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

[Agadar]

The Fall of Gods, Book I, Chapter II, Act IV
Flames of Desolation

One month after the invasion of western Russia

"We've located him, my lord. He's currently residing within Abaddon. I'll have the data send to your e-phone," general Ysen spoke. Ansed, who was leaning casually against the wall in front of the strategic meeting room, nodded approvingly as he briefly pondered. "I'll take it from here. Thank you, Ysen," Ansed replied as he looked at the general. Ysen saluted, a grim look on his face. Ansed actknowledged Ysen's salute by slightly bowing his head, after which Ysen turned around and began to walk away with a somewhat hasty pace. Ysen was a busy man, always buried by work, mostly paperwork and developing and reviewing war strategies. But he was also a good man. Well, as far as anyone who participated in the atrocities committed by Rome could be considered good. Ansed watched as Ysen walked past lord Maximilian Fischer, who was on his way to the strategic meeting room in front of which Ansed stood idle. Ysen saluted Maximilian whilst walking, the latter who similarly to Ansed actknowledged Ysen's salute by slightly bowing his head. Maximilian seemed to be in a good mood. It was not like he was smiling or anything: but a smile was not the only bodily expression of a good mood, and Ansed's keen eyes could recognize the much more subtle ones.

"Lord Booth," Maximilian greeted as he stopped in front of Ansed, not showing any content nor discontent towards him. "Fischer," Ansed replied, throwing proper military etiquette out of the window by not addressing Maximilian by the title of 'lord'. Maximilian frowned lightly in response. He could sense that Ansed was agitated. "Something wrong?" Maximilian asked, his voice betraying slight aggression. His good mood had been ruined rather easily by Ansed. Ansed pushed himself off the wall with his shoulders and was now standing straight up in front of Maximilian. The winged man squinted inquisitively. "Why did you sacrifice the people of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Volgograd? According to our calculations prior to the invasion, the souls of the Russian and Japanese soldiers stationed in western Russia would have sufficed for us in order to stay on schedule. Sacrificing those civilians was unnecessary," Ansed said. He wasn't showing it, but he was quite angry on the inside.

Maximilian slightly raised his chin. He was confident of himself. "Don't pretend you give a single damn about the lives of civilians, Booth. I know that you like to get dirty. Remember Africa? From what I was told, you were cutting down enemy soldiers and civilians alike with your very own sword. And apparantly, you seemed to enjoy it," Maximilian said. Ansed grinded his teeth in anger as he grabbed Maximilian by his collar. "Don't pretend you know anything about me!" Ansed barked. He paused briefly. "Next time you will keep to the damned strategy, or I'll take you on!" Maximilian seemed unimpressed. "Your threats are meaningless, Booth. His Excellency Dacarus Bartolt himself applauded me for my initiative. If you have a problem with my strategies, you should speak to His Excellency and not me," Maximilian said spitefully. Ansed's facial expression relaxed as his grip on Maximilian's collar weakened. Maximilian adjusted himself. "I'll see you inside. Lord Booth," he said arrogantly as he opened the door to the strategic meeting room and entered, leaving Ansed behind.

Ansed watched as Maximilian closed the door behind him. The frustration and helplessness which had build up within Ansed slowly came to a boiling point. Ansed turned around and furiously crashed his fist into the wall, carrying all of his rage. The loud bang it produced echoed throughout the building. Ansed then leaned with his fists on the small side table in front of him, staring at the hole in the wall he had created. He grinded his teeth in anger, his eyebrows trapped in a great frustrated frown.

They were almost there. It wouldn't take much longer now. It was almost over...

US Capitol, Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:14 AM

More and more political and military leaders from throughout the entire world continued pouring into the capitol. Sebastian's round of invitations had been a huge succes. The great majority of the people he had invited had accepted the invitation, amongst which were the president of North America, the emperor of Japan, SPECTRE, and Germany's Red Hand. All of the big guys were present. If Bismarck could win them over, then victory over Dacarus Bartolt would be assured.

