Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

[Zarkenis Ultima]

October 31st

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Before too long, the fourth member of their little group arrived... dressed in a strawberry costume no less. Despite having just burst into laughter at Ash's costume and the way she frightened Mika, Astrid couldn't help herself and went into another laughing fit, clutching at her stomach while trying in vain to calm herself before the other girl took offense. Taking deep breaths, she managed to slow down after a while, but an amused smile remained on her face.

"Oh my god, this is the best Halloween." She spoke while blowing air through her nose. "Also, Hero Rumble is a much better franchise than League Fight."

Afterwards, Astrid turned her attention back to Mika, the one person that seemed interested in leading the group that night in spite of her limited planning capabilities. She wanted someone to go check if there was an easy way into the school, as unlikely as that was, and unfortunately as she was privy to her little secret, Astrid was the one chosen for the task. The girl in the black dress sighed at those words.

"The fact that I can stay out of the cameras doesn't mean you three can, you know?" She said. "But hey, have it your way, I'll go take a quick stroll around the campus." She added before deftly climbing over the metal gate that was the sole opening in the brick wall that surrounded the school. Dropping down on the other side, she wandered into the school grounds, headed to the back in search of an opening she already knew she wouldn't find.

After a wait of several minutes, she returned, spotting the girls before they could spot her and waiting until they were distracted before teleporting to the top of the wall to avoid the effort of climbing up again. With that done, she cleared her throat to call their attention.

"Every door and window back there is locked and there's cameras looking over the entire perimeter of the school, so this is a terrible idea." She explained. "If anything, we should raid a costume shop instead. Maybe we'll find something for these two." She said glancing at Ash and Ava.

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November 14th

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It only took a minute or two for Kirisvala to make her way back to her room and find Casimir's gift after leaving the party. It was a large, leather-bound tome with images of critters that didn't exist on Earth. These weren't visible just yet, however, as the whole book was covered in gift wrapping, complete with a small ribbon on top. Grinning to herself, Kiris quickly made her way back to the living room, making a beeline towards Casimir, who hadn't left with the shorter Angelica yet. Once she was in front of him, she offered him the book with a bright smile on her face.

"Here ya go, Casi!" The alien girl spoke. "It's the Book of All Things That Crawl, Slither and Lurk, by the sage Rianlande az Myramel. I thought ya might like it, since ya like bugs so much." She explained. "It was a pain to find it translated, though." She added with a little laugh.

After handing him the book, she turned around to look at the table with the gifts in case anyone else had delivered theirs - some people like Whitney had only just arrived after all - and as she did so, she noticed the presence of someone she had completely missed when she had entered the room.

"Roy! I missed ya!" Kiris shouted as she ran over to the team's former leader and pulled him into a warm hug. After the months she had spent away from Earth she had grown to miss her squad and the Young Bloods as a whole, and Roy was no exception. Adding to that the fact that he had left the team on the day she returned, before she could even say hello or goodbye to him, it was no wonder that she was happy to see him at last.

Precisely because of the way he had left, however, her joy was short-lived, and after a moment she backed away and looked at him with a frown. "I don't know why ya left the team, but it wasn't very nice of ya to leave without so much as a word when I'd just come back..."

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November 19th

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The first thing that Casimir said upon noticing Icarus and Renata's presence was to mention they were burying Wyatt under the sand. The blond boy blinked and looked at his friend with confusion for a moment, but, far from questioning the whole thing, he simply shrugged and produced two electric constructs in the shape of a pair of spades. However, before the two could get to work on burying the Dra'Qunni, Casimir's girlfriend showed up.

"Hey Viviana." Icarus greeted her. Casimir went on to explain what they were doing to the brunette, but instead of showing any interest, she quickly came up with an alternative activity: a swimming competition, with burial under the sand as the punishment for the last place.

"That's a little-" The young hero began, only to be interrupted by his girlfriend as she promptly responded to the challenge by signing him up for it, claiming that he would handily beat both Casimir and Wyatt. He was fairly confident in his swimming skills of course, but even then...

"Renata, don't just accept on my behalf." The blond boy spoke with a sigh, shaking his head before looking at Casimir and Viviana. "But I suppose there's no harm in participating. I'll warn you though, I'm no slouch when it comes to swimming. I've been doing it all my life, even back in Diluvia."

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Kiris took the magazine that Shi handed her with a little apprehension, handling it with care to avoid tearing it accidentally, though she quickly noticed that the paper seemed more durable than that used in a regular book or notepad. That made her feel more confident about it and she began leafing through the magazine, staring in wonder at the models and the clothes they wore. There were plenty of superficial similarities between the type of clothing that humans and Hadrians wore regularly, but the world of human high fashion was something completely new to the alien girl.

As she looked through the pictures, she heard Shi address her once again and looked up from the magazine. "Huh? Oh... um, not really, I wasn't plannin' on playin' with the others, I was just hangin' out with Mars for a bit." She explained. "I guess I could join in and play, but I'm not sure what the rules are. We have a sport in Adai that looks a little like this volleyball, but there you earn points by bonkin' the other person on the head with the ball so I don't think the rules are the same." She explained with a little laugh.

[The Republic of Atria]

At first he was fine with being buried by Casimir, however several others approached as Viv brought up the idea of a swimming race, with the loser being sentenced to being buried. It did sound pretty fun. He hadn't gone swimming in months because of the cooler weather, so the chance wasn't lost on him. Plus, he had a fairly large tail, which would definitely give him a decent edge in terms of speed. "Count me in." He spoke up. "Always down for a good swim, and even more happy to race. Also, it's nice to meet you... Icarus, right?" He said. "I've seen you around but I don't think we've properly met."

He instictively went to grab his shoulder, quickly remembered that was the wrong greeting, and offered to shake his hand instead.

[Tomia]

At the Party
Roy watched a little hesitantly as Kiris ran towards him but couldn't help but smile. He had genuinely missed her enthusiastic attitude and welcoming smile. He hugged her back, allowing himself to feel a little good about being back at the tower. However that moment passed quickly as Kiris' expression darkened as she pulled away from the hug. He felt guilty about what she was saying, but he had to hold firm. He didn't want to get sucked back into the team.

"I'm sorry... It was complicated. That wasn't how I wanted to leave. But I'm doing what I think is best, I promise. For what its worth, I miss you. I miss all of you."

"Roy, you can still come back. It's not too..." Mars started to try to persuade him but he was cut off.

"No Mars, I can't. Not yet at least. If you insist on putting yourselves in danger, then I have to do what I can to keep you out of it." Mars opened his mouth to speak but a look from Roy stopped him. The older boy then turned back to Kiris. "I just came by to wish you a happy birthday. I gave Mars a card for you, but there's something else I want you to have." He pulled out an older looking cell phone. "I've kind of gone off the grid, but if you need me you can use this phone to contact me. The number is inside. Just make sure you ditch it after you use it."

The Beach
It seemed that the interest in Volleyball wasn't particularly high, with Kiris not even knowing what the sport was. He found himself chuckling at her comment about the sport just before he overheard a nearby Viv suggest a swim race. "Well we could join the others instead maybe? Swimming sounds pretty fun. I also wouldn't mind building a sand castle or maybe a sand sports arena..."

[Galnius]

Angelica Dalin

Whitney, Casi, and Viv

Before Casimir or Viviana had a chance to respond, Angelica heard a very familiar voice approach her from behind. With her nerves already high due to the uncomfortable position of talking to new, slightly intimidating people, the surprise made her flinch and regain some of the blush she has lost on her way over. Whitney, it appeared, had taken notice of this, and asked if Angelica was okay in the most painfully sincere way. If there was an option to crawl under a table and die, Angelica felt she would do so in a heartbeat. However, regardless of how mortified she felt, this was a celebration of two people's lives, and she couldn't very well die in the middle of it. It would be rude, and unpleasant.

Still, the embarrassment of it all reduced Angelica to stammers. Articulation went out the window, and when Casimir (and Viviana, mostly Viviana) agreed to go over to the presents to give Casimir his, Angelica feared that she wouldn't be capable of showing him which one it was. Still, she at least managed to walk him over to it, and once the words started flowing again they burst forth like a river freed from a dam.

"It's, uh, the rectangular one. Umm, bug. There, see? It's there the table, um, the one with the bug wrapping. It took a whole roll of it but I know you like bugs and i didn't really know what to get for a present so i kind of just got it used but it should run fine and it'sokayifit'sbadicanreturnitifyoudon'tlikeitohgodi'mrambling i'msosorryi'mjustgonna..

Angelica forced herself to stop talking immediately and retreated back to her previous position with her head buried in her hands, leaving Casimir with the wrapped up arcade game. "Oh my god I just made everything so much worse. Umm, Viviana? If Casimir needs help with his present, umm, I'm not very strong, but I can try. I'm sorry for making it awkward for him. "

[North America Inc]

-Previously-

-Previously on the flashback-

Lucilla 'Lucy' Giannini
Site Avalon
8:00 A.M.

Lucy finished getting dressed just as the technician walked out, the hallways crowded with workers and scientists going about their morning routine. Though she had been through this more times than she could reasonably remember, they were always vague and cryptic. A few snippets of information but most of their observations about her were not her. Lucy shrugged her shoulders, a tacit acceptance, and walked out into the hallway toward the elevator. They hadn’t really planned out her day today, they would let her know if they had, instead she had the run of the place. Lucy had a little more spring in her step at the realization, getting lost on the island and just exploring the biomes was always a delight. Not that she was really ever lost, they could track just about everyone, but as long as she didn’t get into trouble they were usually lenient. But that didn’t temper her excitement, if anything, the safety net always gave her peace of mind.

The nominally clinical hallways of concrete and fluorescent lights had always come off as homely to the girl. She couldn’t even explain why, she knew how cold and imposing it was but after years of passing through the halls it had all melded into some semblance of a home. That’s what she told herself. Wearing a new jumpsuit that tapered around the waist, form fitting clothes a necessity for demigods, she turned the corner into another sea of medical white and militaristic black. While technicians were always dreadfully obtuse, a few of the lower ranks were a bit more open, happy to give her a nod and a smile; trying to get them to talk with her was another thing entirely.

At the end of the hallway was a large freight elevator, a grey metallic sheen with bright yellow decals. Nestling herself in the corner with her arms crossed, she was about to say her floor just as a figure stepped inside; its heavy set footsteps and pained breathing more than a little off putting. It just stood there in the center of the room. She was not in any actual danger, far from it, but it was always horrible to see the washouts. Return on investment was outright expected here, and those assets that failed to generate a profit were always salvaged. She stood there quietly looking down at the floor, unsure of what to even do right now. The figure was adorned in body armor and cybernetic enhancements, while the equipment hid most of it, an arm and both of it’s legs had been replaced with robotic components. It exhaled and inhaled loudly, a tangible, guttural whimper always at the end of each breath. It’s face veiled, a camouflage net and mask hiding its more insidious features. It turned its head and nodded. Lucy shifted uncomfortably for a moment, until she caught exactly what it was trying to gesture. “Elevator.” She spoke up. “Take me too to the Second floor. Authentication: L-17.”

It beeped in confirmation and headed upwards. The ride was more of the same: unbearable silence with a dash of existential dread. When the doors opened, it left as quickly as it entered.

After getting out she made her way to a place she knew well: the cafeteria. It was quiet and empty right between the Gen 4 and Gen 3s meal slots. Doing her best impression of cognitive dissonance, Lucy sauntered in with a smirk and skip. The workers and robots were just getting the area ready as she strolled up to the front. A middle aged man who worked that kitchen window smiled and asked, “Don’t you now eat with your little Meimei now? Who let you out early?”

“Mmm I actually broke out.” She joked as she handed a plate to him, “I’m just grabbing some food for the escape.”

Feigning surprise, he grabbed the plate and got to work making her food. Nothing fancier than usual, just a Salami filled, Oven-roast Omelet with Sun dried cherry tomatoes, basil, with a sprinkling of mozzarella. Handing it to her, he added, “Okay in that case I gave you a little more than usual.”

“No I can’t!” She played along, “I’m already so fat because of you.”

They waved each goodbye as she walked away towards the beverages, everything was on offer in a neatly placed pitcher, more offerings than she could reasonably choose from. Tapping her chin, she settled on some lemon water, even going so far as placing her own lime on the brim of the cup. Grabbing everything she needed, she walked out with her food toward the downstairs entry way. Compared to the concrete down below, the lobby was full of slick marble and ornate art pieces; she probably had gawked at each impressionist piece a hundred times when she was going through her art phase. The guards at the entrance flicked their wrists at her as she walked out into the luscious beauty of the outside island.

Avalon’s splendor was a tapestry of scientific acumen and artistic prowess. It took the Organization years to truly build what they had envisioned but the results spoke for themselves. The island and its surrounding neighbors terraformed to such precise specifications that each supported a unique biome; tundras next to deserts, the tropics growing side by side flatlands. She had only seen bits and pieces of each biome but each left their profound impression on her. These areas weren’t just visual spectacle, animals lived here, people worked here, and she grew up here. Settling herself on a nearby tree, only feet away from a cliff that gave way to a valley. Sipping her drink, the view never got old despite how many times she had seen it before.

Minutes passed as she finished her meal. A crumpled up napkin, a messy plate, and an empty cup right next to her as her head reclined back. The rhythm of the wind was almost hypnotic, she had this fixation on the minutiae of the valley. Lost in the percussion of the trees and grass swaying back and forth. Her shoes were off, her toes curled to feel the fauna right below her soles. It was almost ticklish. For all the trauma she had gone through, both aware and unaware, her lips still bore a slight semblance of a smile. She let go of all that, content in the moment.

An ever approaching flutter of feathers above her caught her attention, even more so when she realized just how close she was to it. A tiny bird landed right above her, resting on a thin twig of a connected tree branch. In the usual avian fashion, it heads twisted in quick spurts as it eyed the environment; jumpy, it nonetheless, stopped right there within arms reach. Her eyes brimmed with fascination, her mouth agape as she watched it eat right beside her. Besides how tiny it was, it had a bright green body, black feathers around its head, a matching peak, and bright red eyes. Bending its head down, the bird chipped away at another nearby branch suckling away the honeydew that laid right underneath. This went on for several minutes, the bird enjoying its meal as she watched. Tilting its head erratically, the bird noticed her below it; it stayed quiet staring back at the girl without doing a thing. For a moment she was sure her little feathered friend was going to fly. Instead it chirped. And then chirped some more. Those notes became a melody, a serenade for which she was the only guest.

The bird would occasionally stop before continuing; it was hoping for a partner that never came. She awkwardly scanned the lush forestry in front of her and heard nothing, no response. Her heart sank. It had lightened up her day and she couldn’t even do the same for it. Unless A grin grew on her face, going over in her head a million times how she would do it. Maybe a lower pitch? Just so it doesn’t scare him off. Criss Crossing her legs, right as the bird finished its song she opened her mouth triumphantly and… *Phwwwwwhht* Her eyes opened wide, instead of carrying a tune she carried spit. She tried to do it again, and again, only succeeding at a whistle on her fourth attempt.. But the bird had long since left, scared off by the noise.

“Well great job there Lucilla.” She banged her palm against her forehead, immensely irritated. She caught a glimpse of the bird flying off toward the ocean, the ever present smell of sea salt entering her purview. She had heard that some of these imported birds try to fly away from the island, thinking there’s something out there for them. They never really find it, instead they fly back here or die out there alone in a literal ocean of monotony. It disappeared past the horizon, despite her scouring the horizon, it disappeared into the void. She turned her head back to the valley, everything else right where she left it. But it felt cold, felt quiet. She shifted back and forth in her seat, looking for any crawling insects nearby to play with. Nothing. Her mind went back to that of the bird, a single thought lingering in her head. Please don’t leave me.

[Segral]

Whitney Alvord
October 26th

"Huh, that's kinda cute..." Whitney said, peering at the owl in question on the side of the mug. It really did move. Not by very much, but y'know...it was moving. She used to have a mug like that, only hers had been a bear, a black one. Or maybe it was gray? White? Yeah, definitely white. A polar bear, it had been a Christmas mug. When the mug was hot, the polar bear would start moving, and if you touched the sides with your bare hands while the polar bear was moving, you'd probably burn them. Maybe that was why the polar bear was there. Was that why the owl was there too? Probably not, she wasn't burning her hands right now. Must just be for decoration. It didn't even really have to be an owl, it could've been a canary, or a finch, or a woodpecker, or some other homely bird, but for some reason, it was an owl. Kind of weird, when you really thought about it.

In a second though, she was shaken out of her thoughts by Angelica, who was asking something about...Casimir. "What has he been...d-doing?" Whitney blearily mumbled, rubbing an eyelid with a stray finger in an obvious attempt to avoid letting them droop shut. "Casimir...has been...Casimir. He goes to the gym, and then he goes to the training field, and then he comes back from the gym, and then I kick his ass at Hero Rumble 6, and then Viv cheers him up after I kick his ass...pretty linear cycle. He would never step foot in here, I don't even think he knows what a book is..." she trailed off, eyelids finally touching the bags underneath and instead of shooting right back up, getting stuck there, only fluttering slightly to reveal slight flashes of white. She wanted to keep her head off of her chest, she wanted to keep her eyes open, but she was such a good pillow for herself, and the coffee was so warm...Jesus, it was so warm. The steam was right in her face too, and it smelled nice, like coffee...and the eclairs smelt nice too...

