Spoopy Scary

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

Well.

That was certainly a time-consuming collaboration. I hope it's as fun to read as it was for me to write.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

The Dreadnaughts, Sulfur, the Agents of NEST, and Lihua Vuhong

_{by @Spoopy Scary and @Mr Allen J}

---

"Alright, just give it up already, Sulfur," The NEST interrogator, a middle-aged Caucasian man clad in a black pinstripe suit, and a had on a slicked back head of hair. "Just tell us where Khan and the rest of your Fiends are, you're already looking at a lifetime in prison."

Sulfur just kept her mouth shut. Her head firmly turned away from the man - which was rather uncomfortable with the power suppressant collar on her neck.

"... Just fuck off already. I told ya', I'm not telling you NEST fucks shit." Sulfur just dismissively said to the NEST Agent. It ain't like telling them anything would help her. Just like this fool said, a lifetime of prison... and there's no way in hell that Khan would let her stay in here. So she had little reason to tell them what little she knew.

It went back and fourth from there with little progress.

---

It wasn't a long trip to the NEST Headquarters from the Sunny Delights Cafe. It took Lihua, factoring out the traffic, around ten minutes to get there. She stepped through the front doors of the building with Baron trailing behind... and immediately wished that she had time to head back and put on a suit. This dress ruined her professional visage! Hopefully, anyone at NEST wouldn't notice. Now, the first thing in Lihua's path was the metal detector (which doubles as a Metahuman detector). This was simple; she reached into her purse, and put her NEST ID into the machine, and a green light appeared that allowed her to simply walk in (despite the fact that she had a firearm in her purse). Baron watched her throughout the process, and determined it was wisest to stick closely to her following the green light, as to prevent causing a ruckus himself.

"Looks like you're finally here." Washe grumbled. He was already sitting comfortably on one the chairs in the lobby, though Grit was nowhere in sight.

"There was traffic, but we made good time all things considered." Baron answered.

[i]'Now, if they had captured a high profile target, the first place they'd take me is the interrogation room - while the capturing Agents should be filing out processing paperwork.' Lihua thought. That's where she needs to be. She hasn't personally participated in any interrogations (There was no need up until now), but that doesn't mean she'll miss out on any vital information that Sulfur may blurt out. Lihua started making her way to the interrogation room. Though, she felt that she should change into a suit first... she wondered if there was any time.

"You might wanna get in there yourself," Washe added, "the dumb ass there now ain't getting shit. Hope he di'n't tighten the lid for ya too much."

"Loud and clear." Baron responded, then began to follow Lihua through the building, hoping for her to lead him straight to the Fiend that Washe and Grit had apprehended. 'Sulfur, was it? Let's hope, indeed...'

When the pair had finally reached the room and faced the tinted windows, he saw Sulfur sitting indignantly in her chair, and the interrogater was standing up with his hands on the table, hunched over, and getting right in his victim's face. Baron sighed and prepared two cups of coffee. 'Ideally, I might prepare baba ganoush to share, but we're a little short on time.'

He turned around to face Lihua with an odd mixture of a smile and irritability. "Alright, get that man out of there. I'll be taking over."

"Gladly," Lihua said. She doubt this fool would make any real progress anytime soon, so how about they try something... different? Lihua simply pulled out her communicator from her purse, and slid it into her ear. Hm... NEST's interrogator for today is Agent Roberts, right? Well, doesn't matter if she's wrong.

"Agent Roberts," Lihua started, putting her fingers to her communicator, "Your services are no longer necessary, someone else will be taking over."

Agent Roberts, the interrogator, nodded his head, saying a few passing words to Sulfur before walking out.

"Hmph, I hope she knows something...." Lihua muttered under her breath. She wished they didn't kill Long Dragon now. They could have gotten something out of him alive at least. If she gets something that pertains to her investigation; that would be great - but unlikely, because she's a god damn meth head.

"Your turn, Baron." Lihua said.

Baron smirked at Lihua as she muttered to herself. "I know what you're thinking. You wished we had someone more useful than her? Dragon wasn't too bright a fellow, from what I could get. Doubt he'd have been much better. Sulfur's our best bet. She at least seems... more sober."

"I guess you're right..." Lihua replied. "I doubt that we'll be able to get another lieutenant after they catch word of this, so I guess we'll have to make due." She quietly mused.

He nodded to the interrogator who walked out of the room - noting the alarming similarity in their dressware and hairstyle. He faced her again with a reassuring smile, "If all goes according to Caesar's gamble, we won't need another lieutenant. Anyways... wish me luck!"

Oh God.... Lihua thought to herself. What is that man up to?

Without further ado, Baron hobbled off and pushed against the door with his back, having both his hands occupied with the cups of coffee. He turned around, meeting Sulfur's bitter expression with a friendly smile. "Don't you worry, we might look similar, but that guy is just trying to copy my style." He joked. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery though, eh?"