The capitol and all of the airports in Washington were tightly secured. The renegade inquisitors were working together with the secret service in order to safeguard the attendees of the conference. Every single corner of the building was being monitored, every single attendee searched for weapons of any kind and given a bracelet which suppressed any superpowers and which would trigger an alarm if the wearer would try to remove it. The only ones who were armed and were able to use their superpowers would be the secret service and the renegade inquisitors. It would take a full-scale military assault in order to break the security, but even such an unlikely incident was being anticipated by the American armed forces. All four cardinal directions as well as the space above Washington were being patrolled and monitored intensively, and escape plans had been prepared for every single attendee.

As the guests poured into the capitol and took their seats, Sebastian sat in the middle of the room clearly in view of everyone else, acting as peacekeeper and mediator for the debates which were to come. On the small table in front of him sat Bardarus. Though some would probably ask why there was a white owl sitting on Sebastian's desk, Sebastian would give no clear answer to their questions. The true identity of the owl was to be revealed when everyone had arrived.

Sebastian continued watching people pour in, on the look-out for some of his more prominent guests. The conference would start in sixteen minutes. Hopefully everyone would have arrived by then.

[Warhaven]

In the shadows....

"The time draws near. What of the plans?" One of the Shadow Ministers asked another.

"Heh. Our brother has often proved, one battle won, does not win the war. The Plan? The Plan is dynamic and ever changing, yet static and absolute. The Candidate has proven himself worthy. Soon enough, Greed shall work the Earth." The lead Shadow Minister replied.

"The High Priest gathers the flock." Another Shadow Minister stated.

"Irrelevant. Even if Bartolt and Fischer are defeated, I have a contingency. Brothers should reuinite on occasion, after all." The lead Minister said.

"But the sinners gather too." A third Minister objected.

"AHh yes, The Black Sheep to which I gave some of my Brother's essence. We have a contract with them, therefore, they are of no concern. Let them play." The lead Minister decided.

[Jedi8246]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:15 AM (2:15 PM GMT)
Tensions were high as the meeting began to come together. Being the first time such a summit had taken place since World War 2, the international leaders were undoubtedly on the look out for trouble. Thus, security was beyond ridiculous. The Secret Service men were patrolling alll sections of the building, constantly on the lookout for trouble. Coordinating with the rogues had mixed results. Some agents welcomed the Romans, ready to work together. Others were hostile and wary of these Romans. After all, it was Romans who had attacked New York the month before. The attack had gone largely unsuccessful, though the Roman Empire managed to carry off part of the bullion. The American Air Force patrolled the Washington skies extensively, any air routes covered and ready to be cut off. The American Army was out in the streets of Washington, looking where the Secret Service could not.

All members attending the meeting that had powers had to wear suppressors. Dugal was among this number. He had been pleased to hear the Americans were willing to ally. However the extreme measures they went to keep him out were insulting. He complied, but with some suspicion. The man who kidnapped his wife was American. IT was always possible a member of their government was responsible. His investigations in the month before the meeting went without success. He found nothing, despite searching New York and Washington.

Dugal sat in a room overlooking the House of Representatives. A clear glass panel allowed him to look upon the meeting. Audio was provided via a speaker system. In the room with him was Larry, who secretly held his sword, as well as two Secret Service agents. They wore the same black suit and shades, undoubtedly linked with all sorts of mainframes. Whether they had powers or not was impossible to tell, but Dugal suspected they did. He looked down on the chamber to see everyone attending. Sebastian and Bismarck were sitting where the Speaker of the House normally sat, where they would relegate the meeting. Seated to Sebastian's left was American Secretary of State, Camela Fell. On his right, Speaker of the House John Yeadem.

The American President sat at one of the tables with Secretary of Defense, David Payne. Dugal hadn't yet spoke to Payne, who seemed totally uninterested in Dugal. Secret Service stood by them. A number of American Congressmen sat in the various parts of the chamber. They wouldn't participate, but would observe the meeting. Press walked around with cameras taking pictures and reporting. The delegation from Britain sat at a table adjacent to the American President's. Seated were the Prime Minister Henry Anderson, looking somewhat harried. He and David Payne were exchanging some words. Also at the British table were the British Secretary of State, British Secretary of Defense, and Nighthawks. They were the British personal protection, though the objections to their presence were understandable. Traveling through shadows, they could easily assassinate anyone who showed up. However the Americans insisted they had precautions to stop the warriors if need be, so the objections had been let go.

