihua, with a raised eyebrow.
"It could be the ISD..." Lihua looked at Miranda Caryl for a moment, and they exchanged looks. "... It could be a splinter group of them, or a whole new faction altogether. Point being is that someone is supplying them with this toxic mutagen." She grabbed the tips of her glasses, and adjusted them slightly. "... It goes without saying what we have to do."
"Does anyone know where do we even start?" Michelle asked.
"... Thus far..." Lihua sighed, "We have no solid leads, but does anyone have anything to contribute before I review anymore intelligence?"
"Exactly how difficult would it be for someone else to acquire metahuman energy, though?" Sam asked "It doesn't sound like something which is easy to acquire, but I'm sure that other scientific agencies with a less ethical approach to things could theoretically acquire them. Perhaps the Fiends are being fed by someone else. If I am correct, however, I believe that my colleague Samson Omondi, codename KINGFISHER CONDOR, has been researching the mutagen alongside the FBI." He turned to CONDOR, who stood up at his seat.
"I have been working with the FBI as well as VPD detectives, but we haven't found anything more than what agent VuHong has already said. I would like permission to look into the Intelligent Defense System more closely. Perhaps the FBI and I can find some more compelling leads. It's possible that there could be a double agent within the company who is supplying the Fiends with the mutagen." The word "double agent" seemed to ripple through the room like the shockwave of an explosion. Sam sat back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. God this was dull. He wished the conference room had a window to stare out of.
Lihua's gaze from underneath her glasses went directly to Agent Clarke, and CONDOR. They certainly have much to contribute. "The ISD's method of extracting raw Metahuman energy is via a device specially designed to drain the energy out of Metahumans.... Theoretically speaking; anyone that gets their hands on such a device, and have the methods of containing it, could obtain Metahuman energy." Lihua answered Sam's question with the most professional demeanor. She thinks that she got it clear why she's NEST's Intelligence Officer. And why that filled her with so much pride. She earned the position, and was dedicated enough to spend the last couple hours absorbing as much information as possible - as per the Director's orders. Though, she doubted any of these jarheads even reviewed anything... Which is why she's here to fill them in.
Hmph? Raw Metahuman energy? Michelle honestly didn't know that there was a way to extract the energy... but, maybe there was something else going on here. While they were talking, she was fiddling with her gigantic thumbs, trying to make sense of all of this. She didn't know why they made her come to this meeting. Meetings and arrangements like this weren't her kind of thing. Michelle was more of a soldier. Yet, she was determined to get to the bottom of this as every other person in the room. Which is why she was going to give it her all. "... Permission to speak, Director?" Michelle said the very second Lihua and KINGFISHER stopped talking, standing straight up at attention.
The Director answered, "You may proceed."
"Thank you, Director." Michelle said, in the most orderly manner she could. She was talking to the Director, and usually she'd be a bit more lax - but you don't disrespect the Director. She'll have you scrubbing toilets having someone took a super-shit in it. Michelle looked around the room - all eyes were on her, she knew she couldn't screw this up - before she began with her theory, "I have a personal theory; what if the attack on the lab was to recover means to steal Metahuman energy?" She started off, looking around for reactions in the room. "It only makes sense, ma'am. A lab gets raided for all it's equipment, and ten people were kidnapped - doesn't that sound like someone wants to get some of the energy?" It quickly became clear to Michelle that, in the Super-Science world, Metahuman energy was as valuable as oil to the United States... and people are just as willing to spill blood for it. "Continuing off that, what if it was an inside job, too? It's entirely possible that crooked ISD Scientists have been creating Mutagen for the Fiends."
"Interesting thesis, Ms. Gallus..." The Director said, "Which is why I'm all for investigating the lab in University Row - and all ISD operations within the bounds of Verthaven." The Director turned towards CONDOR and Sam. "You have full permission to launch an investigation into the ISD."
There was something about this Lihua couldn't put her finger on - she didn't know what, but she knew it was best that she keeps it to herself. At least until she gets something more concrete. She nodded her head. "... If we're off this subject, may I continuing reviewing information? I have much to say about the Fiend's Hierarchy, and other key notes." Lihua adjusted her glasses.
"You may proceed, Agent VuHong." The Director said.
Lihua nodded her head, and the projection changed to a line of Fiends, armed with garden tools, walking down the street. "The Fiend's chain of leadership, due to their chaotic nature, is very hard for us to be certain." Lihua adjusted her glasses, and then continued, "Yet, we know that there are at least four high-ranking members of the Fiends under Khan. Each of them command different areas of the Fiend's territory, and they were likely chosen by her because they're equally dangerous Metahumans."
