Zombiedude101

Mass Effect: Borealis

@Zombiedude101: Seems like you're not done there hun. Also, @Dervish where are you?

@Fallenreaper

Sorry about that, work sidetracked me - I'll throw up a response too.

Mass Effect: Borealis

@Dervish@Zombiedude101: Alright, starting on round two. I figured a bit back and forth, then move on. We also might want to mention the rain pounding on the ship's outside so we can time this scene with the other stuff.

@Fallenreaper

Onto it.

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

---

Wendy Emily Lucker & Rowan Campbell.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

Faircrest Woods, Roseview.

The two students were going toe-to-toe against each other, soaring over the trees as each made their ascent. It was almost beautiful, but Wendy couldn't take in the scenery. She was on a mission, and there was nothing that was going to stop her. While Rowan was using his newfound trick he practiced, she was riding the air currents to transport her in the right direction. Thankfully, she had the power of GPS!

Once she was a mile away from her destination... she flew to the ground, beneath the treeline. Before she looked at her phone, then looked forward. She saw the large warehouse that looked pretty up to date. She didn't see any activity in there... but, so far, she doesn't have any reason to mistrust her contact.

Now, was the matter of getting in. Wendy walked up to a door inside the warehouse, and saw that it was locked with a padlock... which should be trivial for Rowan. "Rowan... would you do the honors?" Wendy asked - before she added on. "But, try not to break it, it's best that we leave as little traces as possible that we were here...."

"Yeah, yeah..." Rowan said, before tightening his fingers around the lock and concentrating hard, until a very faint click could be heard and the lock came loose. "Better than before."

"You're the best, Rowan." Wendy said, flashing him a smile as she slowly opened the doors to the warehouse. The place was dark... too dark to see anything. So, the first thing Wendy did was whip out her cellphone, turn on her flashlight app, and shine it into the darkness. The first thing she saw was a large room, with many shipping containers. She wondered just why they were here before shrugging off the thought because it was dark as balls in here.

"Rowan? Do you have a light?" Wendy asked.

"Uh...." Rowan fumbled around in is pocket for a moment, eventually withdrawing his own phone and switching on the flashlight. "Just this." It wasn't much, especially on the phone that he had, but it was better than nothing.

"Good enough, keep your eyes open." Wendy said... there has to be a light in here, but she didn't want to attract too much attention. Especially when this could be the one day where the base sees activity, and the two get sprayed with bullets. With that out of the way, Wendy began walking through the small maze of crates... before she doubled back and just went around it.

The hard concrete floor made her think of the advantage that she had in this area. All they have to do is find a computer, and get a little bit of information out of it. Eventually, the two came across a wooden stairs... this must lead somewhere because Wendy knew they couldn't search every inch of this warehouse without the Academy realizing they aren't there and sending out a search party. And the last thing that Wendy wanted was to be locked in a damn jail-cell.

"So..." Rowan said, with a hushed tone, "What're we looking for?"

"A computer."

"That helps." Rowan remarked.

"I'm hoping that it's up here... but, it might be...." Wendy trailed off, before just shaking her head and climbing up the stairs slowly. The first step creaked lowly and made her stop, and look around as if she alerted anyone. Not hearing a sound other than the two of them, she proceeded to climb up the stairs.

Reaching the apex of the stairway, Wendy and Rowan reached a door. She took in a sigh, and slowly opened the door, shining her flashlight through the crack... and it looked a lot different. It looked like a hangout with a wooden floor, chairs, and even a lightswitch! She was taking a risk here.

... She flipped the lightswitch and the room was instantly illuminated, prompting the two of them to turn their own torches off.

The room did look like a hangout. With all these seats, chairs, and even a bar, Wendy almost felt the need to have a seat. She looked around and saw a bookshelf... and right next to it was a computer. She was quick to skip over to it, and get to work.

"Alright, Rowan," Wendy said in a hushed tone. "Just let me get what I need off the computer, and we can get out of here... watch the door."

"Just do your thing, yeah?" Rowan said, taking up a spot adjacent to the door. If anyone... or anything came up, he was ready to hold off whatever tried to come through, at least long enough for them to get out. He found it somewhat unsettling at the idea the place was normally occupied by people like the ones who'd come after them before, but if it meant Wendy got her sister back then so be it.

Wendy quickly turned on the computer and it wasn't long before a login screen popped up... asking for a password she didn't know! It seems like her contact was keeping his lips firmly shut after what happened in Courtbridge. Wendy would, too. But, if she doesn't, she would just be wasting time. She whipped out her cellphone and typed up a text like a madman.

