Muerte stared in utter fascination as his leg stitched itself back together and sealed seamlessly in seconds. He could feel the same thing happening to his shoulder. Before the green light had even faded he felt good as new. Woah! What I could do with power like that! He looked back up at her obviously impressed.
"Much appreciated...Cadence? I like that name. Cadence...her power is tied to her voice? The rhymes maybe? "Well now that I'm no longer a gimp, we should probably get out of here huh? Before more of them show up. Luckily, I've got us a ride." He gestured over his shoulder at his bike before holding out his hand to her to help her over the rubble in her path. With no small degree of charm he said, "Come on, lets go."
Muerte couldn't help it. She was attractive and fascinating...not to mention dangerous. Pulling spaceships from the sky, mending wounds in seconds, turning her enemies into stone...how could he NOT be at least a little interested? One could argue that in the middle of a warzone was hardly the place to flirt but it could also be said that there might not be a later opportunity for it. Besides, magic was literally his top weakness and he wanted very much to be on this woman's good side. What could she do to him if he pissed her off? Rip him limb from limb? Turn all his limbs into spiders? Make his brain blow up?! The possibilities were endless and he wasn't sure if he was more terrified or thrilled because of it.
@Perse --------- To his credit, Muerte did not visibly react to the sudden appearance of the green bubble around her. Internally however his mind had exploded in a sudden flurry of thoughts and theories ranging from alarm to intrigue. Shit, a magic user. That green light though... Where did I see it? That's right, the ship. If she did bring the ship down that puts her in the same sup category as Icon. Useful...but also potentially dangerous. Further information is needed.
As she spoke Muerte couldn't help but give a smile of his own under his mask. She's adorable. He lowered the rifle and took up a more relaxed pose. "Well we are in a warzone, and this ain't exactly my day job. It would be kind of a weird conversation over the water cooler if my coworkers saw me fighting off alien hordes," he said in a matter-of-fact way. "Though at this point I have no idea if I have any coworkers left, so it couldn't hurt to get another one. He extended a hand to her. "They call me Muerte. And since you are human AND ok, I could use some help getting these f*ckers out of my city. What do you s-?" He caught sudden movement outside the ship, another company of soldiers had just rounded the corner of the building and spotted him. "Get down!"
Muerte tackled her back to the ground as they opened fire, keeping her as flat to the floor as he could manage while energy bolts flew wildly overhead. As soon as there was a pause he said, "Excuse me, Ill be right back." He kipped up off of her then returned fire until his rifle ceased firing. He chucked it to the side and looked around for any other weapons. That's when he noticed that the hull of this ship had barely a scorch mark where they had been firing. Interesting. He ripped off a chunk of the hull, took a deep breath, then began running out towards them with his improvised tower shield. He could feel the bolts hitting the metal but was unhindered as he plowed into the first row of them. He kept going until he'd knocked his way through the whole rank then swung the hull around to whack several of them to the ground. They regrouped and turned their rifles on him, making him duck behind metal again, but in doing so turned their backs on the ship. A searing pain flared through him. Looking down he saw singed raw flesh on his thigh where he'd caught another bolt. Well that's not good. He peeked around and saw them starting to edge around him to flank him on either side. He waited until they fired to roll suddenly forward. Two of them shot each other and the rest missed. He sprang up and took out the rest of them with another sweep with the hull. Panting heavily he attempted to walk back to the ship but staggered on his wounded leg, feeling a turn of light-headedness. Muscular damage and shock, what a great combo...
@Perse --- Muerte pulled up to the wreck cautiously as he had seen movement in the area a few seconds before-hand. He parked his bike several feet away and approached the rest of the way on foot, raising the alien rifle as he got closer. It was then that he noticed the group of soldiers nearby. He fired on reflex, melting the target instantly, before realizing that they were not moving. He froze, as the reality of what he was staring at sunk in. He was staring at incredibly life-like statues of the invaders, immobilized mid-combat. Muerte stood there, dumbfounded for several seconds, as his brain tried to make sense of what had caused their making. It wasn't until he heard a noise behind him that he snapped out of his stupor. He wheeled around, rifle at the ready but this time he didn't fire immediately. He waited a few seconds before edging around the corner of the ship that had been sheared off in the crash landing. He was taken aback by the sight of a very human-looking woman laying in a heap inside. He hesitated, considering the possibilities before his curiosity got the better of him. He hid his Latino accent as he called out to her, rifle still raised. "I've got two questions for you: Are you human? And are you ok? And don't worry, I'm not going to shoot you if you say no to the first question."
