[IC] Heroes Villains

[FunnyGuy]

Michael Thomas
South Beach, Miami

"Fuck..." Michael let out as he spat salty water from his mouth and walked towards the sand. It had taken nearly the entire day, but those dolphins got him to where he needed to be. He was glad he had submitted at least a dozen to his will or he may not have made it back to the United States this fast. From beach of a secluded island, to shallow waters of Miami. Even with his drenched clothes and aching stomach, he already saw this as an upgrade.

As his eyes became less blurry, he was able to finally see people. People he could touch and speak to.... people he could control. A smile spread across his face as he heard their thoughts all at once. When he had first obtained his ability, he hated how he had no control of what he would hear echoing through the minds of others. It took him many weeks to shut out the thoughts he did not want or need to hear. Now, he felt as if hearing everything was a blessing. He could hear people wondering why a man was dressed in a Polo shirt and jeans in the water or even the beach for that matter. He could hear the wandering thoughts of women laying on the beach to get that perfect tan. He could hear the dirty thoughts of Men peaking looks at those very women. The children playing, people craving food, distorted drunk thoughts, deep high thoughts... he could hear everything.

"Yes..." Michael breathed heavily as he took everything in. He kept walking forward, and thoughts just became more plentiful. And then, they stopped simultaneously. His eyes shut as he heard the false sounds of the human mind. The lies and the secrets. The spoken words. "Daddy's home." He said as his feet finally touched the dry sand. "Hey you! I need a dry shirt." Michael said as he pointed to a man sitting on his towel. The man gave him an odd look, which Michael fully expected.

"Huh?" The man was wondering who this guy was talking to, because he had nothing to give him.

Give me your fucking shirt, your towel, and I'll take you shorts... just for now at least. Michael did not really feel like wearing another man's shorts, but the guy was about his size and he wanted to be dry again. Michael watched in amazement as the man stared at him blankly and gave passed his towel to him. Michael immediately began drying himself off as the man removed his clothes. "Good thing you wore some decent boxers or boxers at all. Thanks." Michael said as he grabbed the shirt and shorts from the man.

"Anytime bro." The man said as he stood there.

"Seeya around." Michael said as he got bizarre looks. Mind your business.

Everyone paying any attention to Michael immediately ignored his presence. He chuckled at the power he held over the human mind. Now that I've stretched my legs, it's time to really do some shit. Whether they know it or not, I'm going to tear them apart. As the young man exhaled, countless bodies dropped on the beach. He continued on. Quantum his target.

[Shard]

"Do you like it?" Freya pulled her new older brother into the little girl's bedroom. Casper never believed in gendered colors, he couldn't care less if a person was a girl or a boy in terms of color schemes but it would seem like this family decided to follow the stereotype. Pink as far as the eye could see, her many teddy bears and dolls were neatly rowed up next to each other along her drawers. A sweet scent of strawberry filled the air, adding to the otherwise picturesque appearance of this little princess's room.

"It's...pretty..." Casper reached for a teddy bear, carefully wrapping his fingers around its tummy as he felt the softness caressing his fingertips. Brown like chocolate with a pair of bright blue eyes stitched on, the teddy bear gazed back at the boy with its small and stumpy limbs stretched out, prepared for a tight hug.

"That's Mr. Bottomsworth!" Freya giggled, poking the bear's side. "Would you like to borrow him? We can put him in your room!"

"I...think Mr. Bottomsworth would like to be with his friends..." Casper put the plushy back on the drawer, seeing how Freya was eagerly rocking on on the balls of her feet. The girl had so much energy.

"Hmm...you're right! Mr. Bottomsworth always complains when he's separated from Miss. Lillytop!" Leaning in closer, the girl tugged at Casper to make him lean down. Placing her hands by his ear, she continued with a whisper. "I think they have an affair..."

"Oh...are they married to other...teddies?"

"Nope!"

"But an affair is when..." Shaking his head slightly, the boy managed a soft smile as he looked at the girl. It was best to let her have her role play continue on without any disturbance. "Can ya' show me more of the house?"

"Sure! Come on, let's go and say hello to James!" Freya continued, pulling Casper along like a rag doll. If she had Casper's mutation, she'd rip everyone's arms off. Hurrying out of her room, Freya pulled her new brother through the large corridor and back towards his room before reaching her hand up to the knob of the door opposite Casper's. "James!" She exclaimed, opening the door to reveal a young man sitting by his desk with several books spread out in front of him. An attractive face had blessed this teenager with powerful cheekbones and a masculine appearance expected of a jock, for that was his title.

"I've told you to knock before coming in, Freya!" James returned, his eyes lingering on the books, not caring to look up.

"But Casper's here! You've got to meet him!" The little sister retorted, stepping into her blood brother's room. She noticed however that tugging at Casper was a completely useless feat now that he didn't allow himself to be dragged further. He didn't budge in the slightest as she tugged at him. "Don't be shy, Casper!"

Looking up from his studies, James looked at the new boy with a raised eyebrow. Skeptical would be a far too underwhelming description of the looks he gave the smaller boy. "Casper, huh?"

"Hello..."

"So you're the stray mother and father decided to bring in." James continued, his dark voice matching his large and attractive frame quite well. The grin across his lips appeared to be of the mocking kind, his very being rubbing Casper the wrong way. Choosing to remain silent, Casper didn't return a response but allowed his 'older brother' as it was, to keep going. "I was told you're an Evo. Super strength, was it? Well let me inform you of something. If you hurt my little sister, I don't care what you do can do, I will make sure no one finds what's left of you."

"Casper's a sweetheart!" Freya crossed her arms, looking at James with a frown. "He'd never hurt me! He's like Mr. Bottomsworth."

"Nice to meet ya' too, James..." Casper finally spoke, his light voice the complete opposite of James.

"We'll see." The larger male finished, returning to his seat. "Show him the other rooms, Freya."

"Come on, Casper! James is being a meanie!" The girl started out of the room with her fingers wrapped around Casper's hand.

"Yeah, a meanie...he's a fuckin' asshole..." A soft sigh managed to escape the boy's lips after they closed the door to James room. He was rather surprised by how quickly the little girl picked up on it, though.

"Are you okay, Casper? Don't let James get to you! He'll be uhm...less mean...eventually!"

"I'm okay..."

"You're my big brother too, now!"

His eyes widening, Casper's heart skipped a beat her words. She considered him her big brother? Sure, she was just a child but it was a mistake to discard her words simply because of her age. If she said it, she meant it. "Thank you, Freya..."

"Oh, I know what will cheer you up! Mom made chocolate chip cookies yesterday! Come on, let's go and eat some!"

"That sounds nice..." The boy responded, a soft smile now lingering on his lips. Had he truly been lifted up through this crisis by a little girl? She was something else, so filled with positive energy. It was quite a nice change from his otherwise gloomy life, some kind of ray of pink sunshine.

[Chulance]

Max Stross, Los Angeles California

Max was ready to take care of his mission and get it accomplished no matter what. He wasn’t expecting any mention of a raise for doing his job but he wouldn’t complain either. For him the thrill of the job the adrenaline coursing through his veins when he raised his gun at people who could move objects with their mind and conjure up deadly things with their mind as well as the feeling that he was doing something good for society that was almost enough for him.

Still you could never have enough money, and it’s not like anyone in this world was living for free. Hard work pays off..in more ways then one. All this meant was Max was an even bigger fan of the Senator then before, and would do all he could to bring the person who wiped out the high school to justice.

Once Elizabeth’s car came to stop Max just nodded his head processing the all the information she gave him. “I’ll get right on that, an opportunity like that I won’t mess it up.” Max stepped out the vehicle with a renewed sense of purpose as headed towards the armored car behind him, However he made his way to the front door and knocked waiting as the window rolled down so he could speak to his men.

“Listen up, we have our work cut out. I’m going to look into Reese, I Want at least two of you to move into a under-cover vehicle, and be on the look out for me. I’d advise some of you to head to Disney but Bennet assures me he has things covered.”

“Stross, boss-man not to interrupt but we’ve got a couple of dates I think you wanna be aware of. The Evo center here in L.A..was completely wiped out..all the prisoners have been freed, law enforcement responded and there were lots of causalities. A couple of the evo’s have been re-captured or neutralized and the LAPD is gathering all available ability negation unit’s they have to attach them to the escape’s, not to mention some news from Veronica..Mr. Thomas..the telepath on the island’s managed to escape our custody as well. “

Max sighed this certainly wasn’t adding up to be his day but he had business to take care of even if it meant the city was going to be consumed in chaos.” I want you to help out law enforcement here to deal with the escape, I’ll handle Reese as long as I have the security detail watching her on my back come on.”

Max made his way from the vehicle and over to a parked vehicle. He reached into his pockets for the keys and pressed a button starting it up. He made his way inside before slipping the keys in the ignition and turning on the air. The rental car Quantum provided him would be perfect, and it wasn’t long before he was pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex his target was at. The security detail had followed him in an unmarked vehicle and were setting up shop.Max was looking over the file he had on Elena one more time before slipping it into the glove compartment and stepping out the vehicle.

“Time to see what you’ve been hiding Reese.” Max smirked and made his way over to the stairs slowly trudging up. Shortly after he was knocking on Elena’s door and didn’t waste any time as soon as she watched it. He took out his wallet, flipping it open and showing her some identification that showed he was a CIA Agent. Another perk of Quantum industries was the benefit of some of the best fake I.D’s in the world.

“My name is Max Bovington with the Central Intelligence Agency, I have a couple questions I’d like to ask you Ms. Reese mostly regarding the high school that was wiped out month ago and the connection you have to your friend Blaire Anderson who coincidentally went missing the same day the school was eradicated. Seeing as how your on our government database files as a registered Evo that means you quite enjoy your freedom and i’d be a shame if ..you lost it. Of course..there’d be no reason for you to loose anything granted you fully and honestly comply with this investigation. So what can you tell me about Ms. Anderson, your relationship with her, and why you think she happened to jump ship the same day of the massacre and if you’ve had any communication with her sense?” Max said geting right to the point he knew he had something although he just didn’t know what.

Anna Pedrose, Miami Florida

Today was just not her day, like not that she had the greatest life of all time. But really today was just not going to be one of the greatest days in the life and times of Anna Pedrose. There were Government agents everywhere and she knew just exactly why. The vehicle she’d been driving she’d stolen from Blaire Anderson. Not that Grand theft Auto wasn’t her thing but she didn’t expect to hold on to the car this long.

It had been a month, but she’d taken the car to the shop got some stuff added to it and figured why not keep it. There were plenty other cars she could steal, but the owner was dead, and not anyone being looked into so it was perfect. That was until today, she’d left the car parked in-front of some restaurant and left to go attend to some business. When she was making her way back to pick up the car keys jingling in her hand that’s when she was alerted to their presence.

She knew this meant the lid was off, the suits were looking into Blaire and maybe even were starting to inch closer and closer to the truth about what happened to the school. She didn’t know exactly what branch of the government was present on the scene or if it was a combination of multiple agencies. What she did know was that unless she wanted to wage all out war against the U.S Government then it was best to abandon her precious vehicle.

“Fucking Feds.” Anna muttered under her breath as she continued to look over the scene. Multiple men and women dressed in attire that could be described as anything but casual. Camera’s were on, evidence was being taken, the car was being thoroughly searched through. At this point she cursed because any belongings left in the car were now the possession of Uncle Sam.

She sighed and turned around turning her attention away from Blaire’s car. I don’t need that piece of shit anyway, I’m a superhuman. I can take whatever car I need, and besides I still have my gun and the files.

Out of sight and out of mind that’s the motto she was going for as she kept walking. She was sure she’d stumble upon another vehicle soon enough. “There we go. “Anna smiled as she kept noticed an SUV parked and three african american males inside. She spotted another vehicle a smaller car parked near the SUV but with no one inside. Analyzing the scene more she realized whoever owned that car was probably inside the SUV.

What’s this, looks like a drug deal, and the dealers are having themselves a little celebration session. Hmm I should hop in on that, nothing better then a fat blunt after a long day of disappointment. Anna decided to remove herself from her hiding spot and make her way over to the vehicle.

Between the car and the SUV, she decided this time around to go with what had the most room. The three men inside were relaxing lights blunts up and didn’t even notice the super powered woman approach until they heard a knocking. One of the men inside was inhaling when he saw the dark haired woman knocking at the door. “Who the fuck.” He passed the marijuana cigar and reached for his gun before rolling the window down pointing it at her.

“You best explain who the hell you is and back the fuck up for I blow ya brains out shawty. I ain’t fucking playing no games, me and my boys ain’t the ones! Someone sent you here tryna come up on these P’s, then they done sentenced yo ass to a death sentence cause ain’t no one fucking with our herb!” The man had a tight grip on his weapon as he focused on Anna not ready to be set up by anyone. The others in the car also seemed on high alert and reached for their weapons but continued to smoke.

“Wow…thats so harsh…I just happened to be passing by, and noticed this beautiful scene figured some transaction involving narcotics was taking place. Gosh to be honest I’ve been having a shitty day myself, you see I ran into a bit of legal trouble, you know when dodging the feds goes wrong. And you know what I figured I needed after narrowly avoiding prison a blunt, I mean I just love some Mary Jane the way it can help me thinking when I’m stressed out, but..if I can’t pick up an eighth…I’ll take my business elsewhere.” Anna smirked completely ignoring the dealer’s threats and questioning.

“Bitch you think this a mother fucking joke! I am going to blast your motherfucking head off, I TOLD YOU TO ANSWER MY GOD DAMN QUESTIONS” The dealer pulled the trigger firing bullets at Anna.

Anna grimaced closing her eyes then giggling as they came open the metal shells of death seemingly vanished. “Really..that was..quite the show but I’m getting hungry, and I think I need a snack hmmm….I kinda wanted mexican I could kill for a burrito…maybe chinese honestly I’ll settle for drug dealer tho.” Anna smirked and red sparks emerged from her body and suddenly a field of red energy emerged from her body into the SUV.

The red energy swirled around the dealers in the SUV causing them to scream in pain as the were swallowed up by the swirling energy and dragged into Anna’s body. In a flash the red sparks were gone and Anna just yawned as she walked over to the now empty SUV and got in seeing the keys were still in. “Now this is a car, dinner and a tip and mhmm what’s this I smell back there.” Anna reached in the back for the blunt they’d been passing around and so it was still lit. She picked it up and took a few drags before exhaling and rolling down the windows. “Ahh..this is some good shit, honestly there’s no reason to hot box..and now it’s time for me to get back to work. “Anna put her foot on the gas and pulled off.

[Polyurethane]

Jaenelle and Dylan Cox
Just outside Lake Tahoe

Jaenelle was heading towards a town just a few miles out from lake Tahoe on business. Someone from quantum contacted her asking if she could investigate a rumor being spread around this town. Apparently there was a couple with unusual luck lately, and a daughter who was artistically inclined. If this little girl could do what quantum was thinking, then Jaenelle was to bring her back so they could use her power in their favor.

She arrived in town earlier than expected so she found a motel to wait in until night fall, when she would investigate. She decided to take a small nap while she waited, so she would be well rested should any conflicts come up.

The sun had gone down many hours ago, and her alarm on her phone went off. She slowly sat up and reached for her phone. After hitting the dismiss button she started to get ready, checking to make sure she had everything. Although on this trip she only brought 3 throwing knives laced with a sleeping agent. This way she would simply graze the child's skin to knock her out cold for Quantum.

After checking everything she slid her phone in her back right pocket and left for the girls house. She turned on the GPS in her car and spoke the address of the house she was headed to.

