NationStates Jolt Archive

A black aircraft moved silently through the towering buildings of Atrox. It was a Raven; the seamless fusion of jet and helicopter that D. Corp. produced exclusively for The Slayer Project. It landed lightly on a rooftop cafe which had been cleared for this purpose. A man in a wheel chair propelled himself out, dressed in a crisp suit. His salt and pepper hair and dulling eyes betrayed his age as he waved to the pilot of the Raven. The aircraft took off and the man wheeled himself over to a lone table, set for two. He picked up his menu and considered it carefully. Suddenly, there was a dull thump behind him.
“Ah, Crusader.” The man turned, smiling. Crusader stood, his metallic wings folding almost soundlessly behind him. He walked over to his seat and, with some difficulty, sat down. He didn’t bother to pick up his menu.
“Not hungry?” The man asked.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Chief, but I’d rather get straight to the point. Why did you contact me?” A waiter hurried out at the moment. It was obvious from the look he gave Crusader that he had been told about this meeting before hand. It was also obvious he didn’t approve.
“I’’ll have the lobster, please.” The man in the wheel chair looked to Crusader, who shook his head. The waiter left and Crusader resumed his questioning.
“I assume it has something to do with this new ‘vigilante clause’ you guys are pushing-”
“You assume correct, that has everything to do with it. We’re hiring vigilantes, mercenaries, and the like as a way of testing it.”
“Oh? Do they all get the honor of a personal visit?”
“No. The rest of them will be receiving their invitations in written form. I’m speaking to you personally because I'd like you to help lead them.”
“Lead them?” Crusader was caught completely off guard. “Me? Why? Are all of your people busy?”
“No, no. Agent Sarrow will also be running it, in fact-” Crusader stood at this.
“No. That manic almost killed me.”
“You had just killed a man-”
“He was a rapist and a-”
“You dropped him from a hundred and fifty stories up.”
“He deserved it.” A long moment passed, both men refusing to give up. Finally, Crusader yielded.
“All right, I’ll do it. I better get a pardon for burning down that strip joint last week. They were using children.”
“That can be arranged.”

--------------------------------------------------
Not to far away, another heated debate raged. Dr. Wolf was close to screaming at the hooded men who had barged into his lab. There were two of them, one tall and silent and the other shorter and quite animated. It was the shorter who had given Dr. Wolf the offer.
“Break your leader out of Pandora!? That’s insane! Even if we could get him out, who knows who else might escape!”
“We are prepared to be very generous should you succeed.” That made the doctor pause. The Cult of Kzano was extremely wealthy due to the ridiculous “offerings” it demanded of it’s members. Cursing himself for asking, Dr. Wolf calmed down and looked the short man in the eye.
“How much?”
“One million.” Dr. Wolf whistled, that would be more than enough to get his lab running again.
“And if I get outside help?”
“The money will be split between-”
“Get out.” The short man turned to storm out, but the tall one grabbed his shoulder. There seemed to be a silent struggle for control and the short man lost.
“One million for you and each of your accomplices... to be paid upon completion.” He glared at Dr. Wolf, daring him to want it up front.
“Done. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ve got some calls to make.”

----------------------------------------
Jezebel waited impatiently outside Atrox International Airport. Her dark clothes blended in perfectly with the limo behind her.
“So now I’m working with criminals... Beautiful.”

----------------------------------------
In a smoky bar, Gel waited in the same fashion. With a bored sigh, she began to alter the color of her tight dress.

ooc: I'm sure I don't have to say this, but: heroes to the airport, villains to the bar.

With a screech of the wheels making contact against the tarmac, a large jetliner, flight 491, touched down at Atrox International Airport. It quickly taxied to its assigned gate and in no time at all, the hundreds of passengers aboard were clamoring down the aisle towards the only exit. Every man, woman, and child was struggling with the awkward stress of trying to quickly leave the airplane while managing to simultaneously maneuver your baggage past the countless rows of seats.

Save one. In the very last row of the aircraft, a cloaked and mysterious figure sat with his forehead against the plane's side and his eyes staring out the window. I once had marvelous dreams of grandeur... he thought as he stared out into the vast sky. Once. But now it is time to revitalize those dreams; that reality. He stood slowly, making sure not to hit his head on the short frame of the baggage compartments, and moved into the aisle.

His black cloak swayed from side to side before settling in place with its end by his feet - the very same feet which stood encased in a light yet durable synthetic metal; something quite useful for a man of his unique abilities. His hands too lay sheathed in metal grabs of what could only be described as armor. His body was hidden beneath a tight black robe, which clearly showed his chiseled form that could have been sculpted by the gods themselves.

First step... he reminded himself. And with one heavy movement, his body lurched forward down the aisle and off the airplane...

---

A short time later, a car pulled up in front of the bar and out stepped the cloaked figure. With no bags to be handled, he handed the driver the fare and was quickly on his way to the inside of the bar.

"Neat trick," he grunted from behind the shroud of his cloak as he saw Amy changing the color of her dress.

----------------------------------------

As flight 491 touched down at Atrox International Airport and came to a stop at its gate, the often overlooked figure that was Nightcat (http://www.teamtao.com/neko/src/1132927143818%2ejpg) stood up and proceeded into the aisle. Without bags of her own, she merely had to wait as the other passengers got organized and off the plane before she herself could exit.

Nightcat was feline in nature with pointed ears and a tail, but many just disregarded her as a simple teenager - she was anything but. Her golden locks of hair and petite body often were deceiving of her true nature as a stealthy jack of all trades. Her grab was often minimal and rarely any other color than black; she wore a very short and tight, cut-off sleeveless shirt that barely went passed her chest and the shortest of shorts for her lower region.

In a few minutes, she had traversed the terminal and found her eyes darting to and fro, looking for her connection. She found her; a tall woman leaning against the side of a limousine. Nightcat approached her nervously, as was her nature, and tried to make a dialogue. "Um, hi. Are you here to meet me?"

Niri had exited the airplane in a massive burst of pent up energy. Being couped up for an extended period of time, around a minute, tended to be intolerable to a Ni-Fel. She'd run up the walls, along the ceiling and bounced onto and off of vending machines so often that half of the candy had been shaken loose.

Seeing a woman standing beside another woman that looked like the one who'd put the ad for the heroes. She was cute, and Asari bounded forward to poing the girl(Nightcat).

Meanwhil, her companion which was a six legged mountain lion analog, and the small token of 'sanity' in the Ni-Fel's life stuggled to keep up with his charge. With an almost audiable sigh, he shook his head as he strove to keep up with her.

Oddler walked down the gangway towards the plane, thinking to himself I am so glad to get out of this place He mused, hopefully the local authorities haven't had the good sense to put me on the no-fly list yet. The flight was open seating, so Oddler chose a seat towards the front, next to a man around his age with dirty blond hair, a red leather jacket, and a disgustingly 80s shirt underneath it. He glanced over at the man's carry-on noting out loud "Huh, we have the same briefcase."
The man back at him, "Yeah, we do." and proceeded to introduce himself as Tyler, mentioning something about soap.
Something clicked in Oddlers mind and he said to the man "Oh no, not this again," getting up rather abruptly, leaving his briefcase where it was (it wasn't very important anyways) and heading towards the back of the plane in search for a significantly more vacant row.
He found one, and sat in the window seat, preparing himself for lift off. Just before the gangway pulled away a hurried-looking girl in her early 20s got on and sat down in the last empty seat, next to Oddler. She was good looking, Oddler noticed, but wore plain clothes. Only thinking about getting the heck out of Pietas, he pursued the matter no further and the plane took off without event.
A few hours into the flight, night had decended outside, and Oddler decided he needed to start a conversation with this increasingly beautiful woman. As he thought this, bright flashes started to appear in the clowds below them, and Oddler instantly realized they were flying over a thunder storm, and pointed such out to the girl.
"Wow," the Girl exclaimed, never having seen the event that seemed to happen on all of Oddler's flights, "It all looks so peaceful from up here. You can hardly tell how much that stuff actually hurts."
This last comment caught Oddler's attention and he was forced to ask her what she meant.
"Oh, nothing, really," the girl started, "I've just had a few run-ins with lightning recently. That's why I'm getting out of Pietas, too thunderstruck for my liking."
Oddler pondered mentioning that the place would likely be a lot less thunderstruck from this point forward, but decided against it. "Well," He did say, "It can't be as bad as fire, can it?"
"Oh no," the girl said, simply, "I'm fine with fire." An age old essay on etiquette popped into her head as she continued "Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me, my name's Narine, what's yours?"
"Oddler."
The pair talked the whole flight through, as the lightning storm moved across the landscape at precisely the same air speed as the plane, subsiding only as the plane decended through the clouds on it's final approach to AIA. "Well, Oddler," Narine said as they disembarked, "It's been a pleasure talking to you, I'm sure we'll see more of each other around the City."
"Oh yeah," Oddler replied, smiling, "I should certainly hope so. Here, let me give you my cell phone number."
Narine took the card, smiled at the writing that said
Oddler Nitesi:
Human Being Extraordinaire

577-714-4949
She said "thanks," but when she looked around, Oddler had already gone.

A short time later, a car pulled up in front of the bar and out stepped the cloaked figure. With no bags to be handled, he handed the driver the fare and was quickly on his way to the inside of the bar.

"Neat trick," he grunted from behind the shroud of his cloak as he saw Amy changing the color of her dress.
"If you're going to try and buy me a drink again-" Gel turned. Looking the man up and down she smiled. "That cloak suggests that you're one of the people Dr. Wolf hired. I'm Gel, his... partner."

-------------------------------------
In a few minutes, she had traversed the terminal and found her eyes darting to and fro, looking for her connection. She found her; a tall woman leaning against the side of a limousine. Nightcat approached her nervously, as was her nature, and tried to make a dialogue. "Um, hi. Are you here to meet me?"
Jezebel took off her sun glasses and fixed her violet eyes on the girl.

"If you're Nightcat." Jezebel allowed herself a slight smile at the girl's feline features. Not that they stuck her as unusual, odder things could be seen daily on the streets of-
Seeing a woman standing beside another woman that looked like the one who'd put the ad for the heroes. She was cute, and Asari bounded forward to poing the girl(Nightcat).

Meanwhil, her companion which was a six legged mountain lion analog, and the small token of 'sanity' in the Ni-Fel's life stuggled to keep up with his charge. With an almost audiable sigh, he shook his head as he strove to keep up with her.
Steeping forward to both address the arrival and get between her and Nightcat, Jezebel managed another smile.

"Niri, I presume?"

As she was interrupted in mid pounce, she paused and blinked. People just didn't interrupt her glomping. That must mean that this one wanted to be glomped. She then proceeded to poing the other woman, the one in the ad. And was interupted for a second time. This was unheard of in Ni-Fel culture. With a quick "Yes." She proceeded to try and glomp the first girl again.

As she was interrupted in mid pounce, she paused and blinked. People just didn't interrupt her glomping. That must mean that this one wanted to be glomped. She then proceeded to poing the other woman, the one in the ad. And was interupted for a second time. This was unheard of in Ni-Fel culture. With a quick "Yes." She proceeded to try and glomp the first girl again.
Jezebel moved quickly, trying to avoid Niri. As fast as she was, it wasn't quite enough. She hit the ground fairly hard, but was up in a flash. Glancing around to make sure the incident wasn't noticed by anyone else, she fixed Niri with an icy glare.

"Please try to control yourself." Behind her, someone snickered.

"Good show." Jezebel spun with an even more hateful glare. She knew that voice... Crusader landed quietly, unnerved by the look he was getting. "That time of the month?"

"I don't like you," Jezebel hissed.

"Just don't shoot me."

Central


It's always the same… the same dream… falling… falling… falling…

Cylaen woke up on the roof top garden of some rich snob in Central. The only places that were left safe to sleep. The tree hanging over him shook in the breeze. It was always windy this high above the ground. Damn bureaucrats and their money. As he shifted around to remove the stiffness in his bones, he noticed the letter he still had clutched in his hand. The letterhead read [u]Watchtower Project[u]. "If they're going to stop hunting me, I might as well give it a try." Cylaen rose and stretched his wings. They had been paining him a lot recently. But they still worked, and that's what counts. He jumped off the roof and glided down to an ally on the ground and folded his wings back into his cloak.

"Well, off to the airport." He emerged from the ally and joined the random people on the street.

--

Cylaen walked up to what appeared to be a confrontation. “You see, this is why vigilantes work alone. They never really seem to get along very well. That’s why we work alone.” He pulled out his sword and stuck it into the pavement to lean on. “The name’s Cylean Pharr. I guess this legislation makes us partners now, doesn’t it?”


-------------
The Pub


"Bar keep! Another shot of Everclear, put it on my tab." Kevlyn swiveled in the bar stool and turned to Gel. He pulled his sunglasses away from his eyes so he could see her better. "Sorry about that, dozed off waiting for you. Got lost in my drinks." He pushed his glasses back on (the light seemed to hurt his eyes) and downed the just-poured shot and nodded to the bartender for another one. Kev turned back to Gel. "The name's Shadow, Security Systems Specialist Extraordinaire. Got and invitation for a job opening up in my speciality. Thought I'd check it out." He downed the new shot. "It's been a while since I've had actual work." Here he reached over the counter and took the bottle of everclear and began to take swigs from it. After an odd glance from Gel he looked down at the bottle and then back at her and smiled. "Never work a job on an empty stomach, I
always say. A philosophy that hasn't failed me for 19 years. Live by it." He finished the bottle and nodded at the new member of the group, admiring his robe. "Howdy. Love the black."

"If you're going to try and buy me a drink again-" Gel turned. Looking the man up and down she smiled. "That cloak suggests that you're one of the people Dr. Wolf hired. I'm Gel, his... partner."

"I wasn't planning on it," Metallicon replied with a grin noticing that the girl had been disturbed numerous times as she waited, "But I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"A fitting name," he commented to Gel, "My name is Ender... or you can call me Metallicon."

Jezebel took off her sun glasses and fixed her violet eyes on the girl.

"If you're Nightcat." Jezebel allowed herself a slight smile at the girl's feline features. Not that they stuck her as unusual, odder things could be seen daily on the streets of-

Steeping forward to both address the arrival and get between her and Nightcat, Jezebel managed another smile.

"Niri, I presume?"

"Yeh... that is what they call me," she responded shyly. Nightcat was a girl of few words, though numerous and plentiful emotions. Rarely did she speak unless she had something very prevalent to say and the case being so, she tended to remain quiet.

As she was interrupted in mid pounce, she paused and blinked. People just didn't interrupt her glomping. That must mean that this one wanted to be glomped. She then proceeded to poing the other woman, the one in the ad. And was interupted for a second time. This was unheard of in Ni-Fel culture. With a quick "Yes." She proceeded to try and glomp the first girl again.

Nightcat hadn't turned around to meet the person that Jezebel seemed to be talking to, but she soon found out who the new person was. The second the Ni-Fel tried to poing and glomp her, Nightcat disappeared into thin air, leaving only a blackpoweder and the smell of brimstone in the air.

Almost instanly she reappeared a few feet away and turned around facing the Ni-Fel, knife in hand and ready to pounce. However, she quickly realized the mistake she had made, if you could call it that. It had started as a habit and eventually transformed into a natural reaction to being approached from the behind unknowingly. "Um... hi," she greeted nervously.

He finished the bottle and nodded at the new member of the group, admiring his robe. "Howdy. Love the black."

Metallicon barely even grunted his response, "Thanks..." It's not that he isn't a sociable person, but rather that he wasn't until that person had gained a shred of his respect. "A friend made it for me..." he explained. It was a unique garb that he wore, though it wasn't only for the color - it was a tool for someone with an ability such as his.

As Oddler stepped out onto the curb he breathed in the burning rush of city air. It felt like home already. To his left he saw a group of, well, beings surrounding a darkly-dressed woman, in fron of an equally dark limosine. A fair number of them had wings, one of them had six legs. Yep, He thought, I'm definately Home. He opened his suitcase, removing its sole occupant, a large, blue, translucent scimitar. Leaving the suitcase where it was, he walked towards the crowd. As he walked, though, it appeared as though his clothes stayed where they were, just floating in the space he had previously occupied, underneath them, he wore a suit of dark armor, covering him completely, except for his head. Suddenly, the clothing he had left behind jerked forward as if connected to his neck, and the colors swirled together to reveal a black cape with a deep red inlay. All told, the event was absolutely stunning to watch, but given the speed at which it took place, no one actually saw it. He was simply suddenly wearing different clothes to them.
He heard one of them mention why vigilantes should never be in groups, and replied "Vigilantes? Sounds like a good waste of my time. My name is Odd-Eye, if you feel the need to ask why," he continued, motioning to the scar through his right eye, "I may feel the need to beat the stupid out of you."

-----------------
At that very moment, Narine Dadayadan was standing by the baggage claim desk, why the suit, why is it always the damned suit? she thought, stamping her foot impatiently and fiddling with the two business cards, that, if they didn't find her luggage soon, would make up the most invaluable of her few possessions. One was the adress for a Pub. The other was the private phone of her new friend and arch-nemesis Oddler Nitesi. He hadn't suspected a thing, that's why he needs a better costume, she thought, only a fool'd miss that eye and that hair. She'd keep this little trinket on hand at all times.

Niri grinned at the girl she'd glomped. Having just glomped, and missed the girl who'd disappeared and re-appeared a short distance away with a knife. She then turned to the newly arrived, semi-mechanized man and lunged at him in another glomp.


ooc: The six legged one is a mountain-lion analog, not a human/oid.

