Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

by **Finland SSR** » Mon Apr 25, 2022 11:27 am

Galnius wrote:Mikaela Mynd, Christmas Eve

Jan Sorok, the champion of Heaven!

Jan's answer shocked Mika. Hell, it got her frustrated - hearing that he had found and fought demons in a nuclear power plant, she complained about being uninformed and even uninvited, and followed on by mumbling about how stupid or crazy Megan was for using a kiss as blackmail - when terrorism in a nuclear power plant should be more than enough incentive to help out. Jan had to raise his hands defensively and begin explaining himself:

"How could I have known you want to deal with these sorts of missions? The only time we fought against something demonic together, it seemed like that was the worst day ever in your life. I suppose I'll keep this in mind the next time some demons show up, then..." Mika did have a superpower, sort of, so maybe she could help a little? Jan would rather not bring her to a mission, though. He's the one supposed to protect her, after all, so Mika being near danger might just cause more problems than help. "I hadn't yet told her that it was happening in the plant when she kissed me. There's no reason to just... jump to conclusions like that..."

Jan's question, on the other hand, didn't really work for Mika. She dismissed it without a second thought, and clearly did not find it interesting. Alright, if he wants to keep inquiring about her, he needs to think of something other than just reflecting questions.

"Hm?" the Virgil perked up, now asked by Mika again. Having reflected upon Jan's response, Mika asked about his relationships, and whether he would ever surrender his angelic mantle to simply be with someone. However, what first caught his attention was the way she formatted the question itself. "Miserable? I can't say that I feel like that... You're right, though, that we're not allowed to have relationships of that sort with anyone. I know that some Virgils try to find ways to bend the rules, but it rarely works out... Would I give this up entirely for someone?" Asking himself that question, he paused, looked to the ceiling, and finally continued. "...I don't know. Right now, I would say no, but I'm sure that it'd change if I only had some person on my mind..."

The answer was too vague to be satisfying for Jan, but he figured that it works for now. Pausing in contemplation, he asked Mika back:

"If you could travel ten years to the past and tell your past self something, what would you say?"

by **Absolon-7** » Thu Apr 28, 2022 5:38 pm

Tomia wrote:---

The Republic of Atria wrote:---

Zarkenis Ultima wrote:---

Casimir Herman January 15th

After the team's short break at the hospital's cafeteria, Mars got them to stop advancing to tell them something important enough to halt their progress. Mars directed the team to get distant enough from the newcomers so they wouldn't hear and as Mars explained himself, Casimir leaned on the building's corner arms crossed. Their team leader confessed to them that there was a chance Animaster himself could be here, the villain being the direct reason for Red Wing's disappearance, and that Seer wanted him to not trust anybody with this information but the good-natured boy couldn't keep something this important to himself. Wyatt was the next to speak up confident that they could take and Jason opened up the lid to straight up killing the villain. Kiris was supportive as always towards the conflicted mars and Alexis got straight to business over their perilous situation.

"Listen pal. You being so worked up over this is enough to show that you have our back," said Casimir, walking over to Mars and giving him a few hearty slaps on the back, "You telling us this right as we meet Animaster, however, would've gotten you an earful. Far as I'm concerned its no biggie. And like Kiris said, we got a bad track record when it comes to secrets not blowing up in our faces."

An actual chance to get a few licks and at one of the world's big shots was not the slightest a daunting idea for him and if anything he relished the chance to see if this villain was a worthy foe or be popped like a grape to the Great Kabuto.

by **Thousand Branches** » Fri Apr 29, 2022 9:54 am

Tomia wrote:Jacob

Ginger Constantine - Rising Sun's territory (Makeshift Medical Ward)

My mother always told me there were two sides to every story.
- Journal Entry 421

Their face lit up a little at bring questioned about their powers. It really wasn’t often that anybody saw them as anything more than creepy or weird. Well, Jacob hadn’t exactly made any note on his feelings about Gin’s powers but at least he’d shown an interest and that was enough for Gin to go off on one of their usual rambles all about it.

“It’s basically pattern recognition but on a much higher scale than that of a normal person. Like yeah with the zombies I’m relatively sure that was even mostly purely instinctual, I don’t even remember memorizing their patterns, but it was clearly convincing enough that they let me march with them for a little while. It’s easier with languages and methods of communication too. I have a very deep archive of knowledge on bee pheromones and their patterns and the different messages they can send through them. I’m pretty sure I have a full knowledge of every human language but I haven’t been around enough aliens to really get them, right? Plus alien dialects are a bit more difficult because they require some stuff that’s really difficult to do with a human’s vocals. At least I assume so from what I know of them. Of course things like robotics and code and martial arts and crap come really easily to me too but the natural side of things has always been more my specialty. I once managed to convince a cockroach to uh… actually never mind we don’t need to hear about that… ANYWAY! I’ve done a little bit of hero work, tracking criminals and such. I almost took down a ring of smugglers once because I’d memorized all of their routes and schedules and also their leader’s daily movements. My friends convinced me to tell the police instead though and I’m not sure they believed me in the slightest. Certainly never caught the smugglers. Wait a minute did you say you knew a recruiter? Or like a superhero specialist? I’d love to meet them, I’ve always wanted to be a part of one of those cool teams!!”

Somehow, Gin managed to ramble all of this out in the span of about a minute, barely stopping to breathe in between. The burst of energy was enough to make them sit back down. They really were not in good enough shape to be this excited. But who could blame them? They really loved to talk about their powers and it was a welcome distraction from the dark thoughts she’d been pushing into the back of their brain now for the last 10 minutes. They cleared their throat and looked mildly embarrassed before continuing:

“Sorry I may have been rambling a bit. I would love to meet your friend.” They paused for a moment. “Oh, and I think I can also feel other’s emotions… sometimes. Or at least know them? Is that just empathy? Well maybe but it feels so clear sometimes, like emotions are another equal part of what I can recognize. Like I can translate other people’s hearts. It scares me a little actually…”

They trail off into silence.

by **Talchyon** » Tue May 03, 2022 7:47 pm

Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")
Entrance to a mall movie theater

While the clique of existing heroes had gone off to talk 'important matters' among them, Molly had watched with mixed emotions. Sure, she wasn't one of them. So she could understand not being included. And besides, every one of them was a Young Blood (or better), and had fought together against far worse than attacking dumpsters. So sure, she could get not being included. Still, she also knew what it had been like to be excluded for years in Edmonton growing up. And that was never a good feeling, though it was familiar. And on top of that, she wanted both to show that she was someone powered - like them - but also scared to do so. Because who knew what they might think about her?

And with this going on in her mind, one of the heroes approached her.

Molly was a little surprised. Ok, so she had known that there was at least one person they had to rescue in there, and a hero at that. The fact that there might be other hostages - such as her parents - had never crossed her mind. But the hero, darker skinned with bottle-blonde hair, was willing to watch her back, if she wanted to go in. As if staying out here was even a choice. If her parents were in there being held hostage, she'd want to try to rescue them. Well, she'd want to rescue her dad and not so much her mom. But she came as part of the package deal and Molly wasn't going to let her have the atrocities that she deserved.

Nodding at the hero, Molly said, "If my parents are in there, I'm coming with you. Even if I'm behind you the whole time." Her face softened from the edge it had taken on. "I'm sorry. Thank you for real. I know this can't be easy on anyone here. And to have me trailing along wasn't part of the plan. Thank you for keeping me safe." The stress was already getting to her. She had to focus her thoughts and take some deeper breaths.

Of course, Molly had been able to survive so far on her own. Teleporting an attacking formerly inactive object for another object had led to some interesting moments. Or swapping herself out to escape an oncoming attack was priceless. Especially when she had been able to teleport some other attacker in its way. That funny feeling in the back of her head had kept her safe. It was quiet now - no danger was aimed at her at the moment. But that would probably change as soon as they entered the movie theater. But Molly knew she would be ready, and might even pleasantly surprise her bodyguard if she could easily rescue the hero they were there to get.

by **Tomia** » Wed May 04, 2022 6:48 pm

Mars, San Francisco
The young hero hung his head a bit at Kiris' words, shame and relief mixing in his mind as he was both glad that his friends didn't seem mad at him and disappointed in himself for keeping this a secret. Casimir's words helped reassure him as well, the trust of his team was very important to him. "I know Crystalheart, and thank you and you Kabuto, I'll keep you guys in the loop from now on." He then heard Alexis' voice through one of her bots. "That would be great Makeshift, just try to stay out of sight if you can. We don't want to give up the element of surprise."

"Got it" The robot replied before flying off towards the building. Once again there was a tense few minutes before the robots showed back up. While they waited Mars noticed the conversation between Jason and Andrew. "We don't even know if he is in there. We have to be careful this time, but I agree with Jackrabbit. We take Animaster alive if we can, that's what heroes should do." Soon after, Alexis' robots returned.

"Well... good news is I didn't see Animaster" Mars looked visibly relieved at that before Alexis continued. "The bad news is this feels like a trap." She went on to describe the situation. The mall was quite and there was no sign of movement or activity. In a kind of central hallway filled with shops that lead towards two escalators that met in the middle of a second floor food court she found Redwing. He was bloody and beaten, but not obviously dead. He was tied up between the two escalators with what seemed to be a series of cables and ropes.

Mars was quite for a moment, before he finally spoke up. "I agree, this is a set up for us or whoever they thought would come looking for him. But... we still have to help him. So I don't know if Animaster is there or if its just going to be some horde of furniture but we have to go in. I don't want to force this though, is everyone in agreement? And if so, how should we handle this? Send in a small group to draw out the trap first? Try to sneak our way in? I... know last time I rushed in and put everyone in a terrible situation. I'm not doing that again. We do this as a team, so I'm all ears to suggestions."

Jacob, Rising Stars' Headquarters
Jacob was struggling a bit to get used to Ginger's extremely fast pace of speaking that seemed to come along with her bubbly personality, but he followed enough to get an understanding. Her mention of possible empath powers was interesting, and she was clearly unsure about it as her words suddenly cut off from their rapid pace. "Well, my friend should be able to help you out in terms of figuring out your powers. She's got a lot of experience on that front. Alright, come on, you're probably well enough to walk a bit at the point, just tell me if you're feeling dizzy or anything or if your leg hurts alright?" With that he stood up, and offered Ginger her hand to help her out of the bed.

The two then took a short walk outside the hospital. It was night at this point, spotlights occasionally flickering across the compound, the hum of the generators powering them filling the air. They headed up to the main building complex and headed into the the largest building out front, the symbol of the Stars sitting in front of it. They walked through the glass doors and a number of heroes were mulling around talking to each other in various groups. Jacob was kind of intimidated, and mostly just very grateful his mother wasn't here. As they wadded through the heroes, they approached a reptilian woman dressed in a nice pair of jeans and yellow blouse.

"Hey Naja, you have a sec? I think I might have a recruit for you." Naja raised an eyebrow before nodding, her gaze turning towards Ginger. "Well, hello there then. My name is Naja, who might you be?"

by **The Republic of Atria** » Wed May 04, 2022 8:27 pm

San Francisco, Intrepid and Bael

Jason shrugged as Jackrabbit and Rocket disagreed with him on his plan to kill the bastard. "Look. I'll meet you halfway on this. If he happens to be in there, and you all capture him first, what you choose to do is on you. If I find him, I'm running him through. Look around you. The dude helped fuck up an entire city. He's crossed about seven different lines. I can't help you all if you think his life is worth more than everyone else. Especially BECAUSE OF LAST TIME we tried something like this." He explained and stopped talking to let Alexis explain what exactly is inside. Specifically that Red Wing being injured and tied to a wall with cables and wires. "Oh, He's absolutely animated those wires and whatever. Probably like snakes or something. Bet you five dollars that's at least part of what's going on here."

"Definitely sounds like an ambush." Bael agreed, trying to gloss over the fact that his best friend just talked about murdering someone. Then again, he looked around to the city. San Francisco had it's issues, more than most, but to see it in such a horrible state, with only the Spirits knowing how many died in the chaos. There was a few little thoughts and feelings in the back of his head that maybe Jason had a point. Animaster wasn't some bank robber looking for an easy score. He was a genuinely powerful man who took over a city for who knows why.

"Alright, so lets combine our collective five brain cells and try to guess Animaster's game plan and play accordingly. He's captured Red Wing and strung him up. We know he's got the power to animate objects, and Red Wing just so happens to be tied up by them. Chances are if we start making noise, they're going to constrict him or worse, pull him apart. So we should prioritize getting him out. Maybe, cut him loose so Kiris can BAMF him back to one of the bases for medical care. However, I'm still ninety-nine percent certain what I said earlier is true."