"Hopefully this girl is worth something to Quantum, or this would be a waste of trip." she said to herself as she drove off.

Meanwhile in Tahoe City Dylan's phone began to ring. He woke up half way and looked at who in the world could be calling him at this time. As soon as he saw the name he was wide awake and answered.

"Hello, Jaenelle, is something wrong?" he questioned. No response came except for the sound of clothe running over the phones speaker. "Oh, sounds like a butt." he said. He went to end the call, but right as he did he heard his sister talking. It was an address.

"Hopefully this girl is worth something to Quantum, or this would be a waste of trip." he heard from the other end. His sister was nearby and hunting a fellow evo, he couldn't let her do this. Not when he could do something to stop it.

He quickly put on some clothes then started flying upwards until he was about cloud level. Luckily it was late at night and most people were asleep. He knew he had a tracking device and if things seemed odd he would get in trouble. So he followed the road, using his phone to navigate to the house.

Meanwhile Jaenelle arrived at a truck stop not too far from the house, she parked here so her car wouldn't be seen around the house if she was going to be kidnapping this girl. She walked the rest of the way.

When she finally arrived she looked at the house with frustration on her face. This was a pretty big house, a few rooms she was going to have to check. She sighed as she worked the front door lock open and stepped inside.

Jaenelle crept up the stairs slowly as to not wake up the family. It would make her life a lot easier if they didn't wake up until after she was gone and the child gone. At the same time Dylan was racing off towards the little girls house. He couldn't let her follow through with whatever it was she was going to do. Once at the house he did a quick flight around the house checking in the Windows looking for the girl. Then he saw her, painting on the walls in her bedroom. Suddenly he saw the door knob beginning to turn, it had to be his sister. He propelled himself forward and through the window as the door swung open. Glass shattered everywhere. As soon as he landed in the room he shot out a vector changing barrier around the little girl. It was put up just in time as three knives ricocheted into the walls, which brought their attention to the paintings, and the painting the little girl was currently working on. They both stopped and looked over to see a painting of them busting in the room at the same time.

[Chulance]

Jason Koravil, Los Angeles – From the apartment to the warehouse

Jason had now come to an abrupt landing on the roof of his apartment complex, masking his visibility via light. After making his way into the stair-well and checking for camera’s he made himself visible once more as he continued down the stairs. He was no major money winner but some questioned why he choose to remain in an apartment complex with all the profit he made from his legitimate and illegitimate business.

That answer was one he’d be glad to answer of course, the key was maintaining a low profile. On paper he was a college student with a few low end jobs, and it’s not like he could put Quantum on a job application.

“Hmm time to get some grub.” Jason muttered to himself as he reached his room and took out the keys before letting himself in. He enjoyed being out and a bout but nothing beat getting some rest at home. Plus, after a long day of causing mass destruction and liberating imprisoned Evo’s this called for a meal. He made his way over to the fridge and opened it to see what goodies he had left.

Shit looks like a young boss ain’t about to be eating too good, but I’ve got some left overs. Jason reached for a plastic container with the words Old Charlie’s on it. He opened it up to see how much of his grilled chicken and vegetables he had left before going to the microwave. He pressed 2 and put the container in before shutting it walking away to let his food heat.

Next stop was the living room, or as he liked to call it his own private sanctuary. He plopped down on the couch opening up his laptop and with the flick of his fingers caused his television to come on. One of the perks of his abilities was never having to rely on a remote, long gone were the days where he rummaged through the couch and the rest of his belongings in search of an object to change the channel.

With a few more flicks he continued to change the channel until he got to what he wanted. The news was talking about the situation in California, and how the state might impose martial law. “Down-town we have word that there are over 100 escapees Evo’s who have been let loose into the city and they are all armed and dangerous. Here you can see a picture of all the escaped inmates as well as some other vital information about them. If you see these individuals please contact the authorities immediately as they are dangerous, wielding an assortment of unique abilities, and potentially armed as well. Additional police check-points are being set up across California, and the national guard is stepping into help round up these terrorists. One can only help and pray for the safety of the citizens of Los Angeles during this time of chaos.”

Jason shook his head as the news broad-cast continued, he was glad for every evo he freed. He only helped that at least half of them would be able to escape the state. He wanted to go about helping them, but there was only so much he could do since he was playing both teams. He went to get his food and was grubbing in when his phone began ringing. He had changed the channel to AMC preferring to entertain himself by watching the Walking Dead.

He reached for his phone and picked it up. “Hello this is Koravil speaking, how may I help you.”

“Hello Boss I’ve got some great news that meeting with Cuarto’s been set up. He’s the last resistance we have to controlling the drug game in California, we’ve successfully brought down everyone else or otherwise “persuaded” them that it’s best to work under our wings. The feds are behind as well all this focus on Evo’s taken priorities over drugs so your rise to power was mostly un-noticed by the majority of my college’s, and the few that did care accepted the bribes or…had to die.”

Jason smiled it was times like this that made him happy.” Great, great. Austin Kingsman you’ve done above and beyond truly. I couldn’t ask for a better crooked fed, we’re going to rise to the top. I’m going to get ready for this meeting, anyway heads up dinner and women on me tonight.” Jason hung up the phone and got up to stretch.

His successful climb to the top of the narcotics community in California had been a success, and all it took to help him out was some super-human abilities. Jason promptly finished his meal, and headed into the closet to change for his dinner with his fellow drug baron.

After he was done Jason smiled looking at himself in the mirror, only wearing the finest. “Ah Victor Cuarto it’s time we crossed paths once and for all.” Jason looked in the mirror before leaving his room, locking the door, and going up the stairs. Once again checking for camera’s he masked himself from the visibility of others and exited the stair well returning the roof once more. Drawing in kinetic and gravitational energy he blasted off taking to the skies once more.

After a nice flight through the upper atmosphere he was making his way down to a warehouse he’d purchased with his drug money and had fixed up. He’d turned it from some run down property to a respectable place of illegitimate business and on his way down from the skies he’d noticed some expensive luxury cars parked. He entered the ware-house from the side entrance and no longer needed to use any light to mask his presence.

He made his way through the dim lit hallways, and finally entered a room where a Hispanic man was seen sitting at a round table as well as some other individuals. Jason himself took a seat at the table, and the FBI agent Austin Kingsman was also present. “Ah it’s nice to finally be in the same room with you Mr. Cuarto, we’ve had some conflict over the past few months regarding territory and business. But I think you’ll come to see things my way.”

The drug lord looked at Jason with animosity in his eyes yet he remained calm as he responded.” And what sort of things do you hope I’ll come to see Mr. Koravil? When I heard someone new was rising up and interfering with my business well I’d assumed I’d be someone much more experience. What a surprise an unpleasant one at that when I had to report to my cartel connections that my criminal empire was being under-minded by a child.” He spoke with venom and hatred at the tip of his tongue yet there was no threat of imminent violence.

“You’re an anomaly yourself aren’t you Mr. Cuarto? Sure now you’re a powerful man connected with the cartels and their drugs. But that wasn’t true until a year and a half ago? I wondered how that was, and then I figured it out. Nancy Cuarto your niece, who just happens to be an evo hmm?” Jason spoke calmly and instantly Cuarto seemed enraged.

“How the fuck did you know that! Who the fuck are you! I swear if you do anything to her, I’ll -.”

“Nuh uh uh enough of this.” Jason raised his hand and a there was a bright flash of blinding light. Right as the light cleared everyone in the room was unconscious except for him and Cuarto. “It’s okay I happen to be an Evo myself, I have no intentions of bringing your niece In. See the thing is I work for Quantum Industries, an elite organization of the world’s top businessmen, politicians, and so on the upper echelon of society who also have a need for certain Evo’s hence my current employment. Now you may be wondering well how does this all tie in what the fuck do I want with you? Well you already know, your niece has an interesting ability. Hive Mind is it? With her power she can take anyone, strip them of their free will, and literally make them another body she can exert influence over. Now that’s an impressive power. You used her power to build a network of influential people in both law enforcement and criminal enterprise, using your own family as a human weapon now that’s “ Jason just started clapping.” That’s despicable and I like it.”

“Enough is enough, you claim to be one of them, what do you and this mysterious Quantum industries want? You think taking me in will do anything, you know what type of secret weapon I have at my disposal, even if you go after her, you can’t take down the entire network I’ve established, my influence reaches more then just here in the states, there’s powerful figures in Mexico supplying me with narcotics, kill me and.”

“Who said anything about killing you hmm?” Jason stopped to let that sink in he had no ill will towards this man.” See the goal of Quantum is to monitor and control the evo populace on a level regular governments can’t. Here’s the real kicker I work for Quantum true enough, but I’m my own boss I’m only here for the employee benefits like the legitimate income, getting paid to fight others with power is good exercise, and the company car is nice for stunting. However I need your niece for my own purposes, my own goals. However I need your niece for my own purpouses, my own goals. People like me and your niece we’re running out of team, most of society sees us as outcasts, monsters, and Quantum one day they’ll find no more use for us.”

“So what the fuck do you want then? You claim to be on some other mission with this Quantum, yet here you are setting me up with a meeting to talk drugs! Make your mind.”

“Don’t..EVER in your life as long as I allow breath to flow through your body speak to me like that again you fucking peasant.” Jason unleashed a blast of concussive force blasting Cuarto away from the table and into the wall. “Your drug empire is mine Cuarto, I’m taking full ownership of that as well as your net-work. When I arranged this meeting, I had my men swoop in to sedate and kidnap your niece she’ll be under the employment of the Empire now. You will as well you work for me, we are no longer enemies, however as a sign of my superiority..I’d like you to watch something. See that monitor over there that blank screen.”

“I see! I see!” Cuarto exclaimed not wanting to be blasted, Jason snapped his fingers and the monitor flickered to life. On the monitor was Cuarto’s compound, his mansion he’d purchased for himself a couple months ago. On the screen suddenly the entire mansion collapsed as if some giant foot came down and stepped on it. Cuarto screamed seeing everything he’d worked for gone in the blink of an eyes while turning to Jason who’s eyes were glowing. The glow faded from his eyes as Jason turned to his new partner in crime now breathing heavily.

“Gravity can be a bitch can’t it, now then this meeting is adjourned, get back to work, just now 60% of your profits are coming to me, the drug game in California that’s all me, and I’m glad we’ve come to an under-standing.” Jason walked over to his unconscious dirty FBI agent and picked him up tossing him over his shoulder. “Sleep well Kingsman you’ve done above and beyond. Now it’s time to work on our next targets…The Children of the Church of Azrael.” Time to go greet my new employee Miss Cuarto and then Texas here we come.

[Shard]

Remembering where every room was located was going to be a chore. The villa had four bathrooms, five bedrooms, two living rooms and one game room. Yes, they had a game room. It was still hard to believe that Casper was going to call this place home, now. Even if all of this was nothing but a ploy, an attempt to get attention and a reputation, it was written on paper that Casper Vaile was now part of the Everose family. Casper Everose? Was that his name now? It felt odd, but that was to be expected. "They're so good!" Freya closed her eyes as she bit into a chocolate chip cookie, enjoying the taste to the fullest. How many days had it gone since Casper's mother passed away? After she died he spent two nights at the police station as he was waiting for the paperwork to be filled out. After that the Everose family came and picked him up followed by another night's sleep. Three days, it had gone three days since he was orphaned. Admitedly, he expected this ordeal to take a alot longer. Who had heard of a kid being taken in by a family of rich strangers just moments after his mother's death? It was almost as if they killed her, something which would have been much more likely if the woman hadn't clearly overdosed. "Do you like them, Casper?"

"Yeah..." In truth, the boy had never eaten homemade cookies before. One could consider it sad, for it probably was, but given his situation, the boy never got the opportunity. Now that he managed to bite down into a savory piece of chocolate chip dessert, Casper understood quite clearly what he had missed out on. These pastries were heavenly.

"I see you're getting along!" Donna's voice entered the scene before the well dressed woman stepped into the kitchen. Applying red lipstick, she offered the two a bright smile followed by a loving hug. Was she sincere? Was any of this? One couldn't blame Casper for his caution but perhaps it was a good idea to loosen the skepticism just a bit. "How are you liking it so far, Casper?"

"I met Mr. Bottomsworth..." The boy returned, seeing how Freya burst out laughing and playfully punched his arm.

"Ah yes, that teddy bear is fierce." Donna chuckled. "You'll be attending school starting Monday. It's an Evo school and I expect you to behave." She finished, smiling at the boy. Though her stern words could be considered patronizing, her voice was anything but. This woman was hard to place.

"I will..." Given his incredibly weak position, Casper wasn't going to fight her on this. True, the boy was a rebel and he didn't take orders from anyone but he wasn't an idiot. He knew when he was out of options and when he needed to comply with those around him. This was one of those times. Later when he'd gotten settled and established, he'd have more free space to roam but as it was, he could only follow the stream. Indeed, it felt like he was a dog on a collar but there was a sense of freedom in it as well. It felt good to just lean back and let the world travel him by if only for a moment until he got his strength back.

"Of course you will, dearest. You're an Everose now and we behave." Donna playfully ruffled her adoptive son's hair before grabbing her purse. "Well, I'm off to work. Don't exhaust Casper, Freya. He still needs his rest."

"I won't!" The girl crossed her arms, glaring at her mother.

"And let James study for his exams, you hear?" Dropping the lipstick in her purse, Donna hoisted the strap over her shoulder.

"We've already said hi to him so there!" Freya shot back, seeing how her mother managed a soft giggle before leaving the house. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all, but there was still much to see. James showed his true colors as soon as he met Casper but Donna and Miles were both wolves in sheep's clothing. At least that was what Casper expected of them. "Hey, Casper." Freya continued, starting on another cookie.

"Yeah?"

"How old are you?" She tilted her head curiously.

"Fourteen."

"I'm nine! That means that you're..." She counted on her fingers, finally brightening up before she turned to him. "...five years older!"

"That's right." If nothing else, Freya was sure to brighten the mood. It was unexpected mainly because Casper had never been around a little girl like her before. In fact, even though he was a kid himself, he had never spent much time with others his age or younger. "Freya, can we take a walk outside?" Now that it was daytime, perhaps it was good to get aquinted with the neighborhood. Casper had no clue how to orient himself in his new home, much less the exterior and he'd rather not get lost on his first day of school.

"Sure! But we've got to get back before lunch time or James will get mad."

"We will, I just wanna' know my way around."

"Alright! Come on!" Freya jumped down from her seat before dragging her adoptive brother towards the hall. The girl was always in a hurry, that much was certain. Slipping into their shoes, the two found themselves outside quite fast. Now that Casper got a good view of the neighborhood, he could clearly draw the differences between this and his old home. They were worlds apart.

"It's pretty..." The boy spoke, his quiet voice reaching Freya's ears before the girl giggled in response.

"Before we go home, can we go to the park?"

"Huh? Uhm, sure..." Taking his little sister to the park, this was turning out to be a life Casper never expected to have.

[FunnyGuy]

Fiona Lockhart
Austin, Texas

"KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE! KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE!" Hundreds of protesters roared as they marched towards the Capital Building in Austin, Texas. A combination of signs and fists flailed upward, people announced their hate, and nothing seemed like they could not be stopped. Fiona led the charge with a megaphone as they disrupted traffic in the city. A smile crept onto her face as she watched as the number of her followers increased.