What's the passcode for this terminal?

She sent the text, and patiently awaited the reply....

qwerty12345

Wendy raised an eyebrow, looking in confusion.

That was a joke. It's Allfather83458.

Wendy was somewhat surprised by the sudden sense of humor her mysterious contact has developed. She was quick to punch in the password, and she was granted access to the entire system. A smile formed on Wendy's face as the computer finally warmed up, and she dug a little bit into the files. There wasn't anything of note... other than a map. But, instead of anything useful, it was covered in vague terms. Such as "Pizza," and "Marlon's" ... Obvious code-phrases. She could decode them, but that'll take time, and energy.

But, the only thing she wanted to do was grab these files, and get the hell out. She attached her phone's usb-cord to the computer, and downloaded the map... and just as a precaution, she brought along a USB-drive, and saved it there, too. She turned the computer back off, and tried to put the chair back the best she could.

Rowan glanced over his shoulder for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, let's..."

---

Massive Attack - Superpredators

---

A portal opened in the other side of the room, and Wendy just knew it wouldn't bode well for her. Stepping out of it was the armored frame of the Black Hound... and he looked as frightening as ever. He was holding a M23 grenade launcher in one hand that was slung over his shoulder, and plenty of extra shells.

"... My, my, my," The Hound mused in his electronic voice. "This just confirms it; you are getting help from somewhere." He trailed off, but Wendy could tell the irritation in his voice.

"Oh God," Wendy said... it's time to put that training to good use.

He slapped the grenade launcher into his hand, and continued, "So, let me cut you a deal... tell me who is helping you, and I'll spare the two of you."

Wendy clenched her fist as the concrete floor underneath the wood was being cracked... one could hear it if they paid attention. "No..." Wendy trailed off, as the Hound's eyes flashed red. "... Let me cut you a deal - return Diana to me, and I won't kick your ass!" She said, and the ground split, causing a fissue to erupt

"Hmph," The Hound paid that threat little mind. "I told you Ms. Lucker... if you persued my employers, I would have to kill you - and yet, you go and become a pain in my ass...." He aimed the grenade launcher at Wendy, and fired off a round...

Only for it to stop mid-trajectory as Rowan caught it before it could do either of them harm. One thing the scrawny teen had recalled from their last encounter was that asshole's grenades, only this time he had way more practice.

Wendy sighed in relief as was quick to take advantage of the terrain around her. She raised her foot up into the air, and slammed it onto the ground, and caused a small impact that echoed through the area. A chunk of stone the size of a basketball broke out of the ground. She quickly punched it... hurting her hand in the process because she didn't have the control that Ms. Zhao did. The block hit the Hound square in the chest, breaking into pieces on impact, and made him stumble backwards.

"... You've gotten your teacher's power, I see?" The Hound said, "No matter. It won't save you."

The Hound quickly rushed Wendy, and the girl, desperate for a shield, slammed both hands onto the ground. Creating another shockwave that caused a large chunk of the ground to flip upwards. Creating a block between the Hound and herself. She ducked down and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, that didn't do too much to deter the dark brute... Using his momentum, he swung his fist, and utterly shattered the upper half of the shield as if it was nothing. It was only a moment before Wendy noticed that there were chunks of stone flying in all directions, and could see the Hound's massive hand reaching for her neck.

Once again, the Hound raised Wendy above his head by her neck. "... You need more practice." He muttered as he put pressure on Wendy's neck.

"Hey!"

That provoked a reaction from Rowan, who concentrated on the metallic plates in the Hound's armour and took a hold of the assassin with his magnetism in an effort to draw his focus away from Wendy.

Wendy took this opportunity to reach behind her, and whip her hand around, and attempt to use what was left of the shield to slam into the Hound. It hit him in the side with immense force, and made him let go of Wendy as he was knocked back.

Hitting the ground, Wendy knew that this was an uphill battle. Even though they trained for a week... they were still up against the God damn Black Hound. They needed a plan of attack before they take him out... and Wendy had an idea. It was a stretch, but what else could they do?

"Rowan!" Wendy shouted as she hopped in the air, and slammed both feet into the floor in an awkward manner. She managed to flip another block of concrete onto the Black Hound and pushed him backwards. It was supposed to look like an attack, but what Wendy was really doing was giving themselves an exit.

She was quick to hop into the empty space, hoping that Rowan would do the same.

Those hopes were met as the scrawny teenager's footsteps thudded behind her.

