We Were Never Heroes (A Superhero RP) IC

[Beiarusia]

->OOC<-
A Pub RP

THEME

HOA “BLAKE” NZUYEN
SoDo, Seattle, WA

---

I look forward to our meeting.

These six words repeated themselves for the dozenth time in the back of Blake’s mind as she marched through SoDo with only a vague understanding of where she was supposed to be. Cryptic, and with just enough obscurity to instil a twinge of dread in the young woman. The email had been unassuming, and Blake had originally thought it to be spam, but the use of her nickname as opposed to her publically available given name had been enough to peak her curiosity. The message was painfully simple: check your drafts. Sure enough there was an unsent email that Blake had no recollection of writing, and reading its contents had served only to make the woman both incredibly uncomfortable and just a tad bit paranoid. An appeal from the Benefactor. That in of itself was not frightening, but just how much he knew of her, about what she was and her personal life, it was enough for Blake to leave the internet cafe several shades paler than she thought possible. A week later and she mustered enough courage to read the email again.

For better or worse she allowed herself to be swayed by the words.

May 25th. Four o’clock p.m. A warehouse in SoDo. It had all the makings of a bad thriller novel… or more likely an abduction. Blake mentally kicked herself for having come even this far, but some unknown force drove her forward, and as she found her way deeper into the industrial arm of Seattle her insatiable curiosity won out over her rational mind.

The warehouse was simple to look at. Old, with a corrugated metal exterior that was rusting heavily in some places. Good structural condition given the overall appearance of abandonment. A chain-link fence surrounded the small parking lot, deep cracks dominating the decades old concrete like urban canyons, grass poking through where it could. The neighboring buildings were in similar states of disrepair, and the Duwamish River could just be seen only a little ways off.

Definitely the makings of a bad thriller novel.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Blake slid open the gate to the fence – conveniently unlocked – and made her way to the building’s front door – also unlocked. Stepping pass a small office space the woman found herself in the main storage area of the warehouse, a vast, open space that was empty save for a few shipping crates and containers that were left behind for whatever reason. The only light came from the many opened windows that encircled the space, but there was no lack of light, and the entire place was well lit to be honest. On the far end were concrete steps descending into a basement – so graciously marked by a red sign – and sitting on a box just before that was a girl that was just a bit younger than Blake.

Blake walked over so that there was about fifty feet between her and the girl. “Um… hi?”

The girl looked up from her phone, bored eyes partially hidden behind too big glasses. Messy blond hair poked out from underneath a grey knit cap, and her lanky form was clothed in a plaid jacket and discount jeans and a pair of ratty sneakers. The girl could be considered attractive if she made an effort. Not that Blake was one to talk on such matters considering her go-to place was the local thrift store, but at the very least she made an effort to look presentable in an artsy sort of way – today it was a simple black shirt and a similarly coloured pleated skirt with a green flower design.

A moment was spent with the girl studying Blake and then, rather rudely, returning to her phone. Blake was about to say something when a small whirring caught her attention. A small quadcopter drone had flown in from the open window and was now circling Blake, its little camera ogling her top to bottom. Before Blake could react the girl finally spoke. “Hoa Nzuyen. Graduate from Seattle University with a degree in Fine Arts.”

“It’s Blake, actually,” she corrected, preferring the nickname over her given name.

“Miranda Marie,” the girl said rather plainly. The drone fell away to circle once around Miranda before ascending back to the window, ducking back outside to do God-knows-what.

An awkward silence fell between them. Miranda obviously did not care, what with being too enthralled with whatever was on her phone, but Blake felt that she should at least say something. After all, this girl may well be the one who summoned her here. “Are you a… you know?”

“A Variant,” Miranda finished before adding, “Yes.”

“That’s… uh, cool.” Blake looked around the empty warehouse as if stalling for time. She decided to go straight to the point. “You’re the one that sent the email, right? What do you want? Have you been… stalking me?”

Miranda again looked up from her phone. “I sent the message, but my superior is the one who wishes to meet with you all.”

Blake noticed that the girl conveniently left out a response about the stalking. “Are there others?”

The girl nodded. “They should be here soon.”

Miranda returned to her phone, the sad excuse of a conversation over for the time being. Blake had many questions, but decided that it would be best to wait, for a little while in any case. She stood for a few minutes, pacing a bit before deciding to find a seat. Approaching an open and empty shipping container, she jumped and, lightening herself, somewhat floated to the top where she simply plopped down as if nothing odd had happened, her legs hanging off the side. Blake didn’t have a smartphone and so could only wait in silence with her head in her hands.

She didn’t have to wait long.

[Deramen]

Victoria "The Mother" Mann
SoDo, Seattle, WA

Victoria had been playing on her phone during the bus ride over to the "special address". She heard that the new Clash of Birds game came out and that it was alright. But she thought otherwise as it was a total pay to win fest. Victoria gave the colorful screen no attention as she started glaring out the bus window. Victoria noticed how dead the place looked, which fitted her style very much. As she admired the rusted steel and old wood the bus stopped with a hiss. She exited and came to a fence. "Shit. Why even invite me if you just want to stop me." she mumbled. Victoria manged to jump over it with minimal hassle to her clothing. She was wearing a green shirt with a blue strip which was complemented by blue jeans and some makeup. She was winded as she entered the building.

Opening the door her eye was attracted to a lady. Asian, short and wearing black clothing. She faced away toward a blond lady who was on her phone. She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "Hey! Is this the address of 137-" She was cut off as the blond lady spoke. "Yes, this is the place, wait here and talk with someone." The blond lady returned to her work. Victoria was angered by the rudeness but let it go as she moved toward the Asian lady. "Hey, whats up with you?"" She asked.

[United Human Planets]

Zaahir Ahsan, a man in his mid twenty's, walked towards the opened gate of an old warehouse in SoDo. He kept looking over his shoulder, peering out from underneath a hoodie and baseball cap, both pulled low over his eyes. He was paranoid, beyond what was normal for him. He owned a phone with an email on it, for communicating with friends, and a second for his more, extralegal activities. He never used email, and so when he looked at his "shady phone," as he liked to call it, he was surprised to see a notification for an email hovering on the top of the screen, waiting for him to check.

There wasnt much to the email, it was cryptic, and strange, and talked about ability's, and making a difference. He didnt like it one bit. No one ever emailed him on that phone, and the only reason he had set up an email account on his Shady Phone was so that it would stop popping up a notification every time he turned it on. His biggest concern was that whoever sent him the email, whoever the Benefactor was, they knew a lot about him. And, to add creepy to strange, they had addressed him as Phobos, instead of Zaahir. It was what many would call a "street name" for him. He had earned it while still living in Cleveland, and when he came to Seattle he had taken it with him, as a way to keep the wrong people from being able to learn who he was to easily.