"Yes! Push past the law enforcement! They are either with us or against us." She announced. "KILL THE EVOS! SAVE THE PEOPLE!" She shouted towards the police who allowed the crowd to pass by. An officer actually nodded his head before joining into the crowd. "YES, CHILDREN! WE WILL PURGE THE WORLD OF EVOS!" As local new in Texas caught this scene on camera, some who were listening in were affected oddly. There were those who repeated the chant and had it make sense to them. Some even decided that they might make the drive and join the movement. Then there were few cases where people started to act violently against Evos. One of the most pressing stories is one where a man entered an Evo elementary school and began shooting at anyone he laid eyes on until he was shot dead. He managed to kill a dozen children and three teachers. Not even Fiona knew really how powerful her words were.

[Nallore]

Elena Reese
Los Angeles, California

After leaving Jack's apartment Elena headed back into her own apartment, slipping her keys into the lock Elena unlocked the door and went back inside. Sighing slightly to herself she was really glad to have someone to at least talk and confide into anything about Evos in her apartment, and she knew that Jason wouldn't give her any weird looks if they had a conversation about their own kind. Elena grabbed her Burger King bag and quickly opened it up grabbing the small box of chicken fries and French fries and started to dig into her lunch. She turned on the tv, and quickly changed it she was really tired of hearing about Evos all over the news, and turned on to watch some movies on one of the movie channels.

Then Elena heard a knocking on her door and sighed loudly she didn't want to deal with anyone else the rest of the day, and headed over towards the door and opened it up slightly and stuck her head through the small opening. In front of her was Max showing his fake CIA ID in front of her. "Hey listen I just talked to my Evo agent earlier toda-" Elena was cut off when Max started asking her questions about her friend Blaire, who she hadn't seen since a month ago on the attack of the high school. She knew her friend had a lot of problems but she didn't think Blaire would do something like that.

"Its true we were friends, but I honestly have not seen or heard a word from her in over a month. And I have an alibi that day I was in classes, and then I had work after classes, you are way more then welcome to search my apartment and check my phone for any recent texts and calls if it satisfies you." Elena said calmly and opened the door to her apartment if Max wanted to search around for anything.

Riley Smith
Newberry Springs, California

After being home early for a few hours Riley had closed her eyes to take a nap curling up in her bed as she fell asleep, it was rather peaceful and relaxing. Then her mind started wondering around again, she saw the Everose villa that wasn't to far from the park that her house was across from. There she was a boy who was about three years younger then she was, and then Freya who she would occasionally play with in the park together. Or her mother asking to watch over the little girl while everyone else in the family couldn't be able to, but her vision was more focused on the boy, and knew that he was another evo like herself and they were heading over towards the park.

"Riley hun lunch is ready!" Riley quickly woke up from her nap rubbing the side of her face of drool, she got up and headed over towards the kitchen where her mother was setting up a few plates she set the plate of fried chicken and white rice on the table. "Thanks mom." Riley said with a smile as she sat down and pulled herself in, brushing some of her hair out and away from her face Riley quickly went in and started eating. After a few minutes of eating Riley was done and went to putting her plate and glass down into the sink and gave her mother a loving hug and kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to go out to the park for a bit." Riley said as she started to head out and started putting on her shoes and headed out.

It was just across the street as Riley went over and sat down on one of the swings enjoying the warm weather as she lightly swung herself back and forth.

Noah Bennet
Anaheim, California

As Noah continued walking down the main street Noah was running his hand through his hair wiping away some of the sweat that was slowly sliding down the side of his face. As Noah passed one of the stores he noticed a young man grabbing some things from the store. He thought it was suspicious he should be heading out of the park instead of going further inside, Noah decided to continue to follow behind them. He knew that Max could send more people to back him up, but from the news Noah had been hearing they would be distracted. As Noah got closer towards the giant castle that was at the center of Disneyland Noah noticed the boy walking inside and into the 'employees only' area.

As Noah got closer he waited several seconds before Noah finally opened the door himself he headed up the stairs until he was at the 'princess suite drawing out his handgun Noah pressed his ear against the door. “Oh my god... I’m dead- I am so, so dead... those people... those poor people; they didn’t deserve any of this..." Noah heard a girl's voice she was blaming herself for what was going on, she must be the evo that he was ordered to go after. Noah could hear the boy's voice as well doing his best to calm her down, he knew that it was not their fault at all and that she was only trying to help. Noah set his handgun back into its holster and proceeded to enter the room holding up his hands in a non threatening manner. "I'm here to help.." Noah said calmly looking at the two teens in the room.

[FunnyGuy]

Michael Thomas
Miami, Florida

"This is the life!" Michael exclaimed as he walked out of a massage clinic with his hand stretching up high. It had been a few hours since he arrived and he was already using his powers for the greater good. The greater good for himself. He was now wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a black tee, and a pair of black Jordans. Along with that, he got himself a haircut and a clean shave. "Standin' tall lookin' good, oughta be in Hollywood." Michael said to himself as he walked down the sidewalk.

So far, he'd learn a couple of things going on since he was gone. The two things that he concerned himself with were the events happening within Miami. The riot seemed like it would have been interesting to attend, but he was sure he could catch the candle lighting today. It seemed odd for Michael to attend something like this, but he figured it was a way to not only gain a lot of information at once, but to see if this gathering was as genuine as people thought it would be. It could have been a trap for the sympathizers and Evos apart of the movement that was completely shot down... literally. He could also recruit some desperate Evos to his cause.

"Nice shades!" He complimented a guy who stopped in place and removed them. Michael smirked as he grabbed the sunglasses and placed them on his face and continued on.

"Hey! Yeah you!" Michael turned to see a police officer coming his way. He flashed a smile before all the officer saw was a bright light and then nothing. "Damn it! Fucking teleporter or something... Fuck it." The officer cursed as he turned away from Michael who had just been walking away the entire time.

Can't believe Quantum hasn't shown their faces yet. Must be too busy with other shit... hmm I guess I'll just scout for some potential teammates till the candle lighting.

[Vicier]

-gifs coming-

Jaenelle Angelina Cox, Dylan Cox and Aira Renee Rivera

Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada ~ Just Outside Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City

---

---

The muffled rustling of hands against the walls was all that filled the room apart from the gentle stream of light in which shined down from the moon, and through the window- that was until the window shattered, allowing for the two other figures to make their way into the young girls bedroom; but it was as though the young child hadn’t even heard a thing. Focusing in on what it was that she was doing, Aira barely seemed to be in control of her body as her soft pink lips parted ever so slightly from one another, the young girl utterly and completely unaware that she even had company as the sound of heavy footfalls and metal clanging against the walls filled her bedroom, her normally dark chocolate brown eyes no longer, instead glazed over white as she stared at the blank spaces like a canvas, her paint covered fingers quickly working to fill the gaps

How many nights had been spent standing in front of the wall; her fingers covered in paint, and ruining what was now the fourth layer of wallpaper that had been put up in her room. There were paintings and drawings littered all about the room... on the walls and on the floor; in everything from crayons to paint- and while it seemed as though it worried her parents, they were more than happy enough to just let her go on with what she wanted to do, and to test her abilities constant enough to help bring in some financial gain every now and then- what was the point with having a daughter that could paint an draw the future if you couldn’t use the information provided to get ahead in life every now and then..?

Taking a couple of steps back from the wall, she turned herself around and knelt down upon the ground, her body hunching over itself as she placed her hands down in the paint that was smeared all over the floor, her hands taking pause for a moment as she glanced back up at the wall, watching on as the blank white spaces seemed to darken before bursting and swirling with color… lines forming to make the picture whole, calling for her to fill in the spaces that were blank. Once more standing up straight, Aira hurried back over to the wall, her hands once again coming into contact with it before finally, she froze in place, her head stooping for a moment before she turned attention from side to side; the whites of her eyes seeming to stare right through the woman before flicking across to settle upon the man.

“..did you come to draw with me..?”

With one glance Dylan got the chills and took a step back. It was like something straight out of a horror movie. Jaenelle froze in place when the girl had looked her way, it was so eerie. Both of them stood still for a moment before putting their superstitions behind them and realizing what was happening.

"No sweetie, I'm here to protect you" Dylan said looking from Aira to his own sister, glaring her down. Jaenelle clenched her teeth and fists in frustration. "You need to back off Jaenelle. This is a child, how low will you stoop..." He said with clear disappointment in what his sister had become. He walked around the room and grabbed the knives out of the wall and placed them in his sister's hand then looked back to the child. "Are you okay, Aira?" He asked with concern. She wasn't much older than his sister when he moved away. It was sad reuniting under these circumstances.

Staying silent as she kept her gaze lingering upon him for a moment longer, she once again tore her unseeing gaze away from his figure, her attention returning to the work of art that was plastered upon the wall in front of her- it wasn’t the first... and it was clear by the rest of the room that it wasn’t going to be the last one either. Pictures of gloom... of happiness; things that had happened, and things that were yet to come. Though just when it was that they were meant to pass was unclear; even to the girl who stood once more with her fingers gliding over the wall, leaving the image she saw in front of her behind so that all others who wanted to could see it as well.

Finally coming to a stop once the last gap in the picture had been completed, she took a couple of steps backwards so that she could stare at it for a few moments, her body stood completely still for what felt like a lifetime until she blinked; her face scrunching up in slight pain as she slowly pulled out of the trance-like state that had woke her up at such an ungodly hour.

“N-Nghnn...” Lifting her arm up from her side, Aira stooped her head down ever so slightly, the back of her forearm rubbing roughly against both her eyes and forehead as though she were trying her best to rub away the pain of the slight headache that had quickly came about, a small though soft yawn falling through her lips before she turned to look back up at the two others in the room with her; a frightened looks flickering over her features at the realization that she wasn’t alone in her room, “W-Who are you..?”

Oh great, this was going to look real good. Two grown was adults breaking into an eight year old girls room. He had to think of something quick, something he wasn't good at.

"Hey, no worries, we're not here to hurt you. In fact, we're here to do just the opposite. We're like your guardian angels." Jaenelle gave him a death glare, this was not going as planned. Dylan simply gave her a look that said we will talk about this later. "Someone bad was trying to get to you but we stopped them. You're safe now." Dylan said with a kind and caring smile. Jaenelle stood there with annoyance clear on her face. She was supposed to this girl and he was getting in her way.

Dropping her head and furrowing her brows for a moment as she took a moment to try and understand just what it was he was saying to her, Aira turned her attention over where he was standing, her dark brown eyes staring right past him and over at another one of the paintings that had been scribbled up onto the wall- the dark figure of a man flying above a large building that had been blown to bits below him catching the young girls eye. Hesitating a moment longer as her shoulders hunched wearily, she slowly lifted her hand up until she was pointing at the picture in question, the scared look never once leaving her face as she looked back up at the man who had said that they were there to look after her and make sure that she was okay.

“..that bad man..?”

Dylan and Jaenelle looked at the picture in question. That was the prison in California that was attacked. Jaenelle stepped in further to look at the picture on the wall. It was Quantum Industries California headquarters.

"Yes that bad man." Jaenelle finally spoke up. Dylan glared at her for a moment. That wasn't the bad man who was trying to get her tonight, it was Jaenelle. Oh well, this man didn't look like good news either way so at least there's that. "Do you know anything about this man? I can find him and take care of him." she said looking at the image on the wall.

"Jaenelle please. We don't need to probe her for information. We're here to protect her not exploit her gift" Dylan said sternly. Jaenelle just brushed it off and looked back to the little girl.

"Listen if you find out anything about this guy you should let me know. The best way to protect you is to neutralize the threat" She said playing along with her brothers idiotic idea. She wrote her number down on a piece of paper and set it on her dresser.

"Don't worry Aira" Dylan said as he knelt down to look at her eye to eye "As long as I'm watching over you, I won't let that man... Or anyone else... Harm you." he said hoping his sister got the underlying message he was trying to convey to her.

Falling silent as she listened to the two grownups speaking to one another, she let her gaze meet with that of the man for a few moments before finally, she nodded her head lightly to show him that she understood what it was that he was saying to her; a worried look however seeming to cross over her features as she once more glanced back over at the woman, her hands balling into fists over the front of her nightdress as she took a couple of small steps closer towards the man, “..m-mama won’t let me use the phone... I got in trouble last time... now it's up high where I can’t reach...”

Turning her attention back down to her hands, Aira shifted uncomfortably on the spot, softly biting down upon her lower lip as she did all that she could to avoid meeting the gaze of the woman who kept asking her for things that she didn’t know or understand; her head slowly and eventually lifting up so that she could once again look at the man, her feet moving her even more closer to him than before, “..that lady is scary...”

Jaenelle snatched up her phone number and put it back in her pocket. It was only to be expected, she was only eight.

"Haha, she scares me too sometimes. Don't worry, her bark is worse than her bite" he said putting a hand on Aira's shoulder. He heard his sister scoff in the background. Then she took out her phone and started taking pictures of the pictures on the wall.

"Well well, it looks like he either had or is going to have a love interest." Jaenelle said softly to herself. Though these images were very vague due to some happening in the future, they were still a treasure trove of information. She opened her text messaging app and started writing a text to her brother.

'Listen you want to protect her and I want information. If it weren't for you she would be with Quantum being probed for information, this isn't a safe place for her. I can lie to Q.I. but they will continue to search for her. The little bat doesn't like me apparently so if I bring up the idea she might say no. That's why I texted you so she wouldn't overhear or assume I'm giving you the idea.' send.

Moments later Dylan's phone buzzed, he took it out and looked at the text he received. He couldn't believe what he was reading, but at the same time she did have a point. He couldn't stay here to protect her all the time, and obviously they were after her.

"Aira, how would you feel about coming with us. That way we could better protect you from the bad man. You would stay with me so you would see very little of scary ol' her" he said playfully at the end, motioning towards his sister.

Parting her soft pink lips slightly at the offer that he was extending to her, Aira let her gaze flick back over to the woman before once more returning to the man knelt down in front of where she stood, her still paint-covered hand letting go of her nightdress before she brought it up, letting it rest lightly upon his cheek for a few moments before finally, she turned away from him altogether, her bare feet making soft thuds upon the floor as she ran back over to her bed; the young girl struggling ever so slightly as she pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet, her hand reaching out and slipping underneath her pillow for the one picture she kept close to her.

“Athena needs to come too..!” Pulling the piece of paper out from where she kept it hidden, Aira once more turned and ran back to where he was kneeling on the ground; the young girl looking down at the drawing she had done in crayon for a second before finally, she held it over for him to see, a small smile playing over her lips as she waited for him to take it.

Dylan looked down at the drawing, it was them. And there was a bunny who he assumed was named Athena. As he was looking down at the picture he noticed it was awfully quiet. Where were her parents, he just broke through this girls window.

"We'll get Athena before we go. But first, where are you parents? I broke through your window surely they should have heard that. How can you be safe from the bad man when they don't or can't hear the window shattering?" Dylan said as he stood up and poked his head out into the hallway. "While we're discussing your parents, where's Athena?"

Turning her head over to look at the broken window as he mentioned it, Aira quickly turned and hurried to follow along at his heel as he moved out into the hallway, her paint-covered hands reaching out to take a tight hold over the bottom of his top as they went- her parents had long ago stopped checking in on her during the night... every time they had, they would walk in to find their daughter stuck in some sort of unwakable trance while standing at the wall, and slathering it in paint or textas...

“Mama and papa don’t check on me anymore. They say they would rather sleep then see my pictures; it’s why they their room is all the way over there...” Lifting her gaze up so that she was able to look up at him, she let go of his top with only one of her hands, using it to point in the direction of her parents’ bedroom before she began to tug on his top to get his attention; the young girl doing what she could to lead him over to the stairs, “Athena is in the home grandpapa made her. We keep her in the backyard; she’s not allowed inside when mama and papa are here...”

Dylan followed the little girl to the back yard where the kept the bunny. He had paint on his face and now his shirt, well at least they're both washable. He slowed down once they reached the little house for Athena.