The sleek, black cadillac slowly rolled to a stop in front of the bar, soft Italian opera playing amidst the clouds of cigarette smoke inside of it. The driver delicately worked the keys from the ignition and was about to exit the vehicle when a vague thought entered his mind. For a good minute he stared at the violin case in the passenger seat, debating with himself over whether he should bring it in or not. How did he know this wasn't a setup? He could be walking into one big police trap armed with only a handgun and knife; if he brought the case, at least he'd have some considerable firepower. But the momentary hesitation passed, and before long he found himself walking up to the bar's massive wooden doors.

* * * * *

"This is a bad idea, meeting in public."

The voice was soft and similar to a snake's hiss, and the tone was one of irritation. The arrival of the fourth participant in the scheme had just been made apparent; Tuna Melt now stood amongst his partners in crime, what was left of his lips curled up in a sneer. He wore a lime green suit and fedora with a purple undershirt and a crazy yellow polka-dot bow-tie; though perhaps not the most fashion-wary of his outlaw peers, there should've been little doubt in anyone's mind that the hitman was a formidable enemy. Drawing a pack of cigarettes from within his suit jacket (and capturing numerous stares from on-lookers as he did so), Tuna Melt continued to make his displeasure known, thoroughly disinterested in the conversation that had previously been taking place.

"The money better be good. I'm already taking needless risssks and I don't even know what the job is."

Night was fast approching as Felcin waited in his motel room, constantly looking back at the clock. Finaly Dusk came around and he stood up grabbed his cloak and wide brimmed hat and walked to the door. He stoped and turned grabbing a cigaret then hurryed out the door.
As he walked down the street in the dim light he was careful to keep himself covered, he could survive a little light but the burn lasted many days. His quick strides took him inexorably toward the bar he was supposed to meet his contact in but he wasn't in much of a rush to get there. First he planned to have a little fun and he was quite hungry.
He slowly wound his way toward the bar looking for just the right oportunity. Slipping into an alley after a man he looked around, no one else was there. Good he thought silently to himself as he walked toward the man. Suddenly the man turned a knife flying towards Teeths chest, fast as lightning he caught the mans hand.
"You realy dont want to do that. This shirt is worth more then your life." And then with a lerch the man turned to run. Teeth smiled as he ran him down and feasted. "I guess its time to get to this bar."
He jumped into the air transforming, his wings growing and flew over the roofs of Atrox looking for the bar. Finally he was it, alighting on the roof he swung down into the alley and walked in the front door.
His gaze flew over the customers and he immediatly picked out his contact. He noticed the people around her and relized this might be a little diffrent then his usual. "Gel i suppose?" He asked.

"The money better be good. I'm already taking needless risssks and I don't even know what the job is."

The Pub


Kev eyed the newcomers. "My friend," he said to the one in the bow-tie, "dressing like that, you take a risk walking out your front door every morning." He then turned to look at their pale companion. "You and Mr. Blood here could both do with a makeover." Kev was quite happy with his blackened rags that he wore around the city. Those, his knife and his goggles were his prized posesions, or all of them rather. He swiveled back around in his barstool and drownd himself in a new bottle of fine imported Russian Vodka. He had always been a sucker for the citrus flavors.

Teeth looked with a mixed feeling of pity and disgust on his face at the man in rags. "And your name is?" Felcin smiled wickedly at the man. "If you can afford to buy drinks here how is it you can't afford proper clothes? I fear your risk of losing your life is higher then mine. People find it easyer to kill a nobody then someone that might have conections, and money isn't the only reason why people kill."

Narine walked in the bar, taking note of each of her new companions. Hoping, due to her plain dress, that she would not attract too much attention to herself, she chose a stool at the bar not too far away from Gel's. She sat down and signalled to the bartender who came promptly over. "I'll have a double bourbon, with a glass of beer." She took out her ID and continued, "Oh no, Bartender, have no fear. Mix me a Seagram's Gin with a glass of wine. I'm here for trouble, now, no problems on my mind."
The order finished, she laughed at her ability to plug in the calypso tune she had stuck in her head all day into everyday life. Then she turned towards Gel.
"So," She said, simply, "You're the one looking for villains, aren't you?"

The Pub

Not lifting his head, Kev responded. "The name's Shadow. I'm in acquisitions. Me and the Bar Keep go way back. Ain't that right Joe!" The bar tender nodded. "See? And i'm not to worried about dyin'." He shifted his goggles to his forehead, revealing his milk white eyes. "I've lived on the streets of this city since I was five, I can handle myself." He turned and raised his glass the the girl who just sat down. "Evenin' Miss. Nice to see someone else who has the smarts to take a drink in this place. I prefer to say we are a people with a different cause." Kevlyn could drink to that. He could drink to most anything.

Gel waited for everyone to quiet with growing irritation. It was an extremely bad time for someone to piss her off. Then, it happened:

"Nice legs, sweetheart, when do they open?" The hapless drunk never saw it coming. One moment he was grinning stupidly, the next Gel's arm had reverted to its namesake and was down his throat. The man gagged for a moment as Gel regarded him with disgust. Then she slammed his head into the bar, a sadistic grin filling her as blood sprayed everywhere. She withdrew her arm and the body slumped down.

"Everyone out." There was a moment of uncertainty until Gel looked up from the body. "Now!" The bar emptied.

"Much better," Gel addressed the those who remained. "Yes, I'm Gel. It's good to see you've all come. Now everyone get comfortable while we wait for the stragglers."

------------
Jezebel had to smile at Odd-Eye's comment. It didn't last long as Niri went to tackle him as well.

"The debate at hand isn't whether or not you should work alone, but rather if you should be allowed to work alongside the true law."

Shaking his head, Crusader walked over to Cylean.

"Big sword. You compensating?" Cylean didn't look amused and Crusader quickly apologized. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Quite a crew we've got here, eh?"

Teeth smiled softly to himself as Gel cleared out the bar. "Nice trick, i see why you are called Gel now."

Re bobbed his head in a feline chuckle as he watched Niri pounce, poing and glomp her way through the various gathered people and the fact that she paid particular attention to Crusader.

OOC: I have a prolouge but it is kinda longish. So, I posted the tail end of the prolouge. Maybe I will post the rest later.

Quentin walked back to his office. For the first time in along time he had some money in his pocket, some food in his stomach, and no major debts to pay off. Quentin lived in the Halo, far enough from Grand Central so that he didn't have to deal with the rich snobs and the wannabe rich snobs, but close enough so that they weren't afraid to visit my office, discreetly or otherwise. He finally reached a building, 9800 Z ST. It was a shabby building in a shabby part of town. Quentin walked through the door and into the lobby. There was Carl, the daytime security guard. He was a gnome, who was lazy, fat, and probably slept more at work then he did at home. As Quentin walked past him he shouted, "Wake up Carl, you can sleep at home." Carl sleepily grumbled, "Why bother? I get paid to sleep here." Quentin used the lone elevator and rode it up to the 7th floor. He walked out, turned left, and went straight down to his office, and his home. The door had a sign labeled, "Quentin Investigations" Quentin walked up to the door, then used his AU (Augmented Reality) glasses to access a sensitive sensor in the door that said that nobody had opened the door while he was gone. Quentin used the wireless network that he had set up, to figure out that none of the windows had been opened. He took off the glasses and then took a keychain out of his pocket. There were about 15 keys on it, off differing shapes and sizes, from blood red to forest green in color. He selected the gold one, inserted it into the keyhole and opened the door.

Quentin walked in and closed the bolt after him. The key is to make sure that no one got through the door while he was gone. If they tried to use the spare that the desk had, they would be in for a nasty surprise. He look around, the pizza boxes are still there, the ungodly mess of wires and hardware is still in its corner, the false bookcase which has a little triangle of bed sheet coming through a crack. He sat down on the on the chair behind the paper-covered desk. The only comfortable chair I have in this place. This place called home.

The phone rang five minutes after Quentin got back. Quentin picked up the call on his AU glasses and said, "What?" Carl was the one to reply with, "You got a letter, I have placed it on the scanner for you." Quentin said in a sweet tone, "You know Carl you could just use the elevator and drop it off for me." Carl started laughing on the other side of the line, "Nobody in this building tips me enough to get their mail delivered." Quentin hangs up, not wanting to listen to the deep, weird gnomish laugh anymore. He turns on the scanner and activates the program, and a few seconds later the letter appears on top of it. Quentin picks up the letter and pulls a flask out of his cargo pant’s pocket. He read the letter and drank from the flask. After re-reading the letter 3 times he put it down and gulped a bit more from the flask. Quentin thought about it for a few moments, and then made a decision. He thought, why the hell not, it would be nice not to worry about where my check is coming from.

Quentin turned around and went to the ungodly mess. He quickly hacked into the cap company’s private servers and called a cab, then proceeded to place the fare on the account of a billionaire from Grand Central, an Argus Reginold. But that was besides the point.

Quentin got out of the cab and thanked the cabby. Then he walked into the mall. He waited impatiently for the elevator, and was even more impatient for the long elevator ride. He finally got off at the airport level, Quentin had obviously gotten very tired off the elevator music. Quentin walked over to an electrical out let and then using his laptop, hack into the security camera using the electrical system. He quickly located the strange group. And strange was not a word used lightly in Atrox city. He packed up his laptop, put on his AU glasses and glaves, then walked over to the unliklies.

OOC: My character right now has oversized sunglasses, blackish-grayish glaves, and a brown leather jacket. He is also carrying a bag.

ooc: Ah, Mare Serenus? Did you notice how your post is differnt from everyone else's? Please use past tense, third person from now on. Otherwise it'll be far too confusing...

"A nice trick," Metallicon echoed. "Subtle? No. But a nice trick; yes. Whether it was necessary or not is another matter."

Grabbing a drink off the bar, he made his way over to a now vacant table and sat down, brushing his cloak over the back of the chair. "I never had much patience for stragglers..." Metallicon said quietly.

---

Nightcat realized that Niri was trying to glomp everyone she saw and felt better that it had not been an attack against her. She watched her trying poing and latch on to the others that had arrived and a slightl teenage giggle escaped her mouth. Despite her initial reaction, Nightcat was beginning to grow fond of the Ni-Fel.

Ghost sat thoughtfully ontop of a terminal with a small child's marble spinning gently in the air infront of him.
Showmen, misfits, are these what it takes to be admired by the people as heroes? He sighed to himself, he was a fine one to talk.
I remember a saying...better to light a candle than curse the darkness. But what if the candle is not enough?
He let the marble fall
Find other lights?
"I will do the job layed infront of me" He stood up and went blurry for a second, then fell through to the inside of the terminal. After all he reasoned, it could be worse.

A man in a dark suit suddenly appeared in the doorway of the bar, breathing heavily and holding a leather case. He fixed his fedora, which was leaning dangerously on the side of his head, and sighed as he collapsed into a chair. He revealed a flask from his long coat and took a long sip from it, coughing; The man looked around the bar at his new allies.

"Sorry I'm late. I got...held up. Got bothered by a few policemen who were annoyed by my music. It...wasn't pretty. I decided to leave quickly rather than get caught up in anything that could make me any later than I already was."

He paused, then took another drink from the flask.

"I'm J.A.Z.Z. Good to meet all of you, I suppose."

Teeth stood up upon the "muscians" arival and said "Well I'm assuming you are the last, and if that is the case I guess it is time to formally introduce my self. I'm know as teeth" he smiled at that, his fangs shining wickedly and he bowed to all who were left in the bar.

"That's all of us, then." Gel turned her eyes to the bartender and nodded. He pulled down on the last beer nozel and twisted it to the left. There was a mechanical crunch as shades covered all the windows.

"The other reason for meeting in public is that the cult is giving us the use of one of their safe houses." On the far wall, a paining of a man holding a key slid forward and parted, revealing a staircase.

"Dr. Wolf is waiting for us downstairs. Come with me."

"Big sword. You compensating?" Cylean didn't look amused and Crusader quickly apologized. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Quite a crew we've got here, eh?"

"Compensating for what?" Cylaen yanked his sword back out of the pavement and sheathed it. "And if I could see what you looked like, maybe i'd have some snide comment to respond with."

Metallicon got to his feet slowly and heavily, his black cloak making its way over the back of the chair until it fell harmlessly to his back. "After you," he said holding out a hand towards the staircase.

"Compensating for what?" Cylaen yanked his sword back out of the pavement and sheathed it. "And if I could see what you looked like, maybe i'd have some snide comment to respond with."
"Hmm? What's that suposed to mean?" And then he understood. "Wait, your blind? How the hell to you fly without smashing through someone's window?"

"Did you even read the files on your team mates?" Jezebel took her angry gaze from Niri and fixed it tenfold on Crusader. "You didn't even bother to learn about the people you're supposed to lead?"

Quentin walked up and said, "Good day, is this the icognito heroes wanted area?" Quentin looked at everyone trying to guage their reactions.

Teeth smiled, it seemed strange for a vampire to smile so much. He walked after Gel into the safe house. "I suppose we are going to find out the details of this little job now?"

As the new guy walked up, he was glomped by Niri.

Oddler heard one of his new teamates ask of Cylean Pharr "Wait, your blind? How the hell to you fly without smashing through someone's window?"
He looked at the speaker carefully, noting several things. "I realize that you must have some hightened sense of sight what with the mechanical eye," He said to the man, "However, I'd think someone of your... disfigurations would be happy to have a blind friend. Besides," he added, "there are senses this man has, I'm sure, that don't lie to us nearly as much as sight. For instance, we can't tell who some of our enemies pass themselves off as in real life due to such silly things as costumes, but if we could remember them purely through smell and sound, we'd be able to find them a lot quicker, as well as in a potentially weakened state." Feeling satisfied with his argument, he turned back towards the agent. "So," he said, "To business?"

"After you."
Narine smiled at the caped, muscular man who waited beside the door for everyone to pass through. "Thank you," she said to him, as her thoughts turned to where she was about to go. Dr. Wolf, she could hardly believe her good fortune, I finally meet the man behind the brilliance. Jacob Snider's many books had been the foundation of nearly all her knowledge on Chemistry. If it hadn't been for him, she would have hardly been offered the Position at GIHAD, she would have never known power if it had not been for him. This is why she accepted the offer. This is why she was in Atrox.
"The details are unimportant," She told the vampire, "What matters is how powerful we can be."

As the new guy walked up, he was glomped by Niri.

Right after Quentin had spoken up, a pseudo-demon pounced on him. Struggling on the ground he activated his energy blade. The dark blue blade, lept from his left arm, crackling until the point almost rested on the face of the pseudo-demon face. Quentin snarled, "Get off me."

"Oh, come on," Nightcat spoke up for the first time in a while when she noticed Quentin become agitated by Niri. "She is just having a little fun," she said with a look of disappointment at the man.

---

Metallicon simply smiled a response to Narine as she entered the staircase next to him. After everyone had entered, he brought up the rear and descended to the lower levels.

The events that followed Tuna Melt's entrance were no doubt interesting and alarming at the same time, but in the end signified one major problem; it had become most apparent that the people he was dealing with, for the most part, were rookies and amateurs. Meeting in a public bar? Killing somebody in broad daylight? Not to mention this J.A.Z.Z. character had killed police on his way to the pub! Perhaps this job was an accident waiting to happen; or perhaps Tuna Melt was just too old to deal with the pressures of greenhorn mistakes. Whatever the case, this job was looking less and less appealing with every developing moment. Nevertheless he followed his contractor down this secret staircase, still in deep thought but eager to learn the rest of the details. The monetary reward would be the deciding factor in whether he stayed or not.

As the villains marched single file down the steep descenting stairs, the perpetually melting hitman eyed his companions most suspiciously, especially the one that had called himself Shadow. That one made him the most nervous; why, of all the people, had they hired a common thief? He was more likely to steal the reward money than provide any worthwhile help. And this J.A.Z.Z., though dressed to the nines in a most dapper ensemble, could spell out trouble for the group too. Any man who killed police so willingly and inconspicuosly either had to be a loose cannon or a raging fool. The jury was still out on the others, however. Metallicon looked to have a solid head on his shoulders, and Teeth, though a little cliche with all his robes and smiling, looked to be a formidable foe. All would be clear soon enough, however, which helped keep Tuna Melt a little bit at ease.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tuna Melt finally chose to introduce himself after much deliberation. Maybe they'd recognize the name; he was, afterall, a very connected man who had killed a good amount of very connected people. "The name's Vincent, Vincent Bolger," Tuna Melt suddenly announced to the villains around him. "I dabble in...extermination." Unlike his companions, he didn't smile knowingly about his name or occupation. Arrogance was a first class ticket to death in this city.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a lobby of sorts. Here, Dr. Wolf waited at the head of a long table. To either side of him, doorways lead to the other wings of the underground complex. Dr. Wolf stared intently at an amber colored stone that pulsed gently in a glass case.

"Everyone take a seat." The two chairs to the doctor's right were already occupied; one by a hooded cultist and the other by a young man dressed in gang colors. The latter's right arm was made of metal and he rested it on the table. "Gel, could you fetch my wife?" Gel, already seated to his left, gritted her teeth and stormed down one of the halls. Dr. Wolf went back to staring intently at his pulsing stone.

"Soulbane. The most powerful conduit of both magic and spirit." He looked up at the group. "For a long time, Atrox was powered by Soulbane cores. That was until they figured out it was causing all those outbreaks..."

"Ah, but I digress. While we're waiting on my wife, I'd like you all to get to know one another. I, having hired you, already know what each of you is capable of. Your teammates, however, do not." The man with the metal arm groaned. "Yes, Potshot, I said 'teammates.' This job will require that we work as a team." The man stood.

"Well okay, Doc, my name's Potshot. I'm the man responsible for uniting many of the smaller gangs in the slums and the halo." He paused, raising his metal arm. "Oh yeah, and there's this." With a mechanical clatter, the arm split and the barrels of a shotgun poked out. After a moment, it reverted back to an arm and the man sat.