If the person who wanted to see him had called him Phobos, he felt almost certain that whoever it was had something against him. Maybe Zaahir had been cutting in on the Benefactors territory, selling his "product" where he shouldn't have. Seattle wasnt known for being a dangerous city, so he didnt have any idea who would spend their time trying to track him down like that over selling weed, and party drugs. He wasnt in Cleveland anymore, there wasnt much of a demand for the hardcore stuff he used to sell, and as a result there wasnt much of a demand for fighting. He had made sure of that, by scaring the life out of any other dealers who tried to hassle him for selling his product. They were mostly bored college kids anyway, and with Zaahirs violent background, and psychotic personality, he didnt have to much trouble.

The door into the warehouse where the email had directed him to was already slightly ajar, and Zaahir stopped, staring at it.

The NSA is probably in there. They figured it out, and now their going to take you to Room 101.

"Fuck off," said Zaahir, "I can handle NSA. I can do what I feel."

Fine, go in there. I bet you could burn them.

"You think I could burn them?"

You could burn them.

"I can burn them. And then, and then, if it is the NSA, I should go to Washington and burn them there to." Zaahir stopped talking when he noticed a man, wearing a hardhat and reflective vest was watching him. "What the fuck are you lookin at?" he said.

"Nothing pal," said the guy, "you were just acting a little funny is all."

"You trying to buy something man?"

"What?"

"What?" Zaahir stared at the man, until he looked down at his feet and walked away.

That guy was probably the NSA

Zaahir ignored the voice, and pushed open the door to the warehouse. He walked in, and hitched his pants up. As he walked, he started rubbing the front of his sweater, petting it like it was a cat. He stopped by the end of each row of boxes, and looked in both directions like he was crossing the street. He repeated this down the line, until he came to the other end of the warehouse, and looked to see a staircase marked in red, and two women sitting quietly on boxes, and a third standing in front of the blond one. He quickly ducked back behind the row of crates, and felt at his pants, where a gun was tucked in his waist. And old 1911, .45 caliber. It wasnt in great shape, but it would do the trick, and Zaahir felt better having it when he was investigating a strange email.

He pulled his baseball cap down lower over his eyes, and stepped out from the row of crates. He stood there a second, his hands shoved into his hoodie, before saying, "Who the fuck are you two? Did one of you send me an email? Because I dont get emails." He paused, and started petting the front of his sweater again, before continuing, "You trying to pull something over on me?"

[Beiarusia]

...

HOA “BLAKE” NZUYEN
SoDo, Seattle, WA

---

As previously predicted, Blake did not need to wait long before someone else arrived. Another youngster that looked fresh out of high school and, considering the way she spoke, was used to getting what she wanted. The new arrival called out to Miranda and was immediately cut off by the odd girl's curt reply. It was apparent that the youngster was angered, but she held her tongue - no doubt something difficult for her to do - and approached the container where Blake was sitting. She called out in what seemed like a horrible pun.

"Just sitting around," Blake said rather unenthusiastically as she glanced down to the woman from where she say eight or so feet above the ground. "I take it you're... uh, a Variant? Cool. Did you get a message too?"

It was probably a stupid question. Why else would she be here. Definitely not because this was her typical hangout. Likewise, this woman probably had just as much knowledge of what was going on as she had, which wasn't much. The thriller novel aspect of the whole situation was still a viable option.

"Blake," she introduced herself as.

The words had only just left her mouth when a man arrived, him looking more paranoid than Blake had been after getting the email. His hands were in his hoodie, and his voice was accusing as he spoke out.

"Who the fuck are you two? Did one of you send me an email? Because I dont get emails. You trying to pull something over on me?"

"I sent the email," Miranda answered without so much as a care. She briefly glanced up from her phone. "Zaahir Ahsan, from Cleveland. Unpredictable. Capable of personal teleportation. The others will be here soon, so wait until then."

[Deramen]

...

HOA “BLAKE” NZUYEN
SoDo, Seattle, WA

---

As previously predicted, Blake did not need to wait long before someone else arrived. Another youngster that looked fresh out of high school and, considering the way she spoke, was used to getting what she wanted. The new arrival called out to Miranda and was immediately cut off by the odd girl's curt reply. It was apparent that the youngster was angered, but she held her tongue - no doubt something difficult for her to do - and approached the container where Blake was sitting. She called out in what seemed like a horrible pun.

"Just sitting around," Blake said rather unenthusiastically as she glanced down to the woman from where she say eight or so feet above the ground. "I take it you're... uh, a Variant? Cool. Did you get a message too?"

It was probably a stupid question. Why else would she be here. Definitely not because this was her typical hangout. Likewise, this woman probably had just as much knowledge of what was going on as she had, which wasn't much. The thriller novel aspect of the whole situation was still a viable option.

"Blake," she introduced herself as.

Victoria knew this girl seemed a bit nice. She smiled and looked Blake in the eyes. "Hey Blake, I'm Victoria." She waved to her friend."Yea i'm a Variant and I also got a message! Oh my gosh! My power relates to summoning! What does yours?" But before Blake could speak a gruff man started yelling at them. She put her hands up. "Oh god please don't hurt me! I'm only 18!" She pushed herself back into Blake's box. "Please don't do it! We're just teens!" She started shaking as the man started yelling about emails. "I got one too! We both did!" Victoria said as she pointed to Blake. The blond lady then started speaking. Once the lady stopped speaking Victoria started blushing.

[United Human Planets]

"I sent the email," Miranda answered without so much as a care. She briefly glanced up from her phone. "Zaahir Ahsan, from Cleveland. Unpredictable. Capable of personal teleportation. The others will be here soon, so wait until then."

Zaahir glanced at the youngest girl, who started shaking and yelling about how they were only kids. He ignored her and looked at the two older women, before the blond woman replied to his question. When she replied, she also rattled off his real name, as well as his hometown, personality, and powers. He stared at her for a second, before it all clicked in his head.

"Are you the Benefactor?" He let his hand go down to his waistband, to where his gun was. He didnt pull it, but he like knowing he could. "How the hell did you know my name, and that I can teleport? I dont tell people that. You got some beef with me?" He started stepping forward, glancing around at the others in the room. "I didnt do nothing, alright? You can sell somewhere else, my turf is my turf. Its the way f the world lady. Or, Benefactor, or whatever the hell you are."

[Independent States of Tula]

Włodzisław "Hussar" Sokoloff
SoDo, Seattle, WA

The whole email gag had gotten Sokoloff's attention alright. Though how it addressed him as "Hussar"...not so much. People in the right places knew who he was, knew what he was called, and more importantly they knew what he did. Sokoloff guarded people, trained people...and more importantly he killed people that were problems. And considering Sokoloff had just gotten off his job contracting for the Polish Military it was no surprise that he'd been contacted so quickly.