Jackie's hands shook slightly as she hung up the phone in her small Chinatown apartment. One of her girls had just called her to inform her that a man had stopped by The Parlor looking for her. They had tried to lead him off but he'd threatened to get rough. When they told him she wasn't there he'd simply nodded and left. He obviously wasn't selling girlscout cookies, but he hadn't asked where she was. Being so long in the biz, Jackie had some idea why: he already knew where to find her. Cussing under her breath she snapped into action; lighting a cigarette, sticking it between her lips, and then retrieving the gun from her purse and placing it in her pants instead. While she ran around puffing and swearing, her eyes kept glancing over the small metallic communicator Al had given her a few months back but refused to pick it up.
She knew that pressing the small red button on the side would have him running to her faster than flies to a cow pie on a hot desert day. Even after she broken up with him he was still at her beckon call and she f*cking hated it; however today she may not have a choice. If the guy was a sup it wasn't a guarantee that her gun would be enough. That and there were still these god damned aliens all over the place too. Getting to Jesus's would be tricky to say the least, and that was IF she was going to go there anyway. How DARE that motherf*cker tell her to get to safety while he gallivants around like Mexican Batman?! She finished and ashed her smoke in the tray on the table before scooping up her bag she'd just finished throwing together. She hesitated, then snatched up the communicator and went to the door. She peered through the peephole to check if the coast was clear and froze as she saw a man enter the hallway.
"Seems to be a lot of folks 'on business' as of late." said Maverick taking another pull from his beer.
"Especially Sen`ora Hawkins. She's popular as of late...but curiously absent." Alejandro sipped his beer casually before adding, "Would it have anything to do with a certain stranger's recent visit the area?"
"You wouldn't happen to know the nature of said stranger's visit would you? Or why its caused such a stir?"
Alejandro flashed a playful grin as he watched for Waylon's reaction while Maverick looked on more seriously. Apparently the two weren't here purely for pleasure either. Negan often sent his kids out to get updates on what was happening in town, though not everyone was aware of it. Alejandro was a mastermind when it came to getting information out of people even if it was by just reading how a person reacted to his words. Most folks weren't even aware he was doing it. Alejandro knew that Waylon was too sharp for such games, but it didn't stop him from playing them anyway. Maverick on the other hand was more level-headed and direct. His role was often to keep his siblings in check and make sure nothing got out of hand.
Before Waylon could answer however a sudden raised voice cut through the bar. "I said move it Kim-chi! We needs this table here!"
"It's Ja-Ki," came the icy reply, only audible because the entire bar had fallen silent, "and there are other tables."
"You really gonna sit there and take a whole table to yer lonesome and make us take sommit smaller? You ain't even drinking proper!"
"Alejandro, ve a ayudar a nuestra hermana," came Maverick's calm voice though he'd switched to Spanish.
"Ella puede cuidarse sola," whined Alejandro with an eye roll.
"Papá dijo que no hay problema." Maverick's voice had gained a bite to it, and by now Ja-Ki had removed her sunglasses to glare daggers at the man yelling at her. "Date prisa, antes de que mate a ese hijo de puta."
Alejandro clicked his tongue in disgust before standing up. "Perra se lo merecería," he muttered before striding over to the tense conversation. "Gentleman!" he said jovially, "What do you mean by causing such a scene in Sen`ora Hawkins' establishment? I know she is not here, but surely your respect for her extends even when you don't see her." "What do you-?" spluttered the man, taken aback by the suddenly appearance of a man a foot taller than him. "What would she say if she saw you talking such a way to a paying customer of hers? Tsk Tsk." "We didn't mean no disrespect to Hawkins," said one of the men hastily, "we were just-" "Buena! I would hate to have to tell her that there was a ruckus while she was gone. Here, let us show our respect with more beers eh? Vamanos! A round for our Lady of Liquor!"