Niri frowned as the mean man yelled at her. Re nudged her as she got off Quentin. She then wandered over to a candy machine which prompted Re to try and get someone's attention. Niri normal was bad enought, Niri on a sugar rush was a walking tornado.

The coin slot and dispensing space of the candy machine slammed shut for no apparent reason, and Ghost walked through it into the room.

"Please, don't" He raised a hand patiently to Niri

"Ghost. how do you do, you'll excuse me but I didn't bring me er-" He looked over the rest of the assembly

"Novelty oversized sword." His face was an expressionless mask. This was because he was in fact wearing an expressionless mask. His sparingly sized grey cloak also served to darken a few of his features, but nothing so deep as any cliche' villain. The colour scheme of his garb was basically grey and white, as if he didn't really want to be noticed or advertise, it suited his desires quite well.

JA.Z.Z. looked around the underground chamber, thoroughly impressed with the safehouse. Such a large and well hidden structure took skill to build and conceal. Perhaps this Dr. Wolf was a man of considerable importance. Not that J.A.Z.Z. really cared, of course. He examined the pulsing stone that the docter was so concentrated on, wondering what kind of power it held. He raised his eyebrows at the gangster with the shotgun for an arm; an impressive trick, to be sure, but could some gang leader be trusted?

J.A.Z.Z. stood up after Potshot, introducing himself.

"I'm J.A.Z.Z., a....musician of sorts." This statement was met with some curious-and doubtful-looks from his teamates. "Please, allow me to demonstrate." He looked at Dr. Wolf and opened his leather case to reveal a handsome black-chromed saxophone. He spent a few moments tuning and fiddling, then put his hand on his chair. "I hope you can spare this, Doctor Wolf."

J.A.Z.Z. flung the chair into the air, propelling it almost into the ceiling. As it plummeted downwards, J.A.Z.Z. rolled his fingers up his instrument and gave a blow; a jet of shimmering air blasted into the chair, which exploded into hundreds of splinters.

"Sorry about that, Docter, but there was nothing else that would make for an effective demonstration." J.A.Z.Z. nooded to the doctor and took another seat. He hoped that he hadn't offended anybody with his little show.

After making sure he didn't get hit by any of the flying splinters from J.A.Z.Z.'s demonstration, Metallicon stood up slowly and began to speak.

"Call me Metallicon, Ender, The Lion, whatever you like..." he said slowly.

He was about to sit back down when he realized that the others were still waiting for him to reveal his skill. "Oh yes... I am magnetokinetic."

Well, Thought Narine, I knew this was going to happen eventually. She stood up after Metallicon had told everyone his ability. He didn't show us what he could do, maybe they won't require it of me. "I am," She said, hesitantly, "Volcannon, up to a few hours ago I was busy wreaking havoc in Pietas, until I got word of this. As for my power, I have this suit, you see. Unfortunately, it has been lost, like so much before it, in the infinte evils of the airline baggage system. Until such a time as it finds its way out of this system, I am working on developing another power, the result of a fortunate accident." I hope the clothes are more co-operative this time, she thought as she prepared herself for the doppelganging. She didn't move. A figure appeared in the doorway and quickly covered her bare chest. Huh, they thought as one, the skirt, at least, is becoming more willing. "So you can see," said the exact copy in the doorway, "Why, as of yet, it has only been used as a distraction." Narine walked over to herself, took an extra shirt from her briefcase, and put it on. After assuring everyone that it was a whole new body, not just a trick of light, the two of Narine sat down next to each other, adding "For those of you who are wondering what a power like this would translate to in bed, we have two words." The Narine on the left said "friendly," the one on the right said "Fire," and they invited the next person to show off.

Quentin stood up and brushed himself off. He was beginning to feel guilty about the energy blade thing but he didn't like it when people jumped on top of him for no good reason. He watched the guy phase through the vending machine and decided that when he had a moment alone with the girl he would apologize. He asked the assembly, "So, are we waiting for anyone else or can we get this tea party started?"

"Ghost. How do you do, you'll excuse me but I didn't bring me er-" He looked over the rest of the assembly, "Novelty oversized sword."

The Airport


"If you don't mind," Cylaen replied. "I think that we've made enough fun of the blind man and his sword." He drew it with great agility and split a mailbox a few feet away in two. Putting it away he said, "It get's the job done."


-------
The Pub (Hideout)


"Well, as for me, I think I did a good job of letting my name be known. But for the newcomers, I am Shadow, Security Systems Specialist Extraordinaire. I have been incarcerated in Pandora twice (pissing off mob bosses will get you there pretty quick). Broke out of medium security both times. Unfortunatally my abilities have not the displayable capabilities of the rest of our merry troop, but they will become apparent with time." Kev just smiled.

Teeth stood up, whistling at narine then began to introduce him self "I'm Felcin, call me Teeth. My powers? I'm a vampire." Smiling yet again Teeth drew his carefully concealed sword, the blade wistling through the air. "I use force to do what needs done." his sword slid back under his cloak and suddenly his hands flipped out with his duel desert eagles. "These are my babys." His hands deftly spun the two guns, throwing them in the air. "Yes I can do more then just show off with them. Oh yes and just in case you all didn't know this came with being a vampire." He drew his sword back out and slit his hand. A slight flow of blood trickled down his hand, slowly it started to close. He flexed his hand and sheathed his sword. "I think that is about all."

Jezebel looked over her group with a mixture of exasperation and pity. She was shaken out of her thoughts at the words "tea party."

"This city's going to eat you all alive..." She shook her head. "This is everyone we're expecting... If everyone would get in-" She gestured to the limo.


"Anyone who can fly is welcome to come with me." Crusader looked straight at Cylaen as he said this. With out waiting for affirmation, he jogged over to the edge of the building, vaulted the pathetic excuse for a railing, and free fell down the two hundred story expanse. He spread his wings, narrowly avoiding a raised highway, and glided off through the buildings.

"Show off," Jezebel muttered as she climbed in the limo.

------
Amy entered as the vampire cut his wrist. She gasped in surprise, but understood when the wound healed.

"A vampire? What kind of company is this?" Dr. Wolf turned and smiled at his wife.

"Good, you've arrived. Now we can get down to business." He gestured to the seat beside him and she took it. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I'm sure most of you are wondering why you were hired. Others may only be wondering why some of your teammates were selected. Here's the deal: The Cult of Kzano has offered each of us one million shvorks to bust their leader out of Pandora." He paused there, reading everyone's faces. "It sounds suicidal, I know. Believe me, I know."

"I am confident it can be done, however, and I have selected each of you to maximize our chances. I'm sure you've each got a multitude of questions and I'd like to answer as many of them as I can."

Nightcat slowly made her way to the limo and slipped in quietly. Without much to say, as normal, she was a rather quite individual overall.

After getting in the limo she made her way as far forward as possible until at least she sat down facing out the back of the limo.

---

"Do you even have a plan?" Metallicon spoke up. "Or were you just thinking about winging it..."

Niri and Re followed Jezebel into the car. Re was serving as a somewhat buffer between Niri's full 'bounciness' and normalacy.

Quentin looked around, wondering where the limo came from and where it planned on going due to the fact that they were on top of the mall. He shrugged his shoulders took a quick sip from a flask and muttered to himself, "And down the rabbit hole I go." He then climbed into the limo.

"Do you even have a plan?" Metallicon spoke up. "Or were you just thinking about winging it..."

The Pub (Hideout)


Kevlyn took on a very dark expression behind his goggles. "No. There is no way in all of hell of getting in (let alone back out) without a plan." He leaned back into his seat and thought back on the 3 and then subsiquent 2 year terms he had spent within those hellish walls. The black concrete rising out of Atrox acts as a gateway to it's own version of hell. One much darker than anything that was out here. It had been hard enough getting himself out of their twice (even with his powers), but getting all of these people in and out would next to, if not completly impossible. "Those walls encase some of the darkest places that you will ever see." Kev pulled off his goggles and squinted in the dim light. "Some of you may never see through that darkness... I'm guessing I am here cuz i know at least a little about the prision. But I promise you, I know nothing about the levels that lie deeper in that Box. It's called Pandora for a reason. Even in Medium Security we had rumors about what lay deeper in that hell. None of them are happy tales. Screams of men losing their minds. Mazes that would trap even the most talented escape artist. And things locked in there that were never ment to walk this Earth..." Kev sighed as he now leand forward in his seat. "I still know the way back in to Medium Security. But knowing the way only get's you so far. It's making your way there, and then to where you want to go, that is where it gets hard. But... a million shvorks is alot of money." Kev's old smile worked it's way back onto his face. "I guess there is no glory in life, if you don't risk it to gain that glory. I'm in. It'll be interesting to see what plan you acctually cooked up."


-------------

The Mall


"It's just me and him, huh?" Cylaen asked the sky. "Ok, but he better not get in my way." Cylaen stretched his 16 foot wingspan and lifted himself into the air with one beat of his wings. He took off after Crusader. It didn't matter where he went, Cylean could still find him. He wondered though, why were they sepperating? And where was Crusader taking him? "There better be some explaination soon."

"I don't know anything about this "pandora" but from what shadow says it isnt a friendly place." Teeth smiled then "As Shadow said there is no glory in life if u dont take risks. I'm in and if any of u have a plan just tell me what needs done"

"Flying's a dirty trick," Oddler muttered in a disgust that stemmed from his most recent encounters with the ability. Before he fought Volcannon, though, it was one of the things he was trying to work on. One of the things he would have learned before leaving the Pure Project. After the two had taken off, though, Oddler got off this train of thought and hopped into the limosine.

...

"Pandora's Box..." Narine whispered to herself (an easy feat when one is sitting right next to oneself), "I didn't realize this was where it was." Every villain she had ran with up to that point had heard stories of Pandora's Box. Surely, though, the actual Box couldn't be as bad as the stories. Stories always get misconstrued over time. Half the stuff she'd heard probably wasn't true. no, the sick thought crossed her minds, the truth's probably much worse.

Safe House
"You've chosen well, doctor." The hooded cultist spoke with a rasping voice. Dr. Wolf nodded with a hint of a smile.

"To answer your question, yes we will be using a plan. It will change depending on how successful each of its stages are. The first stage involves the recovery of information pivotal to the final task."

---------
The Skies
Crusader circled overhead, watching as the limo drove down the spiral ramp which lead to the highway.

"Why ride in a cramped limo when you can use the skies?"

"There better be some explanations soon." Crusader caught sight of Cylean flying towards him.

"You want explanations? I wish I had them, myself." He flew off towards the east. "All I can tell you is that we've been hired to prove to the city council that the Vigilante Clause" is a good idea." He smiled in thought. "Vigilantes could become a part of the Atrox law enforcement... Anyway, we're all headed to our accommodations. I just figured those who could fly would prefer it. I sure do."

--------
Safe House
"The first stage of our plan is twofold. A couple days ago, a large section of sewer caved in near Pandora. Turns out there's a cave beneath the city. One of the men exploring the cave belonged to the cult. He sent word that he had found passages that lead further under the city. He was later arrested for trespassing by Pandora's guards. Thankfully, he isn't being held at the prison itself, but rather an Atrox City Police station a few blocks away."

"In two days D Corp. is hosting a huge party to rally support for their campaign to repeal the Android Clause. Among the guests will be Catherine States, one of the fiercest defenders of that wretched Vigilante Clause. Her husband will be there, along with her eight year old daughter."

"The plan works like this: Gel, Volcannon, and Teeth, as they are the best suited to blend in with the rich folk, will infiltrate the shindig and take the States girl hostage. Once she is secured, Potshot and the Atrox Militia will lay siege to the building, both to aid in your escape and to get every cop in the area there. The girl will then be given to the cult to blackmail Mrs. States into dropping her support of the clause."

"Meanwhile, Shadow, Mr. Melt, Metallicon, and J.A.Z.Z. will break our friend out of jail. If he has, as we suspect, discovered another entrance into Pandora, we will be able to employ it in our break."

"As I mentioned, the party isn't for two days. If you'd like to check out your rooming arrangements, they can be found down the left hall. The right hall leads to our kitchen.

--------
Watchtower 001
Crusader and Cylean landed on the roof of the building moments before the limo pulled up to the front. It was a good-sized construct, similar to an apartment building with a tall tower pointing from its roof.

"Welcome to your home away from home," Crusader worked his way to a balcony on the tower and opened the door.

"This is Watchtower 001," Jezebel explained as everyone got out of the limo. "It will serve as our headquarters and housing. It is equipped with advanced training equipment and culinary... uh..." For the first time since the group had assembled, Jezebel slipped and a genuine smile got out. "It's got a kitchen. You will find that you each have your own rooms. So, if you'd like to get settled, we'll reconvene in the briefing room at the top of the tower in one hour."

"I have a couple questions first," Metallicon said in his normal deep and slightly raspy voice. "What kind of resistance are we expecting to meet at the police station? Four men, especially ones of our caliber, seem to be a bit of an overkill; I would think that two of us could handle it," he said, voicing his opinion on the matter.

"However, that brings me to my next question. Are we going to be up against any special equipment or technology that we should know about? Or is it going to be your run of the mill police officers with those pea shooters..." Metallicon asked, obviously not thinking much of guns.

---

Nightcat waited until she realized that Jezebel was done speaking and then slipped off down the hallway towards her room. The room was nice looking, though she wasn't concerned with that type of thing; more importantly was that it had a window.

Walking over to the window, Nightcat unlatched it and opened it to feel the nice breeze. She stuck her head out the window to get a feel for the building; the next moment the room was filled with the smell of brimstone and black smoke as she disappeared...

Quentin walked up to Jezebal and asked, "I have got some stuff in my office I would like to get, personal effects and all. I would also like to close it up. Make sure nobody sneaks into it."

Upon seeing all the shiny stuff in the watchtower, Niri looked around, and decided to go exploring.

Teeth smiled, he loved partys. "One question? How do we get invitations to this party?" He leaned back and then looked around. "Metallicon is right, even for breaking someone out of pandora this seems like an unusuall crew, are we expecting a hard fight from someone?"

"I wasn't talking about Pandora per se," Metallicon interjected. "I meant breaking our guy out of the police station. Hell, I think I could do that."

Watchtower 001


"Welcome to your home away from home." said Crusader joyfully. Cylaen walked towards the door and stopped infront of Crusader. He turned and looked at him with his black eyes. "Away from what home?" he said solemnly. He continued walk and kept talking. "I really don't think that flying through the city is a good idea, especially with my reputation. Guardian Angel is an urban myth. He's not supposed to exist. I don't feel comfortable flying through this towered city on a regular basis. Plus if they every asign the Vigilantes to an acctual case, it wont be to our advantage to be advertizing to the criminals where we are." Cylaen reajusted his cloak over his wings. and went to find a room that he felt was good for him.

Cylaen found a room with a panaramic window that over looked the city. Too bad i cant see the view. There's probably not much to see anyway. ignoring this fact, he lay down on the bed that was beneath the window. When night came it would sooth him. He always loved the feeling of moonlight. He wraped his wings aroung himself and went to sleep. If they need me they will call.

"I know you were talking about the police station but even so... I would think for a break out you would want a more, how shall i say, group of people expert in stealth. Of course all of us are probably capable of stealth but i would have expected a group made up of men like shadow, normaly men of his calaber can face anything the police can dish out, and they do have a way of not being seen. Seems men like you and meen fight, not hide more often then not." Teeth said to Metallicon

Kev took almost everything as being humorus. That's why he was always smiling. "Well," he said, "sometimes it takes a more subtle hand to get the job done." Then he laughed out right. "Which precinct is it in? I've probably gotten something out of it for a gang boss at sometime or another."

The Hideout
"I'm fine with going to the party," Narine said, "However most of my power derives from my suit, which, you could say, would not blend in too well with the upper class around here. So I'm going to have to find another way to be useful. On the subject of my suit, however, I am going to need some time off, with your permission, over the next two days to get over to the Airport and pick it up. It would appear that it took a different flight then I did. It's flying back this way from Talibobania now."
...
Watchtower 001
"Oh good, a kitchen," Oddler said, remembring how hungry he was. He rushed up the stairs towards the culinary facilities. Got to the door, paused, pushed it open and hoped that they had gone shopping recently.
...
In an airport, at gate number D13
"Ho Lenny!" Barry shouted from underneath the giant duffle bag, "You wanna give me a hand here?"
Lenny rushed over to help his friend, picking up an end of the massive bag. "Oof," he mumbled, "What's in hear? A Body?"
"Nah," Barry replied, " 'S too heavy."
...
The Hideout (again)
A beeper went off on Narine's belt. "Oh good," she said, "It's here. One of us will go pick it up, while the other one stays with you guys."
It took a lot out of her to stay disconnected like this, but she had to impress her new employers. Besides, at least she'd be able to get to sleep right away.

Though there was no denying everything that had just taken place was terribly interesting, one note of peculiarity that had gone unnoticed was the fact that Tuna Melt hadn't uttered a word. Eying this Dr. Wolf character suspiciously and snorting at the introduction of Potshot, it seemed like the melting hitman was woefully unimpressed. However, even he couldn't succumb to envy when introduced to his surroundings; the "soulbane" Wolf had presented, along with the spacious quarters of the underground hideout were nothing to be scoffed at, and neither was the Cult of Kzano. Many times had Tuna Melt heard their names uttered in the streets in hushed whispers of frigid terror. They were not an organization one crossed and lived to see the sun again.