Still he understood he needed to be cautious. There was nothing to tell Sokoloff whether this was a trap or a job definitively. He needed a job though so he'd check it out regardless, still he wouldn't let himself get ambushed easily, plenty of people wanted him dead after decades of fighting. It had taken some strings to be pulled but Sokoloff was able to bring his equipment with him. As he drove the rental car to the address given to him Sokoloff took stock of what he had on him.

Currently he was dressed in a black business suit and jacket, beneath his jacket he had an underarm holster for his WIST-94L and two spare magazines underneath his left arm, and his sheath for his wz. 98 Knife too was hidden beneath his jacket. In the trunk of his rental was his Beryl with four magazines just in case things got fun. And if all else failed Sokoloff could choose just to get the hell out dodge with the rental if it didn't get destroyed.

However his mental taking stock of options was cut off as he stopped his small black rental car outside a fenced in warehouse. This was the place. Sokoloff got out and noted that he wasn't alone, the fence's gate was open. With that knowledge Sokoloff approached warily to the door of the warehouse which he too found unlocked and slightly ajar. That's when he heard shouting inside and Sokoloff pulled out his pistol before moving forward at combat pace with it aimed forward. He came up into the main warehouse to see three woman and a man in a hoodie and baseball hat, the man's back was to Sokoloff and was open to a gunshot.

That was when he heard the blonde woman looking at her phone say she invited him. Judging that shooting the guy, another Variant apparently, who was probably a future coworker in the back to be a bad idea Sokoloff holstered his WIST before coming up from behind the man and stating in accented English:

"This is definitely one of the more memorable meetings I've had with employers. I take it you're looking to hire my services Ma'am?" Sokoloff asked the woman with the phone.

However Sokoloff kept an eye on the man who seemed to still be on edge...talking about selling something on his turf and all.

[Aghrabia]

Stephen Andropov
SoDo, Seattle, WA

Stephen Andropov was in a good mood the demand for his work was on the up again and he should have more than enough money to refurnish the house that was currently filled with thrift shop furniture, he actually liked Seattle, for America he thought, it's actually kind of a nice place. His university application process was finally finished and he would be going there next year. A song blasted out of his earbuds, Stephen happily humming along with it- it was one of his favourite songs that he always listened to- especially seeing that he was in America, "the land of the free", now.

Of course, not everyone was so happy with him. He was moving down the street so fast that you'd think he should be tearing open a fabric in space-time... on his BMX... happily ignoring all traffic laws, dodging all pedestrians and auto-vehicles on the street. Shouts followed him angrily wherever he went, but he didn't care- he ever did.

Blazing down the streets of Seattle gave him some time to think back to the strange email he had received not 10 minutes beforehand... that was strange he thought to himself, nobody knows my identity as the Fox- and how they got onto my very secure and personal operating system... he could hear his best friend shouting "for the love of God, YOU OWN A LINUX" in his mind, he shook his head and peddled faster- withstanding more grumbles from passers-by as he tore past them.

Soon after he reached the warehouse that had been indicated in the message, he jumped off the bike and looked for a place to hide it. He soon found a place and stowed it away there, snapping his bike lock on. He looked around seeing if anybody saw where he hid it and sidled his way to the entrance, looking inside the open door. A military man stood outside, just in front of him. An imposing man stood slightly inside of the warehouse, he was evidently angry about something. A girl about Stephen's age stood shrieking about something or another along the lines that they were only kids, the other one was generally uninteresting as well. The woman behind them all, though, she was interesting- the computer inferred that she'd sent the email and that she knew the name of a man clearly agitated by this fact, led him to believe that she was of some importance.

He walked in behind the military man and followed his example- saying, "Hi, I believe you contacted me."

[Ben M]

Seattle

The Hebrew Hammer was cruising in the Jewmobile. Literally, as the brakes had failed for the 5th time in 2 months. Sighing Jacob pumped them and they caught just in time for him to pull up to where he needed to be. He checked his Iphone again. Sure enough the text was still there. I look forward to our Meeting. Obviously the Goya had figured out he had a talent and needed his help. Jacob got out and patted himself down, feeling for the keys. He was visibly sweating, no doubt since he was in a full on trench coat and suit, added to the fact that his AC had stopped working about 2 years ago. He didn't actually FEEL hot, but he was sweating all the same. Why he kept this car he didn't know. Why he went through the trouble of shipping it all the way from Israel he knew even less. Probably nostalgia. Jacob sighed and popped the trunk, revealing two huge shot guns. Grinning he grabbed them and slipped them into hidden holsters inside his jacket. He checked to make sure the akimbo shotgun pumpers were firmly strapped to his legs before he began walking up to the place where he assumed everyone would meet.

It was a pretty happy building all told. Jacob counted multiple windows and nodded when he saw it was at least stable. Defiantly beginning to rust however. A crappy chainlink fence that would only keep away the most pathetic of trespassers was erected around a crude paving parking lot where grass decided it should make an appearance. Stooping Jacob grabbed a piece and fiddled idly with it as he locked the Jewmobile behind him, getting the satisfying click and BEEP. Not that anyone would want to steal a crappy car covered in the star of David, but Jacob was cautious about protecting his things.

He walked up to the front door idly biding his time. Nothing like being fashionably on time. Deciding to make a show he considered opening the door yelling "Sholem Alechem Goyam". He decided to play it cool and merely swung it open, revealing the standard warehouse look. Nodding as his expectations were met he strode into it glancing around. Really an unimpressive statement. There were steps on the far end leading down to what he presumed was a basement. He walked over and saw some girls and some bros.

Of course it's the Goya. When will MY people need me?

Smiling Jacob gave a small wave and tipped his hat as he walked down the stairs.

"Sholem Alechem Goya, and a special Sholem to you girls over here" He gave what he considered a sexy wink, and what most people would see as crude at best and walked over to greet everyone.

"I am Jacob Goldstein, but you can call ME the Hebrew Hammer."

[Deramen]

Victoria looked at the colorful cast of characters. "Uh, hello everyone. I am Victoria. I assume all of you have gotten the message and I'd like to ask what are your names and powers so that we can know each other. As you have heard my name is Victoria and I have summoning powers. Now you tattoo kid whats your thing?" She looked at the man and expected an answer.

[Aghrabia]

Stephen Andropov

"Oh, hi Victoria- you don't mind if I call you Vic, right? 'Cause I'm calling you that anyway," he laughed. "Well, I'm Stephen Andropov- a pleasure I'm sure." He bowed a bit- as a joke, almost falling over. He laughed again. "My power is something infinitely more interesting- it'd be easier to show you."

