Are we Heroes: The New Guard [IC]

[Parcia]

Filia "Tenebrous" Umbrarum

Lady Tenebrous watched from afar as the monster fell and vanished at the power of the heroes. With that in mind, there was no longer any need for her to get all heroic. Thinking about it now made it seem like she wasted her time going out when she could have actually helped the evacuees earlier.

The woman glanced at Wraith, however, and thought about her request for a moment. It was certainly odd to br collecting super DNA and she took some offense to being offered money to help"I don't do my shtick for profit, you know." said Tenebrous in synthetic modulated voice, "I already have an income from my day job that most likely out table yours. So I'm not desperate."

The Cat Burglar then turned to Wraith completely, grinning behind her full face mask. "Although, I'm willing to help you if we can hit some jewelry stores along the way." Tenebrous offered, "Will take time to bring things back to normal. So for the time being, the city is mine to loot."

She tiled her head and shrugged. "I cant condone such things, but im not going to stop you either." She took the moment to begin to climb down the side of the building, putting her enhanced movement and strength to good use.

Hitting the ground level, she slipped in to her cloak and started to go around the bodies. She was...respectful, she didn't want to disturb them more then she needed. For most she simply took a cotton swab of blood, saliva, similar fluids that she didn't need to cut in to the body it self to extract.

Then she noticed them disappearing. This perplexed her greatly. She had a few ideas as to who would want to steal the bodies of dead metahumans...her suspicions were confirmed when a body right near her dropped in to a portal, thankfully, she was able to get the even recorded by her helmet's HUD while it happened.

[Sraelyn]

Johan Vermaak
Vektor

"Ag, shame bru. You enter a state of frenzy or something like that? Still, if you can normally lift a bloody car then that's damned good enough. Plus, I like your spirit. Myself, I can accelerate my body in any direction, reaching quite a decent speed. And I can also smash into things unharmed." Johan started walking along the splintered rubble-filled street, where Yaldabaoth had rampaged through a few minutes ago, and where the fight had been the heaviest.

There, by the side of the road, amongst broken glass and debries, they found their first body. He rushed to the body to check it's vitals, yet it was already dead, the stench of burned flesh and hair permeting the place. Flipping the corpse over, they found Arms Race, his body contorted, pain imprinted on his face, and his suit charred as much as his skin. Johan stood up quicky, his face somber.
"Let's look for the rest."

They searched the area around, finding Roosevelt, Gozu-Tenno and Yellowstone. All of them died clutching their own bodies, their eyes rolled back, and surrounded by pools of their own blood and vomit. All of them dead. It was weird. He was expecting to find few survivors, yet instead, they found few bodies, only finding half of the heroes that were supposed to have died nearby

Until he saw the reason why. The last one they found on this area was Camazotz, almost crushed by a car flipped over. Yet when they got closer, a golden circle appeared on the ground beneath him and sucked the hero into it, vanishing.
"Someone is bloody taking them! We need to find the rest. Quick."

“Someone’s using a teleportation power to snatch dead bodies away. Don’t fall into a portal by mistake.” Said Shine over the comms as he approached them.

"Ag man! We need to find them, some of them could still be alive! Any idea of who could be doing this?" Johan's blood was boiling at this point, his anger clearly noticeable. Someone had the gall of snatching the still warm bodies of those who gave their lives to save this city. And he would find them.

[Okayanos]

Alaric Kirin
Shine

"Hm..." Shine wracks his brain. He doesn't hold any delusions about being smart, but working with a Metahuman Detective (self-proclaimed) has given him some knowledge on who's who among the biggest villains. The clairvoyant meta puts his hand to his chin in contemplation- which ends up looking kind of strange because of his mask.

"Could be the Pantheon. They're behind pretty much everything evil if you look hard enough. The Tribunal's been kidnapping metas, if you believe the stories, but this'd be their first time using a teleporter to do it. Could just be Shard. Villain, teleporter, telekinetic. Has a tiny dick, which gave him an overly huge ego as a result. It'd be like him to hit a disaster zone after the threat's dealt with."

[San Har Jasta]

Mr. Big

Mr. Big glanced at Doorman "Put him in the breaking room. I'll be with him soon." As Doorman left Mr. Big called in Morgue and said "If any of these subjects interest you, you can have two. Also, tell our friends at Gencore that I am in need of their technology and I am willing to compensate them." He waved away the dead man walking and leaned back in his chair, he was already exhausted and he hasn't set up the power deals yet. Perhaps a nice torture session will help calm him down. Walter stood up and went outside his office into the work space. Around him were his men running around setting things up, testing equipment, counting cash, and resting. Each of his men were each unique in their own way, not in looks or equipment. Mr. Big didn't care for those, what he cared about was their powers. He had noticed each one was unique and even though some were similar they were never the same.

Mr. Big reached his breaking room and he prepared himself to go inside. He didn't need any of his tools, but he will need the gloves. He stretched the gloves over his over sized hands hoping that they won't snap like many have before. He calmly went in to the room and looked at the already broken man before him, "This is going to be easy" He thought to himself. "I'm told you are the one called Camazotz."

[Holy Lykos]

Finnbar "Wolfhound" O'Setanta

"Someting like a frenzy, yah. Bloody nasty, if I get to it. I'd say you run as fast away should I do." He replied as the pair started heading out. As they went, Finn was the one who lifted the toughest of the debris, but given most of the supers had been caught out in the open it wasn't quite as needed. But of course, every bit of strength helped.

And the bloody messes they were finding... Well at least they were recognizable. Finnbar muttered silent prayer each time they encountered one of the dead supers, and tried to make sure their eyes were closed and they were in somewhat more respectable state when others found them. Its not like Finn wasn't somewhat used to corpses anyway. The somewhat rough upbringing saw to that. But it also meant he knew they'd be a bitch to handle if they weren't put in somewhat respectable order when proper cleanup came around. Rigor mortis was a bitch.

But, as he finished posing the last, Vektor witnessed the theft of one of the few survivors. "Och what tha hell?" He shouted, half jumping to his feet to catch up. His body ran hot, a spike of fury he had to quickly tamp down. The utter gall of kidnapping heroes like this. "Whoever's behind this gonna get a wicked beat down. No idea myself, been a hero maybe a month or three."

The hero fumed a bit feeling his skin heat up. Out came a water bottle, and then out went its contents over his own head. A bit of a spasmatic shiver, and a sigh. "By the hells, we canuh just stand 'round. What would tey want with supers and corpses?"

[The Cyberiad Council]

Allan Crane, aka Overgrowth

"Hold on, almost there," Allan shouted to the family trapped in their car which was perilously hanging off one of the damaged overpasses. They'd managed to put on the brakes enough to keep from flying off into open air, but the segment of broken road had caught their front tires. Allan was carefully weaving vines around the front of the car and all through the undercarriage, making sure the shifting weights didn't unbalance the car. Once he was sure the vines could support the vehicle, he slowly hauled them back to safety.

