Gods Among Us: The Big Apple (IC|Superhero|Open)

[Kingdom of Irhk]

"You got the love from tech from that robot mage or it's just an impression? Anyway,take my phone,it should do the trick. Just don't get in my personal stuff,and if a girl named Eve calls,don't answer to her."

After a few minutes of searching,he found one marker that he got from the bar a few weeks ago. After giving it to Imogen,he leaned against a wall,observing how she would make a portal.

"Oh... that's alright, I have one of those. Although I'm sure Eve would have been a interesting conversation." Imogen, as it turned out, had an iPhone 6S Plus in 'Rose Gold', which was probably as much a fashion statement as a practical phone, "And I wouldn't say I have a love of tech... no more than anyone else my age."

She had got quite a bit chattier the more time she spent with William, "Do you know how to dive by the way? I went on a course a few years ago and I think I can remember how it works. If I accidentally sink and can't get back up again you'll know I've forgotten..."

As she talked she had pulled up a 'Google Street View' of the subway entrance and now began to draw a rough image of a circular portal opening into William's living room onto the screen. As she worked there was a distinctly perceptible buildup of magical energy about her. She finished, looked up, and as she did it flowed out, creating the portal she had envisaged and which was vaguely represented in her picture.

Imogen walked up to it, peering through, "Umm... good thing I made from the perspective of the camera on the google van. There's quite a bit of water down there, if I'd done it from street level I'd have flooded your apartment."

"Sure,you would get along just fine with her,best friends and all of that. And flooding my apartment is nothing compared to the explosion in my old one. So,off we go then."

William observed Imogen's way of a portal. Her main difficulty appeared to be a common one,the difficulty of imagining a place,or abstract concepts. Well,rather fast considering her lack of magical training. She was also a rather attractive person,but William quickly forgot his impressions when he remembered a thing: what if the Cat was there? Her aunt,which he started to call as Jasmine,much due to calling her "nymph" was partially strange,warned him about the Cat's intentions.

After sucessfully passing through the portal,William looked at the station.

"So,here we are. Get as fast as possible to the gate,close it,throw away the key,and we can get back to our lives and lessons. So Immy,ready?"

[Dyelli Beybi]

"Sure,you would get along just fine with her,best friends and all of that. And flooding my apartment is nothing compared to the explosion in my old one. So,off we go then."

William observed Imogen's way of a portal. Her main difficulty appeared to be a common one,the difficulty of imagining a place,or abstract concepts. Well,rather fast considering her lack of magical training. She was also a rather attractive person,but William quickly forgot his impressions when he remembered a thing: what if the Cat was there? Her aunt,which he started to call as Jasmine,much due to calling her "nymph" was partially strange,warned him about the Cat's intentions.

After sucessfully passing through the portal,William looked at the station.

"So,here we are. Get as fast as possible to the gate,close it,throw away the key,and we can get back to our lives and lessons. So Immy,ready?"

Imogen took off the coat, put on her weighted belt and oxygen tank then gave William a thumbs up, "I'm ready. I think."

She had not considered the cat and jumped through the portal, landing nimbly, despite the fact that she was wearing fins, on the roof of a half-submerged taxi before lowering herself down into the water, "It's a bit cold!" she called up to William. Which, when you considered the fact that there were fish people and Atlanteans fighting in other parts of the city was a fairly minor problem.

"By the way... I've never made a portal before, will it close on it's own if I'm not doing anything to sustain it?" she asked. Without any understanding what she was doing, Imogen was, completely subconsciously, keeping the portal open. The strain of doing so had seen a rainbow colored aura spring up around her again.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

"Sure,you would get along just fine with her,best friends and all of that. And flooding my apartment is nothing compared to the explosion in my old one. So,off we go then."

William observed Imogen's way of a portal. Her main difficulty appeared to be a common one,the difficulty of imagining a place,or abstract concepts. Well,rather fast considering her lack of magical training. She was also a rather attractive person,but William quickly forgot his impressions when he remembered a thing: what if the Cat was there? Her aunt,which he started to call as Jasmine,much due to calling her "nymph" was partially strange,warned him about the Cat's intentions.

After sucessfully passing through the portal,William looked at the station.

"So,here we are. Get as fast as possible to the gate,close it,throw away the key,and we can get back to our lives and lessons. So Immy,ready?"

Imogen took off the coat, put on her weighted belt and oxygen tank then gave William a thumbs up, "I'm ready. I think."

She had not considered the cat and jumped through the portal, landing nimbly, despite the fact that she was wearing fins, on the roof of a half-submerged taxi before lowering herself down into the water, "It's a bit cold!" she called up to William. Which, when you considered the fact that there were fish people and Atlanteans fighting in other parts of the city was a fairly minor problem.

"By the way... I've never made a portal before, will it close on it's own if I'm not doing anything to sustain it?" she asked. Without any understanding what she was doing, Imogen was, completely subconsciously, keeping the portal open. The strain of doing so had seen a rainbow colored aura spring up around her again.

"No,it won't. Soon as you forget about him or order it to close it will disappear. And you are doing the rainbow thing again Immy. Do it only when we are closer to the gate if you don't mind. And you will know when we reach the gate,it will be different from everything you saw before. What I need you to do it's simple. Imagine it as a door,reach it,close her and lock it. Can you do that?"

So they headed down the station,who looked more an underwater cave than a station. The place that crawled with hell hounds and fire breathing rats looked peaceful,but still remembered William of what happened there. His main concern was simple: Imogen could close the gate,or she would tremble at the crucial hour? William was a mage full of cards on his sleeve,but this time,it could become a little more complicated. Like everything in his life.

[Dyelli Beybi]

"No,it won't. Soon as you forget about him or order it to close it will disappear. And you are doing the rainbow thing again Immy. Do it only when we are closer to the gate if you don't mind. And you will know when we reach the gate,it will be different from everything you saw before. What I need you to do it's simple. Imagine it as a door,reach it,close her and lock it. Can you do that?"

So they headed down the station,who looked more an underwater cave than a station. The place that crawled with hell hounds and fire breathing rats looked peaceful,but still remembered William of what happened there. His main concern was simple: Imogen could close the gate,or she would tremble at the crucial hour? William was a mage full of cards on his sleeve,but this time,it could become a little more complicated. Like everything in his life.

Imogen frowned, staring at the gateway for a long time, "It's not working." she said after a couple of minutes.