"Ok Aira, get Athena and then we'll leave" Dylan said as he got his phone out and started to text his sister. 'We need to talk. I'll send you my address that's where I'm taking the kid. Once she goes to sleep we'll talk' and send. "So Aira have you ever flown before?"

Nodding her head with enthusiasm at the thought of being able to take Athena out of her hutch, Aira quickly pulled herself away from Dylan before running over to the main part of the hut, her small fingers happily working with the latch before finally, she lifted up the roof; her small frame leaning over, and almost falling into the animals cage as she reached in to take a hold of the bunny, her hands smearing paint all over the white fur as she hurried back over to where it was she had left him standing on his own.

“No..! Are we going to fly..? Like the bad man..? Or... or like my mama and papa do when they go away..?” Shifting her arms over the rabbit she held, she kept it close against her chest as she looked up at the man who said he was going to keep her safe, an excited look playing over her features.

"We're going to fly like the bad man. It will be fun, I'm sure you'll enjoy it" he said as he scooped her off her feet then start hovering in the air just above the ground. "We have to go up high where nobody can see us. If they catch me using my powers I'll be in big trouble.." He said looking down at the little girl he held in his arms and the bunny who now has a new coat of paint. "Nell, I have to make it seem as though I'm driving home so we should both arrive about the same time." He said looking down at his sister. She simply nodded and walked off. At that point Dylan raised himself to cloud level then flew off, being careful to keep himself at a reasonable speed. They would know something was up f they saw him moving at high speeds straight across the map. "So Aira, what do you think of this kind of flying?"

Tensing her body as she watched her home get smaller and smaller underneath her, Aria quickly turned her body into his own, her arms tightening ever so slightly around Athena in an attempt to keep her close as she curled up within Dylan’s grasp- she’d seen the way people could fly; her mother had taken her to the airport once to see her father off on one of his trips, but until she had drawn the bad man flying high above the building in California, she had never seen anyone fly without a plane before.

Pressing as close against him as she possibly could without hurting her pet rabbit, her head tilting slightly and with caution as she glanced over his shoulder, watching on with worried eyes as the only home she had ever known got further and further away from her; though she knew she had to go with him... the picture told her long ago that she had to go with him, “It’s like you’re a bird..! Without feathers and a funny walk...”

"It would seem so" Dylan said after a light chuckle. This had to have been the craziest thing he had ever done. He couldn't help but think about it as they flew to his place. And how much trouble he would be in if he were caught, especially having used his powers. But deep down inside he knew he'd done the right thing. Luckily he had a nice two bedroom place in Tahoe City not too far from here.

"Sorry if you get cold up here little one, we're almost at my place" he said as he neared the skies above his home. Once above his home he slowly descended. "This is your new home Aira." Dylan said as he set her on the porch of a one story wooden home not too far from the lake. Thankfully He had a guest bedroom where Aira could sleep. But now he would have to get things for her. He shook the thought out of his head, he was thinking too far ahead. For now he would just take it one step at a time.

She couldn’t help the way that her body shivered as the breeze that flew by them grew colder... chillier... causing her to curl up tighter into his body, her head stooping down so that she could look at the small bunny that she held in her arms, making sure that it was okay before she once more let her attention lift to the man who had taken her away, and who was taking her to a place where he could look after and protect her like he said that he was going to do- she knew she could trust him... she had seen it before; it was in the picture that she had shown him before he had acted like the guardian angel that he was, flying her away from her parents and any chance that the bad man would ever be able to find her again.

Hesitating for a moment once she was back on her feet, she shifted her arms around her bunny before looking up at the large door of what he had called her new home, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly as she took a couple of steps closer towards it, pausing for a minute to look back at him before turning back to look at the door.

“..my new home..?”

"Yes, come in, I'll show you where you'll stay. It's just a guest bedroom but we can decorate it later. Of course I'm sure it won't take you too long to recolor the walls. Which reminds me I'll have to get you some new art supplies." Dylan said as he opened the door for her. "My name is Dylan, by the way. And just so you know, Athena can stay in the house" he said with a smile, patting her twice on the head. "Follow me, your room is just down that hallway and to the left" he said, extending his hand for her.

Blinking a couple of times as she followed the direction of his hand so that she was able to see where it was he was pointing her to, she continued to take pause on the threshold, taking a few more moments to herself before slowly she stepped inside and into the warmth, waiting until he had begun to lead the way before she quickly followed at his heel, her long wavy dark brown locks bouncing lightly upon her back as she did her best to keep up.

“Athena will like that. It’s really cold here...” Smiling brightly up at Dylan, Aira stumbled over her feet slightly before once more regaining her balance, the young girl holding up the paint covered rabbit for him to look at as she made her way into the room behind him, her attention quickly being torn away from him as she looked around what was now her new bedroom, “This is my room..? Really..?”

"Yup, this is all yours. And Athena's of course. Well it's late and we've got to do some shopping for you tomorrow, I don't have any little girl clothes here, heh. You should go wash up before bed, then I'll tuck you in. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway. Then tomorrow we'll wash the paint off of Athena after shopping for clothes" Dylan said with a smile. There's a long road ahead of them full of adventures. Dylan was eager to see where his new life would lead him.

Nodding her head once again in understanding, Aira moved forward and over to the bed; the young girl reaching out to put the bunny down on the sheets before she silently turned and headed down the hall, making her way into the bathroom so that she could wash herself up before going to bed- she was tired... she always was after seeing something like that- after plastering it up onto the wall... Quickly making her way over to the sink once she was in the room, she lifted herself up and onto the balls of her feet, her childish features scrunched up in concentration as she reached forward to turn the tap on, the water soon running rainbow with all the paint she did her best to scrub from away from her hands; a soft but gentle yawn falling from her lips as her lids soon started to become heavy with sleep.

Once again turning the tap though failing to shut it off completely, she let her dark eyes flick around the bathroom before finally, they landed on the towel that was hung up; her bare feet carrying her over to it before she reached out to take a hold of it, whipping her hands dry of any remaining paint and water, her long dark brown locks once again bouncing lightly over her back as she made her way back to the room he had given her to use, her hands coming up to rub sleepily at her eyes.

"..m'done..."

He watched from her doorway as she stood on the balls of her feet to wash her hands. He let out a soft chuckle, she was adorable. Then he watched as she dried her hands off, and got the rest of the paint off by wiping it all over his towels. Luckily they were black so it's not like they would stain.

"Good girl." He leaned out of the room for a second and looked down the hall towards the bathroom, he could hear the sink still running slightly. Oh well, he would turn it off later. He pulled back the blanket on the bed for her and sat on the end. "Alright, hop into bed, and tomorrow after breakfast we'll go shopping for you" Dylan said as he patted the matching red bed sheets where she would sleep.

Lifting back up onto the balls of her feet as she came to the side of the bed, she reached over as far as she possibly could, using the strength in her arms to pull herself up before she made herself comfortable, her face scrunching up slightly as she looked about where she was sitting, her chest almost laying flat against her legs as she reached over and grabbed hold of the small and very colorful bunny that was sitting happily neat the end of the bed; drawing it into her arms before finally she laid down, her head resting on the pillows and her dark gaze never once leaving his.

“Uhm... can Athena come shopping with us too..? She promises to be good...”

She was so tiny and innocent. Dylan couldn't stand the thought of Quantum getting a hold of her, and abusing her power much worse than her parents ever did. He pulled the blanket over her tucking her and Athena in.

"Of course, as long as she behaves. Now it's time to go to sleep, I can tell you're very tired. Get some rest and I'll come wake you up for breakfast in the morning." he said as he stood from what was now her very own queen sized bed, and made his way to the door. "Goodnight Aira, Athena, sleep well. I'm right across the hall of you need anything." with that he closed the door and went to the living room to wait for his sister to arrive.

[Shard]

With a hot sun laying its gentle rays upon his skin, Casper felt a sense of freedom he hadn't been blessed with in a very long time. This walk, it was a good idea, as if his sorrows and melancholy was softened beneath the sun's powerful beams. With a deep breath, the boy took in what he saw, attempting to get acquainted with the neighborhood he now called home. It would take some time for sure but as the minutes clocked by, he was getting willing to allow it. "What did your old home look like, Casper?" Freya's light and innocent voice snapped the boy out of his thoughts and brought his attention to the girl holding his hand.

"It was..." If he'd give her the honest truth, he'd say that it was a drug cartel all around. People scraped by, the streets looked like filth, the only walls that didn't have graffiti on them were the top floors and gunshots were a frequent addition to the day. Was that what he would tell her? Of course not, but he wasn't going to be a complete liar to the girl. "It was really bad..."

"Oh..." Freya tilted her head slightly, the girl's free hand swinging back and forth as she walked. "I'm happy you moved in with us, then!"

It took a moment for Casper to offer a response, but he felt a certain warmth within his chest at the girl's words. She was sincere, and perhaps the parents were as well. Of course, he'd need more proof than he had gotten but at the very least Freya was being honest. "Me...too..." The boy finally offered, giving his new little sister a pleasant smile in response.

After about half an hour, Casper was able to find the Evo school due to following the signs spread throughout. It was beneficial to be as streetwise as the boy was, having grown up in a ghetto, despite the downsides. "Oh, is that going to be your new school?"

"Think so..." As was expected, this school didn't look as run down as the one back home, well his old home, though the interior could be a different matter. Of course, he wasn't referring to the architecture. How many Mitchells attended this place of learning? How many assholes would Casper have to fight off just to get through the day? Unlike his last school, these students were a bit higher up on the economical ladder so was he going to expect snobs? Perhaps not. One thing was certain though, he was reading far too deeply into this.

"Can we go to the park now?" Freya's bright voice snapped Casper out of his thoughts yet again, the girl bouncing up and down at the thought of going to the playground.

"Sure." The boy nodded, following along as Freya dragged him in the right direction. It was quite funny how she knew the way as if the back of her hand. The trip didn't take very long and now that he knew the way to school, that journey would certainly not take half an hour.

"Do you like swings, Casper?"

"Haven't been on one in a while." He scratched the back of his head, thinking it over. In his old neighborhood they had a park as well but it wasn't exactly frequented by children.

"You can sit on one and I can push you!" Given the boy's weight, she probably could.

"Heh, okay." Finally reaching the park, Freya's tugging accelerated upon seeing the desired destination.

"That's Riley! Let's go and say hello!" Pointing at a girl sitting on the swings, Freya brightened up further and turned to Casper with anticipation in her eyes. An old friend? Well, perhaps it was healthy to get to know some new people. Casper had been doing a lot of that lately. "Hi, Riley!" Freya exclaimed running up to the swings with Casper's hand in her iron grip. "This is Casper, my big brother!" She said that so naturally, as if he had been around for years. The two had barely known one another for a day.

"Hello..." The boy managed, albeit quite awkwardly. This would however have been a more successful conversation without the follow interruption.

Heavy footsteps joined the scene soon after Casper and Freya arrived at the slightly populated park. Children along with their caretakers were spread out across the playground and appeared to enjoy themselves, an innocent scene only a madman would want to shatter but so it was. "Everyone...!" The voice accompanying a newly arrived, ragged looking man was deep, dark and raspy. Judging from his bloodshot eyes, he was under the influence of something and his raspy voice hinted at one cigarette too much. Torn and shredded clothes donned his frame with stains of red, likely blood, splattered across much of what was revealed. Children quickly ran to their parents and caretakers while the older attendees tried to remain calm in front of their kids. "How's everyone doing!?"

"What do you want!?" The desperate, terror filled voice of a young woman offered a response which immediately caught the man's attention. She was standing quite close to Casper who had remained quiet through the ordeal with Freya holding onto him tightly.

"I want to show you privileged lovelies what you've done to us! I used to have a job, you know! I used to have a fucking family! Well, you know what...!?" The man's exposed skin began to clearly harden into what appeared to be a rock like substance, beige in appearance upon his otherwise light skin. "This right here! This is the reason everything was taken from me! You know what? I've decided that...fuck it! I'll just join the system and take everything from you! That's how this works, isn't it!?" Before anyone got a chance to react, the man charged forth, his heavy stone like feet nearly shaking the earth with each step.

"Casper, I'm scared!" Freya's entire being was understandably shaking due to the events but Casper wasn't much better off. He stood paralyzed, completely lost as of what to do.

"Shit, shit, shit...! What should I do!? Should I take Freya and Riley and sprint? If I do that, everyone else might die...shit, what should I do...!? I...I need to...!" Snapping out of his paralysis, Casper pushed his little sister towards Riley and dashed towards the targeted woman, leaving a vague after image of himself before appearing in front of the victim and caught the incoming punch with both hands.

There was a pause in activity from everyone, people appearing completely stunned at what came to pass. They weren't alone, Casper was surprised as well. "What the fuck, boy?" The man spat, clenching his teeth as his heavy fist was stopped by a mere child.

"I get that you've been fucked over...but c'mon...this isn't the way to deal with it..."

"What the fuck do you know!?" Retracting his fist, the man threw another punch now aimed at Casper. In response, the boy managed to move out of the way and delivered a counter blow to the large Evo's biceps. The force threw the man off balance for a brief moment, allowing Casper another strike to his stomach which pushed him away from the woman and her child. "You're an Evo! The fuck are you fighting me!?"

"'Cause you've lost it..." Punching this man hurt like a bitch, something clearly visible from the warm blood now covering Casper's hand. It was after all like punching stone.

"They're taking everything from us!"

"Right now, you're givin' it to them. Please, snap outta' it..."

"Enough! If you're going to stop me, I'll break you in half!" They were done talking. Casper only hoped that there were no casualties because for some reason a few people refused to move their asses. They actually wanted to see this? Meeting each other in yet another brawl, the two went at it again. The larger male would find it hard to get the beat on Casper given his speed and small size, but the stone covered man's absolute defense was hard to get through. "You've no chance here, kid."

Clenching his teeth, Casper was put on the defensive before the man continued to speak, his fists caught by the boy mid swing. Even though Casper's strength was superior, the crazed Evo before him had more stamina and a greater defense. "That little girl you were with...I had a little one like that. They took her from me."

"Sorry...to hear that..." Casper tried, allowing some distance between the two as he planted a kick on the man's thigh followed by a punch.

"I'll rip that bitch apart, boy. Mark my words. I'll rip you all apart!"

"Startin' to lose my patience with you, asshole..." Deflecting the next two blows thrown at him, Casper managed to stay stable for a while but a third strike connected with his side and sent him flying to the grass. Coughing up blood was never a good sign.

"Looks like this is it for you. See? Good guys always lose, you couldn't protect your little girl. Now, she'll be ripped to shreds."

"No..." Trying to get up, Casper soon saw a foot heading straight for his face. If that connected, he'd be as good as dead. "I can't die here...I can't. If I do, he'll kill Freya...I can't let that happen..." Stretching his hand out just in time, Casper managed to catch the man's shin and pulled him forward to rock the crazed Evo off his equilibrium and tumbled him down to the ground. Without a single moment to spare, the boy moved his body on top of his enemy and delivered three quick and powerful punches to his rock covered forehead before Casper was thrown off. Mere moments later, the two were on their feet again.

"I'll kill you!"

"I'll protect Freya..." Charging towards each other, Casper dodged the man's punch and delivered his own. With all the adrenaline in his body, the boy infused his strike with everything he had left. The attack connected, sending a shock wave through his enemy's frame and shattered the stone coating before sending him flying to the ground. The force of the attack was enough to damage Casper's arm and knocked him down to his knees.

"Casper!" Freya's voice filled the air but everything was fading. The last thing he felt before darkness claimed his sight was his little sister's embrace.