He rapidly shuffled the men quickly to the bar. Ja-Ki wasted no time gathering her pen, book, and lemonade before stealthing her way out of the bar without even setting the bell off. As soon as regular chatter resumed Maverick resumed talking with Waylon. "So...is there something going on that Papa should be aware of?"
Muerte's attention was wrenched from the sky as a distant explosion broke through the chaos around him. It seemed to have come from somewhere on the edge of the city and he could now see the pillar of smoke rising into the sky. A building? No...the smoke wasn't the right color. He cursed to himself and started running back to his bike.
"Jesus? What the hell was that?" he panted out as he ran.
"The Sicily Bridge just...exploded!" came the shaky reply, "but I couldn't see any alien activity.
"Who the hell blows up a bridge in the middle of an alien invasion that's not an alien?!" Muerte's voice was exasperated as he finally got to his bike and mounted it.
He looked back up to the sky, trying to find the other meta he had seen before but at that moment a few of the fighter jets swept through overhead, firing several bursts of energy blasts at the ground. He narrowly avoided getting hit by diving out of the way, bike and all, and crashed through a nearby store window. An alarm blared from inside the place as Muerte picked himself up and brushed broken glass from his jacket. Grumbling to himself he stepped over his bike back out to the street and pointed the rifle skyward. He waited and sure enough they made another pass. He fired a series of rapid shots and had the satisfaction of seeing two of the crafts teeter and start falling erratically to the ground. He quickly picked up his bike and ran across the street into an alleyway. Seconds later the aliens made another sweep and obliterated the store where he had just been. Close call... Muerte waited for round three but they didn't make another pass. He breathed out a sigh of relief and rested against the alley wall while he tried to think of what to do next.
"Jesus, try to get into contact with any metas in the area. If we're going to be any good against these guys, we need to coordinate."
"I'll try..." Jesus said in a small voice.
"Let me know what you find."
Muerte turned his attention to his bike to check for damage. It definitely needed some cosmetic work but seemed structurally sound. He checked the sky once more before starting his bike and riding off to find one of the downed crafts. He was not going to pass up the opportunity see see an actual extra-terrestrial organism up close. That and if he could figure out anything about the aliens that might give them an advantage, it was worth at least taking a look.
The bell on the door tinkled once more as two young men and a young woman entered the bar. The first one to enter was Maverick Grange, a 5'11 mulatto beau with long lashes and hazel eyes. His grease-stained coveralls were pulled down off his arms and the sleeves tied around his waist with a t-shirt over his chest. Behind him was his monster of a brother Alejandro, standing at 6'2", with his dark hair, mischievous eyes, and charming smile. A black tank top stretched over his barrel chest and military fatigues hung low about his waist. Finally, almost entirely obscured by her brother's imposing size, a petite Asian woman with long black hair: Ja-Ki Grange. She was sporting Daisy Dukes, a lightly frilled top, and aviator sunglasses which hid most of her Korean features.
Several bar patrons turned to look and grew quiet for a few moments before hastily turning back to their conversations. It usually wasn't good news when the Granges came to town. Veteran of three wars, hitman, and smuggler, Old Man Negan Grange was as reclusive and dangerous as a 50-year-old gator; his children were only slightly less so and everyone knew it. Reputation aside the biggest conflict that inevitably arose around them was that only one of the Grange children, 17-year-old Kimber, was white. Her parents, a doctor and nurse, had died in Vietnam. Alejandro and Ja-Ki had been born in Mexico and South Korea respectively, but had grown up in the States. Maverick however, was the one who attracted the most ire. To strangers, he could easily pass as simply being tan, but anyone who knew his mother knew otherwise. Lucile Grange was a proud black Creole woman, Negan was a home grown Alabama boy, and Maverick was their mixed race son. Not everyone got into his face about it, but he did make most people uncomfortable.
The three of them went up to the bar, ignoring the eyes on their backs. Ja-Ki came away with a lemonade and made her way to a table in the back. She was the most self-conscious of all her siblings and spent little time actually interacting with most folks except to interview them for articles in the local paper. She took out a pad of paper and a pen before starting to scribble quietly upon it. Her two brothers, who were not shy at all about their skin tones, lingered to chat up the barkeep a bit before picking up their beers and scanning the room for their sister. Alejandro spotted Waylon Myers sitting alone and elbowed Maverick who turned and grinned. The pair immediately made their way over, dragging up chairs to sit near the table. The two were the only members of the Grange family who even attended church, but it didn't appear to be out of faith. Virtually every time they showed up they stayed behind to drill the poor pastor on discrepancies in the Scripture or have extended theological debates. They also seemed to be very fond of Waylon, or at least fond of annoying him, and took every opportunity to talk with him.