She lacked the visual aid of her drawn gateway - she had left her phone inside the apartment for fear of water damage and couldn't figure out how closing it was supposed to work when she didn't have something to symbolically erase, "I'll do the other bit first." she said, sounding a little frustrated, at least she had some idea of how to pull the aura in, even if it looked like it started doing its thing again the moment she got a bit stressed.

The aura contracted, vanishing faster than it had the last time, though as the last of it vanished so did the gate. Imogen looked over to William, then back up at the gate, "Oh." she said.

She followed William down into the dark, flooded halls, adjusting her buoyancy so she floated close to the bottom. She looked up at William, one strand of dark hair escaping from under her diving hood. She shrugged after a moment, motioning for him to lead on. She had no idea where they were going and no way of talking to him while they were underwater. He seemed like quite a driven sort of man, she didn't imagine he was the type to fluff around.

In fact, Imogen probably could have found her way to the gate fairly easily. There was a small but noticeable current dragging them in that direction. The closer they got, the stronger the current.

As they left the station, entering into the pitch black tunnels where no sunlight ever reached Imogen felt her heart begin to race as fear driven adrenaline flooded her system - she was underwater, underground with only a limited supply of oxygen and a current trying to drag her into a gateway to another dimension. It was getting harder to keep the aura under control... but then again, it might actually be useful. She let it go, flooding the tunnel with a kaleidoscopic display of multi-colored light. It lit up a huge dead furry thing floating up near the tunnel ceiling. She was not going anywhere near that! Her aura was far better than any torch, though she wasn't sure how William would react to it. She looked over to him, raising an eyebrow inquiringly behind her diving mask.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

"No,it won't. Soon as you forget about him or order it to close it will disappear. And you are doing the rainbow thing again Immy. Do it only when we are closer to the gate if you don't mind. And you will know when we reach the gate,it will be different from everything you saw before. What I need you to do it's simple. Imagine it as a door,reach it,close her and lock it. Can you do that?"

So they headed down the station,who looked more an underwater cave than a station. The place that crawled with hell hounds and fire breathing rats looked peaceful,but still remembered William of what happened there. His main concern was simple: Imogen could close the gate,or she would tremble at the crucial hour? William was a mage full of cards on his sleeve,but this time,it could become a little more complicated. Like everything in his life.

Imogen frowned, staring at the gateway for a long time, "It's not working." she said after a couple of minutes.

She lacked the visual aid of her drawn gateway - she had left her phone inside the apartment for fear of water damage and couldn't figure out how closing it was supposed to work when she didn't have something to symbolically erase, "I'll do the other bit first." she said, sounding a little frustrated, at least she had some idea of how to pull the aura in, even if it looked like it started doing its thing again the moment she got a bit stressed.

The aura contracted, vanishing faster than it had the last time, though as the last of it vanished so did the gate. Imogen looked over to William, then back up at the gate, "Oh." she said.

She followed William down into the dark, flooded halls, adjusting her buoyancy so she floated close to the bottom. She looked up at William, one strand of dark hair escaping from under her diving hood. She shrugged after a moment, motioning for him to lead on. She had no idea where they were going and no way of talking to him while they were underwater. He seemed like quite a driven sort of man, she didn't imagine he was the type to fluff around.

In fact, Imogen probably could have found her way to the gate fairly easily. There was a small but noticeable current dragging them in that direction. The closer they got, the stronger the current.

As they left the station, entering into the pitch black tunnels where no sunlight ever reached Imogen felt her heart begin to race as fear driven adrenaline flooded her system - she was underwater, underground with only a limited supply of oxygen and a current trying to drag her into a gateway to another dimension. It was getting harder to keep the aura under control... but then again, it might actually be useful. She let it go, flooding the tunnel with a kaleidoscopic display of multi-colored light. It lit up a huge dead furry thing floating up near the tunnel ceiling. She was not going anywhere near that! Her aura was far better than any torch, though she wasn't sure how William would react to it. She looked over to him, raising an eyebrow inquiringly behind her diving mask.

William made a "thumbs up" signaling Imogen for her light,that helped him to see the way,but made harder for him to cast magic. A minor drawback.

As they made their way through the tunnels,looking at the dead hounds,dead rats,and dead rests of human bodies. It was like an underwater gore movie,but one that he had to pass to get the job done. Noticing the current in direction of the gate,William followed it,passing through the same tunnels that he walked through days before.

And then,the duo reached the gate. Dead bodies floating all around,most of them being dragged by the current. The gate displayed a vision of the other side: a vision that,for newbies,would be one of the most terrifying things,one that could haunt their dreams and inhabit their nightmares for a very,very long time.

And now,closing it was Imogen's role. William indicated the gate's "keyhole",a series of seals and letters with blood over them. He indicated what Imogen had to do through mimics. Despite the size of the gate,the only thing to worry there was the current. To close it,she just had to pass her hand over the blood in the oposite direction,and do the same with the seals and letters. The key was in her veins: she just had to do the opposite probably. He hoped it.


And now he only had to trust that the nymph was right,and Imogen's gut as well. He was in a position that he didn't like,one that he depended on another person to get the job done.

[Dyelli Beybi]

William made a "thumbs up" signaling Imogen for her light,that helped him to see the way,but made harder for him to cast magic. A minor drawback.

As they made their way through the tunnels,looking at the dead hounds,dead rats,and dead rests of human bodies. It was like an underwater gore movie,but one that he had to pass to get the job done. Noticing the current in direction of the gate,William followed it,passing through the same tunnels that he walked through days before.

And then,the duo reached the gate. Dead bodies floating all around,most of them being dragged by the current. The gate displayed a vision of the other side: a vision that,for newbies,would be one of the most terrifying things,one that could haunt their dreams and inhabit their nightmares for a very,very long time.

And now,closing it was Imogen's role. William indicated the gate's "keyhole",a series of seals and letters with blood over them. He indicated what Imogen had to do through mimics. Despite the size of the gate,the only thing to worry there was the current. To close it,she just had to pass her hand over the blood in the oposite direction,and do the same with the seals and letters. The key was in her veins: she just had to do the opposite probably. He hoped it.


And now he only had to trust that the nymph was right,and Imogen's gut as well. He was in a position that he didn't like,one that he depended on another person to get the job done.

Whatever was on the other side had also been flooded, though all manner of perverse creatures with fins, tentacle, beaks and far too many mouths and eyes had already made it their home. Water was foreign to that world, but it had not taken long for the natural corruption of that place to seep into it and bring forth all manner of twisted being.