The owl mug, once clenched tightly in her right hand, had become loose and slack on the tabletop, dangerously threatening to tip over into her lap. She wasn't completely gone, but give it twenty seconds, and she'd be out like a light.

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Whitney Alvord
November 14th

Alright, maybe it wasn't the best idea to sneak up behind Angie. She didn't think it was that big of a deal, people snuck up from behind on other people all the time! She snuck up from behind on other people at all time! What was she supposed to do, announce her presence from the other side of the room? OK, maybe she should've read the room before she turned her friend into a quivering red-hot mess, and that did make her feel a little bit guilty, but...ugh, never mind. There wasn't any time to dwell on it. She seemed more interested in moving along with Viv and Casimir to grab the birthday boy's present. And the birthday boy was being a cunt about it. She had no idea what the hell Angie had brought to that living room, but if Angie had brought it to the room, she couldn't imagine it was that big or heavy. A high-power gravity press was all well and good, but a gift that was like 50 pounds tops was too much for the strongman? At least he finally caved, but clearly not because he cared about placating the nervous wreck in front of him, probably just so that his girlfriend wouldn't yell at him on his birthday.

Whatever. She'd make sure to kick his ass extra hard in Hero Rumble 6 later.

However, before she could even get to that, it seemed as if something else got lost in translation. While Angie was walking her troops to her present, a solidly built rectangular box that was a lot larger than Whitney had expected (how did she even get it up six floors?) covered in some oddly cute ant-printed wrapping paper, it seemed as if her troops had abandoned her due to a swarm and a gift from another set of visiting troops. The Hadrians, Kiris' family. A pleasant type when they were around, but not one she had run into a ton. It looked like a...mug, which was pretty considerate all things considered, but the consideration for Angie had seem to run dry, and left the girl completely by herself at the other end of the room. It was hard for Whitney not to instinctively wince when the realization dawned on Angie's face, and even moreso when she trudged back. She was drowning, and she needed a lifeline. Fast.

The shorter blonde was muttering something about helping Casimir with his gift, which Whitney took to mean "drag it over to him". She was only going to get more embarrassed if she struggled to move that box over. These two facts in combination were what prompted her to place the most reassuring hand possible on Angie's shoulder, and speak in the most gentle voice she could.

"You don't have to do it alone, I'll give you a hand." she said, doing her best to calm the other girl down. "It can't be that heavy anyways. It's what, 50, 75 pounds? Actually huh, that's uh...it's kind of big, but uh...I mean, it's probably doable with two sets of arms, right?"

[The Templar High Council]

November 14th

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It only took a minute or two for Kirisvala to make her way back to her room and find Casimir's gift after leaving the party. It was a large, leather-bound tome with images of critters that didn't exist on Earth. These weren't visible just yet, however, as the whole book was covered in gift wrapping, complete with a small ribbon on top. Grinning to herself, Kiris quickly made her way back to the living room, making a beeline towards Casimir, who hadn't left with the shorter Angelica yet. Once she was in front of him, she offered him the book with a bright smile on her face.

"Here ya go, Casi!" The alien girl spoke. "It's the Book of All Things That Crawl, Slither and Lurk, by the sage Rianlande az Myramel. I thought ya might like it, since ya like bugs so much." She explained. "It was a pain to find it translated, though." She added with a little laugh.

After handing him the book, she turned around to look at the table with the gifts in case anyone else had delivered theirs - some people like Whitney had only just arrived after all - and as she did so, she noticed the presence of someone she had completely missed when she had entered the room.

"Roy! I missed ya!" Kiris shouted as she ran over to the team's former leader and pulled him into a warm hug. After the months she had spent away from Earth she had grown to miss her squad and the Young Bloods as a whole, and Roy was no exception. Adding to that the fact that he had left the team on the day she returned, before she could even say hello or goodbye to him, it was no wonder that she was happy to see him at last.

Precisely because of the way he had left, however, her joy was short-lived, and after a moment she backed away and looked at him with a frown. "I don't know why ya left the team, but it wasn't very nice of ya to leave without so much as a word when I'd just come back..."

Zoe Foster - Impulse
Wonder Tower, San Diego
November 14th

Zoe paraded into the living room bearing gifts under both arms, and a smile stretched from ear to ear. "Hey guys! Hope I didn't miss the good stuff!?" She laughed as she waded through the crowd towards where the birthday boy and girl were seated, or at least were supposed to be. Under one arm, Zoe carried an enormous stuffed animal; and the other more gently held what looked to be a large, thin book. While Casimir was distracted by conversation and other gift-giving, Zoe slipped her way towards his unoccupied throne and slipped her gift into it; a massive plush beetle, easily serving as a beanbag chair rather than a pillow. She propped the bug up as if it were the guest of honor before sneaking away with her other gift.

Next, Zoe approached Kiris, whom she could see and hear through the crowd thanks to the Hadrian's recognizable features. She stuck her hand through the throng of people and pulled herself through to Kiris' side. "Happy birthday, Kiris. Got you something pretty sweet." She pulled out from under her arm a vinyl record in its illustrated cover. "This will either make for awesome music, or a cool decoration on your wall. Either way, I hope you like it." Zoe smiled proudly, unaware of the conversation she had just interjected herself into between Kiris, Mars, and Roy.

[North America Inc]

ft. The Nefarious Marionette and the Handsome Changeling!

Union Station, Los Angeles
October 31st, 2017
8:05 PM

“Los Angeles to Seattle to depart at 8:15. I repeat, LA to Seattle departs in ten minutes. Please have tickets out and visible.” The intercom shut off, the train conductor gripping the radio tight as he watched a few remaining passengers make their way inside the high speed train. The weather was an uncharacteristic bitter cold, a far cry from the usual days of dry sun. The wind only made it worse, it was frenetic and loud, howling through the structure as it blew every piece of trash from one track to the other. Most who boarded wore jackets of various sizes from poorly fitted college sweaters to form fitted coats. The conductor huffed into his gloves and nestled his arms around him, only ever moving his hands when he needed to scan. He was relatively experienced in this route, having ridden the High Speed Pacific Rail line for the better part of the year, so beyond the weather nothing else stood out. Attendance was slightly higher than usual for a weekday, especially overnight, but nothing that would ever arouse his curiosity. Just two month he dealt with a fully booked trip to Portland.

The sounds of heavy steps approaching from the stairs caught his attention, an overweight security guard with a poor comb over and a messy windbreaker gripped his shoulder from behind. “Did my walkthrough, nothing out of the ordinary. You want me to do the outside inspection or do you got it?” He said while scratching his scruffy beard.

“No, I think I can handle it.” The conductor replied as he grabbed his brim, pulling the hat down over his forehead.

“Hey you notice how many guys with, like, I don’t know, matching long suit coats are on here.” The guard wiped a smudge of chocolate away from the edges of his lips as the conductor stepped onto the platform.

“Overcoats you mean?”

“Yea, that’s the word. I mean, I know it’s cold. We just have a lot of overcoats on board. Thought that was odd, that’s all.”

“No ugh uh.” The conductor gestured his head back and forth, “Well I guess I can see what you mean.” The two fell silent, both anecdotally confirming their suspicions. The conductor was the first to offer an explanation, “I heard in the car that there is some business convention in Seattle later this week. Maybe that’s it.”


“Right right.” the guard nodded, ‘I wa…”

A large gust of wind muted the man, the conductor unintentionally speaking over him. “We get a lot of consultants and executives travelling in the First Class Traincars. I’m sure that’s it.” He looked down at his phone, he had to get started now or he’ll delay the departure time. He waved over to the man, and began walking parallel to the train. The guard shook his head at the explanation that had made sense to him. If he had given anymore thought, he would have asked himself why the men in black overcoats were not in the first class train cars but instead near the back, as close as they could be to the cargo sections.

The conductor’s faux-leather shoes clicked against the pavement, his eyes scoured for anything out of the ordinary. Usually it was some misplaced or forgotten bag, a homeless grifter, or the occasional stool. Downtown Los Angeles didn’t have the best track record with hygiene. He looked up at the white pristine train, sometimes it was easy to forget that he actually worked in something so magnificent. Everything becomes mundane with time. The train itself was a miracle in of itself, almost no one believed that high speed rail would ever work in California; it had been ridiculed and mocked by every radio personality in the state. Yet here it was, having expanded from its’ initial SoCal to Bay Area transit to now include the entirety of the West Coast.

Some kid came running out of the escalator barreling toward the train, parents not far behind. “No running near the tracks.” the conductor’s defiant voice stopped the kid dead in his tracks. The child skipped his way onto the train, just as the conductor passed the Business Classes, i.e. the poor saps about to sleep in an uncomfortable hard seat for the next ten hours. The platform around him was it’s typical poorly maintained self despite the amount of Halloween decorations lining the walls of the interior; the accustomed item that passed for decorations was a broken bottle or used needle. Reaching the outer ends of the train, he came to the cargo sections. In comparison to the all white fluorescent uniformity of the passenger sections, these were starkly black. He rubbed his elbows together as he circled back around, giving the cargo cars one last glare as he passed. Cargo was handled entirely by a different bureau, it was a rare sight for them to even be attached to these rail lines; it only ever happened when someone needed an expedient delivery from the Port of Los Angeles. Regardless, above his pay grade.

Just as he walked back to the first class train cars, the elevator beeped, catching the man’s attention. Three people inside, each remarkably distinct from each other. One wore another black overcoat, buttoned properly with a nice square jaw to match. He was a tall Asian man, had to be about early thirties, his demeanor a dead giveaway to his military history. The square jawed man stepped out, holding the doors open for the next two.

A middle aged woman pushed a man in a wheelchair out into the platform. She was rather short and a little chubby, more due to age than poor diet. Her hair was curly, a mishmash of black and brown though it was obviously dyed to cover up an ever growing amount of greys. Underneath her thick pants and jacket were the unmistakable blue tint of medical scrubs. “Here we go!” She said with an infantile tone, an obvious act for her patient.

Her patient himself was the poster child of decrepit, his thin measly frame and ghastly complexion made him more of a ghoul than human. He had more than his fair share of wrinkles, dark liver spots, and the random hair follicle. His dentures fooled no one, purely cosmetic given that he couldn’t eat most solids. An oxygen tank rested behind his wheelchair, the translucent wires running straight into his nose. His clothes were orderly and expensive, however hidden by a blanket. His eyes were strangely piercing and aware, though for how long was anyone’s guess.

The two men exchanged words, but the conductor couldn’t make it out. The square jawed man clearly didn’t want to hear it as he made eye contact with the conductor. “Yes, here are their tickets.” He pulled out a few printed tickets and tried his best to explain the situation. “My client here has reserved and retrofitted the back three train cars. Your boss should have all the details.”


“She hadn’t…” that was so typical of her, “Those are cargo freights aren’t they?”

“Wong! Wang! Do you hear me! What’s taking so long? Do I need to deal with this myself?” The man who had only moments prior smiled at his hispanic nurse was frothing at the mouth with frustration.

“My nam…” He shook his head and murmured something in his breath, “Those are retrofitted cars. Already cleared prior to departure. My client has very specific needs and must utilize more spacing than the usual passenger.”

“Mr. Cameron.” the women’s Spanish accent more apparent now, “I think it’s too cold for Mr. Ross. I will take him inside.”

“Go on ahead.” Cameron replied, “I’ll be there in a moment.” Watching as they disappear onto the train, he then turns his attention to the conductor, “I apologize for the inconvenience. Other than his seating arrangement, this ride should be no different than any other.”

“Right…” the Conductor nodded as he handed back the punched tickets back to the three, “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you.” As the three departed, the Conductor thought about it for a little while. This was all a little irregular, he had to admit. What man is so sick he needs three cars to himself? His paperwork checked out, but still... he looked down at his pocket watch, his thoughts snapped back to the departure time. A little outdated for telling time but it was a nice gift from his wife. He placed himself right back on the train, holding the radio out to declare the last warning; but right before he turned it on, a couple came running out from the escalator towards the First Class Section. Both gave off the typical Californian vibe: attractive but high maintenance. The man wore a brown wool overcoat, the woman a grey wool jacket. It was clear that the jackets were an afterthought, their clothes matching nothing of their attire; the woman more so, her black and pink skirt had to be absolutely painful to wear right now. The Conductor couldn’t help but chuckle, kids and their fashion these days. The blonde man held out his phone. After a quick glance to make sure they bought a suite, he scanned the online ticket. “Thank you.”.

The man said nothing. The woman, dragged by her wrist, randomly said, “Nice hat.”

That got another chuckle out of him. The lanky black man pulled the radio up, “Final boarding. Los Angeles to Seattle leaves in approximately two minutes. Final boarding call.”

---

An Old Man's Regret

Dated. The simplest and most concise way to summarize the private car of one Dr. Robert Ross. The interior of the railroad car was dripping with excess eccentricities, lavish pre-war designs and ornaments covered each side of the car. There was no consistency between the subject matter, each piece a separate item hastily thrown together to create a disheveled mess. A ornate oak wood desk laying at the center, two faded out couches laid to its side. Behind it various weapons hung on the wall, more sensible designs right next to a gun ripped straight out of a five cent serial picture. In front sat various paintings wrapped in cardboard, their beauty long since forgotten, fated to rest in an attic where only a select few can gaze upon them.

On the floor, a hollowed out machine in deep charcoal plastic inhaled and exhaled at a steady and consistent piece. A few buttons and lights sat on the top of its face indicating use, though, it was rarely not in use. The oxygen concentrator was loud and obnoxious, making sleep an absolute nightmare if the good doctor was unlucky enough to have no spare tanks to use. Air was once a right, now it has become a privilege for the man.

Resting on the sofa with his legs lifted high up on an angle and body wrapped in thick garments, the Doctor enjoyed the pampering. When he remembered that this was indeed pampering. His memory would often falter, leaving him confused and agitated. A woman stood over him prodding his legs. Robert tilted his head to see his wheelchair not under him but to the side of his person, folded neatly and leaning against the wall. When did I get up? Only moments ago he could have swore he was just entering the train, how much time had passed was up in the air. His upper lip spasmed for a moment flashing his, dentured canines; irritation set in but he couldn’t exactly place why.

It was all a fog, a continual blur that followed no matter where he went. A tiring dance where he needed to fight tooth and nail just to return the former semblance of the genius he was. His eyes darted the room, looking for any item to latch on and focus on. “Your legs are looking great.” His eyes shot up to meet her, his mouth agape ashis tongue twisted his words. She smiled and placed another blanket over him, “The swelling is going down. Your calves have much less water now. Remember Mr. Robert? Remember? When it was all so mushy that I could press a finger on it and it would keep the shape. Like a quarter.” She cracked a laugh as she performed a small demonstration, “The diuretics are working, you see, you just needed to be a little more patient.”

Her smile kept, her tone light and childish. She’s my nurse. That’s right. Ms. Gonzalez. One of the good ones. He let go of his gaze as he nestled the blanket in his arms. Why is she talking to me like that? Nurse or not she should be talking to me with respect! He gulped hard to clear his dry throat, “Miss…”

Before he could say anything, she was dangling a cup of water and pill capsule over him, “Remember Dr. Rosenberg switched you over to Hydralazine so we’re going to take one more before you go to bed. Right?”

“Right.” He thoughtlessly nodded as shaky hands gripped the pill and gulped down the water. What was I just thinking about? He furrowed his eyebrows as he gave it more thought, no that isn’t right. It was something else.
Time there it was again. As his gaze circled the room it came upon a small portrait on top of the desk of a man and a toddler. Despite the years and how much she had grown up, herself an old woman now, the toddler’s identity was unmistakable: Emma, his daughter.

He gnawed his teeth, as it all came back to him. “Ms. Gonzalez.”

The nurse was zipping up a travel bag full of his medication, “Yes. Mr. Robert?”

“Did, did we just leave?”

“Yes Mr. Robert. The train just pulled away.”

“And we are going to see my daughter...correct? In Seattle?” The question was just as much a question for the nurse as it was a reassurance for himself.

She nodded. Before he can ask some more, she added, “That’s all I know Mr. Robert. Someone will pick us up when we get there.”

“Right, right. As expected.” Looking down he thought about the situation before hastily asking, “And we brought my collection?”

She was quiet for a moment before answering, “Yes sir. The collection is right up ahead in the rest of the carts. No worries Mr. Robert, your daughter has taken care of everything.” She pointed behind him to the front of the car, he turned his head back to find a strongly built Asian man standing at the doorway.

“Hopefully in better company.” He complained. Those bankers are already making their move. They probably already have agents on the train. Conspiring with my own allies to force me out. Spineless Cosmopolitans. He may have left the organization due to disagreements on what constituted their people, but he would much rather prefer Lycan have his magnum opus than those degenerates. His only failure was to not make a move sooner, when they could more easily operate in daylight.

Each artifact within his collection had a story of its own, from local folklore that scared children to follow their parents to a wonder weapon capable of winning the war. Carefully curated, those items that now sat boxed away in crates are the culmination of decades of searches scouring the globe. While he sold a few to the highest bidder, a select few were kept in his own vaults, should it be necessary for future use. He prided himself on being able to change the balance of power between nations with a single flick of the wrist.

A smile crept on his face as he imagined doing just that. This was who he was, a man to be feared and respected. Ah what could have…Wait what’s that? A warm liquid was running down his leg, soaking into the pants. The nurse caught what was going on and ran over. He sighed, “Just bring the urinal.” The item already in her hand.

