Estylwen

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

Well, I got a few laughs out of all that smack talk. xD

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

Instead of writing something for our various collabs, I wasted time rewriting my bio. Go look at it because I made some rather classy comments about most of the people here.

@Mr Allen J

"She was made a fool out of, and she intends on paying the pair back in full. Starting with Rhea."

Oh, it's good. Really good. =FT= You've inspired me to go write my own dynamics.

@BlessedWrath
Heh, I know the feeling. I slept 'till noon today. It was great. I don't believe there to be any big rush, but I am looking forward to an update from your charrie. Sam's cool. :3

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Aislin Rose

---

Courtbridge, Prince Ed-field - One week earlier…

Above the downtown streets and melting in with the night sky, Aislin crouched on an apartment roof. She wore a CID uniform, a dark, fitted outfit made for movement. After six days of rest, Hallmark sent her on a small contract. A job she’d been itching for. With a duffle bag resting by her feet, Aislin began pulling out her tools of the trade.

The target for the evening: Phil Dolman. A politician held in modest regard and known for his fence-sitting with Metahumans. Not that Aislin was there for his diplomatic views; her contractor was more interested in his time off work. Hallmark was approached by the man’s wife, asking for evidence that Phil was cheating on her. She said it was nothing new, but if she wanted to win in a court of law, she had to get hard evidence.

18th floor. Purple folding chair on the balcony. Aislin recounted, pulling out a tablet and resting it by her feet. From her vantage point, she could see the target’s home. Only a few floors from the roof, with a fire escape adjacent to the balcony.

Taking a stuffed cat from the bag, Aislin held it gently. “Missy, rise and shine.” The cotton-stuffed cat held a rigid position before stirring, a paw rubbing its sleepy eyes. Meowing as Aislin set it down, Missy brushed its face on her leg.

“Voicebox, check. Let’s see if your eyes work.” Aislin pulled up an app on her tablet. A video feed showed the hazy outline of a leg and a faint illumination. It was her on screen, as Missy was still nuzzling her. A column on the side also confirmed audio levels were recording.

Aislin gave Missy a nod. Showtime, cutie. The cat descended the fire escape, pausing at the gap between the staircase and the target's balcony. It sprung up to the metal railing, balancing delicately against the wind. Haunches coiled, the cat leapt across to the other side, landing silently in the folding chair.

The lights were turned on in the living room, two individuals sitting in plain view with a bottle of wine. Aslin studied the tablet, recognising the politician from the job file. The woman beside him was finely dressed, a plastic smile on her face. Aislin noticed the woman's wine was left untouched. Either the lady was paid to be there or needed sobriety to effectively schmooze with men of power.

Keeping a part of her attention focused on Missy, Aislin sat in for the waiting part of the job. Maybe a half hour passed. Probably more. Finally, the mood became a lot more intimate as clothes were thrown to the wayside. From the balcony, Missy could see every detail. Aislin refrained from making a face, waiting only a minute more before commanding Missy back to the roof.

Gently releasing Missy from her mind, Aislin checked the lifeless cat once more before quietly placing it in the duffle bag. Cutting out the important piece of the recording Missy took, the agent sent it over a secure line to HQ.

Pressing a button on her earpiece, Aislin radioed in. “Boss~! It’s CT. I’m uploading contract 245 to you now.”

“Thanks, CT,” Hallmark said. “We’ve just received the package. I have another job for you.”

---

Through the Night - Roniit x Trivecta

---

Aislin pursed her lips. “Yes?”

“We’ve lost contact with a courier, codename Aegis. The alarm system notified us, and we know the emergency hatch was opened. The safehouse is no longer secure, and I need you to activate the manual destruct. I’ll send the details to your device.”

“And this courier?” Aislin asked.

“See if you can find us any leads.”

“Right. CT out.”

Aislin yawned, lazily opening the package as new data popped up on the tablet. Her eyes skimmed the job file until they came to a stop on the courier’s face. She did a double-take, nearly dropping the tablet as she brought it up to her nose. Her mouth hung open, shock in her eyes.

There’s no mistaking it... That’s my boo. Rhea!

---

Old Raygate, Prince Ed-field

Roughly 50 minutes had passed since the chaos of Veronica and Makoto. The train container stood silently in the field, darkness hiding the destruction. Aislin approached cautiously, watching from her screen as Missy led the way. No one was in the vicinity, as Missy’s eyes confirmed, and Aislin pulled out a flashlight. She saw chairs thrown to the side, cupboards left hanging open and personal belongings decorating the floor. Fragments of a flashbang crunched under Aislin’s foot as she approached a whiteboard. Whoever was here wiped the whole thing, albeit hurriedly. Shreds of Rhea’s handwriting remained intact.

“I’m late, Rhea...” Aislin lowered her head. There was nothing here. No company laptop, no cell phone, no meaningful personal effects. Just abandoned clothes and a dead space.

She picked up on the blood trail from the emergency hatch, following it with her flashlight. Missy stayed close to her heels, meowing uncomfortably. The trail ended at a decrepit warehouse. Aislin played the beam across crates and broken glass, stepping inside. There were minor indications of a struggle, but it seemed to jump around. Strange… Someone might have taken long leaps or teleported. All she found was a pistol, the same used in the company’s bug-out bags. Except, there was no bag. Just the pistol. Five bullets remained in the clip.

Aislin placed the pistol in her duffle bag and pressed her earpiece. “CT here. I’m requesting a vehicle pick up at the Old Raygate’s power plant. We need to talk…”

Before she left, Aislin returned to the safehouse. She opened a secret compartment in the floor, twisted a few knobs, and evacuated the container before it caught on fire.

---

Rosemaple Lake, Roseview - Present time...

Aislin sat in her regular attire, leather jacket unzipped and aviators hooked on her shirt. She sat in a shaded room, light cutting through the half-shut blinds. Her elbows rested on a mahogany conference table, chin resting on overlapped hands.

Hallmark sat across from her, dressed to the nines as a proper CEO would be. His curly black hair was styled back and a Rolex glimmered on his wrist. On the table before him sat a china cup steaming with African coffee, along with a slim briefcase.

Hallmark eyed Aislin silently over his cup, taking a long sip. The silence drew on until Aislin rolled her eyes. Their encounter last week hadn’t gone well, especially the part where she was told Rhea had been in the company for over two years. It was ‘for their protection that co-workers never associated’. Aislin called his ‘privacy policy’ a load of bull, proceeded to tear him a new one and was escorted from the room by a security guard.