It was hard to focus on their cries of relief and gratitude with the reports coming from the comms. Stealing the bodies of heroes? It was just so wrong on so many levels. Still, he put on a brave face and waited for the family to calm down, and when they didn't, he told them he needed to move on to help others. Floran trudged along silently, save for the muffled sounds of his footfalls, leaving Allan to think in silence. Reaching a section of street where the buildings on either side were largely collapsed, Allen set out once again, expanding his webs of vines and sprouts to clear the largest chunks of rubble out of the way. It would open the street for emergency and support services all while making it easier for the real clean up crews later on.

"What now?" He asked himself aloud. Floran just stared back with empty, unseeing eyes that were there for cosmetic purposes only. "You're no help," Allan muttered. Maybe he could go and meet up with some of the heroes that were busy tracking down the Pantheon. No, that would just end with him getting himself killed. Or worse. There were rumors of metahumans going missing in Northeast. But he wasn't really the detective type. "What I need is a team..." he thought to himself. There were several solo acts in the city, several of them being recent graduates from the Institute like he was. Maybe they'd be interested in joining forces.

---

---

"Damn it all!" The Eagle thought, standing on the ground, not flying this time, with his fists clenched. There wasn't anything he could do about the bodies disappearing. He was gathered with the rest of the Shield while Hex held their fallen teammate. With tears fighting their way though, he looked at the other teams. The Guards had their head bowed while Indra said a prayer for the dead. The Union stood at attention, saluting their fallen comrade. They had all lost something.

A commotion caught his attention as he saw a group of reporters pushing through the crowd of somber heroes. Great, just what he needed. They only laid eyes on him for a second, but it was enough. The Eagle felt his power fade just a fraction. Time to spin this. God, how he hated this. He couldn't even mourn his friend in peace. And for what? Duty? "I'm sorry," he whispered to his team, before putting on a determined face and walking to face the reporters.

---

---

"Power down," Colossus said, causing the HUD elements around him to vanish into darkness as he unclipped the safety harness that held him in place. Pulling a lever off to his left, hidden in the darkness, a portion of the Barletta's back opened up, allowing him to climb out between where the shoulder blades would be. He had collected valuable performance data, something good to come out of the day. The Rhode's was too damaged to fly, so he would have to walk it back. That would be a pain, and he would have to work it out with local state transportation services. Or maybe he could coordinate with some Argus dropships. He made the mental note to design a retrieval mechanism for future deployments.

He walked among the rubble, spotting Manthanein. "Good work back there, Pavan. Your erector sets always make my day," he said with a ghost of a smile.

[Okayanos]

Maita Sojuro
Camazotz

Cowritten with San Har Jasta

Camazotz's breaths come short and sharp- he doesn't need to be fully conscious to realize that something's broken. The hero wretches, and tastes a mouthful of his own blood. He spits it out on Mr. Big's table, as an obvious show of disrespect. Blood-red eyes glare at the colossal man entering the interrogation room- with the crimson stains around his mouth, Camazotz looks like more of a psychopath than the supervillain standing opposite him.

"You must be the fat fuck trying to get information out of me." He growls. Camazotz has only the faintest hint of his Japanese accent left- he'd worked on improving his English after Hinode no Eiyu disbanded.

Mr. Big raised an eyebrow at the comment this thing made towards him. He will let him have that. Anymore and he will know the wrath of the biggest man alive. "No. I am the man who is going to break you. You will want to hate me, you will want me dead, but through all of the pain you will only wish death upon yourself." Mr. Big paused to let that sink in. "But there is an alternative. You could work for me and the pain will never meet your body. Or you could refuse my offer and then I get to show the world what happens when you refuse me."

Mr. Big sat down and leaned forward across the table. "The choice is yours. I just hope it is the right one."

Camazotz mulls his options over. Neither one is very appealing. He settles on continuing to sass his interrogator. "Pain is weakness leaving the body. If you hurt me, you only make me stronger." The hero snarls, grinding his teeth together as another wave of agony jolts through him. "And I will never work for a man like you."

"Fine." Mr. Big stands up and walks around the table. He clenches his hand into a fist breaking the glove that was on it. He rears it back and strikes Camazotz in his ribs. Mr. Big could practically feel his ribs cracking as the giant fist hit it's mark. Before the hero could recover Walter grabbed his head and slammed it onto the table. He ripped the hero's bloody face off the table and threw Camazotz backwards off the chair he was sitting in. As the hero was on the floor Mr. Big started towards him to keep going until he gives in or until he dies.

Camazotz sees red when Mr. Big shatters what's probably the rest of his ribs, and he sees stars when his head hits the desk. The back of his head hits the floor with a heavy thunk that leaves the ceiling blurry, and and it takes a tremendous amount of his strength just to make his head turn back towards his tormentor. Wracked by pain, he struggles to lift himself. Defiant to the end.

"I almost felt that."

"Then you will feel this." Mr. Big taps into his powers and felt his body get larger, heavier, stronger and he grows to be 5 inches taller. His shoulders crack as they expand, He stretches out his massive hands and cracks his neck. His head barely shorter than the ceiling he slowly moved to the hero before him. He brought his fist up and brought it down like a hammer, the force of his hand hitting the hero could almost be heard outside.

Mr. Big brought his other hand down grabbing Camazotz's head and he lifted up the bloody body. He brought more mass to his other hand and arm increasing it's size and strength further. Walter knew this could kill him but at this point Camazotz was a lost cause to Mr. Big. He pulled his hand back and threw it forward with all of his might. It caught the hero on the chest and partially the face, Mr. Big's hand kept going and the heroes body with it. He felt the wall crack and dent behind Camazotz's chest. He let the body drop and started to leave, putting all of his mass back into the pocket dimension. "Damn shame, you will most likely cost more money dead."

Camazotz is fading. His breathing is weakened, his heartbeat is getting slower by the minute. And he's never felt more alive. A rage builds just under his skin, and the taste of blood flooding his mouth becomes ever so sharper.
"There's a dead man in this room. But it isn't me." And he changes. His form explodes outward into a massive white bat, with a blindfold over its eyes and crimson stains along its legs and wings. Camazotz screeches, and the scream causes an immediate response- spine-tingling fear, more than what would normally come from such a thing. An emotion-altering power, one that the hero usually keeps under wraps as a secret weapon.

When the fear sets in, the giant bat leaps onto Mr. Big's back, sinking his foot claws in. Camazotz reaches his wings around, sinking his thumb claws into Big's eyes, hooking and pulling until they're wrenched from their sockets with a wet pop. With the big man blinded, the bat breaks down the door, half-flying and half-scrambling to get out of the building.

Mr. Big didn't see the attack coming and screamed when his eyes were ripped from their sockets. "DON'T LET THAT ANIMAL ESCAPE!" He bellowed to his subordinates. In his screaming blind rage he could hear his men rush to stop the beast and he knew none of them could stop it. Mr. Big used his power and focused it on his eyes so the mass was regained and he eventually got his vision back. All he could see were blurs and smudges but it was enough for the resentful man. Mr. Big had been known for his rage in his youth and it seemed as though he brought that anger back.

He broke through the door frame frantically scanning the main room for the bat. When he saw it he started moving but started growing as he did. Now 8ft tall Mr. Big grabbed any of his men without powers and gave them powers whether they had them before or not. Once gifted with powers he threw them at the creature that took his eyes. This thing made a mistake. A mistake that will cost it it's life. It had angered Walter Bigg.