“There, there Mr.Robert. Remember the diuretic incr…”

He promptly cut her off as he reiterated exactly what she was saying, “The diuretic increases flow.” He’d heard too many times to keep track of.

From what they could salvage, about half made it inside. The nurse slid the lid shut and held it toward the agent, “Mr. Cameron, can you take care of this for us.”

He gnawed and spoke through his teeth. “Yes I can.”

They soon enough walked away, leaving the broken man with only his thoughts and a fresh pair of pants. All these years, countless sacrifices, yet it seemed so quaint now. At one point he marched over Europe with the greatest men of his generation. Now time marches on from his conquests. I shed blood on all fronts, does no one remember that now? My iron was what defended his nation from the ruinous powers. I did battle with Captain Steel over London herself. My creations shattered the Crystal Comrade. I would have killed Liberty with my own hands, for God sake! If that damn flank hadn’t collapsed. All those triumphs and failures and this was it?

---

A Young Girl's Apprehension

This was it. Years of studying, training, and subsequent disregarding had left Lucy a little more than excited as she entered the train. She knew one of her brothers got sent off to some world spanning adventure involving ancient cities, ghosts, and love. One of her sisters got her first assignment last year and now she's an internationally known fashion icon, model, and designer. Of course she knows a few siblings who spent their first assignments out in some boring internship or some stuffy college. A few outright failed. One brother botched his first mission and now spends all his time now being a loner and looking for Jesus. That’s definitely not going to be her. She’s off the island now, the real world with all its complexities and oddities; she knew she was special and this mission would go off without a hitch. She had her powers, Virgil, and well...she’ll figure out the rest of her repertoire later. For now, just enjoy the first mission.

Well she would if she wasn’t stuck in this cramped room staring out into the window for the last ten minutes. She sighed again, this time much louder than before, Virgil who was across from her didn’t seem to notice or care. She slinked down in her seat, belaboring the point. Ordinarily she was rather quiet, sullen and withdrawn into her own little world where she made the rules. Yet, she never understood why, she got these random spats of energy. As if her body was going at a million miles per hour. Some days she would never speak a single word, other times she could rattle off entire side tangents.

Her bro, handler, partner, whatever you want to call him was rather attentive about that. Entertaining her curiosities or giving her the space she needed. Slightly beyond her line of sight, Virgil walked over from the seat to his twin mattress. Removing an overcoat to reveal a suit coat along with the usual deep V neck. She liked to think he found the look on a display mannequin and just lifted it. He reached into his shirt to reveal a revolver, previously fixated on his person. Throwing it onto the bed, he pulled up his pants to reveal another smaller pistol. He was going to be doing this for a while, they had a whole briefcase of equipment for him to sort through.

All this time he was having a conversation with someone over his ear piece. “Understood. Target was last seen entering the cargo portion of the train.” She didn’t hear the other half of the conversation.

She knew she should be grateful that he even accepted. Another thing she ought to know. But she couldn’t help but wonder if he was just placating her, feigning interest when he really hated her. She wouldn’t blame him. Look at her. Ten minutes in and already squirming in her chair. Her first mission was already going poorly. Which translates to this whole mission is botched. Virgil never fails, this is all on her. She’s the failure. Shi was right, why does she even try. This whole thing proves it. That’s why he isn’t talking. He knows. God why are you here? Least you could do is sulk somewhere else.

Lucy abruptly jumped out of her chair, making for a loud dud which caught her attentive partner by surprise. He turned to glare at her, raised his eyebrow before going back to his conversation. Dying of embarrassment, she tried to play it off as if she had planned this on purpose. She could go lay on the twin and wait until he called on her but what does that do? All that would prove was how lazy she was, sleeping on the job already. Besides, look at that bed. What made her think she deserved anything resembling that? Well I guess I could go and move over to the table. Taking a few steps, she stopped halfway through. What would she even do at the table. Nothing. Nothing productive at all. She did nothing in the recliner and she’ll do the same at the table. She was walking for walking sake. She just sighed, exhausted.

How are you even tired yet? You’re just lazy and fat, that’s all you are.

“I’m heading out to get some air.” Lucy decidedly declared, removing her jacket to reveal her usual outfit of matching bustier and skirt.

“Hold on, I’m leaving too” Reaching down, he snapped a pistol to his back with a certain casualness until he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the hot mess festering before him. Her expression said it all. As he slid his arms into the suit jacket, he paused for a moment considering what to say next. Pulling down on his lapel, “I need to do a few things first. But stay vigilant and don’t draw attention to yourself. Don’t be too long, if I don’t find you come back here in twenty.”

“Okay.”

Right as she passed the door frame, he called out to her, “And Lucilla.”

She turned back to look at him.

“Calm down. I’m here for you.” Relaxing his usual determined expression he did his best to calm her down, “After this, you’re actual lesions will begin. I promise.”

A smile lingered over both of their faces. “Thank you.” Right as the door closed, she immediately braced herself against the door and fist pumped the air. “Yesss.” Passing a few onlookers, most kept to themselves beyond the usual gaze. She wanted to be left alone, a wallflower, to just enjoy the monotony of the track’s ever present roar. Crossing through the cart connection, she walked inside the observation deck to find exactly what one would expect: people eating, sleeping, talking, or working. The decor was nothing special though obviously a mismatch of different styles, a red velvet carpet covered the floor while the seating itself was an off white leather. The first floor from where she entered was just rows of seats while the top held a variety of tables and dining arrangements.

“Yea I just got on honey…” A middle aged man sat back in his chair, a briefcase laying on his lap. He dug through it as he held the phone tight to his ear, shaking his head in agreement to whatever his wife said. “No I get that but don’t worry this expo lasts until Friday. I’ll definitely be back on time to join you guys.”

“Yea mom I saw that on the news. Crazy right?” Directly across from him, a young woman with auburn red hair and her university sweater nestled herself against the window as she half caringly listened to her parent’s thoughts and concerns. Scrolling through her phone as they spoke, she would interject with a few nods or, “I guess so. Makes sense to me.” The undergrad noticed Lucy before shifting her attention downwards. An eyebrow was raised, thoughts of wearing that in this weather were had. Lucy tried to play the situation casually, placing her hands in her pockets...pockets she didn’t have. Not sure what to do with her hands, she did everything from cross them to scratch her nonexistent beard. God I look like an idiot. I’m trying way too hard. Should have just brought the jacket. Right as she walked away she heard the girl say, “Mom I just saw some girl with…”

Walking up the staircase, she reached the top and perched herself against a window. There were few people up here, from an elderly couple to a couple of drinking buddies. At the end a literal bar and bartender served a few off the clock salarymen, though their offerings were limited. Working double duty, the bartender noticed her before walking over, “Hello Ma’am anything to drink?”

“No thank you. Some other time.” She smiled meekly at him. He walked only a few feet before he heard behind him, “Wait..um. Do you have any Mineral Water?”

---

Just a Job

“Does this man even drink water?”

“Mr. Yellow checking in. Nothing out of the ordinary over.”

Despite the check in, Cameron’s attention wasn't towards Yellow rather the yellow in his hands. Whatever amount he was getting paid, it really didn’t even begin to cover this. The dark piss sloshed around as he gripped the top and slowly pulled it open; it was on there tight, but if he pulled too tight… he shuttered. Luckily for him, the top came free and he quickly flushed it down the toilet. Flicking the handle, he pressed wrist against the earpiece, “Status confirmed Yellow, circle back around to business class and rendezvous with Ms. Magenta, over.”

“Understood, over.” Mr. Yellow, like Agent Cameron and the rest of the undercover security detail was operating on a level of subterfuge then what they weren’t usually used too. After all, they legally weren’t even allowed to operate on American soil anymore. After the occupation and WarWolf running off with their tails between their legs, these men were subjected to round the clock interrogations, subpoenas, investigations, and arrests. When the stock plummeted, their 401ks disappeared along with it. For those who slipped out of jail time, unemployment was waiting for them on the other side. It really wasn’t the best time to have WarWolf on your resume.

For Cameron personally these previous few months had been an unmitigated disaster. A shattered femur by some asshole teen, a wife constantly on his back, and a home at risk for foreclosure had left him exhausted and desperate. So last week when he received a surprise communique from his former commandant he eagerly ignored his lawyer’s advice and listened to it. Beyond the usual corporate speak and military jargon was a job: deliver a high value target and his collection to Seattle by train. While WarWolf operated on piecemeal intelligence drops, it didn’t matter, their mission ended as soon as this train pulled into the station. All they needed to do was sitback, keep an eye open, and make sure the HVT doesn’t croak on the way there. Though with his health, that may be the hardest part.

And no law enforcement. Under no circumstance can any level of law enforcement inspect the collection.

Rinsing his hands with a thorough wash, the ends of his nominal white sleeves were soaked. As he dried his palms, he caught the conversation of the rest of the square jawed agents behind him. Agents were easily identifiable by their matching black overcoat on black turtleneck, both intimidating and mundane. Outside the restroom, five operatives were gathered together in a circle chatting with one another; two rested against the walls, two stood, while one sat in the few remaining seats in this cart. The three dark railroad cars were all uniquely modified internally, while the tailend operated as a personal suite for the old man, the other two were designed to carry his collection. Ordinarily, each railroad car was a two floor affair with rows of seats running through them. Instead, they were stripped bare, rows of wooden crates and hunkered down artifacts took their place.

“It’s not that unbelievable.” Mr. Gold, a burly black man with an impressively thick mustache, crossed his arms as he dug into his point. “Man with a vague central European accent, on the right side of 90, obvious former military, in possession of a treasure trove from across Europe and North Africa. Hmm I wonder what he did when was younger.”

Mr. Orange, a little thinner and younger than Gold, raised and pressed his index finger over his lips

“Exactly.”

Mrs. Violet for her part stood silent for a moment before slamming her knee against the floor, “Oh fuck me. The High Holy Days just got a lot more awkward…” She shook her head more agitated than before, “Fuuck me. This job better pay well or I just sold my soul for scraps.”

More than a few operatives overheard and chuckled at Mrs.Voilet’s realization though internally they had their own second thoughts on the matter. Not that they would share that with the rest of the team. Cameron, for his part, stood back and just listened. A few highlights being, “To be fair they weren’t that bad.” and “This is why we are unemployed.”

---

A Fateful Encounter
Lisette and Marcy sat across from another in their booth, the upper floor window providing a perfect view of the moonlit scenery outside as the train pressed onwards with its journey. Their seating arrangements were a far cry from the luxurious cabins that Lisette was accustomed to, but if she minded the downgrade, the girl wasn’t showing it. Instead, she’d spent the trip with her head buried in her new journal. Its crisp cover betrayed its novelty, and the villainess had picked it up only after it became clear that she wouldn’t be getting her diary back from her family estate anytime soon. But Lisette was determined to do things differently from now on. The new journal was part of a new start, and she’d be damned if she didn’t give it her all from the get-go.

With the hardbound book fit comfortably between her hands, Lisette scribbled intently in its early pages. Stepping through her upcoming plans, the villain paused as she assessed the meticulously sketch of the train’s interior layout. Biting on the end of her pencil, the girl scanned her own notes as she tried to recall every detail of the carriages that they’d seen while boarding. In preparation for their heist, Lisette had managed to get her hands on schematics and maintenance reports for the overnight route, but it had been impossible to acquire an entirely up-to-date manifest in the time they’d had. But she could work with that, matching the carriages that she’d seen while boarding to the details that already populated her book.

Marcy’s attention, meanwhile, was focused upon the smartphone in her hand, the girl casually scrolling through her news feed and Reddit to pass the time during the trip. Compared to her usual attire, her dress today was strikingly different - a baseball cap and a hood over her head, with jeans and a baggy hoodie emblazoned with the numbers of a West Coast rugby team, which appeared like they were copied straight off a stereotypical jock in a high school film. The choice of clothing came out of necessity, however - she and Lisette were travelling incognito, and so Marcy figured that she’ll need a way to hide her multicolored hair to not draw much attention to herself. Usually, she would tie the hair to a bun and cover it with a large summer hat, but that wasn’t going to fly in November, so she opted for a baseball cap instead. Since that carries a very specific aura, however, the girl had to design something which would put into the cap’s theme - and so, this is what she ended up as.

It was practical, however. The main suit was ripped from a rather annoying lass down in Arizona a few months ago, who had the power to harden her skin into rock at will. Something which would certainly come in handy.

Slowly flicking between two neighbouring pages, Lisette ran her eyes over grainy images of train cars and carriages before the corner of her mouth curled upwards. Turning back to her main sketch, she circled one of the train’s rear cargo carriages and annotated it with a tidy exclamation point. Closing her book with a satisfied sigh, Lisette finally looked back up to her partner in crime.

“Got it.” She said simply, knowing better than to let slip anything that might draw attention to them. Glancing up at the wall-mounted clock further down their car, Lisette stretched her arms above her head as if to relieve the tension of being hunched over her notes for so long. “We should move in half an hour, when meal service starts in first class.” That would make it easier to move to the rear, with the staff’s attention focused towards the front. Although speaking of food, Lisette turned in her seat to glance towards the bar. But as she did so, her eyes were drawn towards one of the few figures sitting in front of it.

The short-haired girl couldn’t have stood out more if she tried. Dressed in a high-cut shirt that hugged her figure, and a skirt that seemed poorly equipped for the night-time chill, the woman’s attire screamed of the high-brow fashion sense and confidence that came from wealthy circles. And yet instead of strutting through the car like she owned the place, the girl was hunched over the bar, skittishly glancing around and fiddling with her hands as if shying away from the eyes of the world. With the way she was dressed though, her actions only served to make her stick out even more. Raising a curious eyebrow, Lisette felt a gnawing suspicion at the back of her mind as she cracked a soft smile. The girl was interesting - both strange and out-of-place. What were the chances of someone like that just happening to be on this particular train?

Turning back towards Marcy as she made to get up from their booth, Lisette offered the other girl a mischievous smile. “Hey, do you want something to drink? I think I’m going to go get a smoothie.”

Briefly, her comrade raised her eye, then struck a faint smile and nodded. The sudden change of pace from Lisette’s part didn’t go unnoticed, but Marcy opted to not bring it up - maybe she really just wanted a smoothie.

---

Lucy had been slowly sipping her water as she passed the time, having decided that the best way to mitigate any damage she could do the mission was to stay in one place.A quiet sigh escaped from the girl’s rosy lips, her nerves eating away at her insides.

“Hi!” Lisette declared her arrival beside the other girl, planting her hands on the bar. She watched Lucy’s reaction intently, studying the other girl’s features. After a few moments - and seemingly satisfied with whatever she’d observed - the villain turned to offer the bartender a friendly smile. “I’ll take two vanilla smoothies, please.”

As the man turned to fulfill the order, Lisette shifted her attention back towards Lucy - although her expression had softened into an innocent grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. I just had to ask you where you got that outfit - it looks totally amazing.”

For her part, Lisette was dressed inconspicuously. After the gala, her wardrobe had effectively been reduced to the clothes on her back, and with her accounts all but locked down tight, she’d hardly had a range of choices when it came to fashion. But she supposed that it was about time that she gave the low-profile approach a try. The only piece of attire of note was the Captain Quake branded wristwatch that still sat on her wrist, although a noticeable crack ran along its face.

“Oh, I’m Elizabeth by the way - sorry, my parents always said that I should introduce myself whenever I meet someone, you know?”

Lucy had sat there silently as Lisette's typical chattiness caught her off guard. Should I say something? I mean it would be weird if I said nothing. But I’m not supposed to attract attention either. Granted, the blonde valley girl looked nice enough though, and WarWolf probably wasn’t enlisting teens into their ranks. “Yea I guess so…” She placed the cup down on the table, “I saw it on Vogue Italia’s April 2015 Cover, Meisel was the photographer, obviously...but I can’t remember who the model was. Well anyways, Versace for the thirty year anniversary of Around the World in a Day.” She paused, unsure if the girl was still following, “Sorry, that’s a Prince Album. It’s the one with Paisley Park. Anyways there’s a girl on the cover who wore this outfit so for the thirty year anniversary they decided to make it an actual outfit.”

The waiter came by and dropped off the smoothie, a plastic cup with a straw sticking out of whipped cream on top. As Lisette reached over to grab it from his hands, Lucilla caught the wristwatch. She furrowed her brow at the sight, it looked like something you would find at the bottom of a cereal box, the outside world really had no sense of style. Wait...Why is she still here? Oh god, she wants to have like an actual conversation. Lucy looked out the window for a moment and bit her lip. As she turned back she smiled, “So do you like fashion?”

‘Elizabeth’ seemed to light up, her grin widening as the other girl touched upon a common interest.

“Uh, of course?” She replied, nearly scoffing at the question. “Although I admit that this outfit didn’t give me much to work with, unfortunately. Beggars can’t be choosers, I guess.” After what could’ve been a brief flash of melancholy laced its way into her tone, Lisette’s smirk quickly returned. “I would have totally killed to get my hands on a wardrobe like yours, even if Versace’s always been a bit too dull for my tastes. To be honest, after a while I feel like pretty much everything ends up feeling like that. Like, when did the world’s idea of ‘fashion’ turn into everyone wearing the same black suit and tie, the same black cocktail dress? Blah!” Lisette stuck her tongue out to accentuate her disgust. “Fashion’s meant to help you stand out, not fade away into the background.” Propping her head up with an arm on the counter, Lisette met the other girl’s gaze as she continued innocently. “Like, you ever wonder what you might look like if you didn’t just lift your outfit from a cover and dressed yourself up as yourself?”