"Go fuck off." Sulfur immediately said. "You think you'll get something out of me where he fucked up? Good fucking luck."

"Hey, if nothing else, even your respect would be enough for me." Baron admitted. He set the cups of coffee down on the table. One on his end, and one on Sulfur's. "Like I insinuated before, pay no heed to, uh... agent... Roberts, was it? I'm the real deal."

He looked at the collar on Sulfur's neck for a brief moment, his arms crossed and one hand pinching the skin on the bottom of his chin. His eyes were narrowed on her in thought.

"Good God, that looks uncomfortable." Baron remarked. He turned around to face the windows. "Excuse me, does anyone here have a key for this thing? It's a real eyesore. Let's get her out of there."

Immediately Lihua's fingers went to her earpiece. "Are you insane? She'll gas the whole building!" Maybe she was underreacting, or this was apart of Baron's plan. Even the bitterness in Sulfur's face was replaced with surprise.

"If you're going to bring dangerous metahumans into your headquarters, I suspect this place will be made of some kind of meta-proof material and be locked down tighter than a nun's chastity belt. If you're worried about me, don't! I'll be fine, I promise."

A joke that crass was usually beneath Baron. It was more for Sulfur's entertainment than anything else.

This could easily end badly. Baron was correct (It was more of Lihua's shock at the insanity of Baron's request). Yet, she was more worried about him than the rest of the base. Far as she could tell, he didn't have an immunity to poisonous gas. All that'd happen is that he'd choke to death, and Lihua would be sadden by his loss... then realize that she's stuck with the other two.

Though, it was against all logic, Lihua was going to give Baron the benefit of the doubt. The room was concrete, and she'd make sure that Sulfur doesn't get out.

With a nod of her head, she reached into a desk, and pulled out the key to Sulfur's collar. She, hesitantly, walked over to the door, and held the key out for Baron to grab (because like hell if she's going to stick around in the room when he unlocks it). Hopefully, this won't backfire on her. She handed it to him, and said,

"Here you go." Lihua pulled her way back into the room, and closed it behind her. Quickly skipping back into the room behind the mirror. Just waiting to see what Baron has planned.

Baron gladly took the key from Lihua with a wink of his eye. He turned back around and smiled at Sulfur. He paced over, not making any effort to hide his bad leg, and grabbed his coffee. Then he moved at the same pace to move behind Sulfur. He took a sip of his coffee - "ugh, damn, I never did like office coffee" - and calmly inserted the key into the keyhole of Sulfur's collar and turned it until he heard the click.

"Now--"

"... You FUCKING IDIOT!" Sulfur triumphantly shouted, as she immediately created her sludge, and started tossing it all over the room. The first thing to get dissolved was the metal of the table in front of her, and her cuffs. Quickly filling the room with yellow gas, and laughing like a maniac as it did. Because she was immune to it's effects, Baron, was not.

"Baron! Baron!" Lihua shouted into the comms as the room filled with the toxic gas. She knew it was a bad idea! Baron would certainly die in there. Before the room became fully engulfed, Lihua slammed her foot onto the ground, and pulled her arms back as if she was grabbing something. Spikes of concrete were summoned to make the door all but unexitable, as a effort to keep Sulfur in (She was sure that Baron was dead by now). Her skin died, and formed small, superficial cuts, that bled.

Baron clutched his face and squeezed his eyes as he tried to avert himself from the gas, doing all that he can to keep himself from breathing the gas - until he remembered a very crucial fact about himself. 'Old habits die hard...' He mused, though honestly surprised that he wasn't dead by now. He hesitantly let go of his face, and slowly took in a deep breath of air into his lungs.

"You know..." He started saying. He waved his hand through the air, the yellow gas dissipating and deconstructing when it came within a couple inches of his body. "I'm still not used to this. This, uh... power of mine. It's still quite new to me."

The air around him began to clear. He and even his suit appeared perfectly intact without a mark - save for his trousers, with a couple drops of coffee stains. The mug he held was melted away, except for the handle that he was still holding with his two fingers and thumb.

".... Huh?" Lihua was, equally, surprised to see that Baron was still alive, without a scratch on him. What was more surprising was that he has a power.

"... The fuck?!" Sulfur said to herself, raising an eyebrow. How the fuck did this fucknugget survive?! No one survived Sulfur's gas! "How the- Know what, fuck you, I'm out!"

Sulfur shouted, before turning to the door, and running towards it, only to be stopped when she realized that it was blocked off by concrete spikes. There was no way to get through without breaking every bone in her body.

"Fuck." She hissed to herself.

"... You planned this all along, didn't you, Baron?" Lihua slyly asked. A clever plan, she figured that he wanted to unnerve her. Make her face an opponent her tricks would do nothing to. With someone who relies on their power, and their power alone, this would be hell. Personally, Lihua would show her that, even with Sulfur power, she's hopeless against her.