He turned to the new girl, Molly? Intrepid was fairly confident that was her name. "Molly, I'm going to be completely honest with you, we're definitely not going to turn down helping hands, but we are also probably walking into yet another ambush. Last time we got pretty messed up, and there's a not-zero chance that Red Wing bites it if we screw up. I want to include you in our game plan, but since I've known you for all of five minutes, I'm gonna ask if you have powers. If yes, please share with the class so we can formulate a better battle plan."

by **Talchyon** » Thu May 05, 2022 6:18 pm

Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")
Entrance to a mall movie theater

The group of heroes, still off to themselves for the most part, were talking among themselves. Molly could hear bits and phrases of the conversation. Not exactly trying to eavesdrop, mind you, but when one of them rather loudly spoke about killing someone, and she was certain she could hear the word "trap," it left a bad feeling within her. She had survived so far, by her wits and that helpful funny voice in the back of her head that let her know danger was pointed at her. But if her parents were inside, they were certainly in grave danger. Not to mention this Red Wing the Young Bloods were supposed to look for.

And then, a knight in armor approached her. And all Molly could do was cringe internally.

The Republic of Atria wrote:San Francisco, Intrepid and Bael

Jason shrugged as Jackrabbit and Rocket disagreed with him on his plan to kill the bastard. "Look. I'll meet you halfway on this. If he happens to be in there, and you all capture him first, what you choose to do is on you. If I find him, I'm running him through. Look around you. The dude helped fuck up an entire city. He's crossed about seven different lines. I can't help you all if you think his life is worth more than everyone else. Especially BECAUSE OF LAST TIME we tried something like this." He explained and stopped talking to let Alexis explain what exactly is inside. Specifically that Red Wing being injured and tied to a wall with cables and wires. "Oh, He's absolutely animated those wires and whatever. Probably like snakes or something. Bet you five dollars that's at least part of what's going on here."

"Definitely sounds like an ambush." Bael agreed, trying to gloss over the fact that his best friend just talked about murdering someone. Then again, he looked around to the city. San Francisco had it's issues, more than most, but to see it in such a horrible state, with only the Spirits knowing how many died in the chaos. There was a few little thoughts and feelings in the back of his head that maybe Jason had a point. Animaster wasn't some bank robber looking for an easy score. He was a genuinely powerful man who took over a city for who knows why.

"Alright, so lets combine our collective five brain cells and try to guess Animaster's game plan and play accordingly. He's captured Red Wing and strung him up. We know he's got the power to animate objects, and Red Wing just so happens to be tied up by them. Chances are if we start making noise, they're going to constrict him or worse, pull him apart. So we should prioritize getting him out. Maybe, cut him loose so Kiris can BAMF him back to one of the bases for medical care. However, I'm still ninety-nine percent certain what I said earlier is true."

He turned to the new girl, Molly? Intrepid was fairly confident that was her name. "Molly, I'm going to be completely honest with you, we're definitely not going to turn down helping hands, but we are also probably walking into yet another ambush. Last time we got pretty messed up, and there's a not-zero chance that Red Wing bites it if we screw up. I want to include you in our game plan, but since I've known you for all of five minutes, I'm gonna ask if you have powers. If yes, please share with the class so we can formulate a better battle plan."

Gulp. Molly kept her face cool, but inside she was a mess. This stranger was wanting to know about her ability! That was a secret that wasn't supposed to get out! She had been the Jinx in her criminal past, yes. But she was trying to be as normal as she could, and showing random knights in shining armor that she could swap targets between their various places would definitely reveal too much about herself. Too much that she was trying to distance herself from.

But she didn't want to lie, either. You lie to someone you just met, and there goes any chance of trust. Trust was something that was hard to build and easily lost, and it would be harder to build if not impossible if she openly lied. Then there was the matter of her all too familiar psychological guilt. Blazoned across her memory was how her ability had once cost a man his life. It ate at her that she should hold back and not tell about her swapping power if it might be of help to save this Red Wing. Would it be of help?

Would it destroy her instead if she went back to being the Jinx?

Gulp.

Hesitating perhaps a bit too long, Molly exhaled deeply. "Ok," was all she said in a small voice.

But in this game of show and tell, Molly would only show and let her actions do the telling. Sizing up one of the nearby heroes who was about the same size as this unnamed knight (Sir Nonymous, Molly thought to herself), Molly selected the apparent ringleader of the group who was in the huddle with the approved Young Bloods. He'd do. They were both about the same height and the fact that they both had metallic armor didn't hurt either. Molly mentally saw the clear line connecting between the two as her teleportation-swap power instantaneously swapped Rocket for the Knight without sound, flash, or other whizbang going off.

The interesting thing about Molly's power again revealed itself here. Rocket and this knight (Sir Nonymous) weren't facing the same way, either. The knight ended up staring at someone's side, and Rocket found himself speaking to thin air with Molly close to his left side. And then, just as quickly and silently, Molly swapped them back to their original place. It had taken at least a second or three - long enough to realize something had just happened and they were in a completely different place. But not long enough to get much of a word out, let alone do something rash.

The knight was before her again. Molly didn't have any words, though. Her secret was out. She dreaded what the reaction might be. She kind of just looked down, feeling a mix of emotions.

by **Europa Undivided** » Fri May 06, 2022 8:48 am

Joakim Ferro "Hyperdrive" and Nandras Varaget "Twin Bite"
The Shopping Mall, San Francisco

The knight was before her again. Molly didn't have any words, though. Her secret was out. She dreaded what the reaction might be. She kind of just looked down, feeling a mix of emotions.

Joakim, for the most part, had been quietly musing in the corner, hearing bits and pieces of the ongoing conversation between the assembled Young Bloods. Even if had technically joined them, as per the streamlined bureaucratic processes of admission in lieu of the devastation that had been wrought, he didn't really know them yet. He knew Angelica Dalin from school, sure, and Kirisvala was a bit more familiar because he had spoken to her previously. The Hadrian, as the peopple called her kind, wsa a bit odd, at least in Joakim's perspective, because she had this powerful Aussie accent. Maybe that was the kind of English she picked up here, but hearing an otherwordly alien speak in such a... human manner was most perplexing. Though one could dsay that they do look almost humans, just with a bit of scales.

"Oh are we-" Joakim raised a finger as the knight, Intrepid, asked Molly what her abilities were. He didn't get to speak his piece, though, as what unfolded in the next few moments was quite... one might say a little embarassing. Rocket and Intrepid got their positions switched, making whatever previous conversation they had fall into an awkward pause. Joakim chuckled slightly, though he quicky forced himself to stop.

Nandras looked on, as if this wasn't something that surprised him. Given that he grew up in a space station whose survival constantly hinged on supers fixing it, getting to see abiilities up close may have been an everyday thing for him. Either way, that whole teleporation swap ignited interest in the Ezohir mechanic's mind.

"Intriguing," Nandras simply said, zooming in and out of Rocket and Intrepid as both of them started their respective reactions. "So you have, like, a thing too, yeah?"

Joakim, though, had other things in mind. The swap was kind of brushed back into his subconscious, and began checking the vials filled with magic spice, which were mounted on straps inside his cloak. "So, uh, warping shenanigans aside, perhaps I coud help with extracting Red Wing. You see, my portals can be opened in places I either remember or see. I see that some of you have those... uh... walking and flying camera machines, so I can jump straight towards his location, if you don't mind me looking at the footage of you finding him."

Ah, yes. Camera machines. Otherwise known as drones. It wasn't that all too apparent now, but Joakim is a very... old fashioned person.

Nandras, ever the concerned raven, still had his attention on Molly. "So does this mean you can teleport this Red Wing out of his bonds, but there has to be an exchange. Is that right?"

by **Absolon-7** » Sat May 07, 2022 9:10 pm

Absolon-7 wrote:---

The Spectacular Kabuto!
Once Upon a Time in the West Part 6
Somewhere in the desert
December 22nd

The bleak coldness of the night bled away to an encroaching all consuming heat burning all coolness like a burning tree. The drudgery of wastes was only broken by a long serpentine path of a highway that at one section hosted a large roadside bar and its accompanying parking lot overpopulated by motorcycles. Inside the bar the loud cacophony of music, brutish laughter, and smacking of billiards drowned out the encroaching footsteps of two newcomers. The doors swung open to reveal Kabuto and Drakon on their quite sorry state with the latter hunched over stuffing his hand against his head squashing a series of sparks from a crevice on his skull and Kabuto caked with dust and his suit unzipped to reveal a sweat drenched undershirt.

Silence befell the bar as all its occupants turned to look at the two odd newcomers. After a moment or two they turned their gazes back and the cacophony began yet again. Casimir limped towards the counter and sat on one of the stools and Drakon did likewise surprisingly not breaking the seat.

“So this is where your ‘business partner’ is? Well not my problem. Once I call a cab back to the tourist village we’ll be out of each other’s hair forever,” scoffed Casimir as he waved over the bartender, a gray-bearded man with a balding head, “One ice-cold water.”

“Ja. Our little arrangement ends here as zoon as you valk out zee door. How vonterful zat you'll haffe zee chance to kill me zen,” snarled Drakon raking his claws across the counter as he bared his teeth at the bartender, “Before you get zee drink call offer your boss. Tell him Drakon is back.”

As Casimir rolled his eyes at Drakon’s threat, the bartender narrowed his eyes at Drakon before sliding an ice-cold glass of water to Casimir who popped his helmet’s mouthpiece to take a sip until he was interrupted. Casimir felt a strong poke on his shoulder right before he could taste the dripping glass of water and when he turned he was faced by a big toad of a man, quite literally, with a mean glare pulsing out of his bulging eyes.

“We don’t like your kind round here. Ribbit,” belched out the toad-man, his throat sack expanding out with his final croak.

“Well I’ll scram once I call a cab,” barked Casimir with a smile as he popped his mouthpiece back into place, “Got a phone or something around here?”

“It’s outside, ribbit,” croaked the toad-biker.He was soon joined in by a stumbling man with a whisky bottle in hand and an actual machine gun for a head. He leaned over on the toad-man and poked Casimir’s chest with his finger spilling some whiskey on Casimir. His teeth where metal studs that formed a jagged separation in the gunhead and the stench of an alcoholic’s breath oozed out like a fog.

“He says he doesn't like you,” said the gunhead before taking another swig of his bottle and burping noxious fumes, “I don’t like you either.”

“Feeling’s mutual,” said Casimir hopping off the stool to look them in the eye, leaning his body suddenly at them before stepping away. Casimir swiped his bottle of water and began walking away before stopping next to Drakon, “I’d say thanks but last thing I want is making a psycho feel good about themselves.”

“Perfidious little monkey,” said Drakon with a low growl, “Let zee dezert vind guide your escape as you leave me to zee wolves.”

“Uh yeah whatever you say,” said Casimir in confusion.

Before he could actually leave the music in the saloon suddenly stopped to a dead silence and the dragging of chairs filled the air instead as everyone got to their feet. Down the stairs came a gaunt and towering man dressed in weathered jeans and a worn leather jacket. His face however was almost between that of a man and a coyote like some werewolf. His hands and claws were stuffed into his jacket and he sniffed the air like an animal searching for prey. He smacked his wet lips with each snort revealing yellow tinged fangs in his maw. The dog-man was hunched over and yet still stood over a head the rest of the already large bikers in the bar who all seemed in deathly deference to him.

“Well, well if it isn’t my little investment. How’d that job go? Was supposed to be nice and simple, right?” said the dog-man to Drakon strutting over to him, “Motherboards like the one I so generously gave ya don’t come cheap my man.”

“Zere's been ein change of circumstances little hounddog. Zo I'm canceling our agreement. Be ein dear und give me ein replacement,” said Drakon looking down at the dog-man, before staggering and clutching at his head as a random surge of energy spewed out compelling him to screech in pain as he gripped his head. He smashed his teeth together before extending the blades on his arm to the dog-man’s throat and said with a guttural growl, “Quickly.”

“No, no, no. Little friend. That’s not how this works,” said the dog-man using his claw to push the blade away from his throat, “Say why don’t we talk over in my office upstairs. I’m sure we can sort something out.”

As the dog-man patted Drakon on the shoulder Casimir had already almost been out the door in a nonchalant pace before two bikers slid in front of him blocking the exit.