But to break into Pandora's Box? It seemed damn near impossible, a sure bet for failure. Everybody knew Pandora's Box was a fortress within a fortress; to expect such high results from a group so scattered in abilities almost sounded unfair. Of course, a million schvorks was no bus fare either. With that kind of money Tuna Melt could get his face repaired, or even better, retire. Opting to hear the rest of his employer out, Tuna Melt's interest grew with every word. At least he wasn't dealing with psychos; Wolf obviously had put a decent amount of planning and consideration into this. Melt had his mind made up when Shadow suddenly responded to a remark made by Teeth. That was the only problem with the whole idea; he'd have to work with that scum bag Shadow. If there was anything that made Melt's blood boil with rage, it was braggarts like Shadow. How many times had the human tuna melt blown his way out of a situation? How many times had he escaped near death all the while accomplishing the hit he'd been hired to do? Countless times; and yet Melt never found the audacity to brag about them when working with others.

Sneering with disgust, it took Tuna Melt every ounce of energy to keep himself from spewing hateful insults in Shadow's direction. Instead he rubbed his eyes gently out of fatigue and spoke in a low, hissing tone.

"You know, your bragging makes you look like a fool, little man. With every comment I lose more and more faith in your ability. I now know why you're here with the rest of us--you were the only one of the group dumb enough to be incarcerated in prison. Do me a favor--do your job, show us the way, and then step back and let the people with real powers do the job."

Teeth scoffed softly at Tuna Melts words. "It appears I was wrong in hoping that I had finaly found a group of people who could get along with each other. Oh well it was to much to hope for. Narine would u like me to accompany you to the airport, if your main strength is the suit you might be a little... vulnerable without it." Teeth suddenly realized what he said, just thinking about going out into the light gave him a head ache. Even as these thoughts flashed in his mind he smiled slyly at narine, showing no sign of retracting this offer.

ooc: Been away for a few days:p

ic:

After a short trip walking down the underground subway stations, giving rise to even more odd stories in the city about hauntings, he finally arrived at the building in question. He sighed, it was at times like these when he wished he had some form of transportation beyond walking. It gave him too much publicity wherever he went, even though the people were as of yet unaware that all the ghost sitings in the city were in fact him making his way across the area.

As he was wandering though the building he overheard a conversation about the reason for this collection of oddities.
Ah, now I see. Another plan to bring us into the light
He had no wish to be known, he had no secret identity to be known or discovered....he wished he had.

But no, he had lost all memory of who he was or how he came about. Just scraps of images, and a name. Sherlock. He had no idea what it meant, but it did make him feel homesick for the only thing he identified with, London.
After coming across a corridor with rows upon rows of rooms his interest was peaked and he took a look into one.
"What?" He stepped forwards into the room, by an obscure twist of fate he had chosen the right room, there was a bed, plain, and a small plauqe on a stand on the desk beside it. it read simply:

"Ghost" He picked it up in slightly shaking hands, the face under his mask stared through the fabric, undetectable by lookers from the outside as to never reveal his expression. now it resembled shock.
He threw the plauqe against the wall and turned away, he knew it was now his name, he knew it was what he called himself, but to see it in somthing as tangable as an engraving....

He sat down on the bed looking down at the floor. He hadn't had a room, he hadn't truly known anyone, he hadn't left any mark on the world that could be found and traced. It could be that he did not exist but for the invisable actions he performed. Yet here he was sitting in a room that had been made for him.

After a few minutes of staring at a wall, Ghost got up and stepped over to where the plauqe had bounced off the wall, he picked it up and hesitabtly buffed it with one hand.

"I could....live with it"
He replaced it on the desk carefully and took a look at it critically. Yes, it looked ok.
Before he left the room again he tore a tiny shred of fabric off his cloak and placed it on his bed. It just felt to him that it made it his room with his possesions.

Hideout


It seemed Shadow's personality wasn't going over to well with his new coworkers. "Alright. I think that i can take from your words that that you would never like to see me again. It's your lucky day Mr. Melt. You can have you wish." And with that, Shadow faded out of peoples vision. However, his voice could still be heard. "You see true invisibility is near imposible. But i find that if i'm able to suggest to people that i am not somewhere i am, it can be just as useful."
The empty seat rocked back and still had the impression of a person's body in the leather, but soon that as well fadded from people's minds.

Removing his hat from his fleshy white head, Tuna Melt rubbed a gnarled hand over his skull and down his neck as if he was fatigued or aggravated, yellow teeth peering out from a disgusted sneer. "I wasn't hired to make friends, nightwalker," he said, a hint of irritation more than evident in his tone. "But I suppose I wasn't hired to make trouble either. I will say this, Mr. Shadow...you're more impressive than I'd given you credit for. However, I'm dying to know how somebody with invisibiliy at their fingetips manages to get themselves thrown in prison." The sneer suddenly transformed into a sardonic smile, making Melt's face ten times more revolting than it had been before. The toxins that had ravaged his body had spared him no mercy, that was for sure. Moving away from the table he'd been sitting at, the expert marksman began to examine the encased soulbane with mild interest before turning to examine the group before him more closely.

For the most part, the other villains seemed worthy enough. Teeth was a full-blown vampire, which was quite impressive in itself, and Metallicon had yet to show any inch of incompetence. Gel was capable of beastly things, and Potshot looked as if he could handle himself quite efficiently. The weak spots lied with Narine and Shadow. While Shadow's massive ego would most likely account for a surplus of mistakes, Narine was powerless without a suit. Disable her extra body and you disabled the root of her power; with all the heroes that populated Atrox, that feat didn't seem so impossible. Yet Tuna Melt could only wait and see what happened. One million schvorks was too good to walk away.

Safe House
"Good questions," Dr. Wolf's face showed a hint of frustration as he went back to staring at the Soulbane. "I cannot imagine the defenses on the police station will be anything more than cops with 'pea shooters.' There is, however, a very good chance The Slayer Project will be keeping an eye on it. Which is the other reason for the distraction: hopefully you can get in and out before heavy enforcement arrives."

"I'm sure most of you are familiar with the kinds of things The Slayer Project has at its disposal. For those of you who are new, you can expect everything from mechs to those wretched Sonic Splitters they're so fond of." Anyone who had ever had a Splitter used on them knew how much those rods hurt. The tuning fork like devices emitted piercing shrieks of sound capable of sending even the strongest to the ground.

"And if those Slayers catch up with you," Potshot took over, looking straight at Metalicon. "Suddenly four of you is going to go from 'overkill' to 'seriously outmatched.'"

------------
Watchtower 001
Jezebel nodded to Quentin, indicating he could leave. "Just tell the driver where you're going and he'll take you there." Taking a deep breath, she marched into the Watchtower, hoping Niri hadn't broken anything yet.

---------
Safe House
"Hey, you with the smoker's voice!" Potshot shouted at Tuna Melt. "Maybe you don't understand what we're doing here. We're trying to break someone out of Pandora. You may call Shadow's arrests stupid now, but you'll be singing a new tune when he's guiding you though the maximum security wards. I'm sure you've heard who and what they keep in there..."

---------
Watchtower 001
Crusader was slightly baffled by Cylean's response to flying. He had come to love his gift of the skies, even if it came with such a terrible price.

Safe House
"Whatever. Suit yourself... send four of us," Metallicon responded, obviously not thinking much of what the 'good' doctor had said. The one major flaw that all of the defenses and weapons utilized against them were sure to have was... metal.

Guns and bullets were all fine and dandy when being used against your average person, even your average hero, but against a man who could control the forces of magnetism and electromagnetism... they stood no chance.

Metallicon thought back to the numerous times where the cops had surrounded him, seemingly having him in their control as they waved their guns at him... only to find that their guns were ripped out of their possessions and turned on their owners...

If Jezebel, or anyone else happened to walk by the rec room, they'd find it had the appearence of a tornado having gone through it, then come back and gone through it again. Niri had meanwhile moved on to another part of the Watchtower.

Watchtower 001
"NIRI!!" It seemed Jezebel had just walked by said rec room. Or, rather, "wreck room."

"WILL SOMEONE SEDATE THAT (Jezebel dissolved into a fit of profanities unfit for posting) BEFORE IT DESTROYS EVERYTHING!!"

OOC: I assume it is ok to introduce NPCs? If not I will edit this post.

Quentin left behind his laptop bag in his rather empty room. He went down the escalator and met up with the limo driver. He quickly rattled off his address, and they were driving away.

After sitting in the back seat for a while, they finally arrived at Quentin's office/home. Getting out of the limo he asked the limo driver how long he would wait. The limo driver shrugged his shoulders.

Quentin walked throught the lobby and saw much to his surprise that Carl was awake, Quentin said sarcastically, "My God, has it finally happened, I could have sworn I just saw a flying pig. Do I detect a slight chill in the air? It must be a sign that hell is freezing over. Carl is actually awake on the job." Carl smiled and said, "You lucky I am in such a fine mood after seeing the after seeing the mucho beautiful woman." Quentin chuckled at Carl's lusting and started walking toward the elevator, Quentin asked, "So who was the beautiful lady coming to see, because from your description, you don't have enough in your bank account to pay for someone like her." Carl's easy reply was, "Well, I thought you could tell me. She was asking for you."

Quentin knew who was waiting for him on the 7th floor. He braced himself as he walked down the corridor and saw she, was waiting for him. To Quentin she was the most drop dead gorgeous woman in the world. She was wearing black knee high boots, skin tight jeans (that were slightly frayed and roughed up), a black tank top, and a denime jacket. Quentin tried his best to concentrate on his keys while he said, "Hello, Sasha."

Watchtower 001
"NIRI!!" It seemed Jezebel had just walked by said rec room. Or, rather, "wreck room."

"WILL SOMEONE SEDATE THAT (Jezebel dissolved into a fit of profanities unfit for posting) BEFORE IT DESTROYS EVERYTHING!!"

Even outside atop the tower Nightcat could hear Jezebel scream in anger. Wondering what it was, though she had a good guess as she heard Niri's name being screamed, Nightcat disappeared from the night sky, leaving only the smell of brimstone in the air and black smoke behind.

"What's the matter?" Nightcat asked as she appeared next to Jezebel, obviously not turned in the right direction to see the disaster Niri had left behind.

Narine considered the implications of a vampire escort and answered Teeth quickly. "No," she said, icily, "I actually think it's safer on my own. Don't worry yourself, I use proper protective measures." She smiled sweetly at everone, letting her eyes stop on the spot where Kev had disappeared, and walked towards the door. Opening, she lingered for a little while, saying "Well, I'll see you all in a few."
A few blocks later she let out a whooping laugh, "Oh my god," she exclaimed with tears in her eyes, "Did you see that face? I mean, sure, it takes a certain amount of misfortune to get cast into Pandora's Box, but takes a real idiot to hide out in a toxic waste plant. I mean, christ, did he ever read when he was little? That's the worst place for a villain to hide." She was laughing so hard by now she didn't notice the man come out of the shadows. "He thinks he's so tough, too, but all he's got is good aim and better luck. No gun and I could break every bone on his," she felt someone touch her shoulder, "bo-ody?" she finished her sentence with great trepidation, composed herself, turned to face the man and said "Hello."

Kevlyn reappeared, removed his goggles and began wiping them with his rag of a shirt. "Blame my stay in the Box on being a Master Thief for hire at the age of twelve. While i may have had a good hold on the nature of the trade, nievity is not something lost on a child. But I asure you, that any time spent in Pandora will rip the nievity out of even a twelve year old whore." He acted as if he had been visible for their whole walk down the street. "And unfortunatally, Suggestion only works on living things, and usually not to that extent. Though it is easier to trick those who have doubts in your ability." He smiled. "Unfortunatally my powers don't work on cameras or those damned mechs the Slayers use." he hung his goggles around his neck. He loved to be able to walk around without them on, it's too bad the sun hurts so much. "So, what exactly is it that this mech suit of yours does. I'd be interested to know how it works and was put together. My other hobby is building things. Sold two illegal street racers last month. Built them from scratch. Love doing it. Don't have the money to keep one for myself though. Gas prices are horendous."

Niri heard Jezebel scream her name and bounced, almost literally, down stairs and incidentally out of Jezebel's room, to see what the commotion was all about.

Re had meanwhile curled up in a patch of sunlight and was dozing.

"Ugh," groaned Narine, "Don't even get me started on gas prices." She was glad Kevlyn had picked up her hint at the hideout. She hadn't actually wanted to go alone, but she didn't want any of those freaks with her. Kevlyn, despite his suggestions, seemed normal enough, and besides, as she had seen at the bar earlier, he was obviously a man who enjoyed his liquor. And after what she'd just been told she had to do, she was feeling a need for some stiff drink action. "The suit was a big project I was working on for the Greater Initiative corporation in their GIHAD division." Narine noted the look on Kevlyn's face, apparently he had not been one to study international business. "That's the Greater Initiative for Holy Armaments and Defenses, the bastards love a good acronym. Anyways, it was originally conceived as a new way of integrating a flame thrower and body armor for infantry, but we developed into much more. We made it so the thing could fly, and we were working on a better way for the pilot to control the flame when a most unfortunate accident occured at the plant." She gave pause to the memory.
"That accident, of course, being me killing everyone and taking the suit. After acruing myself a sufficient stockpile of money, courtesy of First Pietas Bank, I made a few modifications to the suit and made a name for myself. If you like hotrods, though, this thing should do the trick for you."
Narine, deciding not to walk the whole way to the airport, and considering herself far enough away from the hide out, hailed a cab.
...
Watchtower 001
Oddler was busy passing a charge through the can of soup in order to heat it (he'd given up after shorting the electric oven three times). The lid of the can shot off from the pressure and Oddler basked in the warm steam of condensed chicken noddle soup. mmmmm, He thought, smells just like home. He heard a scream from below "NIRI!!!!" It was Jezebel, The rest of the yelling was mumbled, but Oddler hoped it'd at least keep the bouncy demon out of the kitchen for long enough to eat his soup.

"Hello Quentin, how are you doing?" asked Sasha. Quentin finally opened the door and walked inside, Quentin replied, "Alright, I finally got a steady job, incase you are wondering." She gasped, "You, get a steady job? Who would hire you?" After scrounging around Quentin found a box which would fit his desktop tower. As he was diconnecting cords he said, "The Atrox Municipality for one." Sasha started laughing, while she was laughing Quentin disconnected the tower from the all cords. He lifted the tower and carefully put it in the box. Once she was able to get over the hilarity of it she asked, "Quentin are you saying that the city hired you." Quentin began scrounging around for another box that would fit his HD screen. He said, "Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. They are using us as guinea pigs for the vigilante clause that they are thinking about passing. I'm not lying you know." Sasha smiled and said, "Oh, I know." Quentin grimaced as he remembered the true nature of Sasha. He couldn't find a box that would fit his HD moniter. So he asked Sashe to hold on one second. He then put on his glasses and gloves. He saw the programming that was everywhere in the world, the programming known as magic. After manipulating the code for a few minutes he had a box that would fit the moniter. He took off the gloves and glasses, then put the moniter into the box. He then proceeded to put a lot of periphrials into the boxes. Sasha said, "Well, why don't we have a celebration about your new job." Quentin sighed back, "Because the celebration you are talking about would take my soul, and to be honest I like where it is right now." He picked up a mug which had binary code on it, the code spelled coffee in ones and zeroes. He then started throwing clothes into a third box. Sasha said, "So can I meet your peers?" Quentin looked up sharply and asked, "How did you know that the city hired more people?" Sasha replied, "You said, 'They are using us as guinea pigs.' Implying that there was more than one person. So can I meet them?" Quentin finished packing the third box and said, "No." Sasha pouted and said, "Why not?" Quentin started to move the boxes outside and said, "Because, I have had to deal with you for 2 years so I know a lot of your tricks now. However, they haven't and with all the egos I am afraid you would be able to take quite a few souls." After moving the last box Quentin gestured with his hands that Sasha should leave the office. Sasha disappeared in a gout of flames and then reappeared behind him in another gout. Quentin said, "You know one of these days you are going to start the fire alarm and I am just going to laugh, really hard, and really long." Quentin took out the black key on his keychain and locked the door.

Watchtower 001
"You are going to have to restrain yourself," Jezebel spoke to Niri through clenched teeth. "If you cannot, you will be fired. This is not daycare. It is a serious job we need to do." She turned to the rest of the group. "I think it's time we discussed the actual reason we're here. If everyone could make their way to the briefing room at the top of the tower..." She then made her way to the briefing room and made her announcement over the PA.

Nightcat gave a rare smile to Niri before disappearing into thin air, leaving only the smell of brimstone and black smoke.

The next moment she appeared at the top of the tower in the designated room, obviously the first to arrive.

Niri just shrugged, wondering what had gotten Jezebel so worked up and followed her to the briefing room, Re joining her as she walked.

ooc: DP, sent you a tg

Watchtower 001


PA: "Would everyone plaese report to the Briefing Room at the top of the tower now."

Cylaen was shaken awake by the voice echoing through the tower. He rolled over and out of the bed, landing on the floor. Groaning, he picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off. He walked down the hall to the elevator and took it up to the top of the tower. He entered the Briefing Room and took a seat at the table.

Carl was just sitting there actually trying to stay awake, he wouldn't to see that sexy lady again. He heard the elevator doors open and the sounds of an arguement flow towards him. He looked up and much to his surprise he saw Quentin argueing with the sexy lady. Carl just shook his head, if he had a girl like that he wouldn't be argueing with her. He saw the boxes floating after the argueing couple, but didn't think much of it. After living in Atrox city for a while you get used to a lot of things.