Mr. Big's soldiers both scream as he hurls them towards the giant bat. The first lands with a heavy thud on the floor, before his body transforms into an icy mist shaped roughly like a human. The second suddenly transitions from awkward flailing to a graceful landing in midair- a transforming cryokinetic and a form of enhanced reflexes. Not terrible results, as powers go.

Camazotz is still scrambling through the halls like a bat out of hell, but the two powered-up soldiers are gaining on him quickly. The cryokinetic simply floats through every obstacle in his way, and the reflexer leaps over them without any loss of momentum. Camazotz, meanwhile, has to awkwardly maneuver his large body past obstacles and around corners. The bat's claws skid on the floor as he scrambles around one, both soldiers in tow.

And yet, they're taken down. The ice mist making up the first man's body suddenly puffs backward, forced away by a frantic beating of Camazotz' wings. The second dodges around a swipe from a wing claw, only to be left in the grip of the bat's jaws. Enhanced Reflexes hadn't improved his ability to avoid being surprised. Camazotz tosses the man aside, before jumping onto the ceiling- when Mr. Big rounds the corner, he leaps onto the giant villain again, this time sinking his teeth in.

Mr. Big had had it with this monster. It was time to put it down. He roared as the bat sinks his teeth into him, he had already gained so much mass that all the bat hit was flesh. Mr. Big slammed his giant fist onto the bats head, then he ripped it off of him taking a chunk of flesh where it had been biting him. This was his chance to show the true strength Mr. Big wielded. He put one hand on Camazotz's upper jaw and the other on his lower jaw. Mr. Big grew to ten feet. Then he pulled with all of his strength. His muscles bulged as he started to tear the skin, then like a balloon ready to pop the creatures jaw snapped.

Mr. Big stood there panting, his hands wet and red. He slowly shrank back down to a normal size and the chunk that was missing healed easily. He dropped the dead body in his hands and said as he walked away "Someone clean this up and put it with the other corpses." He walked back to his office and went over to his sink. Walter washed his hands and went back to his desk. Time to choose the power deal location.

[Okayanos]

"Power down," Colossus said, causing the HUD elements around him to vanish into darkness as he unclipped the safety harness that held him in place. Pulling a lever off to his left, hidden in the darkness, a portion of the Barletta's back opened up, allowing him to climb out between where the shoulder blades would be. He had collected valuable performance data, something good to come out of the day. The Rhode's was too damaged to fly, so he would have to walk it back. That would be a pain, and he would have to work it out with local state transportation services. Or maybe he could coordinate with some Argus dropships. He made the mental note to design a retrieval mechanism for future deployments.

He walked among the rubble, spotting Manthanein. "Good work back there, Pavan. Your erector sets always make my day," he said with a ghost of a smile.

Only two out of Manthanein's five jets made it out alive. They've split back into individual drones, each one cycling around in front of Manthanein for repairs. The Indian hero looks up from his work at Colossus, pulled out of deep thought by his fellow builder's greeting. "And your action figures always make mine."

The drone receiving repairs chirps at him, and it’s set free, flying off into the sky to reattach itself to the deployment craft. “We shouldn’t linger amidst this destruction for long. Many criminals and villains would take advantage of our absence.”

[Sraelyn]

Johan Vermaak
Vektor

"Do you think it was the fucking Pantheon? Ach man! If they are behind this, we alone won't be able to do shit against them. And if it's not them, then we're going to need more info on the other two candidates, as I don't know much about them. Either way we'll probably need some help. And what use would anyone have for a bunch of dead heroes?" Johan felt small, useless, which angered him. He sure wanted to do something right now but knew that there wasn't much he could at the moment.

"I-I guess Im going to go look for any more survivors or help the emergency services helping people. And if you manage to find out anything give me a call or something" He said handing out a business card to both Finnbar and Shine, they would have to suffice. "I promise you that we'll get to the bottom of this. They deserved better than this. Bloody hell they gave their lives for this city. They all deserved fucking better." He started walking through the half destroyed street once more, until reaching a small wrecked car on the sideway, punching it's door as hard as he could, and heavily denting the chasis while the soft transparent hue surrounding his arm protected his fist. "Fuck this shit!" He was not going to give up finding Camazotz and the others, that was not like him. While he enjoyed being a solo act and the freedom that it gave him, there was only so much he could do on his own. Perhaps it was time he finally joined a team.

[WhatsamattaU]

The Stilt Man / Tom Long
Los Angeles
Post Yaldabaoth Attack

He was exhausted. The Stilt Man's powers were limited and required rest, but rest wasn't all that was required. He needed fuel and the fact that he hadn't had the chance to eat made him even more tired. He could barely move under his own power, but eventually he walked out of the chaos that was today's evacuation corridor and was able to use a ride-sharing app on his mobile phone, to get a ride back to the restaurant where he'd left his civilian clothes and his briefcase. When they arrived, he thanked the driver who wanted to let him ride for free. The Stilt Man replied that he wouldn't deprive a man of his needed wages and bid the driver to go.

Tom looked at the restaurant sign, 'The Blanc Sanglier. Steaks and Fine Dining'. The sign at the door said it was still open, but the street was empty and he couldn't see any movement inside. Tom slowly made his way to, and through, the door. At first he didn't see anyone, but soon the blonde hostess he'd spoken with earlier. When she saw him, Tom could see the look of concern on her face. She quickly moved to his side and ducked under his arm to support his frame and nearly failing legs. Together, they moved back to the door, where she locked the door and turned off the outside electric sign. Then she took him through the restaurant to a back office and set him on a comfortable sofa.

Tom began an apology, "Sure and I'm sore grateful to you, miss...."

"It's Anne," the forty-ish woman answered, "Anne Warwick. You need to rest...."

"Call me, 'Tom'", said Tom.

"Tom," Anne continued, "you need to rest. Are you hurt? What can I do to help?"

"Anne," he said, "I'm tired and I'm powerful hungry...." Not remembering he was in a restaurant, Tom asked, "Do you have any food?"

---

The kitchen staff at The Blanc Sanglier was still cleaning when Anne asked for some hearty sandwiches and coleslaw. Tom wolfed down two of them, with a side of the slaw in between and he began to slow a bit as he worked on the second sandwich.

"Oh an' this is manna from Heaven!" remarked Tom, smiling. "An you've been an Angel, Miss Warwick."

The woman blushed and smiled back at Tom and answered, "It was the least I could do, Tom." Then asked, "Did you see the monster?"

"Nae," said Tom, "I didna see it. To be honest, I'm not in the same power-class as the ones that fought the big beastie. They asked me to help tryin' to get people out o' harm's way, out of it's path. I like to think I could help the big heroes an' I would if they asked. The scariest thing for me today was the thought that if I didna do my job that more people would be missing family members that died and didna need to die."

---

Tom got his briefcase and put his civilian clothes on while Anne got her car. She'd offered to take him back to his hotel and Tom was thankful for it. They made small talk. Tom spoke about his home town. Anne told him a bit about her life in Los Angeles. Still unsteady on his feet, Tom allowed Anne to help him get to his room. She supported him and got him to his bed.

