The Fall of Gods: Book I: Chapter II: Act II

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Cain sent an arc of ethereal at the door, destroying it, and casually walked in. There was chaos in the bunker, and the Nighthawks weren't as dead as Cain thought they were. With the flick of his wrist, he sent knives at all of the guards, and especially bright ones at the Nighthawks.

"You take the Shadows, I'll get the others" Cain said in Payne's head.

He sprinted at the guards with the guns, raising a shield to block the bullets, and slicing some in half with his scythe. After his initial attack, Cain shifted his scythe into a pair of daggers, and shattered the wall of guards, with a combination of kicks and stabs with his daggers. He caught sight of the Prime Minister as he was slashing through the wall of guards. He was just sitting there, calmly. An eery shiver went down cain as he continued to fight off the guards.

[Agadar]

The scene seemed to be going in slow motion as Cain and Harold blasted their way through the thick metal doors of the main command room deep within the underground complex underneath the Palace of Westminster. British government officials backed away from the two inquisitors as the guards opened fire. Cain threw knives at the guards, hitting them in their eyes and their necks, causing them to splurt blood all over the floor and walls. Harold used his superpowers to fire his poisonous needles which too hit various guards, instantly causing them to grab their chests in pain as their lungs were being filled with their own bodily fluids. Cain and Payne continued their relentless attack. Both were now within melee range of the guards, Cain whacking away with his ethereal scythe and Harold blasting the guards with bolts of Neostigma energy from up close. Then, a bright light appeared from underneath the British prime minister and his colleagues, and a split second later they had completely disappeared, leaving the two inquisitors behind with nothing to show for but a few dozen slain bodyguards.

Right at that very moment, Annette ran into the room from the opposite side, holding the hand of Melody. She immediately came to a hold as she saw the two inquisitors and the absence of the British officials and her colleagues. "Harold," she said as she looked him in the eyes. "Annette," Harold replied.

In Dublin, the British officials together with their bodyguards and the rogue inquisitors suddenly appeared out of thin air with a flash. They were now in another underground complex: the bunkers of the Irish parliament. "Is this place secure?" Karl immediately asked one of the Irish guardsmen, who confirmed it. Karl then began contacting various people to inform them of the new developments. London was about to fall.

In Rome, Ansed caught Snowflake as she suddenly feinted. This had happened several times before already, but Ansed still didn't really knew what it was. He had taken her to the best doctors many times already, but none had ever diagnosed her with any kind of disease."Melody is in trouble, we need to go... NOW!" Snowflake suddenly proclaimed after waking up again. Ansed was puzzled. "What are you talking about? Didn't you tell me she was with Dugal?" The two concerned parents were too busy with one another to realize that Charles was still with them, who overheard what Ansed had said. "Lord Booth, may I ask what your daughter is doing in the hands of our number one public enemy?" he asked inquisitively.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

The scene seemed to be going in slow motion as Cain and Harold blasted their way through the thick metal doors of the main command room deep within the underground complex underneath the Palace of Westminster. British government officials backed away from the two inquisitors as the guards opened fire. Cain threw knives at the guards, hitting them in their eyes and their necks, causing them to splurt blood all over the floor and walls. Harold used his superpowers to fire his poisonous needles which too hit various guards, instantly causing them to grab their chests in pain as their lungs were being filled with their own bodily fluids. Cain and Payne continued their relentless attack. Both were now within melee range of the guards, Cain whacking away with his ethereal scythe and Harold blasting the guards with bolts of Neostigma energy from up close. Then, a bright light appeared from underneath the British prime minister and his colleagues, and a split second later they had completely disappeared, leaving the two inquisitors behind with nothing to show for but a few dozen slain bodyguards.

Right at that very moment, Annette ran into the room from the opposite side, holding the hand of Melody. She immediately came to a hold as she saw the two inquisitors and the absence of the British officials and her colleagues. "Harold," she said as she looked him in the eyes. "Annette," Harold replied.

In Dublin, the British officials together with their bodyguards and the rogue inquisitors suddenly appeared out of thin air with a flash. They were now in another underground complex: the bunkers of the Irish parliament. "Is this place secure?" Karl immediately asked one of the Irish guardsmen, who confirmed it. Karl then began contacting various people to inform them of the new developments. London was about to fall.

In Rome, Ansed caught Snowflake as she suddenly feinted. This had happened several times before already, but Ansed still didn't really knew what it was. He had taken her to the best doctors many times already, but none had ever diagnosed her with any kind of disease."Melody is in trouble, we need to go... NOW!" Snowflake suddenly proclaimed after waking up again. Ansed was puzzled. "What are you talking about? Didn't you tell me she was with Dugal?" The two concerned parents were too busy with one another to realize that Charles was still with them, who overheard what Ansed had said. "Lord Booth, may I ask what your daughter is doing in the hands of our number one public enemy?" he asked inquisitively.

Cain remained still, keeping himself in check as Payne had suggested, even though he wanted to release another gigantic blast. His mission was failing. He saw another rouge inquisitor enter the room. Cain had found an outlet for his rage. He threw his daggers at Annette, formed a pair of katana, eighteen shuriken, and at least one of every other kind of exotic weapon he could thing of, and hurled it at her. He bellowed in rage as he shot forward, and made a pair of sais, stabbing at Annette.

[Warhaven]

Dream World
Lucas looked at the Shadow with a mixture of fear and anger. He had a few choice words to say as his memories returned, but his mother screamed again. He had to save her. He flipped a certain finger to the shadowy creature, and then ran down a path in the labyrinth.

Like a bad cold, Shadow One hung around Lucas.

"Poor Lucas, all alone in the company of The Ministry of Shadow. It's your fault really, who wants to keep saving a coward? You're not brave, you, my dear fly, are a fearful coward. You must be, when confronted, you simply bowed to Garrent's demands. Now he owns you. You are his slave. He knows all he has to do, is use dearest Elena against you, and you'll meet his every whim. You are his collared dog. Do you really think she's ever not going to be in danger? If you chose to stop working with Garrent, do you honestly believe he'll just let you go, when you've proven yourself to be so capable already? Don't be niave. You are enslaved to his will.