“If you’re pissed, just say so. I’m sorry I gave you shit for not telling me Aegis was Rhea. As I said, I’ve been looking for her for… a long time.” She said.

“CT, if I had a dollar for every time you’ve yelled at me…” Hallmark set down his cup. “No. I didn’t call you here to rebuke you. A suspicious job has come in, and my intel has told me it’s someone we know.”

Aislin tilted her head as Hallmark slid the briefcase over to her. He smiled knowingly. “This job, cracking a cellphone’s lock, belongs to Aegis.”

“Whaaat?” Aislin said, lights in her eyes. “But this job paid to be strictly anonymous.”

“Exactly, which is what piqued my interest.”

“Why, though?” Aislin gave the briefcase a confused look. “She’s MIA. Why would she put a job through us in secret?”

Hallmark leaned back in his seat, fingers pressed together. “Good question. I believe Aegis has been compromised in some way. I want you to deliver this job to her at the meeting point. Then radio me.”

Aislin raised an eyebrow, smirking. “You’re going to let her just walk away?”

A wolfish grin flashed across the CEO’s face. “I never said that.”

---

Rhea Harlow & Aislin Rose

---

Piano Quartet - The Secession Studios

---

New Raygate, Prince Ed-field

Rhea sat on a crate in an unassuming, narrow alley. Both Malik and she recovered well enough, and as always her healing left no scars. Adjusting to a lay-low lifestyle, however, left something to be desired. This was only her second time outside in a week. The first time was mainly for necessities as everything she owned was lost. Currently, her attire consisted of sweats, running shoes, and a grey hoodie.

Before finding her way to the meeting point, Rhea tentatively spied on the Founding Family’s base, or what was left of it. The entire place had been destroyed. No clues, no answers. Just a plastic bag rolling across the driveway.

Rhea shifted uncomfortably, heels bouncing as she sat. Waiting was incredibly boring. Sure, she should be concerned about who would be delivering the package. But it wasn’t like she knew any of the other couriers, plus she paid extra for the ‘no questions asked’ policy. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any hassles with the pick-up, and then Malik and she could start phase two of tracking down Marcelle.

The courier was twenty minutes late. Are they making me wait? Rhea wondered, standing up to stretch.

At the end of the alley, a taxi cab stopped on the street. Rhea clicked her tongue, folding her arms. Finally…

A woman got out as the taxi rolled away, dressed in a leather jacket and slacks. She walked into the alley, slowly removing the aviators from her eyes. “Well. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

Rhea’s eyes widened, her stomach twisting in a knot. “...”

Clipping the shades on her shirt, Aislin gestured to the briefcase. “You have a lot of nerve attempting to pull the wool over Hallmark's eyes. He says hi, by the way.”

“Shit.” Rhea mumbled, pressing a palm to her forehead.

Aislin stared at Rhea for a moment. “...Two and a half years.”

“What?”

Aislin shook her head. “You’ve ignored me for two and a half years without so much as a ‘thanks, bye’. I’ve tried to contact you, I’ve searched for you. And all the while, you didn’t give a shit.”

Rhea narrowed her eyes. “Can I just have my package—”

“No. You’re listening to me now.” Aislin growled. “If this is about your dangerous work, I’ll have you know that I’ve been working in secret with Hallmark for five years. And I kept in touch with you as I did my contracts.”

Shock flashed across Rhea’s face. “Well I,” her jaw jutted out. “I just wanted to protect you.”

“Pretending I’m dead was not the way to go about it. Didn’t our friendship mean anything to you?” Aislin said, tossing the briefcase at her.

Rhea plucked it from the air, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had no words to give. Aislin was right. She was always right. Feeling the heat burning in her cheeks, Rhea knew she needed to make an exit. Aislin couldn’t get the real answer from her. Not now, hopefully not ever.

As Rhea turned to leave, Aislin sighed. A small grin pulled at her lips. “...Rhea.”

Rhea gave the spy a side glance, pausing.

“I still want to be friends. I’ve... missed you, a lot.”

Rhea searched the ground wordlessly, turning her face away. She hurriedly wiped her eyes dry as she walked out the other side of the alley. She left without a goodbye, and Aislin let her go. They would see each other again, soon enough.

“This is CT,” Aislin said, tapping her comms. “Aegis has the job.”

“Good.” Hallmark’s voice crackled in her ear. “Lay low. I’ll notify you when I need you.”

“Sounds good, boss.”

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

I've fleshed out the company Rhea works for. ^^

Civilian Intelligence and Delivery

| Civilian Intelligence and Delivery (CID) |

Being unaffiliated with any one government or organization, CID enjoys the freedom of working on contracts with whomever needs their services, both in the US and across the border. They specialize in secrets, blackmail, and decryption. Their most popular service is the transport of secrets, as the more illicit of things are moving off fiber optic cables. Although CID tries to focus their attention on helping regular people, most can’t afford the ludicrous prices. The company’s HQ is hidden in Rosemaple Lake, Roseview and has access to many safe houses around the city.

CID is by no means a big company with roughly 25 employees, all metahuman. Their task force is split into three divisions: the spies, security, and the couriers. The spies account for 20% of the taskforce, but bring in a large portion of the income. The small security division stays strictly at HQ, save for an occasional bodyguard job. Couriers and spies are pocketed throughout the US with only a handful actually in Baybridge. The couriers and spies are told not associate with one another, and to strictly use code names.

Notable Members

• Hallmark (Daxton Locke) — The professional, enigmatic CEO of the company. He’s always found dressed in a suit and tie, with his black hair styled back and the finest jewellery on his hands. He’s a strange CEO in the fact he’s also the company’s dispatcher, and coordinates with Miss Admin on agents and their jobs. He has a personal connection with all his agents and knows them quite well. Many suppose this is his way of sniffing out moles in the company. Although Hallmark treats his employees professionally, he does overstep his bounds when information is withheld or someone tries to lie to him. It should be noted that Hallmark is also the only baseline human in the entire company (besides the tech group).
  
• Miss Admin (Brogan Huntley) — the secretary and public face of CID, and right-hand of Hallmark. She’s a tall lady with maroon glasses framing her face and long auburn hair tied in a bun, a single bang curling to the side. Miss Admin has a strong ‘no-nonsense’ attitude and is incredibly organized. She works in the background of CID, keeping the machine running smoothly. Under her is a small team of baseline employees who run all the tech jobs that CID brings in. She doesn’t typically associate with agents unless they're in trouble with the boss. Her meta-ability is basic, but very useful in their work. She can tell, through emotion, whether someone is lying or not.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

Aislin Rose

Basic Information

Name:

Aislin Rose

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

C.T. (Short for Curiosity)

Gender:

Female

Age:

27

Height:

5’4

Weight:

125 lbs.