Tom said to her, "Again, Anne, you've been an angel. Would you think it rude if I didna see you to the door? I'm sore tired...."

Anne leaned down to embrace Tom and gave him a slow and passionate kiss, saying with a smile, "I would think it rude, Tom, so you can see me to the door in the morning." The older blonde woman pushed Tom onto his back and climbed atop the red-headed man.

Tom wasn't sure he had the strength to stop her..., wasn't sure if wanted to try to stop her. Still, Tom said to her, "Anne, you're a beautiful woman and I'd be a lucky man, so, are you sure you want this? My heart's a wild thing that ain't tamed and I'm a flirt. I travel. I might not ever come back. I fight crime. I might die."

Anne leaned down and kissed Tom again. "Yes, Tom, I want you," she said. "Your a good man and if you go away and die, I won't have this chance again."

When Anne bent down to kiss him, again, Tom tenderly kissed her back.

[Triassica]

Filia "Tenebrous" Umbrarum

Tenebrous merely shrugged at Wraith's response to her way of life, finding the lack of condolence of a superhero hardly the inconvenience as obviously she never need it. Where was the fun in her criminal career if everyone simply let her take everything? After spending her whole life like a princess with everything given to Filia on a silver platter, it was much more fun working to get something with a chase to add extra thrill. "I don't mind the lack of condolence." she said in her modulated voice, "I hardly need any. What kind of thief asks for permission anyway?"

Tenebrous followed Wraith, hitting the ground with an acrobatic leap, and began helping her find metahuman bodies to collect DNA for whatever purpose the hero had. Her eyes narrowed behind her high-tech visor as she watched the bodies disappear before blinking as one appeared out from a portal right next to her. "Metahuman activity no doubt." Filia said, before oohing at the sight of something shiny on the finger of one and snatching it gently from her finger, just as respectfully as Wraith was with collecting DNA, "Not a wedding ring or anything she'd be needing. No different than what you're doing. Anyway... Looks like the work of Emma Beltran, or 'Doorman'. What does she want with the bodies you think? Most likely to collect them for burial or something? Checking for survivors?"

Tenebrous looked around before spotting a jewelry store right across the street, all abandoned and unguarded, hers for the taking. Filia grinned and reached for her pocket before putting the ring she took back onto the deceased meta's finger just as gently as thief took it. There was far better and more dignified ways of collecting trophies than playing grave-robber...

[The Cyberiad Council]

Allan Crane

"Hey Vektor, wait up!" Allan shouted, jumping over debris that riddled the street. Floran shuffled along behind his owner, pushing chunks of buildings and damaged cars out of his way. "Its good to see you again, Johan, its been a while!" Allan said with a bit of a grin, extending his hand. He hoped the hero remembered him from the Institute. Neither had opted to join a team like some of their classmates, but they did share a few years learning under Cypher and the rest of the instructors.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear you back there. I agree with everything you said, they deserve better, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty damn tired about not being able to help. I started thinking back to Vindicator's class, you know, team training? Maybe we'd have a better chance if we worked together. The big heroes? They don't have time to spare for something like this, and that leave it to nobody's like us. But that doesn't mean we're prepared for it on our own. So, I guess what I'm really asking is: Do you want to team up? Officially? Maybe gather some more of our old classmates if we could?"

Allan looked at the speedster hopefully, but something caught his attention. He furrowed his brow and looked over Johan's shoulder. "Hey, you!" Allan shouted at Lady Tenebrous. "What the fuck are you doing?" He saw her put the ring back on the finger, but that didn't excuse the act.

"Sorry, but this talk might have to wait," Allan said to Johan as Floran seemed to grow as the vines and branches that made his body start to expand.

---

Colossus

"Agreed," Colossus said to Manthanein, grinning over the comments about his mech's. "I'm honestly surprised the Pantheon hasn't started something..."

[Parcia]

Allan Crane

"Hey Vektor, wait up!" Allan shouted, jumping over debris that riddled the street. Floran shuffled along behind his owner, pushing chunks of buildings and damaged cars out of his way. "Its good to see you again, Johan, its been a while!" Allan said with a bit of a grin, extending his hand. He hoped the hero remembered him from the Institute. Neither had opted to join a team like some of their classmates, but they did share a few years learning under Cypher and the rest of the instructors.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear you back there. I agree with everything you said, they deserve better, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty damn tired about not being able to help. I started thinking back to Vindicator's class, you know, team training? Maybe we'd have a better chance if we worked together. The big heroes? They don't have time to spare for something like this, and that leave it to nobody's like us. But that doesn't mean we're prepared for it on our own. So, I guess what I'm really asking is: Do you want to team up? Officially? Maybe gather some more of our old classmates if we could?"

Allan looked at the speedster hopefully, but something caught his attention. He furrowed his brow and looked over Johan's shoulder. "Hey, you!" Allan shouted at Lady Tenebrous. "What the fuck are you doing?" He saw her put the ring back on the finger, but that didn't excuse the act.

"Sorry, but this talk might have to wait," Allan said to Johan as Floran seemed to grow as the vines and branches that made his body start to expand.

---

Colossus

"Agreed," Colossus said to Manthanein, grinning over the comments about his mech's. "I'm honestly surprised the Pantheon hasn't started something..."

Wraith.

She smirked at the Cat Burglar's Remarks. She had spunk, Wraith had to admire that, on top of a rather attractive figure in that suit. How ever before she could comment, she heard another Hero call out to Lady Tenebrous and rolled her eyes. She step forward and closed the distance to Mr. Crane (her helmet IDing him) and dropped her cloak.

To those around her, it would look like the air it self was being quietly ripped apart, first shimmering, then her Helmets eyes (lit up due to the visor) would come in to view, fallowed by her helmet and hood, then the rest of her. She did have control over the rate in which she changed, but normally kept it fast and snappy. Today though, she slowed it down and increased the rate in which the incorporeal black "smoke" (even she didn't know what to call it) would waff off her and flow in tot he air, disappearing a foot away from her.

She would stand in front of Mr. Crane, her left arm on her hip, her right resting on her revolver. "She's with me, Mr. Crane, and believe it or not, she is helping me with something of importance."

[Triassica]

Filia "Tenebrous" Umbrarum

Uh oh

Filia's neck snapped towards the direction of the shouting and frowned to find another hero approaching. It was Allan Crane, also known to her as Overgrowth, whom she had previously had a few run-ins and chases in the past. She was hoping to hit the nearby jewelry store without deterrence, but alas, heroes always need to interfere.

"What, Crane? I put the ring back." Tenebrous said defiantly, pressing a secret button on her wrist to summon her motorcycle just in case, "Too easy of a prize to take anyway. Far more fun to hit that store over there as I think..."

Filia then glanced at Wraith as the motorcycle quickly scooted behind her. "Yeah, you hear that? I'm also helping with some hero work... I think anway." She said, somewhat unsure a little, "Anyway, it seems like Doorman is taking bodies and putting them somewhere else. Any idea what for?"