She flipped the ground right over, and made their exit much cleaner. The Hound pressed a button on his helmet, and turned on the infared... he saw them on the ground floor, and cooked up a quick strategy. He stood right above them, and...

"... Okay, Rowan!" Wendy quickly said. "I have a plan! But, it might be a stretch... try to drop that shipping crate-" Wendy pointed at the shipping crate that was stacked onto two others... which lead to a pretty hefty drop. "-on him! Think you can do that?!" It was the best plan she could come up with - because it's obvious that the Hound has some way to track people long distances.

There was no time for second guessing, or to consider an alternative plan - Rowan quickly nodded.

On cue, the Black Hound's foot burst through the ceiling directly above them, and Wendy looked up in shock. He pulled his foot back, and with one final stomp, he came falling through the ceiling. He remained stiff as a statue as he held his grenade launcher over his shoulder. Wendy dove to the side, and watched him turn towards her.

"Go!" Wendy shouted at Rowan, who began to make a dash across the warehouse floor. "I'll take it from here!" She said.

The Hound aimed down the sights of his grenade launcher at Wendy - but the girl was quick to flip more ground over to shield her. The first grenade that came out blew the shield to pieces, but Wendy had a strategy. She quickly reached into her satchel and touched a piece of paper. In the mist of dust and smoke going in all directions, paper had traveled up Wendy's hand and she immediately exploded into a cloud of paper.

The Hound realized that she had disappeared from his sensors... So, she's pulled that card, huh? The Hound thought to himself as he turned off his infared vision, and looked around for Wendy to reform. Readying his grenade launcher as he turned back towards Rowan... That should get her to start being hasty.

Wendy turned back into her human form right on the crate she told Rowan to reform. Great. She's going to need a strategy to get him into position, and now he's going for Rowan. Double great. She'll need to do something to save him. But, to use her concrete powers, she'll need to get on the ground, in sight of the Hound, and her paper powers will only tickle his bodyarmor.

So... why doesn't she utilize that other power of hers?

Reaching into her satchel again, she grabbed some batteries, and pulled the electricity out of them until they were dry. The electricity traveled up her hands and caused immense crackling... before the Hound looked up at her. Wendy was prepared for this, but the Hound shot a grenade at her... and then she was surrounded in an electrical aura as she caught the grenade in mid-air.

She turned it around and sent it flying right back towards the Hound - who could only throw his arm up in vain - and the grenade exploded against his arm. Creating a cloud of dust, and when it settled, it revealed the Hound's armor was blown off around his arm, and flesh, bone, and muscle, were all exposed. The rest of his armor was only damaged slightly.

"... That is getting to be really annoying," The Black Hound groaned to himself as he moved on as if his horrific injuries were nothing. He aimed the grenade launcher at Wendy one-handed and fired a barrage of grenades at her as he took a step back.

Wendy tried to catch them, but she could only successfully catch one - the rest exploded around her. A grenade hit the ceiling above her and knocked off a large chunk of stone that hit Wendy in the shoulder, and then she loudly yelled in pain as she lost what little balance she had left. She fell off onto the ground with a thud, landing right next to the shipping container.

The Hound slowly approached the girl with the intent of finishing her off... there was dust that didn't even bother the Hound. The girl was lying on her back, clothes stained with blood.

"Ro... Rowan..." Wendy said, as the Hound approached, raising his boot high up into the air... but, then he noticed where her hand was. "... Now!"

Wendy shouted as she turned into paper and zipped off

In the aftermath of his battle with Wendy, the assassin had failed to notice the low metallic hum that had begun to resonate overhead. Before the Black Hound had a chance to realise what was in store, the shipping container that had overlooked the both of them came crashing down in a mass of sparks and ear-piercing screeching, plunging into the Hound where he stood as Rowan looked on from behind, beads of sweat running down his forehead.

Wendy reformed and turned around to see that the Hound was finally defeated... She grabbed her shoulder and let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't recall a single Metahuman that could survive an attack like that. And furthermore, Rowan's ability was incredible. She knew he wasn't dead, but they should get the hell out of here before he gets back up....

Before the girl could've said another word, Rowan was back at her side, tugging at her good shoulder. "Can we go now?!" He asked with an exasperated tone.

"Y-yeah!" Wendy said as she ran for the exit...

... But, there was the sharp sound of metal screeching that almost made Wendy stab her eardrums out. She did the one thing you were never suppposed to do in a horror movie, and looked back.