And where is your father in all of this? He's fully aware of the situation, but he doesn't love either of you enough to do anything about it. He's off fighting Rome as they invade England. Don't believe me? Look for yourself." Shadow one said.

A large mirror appeared on one wall, and in it, Lucas could see his father, and everything going on with him at the moment. He just couldn't hear anything. It would last only seconds, and then begone.

"And even he flees like the frightened antelope before the pack of lions." Shadow One said.

And around a corner, down a hallway Lucas could never get down, was his mother being tortured by Garrent. All the torments and tortures would be of Lucas's own devising, born from his subconcious, which would make the scene hurt Lucas all the more.

As for the hallway, certainly Lucas could try to get down it, he'd see progress, the walls and floors going by as he ran past, but he'd never reach his goal, his mother would remain exactly five feet ahead of him. And niether his mother, nor Garrent, would ever hear his voice, or notice anything else he tried. He was, helpless.

Of course, Elena and Garrent were played by the other shadows.

[LoL island]

London, England

Shots rang out from Quinn’s rifle several times over during his decent; he was getting back into his grove. The first shot hit a Roman soldier in the shoulder, the 2nd and 3rd bounced of rubble from blown out buildings, barely missing their intended targets, the 4th was a head shot to lieutenant, but it did not penetrate the armor, these shots and the shots that followed took around 30 seconds. Quinn was reloading when suddenly an explosion went off 30 yards from Quinn, sending him through a window, but was swiftly dragged out by the parachute.

Quinn was dazed from the collision, but soon sobered when he saw he was tied in the lines of the parachute and was falling fast. Quinn knew he would die if he hit the ground so he cut his losses and teleported from the parachute, leaving behind the majority of his weapons, leaving with him only a throwing axe and an Autorevolver he keeps in arm’s reach at all time.

Quinn hid for a moment on a roof to make sure the Romans thought him dead, but also took this time to give himself a look over. The light armor was a little too light, explosion and glass had punctured a pit of the suit, his left arm was bleeding, but it was manageable. He was happy the helmet did its job and while the screen cracked a little, his vision was unaffected by the flash of the explosion. Quinn also saw his foot was taping vigorously, it had been a long while sense it had like this and Quinn knew why. For the first time in a long time, he was excited, hell; he wasn’t this excited sense the LAST invasion, then called “Londim”.

Quinn got up and started taking out bits of glass and taking a look see of the situation he found himself, and it was a bloody mess. Nothing seemed to be stopping their advance. Explosions were everywhere, dead were astounded around the roads, and whoever had guns were just beaten back by better guns, bullets, missiles, and powers, some of them from seemingly nowhere.

Quinn was confused though “How can something come from nowhere?” When something got his eye, off in the distance he saw bodies fall, followed by dust being blown about… but from no visible origin. “Invisible Vehicles, even from my eyes… what will they think up next?” Quinn smiled a devilish smile and teleported closer to the phenomenon when he heard and felt a Voom like noise. Turning around he saw a black dome begin to encompass most of the city, and was rapidly gaining on his position.

Acting instinctively, he ran in the other direction, spread his arms and began to glide. He was doing his best to weave between open spaces between the buildings of the city block, trying to avoid the road now that he saw the Romans wielding even shinier objects and were evaporating whole groups of people in a single blow.

Misfortune soon arrived as Quinn saw one of the grunts had spotted him and was getting his friend to join him. Quinn knew he had not much time before they launched another explosion so he teleported once more, but he was not quick enough.

Just as he was beginning to send himself away an explosion much bigger than before hit the wall next to him, swiftly hitting him with a shock wave which knocked the wind right out of him and even lit some of him on fire as he reconstituted himself near a mile away. Exhausted from the drastic use of power, and weakened further by the blast; Quinn did not have the strength left to fix his crash course and fell through a blown out window and through some dry wall plus an oak door. Before passing out from the injuries he had just sustained Quinn saw men in army gear rush around the intruder. Quinn tried to say he came in peace but swiftly fell into unconsciousness before the words could be formed.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardiff, Wales, UK

David waited in the helicopter for around 8 minutes, when out of nowhere came the pilot, who quickly jumped into his seat and began preparations for takeoff. The pilot looked like most other people around the base, tall, fairly toned, and of course decked out in a black uniform, but what startled David most was the defining feature, a Purple visor.

“So, who we flying today?” asked the pilot, turning as the propellers were getting up to speed

“Uh… Crowshaw, I mean, Pte. David Crowshaw, I am part of Stalker” David was a little nervous now, he heard more than enough horror stories about the Banshee.

“Your mission?”

“My mission is to give a report to HQ about the situation in London… you coming with?”

“No, my mission is the termination of a defector, London just happens to be on the way there, so they chose me to fly you” the helicopter began to rise and soon both of them were in the sky the pilot looked back and asked “Are you a music man, David?”

David was a bit taken aback from the randomness of the question but answered with yes, at which point the Pilot turns on a small radio on the side of his seat which began to play a certain song. David was taken aback a bit but decided not to raise the obvious question

“So David, you got any nicknames while in basic?”

“No, not that I believe”

“Hu… surprised “Stitches” didn’t stick”

David was surprised at this, for he only remembered one person who ever called him that, and surely he does not have the luck to bump into him again “Smith?”

The pilot nodded “name’s Gabriel Smith, Welcome back to the skies Stitches, surprised they let a Psionic into Stalker”
“What do you mean?”

“Your suit, it’s designed to optimize conditions for someone who can control cold, had a buddy who wore one similar, yours looks to allow more movement”

David wanted more information but was interrupted by a new song, one that Gabe began to sing along with, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with questions, David joined in.

20 minutes and 3 songs later

David jumped from the chopper and waved goodbye to Gabe, who swiftly flew off into the sun. David took a little time to adjust to the depressing sight he found himself. It was like Paris all over again and as David walked around the city he found more evidence to support this. The dead lay around the roads, regardless of class, race, or age; all were murdered by the Romans. David’s fists tightened as his rage began to boil; suddenly around the corner he heard footsteps. David went into speed mode and ran around the corner; he saw they were a few Roman medics and the injured. He knew that if these Romans lived they would merely kill more, so he went into action.