"Hola Sen`or Myers," said Alejandro in his Latino tenor. He placed his chair backwards to the table and straddled it, leaning on its back.
"How are you?" finished Maverick, leaning back in his chair and taking a swig out of his beer.
Their two faces spread into identical wolfish grins as they waited his response.
Name: Negan Grange. Most just call him Grange or Old Man Grange; to some white folks in Louisiana he's called the Butcher, black folks there call him Nero (hero in Creole)
Appearance:
Speech color: Blue
Age: 46
Occupation/ Cover: Brewer (Rum)
Racket: protection, smuggling, assassinations, intimidation, etc. If there's something you need done, you don't really care how, and can pay the right price, Negan will get it done. Man, woman, elderly, single, married, black, white...he doesn't discriminate. He only has one rule: no kids. Asking him to hurt a kid is liable to get you killed yourself.
Public Goals: Wants to enjoy retirement with his wife and do right by his kids. His family is his life.
Private Goals: Negan will never actually retire. He enjoys...no thrives on being in the life. The harder the challenge the more he enjoys it. A year that goes by where he hasn't killed anyone or been in some sort of close call with the police he considers a boring one. He does still care about his family though, and he wont let anything happen to them. Everything he earns or steals goes to giving them a better life.
-Lucile Grange: wife, Voodoo Queen, midwife, and herbalist (speech color is Red)
-Maverick Grange: first-born son, trouble-maker, master strategist, and mechanic (speech color is Purple)
-Alejandro Grange: adopted son, partner in crime, smooth talker, and chemist (speech color is Green)
-Ja-Ki Grange: adopted daughter, level-headed one, master thief, and writer (speech color is Pink)
-Kimber Grange: adopted daughter, rebel, hunter, and hound breeder (speech color is Orange)
Personal History: He was born in 1926 in Alabama to well off white parents. They were good Christian folks to the community but radical and disciplinarian in the home. Negan rebelled against everything they stood for in any way he could: skipped school and church, ran around with poor and colored kids, vandalized, smoked, drank, stole then resold valuables, etc. As a result he was often subject to beatings, intense bible study sessions, and long periods of being locked in his room to “exorcise the devil out of him” but it only made things worse. In 1942 he finally ran away from home to join the army. Although he was only 16, he managed to slip in and was soon on the field if WWII.
Negan thrived in the chaos of war and quickly developed quite a reputation for using insane tactics but succeeding anyway, quickly rising through the ranks. When the war ended (a little too soon for Negan) he had the rank of SGT. When he was sent back to the states he didn't bother returning to his parents and instead landed in New Orleans. That is where he met Lucile, a beautiful, black, Creole girl of 17. She was a well respected voodoo priestess, medicine woman, and midwife in the black community but had many wealthy white clients as well. She happened to be invited to a military social that Negan was attending. The two fell madly in love and spent the next several months in wild passion.
When they found out that she was pregnant, Negan finally went home to inform his parents that they were going to be grandparents. That's when he found out that his mother had died of illness two years after he had left and his father had become even more radical in his faith. His father informed the local K.K.K of their union then lured his son away on the pretext of making amends. Negan figured out that there was something wrong however and forced the truth out of him. Negan raced to the meeting place and killed all twelve klan members using two six-shooters before they could hurt Lucile. He then went back to his father and beat him to death with a baseball bat. They fled to Mexico before the authorities could be informed.
Their son Maverick was born in a quiet Mexican village, and although he was in perfect health the birth had taken quite a toll on his mother. She lived, but became barren afterwards. To help support his family Negan got involved with the local cartel where the work was risky but paid well. Their neighbors were decent folk with a son of their own son, Alejandro, who was a year younger than Maverick. When the boys were 2 and 3, Alejandro's dad ran afoul of a rival cartel and they shot up the house in retaliation. Only Alejandro, shielded by his mother's body, had survived. Lucile rescued the blood-splattered toddler from the house while Negan tracked down the men who did it and killed them.