Baron frowned at the table, which had most of it melted away. He faced Sulfur again with a similar look. "Look, I only wanted to talk to you. You didn't have to go and ruin the coffee I gave you."

He looked at his own cup, completely devastated. Looking down around him, he noticed drops of coffee had landed on his trousers, and he frowned once more.

"Damn it. If it's any consolation, you did inadvertently ruin my pants."

"I..." Sulfur was taking steps back, until all that was behind her was the concrete walls of the interrogation room. She had her back against the wall, figuratively. Trapped in a room with this bastard, and even if she does get out, she'll have to fight her way through hundreds of Agents.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything." Baron assured calmly. "Call me Lucifer, if you will. Lucy is fine, if you'd prefer that."

"... I'd rather call you bastard." She was quick to spit out.

"Oh, I should try that call-sign some time!" Baron laughed. "I might be able to get a couple of laughs among the crew. Lighten the mood a bit on those dreary missions. Go ahead if you want to."

Sulfur stayed silent. Something was off here. Maybe that last bastard was here to make her cocky. "What the fuck do you want, already? Stop trying to play games."

Baron smiled. Sulfur was getting to the point. Now he could finally get to business with her. "If this is gonna take a while, we might as well have a seat."

Baron leaned his back against the wall perpendicular with the wall Sulfur was leaning against, and slid down until his butt touched the ground. He'd have more difficulty with this than Sulfur would. Right about now, he really wished that the Fiend hadn't melted down the chairs. He did nothing but stare at her until she would finally follow suit.

Well, this sucks. Not only is she trapped in here with this creepy bastard, but now he keeps trying to play friendly with her. It's a trick, she knew it. No one in this world wants to be her friend other than Khan. However, all she did was quietly sit down, and kept her eyes forward.

"We both know why I'm here." Baron started. "So I'm not gonna waste time asking you things like what your favorite color is, or what kind of food you like... though I was thinking of introducing you to baba ganoush earlier, if you're interested in that sort of thing. I wasn't gonna wait for Roberts to ruin your mood any more than it already is.

"To the point, then... what's your motivation?" Baron finally asked.

"For what? I got a lot of fucking reasons for doing what I do," Sulfur started off. "Like, I only murked those cops because you fucks killed Long Dragon." When she said "you fucks", she meant the law enforcement in general.

"For being a Fiend. Following Khan. And allow me to apologize on behalf of the VPD's twitchy trigger finger."

"Ptttttf...." Sulfur moaned, "'Cause I ain't got nobody else. I was just a random fucking druggie before I met her, and we tore up Union-Point until we assembled the Fiends. Does that answer your question?"

"Until you met her - Khan, right? What were you then? What changed?"

"Someone to fear. This city finally started paying attention - they knew that I wasn't just some drug addict they could forget about, I was one that'd kick their teeth in, and let the rest of the boys tear apart their homes and families."

Baron sighed. "I asked that because a little while ago I remembered one client I had some time ago. A boy named Justin, he came looking for therapy, or someone to listen to him. You see, this boy - he just became an adult - he was a child of two divorcees. A hyper-relaxed mother and a strict, micromanaging father. He was juggled between the two for a while. He had the option of choosing who would be his primary caretaker. Imagine the turmoil of that decision, choosing between your parents.

"Although his mother gave him zero support in any of his decisions, ideas, or thoughts, he still chose her. Her over his strict father, who still tried his best to help Justin. It's because of how human nature works. He could have lived with his father and have a secure life, but have every inch of it being controlled by him. Or with his mother, where he could have freedom, but free-fall through life. The idea of suffering through freedom is more appealing than a life in a cage. For us to choose inversely requires an immense measure of motivation, to bear all that weight just to find what we're looking for."

Baron scratched his head. "I can't believe I forgot where I was going with this. Anyway, do you connect with any of this? Any memories?"

Sulfur groaned... because he did have a bit of a point, he certainly knows exactly what to say. "... Yes." She begrudgingly said.

Baron's eyes lit up as he caught himself back on track, and met Sulfur with a soft expression. "Khan doesn't seem like the type of woman that keeps her people on a long leash. What motivation is it that keeps you working under Khan?"

"'Cause," Sulfur started, looking away from Baron. "I belong in the Fiends, there's no where else for me. Because, after all the shit I did, they aren't going to welcome me with open arms."

"Khan is like the mother to your family."

"... You could say that." Sulfur said.

'That's good. Then perhaps Isaiah's gamble might pay off.' Baron thought. "So the notorious Fiends had humble beginnings. A little family. That's pretty endearing. What happened that it evolved from the little family it was before... to the Fiends that attacked the festival? You mentioned you became something to fear, was it because of anger?"

"I don't know much... you're better off asking Travis, or Long Dragon if you hadn't killed him," Sulfur was quick to remind Baron of her displeasure. "But, there's these people... I don't know who the hell they are, but they give us the mutagen. They gave us lots of drugs, and weapons, too, if we kept using the Mutagen. That's how we kept getting bigger and bigger, more people got hooked on our drugs until we had ourselves a little empire."