The projection switched to the image of a very tall (Nearly the height of Michelle) Caucasian man, thin, lanky, and was wearing a longcoat that dragged onto the floor, and had a greasy head of unkempt hair. Along with the Fiend trademark gas mask. "This is Aiden Smith, also known as Long Dragon, first of the Fiend's lieutenants, and the one who we know the most about. He is known to command Fiends in the Bazaar Riviera." The projection snapped to another image, of a tall, black-skinned, reptilian creature. At least twenty-feet tall, and had very thin limbs, hands tipped off with massive claws, a long snout, glowing white eyes, and, and four wings. "As you can see here, he is capable of transforming into a massive Dragon-like creature. Capable of breathing fire, flight, extreme feats of strength, and is tough enough to resist small arms."
"I fought him, he's one tough bastard." Michelle mentioned.
The projection image changed to a woman, Asian, sickly pale skin, short, and had very lanky - very well toned - limbs. She was shooting down a group of Highway Stars with an AK-47 - while they took cover. "Sulfur, the second Lieutenant we discovered - yet, we haven't confirmed her actual identity. She's seemingly Khan second in command, going off how often they're seen together on the field, and the authority she holds over the Fiends. We suspect that she has familiar ties with Khan." The image changed to a greenish-black sludge stretching forward, filling the street - seemingly melting vehicles as it created a yellow gas. "We don't know her exact ability, but it seemingly revolves around creating a toxic substance that causes a chemical reaction when it collides with metal that breaks it down, and produces a toxic gas in the process. This gas is capable of causing severe chemical-burns, and severe lung damage, and suffocation, if inhaled." The Gai Hexin Yuan would have made her a fine soldier. Lihua thought to herself as she continued.
The projection changed, to a tall, Caucasian, that was very muscular, and shirtless. He stood in between two gates, with his arms rested on both sides of the gate. He looked at the camera-person very seductively through his gas mask. Lihua looked at the projection for a moment, confused, as she looked through the files she was holding. "This is John Travis, also known as... Miss Director, are you sure we have the correct name?"
"Yes." She answered.
Which made Lihua sigh. "I don't get paid enough for this..." She muttered underneath her breath, "... Big-Dong Travis-" She made it clear that it was painful to say that, a direct insult to her pride. "-one of the lieutents that we know the most about. He usually engages in... fornication parties, with the other Fiends, and willing participants. Yet, Travis is the Fiend responsible for many of the Fiends larger drug trades with organized crime in, and out, of Verthaven. It is also suspected that Travis has access to serums that can give people powers - most commonly sold to the wealthy in Turtle-Creek." Lihua adjusted her glasses, and continued, "... Which we believe that he has taken himself. Up until a few months ago, he had no powers. Now, he's likely their most destructive Fiend." The image changed to Travis, now several feet tall, and skin was jet-black and shiny (Coated with bulging red veins), being fired upon by teams of NEST Agents - which had no effect on him. "Like Long Dragon, he is capable of changing forms. He can transform into a super-strong, super-dense, form - which is seemingly impervious to physical attacks - yet, we suspect that energy attacks may have an effect on him."
Everyone looked on and wondered how a lowly band of tweakers were getting all this stuff.
Lihua coughed, and the projection flipped to another image, to an thin Caucasian female, wearing combat pants, and a t-shirt, her face was obscured by a gas mask. Various burns on her body was seen as was in the middle of what seemed to be a tornado - objects and debris were flying around wildly, and getting crushed. "This is Burnmark, the newest Fiend Lieutenant we identified, and she's the most unpredictable one - suspected to be a side-effect of her." Lihua stepped to the side, and continued, "As you can see, she's telekinetic without control... Her power creates a wild telekinetic storm that destroys everything that's close enough."
Lihua nodded her head, before the projection changed to Khan herself, standing on a roof with a grenade launcher over her shoulder. "You all should know who this is, Khan. The one Fiend that has authority over them all. We have little information as to who she is, or where she came from - but we do know that she is a soldier of some sort. She's demonstrated impressive hand-to-hand and combat skills. She is our highest priority target." The last image the projection displayed was her fog, and the creatures she revived shambling inside the fog as silhouettes. "Her power is... very strange. She is capable of creating a fog that revives the dead and unconscious, which Khan seemingly has control over. The fog also causes hallucinations to the point where standing inside the fog can cause insanity. Along with the ability to turn into the fog, Khan is very hard to apprehend and track." Lihua nodded her head. "The attack on the Festival told us that the range she's capable of spreading the fog is much larger than we believed. She's capable of blanketing an entire city neighborhood with it - even for a few minutes." Lihua looked around the room, before nodding her head.
"This is all we know about the Fiends lieutenants."
"I have a question..." Michelle raised her hand. "... Where the hell were they during the attack on the Festival?" She then shrugged.
The two women exchanged glances for a moment, before Lihua answered, "Their whereabouts were unknown at the time." She looked around the room. "Any comments or suggestions?" She asked the group.