Sipping lightly from the bendy straw, Lucy inattentively nodded to Elizabeth’s points. It’s something she herself had thought about before but never gave real credence too; all her siblings loved fashion, she was no different, but appreciating art and creating art were very different things. “ I mean I guess? You only came to me to compliment my outfit, so you know…” She mulled over her thoughts for a second, “That’s the only reason why I stood out to you.”

“Look over there.” Lucy motioned her head toward a middle aged man passing by them. Physically, he wasn’t anything special with hair parted to the side and a chin disappearing into layers of fat. But that wasn’t her main point, his wardrobe was. It was unique but not in a good way: a bright button up shirt over a faded rock t-shirt, his pants were an off white color. Ripped but not by design. Hoping to add some class, his palms clasped a trilby. Taking another sip, “I mean he didn’t take a look from a cover but he barely stands out. It’s all so much but does so little. I mean I could do my own thing from scratch but like why? Designers practice a craft and go through a million designs just to find the right few. So I am still making a choice, it’s just that my choices are a little more...curated.” Crossing her legs, she leaned back on the seat frame, “At least that’s what I think.”

Following Lucy’s gaze, it took Lisette only a moment to reach the same conclusions about the man’s horrifying, self-imposed wardrobe disaster. Chuckling at the sight, she offered the other girl a quiet smirk. “That’s fair, but I never said that everyone would look good if they dressed in their own outfits. In fact, I bet that it would be the opposite.” Winking, the girl elaborated. “See, I think that most people would be like him if they were forced to show themselves in how they dress. They’d be seen for what they are: dull, boring, and plain. Just another bystander who’ll spend their whole lives just playing an extra in someone else’s story. Nearly everyone’s like that, if you ask me. And deep down, I think they know it.” Lisette shrugged. “But there’s still interesting people out there, too. If you know how to spot them.” Pausing, she took a quick slurp from her smoothie before casting her eyes over the other girl once more. “What’s your name, by the way?”

For a girl she had just met, she was awfully forward. While she had been nodding along to what Elizabeth was saying, it was halfway between the whole everyone is boring speel that she fully comprehended what she was saying. That’s kind of a mean thing to say. I mean, it’s sort of true but it’s not like you should say that out loud. Making a popping sound with her lips, she lightly lit up and smiled as Lisette shifted the conversation. There was no way she was going to add to that previous conversation. “Lucilla.” She lifted her hand to her face while flickering her fingers, “But you can just call me Lucy, it’s easier like that. It’s nice to you Elizabeth.”

Making her way past a few unimportant booths and offering a brief glance towards the rest of the train car, Marcy walked up by Lisette and took a seat by the bar next to her, speaking:

“You haven’t forgotten about my drink, right?” She had been waiting in their booth for a while now, but she did not forget the promise given and rose from her seat to check if anything happened while Lisette was away. As soon as Marcy asked, she turned her eyes towards the woman which her peer had been chatting with when she arrived - and briefly tipped the end of her baseball hat in recognition.

“Good evening.”

“Hi.” Lucy nodded back to the new girl, her voice more hushed than before. The girl slid into the booth next to Elizabeth and began chatting with each other for a few minutes. They did their best to include her, but she still felt unbearably awkward. A third wheel for a conversation that she still wasn’t sure how it began. Every now and then Elizabeth would look over at how and Lucy would smile back as if nothing was the matter. This is my booth though , should I just leave ? What’s the etiquette here? I don’t want to be rude. I should come up with an excuse.

Luckily for her, however, her excuse was resting at the bar countertop staring back at her with his usual piercing glare. She wasn’t sure how long he had been there, had she kept him waiting. She began to slide out of the seat, making her excuse on the way out. “It’s really nice meeting you two, Elizabeth and…”

“Morgan.”

“Good to meet you, Morgan…” Her eyes shifted back to Virgil for a moment, “My big bro is waiting for me and I don’t want to keep him waiting. It's nice meeting you both." Lucy stood up and walked away.

As Marcy arrived at the bar, Lisette turned to offer her friend a smirk. “Please, as if I’d ever forget a promise.” She replied with faux-indignance, sliding the second smoothie across the tabletop. Gesturing to the clearly nervous and uncomfortable girl beside her, the villain made to introduce the pair. “This is Lucy. I just had to ask her where she got her outfit from. Don’t you think it’s totally cute?”

Before Marcy had a chance to respond, Lucy broke her awkward silence as she quietly tried to slide away from the conversation. Following the girl’s gaze towards the stoic figure sitting at the end of the countertop, the corner of Lisette’s mouth crept upwards as she hid her amusement. “Boo, he’s such a buzzkill.” She glanced at her wristwatch, noting the ticking hands approaching the hour. “Although his timing is pretty perfect, we have to get going too.” Taking her half-finished smoothie in her hand, Lisette got up from her seat and offered Lucy a departing wave, although there was a mischievous gleam in her eye. “It’s been great to meet you, though. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again sometime, Lucy.”

“Stay safe!” Marcy added, with a brief childish wave, before lowering her hand and glancing away, a slight frown forming on her face as she scanned the departing woman’s outfit. “It’s... too much of a showoff, really, it was almost like she picked it out with no awareness of where she’s going. I would have gone with something better...” she mumbled, her less than satisfied tone betraying a hint of jealousy, before she finally pushed the thought aside and picked up her smoothie. Unlike Lisette’s, however, hers was still completely full, and she was going to take her time enjoying it. It’s not often she gets her hands on such a delicious treat.

“We’ve still got a little bit of time before meal service, miss Elizabeth,” Marcy stated, calmly, recalling her peer’s details on their strike from earlier, and rose from her seat. “Everything is ready, correct?”

Winking at the other girl, Lisette tapped the side of her nose as the pair walked down the carriage. “You bet. We should be in and out before they’ve finished serving the train.” Picking up on the hint of jealousy in Marcy’s tone, she grinned in amusement. “And I suppose it was a bit on the nose. But didn’t you see how nervous she looked? That outfit may as well have been a costume, and she looked terrified that somebody was going to call it out.” Taking a final sip from her smoothie, Lisette shrugged as they reached the end of their carriage. “Besides, I think she seemed sweet. Like a puppy, you know?”

Marcy did not reply to the tease, merely making a faint, dissatisfied scoff and turning away, before continuing to sip her smoothie. At least it was tasty enough to help her keep her mind off the irritation. “Now that you mention it, though...” She glanced over behind her shoulder, towards the suite the two villains had departed from - by now, she could no longer see Lucy, however. “...let’s hope that she was merely endearing.”

The girl’s eyes glanced from suite to suite. There already were a bit too many people on this train than she would have preferred for a secret heist. “So... what do you want to do up until that?”

[Zarkenis Ultima]

November 14th

---

---

---

KIris felt a little bad as she listened to Roy's apology. It hadn't been her intention to corner him into doing that. He was her friend. But even so... the fact that he'd left just like that hurt. He was one of the people who had been there at the start, after all, one of the first friends she had made. Hearing Mars' voice, she glanced towards him as he pleaded with Roy one last time, trying to convince him to stay, only for the older boy to cut him off and refuse.

He wants to stay away because we're in danger...? She wondered. That was what he had said, but it didn't make any sense to her. If they were indeed in danger then the best place to be was there with them, so that he could better protect them in case something did happen. Besides, wasn't danger inherently a part of being a superhero? Sure, back when the team had been formed they might not have taken that too seriously, but after everything that they went through together, after Inferno and Warwolf and the Cabal... she was completely sure that everyone understood what they were getting into. They knew that they would put themselves on the line to save others... so why was he acting like this was completely different?

She wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him all of that, tell him that he was being unreasonable and to just stop being stubborn and come back, but doing something like that and potentially getting into a shouting match with her former leader in the middle of a birthday party didn't seem like a good idea, and before she could do so, he turned towards her, wishing her a happy birthday and pulling something out. It was a phone, a burner apparently, and when she saw it she lost any hopes of convincing him to stay. Someone this well prepared was clearly not going to stray from their mission.

"This..." She mumbled, crestfallen. "Isn't this somethin' Wendy should have...?"

Before she could say anything more, someone grabbed her arm. Surprised, she turned her head to see a redhead approaching her, Zoe. She wasn't too familiar with the other girl yet despite her having been on the team for over a month now - after all, she had only come back a little over two weeks ago - but she was happy to be able to make a new friend, and even happier that she had come to her party despite not knowing her that well. Smiling brightly, she accepted the illustrated sleeve, looking at it curiously. It consisted of the word "riot" written in black countless times against a blank background. She turned it over in her hands and noticed that the back had the name of the band written on it.

"Paramore...?" She repeated. "I'll be sure to give it a listen! I um, I just need to figure out what I can play this on." She added, offering Zoe a bit of a sheepish smile. She glanced back at Roy for a moment, wondering if she should try to say anything else to him, but in the end opted against it. He clearly had no intention of changing his mind, and he had done what he came here to do already. So instead, she turned back to Zoe, walkin back to the food table with her. "So you're on Marsy's squad right? What's it like workin' with him?" She asked the redhead.

---

November 19th

---

---

---

Icarus waited and watched as the third member of their little competition agreed to participate, saying that he was more than happy to sign up for a race. The reptilian boy then turned to look at him, addressing him specifically and mentioning that the two hadn't been properly introduced. Icarus nodded at Wyatt, but found himself surprised by the initial gesture, which was cut short in favor of a more traditional greeting.

"Nice to meet you too." The blond boy replied as he shook the Dra'Qunni's hand. "Bael, right? You really showed the Mountain." He added. "Is the shoulder thing your version of a handshake or something?"

Meanwhile, not far from there, Kiris chuckled alongside Mars, unsure of what was funny to him, but joining in nonetheless. When he suggested that they join in on the activity Viviana was setting up nearby, Kiris' face lit up. "Oooh, ya could join in on the racin'! I'll stay here and cheer on ya. Maybe I'll find ya somethin' as a prize if ya win, too." She suggested. "I'd join in myself but then there'd be nobody to cheer on ya."

[Galnius]

Angelica Dalin: Library

Whitney Alvord

October 26th

"

Angelica nearly finished her own coffee in a matter of seconds, only taking the town to add enough cream to cool it down to a manageable degree. It was due to this that she noticed the sudden, haphazard predicament Whitney found herself in. She couldn't let Whitney fall asleep like this. Beyond how badly she could strain her neck, she could also burn herself. Besides, the conversation they might have was the only thing that could keep Angelica awake.

"Um, Whitney? Whitney the mug!" Angelica quickly stabilized her precious mug and shook her friend awake. "Please Whitney, don't fall asleep yet. I don't know how I'd get you to your room. I don't even know where it is. I need you to stay awake, just for a little while okay?"

Once she believed that the other girl had been woken up for at least a few more minutes, Angelica realized how much such a simple act had exhausted her. How close she was to caving into the fatigue herself. The coffee wasn't strong enough anymore. Nothing was. Nothing that she knew about anyway. Panic began to spread to her eyes as she realized that it was only a matter of time before she revisited the realm of dreams. The realm of...nightmares. She couldn't do it. She couldn't see Andrew like that again, near death and bleeding out. She couldn't let herself sleep.

"Whitney, please stay up for just a little while longer, okay? I...I need some help. So please, just stay awake a bit more. I know it's selfish of me to ask, and I should let you sleep now. I just can't. Not right now."

---

Angelica Dalin: The Party

Whitney Alvord

["

"No, no it's fine. He'll get to it, I'm sure."

Angelica sighed as she watched the other party-goers, not really seeing anywhere she could comfortably jump in or anywhere to really go from where she was standing. There was a slight twinge of jealousy as she saw how easily Zoe managed to enter the largest group, seemingly unphased by the whole ordeal. Angelica didn't get how some people managed to do that. Really, the rest of her squad was like that, and was a rather attention grabbing group that overshadowed her, who was content to stay as a wallflower. Even Frostbite, who Angelica heard hid her face for the early parts of the team's existence, carved out an area with the puppy on the couch. For a moment, Angelica thought of joining her. However, even then she didn't quite know what to talk about.

Angelica snapped out of her thoughts, looking around for something, anything to talk about or do to break the silence. She rocked back on her heels, trying to fight off the deafening lack of sound in her little corner. Then she realized, she wasn't the only one here. Whitney, another wallflower and her best friend, was by her side. Perhaps they could fit into the side of the party together.

"Hey, Whitney? I know this is sudden, but umm..most of the team is going away for Thanksgiving. I'm not, and I wasn't sure if you were, so I thought maybe you could come with my parents to my aunt and uncles? They have a ski lodge in the mountains, and wanted to meet me officially and not by letter. They wouldn't mind if you came I'm sure. Dad said his sister is really welcoming to everyone. I don't really know anything about my relatives so it would be pretty awkward. If you came, I would have someone to talk to. Unless, umm, unless you had plans with your family, though they could come too if they wanted. I'm sorry, you probably do. I'm sorry for asking. It's just...I dunno. I don't want to be lonely while the adults talk."

[Bentus]

The Amazing Ashen Moth!
Halloween

---

Ash couldn’t help but chuckle at the strange dichotomy of seeing Ava in her chosen costume. It wasn’t that it was a bad costume or anything, in fact she thought that it was pretty amazing - although she thought that they were meant to dress up as something scary for Halloween? She supposed that a surprise piece of fruit in an otherwise perfect meal was rather unnerving, but something made her think that wasn’t quite the vibe that they were meant to be going for. Regardless, the mutant grinned happily as her friends discussed what they should do to start off their Halloween night. A part of her was silently thankful that Astrid seemed to be opposed to sneaking into the school after hours. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t normally allowed, and while she assumed there must have been some kind of an exception on Halloween for Mika to recommend it, potentially breaking the rules still made Ash feel a bit uncomfortable.

The mutant’s thoughts were interrupted when Mika suddenly extended a hand towards her, offering the tall wine bottle in her hand. Blinking in surprise, Ash quickly took the hint and took the bottle from her friend so that her hands were free. As Mika rustled through her bag, Ash assessed the dark bottle curiously. She’d never had wine before - as far as she could remember. Silently pulling the wine bottle beneath her bedsheet, Ash cautiously sniffed its contents. The fruity aroma actually struck her as being quite pleasant. Not wanting to miss out on any of the Halloween experience, Ash replicated the others’ actions as she made to take a swig of the drink, gulping down a fair few mouthfuls before pausing to consider the taste. It was definitely more bitter than she’d expected, but it was otherwise quite tasty.

Content to remain silent and listen to her friends as they discussed their future plans, Ash would take the occasional sip from the bottle in her hands. She didn’t think anything of the warm and comfy feeling that was slowly seeping into her chest. However, she reacted defensively as Astrid appeared to imply that they needed to get her a new costume.

Shaking her head beneath the bed sheet, Ash folded the pair of arms that weren’t holding onto the bottle. “I am quite happy with my costume, thank you. I think that it is much more scary than yours, actually.” The mutant paused for a moment. “Although, maybe we could find something more scary than a berry at this costume store, yes?” She also couldn’t deny that it might be fun to see what other options were out there. Who knew, maybe it would give her some inspiration for next year.

[The Republic of Atria]

Icarus

He realized a bit too late that he was being a little formal, but thankfully Icarus didn't seem to mind. "Yeah, it's more or less the equivalent of a hand shake. I've been trying to spend more time over there when I can, and it sort of became a habit. Anyways, thanks for understanding." He explained. "And thank you! I feel like I might have overdone it since he seemed to be giving me the benefit of the doubt, but he didn't seem mad about it and gave me his number if I ever wanted to go again.
He's a cool guy." He said as Kiris made her way over, suggesting that Icarus that he join the race.

"I'm more than happy to have you join in." He said. "Gives me a better chance not to come in last." He said with a chuckle.

[Absolon-7]

---

---

---

Casimir Herman November 14th

---

"Wait? Space bugs! Now that's what I'm talking about," said Casimir eagerly receiving the wrapped up book from Kiris. Before he could open up the book and see what its pages held Dalin came up to him to showing him where her present for him was. She meekly walked towards the present which had a very odd shaped that wasn't hidden at all by its tenuously held wrapping. As soon as she walked back he raised his eyebrow at her offering to help him lift it.

"Aw dontcha worry about a thing girl. Casiboy here's got it all under control. Isn't that right?" said Viviana to him as she patted Dalin on the back gently.

"I'll be right on it," said Casimir walking over to the large present. Casimir's brow furrowed as he inspected the present. The hell? Is this an actual arcade game? He shrugged off his curiosity and picked it up at the bottom with one hand and hoisting it up into the air. He got back to the duo of Dalin and Viviana which had now become a trio with Whitney consoling her fellow blonde. He carefully set down the arcade machine as he turned to Dalin, "Hey no need to apologize a present's a present. And from the looks of it I think I'm gonna like it just fine."

But his eyes suddenly darted to his thrown which had a brand new occupier in an absolutely gargantuan plush beetle, "What the hell?"

[Tomia]

Roy, the Party
Roy gave a small smile at Kiris' comment about Wendy. "Trust me, she has other ways of contacting me. She doesn't need that phone." Roy said to Kiris before she suddenly got pulled off by Zoe. With Kiris gone, a bit of an awkward silence fell between Mars and Roy. "Hey, sorry about hitting you. You know, when I left."