“So this is how we’re doing it eh?” said Casimir, cracking his neck.

“Sorry bugman, but heroes ain’t welcome here,” cackled the dog-man calling over to Caismir, “Our little club here can’t afford just letting you strut outta here. Hope you understand.”

“Would you asses make up your minds already? Do I stay or do I go, sheesh,” said Casimir before downing his water in a single gulp

“That’s him! That’s the bug. Boss!” hollered the gunhead swaying his bulk from the frog-man to lean on the dog-man, “We gotta git im good!”

“For once I agree,” said the dog-man with a terrible grimace before shoving his underling to the floor, “Now you look familiar enough for me to know you're one of those heroes on the news but let’s introduce ourselves. Real gentlemen like. You can call me Jackal.”

“Name’s Kabuto,” said Casimir, crossing his arms, “And I’ll make sure you’ll never forget it.”

Everyone in the bar stood quietly looking with anticipation at Casimir and Jackal. The biker leader tilted his head so that two goons picked up Drakon by the shoulders as he continued to screech in pain and dragged him away towards the stairs. As the current music playing slowly began to end, Casimir leaped forward and punched Jackal across the snout, sending him flying across the bar to crash into the men struggling to pull Drakon up the stairs. With the first blow given an explosion of chaos and violence shattered the silence of the saloon.

by **Talchyon** » Sun May 08, 2022 4:05 pm

Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")
Entrance to a mall movie theater

Immediately Molly felt guilt. Why had she done that? Why show strangers what she was? To save a life, sure. Potentially. But would it ruin her own? It might if they found out she had caused a man's death. An innocent's. The store owner dying left Molly in a horror at what she had become. The man himself was just another stranger, sure. She had thought he was just some guy who could afford to lose a few pieces of merchandise, no harm done. But it had gone tragically wrong. And the stranger had a family. A good one, from the looks of it. Two young daughters, one scared for her life and the other who might not ever remember her father. Now, the Young Bloods knew what she could do. And knowing their prowess and electronic skills, they could probably find her in some criminal database. The only thing standing between that right now was ignorance of her past... that, and the fact that her crime had been committed in another country and not the U.S., so hacking into the Canadian criminal databases might take some extra searching. Molly just felt like that day would come now, eventually, now that she had revealed her hand.

But who knew how everyone would react if and when they found out?

Her 'bodyguard,' the gigantic talking raven with the robotic limbs coming from his backpack, was taken aback. As much as an alien can be, Molly guessed. She spoke, quietly, still unsure of what this meant for her in the months to come.

"Yeah. I have, like, a thing too. As for Red Wing? I probably can switch him out. I don't see why not. I'd have to see him in person though. And there'd have to be something about the same size I could switch with him. Surely in a place like this, there'd be something. You'd think..."

by **North America Inc** » Tue May 10, 2022 11:24 pm

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 |Part 7| Part 8| Part 9 | Epilogue

Virgil Armani
Las Americas Premium Outlets, San Diego, California

The drizzle intensified, showering the two combatants. In one corner, Virgil held his flaccid arm in place, studying the effect in greater detail up close: drooping, sagging around his grip. The afflicted hand was even more curious; on the whole it was still solid, responsive even, though he had no idea how. Swirling in his own soup, his hand couldn't be connected to any other bones. Yet, here he was articulating his fingers. Meanwhile Sephia worried about her gut wound. Applying pressure, her black jacket may have visibly concealed the injury, she could still definitely feel it. Nauseous and light headed, the tendrils around her visibly shimmered with each bated breath she took. This was without even mentioning her eye, blood seeping through the bandage.

The rain seeped into their hair, loosening their various styles until both their blonde locks came undone. Both reflexively brushed it to the side, not breaking eye contract. The tendrils that encircled her moved to ensnare him. Darting off every which way to hide in his blind spot, they took advantage of the rain to magnify their range. Purposely random for their eventual strike. Virgil checked his semi automatic, keeping it close but not necessarily aiming for her just yet. He needed to act, but he needed the perfect moment to do so. That was his silver lining. Well one of two. She was definitely nearing her breaking point, clearly weary and read to pass out; it may have made more sense to just wait for that. If he didn't have to dodge these things that is. He had dealt with them thrice now but this was different. She had assumed direct control.

'I can still control my left hand. That should be useful.' He tugged on the spaghettified limp wrist, testing the elasticity.

'He does something when you touch him. It...freezes? Maybe not exactly, it's not cold to the touch. But freezing in place might be the best way to describe it.' She focused on his admittedly alluring features, his narrow keen eyes most of all. He was studying her as much as she was studying him. 'What does he see? What is he thinking?' That brooding aura with a calm demeanor to match. 'He's resolute and he can see that I'm faltering. He's testing me. Trying to push me to the brink. I can't, no I won't, give him that satisfaction. At the end of the day, this is my story. My life. He's just another chapter.' She gripped her fists with so much intensity that her nails dug into her palms. Is he planning on making the first move? Or is he waiting on me? I just need one good hit, that's it. But what if his plans depends on me making the first move?'

While Sephia wrestled with indecision the sudden shattering of glass a ways off caught their attention. Both reflexively looked off to the side, though the layout of the Outlets made the epicenter impossible to see. Though the screams that followed gave them a bit of a hint. It provoked the ire of both, both imagining their partners to be the cause. Though in Virgil's case it was a dash of pride and relief in his sister. Lucilla was safe. Even if she shattered this masquerade. The moment held longer than both expected, returning to their stare down to find the other just as curious. Both didn't exactly want an audience, and unwanted attention was now bound to show up. Their time tables escalated. It wouldn't be a slug match, it would come down to one good hit. A Kurosawa duel. At the forefront was Sephia, the environment favoring her even if her body was failing her.

Virgil ran his finger across the side barrel, Sephia fixated on the tree patch beside her. The tendrils encroaching it's brick foundation.

Their constant circling came to an end, both fixed in place, waiting for the other. Five seconds left.

Her mind had settled on a clear path, she was at peace. Four seconds left.

His façade held, a singular opening was his hope. Three seconds left.

One hour has passed since they first clashed. Two seconds left.

He exhaled, she inhaled. Now.

Virgil lifted his pistol aiming directly at her head. Her tendrils latched onto the bricks, pulling a large chunk free and towards her. He fired his first shot. The foundation fragment flew between them. The shot hit the stone and ricocheted, flinging right back towards the man. Virgil held up his free arm to block, instinctively flicking the shot up into the air. He repositioned, preparing to take another shot.

Then he went numb. He held his breath, a sudden piercing sensation slid through his shoulder and further into him. His grip around his pistol weakened, it slipping from out and under his fingers toward the ground. He froze, coughing blood as he turned his attention not too his free hand but to his liquid limb. A tendril was protruding through it, faintly snaking through the flesh colored blob and into his actual chest. Though weak, Sephia let out a vindicative laugh. A glimmer returning to her emerald eyes. "I'm sure you already knew I could use any source of water to propagate myself but I'm guessing you didn't think about ones I had turned as well?Hmm?"

Virgil looked over annoyed, blood running his mouth as he tried to hold his composure.

"You were obviously fast, but all it takes is one hit. I just needed you to focus on everything except..." The tendrils around him flapped around to emphasize her point, "My little launch pad right under your nose. And try to freeze me or whatever you do. I'm sure you have a lot of practice doing that with things lodged into your chest. Or better yet! Freeze me with that arm of yours. Don't worry, you're not the first guy to go limp on me."

He ran the encounter over and over in his head, thinking about what he had done wrong. 'Why did I launch the bullet into the air? It ricocheted back. I could have hit her. And I squandered it.'

She wasn't going to chance it, he could figure out how to actually freeze himself any second now. She thought on it, 'Don't act on his body, get his body to act against you. One throw up, he tries to freeze me, his heart is still slamming into my blade on the way down.' Like a fish hooked on a line, she yanked the tendril up into the air, taking Virgil up with it. She crossed her arms, enjoying the helpless sight. For all she had been through, she could take solace that this was over.

Lucilla 'Lucy' Giannini
Alexei fixated on the thumb drive for an extended period of time, feeling the metallic sides and plastic ends of it while Lucy could do nothing but look on. Turning it side to side, he intently studying it, his hard work made manifest in such an inconspicuous device; said hard work didn't just include today's search. Months of planning, implementation, grooming, and execution to get one lowly worker to realize what he had been working on. If he hadn't run off and done his own whistleblowing schtick, him and Sephia would have already been off celebrating. But this was good enough.

'I see. I just need him to bait to hit it.' Lucy planted herself against the one of two white capsules in the room, pressing her weight against the corner of the machine. She gave him a minute. If she had any hope of beating this, she needed him to make the first move. She rolled up the jacket's sleeves up and onto her biceps, taking a moment to fix herself up a bit. Staring intently at her opponent, the odd features of the man made even more clear. She had figured out he was a vampire rather easily, she had heard enough about them on Avalon to identify them but that was in a vacuum. Seeing them in the real world was a different story. His complexion was anemic, his cheeks gaunt despite his rather puffy physique. Dark circles enclosed his eyes, while his actual pupils were a muted hue. The teeth went without mentioning. On paper none of these were all that noteworthy, they were millions of people out that matched this description. No, what stood out to her was the degree in which he exhibited those traits. Exaggerated to the point of uncanniness.

"G'ah hmm right." Alexei let out a guttural bellow, clearing his throat as he slid the treasure into his pocket with one hand and wiped his face with the other. His nails so long that he drew blood, scraping against his temples. Though it healed in a blink of an eye. "Right, this is part where I kill you." His tone less of animalistic blood lust and more matter of fact, as if mind was in the middle of shifting focuses. "Well..." He walked over to the capsule that Lucy had been leaning against, casually kicking and sending it careening towards the exit. Lucy side dashed to the right. The outer canopy of the machine contorting from the sheer force, now lodged into the door frame. "Don't want you running again, silly girl."

Lucy looked over toward the exit. The capsule blocked more than half of it, and you would now need to crawl over it if you were trying to get out. The pair themselves were no more than three meters apart from each other, the compact square room giving either party little in the way of mobility. Lucy circled around the man, trying to play it cautious while the vampire just played along. Lucy tried to speak up, hesitating right after the first syllable. It was garbled, no way it would come out as cool as it did in her head.

Alexei jerked then leaned back, Lucy immediately jumping back. He laughed, "Oh come on superhero you need to be tough than that. If that scares you, what will happen villains do this..." This time he actually lunged at her, gripping her by the shoulders and shoving her into the product shelves. Bottles of sunscreen went careening everywhere while Lucy slinked down onto the ground. "Or what will you do when they do this!" He tightened his fist and shot towards her. She dodged this one, causing him to dent the floor. He, however, backhanded her with his free hand, apparently a favorite move of his.

The teenager struck back, this time with a kick. He just grunted more annoyed than harmed. Flashing his claws at her, she took the hint. She had gotten too greedy.

Alexei pounced. Raising his claws high up into the air, he brought it down right across her chest. From shoulder to stomach, her impromptu disembowelments should follow. To her relief and his chagrin, however, both looked down to see nothing. Not even a scratch. He hadn't even rumpled this suit coat of hers. She hopped back not a second too late as he swung widely now with both talons, striking the few remaining shelves. Shredding them into two. Lucy's consistent shrieks got him and more into it, enjoying the reaction but perturbed by the lack of blood. He needed this to end, to feel her crimson essence running down his drenched chin as he took pride in the hunt. A visual image he was solely fixated on, absolutely determined to conjure it into reality. Her forearms were slashed, three red lines running across them. A tantalizing appetizer but not enough. He cried out a blood curdling shriek as he lost himself to the bloodlust. His sexist taunts gave way to Romanian slurs before finally degrading into bestial screams. His slashes turned up the intensity but they were wild and chaotic, slashing in her general direction more than anything; sometimes his suit caught it, other times it didn't. Even that became too much for his reptilian brain, telekinetically launching himself into every single wall in the hopes of finally catching her.

He got her on the third go around, pinning her against the other white capsule, the one not stuck between the door. He held her in place, yanking the top of her strawberry hair and twisting her head to the side. It was, as you would imagine, quite painful. He aimed her neck up towards him, flashing his teeth as he did. Lucy grimaced, looking off to the side toward the rest of the machine. She could see his frenetic scratches etched into the top.