He stepped back slightly, pulling his shirt back- revealing an arm full of tattoos. He gave a grimace as his tattoos started shifting. One in particular was shimmering very quickly compared to the others- then it slipped off, revealing a construct of a full-sized human being that was identical in shape and form to Stephen.

"This works not just with tattoos, but with all forms of ink- paint as well," he glanced over his shoulder at the others, who were looking on in interest.

[Deramen]

Stephen Andropov

"Oh, hi Victoria- you don't mind if I call you Vic, right? 'Cause I'm calling you that anyway," he laughed. "Well, I'm Stephen Andropov- a pleasure I'm sure." He bowed a bit- as a joke, almost falling over. He laughed again. "My power is something infinitely more interesting- it'd be easier to show you."

He stepped back slightly, pulling his shirt back- revealing an arm full of tattoos. He gave a grimace as his tattoos started shifting. One in particular was shimmering very quickly compared to the others- then it slipped off, revealing a construct of a full-sized human being that was identical in shape and form to Stephen.

"This works not just with tattoos, but with all forms of ink- paint as well," he glanced over his shoulder at the others, who were looking on in interest.

Victoria stared at Stephen. "Don't ever call me Vic or your gonna hate what happens." After the showcase of the ink power Victoria turned her attention to The Hebrew Hammer. "So Mr. Hebrew Hammer what is your power and birth name?"

[Ben M]

Stephen Andropov

"Oh, hi Victoria- you don't mind if I call you Vic, right? 'Cause I'm calling you that anyway," he laughed. "Well, I'm Stephen Andropov- a pleasure I'm sure." He bowed a bit- as a joke, almost falling over. He laughed again. "My power is something infinitely more interesting- it'd be easier to show you."

He stepped back slightly, pulling his shirt back- revealing an arm full of tattoos. He gave a grimace as his tattoos started shifting. One in particular was shimmering very quickly compared to the others- then it slipped off, revealing a construct of a full-sized human being that was identical in shape and form to Stephen.

"This works not just with tattoos, but with all forms of ink- paint as well," he glanced over his shoulder at the others, who were looking on in interest.

Victoria stared at Stephen. "Dont ever call me Vic or your gonna hate what happens." After the showcase of the ink power Victoria turned her attention to "The Hebrew Hammer". "So Mr. Hebrew Hammer what is your power and birth name?"

Jacob snapped out of staring in mute horror at the man's tattoos. Tattoos are taboo in jewish culture, and having them move was.... disturbing at least. He realized he'd been asked a question, and by a girl no less! This was going well.

"I already said doll, Jacob Goldstein" He gave another boorish wink and grinned. "My powers are simple. Fire and heat don't touch me. and I am pretty strong. He rolled back his sleeves of his trench coat to flex before realizing he had a long sleeve shirt on. Blushing he shoved his coat back down his arm and gripped a shotgun, pulling it out to show everyone.

"Plus I got these. I calle Sabot and Sholem. Never fail to do work on the baddies". He gave a huge grin and moved so the light caught on his gold chain star of David and did a a little light flash. "So Vicky-toria" he caught himself before shortening her name. "You seem nice. What do you think these people want with us? Some Benefactor guy contacted me, but didn't really say what he needed."

[The Greater Gambia]

Biruk watched as a small, tiny Bat hanging from the ceiling. Unlike most of these people, Biruk had to be contacted in person as he was "off the grid" so to speak. He refused to use modern technology like computers and smart phones. He thought of them as wastes of time that only served to waste what little time people had to live. Of course, Biruk didn't have that problem, for he was immortal, if he played his cards right, he would live much longer than any of these other people in the room.

Biruk looked over the group. From what he could gather, they had powers just as he did. Biruk had known for a long time that there were others like him for a very long time and had even met some in his lifetime. While they were well known to normal Humans, Biruk had met so many people in the hundreds, possibly millions of years he's been alive that they all started blurring together. Some he vaguely remembered was a Spartan he had killed during some spat between the Greeks and the Persians and that one Frenchman that was the talk of Europe a hundred or so years ago.

This group seemed to be showing off each others powers to each other. While his brain was against it, his gut said why the hell not join. As Biruk noticed a rat also sneaking around in the shadows, he had an idea that showed off his powers and also filled his starving stomach for a bit. Biruk unlatched from the ceiling and flew down towards the rat, turning into a small falcon in midflight. Biruk flew over the heads of many of the people in the room, not paying attention to how they reacted. Biruk grabbed the rat with incredible speed and threw it against the wall, stunning it in surprise. Biruk quickly shifted into a Cobra and coiled up before striking at the rat. Biruk launched three venomous bites at the rat before clamping down on the rat, killing it slowly. Once the rat was dead, Biruk turned into a Fox and ate the rat, looking into the eyes of everyone in the room as he did it.

[Deramen]

Victoria stared at Stephen. "Dont ever call me Vic or your gonna hate what happens." After the showcase of the ink power Victoria turned her attention to "The Hebrew Hammer". "So Mr. Hebrew Hammer what is your power and birth name?"

Jacob snapped out of staring in mute horror at the man's tattoos. Tattoos are taboo in jewish culture, and having them move was.... disturbing at least. He realized he'd been asked a question, and by a girl no less! This was going well.

"I already said doll, Jacob Goldstein" He gave another boorish wink and grinned. "My powers are simple. Fire and heat don't touch me. and I am pretty strong. He rolled back his sleeves of his trench coat to flex before realizing he had a long sleeve shirt on. Blushing he shoved his coat back down his arm and gripped a shotgun, pulling it out to show everyone.

"Plus I got these. I calle Sabot and Sholem. Never fail to do work on the baddies". He gave a huge grin and moved so the light caught on his gold chain star of David and did a a little light flash. "So Vicky-toria" he caught himself before shortening her name. "You seem nice. What do you think these people want with us? Some Benefactor guy contacted me, but didn't really say what he needed."

Victoria looked at Jacob. "Well i'm not quite sure why we are here but I do know that that blond lady over there knows something that we don't, so ask all your questions to her. Oh! My friend here is Blake, and her power is-" She stopped. "Uh." She looked at Blake. "Whats your power?" As she looked at Blake a falcon dived at a rat and then turned into a snake and finally a fox. After the shock wore down she looked at the fox. "Ha, ha funny. Who are you mysterious shapeshifter?"

[Kuhlfros]

Even as the taxi slowed to a halt outside the shoddy old warehouse, Lucas continued to stare at his phone, rereading the message he was sent over again, in search of any clues, any hints he may of missed the first hundred times he read the mail. But even then nothing gave him further knowledge. He paid the taxi driver and left the cab.