While no one took specific exception to Negan's actions, cartel activity did escalated in the area. The couple decided to take both boys back to the States but got caught at the border. Using his previous rank in the military Negan was able to barter a deal with the authorities. He agreed to fight in the Korean War that had just started in exchange for the safety of his family. Since the battle had happened so quickly and wasn't looking good they agreed. Negan was flown overseas once more while his family was kept on a military base. While there he met a woman who had given him shelter and treatment when a bullet wound took him down. They became good friends while he recovered, but she died in a surprise strike from enemy forces. She left behind a baby girl named Ja-Ki, who Negan took in and protected until the war's end. When his term was served he ducked the officers intending on taking him into custody as soon as they touched down on U.S. Soil and snuck the rest of his family out in the night.
The family settled in O'Connor county where they built a house in the quiet backwaters. With Negan's record they had to do so very carefully, keeping as much to themselves as possible. It was difficult at first but they managed to make a living for themselves. Eventually though Negan sought a way to reintegrate into society. When the Vietnam War started he saw an opportunity to do just that. Once again he cut a deal, 2 years in combat in exchange for a clean state. Since there was a lack in volunteers, an excess in draft dodgers, and his reputation proceeded him they agreed.
While there he met a doctor and his nurse wife. They had just had a child, Kimber, the year before but both had decided they were needed to preserve lives, whichever side they fell on. They were both killed in action. After his term was over Negan went to check on their daughter, who they had left with her aunt, only to find that the child was being neglected and abused. After threatening the aunt with pain and/or death if she ever went to the police, he took the little girl with him back home.
With his record now clean, he settled into his life with his wife and four children. They started a sugar cane farm and began making their own rum. Negan also took underhand work and quickly secured himself a position of respect and notoriety among the mobsters. He sent his two boys to college at the University of Mississippi in '65, then his oldest girl Ja-Ki in '69.
Maverick and Alejandro got degrees in engineering and chemistry, which jump-started their rum production. Ja-Ki got a degree in journalism and now writes articles for the local paper. Kim, who is still a year off from being given the option, raises hound dogs and sells them to locals for money. Negan himself is scarcely seen unless he's on a job. His wife goes into town once a month for certain groceries but otherwise isn't seen, at least by white folks. She's active in the black community and often makes well-fare checks on elderly members.
Name: Negan Grange. Most just call him Grange or Old Man Grange; to some white folks in Louisiana he's called the Butcher, black folks there call him Nero (hero in Creole)
Appearance:
Speech color: Blue
Age: 46
Occupation/ Cover: Brewer (Rum)
Racket: protection, smuggling, assassinations, intimidation, etc. If there's something you need done, you don't really care how, and can pay the right price, Negan will get it done. Man, woman, elderly, single, married, black, white...he doesn't discriminate. He only has one rule: no kids. Asking him to hurt a kid is liable to get you killed yourself.
Public Goals: Wants to enjoy retirement with his wife and do right by his kids. His family is his life.
Private Goals: Negan will never actually retire. He enjoys...no thrives on being in the life. The harder the challenge the more he enjoys it. A year that goes by where he hasn't killed anyone or been in some sort of close call with the police he considers a boring one. He does still care about his family though, and he wont let anything happen to them. Everything he earns or steals goes to giving them a better life.
-Lucile Grange: wife, Voodoo Queen, midwife, and herbalist (speech color is Red)
-Maverick Grange: first-born son, trouble-maker, master strategist, and mechanic (speech color is Purple)
-Alejandro Grange: adopted son, partner in crime, smooth talker, and chemist (speech color is Green)
-Ja-Ki Grange: adopted daughter, level-headed one, master thief, and writer (speech color is Pink)
-Kimber Grange: adopted daughter, rebel, hunter, and hound breeder (speech color is Orange)
Personal History: He was born in 1926 in Alabama to well off white parents. They were good Christian folks to the community but radical and disciplinarian in the home. Negan rebelled against everything they stood for in any way he could: skipped school and church, ran around with poor and colored kids, vandalized, smoked, drank, stole then resold valuables, etc. As a result he was often subject to beatings, intense bible study sessions, and long periods of being locked in his room to “exorcise the devil out of him” but it only made things worse. In 1942 he finally ran away from home to join the army. Although he was only 16, he managed to slip in and was soon on the field if WWII.
