Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Swith Witherward]

She rested one of her arms on the slab behind her close to Thriller before putting her weight on that arm to support her as she talked. "Well, not really. I mean there are four alive, if you count Thriller, Dr. Smith, and that other doctor, but there is a another one that we won't talk about because he went insane and dumped his brain inside a terminal and is now an AI that runs his house with his robotic guards. Kinda fucked up, don'tcha say?" She replied, nonchalantly with one ear up and the other hanging down to the side her head was tilted on.

----

"Who am I?" He replied. "I am a friend of yours, don't you remember?" The sun that shined light from behind him was covered over by clouds. It was then clear to see who the man was. That man was Lucius.

Naomi looked at Thriller and then at the machine. "Well, he spends a ton of time in the mech suit, and never seemed to come out." She gently prodded the skin under one of his closed eyes to see if there would be any facial reaction.

The lab stool groaned under Ceril's weight as he settled onto it. "Does this group keep to itself or does it focus on humanitarian projects?"

--

Xanthe blinked at Lucius, not comprehending how he had found them. "I thought... you were off on a mission. The map, the scroll? Samuel is looking for you."

She stood up and grew quiet. They hadn't exactly parted on comfortable terms the last time, no thanks to the awkwardness in Superbia and Blythe's bathroom.

[Swith Witherward]

Marcus offered Brother Timothy a polite bow and then joined the rest on the elevator.

"Well, do we go down to see Dexter or do we keep pressing buttons? I'm sorta thinking we're heading into trouble if we keep exploring. We've seen Logic, or Math, or whatever that floor was. We've seen the Cosmos, and that's a bad place to build anything. And I guess this floor is Transition or Faith? Dunno. I'll be visiting here again."

He shrugged, content to do whatever the others wanted. "The hallway Brother Timothy told us about, on the second floor with the gender symbol looking thing? That's Chaos. I'm thinking Dexter is one of the big Astartes?"

[Germanic Templars]

"Aleki." Natiya nodded as she thought about their options for the day. Being dressed in her sweats and a simple T-shirt lent itself nicely to the laziness that Aleki had proposed. Realistically, Natiya didn't plan on doing much else that day anyways.

"I'd be honored to join you in that."

The girl re-positioned herself, and snuggled into Aleki's side, savoring the warmth of the feeling, and the fluttering inside her.

Natiya, close him, he found a sense of comfort to him for once in a long while. Enough to cause the broken man to finally sleep in peace.

She rested one of her arms on the slab behind her close to Thriller before putting her weight on that arm to support her as she talked. "Well, not really. I mean there are four alive, if you count Thriller, Dr. Smith, and that other doctor, but there is a another one that we won't talk about because he went insane and dumped his brain inside a terminal and is now an AI that runs his house with his robotic guards. Kinda fucked up, don'tcha say?" She replied, nonchalantly with one ear up and the other hanging down to the side her head was tilted on.

----

"Who am I?" He replied. "I am a friend of yours, don't you remember?" The sun that shined light from behind him was covered over by clouds. It was then clear to see who the man was. That man was Lucius.

Naomi looked at Thriller and then at the machine. "Well, he spends a ton of time in the mech suit, and never seemed to come out." She gently prodded the skin under one of his closed eyes to see if there would be any facial reaction.

The lab stool groaned under Ceril's weight as he settled onto it. "Does this group keep to itself or does it focus on humanitarian projects?"

--

Xanthe blinked at Lucius, not comprehending how he had found them. "I thought... you were off on a mission. The map, the scroll? Samuel is looking for you."

She stood up and grew quiet. They hadn't exactly parted on comfortable terms the last time, no thanks to the awkwardness in Superbia and Blythe's bathroom.

Again, disregarding what Naomi said unintentionally, Sapphire gladly answered Ceril's question, "Well from what I was told, they more-or-less worked on projects that could advance humanity, though catch was, was that people had to buy these said things, so not for everyone." She looked at her nails on the hand that was not on the table and examined them closely, noticing a piece of dirt under her nail on the ring finger. How the hell did that get there? She thought to herself. She mentally shook herself out of it and looked back at both of them.

---

"You mean the younger me." He pointed out to Xanthe. "You see, years have past, and Superbia and I have aged quite a lot. In fact, we are the equivalent of gods now. With proof to show."

[Fvaarniimar]

Nick, waiting some distance away under some rubble, briefly repositioned his face so that an eye faced the guard building. Nope-again, nothing was visible from the outside. That's a lot of noise... I kinda want to get closer- see what's going on... But I'm supposed to wait here, and there isn't much cover and a lot of snow. My fur sticks out against snow, and I'll probably- he yawned silently- get caught on camera... And that would make it a lot harder for me to spy... He curled up for a short nap; his power would probably wake him up if anything important were to happen, and, even if not, his ears would continue to pick up the noise from the fight and its cessation would probably also wake him... The cat started to purr slightly as he entered the Land of Nod, but, half-asleep, quieted himself- purring would probably be fine, but he couldn't take that chance...