Home District:

Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field

Appearance

Hair Color:

Light brown, pale green highlights

Eye Color:

Caribbean blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Aislin keeps her hair quite short for minimal upkeep. It’s parted to the far side, bangs gracing her forehead, and back layers tapering at her collar bone. It’s cut to follow the curve of her head, with layered strands gently sweeping along her jawline. Aislin’s face maintains a round, youthful-look, save for the crow’s feet at the edge of her eyes. Her high cheek bones bring some welcomed angles to her face. A small beauty mark sits at the side of her lips. Besides the taut appearance around her eyes and the freckles scattered across her skin, she is moderately blemish free. There is, however, a single blade scar arced near the bottom of her jaw, an inch or so from the chin. Having graduated to C’s, Aislin boasts a body that’s curvy yet athletic. Years of training has given her a small powerhouse, capable of running for miles.

Attire:

On most days, Aislin’s go-to outfit is a plain shirt under a leather jacket with wool sleeves, and square aviators. She wears dark, fitted slacks that have some stretch in the material. The outfit is ideal for most anything, like going to town, being inconspicuous while eavesdropping, or doing minor field work.

To get real casual, Aislin wears pink flannel pyjamas. Doesn’t matter where or with who. She usually has her stuffed penguin in tow.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Being very much a high-energy individual, Aislin tends to fill her conversations with enthusiasm. She is kind to her associates, listens well, and has near mastered the art of giving advice. Although she’s popular at the office and other social circles, Aislin maintains one best friend. She’s isolated herself over the years; she finds it hard to relate to most people, especially if they’re non-meta.

Aislin is a curious soul and tends to run her mouth by asking personal questions. What she lacks for tact she makes up in empathy and big smiles. She is completely turned off by those with aggressive personalities and tends to remove anything dark in her life. She’s very sensitive to other people's personalities, even more so since she sees auras. She also tends to be very private about her personal life.

Her mischevious side has married her curiosity ever since becoming a field agent. It’s something that she’s not always comfortable with as she occasionally has to fight people. But she’s never taken a life, and never will — she made that very clear to Hallmark, her employer. Her fighting style has adapted with her personality, specialising in quick, non-lethal takedowns (preferably at a distance).

Innate Personality:

Born with the heart of a child and a great love for life, Aislin is over-emotional. She has zest in her actions and words, although on the flip side, she is prone to hissy fits. Aislin is playful, not one to take life seriously. She doesn’t usually clue into the direness of her situation until it’s too late, which may also be due to a small form of arrogance. This is accentuated by her carefree nature.

After years of meditating and self-reflecting, she is patient and perceptive. Aislin has only become more of a dreamer over the years as she continues to see life through a different lens. There is magic in the world, this she knows. Her personal beliefs are not high on the popularity scale, but instead of conforming, Aislin rose above it. She is a free spirit, disliking any forms of authority or control. This does not mean she’s vindictive, though, as her nature is peace-loving. In a situation where she has no power, or she loses the position of power, Aislin is fearful.

Hobbies/Interests:

Her interests haven’t changed too much over the years. Aislin still loves a dank toke every now and again. Her fascination with Taoism has expanded to include Buddhism and Hinduism. Having said no to take-out a long time ago, Aislin knows how to make a tasty meal with her own hands. She loves music and nature and tends to enjoy both at the same time. Mainly, her days are consumed with pushing the limits of her power, and meditation.

Skills/Talents:

Aislin has taken up sculpturing, but not in a way most would think. She can take certain ‘loose’ material, like ice, and animate it into a shape. If done correctly, when she disconnects from the material, it will retain the new shape. She’s become quite good at it and has several swan sculptures chilling in her freezer.

Meditation has brought Aislin a refined level of focus. This is a necessary skill due to the nature of Animating. It has also helped Aislin better see subtle energy and auras (more info in the Power section).

Having spent roughly five years at Hallmark’s training facility, Aislin’s collected several courses under her belt. The big one, though, is Basic Combat Training, where they teach physical skills and mental discipline. Her aerobatics is on the lacking side, as she can’t do a backflip to save her life.

Goals/Motivation

If there was a way, she’d want every person to experience what it’s like to be a meta-human, so she’s curious about the science behind meta powers. Aislin also wants to have great stories to tell when she’s in her 50’s, so she’ll continue to put herself in unique situations.

History/Bio:

From a quiet orphanage, Aislin was adopted into a well-off household with preoccupied parents. They were a business couple that wanted a quiet, polite daughter without the hassle of raising a baby. Aislin was adored by her parents but was often left to her own devices for long periods of time. This created a form of isolation that Aislin eventually came to accept, and was catalysed by the birth of her powers. They developed at a young age, and to her, appeared to be magic. Rippling walls, walking cutlery, and other strange occurrences became commonplace. Her friends, however, quickly rejected her.

Aislin’s parents couldn’t have been prouder, and sent her to Academy 218 to harness her potential. The school had a peaceful appearance, but as the year unfolded, things became more and more chaotic. Aislin was nearly eaten by a monster meta named Jaska who triggered his Beast Mode by a near fatal wound. Hilariously enough, it was Aislin’s fault he was injured. Without planning or preparation, they ventured into the dark caves outside the school grounds. Before Jaska transformed, Aislin caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned woman.

After the incident, Aislin boldy (or naively) entered the caves again to find the blue meta, only to come across a terrifying man named Luis. After a life-threatening chase, Luis was shot by a masked individual. Aislin escaped the caves and confided in her friends, wondering if anyone knew what was going on. Eventually, the unwelcome guests on the island became known school-wide as the ‘Changeling Unit’, and strategies were formed to remove them. Every staff member that could fight, and many bold students partook in an intense battle. It eventually led to the Unit being forced to flee the island, and nothing more was heard.

Aislin completed the rest of her years in the Academy in moderate and very welcomed peace. This was roughly when Rhea and Aislin bumped into each other and began a glorious friendship. Nearing her graduation, Aislin was approached by a certain company that said they paid well for meta spies, and would continue her training in Canada. Aislin thought she’d give it a try, and quickly found she loved the work.