Increasing the displacement he took his Gladiolus and Bowie knife out of their holsters, charging at the group. He killed the medics as quick as he could, one was stabbed in the gut, the other got his throat slashed, and the last was impaled in the face. Turning off the speed mode the medics feel to the ground and the 5 injured common troops were startled. They were a not super, which was good, David wasn’t quite ready to fight one of them yet. David looked at the injured and simply said “No Remorse”

David went back into his speed mode and butchered the 5 that lay around him; it was a mess of blood and internal fluid, some of which began to crystallize when it landed on his suit. David saw not too far away a large black dome begin to grow, and while he was unsure of its function yet, he knew it was not good. Fighting his instinct, David walked toward the dome, not seeing it immediately vaporize things like the last one did.

David went back into his speed mode and rocketed around the city more, and was devastated by what was going on. He saw the Romans were even stronger then before and were nigh walking through the opposition. David listed the new glowing weapons as the root, he remembered the Corneal he fought wielding a glove with similar features and reasoned that they must be related.

As David ran he knew he had to do something so he took out his knives and slashed at the soldiers as he ran by, he was unsure of the extent of damage but David had seen his Gladiolus go through iron plating and Musclewood like butter so he was more than hopeful he was getting mortal wounds, usually aiming at the armpit, neck, thigh, or the hand. A minute in though things turned bad, the Romans were getting angry about their pest and started shooting at him, some of the supers even lent a hand. David knew it was time to go and as he took a step to run in the other direction he began to feel a quiver in his spine, it was the 6th sense serum in action, as he trying to avoid the danger he saw a wondrous sight.

In front of him was the very beginning of an explosion, and it was astoundingly beautiful. The fire started as a spark in mid air, which began to expand outward in a brilliant show of light, David was able to stop as the shockwave was made, and sending pressurized air in all directions and was soon to hit him. Too little time to turn around David ran backwards to avoid its deadly radius. The fires continued to spread the vibrant light but David decided to bolt when he still had legs.

Extending the displacement even further he ran to a building 30 blocks away, eye balling what appeared to be a hole in the ground, also strange was its closeness to Parliament. David contacted headquarters and told them what he had found, that London was all but lost to the Romans and at this rate they will soon steamroll the rest of the nation.

David ended his transmission and examined the hole; it was a large room beneath his feet, heavily damaged and war torn from the looks of it. Taking his chances he jumped into the room and began to look about, unsure of exactly what he would find.

[Albertasby]

Melody

It was a bleak situation; the attackers had gotten into the bunker, the others had gone and an assualt was being launched against her and Annette. She turned to Annette, smiling. "You ready to whoop some ass!?" Melody crashed her hand against the floor, sending an absolute zero wave at the two attackers.

She attempted to blast the weapons away with shards of ice and vines but hadn't manage to get them all. Annette would have to avoid them. She stared at them with a glare so cold that the innards of their souls would shiver. She wanted these two dead, and they would perish.

Snowflake

"Ansed, he isn't with her any more! I think he's doing hero stuff, you know what he's like. She's in a bunker in Westminster, with Annette. And she's in trouble, serious, serious trouble. We need to go and help her, NOW!"

She turned to Charles, staring him right in the eyes. Her anger and rage were subsiding for worry about her daughter. She grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face close to hers. "You better help us, otherwise I will kill you personally! And once you've helped us, I'll turn myself in to Dacarus!" She was determined to save her daughter.

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Melody

It was a bleak situation; the attackers had gotten into the bunker, the others had gone and an assualt was being launched against her and Annette. She turned to Annette, smiling. "You ready to whoop some ass!?" Melody crashed her hand against the floor, sending an absolute zero wave at the two attackers.

She attempted to blast the weapons away with shards of ice and vines but hadn't manage to get them all. Annette would have to avoid them. She stared at them with a glare so cold that the innards of their souls would shiver. She wanted these two dead, and they would perish.

Snowflake

"Ansed, he isn't with her any more! I think he's doing hero stuff, you know what he's like. She's in a bunker in Westminster, with Annette. And she's in trouble, serious, serious trouble. We need to go and help her, NOW!"

She turned to Charles, staring him right in the eyes. Her anger and rage were subsiding for worry about her daughter. She grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face close to hers. "You better help us, otherwise I will kill you personally! And once you've helped us, I'll turn myself in to Dacarus!" She was determined to save her daughter.

Cain flipped over the cold wave, and whipped his head around to see what damage his attack on Annette had done. No sooner than he had turned around than he froze in his place. The nature attacker was standing in front of him, no older than he was, a mere teenager, and she looked like the reincarnate of someone he once held dear.

"Elizabeth.....?" Cain sputtered, his anxiety levels raising as he remembered his past life. Then everything went black, and cold.

[Agadar]

Annette wished to say something to Harold, but Cain attacked her and Melody before she could say it. Melody immediately blocked part of Cain's ethereal weapons he threw at them, using her superpowers to summon ice shards and vines. Annette jumped in front of Melody and used her bayonets to block and divert the other weapons. "Melody, close your eyes and ears and do not open them whatever happens!" she proclaimed. Her eyes then suddenly widened. "Wait!" Harold shouted, who knew what was coming. He didn't actually want to fight her, but because Cain had so rashly attacked her, she thought he did. Just when Cain engaged Annette in melee, his and Harold's worlds turned completely black. Their heart rates would begin to go up rapidly and sweat would be gushing out of their pores as sheer fear and terror would begin to take hold of them: Annette's superpower, fear inducement. A shady figure would slowly but steadily move closer towards Cain and Harold, who could not run away from it. The closer it got, the stronger the fear became. "Fight the fear, Cain!" Harold shouted.

While the two inquisitors were trapped in a cage of terror, Annette shouted: "Run, Melody! I can't hold them off like this forever!"

On the surface of London, Crusader Corps commandos found the lifeless body of Quinn. One of the crusaders immediately pulled out a dagger to finish him off, when his superior stopped him. "Don't. I think I know this guy from somewhere. Let me run him through the system." The officer took a device out of one of his pockets and took a picture of Quinn's face, which was then send through a facial recognition system after which it was compared to all of the faces of the people stored in the central criminal database of Rome. The results almost instantly appeared on the device's screen. "Yeah, this guy is apparantly a high ranking member in the Red Hand gang. Call the justiciars. They'll take care of him," the officer said.