Imogen blanched and for a moment it looked like she was going to freeze up and do nothing... but then she seemed to shake the fear off. She drew her diving knife and after hesitating for a long moment, slashed it across the palm of her hand, harder than she really needed to. There was another long pause in which she dropped the knife, the current sweeping it sedately across to the other side along with a thin trail of red. Imogen did a little dance, pressing her injured hand under her other arm and screwing her eyes shut. If she wasn't in a scuba suit it was probably safe to assume she'd be swearing her lungs out at this point.

After a few moments though she managed to compose herself and set about deactivating the glyphs and symbols, doing exactly as William motioned her to do. It took her a little while, though the things on the far side did not appear to be as focused on crossing over as the hounds were and they did not make any move to interfere with the process. Not until one of them got the scent of blood.

Imogen had just finished with the lat seal and the gate was beginning to wither away when something burst out of it. It was entirely black and shaped a bit like a bull shark, if a bull shark had eight eyes and rows of spines down its flanks. Before anyone had a chance to react, the creature had made a bee line for the blood source, seized Imogen around the mid section and made off with her down the flooded passage way. Abruptly there was a very bright flash of light. It wasn't hard to figure out where that had come from.

William would find Imogen a few yards down the passage floating next to the insensate body of the hell-fish. She was still very much alive and emitting a stronger aura than before, though she was bleeding from quite a number of cuts in her stomach, back and left thigh and looked like she might have a bit of trouble getting out of the tunnel without assistance...

[Kingdom of Irhk]

William made a "thumbs up" signaling Imogen for her light,that helped him to see the way,but made harder for him to cast magic. A minor drawback.

As they made their way through the tunnels,looking at the dead hounds,dead rats,and dead rests of human bodies. It was like an underwater gore movie,but one that he had to pass to get the job done. Noticing the current in direction of the gate,William followed it,passing through the same tunnels that he walked through days before.

And then,the duo reached the gate. Dead bodies floating all around,most of them being dragged by the current. The gate displayed a vision of the other side: a vision that,for newbies,would be one of the most terrifying things,one that could haunt their dreams and inhabit their nightmares for a very,very long time.

And now,closing it was Imogen's role. William indicated the gate's "keyhole",a series of seals and letters with blood over them. He indicated what Imogen had to do through mimics. Despite the size of the gate,the only thing to worry there was the current. To close it,she just had to pass her hand over the blood in the oposite direction,and do the same with the seals and letters. The key was in her veins: she just had to do the opposite probably. He hoped it.


And now he only had to trust that the nymph was right,and Imogen's gut as well. He was in a position that he didn't like,one that he depended on another person to get the job done.

Whatever was on the other side had also been flooded, though all manner of perverse creatures with fins, tentacle, beaks and far too many mouths and eyes had already made it their home. Water was foreign to that world, but it had not taken long for the natural corruption of that place to seep into it and bring forth all manner of twisted being.

Imogen blanched and for a moment it looked like she was going to freeze up and do nothing... but then she seemed to shake the fear off. She drew her diving knife and after hesitating for a long moment, slashed it across the palm of her hand, harder than she really needed to. There was another long pause in which she dropped the knife, the current sweeping it sedately across to the other side along with a thin trail of red. Imogen did a little dance, pressing her injured hand under her other arm and screwing her eyes shut. If she wasn't in a scuba suit it was probably safe to assume she'd be swearing her lungs out at this point.

After a few moments though she managed to compose herself and set about deactivating the glyphs and symbols, doing exactly as William motioned her to do. It took her a little while, though the things on the far side did not appear to be as focused on crossing over as the hounds were and they did not make any move to interfere with the process. Not until one of them got the scent of blood.

Imogen had just finished with the lat seal and the gate was beginning to wither away when something burst out of it. It was entirely black and shaped a bit like a bull shark, if a bull shark had eight eyes and rows of spines down its flanks. Before anyone had a chance to react, the creature had made a bee line for the blood source, seized Imogen around the mid section and made off with her down the flooded passage way. Abruptly there was a very bright flash of light. It wasn't hard to figure out where that had come from.

William would find Imogen a few yards down the passage floating next to the insensate body of the hell-fish. She was still very much alive and emitting a stronger aura than before, though she was bleeding from quite a number of cuts in her stomach, back and left thigh and looked like she might have a bit of trouble getting out of the tunnel without assistance...

Second time. By the second time William was facing someone attacked by a demon.

But that time was different. The one called Psychonaut was a old man,older than William himself,killed in a job he got with his own head. But what he saw floating unconscious was an innocent girl,who came in the mission for her heroic ideal. The actual world needed less of types like William,and more of the types of Imogen.

He guided her there. He taught her how to close the gate,and he took her from Maine. Anti-heroic as he could be,that was a thing it would not happen in front of him.

Be it for pride or for caring with the magical apprentice,he needed to get out her out of the station and alive. Her wounds were serious,and swimming with weight was slower,even with the gear. There was only one option.

Since his meeting with the succubi back in his teenage years,William became an almost infertile man,but his blood was tainted by the demons. A series of deals,protections and magical experimentations made him to heal slight faster than most people. And so he called for the almost suicidal option. But he was certain that he would get out of there alive. He was William Brookes,magical prodigy and a high grade mage. He played strip poker with Ms. Death in his free saturdays,with the hangover from drinking with demons in fridays.

He is going to get out of there alive. Then he reached Imogen's wounds,taking his head out of the water,taking off the mask for a few seconds. He carefully placed his hands in the wounds.

"I swore to myself I would never do this spell,especially with such lame words I'm about to speak...but what can we do.

Blood of my blood,
Kin of my kin,
For the times are hard
And we must be harder
With you I share my burdens
And with your burdens I will help you."

As he ended doing the magic,concentrating more than the necessary due to the aura,her wounds disappeared from her body,but at a price: they were at William's. But William had a wound as well,but a closed one.

"Worst words that I spoke in my life,but worked. And this is burning as hell. Heh."

And so,with his new wounds,William managed to get to the surface,swimming swiftly as he could with Imogen at his back. And again,he got out of the station with a body on his back,but this time,an alive one. As he putted Imogen in the ground,signaling the officers to check on her,he fell on the ground,being carried away to a nearby ambulance.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Second time. By the second time William was facing someone attacked by a demon.

But that time was different. The one called Psychonaut was a old man,older than William himself,killed in a job he got with his own head. But what he saw floating unconscious was an innocent girl,who came in the mission for her heroic ideal. The actual world needed less of types like William,and more of the types of Imogen.