She saw the Hound lifting scraps of the shipping container off him, and he stood straight up. His armor was heavily damaged, scarred by numerous visible scrapes and dents, whilst his helmet had been massively dented - which made Wendy curious as to what happened to the man underneath it. His arm was bent backwards, and was oozing more blood than before. But, this up close look of him told her of his regenative prowress. His gun was destroyed... but, he was still kicking. He took a step, and Wendy's heart skipped a beat.

"... He stops at nothing." Wendy said to Rowan as the Hound marched towards her.

But, he came to a stop when she heard some static-y chatter coming from his helmet. He pressed a button on the side of his helmet, and stopped. He said something under his breath....

"... Looks like I have important business to attend to," The Hound said, casually. "I think the two of you earned a second chance... but, I implore that you stop this crusade now..."

He looked at Wendy, and his eyes shined a bright red color.

"... Because at the end of this hole... is death."

The Hound took a step backwards as he said, "Zenith." A portal opened up behind him, and he put one foot in. "... I'd recommend that you two leave now. This base will be destroyed very shortly."

Before he stepped in, and the portal closed.

There was something... odd here. Like, now that they aren't risking the Hound killing them, Wendy could think clearly about what happened. Just why did the Hound show up? Far as she could tell, this base was unimportant. And what did he mean by "you need more practice?"

"Um..." Wendy said, as she grabbed Rowan by the wrist and dragged him off. "... Let's just go, we'll talk about it later!"

With the impending threat of the base exploding... there was little time to chit-chat.

Once they were clear, it gave Rowan a chance to notice the full scope of her injuries. "You look like..." Shit. Though that part was better left unsaid. "Uh, use your paper thing and hold on, alright?"

"Alright..." Wendy said, as she negated her weight... with her injuries, and exhaustion, it would be foolish to start trying to fly, so instead she grabbed onto Rowan. After he was certain she could hold on, the scrawny teen started concentrating yet again until, finally, they began to lift off the ground.

Making a steady ascent until they were directly overhead the trees, heading back to the Academy.

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

---

Wendy Emily Lucker & Rowan Campbell.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

Academy 61, Roseview.

Since his return from the hospital, Rowan had been unable to forget the events that had led to his injury. There was something frustrating in how weak he'd been in comparison to Ezekiel and how the man had overwhelmed his own abilities, putting Wendy at risk. Time at the Academy had taught him that practice led to improvement and if he had any hope of helping her out and getting some payback, he needed to practice.

As it happened, there was a spot at the very far edge of the campus, technically outside the boundaries, known as the 'junkyard', a little corner which a few students had, over the years, used it as an unofficial training ground. Littered with debris, it served as a good opportunity for Rowan to hone his abilities.

Wendy had approached Rowan... her new partner in crime in all of this madness. She wished that she didn't get him involved in the first place, but it's exactly what it is. An unfavorable situation. While Wendy trained in the training hall, Rowan chose to practice in the "Scrapyard" or whatever they called it. Only because it felt like more of Rowan's place. Though, she tried to convince him that the training hall was better equipped.

"Rowan!" Wendy shouted, waving her hand around in the air. "How is your training going?"

She caught of the scrawny kid stood before the husk of an old station wagon, long since stripped of anything valuable - it seemed as though Rowan was trying to concentrate on lifting it. Well, that is, until Wendy broke his concentration, causing him to drop it with a firm clatter that sent pieces of trash bouncing all over. "Uh shit, sorry!"

A piece was flying toward Wendy, but she put her hands up and had enough reflexes to block it. Apparently. It hurt a little, but that wouldn't bother her. "... Uh, It's my fault for, uh, breaking your concentration." She shrugged. "But, I wanted to ask you how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine... I guess." Rowan said, albeit hesitantly. "You? You all okay?"

"I'm... still worried about Diana," Wendy honestly said. "But, otherwise, I've been doing great. Sticking to my training regime."

"Yeah?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Me too. I'm not gonna let those assholes hurt me or anyone else again."

"I'm getting the hang of Ms. Zhao's ability...." Wendy said as she looked at her hands... and pulled small pieces of concrete out of the ground that hovered around her hands. She released her control, and the stones fell to the ground. "I think I'm getting close to the point where I can face the Hound alone, but I still need more practice." Her voice had a hint of anger in it.

Then it hit her.

"Oh! Would you like to train with me?"

"Y- yeah, that'd be a good idea." Rowan said, caught a little off-guard.

"Training hall... or here?" Wendy asked.

"It's up to you, I guess," Rowan said, "But out here is good, y'know?"

"Alright then..." Wendy said as she looked around. "Um, how do you want to, uh, uh, go about it? A spar?"

"S-sure, I mean uh, yeah - whatever you saw." Rowan's answer sounded equally befuddled.