"So...tired..." The world around him vanished, his consciousness leaving his side. That fight had taken everything out of him.

[Chulance]

Max Stross, Los Angeles California

One thing Max hated almost more than anything in the world was a dead end. A Lead that was going nowhere fast and it seemed that for all the hope and motivation he had. Elena Reese might very well end up as another person in the loop that had some sort of connection to what happened at the high school but ultimately couldn’t present the information he wanted or needed to find out what really happened.

“Alright that’s the “story” your going with” Max spoke with hatred in his voice making it no secret how much he doubted the authenticy of her story. Just the fact that she knew Blaire and that she vanished was enough for him to toss the guilty verdict on her.

Still even though he was sure in his position he could easily bring Elena in for just about anything, he wasn’t sure he’d find out the information he wanted. “There’s nothing in your apartment for me to find trust me .” Although he wasn’t exactly sure he didn’t want to open up an investigation. He didn’t care if she had drugs, guns, or any of that like not that he wanted evo’s to go around gallantly breaking laws.

It’s just his focus was much bigger, and he didn’t have time for this. “Thank you for your co-operation Miss Reese I’ll have to cut this investigation short I’ve got other matters to attend too, just now..you mess up and you will be detained…keep on doing good.” Max then shut the door himself and walked away.

It always pained him to see an Evo free even if they were abiding by the laws, just the fact that the were able to abide by anything was upsetting. These people if you could even call them that were too dangerous, weapons with emotions. He got back into his car and sent a text to the security detail instructing them to keep their eyes on Elena. He started up the car and was leaving when he was getting an update about the situation. “Anderson’s car’s been found, I want the whole vehicle swept for prints, any DNA we can find….hmm what.” Max slammed the breaks .

“How the fuck.” The DNA report didn’t make sense at all, what they were telling him was there was DNA from several individuals. It was like her car was just passed along to random people and they kept driving it. It had been missing for a month at most, something defiantly happened involving an Evo. Either her power itself made this happen, or another evo she knows. Regardless another dead end, and I’m guessing the owner might know we have the car or scene all the agents surrounding it. I told Quantum to handle the situation and law enforcement to stay back damn it.

Max was angry that the authorities had botched another Quantum investigation setting them back to square one. “This is just great, might as well start looking into some other cases now.” Max wasn’t in the mood to keep on driving for what? He pulled into a starbucks and parked the car, before getting his laptop and going inside.

After getting himself a caffeinated beverage and settling down in a table in the corner he went to work on the Quantum database. Although this dead end he hit with Elena had upset him he wasn’t about to just give up right now, not when the state of California itself was literally going to Hell. I’ve got to find something. Hmm..something about some girl in some town in Newberry springs yeah like that’ll be useful. Fuck it, I might as well check it out at least to pass time.

Max went to go check on the file despite feeling as though he’d uncover no pertinent information. He clicked a few times and began going through the file taking occasional breaks for some gulps of coffee. He nearly spilled the cup over when he caught something and was in shock.

“no way.” What he was seeing was the girl from the nightmares he’d been having, confirming they weren’t completely phony. The girl he was seeing in the police report was Riley Smith, the only witness to what had happened. Checking more on the database he saw that was one of the few places in America that lacked blood posting because they didn’t have the funding. “Looks like I’ve been putting my money through the wrong sources, something tells me that Miss Smith’s test results on a blood test aren’t blue.”

Max folded the laptop and put it between his arms and made his way out of the coffee shop with a renewed sense of vigor and joy. He was whistling as he made his way into the rental car and started it up. He knew he had quite the trip ahead of him but he was one step closer to figuring out something almost equally as important as the high school, the nightmares that haunted him. “Hmm two hours…it’s not like I don’t have time really.” He continued driving surely nothing else could make this day any worst. That’s how Max was thinking as he settled into his seat, cracked the windows to allow the fresh air to blow in and turned on some tunes on the radio. It was going to be a nice peaceful relaxing ride on the highway.

BOOM

An explosion went off and in the near distance Max could see billows of smoke rising up. “What the fuck.” Another explosion was heard and he saw two cars up-ahead flipping back-wards slamming into other cars in traffic that had accidents of their own trying to swerve. The culprit was some evo dressed in an assortment of clothes that didn’t seem to match with long brown hair, and raising his hand he unleashed a burst of seismic energy that sent an 18 wheeler truck flying to the other side of the high-way crashing into traffic on the other side. Max quickly drew his weapon from the glove compartment and stepped out his door with a tight grip on the weapon. “ So much for a peaceful fucking ride, looks like one of the prisoners made a mistake, one that I’ll be happy to fix.”

Jason Koravil, Austin Texas

Jason came from the sky and landed on the ground using light to mask his visibility. He quickly made his way through an ally in the process becoming visible, as he took out a room key. He headed over to a motel and opened the door walking in where a young woman was seen sitting on a bed. She had auburn colored hair, was well dressed, but appeared immobile.

“Ah that lack of kinetic energy getting to you Nancy? I apologize I usually prefer not to keep my women restrained but you must understand the nature of your power, I can’t risk you getting your hands on me. Honestly I really don’t mind letting a woman have her way with me on occasion, but the way you are I’d be less occasion and more like every waking moment I’d be a meat puppet to you. “ Jason shrugged as he tossed over a mcdonalds bag he had in his mind and waved his hand.

“There you go a little movement enough that you can get some food, I didn’t know what you liked..and I don’t really give a slight fuck so I just got you some fries, a mc-chicken and…a drink shit why waste money on drinks, I already bought you food.” Jason chuckled to himself, sometimes being a jackass was really amusing and these were one of those times.
Right after he left her uncle at the ware-house he swooped in to pick her up, and had a little chat about how he was the new boss. After explaining to her the new laws of the land he scooped her up and took her down to a motel room he rented in Texas.

“Anyway it’s about time we get to work, that guy I had you touch earlier, the agent who’s in charge of the Church of the Azrael case. Now remember what we went over earlier, I want it happen now.”

Nancy just nodded obliging with Jason’s request. “Okay it’s done, I’m doing it now.” Nancy spoke using her power she reached into the body of the newest person she added to her hive. The FBI Agent who was in charge of the Azrael Cult case and suppose to be heading the team investigating all the crazy stuff taking place in Texas.

That man was in the local FBI office in Austin and getting on a lap-top. He was recording himself and spoke.” My name is Agent Paul Shack, and I am the head of an FBI investigation into the Children of the Church of Azrael, a radical sect of Christianity that believes God is against Evo’s. After investigating them I must agree I’ve come to agree with the beliefs of these people, and realize this isn’t just a radical sect of Christianity oh no this is the future. Today I wil do something for the children of Azrael, for all the people of this world, I am herby releasing the information of all registered evo’s to the general public.” Right as the man said that he went on his lap-top , put in the code for his government clearance and accessed the Evo’s files. Right after in the same broad-cast the information was uploaded to the screen, and the internet. The information of every registered evo their home address, their power, everything in their hidden government files availed for all the prying eyes of American citizens thanks to this manipulated agent.

Jason turned on the TV to see the story in progress. “Evo Leak: Identities of every registered U.S Evo compromised.” He’d had Nancy do more than reach the agent, but also get in contact with the local news in Texas to broad-cast the story. He smirked watching the televised event it wouldn’t be long before this was a national event, and he had a strong belief that the radical anti evo cultists would take this as a sign from the heavens and carry out retribution against evo’s across the country.

“You…you monster..how can you do this? “Nancy spoke up for the first time watching the events that Jason had forced her to participate in.

“Oh do what? Well I dunno your going to call me a monster but you had no problem helping your uncle run drugs and such to support your lavish life-style? Surely the money he continued to fund you with you knew of its origins, or is blood money somehow worst then drug money, because I guarantee you plenty of blood was spilled by you supporting your uncle. Let me tell you the difference between that criminal and me. I do things I don’t like, things I honestly..abhore..but it’s all for the greater good, for a greater purpouse.”

“You sick fuck, your no better then the cultists who want us all dead then, you think God wants this! You think he-“ Before she could speak Jason moved over to her at inhuman speeds and wrapped his hand around her neck removing her kinetic energy to prevent her from grabbing him before choking her then releasing his grip.

“You will never ever as long as you hope to breath speak to me. I don’t care how valuable you are, mortals are expendable, and the gods are not. You are nothing but a mere pawn used by men of far higher status to further their own already great progress. As much as I despise your uncle he was a man of progression, you, you’re a pathetic bitch who simply went along with what he said for the little money he allowed you to make on the side. Me I love money sure, but what I love more then that is power, the power to do as a please, the power to let my kind be free. And if a few hundred, thousands, maybe even a million have to die so that a billion can be free then it’s worth it. Don’t worry you may not see it now, not that your opinion matters but one day I will be regarded as a hero, a savior, a man who goes down in history as one of the greats who stood up in a time of mass adversity to do something about it someone who brings about immediate and much needed change.” Jason spoke beaming with confidence as he looked at Nancy who was gasping for breath and turned her eyes away from her fellow EVO in fear.

Before he could further bask In his own glory his iPhone was buzzing. He took it out expecting a call only to see a notification from Quantum regarding another case. He opened the file and began reading it before closing it. “Hmm…now this is an interesting case, Nancy I think we have some more work to do together, how about a trip to Florida, I do love the sunshine city.” Jason smirked looking outside the window of the motel things were about to change.

Anna Pedrose, Miami Florida to Austin Texas

After a blunt to the face Anna was feeling mighty relaxed and quite high. While she hadn’t liked the dealers attitude they had some good bud, and there was no shortage of marijuana in the SUV and the car. She decided to transport the marijuana in the other car to the SUV and leave with it. While she loved the car she really was craving an SUV these days.

She made her way to a nearby hotel she was staying at and parked the car. She stashed all the marijuana in a duffel bag the dealers had and made sure to park near the dumpster away from other cars. There was no air freshener or anything in the car but she decided a little febreeze would cover the smell of what she assumed was at least two and a half pounds of pot.

After securing the vehicle she smiled and her appearance altered. She changed to that of an older Caucasian woman with auburn hair and exited the vehicle. After a brief elevator ride she made it to her floor, and entered her room via the key. Upon walking over to her bed she went over to her suit case and opened it up to retrieve some files. The same files she’d recovered after she confronted Blaire Anderson the day the high school was wiped out.

“Hmmm not too shabby I’ve been making good progress, there’s quite a few good snacks here, but I’m here for the main course and I’m determined to find them.” She was speaking to herself as she was looking at a few files she had. She’d lost her car so she knew the Government had caught up with her to some extent, although exactly how much she didn’t know. She almost wished she had risked confrontation with the agents to at least absorb one of them but it wasn’t worth it.

Grabbing her remote she turned on the television and sat back kicking up her feet as she engaged in her daily news update. She yawned as they were covering the riot that took place in Miami two days ago, but she quickly got interested when they switched to covering the situation in Texas. “We’re coming to you live from Austin Texas, an Evo elementary school was shot up today by a crazed man. As you can see local police, FBI, and Homeland Security’s Evo division have sealed off the area, and got the remaining evo students and staff to safety. There have been 15 reported causalities 12 of which where students, with the other 3 beings staff who got in the line of fire to try to protect the students. Authorities say the shooter Gabriel Dumose was shot dead by responding officers. An investigation of Dumose’s motives for the shooting is underway with many believing he may have been a member of the rising anti evo cult the Children of the Church of Azrael. Speaking of the Children, Donna back to you down-town.” Anna was just watching and was infuriated by what happened.

“These people have the nerve to shoot up our children, to wipe us out, yet we’re the superior ones? Huh!” She scoffed at people having the nerve but while she wasn’t exactly one to sit around and sing kumbaya with others she didn’t want to sit around while her species was exterminated. She already had a feeling something really bad was about to happen to them which is why she was trying to investigate herself and find out what the government was planning.

“KILL THE EVOS SAVE THE PEOPLE!!!! In the back-ground you can hear protestors, according to ours sources the Children of the Church of Azrael have launched a full scale protest against Evo prisons for the past three days advocating the death penalty for all Evo’s, Texas already has one of the highest rates of anti Evo violence in the country with several open cases regarding injured or dead Evo’s that have barely been investigated, what will come of this protest is unknown however.” Anna reached for the remote and turned off the TV boiling with anger.

“These bastards think they can get away with doing this shit? They want to kill the evo’s, nuh uh uh KILL the PEOPLE, Save the Evo’s.” Anna couldn’t help but laugh imagining that. She walked over to the window of her hotel and opened it up. She faded from visibility and took flight quickly entering the upper atmosphere as she was headed towards Texas. Before long she was in the skies of Austin Texas now rendering herself visible as she looked down on the violent protests taking place in the streets. IN some parts of the city from what she could see law enforcement was trying to split up the crowd, in other parts they were literally doing nothing as if they supported the views of the people there.

“Oh so the capitol building they can’t make their choice I’ll make it.” Anna grinned causing her appearance to shift to that of some business attire as she came from the sky people in the crowd began looking up at her yelling obscenities and slurs as Anna looked down from the sky. “Shut up! She looked down at the crowd and smiled still remaining in the sky. No doubt she was sure she was on camera’s and was actually enjoying the attention.

“Enough is enough! You people are scared of us, you people want us to be killed, well it’s time we tell YOU how we feel! We want you all to be dead too!” Anna began to laugh as she flew up into the sky and suddenly grew to several times her original height. Going from the size of an average woman to gigantic proportions she took a step forward crushing protestors and nearby vehicles under her feet. The crowd was filled with panic as the flying woman landed and became a giant.

“WE WANT YOU ALL DEAD AS WELL” Anna’s voice boomed over the crowd from her new gargantuan heights as she turned to the capitol building and reached for the roof tearing it off then tossing it into the crowd then kicking into the building causing damage. She only laughed as the scene below turned into mass panic with protestors fleeing, while law enforcement was being quick to respond to the scene of the giant EVO tearing apart the capitol building. She raised both hands and smashed them into the building with force causing the rest of the capitol building to began to collapse as she laughed. Helicopters were flying on the scene shooting but she merely swatted knocking two choppers aside giggling as they crashed into the streets below.

“KILL THE PEOPLE, SAVE THE EVOS” She bellowed laughing as protestors were running, some hopping in their cars attempting to drive away, while Anna turned her attention to the protestors walking forward stepping on fleeing protestors before looking up in the sky as she heard the sound of whirring chopper blades, and saw approaching armored trucks trying to push through the fleeing panicked crowd. “Ooooh army guys…it was fun but buhhh bye now.” Right as one of the soldiers on the armored truck reached for an RPG and fired the giant woman faded away from visibility. The rocket flying past where she once was in and into the crowd causing an explosion. The protest had dispersed and panic had taken over the scene with the rubble from the capitol building in the back-ground.

Evan Kingsfield, Miami Florida

Coffee just wasn’t going to cut it, he was caffeinated enough but he needed a little more than that to keep him going. He’d decided to leave his rental car at the hotel and just brought his bag with his laptop and some notes to keep on hand.

He was still dead intent on finding Miami’s very own guardian angel who prevented its eradication back in 2008. To support this cause he stopped by the bar to indulge in happy hour because why not he was on the hour and he wanted to be happy. “Long Island Ice Tea please, make it strong, make it snappy. “Evan demanded as he sat down at the counter.

He took out his phone to graze through his text messages right quick as well as reading a few articles. Damn shit is really getting intense in Texas with these cultists they can’t just fucking stop. He was reading that before his finger hovered over another article. “Breaking News: Information of all Evo U.S Citizens leaked by FBI agent claiming he’s working for Divine Power.” Evan said that barely audibly as he pressed the article and watched his phone screen pull it up.