[Okayanos]

Alaric Kirin
Shine

"Oh, fuckin' great..." Shine flips his power on for a moment, using his Clairvoyance to inspect the ring that had been stolen, and then returned. Expensive. Definitely would've been a wedding ring, or at the very least an engagement ring. He's familiar with how those things look. Shine rotates his viewpoint, pulling it back up to the sky, getting a bird's eye view of Tenebrous, Wraith, and Overgrowth all having themselves a domestic. Wraith even exercises her power, visible enough that Shine wouldn't even need to have his own working.

He snaps back to his own sight, strolling up behind Allen to join in confronting the two ladies. "Must be real, real important if you can't even say anything about it. Does her planning to loot a jewelry store fit into your plans, or is that just an extra bonus?" He then immediately brushes Wraith off and decides that Tenebrous is more worth talking to. "Whatever Wraith's doing isn't under Argus' orders, so the hero-ness of the work is pretty fuckin' questionable. You explain real clearly what you and the human smokebomb are doing with corpses of metahumans, and I'll spill what I know about Doorman."

[Sraelyn]

Johan Vermaak
Vektor

Johan turned around surprised to whoever was calling him, and he found Overgrowth, fellow student a year ahead of him at the Institute.

"Oh! It's you 'Vines'! Haven't seen you in a while. Since you graduated I believe." He warmly shook Allen's hand. "It's nice too find someone of the same mind. So, you want to form a team, huh? Well-"

Allen called out to someone behind him, and lo and behold, it was Lady Tenebrous and Wraith. The former of which seemed to be looting from a dead hero, while Shine joined Allen in questioning their activities.

"Granted, I'm not a bloody American, but I don't believe looting is considered 'heroic work' around here, specially from them." Johan moved to Allen's side and gestured to the body near the thief. "Even if Wraith here thinks otherwise. And maybe, just maybe, instead of picking things that don't belong to you, you could pick a name that doesn't sound like it's from an old, cheesy, comic book, Lady Tenebrous."

"Anyway, I'm really interested in knowing what you both were doing here other than just stealing. 'Cause it really hasn't been a good day for me and I'm running out of pacience rather quickly."

[Triassica]

Filia "Tenebrous" Umbrarum

Filia rolled her eyes as more and more heroes got onto the scene, yelling at her for something she fixed. This day was going out nicely, she thought sarcastically, and what is wrong with her name? There are far more sillier names held by heroes and villians alike. "I just put the ring back! Geeze!" Tenebrous groaned, her frustration shown through her modulated voice, "Yeah, I get it, Vermark, stealing from the dead is a dick move. I'll quit being grave robber for now on as long as there are real prizes to loot."

The Cat Burglar crossed her arms. "Since you guys are being so pushy now, Wraith here has nothing to do with my stealing." She continued, figuring she should stand up for a new friend of hers, "The only thing she is doing is collecting DNA for who knows what purpose. Surely that isn't as bad as looting cheap jewelry. Wasn't even a wedding ring. So it wasn't anything important to the meta. Just leave Wraith alone, okay?"

[Holy Lykos]

Finnbar O'Setanta

Finn had been about to wander off, to get a ride back home, when all hell seemed to break loose. First a super looting, not that big a deal in Finnbar's mind, but a half dozen supers seemed to just pop up. Finnbar kept to the sides for now, trying to puzzle out what was going on and who was in the wrong, what the argument might be about.

He mumbled under his breath, "God, super heroism is full of super drama, isn't it?" Aside from that though, he kept quiet. Finn wasn't sure if he was in much state for a fight if a brawl broke out with how exhausting this work had been.

[The Cyberiad Council]

Allan Crane

"Are you serious? DNA? You're defiling the dead?" Allan asked Wraith as Floran grew to nearly ten feet behind him. Any bit of plant responded to his swell in emotion, growing rapidly and extenting into vines that began to snake across the ground as thicker, sturdier growths of wood rose up around the group of heroes.

"What the hell are you doing with their DNA, they died saving people. Show some respect.

"And you!" Allan said, pointing a finger at the villain. "Do you know the laws about taking advantage of a disaster situation? How hard Argus punishes people who do? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't leave you for Argus so they can drag you off to Tartarus?"

[Parcia]

Allan Crane

"Are you serious? DNA? You're defiling the dead?" Allan asked Wraith as Floran grew to nearly ten feet behind him. Any bit of plant responded to his swell in emotion, growing rapidly and extenting into vines that began to snake across the ground as thicker, sturdier growths of wood rose up around the group of heroes.

"What the hell are you doing with their DNA, they died saving people. Show some respect.

"And you!" Allan said, pointing a finger at the villain. "Do you know the laws about taking advantage of a disaster situation? How hard Argus punishes people who do? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't leave you for Argus so they can drag you off to Tartarus?"

She Rolled her eyes, and kept her posture the same. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, and began to formulate a plan. Her explosive arrows could deal with the roots and vines growing, and she could draw her revolver faster then the young man could react.

How ever, she was a rational person, and did want to resolve this with out a full scale fight breaking out. "I'm not disrespecting the dead, not nearly as much as the person who is stealing their still warm corpses out right. As for what, well Mr. Crane, I'm under contract from Argus it self, and am under orders to remain quiet on the matter, if you have a complaint, I recommend you take it up with your resident Argus Rep."

She motioned to The Thief. "She is, if my memory serves, still sanctioned off the street, and thus far has done nothing to warrant an Argus Legal response."

She Shifted her stance slightly, going from simply resting her hand on the revolver's grip to actually gripping it. "This is not a fight you wan't to start, Mr. Crane, especially when you don't know the whole picture."

[Okayanos]

Alaric Kirin
Shine

"So you won't mind me calling Argus, right? They'll be able to sort out this little conundrum." Alaric pulls out his phone, dialing 151- the quick number to get in touch with local Argus command. Basically, calling Argus in order to call out Wraith's bluff.

"Argus command? Shine reporting. We're having a bit of an altercation in L.A., possible metahuman looter, possible defiling of bodies, claiming to be collecting DNA under contract. I'd like to request a confirmation on that, before the situation escalates to a gunfight. Metahuman ID'd as 'Wraith' is behaving with hostility, and making threats."

He covers the mic on the phone, looking back up at Allan and Wraith. "Hand off the gun, powers off the plants. This won't end well if your youth hormones make you start hatefucking with bullets and flowers out here. You, and you-" He waves his hand towards Finnbar and Johan. "-stick around. You might be witnesses. And you-" A wave at Tenebrous. "-you're probably under arrest. It's the law's fault, not mine. Don't hate the player, hate the game."

[Holy Lykos]

Finnbar O'Setanta

The Irish hero nodded, crossing his arms. Defiling corpses was a much different deal than stealing. The latter can have reasons, such as the starving stealing food, the former, never. The dead had the right to peace in whatever manner they wished in life.

So, Finnbar stretched out his muscles, trying rid himself of the soreness and tiredness of the long day's work. Hell, this wasn't going to end well, and Finnbar knew it. The hostility between these people was too high. But at least combat was something Finn was good at. "Johann, if tis comes ta blows, Ai've got your back."