"Alright..." Wendy said as she thought about how she was going to do this. There was a lot of space in here, and she would prefer the open training hall, but this will have to do. She picked a large open space, pointed at it, and then shrugged. "Alright... let's start... however the hell we'll do that." Wendy said.

Rowan paused, then finally nodded and headed over to a spot just across from where Wendy was stood, yet he couldn't help but hesitate. Despite all the practice, his powers were unpredictable and whilst they might not have hurt someone like Ezekiel, he was worried what harm he could do to Wendy. "You sure you're okay with this? I don't wanna hurt you, or anything."

Wendy clenched her fists. "Rowan..." She started off, in a rather somber tone. "I don't care, if this is what it takes to fight the Hound and Ezekiel, then I'll do it." She raised her fist in the air with hope in her eyes.

That was enough encouragement, though he was still a little confused as to how they were going to 'spar'. "So uh, how's this gonna work?"

The thought never really crossed Wendy's train of thought. She thought about it - how to use this clearing to the advantage of their training. Then it hit her:

"We're going to try to knock each other out of the ring," Wendy said pointing at the ground. "This being the ring.... Without hurting each other. "

"Right." Rowan said, a little reserved about the notion of moving first, "You start, I guess."

"But, Rowan-" Wendy was about to explain that, in a real fight, there would be no turns. But, she knew that it was just best to just go first and get Rowan in the groove. Because that was the problem, he was hesitant and didn't have a "groove" just yet. So, she raised her hands up into the air and drove off some small rocks from the area around her. No bigger than her fingertip... because she didn't want to kill Rowan. The stones floated in front of her, spinning around, before she thrusted both hands forward, and shot a barrage of small rocks that would only bruise slightly.

Going off instinct, Rowan crudely pulled towards him the discarded hood of a wrecked car and embedded it firmly into the ground as a shield against the rocks, which pinged against the rusting metal surface with a firm clatter. Wendy meant business, it seemed and he had been given her explicit consent to fight back - at least to a certain point, and so he followed this up by pushing the same hood through the dirt towards Wendy at a speed fast enough to knock her down, but not so much that it'd have done any real harm.

Using up all of her ammo right off the bat was not the most tactical decision Wendy had made. Rowan had sent a hood right for her. Damn it. She was tempted to dive on the ground away from it, but she didn't want to leave herself open like before. She has to take it head on. Wendy quickly raised her hands in the air and gathered concrete in a mess of concrete dust.

Dropping her weight, she slammed her fist into the ground. A concrete shield popped up and blocked the hood... but, it all fell apart with the hood's impact.

Need to practice that.

Meanwhile, Rowan had started drawing in more pieces of metallic junk surrounding himself with a crude shield that gave him some protection at the cost of a limited field of view, before he started advancing towards Wendy's position. "A new trick?" He asked, referring to her use of concrete.

"... Just trying to do what Ms. Zhao does." Wendy just bluntly said as the shield fell to pieces. Rowan's shield was probably far more effective before it didn't fall to pieces right off the bat. She needed a plan to take out Rowan... because she was imagining herself fighting Ezekiel again, and with an ability more suited to fighting him on even terms.

Then she remembered that Rowan was human, too. And his barrier was blocking his field of vision. Perhaps she could take advantage of that. She looked down and willed a piece of concrete upwards, and she clenched her hand as if she was crushing it. Cracks covered it as it was turned into a barrage of tiny pieces of stone.

She sent it at Rowan... the idea was that it would break into a cloud of dust on impact with the shield. Before she sprinted off into another direction.

It seemed to work; Rowan found himself blindsided by the mass of dust and had to hold his breath to avoid coughing and spluttering, still recalling the effect that the other gas had held over him before. It was only as he opened his eyes again that he realised that Wendy was out of sight....

... And by the time he realized where she was, she had sent a stone to swipe his foot from underneath him, knocking him flat on his ass along with his shield.

"Nailed ya'!" Wendy said, fist pumping.

"Oh yeah?" Rowan said as she stood there triumphant. Admittedly, he had a trick up his sleeve, but he wanted to hold up on that for just a second. "Hey, paper girl," He said, reaching into his pocket, and withdrawing a crumpled piece of paper and tossing it at her. "Catch!"

Wendy was so utterly caught off guard by paper being thrown at her she didn't know what to make of it. She caught it, but stared at it, then back to Rowan, then to the paper again. It wasn't the paper itself that threw her off, but the action of throwing a crushed piece of paper. Is it his strategy against Ezekiel and the Black Hound?