In Rome, Charles was unimpressed by Snowflake's threat. "I am not going to help those who help traitors," he said, "but if bringing your daughter to safety means that you will come with me nice and quietly, then that can be arranged." He then equipped his own communicator. "Good afternoon, Lord Montego. There's something I'd like you to do for me..." As Charles continued his conversation, Ansed comforted Snowflake. "Don't worry," he whispered, "Annette and the other rogue inquisitors are tough, and so is Melody. Besides, everyone here knows who our daughter is. They won't kill her." He glimpsed at Charles, then looked back at Snowflake. "I'm not comfortable with you turning yourself in, Snowflake. Dacarus Bartolt is a kind man, but he does not like treachery one bit."

[Jedi8246]

Parliament Bunker, Dublin
They had arrived at the new bunker. The Inquisitors had failed in their job. Now they were chasing a rumor, stuck fifty feet under ground. Well almost failed. In the assault, the Romans had managed to kill Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change,Secretary of State for Health, and Secretary of State for Education. The medics were putting them in body bags and alerting their families.

Meanwhile, Daemon was looking among the persons teleported. Then he realized. He ran up to Karl, with a desperate look upon his face.

"Roman! You must go back! You have left Melody Booth. She will not be safe in the hands of the Romans. It is our duty to insure her safety, and you just left her there!! GO and get her NOW!"

---

Airship Above Irish Sea
Dugal and other military men with him were making their way to Dublin. The British armies had evacuated London, and most citizens had gotten out of the city as well. The army was going to fortify other postions, as Rome's invasion was far from finished. It was almost 8 PM of the first day, and London had fallen. A little over twelve hours of combat was all it took. Dugal felt hopeless momentarily. How was he to defeat an army that had weapons which made them his equals. But had to stay hopeful. It was the only way for victory to happen. The only way to get his wife back.

"Sir, we will be landing in Dublin in five minutes."

Dugal prepared himself. The British government had been securely taken to Dublin. They most hold Dublin, as it was quite a cultural site as well as London. If it fell, fear would destroy the British force far more effectively than Romans.

---

Dream World
Lucas kept running but grew no closer. The shadow creature taunted him with fears from within his heart. It showed him his father, running through the streets. And Garrent stood, torturing his mother.

"You bastards! I didn't bow to anyone's demands. The bond which made me comply helps make me strong!! Love for your mother is not a weakness!"

Lucas felt coldness in the air, and a fear dampening his heart. But he fought against it with the force of his mind.

"The Ministry of Shadow will not hold dominion over me."

Lucas yelled and shot at Shadow 1 with a bolt of lightning.

---

Outskirts of London
As Dracul bit down upon the Agent's neck, he opened his mouth spitting. The Agent did not have blood, but a silvery substance. He coughed in disgust, letting go of the Agent. As he coughed about, the Agent raised his fist and punched through Dracul's stomach, out through his back. He pulled it back out, covered in blood. Dracul yelled, as the Agent ripped off a nearby tree branch, forming it into a stake. Dracul made one last move, slamming the Agent in the jaw. The Agent registered no emotion, and staked Dracul in the heart. Dracul fell backwards onto his back, gasping. The Agent took the other part of the branch, and sliced Dracul's head off. It bounced away, as the Agent pulled out gasoline from within his suit. He poured it over the body, and then hurled the container away. He then pulled out a matchbox, and lit one match. He placed the matchbox back within his suit pocket, and then casually flipped the match onto Dracul's body. The body engulfed in fire, and the Agent began to walk off. He kicked Dracul's head into the Thames, and was gone.

The Executive was desperately trying to prevent the fatal bite. He fought against the jaw of the wolf with all of his strength, his orange gloves flickering from the effort. Then, he managed it. He snapped the wolf's jaw back, making a loud snapping noise. It howled in agony, a twisted howl at that. The Executive pushed the wolf off, and got up. The Wolf sprang to it's feet, and slashed at the Executive. The Executive swiftly dodged, and formed an orange holographic spear. He slammed the spear into the Wolf's heart. He then pierced it into the ground, pinning the Wolf there. The Wolf twitched and jerked about, as it slowly died. The Executive walked off, mission completed.

The Judge was quickly trying to find a way to survive. He was slowly sinking into the sand, and would soon be dead. He formed an idea. He sent a tentacle flying and grabbed Ahken Rada's staff. He pulled with all of his strength. Ahken Rada pulled back, trying to stop him. The struggle continued, as the Judge slowly sank into the sand. Then, the Judge was able to wrest the staff from Ahken Rada's hands, and pulled it under the sand as the Judge went below the surface. There was a silence, as Ahken Rada stood looking down into the sand. Then the Judge burst from the ground, as it had become regular dirt once more. Ahken Rada attempted to defend himself, but he was slammed with tentacles. He was pummeled by tons of the Judge's tentacles, when one wrapped around his neck. The Judge detached that one, and sent it around a tree. Slowly, Ahken Rada began to hang. The Judge stood for a few moments, until at last, Ahken Rada breathed no more. The Judge hurled Ahken Rada's staff to the ground, and walked away.

Elsewhere, the Executioner was bringing his axe down for a fatal blow. The Fish Man swiftly slashed at the Executioner's hand, cutting it off. The Executioner dropped the axe in pain, but showed no pain upon his face. The Fish Man leapt up, and slashed across the Executioner's throat, causing blood to spurt everywhere. The Fish Man put what looked like a smile upon it's face, and opened it's jaw to tear off the Executioners' head. As the Fish Man went down, the Executioner rammed a knife into the Fish Man's mouth with his other hand. The knife went through the Fish Man's bottom jaw up into it's upper jaw. It stumbled backwards, trying to make noises of pain, but unable. It continued backwards, and then collapsed falling into the River Thames. The Executioner slowly got to his feet, holding his hand to his bleeding neck. He began to limp away, suffering from heavy blood loss.