Dugal sat back, sighing. He could only hope this meeting went well. America was on board, but Vladimir definitely looked ready to cause problems. His want to colonize Europe was going to be hard to get over. If they didn't receive Japan's assistance and have a coordinated strike, Rome would be hard to take down. A one pronged strike by America wouldn't do what it had to. Well, he could only hope. For now, he sat back and waited for the crucial summit to begin.

[Earth Sphere Coalition]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:15 AM

Vlad arrived to the conference, his group drawing the eyes of everyone in the room. He called back to the contingent of Death Dealers, Hunter-Killers, and Phantoms that followed his every order.

"Death Dealers, go help the Secret Service patrol the perimeter, HKs you know what to do, Phantoms make yourselves scarce." he growled as he eyed the room, an aura of rage seemed to radiate from him. The Death Dealers lumbered out of the room to go patrol, the HKs jumped up on the walls and the ceiling to keep watch, the Phantoms just melted into the shadows.

"Professor Boring, Watchdog, Jolenta. Come along." said Vlad as he walked up to the guards, they were given bracelets and they went to remove their weapons. Vlad grabbed the mans hand and squeezed tightly, his head shaking 'no'.

"We keep our weapons, and we will not wear these bracelets." his eyes glowed as he spoke, anger welling up inside him. Without Mary there to keep him in check with her powers, Vlad was much more dangerous now then ever before. He took his bracelet and burned it with a quick flash of his flame. Pushing the guard to the side he sat down at his place, his entourage sitting to the right of him. Looking up at the glass viewing room, he saw Dugal. It was strange that he was being left out of the meeting. He stared at older man and he smirked, arrogance came off of him in waves. He knew that Dugal could sense his true self, that it made him uncomfortable. He liked it.

"Hmm, let's shake things up a bit." he snapped his fingers and a Phantom appeared at his side.

"Him, bring him to me. Unharmed." he pointed at Dugal and the Phantom disappeared. He knew the Secret Service wanted to come and put him down. He knew they wouldn't though, he was too valuable an asset. He did want Dugal in here though, it was stupid to have the de facto leader of the rogues out of the conference. No, he would have him here as part of his entourage.

[Agadar]

"Warning. A bracelet has been destroyed." This message was sent to the earpieces of every single Secret Service agent and regenade inquisitor in charge of the capitol's security. Vice-Commander Annette Fedorov, who was just assigning orders to some of her fellow inquisitors, immediately laid her hand on her earpiece. "Whose bracelet?" she asked as she began to walk to the grand conference room, motioning her fellow inquisitors to come along. "Vladimir Reznov," the man on the other side of the line replied. Annette frowned with frustration. Sebastian had been correct when he believed that inviting Vladimir would only cause trouble. Annette quickly made up her mind. "To all agents in the field! We have a Code White! Isolate Vladimir Reznov and whoever is with him! Get the other delegates away from him and stand by for a possible full evacuation!" Her message was broadcasted to all Secret Service agents and renegade inquisitors. It took mere seconds for the conference security to draw their weapons and aim them at Vladimir and his entourage, who were now under the threat of being fired upon by dozens of firearms. While that was happening, other Secret Service agents and renegade inquisitors began to move the foreign delegates and leaders to another part of the building in a hasty but controlled manner. They weren't taking any chances with Vladimir.

"Do you want to go as well?" Sebastian asked Bardarus, who was calmly staring at what was happening. Bardarus lightly shook his head. "No. I'd like to learn what Vladimir thinks he's doing. Please take me to him," he said. Sebastian nodded obediently and extended his hand to Bardarus, allowing the white owl to hop on his arm. The two then casually made their way towards Vladimir. Sebastian maintained a controlled posture, but inside he was seething with anger. Vladimir was on the point of compromising the entire conference. The thought of assassinating Vladimir right where he was standing briefly existed in Sebastian's mind, but he quickly disregarded it. Bardarus would never approve of such a rash action, not as long as the chance existed that Vladimir could be talked out of whatever the hell he thought he was doing.