Mars diverted his eyes a bit but nodded, "Oh, don't worry about that. You know, not my first time getting hit. Now I know what its like to fight Nightshade though. Not fun." He said causing Roy to chuckle.

"Anyway, its been good seeing you all but I should head back. I've got a lot to do." Roy turned towards the door before pausing and looking back. "Take care of yourself Mars, and the team too alright?"

Mars nodded, looking Roy in the eyes. "I will Roy, I promise. Take care of yourself too." Roy nodded in turn before heading out of the tower. Mars looked after him a little sadly before turning back to join the party.

Mars, Beach
Mars approached the group near the water who were getting ready to race. "Hey, mind if I joined? I'm a decent swimmer and a race sounds fun. And hey I'm not too bad! But ya you'll probably beat me but it still sounds fun." He said to Wyatt, before they started up to race. When they were ready Viv started the race and Mars ran into the water, getting into position to swim and pushing as fast as he could.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

September 12th

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Previous part

Next part

"And before I realized what was going on, my sister got into the jeep with the king's dog and told me to drive. We barely got away from that one. Anyway, that's how I became persona non grata in Morocco." The infamous masked mercenary, Inferno, recounted in a chipper mood as he discreetly took a drag from his cigarette while taking a break from license plate duty. Guards did not take kindly to contraband in this place, but Inferno's good behavior and easygoing manner had earned him the friendship of many a guard - and therefore, their leniency.

"I thought that designation was reserved for foreign diplomats." The infamous masked sorcerer, Hex, replied with an eyebrow raised at the wild tale he had just heard, likewise partaking in that nicotine habit he had picked up from his peer during their incarceration together. It had only been about five weeks, but living in prison had been terribly dull, if enlightening on some aspects of modern society and thought-provoking in regards to similar episodes of his past. Still, this experience, however novel, had outlived its usefulness, and now it was time to move on. He had spent some time in jail, like a good villain ought, but he hardly intended to spend several years working the license plate machines. He was not meant for such lowly things.

Which was exactly why he had been concocting and preparing a plan to break out of that place for the last couple weeks or so. With his shapeshifting abilities suppressed and the monitoring he had been subjected to, it had been difficult, but now the gears had begun to turn. It was only a matter of time.

"Actually the big shots can declare anyone they want persona non grata even if they're not in the country. Brad Pitt was banned from China for a while." Inferno stated in response to his younger friend's comment, shrugging. The two had become fast friends after being thrown in a cell together and in the five weeks he had been there, Adrian had heard all manner of wild stories that seemed taken straight out of a madman's dreams.

"Right." The white-haired young man responded nonchalantly as he discreetly tossed the butt of his cigarette in the general direction of an inmate he didn't like. He doubted the guards would get him after what would happen today, but spite cared little for logic. With that done, he glanced at a nearby clock.

"Anyway, you know the others could snitch you out to the guards, right? You're not feared or respected in here." Inferno remarked in reference to the plan, noticing Hex's slowly growing impatience. "What makes you think they'll do their part as intended?" He asked.

"Simple." The sorcerer replied with a shrug. "I told them they had a chance to escape too."

"You're not trying to fool me too, are you?" The mercenary asked.

"What? No. They're all pawns, but you're cool. Besides-"

Just as the needles struck three o' clock, a massive riot erupted, with inmates throwing themselves at the guards and destroying as much equipment as they could. Rather than finish his sentence, Hex quickly nodded at Inferno and then ran off in a particular direction. A guard was running towards the emergency button, but a swift kick to the temple put him down. Before he fell to the ground, the sorcerer swiped his keycard and his baton for good measure. Inferno procured his own from another guard that was quickly subdued. Now armed, the two made a beeline towards a nearby exit, bypassing the security measures thanks to the card. They left through the now open door, followed by a horde of eager criminals.

Despite delaying the prison's lockdown momentarily, the two hadn't postponed it forever, and soon the alarms blared to life, large blast doors closing down on the rioting prisoners as the bulk of the prison's guards mobilized and the staff attempted to contact local heroes.

Of course, those attempts would fail almost universally, a result Hex had calculated before setting his plans in motion. Today was the opening ceremony of the 53rd Bi-Annual Superhero Tournament hosted by the NASL, which meant most of the country's heroes, including those in California, were absent from their usual posts. A few locals not invited to participate would likely arrive, but what did he have to fear from a bunch of sidekicks, freelancers and amateurs, as opposed to the Los Angeles Stars or the San Francisco Rising Suns?

Whatever the case, he knew they couldn't afford to be trapped in the hallways of the prison, but he had accounted for that eventuality as well. He pulled a neatly folded paper from behind his ear and unfolded it, revealing it to be a magical sigil. He had first gotten it as a pity gift of sorts from the same girl that had rejected his advances. A silly little charm that could only transport a single person across a few feet. Working to modify and strengthen it during the few moments he had to himself, however, he managed to turn it into something that suited his purposes just fine. Placing it against the blast door, it suddenly created a direct passage between one side and the other. A hole in a sheet of paper, as it were.

"You know the plan. Straight to the exit." He told the others, gesturing for them to go through the hole. If they looked back, they would've noticed that the hole was not visible from that side, but they were far too focused on breaking out of there to pay any mind to that.

Once they were all gone, Hex turned to look at Inferno. "You know the plan. Straight to the power room." He told him. With most of the guards busy trying to quell the uprising, barely anyone stood in their way and those who did were easily knocked out through superior combat abilities and teamwork. It wasn't long at all before the duo arrived at the power room, with Inferno kicking the door off its hinges after several failed attempts - proving that his strength wasn't completely dependent on his powers. After a brief scuffle with the room's guards, Inferno turned to Hex.

"So what's the plan for blowing up all of these things?" He asked.

"Try these, I took them from some of the guards we beat up." The younger villain replied, tossing a pair of handguns at Inferno, who panicked and jumped to catch them before they landed on their own.

"Don't just throw them at me you asshole!" The mercenary shouted. "Gun safety! Ever heard of it?"

"No." Adrian replied nonchalantly. "I'll go draw a calamity rune with my blood in case the guns don't work."

"No need. Just give me a moment..." Inferno spoke. Looking around to memorize the layout of the room, he swiftly fired off several shots at various key components in the room. The powering down of all of the prison's electrical systems coincided with shouting and cheering coming from the main entrance, where the previously outmatched inmates discovered that their powers had just returned and began using them against the now hopeless guards.

They'd be in for a rough surprise, but Hex hoped to be long gone by then.

"We have sixty seconds to get out of here before the backup generators come online." He said to his partner, who was laughing with ecstasy at feeling his abilities returning to him.

"I don't need sixty seconds kid. Stay behind me." The older villain replied. A mass of bright flames began to coalesce around his right arm as he turned to face the wall and reared said arm back, seemingly taking a moment to concentrate. Suddenly, his fist shot forward, and at the very moment it impacted the wall, an infernal torrent shot forward, obliterating several walls along with anything that stood inbetween and opening up a path to freedom.

"Come on kid, this is our chance!" Inferno shouted as he began running towards the newly created exit.

"Why the hell do you never do that when you're caught?!" Hex asked incredulous as he struggled to keep up - Inferno's superhuman physical condition had come back too, after all.

"I try not to kill anyone I'm not paid to. It's bad for business! Plus, my sister always breaks me out." He replied.

"Well, not this time." Hex remarked. Inferno smirked.

"No, not this time."

The two managed to get out from the prison grounds... just in time to see several guards armed and ready to apprehend them, supported by a group of local small time superheroes, foremost among them a reptilian-looking pyromancer known as Salamander.

"Surrender now or we will open fire!" Salamander spoke.

"I still don't have my shapeshifting abilities, the suppressing serum hasn't worn off yet." Hex remarked. "Do you think you can take them out in less than thirty seconds?"

"Less than ten." Inferno replied. "I just need to wait for the right moment."

As the two groups faced each other in a standoff, however, Adrian noticed something peculiar. A lone pigeon headed straight to where they were and descended right in between the two factions, one wing facing the villains and another facing the heroes.

And then, out of the blue, in a puff of smoke, the pigeon transformed into an armored van.

"What the hell!" Salamander shouted in shock.

"Brother!" A figure shouted from the van's driver seat while sounding the horn, a woman with lustrous white hair tied up into a ponytail, wearing brown leather gloves and a red shirt. "Get your ass in here! Now!" She ordered him before turning to hurl fireballs at the heroes. From the back seat, a familiar black-haired girl wearing a skull mask and carrying an experimental rifle opened the door and waved at the two villains, before moving to a different seat and joining the older woman in firing at the heroes, the two of them managing to keep them at bay.

"That's my sister. Isn't she a godsend?" Inferno told Hex with a grin as he pointed at the older woman, before running over and jumping into the van.

"I like her style." The younger villain replied as he followed suit, closing the door behind him as Inferno's sister began driving away.

"REMEMBER ALWAYS THE DAY THAT IGNITION GOT THE BETTER OF YOU!" Ignition shouted at the heroes left behind while laughing.

As the group of villains drove away from the prison grounds, they came across an enormous garage door, large enough for the armored van to fit in. It opened of its own accord as the vehicle drew closer, and two figures stood next to it, one on each side: a handsome young man with the right half of his face covered by a mask, and an older man in a dapper suit and a top hat, with a pigeon sitting on his shoulder.

The van went through the garage door, and the two men followed suit. The door then disappeared, leaving the pursuing heroes in the dark.

---

"You found the note I kept in one of my journals, didn't you?" Adrian asked Astrid as the two sat on the back of the van, while the siblings who sat in front cheerfully joked with each other and caught up on their affairs. The black-haired girl nodded at the question.

"Yes. I wanted to get you out and it seemed as good an idea as any." She replied. "Though I suppose you had it under control as always." She added while looking at the large underground enclosure they had driven into - it was not a low level villain's hideout, that much was obvious. "Though, mon ami... I never expected you to be friends with these guys. You don't really mention them."

"You know I like to keep my cards close to my chest. Though I suppose I should trust you and Beast more than that." Hex admitted. "The Last Laugh found me and helped me get up on my own two feet when I came to America. I've stayed in touch, but I try to rely on them as little as possible."

As the van slowed to a halt, the four villains got off. They were greeted by two more figures, the suited man from before and a pale woman in a yellow and brown attire, with her short hair dyed a shade of purple that matched her lipstick. They walked towards the siblings and the two younger villains arm in arm. "I'm glad to see everything went according to plan! And it looks like you two had your own plan in the works already." The man spoke.

"Adrian, dear, I'm glad to see you got out of there safe and sound." The woman added afterwards.

"Vicky. Chris." The young man nodded at them. Victoria and Christopher Blackburn, better known as the infamous villains Drachmageddon and Flappy Flock Rampage. "It's nice to see you again. How is-" Before he was able to finish his sentence, a black cat appeared from behind Vicky and jumped at him. In the middle of the air, it turned into a young, attractive brunette wearing a white dress. She was Rosalyn, Christopher's younger sister.

"Adri! It's so nice to see you again! You never visit anymore!" She said as she hugged him, nearly knocking him over.

"Hi Rose. I missed you too." Adrian replied without missing a beat. If he was surprised at all, he didn't show it.

"Hey so how come my sister and all of you people were in on the plan?" Inferno asked the man in the suit, Christopher, the apparent leader of the group whose base they were currently in. The man simply chuckled.

"Why, if you think about it, it was a matter of destiny. You see, two days ago Adrian's lovely friend over there," here the man gestured towards Astrid, "visited us with her boyfriend, asking for our help in releasing Adrian. We of course simply could not refuse upon learning the predicament our friend was in, so we began concocting a plan to break him out of prison. But the very next day, your dear sister came to us as well, making a generous offer in exchange for helping release you as well. Since the two of you were in the same place, the decision was easy." He explained.

"And then when you arrived at the prison to put your plan in action, you noticed we were already outside and simply moved in to bail us out, correct?" Inferno asked, to which the man simply nodded. With all the facts in his possession, the mercenary laughed. "Matter of destiny sounds right!"

"Yeah, and it only cost me my favorite vinyl. Stay outta fucking jail the next time, dumbass." Ignition growled as he smacked her brother across the head. "Now let's go back to DC, they reopened that chinese joint you like so much." She told him. "Door man, can you give us a lift?" She said afterwards, glancing at the masked man that had created their escape route earlier. With a snap of his fingers, he created a small white wooden door and gestured at the siblings to go through it. Ignition went through it quickly enough, but Inferno dallied for a moment.

"Thanks for the help. I'll be sure to give you a good discount if you ever need someone taken care of." The mercenary said to the suited man, before glancing back at his partner in crime. "I'll see you around, kid." He said, before walking through the door.

"You made a colorful friend back there." Astrid commented. "If that's everything, Beast is waiting in the car outside."

"Aww, are you leaving again so quickly?" Rosalyn asked Adrian, disappointed. "You haven't even seen Susie or Uncle Archie yet."

"You'll have to tell them that I've missed them. I should not keep my friend waiting outside for too long, he might try to get out of the car and burst into flames." He said with an apologetic smile on his face. "I'll come visit sometime. Hopefully you won't have moved elsewhere by then."

"We'll be right here, so you make sure you don't forget that promise." The brunette replied. Adrian nodded and then glanced at Christopher.

"Thank you for your help. I will be ready if you ever need the favor repaid." He told him with a nod. The two young villains then made their way out of the underground complex, arriving in a rather normal looking house after making it to the surface, and walking around the block to a nearby alley where they found Astrid's stolen car exactly where she had parked it the other day, with a vampire sleeping in the backseat.

---

"You have some very colorful friends, mon ami." Astrid remarked as she drove back along the Sierra Nevada, taking the same route she had used to get to Reno in the first place, just in reverse. Speeding down the highway, she glanced at the backseat, where Lucas was still sleeping. "Though I guess that might apply to us, as well."

"I suppose." Adrian replied as he looked through a stack of CDs he had materialized out of thin air with a magic spell. His shapeshifting abilities seemed to finally be coming back to him, though Astrid noticed that even before that, his eyes were different. They were a golden color now instead of the usual pale gray. She wondered if that had anything to do with his imprisonment... but any questions about that could come later. For now she was simply glad that the team was back together.

"Both the Last Laugh and Inferno have plenty of quirks, but they make very powerful allies." The sorcerer stated. "The fact that they have been branded as outcasts, villains and the like by society makes them no less human than the figures they worship as heroes - at least these people accept and embrace their flawed nature." He continued, before picking out one CD from the others. "Ah, here it is." He put it on the car's player and skipped the first two songs.

"You see me now, a veteran of a thousand psychic wars..." The sorcerer sang along to the tune. Astrid smiled.

"Just save some of the good ones for later. We have a long drive ahead of us." She cautioned him. Sure, she could simply have teleported them all back to San Diego, but it wasn't every day that she got to drive a stolen car and go on a road trip with her boyfriend and her best friend - even if the former was still asleep due to his altered sleep cycle. She felt fully relaxed, with the wind on her hair, the highway ahead, and Hex's silly singing.

"Don't let these shakes go on, it's time we had a break from-"

The singing was interrupted as Astrid slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt. Three hooded figures had suddenly appeared in front of them, not standing but rather floating just above the highway. Astrid froze, not knowing what to do.

"Get out get out get out!" Adrian shouted at both her and Lucas, but the warning came too late. There was an explosion, and then she blacked out.

---

"Come on Astrid, wake up." The boy's desperate voice sounded distant, despite being no more than a few inches away. "I know you're not gone, so wake up already. You're not going to leave me here by myself, are you?"

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Much of her body was sore, but she could still move her head. Over her, she could see the familiar, comforting face of her Lucas, relief and joy in his eyes as he saw her regain her consciousness. It took her a moment, but she noticed that he had been holding her all along.

"I'm here, mon chéri." She told him, earning a smile from him. She tried to move her hand to touch his face, but quickly realized that there was a reason she was so sore. Her senses quickly returned to her and as a result she felt the pain from the injuries caused by... whatever that had been.

Noticing her groans of pain as she attempted to move, Lucas grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze as if to reassure her. "Don't worry, you'll get better soon I promise. I made sure that you didn't have any grave wounds. You might have a concussion, but it'll get better with some rest." He told her softly. "For now, do you think you could teleport us back to San Diego? I can take it from there."

The comment prompted Astrid to make note of her surroundings. They were in the shade, but not because of any trees or other natural sources - Lucas had made a platform to block out the sunlight with the gutted remnants of the stolen car and seemed to be holding it up via telekinesis. The sun was still high in the sky, which meant she couldn't have been out cold for too long, though she had no way of knowing how long exactly it had been.

"Where's Adrian?" She asked rather than answering the question. After coming all this way for him, it hardly made sense to leave without him. And yet, she couldn't see him anywhere. It was doubtful that he had been hurt - otherwise Lucas would seem far more worried - but if that was the case...

"I don't know. When I managed to get a grasp on what was going on, he was already gone." The brunet explained. "I'm guessing he went after whoever attacked us, but I don't know where he is or if he'll be back soon." He said.