He guided her there. He taught her how to close the gate,and he took her from Maine. Anti-heroic as he could be,that was a thing it would not happen in front of him.

Be it for pride or for caring with the magical apprentice,he needed to get out her out of the station and alive. Her wounds were serious,and swimming with weight was slower,even with the gear. There was only one option.

Since his meeting with the succubi back in his teenage years,William became an almost infertile man,but his blood was tainted by the demons. A series of deals,protections and magical experimentations made him to heal slight faster than most people. And so he called for the almost suicidal option. But he was certain that he would get out of there alive. He was William Brookes,magical prodigy and a high grade mage. He played strip poker with Ms. Death in his free saturdays,with the hangover from drinking with demons in fridays.

He is going to get out of there alive. Then he reached Imogen's wounds,taking his head out of the water,taking off the mask for a few seconds. He carefully placed his hands in the wounds.

"I swore to myself I would never do this spell,especially with such lame words I'm about to speak...but what can we do.

Blood of my blood,
Kin of my kin,
For the times are hard
And we must be harder
With you I share my burdens
And with your burdens I will help you."

As he ended doing the magic,concentrating more than the necessary due to the aura,her wounds disappeared from her body,but at a price: they were at William's. But William had a wound as well,but a closed one.

"Worst words that I spoke in my life,but worked. And this is burning as hell. Heh."

And so,with his new wounds,William managed to get to the surface,swimming swiftly as he could with Imogen at his back. And again,he got out of the station with a body on his back,but this time,an alive one. As he putted Imogen in the ground,signaling the officers to check on her,he fell on the ground,being carried away to a nearby ambulance.

Imogen wasn't quite as badly injured as William had feared. She waved the medical team away, watching as he was driven away in an ambulance, "Well that sucks... all my stuff is in his flat." she grumbled.

The next morning though, she appeared at his hospital ward, claiming to be his cousin. She had changed back into the jeans and a loose plaid blouse, "By the way, I found your flat and gated through the wall... there may be some complaints about the 'graffiti art' in the hallway."

She drew up a chair next to William's hospital bed, "You should not have done that." she said quietly, "Come summer if I go to a beach I'll be thanking you, but I would have survived. You should not have hurt yourself on my account." she paused before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you? Feed your cat? Bring meals to a mad old aunt?"

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Second time. By the second time William was facing someone attacked by a demon.

But that time was different. The one called Psychonaut was a old man,older than William himself,killed in a job he got with his own head. But what he saw floating unconscious was an innocent girl,who came in the mission for her heroic ideal. The actual world needed less of types like William,and more of the types of Imogen.

He guided her there. He taught her how to close the gate,and he took her from Maine. Anti-heroic as he could be,that was a thing it would not happen in front of him.

Be it for pride or for caring with the magical apprentice,he needed to get out her out of the station and alive. Her wounds were serious,and swimming with weight was slower,even with the gear. There was only one option.

Since his meeting with the succubi back in his teenage years,William became an almost infertile man,but his blood was tainted by the demons. A series of deals,protections and magical experimentations made him to heal slight faster than most people. And so he called for the almost suicidal option. But he was certain that he would get out of there alive. He was William Brookes,magical prodigy and a high grade mage. He played strip poker with Ms. Death in his free saturdays,with the hangover from drinking with demons in fridays.

He is going to get out of there alive. Then he reached Imogen's wounds,taking his head out of the water,taking off the mask for a few seconds. He carefully placed his hands in the wounds.

"I swore to myself I would never do this spell,especially with such lame words I'm about to speak...but what can we do.

Blood of my blood,
Kin of my kin,
For the times are hard
And we must be harder
With you I share my burdens
And with your burdens I will help you."

As he ended doing the magic,concentrating more than the necessary due to the aura,her wounds disappeared from her body,but at a price: they were at William's. But William had a wound as well,but a closed one.

"Worst words that I spoke in my life,but worked. And this is burning as hell. Heh."

And so,with his new wounds,William managed to get to the surface,swimming swiftly as he could with Imogen at his back. And again,he got out of the station with a body on his back,but this time,an alive one. As he putted Imogen in the ground,signaling the officers to check on her,he fell on the ground,being carried away to a nearby ambulance.

Imogen wasn't quite as badly injured as William had feared. She waved the medical team away, watching as he was driven away in an ambulance, "Well that sucks... all my stuff is in his flat." she grumbled.

The next morning though, she appeared at his hospital ward, claiming to be his cousin. She had changed back into the jeans and a loose plaid blouse, "By the way, I found your flat and gated through the wall... there may be some complaints about the 'graffiti art' in the hallway."

She drew up a chair next to William's hospital bed, "You should not have done that." she said quietly, "Come summer if I go to a beach I'll be thanking you, but I would have survived. You should not have hurt yourself on my account." she paused before asking, "Is there anything I can do for you? Feed your cat? Bring meals to a mad old aunt?"

William actually passed out,sleeping through the night,waking up to find Imogen by his side at a hospital.

"Yes,I had to. Dying now would be a real delay,believe me. I assume you got my clothes there? Great,I'll just change and we are getting out of this place,we got stuff to do. Good work getting there as well. And I forgot mentioning that I had another key for this type of situation. Anyway,what happened in the meantime I passed out?"

[Anowa]

Anthony
When I arrived at city hall I wasn't expecting it to be dark, nor was I expecting rain. I was expecting it to be locked up however, in all honesty all I needed was to get to the mayors office, and judging from the fact the interior most likely had signs leading to the office, this would be a quick visit. I patted the lighter fluid in my pocket and set towards the door. Considering the police would be here pretty quickly if I smashed the main door open I'd have to avoid that... Or just make my visit quick. I barged through the doorway and no doubt the silent alarm was now going of, a few signs ahead pointed to a few areas, including the mayors office.

I made a beeline through the building, before finding the mayor's office, I really hoped he was out. When I opened the door my assumption was right, he wasn't there. I walked up to his desk and began searching through the stack of papers for a contract signed by my friend. Eventually my search was interrupted by voices, and the flashing of red and blue. All I found were three documents explaining about a subway cleanup detail, though they didn't have names, more along the lines of callsigns... Or fake names for superheroes. I took them all. and started for the main door again, luckily for me the police who had arrived were investigating another part of the building so I was able to make my escape. I was more than aware of the multitude of cameras withing the building, but I paid them no mind.

I made it back to my warehouse before I decided to actually look over the slips of paper, only one of which I recognized the writing. Jason's, the others I didn't recognize... but I could figure it out with the right tools. Perhaps I'd keep them safe, perhaps I'd keep them for blackmail, either way they were mine now, and people probably didn't suspect me.