Not two minutes later, Nick was jolted out of his nap by strong feelings of apprehension, self-doubt, and excitement. The tired and now disgruntled (in addition to his myriad other emotions) feline almost let out an irritated meow, but stopped himself just in time.

Well, I guess that's my cue. Nick had had a lot of experience with this power, and hence reasoned that about the only thing likely to trigger those emotions today would be his starting his mission as scout. Creeping out of his rubble pile into areas with progressively less and less cover, he found himself covered in snow as he misjudged a step. He started trying to shake it off, but, about to wash a paw, the brown feline realized that the snow, while cold and wet, was helping to camouflage him. Quickly, remaining in shadows, ducking under things whenever possible, and focusing on keeping his cumbersome large head balanced, he ran the rest of the way to the guard building. Still keeping to the shadows, Nick snuck around it until he found an entrance. Entering, he pawed Chrys' foot.

<Hi-I'm-here>
Nick's mental voice sounded slightly out of breath.

[Giovenith]

"Well the other floor are always going to be here... presumably," Giovenith scratched her head thoughtfully, realizing that her initial point wasn't necessarily easy to confirm. "Yeah, they'll probably be here. It would be best to go hurry up and see if this... Astartesss?" She'd heard of Astarte the goddess before, but not the strange plural word. "Mister Dexter, while we're all still together and have the same goal in mind. Don't put it off, you know?"

She scanned her friend's faces, hoping none of them would be disappointed.

[Rocopurr]

Lilian hurried up and got into the elevator. "We can explore the other floors later, yeah. Off to Dexter we go! Wait, he's an astra-what what? Is that a kind of cute animal? Mythical creature?". Lillian was used to humanoids such as herself, but all the new species she'd heard about since moving to Bielefeld was intriguing. First there were aliens, magical rabbits, and gods, what next?

[Torsiedelle]

"Wise words, those.", Katya agreed. "I'll take it to heart, but for now, tea."

She graciously accepted the mug and blew at her tea again. "So, Dora, what are you doing after this? I'll be heading home again."

"Unless you need me for something, I'm going home and sleeping things off. It's been a long two days, dealing with a lot of stress." Dora rubbed her eyes lightly. "Having to worry about my friends and Siblings out getting Tasia back doesn't help, either. They sidelined me because 'I'd died enough already'. Well, hell. That used to be my job. Hopefully, if we can get your company up and running, nothing like this will happen. My old boss, my Siblings, your sister, Kei. No more trouble."

She picked up her own mug and held it out as if inviting a toast.

She could imagine, her big company keeping everyone safe. Dora, the friendly Nikanors, her kid sister...

"That sounds great. I had my doubts, but that reassured me, protecting my friends. I'll do my best." , She said, toasting Dora. "And I'll have you to help, and a good business partner, and hopefully my little sister!"

Little did Katya know that Tora had her own ideas.

[Swith Witherward]

Again, disregarding what Naomi said unintentionally, Sapphire gladly answered Ceril's question, "Well from what I was told, they more-or-less worked on projects that could advance humanity, though catch was, was that people had to buy these said things, so not for everyone." She looked at her nails on the hand that was not on the table and examined them closely, noticing a piece of dirt under her nail on the ring finger. How the hell did that get there? She thought to herself. She mentally shook herself out of it and looked back at both of them.

---

"You mean the younger me." He pointed out to Xanthe. "You see, years have past, and Superbia and I have aged quite a lot. In fact, we are the equivalent of gods now. With proof to show."

The old cyborg pursed his lips. "Makes sense."

He scooted the stool closer to the slab and peered at Thriller. "He's not going to be happy when he wakes up, is he? I don't know who is managing his empire, his wife is dead, his kids are confused as hell, and he has an assassin to hunt down. Let's take him back to his apartment and put him to bed. We'll slap some monitors on him to track his vitals."

He winked at Sapphire and added, "Thank you for helping."

--

It took Xanthe a moment to process younger me. "Equivalent of gods? Proof? What are you doing all the way out here on Gliese? I- well, I would be flattered to think you'd come because I was upset, or very happy if you came to comfort Superbia or Blythe, but I don't understand how you even knew about this place."

She peered at him more intently, noticing small nuances about him that separated him from the Lucius she knew. Was this then his future? If so, was Superbia also nearby? And, if Superbia was nearby, would she run into a future Blythe. Oh Christ preserve them all, but no one should ever be subjected to two Purple Menaces at the same time.

--

Marcus pressed the two button and the doors closed again. The ride down was just as smooth, each passing floor heralded by a soft DING. The car stopped on the second floor and the doors opened to reveal the same old communal areas.