He banged her head against the canopy, more to humiliate her than to actually hurt her. At least for now. "I've seen the extent of your powers and I have to say I'm thoroughly unimpressed."

Lucy didn't give him the satisfaction of a response.

He leaned in closer, letting his teeth to prick the sides of her neck. His breath was downright horrid, a pungent odor to the point she gagged. He pulled away, before leaning even closer towards her eye, "When I finish with you..." He tightened his grip around her arm, "I'll be sure to pay you're partner a visit."

No response.

"It won't be hard." He reveled in it, pricking her neck with a few small punctures. Bloods seeped from the wound, the sweet aroma getting a rye out of him. He leaned his head back, basking in the high. "It..."

"Next you'll say, it will be easier than drowning an infant."

"...will be easier than drowning an infant...What!" Alexei eyes went wide, taken completely off guard by the girl taking the words right from his mouth.

"Oh please, you really think I didn't prepare for you to pull a stunt like this?"

Alexei was now the one choking on his words.

"You're so predictable bat brain. For a moment I was scared I wouldn't be able to open them without you realizing, but you went ahead and did all the hard work for me."

"Open?" Alexei now took a larger view of his surroundings, his worst fears made real. 'These capsules, they're, they're tanning beds!'

Lucy didn't hesitate, she reached over to the dial and turned it to it's highest setting, the UV light pouring through the very same holes he had made. "Now bask in a warm summer day!"

The sudden bombardment instantly sent the vampire reeling, breaking his grip and jumping off into a corner. He instinctively held out his hands to protect his head, an instant reaction that cost him the skin around his palms. He held up his coat over himself, playing a losing game of constantly shifting his position in order to block all of it. But more and more came, the pressure building.

The intensity, more than anything was what got to him. The light at full power was nothing like the sporadic 'day walks' he can pull off during cloudy days like this. Now, he had no shelter. He whimpered, lashing out in impotent rage with his claws at anything nearby. She was so close to him, with one swing he could slash her throat. Yet protected by the light there was little for him to do, it was all for naught. He looked over at the door, a saving grace, even with that infernal contraption blocking the bottom half of it.

It was now burning away at his cheeks, he was out of time and options. A mad dash through that opening he would be safe. He thrusted himself forward like a professional diver, closing his eyes as he further exposed himself for this gambit.

Then came the noose. "No you don't!" Sliding off Virgil's suit, she grabbed both ends of the sleeve and thrusted it over the man's head. Sliding around his neck, she yanked back and held him in place.

"No, no, no! Get off of me!" He yelled, desperately trying to get her off of him. His first attempts of just shaking her off failed, his body sapped of strength; his claws swiped away at the coat afterwards, this time, tearing a few holes into it. But overall its materials held firm, the texture underneath alien to the man. "What? What is this?" He continued to swipe but it was did nothing except leave him more exposed. His hair fell out and pieces of his anatomy were starting to come into view. She gave it one last consorted tug, flinging back into the wall and unintentionally knocking the drive out of his pocket. Nearly losing her balance, she lunged toward the second UV chamber.

The cover came off, illuminating the room with a singular monochromatic hue. It was bright, even for Lucy, the girl squinting her eyes to even make out what her opponent was up to. A minor inconvenience for an otherwise exceptional gambit. Alexei shuddered back, crashing into the wall as he desperately tried to find a way out of this room. He scratched all the walls as if he was an asylum patient till his claws were dull. No inch of his body was spared, it tore through. He had let out his fair share of inhuman shrieks but this was different, this was one out of pure agony. Rays of light burrowed cleanly through his abdomen and hands and to the other side. Ashen holes left in its wake.

His muscles convulsed, his claws burning away as he wondered aloud how it had come to this. "I can't. I can't." He repeated in rapid succession as his own skull became visible, "You're only a human!" His body caught fire. Vibrant red flames erupted across his body, coalescing around those ever multiplying holes. His left arm cracked and broke off like stone, his right hand not far behind. "I'm the evolved one...the highest life form! And... I will not... be... BEATEN!"

In a sight that even shock Lucy, Alexei punctured cleanly through his forehead, tearing through all matter of material before audibly snapping something out of place. It came free right as that arm broke off. It was his spine, jutting out from the middle of a forehead; it's end sharpened and fashioned to be a spike.

"KNOW THAT YOU PUSHED ME TOO FAR!" His cadence all but gone, his voice reverberating with a low pitched, demonic cry. Flames poured out from every orifice on his face, consuming his eyes and burning away his nose. In that moment he was a flaming skull, a visage of the undead.

She calmed herself, narrowing her view as she clenched her fist for his final assault. He thrust himself forward head first, aiming to impale her against the wall. How that would save him for this predicament was anyone's guess. While a creative weapon, a contorted spine, did little to turn the tide. As it came into her range, she punched upwards, shattering the piece into two and knocking the man back into the center of the room. Her fear and hesitation had disappeared in that moment, replaced with an overwhelming sense of determination and resolve. To see a man who would so willing throw away the lives of others get his due, a dark determination engulfing her eyes.

All that was left for him was to die. He spasmed in place, howling in pain before even his grunts fell silent. His unlife of several hundred years coming to an end with little in the way of success or glory to show for it. Thousands fed upon to continue an utterly mediocre man.

The last sounds he would ever hear would be her standing over him. Pivoting her hips to the side, lifting her hand beside her eye, a pose to add one last taunt. "Arrivederci."

Lucilla 'Lucy' Giannini and Virgil Armani
Virgil went flying up in the air as the tendril flung itself up. Now even if she somehow could freeze something inside of him, all he would manage to do is fixate right were it would tear through him. She let out a cackle, "This stupid game ends here!"

Virgil reached the arc of her throw, the forces at be overwhelmed by gravity's constant pull. He had nothing left to do, no way to get himself out of this one.

Splash.

Rain fell right beside him as if it had landed on top of something. Something small and metal from the sound of it. Virgil glanced to his right, wondering what on earth could be up here with him.

Already contemplating on her next course of action, Sephia wondered aloud, "God, I still need that stupid drive before Ly..Ah!" The air left her lungs. There had only been no warning signs. The sound of metal vibrating then contact.

In that instance, it was as if the whole world was muted. The blonde stood there, unable to move, her mind trying to register what had just happened. Her arms trembled in their place. The shook had torn through her psyche, much like her body. Something was running down her chest. It wasn't the rain. It was warm. Her hand pressed against the skin just above her left breast, blood now coursing down her wrist. She was aghast, her mouth so dry that anything she said felt as if it was choking her.

Virgil came crashing down onto the floor, the 'hooked line' shattering into a puddle against his weight. It took him some time to get back on his feet but as he did, he was met with the same scene over and over again: the tendrils writhing in pain, shaking uncontrollably, before falling onto the ground. Losing their shape as they did. He could hear her muttering something over and over again, doubting she even realized she was speaking.

She trembled back, her balance all but gone except for the few remaining appendages shooting down to support her. "No, no this is a bad dream." She repeated several times over. Her once sharp eyes were gone, her pupils so heavily dilated she came off as another person entirely. "You...you." She labored just to speak up, "How? I won, I won. You lost."

Virgil watched his combatant with a modicum of respect, even with how much hassle she had put him through, he had to admit, she should of won. All of his planning and stratagem ended with him ensnared in her web. She had him dead to rights. "The bullet. For me, it was checkmate the second the ricochet came back. I slipped up, I should have redirected. Instead I tensed up, flicking up in the air. When I came to my senses, my trump card was dangling about ten feet above him."

She didn't understand a single word.

"You couldn't have known." He sighed, "By the way, your idea of having me hit you instead of the other way around was clever. A nice idea." Virgil gave a respectful nod. He looked down at his right arm, the majority of it - sans the hand - still mush. But given her state, that probably won't be true for much longer. She hadn't responded, giving him some time to contemplate the mission as a whole. Lucilla had came out relatively unscathed and he wouldn't hold that against her. Beyond that, this whole play of hers was beyond the acumen of some of the most skilled operators he knew. Perhaps she could be an asset? "I can't promise you, that your wounds aren't lethal but...this doesn't have to be the end." The man assured her, "Lay down your arms, let me come come close and I can treat you."

She was still in a world of her own, "Alexei will come out of the bushes any moment. I know he will. The Queen? She definitely, definitely is just testing me. I'll just wake up from this dream. Right as rain. All my hard work, reward. That's, that's what's fair. I did... I..."

"Miss." Virgil interjected.

"This was my idea, my own. That's fair, that's fair..."

"Listen!" Virgil growled, his voice let out a low tremble that shook Sephia back to reality. She shot over towards him, his lack of patience clear. He slowed down, being as professional and clear in his cadence as he could be, "Now listen. You are dying. Three open wounds, not to mention I most likely hit your heart. I can treat you but I need assurances."

"Assurances?"

"That you know you lost. And you won't pull anything. If you agree to that, I'll save you."

"Why should I believe you?" She coughed up more blood.

"I reckon you don't have much of a choice. You come in, tell us what you know, and we'll go from there."

Every fiber of her being wanted to just tear into him, go out cursing his name and prove how much she doesn't care about this power play of his. Unfortunately for her, her fiber had been literally torn through. Her mortality was more apparent than ever, and some small part of her knew that. This was the only olive branch she had, she wasn't going to waste it for the sake of her ego. "I see, I...I can do that."

"You mean that? You won't pull something at the first opportunity?" Virgil could sense the hesitation in her voice.

"Yes I mean that." Just as those words left her lips, the sound of encroaching footsteps caught both of their attention. Sephia turned to look back, seeing a white girl with bright pink hair turning the corner into the walkway and toward them. Lucy froze up, confused by what she had walked into. 'Wait?' Sephia focused in on the piece of metal hidden right under her thumb. Her curiosity was insatiable, staring harder and harder before she recognized it. 'The Thumb Drive!' The girl realizing her error, quickly tried to hide it behind her back but it was too late.

"Lucy!" Virgil was ready to sprint towards his sister but Sephia was right between him and her. With her strength remaining, she shot out one massive tentacle toward her target, dragging the girl over toward her and holding her as a hostage.

Sephia wasn't an idiot, she could piece together that this was his partner. A sharp endpoint was lingering right under Lucy's neck as smaller tendrils wrapped around both her arms and body. "V! I'm sorry!" Lucy cried out.

"Don't be." He looked over at the thumb drive that was now in Sephia's hands. He hadn't expected that to at all, she actually went ahead and found it! He would be praising her if the situation hadn't escalated so quickly. But he had to deal with her first. His joy turned into resolve.

"How did you..." Sephia lightly pressed the end against her skin to make a point, "Find this?" She coughed up some more blood, further emphasizing her diminished state. While she was clearly delirious and running on fumes, that didn't exactly stop her from slashing Lucy's neck as one last act of spite. "Let me tell you...V, how this is going to go."

Virgil glanced over at his gun laying on the ground, too far to be of any use. He looked back at Sephia, she was at least four meters away from him.

"You're going to walk away. Yeah? Yeah! You're going to walk away and I'll drop this kitsch bitch when I'm safely back in my car. You, you understand?" Virgil stood firmly in place, not budging one itch. "I'm warning you!" She cried out, grasping Lucy's neck with her own hand, "Don't make me!" Virgil stepped one foot closer, "I'll do it, I swear!" He took another step. "That's it!" The tendril retracted back, like a viper before a bite.

An appendage shot out, but it wasn't hers.

Right as she attacked, Virgil pulled up his elastic arm and flung it forward, flicking the side to both pick up speed and cover the distance. His clenched fist crashed into her jaw, shattering it. Her tendrils went limp, freeing Lucy from her grasp. The blonde spoke incomprehensibly as Virgil retracted the arm just a bit to hook onto her shirt's collar. "I surren! I surrend! One mooorre chan, pleashe!"

He gave her some parting words, "Oh please. Do you really think you'd be that lucky? A piece of shit like you?"

Pulling his shoulder back, dragging her forward and now over toward him. Hanging her two feet in the air, he raised his left leg and bombarded her with a kick after kick. The flurry of blows struck her entire upper body, leaving notable frozen indents onto her skin. Her neck violently shook back and forth with each attack. The remaining tendrils dissipated, falling onto the ground as puddles; with that, his arm returned to normal. And in no fitting end, he topped off the final hit with said arm, striking her directly in the chest, "Vola via, cazzone!"