[Dyelli Beybi]

William actually passed out,sleeping through the night,waking up to find Imogen by his side at a hospital.

"Yes,I had to. Dying now would be a real delay,believe me. I assume you got my clothes there? Great,I'll just change and we are getting out of this place,we got stuff to do. Good work getting there as well. And I forgot mentioning that I had another key for this type of situation. Anyway,what happened in the meantime I passed out?"

"Umm..." Imogen considered the question, chewing on the corner of her lip, "Not much really. Certainly nothing worth including in a letter home. Are you sure you are alright to discharge yourself? Some of those teeth went in pretty deep, especially the one in my thigh." she rubbed at her leg in memory of the pain.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

William actually passed out,sleeping through the night,waking up to find Imogen by his side at a hospital.

"Yes,I had to. Dying now would be a real delay,believe me. I assume you got my clothes there? Great,I'll just change and we are getting out of this place,we got stuff to do. Good work getting there as well. And I forgot mentioning that I had another key for this type of situation. Anyway,what happened in the meantime I passed out?"

"Umm..." Imogen considered the question, chewing on the corner of her lip, "Not much really. Certainly nothing worth including in a letter home. Are you sure you are alright to discharge yourself? Some of those teeth went in pretty deep, especially the one in my thigh." she rubbed at her leg in memory of the pain.

"Yes,quite sure. I'll be back in perfect shape in a few days,so no need to worry. Besides,you've got a few lessons to take if I remember correctly. So,shall we get going? Just hand me my clothes if you brought them. If not...well,that will be more complicated."

[Dyelli Beybi]

"Umm..." Imogen considered the question, chewing on the corner of her lip, "Not much really. Certainly nothing worth including in a letter home. Are you sure you are alright to discharge yourself? Some of those teeth went in pretty deep, especially the one in my thigh." she rubbed at her leg in memory of the pain.

"Yes,quite sure. I'll be back in perfect shape in a few days,so no need to worry. Besides,you've got a few lessons to take if I remember correctly. So,shall we get going? Just hand me my clothes if you brought them. If not...well,that will be more complicated."

"Well no, I didn't, sorry. I thought you were going to be in here for longer." Imogen said, looking embarrassed at the oversight, "I am getting fairly good at making portals though... Well, actually it's probably too early to say that. I've made two and nothing has gone wrong. It would not take me long to go and get you something and it would be good practice. So if you'd like me to do that, I will."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

"Yes,quite sure. I'll be back in perfect shape in a few days,so no need to worry. Besides,you've got a few lessons to take if I remember correctly. So,shall we get going? Just hand me my clothes if you brought them. If not...well,that will be more complicated."

"Well no, I didn't, sorry. I thought you were going to be in here for longer." Imogen said, looking embarrassed at the oversight, "I am getting fairly good at making portals though... Well, actually it's probably too early to say that. I've made two and nothing has gone wrong. It would not take me long to go and get you something and it would be good practice. So if you'd like me to do that, I will."

"Ok then Ms. Portal,I guess it is a better option than the one I was thinking. Soon as you get out of here,we'll skip to your priority,which I believe that is the defensive magic. So,I'll just lay here and wait for you to come back. Ah,please don't forget my overcoat."

William then started remembering basic defensive spells that he could pass to Imogen. The fact that he,one of the most pursued mages,becoming a teacher to a younger one,sounded like a joke. One that he was laughing at.

[Dyelli Beybi]

William then started remembering basic defensive spells that he could pass to Imogen. The fact that he,one of the most pursued mages,becoming a teacher to a younger one,sounded like a joke. One that he was laughing at.

A few moments after Imogen had left, a familiar feline tone sounded from somewhere in the room, "I'm very disappointed in you. Yes, you got what you needed to do done, but you could have had so much more fun if you'd allowed yourself to indulge your darker impulses. You could have been guilt free as well - I'd told you you needed to do it to save the city."

"I really do think - " he stopped talking suddenly and without explanation.

Five seconds later it became clear why. Imogen came hurrying back into the ward with her marker in hand, "I think, in retrospect, it might be a better idea to just make it here and you hop through. That way you can avoid any awkward questions about why you are checking out without a Doctor's permission."

As she spoke she drew a big circle on the wall and began to fill it in with a sketch of William's lounge. If the cat was still around she was completely oblivious to its presence...

[Kingdom of Irhk]

William then started remembering basic defensive spells that he could pass to Imogen. The fact that he,one of the most pursued mages,becoming a teacher to a younger one,sounded like a joke. One that he was laughing at.

A few moments after Imogen had left, a familiar feline tone sounded from somewhere in the room, "I'm very disappointed in you. Yes, you got what you needed to do done, but you could have had so much more fun if you'd allowed yourself to indulge your darker impulses. You could have been guilt free as well - I'd told you you needed to do it to save the city."

"I really do think - " he stopped talking suddenly and without explanation.

Five seconds later it became clear why. Imogen came hurrying back into the ward with her marker in hand, "I think, in retrospect, it might be a better idea to just make it here and you hop through. That way you can avoid any awkward questions about why you are checking out without a Doctor's permission."

As she spoke she drew a big circle on the wall and began to fill it in with a sketch of William's lounge. If the cat was still around she was completely oblivious to its presence...

"Elphame's Hello Kitty appears again. Invisible,but appears again. My darker impulses are going finr and all,but they don't like homicide. Too much blood for a mage that studied blood magic and all. So,I'll just ask for you to leave and do whatever you do in your free time,like licking yourself and all the usual cat things."

With Imogen getting on the room,things got a little more complicated. See,William alone could fend off or keep the Cat at bay,but now,the prey came to the predator without knowing it. And at that point,he knew that the chances of the Cat using one of them as leverage to convince the other raised.

"My apartment is fitted with security measures...catching a Cat like a rat is risky,but seems the best option.",he thought to himself.

And so he decided to keep the conversation going,but with a banishment spell at bay,ready to be launched at the Cat soon as he appeared.

"Well,there's always the chance of Illusion,which is a very interesting line of work. Some mages use to cause terror,other just to get out of some situations. So,calm trip with the portals? The starting times are usually the worst. Oh,can you come closer? I actually got a small thing to show you."

William's bluff would work to get Imogen closer to him in case the Cat decided to attack. The battle of wits,the human mage against the faie cat,was happening in the room,in a Cold War style.