"Sooner than you think." A voice called out from the highway. It was Adrian, covered in blood and scratches but seemingly no worse for wear in spite of that. He was holding a basket-hilted sword with black stains all across the blade, though strangely it seemed that no blood had gotten on it at all. "Members of the Arm of Flame have a tendency to get cocky and careless when things seem to begin going their way. Sometimes I fear they forget they can be killed, and there's only one way to be reminded of the fact." He spoke nonchalantly despite the gravity of his words. The arm that held the sword lit up with golden runes for a moment, and then the weapon disappeared, safely returning to the arcane vault it had been taken from.

"Who were they?" Lucas asked, unsure of what his friend was going on about.

"Members of an extremist sect within the Phantom Brotherhood who get their power from a covenant with an ancient being. They must've heard about my arrest and kept an eye on me until I escaped." He explained. "If the Brotherhood is onto me, then I would simply put you in danger if I were to return to San Diego with you. I have to find whoever else was with the trio who attacked us today and send a message."

"Then... you're not coming back?" Astrid asked him.

"Of course I am. In a month or two once I've sorted this out. But you two can go back without worrying about me, I know everything there is to know about the Arm of Shadow. Once I've dealt with them, I'll come back for good." He said.

"The Cabal will ride again."

With that, he turned around and dramatically walked away.

"Ride what? Is he going to get us bikes?" Astrid asked, confused.

"I don't know." Lucas replied. "Do you feel good enough to get us back to San Diego now?"

"Oh, yes. Give me a moment to focus." She said. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the image of their cozy hideout in the Condemned District and gripped Lucas' hand tightly. A few seconds passed, and then, the ghost and the vampire were gone.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

October 26th

---

Previous part

"Alright, bear with me here for a moment will you? Imagine this: you're a Dallas boy. You've lived in Dallas your whole life and you love it to bits. It's an integral part of your identity. And it just happens that you're super into sports, so naturally, you're a fan of all the great teams in this city. The Cowboys, the Mavericks, the Kings... you name 'em. You've always had an inclination to football, so the Cowboys are your favorites, and for as long as you can remember your parents have been taking you to their games, and then you went by yourself once you were old enough and had the money. But then one day your parents call you. They seem very serious and want to talk to you about something. And that's when you find out that you're adopted. But not just adopted, no - the real kicker is where they adopted you. Philly. So you're not only not a Dallas boy, you've been rooting for the Cowboys and hating on the Eagles for as long as you can remember and it turns out you were born in the Eagles' turf. Your identity, your entire worldview comes crashing down."

Harry Callaghan looked in confusion at the eccentric black-clad superhero as he finished his odd story.

"What does this have to do with my daughter?" He asked.

"You'll find out, you'll find out. Just get in there and remember what I told you, she needs all the support she can get-oh and take this with you." Black Arrow replied, fishing a tube of rocky road ice cream from under his cloak and handing it to the confused father. "I've yet to meet a sad kid that doesn't feel at least a little bit better after eating some ice cream. Works like a charm really. Until the brainfreeze appears but I don't think you need to worry about that."

"Right, uh, thanks fella. I'll head inside now." Harry nodded at the superhero before heading towards the room where he had been told his daughter was.

He had come running the second he heard on the news that the Young Bloods had been defeated after an arduous fight. Figuratively speaking, anyways - since he couldn't see what had happened to Alexis due to the angle of the cameras, he had opted to call Naja first, the reptile lady informing him that his daughter, like many of the other injured Young Bloods, had been taken to the local Justice and Mercy hospital. The second he had that information, he hopped into his van and drove straight to the hospital. The staff had fortunately been very helpful, quickly pointing him in the right direction as soon as they learned he was Makeshift's father. His brief conversation with Black Arrow aside, he had come as quickly as humanly possible.

The door opened and Harry walked in, spotting a dark-skinned doctor writing some details on a clipboard, and his daughter sitting on the bed, staring aimlessly at the wall. Her sullen demeanor was decidedly uncharacteristic and made him worry, though the fact that she seemed well enough to be awake and sitting was a good sign as far as he could tell - at least she wasn't bedridden. The doctor turned to look at him.

"Mr. Callaghan I presume?" He asked. A brief nod confirmed his suspicions and he extended a hand in greeting. "Dr. Brock Larkin. A pleasure to meet you. I'm glad that you came on such a short notice." The comment was certainly strange, as he hadn't received a call from the hospital, but Harry thought nothing of it as he shook the doctor's hands - there were more important matters at hand. "I'll speak frankly, sir. She seems to be in perfect condition besides a wound on her face, but we have no idea how to treat it." The doctor continued, once more surprising Harry. How bad could it be that they couldn't treat it, while still not bad enough that she didn't seem to be in pain or upset in any way? "She will likely have some psychological trauma as well, due to the stressful situation she was involved in. I can recommend a therapist, if you'd like."

"I'll... I'll think about it." Harry said, glancing at Alexis. She hadn't moved an inch when he walked into the room, but when she heard the doctor speak his name, she turned to stare at him. There was a fearful look in her eyes. "Can you leave us for a minute, doc?" He requested.

"Of course, sir. Call me if you need anything." Dr. Larkin replied, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Now that he was alone with his daughter, Harry walked towards the bed, though he noticed she seemed to be inching away from him as he approached. "Hey." He said to her softly as he sat on the bed next to her. "How's my little superhero doing?" He asked affably while affectionately ruffling her hair. "I bet you weren't expecting a visit today."

"Hi daddy." Alexis spoke without much enthusiasm, averting her gaze from him. "I'm-I'm fine, really. I'm not hurt or anything..."

"Well you don't sound fine to me dear. And the doctor said you had a nasty scratch on your face." Harry said. "Can I see it?"

"No!" Alexis cried out abruptly, backing away from her father, who let out a sigh.

"Little cupcake, don't you trust me?" He asked her. The question made Alexis freeze, and after a moment, she sighed and turned to look at Harry. Now that she was turned towards him, he could see the gauze that covered one of her cheeks. Before he could say anything, she quickly tore it off, revealing the part of her skin that was missing and the glossy metallic texture underneath, flashes of azure occasionally running through it.

"What... what is that?" Harry asked with fright in his voice. Alexis immediately looked away and hastily tried to put the gauze back, to no avail. As he looked down at her, he could see tears quickly welling up in her eyes. This was exactly what she feared and he had done nothing to prevent it.

"Listen, dear, I think daddy's going to need a little time to process this, but everything will be fine, alright?" He said softly as he pulled her closer to him, hoping to calm her down a little. "In the meantime, why don't we go back home? I'm sure you'll feel much better if you get to rest in your room instead of this hospital." He added before handing her the tub of ice cream. "You can eat this on the way back. It's your favorite isn't it?"

Alexis nodded, and after a brief conversation with Dr. Larkin, the two headed to the parking lot and got inside Harry's van.

It would be a long drive home.

[The Republic of Atria]

Viv

Viv started calling for the start of the race and Bael rushed to get into starting position. His opponents were Mars, Casimir and Icarus. Mars was in okay shape, but lacked the superhuman strength he and Casimir had. He wasn't sure how Icarus's constructs worked with water, but they could definitely be a factor. And Casimir was skinnier than him on top of his strength and speed. At least there's a pretty good chance I'm not coming in last. Sorry Mars! He thought as Viv counted downed and the race started.

Bael shot out of the sand and landed in the water, pressing his legs together and using his tail for a nice extra boost, he thrust himself forward through the water with his head peaked halfway above the water not unlike a particularly large and fast alligator or crocodile.

[Absolon-7]

Part 4

The One Where Casimir, Ash, and Red Start a Detective Agency Part 5
November 5th
Northern California

---

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the abandoned warehouse. Careful to avoid any of the razor-sharp shards protruding from the broken window, Steven worked to clear out an opening large enough for him to easily reach through. Putting his crowbar to one side, he cautiously felt his way around the rear of the office’s locked door. Frowning as he tried to discern the locks and latches barring their passage, he eventually managed to get a solid enough grasp that he could slide the rusted bolt out of the way. Grinning, he turned towards Red as he gestured towards the now unlocked door.

“Alright kid, give it a go now.” He said simply, shaking his arm after pulling it clear of the window.

“Seems like this wasn’t your first time doing something like that,” Red said to Steven with a sarcastic tone as he approached the door, “Should I be concerned?”

A sly smile traced its way onto the man’s face in response to the question. “Anything for a story, kid.”

Rolling his eyes, Red made a quick visual inspection of the door before opening. Nothing seems boobytrapped or otherwise out of place, the young hero thought to himself as he slowly opened the door to the room inside. What he found there wasn’t anything more than what he had expected, as dusty chairs lined up the scattered metal furniture that hadn’t been bothered to be moved out whenever this place had originally closed.

The office had likely originally been intended for one of the warehouse’s floor managers, with the window that Steven had just shattered offering a clear view of the building’s main floor. Once again switching on his flashlight, the reporter ran his gaze across the room. It had clearly been a while since it had been occupied, with the locked door likely having deterred any of the occasional squatters that had made the warehouse their temporary home. A thin layer of dust seemed to coat all of the spartan furnishings, while more than a few large cobwebs hung from the ceiling. After closing the door behind him and noting the room’s general layout, Steven gestured towards the room’s desk with his light.

“How about you check that out? I’ll see if I can dig anything up from the filing cabinet.”

Without waiting for a response from the kid, the reporter moved over to the rusty metal cabinet. He supposed the kid had to have a decent head on his shoulders, but he’d be damned if he was going to risk him missing anything important. Better to look over the more likely sources of clues himself.

Years of underuse had caused rust to practically weld some of the cabinet’s drawers shut. Grunting as he put his back into pulling the drawers open with a metal-on-metal squeal, Steven frowned as he was repeatedly met with empty interiors. But not to be deterred by initial disappointments, the reporter meticulously went through the entire cabinet, making sure to shine his light right to the back of each drawer to make sure that he wasn’t missing anything that had been tucked away. Apart from disturbing a few more spiders in their darkened cobweb homes, it looked like any files or documents had been picked meticulously clean. Or at least that’s what it looked like until Steven got to the bottom of the cabinet. His heart had jumped slightly when the drawer had slid open effortlessly, indicating that it had been in use far more recently than the rest of the cabinet. And the reporter was not disappointed by the sight that greeted him.

“Fucking jackpot!” He muttered under his breath, grinning as he saw the rows of files and documents that had been stuffed inside. Placing his flashlight between his teeth so that he could use both of his hands to go through his discovery, Steven quickly began flicking through the manila folders to get a sense of what he was looking at.

There were plenty of newspaper clippings, with particular lines or articles seemingly highlighted or circled. He didn’t stop to read any of them quite yet, but the headlines still jumped out at him: ‘Mutants or Malcontents? What’s Behind the String of Attacks in our Town?’, ‘Sudden Increase in Missing Persons’. It all seemed relevant, and Steven felt the corners of his mouth creeping up into a smile. Whoever had been using the office had been very interested in what was going on in the town, but it seemed like their interests had broadened over time. Clippings and pages from newspapers from further afield were also included, with articles about the Wonder Foundation’s activities featuring prominently. The pieces had all seemingly been ordered by topic, which Steven certainly appreciated, but it also meant that he had to pause when the subject matter of the articles seemed to shift.

‘New Hero Team in San Diego!’

The reporter frowned as he scanned the headline, the leading image showing the grinning faces of the Young Bloods after their first mission to the city Zoo. He remembered reporting on that story, and trying to make his editor understand why his opinion piece on the dangers of unrestrained heroism was worth publishing. She’d opted to go for some sappy feel-good piece instead. Pushing the memory to one side, Steven noted that there were only a handful of articles related to the teens - although it seemed like their mystery investigator’s attention had become focused on Kabuto in particular. And then the reporter was greeted by the final article in the drawer, with massive, excited circles having been drawn in highlighter around the headline: Young Bloods Battle Villains at Wonder Foundation Facility.

Feeling a giddy chill creeping down his spine, Steven took a moment to try and take in what he’d found. It wasn’t much. Not yet, at least. But it was the surest sign that his hunches had put him on the right track yet. There was a link between those kids, the Wonder Foundation, and what had happened in this town. They’d been involved somehow, and this was the story that would expose them for the menace that they really were.

Trying not to get too far ahead of himself, Steven pulled out a manilla folder from the back of the cabinet to glance through its contents. This one wasn’t filled with articles or newspapers, but rather a series of images and what looked like blueprints, of a building that the reporter immediately recognised.

“Hey, I think I’ve figured out where whoever used to be here went.” The reporter declared, looking over to his impromptu colleague with a cocky smirk. Pulling a photo from the folder, he spun it around so that the kid could see. “San Diego.” The photo itself, along with the blueprints that Steven had found, were all for the Wonder Foundation building that had been the site of the Young Blood’s confrontation. “We’re on to something big here, kid. I hope that you’re all buckled up and ready to tango.”

“I think you’re going to end up biting on more than you can chew there, friend,” Red mumbled under his breath as he continued searching through the desk. He was already fully aware that the Wonder Foundation was involved with Ash given that they had discovered her in the very same facility that he had mentioned. It was what led up to that point that some girl out here had ended up becoming for lack of better terms a freak of nature that concerned him.

Unlike his compatriot, he had no luck in searching through the various drawers and cupboards of the metal desk. He even tried running his fingers for any sort of hidden compartments or the like from within, but it seemed that he was dealing with nothing more than a standard piece of furniture.

Frustrated, Red was prepared to give up on his investigations when the sight of a small crack between the wall and the edge of the desk caught his gaze. It was no wider than two fingers pressed up against one another, but Red knew first hand just how easily things could end up lost in such a small place given his frequent findings of pens and pencils behind his own desk. Glancing over towards Steven, he motioned towards the piece of furniture.

“Help me move this.”

Steven seemed a bit apprehensive, his earlier revelation seemingly not catching the redhead’s attention dimming his spirits. However after a sharp glare from said redhead, the man was quick to assist him in pushing the desk away from the wall, wincing slightly as a loud screeching noise rang out from the sliding metal legs.

Looking back towards the previously hidden portion behind the desk, Red’s eyes widened as he spotted a rectangular shaped object resting against the wall. Reaching down, he let out a small curse as he felt a small prick of pain race across his fingers. Sucking on the wounded finger briefly and shaking it in the air, he gingerly reached down once more, careful to avoid what he now could tell was shattered glass as he grabbed a hold of the aforementioned object.

Nodding his head towards Steven, the man shone his light down on what was now clearly a picture frame with photo inside. Carefully picking around the shattered glass, Red’s eyes scanned the image in his hand, his eyebrows furrowing deeply as he tried to discern what was before him.

It was a pair of girls, seemingly in the mid to later teens that were posed together in what seemed to be an impromptu selfie photo. For all intents and purposes, nothing at first seemed to be out of place with the two outside the fact that their photo had wound up in a place such as this. But as Red continued to glare at the photograph, something about the girl seeming to be holding the camera caught his attention.

“Is this…”

Red’s voice trailed off as he stared intensely at the picture in his hand. Sure, there are notable differences that one would expect given such a transformation. But her overall frame, posture, facial expressions… Red’s thoughts likewise began to trail off as he slowly began to realize why the girl seemed to trigger a reaction within him.

“What is it kid? Is something up with that photo? Wonder Foundation logos or-”

“No,” Red quickly replied, cutting off Steven’s question before he had time to finish it. Before the man could attempt to ask anything else or even take another look at the image, the redhead had already tucked the image into the back pocket of his jeans. The man gave him an incredulous look, but given the expression he was wearing, he knew it would be better off not to ask, at least for the time being.

Shrugging, Steven let out a small sigh instead as he clicked the button on his flashlight and stashed it into his jacket pocket alongside the vanilla envelope he had found. He glanced around the room once more, but it was clear as day to him that they had found everything they could find here. While far from answering the questions he had, he had finally found a legitimate clue in which he could further his investigations.

“I suppose we’ve done enough here, kid. Let’s call it a day for now. I’ve got enough I think to do my own digging, and you seem to have found what you’re looking for,” Steven said in a voice that showed the fatigue he felt. “I don’t suppose you have a card or anything like-”

Steven’s words were cut off as Red suddenly reached forwards with his hand and placed them over the man’s mouth. The shocked reporter was ready to demand an explanation for this behavior, when all of a sudden he heard the soft yet unmistakable sounds of footsteps nearby. A confused look replaced his previous expression of surprise as he pondered who else could possibly be coming into this abandoned building.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the redhead next to him suddenly tense up as he began to take a step forward. A moment later, the previously closed door behind them was kicked open as a trio of armor cladded figures forced their way into the room with rifles in their hands. Steven could only let out a small surprised shout as the figures aimed their weapons towards him, the lack of hesitation in their movements making it clear that they had no intention of taking him alive.

The sharp crack of a rifle caused Steven to wince instinctively as he waited to feel the impact of the round, but as he blinked his eyes back open he saw Red gripping down on the barrel with his free hand and pointing the weapon downwards. A moment later the first assailant was flipped backwards as his legs were kicked out from underneath him, nearly tumbling into the two other figures behind him in the process. With the rifle still in hand, the redhead wasted no time in using the weapon as an improvised club as it cracked across the helmet of one of the other figures, sending him tumbling downwards as well. The remaining attacker, realizing the larger threat on hand, turned his rifle and attempted to fire off a short burst with his rifle in his direction. His reaction was too slow, however, as Red had already moved in too close for him to train sights on and had spun around so that his back was pressed up directly against the figure’s chest. Reaching down to grab a hold of the rifle, Red managed to wrestle for control of the weapon thanks to a few sharp backward elbows and moments later another sharp crack of the rifle went off followed by the screams of the final assailant as he clutched down towards his now bloodied foot. Sending a swift kick to the head of the first figure he had knocked to the ground to put them out of commission, Red proceeded to look back up to Steven with an expression that held both a mixture of confusion and annoyance as he tossed the rifle away from the heap of armored figures on the ground.