She started off her story. "Out of nowhere, they told us that we'd get a big reward if we sent some men to attack the Festival while they did business. I wasn't at the festival, they made us pick up the reward at the docks."

The sound of big, heavy footsteps came from behind Lihua as she faced the glass. Washe's familiar gruff voice spoke up, "So? How's he doin' in there?"

Washe certainly broke her focus - as before she intently watching the scene, letting Baron do his job. A hand on her chin. Now, she can understand why they sent him. Lihua kept her eyes on the scene - not even turning to face Ceasar.

"He's getting her to talk. She's telling him some useful information." She said, focused on watching.

What she wanted to know was, who are these people? Well, Sulfur said that she didn't know, but she did say that Big Dong would. She doubted if she could hunt down Big Dong (if he hasn't left the city altogether).

There was a question she had. Lihua put her fingers on her earpiece yet again, and asked, "Baron, can you ask her if there's a place where they pick up what she just mentioned?"

Fifty-fifty that "she didn't know", but it never hurts to ask.

"Don't bother." Washe commented. "He ain't the type of guy to take suggestions. He might get to that eventually, but he has his own way of askin' questions... besides, a blatant interrogation question would probably give him away jus' like that." Washe snapped his fingers.

"Hmph." Lihua only offhandedly said, before going back to the scene.

Baron continued. "A reward?" He asked. "How big of a reward would that have to be? Attacking the festival is an awfully bold move."

"... A lot of power-granting serum." Sulfur just said. "Don't know what Khan's going to do with it, but she has a lot." Before going quiet.

"... Wait, what." Lihua said off the comms, her eyes were wide, and she put her hands on her desk in front of her, resisting the urge to ask Baron a bunch of - ultimately stupid - questions to ask. The Fiends, of all people, just get the ability to give people powers just like that? Who in God's name are they friends with?

Baron shared a look of surprise very similar to Lihua's. "Power-granting serums? Just how big of an organization do you need to be to develop that sort of drug?"

"Yeah, you just drink it, and you get a power," Sulfur started off. "We've been buying it from them for years now, selling them to rich fucks in Turtle-Creek, and whoever the hell else has the money to buy them. Now, we got the motherload."

She took in a sigh. "And before you get the idea, we don't make them. The fuckers Khan knows do."

"Have you ever met any of those people? The ones who give you the mutagen, that is."

"No," Sulfur was quick to say. "They mostly just talk to Khan by phone, and when they do meet in person, we're not allowed to come anywhere near them."

"So the shipments that do come in, not even the dock workers and shipmates know what they're carrying or who they come from?"

"They're either on their payroll, or have no idea." Sulfur shrugged. "Look, I don't know all the stupid details like this. I just follow Khan's orders and shut up." She told him. "I do know they come from some part of China or something... lots of those fucks on the last boat were Chinese."

Washed chuckled from behind the glass. "I wonder if she remembers we're watching. That bastard's got a habit of suckering you into a conversation."

Lihua didn't pay Washe any mind, she was thinking very hard about what Sulfur just told them. A Chinese shipping company? Back in the day, she knew everything that went in and out of China, but things must have changed if there's another organization in the mix.

"I doubt she even remembers she's in custody," Lihua turned to Washe, crossing her arms. "This might be some therapy session to her now where she confesses all her misdeeds to clear her conscious."

"If I wanted to get a hold of this serum, who should I talk to?" Baron asked.

"Khan, or Big Dong, usually handles that." Sulfur said. "I don't know where they are now."

"Wouldn't that make it hard for other potential buyers to pay the Fiends? Who sells this stuff?"

"Big Dong, usually," Sulfur said, "He's closer to these people than the others, I guess."

"And this Chinese shipping company..." Baron pondered aloud. "By Eurkea Harbor, right? Which pier should I go to meet with them?"

"Pier 12." Sulfur replied.

Baron just smiled. He pushed his hand against the floor and struggled to pull himself to his feet with his bad leg. A minor groan escaped his mouth, then stabilized himself by leaning his hand on the wall. "...You know, you sure did a number on those chairs. Can't remember the last time I had to sit on the floor."

Sulfur groaned. "Yeah, yeah..." She said, looking off to the side. If she knew her power didn't work on this fuck, she wouldn't have melted them in the first place.

Baron's pace was slower than usual, and he calmly hobbled over toward the side of the room where Sulfur was. "How old were you when Khan first found you?"

"Like... twenty-two. My parents kicked me out of college and left me on the street that year, so... it's hard to forget it."

Baron sighed. His each slow, careful footstep brought him closer to her. "It sounds like you were forced to grow up early-on. I can barely imagine how hard that year must have been for you. Your old family abandoned you and Khan was there to pick up what was left."