That wasn't the case, hilarious as it sounded - Rowan wanted instead a chance to demonstrate something he'd been working on himself after a little inspiration from her, as well as after seeing what Ezekiel could do. Concentrating, Rowan put his mind to matter as he felt the metal bands he'd fitted under his sleeves pulling upwards.

Slowly but steadily, Rowan found himself lifting upwards.

"... You're..." Wendy trailed off as she stared at Rowan in disbelief. "... Flying?"

"Yeah... woah- just gimme' a sec..." Rowan said as he found himself a couple of metres above where she stood. "Yeah... I'm flying." He said. ".... Holy shit! I'm flying!" He repeated to himself, though in doing so he gesticulated a little too much and lost his balance. "Oh no- how'd you do this?!" He exclaimed at Wendy, as he flailed about mid-air, before he finally found a balance and was able to stabilise himself by outstretching his arms, until finally he was above the tops of the trees. All whilst Wendy could only look on.

"You've got that paper, don't you? C'mon, view's up here!"

"I can't use my paper powers if I just copied..." Wendy thought about it for a moment as she stared at the piece of paper. Whenever she copied a power, she would be locked into it until she gets to learn it a little bit... a strange limit of some sort, indeed. But, limits can be broken... and through those broken limits she can reach inside herself and gain new strengths. She clenched the piece of paper really tightly, and focused. Channeled her Metahuman energy and...

... her hand turned white as paper and her jaw dropped as she stared at it with large eyes of optimism. She could make the paper fly... she then realized that she had learned enough of Lihua's ability to switch powers. It was amazing, she took weeks just to master enough of electrokinesis to change it. How....

Limits are meant to be broken, after all.

She looked up at the sky, and turned into a cloud of paper and flew upwards to Rowan's level.

It took him a moment, but eventually the scrawny kid was beside her, still in awe at the sight before them; above the trees, they could easily make out the academy and dorm buildings nearby, but further out was something that Rowan had never truly seen before, the silhouette of Baybridge in the distance.

Wendy went up a little higher than Rowan before she reformed, then she became weightless and floated lazily down like a piece of paper. Gently swaying left to right as she listened to Rowan.

Somehow, he couldn't help but remark, "Cindy's probably gonna be pissed if she saw me doing this."

Then he cracked a wry grin. "Good thing she won't know."

"Yeah... she isn't omniscient...." Wendy said, taking the statement a bit more seriously as she fell down a bit lower than Rowan. Out of irritation, Wendy turned into paper again and flew upwards, and when she reformed, she was, once again, light as paper. "It's beautiful up here, y'know?"

She stared off at the bridge.

"... I think it's time to go find Diana, yeah?"

"You got another plan for that?" Rowan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do..." Wendy said as she whipped out her phone, and typed in a text for her mystery contact.

Okay, I am ready.

It was only a few moments before she got a response.

You better be, because things are about to get really crazy... Head to Hazelwood Dr in Roseview, and go off the trail at the stop sign, and into the woods until you reach a warehouse. It's merely a hideout for members of the Intimidation Unit from other cities to lay low for awhile, and currently it's empty. Poke around in there until you find a computer with all other possible Family Base locations. Good luck.

Wendy nodded her head. "Okay... we're heading to Hazelwood... mind if we turn this into a race, Rowan?" Wendy asked.

"That a challenge?" Rowan asked, the corner of his mouth betraying his concealed interest.

"Well... it'll be a challenge for you." Wendy grinned wryly as she floated upwards.

"Fine," Rowan grinned back, "You're on."

Mass Effect: Borealis

@Fallenreaper I don't know why but the art that you just posted reminded me of this

@Mortarion

I'm just picturing a bunch of Quarian kids exploring the vast wilderness of Rannoch and climbing the rocks whilst the aforementioned Juggernaut is just like "INFANT CREATORS, THIS COURSE OF ACTION IS NOT RECOMMENDED, THIS ROCK FORMATION WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS UNIT'S WEIGHT."

@Fallenreaper are we continuing the collab any time soon?

The best rp moments in your life.

The gayest ending ever for an epically convoluted RP on this site with @Mr Allen J and @Zombiedude101. \( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)/

@tsukune

Thanks, you weaboo son of a bitch.

On another note I was just digging up some old screens from a Multi Theft Auto RP Community I used to be a part of for a slavic character named Iosif, who was a member of a syndicate of arabs and eastern europeans.

Was good, especially when we found some weirdo cannibal killers in the woods and buried them for it: imgur.com/a/utKow

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

I'm sure Cindy is entitled to it.