Myra stepped out to let others get past her.

"C'mon," Marcus said, "if it's the Chaos hallway, it's this way."

He led them to a hallway which branched from the communal areas. It looked just like all the other hallways except for odd scrapes on the walls roughly six or seven feet from the floor. He unknowingly passed Volturius and Tipper's door and found one which bore the small nametag "Dexter Usseio, Sgt."

The young cyborg snorted. "Easy enough." He knocked.

Something large and heavy moved inside the apartment. The door opened. A man peered at them with a curious but polite expression on his face.

Dexter, known as Deuce to his companions, was a giant of a man. He stood at roughly seven feet in height outside of his armor. He was currently clad in white robes. Unlike Volturious, he didn't have much for visible mutations. There was a symmetrical series of eight nubby horns on his bald head, arranged in two lines which started at his brow and traveled towards the back of his skull. He was scarred and his nose had been broken several times and had healed into a rugged and crooked beak.

He peered down at the young tech priest (the only familiar creature in the group). Marcus craned his neck back to view him properly. He estimated Dexter as weighing over 57 stone, or 800 pounds. Not someone to trifle with, especially if this Astartes was aligned with Chaos. He nervously backed up.

"Good evening," Dexter addressed them. His voice was softened so as to not shatter their eardrums. It was velvety smooth as well, and low like rumbling thunder.

"Brother Timothy sent us." It wasn't really a polite greeting but Marcus was unnerved. This guy wasn't a cultist.

Dexter chuckled. "I haven't seen him in a few weeks. If he sent you then you're here for a reason. Come in, please, all of you. It's not wise to conduct business in corridors here." He stepped aside to let them pass through.

His apartment was tidy and sparse and contained more than a few well-tended house plants. The furniture, while plain, was built to accommodate his frame. A muted television was turned to the Bielefeld Evening News and several horticulture books were opened on the coffee table.

"It's safe," Marcus whispered to his fellow Teens. "He's under Naomi's domain." He locked eyes with Drova. "It's unwise to pull a power trip with him. He won't be impressed by royalty. Think of him as a genetically tweaked supersolider with a high IQ. When he's not killing things, he's deep in meditation. Possibly."

[Mincaldenteans]

It was time. Dan hoped they were all ready. It was now or never and from what the plan sounded like, each of them needed to work in conjunction lest they all suffer the same fate as the one they set out to rescue. And if they failed, who knew what Allspice would have in store for them. Failure was not an option and Dan felt the pressure build up like acid in his stomach. The reality washed away his annoyance moments ago about ethics and consequences over the statue. Now came for decisive action, one he was glad did not include him fighting the guards, but distracting them instead. Wrestling his nerves back into the pit of his stomach, Dan nodded at Wren who threw the flashbang grenade as planned.

The grenade landed with a soft clank, drawing the attention of the immediate guards within hearing range, but it was all they could do to react. A split second after, the grenade went off, releasing a tidal wave of light and sound. Dan took a moment to see what he'd have to replicate, blew a breath he didn't know he kept and walked out around at the same time. Within those few seconds, the fae followed up quickly, raising both hands and concentrated on a torrent of similar effects, stretching his illusionary power as far and as many times as possible. One after another, flashes of bright light and booming sound emitted from his illusions all around. The warehouse was a staccato of light and explosions forcing the guards to shield their eyes and drop their defensive stance. A few Dan caught were looking down in attempt for cover but it didn't stop the fae as he reached his power and placed illusionary grenades at their feet and then detonating it, forcing the poor guards to rear back and slam into support pillars or falling over.

By now Dan practically glowed with Summer's power. His eyes were a deep ocean blue set ablaze like twin stars in the night with flecks of white light played upon his irises as he continued to work the illusion. He saw one guard to the left, too close, and seemed to be little affected by the light display when he raised his weapon quickly and took aim at the fae. Dan projected his hand toward the guard and immediately shone a light intense enough that the man staggered back, his arms up in futile attempt to block out the light. He swept his hands back in an arc, sending another wave of detonations and then spoke into the VOX device, "Now!"

[The BranRiech]

Woah!

The first thing they twins noticed about Dexter was his size, like anyone else would have. Obviously not Human (Or very changed?), he exuded an air of dominance over any before him, but his personality was completely the opposite from their eyes. He seemed kind, well mannered, and kept up his apartment pretty well. They'd expected different too . . .

Drova nodded, and decided on not saying anything unless he was addressed.

Yuna was always the one to talk anyways, and would probably end up saying more than him the entire day in the span of a few minutes. "Thanks for inviting us in." His sister smiled happily as she followed him in.