While collecting incriminating data in Italy, Aislin hit a rough patch with a mafia member who specialised in metal manipulation, specifically blades. This was where she received her scar, but she came out on top and extracted a briefcase that contained 1.2 million dollars worth of intel for Italy’s government. Shortly after, she heard about the tragedy that befell Verthaven, and the Devil. She noticed people looked at her and her animations differently. Again, the isolation gap widened.

After the Overload Crisis in Baybridge, Aislin was relocated to an apartment in Lower South Royer Town for ‘some needed R&R’, according to Hallmark. With time to sit and think, Aislin tried contacting Rhea for the hundredth time. After they both graduated, Rhea just… disappeared.

Currently, Aislin does small contract work for Hallmark, mainly involving politicians.

Relationships

Family:

Mira Rose - Adopted mother
David Rose - Adopted father
Biological parents unknown.

Dynamics:

| Rhea Harlow |

| Bad | Ex-Best Friend | ”She just up and left. Was it something I said? |

Having close ties since their time in the academy, Aislin was sure the two of them were inseparable. But Rhea hasn’t bothered contacting her for the past two and a half years.

Abilities

Power Class:

Other

Power:

Animation

"The power to give crude life to inanimate objects. Not to be confused with Creation as the lives of animations are tied to the user and not their own."

SuperpowerWiki

Essentially, Aislin works on something like Wifi. The objects in her vicinity, and what she can see, are candidates for her puppet strings. It all works through a mental connection. After 5-7 seconds of creating a link with an object, Aislin programs it with a command. The object wakes up and completes the command it’s been given all on its own, giving the illusion of self-thought. If an animation does not have an order, it will do nothing if Aislin is keeping her attention on it, else it’ll die. Over the years, Aislin has refined her connection to be stronger, quicker, and more precise. This has come at a cost, as the connection is so tight it must be gently released.

Creating a link and waking up an object is the only step in which eye contact is required. Animations can be out of her sight and still work fine. Not that Aislin would intentionally send them far away, but animations can only go so far before the Wifi connection is lost, and they die. Aislin’s range, roughly, is about 50 feet.

To change the shape of the material once Aislin purposefully disconnects with it, she has learned to slowly extract herself. This pulls the atoms together at a slower rate, and they’re more likely to find permanent spaces in this new shape. That is how Aislin turns an ice cube into a butterfly.

Animation Logic

Animation works because it mimics the flexibility of life, of carbon-based bodies. Atoms stiffly packed together, like a wood chair, would normally never be able to kick up on its back legs and pretend it's a stallion. But if the animator gives the material energy through attention, these atoms pull away from each other minutely. The atoms have space to move and bend, and this gives the animation the flexibility it needs.

Aura-reading

Having grown up with a very bendable, pliable reality, AIslin has opened herself to the possibility of something existing beyond what one normally sees. This thought eventually developed into perceiving static energy in the air, and the electrical discharge on people. Aura-seeing is as follows. If Aislin cares to look, and you’re within 5 feet, she can tell if you have a good or bad intention. A haze appears an inch off the skin. Colours change depending on the intent someone presents, and Aislin has seen her fair share of beautiful and ugly auras.

Limits:

Animations demand a varying level of attention on them at all times. They do not require eye contact, just thought. This limits Aislin to 1-2 animations at a time, depending on how intricate the commands are that she gives. As long as Aislin focuses her awareness, the animations can live near-indefinitely. In a moment of say, sleep, pain, or distraction, the animations die.

Swarm animations work as one, are treated as a single animation and have predictable flight paths.

The heavier and denser the object, the harder it is to animate. Anything that exceeds the weight of a microwave is considered to be too heavy. Anything with a density higher than silver is too compact to animate. This includes alloyed metals like steel, or pure metals like platinum. The durability of animations is in direct correlation to what material they're made of. Silver is the strongest, whereas paper, ink drawings, or cotton material are weak.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Organic material, living or dead, cannot be animated. This includes people, animals, and plants. Since animations are so tightly intertwined with her mind, a sudden disconnection can hurt. Only by gently releasing their link can Aislin avoid any backlash, and this takes anywhere from 5-7 seconds.

Backlash has several levels of intensity. On the low end, her lack of attention would kill an animation and she would feel a mild shock. If someone were to absolutely destroy the material making up the animation, leaving a pile of ash, the backlash would be equivalent to a mental spike shoved in her brain. Repeated offenses lowers Aislin’s tolerance, giving the backlash the illusion it’s getting worse.

Other:

• Aislin still holds onto her stuffed penguin, Tao.

• Hallmark made Aislin a custom gadget for field work. It’s a cotton-filled black cat covered in synthetic hair, made to look realistic. There’s a voice box in its throat, audio recorder in its ears, and a camera in its eyes.

Theme:

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

I've brought a character back from the past, aka, Academy 218. :)

Aislin Rose

Basic Information

Name:

Aislin Rose

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

C.T. (Short for Curiosity)

Gender:

Female

Age:

27

Height:

5’4

Weight:

125 lbs.

Home District:

Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field

Appearance

Hair Color:

Light brown, pale green highlights

Eye Color:

Caribbean blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Aislin keeps her hair quite short for minimal upkeep. It’s parted to the far side, bangs gracing her forehead, and back layers tapering at her collar bone. It’s cut to follow the curve of her head, with layered strands gently sweeping along her jawline. Aislin’s face maintains a round, youthful-look, save for the crow’s feet at the edge of her eyes. Her high cheek bones bring some welcomed angles to her face. A small beauty mark sits at the side of her lips. Besides the taut appearance around her eyes and the freckles scattered across her skin, she is moderately blemish free. There is, however, a single blade scar arced near the bottom of her jaw, an inch or so from the chin. Having graduated to C’s, Aislin boasts a body that’s curvy yet athletic. Years of training has given her a small powerhouse, capable of running for miles.

Attire:

On most days, Aislin’s go-to outfit is a plain shirt under a leather jacket with wool sleeves, and square aviators. She wears dark, fitted slacks that have some stretch in the material. The outfit is ideal for most anything, like going to town, being inconspicuous while eavesdropping, or doing minor field work.

To get real casual, Aislin wears pink flannel pyjamas. Doesn’t matter where or with who. She usually has her stuffed penguin in tow.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Being very much a high-energy individual, Aislin tends to fill her conversations with enthusiasm. She is kind to her associates, listens well, and has near mastered the art of giving advice. Although she’s popular at the office and other social circles, Aislin maintains one best friend. She’s isolated herself over the years; she finds it hard to relate to most people, especially if they’re non-meta.