She went flying, most of her was hit so hard it landed on the roof of a few stores. As Virgil caught his breath and Lucilla embraced him, he stood there eyeing his work. It was over.

by **The Republic of Atria** » Wed May 11, 2022 7:22 pm

Talchyon wrote:[b]Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")

For a moment, Intrepid thought he'd come on a bit too strong. She looked as if he'd just demanded that she tell him every little secret she had. It was a high tension moment for everyone, and for a moment, he did feel a bit bad since he didn't even ask the girl's name first. But, she agreed and even gave a demonstration. It was the ability to swap the position of two things, and he was swapped with Rocket, putting him back towards the group. He trotted his way back up. "Alright. Good to know. Sorry if I came on a bit strong there, things are a little hectic at the moment. You can call me Intrepid." He said. He couldn't help but wonder why the girl was acting so weird. Was she really trying to keep her power a secret? That made sense, but it was still weird. And she could have just said no when he asked.

There was definitely something more to it than that, but he had more important things to worry about. Like the gas masked man and the tall bird man that was with her. Though he seemed to be a bit more open about the fact that he too had a power. Opening portals to a place he could see, and the bird man had what looked like some cybernetics.

"Alright. Good to know. Once again, I'm Intrepid. I dub you three honorary Young Bloods for like, as long as it takes to deal with Animaster and Zombie Lord. We've got like seven different kinds of teleportation, I think we can figure out how to get one guy out of there."

by **United Kingdom of Poland** » Thu May 12, 2022 12:53 pm

Wendy pulled up a virtual schematic of the shopping center. “I’ll have Spot on standby outside, right about here.” She said, pointing to an exterior wall near where Redwing was being held. “That way if we end up needing some heavy artillery, he can blast his way in and give us a hand.” Really, she knew it was less of an if, and more of a when… but she didn’t want to scare the new girl any more than she already was.

She glanced over at Molly again. Everything about the girl felt eerily familiar. The caginess towards discussing her powers, and the fear she seemed to have of explaining how she could do the things she did… It kinda reminded Wendy of herself when she first joined the team. She made a note to look into when this whole mess blew over, before returning her thoughts to the mission at hand.

“A small team is probably going to be better for this.” She told Mars. “Have Molly, Joakim, and Bael make their way to Redwing while the rest of us wait around the corner as backup. Assuming everything goes right, Molly pulls the switch with Bael and Redwing, Bael breaks free of any wires he finds himself stuck in after the temporal shift, Joakim portals back to us, then Kiris uses one of her mass teleportation spells to get us back to the base without Animaster being any wiser.”

by **Talchyon** » Sat May 14, 2022 9:59 am

Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")
Entrance to a mall movie theater

She could tell the group of Young Bloods were suspicious of her. With some, it was their mouth turning up. Others showed it in their eyes, widening and then narrowing. Measuring. Testing. All of them, and all of them directed at her. Molly could read the physical reactions well - at least, for those who were human. And those reactions said this group was wary of her. Great. Not the way she wanted to avoid people looking too deeply at her. The arrogant hero, who had both easily threatened to murder and had come charging at her with demands of showing her powers, was trying to ease up. Intrepid, he called himself. As if he wanted to show that he actually had a soul. Molly felt threatened by him and felt ashamed that she felt threatened.

Wait, what? Molly was now an honorary member of the Young Bloods? She hadn't been trying to join the Young Bloods in the first place! She was looking for her parents, and had tried to avoid undue attention from people who had attacked and threatened to murder criminals, such as this group. The only reason she had showed her power in the first place was to prevent the loss of another innocent life! But words failed her in the moment. She just stood with her mouth slightly open, unsure of what - if anything - she should say.

Fortunately, they were interrupted. And not a moment too soon.

Molly was both flattered and a little unnerved that she was one of the three who would be going into the belly of the beast. But it made sense, with her swapping ability. Except for one thing. "Um," she started, not really knowing the heroine's name, "I can switch living and non-living targets too. If Redwing is in danger, I can switch his place with something inanimate, roughly his size. So when the wires try to attack Redwing, they end up attacking a soda machine or something. And that way, Bael doesn't have to get put in danger." Glancing at the freaking dragon (!) whom the heroine indicated as Bael, Molly thought the dragon could stand up to mere wires anyway, but why put someone in danger if you don't have to? If he's supposed to be on your side and you're supposed to be on his?

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Sat May 14, 2022 8:18 pm

January 15th

Tomia wrote:---

Kirisvala smiled softly to herself as she saw that the initial situation with Mars had been resolved, and stood by as she waited for Alexis' fairy drones to head into the shopping complex, scout it out, and return with word of what they found. It didn't take too long, and soon enough she heard her friend's voice over the team comms once again. It didn't seem like Animaster was present, which was quite a relief for the group of teenage superheroes, but the atmosphere that Alexis described did seem suspiciously like a trap - as though the villain wanted Redwing to be found, and wanted the heroes to come rushing in to save the day, only to fall into one of his schemes. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and though she hadn't been present for the incident at the mall, she was glad to see that the team was erring on the side of caution for now.

"I think sneakin' in is the way to go. If we can get to Redwing, I can get him and everyone else out quickly!" Kiris chimed in after Mars was done talking. It seemed like the suggestion was a pretty good one, as she then heard several people echo it afterwards, adding in their own ideas as well.

"That could work. I don't know if there's going to be any hidden killer kiosks or whatever, but I can guide you through the safest route to Redwing. Shouldn't be too much trouble, assuming nobody does something dumb." Alexis spoke to her friend through the team's comms. The pink-haired girl glanced at the nearest drone and nodded, before pulling out her small array of spell crystals and looking them over. By her last recollection she should have enough resources to deal with any unpleasant surprises, but, it never hurt to make absolutely sure. Especially in the middle of a warzone.

As she was doing so, she looked up and noticed as Mars suddenly disappeared from where he stood, being replaced by Jason, who had walked off earlier. The alien girl blinked, and as soon as it had happened, the whole thing was undone, with Mars standing in front of her again.

"Woah, what was that?" She asked, looking around in confusion. "Are ya alright?"

by **The Rebel Alliances** » Tue May 17, 2022 9:39 pm

Alexis Cain/Vendetta-San Francisco

Deja'vu, that was the first word flying through my head. The second word? Fuck. It wasn't that I didn't want to see Carter at all ever...I just didn't intend for him to see me like this. In fact part of me was surprised that he seemed to recognize me at all. But it was clear from his reaction that he did, in fact, recognize me. The moment passed and I hesitated as I wasn't sure exactly what to say. Hey, I'm not actually dead. Or, A mad scientist implanted me with a hive of nanites. Doesn't quite cover it. So at first I simply said nothing at all. Just made sure that the people inside the car were fine before I signaled them to join Michael and Jessa. After they were taken care of I finally spoke up, revealing that my voice had not changed all that much despite the massive shift in the looks department.

"I could use some help getting these people evacuated. I don't exactly have my team with me on this one." The phrase was so casual, so matter of fact I almost felt guilty. I knew that Carter must have been a jumbled mess of emotion and confusion right now. I know that he must have had dozens if not a hundred questions.

There simply isn't time for them right now. But to help things along I spoke up again this time with a more familiar tone of voice.

Look, it is great to see you again. And I know that you have a bunch of questions for me but can we walk and talk? We do have people's lives depending on us in the middle of a city wide crisis. But spoiler warning, it's a complicated fucking story and a pretty long one."

I then stepped away from the car while reloading my weapons and looked back at the Young Blood.

"You look good, looks like you got a bit more sun than me." The joke was designed to break the ice although I was sure it did a rather poor fucking job. As we stepped back towards the rescued family as well as Mike and Jessa I also pointed out Calypso to Carter.

"I take back what I said earlier, I don't have a team here but the cybernetic cat Terminator is definitely with me." I then decided to get the introductions out of the way.

"Alright, new people this is Jessa and Mike. Stick close with them as I just said don't be afraid of the cat. She's here to help. I go by Vendetta and your life expectancy improves a lot if you listen to what I say. And this..." It was in that moment that it had dawned on me that I wasn't sure what Carter went by in the field and I doubted he would appreciate me just name dropping him.

"Why don't you do the honors?" I asked and once the introductions were finished we started moving out again. Once more Calypso brought up the rear of the group and me and Carter took point.

I walked at a fairly brisk pace and had my weapon in a semi relaxed state. "So, about that walk and talk. What do you want to know first?" I was honestly just as curious about him as he was me. But I could wait until he was filled in because Carter was never one for patience.

by **Thai Sweet Billy** » Fri May 20, 2022 10:25 am

TANNER “TARASQUE” LANGE

SAN DIEGO

__________________________________

Tanner Lange looked and smelled awful.

He hadn't even realized how bad it was until he saw the other party-goers backing away from the muscled, smelly young man blocking the door in front of them—but, at that point, he didn't really care. He didn't acknowledge their presence aside from a passing glance, and simply went back to facing the front door of the club, breathing slowly and heavily to calm his nerves.

His hair and face looked grimy, as if he had just finished a shift at a greasy fast food joint without bothering to clean himself up, and he reeked of the woods and natural musk. Long, stressful nights with no sleep meant that showering was a luxury now, but he had way bigger things to take care of now.

After a while, he heaved a sigh, and went into action, his fist thrice rapping against the metal door. Like a bird searching for worms in the dirt, his enhanced hearing picked out the sound of boots clicking against a slightly sticky floor amid the booms and thumps of club music.

The door swung open, and then he was met with both the thrashing of bass, and a stocky white guy with a physiognomy comparable to a lion. Tanner towered over him, but the man didn't seem to be fazed about his height or physique, only puckering out his lips as he sniffed. "Got $15, or a name?"

"The Stonewall," Tanner mumbled. "I'm here to see The Stonewall."

"Huh? Speak up, dude." The bouncer placed a finger to his ear.

Rolling his eyes, Tanner leaned forwards again, raising his voice as he spoke every other word deliberately, and sternly. "I am here, to see, the Stonewall. You got that?"

"Huhhh?"

At this point, Tanner was sure the man was just fucking with him or not, and balled a fist out of frustration. "Look man, I—"

When he began laughing at him and twirling a black cylinder in his hand, though, Tanner knew his assumption was correct. The bouncer looked up at him with a smirk, placing a hand on his hip as he calmed down from his laughing fit, sighing. "You aren't comin' in here to see the Stonewall, dude. No one sees the boss without an appointment."

"But I told him I was coming," Tanner protested, stepping forwards and putting his foot in front of the door just as it was closing. "Just listen to me—"

"No you didn't." He saw the man flick his wrist, as the black cylinder extended. The end of the baton poked his abs a couple times. "Get lost."

Okay... Plan B.

Seeing as the man wouldn't budge, Tanner sighed, lifting his head up. "Just tell him Tarasque is here. I'll come get him."

The bouncer's face scrunched up, as if he had smelled something awful, then shut and locked the door on Tanner's face. He heard the clicking of his boots once again, along with the sounds of a conversation happening behind the door. The bouncer uttered the name of the monster, describing the grimy-looking young man posted up outside in great detail. As Tanner began hyping himself up, bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes, he froze as the locks clicked, and the door opened once more.

He was met with the bouncer, holding the baton, along with two other large men that rivaled even him in terms of stature. One had a hand in his hoodie pocket, the indentation of a pistol visible beneath the fabric.

"Get out, or get outta the way," the bouncer said. "We don't want to make a scene here."

Tanner exhaled, rolling his neck from side to side as the man said this. "Funny, I was just about to tell you the exact same thing."

The bass was overwhelming, a rapid-fire legato thump that coincided with various shifts of colors and lights in the room. People were packed like sardines into the space, some too cramped to dance, while the smell of alcohol and tobacco smoke permeated the air, giving the place a surreal haze. Among everything else, people were enjoying themselves, too engrossed in the music and dance to notice the stench of death filling the air, and a howl shaking the building.

A heavyset, well-dressed man from a secluded balcony calmly watched as the people in the entranceway parted, and as a bouncer was thrown across the room, rolling across the sticky club floor. A black haired man with a large, furred arm darted inside the building, grabbing an incoming punch directed for him and swinging his leg up into the arm. The ensuing snap and scream was drowned out by the bass as Tanner lifted the man up in a fireman’s carry, then threw him over his shoulder, lobbing him downstairs into the bowl that was the dance floor.

As the music intensified, a guard extended a handgun out, the crackle of the pistol firing twice causing everyone's heads to turn to the entranceway. The man fighting the bouncers ducked out of the way of the gunfire and rolled behind a group of people, forcing the shooter to pause from the uncertainty that came with firing in such a dense place.