Bart grinned as he crushed the Banker's neck. The Banker backhanded a metal ball, which bounced off a rock, onto the street, which then hit a flagpole, followed by slamming into a tree, rebounding into Bart's skull. Bart cried out, and dropped the Banker. He put his hand behind his head, and pulled the ball from his skull, which was covered in blood. He yelled, and then hurled the ball at the Banker. It slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He fell backwards, as Bart walked forward fists raised. The Banker hurled a ball somewhere, as Bart approached the fallen Banker. He slowly walked, and eventually reached the Banker. he raised his fists up, about to slam the Banker's head in. Then a loud cracking sound could be heard. Bart turned around to see a tree crack, with a metal ball lodged into the center. The tree fell down upon Bart smashing him underneath, as the Banker rolled out of the way just in time. The Banker got to his feet, and adjusted his tie. He slowly began to walk away.

The Five met up, their suits tattered and covered in blood. The Executioner was close to death. The Executive spoke.

"The battle has moved away from London. And so must we."

The Five walked away, disappearing into mist.

[Warhaven]

Dream World:

Shadow One laughed.

"And what, pray tell, are you attacking? An immaterial shadow? Will you next attack a beam of light because it frightens you? You are a fool, and your future is an unhappy one, to be kept as a rich woman's pet. Beware her brother inlaw, Vlad serves us as The Deadly Sin of Wrath, his fiancee serves us as The Deadly Sin of Lust. Touch either his sister, or his fiancee, and Vlad will rip you limb from limb. Fitting, considering the historical records kept by The Collective." Shadow One said laughing as Garrent continued working on Elena.

Lucas was almost free. Shadow One considered expending more power to keep him under control, but the spread of knowledge would be far more beneficial, so he refrained. This last spar should be enough...

[Albertasby]

Melody

Who did the attacker think she was? Elizabeth? But before she could do anything, she did exactly as Annette had told her; keeping her eyes and ears covered whilst she unleashed her fear enduing powers. It was then that she heard Annette give her instructions to run. She looked at the inquisitor. Was she being serious?

"Annette, I can't leave you! No, I will stand by your side and fight with you. After all, you have saved me twice and I have heard so many stories about you from my mother. It would be an honour to fight alongside you!" She turned to face the two attackers. She pitied them, for they would be in trouble...

Snowflake

Her tone became hushed. "Ansed, I am not going to hand myself in. Its a bargaining tool to make Charles help us. As soon as I find Melody, I'm taking her and running, whether you come or not is up to you. Listen to me, your daughter needs you and Rome does not."

Turning to Charles, she stared right at him. "We ready to go then?"

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Cain felt the fear, grasping him. He heard Harold tell him to fight the fear, as a shaded figure approached him. The closer the figure got, the harder it was to fight it. Cain could now make out the figure, and that wasn't helping. Standing before him was Priest, holding his cross knife, and all Cain could do was stand there.


"Stop! Make it stop!" He whimpered.

[Jedi8246]

Dublin, Ireland
Dugal and the other troops landed down in the dark of night. Almost immediately, the British army began to fortify the postion in Dublin. Dugal headed to central command, where he found the other War Heads, to of whom were covered in grime from battle. So, they had all gotten away alive. Dugal approached the military heads. Commander Wikstrom turned to look at him.

"So Mr Cain, London has been lost. Care to explain?"

"Commander Wikstrom, you forget I am still your commanding officer. I'd watch my tongue."

"I DON"T GIVE A DAMN!!! MY beautiful city has fallen to Roman scum, and all you can DO IS WAVE YOUR AUTHORITY OVER ME!!"

General Simmons spoke.

"Commander Wikstrom calm down! There was nothing any of us could do! If you had entered battle, you would have realized that the Roman weapons got a power increase during the fighting. It took all of our might just to take down one soldier. We are lucky we were able to flee with as many men as we did. Now shut up!"

Commander Wikstrom was rendered speechless. He simply crossed his arms and looked away.

Dugal began to lay out a plan.

"The Romans are not going to spend lots of time in London. They will move onto another city in no time. As it is, Dublin is a likely next target, as it would probably completely demoralize the men for this city to fall. However, we can not rule out other cities as targets. Which is way the four of us are going to have to guard individual cities, until such point that the Romans have made a clear target. They will likely strike by dawn. I shall defend Dublin, Daneton shall lead Cardiff's defense, Simmons shall lead Edinburgh's defense, and Wikstrom shall lead Belfast's defense. You should head there now and begin to fortify the cities. Any questions? No? Alright move out."

The army heads saluted and moved off, although Wikstrom only did so grudgingly. Dugal then began to head down to the Bunker, as he needed to talk with the Prime Minister.

---

Dream World
Lucas shouted in frustration as his attack did nothing. As the Shadow talked, he only looked in anger.

"You are the fool. I will beat any servant of yours and destroy all of you!! Let Vlad come!"

Lucas shouted, trying to break his mind from this hell-hole. He could still hear his mothers screams, and Garrent's laughs of glee. Lucas shouted in extreme anger, and his eyes became aglow with electricity. He yelled as his body blasted electricity in all directions, lighting up the landscape.

"BEGONE SHADOW!!"

[Agadar]

Parliament bunkers beneath Westminster Palace
"God damn it Annette, I don't want to fight! We've known eachother for years! Stop it!" Harold shouted. Annette hesitated for a moment. Indeed she had been friends with Harold for many years, but this friendship had been broken when Annette went rogue. Still, she had always been able to trust Harold, and thus she deactivated her superpower. Harold immediately gasped for air as he was released from the horrors. Drops of sweat were falling down his chin. "Cain, do NOT engage her," he said while panting. When he had regained his breath, Annette frowned and asked: "What do you want, Harold?" She was still holding onto her bayonets. She knew she could trust Harold, but she wasn't all that sure about the other inquisitor, who she didn't know and who had so eagerly and violently engaged her and Melody.