In the room in which Dugal was being held, Larry remained at his position. His eyes crossed Dugal's and he nodded, indicating that he was standing by to toss the sword to Dugal the moment things would get out of hand. If it was absolutely necessary, Larry would knock out the two Secret Service agents so that Dugal would be able to beat down Vladimir. The situation was becoming rather tense.

[Warhaven]

Meanwhile, back in Japan,
10:15 AM
Imperial Palace.

Mr. Whiskers patroled the walls for the fifth time. It was his duty to protect Vlad's most valuable treasure, the pregnant Empress.

Mary herself stalked the palace like a creature on the prowl. Vlad's presence ordinarily kept her powers down to a dull roar, but without him, there wasn't anything holding her back.

She spied a servant, staring longingly at another servant from behind. He desired her, her him. Yet niether had dared act on their feelings, not knowing if the other reciprocated.

"You desire her, don't you?" MAry asked, but it wasn't really a question, so much as it was a statement of fact.

The servant started in surprise.

"Don't be ashamed. It is normal, it is natural. You desire each other. I can't blame you, that lovely hourglass shape, that long silky black hair, those deep brown eyes. She's only a B cup, but we both know she knows how to work it. And you, those rippling muscles and chisled biceps, how could any woman resist you? Is it any wonder you fell for each other? You should act on your feelings for each other. Don't even try thinking about it, logic has no place in passion. Go, off to one of your rooms, share your passion, let it grow." Mary urged.

She walked off, and felt her passion lessen, ever so slightly. Vlad was away, and there was so much desire around her. A good Empress was supposed to help make her people happy.

A Collective agenthelping keep an eye on things, put in place by Zeta because the agent had no sex drive of any kind what so ever, thought about the situation, and theorized that by the time Vlad managed to come home to his Empress, Mary would have half the palace sleeping with the other half, and moving on to the surrounding city.

....

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:15 AM

Zeta rolled his eyes as he held his, studying it curiously to see how it compared to Collective Tech.

Jolenta meanwhile, kept on alert, not feeling at ease. She wasn't wearing hers either, because Vlad wouldn't wear his.

[Earth Sphere Coalition]

Vladimir watched as the Secret Service agents pulled out their weapons, aiming them at him. He glared at Sebastian as he snapped his fingers. At his order his Phantoms and Hunter-Killers appeared behind the agents, knives to their necks.

"So, seems we have a bit of a stand off." Vlad rose from his seat, his eyes glowing and ethereal green.

"I do not like restrictions, Roman. Leave me be and I won't level the place. If you wish to restrict me then Japan, her armies, her technology, and her industries will NOT help you end the Roman threat." He warned.

[Laughing Peninsula]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:15 AM

'Back in America, back 'Home' David thought, nervously jittering as he approached the large capitol building. It had been an exciting time in Neo Germany sense he had returned, it seemed that the older forces, those who were there before he had 'disappeared' had gained back their second wind and things were going smoothly. David was told to drop his under-armor for the conference, it never looks good to waltz into a high security instillation with weapons probably hidden.

This advice was obviously lost on Quinn, from what David could tell. While Quinn had also ditched his armor for a tux as well, but he refused to ditch his new arm. Quinn had boasted he would be back to normal with his arm by now, and while David did see rather stunning progress, it was obvious to him that it pained Quinn to use it, and the mobility and speed was off.

David looked over to Louis, who he was flanking. Louis has seemed far happier then he once was, his large posture almost jogging to the building. David was concerned with him, he makes mistakes like this, doesn't think things as thoroughly.

David cleared through security with relative ease, but once the bracelet was placed him, he suddenly felt much colder, it was obvious these things were going to stop them from acting out if they needed to.

Next through was Louis, who passed through with as much ease, but the security eyed him for a moment, and returned the bracelet they were going to give him, and gave him one similar to David's. The next through was Quinn, who took several walk through in order to clear his arm, but when he did, Louis gave him a smile.

Suddenly, A large hulking man barged through the gate, with an entourage of many. Louis sighed, saying what David believed to be his name 'Vlad...', and Louis turned to Quinn.