"It's certainly out of the public eye..." Lucas confirmed to no one in particular as he ventured to the front door of the warehouse. Reaching there and placing his hand on the door, he glanced down at his while second hand, nice and slim suit. "I took off early from work for this, it better be good." And opened the door....

Into a small office space where nobody was that was really anti-climactic, however he could hear voices and sort of make out figures out of the dirty office windows in the main floor of the warehouse. "Other Variants?" he asked himself before pushing open the doors into the room filled with several other people...and a drone.

He glanced around, taking his time to take in every detail and first impressions of the people standing in the room with him. With his quick scan of the room over, he smiled amiably and said, "Good afternoon, it looks like the Benefactor is having a party...is he or she here?" He glanced around the room for an answer before looking at the fox eating a rat that was in the room.

[Drakmah]

Shane Daughtry
Melkens Delivery Service Branch

Shane pushed the door to the delivery branch open and stepped inside, his lips curling around a cherry lollipop as he pushed it around inside his mouth with his tongue. He walked up to the counter and rung the small bell several consecutive times, an angry shout coming from the back room.

“I get it! I get it! Will you stop ringing the goddamn bell you piece of… Oh Shane, It’s you.” The man was a grizzly one, his scrappy beard showing off multiple colors as he walked up to the counter. He placed his meaty hands on the edge and sighed, shaking his head as he snatched the bell away from the chuckling man.

“I’d give you a piece of my mind if you weren’t such a good deliverer, you know that right?” He said, his face folding into a smile as his eyebrows raised and his expression softened. Shane was still having a good laugh, and took his hat off before placing it on the table.

“So, speaking of my wonderful delivery skills… You have anything for me?” He asked, now in the good mood that this place always put him in. The people here were a little rough around the edges but they were friendly enough once you got to know them, and once you got to know what made them tick.

“You know i do actually.” His manager said, his happy expression turning to a more concerned one. “Someone called with this package and said that they wanted you to deliver it. I’ve never had anyone request which delivery boy before but they paid me good money to make sure you were the one who took it. I'll make sure you get a piece of it, I just can’t think of why they would want you.”

Shane smiled and picked up the box his manager had placed on the table and swirled it in his hands, it was very small and very light, the box being a square about the size of his outstretched palm.

“I’ll make sure it gets where it’s supposed to be, which is where may i ask?” He turned around and leaned up against the wall right next to the door. One of his legs crossed the other as his manager began typing into his computer. After a moment he glanced back up.

“It’s going to a warehouse, the only directions is for SoDo in the industrial district of the city.” Shane furrowed his brow and checked the box for any markings. He then walked over to the counter and placed the box down before hopping over it, leaning over his manager's shoulder.

“Look it up, see if there is anything on the location. As his manager began typing, he felt his phone buzz. Shane took it out, a confused looking coming over his face..

Blocked Just now
I'll guide you there, don't worry.

“What the…” He said under his breath, his manager looking up with a questioning eye. “Don’t bother looking it up, I know where it is. Trust me.” His manager shrugged and Shane walked out the door, the package under his arm as he walked over to his motorized bicycle. He strapped the small cardboard to the back of the bike and climbed onto the seat, leaning down to yank the pull start a few times until the sputtering of the engine ensued. He looked around and pressed the throttle lightly, coasting over to a pile of junk.

Using his power for only a moment he lifted the bits and pieces of metal into the air, his eyes glowing blue as he combined them with his phone and his bike to make a sort of mount, allowing him to watch for more texts as he went. He knew the general area that he was heading to and so he pressed down hard on the throttle and tugged his hood up, trying to keep his hat on his head.

He made his way through the back alleys until he pulled out onto one of the main streets of Seattle, staying in the bikers lane for most of his time until he spotted an opening and leaned to the left, cutting across the road and down into another alley, It was illegal he knew, but taking illegal routes was what kept him at the top. As he turned into the small street he felt his handlebars buzz, Shane looking down to find another text.

Blocked 7m ago
I'll guide you there, don't worry.

Blocked Just now
Follow the alley and then take a left, travel straight for the next few intersections until you find a old warehouse.

He shrugged and did what the text said, really not sure if what he was doing would end well for him. He pulled up at the end of the alley and went left, traveling down and through the next few back roads he found. Finally he saw the warehouse that was spoken of, it having a large SoDo printed on the side of it and so he pulled up next to the building. Climbing off his bike he felt the bike vibrate once again, Shane taking one last look at his phone.

Blocked 12m ago
I'll guide you there, don't worry.

Blocked 5m ago
Follow the alley and then take a left, travel straight for the next few intersections until you find a old warehouse.

Blocked Just now
Here you are. Open the package.

“Oh shit.. That can’t be a good sign.” He said to himself as he chained his bike to one of the poles near the warehouse. He looked around before digging his fingernails into the tape, severing the adhesive link and opening the box. Inside was simply a letter, a piece of paper with a message that explained why he was here. That someone called the benefactor needed his help to some extent and that he would join up with several others who just like him, had incredible powers.

“Welp, I better tell Vinny I’m going on vacation.” He sighed and used his power to take apart the phone mount, leaving the scrap metal on the ground before texting his manager that he would need to take a break, and that he would be back soon enough. He didn’t really care what Vinny said in return, and proceeded to walk around the building until he found an entrance. When he entered there were already several people there, one of them being a blonde hair lady seemingly on her phone. He could only assume she had been the one texting him, and so he sighed as he glanced around. From the snippets of conversation he could only assume that like him, most of the people here had no clue exactly why they were there, and so he simply found his way over to one of the industrial crates inside the warehouse and hoisted himself up onto it, his eyes glowing a soft blue as he picked up some spare parts and played with them with his power, just assembling the nuts, bolts, and metal into random configurations while he waited for someone with real answers to come.

[The Greater Gambia]

Jacob snapped out of staring in mute horror at the man's tattoos. Tattoos are taboo in jewish culture, and having them move was.... disturbing at least. He realized he'd been asked a question, and by a girl no less! This was going well.

"I already said doll, Jacob Goldstein" He gave another boorish wink and grinned. "My powers are simple. Fire and heat don't touch me. and I am pretty strong. He rolled back his sleeves of his trench coat to flex before realizing he had a long sleeve shirt on. Blushing he shoved his coat back down his arm and gripped a shotgun, pulling it out to show everyone.

"Plus I got these. I calle Sabot and Sholem. Never fail to do work on the baddies". He gave a huge grin and moved so the light caught on his gold chain star of David and did a a little light flash. "So Vicky-toria" he caught himself before shortening her name. "You seem nice. What do you think these people want with us? Some Benefactor guy contacted me, but didn't really say what he needed."