[Germanic Templars]

Again, disregarding what Naomi said unintentionally, Sapphire gladly answered Ceril's question, "Well from what I was told, they more-or-less worked on projects that could advance humanity, though catch was, was that people had to buy these said things, so not for everyone." She looked at her nails on the hand that was not on the table and examined them closely, noticing a piece of dirt under her nail on the ring finger. How the hell did that get there? She thought to herself. She mentally shook herself out of it and looked back at both of them.

---

"You mean the younger me." He pointed out to Xanthe. "You see, years have past, and Superbia and I have aged quite a lot. In fact, we are the equivalent of gods now. With proof to show."

The old cyborg pursed his lips. "Makes sense."

He scooted the stool closer to the slab and peered at Thriller. "He's not going to be happy when he wakes up, is he? I don't know who is managing his empire, his wife is dead, his kids are confused as hell, and he has an assassin to hunt down. Let's take him back to his apartment and put him to bed. We'll slap some monitors on him to track his vitals."

He winked at Sapphire and added, "Thank you for helping."

--

It took Xanthe a moment to process younger me. "Equivalent of gods? Proof? What are you doing all the way out here on Gliese? I- well, I would be flattered to think you'd come because I was upset, or very happy if you came to comfort Superbia or Blythe, but I don't understand how you even knew about this place."

She peered at him more intently, noticing small nuances about him that separated him from the Lucius she knew. Was this then his future? If so, was Superbia also nearby? And, if Superbia was nearby, would she run into a future Blythe. Oh Christ preserve them all, but no one should ever be subjected to two Purple Menaces at the same time.

She too looked at Thriller and examined him as he laid there. She then had the sudden thought to herself, Damn, why is it taking so long? She looked down back at the control panel to see a green start button on the pad ready to be pressed. "Oops." She giggled as she looked at both Ceril and Naomi before pressing the button.

Just then, a glass capsule enclosed Thriller within the machine as metal plates with wires attached to them, and needles to poke inside the brain, came out and latched onto his head. Then the machine started to kick up louder then it did previously before calming itself down to a mezzo-forte with fluctuation pattern of it.

----

Before Lucius could answer, Superbia answered for him by saying, "Because we live here with our own species." Though as he replied to Xanthe's question, he began morphing out of the shadow of Lucius. When he was in full form, he stared at Xanthe with his blank, white eyes. "And yes I am Superbia, if that is what you are wondering."

"Err, yes, you see, we created the Krutes on this planet. we are their personal deities." Lucius added.

[Cerillium]

She too looked at Thriller and examined him as he laid there. She then had the sudden thought to herself, Damn, why is it taking so long? She looked down back at the control panel to see a green start button on the pad ready to be pressed. "Oops." She giggled as she looked at both Ceril and Naomi before pressing the button.

Just then, a glass capsule enclosed Thriller within the machine as metal plates with wires attached to them, and needles to poke inside the brain, came out and latched onto his head. Then the machine started to kick up louder then it did previously before calming itself down to a mezzo-forte with fluctuation pattern of it.

----

Before Lucius could answer, Superbia answered for him by saying, "Because we live here with our own species." Though as he replied to Xanthe's question, he began morphing out of the shadow of Lucius. When he was in full form, he stared at Xanthe with his blank, white eyes. "And yes I am Superbia, if that is what you are wondering."

"Err, yes, you see, we created the Krutes on this planet. we are their personal deities." Lucius added.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Ceril teased Sapphire.

He propped an elbow on the counter and watched the machine run through its processes. "So," he said by way of small talk, "I never completely understood the circumstances. There was some sort of uprising? Or a disagreement with Earth?" What sparked the war? Who won?" The old cyborg was out of loop on most of the story.

[Rocopurr]

Lilian had to stand on the tips of her toes to get a good view of Dexter, and she could still barely seen his horns. Lilian would have looked more, but she didn't want to offend the man and was losing balance. Lilian's head turned as she walked into his apartment. It was well kept and not as intimidating as Dexter.

"Thank you for helping us!", Lilian chipped with an extra wide grin. Dexter may have intimidated her, but Lilian still liked him just as much as any other creature.

[Cerillium]

It was time. Dan hoped they were all ready. It was now or never and from what the plan sounded like, each of them needed to work in conjunction lest they all suffer the same fate as the one they set out to rescue. And if they failed, who knew what Allspice would have in store for them. Failure was not an option and Dan felt the pressure build up like acid in his stomach. The reality washed away his annoyance moments ago about ethics and consequences over the statue. Now came for decisive action, one he was glad did not include him fighting the guards, but distracting them instead. Wrestling his nerves back into the pit of his stomach, Dan nodded at Wren who threw the flashbang grenade as planned.