Who knows, maybe this person was working with Argus. They'd just have to wait to hear back from them...

[Triassica]

Filia "Tenebrous" Umbrarum

Filia rolled her eyes again as the heroes began getting even more cranky about her and Wraith's shenanigans. Heroes have the shortest tempers, Tenebrous mused, not going with the flow of things and enjoying the moment. Nonetheless, as things began to get tensed, with Crane and Floran starting to use their powers, she herself got onto a defensive stance. Filia summoned shadows from every nearby nook and cranny, and shaped them into various weapons.

"Now let's not get this go out of hand. No need to fight." Tenebrous said in her modulated voice of caution mixed with playfulness, "We're all adults here. We can talk this out."

Then, however, Shine said the "A" word which made the thief snap her neck towards his direction. An instant thrill took hold of Filia, with her motorcycle behind her, and she couldn't help but smirk. In an instant, Tenebrous grabbed something from her belt and threw it onto the ground, creating an explosion of smoke. Hoping the heroes to be distracted, she grabbed Wraith and got her onto the motorcycle, before getting on herself.

"HAVE TO CATCH US FIRST!" Filia shouted as she quickly turned the motorcycle around and drove off at full speed. Adrenaline of excitement took hold of Tenebrous as she drove down the streets of LA, expecting the heroes to chase after. Now the fun has truly begun just as she liked it.

[Skyggeheim]

Karina Antemkopulous
New York City

---

Chrysalis wasn't in the nicest part of town, not that there was any trouble; the owner had made it clear to any surrounding rabble that the property and his patrons were not to be interfered with. Still, it wasn't in such a location as to deter those who wanted to consider themselves of a higher refinement from visiting. The bouncer was a mountain of a man, a meta with a rather unimpressive ability, admittedly, but the nature of the powers was kept vague to capitalize on the average citizen's fear of metas. He was perfect for the job as well, keeping the club at the perfect capacity and preventing too long of a line from forming.

The twin doors on the outside were marked with the symbol of a butterfly, glowing hues ranging from electric blue to royal purples. It seemed to shift from day to day, but it wasn't electric, it glowed with some kind of chemical luminescence. Inside, the first things patrons were met with was a hallway that disappeared around a corner. The same luminescent lighting pattern continued inside, with there being just enough lighting to show the path, while the black walls and floor absorbed any excess light. All of this served the illusion of being in a void surrounded by the neon-like colors with the bodies of anyone walking down the hall being glowing like they were under a backlight.
Once people rounded the corner they were met with the club's main room. It was almost always only a few bodies away from being packed to the gills. The room wasn't a standard shape, its walls seemed to almost curve with an organic design. Front and center was the dance floor which was overlooked by an elevated stage for that week's DJ. Electric lights took over the main area, dancing in rhythm with the music. Along the Walls were various lounge areas and bars serving a wide assortment of vices.

Several stairs led up to more exclusive areas, some of which offering... questionably legal services to be rendered. One set near the rear of the club, however, led up to the office spaces, including the owner's which had a tinted window allowing a view of almost the entire club. An ability the owner held very dear.

By the time the well-dressed woman sauntered up to Chrysalis' entrance, it was well into the nightclubs busiest hours. The line stretched down the block, and eager potential patrons giggled amongst themselves as Karina passed by. Most were dressed in what you would expect for a night out on the town, but Karina had decided to step it up a tad. Her outfit showed just enough skin to be intriguing and catch the eye, but was covered enough to conceal the very powerful revolver strapped tightly to a holster on her ribs. Admittedly, she preferred to have Diavolos on her thigh. It allowed her to simply grab, twist, and fire.

As she strode up to the front of the line, drawing the ire of several annoyed patrons who had clearly been waiting almost all night to enter, she flashed a smile to a bouncer. It, unsurprisingly, was not returned. However, she was undeterred. She feigned recognition of the bouncer, throwing one arm around him in a hug and slipping a very tall stack of $100 bills in his hand.

"That's 5,000 dollars for you if you let me keep the little toy I have in my jacket when I go inside. I'm expecting trouble, and I'd rather not bleed on your nightclub floor." She whispered in the bouncer's ear, stepping back and smiling expectantly.

The bouncer raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained stoic. He was silent for a moment, mulling the situation over. "I suppose we don't want that," He whispered gruffly.

"Of course, its nice to see you again," The bouncer said slightly louder, leaning into the pretense. He stepped back and pushed one side of the doors slightly open.

Karina gave the man one more smile before stepping inside, and followed the long hallway down into the heart of the establishment. She was almost immediately overwhelmed by both the sheer amount of bodies and the strange, thumping music that was seemingly unlike anything other conventional nightclubs played. Then again, this was no ordinary nightclub. Karina suspected more than half of the patrons were high off their rockers on whatever cheap drugs "L" was peddling, and the other half had so much alcohol in their blood they couldn't tell their left from their right. She took a moment to order a drink, her preferred gin and tonic, before beginning to move effortlessly through the crowd. Her powers kicked in without her having to think about it, and she weaved through and past bodies without so much as a stuttering movement. To anyone who was watching, it would be an odd sight. She was sure she stuck out like a sore thumb, but that was her objective. About halfway through the dancefloor, she stopped and looked directly up at the tinted glass on the second floor of the nightclub. If her informant had given her good information, the man she wanted to meet with was watching her right now. And, if her gamble paid off, she was looking directly at him.

Odd, Leopold thought to himself. Seeing people stare off into space wasn't unusual in itself, what with the drugs that just so happened to turn up in his club. But this was purposeful. "Who are you?" He asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Jeffry," Leopold called to the other man in his office. "Do you know who she is?"

"Who?" the man asked, adjusting a pair of thick-lensed glasses. "That one there," Leopold clarified, pointing Karina out.

"How should I know?" Jeffry replied, annoyed.

"Because I pay you to keep my affairs in order."

"She's not here on any business I've arranged."

"Then maybe I'll arrange some," Leopold said with a wolfish smile. He tapped into his powers, and the contacts he wore ran through a myriad of colors before settling on a slowly shifting gradient of the blue and purple that made up the club's main colors. Likewise he gathered some carbon and trace elements, keeping them atomized in the air. Some he condensed into imitations of butterflies, making them flutter along with him. Their wings had the same luminescent substance as the front door, allowing them to softly glow.

Benign enough in appearance, they served his purpose of misdirection of his alias while also allowing him to turn them into weaponized shards of carbon in a split moment.

Checking himself briefly in a mirror, he left the office and made his way down to the dance floor, the glowing butterflies following him. He was wearing what would have been a two-piece suit if he hadn't shed the jacket, leaving him in slacks and a white dress shirt neatly tucked in.

Bingo. Karina said to herself as she watched the door next to the tinted glass open and a man step outside. She met his eyes once more before turning around and heading towards the bottle service tables. She approached an occupied one, and slapped enough money on the table that whatever the patrons had paid to get inside was refunded, and then some. She jerked her head, clearly indicating that she wanted them to exit. They snatched the money greedily and scurried off, leaving their half-finished bottles of expensive liquor and assorted drug paraphernalia where it rested.