Negan thrived in the chaos of war and quickly developed quite a reputation for using insane tactics but succeeding anyway, quickly rising through the ranks. When the war ended (a little too soon for Negan) he had the rank of SGT. When he was sent back to the states he didn't bother returning to his parents and instead landed in New Orleans. That is where he met Lucile, a beautiful, black, Creole girl of 17. She was a well respected voodoo priestess, medicine woman, and midwife in the black community but had many wealthy white clients as well. She happened to be invited to a military social that Negan was attending. The two fell madly in love and spent the next several months in wild passion.
When they found out that she was pregnant, Negan finally went home to inform his parents that they were going to be grandparents. That's when he found out that his mother had died of illness two years after he had left and his father had become even more radical in his faith. His father informed the local K.K.K of their union then lured his son away on the pretext of making amends. Negan figured out that there was something wrong however and forced the truth out of him. Negan raced to the meeting place and killed all twelve klan members using two six-shooters before they could hurt Lucile. He then went back to his father and beat him to death with a baseball bat. They fled to Mexico before the authorities could be informed.
Their son Maverick was born in a quiet Mexican village, and although he was in perfect health the birth had taken quite a toll on his mother. She lived, but became barren afterwards. To help support his family Negan got involved with the local cartel where the work was risky but paid well. Their neighbors were decent folk with a son of their own son, Alejandro, who was a year younger than Maverick. When the boys were 2 and 3, Alejandro's dad ran afoul of a rival cartel and they shot up the house in retaliation. Only Alejandro, shielded by his mother's body, had survived. Lucile rescued the blood-splattered toddler from the house while Negan tracked down the men who did it and killed them.
While no one took specific exception to Negan's actions, cartel activity did escalated in the area. The couple decided to take both boys back to the States but got caught at the border. Using his previous rank in the military Negan was able to barter a deal with the authorities. He agreed to fight in the Korean War that had just started in exchange for the safety of his family. Since the battle had happened so quickly and wasn't looking good they agreed. Negan was flown overseas once more while his family was kept on a military base. While there he met a woman who had given him shelter and treatment when a bullet wound took him down. They became good friends while he recovered, but she died in a surprise strike from enemy forces. She left behind a baby girl named Ja-Ki, who Negan took in and protected until the war's end. When his term was served he ducked the officers intending on taking him into custody as soon as they touched down on U.S. Soil and snuck the rest of his family out in the night.
The family settled in O'Connor county where they built a house in the quiet backwaters. With Negan's record they had to do so very carefully, keeping as much to themselves as possible. It was difficult at first but they managed to make a living for themselves. Eventually though Negan sought a way to reintegrate into society. When the Vietnam War started he saw an opportunity to do just that. Once again he cut a deal, 2 years in combat in exchange for a clean state. Since there was a lack in volunteers, an excess in draft dodgers, and his reputation proceeded him they agreed.
While there he met a doctor and his nurse wife. They had just had a child, Kimber, the year before but both had decided they were needed to preserve lives, whichever side they fell on. They were both killed in action. After his term was over Negan went to check on their daughter, who they had left with her aunt, only to find that the child was being neglected and abused. After threatening the aunt with pain and/or death if she ever went to the police, he took the little girl with him back home.
With his record now clean, he settled into his life with his wife and four children. They started a sugar cane farm and began making their own rum. Negan also took underhand work and quickly secured himself a position of respect and notoriety among the mobsters. He sent his two boys to college at the University of Mississippi in '65, then his oldest girl Ja-Ki in '69.
Maverick and Alejandro got degrees in engineering and chemistry, which jump-started their rum production. Ja-Ki got a degree in journalism and now writes articles for the local paper. Kim, who is still a year off from being given the option, raises hound dogs and sells them to locals for money. Negan himself is scarcely seen unless he's on a job. His wife goes into town once a month for certain groceries but otherwise isn't seen, at least by white folks. She's active in the black community and often makes well-fare checks on elderly members.
blindwoofer
Blizz