The grenade landed with a soft clank, drawing the attention of the immediate guards within hearing range, but it was all they could do to react. A split second after, the grenade went off, releasing a tidal wave of light and sound. Dan took a moment to see what he'd have to replicate, blew a breath he didn't know he kept and walked out around at the same time. Within those few seconds, the fae followed up quickly, raising both hands and concentrated on a torrent of similar effects, stretching his illusionary power as far and as many times as possible. One after another, flashes of bright light and booming sound emitted from his illusions all around. The warehouse was a staccato of light and explosions forcing the guards to shield their eyes and drop their defensive stance. A few Dan caught were looking down in attempt for cover but it didn't stop the fae as he reached his power and placed illusionary grenades at their feet and then detonating it, forcing the poor guards to rear back and slam into support pillars or falling over.

By now Dan practically glowed with Summer's power. His eyes were a deep ocean blue set ablaze like twin stars in the night with flecks of white light played upon his irises as he continued to work the illusion. He saw one guard to the left, too close, and seemed to be little affected by the light display when he raised his weapon quickly and took aim at the fae. Dan projected his hand toward the guard and immediately shone a light intense enough that the man staggered back, his arms up in futile attempt to block out the light. He swept his hands back in an arc, sending another wave of detonations and then spoke into the VOX device, "Now!"

Hans slipped away with Chrys shortly after the planning was done. He'd dumped out a wastepaper basket, cradled the Conservator in his arms and jumped into the metal bin. They'd gone right through the bottom with a trace left behind.

They moved along at a swift pace. Hans appeared to find his direction by a combination of scent and general good luck. The tunnels were, as always, lined with wings and eyes but small openings occasionally appeared and Hans squeezed himself through them at blinding speeds. His hand remained tightly clasped with Chrys' in order to not lose her in the madness. They slowed and came to a rest in a small, grey room containing two metal chairs.

"Creative license," Hans chuckled. "We need something to drag them into."

He gestured for Chrys to join him in the middle of the room and then pointed towards the ceiling. There, a bit larger than normal, were the understands of two pairs of shoes. The shadows of towering bodies swayed above but remained unclear. Hans pulled both chairs over and set them directly beneath the shoes. He grinned slyly, kissed Chrys' nose and then lifted her onto a chair. He climbed atop the second seat.

"All we have to do is grab an ankle or foot, or a pant cuff. They'll fall right through the ground and land down here. It's magic."

They were immune to the flashbang and Dan's replication of it but were perfectly situation to latch on once the flash went off. Hans gave the Fedora Man's cuff and ankle a mighty yank.

[Giovenith]

"Oh!" Giovenith poofed, tilting her head upon first seeing Deuce. He was really big! It was a bit like those muscle guys who fought in giant baby cribs in their underwear over a shiny, fabulously fashionable belt, but this, she didn't even think that was possible. How did he put on his socks and stuff? Well she couldn't ask him that, but everyone was different looking in their own way, so it was okay. Besides, he was going to help them with their clubhouse, and Brother Timothy said he was good, so he must have been.

Nodding along to all the things the others said, Giovenith happily followed Deuce and the other teens into the goddess-named-guy's house. It wasn't anything like the giant baby cribs on the TV, which always looked like they probably smelled like sweat and spit. These place was lovely, and tidy! Houseplants always left a serene effect.

"I really like your home, Mister Dexter," she said genially, sweeping her head around with a smile. "And like Lilian said, thank you so much for helping us."

[Cerillium]

"You're all very welcome," Dexter rumbled, "and thank you for the compliment about my home. Please call me Deuce."

He sat in one of the large chairs, leaving the couch to the teens, and folded his hands in his lap. The position still left him taller than them but it made him seem more approachable. He knew some of these youth, predominantly Marcus and Giovenith. Both had been around the building a while and the godling's mother was well-respected by his faction. The rest of them were unknowns. He'd never seen the winged ones before and Lilian was a complete quandary. Was she actually part rabbit or were her augmentations a fashion statement? Perhaps she belonged to a pantheon where the gods blessed their followers with fluffy tails and other animal characteristics?

"It's refreshing to meet polite youth," he complimented them. "Now then, how can I be of assistance?"

[Tiltjuice]

Nick, waiting some distance away under some rubble, briefly repositioned his face so that an eye faced the guard building. Nope-again, nothing was visible from the outside. That's a lot of noise... I kinda want to get closer- see what's going on... But I'm supposed to wait here, and there isn't much cover and a lot of snow. My fur sticks out against snow, and I'll probably- he yawned silently- get caught on camera... And that would make it a lot harder for me to spy... He curled up for a short nap; his power would probably wake him up if anything important were to happen, and, even if not, his ears would continue to pick up the noise from the fight and its cessation would probably also wake him... The cat started to purr slightly as he entered the Land of Nod, but, half-asleep, quieted himself- purring would probably be fine, but he couldn't take that chance...

Not two minutes later, Nick was jolted out of his nap by strong feelings of apprehension, self-doubt, and excitement. The tired and now disgruntled (in addition to his myriad other emotions) feline almost let out an irritated meow, but stopped himself just in time.