Victoria looked at Jacob. "Well i'm not quite sure why we are here but I do know that that blond lady over there knows something that we don't, so ask all your questions to her. Oh! My friend here is Blake, and her power is-" She stopped. "Uh." She looked at Blake. "Whats your power?" As she looked at Blake a falcon dived at a rat and then turned into a snake and finally a fox. After the shock wore down she looked at the fox. "Ha, ha funny. Who are you mysterious shapeshifter?"

Biruk looked up towards the voice that spoke to him. It was a Woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties. Biruk transformed his tongue and vocal cords into that of a human. A difficult technique that took him centuries to master. Biruk made a few transitioning barks until his voice became more human.

"I have gone by many names in many languages, but my birth name is Biruk." He said in a accent relatable to one from Eastern Africa. Biruk looked around the group.

"So I take it you all have been gathered as well by our mysterious host?"

[The Warriors of the Sun]

Zedekiah McMurry
Zedekiah's Apartment, Seattle

Zedekiah finished buttoning the last button of his shirt, nothing fancy, just a red and white plaid shirt. It was the nicest shirt he had besides the white shirts and ties he wore for work. He had no idea what this was all about, but he might as well try to look half-way decent for it. He pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and tapped the power button. The screen came to life already showing the last email he had opened which he had yet to exit out of since the last time he checked the day before. He quickly skimmed over the detailed message and glanced up at his alarm clock on his nightstand; if he left now he would have an hour to arrive on time and if google maps wasn't lying to him that would be all the time he'd need to walk to the location.

This had to be some sort of elaborate prank, what would someone want with him? His entire life consisted of watching anime, playing video games, going on daily walks, and working as a cashier. Besides customers and co-workers he didn't even talk to people, at least not anymore. A few of his neighbors use to say hi when he first moved in, but enough awkward conversations with Zedekiah had sufficiently scared them away. A chill ran down his spine, whatever this was it seemed very unlikely that it was a friendly meeting. Zedekiah walked over to his nightstand and grabbed the pocket knife that was lying beside a paper crane and his clock.

As he grabbed the knife the crane turned it's paper neck to watch Zedekiah pick up the knife. "Just to be safe," said Zedekiah reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't be leaving you behind." After stuffing the knife in the opposite jean pocket that his phone was in he held out his hand against the edge of the nightstand. The paper crane began to inch it's body like a caterpillar towards the edge and fell off the short drop into his hand. "Remember, stay still till we are out of sight." He used to whisper to his 'pets' when he first moved into the apartment, but after a year he gave up on the caution. They already thought he was a shut-in, wouldn't be too big of a deal if they though he talked to himself as well.

He lightly closed his hand around the crane before heading towards the door of his apartment and grabbing his keys off the hook that hung adjacent to the door. He exited his apartment and quickly locked his door. He rarely ever did so, but the thought had crossed his mind this meeting may just be to get him out of his so someone could rob him.

He began to walk away when the adjacent door opened causing him to freeze. A young girl, similar in age as himself exited the room and glanced towards him. Should he say hi? She had been living next to him for almost five months now. He hadn't to this point, would it be awkward? Before he could make up his mind her face began to show some obvious concern before she turned and walked away. His heart sank as he watched the girl walk off. At least he would be able to talk to some people outside of work with this meeting, if actually was one.

When the girl was out of sight Zedekiah finally realized he was staring at her, completely still, this entire time. He frowned as he realized he was acting a bit like a creep and he was wasting time if he wanted to get there on time. He opened his left hand that was holding the paper crane and began to softly stroke along the back of the animated origami. "Come on," said Zedekiah softly as he began to walk towards the sidewalk...

SoDo, Seattle

...This was the place, Zedekiah glanced at the map displayed on his phone to double-check, but it checked out. A meeting at a warehouse? Zedekiah was beginning to believe this was the place he was going to be stabbed, but he had already gone this far, might as well see it through. He looked down to the crane in his hand which was looking back at him. "Be still, let's see what's up," said Zedekiah to the crane which returned to its natural position before Zedekiah softly enclosed his hand around the paper crane once more.

He headed inside the already opened fence gate and continued on towards the the warehouse door which was opened as well. He headed inside and after a short walk Zedekiah was looking at a very diverse assortment of people, some were wearing suits while other were wearing what Zedekiah would call casual at best. All of his previous guesses at what this could be went away and his only remaining guess was that this was a misunderstanding.

"Uh..." said Zedekiah in a soft voice wondering how to resolve this issue. But a quick glance around revealed that it seemed most of the people were waiting for something and all introducing themselves. They were probably in the same boat as himself which caused Zedekiah to let out a sigh of relief. A sigh he wished he could immediately take back as he realized someone was talking to a fox which meant they were variants like him and the reason he was here became significantly more clear. He looked for a spot away from the crowd to go sit down on the floor, not sure on how to interact with these beings.

When his butt hit the floor Zedekiah opened his hand to reveal the paper crane that was looking right at him. "Looks like we will just have to wait," whispered Zedekiah before placing the crane on the floor beside himself.

[United Human Planets]

Victoria looked at Jacob. "Well i'm not quite sure why we are here but I do know that that blond lady over there knows something that we don't, so ask all your questions to her. Oh! My friend here is Blake, and her power is-" She stopped. "Uh." She looked at Blake. "Whats your power?" As she looked at Blake a falcon dived at a rat and then turned into a snake and finally a fox. After the shock wore down she looked at the fox. "Ha, ha funny. Who are you mysterious shapeshifter?"

Biruk looked up towards the voice that spoke to him. It was a Woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties. Biruk transformed his tongue and vocal cords into that of a human. A difficult technique that took him centuries to master. Biruk made a few transitioning barks until his voice became more human.

"I have gone by many names in many languages, but my birth name is Biruk." He said in a accent relatable to one from Eastern Africa. Biruk looked around the group.

"So I take it you all have been gathered as well by our mysterious host?"

Zaahir, hearing more about the "mysterious host," quickly hustled his way over to the snake, man, bat. "You know the Benefactor? He sent me emails, and I dont get emails. I tell you, he either is mad, because I cut in on his territory, or hes the NSA. If its the NSA, then your probably NSA, and I know their watching me. Everywhere, Im telling you. They got eyes, man. But its alright," he stopped talking, and pulled up his sweater before pulling his gun from his waistband, "I got me this bad boy. Them NSA fellas try and get at me, and BLAM! I pop them before you can say, psycho."

He stared down at the Biruk, and then looked around at the others, who all seemed cautious of his odd personality. "What, you know the NSA is after us right? Its a conspiracy, they dont like Variants, and so they track us. They got chips that they get into you with school food, which activates if your a Variant, and they track you. But not me, I left school. And I got this bad boy here." He lifted his gun again, before stopping his rant.

The voice in his head piped up agian.

You said to much.

"No, I didnt say anything."