[Dyelli Beybi]

"Elphame's Hello Kitty appears again. Invisible,but appears again. My darker impulses are going finr and all,but they don't like homicide. Too much blood for a mage that studied blood magic and all. So,I'll just ask for you to leave and do whatever you do in your free time,like licking yourself and all the usual cat things."

With Imogen getting on the room,things got a little more complicated. See,William alone could fend off or keep the Cat at bay,but now,the prey came to the predator without knowing it. And at that point,he knew that the chances of the Cat using one of them as leverage to convince the other raised.

"My apartment is fitted with security measures...catching a Cat like a rat is risky,but seems the best option.",he thought to himself.

And so he decided to keep the conversation going,but with a banishment spell at bay,ready to be launched at the Cat soon as he appeared.

"Well,there's always the chance of Illusion,which is a very interesting line of work. Some mages use to cause terror,other just to get out of some situations. So,calm trip with the portals? The starting times are usually the worst. Oh,can you come closer? I actually got a small thing to show you."

William's bluff would work to get Imogen closer to him in case the Cat decided to attack. The battle of wits,the human mage against the faie cat,was happening in the room,in a Cold War style.

"What is it?" Imogen stepped over to the bedside, leaving her portal-art half-finished. She looked slightly skeptical, she had detected something in William's tone which made her suspect he was up to something. She trusted him though and figured that it wouldn't be bad for her, even if he didn't want to announce it straight off the bat.

The Cat could have been just about anywhere, though odds were he was still in the room. He seemed to enjoy spying on people...

[Remnants of Exilvania]

Standartenführer Dietrich Ekerhart Haegler

Slowly, a great containership was coming into the New York Harbour. It seemed somewhat strange that even though a giant wave had just hit the city there was now already ship traffic again. But mostly people where probably to busy getting out of the water or saving their personal belongings. The whole harbour area was still in complete chaos, a fortunate state for Dietrich. He had already made up a lot of plans of how to smuggle his carriage away from anyone trying to get a look at it but as it seemed he wouldn`t need those. In the distance he could already see the Red Hook. He now took some binoculars to his eyes hidden behind the gas mask and took a look at the doc he had wanted the NYC subcell to secure.

And he found that all his expectation had been met. ABout 30 armed men were standing on rooftops or patrolling on the still slightly flooded street while heavy weapon emplacements were in positions where they could oversee the whole dock with ease. And he didn`t even have to look for them to know that there were probably 2-3 snipers around.

Only half an hour later the ship docked there and Haegler climbed down a rope ladder to get onto the ground and greet the commanding officer. And he soon got to see an Untersturmführer with an StG46 hanging around his shoulder. Just before Haegler he stopped, stood at attention and then greeted Haegler:

"HEIL!

Herr Standartenführer? I didn`t actually believe these rumours that you`ve been killed in Turkey but...um..would you mind if I ask what`s going on here? We had a giant wave and people as well as monsters coming out of the sea. And you have somehow survived Turkey which is said to have been real hard. A lot of those damn supers were down there just to put somne witch down. And what exactly are you shipping? My Oberfunker told me that it`s going to be more men and material but my I ask what men and material? And will we finally get some more of the advanced weaponry?"

Haegler just gave the man a death glare through his gas mask before turning around and slowly walking down the street. After hesitating a little, the Untersturmführer hurried to get back to Haegler. Behind them the soldiers were using duty crans which were integrated in the ship to get the containers onto the ground where, god bless that Untersturmführer, several last tugs were already waiting to take the containers. Strange Armoured Vehicles

http://orig07.deviantart.net/d916/f/2012/264/a/9/xm44_sabretooth_omni_environment_main_battle_tank_by_helge129-d5fht3x.jpg

were also brought onto the land. They were to protect the convoy on it`s way to a nearby entrance into the deep underground of NYC. Atleast everything waerproof.

And while all this was being done Haegler, the Untersturmführer and 2 Guards were slowly walking through a nearby street. The Untersturmführer was getting really nervous because Haegler didn`t talk to him but there was also nothing he could say.

"Herr Untersturmführer..."

"Ye-yes, Herr Standartenführer?"

I want you to return back to your base. You will receive your advanced equipment in time. Untill then you should be okay with what you have or do you want to say anything against this StG46? No? Good! And now leave. Take your men with you. We can`t afford to loose the armed part of the NYC subcell."

With this the Untersturmführer quickly left, relieved to not be with Haegler anymore. He quickly radioed Leut to get the men and make ready for departure. Within an amazingly short time they had left the scene and taken everything they had brought with them.

Now Haegler was all alone in the street or rather alley that he was in. Well, atleast someone might have thought so untill some quiet whimpering could be heard out of a dark corner. Dietrich slowly turned around to look into that direction. A young girl was sitting there in the corner with tears coming out of her eyes. She looked run-down, probably due to all the water that had come through here. He had no idea how she had survived but now that she had seen this he couldn`t leave her alife. And so he slowly took out his Luger P08, looked the girl right into her teary eyes and pulled the trigger. The shot would go under as this time of chaos was a perfect opportunity for local gangs and others to enact their own version of the law. Many shots could be heard this day down at the harbours...

[Kingdom of Irhk]

"Elphame's Hello Kitty appears again. Invisible,but appears again. My darker impulses are going finr and all,but they don't like homicide. Too much blood for a mage that studied blood magic and all. So,I'll just ask for you to leave and do whatever you do in your free time,like licking yourself and all the usual cat things."

With Imogen getting on the room,things got a little more complicated. See,William alone could fend off or keep the Cat at bay,but now,the prey came to the predator without knowing it. And at that point,he knew that the chances of the Cat using one of them as leverage to convince the other raised.

"My apartment is fitted with security measures...catching a Cat like a rat is risky,but seems the best option.",he thought to himself.

And so he decided to keep the conversation going,but with a banishment spell at bay,ready to be launched at the Cat soon as he appeared.

"Well,there's always the chance of Illusion,which is a very interesting line of work. Some mages use to cause terror,other just to get out of some situations. So,calm trip with the portals? The starting times are usually the worst. Oh,can you come closer? I actually got a small thing to show you."

William's bluff would work to get Imogen closer to him in case the Cat decided to attack. The battle of wits,the human mage against the faie cat,was happening in the room,in a Cold War style.

"What is it?" Imogen stepped over to the bedside, leaving her portal-art half-finished. She looked slightly skeptical, she had detected something in William's tone which made her suspect he was up to something. She trusted him though and figured that it wouldn't be bad for her, even if he didn't want to announce it straight off the bat.