Harold stood upright. "I don't want anything. We've failed in our mission to assassinate the British prime minister. My colleague and I have no reason to fight you. We'll be taking our leave." He turned around and motioned for Cain to follow as he began to walk away. Just before leaving the room, he turned around once more and looked at Annette. "Don't worry about Sebastian and the others. It'll take more than an explosion and some rubble to kill them. It was good seeing you, Annette." He then began walking away again, when his communicator received a call. Harold stopped in his tracks and answered it. Annette watched from a distance. "Hello, Payne. This is Montego. It appears you have failed me. But that is not why I am calling. You and Roseblood are hereby assigned a new mission. Find Melody Booth, the daughter of lord Booth, and bring her to Rome. I'll see you soon." The call was disconnected, and Harold turned around and looked at Melody. He then looked at Annette. "I've been ordered to take miss Booth to Rome. Whether she will be coming along peacefully will be up to you."

Parliament bunkers in Dublin
"I'm sorry, prime minister, but I have been given explicit orders from captain Fedorov to stay with you at all times," Karl replied to Daemon's request to teleport back and save Melody. "I beg of you to understand. I too would much rather be there with my colleagues, but I have no choice. We inquisitors would rather die than disobey our superiors."

Dublin, Ireland
While Dugal was heading down the parliament bunkers, a great white owl suddenly landed on his shoulder. It was Bardarus Bismarck. "Dugal, Melody is still in London. The majority of Sebastian's team including himself are also still down there. We have to get them out. Can you contact Karl Bachmeier? He should be able to get us back down there."

Rome
"I am not going with you. I trust lord Booth will ensure that you shall uphold your promise," Charles said as he looked intensely at Ansed, who looked back angrily. With that one sentence, Charles had ensured that Ansed would have to make a choice: either he would turn in his wife, or he would be branded a traitor by allowing her to escape. Charles smiled lightly. He enjoyed toying around with the guilty. "Let's go," Ansed said to Snowflake, after which they began to walk away.

Several minutes later, the Booths were on route to the war-torn London to search for Melody. They would be arriving on the deck of the flying flagship God's Hammer, where they would be greeted by Alexander Theosus, who had been informed of their intentions.

[Jedi8246]

Bunkers Beneath Dublin
Daemon grew quickly annoyed at the Roman. His eyes narrowed with a look of malice.

"Understand something, Mr Bachmeier. I am British Prime Minister Hugh Anderson. You are a renegade Roman who has the privilege of being allowed to join us British against the traitors in your country. While you work with us, I am your superior. My authority supersedes your commander. Now, go and get Melody Booth!"

His voice raised only slightly, but one could feel the emotion behind his words. It was like a tidal wave of force in the air. At that moment, the bunker doors opened and Dugal Cain walked in with a white owl upon his shoulder. He approached Daemon, who turned to look at him.

"Well Mr Cain, what a surprise. The hero comes to report a loss. But I don't have time right now. I am dealing with disobedience."

"Mr Anderson, if I may. Bismarck here reports that most of the Roman Inquisition team and Melody Booth are still stuck in London. If I may sir, I would like Karl to take me there to rescue them."

Daemon chuckled and looked over at Karl.

"You see Mr Bachmeier? Even your precious Pope wants you to go get them. Take Dugal and go rescue them."

With that, he walked off to speak to some other British government officials. Dugal turned to Karl.

"What did you do to make him that mad?"

Dugal had been around Hugh Anderson long enough to know when he was mad. He never expressed his anger outright, but had this quite fury that was far worse.

"Anyway, we should get going."

[Albertasby]

Melody

She watched as the conversation between Harold and Annette unfolded, ending seemingly well for the pair. It was when he returned, Melody knew something wrong. His words seemed to echo in her ears. What would she do?

She turned to Annette. "Annette, what do I do? I have to fight them, but there is no way I can do it on my own. What do you say? Shall we stand united?" She prayed that Annette would side with her. A million and one questions began to race through her mind. Why would she be wanted in Rome? They had both her parents, so what could they possibly want with her?

As she watched the scene, she realised something. Maybe they had discovered her mother and needed her for a punishment? Maybe her father wanted to flee? All these ideas floated through her head, all with one common ending; an execution by Rome. She would fight, and fight for her life...

Snowflake

She smiled as she boarded the flying ship. Finally, Rome were doing something she actually approved of. Although she should have hated him, Alexander had become quiet good friends with her, and undoubtedly he would be kind to them whilst they were on the ship.

The closer it got to London, the more Snowflake began to think about her daughter. Her long ginger hair, her striking eyes; she was so similar to Snowflake's mother. She longed for her daughter to be back by her side... Little did she know, she wasn't the only one heading for Melody...

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Cain caught his breath as Annette's power released. He began to walk away, after the conflict had seemingly been resolved. He stopped as Payne's com rang. Apparently they were to bring the Booth girl to Roma. He knew Iscariot, and if he wanted Melody dead, they would be instructed to execute he immediately. He heard the girl pleading for Annette to help her, and he knew that if they engaged in a fight, Payne wouldn't hesitate to beat Melody to near death, and Cain wasn't sure he wanted that.

Cain brought the girls mind into focus.

Melody, we won't hurt you. Please come with us. He pleaded in her mind. He didn't want to have to fight this one, and he never wanted to be subject to Annette's power again.

[Agadar]

Bunkers Beneath London
"Annette, what do I do? I have to fight them, but there is no way I can do it on my own. What do you say? Shall we stand united?" Melody asked Annette, who increased the grip on her bayonets. While her eyes were still fixated on Harold and Cain, she replied: "I will not let them take you away. God knows what they will do to you." She then addressed Harold. "What do you need her for?" she asked. Harold sighed uncomfortably. He knew that Annette was a stubborn woman and that he would have no choice but to fight her again, something he disliked. Not because of her fearsome power, but because he still cared for her as a friend. "I don't know, Annette. I wasn't told anything. I'm just following orders. Now please, let Melody come with us. Her father is a top ranking official. I'm sure no harm will be done to her." There was a moment of silence. Tension was in the air. Then suddenly, a bright flash appeared just a few meters away from the two duos, and several people appeared out of thin air: Dugal Cain, with on his shoulder a great white owl, and the rogue inquisitors Karl Bachmeier and Helena Middleton. For several seconds, the three groups just stared at one another, unsure what move to make.