Karina sat down herself, sipping on the drink she had ordered before. Once Leopold had sat down, Karina set her drink down and relaxed even further. She looked the man up and down. He didn't seem much older than she did, but he had the air of pure confidence - bordering on arrogance - and he seemed to know he was good looking.

"Y'know, it really boggles the mind how someone can run a completely free narcotics industry and keep a place like this running." She said, barely over the sound of the music, but loud enough to be heard.

Shit, Leopold thought to himself. This one had brains, not a bad quality usually, but it was when they were poking around. "That is an interesting notion," L said, letting his accent bleed through as one of the 'butterflies' lighted on his extended index finger. "Although, if products were being given away for free, could you really call it an industry?" he asked, looking her over. It was a harmless enough survey on the surface, but now he was looking for potential trouble.

"I suppose it depends on who you're asking," Karina said, meeting the man's gaze. She knew her revolver was well tucked away under the confines of her jacket, so she didn't make any move to shift uncomfortably when he looked up her and down, "If you ask your patrons, they'd call you a saint. If you ask the distributors who you've recently pushed out of Hell's Kitchen, they'd call you competition. If you ask me, I'd call you...a problem."

Karina let the statement linger for a moment, taking a long sip of her drink before setting it down and lightly sucking on her teeth. Too much gin, not nearly enough tonic.

"Have I clued you in to who I work for yet?"

"You've narrowed the list quite a bit, but I'm afraid you're going to have to give me a little more. I've pushed a lot of people out of Hell's Kitchen," L said with a faint smile. "And here I was hoping we had a connection other than what we did when big brother wasn't looking. I have to say I'm rather disappointed."

He gently stroked the wings of the faux butterfly, sending ripples of psychedelic colors down the wings. "But, despite that, I'd still like to learn about you; at least as well as you seem to be studied up on me."

"But that would just ruin the mystery, wouldn't it?" Karina said, now reaching into the pocket of her jeans and tossing a small business card onto the table. It clacked with the distinct sound of metal on glass, and slid over to Leopold's side of the table. On the side facing upwards was the distinctive logo of Antem Pharmaceuticals. Every low-life junkie and two-bit weed dealer had heard of the massive corporation, and so Karina was fairly confident that Leopold would know exactly who he was dealing with. Or, at the very least, he would have the general idea. Karina had a bit of an infamous standing among Antem's competition as a skull-cracker, so rumors about her consistently circulated around the criminal underground. She was just as likely to buy out an entire operation as she was to put sizeable bullet holes in everyone involved.

"Now, I didn't come here to start fights, but you knew exactly what you were doing when you sent your goons to beat my distributors half to death last week," She flatly stated, now sitting forward, "Simply put, I can't abide by that. So we have some business to discuss."

L picked up the card, and seemed almost uninterested in it. "I think that's reasonable," L said, putting the card in his pocket. "Leopold Meckler," He formally introduced himself, presenting his right hand for her to shake. "I suggest we move this lovely conversation to my office. Fewer prying ears and eyes."

"Karina Antemkopulous." She said, shaking Leopold's hand, then just barely containing a scowl at his idea to move to his office.

"And also fewer ways for me to exit if you decide you don't like my proposal," Karina said, shaking her head, "Tell your DJ to turn up the music, move your armed lackeys from the staircase to right off the dancefloor, and speak in a lower tone."

She was, to be fair, playing hardball with Leopold. She didn't want him to be in control of the conversation or the locale of their discussion. Whatever moves she could make to give herself as many avenues of escape as possible, and put enough bodies between her and Leopold's abilities, would be the safest options to take.

Leopold cracked a smile. "I'm afraid we haven't reach the point in our discussion for negotiations. You are already in my nightclub, being watched my my security. I'm trying to be as hospitable as I can, but so far it is you who are asking me to talk. IF I agree to your proposal, it will be in my office or nowhere at. I believe you know where the door is to let yourself out if you don't feel like doing business on my terms."

With that, L stood and began walking towards his office, trusting his security to watch the woman for sudden movements. But he was a bit paranoid, so he worked creating a transparent barrier of material around his back, weaving fibers in the matrix of clear material that would lower the chance of a bullet killing him outright.

Karina sighed and watched the man walk away. She wouldn't follow him, yet. Instead, she swept her eyes across the nightclub and picked out where a good portion of the security was. They weren't hard to pick out, all of them being far too serious or stone-faced for a nightclub of this amount of revelry. After she had done the proper scouting, she downed the rest of her drink and rose. She made her way slowly up to the office, shutting the door behind her and looking around. It was sub-optimal, but she could make do.

"You never did answer my initial question." She said, deciding not to discuss business outright with Leopold immediately.

Leopold walked over and took a seat behind his desk, gesturing to one of the chairs opposite him. "Money isn't really an issue for me. I operate on an... alternate revenue stream. You might call me a philanthropist of vice. I get the drugs at such volume and low price, I can afford to give them away in exchange for anything I can't get easily on my own. Namely loyalty, which is something that can be so fickle these days. So, Fräulein Antemkopulous, what is it that you want with me?"

"Funnily enough, loyalty," Karina said, sitting down. She cracked open a pack of cigarettes and offered Leopold one, "Your operation breaks into markets that Antem has no real stake in, but yet you attacked our distributors. That means you're protective of your territory. Fine, I can respect that. In fact, I can admire it."

Karina paused for a moment to light up her cigarette, blowing the smoke to the side and taking a breath before continuing.

"Antem is prepared to offer you property lots across the city to expand on your business with, and give you generally free reign within four out of the five boroughs. We would like to keep our network in Queens, however, as it offers access to the airports. Which, of course, you would be free to use if you'd like to ship your product overseas. The only caveat is that you aid Antem in producing our Performance Enhancers. Clearly, your mastery of inorganic chemical compounds would provide a boon to us."

"That attack on your people wasn't a direct move on my part. How my men operate isn't my biggest concern, but I do apologize for their brutishness," Leopold said, taking one of the cigarettes, but making no move to light it.

"Your proposal is interesting, but what makes you think I'd be able to help your production? And moreover, why do you think I'd need your permission to give my own products away?" Leopold asked, resting his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands.

“Because it’s always better to work together than against each other,” Karina said, taking another puff of her cigarette and sitting back, “And we don’t want conflict. I’m sure it wouldn’t be profitable for either of us. War is generally bothersome.”

"Its funny you should mention profits..." L said, letting his powers work on the cigarette. It almost seemed to break apart into pixels, before he turned everything to carbon and made them orbit his fingers. They moved in lazy figure-eights, shifting between orbs, icosahedrons, cubes, and everything in-between. He held out his hand, and slowly, a shallow ceramic bowl took shape, as if it were dissolving in reverse from the air. Then he broke down the remains of the cigarette into atoms and rearranged them into pure cocaine. Not all that difficult of a transformation. Settling the white power into the bowl, he sat it down in front of Karina. "I am not concerned with material things. They're... easy."

"Material things are quite easy for you, I'm sure," Karina said, seemingly unfazed by Leopold's display. Of course, she was rather impressed, but that made no difference to whether or not she would show it.