Well, I guess that's my cue. Nick had had a lot of experience with this power, and hence reasoned that about the only thing likely to trigger those emotions today would be his starting his mission as scout. Creeping out of his rubble pile into areas with progressively less and less cover, he found himself covered in snow as he misjudged a step. He started trying to shake it off, but, about to wash a paw, the brown feline realized that the snow, while cold and wet, was helping to camouflage him. Quickly, remaining in shadows, ducking under things whenever possible, and focusing on keeping his cumbersome large head balanced, he ran the rest of the way to the guard building. Still keeping to the shadows, Nick snuck around it until he found an entrance. Entering, he pawed Chrys' foot.

<Hi-I'm-here>
Nicky's mental voice sounded slightly out of breath.

"Hey, Nick." Chrys gave him a quick scratch behind the ears to cool her own tension as she waited for the result of Dan and Wren's first attack.

Who are you kidding? You live off this. Feeling every pulse and every rush of blood through you.

Nevertheless, she squashed her internal voice for Nick's benefit and lifted him up to the desk to watch the monitors. Just in time, as it turned out.

It was time. Dan hoped they were all ready. It was now or never and from what the plan sounded like, each of them needed to work in conjunction lest they all suffer the same fate as the one they set out to rescue. And if they failed, who knew what Allspice would have in store for them. Failure was not an option and Dan felt the pressure build up like acid in his stomach. The reality washed away his annoyance moments ago about ethics and consequences over the statue. Now came for decisive action, one he was glad did not include him fighting the guards, but distracting them instead. Wrestling his nerves back into the pit of his stomach, Dan nodded at Wren who threw the flashbang grenade as planned.

The grenade landed with a soft clank, drawing the attention of the immediate guards within hearing range, but it was all they could do to react. A split second after, the grenade went off, releasing a tidal wave of light and sound. Dan took a moment to see what he'd have to replicate, blew a breath he didn't know he kept and walked out around at the same time. Within those few seconds, the fae followed up quickly, raising both hands and concentrated on a torrent of similar effects, stretching his illusionary power as far and as many times as possible. One after another, flashes of bright light and booming sound emitted from his illusions all around. The warehouse was a staccato of light and explosions forcing the guards to shield their eyes and drop their defensive stance. A few Dan caught were looking down in attempt for cover but it didn't stop the fae as he reached his power and placed illusionary grenades at their feet and then detonating it, forcing the poor guards to rear back and slam into support pillars or falling over.

By now Dan practically glowed with Summer's power. His eyes were a deep ocean blue set ablaze like twin stars in the night with flecks of white light played upon his irises as he continued to work the illusion. He saw one guard to the left, too close, and seemed to be little affected by the light display when he raised his weapon quickly and took aim at the fae. Dan projected his hand toward the guard and immediately shone a light intense enough that the man staggered back, his arms up in futile attempt to block out the light. He swept his hands back in an arc, sending another wave of detonations and then spoke into the VOX device, "Now!"

Through the cameras alone, it was havoc. Allspice had spared no expense anywhere, and that included in their surveillance equipment; the images whited out the monitors for a few moments and it was quite fortunate that they relayed no audio signals.

Inside, the guards reeled about, stunned. The three originally visible on the first floor to start with had turned their backs, and the hoods protected their vision somewhat, but they were deafened. Meanwhile, the other seven had emerged from the offices, drawn by the commotion.

Two on the second floor had lost their bearings altogether and toppled over the safety railings; they lay unconscious, their rifles on the floor nearby. The other eight weren't moving an inch, blind as they were and having heard the pair of thuds. The catwalk was a maze. They didn't dare move, even if it was attached to the wall (and so could be followed by putting their hands on it).

"You're up, guys! Kei, turn that catwalk into water!" Chrys said, and then moved away with Hans.

Hans slipped away with Chrys shortly after the planning was done. He'd dumped out a wastepaper basket, cradled the Conservator in his arms and jumped into the metal bin. They'd gone right through the bottom with a trace left behind.

They moved along at a swift pace. Hans appeared to find his direction by a combination of scent and general good luck. The tunnels were, as always, lined with wings and eyes but small openings occasionally appeared and Hans squeezed himself through them at blinding speeds. His hand remained tightly clasped with Chrys' in order to not lose her in the madness. They slowed and came to a rest in a small, grey room containing two metal chairs.

"Creative license," Hans chuckled. "We need something to drag them into."

He gestured for Chrys to join him in the middle of the room and then pointed towards the ceiling. There, a bit larger than normal, were the understands of two pairs of shoes. The shadows of towering bodies swayed above but remained unclear. Hans pulled both chairs over and set them directly beneath the shoes. He grinned slyly, kissed Chrys' nose and then lifted her onto a chair. He climbed atop the second seat.