Quentin said, "No, for the last time no. N - O." Sasha lept in front of him and said, "I would do a lot to see this motley crew." To Carl it was obvious that the the boy was using a lot of self-disicipline. Self-disicipline that in Carl's opion he didn't really need. Quentin said, "You see, this is exactly what I am talking about. This is how you act all the time, and when I first met you the only reason I didn't sleep with you was because I had some issues at the time that weren't resolved. But then I found out who you really were. SO I have had to play this game with you over the years to keep my soul." Quentin paused to take a breath, this is when Carl decided to interuppt, "Well, boy if you don't want her. I'll take her." Carl smiled at Sasha, trying to show off, what he believed, was his best aspect, his angelic face. Quentin closed his eyes and sighed, "Carl you wouldn't want to do that." Carl replied, "Why the hell not?" Quentin said as he began to walk out the door, "Because she would steal your soul, if you slept with her." Sasha gave Carl a saucy look and mouthed the word, "Later." After they had both left Carl muttered to himself, "For a gal like that I might just want to lose my soul."

Quentin put the boxes in the trunk of the limo, and got into the back. He turned to Sasha and said, "Don't even think of following me." He got into the limo and left Sasha standing on the sidewalk. After about 5 minutes the limo driver asked, "Girl troubles?" Quentin replied, "You have no idea."

He had just put the boxes down when the announcment came over the PA. He sighed and started walking toward the top of the tower.

OOC: Is it alright if I bring Sasha in? If you guys say no, I will just say she didn't follow him. If you guys say yes, I will say she did.

ooc: Mare Serenus? You can bring her in briefly. Preferably at the party.

IC:
Watchtower 001
Crusader strolled into the briefing room last and Jezebel gave him one of the dirtiest looks she could muster. Which was pretty dirty.

"Now that everyone's here, we can begin to discus the reason you've all been hired. As you all should know, a new law is being debated in city hall. Called the ‘Vigilante Clause,’ this law would essentially make the vigilantes of Atrox another form of law enforcement. Many people are extremely skeptical of this. They’ve been calling for all sorts of restrictions and registration. You’ve been hired as an experiment.” Jezebel noticed several people’s attention wandering. Niri, in particular, seemed ready to go tearing through the delicate equipment in the briefing room.

“What it boils down to is this: if you do well, you’ll be able to continue to protect this city. Do poorly, and I’ll probably be arresting you before the end of the month.”

“I’m sure some of you are here expecting an adventure. We are here mainly to do routine street patrol. Of course, routine street patrol in Atrox is anything and everything but routine.”

“Our serious work will begin tomorrow. This evening, we’ve been invited to a party in order to rally support for the clause.”

“I suppose we’ll be the ‘guests of honor?’” Crusader reclined slightly in his chair. “Which is to say we’ll be there to attract the wealthier guests. I’d rather not be treated like a sideshow freak.”

“Actually, no one outside this experiment actually knows we’re going to be there. But, if you don’t want to go, don’t. We’re all adults here-” Jezebel cast a glance at Niri. “No one’s going to force you. I, however, do not have a choice. It’s not going to help the clause if no one from the test group attends the rally.”

“Well, I’m sure Cylean isn’t going, either.” Crusader looked to the blind swordsman for confirmation. “We’ll hold the fort while you guys party.”

-----------
Safe House
“We’ve got about four hours before the party kicks off.” The two days of waiting and planning had gone by smoothly and without incident. Now Dr. Wolf called the group of villains back together to go over the plan one more time.

“The party will kick off at 8:00. Gel, Narine, and Teeth, I have your invitations here. I doubt they will, but should the guards question you, Gel will get you through. Preferably without killing anyone. You need to get near the States brat before 9:30. That’s when Potshot’s crew will lay waste to the place.” Dr. Wolf passed Potshot a small box. Inside were ten pale liquid filled capsules. “I know you’ll find a use for these. The effects will only last for about twenty minutes, so be careful with them.”

“Also at 9:30, the rest of you will infiltrate the station. Hopefully, you’ll be in and out before The Slayer Project can sort out what happened at the party. Should that fail, you’ll have to fight your way out. Not as easy as it sounds, believe me. We’ll have your suit on hand, Narine, just in case the station break in goes sour. I almost hate to ask, but does anyone have any last minute questions?”

As Jezebel was talking, and Niri's attention was wandering, a man who shared some similar features to her arrived at the entrance to the Watchtower, trailed by a slightly large version Re. The Ni-Fel was Niri's older brother, and through Rie had managed to track down his sister. Entering the tower, he headed up toward the top floor where Rie had said Re and Niri were.

Quentin leaned back into the chair and asked, "What is the dress code? Snobish or not so snobish?"

Watchtower 001

Oddler wasn't generally a party person, but he was growing a little bored with the sterile watch tower that he was confined to, despite Niri's methodical attempts to unsterilize the place. Party might be fun, besides, they usually have good food at these state dinners. Good food, and rich young women...
He echoed Quentin's question. "Yeah, do we dress up, go as ourselves, incognito or what?" He glanced around wondering how in hell anyone could make some of these creatures icognito.


Hideout

Narine did not have any questions. Not about the party, at least. So she kept quiet, and prepared herself for the first social engagement she'd been to since her graduation ceremony.

Watchtower 001
"The idea is that we go as ourselves, proving that vigilantes aren't a savage as the oposition claims." Jezebel wondered to herself how Odd-Eye's spiked purple hair would go incognito.

Niri's older brother had finally reached the top floor, having spotted what was almost certainly his sister's work. Reaching the room Rie told him Niri was in, he opened the door.

As the door opened, Niri looked up, and lept the length of the table to glomp her brother.

“Well, I’m sure Cylean isn’t going, either.” Crusader looked to the blind swordsman for confirmation. “We’ll hold the fort while you guys party.”

Watchtower 001


Cylaen glanced at Crusader. "Yeah, like I'm going to get myself stuck in a place like this with you for a whole night. I think that i'll take my chances at the party."

Watchtower 001


Cylaen glanced at Crusader. "Yeah, like I'm going to get myself stuck in a place like this with you for a whole night. I think that i'll take my chances at the party."
"Ouch. Well, have fun dancing for the nobles." Crusader walked over to balcony doors, opened them, and hopped over the railing, taking off over the horizon. If one had been paying enough attention, they would have realized Crusader's sudden shift in mood had little to do with Cylean's comment. It had building since the party had been brought up.

It is important to note that Atrox City has not true "nobles." The term has become a derogatory one, used in reference to the wealthy elite. It is a rude term, almost to the point of being vulgar, and is most certainly not used in polite conversation.

Jezebel choose to pretend as if the incident hadn't happened, instead turning her attention to the newcomer. Her attention, that is, and her gun.

"Hello. Do you mind explaining how you got through both a locked door and a complex security system?"

Niri's brother, who'd caught and deflected his sister's actions with a skill borne from a great deal of practice, looked up at the person who spoke. Seeing it was an attractive woman, he was at her side in an instant. "It is a pleasure to meet you mon belle femme." He said as he took her hand and planted a kiss on it.

Before he could do anything else, Niri was there and wrenched her brother back by his shirt collar. "No Naru, no no no." She yelled at him.

Niri's brother, who'd caught and deflected his sister's actions with a skill borne from a great deal of practice, looked up at the person who spoke. Seeing it was an attractive woman, he was at her side in an instant. "It is a pleasure to meet you mon belle femme." He said as he took her hand and planted a kiss on it.

Before he could do anything else, Niri was there and wrenched her brother back by his shirt collar. "No Naru, no no no." She yelled at him.

Quentin was doing his best not to laugh out loud. He was failing

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhehahehahehahehahahahahahhahahahahah

Then he had to stop himself or else he was going to die laughing.

Watchtower 001
"The idea is that we go as ourselves, proving that vigilantes aren't a savage as the oposition claims." Jezebel wondered to herself how Odd-Eye's spiked purple hair would go incognito.

OOC: Dammit, this is the second time I've posted this, it's dissapeared overnight somehow

IC:

"May I ask you somthing?" Ghost asked from over in the corner
"What purpose does this merging with the civil defence organisation serve? You expose yourselves, making it easier for your enemies to track you and strike where you are weakest. At the moment...this" He gestured to the mask on his face
"Is the strongest weapon we posess. You would give it up for a name on a register?" He cocked his head sideways in curiosity

Watchtower 001

Nightcat giggled lightly as she watched the Ni-Fels, who she had come to regard as an interesting race, interact. I don't Jezebel is going to like having two of them here, she thought to herself as she smiled.

As Niri deflected, at least for the moment, Naru's interest in Jezebel he caught sight of Nightcat. Again he rapidly crossed the distance and planted a large kiss on the girl, before one again being yanked backward by his sister. Facing her, the began speaking in a language that sounded like it had been sped up a hundred-fold.

Nightcat had still been giggling at the unfolding series of events when suddenly Naru darted across the room and kissed her. She didn't encourage or deny the kiss, but rather stood there motionless in shock. After Niri managed to pull her brother away, Nightcat sort of stood there in confusion; her normally reserved personality didn't have an adequate response for what happened and she was now racing to figure out what she should do...

She decided to blend into the background, taking a couple of steps back so that she wasn't in anyone's direct line of sight, and then watching the two Ni-Fel argue.

Watchtower 001


Cylaen stood and headed for teh door. "Well there is no way in hell I'm staying here and dealing with this. I'll see you all at 8:00." And with that, he left.

The Hideout

"Is it time yet?" Metallicon asked to nobody in particular as he had been sitting for hours now, waiting for the mission to start.

"Time and tide wait for no man," he said as he got to his feet; his heavy boots thudding against the floor. "Nor does a party or pirson break..."

It had been a while since he had been on a mission, but now that they were on the brink of one, he felt good... he felt energized.

ooc: All right, I'm back! Let's get this party started!
IC:
Watchtower 001
"Okay, everyone, we leave in ten minutes." Jezebel turned her attention over to Naru. For a moment or two she mulled over how to handle the situation. She decided there was no way in hell she was going to deal with two Ni-Fel and promptly left the room.

-------------
Safe House
"Well said, Metallicon." Dr. Wolf smiled. "Gel, if you, Teeth, and Narine could head upstairs, there should be a car waiting for you."

-------------
Grand Central
Of all the places to find myself, why here? Crusader viewed the dark spire of Millennium Tower with regret. He had known, from the moment he left the Watchtower, that he would wind up here. He had also known how much he would regret digging through the past.

Automatically, his human hand pulled a necklace and a photograph from his pocket. The necklace, a good sized golden cross, was a gift from someone he loved. The photo was the only one he had of her.

"Fiona," he muttered softly, "I'm so sorry." He was sorry, but for what? Nothing he could have done would have saved her. Still, the fear in her eyes as they were forced of the road... it would never leave him.

In the picture, though, there was no fear. There was only joy in her green eyes as she threw her arms around Alexander, free of both scars and metal. Looking at the picture, he could almost feel her soft blond hair again.

A strong wind tore the photo out of his hand. He just watched it sail off toward the black monolith. Perhaps it was time to let go of the past...

Crusader threw himself from his rooftop perch and tore through the sky after it.

Quentin was finally able to stop laughing. Then went to his room, he decided the one thing he wanted to do was lock the door, so that the living tornadoes couldn't come in. He had too much equipment in here to let those living catastrophes, walk into his room. He carefully set up four emitters on the corners of the doors. The typing into his laptop he carefully set up a forcefield that would block anyone who was moving faster the 60 mph or had the General Body Chemistry of the Ni-fel. Quentin was pretty sure with those parameters he could keep the Ni-fel out of his room.

It was ver easy for Quentin to change for the party, he buttoned up his top button on his shirt and straightened his tie. He decided he didn't need any heavy firepower so he left the laptop behind. He kept the AR glasses and gloves.

He then went down to chat with the limo driver, they made bets on who would explode first.

Niri continued to berate her older and at least by the generally found cultures in the world, shameless, brother. He stood there with a hang-dog expression on his face, that was completely ruined by the lecherous glances he kept throwing Nightcat. Those trying to listen to the conversation would quickly find themselves getting an earache as they tried to listen to the strange language that was spoken at such a rapid speed.

She then turned to Nightcat, and commented, "If he bothers you, feel free to kick him in the nuts." Almost as soon as she'd finished speaking, Naru was at Nightcat's side, and asking for a kiss from the lovely lady.

Naru suddenly appeared next to her, asking for a kiss. Nightcat had no idea how to respond, so she thought for a moment in silence, thinking of what to do. "Umm..." she began saying, but her normal shy self took over and left her at a loss for words.

Not knowing what to say, Nightcat disapperaed into thin air, leaving only a cloud of black smoke behind and the smell of brimstone in the air. Reappearing downstairs by the waiting limo.

The Safe House
"Finally," Narine said as she headed for the stairs along with Gel and Teeth, "So what do you guys think, should I go as two, or one?" The air was cool as she exited the building, but she didn't notice that much. There really was one thought in her mind at that point, and she made it known, saying "Wow, Nice car."

Watchtower 001
"He's not staying, is he?" Asked Oddler of Jezebel as she exited the room, he himself having snuck off as soon as he found out that Niri was not a genetic mistake and that there was an entire race of these things running about. He was all ready for the party, wearing a more civilian-looking armor. "I could really do with less getting tackled in my life right now. Plus I would want to see a flirt like that in a classy social engagement, such as the one we are headed for now." Little did he know, of course, that by the time this little adventure was over he would have made aquaintances with his fair share of overtly perveted men.

Niri decided to get changed into 'semi-formal' garb, while Naru decided to see if he Jezebel or Nightcat again.

The Morning

Tommi Lu yawned, stretching his arms as he sat up in bed. He smiled as he saw the beauty laying next to him. There's nothing more thrilling then waking up with a beautiful naked lady next to you in the morning... Now, what was her name again?

He slowly pulled back the covers, gazing at her form and memorizing every curve. She stirred, opening her eyes and smiling at him. "Good morning, Tommi." She was a rich noble women. The bed she slept on and the blankets she used were made of only the softest, most comfortable silk and memory foam. She had brilliant blue hair and matching eyes.

"Good morning my Delicate Flower." He said, his voice charming, his smile warm. "Why don't we go back to sleep, yeah?" Cause I had no intention of being here when you woke up.

"I'd love to... But I got a formal party to attend... Oh, you wanna come with me, as my guest?" She said, brushing a locket of blonde hair away from Tommi's face.

Tommi blinked, then smiled. "Sure. I'd love to be your guest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little later...

Tommi Lu was fully dressed. He wore his usual attire, a white pair of dress slacks, with a matching button-up shirt. He unbottoned the top two buttons, revealing a beautiful silver medallion, then knealt, tightening his dress shoes, black in color, contrasting against his otherwise all white appearal.

He waited outside for his escort, the noble woman whose name he never did remember. Did she even tell me it? No... I'm quite sure she didn't... Oh well, she hasn't objected yet to being called my Delicate Flower...

She descended the steps of her mansion, wearing a brillent light blue ball gown. Extending an arm, Tommi helped her into the white limo, glancing around.

A cold chill ran up his spine, his Precognition picking up something, but it was faint... Something's going to happen...? Let's hope not... Shrugging, he climbed into the limo after her, and closed the door.

The car pulled off, driving for the party...

Watchtower 001

As Nightcat appeared on the sidewalk outside below the tower, she was relieved to get away from the all to forward Ni-Fels. However, as she stood there waiting for the others to come down, she realized that she would be incredibly underdressed for the occasion.

She still wore the same black clothes as before; a short shirt that exposed all of her stomach and nearly her chest, minute shorts that just barely covered her behind, and a various assortment of other straps and coverings. She disappeared again, leaving only a cloud of black smoke behind and the smell of brimstone in the air.

When she reappeared, she was standing next to Jezebel. "Umm... I was wondering if I was supposed to wear anything special for the party... cause... I don't really have anything else but this..."

Safe House

"I guess we have a little bit of time before we need to go, then," Metallicon mused as he cracked his knuckles in his gauntlets; the sound reverberating to a splintering sound.

"No, no, in my opinion it is either going to be Jezebel or the Crusader guy. They are both coiled then a steel spring and under twice as much pressure." Quentin said. Steve, the limo driver replied, "I don't know I have drive Agent Sorrow around a lot, she always seems so cool and collected." Quentin laughed and said, "You should have seen calm and collected go out the window today she was screaming her head off when she fould out that Niri had wrecked the rec room." Then Steve said, "What about Niri, I heard her shouting from down here, do you think she will crack first?" Quentin thought about it before replying, "Naw, she will only do that around her brother, and I think he is leaving soon."

They discussed the contenders for a while more until they agreed on four contestants. One of the contestants worried Quentin a little. "Me? Why do you think I will explode?" Steve replied, "Easy someone messes with your gadgets you are going to go ballistic on everyone." Quentin finilized the bet by saying, "Ok, I bet 20 bucks that either Crusader or Jezebel will blow off their top first." Steve said, "And I bet that either you, Nightcat, or Odd-Eye are going to blow their respective tops off." Then they shook hands and both said at the same time, "Deal!"

Watchtower 001
After assuring Oddler that Naru would most certainly NOT be staying, Jezebel made a quick stop in her room to change. Emerging a couple minutes later dressed much the same, she made her way down to the street. Here, as Jezebel put on a pair of sunglasses, Nightcat materialized next to her. Jezebel recovered from her surprise in time to catch her question.

"Don't worry, most people don't dress up for these things. The only people who actually wear something fancy are those who do it only to prove they can."

------------
Outside The Safe House
"Wow, nice car." Narine's assessment was a good one, perhaps an understatement. Their transport was a Nightling, a pure white mussel car so streamlined and polished that it made a Porsche look like a clunky fiberglass box.

"It's been said," Gel mused, "That D Corp. only makes two things well: weapons and cars." The driver hopped out and opened the door, bowing to the three villains. "Shall we?"