Mass Effect: Borealis

inb4 cyka blyat

@DJAtomika

Mass Effect: Borealis

Time passed slow, back on the Borealis; Iosif had found it to be quite peaceful, yet at the same time there was something strange... it was one thing to be sitting within the tight, confined spaces of a shuttle or a gunship that he knew every inch of, but a whole different matter in a ship of this size, on some frontier world with no civilization for light years in all directions.

Well, unless you counted the presence of pirates and slavers to be "civilization". Iosif hadn't forgotten that last fact and had made a point of keeping an eye on the ship's external cameras, just in case some of the aforementioned scumbags stumbled upon the ship and decided to try and take a peak inside. Otherwise, he had little else to do beyond keeping minimal power levels to ensure its concealment, which gave him plenty of time to start fishing through the navigation data he'd obtained from the quarian, back on Omega.

That is, until he picked up on a couple of familiar faces returning home and went down to meet them.

"Knock knock, any wanker home?" Tanya called out into the hold as they entered, holding Vellios' arm over her shoulders as she helped him walk the distance. If he was hurting before heading back to the Borealis, he was probably ready to collapse after the hard jungle hike. Finding him her painter stool to sit on, Tanya found Iosif waiting for them at the shuttle, apparently rearing to go. "So, our feisty turian friend needs his medicine. Keep an eye on him and keep him from moving around too much, will you? I'm pretty sure he'd still insist on going it alone even if he were missing both his arms and legs." she said, rolling her eyes before stepping back to address Vellios. "What am I looking for, exactly? I don't want to mix up your life saving shit with estrogen pills or whatever."

Vellios was in terrible shape. He thought the trek to the observation point was bad but going back was worse and it took a lot to convience Tanya he wasn't just copping a feel. His arm reached to cup where the pain was harsh enough he could barely breath then pressed in, relieving some pressure from his thin frame. He leaned back when his ass touched the seat as he leaned to the side, easing his pain before he perked up at what Tanya said.

His head turned toward her. "In my quarters, there's a suitcase with a lock. Pressed 15-24-01-31. When it hisses open, you should spy a case under a small and slightly beaten up model starship, and a few quarian toy soldiers. It's pure black with a red strip down the length of it. It's not hard to miss, hun."

"That why you brought him back?" Iosif asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I forgot my trailmix and I was feeling peckish." Tanya replied drly.

The slavic pilot snorted at the remark. "I trust the others haven't forgotten theirs?"

"Not to break up your flirting, but please hurry." Vellios insisted as he let the cool of the metal press against his carapace.

Tanya was taken aback by how forthcoming Vellios' was with giving access to his personal belongings, he was one of the most secretive people she knew. While she understood he was in agony, nothing drove home the point that he was in dire need of his medication more than that. "I'll be back as fast as possible, I promise.", she said softly, turning to run up the ladder and to the crew quarters, leaving Vellios and Iosif in each other's company.

Iosif folded his arms and looked on at the turian with a quizical expression. "Personal supply?" There was something familiar that struck him about Vellios' condition.

"Long story that would require a lot of personal story to explain." Vellios admitted, his body starting to shake. His eyes closed as he inhaled, trying to stop his body from crumbling from the withdrawl. He regretted not taking a larger dose earlier before they left as he leaned against the metal harder.

Iosif shrugged, then frowned as he picked up on the turian's shaking. "Your business, I guess. Hold up a second." He glanced over his shoulder, back towards the shuttle and headed over to it for a moment, digging through the open cockpit for something before finally returning with an open canteen, which he held close to Vellios' mouth. "Drink."

Vellios didn't argue and instead, sipped whatever was offered to him. His head tilted back while he coughed from drinking a bit too fast. The turian smirked in gratitude back while he tried to stop the shaking, his muscles twitching uncontrollably causing him some concern.

Within a few short minutes, which must have been agonizingly long for Vellios, Tanya was back with the container in hand. With well-practiced agility, she threw herself on the otherside of the ladder, smalls of her boots and hand on the outer rim of the ladder as she slid down with a squeak. Touching the deck of the cargo bay, she hurried over to Vellios, taking a knee. "Direct me." she stated.

"Inside is several vials filled with it and an injector," Vellios said though gritting his teeth. The substance was a common street drug called Zofloxi, one both Tanya and Iosif should be able to recogonize right off the bat because it was pale green and gave off a slight illumination within three glass vials. It numbed pain and commonly used as calming agent, at the cost of being addictive. There was a gun like device strapped to the inside, nestled beside the vials.