"All we have to do is grab an ankle or foot, or a pant cuff. They'll fall right through the ground and land down here. It's magic."

They were immune to the flashbang and Dan's replication of it but were perfectly situation to latch on once the flash went off. Hans gave the Fedora Man's cuff and ankle a mighty yank.

"If it works, it works!" Chrys reached up and snagged the smaller pair of boots, then tugged down toward the chair. She instantly had a fight on her hands. Watching the twin sisters exchanging blows was dizzying; move and countermove and so on. All seemingly done by one blurred figure moving at unimaginable speed. Hans had it much easier; Fedora Man only yelped in surprise and then began gibbering as he realized the situation he was now in.

[Tiltjuice]

"Oh!" Giovenith poofed, tilting her head upon first seeing Deuce. He was really big! It was a bit like those muscle guys who fought in giant baby cribs in their underwear over a shiny, fabulously fashionable belt, but this, she didn't even think that was possible. How did he put on his socks and stuff? Well she couldn't ask him that, but everyone was different looking in their own way, so it was okay. Besides, he was going to help them with their clubhouse, and Brother Timothy said he was good, so he must have been.

Nodding along to all the things the others said, Giovenith happily followed Deuce and the other teens into the goddess-named-guy's house. It wasn't anything like the giant baby cribs on the TV, which always looked like they probably smelled like sweat and spit. These place was lovely, and tidy! Houseplants always left a serene effect.

"I really like your home, Mister Dexter," she said genially, sweeping her head around with a smile. "And like Lilian said, thank you so much for helping us."

MB followed along, hiding at Giovenith's heels a bit. Extremely large people were intimidating, especially to someone who was so prone to being underfoot. The houseplants smelled very nice...but again, they belonged to a very large person.

His stomach growled.

She could imagine, her big company keeping everyone safe. Dora, the friendly Nikanors, her kid sister...

"That sounds great. I had my doubts, but that reassured me, protecting my friends. I'll do my best." , She said, toasting Dora. "And I'll have you to help, and a good business partner, and hopefully my little sister!"

Little did Katya know that Tora had her own ideas.

"That's for sure. Will she be joining us once she gets done trooping along with Chrys and Dia?"

[The BranRiech]

Frantically, Kei nodded her head, and rushed out of the guard shack, making damn sure to avoid tumbling over anyone, whether that be anyone on their team, or the dead and incapacitated guards. She passed the distance into the building and quickly glanced around.

Already having readied herself as she ran in, she was ready as soon as she entered.

Several large orbs of light left her hands, striking the catwalk above her in several places, nearby where the guards were standing. The material (And maybe some soles of boots or shoes) quickly and rapidly converted into water, sending a spray down on those below, and sending anyone standing there careening down on the floor below.

She stepped out of the doorway, and waited for more orders.

[Cerillium]

"If it works, it works!" Chrys reached up and snagged the smaller pair of boots, then tugged down toward the chair. She instantly had a fight on her hands. Watching the twin sisters exchanging blows was dizzying; move and countermove and so on. All seemingly done by one blurred figure moving at unimaginable speed. Hans had it much easier; Fedora Man only yelped in surprise and then began gibbering as he realized the situation he was now in.

Hans wasn't overly concerned about Fedora Man. He would be useful for information but he was just as trapped in the room as Chrys and Tasia. Even suicide wouldn't be of use to him; his soul had nowhere to go. The cultist leader lifted him by his coat and deposited him against a grey wall rather than let him be trampled or used as a shield by one of the battle maidens. "Sit down," he commanded.

Stepping into the fray between women would be suicide. He was bound to be scratched, slapped, punched and possibly kicked down below. There wouldn't be anyone to watch the male target. He remained focused instead, waiting for a chance to disrupt them while also keeping his eyes (as best he could) on Chrys and her stamina. Hans didn't want to kill Tasia but he also didn't want Tasia to kill Chrys.

---

Wren held her shot but kept her SMG at the ready. The flash and drop might have taken all the fight out of the soldiers. She wasn't one to kill without very good cause. She shouted, "SURRENDER!" and mentally crossed her fingers that they'd heard it over the ringing in their ears.

[Torsiedelle]

There it was! The fight had begun! Tora stayed back a few meters from Wren, and was quick to get behind a piece of cover and bipod up; she'd have to rely on her irons instead of a scope, though. "Monkey see, monkey do.", she mumbled. She didn't fire yet, either, but watched for the woman's signal.

Kei's attack was great, and would save them trouble, and so was Dan's flash bang attack. Hans and Chrys...were doing something else, apparently.