The Cat could have been just about anywhere, though odds were he was still in the room. He seemed to enjoy spying on people...

Noticing Imogen's slight change of tone,he got that Imogen noticed his different tone. "Smart girl.",he thought to himself.

"Immy,there's a switch on this side of the bed,it controls the light of the room...can you light up the room for me? You know how I like it."

William aimed to blind the cat,forcing him to appear,and in the meantime,banish him to Elphame. It was a wild call,but one of the few possible.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Noticing Imogen's slight change of tone,he got that Imogen noticed his different tone. "Smart girl.",he thought to himself.

"Immy,there's a switch on this side of the bed,it controls the light of the room...can you light up the room for me? You know how I like it."

William aimed to blind the cat,forcing him to appear,and in the meantime,banish him to Elphame. It was a wild call,but one of the few possible.

Imogen did what William asked without question. She seemed like quite a trusting soul which could be something that would bite her in years to come. She gave a slight groan, blinking as the lights cast their harsh clinical rays into every corner of the room though they didn't reveal anything feline lurking with them. Either he was gone or the light hadn't blinded him or it just didn't stop his spell. He seemed to spend most of his time invisible so it was always possible that invisibility was the creature's natural state and it was a spell that made him visible...

Imogen raised her eyebrows inquiringly, not really understanding what was happening but also not feeling the need for a full explanation from William, "Do you want me to finish the portal now?" she asked.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Noticing Imogen's slight change of tone,he got that Imogen noticed his different tone. "Smart girl.",he thought to himself.

"Immy,there's a switch on this side of the bed,it controls the light of the room...can you light up the room for me? You know how I like it."

William aimed to blind the cat,forcing him to appear,and in the meantime,banish him to Elphame. It was a wild call,but one of the few possible.

Imogen did what William asked without question. She seemed like quite a trusting soul which could be something that would bite her in years to come. She gave a slight groan, blinking as the lights cast their harsh clinical rays into every corner of the room though they didn't reveal anything feline lurking with them. Either he was gone or the light hadn't blinded him or it just didn't stop his spell. He seemed to spend most of his time invisible so it was always possible that invisibility was the creature's natural state and it was a spell that made him visible...

Imogen raised her eyebrows inquiringly, not really understanding what was happening but also not feeling the need for a full explanation from William, "Do you want me to finish the portal now?" she asked.

The cat didn't left. William remember him showing his paws in a ironic manner,and he couldn't open doors,which meant that the Cat was stalking Imogen,also indicating that he enjoyed stalking people. And the pile of bad news got bigger. And so William was left with the final option: let the Cat walk in his apartment,trapping him there and then banish him.

"Sure Immy,finish it,and let's get back to my place."

[Primordial Luxa]

The Martian
Late last night word had trickled into the Manhattan Police department of a bomb threat to one of the down town middle schools. However, after a long telephone conference between the mayor, the commissioner and several advisors it was decided that the school would remain open and proceed as normal and that no police presence would be request. This typically insane response was made plausible by the mayor’s insistence on requesting that the Knights off their assistance in protecting the school.

The reason the mayor and his administration had decided to go to this extreme was because they wanted to demonstrate to the people just how powerful their city was. That bomb threats were no longer something to be afraid of and that three of the world’s most powerful individuals were in charge of protecting them. Because of this when yellow buses unloaded kids at Middle School 328 in upper Manhattan many of the children paused in fear as they looked up at the three legged one eyed war machine which stood just next to the flag pole in the parking lot.

The Martian was not entirely sure what a “Middle school” was for education on his homeworld different drastically from that of earth but Delphia had explained that it a center for group education which just raised further questions. He was curious why large groups were taught together at intervals of the day rather than being reared individually by specialized members of their allotted caste. He also was at a loss to why a threat had been issued and MarK Ultra had explained it was a terrorism tactic used to achieve ends by inspiring fear. This just raised the ever present question the Martian constantly had which was “why do humans fight each other”. So far not one had been able to give him a response he understood or accepted.

The entire day was uneventful. No bombers showed up perhaps because none had existed or because the Martians death rays was intimidating but instead the soldier from the red planet spent the day patrolling the parking lot and keeping kids inside from recess out of fear. The mayor stopped by later in the day along with a large group of photographers and news correspondents giving a speech on domestic security and the benefits which the Knights could bring to the city in a typically political fashion.

---

The Black Priestess
Contrary to what most people would expect cities can be wonderful nesting places of magical entities and fairy like creatures. The Folk especially were not dissuaded or driven off by the presence of humans like some other magical realms were, although they preferred to avoid humans when possible they found that the mundane species provided them which just as many options for habitation and sentience. However, the Folk were a species that was incredibly metaphysically morphogenetic by nature, which meant their transcendent properties mutated rapidly to mimic their astral environment and take on traits like their natural and supernatural surroundings.

Good examples of this were how with the advent of technology there was a dramatic and very visible spike in the number of Gremlin’s dominating public places. Normally Gremlins gathered around large industrial machines and war engines in droves but new breeds were being to become solitary and nestle themselves in iPhones and Laptops.

This trend worried Delphia because the more the metaphysical environment changed the harder it was for her to call upon the right creatures at the right time. That’s why today she was in her street clothes touring Central Park with backpack full of books. Most of these were modern new age spirituality paperbacks which she detested as the work of coat tail riding sensationalists, but she did include the much more reliable and potent classical occultist works like Sir George Frazer’s Golden Bough, the Malleus Maleficarum and the treasured Book of Eibon.

Her goal here was to find and contact one of the more modern member of the Folk namely the new and up and coming groups like Urban Legends or perhaps a Cryptid. She was deep in the forested area of Central Park as the sun was setting when she began setting up a camp of sorts around the base of a large ancient tree which she recognized as a potent sort of natural energy.

Once the sun had dipped below the horizon she began pulling out her books for consolation before she constructed a ring of scented candles and crudely pained stones around the tree. Foci and Loci complete she proceeded to walk counter clockwise around the tree humming and ancient fairy song common to this time of year as she tried to coerces something out of the world between insanity and logic.

After only a few minutes her call was greeted by a haunted moaning voice that filled Delphia bones with terror and caused her to start shivering even though she was wearing heavy clothing. “Wonderful night for contacting” the voice said its tone sending another artificial bolt of terror along her spine and it was now that Delphia felt confident in proclaiming the creature to a banshee. Delphia asked for the creature’s name and it explained that it was the force that had stolen the identity of a girl named Lavina Howard. It from this spirit that the Black Priest learned a great many things that night, terribly horrible things each more insightful and insane than the last.