Tanner then broke into all fours, barreling through an opening in the crowd and tacking the man, before pinning him onto the ground. As he raised an arm to clobber the man, someone in the crowd let out a shriek, watching as Tanner's human arm sprouted dark hairs and long claws, before his hand balled to a fist and swung downwards into the man's face.

Blood spilled across the floor, and against Tanner's face. He stood up, gazing over the railing at the heavyset guy watching from the balcony across the dance floor, then down at the club-goers that slowly began looking at him. Among them, he saw more well-dressed bouncers, brandishing all sorts of rifles, clubs, and other weapons, all aimed towards him.

Using a nearby table as a springboard, he leaped off the balcony, then closed his eyes.

The ground vibrated for a moment as the music picked up once more, and the guards present all raised their heads in horror to the creature that had landed on the multi-colored dance floor. People shrieked and darted away from the dance floor-turn arena as the Tarasque stood up in its full height, flexing its claws in anticipation.

The Tarasque raised its skull-head, its white eyes darting all around the room, then up towards the secluded private balcony. It opened its jaw, a hitched breath following yet another inhuman screech. "Stooooonewaaaaaall...!"

Its roar was prematurely drowned out by the thumping of synths and bass of a new song, as a torrent of gunfire sailed towards the beast. Shrugging off seemingly everything in its way, the Tarasque sprinted forwards, swiping its arms across its vision, as if dusting off the semi-circle of bouncers in its way. Bodies flew as the Tarasque spun, another swing of its lanky arm flinging a guard with a shotgun away and into a table. The DJ, seemingly too engrossed into his set, ducked as another body flew over him, landing behind his set with a crash.

The Tarasque spun around, looking at the balcony above the DJ's set, then leaped up. Its body shrank down in size considerably as Tanner suddenly grabbed a hold of the balcony with one hand, swung his second arm onto the railing, then lifted himself up and over with a grunt.

Too hyped on adrenaline to manage his wounds, Tanner rolled over, stumbling to his feet just as some more guards came rushing down the door ahead of him. A baton slammed into his shoulder as Tanner grunted, then was grabbed from behind, his arms locked behind him in a vice grip.

He swung his head back, smashing into the face of the man behind him, and used the momentum to kick the bouncer in front of him with both legs. He grunted, his skin tone rapidly paling as his face stretched, and as dark, mottled fur grew around his entire body. Tanner planted his feet on the floor, then let out a roar as the Tarasque did the rest of the heavy lifting for him, simply throwing the man on his back away with a shake.

The monster turned to the hallway, breaking into all fours to compensate for its height. The door ahead and part of the drywall shattered as it entered a secluded lounge, several model-looking girls shrieking and running past it as the monster hunched forwards, occluding the doorway.

Its eyes were, once again, on the heavyset, well-dressed man, who sat behind a desk in a comfortable-looking chair. A clawed finger rose, pointing to the boss as it let out a growl. "Stooooonewaaaaall..."

"Word of advice, Tarasque," The boss sighed. "If you wanted to kill me, overtly isn't the way. You won't be leaving here alive, if that's the case."

He paused, looking at the damage to the front end of the room, and the beaten and bruised state of his goons outside the room. "You messed up a lot of my men, pal. I thought you just wanted to talk, man."

"I... haaave lost.... my paaatience," The monster snarled, looking at the men slowly surrounding it. A few of them staggered in their step as the beast laid eyes upon them but it was becoming evident that the monster was being surrounded on all sides. "You ssssshould tell your meeeeeen… stop flaaaanking meeee... this is between meeeee, and yooooou."

Stonewall stood up, nodding to one of his underlings. As the men dispersed and maneuvered behind the Tarasque, the boss himself handed his jacket off to one of his men, undoing the cufflinks of his shirt.

“Fine, then,” Stonewall set the cufflinks atop the table, taking one last sip of his drink. “Let’s go."

He stomped towards the Tarasque, then began changing himself. A rocky armor began surrounding Stonewall's body as the man grew in size, rivaling the monster even in height and physique. He clasped a fist into an open palm, then charged, thundering across the room.

The two titans clashed, pushing against each other as the Tarasque roared, digging its claws into the man-turn-golem's arms. The pair swung around in a circle, with the Tarasque trying to throw the golem into a wall, but the rocky titan held firm in its grapple.

Stonewall swung his head forwards, slamming into the Tarasque's skull, and stunning the beast. Two fists barreled into the monster's chest, forcing it to stagger backwards into the wall, then out of the way of an incoming punch that planted a large hole in the drywall.

The Tarasque effortlessly picked up a pool table, breaking it against the golem's face, and quickly wove out of the way of another punch. It swiped its claws against the rocky armor and tore out a few stones, probing for a weak spot, then balled another fist and thrust it to the stone golem's chest.

With a grunt, Stonewall parried the next punch by batting it out of the way, punishing the monster by sending two jabs into its face, followed by a knee to the chest.

The Tarasque roared and rolled to the side, smashing through another nice table as it went on all fours. It charged, a quick tackle pinning Stonewall to a pillar in the room, but the man had seemingly come prepared for such a move.

With a loud shout, Stonewall drove his knee once more into the Tarasque's chest, while the monster tried to move the wall-pin into a throw. Globules of saliva splattered on the floor as the beast was kneed in the gut once more, then was too slow to dodge as Stonewall clasped both hands together, swinging them down onto the monster's back like a volleyball spike.

Stonewall pushed the weakened monster away with his knee, grabbing a hold of the Tarasque's head as the monster seemed to cower for a moment, then launched a final hook into its face, a punch that shook the room like a thunderclap. The world spun for the Tarasque as the monster hit the floor, letting out a weak groan.

The Tarasque wheezed as Stonewall essentially sat atop it, raising a fist and slugging its skull again. It frantically raised its hands up to protect itself, but the onslaught was too intense to keep up with.

Punch after punch went into the monster, and it began to lose focus. The Tarasque went limp, and as Tanner Lange slowly began to cover his face, Stonewall paused, lowering his arm as the sound of rocks grinding against each other filled the silent room.

The crime boss's rocky armor disintegrated into an ashy substance, and he grabbed the young man by his collar, lifting him up to eye level. Panting, he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, flashing a toothy smile as he shook his head. "Whew. What a workout. I haven’t had a fight like that in years.”

He let go of his collar, squatting atop Tanner as he shook his head. “Too bad your brawling skills suck, kid. If you can't box, you can't win."

"...Fuuck." Tanner groaned, feeling something undoubtedly broken, somewhere. "How did you-"

"Your skills are unrefined," Stonewall began, "And your fighting style is very sloppy. Relying solely on whatever monster you've got inside you isn't gonna get you by — not here, and not with me."

The next question was obvious. Tanner winced as he looked the heavyset man in his eyes. "Why, are you gonna keep me alive, or something?"

Stonewall smacked his lips. He stood up, dusting himself off. "Normally, I'd off fucks like you for going after me, but you gave me and my guys a good fight. I'll let you leave here with your life intact, so long as you tell me why you're here, who you work for, and why you want to talk to me."

Tanner was silent for a moment, looking at the wounds peppering his body. His eyes traveled back up to Stonewall. "I don’t work for anyone. I need help. Can't get a job because of the record on my head, and my mom is sick. I'll do whatever you want—just... just give me a chance. Please."

Stonewall contemplated the man's offer, burying a hand into his pocket. Tanner felt a dozen pairs of eyes assessing him all at once, probing him for his secrets, or ulterior motives, even if they were non-existent. After what felt like an eternity, Stonewall reached a hand into his suit, flicking a card towards the young man on the ground. "I could always use extra muscle. Here."

Tanner took the card, his eyes glued to the contact information like it was the word of God. "...Thank you."

Stonewall nodded, stepping past the bruised man panting on the ground. Before he left, he grabbed his nice jacket and put it back on, looking down at Tanner. "Oh, and, one last thing: take a shower. Soldier."

His guards collapsed their formation into a column and followed their boss out of the smashed-up corridor, leaving Tanner with nothing but himself and the business card in the secluded lounge.

by **Tomia** » Sat May 21, 2022 2:04 pm

Mars, San Francisco
Mars was listening carefully to everyone's suggestions and attempting to synthesis a strategy out of them, he was suddenly teleported somewhere else before once again being brought back. "Woah" he said upon return, his stomach churning from the suddenly shifting through space. "I'm fine, just a little queasy", he told the concerned Kiris. The hero then turned back to the group, having to come to a conclusion before they could attempt to rescue Redwing. "Alright, well I think Wifi is right. But I want to send Crystalheart into the mall. No offense new people but, I can't send any of you in there in good conscious. Bael, Crystalheart, and Frostbite will head in to free Redwing, and then the rest of us will wait for them to come back and portal out. I'm sure something nasty is going to come so even if you aren't going into the mall stay alert. Does that sound acceptable to everyone? If you don't want to go to into that mall, I'll understand and we can send someone else."

"I'm in, let's get going already." Frostbite said in a determined voice. She then turned to one of Makeshift's robots. "Can you split your feeds? Some out here and some following us?"

by **Finland SSR** » Sun May 22, 2022 2:04 pm

Finland SSR wrote:December

December

Emanuel did not waste a single second for a quip or a comment. His hair latched onto the light fixture hanging off the ceiling and propelled him forward, sending a rough forward kick straight at Algarve and knocking him away. Right after the blow, the hero leapt back and turned to the side corridor. Renata was a bit worse for wear, but doesn't seem to have gotten injured in the skirmish, and the teen next to her was more confused by Emanuel's sudden appearance than worried at what's about to come.

"Good, you're here, Renata," Emanuel stated, and flashed a very faint smile to reassure the girl. "The police are arriving at the school, the rest of the team will be here soon, too. Get out of the building, and you will be safe."

"But, I..." Renata mumbled, briefly unsure if she should follow, or try to stay regardless. "...Alright."

"I'll be fine, just go."

"Over here!" Julian yelled from the back. The fellow student had stepped back from the wall, and as they would not be able to exit through the corridor where Emanuel and Algarve were about to duel, he was pointing towards a stairwell at the end of their side-corridor, leading up to the second floor. It would take them through a longer route, but they should be able to descend back to the first floor and escape fairly quickly - or, at worst, jump through the window. Renata briefly sighed, nodded and ran.

"So what was up with the-"

"Magic," Julian called out in response, answering Renata before she could even finish asking about the drone takedown and the energy shield. In any ordinary situation, after having revealed his skills to a classmate, he'd at least humor them with a basic explanation of his semi-secret studies - but, for the time being, this was all he could say. Renata understood that as well, and did not pry further.

Algarve pulled himself off the floor with a grin, locking his eyes with the hero. "I would cry about the catch that got away, but one of you still fits the terms of my contract, so..."

"Try me, then," Emanuel answered bluntly. An energy absorption shield, borrowed off the Superhuman Task Force, activated on his left wrist, shielding the upper half of his body right as the first bullets were fired by the drones. As soon as they struck the energetic field, their kinetic force was absorbed and they fell to the floor, harmless. Emanuel steadily stepped backwards, occasionally moving his wrist up, down or to the sides whenever it became apparent that the drones were about to fire open parts of his body. At the flick of Algarve's switch, one suddenly lunged forth, aiming to kamikaze itself - however, its propeller was suddenly caught by the hero's hair. The braid extended and tangled around the drone, swinging it and smashing it at one of its peers, breaking them both.

For a second, the action paused. Dust and smoke, coming from the drones' ignited fuel cells, briefly obscured the battlefield.

Good. At least for Emanuel. The hero did not have any expectations of winning all by himself - however, as he was the first of the Condors available for the emergency, he had to stall for just long enough to allow the rest of the team to arrive. At minimum, until all the students and Renata escape from the school. Once they leave behind the perimeter around the building, the Condors can cut loose.

Algarve renewed his offensive by charging in personally - he dove out of the smoke and slammed straight into Emanuel's shield, loading it with so much force that it flung the hero away even after all the absorption. Emanuel landed on the corridor floor with a slide and parried the cyborg mercenary by ripping a nearby door off its hinges with his hair, and smashing it at his shoulder. The wood broke without much resistance.

"Quite a bit more professional than your "nephew". Didn't even bother to ask why I'm here," Algarve continued. Of course, he did not give his foe reprieve even while monologuing - the remaining drones surrounding him opened fire, forcing Emanuel back to the defensive. In between breaths, steps back and swings with his hair braid, he managed an answer:

"I figured... no point in asking for sympathy points after you attacked a helpless school..."