'Bullshit', Washe thought, 'we all remember the hell you had to suffer through.'

"... Y-yeah..." She mumbled, making sure to look away from Baron. "... It was tough until she came... but she made it easier."

"What's your real name, Sulfur?" Baron asked. His steps brought him closer to her until she was a mere two feet away from his feet.

"Ashley Murphy."

"Ashley Murphy..." Baron repeated. "That's a pretty name."

With some difficulty, he managed to kneel down in front of Ashley, an arm's length away. "Ashley," he said as he gently set his hand on her shoulder, "keep your head up. You're not alone anymore."

The intensity of the situation and welling inside her chest, in conjunction with the gravity of the situation she's in became too much for her. Ashley tried her best hold everything back by holding her breathe and squeezing her eyes shut, with every urge in her body telling her to let it all out had her chest erratically kick out. It eventually became too much.

All that came out at first was a little whimper; a little noise that escaped her. However, with whimper after whimper, more noise leaked out until she fell apart into sobbing, her hands covering her face and tears streaming between her fingers.

"You understand that you've caused a lot of trouble, don't you? You're going to have to spend a lot of time to make up for everything."

"I know... I know..." She moaned between heavy breaths sobs. She could feel her throat swell and become sore.

"Whatever happens from here on out, you won't be alone." Baron assured. "You won't be alone anymore. I'll do what I can to make sure of that myself."

Sulfur only answered with one loud moan of grief and despair within her sobbing, completely giving herself in to her miserable state.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

This evening I should be good to go. Tuesday nights seem like they're going to be my only "free" night.

No events on my calendar. No work-from-home projects. Nothing.

Should be exclusive writing time.

@BurningDaisies

Sending aid via testicular-rectal penetration for maximized optimization of administrator's concentration.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

The Dreadnaughts, Sulfur, the Agents of NEST, and Lihua Vuhong

_{by @Spoopy Scary and @Mr Allen J}

---

'Shit, okay, now I'm here. Just gotta bring 'er back now.'

"Follow me, eh!" Grit called as he set his feet on either side of the railing on the ladder and slid back down to the alleyway. He had go back the direction he came while not looking suspicious, or at least, try to make it look like he was on her side. Maybe he could throw off the police department. That'd at least make his own odds of surviving more likely. He reached inside the fanny pack that he wore on the back of his get-up and grabbed what a smoke bomb. Pulling the pin, he launched it in a direction away from the direction they were supposed to be heading, with a white smoke trailing behind it.

"Smoke bombs," Washe always said, "good for covering escape, even better for diversions."

If he could mislead their pursuers as to where their location is, the further he can lead Sulfur without being interuppted.

"Come on!" He called again as he darted off through one alley with his gun in hand.

Sulfur didn't know where this nut was taking her, or what he was even doing, but at least he seemed like he knew what he was doing, and where he's going. Compared to most of the other drugged out fools that make up this gang that thought the underpass is a good hiding spot. Regardless, Sulfur kicked it into high gear, and started running faster than before. She pretty much ignored the smoke bombs he just tossed.

Grit looked behind him, surprised that Sulfur was able to catch up as easily as she did. One of the more athletic ones, eh? Regardless, he couldn't just downright sprint through the city. That's what Washe said at least - how all the druggies wouldn't have the kind of stamina he had.

"I'm takin' ya to them storage things down th' way! Should be able to lose their trail there, eh?"

It only took a quick minute for them to reach Grit's destination. There, Sulfur saw another man dressed like a Fiend. Only that this one looked much bigger than Grit, and was only an inch or two or three shorter. Beside him was a closed garage door and a broken lock on the ground beside him.

"I got 'er man, let's go!" Grit told him.

Washe rolled his eyes. Whatever persona that Grit decided to adopt was really annoying as fuck... whatever worked. With Grit's helped, both disguised Dreadnaughts bent over and stuck their fingers between it and the walkway. The sounds of the VPD were drawing closer. Working together, they got the garage door to life, and inside was a dusty old storage unit. The door on the other side was closed - though for Sulfur, likely a good thing. To remain concealed.

Sulfur came to a screeching halt right inside the garage. She heard the police and every NEST in the Estella isle drawing closer and closer. Jesus, she had to get the hell out of here... only problem was that her "hiding spot" was an old storage unit. Sulfur glanced at the two Fiends for a moment, and turned her attention back to the storage unit. There was no way in hell that she was going to run in there headfirst. She reached into a pouch that was hanging off her belt, and pulled out various pieces of metal (Nuts, bolts, needles, bullet casings, etc). She grasped it tightly in her hands, and created some of her sludge - which instantly melted the metals, and created a yellow gas.

On command, Sulfur made the gas go into the storage unit - regardless of if there was any Fiends inside or not, these idiots should have told her first. She dropped what was left of the metal, and pulled out another handful of metal, and did the same thing. Creating more gas, however, this was enough to fill the unit with the gas, and surely draw anyone smart out, and kill anyone stupid enough to stay in.