[Hydronium]

Zephaniah walked up to the Building. The Hydroni Demiseraph had immigrated from Hydronium ever since even the Grand Old Ones (Antediluvian Demiseraphs that served as Griots to the ones who were lucky enough to become acquainted with them) ran out of stories to tell. Zeph had grown up in the Northern Third, the grand Ethiopian Orthodox traditions mixed with Baptist Christianity had left an interesting amalgamation of eastern and protestant Christianity that was wildly popular. He was taught the Bible and the Deuterocannon (1 Enoch, Testament of the Twelve in literature class, and he basically was an average citizen from there. Poor Zeph had already encountered an angry rant from the pastor of the local church, among other gigantic culture shocks.

"Bah, it's too cold!" Zeph grumbled to himself as he walked into the Building. Compared to the sandswept, warm lands of Hydronium, Bielefeld was like taking a field trip into an iceberg. He was then greeted by the strange essence of the lobby, and the fact that there was no one there. He walked through the ivory room to an iridescent table. "Room 817; Zeph" was on a note, along with a key. He walked up the stairs, and found his room, prefurnished with his belongings.

"Hey Charles! You miss me‽" He said, walking up to a small kitten that lie on the med. The kitten perked up it's ears, and looked at him before giving a reassuring "mew." Zeph had had the kitten for a few months, ever since he found it on the streets of ZX9. It happily followed him home, and has been there ever since. Zeph looked over at his Staff of Positrons, the large but light piece of metal that supplied his powers. "Display Paradox Level!" he yelled at it. It stuttered for a moment before saying "Paradox levels 12%" Satisfied, he went back to petting Charles, but expecting an incursion by the neighbors at any moment.

[Germanic Templars]

She too looked at Thriller and examined him as he laid there. She then had the sudden thought to herself, Damn, why is it taking so long? She looked down back at the control panel to see a green start button on the pad ready to be pressed. "Oops." She giggled as she looked at both Ceril and Naomi before pressing the button.

Just then, a glass capsule enclosed Thriller within the machine as metal plates with wires attached to them, and needles to poke inside the brain, came out and latched onto his head. Then the machine started to kick up louder then it did previously before calming itself down to a mezzo-forte with fluctuation pattern of it.

----

Before Lucius could answer, Superbia answered for him by saying, "Because we live here with our own species." Though as he replied to Xanthe's question, he began morphing out of the shadow of Lucius. When he was in full form, he stared at Xanthe with his blank, white eyes. "And yes I am Superbia, if that is what you are wondering."

"Err, yes, you see, we created the Krutes on this planet. we are their personal deities." Lucius added.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Ceril teased Sapphire.

He propped an elbow on the counter and watched the machine run through its processes. "So," he said by way of small talk, "I never completely understood the circumstances. There was some sort of uprising? Or a disagreement with Earth?" What sparked the war? Who won?" The old cyborg was out of loop on most of the story.

"No one really knows that well, I wish I could tell but my guess is as good as yours on that one. And if you wonder who won; we did." She replied as she adjusted herself while she still leaned on her arm.

[Giovenith]

Mindful of the possibility of him being squished, Giovenith scooped up MB in her hands and held him close to her chest. Her fingers felt the little shivering rumbly in the bunny's tummy, causing her to smile and pull out a small bag of baby carrots from her pocket while gently plopping next to Marcus. She wondered if Lilian would have wanted any too, but figured it would be more polite to let the bunny-girl ask herself. Didn't want to say anything stereotypically offensive.

"Well you see," she started. "We, all of us, Marcus, Drova, Yuna, Lilian, Myra, our friend Torii who isn't here right now, and myself, have recently gathered together as the only adolescents who live here in the Building. So we decided to form a club of it, and are now searching for a place to set up a clubhouse. You know, to hang out in and stuff..."

Her gaze scanned her group, remembering and appreciating all the fun ideas they had given her to write for the club, and the fun they'd had together traveling around in the elevator. Everyone mixed together in their own unique way... like a tasty soup!

"While we were looking for a place to set up, we ran into Brother Timothy, who told us that you could help us make that clubhouse," Giovenith continued, turning back to Deuce. Carefully shifting MB to one hand, she plunged her other into her pocket and pulled out the key with her slim fingers. "The others got this some time before we started searching together, it's supposedly supposed to lead us to what we want."

[New Aksarben]

Namal came to a stop near Wren and Tora, fires flaring to life in both hands as he stood at the ready to attack anyone who got too close to the two girls. While he could throw it right now, it would be best to not hurt these men unless they attacked first. No reason to cause extra damage or harm than he needed too. And who knew what around here was flamable. If the wrong thing was set ablaze the whole building might go up or it might cause an explosion. No, its would be better to just keep the fires in his hands and ready to do whatever he needed to with them when the time came.

So Namal started watching for any approaching people the had not accounted for yet or who had gone unnoticed by the group, along with searching for anything to avoid hitting with fire. Both were equally important things to look out for. He also glanced at the others every so often to make sure they were still okay or for any orders from any of them.