“Looks like you shook up the hornet’s nest enough for Wonder Foundation to send out their goons,” Red said, the cold tone in his voice managing to send a slight shiver down Steven’s spine. Almost as if to emphasize the sensation, the reporter flinched once more as he saw Red’s leg reach out once more to deliver a punishing side kick to the wounded figure who had attempted to reach for one of the rifles next to him. “We need to get moving. I doubt that’s going to be the last of them.”

Steven, still frozen in shock at what he had just witnessed, managed to snap back to his senses as he gave him a small nod of his head in response. The kid’s quick and instinctive response to the armed goons, along with the calm with which he seemed to be handling the whole situation, raised more questions than it answered. But Steven wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth when it might be the only thing keeping him alive. “Don’t have to tell me twice, kid. Just get me the hell out of here.”

Nodding back, Red quickly took a glance around the now busted door that led to their only way out of the office area. Unsurprising to him, he could already see another pair of the white armor cladded Wonder Foundation agents positioned at the end of the hallway seemingly on standby. They had yet to notice his presence, having likely considered the earlier gunfire to be the work of their comrades. Red knew it wouldn’t be long though until they realized something was amiss, thus giving him little time to think of a way in which both he and Steven would be able to get out alive.

“How well can you fire a rifle?” Red asked quietly towards Steven, who gave him a startled look as his eyes went over to one of the nearby weapons on the ground. His mouth twisted into a frown as he recalled the few times he’d gone down to the firing range.

“I mean, I can pick one up and shoot it, but don’t expect me to hit much with it,” he replied, a small tremble in his voice as he considered actually firing at someone. However much to his surprise, Red simply shook his head in response.

“You don’t need to hit anything. In fact, I want you specifically not to. All I need you to do is to send them scattering towards cover long enough for me to get in close. You think you can manage that much?”

Steven stared at Red for a few moments, not quite believing what he was hearing and needing some time to try and process it all. “Sure, I can do that. But it’s at least thirty feet from us to them. No offense kid, but I doubt you’ll be able to make it in time.”

“Trust me, I can make it,” Red said back, flashing a small grin that Steven couldn’t tell was either filled with excitement or nervousness. The reporter decided he would rather not know, and instead reached down and picked up one of the rifles, struggling to maintain a good grip on the heavy weapon in his hands.

Down the hallways, one of the two figures shouted down a name that neither Red nor Steven recognized, followed by the sound of footsteps beginning to approach. A small moment of eye contact between the two made it clear they both understood their time had run out, prompting the reporter to take in a deep breath before popping around the doorway to unload a barrage of automatic gunfire. As expected, his aim was horrendous as sparks of bullets ran alongside the ceilings and walls around the two figures. However, the intended effect did occur as the Foundation agents practically dove backwards around the corner of the hallway towards cover.

In what seemed like a blur, Red ran past Steven and down towards where the two agents had ducked into cover as he used the suppressive fire to give him the time needed to approach. As he reached roughly half of the distance down the hallway, he heard Steven’s rifle fall silent indicating that he had run out of ammunition. The two agents that had ducked into cover were quick to turn around with their own rifles raised in preparation to return fire.

At this point though, Red had managed to reach their position, and before they could realize what was happening, he had already managed to deliver a sharp front kick to the figure on his left’s kneecap, sending him crashing forwards in pain. Before he could fall, Red’s arm raced its way across the back of his neck as the redhead gracefully spun around behind him. The remaining agent hesitated for a brief moment to fire as Red used his comrade as a human shield. In that slight moment of hesitation, Red sent his hostage tumbling forwards into him with the help of a well placed kick to the back of the first agent’s already injured knee. As the two tumbled into one another, Red was quick to reach for the second’s rifle, using a quick jerk of the man’s wrist to pry the weapon free of his grasp and sending it scattering across the floor.

His former hostage continued to plummet onto the ground crying out in pain as his other comrade, now disarmed, was quick to backstep away from his assailant. With both arms raised in a crude boxing stance, the agent attempted to throw several quick jabs towards Red, all of which were either avoided or countered with Red’s remaining healthy arm. The rapid and jerky movements were sending waves of pain into his other arm with each action, but Red simply gritted his teeth as the two quickly went through a series of blows against one another, neither seeming to give an inch of ground to one another in the process.

A right jab managed to slip its way past Red’s defense, causing him to let out a pained groan as the blow threatened to send him tumbling backwards as he recoiled from the impact. Seeing the opportunity, the agent raised his fist once more in what was to likely be a finishing haymaker against the vulnerable redhead. However before he could deliver it, the sound of a gunshot caused the man to flinch as the bullet cracked over his head. Red, having had the split second to recover himself, decided to use the opportunity to return the favor and sent a sharp jab into the man’s relatively unprotected stomach region. The man faltered forwards for a brief moment, almost seeming to have the power to continue on. A powerful knee to the bottom of his chin stopped him dead in his tracks, and a moment later he fell down to the ground with a large thud next to his other comrade who was still clutching at his knee in pain.

Taking several heavy breaths, Red glanced down the hallway, where a very visibly disturbed Steven stood with the rifle still in hand. Staring at him for a few moments in disbelief, Red couldn’t help but ask a single question.


“Did you know you wouldn’t hit me?”

Steven paused for a moment, contemplating his answer before finally replying.

“No.”

Red stared at him with wide eyes for a brief second, his mouth opening as he prepared to say something in response to the answer but quickly changed his mind and instead shook his head. “Let’s keep moving. Grab the rifle on the ground there just in case we need it again,” he said, nodding his head to one of the rifles he had kicked aside earlier. He paused for a moment as he considered the previous events.

“And please, tell me to duck next time.”

---

As they neared the designated meeting location, Red let out a small sigh of relief as he shifted the car’s transmission into park. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he looked over towards Steven, who’s eyes were still darting around their surroundings nervously. “We’re fine now. The people we’re about to meet are a hell of a lot stronger than I am. I doubt that those assholes are dumb enough to not realize that, so at least for now you can relax,” he said with a small roll of his eyes.

Steven seemed a bit reluctant to agree but finally gave Red a small nod of his head. “B-but what about the car? I mean you totally just stole a car in order to get us here. Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of hero or something?”

Red gave Steven a small grin upon hearing his concerns, the actual truth being too humorous given their current situation.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Now come on, let’s go.”

Opening up the car door, of which held a distinctive shattered hole which previously had glass, Red made his way over towards the looming transmission tower in front of them. The sound of frantic hushed cursing could be heard from behind him, causing Red’s grin to grow an inch further as the weight of their predicament rested squarely on his shoulders.

We really have kicked the hornet’s nest now, haven’t we?

[The Templar High Council]

November 14th

---

[...]

Before she could say anything more, someone grabbed her arm. Surprised, she turned her head to see a redhead approaching her, Zoe. She wasn't too familiar with the other girl yet despite her having been on the team for over a month now - after all, she had only come back a little over two weeks ago - but she was happy to be able to make a new friend, and even happier that she had come to her party despite not knowing her that well. Smiling brightly, she accepted the illustrated sleeve, looking at it curiously. It consisted of the word "riot" written in black countless times against a blank background. She turned it over in her hands and noticed that the back had the name of the band written on it.

"Paramore...?" She repeated. "I'll be sure to give it a listen! I um, I just need to figure out what I can play this on." She added, offering Zoe a bit of a sheepish smile. She glanced back at Roy for a moment, wondering if she should try to say anything else to him, but in the end opted against it. He clearly had no intention of changing his mind, and he had done what he came here to do already. So instead, she turned back to Zoe, walkin back to the food table with her. "So you're on Marsy's squad right? What's it like workin' with him?" She asked the redhead.

Casimir Herman November 14th

---

[...]

But his eyes suddenly darted to his thrown which had a brand new occupier in an absolutely gargantuan plush beetle, "What the hell?"

Zoe Foster - Impulse
Wonder Tower, San Diego
November 14th

"I mean honestly we can just find the album online, the LP is just for collector's sake." Zoe rubbed her head sheepishly as Kiris responded somewhat positively to her gift, even if it was a bit eccentric. "I have a record player back home at my parent's house, I can bring it back here after the holidays and we can play it then! Since we don't really know each other that well I kind of had to guess at what you would like, and most of the people I asked said you were into music. And as for genre, I just gave it a good guess, but I'm glad to know you're interested."

Zoe followed after Kiris as she led her to the dining area, and the redhead was all too ready to dig in and enjoy the event. She grabbed hold of a cupcake and started to peel off the wrapper as she answered Kiris' question. "I mean, I bet it could be worse. At least Mars is like... the most approachable of all the team leaders? Honestly being here is my first time working with other heroes my age, so it's all been really cool." Zoe finished unwrapping the cupcake and eagerly discarded the paper lining. "So how long have you two been together?"

As soon as Zoe took a bite of the sweet treat, she heard Casimir exclaim loudly from the other end of the table. She turned to see him surprised to see her gift, and Zoe laughed despite just starting to eat. She hurriedly swallowed her food before calling out to him. "Have fun, Casimir! He doesn't have a name yet, so go nuts!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

November 14th

---

---

---

Kiris listened as Zoe answered her question about being in her boyfriend's squad. The assertion that he was the most approachable squad leader puzzled her a bit - sure Shi and Roy were a little more guarded and professional than the others, but Alexis was a very friendly and welcoming person, and so was Wyatt. Though she supposed Alexis hadn't been around as of late to confirm that, and while Wyatt was a gentle giant, his appearance must've still come across as imposing to humans. Whatever the case though, it was nice to hear her new friend was comfortable with Mars as her team lead.

The question about how long the two had been together took her by surprise, and the horned girl had to think on it for a moment before answering. "Oh, we started datin' on the 18th of July. That was when we had our first kiss, too." Kiris grinned as the memory came back to her, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. "Um, anyways, that makes... four months this Saturday, I think?" She added afterwards. "Though I was away from here for three... a little over two months, actually, so the time we've been together together is less than half of what I just told ya." She explained, quickly correcting herself as she noticed she was using her months instead of Earth's. "It's been a great couple months though." She grinned.

Hearing Casimir's exclamation she turned to look in his direction and saw the giant plush beetle sitting dignified on the wooden throne. Judging by Zoe's reaction that had clearly been her gift, and the sight got a good giggle out of the pink-haired girl.

"Nice gift." She told the redhead. "So if this is the first time ya work with other heroes your age, did ya work with adults before?" She asked. Since she hadn't been around for the tournament, she wasn't privy to the information that Zoe had in fact come from the Bluejays.

---

November 19th

---

---

---

---

---

Icarus nodded at Wyatt's explanation. It made sense that other cultures would have different forms of greeting each other, let alone other species. The comment that the Mountain had given the young Dra'Qunni his number in case they wanted to tussle again got a chuckle out of him. "He sounds like it."

Mars walked closer to the group, with a few others in tow, and asked if he could join the race, to which Wyatt quickly replied positively. Icarus simply nodded at the genius boy. "The more the merrier." He stated, before glancing at Casimir, whose overconfidence made him assert that he'd win the race despite not having much experience swimming. The blond boy shook his head. "You're going to eat your own words, bug boy." He said. If he knew what his friend was like, he'd try to get to the goal faster using sheer brute force in his arms and legs, which wouldn't get him anywhere fast.

Before long, Viviana announced that she was about to start the race. Icarus got into position next to the water, preparing to dive. When the countdown finished and the brunette lowered her arm, the blond boy dived in and quickly got his body into horizontal position before swimming towards the buoy Viviana had designated as their goal earlier, pushing as much water as possible with every stroke to ensure he was the fastest he could be. His ability to create constructs faded the second he touched the water, of course, but his strength and especially his speed and agility remained unabated. Coupled with his experience he hoped that'd give him the edge he needed to win the race.

Or if not, then at least the edge he needed to show Casimir he was a twerp.

Meanwhile, from the shore, an energetic pink-haired girl in a modest black and yellow swimsuit was cheering on her boyfriend. "Ya can do it Mars!"

[Galnius]

Aislinn

Red

Aislinn prided herself in a few subjects. Swordsplay, cuisine, classic literature, and reading social cues. While she was adept in each, it was the fourth that seemed to come in handy the most often. Here, too, she made sure to pay as much attention as she possibly could without seeming like she was prying. While enjoying her dessert and coffee, she kept an eye on her entourage's expressions, where he looked, and how concentrated he was.

Even with this, however, "Liam" gave little away. Perhaps it was because he was a hero, or perhaps it was a unique circumstance to him. The stone faced expression he wore when in thought reminded her of the butler she had grown close to drive coming to the US, though he was hardened by war and death. What was it that this boy was hardened by?

One thing did not escape her though. A quick frown. "Liam" tried to hide it, but to Aislinn, who trained herself to notice every expression to deal in business affairs, it was as clear as a summer sky.

. "...I suppose I don't mind taking my motorcycle out. The weather here's certainly a lot more agreeable than other places I've been. Although I've got to say, I feel like the true threat to this city isn't villains but instead all the damn traffic,"

Aislinn smiled at the lighthearted comment. A grown didn't mean a deal could not be stuck, after all. The way his voice changed suddenly when talking about his bike made it appear quite the opposite, actually. It grew mildly higher with excitement. Good. That would make him more receptive.

"A biker eh? Tha's an interesting hobby. I'll need to remember that. Perhaps set the team up a time at a racetrack for some free riding."

Aislinn let a silence fall for a short time as she continued with her crepe, each small bite leaving nary a crumb behind.

"In fact, I may have to join you. I'm not much of a motorcyclist myself, but I'm a quick enough learner, and my scooter should keep up. If it can't well, maybe I'll just have to ride with one of the team... "

---

Andrew Donovan, training day

"Well Tidal, you convinced me and here I am. Tell me, what could the hero of salmon possibly teach?"

Andrew was currently a mile from Wonder Island at an abandoned, rocky beach, the ocean background dotted with small island that have an illusive shallowness to the deep waters only a few yards out. Anticipating that water was likely involved in today's endeavor, Andrew had come in basic surfer gear, wearing a yellow rash guard and deep blue trucks. Facing him was Augusta Mayer, the hydrokinetic hero Tidal in his normal hero costume sans mask, a hyperdurable wet suit. It has taken a lot of convincing, and some prodding from Andrew's own mother to set this up. However, they were still down one person.

"To just you? Nothing Andrew."

"Jackrabbit."

"Sure. Whatever you say Andrew. Regardless, you are too stubborn to learn anything alone. I thought I would take this opportunity to teach you some teamwork. Only issue is, your friend isn't here. You didn't lie to me, did you Andrew? "

Andrew sighed. If his teammate had come along quicker, he wouldn't have to deal with any of this, but he wasn't just going to sit around and wait for them to get ready.

"Once again, Jackrabbit. Andrew is my civilian name, we are heroes Tidal. Please remember that. Anyway, she's probably still getting dressed or something. I hope she's prepared a swim suit or something because knowing you we'll be diving for clams or some shit. "

All Andrew was answered with was an unnerving grin. That was enough, however, to make Andrew's heart lurch in worry. Something told him free diving for clams would be preferable to whatever was about to happen. God, he hoped Zoe was ready.

[Absolon-7]

Part 5

The One Where Casimir, Ash, and Red Start a Detective Agency Part 6
November 5th
Northern California

---

As dusk enveloped the land two lone figures stood at the base of the steel skeleton of a transmission tower at the far outskirts of the town. The lonely road to the town lay some distance before them with only a single street light next to a bus stop offering some semblance of vision. It was the last street light before someone headed into the hills. Two figures were at the tower with Casimir hanging on off one of the steel parts that made up the skeletal mesh of the tower by his legs swinging slightly to and fro.

“This is boooring. Red said he’d be here already,” blurted out Casimir as he spun off the metal bracket and landed on his feet, “Ha! Ten out of ten landing there. Right Ash?”

“Hm?” Ash replied, blinking as if she’d been broken out of a reverie. Glancing towards Casimir’s confident grin, she offered him a sheepish smile as she tried to mask her own divided attention. “Oh yes, definitely.”

While Casimir was slowly growing more and more impatient as their investigation drew to a close, Ash couldn’t help but feel the tightness in her chess growing tighter and tighter over the course of the day. She’d gone from feeling excitement and determination, to light-headed and nervous, before swinging right back in the opposite direction. To her teammates, it might have felt like they were rapidly closing in on a neat and successful end to their adventure, Ash was quickly becoming lost in a whirlwind of her own thoughts.

For a few seconds, she continued to gaze quietly out from the tower, her lips pursed in thought as one of her arms rubbed against her side. Things had been happening so quickly, that Ash had been all but lost in each moment, but suddenly she found herself with the time to consider what might come next, after this was all over. Taking a nervous breath, she turned to her friend. “Kabuto...what do you think will happen when I find my family?” She asked, her concerns evident from her tone. “I was thinking that they might ask me to come home, which would mean that I’d have to leave San Diego. You and the others would be sure to come and visit, yes?”

“You bet your ass,” said Casimir crossing his arms on his chest, “Won’t be able to do it all the time like when we hang out on Wonder Island but when it comes to friends it's just a matter of waiting for the next time.”