Shit maybe I picked the wrong place to go, all this shit happening in Texas. On the other hand it is quite nice to avoid a riot and I doubt they’ll be very many European models in Texas. Evan thought as he tossed up reasons why making the trip to Florida was much better then Texas. As he read the article he was genuinely filled with interest, the information of every Evo that was registered to the government in the hands of the public. No doubt a massive invasion of privacy, and the agent responsible would have to get reprimanded for this breach of conduct.

“Your drink sir.” The waitress set his alcoholic beverage in-front of him underneath a small napkin with a thin black straw placed in the center.

“Gracias.” Evan responded as he took a long sip of the beverage and nodded his head slowly in approval. Damn right! That’s how you make a Long Island, I might have to leave a tip, the waitress is looking pretty damn sexy as well. I wanna give her something long and I’m not thinking about tea haha Evan could only grin wide for a moment forgetting about the news article he was reading as he looked over at the gorgeous waitress serving another patron a drink on the other side of the counter. After finishing his drink and leaving behind a tip.

With Alcohol flowing through his bloodstream he was practically skipping to the candle lighting vigil. He was already ready to ask questions as he waltzed his way into the crowd. There was a man up on the podium in the beginning stage of a speech about how sad he was that the events that happened transpired. Right your just here to get your money, you probably are gaining something financial out of this. As per usual Evan’s skepticism was on 100% as he heard people speaking still he was here to garner whatever information he could.

[Shard]

The sterile scent of medicine, latex and plastic surrounded Casper's senses with a soft foundation finding itself beneath his frame. An immense pain echoed throughout his body only moments after consciousness returned, his fingers gently tracing the softness below. He noted that his right arm was very hard to move and more so to manage, though it was still attached. The pain reminded him of that. How did he get here? Speaking of which, where was he? Trying to open his eyes offered a blurry image quickly overtaken by strong lights. The hospital? He had to be there. What about the other guy? The insane Evo he had fought? "Shit really went down..." Trying to regain his senses was a difficult task. How long had he been out? There was no telling much time had passed since that fight. Yes, the fight. It's what put him here, wasn't it? "Freya..." A familiar name made its way through the boy's mind, jabbing at him like a serrated knife. "Why do I care so much about a person I just met...? Why does she care about me? I don't know what's real and what's a game...I don't know what to believe...I don't know who's an enemy and who's an ally..." Trying yet again to open his eyes, now more used to the light, Casper managed to make out a few shapes. One of them was moving, footsteps reaching his ears in tune with the blurry image.

"How is he doing?" That voice, it was Donna. Where was she? The voice came from the left, high heels making their way into the room.

"He is stable." The blurry image returned, another female voice. "I'll get the doctor, Mrs. Everose."

"Please." Donna nodded, sitting down on a chair next to her adoptive son.

Soon after the blurry image from before, probably a nurse, left the scene, Mile's voice could be heard as well. "Don't worry, dear. I am sure the boy will be fine."

"One day, Miles." Donna shot back at the man. "He has been here for one day and he gets into trouble. Was this a mistake? Was adopting him a mistake?"

"He protected Freya, my love. He protected everyone in that park. You saw the video." There was a video? Some asshole had actually filmed it?

"He did, and I'm grateful." A heavy sigh left her lips. "But if he wasn't here, she wouldn't have been in that park."

"Everyone else would have, though." Miles rubbed his wife's shoulder lovingly before planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I am actually quite proud of him. You did a good thing, adopting a child from the backwaters of life. In turn, he saves people. This is good, Donna."

"Maybe so, but the news coverage on this will be a hassle to say the least."

"Perhaps." Miles shrugged, approaching the new addition to his family. "He doesn't look like us, he doesn't act like us, he doesn't talk like us." The man chuckled softly, moving some bangs from the boy's forehead. "Sometimes I have a hard time understanding why you went through the trouble, Donna...but seeing Casper...I think we did the right thing."

"Truly?" Standing up, Donna joined her husband's side and looked down at the boy she now called a son. "Freya adores him."

"He has been good to her for the brief time they've known each other. Yes, he's vastly different from us but perhaps that's a good thing. Freya seems to think so, and adopting a boy from the slums isn't exactly something you would have jumped at a few years ago." Miles managed another chuckle, softly placing his hand on Casper's chest to feel the boy's calm heartbeat.

"He is a good boy, but hopefully events like this won't be commonplace."

"We live in a very chaotic world, love. I admit that I'm just happy he was there today. The alternative would have been a massacre." Miles finished before the doctor stepped into the room. An older man with thick, rimmed glasses approached the couple, a clipboard in hand as he gazed down at the barely conscious boy.

"Mr. and Mrs. Everose?"

"Yes." Donna responded.

"Casper has sustained damage to his ribs and right arm. He'll be fine, nothing is broken and all of his wounds are superficial but dangerous all the same. He can leave the hospital after he wakes up but keep a close eye on him. The police would also like to have a few words with the boy as I'm sure you both know." A painful flinch brought the group's attention back to the bed as they saw Casper slowly opening his eyes. He attempted to sit up but a jolt of pain shot through his body, making the feat a difficult one. He did however manage without falling back to the pillow. "Ah, welcome back." The doctor finished.

"Hi..."

"How are you feeling, dear?" Donna spoke up, giving the boy a gentle shoulder rub not to damage him further.

"I'm okay...how's Freya...?"

"She is fine, worried sick for you, but fine. She's at home." Miles added, crossing his arms as a soft smile met the boy.

"That's good..." Tracing the bandages on his right arm, Casper managed a heavy sigh before his head dropped in defeat. "Sorry for makin' a mess...I know I screwed everythin' up..."

"Fifteen people at the park would offer a very different story." The doctor answered, rubbing his chin. "You're probably going to be in the spotlight for a while, Casper. You'll need all the rest you can get."

"The police wanna' talk to me...?"

"They do, but they've agreed to give you some time to recuperate. You should go home now, son." Stepping closer to the bed, the doctor motioned for Casper to place his feet on the floor. "Let's see if you can stand. Take your time, don't rush it." After a few attempts, the boy managed to fully stand albeit with Donna's help who held onto him as he did. Getting into his clothes required help as well, as awkward as it felt, but he wasn't going to be stubborn, not now.

"Can you walk?" Miles asked, his voice soft and serene as he tried to lead the boy towards the door.

"I'm okay..." Casper managed, following his new parents to the parking lot. It would feel good to go back home...yes, home. He needed to assure Freya of his health, after all. He also needed to meet up with that girl Riley again, hopefully under better circumstances. Most of all however, he needed to eat. Now that he got a chance to breathe, he could hear his stomach growling louder than any pain sustained from the fight he was in.

[Chulance]

West Coleman - Manhattan, New York

Another day in New York, filled with crime, filled with opportunity for West to make a change for Evo’s everywhere.

The problem is there’s not any EVO out here trying to change our image. You know what happens when a celebrity gets bad publicity or a politician. They get some good PR done, that’s what we need for our whole specie some good PR and I’m going to be that PR. If the Media wants to run a smear campaign I’ll make it a damn hard job to run one on me.

West was writing an update on his journal, he enjoyed writing. He wasn’t the most talented author and he doubted he’d get anything published any time soon. But it was refreshing to jot down how he felt on paper, he needed all the forms of positive expression he could get after his time in the military. Today was his day off which meant it was a full day for his alter ego. Motion.

Yeah he didn’t really go by the codename that often, but it’s what he’d been labeled due to his vast speed. He’d been trying to figure out for a while how to help his fellow Evo’s out when he was nothing but a lowly security guard. Being an evo activist wasn’t enough especially since he himself was unregistered and living with false documentation.

He went over to his police scanner and listened in.” Alright now this sounds like some fun, nothing wrong some exercise.” A couple of punks dressed as security guards think they can just go and rob a bank in my city not happening Moving at superhuman speeds he changed into his uniform. An all black thin body armor suit that offered him durability with minimal restrictions on his movement. Within the blink of an eye he arrived at his destination the bank seeing hostages were being held captive at gun-point while they were trying to break open a vault.

“Who the fuck.”

“Hmm…you guys really picked the wrong day, honestly you want my advice lay down your guns and just turn yourselves on. Save yourself an unnecessary ass kicking whaddya say?”

One of the men dressed as guards looked at West and shook his head.” Who the fuck?! Kill this fucking clown!”

 West looked at his opponents a couple of armed guards and smirked as the raised their weapons they had no idea who they were going up against.

“You really think that’s going to stop me” Before the first trigger was pulled and the bullets were sent flying it seemed West was nowhere to be seen. The Gunmen looked around bewildered wondering where there target had went only to hear the caped crusader whistle and tap the shoulder of one of the shooters who promptly turned around weapon drawn.

“Hey he’s right here fucking bastard!” The man went to pull the trigger again only this time as the bullets left the gun the slowed to an immediate halt and hit the ground. West merely shook his head and moving at super-human speeds blitzed the guard taking him down. 

“Nah uhh come on guys I’m much faster then a speeding” Before he finished his sentence all the guards were disarmed and speed blitzed being slammed into various walls or other things in the room. “Bullet” West looked around at the disoriented and disgruntled guards who seemed to be on the verge of unconscious from the super fast blows they’d just been dealt.

“Hmm I think you guys learned your lessons unless you fancy another beat down, alright so what have we learned here today, armed bank robbery is not a good idea well at least for you guys, alright I hear sirens so it’s about time I dip.” Right as he said that the speedster vanished speeding off to elsewhere in the city to attend to other business.

Within seconds he was back in his room and out of his costume changing some jeans and a white T Shirt. “Now that was fun, now let’s see what’s on the news tonight.” West reached for the remote and turned on the TV. He kicked his feet up and laid back on his bed only to jump upon seeing the caption. His eyes were wide as he saw the news about the Evo elementary school shooting in Texas.” Oh my god…”

[FunnyGuy]

Michael Thomas
Candle Lighting Vigil, Miami

In the midst of the gathering surrounding the candle lighting vigil, Michael stood on the sidelines to observe behind the scenes. Though the weather and atmosphere was soothing, Michael could not help but to be a bit aggravated. He displayed this by his numerous sighs and the shaking of his head from time to time. These guys are weak... What a waste of time. From what he could gather from the crowd, they were a sobbing mess and the Evos in the area were Level 2 at best. He could have left, but a piece of him couldn't help but to feel bad. They were helpless and it didn't help that they couldn't do anything about it. He leaned his back against a signpost which was not as comfortable as he expected His eyes looked from person to person until they set on a man who had just realized he was next up to speak. Him. Michael thought as he focused on his target.



The man was a father and a husband. If it was ever up to him, he never missed a Sunday of church. He was currently widowed due to the riot and had spent a lot of his time debating with himself about whether or not he would speak or even attend for that matter. He was hurt in a way Michael could not understand. He stepped to the podium with his sweat spotted light blue dress shirt, khaki slacks, and dark brown dress shoes. A bouquet of flowers hung from the tight grip of his left. He did not think he could do this, but that did not matter as he felt a dizziness. He shut his eyes in response and shook his head before everything went black. There was nothingness.



When the man opened his eyes, he was not the same man. His stature was strong and confident. The way he looked at crowd was how a proud leader looked at his loyal subordinates. Ironically he was just a puppet being used by Michael who smiled in the background.



"Today... I was going to come up here to speak about the tragedy of the riot... The only person I loved most in this world was taken from me, and I honestly don't know what to do with myself..." The man's feelings spilt into Michael's control over him, but the young telepath accounted for it. In fact, he preferred it. "Then I got to thinking... What the hell are we doing?! Seriously! We come here crying for our loved ones, trying to feel sorry for ourselves, and regretting we ever tried to do what we thought was right! Is this what they would want? For us to just... to just give up like this?! Sure, we may not have helicopters and hitech equipment, but we have numbers... For Christ's sake, we have people with powers on our side! What the government is doing to these people is wrong. And yes I said people! They put them in prisons for just using what is natural to them. That's like telling me that I can't speak! That I can’t walk! That I can't sleep!" Several people began to feel inspired, and Michael could just hear the thoughts of others that were slowly being swayed as well.



"What about Quantum and the Evo Division?!" Michael shouted from the back. This shit is priceless



"Quantum should be brought down! Yes I said it, and you should all say it too. It's their faults the world is the way it is! Don't you find it weird how this group who has helped with regulating Evos has Evos in their ranks? And these laws don't apply to them! I bet you all didn't know that did you? You think it's weird that the most dangerous and powerful Evos are either in prison or in their ranks. Doesn't that leave them with all the power? And yes, feel free to record this. Put it on YouTube, sell it to a local new station... Because these questions aren't just for you all in the crowd, it's for those evil fearing pricks locked away in their offices. The mayors, the governors, the congressmen, the president... all of you don't even realize that you're feeding a beast that you don’t even have control over. With that I'm done. May all who passed in the riot find peace." The man turned from the podium as people clapped and set his flowers with the other tributes.



Good job! Now get going. You gotta celebrate at home.



Michael was pleased by the speech, and almost decided to stay. He could already see that others were going to also speak out against the government. Reviving a dead resistance wasn't his goal, but it satisfied him. He was ready to leave, but he noticed a thought that made him stop mid step. His sights landed on Evan who had a wandering thought about an Evo, a powerful one at that. Stopped a storm that big? That probably means should make one too. No name, but he's looking into it... I guess I'll stick around, at least until someone breaks this whole thing up.

[ThatsWhatSheSaid]

Johanna Phillips
Chinatown
Los Angeles, California

Johanna ignored the staring eyes and just focused her own gaze at her target laying flat on the cement ground. Although she couldn't see his face she knew her attack had startled him because he just laid there motionless. Any smart person would've straight away picked themselves up and moved on their way especially if they had just tried to steal something from an EVO. What idiotic 'normal' human being would try to take on an EVO by them self without any weaponry?Finally after a couple of minutes he decided to make a move. Noticing him reach for something in his jeans pocket she swiftly forced his arm to his side. I don't think so mate. He instantly began to struggle in her hold which only seemed to make the smirk on her grow wider. "You picked the wrong girl to steal from.." She uttered coldly before slamming her right foot down on his left wrist which was holding the briefcase. He cried out in agony as she put almost all her weight down on his wrist. "Let it go like a good boy."

Even though she was clearly hurting him because he wouldn't stop screaming like a little baby his grip remained firmly on the briefcase. Johanna could've quite easily just yanked the damn thing free from his hand and be done with it but unfortunately for her that wouldn't be any fun. She had been craving for a bit of action and blood all day especially after spending hours just waiting aimlessly for Alfie to finish their passports and other documents. Wanna be a tough guy? Well then let's see how tough you really are. Without speaking another word or even blinking she whips out her pistol and cold bloodily shoots the thief in his left knee cap. Johanna began to chuckle sinisterly hearing his scream echo through the now very silent Chinatown before he began to curse her out. "Such a gentleman you are, first you steal from me and now your verbally abusing me....mhmm yeah that's just how I like them," She snickered.

Now that the thief had realised the briefcase from his grip she was quick to snatch it off the ground before dusting it off. "I'll be taking this back thank you very much." Johanna then turned swiftly on her heels and walked off back in the direction of her teammates. However, on her fourth stride she came to an abrupt halt and turned to back to face the thief who was now desperately calling out for someone to call 911. Unfortunately for him everyone around was either too stunned or too afraid to even move and lend hand. Without hesitation she pulls her gun back out and fires two rounds straight into the guy's head. Even though she had gotten her belongings back and clearly punished him enough from stealing she still couldn't just leave it be. She had to pull that trigger...she wanted to pull that trigger. Either way she also seemed to take things a little too far, cross that invisible line between sane and psycho. "Defy the American government and you shall receive your punishment accordingly," she coldly uttered before turning back around and proceeding on her way like nothing had just happened. Her team didn't utter one word as she joined back up with them before heading towards their vehicle.