Aislin is a curious soul and tends to run her mouth by asking personal questions. What she lacks for tact she makes up in empathy and big smiles. She is completely turned off by those with aggressive personalities and tends to remove anything dark in her life. She’s very sensitive to other people's personalities, even more so since she sees auras. She also tends to be very private about her personal life.

Her mischevious side has married her curiosity ever since becoming a field agent. It’s something that she’s not always comfortable with as she occasionally has to fight people. But she’s never taken a life, and never will — she made that very clear to Hallmark, her employer. Her fighting style has adapted with her personality, specialising in quick, non-lethal takedowns (preferably at a distance).

Innate Personality:

Born with the heart of a child and a great love for life, Aislin is over-emotional. She has zest in her actions and words, although on the flip side, she is prone to hissy fits. Aislin is playful, not one to take life seriously. She doesn’t usually clue into the direness of her situation until it’s too late, which may also be due to a small form of arrogance. This is accentuated by her carefree nature.

After years of meditating and self-reflecting, she is patient and perceptive. Aislin has only become more of a dreamer over the years as she continues to see life through a different lens. There is magic in the world, this she knows. Her personal beliefs are not high on the popularity scale, but instead of conforming, Aislin rose above it. She is a free spirit, disliking any forms of authority or control. This does not mean she’s vindictive, though, as her nature is peace-loving. In a situation where she has no power, or she loses the position of power, Aislin is fearful.

Hobbies/Interests:

Her interests haven’t changed too much over the years. Aislin still loves a dank toke every now and again. Her fascination with Taoism has expanded to include Buddhism and Hinduism. Having said no to take-out a long time ago, Aislin knows how to make a tasty meal with her own hands. She loves music and nature and tends to enjoy both at the same time. Mainly, her days are consumed with pushing the limits of her power, and meditation.

Skills/Talents:

Aislin has taken up sculpturing, but not in a way most would think. She can take certain ‘loose’ material, like ice, and animate it into a shape. If done correctly, when she disconnects from the material, it will retain the new shape. She’s become quite good at it and has several swan sculptures chilling in her freezer.

Meditation has brought Aislin a refined level of focus. This is a necessary skill due to the nature of Animating. It has also helped Aislin better see subtle energy and auras (more info in the Power section).

Having spent roughly five years at Hallmark’s training facility, Aislin’s collected several courses under her belt. The big one, though, is Basic Combat Training, where they teach physical skills and mental discipline. Her aerobatics is on the lacking side, as she can’t do a backflip to save her life.

Goals/Motivation

If there was a way, she’d want every person to experience what it’s like to be a meta-human, so she’s curious about the science behind meta powers. Aislin also wants to have great stories to tell when she’s in her 50’s, so she’ll continue to put herself in unique situations.

History/Bio:

From a quiet orphanage, Aislin was adopted into a well-off household with preoccupied parents. They were a business couple that wanted a quiet, polite daughter without the hassle of raising a baby. Aislin was adored by her parents but was often left to her own devices for long periods of time. This created a form of isolation that Aislin eventually came to accept, and was catalysed by the birth of her powers. They developed at a young age, and to her, appeared to be magic. Rippling walls, walking cutlery, and other strange occurrences became commonplace. Her friends, however, quickly rejected her.

Aislin’s parents couldn’t have been prouder, and sent her to Academy 218 to harness her potential. The school had a peaceful appearance, but as the year unfolded, things became more and more chaotic. Aislin was nearly eaten by a monster meta named Jaska who triggered his Beast Mode by a near fatal wound. Hilariously enough, it was Aislin’s fault he was injured. Without planning or preparation, they ventured into the dark caves outside the school grounds. Before Jaska transformed, Aislin caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned woman.

After the incident, Aislin boldy (or naively) entered the caves again to find the blue meta, only to come across a terrifying man named Luis. After a life-threatening chase, Luis was shot by a masked individual. Aislin escaped the caves and confided in her friends, wondering if anyone knew what was going on. Eventually, the unwelcome guests on the island became known school-wide as the ‘Changeling Unit’, and strategies were formed to remove them. Every staff member that could fight, and many bold students partook in an intense battle. It eventually led to the Unit being forced to flee the island, and nothing more was heard.

Aislin completed the rest of her years in the Academy in moderate and very welcomed peace. This was roughly when Rhea and Aislin bumped into each other and began a glorious friendship. Nearing her graduation, Aislin was approached by a certain company that said they paid well for meta spies, and would continue her training in Canada. Aislin thought she’d give it a try, and quickly found she loved the work.

While collecting incriminating data in Italy, Aislin hit a rough patch with a mafia member who specialised in metal manipulation, specifically blades. This was where she received her scar, but she came out on top and extracted a briefcase that contained 1.2 million dollars worth of intel for Italy’s government. Shortly after, she heard about the tragedy that befell Verthaven, and the Devil. She noticed people looked at her and her animations differently. Again, the isolation gap widened.

After the Overload Crisis in Baybridge, Aislin was relocated to an apartment in Lower South Royer Town for ‘some needed R&R’, according to Hallmark. With time to sit and think, Aislin tried contacting Rhea for the hundredth time. After they both graduated, Rhea just… disappeared.

Currently, Aislin does small contract work for Hallmark, mainly involving politicians.

Relationships

Family:

Mira Rose - Adopted mother
David Rose - Adopted father
Biological parents unknown.

Dynamics:

| Rhea Harlow |

| Bad | Ex-Best Friend | ”She just up and left. Was it something I said? |

Having close ties since their time in the academy, Aislin was sure the two of them were inseparable. But Rhea hasn’t bothered contacting her for the past two and a half years.

Abilities

Power Class:

Other

Power:

Animation

"The power to give crude life to inanimate objects. Not to be confused with Creation as the lives of animations are tied to the user and not their own."

SuperpowerWiki

Essentially, Aislin works on something like Wifi. The objects in her vicinity, and what she can see, are candidates for her puppet strings. It all works through a mental connection. After 5-7 seconds of creating a link with an object, Aislin programs it with a command. The object wakes up and completes the command it’s been given all on its own, giving the illusion of self-thought. If an animation does not have an order, it will do nothing if Aislin is keeping her attention on it, else it’ll die. Over the years, Aislin has refined her connection to be stronger, quicker, and more precise. This has come at a cost, as the connection is so tight it must be gently released.