'What do you have in that thing' Louis questioned, in the lowest voice he could.

'Not much, got three nine mills in the chamber' Quinn replied, wiggling his index, middle, and ring fingers. The folks over at R&D had made the furthest digit on those hands expel at an staggering speed, resembling a bullet, 'and a blade for David behind the plate', again motioning to the metal plate that covered the wiring and other metal bits.

'Good, we might need it, I will not let this oaf ruin this day'

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:17 AM

This place is a monstrosity, and it made Gerald sick. This world of concrete, the feeling of ever present rock against his feet, the screaming voices of his people as they choke and scream in their confined cages and ruined air; It was shamelessly wrong. But he steeled himself and entered anyway, this was for the best, for his people, the Amazon, and the rest of Nature's Voice.

Approaching the gate, Gerald was met with a shout of shock, after all, he was a man of bark, vines, and leaves; him putting together his toga of hemp and wheat was unlikely to calm anyone, though it was better then his usual nothing.

The guards looked at him in a curious stare, and one eventually asked 'Sir?... Name'

'Gerald Evans'

After a brief search, the guard replied 'Your not on the invite list'

'I am a guest of Jeremiah Evans, I shall wait for them to vouch for me'

[Jedi8246]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:18 AM (2:18 PM GMT)
The situation was quickly escalating and if something wasn't done, things would get of control. Luckily, the perfect power sets existed to counter the situation, if unknown to everyone around them. As soon as Secret Service started pointing at Vladimir, President Johnson and Secretary Payne got up from their chairs and approached Vladimir. Payne, in reality Garrent, had activated his power which suppressed the powers of Vladimir and those around them. Garrent's power had no visible aspect, meaning that even the President was unaware of Garrent's ability. While the Nighthawks appeared around the BRitish seemingly to protect them, it allowed Prime Minister Anderson, Daemon, to use his power.

Garrent's power went at the synapses in Vlad's brain. While not directly effecting the Sin, it prevented Vlad's body from accessing it's power or being influenced by it. Furthermore Vlad's soul link was also prevented from being accessed, meaning his super strength and speed took a dip. Vlad was still formidable, but no longer a threat to the room as usual. Daemon meanwhile was using his powers to calm Vlad down. Now that the Sin was inaccessible, Daemon wasn't meeting the resistance that he had felt before in trying to cool the Emperor. It was in this calmed state that President Johnson came to Vladimir.

"Emperor Reznov, please calm down. I understand your aversion to wearing a cuff, but it's for security purposes. All super powered beings aside from our security details are wearing them. If you'd like to keep some of your HK's cuff free, you may do so as long as they stay by you." He lowered his Texas drawl to a whisper. "We already have an agreement that will help us beat Rome. But it's foolish of us to think that these other Romans couldn't help us. They know intimate details of the security networks that will minimize loss of life. Please let us keep you here so that diplomacy can get in the way. Call your men back from getting Dugal. He is up there for a reason Emperor."

While the President spoke, Daemon was working Vladimir's emotions to put him in a more agreeable state. Meanwhile Dugal was keeping a careful eye on events. His mistrust of Vladimir only grew as the events played out. He noticed the press were eating Vlad's behavior up. It made a good story, he supposed. Larry flashed him a look indicating the sword was ready. Dugal would prefer not to have to fight Vlad. They had teamed up to fight the Roman invasion of Britain, meaning Dugal was aware of Vladimir's strength. He could probably fell Vlad given enough time, but it would be difficult. He wasn't as strong as his father yet, but it would only be a matter of time. Thankfully, it seemed the Americans would try to calm down Vlad.

[Apostledom of chaos]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:20 AM

Jeremiah sighed as he saw Gerald rooted in front of a group of mystified guards as they prodded him with guns. “He never waits does he? Even when he knows he can't get anywhere without other people.” Lawrence chuckled. He looked fairly similar to his old self after spending a month or so relaxing with Jeremiah in the Caribbean. “For all that he looks like a tree, he's the some old impatient Gerald we knew back before all this happened.”