"Sympathy?"

Suddenly, Algarve sent a forward kick - the tip of his mechanical foot, sharp as a blade, pierced through the shield and struck the device projecting it on Emanuel's wrist, shutting it down. With clenched teeth, the hero pulled back, clutching onto the broken cybernetics.

"How telling, that a hero first instinct is to assume sympathy from his enemies," the cyborg contined with a smirk and slammed Emanuel down to the floor with an elbow smash. His foot stepped onto the hair braid before it could move. "But no, I don't need any sympathy. I'm only here to kill you."

The manufacturing case on his engorged left arm, which had been producing drones when he first stepped into the school, opened with a whiff of air again - revealing a remote.

Back on the second floor of the school, Renata and Julian had reached the stairwell - the same stairwell which she had originally descended from when the terrorist attack first took place - when the girl suddenly stopped. A powerful, loud smash behind them caught her, forcing her to stop and turn around. Judging from the less trembling, but still audible rip before, it must have been one of the doors.

"Renata?"

"I... What if we're leaving him to die?" she called out to her classmate, getting him to step back from the surprise.

"Huh?"

"That... that man is insane, and his goal was to kill one of us to spark a civil war... What if it wasn't just me he's after? What if Em is enough? Instead of helping him, we'll have left him to die, and for no reason at all.."

"I, well..." Put on the spotlight, Julian wasn't sure how to respond. "You have to calm down... Mr. Andrade told us that he'll be fine, and we have to trust him, he's a hero-"

"And I'm a hero too!"

The corridor turned silent after Renata's yell. Even the muffled sounds of battle from the first floor had vanished. At least, for a few seconds.

What... is that? Was that a clock? Or, a leaking water tap of sorts..? A buzz, too, like by the propellers of Algarve's drones...

Then, in an instant, a powerful explosion tore through the corridor behind them, ripping into classrooms and the ceiling alike - then another, and another, and another, rapidly approaching the two teens. It wasn't something targeting them - the entire school was being blown apart from the inside. Seconds meant the difference between life and death, and Julian, broken out of his shock, acted just in time - he tapped the floor with his staff and yelled:

"Ezkutu!"

A bubble of energy suddenly encased him and Renata - similar to the shield he casted during the clash with Algarve, but surrounding them from every side, rather than just the front, and suspending them in the core. A bomb hidden under a table in the room next to them detonated, ripping through the corridor, the stairwell, and spewing debris across much of the surrounding suburb. Renata and Julian's Ezkutu shield became a part of this debris - the explosion flung it outwards, and mixed with dust, ash and pieces of the school to fall down upon the surrounding city. For a few seconds, they could witness the scale of the destruction from up above - Algarve's explosives were powerful enough to engulf down the entire building, the debris rained down upon police cars, armored vehicles and the nearby buildings, causing havoc, panic and chaos.

Their bubble was flung far - and once it hit the ground, a street in a suburb seen as quiet and peaceful until today, it bounced, then rolled across the asphalt. In the middle of the roll, the spell dissipated, throwing both of the teens right onto the street - they both rolled for a few meters before finally crashing down. It hurt, the painful roll left them with concussions...

"...but, at least we're alive," Julian judged under his breath and pulled himself to a sitting position, weakly. The explosion in the distance was receding, though it still left an ominous glow. After a sigh, he turned to Renata - but, she said nothing. Instead, she was faintly sobbing. After, a pause, the teen realized what happened. "...right. I'm sorry for your loss."

He didn't know what the daily life of the Condors, or one of their children was - but, judging from what she said before, he could only assume they knew each other well. For Julian, Emanuel Andrade was just a talking head on TV - sure, his likely death was tragic, but, at least they didn't endure the same fate.

Wait. Alert, the teen turned to the other side. He was certain that he heard a door open.

"Don't move," a voice behind them called out. Indeed, the door of the two story house they had landed next to was open - what followed it, however, was a pistol being cocked. Panicking, Julian looked behind him and yelled:

"Wait, you don't understand-"

There wasn't just one gun trained towards them - there were three. Somewhat ragged looking men and women, five of them, stepped out of the house, each one well aware of what had just landed almost on their doorstep. Each one had a red armband, making their allegiance clear.

"...Anticondoristas?"

by **Segral** » Sun May 22, 2022 5:12 pm

Carter Graystone
Beta Zone Outskirts // San Francisco // California
January 15th, 2018

What do you even say when something like this happens? No seriously, what do you say? It was hard to shut Carter up, but this? Lost for words didn't begin to describe it. He was lost in his mind. The last few months, weeks after weeks of lost time, all of it was different now, was coated with a different light as he traveled back inside his memory. Was everything he experienced really genuine? What he saw, what he heard, what people had told him, what those people were? Maybe not. If this hadn't been real, maybe none of it ever had. It was too much to take in. Everything had been too much to take in, he was tired of taking it all in. Even though he knew there was a family, and other people too, who were relying on him, watching him for support, he wanted to throw the towel in so badly. Alexis, or whoever it was standing in front of him, was ready to reload her gun and keep going, but Carter could barely hold onto his sword. He was shaking with fear, hunger, shock, and other things too, things he couldn't put a name to. It was unfair. He wanted to yell at her for just leaving him shaking on the other side of the car while she was talking about her goddamn cat, but he couldn't be angry at her. That would be equally unfair.

"I--, y-yeah, I guess we can walk. And talk." Carter said, limply scratching the back of his head as he walked out from behind the back bumper of the car and peeled out to follow in Alexis' tracks. A small family and two slightly older folks, the woman a little older than his mom, quickly assembled some distance away, the family walking out with them and the older folks already a safe length away from the carnage. According to Alexis, they were named Jessa and Mike. Oh crap, he would forget at least one of them by the end, wouldn't he? Whatever, not important. The blood splash on his uniform had begun to dry, forming a puckered, dark stain across his chest and limbs that made his suit look worn and beaten. The sword was even worse, covered in an even thicker crusted patch, albeit without a single scratch across the blade. He looked more like a vigilante than anything, but in his current situation, maybe that was fitting.

"I'm k...Aeolus." he said shortly, filling up Alexis' request for further introductions. He was glad she had given him the floor instead of jumping straight to his name; he didn't even like using his first name anymore to introduce himself. Too weird. "I'm working with the Suns, and other teams that have shown up here to assist with the relief effort. It looks like Vendetta's promised to keep you safe, and I plan to hold her to that word." he said with a slight smirk, before sliding his helmet back down to obscure his face. "Now, follow us. The uh...the cat will watch from the back."

The group set off in silence for some distance, every single member warily throwing their head back and forth to scope out any potential undead threats. Alexis was more relaxed than he was, loosely palming her weapons while Carter's gloves crinkled over with an iron grip on his hilt. It took him a second to even register her question, asking him what he wanted to know first. What he wanted to know first?! He wanted to know everything, but he didn't have the time for that, there were too many questions in everything. So, he stuck to something simple.

"How'd you even get here?" he blurted out, realizing the accusatory tone of his voice a little bit too late. "I mean...it's not like you just hopped on a train..." he followed, providing a joke equally as lame as Alexis' earlier one in an attempt to soften the question.

by **Zarkenis Ultima** » Mon May 23, 2022 12:33 am

January 15th

Tomia wrote:---

Kirisvala nodded with a relieved smile as Mars confirmed that he wasn't affected by... whatever had just happened there. As the group moved back together, she listened to the machine-clad hero explain the plan he had decided to settle on, essentially Wendy's plan with some alterations, namely for the sake of keeping the new members and those who had tagged along safe. It made sense to her - they were responsible for the safety of Molly and the others, so to send any of them into what was very likely a trap was unacceptable. With Bael and Frostbite's aid, she was certain they would have more than enough resources to get past whatever they found inside and rescue Redwing without much trouble, as well.

"I'm okay with this plan. I'm sure we can handle anythin' Animaster prepared to throw our way." The pink-haired heroine nodded resolutely.

At the same time, in response to Frostbite's words, four of the remaining pink fairy drones moved to hover closer to her, Crystal Heart and Bael. "Sure thing, Frosty, that's no problem at all. I can send these four into the mall to keep eyes on your group and potentially help out with anything you find in there, and have the other two stay back out here and keep an eye on the main group and the surrounding area. That way I can keep everyone posted on what the others are up to." The genius girl explained through the team's comms, not just for Angelica but for the rest of the team as well.

by **Europa Undivided** » Wed May 25, 2022 8:21 am

Joakim Ferro - Hyperdrive
Nandras Varaget - Twin Bite
San Francisco Mall

"Alright, well I think Wifi is right. But I want to send Crystalheart into the mall. No offense new people but, I can't send any of you in there in good conscious. Bael, Crystalheart, and Frostbite will head in to free Redwing, and then the rest of us will wait for them to come back and portal out. I'm sure something nasty is going to come so even if you aren't going into the mall stay alert. Does that sound acceptable to everyone? If you don't want to go to into that mall, I'll understand and we can send someone else."

Joakim nodded at the change of their gameplan. So it seemed that their leader, or at least the one with the weightiest voice in a council of equals, had decided that the newlly arrived "intern" members were going to sit this incursion for now. It made complete sense. They hadn't gotten used to each other at this time, and whether or not the newbies, Joakim included, were good at this whole team thing was still something to be seen. It would probably seem to be quite a gamble if they decided that these, untested recruits were to be hapharzardly integrated. it could even be considered bad PR!

"No offense taken, yah," Joakim answered, his voice somewhat obscured by the mask, though completely understandable all the same. "Better be safe than sorry, heh. Would be a shame if... something went awry..."

At the meantime, Nandras, after responding to that change with a curt nod, had taken to sampling the debris around himself with the robotic appendages and his own supernatural eyesight. He also had a shard of one of the animated furniture that attacked him a few hours or so earlier, which he was now examining. He wa trying to figure it out. Just what was it with Animaster that made these things tick? Did he impart a bit of his being into them? Nanites? Little demons? Either way, the curious avian alien seemed almost lost in his own thoughts, his own world.

"Or perhaps it is magic that cannot be found nor deciphered through microscopic analysis?" Nandras audibly wondered to himself. It was probably a waste of time, he thought, but that mattered not. He was taught to question all things, to seek out knowledge wherever it may be. Information that may seem useless now may come in handy later, as revealed through the wisdom of the Machine God.

With the little analysis with that scrap of wood done, Nandras checked his helmet's HUD, highlighting in particular the amount of ammunition he still had. Around a hundred rounds left, many of which had been reused several times. Hopefully they won't be needed soon.

by **Galnius** » Wed May 25, 2022 12:32 pm

Andrew Donovan, Jackrabbit

Tomia wrote:Mars, San Francisco
Mars was listening carefully to everyone's suggestions and attempting to synthesis a strategy out of them, he was suddenly teleported somewhere else before once again being brought back. "Woah" he said upon return, his stomach churning from the suddenly shifting through space. "I'm fine, just a little queasy", he told the concerned Kiris. The hero then turned back to the group, having to come to a conclusion before they could attempt to rescue Redwing. "Alright, well I think Wifi is right. But I want to send Crystalheart into the mall. No offense new people but, I can't send any of you in there in good conscious. Bael, Crystalheart, and Frostbite will head in to free Redwing, and then the rest of us will wait for them to come back and portal out. I'm sure something nasty is going to come so even if you aren't going into the mall stay alert. Does that sound acceptable to everyone? If you don't want to go to into that mall, I'll understand and we can send someone else."

"I'm in, let's get going already." Frostbite said in a determined voice. She then turned to one of Makeshift's robots. "Can you split your feeds? Some out here and some following us?"

"I hate to be that guy but is the plan really to split up?" Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Apparently you guys need to be told that this is obviously a trap. Remember the last trap? Where we split up? Do we really want a repeat of that? "

Andrew took a deep breath and gestured to Molly. " Of course, we can't all go in, because we have at least one civilian here. I'm not risking her life, and I don't see why we would risk anyone when we don't know what's in there, or if he's even alive. There's something out here reviving dead bodies. Animaster also tried to bring a building to life below, and we could be sending Crystalheart, Frostbite, and Bael in to be eaten alive. Literally. I don't want to say this but... Redwing knew what he was getting into. He signed up for this. We have a civilian with us that wants help finding her parents. In this case, is an obvious trap or distraction, and other civilians are put in danger of we go in. It might be smarter to leave him. Getting captured or dying is a hazard of the job. "

by **Absolon-7** » Wed May 25, 2022 9:10 pm

Absolon-7 wrote:---

The Spectacular Kabuto!
Once Upon a Time in the West Part 7
Somewhere in the desert
December 22nd

Within the roadside tavern an orchestra of violence was ensuing as screams and objects breaking filled the air, people and chairs being thrown out of its windows in a shower of glass and wood, gunshots perforating the air, and finally the hero Casimir bursting the front door open by front kicking a quill covered biker out into the porch as some of the bikers struggles to hold him back. He grabbed onto the arms of one biker trying to choke him out with a chain from behind and slammed him forward, breaking open the wooden planks of the porch.