Creating a link and waking up an object is the only step in which eye contact is required. Animations can be out of her sight and still work fine. Not that Aislin would intentionally send them far away, but animations can only go so far before the Wifi connection is lost, and they die. Aislin’s range, roughly, is about 50 feet.

To change the shape of the material once Aislin purposefully disconnects with it, she has learned to slowly extract herself. This pulls the atoms together at a slower rate, and they’re more likely to find permanent spaces in this new shape. That is how Aislin turns an ice cube into a butterfly.

Animation Logic

Animation works because it mimics the flexibility of life, of carbon-based bodies. Atoms stiffly packed together, like a wood chair, would normally never be able to kick up on its back legs and pretend it's a stallion. But if the animator gives the material energy through attention, these atoms pull away from each other minutely. The atoms have space to move and bend, and this gives the animation the flexibility it needs.

Aura-reading

Having grown up with a very bendable, pliable reality, AIslin has opened herself to the possibility of something existing beyond what one normally sees. This thought eventually developed into perceiving static energy in the air, and the electrical discharge on people. Aura-seeing is as follows. If Aislin cares to look, and you’re within 5 feet, she can tell if you have a good or bad intention. A haze appears an inch off the skin. Colours change depending on the intent someone presents, and Aislin has seen her fair share of beautiful and ugly auras.

Limits:

Animations demand a varying level of attention on them at all times. They do not require eye contact, just thought. This limits Aislin to 1-2 animations at a time, depending on how intricate the commands are that she gives. As long as Aislin focuses her awareness, the animations can live near-indefinitely. In a moment of say, sleep, pain, or distraction, the animations die.

Swarm animations work as one, are treated as a single animation and have predictable flight paths.

The heavier and denser the object, the harder it is to animate. Anything that exceeds the weight of a microwave is considered to be too heavy. Anything with a density higher than silver is too compact to animate. This includes alloyed metals like steel, or pure metals like platinum. The durability of animations is in direct correlation to what material they're made of. Silver is the strongest, whereas paper, ink drawings, or cotton material are weak.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Organic material, living or dead, cannot be animated. This includes people, animals, and plants. Since animations are so tightly intertwined with her mind, a sudden disconnection can hurt. Only by gently releasing their link can Aislin avoid any backlash, and this takes anywhere from 5-7 seconds.

Backlash has several levels of intensity. On the low end, her lack of attention would kill an animation and she would feel a mild shock. If someone were to absolutely destroy the material making up the animation, leaving a pile of ash, the backlash would be equivalent to a mental spike shoved in her brain. Repeated offenses lowers Aislin’s tolerance, giving the backlash the illusion it’s getting worse.

Other:

• Aislin still holds onto her stuffed penguin, Tao.

• Hallmark made Aislin a custom gadget for field work. It’s a cotton-filled black cat covered in synthetic hair, made to look realistic. There’s a voice box in its throat, audio recorder in its ears, and a camera in its eyes.

Theme:

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Malik Jakane & Rhea Harlow.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

New Raygate, Prince Edfield.

Soaring countless feet above the air and barreling through the city, Rhea could have shown more concern. At the moment, it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Since Malik did the daring deed of rescuing her, she found it unlikely he’d drop her from this height.

Cat’s outta the bag… He’s a meta, like me. she thought, a half-delirious grin on her face.

After their daring escape, Malik managed to get far enough away that he felt comfortable landing on a rooftop, and thank God because he was getting tired. Especially with this knife in his chest. Well, compared to forty bullets, that's nothing! Malik felt glad to be alive. Though, the man was hopping up and down.

"That was exciting, yeah." He said, high off the adrenaline. "But, think we lost them?"

“With the stunt you pulled?” Rhea looked back in the direction they fled. “I think we’re okay.”

Rhea appraised Malik, grimacing at the knife embedded in him. “If I wasn’t on the verge of passing out I’d heal you. Are you going to be okay?”

"Yeah... it's..." Malik looked at the knife protruding out of his body. "... Just one knife."

He tried to brush it off... before a wave of realization hit Malik when he put two and two together.

"Wait, did you...?" Malik asked, "I told you to stay out of it, now look at what happened!"

A pained expression crossed her face. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. Whatever reason you had for being at, presumably, the Founding Family’s base, it would have gone smoother if I wasn’t there."

“You saved me. We’re both wounded, but…” she gritted her teeth. “I did what I felt was right. No one should go through what’s happened to your friend.”

While Malik was still pretty angry that she had got involved... he couldn't stay angry when he realized that the two of them are in this together now. While it might have been easier to just leave Rhea, take the phone, and stay off their radar, he couldn't just stand by and let Rhea get killed - and from a pragmatic standpoint, he would have been exposed anyway (D'oh!).

"Me and my big mouth," Malik said underneath his breath. "I understand ya' fully, while I'm still a little annoyed ya' went behind my back - what we need to do is look forward and realize that the two of us are in this together."

Malik pulled out the cellphone that belonged to Marcelle and showed it to Rhea.

"I grabbed this phone out of their base... it's my friend's Marcelle's phone," Malik started off. "This is the clue that'll help me find her... but, the only problem is that I have no idea what her unlock code is!" Malik awkwardly laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

Her name is Marcelle… Rhea tilted her head, staring at the bright purple device. It’s not ideal, but Hallmark’s techies have programs for cracking phones.

“That could be a problem.” Rhea nodded. “You’ve checked that it’s code-locked? I have a possible solution for you. It’s expensive, but I can get that phone cracked for you in 12 to 24 hours.”

"Money isn't a problem, but I'm not entirely sure, I'll have to charge it...." Malik answered before he put the phone back into his pocket. "But, I have another issue..."

He said as he crossed his arms.

"... What exactly happened? Why did they kidnap you or something?"

Her eyes drifted to the knife still hanging off Malik. “If I tell you, will you let me fix this blade chillin’ in your ribs?”

Malik looked down.

"... Sure."

“Apparently, the Founding Family has ways of negating Tor, which is what I use for anonymous browsing. I ran a search, found an encrypted site with their name, and before I knew it, two masked ladies blasted in my door.” Rhea said, shaking her head. “You saw all the good parts. They cornered me and I eventually found myself in that garage.”

Her face brightened. "I discovered something, though. The Black Hound is working with the Founding Family."

"Well," Malik said scratching the back of his neck. "I feel a little responsible for this, so, I'm gonna lend ya' a hand."

He dramatically posed.

"I'm staying with a friend that's really nice... Come with me so we can lay low at her apartment. No one should know that we are even there."