---------------
The Party
Once Jezebel finally got everyone together, they had little trouble piling into the limo and making their way to the hotel where D Corp. was hosting their little shindig. The group was met with a few odd glances at the door, but no one tried to stop them. Jezebel relished the surprise on a few faces as they entered the building. The mass of people, light, and sound seemed less like a support rally and more like a teenage rager.

"Welcome to an Atrox party," she commented, "I take it you were expecting something a bit more... formal?"

As Niri and Naru entered the limo, Re and Rie staying behind in the watchtower, Naru attempted to seat beside Jezebel and began paying her lavish compliments that occasionally bordered on the obscene or lewd. Niri's dress was quite outlandish, with night black, and neon green and various bright colours interlaced with shiny bits of metal.

At the party both of the Ni-Fel's eyes light up, but for drastically different reasons. Naru was in 'pervert' paradise with the multitude of scantily dressed females gyrating and dancing. Niri lit up at the strobe lights and all the chaos in the raveish party.

Quentin muttered to himself, "Jeez, this is how the other hundreth lives?" He thought to himself, this isn't the political party I was expecting, I was thinking of tea and cucumber sandwiches, not this rave. He put his gloves and glasses into his cargo pant's pocket. Didn't look like anyone would question his abilities here. He even doubted that anyone would care he was here.

He was moving slowly towards the bar, when a voice whispered into his ear, "Hello." Quentin whirled around and was staring straight into Sasha's green eyes. Then she took a step back and realized with much discomfort that she was wearing a lot less then usual. He barely croaked out the words, "Hello, Sasha." He was trying hard not to embarass himself at the moment.

The Rave-influenced Government Party
"You were expecting something a bit more... formal?" Jezebel chided the assorted heroes.
"I don't know waht I was expecting," Replied Odd-Eye, "but I think it was something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike this. Oh well, at least no one here can make fun of my hair." As Odd-Eye made his way around the party, he got a few strange looks, he was, after all, wearing armor and a cape, however, thanks to the types of people attracted to parties of this sort, he didn't get near as many stares as he thought he should have. And most of them were from that grouped classified as "those who wear something fancy just to prove they can." After figuring this out, Odd-Eye cheerfully went about his way thinking to himself I only wear armor and a sword just to prove I can destroy you, and requested that the DJ would work "the electric slide" into his playlist for the night.
Needless to say, that was the strangest look he had gotten from anyone.

The Curb, next to a very nice car
"I don't know," Narine offered as she climbed in the car, "I had a blender by them once that I know I'll never be able to replace."

Millennium Tower
"I heard that this tower's magic." Fiona smiled as she pushed her hair out of her face.

"Magic?" Alexander laughed softly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I heard that if you make a wish when you touch it, it will come true." Fiona smiled again and Alexander laughed harder. He talked someone into taking a picture of the reaching out to the black spire. The railing prevented them for actually touching it, of course, but they didn't care.

Crusader drifted in the sky, flying lazy circles around Millennium Tower. He had caught the picture and was lost in his memories. He looked up from his past and into the cold, reflective plating of the tower. He flew in closer, kicking himself for wondering, and reached out.

"I wish-" The contact was like lightning, throwing Crusader back. Distorted images shot through his mind like gunshots:

People screamed... Wolfmen crashed in through windows... Bullets shredded the air... Familiar voices shouted... Above it all.... Like a demonic god... A black shadow with horns and wings... It looked at him... He could feel its red eyes tearing through his soul... It leaned down to him... It whispered its name... "Kzano..."

Crusader came out of the trance just in time to avoid slamming into the pavement. He flew back to his rooftop perch and landed, a grim feeling clenched in his gut.

-------------
Outside The Party
The moment the car pulled up to the curb, Gel was out. She had a look in her eyes that was somewhere between sadistic and full on psychotic. It disappeared quickly, as she lead the others up to the entrance. The bouncer, a large and fairly intimidating man, looked at their invites with skepticism. He let them in, though, and Gel smiled at her teammates in a quite malice fashion.

"Let's party."

------------
Party
Jezebel finally got rid of Naru via a well delivered backhand. She then stormed into the crowd, seeking out the man behind the experiment. She found him seated with a couple of D Corp. executives.

"Agent Sarrow!" The executives stood and offered their hands, but the other man did not. Jezebel shook the offered hands with suppressed distaste.

"Could you leave us alone, gentlemen? I have a feeling Miss Sarrow has a few choice words for me." As the other men left, one would understand why this particular man didn't stand. He was in a wheel chair. This didn't stop Jezebel from laying into him with a furious barrage of insults. The man in the wheel chair said nothing, quite used to these outbursts. When she finally ran out of curses, he smiled. "Why thank you, dear. I love you, too."

"Sorry, chief."

"Don't apologize yet. I'm sure you'll be calling me more creative things before we're done." The man was Chief Jennison, head of The Slayer Project. He also happened to be Jezebel's foster father and first partner. "Now, why don't you, as calmly as possible, tell me what's bugging you?"

The Party

As Nightcat got out of the car and approached the door with the rest of the group, she was quite apprehensive about the party. She didn't feel like she would fit in well and her shy nature made it so she didn't like being the center of attention.

However, she managed to swallow her fears and proceeded into the 'party' with everyone else. Immediately, all of preconceived notions of what the night would be like were lost in the blaze of music and streams of light. Umm... this is a bit different... she thought as she continued deeper into the room.

She still, however, was quite shy and was not generally one to party. Though she did not stand out as much as there were many people wearing the same type of short or ripped clothes as her, she still decided to hide away. She disappeared into thin air leaving behind only a cloud of black smoke and the smell of brimstone in the air.

She reappeared in the rafters, sitting daintily with her feet hanging over the side.


The Safe House

Metallicon sat in a chair, leaning back so that only two of its feet were on the ground. Hovering around his head was a solid metal ball, roughly five inches in diameter. He had previously become bored and decided to make the ball out of various metal objects he found. Now he waited...

Cylaen walked the streets. The bell of a nearby clock tower tolled eight times. Eh, whatever. Let them have their party. Cylaen was content with wondering. He had never liked big gatherings anyway. Something bad always happened. He found himself thinking of the time he spent at sea, of the time he spent in far of ports. Of the short time he had spent with her….

Two days after arriving in port, Cylaen found himself wondering the streets of the strange city. A city unlike his home. A city doused in sunlight and bathed in warmth. Untouched by the corruption of evil people, or so he thought. It was in a city this glorious that he had met her, the girl of his dreams. Her name was Selenia, and thought Cylaen had never seen her, he knew she was the most beautiful girl he had ever met. Cylaen had spent his days and his nights with her. She was his angel, sent from heaven to bring light into his world. But that had always been the problem, Selenia was an angel. Her father was the tyrannous Archangel Michael. The Angels were a vengeful group of corrupt nobles. They always had been.

“No daughter of mine will share her heart with a disfigured half-breed.”

But it was not the Archangel’s decision whose heart his daughter would share hers with. That had been heaven’s choice. Heaven had brought Cylaen out of Hell to be with her. He would not bend to the Archangel’s will. Fleeing with Selenia, they tried to escape the legions that Michael sent after then, they ran as fast as they could from his army. But they could not escape, they were only two people. They ran all the way to the edge of Atrox, the Forbidden City. Angels would never set foot within its boarders. It was there that Michael caught them.

“If you wish to venture into the Forbidden City yourself, half-breed, be my guest. But my daughter stays here, outside that hellish place.” Michael had come himself to retrieve his daughter, but Cylaen would not let them separate him from his love.

“Michael,” Cylaen drew his sword, “if you are an Angel of honor, I challenge you here and now to a duel. If you win, I leave Selenia here with you. But if I win, you and your legions must leave us alone to live as we will. What say you?”

Without an answer, Michael attacked. They fought for an hour before Cylaen gained the upper hand. Michael then called to his legions to descend on Cylaen and destroy him. While Cylaen was fighting off the Angels, Michael took his daughter’s hand and took her away. Out numbered, but not out matched, Cylaen retreated into the city where he knew the Angels would not follow.

“I will find you again, Selenia, if it takes me all of my lives.”

Cylaen stopped walking and looked up. He found himself at the megalithic Millennium Tower. High above him, he could sence the Crusader circling the tower in a daze.

“Oh what is he up to now?”

Narine got out of the car, not entirely looking forward to the coming party. She had never been much of a dancer. Except the tango, which she took lessons in as soon as she decided to be a supervillain. She had seen enough movies as a kid to know that any succesful supervillain knows how to tango. She could hear the pounding bass from the curb and sighed to herself, well, she resigned, I suppose a new generation of Supervillains will have to dance a new generation of the tango. With that thought in mind, she entered, and laughed. The things some people were wearing almost made her cry. Immediately she realized why she likes hurting people.

And then there were the other people, dressed all fancy to show off their wealth, these were the types that Narine had been expecting. No doubt all of their speakers for the night, and likely the Familia States as well. While they were of the breed that Narine liked to see at social functions, that is the breed of ballroom dancing, here at this cheap rave, they just looked silly. Silly people were just another nail in the board that she employs to hit society with.

Beyond them, though, something even more alluring than the fun of the pit, and the wealth of the snobish, a Bar. Not just any bar, no, this bar, Narine Mused, must be an entire percent of Atrox city's infamous income tax rate. It was simply amazing. The sight of it almost made Narine pass out right then and there, but she swore to herself there'd be plenty of time for it to have that effect later on. Right now, though, she needed a drink. It wasn't long after she got her White Russian that some buffoon sat down next to her and tried to make small talk.

Sasha glanced down then back up and asked with a mischevious grin, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Quentin grimaced and said, "I thought I said you weren't supposed to follow me?" Sasha replied, "Quentin, I am a woman, a demon, and a succubus. Did you really think any part of me would ever follow an order I didn't like?" Quentin looked up and stared at the ceiling, the multi-colored lights would flash across his vision every two seconds or so. He sighed, "Sasha, I wonder what would have happened if things had been a little different." He shifted his head forward, looking straight into Sasha's green eyes. She smiled, one that was more tired then mischevious and said, "Dance with me."

Niri had been buzzing about the dance floor, dancing an insane hodge-podge of slow, modern, rave and Ni-Fel cultural dances as she whirled from one dance partner to another.

Naru meanwhile had, after receiving a number of smacks to the face, had quite literally climbed the walls and walked along the rafters to stand by Nightcat, "What is such a lovely creature like as you doing up here?"

Safe House
"All right, boys, let's get ready to move out." Dr. Wolf returned the Soulbane to his make-shift office. "Our friends at the Cult have been gracious enough to get us transportation." He glanced a clock; 9:00. They had a half hour.

-------------------
The Party
"Hey baby, what's your sign?" The man next to Narine smiled an all too familiar and sadistic grin. His voice quickly shifted into Gel’s. “Any idea where the vampire slid off to? I found the States brat.” She nodded her head over to the table where Catherine States and her daughter were chatting with a red-haired man and his wife.

“Keep your eye on them, but don’t get too close yet. The man she’s talking to is Samuel Farbanks. He developed the gene selection technology the wealthy are so fond of.” Gel made a casual gesture, as if punctuating a conversation, pointing Narine’s attention to the dance floor. Specifically, a red head who was grinding with everyone she could. She had sharp blue eyes and short, red hair that was pulled back into pig tails. She wore a long, back coat over an amazingly short skirt and top, both as crimson as her hair.

“That’s Roxanne, Samuel’s eldest daughter. She’s a... a free spirit, you could say. Quite the fighter, too, which is why I point her out. He’s got another daughter, Tina. You’ll know her when you see her. She’s got the hair and eyes of her sister, though she dresses a bit more tastefully. Oh yeah, and she carries a sword around.”

-----------------------
Millennium Tower
As he recovered from the shock from the tower, Crusader noticed Cylaen. Landing next to him, Crusader muttered,

“What brings you out here? I thought you were going to that party with the others.”

------------------
The Party
“I can understand your concern, Jezebel, but you have to understand the importance of this experiment.”

“I’m not questioning the experiment itself.” Jezebel was doing everything she could not to start yelling again. The pounding music wasn’t helping her frustration. “I’d just like to know what you were thinking when you selected the roster.”

“I can’t take full credit for that-”

“Ah, Agent Jezebel and Chief Jennison! Just the people I was looking for!” A woman hurried over to their table, bringing her small daughter with her.

“It’s good to see you, Mrs. States. Is your husband here as well?”

------------
More Party
“Where’s she going now?” Gel watched Mrs. States as inconspicuously as possible, then swore sharply.

“That’s Agent Sarrow! What the hell is she doing here? That means the man in the chair must be Chief Jennison.”

---------
“No, Jacob’s sick with the flu.” Catherine turned her attention to Jezebel. “So, how’s the experiment proceeding? I can’t help but notice some of your team is missing.”

“It’s been... interesting,” Jezebel muttered unconvincingly.

“It’s that Crusader, isn’t it?” Catherine shook her head. “I told the Chief that he was a bad idea, but he insisted.” Jezebel glared at Chief Jennison.

“I suppose I have you to thank for Niri as well?”

“Nope, that one was all Catherine.”

“That it was.” Catherine looked out at the dance floor where Niri danced one the most unusual dances ever seen in Atrox. And that was saying something. “Aren’t the Ni-Fel such a unique race?”

“That’s one way to put it...”

Naru meanwhile had, after receiving a number of smacks to the face, had quite literally climbed the walls and walked along the rafters to stand by Nightcat, "What is such a lovely creature like as you doing up here?"

In all of the commotion of the party, Nightcat had not noticed the fiendish Ni-Fel known as Naru crawl up to the beam where she was sitting. He startled her with his somewhat creepy voice and she immediately fell from the rafters.

In mid-descent towards the ground Nightcat disappeared leaving only a cloud of black smoke and the smell of brimstone in the air. She reappeared several times before settling in a new location outside on the roof.

Hideout


Kevlyn had been sitting in a chair at the entrance to the Hideout since 9:45. Jumping up, he said "It's about damn time we got rolling." He put the knife he'd been tossing around into it's sheath and walked out into the pub. "Hey, Joe! How's about a shot for the road?" Joe slid a shot down along the bar, Kev picked it up (still walking) and downed it before sliding it back to Joe. He was the first one out onto the street.



Millenium Tower


Cylaen glared at Crusader with his black eyes. "You think I'm going to stay in that place with those damned nobles... and those Ni-Fel can be very anoying. So what brings you all the way into the Tower?"

Hideout

Metallicon slowly stood up from his seat and made his way to the door. The metal ball he had formed out of random objects followed behind him as he left the pub. As they reached the sidewalk outside, he looked into the dark night sky - seconds later the metal ball that had been circling him changed direction and flew up at an incredible speed. Where it would land, he did not know...

"Let's go..." is all he muttered.

Naru was slightly disappointed that Nightcat left, so decided to watch the assembled dancers for a while.

Meanwhile, as the music shifted in tempo, Niri's dance shifted into an exceptionally sensual, provocative and erotic dance.

"Finally."

J.A.Z.Z. placed his saxophone back in its case and checked his revolver, then followed the others outside, slightly distracted by Metallicon's floating ball. He watched lazily as it sped into the air.

"Hope that doesn't hit anything we wouldn't want it to hit. Anyways, let's get this done quickly, shall we?

((OOC: Sorry I haven't posted yet! >_< Here *I* go!))

The limo pulled up to the party, disembarking its passengers, who happen to be Tommi Lu and his escort.

Almost immediately, before even entering the party chambers, he gave a odd face at the music he heard. This isn't the type of music I was expecting... He thought to himself as she lead him into the party, past the bouncers.

Tommi was further amazed once inside. He was expecting a high born, noble 'party,' complete with classical music and ballroom dancing. Instead, this was more like an underground Rave.

Guiding him onto the dance floor, the noble woman began to dance with him.

Smiling, he danced with her for a bit, then at the first chance, he slipped smoothly away from her. Partly, he was glad it was this kind of party. It made ditching her so much more easier.

Slowly, he filtered his way to the bar. He noticed two women (Nerine/Gel) sitting at the bar, probably alone. Although, a woman already having a boyfriend/lover/husband has never stopped him before.

He took a seat next to the one on the right (Nerine), snapping his fingers to catch the bartender's attention. "I'll take a dry martini." The bartender nodded and turned to making his drink. Tommi turned in the stool. Not facing the woman, instead looking out towards the dance floor. He noted several other women dancing, including one redhead grinding everyone she could. He made a mental note to stay the hell away from her.

"Disgraceful," He said, not really too loud, but if the person next to him was paying any sort of attention, she'd had heard him. "Where I come from, formal parties are more... Formal..." He shook his head slowly. "The beat is all wrong. Can't tango to this... 'Music.'"

"Here's your drink." The bartender nodded and passed him the drink. With one hand, Tommi flicked some blonde hair out of his face, then turned in the stool to get his drink.

Narine nodded as Gel pointed out all the important peoples of the party. Taking everything in, yet remaining more interested in her drink than in Gel. Narine had to laugh at Gel's latest description though, people who carry swords around always amused her.
"Disgraceful!" She heard the man on her right snort into his martini. Narine looked up at the man, disgraceful had always been one of those words that caught her attention like that. ""Where I come from, formal parties are more... Formal..." The man continued, shaking his head slowly. "The beat is all wrong. Can't tango to this... 'Music.'"
"Tell me about," Narine said, "What's a party without a good tango?" Narine noted the way the man was looking at her. This look alone was ten times worse than Gel's disguised attempt to hit on her had been. "Listen," she sighed, "If you can get those DJs to play a solid tango, Pur Una Cabeza would be great, I think I'll be able to spare you a dance. Deal?"
"That’s Agent Sarrow! What the hell is she doing here?" Gel's angry question, and her subsequent, yet incoherent, spoken thoughts about some chief sitting bullshit brought Narine back to the conversation. However this attention span was short lived for

At that very moment
It had taken a small bribe, but Oddler thought it was well worth it, and he was in his moment as the pounding Bass of the previous song faded and two loud-spoken words blasted forth from the many peakers adorning the massive dance hall. "IT'S ELECTRIC!" Screamed the the voices and a disco beat like no other followed.