Washe approached the unit calmly a smoothly, still behind their unwitting captive. With a quick flick of a switch, the lights in the unit flickered on and all three ceiling fans began running.

Which is when the fun began.

A shiny, dark powder began to fill the room. A massive, heavy cloud creating a haze even amidst the yellow smoke. Both of the Dreadnaughts made their distance and aimed their respective firearms towards the floor of the unit where Sulfur stood.

"Allow me to explain the situation to you, Sulfur of the Fiends!" Washe yelled out.

".... THE FUCK?!" Sulfur turned around, hand on her own weapon, but she took her hand off the second she realized they had already drawn their own weapons. Fuck, this was a trap. She was stupid to fall for this too-good-to-be-true escape plan. Now, she's staring at two... whoever the fuck they work for.

Naturally, she put her hands up in the air, very begrudgingly. "Who the fuck are you two?!" She screamed at them.

Washe ignored her question and chose instead to proceed with his explanation. "You filled the room with a sulfur-based gas. Each blade of those three ceiling fans were piled up with iron that we powdered down into dust. If you remember high school even a little bit, then you would know that sulfur and iron create a volatile chemical reaction when ignited. Except this time, it's airborne dust, where we have enough oxygen between particles and the particles are close enough together that it can create a chain reaction."

Washe paused.

"An explosion. The whole floor has also been covered in tin metal sheets. This reaction, when in contact with tin, the gas increases in toxicity and becomes corrosive. Make one wrong fucking move, we'll shoot the floor and sparks will fly."

Grit looked at his superior somewhat appalled by the plan he had cooked up this time. "Damn, Caesar, you have no chill."

The weight of the situation, and what's clearly going to happen next, nearly made Sulfur break down into a fit of rage. She was twitching, but clearly trying to hold it in. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of winning... but she'd rather live. Even though she's probably going to get shanked to death in a maximum security prison.

"You fucks... fuck all of you if you think you can pull this shit on me and get away with it! Khan will bust me out!" Sulfur shouted at them.

"Yeah, I know." Washe growled at Sulfur. "That's stage two of this plan, here."

Behind all of them, the garage door was pulled upwards by a strong, revealing Agent Michelle Gallus, and behind her was a group comprised of various National Guardsmen, Police, and NEST Agents. Michelle raised an eyebrow, and took a few steps in. She pointed her shotgun at them, and shouted, "Everyone, on the ground now!" The rest of the officers behind her aimed their guns too.

Washe and Grit looked each other, slightly annoyed that they had been caught in this situation in the end. Both of them, in sync, slowly knelled on the ground with their guns set in front of them - Grit's .50 BFR, and Washe's .45 colt and sawed-off triple threat. However, as they did so, Washe said as calmly as he could (which means some semblance of anger and annoyance lacing his voice), "just whatever you do, keep some of your guns trained on this bitch's head."

The two set their hands behind their head. However, this position was also a good opportunity to pinch the back of their masks slip them off their heads. Fortunately, the contained space of the storage unit was enough to keep all the gas contained like a miniature ecosystem.

They might not have worked with agent Michelle Gallus just yet, but it wasn't far-fetched that they might have developed any kind of profile that would help identify them. They have security cameras in their HQ lobby, after all.

"You're... Oh God," Michelle thought out loud, as she realized who these two "Fiends" were: Dreadnaughts. Sam and (after a rather annoying conversation) Lihua told her about them, and she reviewed a few things. Good God, looks like she was beaten to the punch by mercenaries. That annoyed her quite a bit, since she was looking forward to breaking Sulfur's spine for what she's done to those Agents. All that'd happen now is that Sulfur would look forward to a lifetime of rectal thrashing behind bars - if she doesn't get shanked by a rival gang member by them.

Michelle put her gun in her other hand, and ordered the rest of the Agents, "Those two are on... our side." She hesitantly spoke about the Dreadnaughts. Because they really work for whoever gives them money. No honor, or convictions.

However, every Agent trained their guns on Sulfur. "You, don't move a muscle," Michelle said, her shotgun aimed dead into Sulfur face as she took more and more steps closer. With her free hand, she reached behind her and pulled out a power inhibitor collar, and clamped it around Sulfur's neck. Removing that problem. And Michelle quickly reached into her belt, and disarmed her of her pistol. Removing the other.

A pair of NEST Agent had walked around her with handcuffs, and put them onto Sulfur, before they hauled her out of the garage, and into a NEST truck.

"Well... gotta say," Michelle started off, looking at the Dreadnaughts. "Thanks for the assist."

The two stood back up and rearmed themselves with their weapons. Washe brushed the dust off his pants. "I recommend waiting for all the dust to settle down, and later, getting a team to scrub this place clean if you don't want the place going up in flames."