Rhea folded her arms, mulling over the opportunity. She was tired, sore, and sliced up good. Her safe-house, if Hallmark hadn’t sent someone to destroy it already, was no longer safe. Malik wanted her help, and she did owe him a great deal.

After a moment, Rhea gave him a serious look. “This Family group is scary, and we’ve kicked the hornet’s nest. I think it’s fair to say whoever we associate with is being put at risk. Having said that, I’ll tag along. I’ll be able to treat us both, and get some rest…”

"Of course," Malik said, putting his arms behind his head. "It'll be just like the movies!"

Rhea laughed. "If so, we're not getting paid enough."

"Now, let's go!" Malik looked around, spotted the fire escape, and motioned for Rhea to follow. The duo made a slow descend down the building and walked through the yellow-lit streets.

Brand new friends.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

... I'm really liking where these IC posts are going. Great writing, guys.

Alright, here's the new organisation I made specifically for an event I plan on doing later.
Feel free to voice your comments.

@Mr Allen J

We need more organisations like this, although I feel they may not have enough political power simply because they're fully supporting (icky) metas. The MIP probably have a huge target on their back, and I definitely see a conflict happening between pro-meta and anti-meta rights groups (on top of fighting terrorists?).

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Malik Jakane.

_{(@Mr Allen J)}

---

New Raygate, Prince Edfield.

Heh, this was just like being in a spy movie.

Jakane. Malik Jakane.

Kind of had that ring to it.

Still, he had to be careful. If Malik gets seen, then it's going to be game-over for his mission to find Marcelle. And right when he finally gets a lead. Malik was told to go on straight ahead... and hopefully not into a trap. Still, he was confident in his source because he was being directed. Malik stopped at a hallway and heard some people walking away. Talking. Time to show off.

Malik did a barrel roll from one hallway to the other before they even noticed. He kept moving forward, keeping low, as he made his way through the evil lair. Not that well guarded, is it? Or does the Black Hound's mooks account for a great deal of the security team? Doesn't matter. Long as the good fortune keeps coming!

It wasn't long before Malik reached the end of the hallway that had the title of "SERVER ROOM." What was he going to do here? Start hacking? Heh. The full extent of Malik's computing abilities involved taking pictures, then uploading them to social media. He's going to need the help of his eye in the sky for this one. Though, the door was metal and looked pretty hard to break down. It even had a panel on the side-

His cell phone buzzed, and look, it was his eye in the sky!

12127.

Okay. Malik shrugged as he put in the number combination, aaaaand....

The light went green, and the doors opened. Malik carefully stepped in, as he heard some more people walking by. The doors closed right behind Malik.

Right when he stepped in, he was creeped out. The server room was dark other than the odd blue lights presented by the server machines - which were tall, bulky-looking machines that were probably jam-packed with information. Malik was no computer expert, so he had no idea what they did either way. He took a few steps into the dark, tiled room. Looking around.

Your lead is just right ahead, just look for the server that says 12.

Malik nodded his head and skimmed the servers as he searched for this magic number... Ah! He didn't know what made this server special from the other ones. There were a few missing, yeah, but there were a lot of them missing!

Look down at the last one, and stick your hand in the empty space.

Malik sighed... hoping that this just wasn't some trap (or really elaborate prank) and stuck his hand in. He reached around in the opening, then his eyes opened wide. "Ah-hah!" Malik said as he pulled out the object his contact was referring to.

A bright purple cell-phone.

It belongs to Marcelle.

He pressed one of the buttons, but the phone was dead. He would have to get it home.

Good. You have your lead. Now, it's time for you to escape.

Malik raised his eyebrow.

hey? what about the prisoners you talked about?

There was a solid minute before there was a response, which made Malik think it was bullshit.

The Black Hound will be back soon, and it's best that you leave before he does.

There was something else at play here, but Malik wasn't in the position to question it. Because now he's made his breakthrough. He was going to solve the mystery of what happened to Marcelle one way or another...

... But first, he had to charge this phone!

He put the phone in his pocket before he turned around and started walking out the room. He punched in the code again, and the door opened right up again! Malik started slowly walking out, before he retraced his steps. Dodging cards like the master spy he is.

Malik made it right back to the entrance. Now, he was going have to decide if he was going to open the garage door again, or come up with something else. Malik was fast as hell as a living storm and-

A portal opened up in the garage, and Malik was quick to dip behind a crate.

"... Better get chatty real fast," A woman said as she walked behind someone he knew was being held hostage. "Because if you don't... you're going to wish that we killed you."

Malik peaked a little bit more...

... It was Rhea.

He darted back behind some crates. What did that crazy girl get herself into?! He told her not to get involved, and now look what happened!

---

Veronica Emily Davis, Rhea Harlow, Malik Jakane, & Makoto Koda.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

Dishonored - Aristocracy Suspense

---

New Raygate, Prince Ed-Field

The portal closed as the two Undertakers held Rhea at gunpoint.

Makoto was the only one holding the gun, but was taking it very lightly. Given that she was cracking jokes. "... Mi casa su casa... Pancake." Makoto continued to taunt her as she poked Rhea in the back with her gun, prompting her to move forward.

Upon exiting the portal, Rhea anxiously patted herself down. Her stomach held a sense of vertigo as, for a brief moment, the portal lacked any gravity. It felt like water if energy could behave as such. Thick, dry, and disorienting.

The smell of gasoline and tires caused Rhea’s eyes to glance about. There were vehicles lined up at the wall and a large metal door to the side. Eerie white lights in the ceiling barely cut into the shadows, casting a sinister glow. Rhea swallowed the lump in her throat.

Amidst the previous threats, she managed to heal the knife wounds in her legs. Her situation, though, remained dire. Makoto was quick to remind her who was in charge, prodding her with the gun.

Veronica just rolled her eyes as she gave Rhea her last warning. "... Better get chatty real fast," She twirling the knife around between her fingers. "Because if you don't... you're going to wish that we killed you."

To The Terror, Rhea gave a fervent nod. “I have full intention of cooperating, and I’ll tell you everything I know. But I, uh”—she grimaced—“need the restroom.”

"Well, we can't have you pissing yourself for when you meet the Black Hound in person," Veronica said, smiling as she waited for that "Oh crap" expression when she realises they're working with one of the most world renown terrorists on the planet. "So, we'll just haul your ass into a cell where you'll have everything you need until the Hound is ready for you."