"Hang on a second," Narine said both to the man in white and Gel as the song began. "I know this-" A thought occured to her suddenly and she turned around slowly. What she saw confirmed her fears. A tall, purple haired man wearing armor was leading a sizeable group of dancers in The Electric Slide. "Oh. My. Dear. Sweet. Lord." She managed, turning back to Gel, "What, exactly is going on at this party of yours?"

The Party
"What, exactly is going on at this party of yours?" Gel looked up and dismissed Narine’s question with a wave of her hand. “Sometimes people just want to hear the classics. Been a while since I heard this one, though.” Gel noticed the clock at the end of the bar: 9:20. Very aware of Tommi’s proximity, she leaned into Narine and muttered:

“Ten minutes until the real party starts.” She stood and worked her way towards Mrs. States, who had left the table.

-------------
Millennium Tower
“The past brings me here.” Crusader noticed the chain dangling out of his metal fist and quickly released his grip. The pendant was bent and had poked a sizable hole in the picture. Swearing under his breath, Crusader tucked them both into his pocket.

“How about you? Can’t imagine you’re just here for the sights.”

-----------
The Safe House
Dr. Wolf choose not to notice the giant metal ball as it shot upwards. He focused his attention on the prisoner transport that was pulling up in front of them.

“Ah, our ride is here.”

Elsewhere In Atrox
“Stop animal cruelty! Don’t eat meat! Farm animals are people, too!” The PETA protesters had been outside Al’s meat market for hours, chanting things that people walking by all most, but not quite, could begin to care about. In the midst of their chanting, one looked up.

“Look, up in the sky!”

“It’s a bird!”

“It’s a plane!”

“No, it’s-”

With an almighty SPLAT! A giant metal did the kind of thing we all wish we could. Shut up PETA.

And there was much rejoicing.

---------
Meanwhile, Back In The Plot
“Ah, if it isn’t Chief Jennison!” Arguably the most important person in Atrox broke free of the crowd and hurried over to the chief. His name was Alfred Black and he was the head CEO of D. Corp. Jezebel took that as her cue and excused herself. She wasn’t quite fast enough, though.

“Ah, is that Agent Sorrow as well?”

“Sarrow, actually. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Ah, my mistake, Miss Sparrow.” Alfred quickly shifted his attention to the Chief, leaving Jezebel free to mingle.

----------
The Roof
“I see I’m not the only one to seek refuge up here.” The speaker was a blue-eyed redhead whom Nightcat had appeared only a couple feet away from.

Tommi nodded slowly, although he made no move right away. She wasn't the only one here, but she was the first on his prospective list, and if he appeared too eager, that might turn her off to him. He finished his drink first, than stood. "Pur Una Cabeza... One of my favorites... It's best with a live band, but that doesn't appear to be an option here. Hmmmm... Okay, I’ll get us that song."

He set his drink down, then moved from his seat, Electric Sliding his way into the line, then filtering himself into the rest of the dance floor, seeming to disappear from sight, as he blended himself with the other dancers.

Hmmm... Looks like I’ll need someone’s personal computer... I know just the place to download the song, too. As he mingled with the dance floor, he kept an eye out, before finally finding someone with a small, hand-held personal computer.

They weren’t paying attention, the man’s attention wholly focused on a woman in a skimpy outfit grinding him. Reaching out with his mind, Tommi gently pried the computer from the man’s jacket pocket using his Telekinesis.

Making off with his booty, he turned on he computer, grinning when he saw that it auto-logged into the owner’s account, no need for a password or anything. Bringing up the internet explorer, he quickly typed in the site that he would download the song from, and proceeded to do so.

With the song in the computer now, he filtered his way up to the DJ, spinning the tracks. Slipping the DJ a rather large wad of money, he added, “It’s a small gift. Don’t worry about it. Also, I would like to hear this song...” He placed the hand-held computer on the Spin-table, uploading the song to the DJ’s computer. The DJ looked at it, looked at Tommi, then shrug.

“If the crowd rushes you, I’m not saving you.” He said. Tommi nodded. The Electric Slide wasn’t over yet, and his song was next in the playlist.

He turned back to the dance floor, his mind going to his catch of the night. She was a tough cookie he had to admit. He enjoyed the challenge, however, cause once he won her heart, and subsequently her bed, it would be all the more delicious.

Although, he found himself desiring some gratification of the instant kind. He scanned the dance floor. He weighed between using a Telekinetic wind to blow up some skirts, or focusing on one person, and working them down to their unmentionables.

His attention was caught by a... Creature (Niri), on the dance floor. It was like some crazy cross between a demon and a humming bird, with red and black hair. Although, it definitely had feminine characteristics. ‘She’ was doing some sort of really odd variation of the belly dance. Shaking his head, he looked around, finding another woman whom to focus on.

(Time: 9:24PM)


((OOC: I’ll finish the rest of the post later.))

Millenium Tower


"Oh yeah, i'm so sorry i get to miss the eye sore such that this tower is. I hate this city, i hate everything in it. Even you. ...but, unfortunatally, it's only here that i'm safe from them...." Cylaen reached back and stroaked his wing, sorrowfully. "They don't dare enter this damned city... ever. And for good reason. This place is hell." He composed himself. "Anyway, it's not like i can see where i'm going. The fact that i let myself end up in the same vicinity as you should atest to that. Besides... i've got more important things on my mind."

The past couple days went rather smoothly, despite friction between Tuna Melt and his companions and a discouraging lack of physical action. The safe house had proven to be accomodating enough, and though Tuna Melt originally expressed skepticism in the organizational abilities of his employers, he had come to be satisfied with the level of efficiency surrounding him, noting that there was more to Dr. Wolf than had previously met the eye. But today would be the day of recknoning; today, at this moment, the plan was about to unfold, and whether or not it was effective would be shown either through their capture or their victory.

It was nearly 9:30 PM, and the remaining hired guns now stood outside their sanctuary, naked and vulnerable in the chill night air. Dressed somberly in an all black, pin-striped suit and fedora, Tuna Melt lowered the violin case containing his firepower onto the ground beneath him and peeled a carton of cigarettes away from the inside of his suit jacket, clearly unperturbed by the intensity that hung in the air like a thick fog. He had killed many men in his lifetime; likewise, he'd been killed himself. To him, this was just another job, just another wad of cash in his pocket. Death was trivial, for his lust for life had been stripped out of him a number of years ago. You hadn't been in pain until the very skin sheltering your blood and tissue from the polluted, outside world was melted from your body like candlestick wax. He knew this, but did his companions? Had they any idea, any concept of the notion of death? Were they prepared to die?

The cigarette put his mind at ease, and the questions that had plagued his mind for the last four hours floated away with its smoke, meandering alongside its whispy plumes until they were no longer existent. Tuna Melt's pasty white flesh crackled open with a rotten smile; oh, how the cancerous contents of a cigarette could soothe a man's soul.

His attention was diverted in the direction of the long, sleek prisoner transport van that had rolled to a stop in front of him, and suddenly it became apparent how they were assaulting the police station. Slightly smirking, the fragile hitman hoisted his violin case through the van's side-door and pulled himself in, turning to his companions in a sort of questioning manner. Time was of the essence here; they now had to beat the clock and uphold their portion of the masterplan.

Outside the Hideout

"Slick..." was all Metallicon said as the armored prisoner transport pulled up in front of them. He climbed in and took a seat - as he did so, memories began flooding back from his past. Times when he had decided to have a little fun with the police and let them take him into custody. He would sit in the back, often taking a nap, and at the most random time he would make the truck rip itself apart. When the police gathered themselves and tried to draw their guns... they found it was quite useless...

He sat waiting for the real action to begin...

The Roof

"Oh... uh, yeh," Nightcat responded nervously when she materialized and heard the voice from next to her. When she turned she noticed a blue-eyed redhead (gender?) that she didn't recognize. "I'll leave if you want..." she said shyly.

OOC: Heh! Loved the part about PETA.

Roof
"Nah, don't worry about it." The red-haired girl stood and offered Nightcat her hand. "Tina Farbanks."

----------
Outside Police Station
Dr. Wolf took a look at his watch: 9:28. He addressed the others in the prisoner transport.

"This wagon won't look suspicious until you guys burst out in about three minutes. I'll be staying in the van as I'm the only one here who knows the rest of our plan. In my place will be the gentleman in the passenger seat up front. You can all call him Pyfay." There was a child-like giggle from the front of the vehicle.

--------------
Millennium Tower
"Don't enter this city, eh? Only two groups consider this place forbidden as far as I know; angels and fish-breath. Something tells me your not an enemy of the state, so I'm guessing you're running from angels." Crusader laughed as he looked back up at the tower. "You know, I've heard that in some countries being watched by angels is a good thing..."

----------
Outside The Party
They had gathered just out of sight of the guards at the door. Now, The Atrox Militia, Potshot's gang, waited silently for their leader's order. Potshot walked among them, handing a couple members the capsules Dr. Wolf had given him. Then, he turned to watch the second hand on the Atrox National Bank's massive clock drag itself around the face. As it neared the top, Potshot gave the order.

"Light it up!" At this, several men with crossbows moved to the head of the line. Lighting their arrows, they fired several flaming volleys into the windows of the building. Potshot grinned as guards opened fire on the gang.

"Charge!" Like the commanders of old, Potshot lead his men into battle. Those whom he had given capsules downed them. Within seconds Dr. Wolf's bizarre steroid took effect. Their muscles doubled in size as hair spread across their bodies. They became werewolves and, though their bites would not cause permanent infection, they were still pretty dangerous.

The guards were overtaken in moments and the horde poured into the now burning party.

Tower


"I have no enemys in the State," Cylaen said, "before this project, they didn't even know I existed. And it is true that being held in the eyes of certin angels is like the embrace of heaven..." He paused. "But... then there are others, whose blood-lust knows no bounds. None ecept the bounds of hell. The Archagels never let a grudge go.... not atleast until you pry it from their cold, dead hands." Cylaen clenched his fists, and his eyes lit up with a fire you could see even throught the blackness. After a moment, he calmed himself again and unclenched his fists. "...A love stolen from me... the only thing that could make me come back to this hell." Cylaen senced the picture that the Crusader had hidden. "Though... It seems as though you also know the feeling of a loved one stolen.... but not stolen by another.... stolen by the gods... returned to the SpiritSource. She died, didn't she?"

Shortly before the 'werewolves' burst into the club, Naru said good-bye to Niri as he decided to go to another land.

As the club erupted into violence, Niri's dance shifted into a combative dance. Her claws would quite likely shed the wolves that got in their way.

Oddler left for the bar as the electric slide ended, a familiar melody of violins filled the room as the next song on the playlist began. He couldn't quite put his finger on the song that was playing, but he was sure that he had heard it before. A couple was leading the dance now, and Oddler was forced to take a double take when he saw who it was. Narine? He thought in disbelief, From the plane? Why would she be here? He made his way back to the dance floor in order for a chance to cut in on the tango. He had barely reached the hard wood floor when some idiot partygoer shouted out "THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!!" This brought a cheer from the crowds. The cheer died down real quick like when everyone realized he wasn't using a hip expression. At that moment the piano part of the song picked up and the doors burst open.

He's good, Narine thought as she was dipped by the increasingly suave man with whom she was tangoing. She didn't know where the rose had come from, and if she didn't know better she could have sworn the man (who had introduced himself as Tommi) had summoned it from across the room. The mood, however, was killed when some moron who had probably drank far too much yelled out "THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!!" Narine stopped to see what kind of idiot would scream out during a perfectly good tango, only to see that he wasn't kidding. Flames were beginning to lick at the windows and the heavy beams that held up the primary protection against weather.
"It's been fun," She whispered into Tommi's ear, "But that's my cue." Ignoring his protests she rushed off to find Gel, and the Stateswoman's daughter. She paused but briefly on the way to trip a be-armored man wielding a large blue scimitar. Upon reaching Gel she asked, in one breath, what now, and where the fuck was the vampire?

Oddler hit the floor with a resounding Oof, looking around to see who had tripped him, and finding Narine running towards the back of the room. Poor girl He thought to himself, She's probably scared out of her mind. He picked himself, and his diamond sword up and rushed back at the line of creatures filing in through the remains of the front door. Already this city was proving to be more exciting than Pietas.

Roof

"Umm... Nightcat," she replied as she paused momentarily before shaking Tina's hand.

Sitting on the far end of the roof, well away from the street and commotion, Nightcat hadn't noticed any of the recent events - even her sensitive hearing only picked up the normal rumble of a rave like party.

Outside the Police Station

"Pyfay..." Metallicon grunted. Odd sound...

He checked the time: 9:29:17

Party
“THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!” Jezebel quickly realized she could have worded her warning a little better. Once people noticed that the roof was, in fact, on fire, they began to scream and push past her. When the werewolves burst it, it really got chaotic.

“Everyone stay calm and keep moving!” Jezebel hopped up onto a table and swapped out her lead bullets for the silver ones she carried for just such an occasion. She fired a shot at the nearest werewolf, cursing as it twisted and the bullet grazed its back. The thing bellowed and charged her.

But something was wrong. Even a graze from a silver bullet should’ve at least slowed it for a moment. She fired another shot, this time compensating for the wolf’s movement. The thing tried to dodge, but the bullet found its way into its shoulder. With a yelp of pain, the werewolf dropped. Jezebel watched it for a moment, waiting for the silver to transform the beast back into a human. Then, when it didn’t, she understood.

“These aren’t true werewolves! They’re wolfmen! Shoot them in the head!” She screamed as she switched out the silver bullets. She fired three shots into the muzzle of the downed wolf and made her way farther into the fray.

-------------
Millennium Tower
“Yeah, she’s gone. I was forced off the road by some idiot. Supposedly, I died with her. Hey, you’re religious? You didn’t strike me as the god type...”

-----------
Party
In the chaos of the siege, little Emily States had lost her mother. She spotted her running towards her and little screamed for her. But something about Mrs. States wasn’t right. Emily’s mother had never smiled like that before.

“You’re not my mommy...” Emily turned to run, but the false Catharine caught her.

“No, I’m not.” Gel dropped her disguise and turned, spotting Narine.

“Where’s the vampire?” She asked.

“I have no idea. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Gel picked up Emily and bolted for the front door.

-------------
Outside Police Station
“All right, everyone.” Dr. Wolf grinned as the sound of sirens filled the air. I’m guessing that’s our cue. Good luck, boys.”

------------
Party
“Come on, I’ll get you out of here.” Roxanne’s current date grabbed her arm and tried to drag her out the door. She shook him off, pulling a pair of knuckle gloves from her coat.

“You go. Atrox girls can take of themselves.” As the man called her crazy and ran off, Roxanne pulled her phone from her pocket and made a quick call. “Where are you, sis? This has turned into your kind of party.”

------------
Roof
“Nice to meet you, Nightcat. Are you from around-” Tina was interrupted by her phone. She checked the caller ID and sighed. “What do you want, Roxanne?” Her expression changed to one of concern and then mild amusement. “Hey, Nightcat? Sounds like we might be needed downstairs.”

Roof

"We...?" Nightcat replied surprised. "Umm... okay." She turned away from the Tina and shortly after disappeared leaving behind a cloud of black smoke and the smell of brimstone in the air.

However, just as soon as she disappeared, she reappeared on the roof next to Tina. "Umm... yeh... I think we are," she said shyly.

"Do you... um... do you want to...?" Nightcat tried to indicate teleporting with her to inside the party, but couldn't really think of how to ask it.

Outside the Police Station

"The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators," Metallicon replied as the doors of the truck opened slowly through his power over metal.

"After you..." he said to the others.

Security Office: Police Station


Dave McCarthy had just gotten back from picking up his takeout diner at the corner cafe down the street. He smiled at Rose, The Welcome Girl and she opened the office for him. He entered the room to find his partner John Marks hard at work reading the paper. They always kept their blinds closed on the office so that noone would interupt the grueling task of the evening crossword.

Dave commented on the number of officers being called out as they all ran from the building. "Must be some sorta bomob or somethig again."

John responded with out looking up from the fifth editorial tonight about the abismal economy in Atrox. "Yeah, must be." He turned the page, "Some guys have all the fun."

Dave stuffed the burger he had just bought into his mouth and tried to talk through the grilled beef. "Wha are yoo complainin abou' sittin on your butt all day readen the papar?"

At that moment, a man about 20 rushed in the room and that was the end of the convesation.


Station


As Kev hopped out of the back of the transport, he could see cruisers in the distance heading in the other direction towards the party. "Like clockwork... Give me 45 seconds, guys." He walked through the front door and up to the welcome desk that was conviniently out of the sight of any officers that were left in the station. Here he was welcomed by a very atractive gril. Better make that 45 minutes, he thought.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

Kev smiled. "You know what? You just might be able to." He leaned on the counter trying to get as close to her as possible without pushing any boundaries.

She smiled back, knowingly. "Is there anything that I can help you with here at the station, or are you just window shopping?"

"Well acctually, I do have other business here. But you know, when I see something that I like in a window, I just have to stop and look for a second."

At this moment he jumped over the counter and pulled out his knife to hold to her throat while he held his hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry babe, it's just not your night." He took some ducttape that was sitting on the desk and tied her hands behind her chair and put some over her mouth. Kev then reached under the desk where the botton to open the office behind the welcome area where the fuse boxes and the main communication hook ups were. The security guards in the room looked up as he bardged in and both were struck in the throat by throwing knives that Kev had taken from his belt. Blood poured onto the floor from both of the men's jugulars. Kev slashed all the comm conections on the wall and hit all of the switches in the fuse boxes. The building went black for a second until the emergency lights started to kick in.