"Yeah, yeah, we got that covered." Michelle said, silently feeling sorry for whatever idiot has to clean up this mess. "Alright, I gotta report this." Michelle nodded her head, and turned towards the garage door with her hand on her communicator.

"I got a man that can handle the interrogation for you." Washe claimed. "Guaranteed results."

"Hmph..." Michelle grunted, "I'll keep that in mind."

Washe turned around dug into his pocket for a cell-phone, and began dialing a number.

---

“Oh, thank you. You've a lovely dress, yourself.” Baron responded endearingly. He made a pleasant glance up at a casually-dressed server who came by to take his order.

"Also, I would like my files back, thank you." Lihua said.

However, as Lihua made her request, Baron was in the process of speaking with his server, prompting a brief moment of confusion. “An espresso, please – uh, hm? I'm sorry, what was that? Your files? Oh, oh! Pardon me, I thought those were copies that you let Caesar have. Why would you ever want those back?”

'Looks like she caught on already - I've got a sharp one on my hands.'

"Oh? From what I remember, I only gave him the information on the Fiends, and the Undercover Agents - not the shipping records." Lihua couldn't help but grin. He was either playing dumb, or he didn't have any idea what she was talking about. But, she was certain that he was the one who made off with the shipping records. She kept her eye on them, and neither of them got close to her desk. "And, in my line of work, you can't make rookie mistakes like giving someone the wrong information by mistake."

"Shipping records..." Baron repeated curiously. "Why would we ever... oooh! Okay, that must be it, it makes sense now. See, when we turned in last night, one of the papers had a bunch of time logs and company names and we couldn't make heads or tails of it without any context. Shipping records... that makes sense now. I must have taken it by accident when I set my papers down. I must have mixed them up! My mistake, I'll own up to it. I'll see if I can drop it on your desk at headquarters soon today."

Lihua didn't exactly buy Baron's story... but she wasn't going to raise a big fuss about it either - because there was no real need to. There was nothing in those files that were incriminating, or top secret. Just something that pertains to her investigation. Long as she got them back, she would be happy.

"I need those files, they are relevant to a separate investigation the Director assigned me to." Lihua said,

"Yes, of course." Baron conceded, bowing his head and pressing his palms together in apology. "I am so sorry for inconveniencing you like that. I'll get them back to you as soon as I can, cross my heart."

"Thank you." Lihua genuinely said, taking a sip of her coffee. Like she said before, long as the files got back to her. Though, she was personally wondering what he'd do with it if he intentionally took them. They were just shipping records useless to his mission.

Regardless, she wasn't going to mull on the subject any longer. It was a date, after all. She took one more sip of her coffee, and said, "I have to say... it is surprising that the Dreadnaughts got involved in all of this," Lihua started off, "Taking on a gang of drug addicts seems... below your pay grade."

Baron laughed quietly and softly to himself. "Yeah, I suppose so..." He admitted. 'So now she's asking about our mission. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell her as little as possible. Enough to lead her in a faux direction.'

"You see... the mission, as its core, is to help return Verthaven to stability. For the government to regain control of it."

The server returned with Baron espresso, who gladly took it from him and took a sip from it - guaging its flavor and how hot it was. He set it back down on the table.

"...And I think we both know that a couple of drug gangs aren't really the problem causing this instability."

"Of course not," Lihua answered. She understood his first statement (while wondering if this mission was really above him). "It's more than obvious that someone is pulling the strings... because, since when did a band of worthless meth heads get enough weapons to arm a small nation? Or get drugs that give them pseudo-powers?"

"That's right." Baron agreed. "My mission pertains to activities within the city, though I have no problem deviating from that boundary if it is to my benefit. Calling for my back-up now might take some time for them to mobilize. I don't know if this is within NEST's or this city's jurisdiction, but here's my suggestion: once you get your logs for your investigation back, and you think you found a shipping route that supplies the enemy, terminate the source before you hunt down the receiver to starve them."

Once again, Lihua couldn't help but grin. Of course. She thought to herself. "I will do everything necessary to put an end to this." She said. "I have a lead, in fact," She said again, quietly. Hopefully drowned out by the chatter of the cafe. "During the Fiend's attack, there was a shipment arriving in the Eureka Harbour... that strangely has no information on it."

She took another sip. "So, that means that someone got a little... sloppy." Lihua wasn't going to say when she was going to investigate it. That would be rather idiotic, even if she was hoping that their conversation would be inaudible.

Baron took a sip of his own drink, his smiling face dimming to a colder, serious demeanor. "If it wasn't a gang that was on your hands, I'd consider looking at the other shipments from other routes. A blank spot in a sea of information. If your target is someone clever, then they just lured you right into their trap. It's an obvious lead. Have you considered the idea that some of those apparently filled records might be forged?"