Jeremiah advanced towards the guards, “[color=#NF8000]This Meta-human is with me. His name is Gerald Evans. I am Jeremiah Evans. This man is Lawrence Evans. The man six feet behind me and three to the left is Ex. General Frederickson Nash.[/color]” Jeremiah paused for a moment, “If my companions are not on the list, you may confer with your higher ups. I okay-ed them all when Sebastian Fedorov called me to invite me to the meeting. Take your time. I'll wait.” Jeremiah then placed his hand on what he thought was Geralds shoulder. “Wake up brother, you are scaring the mooks.”

[Agadar]

At the exact moment Vladimir's Phantoms and Hunter-Killers appeared behind the renegade inquisitors, all hell broke loose. Being masters of adapting to threatening situations and close quarters combat, the renegade inquisitors unleashed their superpowers and weaponry upon Vladimir's elite soldiers. Annette focussed her fear-inducing powers upon several of Vladimir's soldiers at the same time, which would surely induce horrifying and vivid hallucinations in their minds. At the same time, she pulled out her silver handgun, and aimed it at one of her victims, ready to blast him apart. Sebastian engulfed both of his hands with fire and crashed his elbow in the man behind him, most likely hurting him greatly or in the very least pushing him away. After doing so he immediately turned around, ready to throw his righteous flames upon Vladimir's men. Sebastian's closest lieutenants also unleashed their fury: Miranda summoned an energy shield between her back and the man who was standing behind her, after which she turned around, equipped her pistol, and aimed it at the man behind her while at the same time despawning the shield she had summoned before, leaving Vladimir's soldier looking down the barrel of a gun. Helena grabbed the arm of the man behind her and threw him over her shoulder, after which she simultaneously equipped her handgun and lowered the temperature around the man she had thrown to such a degree that he would be lucky not to instantly freeze to death. Karl teleported himself behind the man who had ambushed him, reversing their roles by poking the back of the man's spine with a bayonet. Zabaru instantly spawned a clone of himself behind him which grabbed the man behind him with both hands around the man's neck, after which Zabaru turned around and pointed the barrel of his handgun at the captured man.

In Dugal's room, Larry was about to grab the sword and toss it to Dugal, when suddenly a strange sensation swept through the grand conference room. Not a single person was fighting any longer. It was a peculiar sight. Renegade inquisitors, Secret Service agents, and Vladimir's men, all had their weapons drawn and superpowers activated, but something had completely stopped them in their track. And right on time as well: if it had been but a split second later, the renegade inquisitors would have been giving Vladimir's men an emergency diet composed of lead bullets and steel blades. After the American president had made a short speech which was supposed to get Vladimir to calm down, Sebastian stepped forward. "Mister president, I am not going to endanger the lives of everyone present here any further by allowing the emperor's men access to their superpowers and weaponry. We're already trapped in a stand-off here, within five minutes of the emperor's arrival," Sebastian said. Bardarus remained awfully silent throughout the ordeal. Was he trusting the American president and Sebastian, or was he preparing for the worst? Sebastian looked Vladimir straight in his eyes. "Emperor Reznov, our house rules apply to ALL attendees of the conference, including you. If you do not have the desire to honor those house rules, then I'd like you to leave," he added.

[Warhaven]

Zeta concentrated.

The Nanites formed up to make a subspace tranciever, broadcasting his thoughts to The Collective.

Outwardly, there was no sign he was doing anything but standing there watching.

.....

Zeta's Warship.

"Target my location, enable Mass Teleportation, and prepare to beam up all lifesigns, without exception to secure holding facilities on my mark. If Mark is given, Hyperjump to Deep Space after Teleport."
Zeta commanded via the broadcast signal.

This alliance was too important for him to allow it to just slip away. Not for Rome's minor threat, but for the bigger threat beyond.

[Albertasby]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:20 AM

Snowflake and Melody had cleared the security checks and quite happily cooperated in wearing the power suppressing bracelets. After all, it was for their own safety as well as those around them. Carefully, they took their seats. Unlike Dugal, the pair were allowed into the room, but remained way back on seats, acting as merely observers. They needed this to go well, for they knew exactly the force Rome had, and it needed to be stopped.