The turian continued in a breathless voice, his figure's temors getting worse by the moment. "Push the first vial into the back, there's a little opening for it then press it to my arm and pull the trigger. Hold it there until the liquid is half way gone then place it back into the case. It will take a few moments to fully take effect."

Tanya followed the directions, pausing only for a moment to take in what exactly Vellios was taking. It sure as shit wasn't medication; Vellios was an addict. Still, she didn't dwell on it, long ago accepting that her team would have more than a few sketchy details about them, and drug use was hardly as bad as she feared. Handling the vial with care, Tanya loaded the injector, pressed it against what looked like a soft spot between carapace plates, and injected it half way, removing the device and setting it down into its case. She shook her head. "How long, and why?" she asked.

"Well, after what I told you... I'm surprised you would ask that." Vellios let a bitter chuckle escape his mandibles, then continued. His tremors starting to cease, the sweat still clinging to his carapace and making him slightly cold.

"I've had nightmares since I was ten thanks to that pirate ship. I wasn't the only that hated the Haides, but I was one of the luckier ones to come out still sane. I had to learn to deal with it, even when my counselor disapproved of it."

"I tried to get off them when my children were born with some success... then after they were murdered, I naturally went downhill and gave up. His talons scratched at his neck, digging at his scars. "I've been slowly trying to get off them again when I met Serena, she's not a fan of me being on them. However, being hurt isn't something I want to tolerate right now. So it's primarily to numb the pain."

It explained a few things; why the turian had seemed as careless as he did, getting into that fight back on Omega, why he'd come across with a lack of concern for self-preservation. Iosif saw something in Vellios. Pity, maybe? He'd almost been down that road before, with only a certain hatred, stubbornness and spite keeping him from fully passing the threshhold that led to alcoholism and substance abuse. Only the turian had arguably been broken far more than him. Iosif's childhood memories were bitter, but they were far from nightmarish.. and losing children?

Iosif had never been a father, but he recognised the pain of it all too well. Even an addict deserved some measure of sympathy.

"It's difficult to understand," Iosif finally said, "Not unless you've been under those circumstances."

"The understatement of the year really." Vellios tried to joke, feebly, as he looked at Tanya's moving figure.

Tanya slumped down into a sitting position, resting her wrists on her knees. "You misunderstand. I know why you're using a mind-altering and body numbing substance to cope, hell, I pound back enough whiskey to keep Sampson Distillery in business on my own, but it's more..." she didn't really have the words to say it tactfully, so she simply gestured towards the case.

Vellios' brow raised, indicating he didn't fully understand. It wasn't a surprise as Turians, even himself, were far more straighter in their meaning when it came to a few subjects. His mind was lost at what she was meaning and thought he just answered her, but she didn't hear. However, he didn't unterrupt her while he let the drugs seep into his system and numb his pain.

"That shit. Steet drugs are not what you want in your system. You get an impure dose, or something that was cut with some other shit, and it could really fuck you up." her eyes darted to Iosif before returning back to Vellios. She was distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation at hand, and did not want to be having this conversation, dragging up people's skeletons like this.

"I'm not too worried. I'm not looking to die, but it if it happens... I won't exactly stop it." Vellios stated clearly, trying to brush off the statement casually.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is, well... I've lost enough friends. We've all been through shit, Vellios, I get it, Iosif gets it. He was a fucking slave. I watched a young girl get gutted by a batarian and I was helpless to do anything about it, and shortly after had my best friend's brains blown across my face. That's not exactly something you sleep off. I feel like an asshole for even talking about this, and I hate throwing shit when I can barely take my own, but this ship and the idiots that live on it are all I have, alright? We'll find something that can help you, but... let's fucking stop with this crap."

Vellios sighed, feeling a bit like shit for causing the issue. "It's not as easy as it-"

Tip tapping suddenly erupted and interrupted him, the sounds of something scurrying within the copit with the three of them. Vellios' eyes looked at Tanya with confusing as he mouthed a few words: "Did you hear that?" It was close. Suddenly, it darted from just under Iosif's seat then scrambled across the floor deeper into the ship and was gone into the darkness, running over the pilot's feet in the process. Whatever it was, the thing was fast.

"I heard somethin-.. cyka!" Iosif's hand quickly snapped for his holstered pistol as he jolted forward, caught off guard by the creature's sudden presence.. "Where'd it go?" He asked, with a certain urgency in his tone, stepping forth with his weapon at the ready. "Quick, before we lose it!"

Mass Effect: Borealis

@Fallenreaper@Dervish

Posted, btw.