Hmmm... Yeah, she hadn't considered that. It could be a trap, and she couldn't afford risking her life for this. "I... hadn't thought of that." She said, speaking in a lower, more hesitant tone. Like it hurt her pride to admit. "But... I have little other leads... hmmmm...." She thought out loud. She was still considering going - just not alone, perhaps.

"Think of this like chess." Baron explained. "You make your moves based upon whether or not your prediction is true. If you walk straight into their trap, they're not gonna be just one step ahead of you. They'll be two steps. Three steps. Five. Ten. If you follow their prediction, they set the playing field for the rest of the game."

"... You are very correct there, Baron." Lihua admitted. Walking into their trap would screw NEST over, and possibly get her killed (or permanently taken out of action). "This means that I'll have to change the game." She said, starting off. "Come up with a different method of going about this investigation of mine."

Baron couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Look at us," he started, "on a date and all we can talk about is work."

"... You can say that I'm really dedicated to this job." Lihua said, with a smirk on her face.

Baron just grinned. "Well since it doesn't look like you'll be asking..." He said as a joke. "I'm a neuropsychologist. I come from Quebec, have a history in the psychology, psychiatry, and investigative fields, and I like really old wines. I have a shelf full of them... and I have a Great Dane I named Pavlov, though I didn't bring him with me. Hobbies include traveling, collecting music records, and linguistics."

Looks like they're done talking about business... which Lihua was perfectly fine with. It started with her asking about the files, and went on from there. Baron told her about himself, and she figured that she should do the same at least.

"I enjoy wine every now and then, too." Lihua started off. "I figured that it's my turn... I'm a Chinese immigrant that served in the PLA for a long time, before I was booted because they found out about my ability. I came to America at the suggestion of my brother, and joined NEST as an intelligence officer." That was somewhat incorrect, but she hoped that Baron couldn't read minds. "And... I have two daughters, and I enjoy yoga, and the finer aspects of life." She finished.

"Amen to that." Baron said raising his espresso at the mention of the "finer aspects of life". Though a flag went up at the metion of her daughters. Not necessarily a problem for him, but in Lihua's line of work, that was a liability. A liability that Baron personally could not afford.

Before he was able to take a drink of the espresso, his phone began to ring. He reached into his pocket, and there it read "Caesar" (best to keep the identities of his comrades safe in every medium), and he raised one finger to Lihua in a request to pardon him. He answered his phone.

"Zombie speaking." He answered at the risk of an enemy getting a hold of the phone, or if someone tapped the line.

"Sulfur's been caught. Meet up with us at NEST HQ, we could use ya."

"Right, heard that. See you there."

He hung up the phone with a click and gave Lihua a friendly smile. "Well, that was one of my colleagues. Looks like they apprehended Sulfur."

Two Fiend lieutenants out of commission in barely the span of a day? Well, this is good news at least. Not surprising, however, as they are all drug addicts. They can't be that clever in a gang like the Fiends. Though, that line of thought is why they became a problem in the first place.

"Excellent," Lihua said, "I think I'll head over to the Headquarters, I want to see this for myself. And who knows? Maybe she knows something."

"Then it works out perfectly. I've been called in as well..." Baron informed. He seemed to hesitate at first. "Miss Vuhong... if it looks as though she doesn't intend on talking... please, let me ask you to leave for that time being."

Lihua nodded her head, "Affirmative." She got the idea of what he planned on doing.

Baron's smile returned to his face. He shot back the espresso, set it on the table, and stood up from his chair. His eyes glimmered as he offered Vuhong a hand. "We'll be off then."

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

Prepare your asses.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

gotta getta piece o dat asss _assssss asss

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

And laying mind-control eggs.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

I mean, you're not just restricted to mind related powers. Any power will do. But you can do a lot with anything if you attribute it to a loser or a class clown of some sort. It brings both entertainment, and the character itself has a huge potential for development. When that happens, you're not just writing a character anymore - you're writing a person.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

Meh I will ditch Jacob them and think of something different.

Yeah sort of sounds like Batman...

@Blackmist16

I had an idea for a character that had a sort of mind control ability - though it wasn't really mind-control. He has the power of suggestion, but instead of saying it, it is more like imposing a desire or mental command upon your target. Like super persuasion. The methods of doing so are like (for lack of betters terms): a game of mental Red Rover, where the person with the power, does a single, abrupt, mental assault in order to punch through the barriers surrounding them (good for catching them off guard) - and a longer, but often more reliable method if the person isn't as clever as the user: something like a mental chess match where the idea is to dodge and weave through these barriers, and put their mind into a sort of "check mate" if that makes sense.

That way, the mind control isn't really mind control. It's persuasion with certain parameters.

And my idea was to use that power with a character who is a total loser. A 30 year old man who works as a bagger at Walmart. Then used it to become the Walmart's store manager. And that is about as high as his aspirations go. Plays WoW and LoL at home.

Verthaven: A Bloody Paradise [Completed]

(woops, will edit this with a fresh post soon)