Just as they got to the SUV her phone began to buzz it was HQ. She rolled her eyes slightly before answering. "Johanna speaking, what's up?" After a number of yeses and okays she finally hung up the phone. "Okay, change of plans. Boss man has a new object for us, hunt down an escaped EVO in Miami, details will be sent through to our phones in the next few minutes. In the meantime we shall proceed towards the airport where a private jet should be waiting for us." With that Johanna and her four colleagues piled into the SUV and drove off leaving the residence of Chinatown to clean up the mess she had created.

[Shard]

Opening the door was all it took. Putting a single foot in the house, Casper was immediately greeted by the girl he called a sister. She ran as quickly as her small body could carry her and nearly tackled her big brother to the ground though was abruptly stopped her father. "Take it easy, sweetheart. Casper is fragile right now."

"Casper! How are you? What happened? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you still have your arm!? It looks really painful!" She nearly started to hyperventilate but placing his good arm around her shoulder was enough for Casper to grant a hug she melted into. So much worry for the kid from the slums. It was almost like a fairy tale, like Casper actually had a happy ending in this catastrophic story.

"I'm okay, Freya..." A soft whisper made its way to the girl's ears, making her tighten the embrace. What could have happened to this child? If Casper lost that fight, she would have been ripped apart. After feeling that man's power head on, Casper knew what he was capable of. In fact, thinking about it still gave him shivers. Though quite mature for his age and now regarded as a savior by a handful of people, the boy was still only fourteen years old, something he himself had a tendency of forgetting. The world had no age restriction on misery, however. It doesn't matter how young you are before your life is turned upside down.

"I'll prepare dinner." Miles playfully ruffled his daughter's hair before continuing into the kitchen.

"You should get some rest, Casper." Donna continued, hanging her coat up. "We'll come and get you when dinner's ready."

"Okay...thanks..." Taking one step after another, Casper managed up the stairs and started towards his room. If things were only so simple.

"Hey, 'hero'" A mocking voice entered the scene to reveal James, Casper's older brother stepping out of the bathroom. "Because of you, Freya almost died."

"I know..." True, he had saved her but it didn't ease the worry. The alternative was a huge possibility every second of that fight and she could indeed have died, painfully so. "I...tried my best to keep her safe."

"If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have been in danger in the first place." James barked at his little brother, forcing Casper into the wall as he grabbed hold of the boy's damaged arm.

Flinching from the pain, Casper clenched his teeth but didn't fight back. He knew that this could only end badly if he did. "You wanna' hit me...? Go ahead, if it makes ya' feel better..."

"The only thing that would make me feel better is if you left my family alone, my family. Mom and dad took pity on this crumbling world and decided to help one of the countless miserable wretches out there, you. Freya doesn't know better because she's just a child but I see you for what you are, a ticking time bomb." Hurtful words but nothing Casper would put past his brother. James displayed an incredible level of resentment towards the boy from the moment they met. The only thing Casper could do was to deal with it until James eventually grew a consciousness.

"Sorry for makin' things difficult for ya', James. I didn't ask for any of this...but I've already lost one family...I don't wanna' lose another. Believe it or not, these are my true colors. I actually care for you guys. Maybe one day you'll get it..."

"Heh yeah, right. We'll see when that day comes, or if you end up killing us all before then." Letting his grip loosen until his hand eventually fell to his side, James took a step back before heading down the stairs. Was it even possible to get a good relationship with this guy? It didn't seem like it but Casper had been surprised more than once throughout the past week.

Sitting down on the office chair by the desk in his room, Casper flipped the laptop open and headed towards the local news site. In truth, he wanted to see if news coverage had been established for his little endeavor but what he found made his stomach turn. "My fuckin' God..." One headline after the other, one disaster after the next. He saw how a school of Evos had been shot up by a maniac convinced by a religious crusade, meanwhile Texas was in complete uproar and some giant Evo went on a rampage against anti-Evo protesters and killed several. There were rallies throughout the country and it was safe to say that America was falling apart. It didn't end there. An Evo prison facility had been attacked and it lead to the release of countless Evos, one of which Casper got very well acquainted with. "What the hell...? America's burnin' down..."

Scrolling down, he saw that it had recently been reported that a girl was kidnapped, shattered glass from the window found across her bedroom floor. "Who the fuck would kidnap a little girl...?" With a heavy sigh, he continued reading. The girl's room was filled with paintings, and paint of all kind was smeared against both wall and floor, several pictures appearing vaguely similar to recent disasters. "Weird..."

Taking a deep breath, he continued to scroll, now heading back up to the top of the site where he laid eyes on what he came for. This was the first headline that didn't make him want to ram his head into the keyboard. 'Local Evo saves fifteen people.' Clicking the link sent him to a block of text ending with a video put up with a warning of graphic content.

'Local inhabitant Mr. Casper Everose of Los Angeles, Newberry Springs came in contact with a Mr. Gordon Blunt earlier today (insert date). It would appear that Mr. Blunt was an escapee from the recent prison break caused by an unidentified perpetrator. He made his way back to the town of his birth on what is quoted as 'Joining the System.' Mr. Blunt went on to state that humanity had taken everything from him and he would return the favor, starting with human children as a response to his daughter having been taken by the authorities four years prior. Mr. Blunt entered the park which would have been the scene of a massacre if it wasn't for fourteen year old Casper Everose who not only stopped Blunt's advance, but managed to neutralize Mr. Blunt long enough for the police to detain him. Mr. Everose was sent to the hospital as a result of the brawl but he has not sustained any critical injuries. The following segment is an interview with Mrs. Mila Summers, a potential victim of Mr. Blunt.'

Casper couldn't help but manage a soft smile, his cheeks warming up as the text continued before his eyes. They used his name without permission, but perhaps Donna and Miles had allowed it. This was after all good publicity but it wasn't over yet. The police still wanted to talk with him.

'I thought I was going to die,' Mrs. Summers states, continuing, 'That crazed man charged at me and my child but before I knew it, this boy was standing between us and saved my life. I didn't stick around to see what happened but I've seen the video and all I can say is that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that boy.'

"I actually helped people...I...never thought I'd ever do that..."

'It has been debated if Mr. Everose will be charged or apprehended for using his powers but as it states in the law, an Evo is allowed to use their powers in life threatening situations. Since this situation was clearly life threatening for sixteen people, Mr. Everose included, the police states that it falls under the law and Mr. Casper Everose hasn't commited a crime. However, the police would like further words with Los Angeles, Newberry Springs own local Hero in the near future.'

"Casper! Dinner's ready." Freya ran up to the desk, her light footsteps bouncing across the floor until she reached the boy and smiled brightly at him. "What are you reading?"

"Just...some good news."

[Nallore]

Elena Reese
Los Angeles, California

Elena could tell that Max was really not happy with her answer, but it was the actual truth she was nowhere near where the high school massacre happened. "If you think I did it then that's fine, theres no proof I did anything." Elena said glaring at Max, when he finally gave up and that her apartment wasn't worth investigating. "Good luck with your investigation." Elena said when Max closed the door to her apartment Elena leaned her back up against her door looking up a the ceiling, she was really scared that she would have been detained by him. But he did bring up one thing, Blaire her friend who had disappeared a month ago and quickly went over towards the air vent where she hid what looked like a small computer port.

Elena had a feeling that Max didn't come alone and headed towards the blinds and quickly pulled them down and darkened her apartment, Elena grabbed her laptop as well and plugged it in the screen instantly shut off. Elena tried to turn on her computer and nothing happened, she had her laptop for about four years now and it didn't just shut off on its own it was even still plugged into the wall. "Damnit." Elena muttered as she looked around she had to use her ability to get it started. Elena sighed as she held her hand over the laptop as a small bolt of electricity quickly booted up her computer again, and she was instantly presented with thousands of files pictures and even news clips dated several years from now.

"What did you get yourself into Blaire?" Elena said to herself clicked on a file that said "Dark Monday" she searched through the file, there was a satellite system called E.P.I.C. as well as a another eclipse coming just a week after the upcoming election. Reading further into the eclipse it would take the abilities of evo's away for a short time. The governments and armed forces across the globe would then use that time to take down every Class Three Evo and up through the use of an evo with the ability to track down others. It was all signed by Elizabeth Reyes who is right now running for president.

Elena quickly set down her computer and just stared at it for awhile, trying to process everything that was in all those files that didn't even happen yet, and it was three months away from now before all of this were to happen. Then the small port she had plugged in started to glow slightly showing a hologram of Peter Petrelli. "To whoever receives this is a message from the future, in those files contains everything that will happen within the next three months. You must seek out my mother Angela Petrelli in New York City, she will be able to help you." Then the hologram died and the port itself fried itself leaving the files still inside Elena's computer.

Elena quickly picked up her computer the only person that she could trust was down the hallway and hopefully talk about it, Elena ran out of her apartment and knocked on Jack's door.

Riley Smith
Newberry Springs, California

As Riley swung around she stopped and looked around hearing a familiar voice and looked over towards the entrance seeing Freya running over towards her and the swings, she smiled at the young girl and stood up to give her a hug. "Hey there Freya." Riley said and then turned her attention towards Casper who Freya said he was her new older brother. Riley knew that the Everoses were going to adopted a kid, when she looked at Casper she instantly knew that he was the evo she saw in her dream earlier. "Hey there." Riley said with a smile Freya was so cute and she enjoyed babysitting her from time to time.

Riley froze when she turned her attention and looked over at the large man approaching them and the others who were in the park, she instantly knew that he was under the influence of something. Riley backed up slightly this man was very dangerous he was complaining that normal people were taking everything away from him. She felt bad though she was an evo herself then the mad man charged forward towards a woman and her daughter. Riley caught little Freya in her arms when Casper dashed out in front of the two to defend the mother and daughter Riley took another step back with Freya and watched as Casper actually held his own against the armored evo.

After what felt like minutes watching Casper and the evo going at it Casper actually came out victorious and little Freya breaking free from her own grip to run over towards her brother. The police and paramedics were quickly on the scene when the police started questioning and knew that Freya was safe once he parents were on the scene Riley quickly headed back home. It was the second time that day that Riley had encountered the third evo that day.

"Riley what happened out there?!" Riley's mother was just getting ready to leave to see if her daughter was alright but there was no need since Riley had left the scene. "There was a mad evo out there and one of them defended us in the park." Riley said looking at her mother who quickly hugged her and sighed loudly glad that her daughter was safe.

[Polyurethane]

Jaidyn Matthew Chase and Ray Belfour
Anaheim California

Ray naturally woke up early every day due to his boxing menu, today was no different. He had taken the day off in order to spend some time with his friend Jaidyn while him and his friends were there. Unfortunately it was so early that every one else was asleep. Since it would be a while before the others would wake up he got into his track suit to do some roadwork. His outfit was blue on the outside and purple on the inside, his two favorite colors. He left the house and began jogging down the street.

An hour passed before he arrived back home, now it was time to shower and get ready for the day. He went to the bathroom and stripped down for a shower, before checking himself out in the cabinet mirror above the sink. After flexing his muscles a couple times, he hopped in the shower and washed himself. 30 minutes passed before he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist after drying off some.

He left the bathroom and started walking down the hallway to his room. As He was passing Jaidyns room He stopped and looked at the time on the clock in the living room. It was 8 in the morning. Time for Jaidyn to wake up. Ray quietly opened the door and tip toed in. Their lay Jaidyn, asleep on his stomach. With a big grin on his face, in one fluid motion Ray pulled the towel from around his waist and brought it down upon Jaidyns ass. The crack of the towel coming into contact was the most satisfying thing Ray had heard this morning.

The very moment the feeling of the wet towel hit up against the material of his boxers, he was ripped away from his dreams and forced into moving. His right arm quickly sliding back from where it was hidden under the pillow so that it were instead helping to hold him propped up on his elbows, his other hand flying back behind him causing a rush of golden sand to fly out before lightly floating down to leave a golden shine on everything that it touched, his still obviously sleep-ridden eyes taking their time to turn their attention around to glare tiredly over his shoulder at where Ray was standing naked at the end of the bed, “..don ya know better than ta wake a man in the middle of his slumber..?”

Groaning at the smug and rather satisfied look upon Ray’s face, Jaidyn shook his head slightly, flecks of golden sand flying out from around him for a moment before disappearing from sight, his face scrunching up as he began to move his whole body for the first time since waking up that morning, twisting himself around until he was instead laying upon his back; his arm coming up to rest over his eyes and shield himself from the light that was streaming in through the window, “..seriously dude; the hell kinda time is this anyway..? Why are you up so early on your day off- it’s unnatural, Ray...”

"I always wake up this early, whether I want to or not. It's my bio alarm clock. Go get ready for the day, while everyone else is at Disney we're going to go out and go shopping for a pool table and booze so we have something to do." Ray said as he wrapped his towel back around his waist. Then he left Jaidyn's room to start getting dressed for himself.

He opened up his closet and looked around for a moment. He grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans and a baggy yellow muscle shirt. He threw his clothes on, then went to the kitchen to start cooking up some breakfast. Grabbing a classic 'kiss the cook' apron, he slipped it on and tied it in the back before he began cooking. This morning they would be having bacon eggs and toast, along with their choice of drink.

Groaning once more as Ray not only answered his question, but also left him once more alone in the room, Jaidyn took a few more moments to himself before finally forcing himself to leave the warmth of the bed by sitting himself up, his hand coming up to rub roughly at his face for a few moments before finally, he got to his feet, shuffling his way over to the chair where he had his bag full of clothes resting, his hands fumbling about on the inside before eventually he managed to find just what it was that he had been looking for in the first place- it was too damn early in the morning to be getting out of bed... but he was a guest in Ray’s house; a guest of his friend, and if said friend wanted to drag him from the comfort of the bed sheets, and repay his lost sleep with a nice cold beer, well then... so be it.

Pulling the denim on over his legs as he made his way out into the hall, Jaidyn hunched his shoulders over ever so slightly as he worked to do up the button and zipper, the waistband instead resting loosely upon his hips as he made his way into the kitchen, a rather large yawn falling from his lips as he wandered closer to where he knew the fridge was, pulling the door open and taking out a bottle of water before turning back around, his free hand reaching out to whack Ray on the ass, and his body leaning in to press a kiss against his cheek as he passed him by; yet another tired groan falling from his lips as he took a seat on the other side of the counter.

“So tell me... how’s it feel to be a housewife? Love the apron by the way- very manly and totally your color.”

Ray was a little surprised at the ass slap and the kiss, but laughed it off.

"Heh. I just figure you'll never have a housewife because of that ugly mug of yours. So it's my responsibility as host to give you a taste of what it would be like to have a housewife" Ray said with a fake tone of sympathy in his voice. He grabbed a couple plates from the cupboards and served up breakfast. He untied his apron and hung it up before sitting down at the dining room table to eat.

“Oi... now that’s not very nice, is it...” Unable to help the gentle chuckle that fell out through his lips as he made a show of twisting his body around on the stool, his head lolling about for a moment before he once more got to his feet, making his way over to the dining table before once more taking a seat, though this time beside Ray; his hands coming together to remove the lid of the bottle of water that he had taken from the fridge not moments before, being sure to lift it up and take a sizable drink before reaching out to put it down on the table beside the plate that he had been made.