---

MarK Ultra
Today MarK Ultra was not a superhuman, he wasn’t the scourge of Cuba, he wasn’t the East Berlin Butcher, or the American Demon as many of his enemies has once referred to him as. Instead today he was Mark Carter, a simple citizen shopping for food for his apartment. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to take a break from saving lives and do something normal with his life and was enjoying the sensation immensely. The mixture of dullness and normalcy were a nice trade off to the life of a narcotics fueled junkie fighting Nazi and freak floods.

Over the last days he had been incredibly preoccupied with his vigilante work due to the sudden chaotic influx but with the government firmly in control of the new situation he was enjoying a chance to be himself. He currently had stocked up a shopping cart with all sorts of general purpose foods and good and was currently looking for a good six pack of beer when he noticed the kid out of the corner of his eye. The boy looked about eighteen but defiantly not any older than high school judging by his acne and what attracted Marks eye was the bulge under his hoodie.

When the kid tried to walk past him Mark placed his palm dead center in the kid’s chest and looked down at him with a war hardened face that caused the kid to drop the cheap Smirnoff he had been hiding. Mark’s approach to child rearing was that of a different type when corporal punishment was common and children were at the very bottom of the societal hierarchy. So in a manner most wouldn’t see today he grabbed the boy by his collar and proceeded to drag him towards one of the registers with the intent of informing the proprietor so that they could call the police.

What Mark didn’t account for as the four boys outside who had been expecting to partake of the stolen Smirnoff and when they saw their friend being manhandled by Mark they stormed inside and began shouting at the vigilante. The gang of social drinkers moved in on Mark rather swiftly trying to intimidate him into leaving and not for a moment expecting or wanting any sort of violence. Mark on the other hand was a CIA grade assassin with a propensity of ultraviolence and what followed was exactly what you might expect.

Two broken jaws, four shattered limbs and a ruptured kidney later the five boys were sprawled out next to the baked goods section in a pool of their own blood as Mark shook his fists trying to get the blood off of himself. His reaction had been extreme and had shocked many of the other shoppers and clerks who had fled. The only person brave enough to approach him was a rent-a-cop with a Taser in his right hand aimed squarely at his face and a pair of hand cuffs in his left hand.

[Anowa]

Anthony
I'm surprised my warehouse had enough spare room for all my late friend's belongings being passed on to me. One of them included a heavily armored van, which I promptly disassembled and put onto my mech... In speaking of which, the heavily armored walker was almost done. All that was needed was to configure the reactor and it'd be done. The Portal that I was tasked with creating was proving to be a bitch and a half, the calculations for it proved that it would consume more power over time, and every use would bump that number exponentially higher, eventually it's need whole suns to work rather than just a power outlet, It was something I needed to fix before turning it on. In other news the president's car got stolen, and a girl lost her arm, so hooray for reddit and it's ability to inform people better than CNN.

Currently I had just witnessed what I assumed was a Meta-Human fuck up a shoplifter and his buddies, and while his reaction was a bit much, and also got blood all over the damned aisle. I don't know what was more dissapointing, the fact that violence had become so normal, the fact that the store lacked any Crown Royal... or the fact that the pants shittingly terrified rent-a-cop wasn't aiming for center mass. The only form of fighting I'd been involved in was Sambo lessons from my mother, but even I knew that aiming for the head wasn't the best idea.

I sighed before setting a bottle of Mount Gay beside the frosted flakes in my cart and pushing it past the confronted duo and the writhing bodies on the floor, before pausing and looking back at the hoodlums on the floor, "Honestly you couldn't have waited until it was dark? Dumbasses." I went to the counter and paid for my shit, then left.

[Dyelli Beybi]

The cat didn't left. William remember him showing his paws in a ironic manner,and he couldn't open doors,which meant that the Cat was stalking Imogen,also indicating that he enjoyed stalking people. And the pile of bad news got bigger. And so William was left with the final option: let the Cat walk in his apartment,trapping him there and then banish him.

"Sure Immy,finish it,and let's get back to my place."

"Okay!" Imogen said brightly, hopping up to finish off her work. It took her a while as she roughly sketched an aspect of William's living room, before sealing it off in a neat circle. There was a slight shimmer and the portal formed, offering a clear view of the room beyond.

Imogen crossed back to William's bedside to help him to his feet if it was needed, "Lean on me if you need any support. That shark bit pretty deep into my leg so I'm imagining that unless you have truly amazing self-healing powers that it's still going to be pretty sore trying to walk."

The Cat, meanwhile, had no intention at all of following them through the portal. William clearly expected him to make a play, but open confrontation really was not his style at all and in any case it would be far more entertaining if he could convince someone else to do it...

[Kingdom of Irhk]

The cat didn't left. William remember him showing his paws in a ironic manner,and he couldn't open doors,which meant that the Cat was stalking Imogen,also indicating that he enjoyed stalking people. And the pile of bad news got bigger. And so William was left with the final option: let the Cat walk in his apartment,trapping him there and then banish him.

"Sure Immy,finish it,and let's get back to my place."

"Okay!" Imogen said brightly, hopping up to finish off her work. It took her a while as she roughly sketched an aspect of William's living room, before sealing it off in a neat circle. There was a slight shimmer and the portal formed, offering a clear view of the room beyond.

Imogen crossed back to William's bedside to help him to his feet if it was needed, "Lean on me if you need any support. That shark bit pretty deep into my leg so I'm imagining that unless you have truly amazing self-healing powers that it's still going to be pretty sore trying to walk."

The Cat, meanwhile, had no intention at all of following them through the portal. William clearly expected him to make a play, but open confrontation really was not his style at all and in any case it would be far more entertaining if he could convince someone else to do it...

"I don't have self healing powers Immy,but I've got the morphine they gave me. Excellent painkiller. So,let's get walking."

As he carefully walked with Imogen by his side,he crossed the portal to his apartment,closing it with his security measures. Quickly getting to his wardrobe and getting some clothes,he went to the bathroom,getting out of there with his usual attire and putting his overcoat again,sitting in his bed to rest.

"Well,good to see that the overcoat is still in one piece. Sorry if you wanted to keep the portal open,but we had company in the room. Remember the Cat that I told you about? The one that tried to kill one of your relatives and asked me to kill you? He entered right behind you,and it is still probably there. Why he didn't attack? I don't know the answer for that. Now that the breaking news ended,where do you want to begin Immy?"