"I think you'd be more concerned about your human capital. Distribution is difficult when the rug has been pulled out from underneath you, so to speak. Your network relies on more than just you to get it to the people, and that means you need employees, managers, hired muscle, and so on and so forth. Me, personally, I don't want to go on a head-busting rampage through New York City. Antem is offering you a much less bloody resolution to the conflict."

"Hmm. I suppose you have a point. That would be a pointless slaughter of reasonably loyal workers." L rubbed his chin in thought.

"I suppose you have a deal, though I have a few stipulations. I only want whatever property lot that's closest to Chrysalis, you can keep the others. Transport the raw materials for your drugs there, and I'll synthesize all of it before the day is over. Then pick up the product from me that afternoon. For compensation, I want double your old manufacturing costs. I can make counterfeit, but having legitimate funding alleviates some headaches. Is this agreeable?"

Karina thought for a moment. Leopold drove a hard bargain, but having him under Antem's fold basically gave them control of New York City. Not to mention, he would undoubtedly bring something to the table in terms of creation of the pharmaceuticals. She took one last drag of her cigarette before pressing it into the ashtray and giving Leopold a wide grin.

"You have a deal." She said, reaching out to shake his hand.

But it seemed the handshake was not meant to be, as just before they clasped their palms together the doors to Chrysalis blew open. Karina whirled her head to see the source of the commotion, instinctively reaching for her hidden revolver and tightening her hold on the grip. At least a dozen, maybe more, heavily armed soldiers flooded through the long hallway that led to the outside world. They fired their, hopefully, non-lethal bullets at anyone in range. Most had assorted drug paraphernalia in their hands, but this was clearly no regular police sting. Not moments later, Karina caught a glimpse of the acronym plastered on the chest of one of the agents' vests.

"Fucking AID," She hissed, now actually tugging her revolver from her jacket, "I bet you're glad I came packing."

"Definitely," L said with a smile. The butterflies around him turned black as he collapsed them into their carbon cores, quickly transitioning all the available matter into triethylborane, a simple molecule that spontaneous combusted in air. The levitating chunks that had once been the butterflies burst into flames as L started several longer reactions to keep them burning. but he wasn't done yet.

"Get to the door and be ready to move," He shouted at Karina. Meanwhile, L placed his hands on the glass, and a faint ripple passed through it. With the slightest flick of his finger, the window exploded into a shower of glass shards that oriented themselves into a wall of razors before being flung at the AID agents and patrons alike, striking indescriminately. The effect was like a small claymore had gone off, peppering the dance floor with holes and layer of broken glass.

"Lets move," L said, merely touching the door to the office. It atomized for a brief moment before reforming in front of him like a floating body shield. He divided it into six sections, and made them separate just enough to allow him to see anything coming up ahead of him, but also to close quickly if he spotted trouble. Meanwhile, he was busy transmuting elements into iron and aluminum. The next substance he was building up was thermite...

Karina needed no further instruction. She spiraled around Leopold and his defensive array, hopping on the railing leading down the sliding staircase and finding three targets who had been cowering from Leopold's earlier attack. As she slid, she squeezed her trigger and fanned the hammer. One, two, three hits. The specialized rounds from her weapon simply disintegrated the AID agents where they stood. When she reached the bottom, another agent whirled around the corner with a stun baton. He launched it forwards in a stab, which Karina casually sidestepped. As the AID agent pressed forward, he continued to swing wildly. Karina continued to retreat, moving around the man's attacks, until she saw an opening. One shot from her weapon, and he was dead. She could hear the shouts of more travelling down the hallway, and so she slid behind a bar counter and waited for Leopold's next move.

L used his powers to destroy his socks, letting him take control of his shoes directly. In a fluid motion, he vaulted over the stair railing, slowly falling towards the ground. The AID agents were focused mainly on Karina, letting L launch his own volley. He flicked his hand, and the burning projectiles rocketed forward, slamming into the agents Karina left standing. The liquid that was held together by L's powers splattered when they hid the uniforms of the agents.

Screaming, they tried to pat out the flames, only to transfer the burning substance to their hands. Using the carbon dioxide in the air, along with some of the tables with wooden finishes, L made several spikes out of carbon, launching them at the soldiers who hadn't yet succumb to their wounds.

"Front door is probably swarming with them. Shall we try the back?" L called to Karina, edging towards the exit himself.

"That depends entirely on whether you want to make a statement or sneak off and leave them to their devices." Karina said, now looking around for any stragglers that had came in unnoticed. The entire club had almost emptied out, save for the few who were either unconscious or nursing their wounds. The lights had turned on, and Karina could see more of the club than she had when she first entered. She had to appreciate the size of the place. Leopold had truly built an enterprise for himself.

"I don't have any need to make myself a bigger target. That much attention is a bad thing for those wanting to operate in the shadows. Agreed?" L proposed, forming more ammunition to fire at anyone else trying to enter the club. "My men will delete the security footage, so you don't need to worry about that."

Karina shrugged, now lighting up another cigarette and once again scanning the room for any hostiles. She had adopted her typical relaxed composure again, after a moment of stress it felt good to let her muscles loosen. Turning back towards Leopold, she spoke.

"Well, I suppose this was the most interesting first date I've ever had."

She grinned mockingly, giving Leopold her own personal business card. Unlike the one she had tossed at him earlier, this one revealed a cell phone number and address that would put Leopold in direct contact with her.

"Call me when you want to talk business."

With that, Karina tucked her revolver back into her coat and sauntered out the back entrance to the club, disappearing into the night and away from the flashing police sirens.

L grinned and slipped the card into his breast pocket. This could be the start of something great.

Before he turned to go, Leopold scanned the corpses and found a man who was roughly his height. Just like he'd done those years ago, he touched the dead man's forehead and let his powers go to work. The poor fellow had been one of the unlucky patrons caught in his glass attack, one of the shards had managed to cut an artery in his neck. Still his sacrifice wouldn't be meaningless. L's powers were changing him, giving him a new birth. In a matter of seconds, L had given the corpse his likeness. That would hopefully throw the cops off his trail long enough for him to get things running again.

With that business taken care of, L followed the path Karina took out the back exit, using his telekinesis to lock up behind him.

[Parcia]

Wraith

"HAVE TO CATCH US FIRST!"

Was what she heard as the women grabbed Wraith and set her on the bike behind her. She was a bit stunned and taken back by the impulsiveness of the thief as she literally snatched her up and sped off from the situation. She hung on for dear life as the bike accelerated. She was scared to say the least. While her suit was impact resistant, falling off her bike at this high of a speed would certainly break many, many more bones then a regular person.

She wrapped her arms around Filia's torso and tucker her self in close. "Women, what the blue fuck are you doing?! I had the situation under control.\!" they hit a Bump and caused her to shift off her seat a bit, the jostling also knocking lose that one finicky chip in her voice modulator, thus rendering it wholly inoperable, leaving her real voice to come out through the helmet.

She yelped at this and squeezed tighter. "Jesus, a fall at this speed would fucking kill me, shatter every bone in my boddy, god damn!" As they kept their speed and the distance grew, her mind set shifted more from cursing the women out to just hanging on to dear life.