“Smells great; you did a beaut of a job darlin’.” Shooting a wink in his friends direction, Jaidyn turned his attention back down to the plate sitting in front of him, picking up the fork and playing with the bacon for only a brief moment before he sat forward and started to really hoe into it, mindful however to take enough time that he didn’t choke- death by bacon... what a way to go, “What time did the others leave..? Or didn’t you manage to catch them with your crazy sleeping schedule.”

"I was out running when they left, there's never truly a day off if I'm to be champion of the world. I didn't see them leave" Ray said between bites of bacon, and eggs. It took him no time to eat his breakfast, all that running worked up a big appetite. Once he finished he rinsed of his fork and plate, and put it in the dishwasher. He opened in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water and drank it on one go, then tossed it into the trash can across the kitchen.

"Whenever you're ready we'll head out and find a pool table. They have em' down at Sears, we can have them deliver it. After that we'll go get some alcohol, what do you drink?" Ray asked as he leaned back on the counter and crossing his arms. Today was going to be nice, Ray hadn't had a day just for resting in a while.

“What the hell is a Sears..?” Furrowing his brows together in honest confusion as to what the hell they were even talking about anymore, Jaidyn shook his head lightly from side to side, not bothering to even hide the fact that he had no clue as to what his friend was on about as he polished off the rest of the breakfast, his hands reaching out to take a hold of the plate as he followed his lead, rinsing off the dirty plate and slipping it into the dishwasher before he stood up straight, once again turning back around to face him; an amused grin playing over his features.

“Hahaha; more like what don’t I drink.”

When he was asked what a Sears is, Ray had to stop and think. He often forgets there's things down under that they don't have.

"You know, I'm not even sure what the hell Sears is haha. They sell anything from clothes to chainsaws. Everything except food that is. You'll see when we get there." he said watching as he took care of his dishes. His face lot up when he heard his response. There's nothing like a man who will drink anything.

"Heh I knew there was a reason we were friends. Alright let's go get ourselves a pool table and some alcohol then" he said as he straightened up and put his arms to his side. " the Sears is just a few blocks down the street so we'll just walk down there and enjoy the nice day" with that being said Ray made his way for the front door.

Jack Harper
Los Angeles California

It took time to do what Jack was attempting. He knew their were evos out there who could copy powers, but he wasn't one of them. If he wanted any other abilities he had to modify his very own DNA to include it. He had only altered his DNA once, and it was the DNA of the blood they tested when evos started having to register. If he wanted to alter his DNA to gain her power, he would have to take the genome sequence of her DNA that have her that power. But first he had to find which genome sequence it was that gave her that ability.

He was in the process of genome sequencing when he heard a knock at the door. His eyes went from closed to open and he looked at the door wondering who it could be. Either way he needed a somewhat safe place to keep the hair he had found. He looked around his slightly cluttered apartment for somewhere he could put the hair without losing it. There was an empty glass sitting on his coffee table between the tv and the couch. He had used the glass for water earlier that day, it was close enough. He dropped her hair into the glass then stood to answer the door.

As He walked over to the door he couldn't help but think what would have happened if he were interupted while reconstructing his own DNA. He couldn't just leave it half finished, who knows what would happen then. Jack reached the door and looked out the peep hole, it was Elena and she looked slightly worried. Jack opened the door to greet her.

"Hey Elena." he said before noticing she had her laptop with her this time. "Come on in, you look a little concerned. Is everything alright?" He asked taking a seat on the couch once more.

[Vicier]

Noah Bennet, Dean Mitchell and Erin Marie Chase

Disneyland and Noah's Motel ~ Anaheim, California

”I’m here to help...”

The very moment that the unfamiliar voice filled the room around them, Dean was on the move, his arms working to push her behind his back as he turned to face the man who had entered the room, his eyes never once leaving his figure as he clenched his jaw tightly- black suit, gun in a holster... this guy was from the government. And if he was, then that meant that he was there for Erin; and there was no way in hell he was going to let him take her, even if he claimed that he was there to help them out.

Narrowing his eyes dangerously at the man, Dean brought his hand up to point him back towards the way that he had come, his chest rising and falling quickly as he continued to fill the space between Erin and the new guy; his greyish-blue eyes flicking ever so often to the gun he could see held in the holster against his body, “Look... she has nothing to do with this alright? It was me, not her...”

Shaking her head lightly from side to side, Erin shifted anxiously behind him, her body slowly moving to make its way around him so that she was able to look up into his face, her own features showing just how scared she was at the whole situation going on, “Dean; what are you doing? You know that this is my faul-...”

“Erin; be quiet... please...” Stooping his head down slightly, he took a moment to himself before turning his head around to look back at her from over his shoulder, his eyes pleading with her to be quiet as he did what he could to protect her from getting into any trouble- he wasn’t going to let this one mistake ruin her life... not if he could help it anyway, “..you know it’s true... and I’m not going to let you take the blame for this one...”

Noah stood there looking at the two teens standing before him, crossing his arms over his chest when Erin admitted that she was the cause of it al,l he looked over towards Dean who was trying his best to take the blame for everything. "Listen, I dont have time for this, okay? There will be a team of Quantum agents coming here in a few minutes. And trust me, they will just come in and start shooting." Noah said calmly.

Noah took out his gun and set it down on a nearby table to let them know that he had no intention on harming the two of them. Then he felt his phone going off, looking at Erin and then Dean before taking a step back to answer the call. "Listen I have it under control, there is no need to send in another team." Noah said looking at them once again, and groaned as they insisted on coming.

"Alright listen, either you two come with me now, or not so hurry up and make a decision because the team sent after me will be here in less then ten minutes." Noah quickly went to grab for his hand gun, stuffing it back into its holster.

“Dean...” Lifting her hand up from where she had it resting in front of her stomach, she reached out to take a tight hold over Dean’s top, her lower lip quivering ever so slightly as she shifted awkwardly on the spot, her soft though terrified dark gaze flicking back and forth between Dean and the man that was in the suit- if what he was saying was true, then more men from the government were on their way... and they were nowhere near as friendly as he seemed to be, “Dean-... Dean, I think we should go with him...”

“Erin; have you lost your mind..?” Widening his eyes slightly in disbelieve of what it was that he was hearing come from her lips, Dean turned until he was instead facing Erin completely, his hands both coming up to rest lightly on her shoulders as he shook her slightly, trying his best to get through to her about what was going on, “He’s one of them, Erin... what do you think is going to happen if we go with hi-...”

“We won’t die..! That-... That’s what I think is going to happen to us if we go with him... If we stay here; then we won’t be able to life- we won’t be able to go home, and that’s all I want... I wanna go home...” Taking a moment to herself so that she could continue to stare up at him, Erin finally tore her gaze away and allowed her full attention to return to the man who had found them in the suite; the young woman taking a deep breath to try and stop her body from shaking as she nodded lightly to him, “..please help us...”

Noah looked over towards Erin as she took a deep breath, he nodded towards the two of them. "Alright stay close, try and stay calm, and try to blend in." Noah said as he slowly opened the door and waved for Erin and Dean to follow him, he started to make his way back down towards the stairs where they had just came from. As Noah opened the staff only door he looked over to see a team of five Quantum agents walking down the street and asking questions.

"Stay close." Noah said as he started to head the direction that led to the entrance as the Quantum team headed further into the park. Noah was still very much aware of his surroundings, making sure that they weren't caught by his fellow agents. Noah passed the main entrance and began leading the way towards his car, there were still people getting treated from their injuriees from the sudden change of heat in the park.

Exchanging a nervous glance with one another as the both of them seemed to hesitate at his words, Dean kept his eyes locked on Noah and in turn, Erin as the both of them slowly began to make their way back through the suite and down the steps; the young man letting out a slightly frustrated groan before snatching up the bag that he had put down on the bed, his feet hurrying to help him catch up with the both of them, his free hand reaching out to gently take a hold of hers as he took up the rear of the small group- this was crazy... this guy was either lying and leading them straight into a trap, or was planning on double crossing them the moment he had the chance.

Biting her lower lip softly, Erin curled her fingers lightly around Dean’s hand, gently squeezing it and doing what she could to pull him closer as they followed quietly behind the man in the suit, her pace picking up as the both of them continued to follow along behind him, doing everything that she could not to pay too much attention to the people surrounding the entrance and the car park- he said he was going to help them... he was going to help her... all that she could do was hope that he was a man of his word...

When they were back in the parking lot Noah looked over his shoulder to make sure Erin and Dean were still right behind him, he then quickly noticed the team of Quantum agents had turned around and spotted them. "Get into the car!" Noah ordered the two of them, unlocking his car to let Erin and Dean in. Noah quickly got into his car as well and started backing up and out of the parking lot.

"Stay down." Noah quickly drove out of the park while the team of agents were struggling to get into their SUV. Noah started driving faster going past cars while the Quantum agents pursued them, the agents opening fire and starting to gain on them quickly. When the SUV was right next to Noah's car, Noah turned right into the puresuing car, doing this several times until the SUV crashed into a nearby highway sign. Noah looked over his shoulder to check that the SUV wasn't going anywhere soon, his eyes looked at the two teens in the back of his car. "Are you two alright?" Noah asked.

This wasn’t how the day was supposed to have gone... Tightening his arms around her body as they were thrown about in the backseat of the car, Dean pulled her tighter against his chest, his hand slipping up to hold the back of her head gently, their bodies both folding down and over the seat at the order given for them to stay down and out of sight as best as they could, his gaze tearing away from the SUV he could see outside the window only when he felt a small tug against the front of his top, causing him to drop his attention down to meet with her beautiful and obviously terrified dark eyes.

“..D-Dean... I’m-... I’m scared...” Tightening the already firm grip she held over the front of his shirt, Erin shook her head lightly from side to side for a moment before dropping it down to rest against his chest, her dark eyes shutting and her shoulders hunching over slightly as she continued to lay squashed up against him over the backseat of the car that they had been told to get into.

“..I know... I know, Erin- and I’m here, okay..? Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m around, I promise; but for now, I need you to try and stay calm for me... alright..? You have to do that for me Seph...” Shutting his eyes tightly as the both of them got thrown around in the backseat, and the sound of screeching tires filled the air around them all, Dean hesitated for a few more moments before finally, he moved to sit the both of them up; his greyish-blue eyes flicking about wearily before finally settling on the man who was driving, “..we’ve been better... we just wanna go back to our friends- our family; don’t suppose you’re gunna allow that though, are you...”

When they were a reasonable good distance away from the other Quantum agents, Noah turned his attention towards Dean. "I would, but things right now are pretty hectic, especially here in the Los Angeles area." Noah said as he drove towards a truck stop area and leaned back against his seat. "I'm Noah Bennet by the way." Noah looked over towards Erin, seeing the terrified look in her eyes. "Do you two have any friends or family nearby that I can take you two to?" Noah asked.

Taking a moment to himself so that he could check on Erin curled up in his arms, Dean slowly lifted his gaze back up to meet with Noah’s, his arms gently pulling her closer against him as he shifted his position over the seat, his leg out straight and laying over the seat, and his back pressed up against the door, opening his chest up for Erin to use for her own comfort, “We’re... not from around here... We’re actually here on holiday from Australia- she wanted to see Disneyland, and I wanted to be able to make that happen.”

Pausing for a moment, Dean closed his eyes letting out a defeated sight, his head shaking lightly from side to side as he spoke out loud why it was they were in the states in the first place- Erin might have thought it was her fault, but in reality, he was the one who had just jumped to make her happy... if it wasn’t for him wanting to impress her, none of this would have happened, “..the only family we have here is her brother, Jaidyn- we’re staying with a friend of ours in Anaheim; it’s not too far from the park, we managed to take the bus there this morning... If you could take us back to them, it’d be great; they’re all we have here...”

Noah rubbed the back of his neck, he knew that by taking them back to them back to Erin's brother there was a possbility that they would find them again. "I can't take you to him, at least not yet until things settle down here, I will take you to my place for awhile, so you can tell your brother that you two are fine." Noah turned the car back on again and started to drive out of the truck stop, heading back towards the city again. Looking over at Erin, she slightly reminded him of Claire when she was younger.

A few minutes later, they were at a small motel building where he had been staying for the past couple of days since he had been in the area. Noah parked his car in the parking lot and opened the door up for the two teens. "You two will be safe here until things settle down." Noah started making his way towards the building,

Unable to help the way his jaw clenched at the fact that they weren’t allowed to go back to their friends anytime soon, Dean reluctantly tore his gaze away from Noah to instead rest upon Erin’s figure in his arms- she was terrified about it all... her whole body shaking against his... This was his fault; everything that had happened was on him, and him alone. Stooping his head down as he felt the car once more slowing in its journey, he pressed his lips softly against the top of her head, his eyes closing and an almost inaudible sigh falling out over her hair as he let them linger upon her for what felt like a lifetime; the sound of the front door opening and closing the only thing finally managing to pull him back into the present.

Patting Erin almost delicately upon the back a couple of times to let her know that they were able to move, Dean hesitated a couple of seconds before finally, he pulled himself out from underneath her, being sure to grab a hold of the bag before turning back to help her out of the car, and back to her feet, “..thank you, Mr. Bennet... for helping us- for everything... I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her...”

Noah unlocked the door to the motel he looked over at Dean, simply nodding at him before letting the two teens enter the room first, and closed the door behind them and locked it. "Don't mention it, none of it was your guys fault. It just happened at a really bad time." Noah said as he quickly took his belt off that held his gun, setting it down on a nearby counter by the TV. "You can use the phone here to call your friend, just make it brief, and don't tell them where you are, say you two are fine." Noah instructed as he went to sit down on a nearby chair.

Turning his attention over to where the phone was sitting on the bedside table, Dean hesitated only a brief moment before turning his gaze back down to Erin, once more giving her a quick though ever reassuring kiss upon the top of her head before finally, he pulled himself away from her altogether, his feet hurrying to carry him over to where the phone was, his body taking a seat upon the bed with his back facing the both of them as he began to do what it was they had been instructed to do- knowing Erin’s brother... he was going to freak out the moment he found out what had happened at Disney; but if he had the chance to get him at least a message beforehand, there was a chance that it might help the situation in the long run... especially if Jaidyn knew that the both of them were okay.

Following Dean’s figure with her dark eyes as he wandered over to the phone and began to call up Ray’s place, Erin brought her arms up to wrap over her chest, taking a moment to let the situation sink in before finally, she tore her attention away and brought it once more back to the man who had not only helped to get them out of trouble, but was now helping to hide them away until the other men had stopped looking for them- it was right to trust him. Her soft pink lips parted ever so slightly as her gaze flicked over to rest for a brief moment upon the gun in its holster, a worried and slightly frightened look flickering across the surface of her eyes, though she knew that he wasn’t going to be using it against her- he had said it himself; this wasn’t their fault, it had just happened at a bad time... she only wished she was able to believe that...

Finally seeming able to move on her own once again without any prompting, Erin slowly lifted her hand up to lightly brush away some stray strands of her long and wavy dark locks, neatly tucking them back behind her ear though it was all in vein as they once again slipped from her grip only to rest once more against her cheek; the young girls arm returning back to the other as she shyly took a seat upon the edge of the bed, her dark gaze never once wavering or moving away from Noah’s, “..thank you, Mr Bennet... you don’t even know us, and yet you went out of your way to help; we owe you so much... My name is Erin Chase, by the way- and this is Dean Mitchell...”

Noah sat silently watching as Dean quickly went over towards the phone to call their friend, he leaned back in the chair that he was sitting in then Erin moved closer towards the edge of the bed. He simply smiled at Erin and gently gave her a pat on the shoulder. "You don't owe me anything, it's nice to meet you, and just call me Noah."