The NSA could have heard that, what if they have the chips in these peoples heads? Are you a rat?"

"Are you a rat?"

[The Greater Gambia]

Biruk looked up towards the voice that spoke to him. It was a Woman, probably in her late teens or early twenties. Biruk transformed his tongue and vocal cords into that of a human. A difficult technique that took him centuries to master. Biruk made a few transitioning barks until his voice became more human.

"I have gone by many names in many languages, but my birth name is Biruk." He said in a accent relatable to one from Eastern Africa. Biruk looked around the group.

"So I take it you all have been gathered as well by our mysterious host?"

Zaahir, hearing more about the "mysterious host," quickly hustled his way over to the snake, man, bat. "You know the Benefactor? He sent me emails, and I dont get emails. I tell you, he either is mad, because I cut in on his territory, or hes the NSA. If its the NSA, then your probably NSA, and I know their watching me. Everywhere, Im telling you. They got eyes, man. But its alright," he stopped talking, and pulled up his sweater before pulling his gun from his waistband, "I got me this bad boy. Them NSA fellas try and get at me, and BLAM! I pop them before you can say, psycho."

He stared down at the Biruk, and then looked around at the others, who all seemed cautious of his odd personality. "What, you know the NSA is after us right? Its a conspiracy, they dont like Variants, and so they track us. They got chips that they get into you with school food, which activates if your a Variant, and they track you. But not me, I left school. And I got this bad boy here." He lifted his gun again, before stopping his rant.

The voice in his head piped up agian.

You said to much.

"No, I didnt say anything."

The NSA could have heard that, what if they have the chips in these peoples heads? Are you a rat?"

"Are you a rat?"

Biruk rolled his fox eyes. Hopefully, this wasn't a sign of things to come.

"Calm down, you. Trust me, I'm not with the Americans. They probably wouldn't like me anyway after that job I took with some Somalis a few years back. Just one Cargo Ship, they said. It will be fine, they said." Suddenly, the man began talking to himself, causing him to turn his head in confusion.

"What's your problem? Your acting like that one Hebrew Bloke I met a few thousand years ago. Kept going on and on about how his God told him to kill his son to test his faith but stepped in at the last second. Sounded crazy to me." Biruk then noticed the man right next to him. From what he remembered, his name was Jacob or something. Then, his appearance dawned on him and Biruk quickly back peddled.

"No- Not that I saw the whole thing, of course. Who knows what actually happened. Biruk said, slowly sneaking back into the dark corner.

[Ben M]

snippity snip

Jacob blinked.

"Excuse me?" He said jostling past everyone to the insulter in the corner.

"Did you just call ABRAHAM crazy? ABRAHAM? look. I don't care what you believe, ever since our temple got sacked by the romans we aren't much for recruiting, but how DARE you. God spoke to Abraham, and Abraham did his bidding in his devotion to the holy one. next time you open that Goya mouth make sure you say something smart."

Jacob spat at the mans feet before striding off angrily to the other side of the room shooting dirty glances at the insulter. He crossed his arms and raised his voice.

"Anyways, what is the point of us being here? Where is the benefactor? I had to come a long way and standing here is making my feet hurt. Also I could use some refreshments." He looked around the room annoyed.

[Wenglesy]

Jean Deschenaux

Not too long ago I got a letter from some Benefactor muck. I was debating on if I was going to show. The thing that surprised me though, that it came with a chew toy. Man this guy is funny, I think I might like him - he might as well since I don't have a computer that he can send an email on. So, I had decided to go and see how funny he really was. Then when I arrived I saw the place, dirty and such. I transformed just in case, I walked in with a chew-toy in hand and I found my way to a rich looking fellow going on about Abraham. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation I just sat in the corner and put the chew toy in my mouth just getting ready to squeeze.

[Ubaria]

Lucio Martelli
Lucio's Apartment
Somewhere in Downtown Seattle


"Experiment Two-Nine-Zero , Attempt 3. Four Hours, Thirty Three minutes and Twelve seconds after initiation. Still no observed reaction in the Chemical Formula Sixty Four B"

The murky green solution sat in a triangular laboratory flask, a centerpiece in an unholy mess of plastic tubing and pressure valves connected to other various pieces of glassware set across the countertop, some of them containing similar liquid solutions themselves, one was even bubbling away in the corner sat atop a low flame. This 'laboratory' was no more than a large collection of scientific paraphernalia strewn across Luca's kitchen, anything even remotely related to cookery or kitchenware had been allocated a small section of countertop at the end of the room, the rest had been made way for what looked like a sketchy Meth brewery as opposed to a professional setup.

Luca stared longingly into the beaker, waiting for something, anything, to happen to his concoction of chemicals that were unknown to most men, despite the ramshackle get up, the whole operation was finely tuned and adjusted so that it wouldn't blow out half the apartment block, something that had almost happened on more than one occasion.

"The equation must be off. Perhaps if i increase the amounts of Phenanthroline by two or three percent. I can use an Ion heavy catalyst"

Speaking into the mouthpeice of his recorder perhaps a little too loudly, Luca rushed over to a glass board that had been taped between two lampposts, despite now not having a place to rest his coffee or other assorted hot beverages, it now doubled as an equally effective whiteboard. Wiping off whatever ramblings that had already been drawn on, Luca replaced them with another almost indecipherable mess of equations and chemical symbols and took a step back, like a sculptor admiring a bust. Once more he spoke into the recorder.

"If no observable change has happened within the hour, i will retry with Chemical Formula Sixty Four C, with a higher amount of solute"

Sighing wearily, Luca shut the recorder off and chucked it haphazardly into a pile of papers which cushioned his fall, what didn't cushion his own fall however, was the laminate floor. Forgetting that he had moved his couch several feet backwards the morning previous, instead he painfully slammed into the wood ass first with a string of Italian curses quickly following. After finally seating himself in the correct manner, he flipped open his laptop, a notification in his task bar alerted him to a new email, several infact which were mostly spam and phishing attempts. They were all quickly whisked away to the trash bin with the simple click of a key, one however was being rather stubborn to eliminate, even after repeated attempts it re materialized in his inbox, even going so far as to reproduce several times over until he was compelled to read it.

"There is greatness to be found in our history" Luca began, furrowing his brow at the absurdity of the contents that the E-mail had. Mumbling along with the words, Luca would only stop and gain interest when the words started growing more sinister, perhaps a little too personal.