On the deck of God's Hammer
"It's been too long," Alexander Theosus said with a friendly smile on his face as he shook hands with Ansed, who had just gotten out of a small plane. "It's unfortunate that we gather under such dire circumstances." The two men watched as Snowflake got out of the aircraft as well. "Ah, if it isn't the beautiful lady Booth!" Alexander proclaimed with a flirting tone, after which he took her hand and kissed it. Ansed smirked at his friend's playful behavior. However, there was no time to be joyful. Melody was in trouble. Alexander realized this, and quickly became more serious. "I have been informed that two inquisitors have been ordered to collect the young lady from the -now abandoned- underground complex beneath the Palace of Westminster. Knowing the reputation of the inquisition, it is without a doubt that they will find her. Of course, I have also prepared a stealth aircraft should you wish to head to the bunkers in person. What would you like to do?" Ansed look Snowflake in her eyes. Both of them wanted the same thing. "Please take us to the aircraft, Alex. We'd like to go there ourselves." Alexander nodded. "This way."

[Warhaven]

Dream World
Lucas shouted in frustration as his attack did nothing. As the Shadow talked, he only looked in anger.

"You are the fool. I will beat any servant of yours and destroy all of you!! Let Vlad come!"

Lucas shouted, trying to break his mind from this hell-hole. He could still hear his mothers screams, and Garrent's laughs of glee. Lucas shouted in extreme anger, and his eyes became aglow with electricity. He yelled as his body blasted electricity in all directions, lighting up the landscape.

"BEGONE SHADOW!!"

And with that, he was gone. He was free, back in the real world, back with Cat. He had appeared with a burst of lightning.

The Ministry appeared next to him.

"Very good Lucas. You have a strong mind indeed, to free yourself from us. But, you can't stay awake forever, you have to sleep sooner or later, and we WILL be waiting for you." Shadow One said.

The ministry melted into the floor, disappearing as Shadow One spoke. Once they were inside, a hideous evil laugh filled the air, echoing around them, fading as it went. Then, nothing. The Ministry was gone.

They weren't a disease. Dreams could not appear in the waking world. The Ministry of Shadow was a real entity...

[LoL island]

Berlin, Germany



Louis was wearing his finest suit this day, for he was going to speak to an old ‘colleague’ of his, Führer Friedrich Bach. Though he had tried to spend his favors on coxing the generals of Land, Sea, and Air to war, they refused to budge. A long standing feud with the Scandinavians make them unwilling to cooperate, well, unwilling to go though such efforts to skirt by the Führer’s gaze AND help their rivals.

So Louis was going to the source, if he could win the Führer’s support, Louis was golden. Louis approached the Government house of New Germany, and was rather impressed. New Germany had been hurting for a while but they were able to mostly reconstruct the famous architecture of the Reichstag very nicely.

Louis walked in the building an immediately was swarmed by cameras and talking heads; this had been one of his only public appearances in quite some time and everyone wanted the inside scoop. Louis made his excuses and after a few minutes was finally able to strong arm his way into main hall where the various ministers and representatives normally talked about legislation, free from the praying eyes of the press.

As he walked into the room, everything went silent. All eyes were focusing on Louis, his footsteps sounded heavier than before, each clomp echoing throughout the room. Louis met up with his podium, and found himself surrounded by the 16 divisions of his government, but in front was the Führer, who looked over all. The attention was both flattering and unsettling for Louis, for while he liked having at least one finger in all the pies, he did this near always in the shadows, not in the direct sunlight. He felt trapped in this circle, and it was a feeling he despised.

Clearing his throat, Louis began, “Ladies and Gentlemen of this court, I have been contacted by his Highness of the East, the Emperor of Japan. He requests our immediate aid in the repelling of the Roman War machine. I believe it is imperative we answer this call to arms an-”

Louis was cut off by the Minister of Homeland Security, who rose from his chair and began to speak “Louis, allow me to make something crystal for you, the only reason we take a blind eye to the criminal activities of your cult is because of the great good you have done for us as a nation, the same goes with that little Monopoly you have been working on. DO NOT, confuse this with us agreeing with your actions and we are your own personal army. We are not, for all we know you are merely trying to make us go on a wild goose chase so you can have the nation unprotected from threats!”

Louis fumed at that, but just as he was going to retort, up came the Minister of State who added “and why would the Emperor contact YOU and not the government first? Your story is a-“quickly other Ministers jumped up and made their retorts and it quickly dissolved into a large argument when Louis, having quite enough of this, snapped at the Ministers

“BE QUIET YOU STUPID MOFS! IT MATTERS NOT HOW OR WHY THEY CONTACTED ME, ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE MESSAGE!” Louis roared, cutting off all argument in the room, “WE ARE THIRD FROM THE BOTTOM IN TERMS OF TECNOLOGY, WE HAVE BARLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF WHAT THE 21ST CENTERY MUST OFFER. He is not only offering becoming allies, but possibly even making a trade route, do you know what this means? We can become up on the world stage once more! We can finally recover the pieces from the crippling looting which took place here after.”

The Minister of Defense was about to speak again but Louis cut him off once more “I AM NOT DONE… if we do not aid the Japanese, we must be mindful that the Romans are literally on our door step, if they take Britain? They can just come up the back and we will be completely surrounded. END THIS NUTRALITY, we cannot allow to fail Japan after all they had done for us in the past, now it is our turn to repay the favor”

The room remained in silence a bit longer, no one had dared speak to a legislator like that before, most were shocked that Louis had played such a risky card to begin with, but after the collective shock they went back to arguing the fact of the matter when a heavy gavel hit the table three times. Up came the Führer from his perch, he was wearing a gray suit and sported a near bald head but flowing beard, which he stroke as he thought. “Saint Evans and I have known each or for a long time… sense I took office 27 years ago… we have never agreed on much, but I have never doubted his intentions were sound in nature. But for once I must agree with him, New Germany has gone soft in its pitiful neutrality, so I decree, New Germany is at WAR with the Roman forces, and shale agree to the terms set by the people of Japan, we simply need contact information”

with this victory, Louis smiled a wide and near devilish grin, finally content that his plan is coming to pass

[Albertasby]

Heading Into the Bunkers beneath Westminster

Snowflake followed Ansed and Alex towards where the aircraft was. "You coming on board?" she asked him. Was she really trusting him; an ally of Rome? This was totally out of character for her, but there was something about the lion man that made him trustworthy.