Rhea's eyes widened. So it's true, then. The Founding Family, The Black Hound and that behemoth are connected. Despite the reassuring dream she had, her stomach twisted at the thought of seeing the masked terrorist face-to-face.

These girls were with the Black Hound? Malik thought to himself. They looked like soldiers, and they were women? The Black Hound must have some deep pockets, or something else must be going on. Either way, Malik has one chance, and one chance alone. It was his fault she got into this, and it's going to be him who gets her out of this. Either he saves Rhea, or die trying.

He quickly converted into his storm-form which was followed by raging winds and the sharp sound of a lightning strike.

"Huh?" Makoto said as she turned her head.

Malik flipped backwards from out of cover, creating raging winds so strong that it would knock anyone unprepared out of cover.

"Who the hell-" Veronica said as she covered her face. The winds were so loud that she couldn't hear herself think. "Sound the alarm!" Veronica said.

Makoto immediately aimed her weapon at Malik and cut loose with her MP5... but, the winds were so strong that the barrage of bullets was thrown off and hit the walls around Malik. "Shit!" Makoto said as she reached around her belt for another clip.

Malik would have pissed himself if he didn't do so before coming here. Because that barrage of bullets made him shriek in fear. He was safe, but he was going to make sure Rhea was out of here safe and sound. He stopped the storm and electricity sounded his hands as he fired two bolts of lightning from his hands that caused a flash of light before the deadly thunder-crash.

The one bolt of lightning hit one of the suspect delivery trucks, and the other slammed against the wall leaving a rather large scorch mark in the wall.

"Rhea, run!" Malik shouted.

Rhea shielded her eyes from the lightning flashes, seeing the shape of a figure down the hall. My God, why’s Malik here? She thought, horrified. These were the… the fiends who took his friend. And as The Terror confirmed, this was the home of The Black Hound.

At Malik’s command, Rhea moved to action. As Makoto was preoccupied filling Malik’s location with bullets, it was simple enough to gently remove her baton from the bag Makoto carried. She beelined to the garage door, slamming an industrial button. As the door slowly rolled open, she looked back. Malik was pinned behind his cover as Makoto and Veronica laid a ferocious assault. We're out of time. Reinforcements must be on their way. She flicked the baton to its full length, tensing as large bolts of light arced menacingly across her body. An intimidation tactic.

Rhea was largely ignored due to the exchange between Malik, Veronica, and Makoto. Veronica pulled a volley of throwing knives out of the concealed holster in her shirt, and pulled them out with telekinesis. She held them in between her fingers, while Malik was shooting lightning, Veronica threw the knives at Malik and propelled them with telekinesis. Malik surrounded himself in a bubble of spinning wind that launched most of them away....

... Except for the one that nailed Malik right in the side. He let out a loud groan and fell downwards onto the ground, as Veronica telekinetically willed her knives to float up into the air prepared to finish Malik off.

While Makoto was hauling ass to the alarm. She slammed the alarm button with an open palm and all the noise was drowned out by the sharp blaring of the alarm throughout the entire base.

There was almost enough space to crawl under the garage door. “Malik, come with me!” Rhea yelled.

Malik turned his head and saw that Rhea was opening the door. "Good girl!" Malik said. He hopped up to his feet and shot a raging wind in the direction of the knives which was enough to throw them away.

Veronica hissed through her teeth as she shouted, "Makoto!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Makoto said as she considered using her metal manipulating, but that would be Bond-villain levels of stupidity. She held the gun with both hands (she was out of ammo anyway), and was surrounded by a black smoke as she appeared in front of Rhea.

She tried to slam the butt of the gun right into her face to knock this bitch out before she even had a chance to use her power.

The moment Makoto disappeared, Rhea dove to the side and rolled to her feet. The gun missed her by inches. Rhea squinted her eyes at the masked lady as her palms slammed together, static spilling from the contact. A bright light, something with the intention of blinding, grew from her hands and shot off as a white bolt. In that moment, Rhea jumped at Makoto, baton swinging for the side of her head.

Makoto let out a groan of pain at not just the blinding light, but getting hit in the head after being stunned was no laughing matter. She fell to her hands, but was quick to teleport out of the way.

"Damn it, Makoto," Veronica hissed in the most bitter tone as she took her eyes off Malik, and raised her hands in the air, and sent the barrage of knives right for Rhea.

All while Malik was hauling ass across the room. He could hear the army running up!

Rhea saw the knives as they barreled toward her, spinning high in the air to attempt dodging them. Two knives were knocked away with her baton, and many others missed entirely. A few, however, changed their course slightly and found their target. Rhea collapsed, knives embedded in her legs and abdomen.

Thunderous footsteps could be heard down the hall. Backup's here... With a pained gasp, Rhea tore out the blades and crawled under the garage door. The wounds had a collection of white static sealing the surface areas, but the pain was almost unbearable.

Veronica was gathering all the knives that she could as she prepared for her retaliation.

But, with Rhea crawling away, it was time for Malik to make an exit. With a swipe of his leg, he shot a blast of wind that knocked back both Veronica and Makoto. And he wasn't done there. He pointed both hands at the controls, before he fired electricity at it which fried it.

Which should make their exit a lot easier.

Rolling underneath the garage door was easy for the parkour master, even without being assisted by wind! He turned his roll into an all out sprint until he caught up with Rhea.

"Hey!" Malik said as he ran alongside her. "You can thank me later... no really, I think they want to kill us!"

He looked behind him, and all he could see was flashlights that had to be attached to guns.

"Alright," Malik said. "Can you do that flashy light thing again? But bigger?" He asked.

“Malik,” Rhea said, stopping to view the reinforcements hot on their tracks. “I already owe you a million coffees. But yes, let’s make some fireworks.”

She winced, moving the hands that cradled her gut wound. Static pooled in her palms as she raised them toward the enemy. “Close your eyes,” she said as the light grew to a blinding amount, illuminating the structures around them as if it were day. With a crack, the bolt was loosed as the light drilled the reinforcement’s eyes.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Malik said as he slammed his eyes shut.

Immediately, Rhea’s head pounded with the beginnings of a migraine. Stars crossed her vision. She shook her head, hurt and disoriented.

It was up to Malik from here, he grabbed Rhea, and took to the skies as he used his wind powers to propel him far up into the sky as possible. He went fast enough to disappear into the buildings. He held onto Rhea tight.

"Hey..." Malik said. "... We're gonna make it."

Through the pain, Rhea managed a smile.

"...Thank you."

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

@tsukune
Poor Naoki. I really wanna punch that grannie in the face.