"Greatness is returning and you will be its herald. I look forward to our meeting"

Confusedly, Luca deleted the Mail one more time, predictably it re-appeared but this time completely seized control of the laptop, displaying the message in clear bold text on a black background. It was hard to deny at this point that this was no ordinary spam email, it was hard to argue that this was a co-incidence or merely by chance. His powers, that's what they were clearly referencing, but how did they know? How did they find him? Who sent the email? Surely it was a trap, along with the contents of the message, an address and even co-ordinates had been given which alluded to the fact this was an intended meeting place. This whole situation was all wrong, Luca knew all too well that people were actively hunting him down because of the research he had stole and the powers he possessed, but why would they dangle such an obvious bait for him, were they hinging on him calling their bluff? Was there even a bluff? There was only one way to find out.

---

"This is it buddy. That will be....$21.94"

Luca stuffed two tens and a five into the cab drivers open palm.

"Keep the change"

Without another word he exited the vehicle and pushed the door shut, waiting for the cab to round a corner out of sight before entering the building that had been detailed in the email. A run down old Warehouse in the middle of factory town, a perfect place for a kidnapping...or murder. But Luca was fairly confident he could handle himself, but then again, if the people on the other end knew of his powers, surely they would have prepared themselves accordingly? Despite every cell in his body screaming that it was a bad idea, he pushed open the creaky metal door and into the dank interior on the other side. For a while it was silent, but pushing deeper into the maze of containers and boxes, a few voices could be picked out, echoing through the cavernous space, there were a mixture of voices both male and female, it was hard to identify what exactly they were saying.

Luca wasn't a master of stealthcraft, in an attempt to skirt the perimeter to gain a better vantage point, he slipped on a loose pace of metal and skidded forward on one foot into the edge of the crowd, almost bumping into several people in his wake. Embarrassed, he dusted his legs off, cleared his throat and spoke, his voice trying to assert any hint of dominance over the situation, but stumbled over his own words.

"So..are...are you guys the uhm. Email? Did you...You get the Email too?"

[Wenglesy]

Lucio Martelli
Lucio's Apartment
Somewhere in Downtown Seattle


"Experiment Two-Nine-Zero , Attempt 3. Four Hours, Thirty Three minutes and Twelve seconds after initiation. Still no observed reaction in the Chemical Formula Sixty Four B"

The murky green solution sat in a triangular laboratory flask, a centerpiece in an unholy mess of plastic tubing and pressure valves connected to other various pieces of glassware set across the countertop, some of them containing similar liquid solutions themselves, one was even bubbling away in the corner sat atop a low flame. This 'laboratory' was no more than a large collection of scientific paraphernalia strewn across Luca's kitchen, anything even remotely related to cookery or kitchenware had been allocated a small section of countertop at the end of the room, the rest had been made way for what looked like a sketchy Meth brewery as opposed to a professional setup.

Luca stared longingly into the beaker, waiting for something, anything, to happen to his concoction of chemicals that were unknown to most men, despite the ramshackle get up, the whole operation was finely tuned and adjusted so that it wouldn't blow out half the apartment block, something that had almost happened on more than one occasion.

"The equation must be off. Perhaps if i increase the amounts of Phenanthroline by two or three percent. I can use an Ion heavy catalyst"

Speaking into the mouthpeice of his recorder perhaps a little too loudly, Luca rushed over to a glass board that had been taped between two lampposts, despite now not having a place to rest his coffee or other assorted hot beverages, it now doubled as an equally effective whiteboard. Wiping off whatever ramblings that had already been drawn on, Luca replaced them with another almost indecipherable mess of equations and chemical symbols and took a step back, like a sculptor admiring a bust. Once more he spoke into the recorder.

"If no observable change has happened within the hour, i will retry with Chemical Formula Sixty Four C, with a higher amount of solute"

Sighing wearily, Luca shut the recorder off and chucked it haphazardly into a pile of papers which cushioned his fall, what didn't cushion his own fall however, was the laminate floor. Forgetting that he had moved his couch several feet backwards the morning previous, instead he painfully slammed into the wood ass first with a string of Italian curses quickly following. After finally seating himself in the correct manner, he flipped open his laptop, a notification in his task bar alerted him to a new email, several infact which were mostly spam and phishing attempts. They were all quickly whisked away to the trash bin with the simple click of a key, one however was being rather stubborn to eliminate, even after repeated attempts it re materialized in his inbox, even going so far as to reproduce several times over until he was compelled to read it.

"There is greatness to be found in our history" Luca began, furrowing his brow at the absurdity of the contents that the E-mail had. Mumbling along with the words, Luca would only stop and gain interest when the words started growing more sinister, perhaps a little too personal.

"Greatness is returning and you will be its herald. I look forward to our meeting"

Confusedly, Luca deleted the Mail one more time, predictably it re-appeared but this time completely seized control of the laptop, displaying the message in clear bold text on a black background. It was hard to deny at this point that this was no ordinary spam email, it was hard to argue that this was a co-incidence or merely by chance. His powers, that's what they were clearly referencing, but how did they know? How did they find him? Who sent the email? Surely it was a trap, along with the contents of the message, an address and even co-ordinates had been given which alluded to the fact this was an intended meeting place. This whole situation was all wrong, Luca knew all too well that people were actively hunting him down because of the research he had stole and the powers he possessed, but why would they dangle such an obvious bait for him, were they hinging on him calling their bluff? Was there even a bluff? There was only one way to find out.

---

"This is it buddy. That will be....$21.94"

Luca stuffed two tens and a five into the cab drivers open palm.

"Keep the change"

Without another word he exited the vehicle and pushed the door shut, waiting for the cab to round a corner out of sight before entering the building that had been detailed in the email. A run down old Warehouse in the middle of factory town, a perfect place for a kidnapping...or murder. But Luca was fairly confident he could handle himself, but then again, if the people on the other end knew of his powers, surely they would have prepared themselves accordingly? Despite every cell in his body screaming that it was a bad idea, he pushed open the creaky metal door and into the dank interior on the other side. For a while it was silent, but pushing deeper into the maze of containers and boxes, a few voices could be picked out, echoing through the cavernous space, there were a mixture of voices both male and female, it was hard to identify what exactly they were saying.

Luca wasn't a master of stealthcraft, in an attempt to skirt the perimeter to gain a better vantage point, he slipped on a loose pace of metal and skidded forward on one foot into the edge of the crowd, almost bumping into several people in his wake. Embarrassed, he dusted his legs off, cleared his throat and spoke, his voice trying to assert any hint of dominance over the situation, but stumbled over his own words.

"So..are...are you guys the uhm. Email? Did you...You get the Email too?"

Jean Deschenaux

Good, some bumbling fool just came in, a good time to make my presence clear.

So I bit down on my chew toy, it squeaked and oh my I never actually realized how good it felt. Dogs were the lucky ones all along! I completely forgot what my plan was and I just started playing with it some more. I really hope no one thinks i'm masterbating with some kind of weird power. That'd be a really weird thing to do in front of this group especially with the teens i'd probably get charged with rape or something. I mean like seriously.