As she stared at the aircraft, she realised just how dangerous these bunkers could be. The fact they needed to use an aircraft to get down kind of told her something down there wasn't right. She just hoped that Melody was safe. If she wasn't Rome would pay!

Bunkers beneath Westminster

Inside her head, Melody heard Cain's message. Did he really think she was that stupid? Telling her they wouldn't harm her! This was Rome, not some charity that helped people. She sighed as the tension began to grow.

As she readied herself for a fight with the pair, Dugal and two inquisitors materialised onto the scene. Everyone in the room remained in silence, unsure as to what to do or say. Melody broke the silence. "So, I'm wanted in Rome. Well, I'm afraid I'm not going. The only possible reason I would want to go to Rome is because my mother and father work there, and if they wanted to see me, they sure as hell would!"

[The Alice in Wondeland]

Heading Into the Bunkers beneath Westminster

Snowflake followed Ansed and Alex towards where the aircraft was. "You coming on board?" she asked him. Was she really trusting him; an ally of Rome? This was totally out of character for her, but there was something about the lion man that made him trustworthy.

As she stared at the aircraft, she realised just how dangerous these bunkers could be. The fact they needed to use an aircraft to get down kind of told her something down there wasn't right. She just hoped that Melody was safe. If she wasn't Rome would pay!

Bunkers beneath Westminster

Inside her head, Melody heard Cain's message. Did he really think she was that stupid? Telling her they wouldn't harm her! This was Rome, not some charity that helped people. She sighed as the tension began to grow.

As she readied herself for a fight with the pair, Dugal and two inquisitors materialised onto the scene. Everyone in the room remained in silence, unsure as to what to do or say. Melody broke the silence. "So, I'm wanted in Rome. Well, I'm afraid I'm not going. The only possible reason I would want to go to Rome is because my mother and father work there, and if they wanted to see me, they sure as hell would!"

Cain froze as three Roman enemies appeared. Cain took an attacking stance. He didn't want to experience Annette's power again, and he had trained in sightless conditions before. He brought everyone's minds into focus. He would be able to sense their location now, even in a battle. Should a conflict break out, all he would do is close his eyes, and fight.

He conjured a scythe, and pointed it at Dugal's group.

"True as that may be, I will not hurt her. You, are a different story."

[Agadar]

On the deck of God's Hammer
Ansed answered Snowflake's question before Alexander could. "There's no need, I'm sure we can handle it with just the two of us," he said. He didn't want to have to drag his friend along, even though Alexander would gladly join them. He then got on board of the stealth aircraft. Snowflake followed. "Alright. I'll stay in touch with the pilot until you have returned. Good luck," Alexander said, after which he closed the plane's hatch. Ansed and Snowflake took a seat. "Welcome aboard, lord Booth, mylady," the pilot said as he looked over his shoulder and saluted. "ETA is two minutes. It's going to be a quick ride." The aircraft then began to take off vertically. When it had reached a height of ten meters above the deck of the aircraft carrier, it activated its stealth mode, making it completely invisible. The engines ignited, after which the aircraft took off towards the ground beneath them: the burning ruins of London. Alexander watched the plane go.

Just a short while later, the aircraft landed near Westminster Palace, which had been almost completely destroyed by the crusaders. Several members of the Crusader Corps were at the entrance, greeting the concerned parents. When the hatch of the stealthcraft opened and Ansed and Snowflake got out, they were immediately approached by the commanding officer. "Lord Booth, we have secured the entrance to the underground complex. However, we haven't gone in yet. From what the scans are telling me, several major parts of the complex have collapsed and several more are about to. It's extremely dangerous." Ansed faced Snowflake and touched her cheek with his hand. "I'll go in alone, mon amour. Wait here." He then began walking towards the entrance of the underground complex.

OoC: Waiting for Jedi to be able to respond to having been teleported to the intense situation taking place inside of the complex before I make a post about that.

[LoL island]

The North Sea, near Old Norway

Admiral Hitchings stood on the deck of the SAN Himmelen, the Scandinavian Flagship, he loved the feeling of the sea on his skin, feeling it once more made him urn for the days when he worked as Seamen once more, and not as the old paper pusher he has been ‘Promoted’ to… some promotion, he thought. While he was honored to of gone this far the more he was promoted the more detached he became with battle, which is something he despised.

A Crewmen ran up to him with papers, saluting he gave them to the Admiral and began to explain what they were “Sir! We just got word from Admiral Juel, He and the other fleets are all on standby, we are waiting for your command”

Admiral Hitchings thought it over and replied “and I am waiting for the Emperor of Japan, I shale send forth the fleets when I get word”. With that the crewmen ran to the coms to relay the messege, as the Admiral went back to staring out at sea, he thought once more, as he thought long ago “I can’t believe I can live to see this day…”

[Agadar]

OoC: Just a post to kill time until Jedi makes a post.

Fourteen ago in a research facility of the Vatican Institute for Scientific Research, somewhere in Rome
"He's up to something, Bismarck. And I intend to find out what it is." These were the words of Max Morton, the lord high inquisitor of the Roman empire. Morton had been suspicious of cardinal Dacarus Bartolt for some time. The cardinal had been meeting Oberus Janner on a daily basis now, the head of the Vatican Institute for Scientific Research and whose intellect was only surpassed by his own ruthlessness. In fact, there were even rumors going on that he had worked together with Mentar and Omega Nasagori in the past, and possible was still involved with the Collective. The reason why these rumors existed was because Janner's latest works had produced artifacts unlike anything the world had ever seen before, except on one occasion: during the war with the Collective six years earlier. Perfect invisibility technologies and incredibly powerful energy-weapons were just two of his inventions. But it was said that he had begun producing something far beyond, far better than those two. A weapon so powerful yet so easily mass-produced that it would instantly make Rome the most powerful nation on earth. The unsettling thing about this research was not the supposed power of these new weapons, but the fact that it had not been pope Bismarck who had ordered Janner to research those weapons, but Dacarus Bartolt.

To be continued...