He took back his knives, cleaning them off, and placed them back in his belt. He exited the office to the sight of his commrads came in after him. "Alright boys... let the fun begin."


Tower


"Hey, you’re religious? You didn’t strike me as the god type...” said Crusader.

"Religion starts wars and blood shed," responded Cylaen. "I find it best to stay out of other people's wars. I have my own wars to fight. Believing that there is some unknown force that regulates the univers does not make me religious. Especially if i believe that my blade makes a hundered times more of a difference than any 'god.' We are all that matter. The good people of the word are the only ones that can make a difference... But, unfortunatally, there seems to be a shortage of them in Atrox... I mean just look at us. We're eight men against the world. What do they expect us to do?... if we can't even protect the ones we care about." Cylaen could feel the ink of his tatoos in his skin, the reminder of what he lost.

"Come, Cylaen. They are the marks of the gods. They will protect you in all of your endevors. And they may even purify the evil that lies deep in your soul." Selenia held the needle to his skin and began to draw the lines that had been passed down in anchient texts since the begining. "I will also add my own touch to include my love for you in the design. I will forever be close to your heart..."

Cylaen placed his hand over his heart, remembering why he was here.

OOC: Because my character is no longer a mage for all intents and purposes his true name is Quentin Weston.

Quentin had begun to lead in a really saucy tango. He was glad all those dance lessons he had been taking for the past few months were finally paying off. Then right at the crescendo of the tango, he was just about to kiss beautiful Sasha when some idiot yelled, "The Roof is on Fire." Damn, there goes the mood Quentin thought, until he looked up and realized the roof reall was on fire. Then the werewolves crashed the party.

With a mighty crash they had come in roaring. Quentin saw Agent Sarrow pull out her pistol and open fire. While she was doing that Quentin overturned a table and put a frightnened but protesting Sasha behind it. He then pulled out his pistol and and shot the closest werewolf.

He barely grazed it. Instead of killing the werewolf he had ticked it off. The werewolf then began to lope towards the overturned table. Quentin took aim with his pistol and shot the slobering creature in the mouth. It slumbed onto the floor. Unfortunatly, he had attracted the attention of several other werewolves. Quentin muttered, "Damn."

Werewolves! Oddler cursed to himself as a bartender flew at him, Out of all the beings I can't hurt, it has to be werewolves! He had resigned himself to holding them at bay, instead of actually defeating them, when Jezebel shouted out “These aren’t true werewolves! They’re wolfmen! Shoot them in the head!”
"Sweet!" Oddler shouted as he lunged at the wolfman who had just recently thrown a bartender at him. Oddler removed his scimitar, and gripping it in a smooth backhand, sliced upward the length of the Wolf's hairy chest, pull it out, and swung it around, rather neatly severing one of the top five contenders for the ugliest head award. Elsewhere, the other four contenders felt a lot better on a subconscious level, but would never know why.
Outside, storm clouds gathered. Excellent, Oddler thought as the power he had so come to love coarsed through his body, Now if we can force them all outside, the battle will be won. Already, powerful surges of electricy were gathering in the clouds above.


Narine ran with Gel and their captive, though she questioned the wisdom of running into the fray, instead of using an emergency exit, her questions were quickly confirmed as she notice everyone running for said emergency exits, and away from the front door. She ran on with the distinct impression of going the wrong way down a one way street, noting to an extent that what few people were running with her against this current were heavily armed.

Party
Jezebel fired a round into the face of another wolfman. There had been twelve to start and it looked like four or five had been taken out. That left-

At that moment, the rest of the gang poured in, armed with knives swords, and some of the nastiest-looking melee weapons that the streets of Atrox offered. Jezebel spat out a particularly nasty curse and fired off a few more rounds.

-------------
Roof
“Sure, if you can.” A poof of smoke and brimstone later, Tina found herself in the midst of the chaos. Her katana shrieked as it left its sheath and carved its way through a pair of wolfmen. Roxanne spotted her and yelled across the room.

“See? I told you this would be fun!”

--------------
Station
Pyfay brushed past Shadow with a slight giggle. He stopped short, his maroon cultist robe swishing to a stop.

“Something isn’t right...” His sing-song voice had a slight rasp that hinted at age. Shaking his head, the man lead the others further into the station.

-------------
Millennium Tower
Crusader noticed the growing storm and gave an involuntary shudder.

“Ever get the feeling that something isn’t right?”

----------
Party
Potshot met Gel and Narine at the door.

“I’ll take the kid. You guys mind giving us a hand? We weren’t expecting this much resistance.

To Narine he added: “We brought your suit, it’s in the van around the corner.”

Niri bisected a wolfman that lunged at her, as a man with a sword lunged at her. With a slight twisting of the skien of reality slightly causing the man to be facing the otherway, where he spitted another gang member. She disliked using her ability, a racial trait, in combat but she did as necessary.

Odd Eye slized claenly through the wolfman, and looked for another target when an assortment of thugs burst through the door into the club. Oh good, He thought as he fended off a club, Humans are so much easier on the diamond edges. The club he had parried split neatly in two, whereas Odd-Eye's sword did not dull one bit. As he lunged for the recently de-clubbed thug, they both had to jump to avoid a falling piece of burning roof. "Fire!" Odd Eye screamed, shaking his fist at the cieling, "Why does it always have to be fire?" As he shook his fist, he looked past the flames into the night sky. There he saw the fourth to last person he had expected. The first would have been Funshine Bear, the second Mitula, and the third, Zeon. But there in the night sky was the asshole who had tormented him all throughout the city of Pietas. The man who called himself "Volcannon." A cheap indignation of the ancient god. "Oh we are so taking this outside, Asshole!" He yelled to the flying flamethrower.

A few minutes earlier

"Oh?" Narine replied to Potshot, "Excellent. There's a man in there I'm sure will be happy to see Volcannon again." She quickly put on the suit and took off into the sky.

The Volcanon fire suit is a truly impressive device. Essentially fire proof, and extremely heat absorbant, the suit runs of three individual tanks of fuels. One for the jet pack which allows the suited to fly, and two others of an undefined class of the "ane" family of gases (IE: Butane, Propane, Octane, Peptane.. etc) for both the right hand and left hand flame throwers. The suit is mostly covered with a insulatory meshy material, with metal adorning several places, including most of the upper body, a few protective plates over areas of the legs, the wings, the jetpack, the gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, and the two strips of steel running diagonally across the chest. To use the flame thrower, the suited turns on the gas with a button easily reached by the thumb on whichever hand (s)he wishes to use. Then, once the gas is running, (s)he strikes her gloves (which are adorned with flints in various places) across the steel strips on her chest in order to spark a flame. With his(her) fingers, (s)he can manipulate the fire from a steady and long stream to short bursts to projectile fireballs.

Once in the air, she flung a fireball with her left hand at the roof of the club. It collapsed under the sudden explosion, revealing her prey. She teased him a little beckoning him toward her, but in the end, she made one crucial mistake.

Oh poor Volcannon Odd-Eye thought as hey concentrated on the will of the world, Haven't you learned to stay indoors? A brilliant flash of light tore the sky apart, and a resounding boom hit his ears even before she started to fall. Oddler lunged over the fray, throwing aside many thugs, but not bothering to actually fight them. He had his prize now. Finally he'd be able to face Volcannon on the ground.

Tower


Cylaen felt the breeze on his face. It carried with it the news of the world. He could feel in the cool air a disturbance in the city... not just one, but two.

"There is trouble at the party," he said to Crusader. "...but that is not where the real problem is... there are bigger things afoot..."

He concentrated harder, trying to get a sense of what else was going on.

"I need to sit down."

Cylaen sat on the pavement while Crusader stared at him, confused. He tried to meditate, calming his mind to better sense the world.

In a trance, Cylaen said, "...A police station... somewhere in the city... the true enemy is there.... or the key to the true enemy..." He went scilent for a few more minutes before continuing. "Precinct thirteen... there will be a fight.... some will die..."

Cylean stood abruptly and uncloaked his wings. "We need to get going, it is a fair distance away. We are in the wrong part of town."

With that he took off into the sky.


Station


Kev was sketched out alittle bit by the old man in robes, but he felt that he might be right when he said sometihng was up. As they continued into the station they found it empty. Not one police officer was left. "He may be right... where is everyone else? Two guards does not a police force make."

Quentin had squeezed off two more round into the head of a wolfman. Two more wolfmen were loping towrads him. He activated his energy blade and began firing shots towards the two wolfmen. One got hit in the arm and the other recieved a belly shot. Both of them came on slavering and slobering for his blood. He took aim on the one with the wounded arm and fired his last two rounds into his head. Then the one remaining wolfman was on him. With one sweep of his claws Quentin was thrown back from the table and he had deep cuts on his chest. Quentin felt like his chest was on fire. He was trying to get himself togeather when he realized the wolfman was right on top of him and was getting ready to kill him. There was nothing that he could do to save himself.

He was scared of having to face that oblivion called death. He hated the damned thinktank for taking his life away from him so they could tinker with his brain. He wished that he could have met his parents before he died. But most of all he wished he had kissed Sasha before this fiasco had begun.

The woldman was just about to crush his brain when Quentin closed his eyes and wished for life. Then after the second which was an eternity, he felt something fall on him. He opened his eyes and was staring into the Wolfman's dead eyes.

He heaved the wolfman off of him and looked around to see Sasha with a smoking .45 pistol in her hand. Before he could ask any questions though a bunch of bathrobe wearing cultists burst through the open door with a bunch of rather nasty weapons.

Quentin ran forward and intercepted the first cultist and slashed across the chest with his energy blade. The cultuist fell back with his the blood spurting from his heart and the open air.

Party
What Quentin didn’t realize was that it was a gang that was attacking, not cultists. The bathrobe-wearing man was just a hapless patron who had stumbled out of his room and down into the lobby to find out what was going on.

----------
Station
Pyfay led the way into the jail, noticing with grim understanding that the cells were all empty.

“This isn’t right. It feels like an-” At that moment, there was the sound of many automatic weapons cocking. “Ambush,” Pyfay finished.

“Freeze!” Screamed the Slayer Project agents.

-------------
Outside The Station
Dr. Wolf waited with the driver in the van. He yawned slightly and was about to check his watch when he heard it. A booming sound which faintly reminded him of the scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex starts chasing the jeep. He struggled to place this odd thought until the driver suddenly put it together for him.

“Mechs!” He through the van into gear and backed it down an alleyway. Not a moment too soon, either, as the aforementioned mechs stepped into view, training their rather large guns on the Police Station.

“Damn it!” Dr. Wolf exclaimed as he realized that he had forgotten to warn Metalicon about the mechs’ magnetic shielding. Picking up the can’s radio, he spoke a hasty SOS: “We’ve got a bit of a situation here...”

-----------
A Little Earlier, At The Party
Jezebel was infamous for her accuracy and she did not disappoint. Of the numerous shots she had fired, seven had not been kills. Of those seven, only two were misses. She recognized Potshot and was about to neutralize him when some else decided to start chucking fireballs. When she looked up at the culprit, she briefly reconsidered her stance as an atheist. Her fears were dismissed, however, when the “god” was stuck from the air by a thunderbolt. From what she understood, that didn’t generally happen to gods...

--------------
Party
Tina liked fire. No, make that “was enthralled with fire.” No, that isn’t strong enough, either...

Put it this way: the flames that crawled through the room were magnified a thousand fold be the gleam in Tina’s eyes. She let out a shriek like the phoenix of old and flung herself into the fray with renewed vigor. Her sword, too, took on the glow of the blaze. Her cuts not only broke the skin, but set it aflame as well.

“Savage,” Roxanne muttered when she heard her sister’s cry. She then stepped over the body of the man she had disemboweled with his own knife and palm-struck another’s nose into the back of his skull.

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Millennium Tower
“What part of Atrox isn’t the wrong part of town?” Crusader muttered as he took off after Cylaen.

Winston Schumacher was a distinctly British man. He had a finely cropped mustache and mutton chops to die for. At present, he was drinking port and admiring the 100 percent terry cotton dressing robe that the establishment had provided with his room. It was extremely comfortable, and it even had a hood. He was, in fact, testing the comfort of said hood when he heard the comotion going on downstairs. Finishing off his bottle of port he stumbled downstairs to see what was up. A fatal mistake on any scale.
Wondering how much port it would take to make sure that these wolfmen were in fact just halucinations, he made his way towards the fray just to make sure they were, in fact, real.

Odd Eye ran through the last bit of crowd blocking his way. For the hell of it he lunged at one of the assaillents with his scimitar, effectively skewering the man, who was wearing a nice cotton dressing robe, and throwing him onto a pile of wolfmen. Winston Schumachers last thought was along the lines of yep, they're real. The famous last words of many a cheesy British man before. Though under entirely different circumstances. Odd Eye finally reached the spot where he had marked Volcannon to fall. There on the ground, writhing in apparent agony was
"NARINE?!?" Oddler yelled, completely off guard.
"Oddler?" The girl on the pavement looked up, "Is that you?" Her voice was very faint. "Can you help me up? This guy feel on me." She looked around quickly, "Funny thing is, I have no idea where he fell from." Oddler helped her up, consoling her. "Thank you Oddler." She said, smiling, she leaned in to embrace him and cried out "ODDLER LOOK OUT!" And that was the last thing he remembered until he woke up.

Volcannon merged with her doppleganger and walked away from the limp purple-haired man now taking her place on the sidewalk. A perfect success, she ran back to join the party.

Station


Kev moved faster than the eyes of the Agents. He pulled the knife on his left hip out with his right, grabed a smoke bomb from the back of his belt with his left hand and sparked it between the hilt of his right kinfe and the blade of the left.

"Fuck Agents!"

The bomb exploded and Kev was able to vanish in the smoke. He hoped that his cohorts would be able to make it out as well. He dove back towards the door and clipped one of the Agents in the neck with his blade. We have to get out of here before the Mechs come. Just then he felt the rumble of the earth beneath him.

Damn.

OOC: Could have sworn someone posted that cultists were attacking us.

Quentin killed another gang member. He was getting dizzy from the combination of blood loss and smoke. Quentin knew he had to get outside, he had to make sure they both got outside. Sasha squezzed off another round. This place was quickly becoming a death trap, roof supports were falling everywhere, and the damned Atrox Militia didn't seem to have the common sense not to run into a burning building. With a quick jab to the head he killed another gang member. Then Sasha shouted at him, "Look out."

Quentin had spent enough time on the streets to realize when somebody shouts that phrase at you, they usually don't mean to actually look for anything. Quentin fell and rolled forward. He came up turning swiftly and saw another gang member. With an energy blade of his own.

"I suppose this couldn't have stayed boring for long, could it?" Metallicon remarked as he quickly made his way to the window to see what they were up against. Shit... he thought as he saw the massive mechs preparing to blow away their mission with their weapons.

"We need to find another way out of here..." he commented as he backed away from the window. "I don't think the front door would be a wise option at this point."

"Blow a hole through the back and make your escape as fast as possible. I'll stall the mechs for as long as I can."

J.A.Z.Z. brushed past Metallicon and made his way to the front entrance of the station, firing his pistol as he kicked open the doors. A mere distraction, but a nessasary one. The mechs turned their attention on him immedietly, unleashing an impressive array of weapons. J.A.Z.Z. blasted an ear-splitting note from his sax, blowing away bullets and rockets aside like leaves in the wind. Several stray bullets managed to hit him, but he was amply protected by his bulletproof coat.

J.A.Z.Z. started circling the mechs and blasted them with sound wave after sound wave; they were made of much stronger stuff than he had originally thought. He hoped the others were escaping; he would have to break off his attack soon.

That one is going to get himself killed if he isn't careful... Metallicon noted as he stuck around only for a moment to watch what J.A.Z.Z.'s plan was. After seeing that it could easily fail, Metallicon had no intentions of sticking around.

He quickly made his way towards the back of the building, away from the mechs, and found himself near a series of cells. Perhaps if he balled up the bars on the cells into a massive sphere, he could just smash through the stone walls...

OOC: Is the person that they were coming to get here?

The gangers blade was a deep blood red, it was shorter, and broader then mine. Meant a little bit more for defence then attack.

Then Quentin realized that blade was just about the size of a human head. Quentin threw out the image how painful a way that was to die and concentrated on the fight. His blade crackled a bit while we circled each other, Quentin hope this meant he had inferior tech to me.

He lunged forward with my his blood red blade, Quentin twisted out of the way and stabbed forward. But the guy had already regained his balance. This ganger was fast, even at Quentin's. Quentin thought, 'Even at my best it would have been hard to take him down. But now? With half of my body's blood supply dripping down my shirt? There was no way I could take him down in a square fight. I guess that meant I wasn't going to fight square.'

The gangers blade was a deep blood red, it was shorter, and broader then mine. Meant a little bit more for defence then attack.

Then I realized that blade was just about the size of a human head. I threw out the image how painful a way that was to die and concentrated on the fight. His blade crackled a bit while we circled each other, I hope this meant he had inferior tech to me.

He lunged forward with my his blood red blade, I twisted out of the way and stabbed forward. But the guy had already regained his balance. This ganger was fast, even at my best it would have been hard to take him down. But now? With about half of body's blood supply dripping down my shirt? No way I could beat him in a square fight.

I guess that meant I wasn't going to fight square.

OOC: People don't generally use first person in their RPs (I believe DP asked you to change it when you did this before).

*pseudo-bump*