“You dungheads brought this on yourselves!” shouted Casimir as he spun to the right to slam two bikers holding onto him face first into the door’s beam, breaking it in half, “Fear the wrath of Kabuto!”

The gunhead biker and the frogman meanwhile were checking in on their boss who was unceremoniously sitting up on the two underlings he had collided with after Casimir punched him. The frogman was grasping Jackal by the shoulder to haul him while the gunhead was foolishly offering a swig of his booze.

“I don’t need your stale ale but I do know what to do. First you,” said Jackal pointing a claw at the frogman, “Go upstairs and find me the control for our big shiny friend here. Should be a small silver box.” The frogman looked over at Drakon still writhing in agony due to the implant in his head and he happily nodded before lumbering upstairs. Jackal then rubbed his head to massage the pain as he looked down at the remaining underling, “As for you. Time to go boom.”

“Oh whoopie, boss! Been a while since I’ve had to do this,” said the gunhead before taking one last gulp from his stale beer. He suddenly lurched forward and his body morphed into a tripod mounted auto-cannon. His transformed body steadied its aim at Casimir as it shot out a sphere of condensed energy right into Casimir’s back

The bug hero was blasted away in a kaleidoscope of smoke and energy, landing helmet first on the parking lot in front sliding for some feet before stopping with a slump. Casimir pushed himself up with a twist to face any new threat which in fact was the remaining stream of bikers all forming a circle around him. He took a stance pointing his fist at them to challenge the group but instead they stood apart to let Jackal walk out in front of them. The lanky hybrid was rhythmically snapping his fingers with every other step as he got closer to Casimir until he stopped right in front of the fist. His gangly body curved forward to snarl at Casimir’s face.

“You coulda made this way easier but you just had to put up a bit of a fight,” growled Jackal flashing his fangs, “Listen I got a meeting with a very, and I mean very, important business partner later today and I can’t be late. So do me a favor: roll over and die. It’s just you versus all of us and the whole of the desert. Coulda saved yourself a whole lot of trouble if you kept your nose out of that job. It’s a shame, man. Gonna be so sad having to spend Christmas as a corpse or maybe a prisoner. ”

“You’re getting drool over my helmet, bub,” curtly retorted Casimir before he shot up an uppercut to smash Jackal’s jaw upwards.

The foul villain’s body snapped up like a rubber band before Casimir shot his palm forward to strike at Jackal's chest. The collision sent the man sliding away before Casimir leaped forward to drive his knee into Jackal’s snout. Blood filled his snout as he staggered even further back, drenching his smell with pungent iron. Growling at Casimir he swung his claws at Casimir slicing the air in front of him to no avail. Bloodied drool dribbling down his face Jackal lunged forward to bite at Casimir’s neck who held him back by catching the were-jackal’s maw in time.

“You need one of those teeth cleaning chew toys, pal, cause these are some nasty pearly whites,” mocked Casimir as he began to push back Jackal.

With a growl Jackal caught Casimir’s wrists and swung him up to smash him onto the pavement breaking it. He began to repeat the motion but Casimir bent his legs back to catch Jackal’s face. With a twist of his hip Jackal was spun like a sideways top to collide with some of the onlooking bikers resulting in a toppled over mass of them.

“If you’re gonna beat me. You gotta talk like me. Walk like me. And uh,” Casimir struggled for what to say next as he pointed his thumb at his own chest, “And fight like me!”

A slight blessing of a small gust of cool wind blew over the group gathered in the parking lot. Casimir cracked his neck as he feigned a step towards the remaining bikers startling them. However, he noticed that the frogman had rejoined his boss and was handing over some small silver box with buttons and knobs. As Jackal got up from his fallen compatriots he grinned a toothy smile as he used the device.

“Been a grand ol time stalin’ for time, but this is where I say checkmate,” said Jackal trailing it off with a sinister laugh.

With a final push of a button a giant metal mass from the bar burst forth obliterating the wall in its path and landing right behind Casimir. The giant that was Drakon plunged his arm blades forward and skewered Casimir’s chest, raising him like a trophy. Casimir gripped at the blade jutting out of his chest and flailed his legs around in vain. A gurgle escaped his mouth but Drakon flicked his arm forward and sent Casimir crashing into the ground, upturning debris as he was stopped by colliding with a lamplight some distance away. With a wild look in his eye Casimir got up maimed as he was before rushing forward to strike at Drakon.

His fist collided with the dra’qunni’s armor and bounced off and so he did it again with another punch. Gritting his teeth, Casimir unleashed a hail of punches upon Drakon’s chest shockwaves bursting apart from the force but the draq stood there motionless. Jackal could barely keep himself from laughing before he typed up some more commands and next moment Drakon back slapped Casimir far into the distance like a swatted fly with the world becoming a spinning blur of motion and color in his eyes. Casimir spun like a high speed wheel as his body flew into the exact same lamp post, this time bending it in half at a ninety degree angle. His limp body slid downwards slowly until he peeled himself off and staggered a half step towards Drakon.

“You’re not the only one buying for time, bub,” spat Casimir raising one finger up and then pressing it back to his hand.

Out from behind the bar a swarm of flies from its dumpsters came flying in circled around Jackal flying into his eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

“What are all of you doing! Get that man!” shouted Jackal as the cloud of flies fully covered up his face, the swatting from his hands futile against the swarming carpet of movement. And once more the gang descended upon Casimir.

by **Talchyon** » Thu May 26, 2022 11:44 am

Molly Shanahan (aka "Jinx")
Entrance to a mall movie theater

The reactions to her little stunt would have been amusing - if not for the fact that she had to reveal her ability. Some - like Intrepid before her and the heroine with the plan she didn't know - saw her making the switch between Intrepid and the obvious team leader. Others had no idea about her. Which was good - for now. The less they knew about her, and especially about the Jinx, the better for Molly.

She saw the need of saving Redwing's life, though. Sure, she was a little bothered by the fact that she would be going into the theater with a few strangers and using her swap power again to get the hero out, not to mention the fact that they'd be facing who knew what and her without any armor or superheroic strength at that. But still, there was a need. And Molly felt something inside her want to help. To atone for past remissions, perhaps.

But that was not to be...

Molly looked at the team leader. He was attractive, yeah. But Molly couldn't tell if he was arrogant or kindhearted. Ok, so he didn't want to risk the lives of people he didn't know, which included her. And to be fair, she was perfectly fine with that idea. Yet was that all there was to him? Was it an arrogance thing? That he thought his ideas were better than everyone else's?

His suggestion met with agreement for the most part. Or acceptance, as Molly noted Nandras looking through the rubble outside with his metallic arms, seemingly ignoring what was being talked about. ("Aliens are weird," she thought). Everyone seemed to agree - except for one, the black guy with the bleach blond hair who had offered to lead the way before her through the haywire of current day San Fran.

Molly smiled at her "hero" (?). It was nice to be thought of. And when Andrew made his point about the whole building itself coming to life and potentially eating anyone and anything that went in, she began to second guess her willingness to go in in the first place. But still... "Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Though just saying, this whole city is a risk to human life right now, and I have managed to survive a few days already. The thing is, I've tried looking everywhere for my parents. And what if they're inside here? What if there are more than just Redwing inside?"

Turning to larger group, Molly said, "Whoever is going in - if you see my parents in there, save them. Please." Her weary face showed concern, exhaustion, but more that was also hard to tell.

On the streets with a few vigilantes, Beta Zone outskirts
Michael and Jessa Shanahan

But Molly's parents weren't in the theater, or anywhere near it. Vendetta the vigilante (not a hero) had cleared a way through from any zombies that could be seen. But now she had a friend. Apparently. Someone who had joined forces, which annoyed Jessa even more. With blood-spattered weapons and a whole medieval thing going on.

Segral wrote:Carter Graystone
Beta Zone Outskirts // San Francisco // California
January 15th, 2018

What do you even say when something like this happens? No seriously, what do you say? It was hard to shut Carter up, but this? Lost for words didn't begin to describe it. He was lost in his mind. The last few months, weeks after weeks of lost time, all of it was different now, was coated with a different light as he traveled back inside his memory. Was everything he experienced really genuine? What he saw, what he heard, what people had told him, what those people were? Maybe not. If this hadn't been real, maybe none of it ever had. It was too much to take in. Everything had been too much to take in, he was tired of taking it all in. Even though he knew there was a family, and other people too, who were relying on him, watching him for support, he wanted to throw the towel in so badly. Alexis, or whoever it was standing in front of him, was ready to reload her gun and keep going, but Carter could barely hold onto his sword. He was shaking with fear, hunger, shock, and other things too, things he couldn't put a name to. It was unfair. He wanted to yell at her for just leaving him shaking on the other side of the car while she was talking about her goddamn cat, but he couldn't be angry at her. That would be equally unfair.

"I--, y-yeah, I guess we can walk. And talk." Carter said, limply scratching the back of his head as he walked out from behind the back bumper of the car and peeled out to follow in Alexis' tracks. A small family and two slightly older folks, the woman a little older than his mom, quickly assembled some distance away, the family walking out with them and the older folks already a safe length away from the carnage. According to Alexis, they were named Jessa and Mike. Oh crap, he would forget at least one of them by the end, wouldn't he? Whatever, not important. The blood splash on his uniform had begun to dry, forming a puckered, dark stain across his chest and limbs that made his suit look worn and beaten. The sword was even worse, covered in an even thicker crusted patch, albeit without a single scratch across the blade. He looked more like a vigilante than anything, but in his current situation, maybe that was fitting.

"I'm k...Aeolus." he said shortly, filling up Alexis' request for further introductions. He was glad she had given him the floor instead of jumping straight to his name; he didn't even like using his first name anymore to introduce himself. Too weird. "I'm working with the Suns, and other teams that have shown up here to assist with the relief effort. It looks like Vendetta's promised to keep you safe, and I plan to hold her to that word." he said with a slight smirk, before sliding his helmet back down to obscure his face. "Now, follow us. The uh...the cat will watch from the back."

The group set off in silence for some distance, every single member warily throwing their head back and forth to scope out any potential undead threats. Alexis was more relaxed than he was, loosely palming her weapons while Carter's gloves crinkled over with an iron grip on his hilt. It took him a second to even register her question, asking him what he wanted to know first. What he wanted to know first?! He wanted to know everything, but he didn't have the time for that, there were too many questions in everything. So, he stuck to something simple.

"How'd you even get here?" he blurted out, realizing the accusatory tone of his voice a little bit too late. "I mean...it's not like you just hopped on a train..." he followed, providing a joke equally as lame as Alexis' earlier one in an attempt to soften the question.

Michael responded and said, "Aeolus. Alright. Thanks. We're just trying to find our daughter. We got... separated." And they trudged off behind the two in the suddenly quiet city zone. Cars with broken windows and other damages were everywhere that could be seen. Michael thought of all the insurance claims that would have to be paid out, not to mention the loans people would want who survived. It was going to be a financial nightmare. And though it was far away, it would affect things back home in Edmonton, too.

When Aeolus asked how they got here, Jessa responded, not realizing the question wasn't meant for her. "We flew. Michael had a contact who wanted to meet... to meet Molly. They were supposed to take care of her. It was kind of like a boarding school." That was the official line, anyway. Jessa had wanted her husband's daughter out of the house for years. Molly's illegal activities had made life very hard for the socially pretentious Jessa. They had gotten to the point that they couldn't be covered up anymore. The teenage girl was a bitch in her eyes, and there was only one thing they could do. Rather, only one thing Michael was willing to do. Someone else who was a freak like Molly should watch after her. Not them. "But the contact was dead when we got here, we got separated from Molly, and our phones were smashed in the process. So now we just hope she's alive, and then we can get out of here."

Young Bloods(IC, Reboot Open)

The Las Americas Incident (Part 9)

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