The chirping of crickets in the distance caught his attention and with a snap of his fingers their melody changed to a more even beat he had memorized during one of the team’s gamenights. Satisfied with his work he swished his red scarf dramatically over his shoulder. However he soon squatted down to stare at the roadway in front of them as the odd car passed by, “What sort of family would you like to have anyway, if you could choose. I remember my old man being a real goofball. My mom was pretty helpful. And Jadwiga was at least a grade nicer. Feels kinda weird that I’ve lived longer without my parents than with them at this point.”

Pausing as she considered Casimir’s question, a smile crept onto Ash’s features as she tried to imagine her family. “Well, they would be very kind and caring. My mother would be a teacher, and she would sit down and talk to me about math after school. Dad would not be home as much since he would be travelling for his work managing the family business. Both of them would be very important people, with a lot of influence - which they would always use to try and help other people, like heroes. That would be why the villain took me away from them, because he thought that he could use me to get them to do what he wanted.”

As she spoke, it was clear that Ash had already spent time crafting her expectations. Her words came quickly and easily, and there was a glimmer in the corner of her eye as she weaved her mental story together. But for a moment, she hesitated. Glancing towards Casimir, she rubbed the back of her head nervously as she sheepishly added. “I would also very much like to have a sister.” Ash paused for a moment more, turning back to look out towards the road. “Actually, I already know that I have one, Kabuto. I remember that I do, for sure. It is just that…” She hesitated, her smile faltering. “...I am worried. If I am right, and the villain came after me to get to my parents, would she not also be in danger?”

“Ha! Now that’s what I call aiming high. Looks like you’re picking up on what I teach you,” said Casimir trailing off with a boisterous laugh. Her high aspirations for her dream family were amusing but Ash apparently remembering that she had a sister made him look over his shoulder at her before looking back at the road, “A sis, eh? Well she could be but she could not be too. Listen, getting into this worrying about what if’s is just going to be a pain for you so until we actually find your family there’s no point in worrying...But since you remembered we should keep an eye out for any other kids...Do you remember what she was like? I’ve only had a big one and she’s a complete handful like holy shit don’t get me started.”

“R-right!” Ash replied, although her voice initially faltered.

The laugh had not been the response that she had been expecting, and for some reason Casimir’s reaction stung her like a wasp. He was right, of course - Casimir was always right. She knew that she was jumping to conclusions and getting ahead of herself, but she knew that her family was going to be amazing. She knew it in the same way that Casimir says that a hero knows that they must help those in need: by looking into her heart and grabbing onto her hopes with all four of her hands. So when her best friend brushed aside her nervous, hopeful musings with an amused laugh, it left Ash feeling like she’d been dealt a minor blow.

But she was sure that he hadn’t meant it like that. As Casimir continued and asked questions about her sister, Ash buried her pained response and forced a smile to light itself upon her features. After everything that the other hero had already done for her, the last thing she wanted to do was to make him feel bad for a slip of his tongue.

“Well...I do not know, I guess.” She eventually managed, visibly scrunching her brow as she tried to reach back into the opaque haze of her fractured memories. “I only remember feelings. I do not know even what she looks like!” The mutant paused, a hint of colour touching her cheeks. “But I remember caring for her very much. Similar to how we care for each other as best friends, yes?” Immediately regretting her words for some reason, Ash nearly stumbled over herself as she tried to move the conversation on in a new direction. “But I am sure that all siblings must care for each other since they are family! You have not told me much about Jadwiga - it would be very fun to meet her one day, I think. Is she a hero too, like you?”

“Oh nah. But she might as well have the power to spit out poison. She’s just a chef though,” said Casimir, although as he spoke he felt there was something off about Ash, “You should’ve seen her face when I told her I was Kabuto way back. It was hilarious...until it wasn’t. She just had this weird look. And she always had that look whenever she saw me go out and fight bad guys. Still does.”

Oh shit… Casimir adjusted his scarf slightly, “I guess she was always worried about me....You’re really worried aren’t you? Bout your family.”

Ash stiffened at the question. For a moment, surprise flashed across her features before she brushed aside the comment with a dismissive scoff. “What? No, I am not ‘worried’ about my family.” Puffing out her chest and doing her best to feign confidence, the mutant planted a hand on her hip as she gestured to herself with a thumb. “It is like you always say, heroes should never allow themselves to fall prey to doubt! And besides, my family would have been more than a match for some villainous lowlife - after all, they are the family of the Amazing Ashen Moth.”

Ash spoke boisterously, channelling what she considered to be the most heroic person she could - and which sounded suspiciously similar to one Kabuto the Great. For a few seconds, she even managed to hold her confident pose, but it didn’t take long for her cocky smirk to waver. Even with her best efforts, Ash knew that she wasn’t succeeding in fooling either herself or her friend. With a sigh, her shoulders slumped and she cast out towards the horizon.

“Actually, maybe I am a bit worried.” She admitted, understating the roiling concerns that had been eating at the back of her mind for the past few days. “I am worried that a villain might have hurt them, when it is my responsibility as a hero to make sure that they are safe.” Ash bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. Rubbing one of her arms, she frowned at Casimir before forcing herself to continue. “And, I guess that I am worried that they will not be happy when they see…me.” To elaborate on her point, Ash’s two lower arms gestured to her mutated figure. She didn’t know what she had been like before she had become a mutant, but she knew that her appearance at the very least would come as a surprise for her parents - whomever they were. “Do you think that they would even be able to recognise me when we find them?”

“Maybe not at first but they sure as hell will when you start talking to them. Parents tend to have a knack for that from what I know,” said Casimir, rubbing the back of his neck, “If they’re worth anything they’ll know it’s you. I bet you’ll even melt their hearts that you’re worried about them since you’d think it would be the other way around.”

Comforted by her friend’s words, Ash nodded in response as she continued to look out towards the empty country road. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him, but she didn’t know how she could’ve done all of this without Casimir. From the moment that she’d been freed from the Wonder Foundation, he’d been by her side to help her get back onto her feet. And now, here he was going out of his way to help her finally track down her own family. She couldn’t have asked for a better friend, and more than anything she wanted to explain to him how she felt - and yet she still found the words silently lodged within her throat. Smiling softly, she broke the silence that had descended in the chilly night-time air.

“I am really excited to see them again.” She said. Her anticipation more than outweighing her fears and concerns. “Thank you for helping me, Kabuto. I could not have asked for a better friend.” However, before the hero could respond, Ash noticed a pair of figures making their way towards them. Confusion at seeing Red being accompanied by a stranger soon turned into a narrowed gaze as Ash recognised the scent wafting through the air. With her antennae twitching in recognition, her features twisted into a scowl. “Mask?!” She exclaimed, disbelief mixing with suspicion in her tone. “Why is that man here?!”

Glancing back towards Steven, Red returned his gaze back towards the other two and gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “I found a friend. He’s pretty harmless, minus the fact that he almost got us both killed. Oh yeah, I should mention,” Red replied, his voice initially sarcastic before it suddenly turned to a more ominous tone. “Wonder Foundation is here, and they sure as hell seem dead set on tying up loose ends. Speaking of the Devil himself, Mr. Loose End, would you care to introduce yourself?”

Everyone’s gaze began to center onto Steven as the man hesitated to say anything, but finally let out a feigned cough and began to speak.

“I recognize this blowhard! He’s that jerk from the tournament,” interrupted Casimir pointing at the reporter.

“Hey, how about you watch your mouth, kid?” Steven retorted, his eyes narrowing in frustration as Kabuto cut him off. “If you and your friend over there” he gestured towards the mutant silently glaring at him “can’t take the heat, then maybe you shouldn’t have chosen to be public figures. It’s people like me who keep people like you in check, no matter how much you’d like to run rampant over our civil liberties.”

Scowling, Steven turned around towards the Mask. “You know what, this now makes a lot more fucking sense. Were you tailing me kid, huh? Was that what this was: a sting where you try to gain my trust and put a stop to my investigation?” The reporter jabbed a finger towards the hero’s chest, seemingly unintimidated by the collective strength of the trio that stood around him. “Well, tough break. This isn’t Steven Short’s first rodeo, and I ain’t going to fall for rookie shit like that. I’m onto you and your team. The Young Bloods, Wonder Foundation, and her,” he once again nodded towards a this-time-surprised Ash, “are all in on this conspiracy, and I’m going to blow the whole thing open for the world to see.”

Ash’s initially hostile expression had slowly morphed into surprise and confusion as the reporter had ranted towards them. Despite her memories of how he had ruined her first interview, casting her as a monster in front of all of her fans, something that Steven said caused a glimmer to shine in her eye.

“You are investigating...me?”

Grinning at the question, Steven turned to offer the mutant a cocky grin. “Damn straight, missy. You’re the lead that’s going to bring down this whole house of cards, and I’m close to airing out all your dirty laundry - you just wait. You and your friends can try all you want to keep your past a secret from the rest of us, but I already know about your connection to the Foundation and this backwater town.”

Ash’s antennae perked up almost immediately. “Do you know where I am from?” The mutant’s face lit up. “You must tell us what you know, we are also here to try and figure out my past.”

The genuine curiosity in the girl’s tone caught Steven off guard, and derailed his train of thought. Blinking in surprise, he glanced towards the other heroes as he tried to compose a response. This was definitely not the reaction he had been expecting from a team of heroes sent to stop him. “I...uh...well, I’ve got some leads. I was actually planning to check out an address that I’d found after the warehouse.”

Red folded his arms across his chest, noting with concern that Ash seemed to be becoming excited at the man’s words. Damn it, Ash. We can’t trust him. “This wouldn’t happen to be an address on Cedar street, would it?” Red didn’t even need to hear Steven’s response, with the man’s surprised look giving him all the answer he needed. Not giving the reporter a chance to explain, he glanced towards Casimir. “That’s where we’re heading next, I think. And I don’t suppose it’d be right for us to just leave you alone with those goons still after you. Right, Kabuto?”

“Yeah me and Ashen Moth got the same address too,” said Casimir crossing his arms before glaring at the reporter, "You’re right Red he’s better off with us. Children are to be seen, not heard.”

[Absolon-7]

---

Casimir Herman November 14th

---

Casimir peered over his shoulder when Zoe called out to him to inform him on his present was the throned beetle. He yelled out a thanks to her her before he scratched the back of his head as he inspected it. It was a hunched over rhinoceros beetle with dark glass eyes staring forward with his giant mass creating rolls of felt and stuffing on its stomach. He slowly poked its stomach and watched as his finger sunk into the felt. He scoffed at it before trying to hold it up by its first pair of arms to inspect it. Now he had to think of where in his room this could fit.

"Now that's a chonker," blurted out Viviana at his side causing him to drop the beetle back on the throne.

"You didn't surprise me okay. I expected you to pop up. You and your gremlin ways," muttered Casimir as he took her hand.

"So got a name for him yet?," asked Viviana tilting her head to the side.

"Hmm how about Hercules?" said Casimir.

"Oh my gosh you're actually naming it," giggled Viviana covering her mouth to stifle further laughter, "Well its a cute name anyways."

"I don't do cute things. It's a badass name alright," responded Casimir crossing his arms, "Do you think it can fit in your room?"

[The Templar High Council]

November 14th

---

---

---

Kiris listened as Zoe answered her question about being in her boyfriend's squad. The assertion that he was the most approachable squad leader puzzled her a bit - sure Shi and Roy were a little more guarded and professional than the others, but Alexis was a very friendly and welcoming person, and so was Wyatt. Though she supposed Alexis hadn't been around as of late to confirm that, and while Wyatt was a gentle giant, his appearance must've still come across as imposing to humans. Whatever the case though, it was nice to hear her new friend was comfortable with Mars as her team lead.

The question about how long the two had been together took her by surprise, and the horned girl had to think on it for a moment before answering. "Oh, we started datin' on the 18th of July. That was when we had our first kiss, too." Kiris grinned as the memory came back to her, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. "Um, anyways, that makes... four months this Saturday, I think?" She added afterwards. "Though I was away from here for three... a little over two months, actually, so the time we've been together together is less than half of what I just told ya." She explained, quickly correcting herself as she noticed she was using her months instead of Earth's. "It's been a great couple months though." She grinned.

Hearing Casimir's exclamation she turned to look in his direction and saw the giant plush beetle sitting dignified on the wooden throne. Judging by Zoe's reaction that had clearly been her gift, and the sight got a good giggle out of the pink-haired girl.

"Nice gift." She told the redhead. "So if this is the first time ya work with other heroes your age, did ya work with adults before?" She asked. Since she hadn't been around for the tournament, she wasn't privy to the information that Zoe had in fact come from the Bluejays.

Zoe Foster - Impulse
Wonder Tower, San Diego
November 14th

"Huh, I had imagined that you guys were together longer, based on how close you are." Zoe said, as she went back for more food. She picked up a small bowl and filled it with a fistful of trail mix that she continued to munch on. "I guess you just get closer dating when you're doing superhero stuff. I mean at the very least it's never boring.

"Yeah, I used to be with the Carolina Bluejays. Kylie invited me to join after... well it's a long story. But that's where I got started, I spent like a year and a half with them. Not going on missions really, just training and joining in for event stuff like the big tournament last September." Zoe popped a few peanuts and raisins into her mouth after a moment. "So I thought I was ready enough when I moved over here, part of something where I could make an impact how I am now. Pun intended." She smirked at Kiris, alluding to her powers.

---

Andrew Donovan, training day

"Well Tidal, you convinced me and here I am. Tell me, what could the hero of salmon possibly teach?"

Andrew was currently a mile from Wonder Island at an abandoned, rocky beach, the ocean background dotted with small island that have an illusive shallowness to the deep waters only a few yards out. Anticipating that water was likely involved in today's endeavor, Andrew had come in basic surfer gear, wearing a yellow rash guard and deep blue trucks. Facing him was Augusta Mayer, the hydrokinetic hero Tidal in his normal hero costume sans mask, a hyperdurable wet suit. It has taken a lot of convincing, and some prodding from Andrew's own mother to set this up. However, they were still down one person.

"To just you? Nothing Andrew."

"Jackrabbit."

"Sure. Whatever you say Andrew. Regardless, you are too stubborn to learn anything alone. I thought I would take this opportunity to teach you some teamwork. Only issue is, your friend isn't here. You didn't lie to me, did you Andrew? "

Andrew sighed. If his teammate had come along quicker, he wouldn't have to deal with any of this, but he wasn't just going to sit around and wait for them to get ready.

"Once again, Jackrabbit. Andrew is my civilian name, we are heroes Tidal. Please remember that. Anyway, she's probably still getting dressed or something. I hope she's prepared a swim suit or something because knowing you we'll be diving for clams or some shit. "

All Andrew was answered with was an unnerving grin. That was enough, however, to make Andrew's heart lurch in worry. Something told him free diving for clams would be preferable to whatever was about to happen. God, he hoped Zoe was ready.

Zoe Foster - Impulse
Some Beach, San Diego
November 20th

Zoe's head popped up from inland, scanning the beach while looking for Andrew. Finally spotting him, she leapt over the rocky barrier protecting the rest of San Diego from the potentially hazardous waves and jogged over to meet him. "Hey, I thought you said we were meeting up after noon? How long have you guys been waiting?"

Zoe was dressed to Andrew's request; wearing a tight white top that covered her whole torso and both of her arms, and a pair of board shorts that went about halfway down her thighs, both of which had a blue stripe going down the sides. She had a bag slung over one shoulder, and dropped it to the ground after arriving. Her hair was held back in a tight bun, as Zoe hoped against all odds that it wouldn't break down during today's training. She stepped forward to greet the guy she didn't know, "Hey, I'm Impulse. Nice to meet you." Zoe stuck her hand out amicably with a smile.

[New Finnish Republic]

The Cafe

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"...If it can't well, maybe I'll just have to ride with one of the team... "

Upon hearing this, Red nearly choked on his then current bite of his desert, giving his chest a small pounding with his fist as he struggled to swallow. Quickly recomposing himself, he faked a small cough to allow for some time to consider his next words carefully. "That, er, would be a discussion for those above me on the chain of command," he said, his words coming out a little too quickly for his liking as the context of her last words still were being broken down within his mind.

Glancing down at his watch for a brief moment, Red realized that the two had already spent some time chatting as they had been. His eyes fixated on the moving hands of the clock face as he began to think to himself. Is this going to be the mission? I swear Naja, if you sent me to do this because I pissed you off I'll... Red didn't finish the thought, instead deciding that it would best not to indulge over the details for the moment. He reasoned that even if this were all he was meant to do, essentially being a rent-a-date, it was far from the most dangerous thing he could be doing. Now whether or not it was worth the time or not, that was still up for debate.

There was something peculiar about this girl. The most notable being how even with her carefree attitude, her piercing gaze showed that she was paying attention to every single detail about him. Red knew all too well what girls of her stature could be like around others, and the fact that the girl showed neither boredom nor impatience was something he had yet to see. Just what is she after?

"So I suppose I'll ask a question, for real this time," Red finally spoke up, eager to change the direction of the conversation. "I don't think it's any secret that a girl with your assets can essentially choose to do what they want, when they want, and however they want to do it. Besides going out for coffee with heroes, what do you even do?" Red paused for a brief moment, before following up quickly. "I don't mean that in a bad way, but someone like you has to have something permanent that keeps them from getting too bored, right?"