"Melody, I want you to know that what you're watching here will completely change the fate of our planet. If an alliance forms to take down Rome, the world will be saved but many will die. If an alliance isn't formed, then the world will surely be destroyed and many more will die." Her daughter looked her straight in the eye, smiling. "Mum, don't worry. Surely Vlad isn't arrogant enough to just let his own intentions get in the way of preventing mass destruction" Snowflake nodded at her, but she knew that Vlad was a complicated case.

It was then that everything changed. Vlad and the inquisitors seemed to be in a stand off. And the pair jumped to their feet. They didn't have their powers, but both had prepared to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Snowflake had been training since she was a young girl, and Melody had been trained by Dugal; one of the best. They would surely be a foe for any enemy.

But just as soon as it had started, everything seemed to stop. It was as if the combat had just been frozen. Neither of them backed down; after all it could be a trick. Snowflake merely glanced up to where Dugal was and nodded, signifying that she was ready to rally with him, whatever he decided to do.

[Laughing Peninsula]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:22 AM

Gerald's eyes opened, it seemed he had taken a nap waiting for the others. Gerald turned his head and realized someone's hand on his shoulder, been had been a while sense someone touched him, the mild warmth the man radiated felt nice... at least that's what he remembered nice feeling like.

Identifying the hand as Jeremiah's, he turned and stated 'Lets just get this over with... this place is a torture chamber'. Gerald then pries his feet from the recently perforated asphalt, and approaches a near by Ficus. The poor thing... it was showing signs of rot and drying out, Gerald could not allow this to happen. Gerald placed his hand on the ficus, and suddenly, the signs of decay faded away, and the ficus began to grow. Shortly, the volume of the leaves had increased, the tree was 5 inches taller, with the trunk another inch thicker. 'Good enough' Gerald finished.

In the mean time of him fixing this, the Guard had over looked his name, 'Human error' he shruged.

Gerald was the first in line, he didn't want to be here an instant more then he had to, and thusly wanted to get it done ASAP. It was going well, then the bracelet was placed; instantly, Gerald could no longer hear the sounds of his people, and he panicked. Gerald looked to the bracelet and was about to tear it off, when Frederickson placed his hand on him. Frederickson was an old friend, he met him when he first entered the Amazon.

'Gerald, these are a necessary sacrifices, it will all be over soon'

This calmed Gerald a little, allowing him to steel himself, and lightly jog past the mass of people discussing something, a smaller group of people with one owning a metal hand, and get into the conference room.

Frederickson was next, and his was far simpler. At first he was not permitted due to detection of metal, and the Guards had a near heart attack when Fred opened his button shirt to reveal a glowing harness.

The Guards pull their guns on Fred, and Fred raises his hands and explains 'Boys, this isn't a bomb, I assure you it means no harm, here' Fred reaches to his chest, and removes the core and hands it to them, the harness' glow slowly fading 'It's now deactivated... just try not to jar it too much'

Fred was then admitted through, waiting patiently for Jeremiah and his brother 'Lawrence', or whatever name he had at the moment. Frederick had only met this Lawrence a month ago, and he is still wary about him, he can't trust a man who goes by so many names, even if Jeremiah trusts him as a brother.

[Earth Sphere Coalition]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:18 AM (2:18 PM GMT)
The situation was quickly escalating and if something wasn't done, things would get of control. Luckily, the perfect power sets existed to counter the situation, if unknown to everyone around them. As soon as Secret Service started pointing at Vladimir, President Johnson and Secretary Payne got up from their chairs and approached Vladimir. Payne, in reality Garrent, had activated his power which suppressed the powers of Vladimir and those around them. Garrent's power had no visible aspect, meaning that even the President was unaware of Garrent's ability. While the Nighthawks appeared around the BRitish seemingly to protect them, it allowed Prime Minister Anderson, Daemon, to use his power.

Garrent's power went at the synapses in Vlad's brain. While not directly effecting the Sin, it prevented Vlad's body from accessing it's power or being influenced by it. Furthermore Vlad's soul link was also prevented from being accessed, meaning his super strength and speed took a dip. Vlad was still formidable, but no longer a threat to the room as usual. Daemon meanwhile was using his powers to calm Vlad down. Now that the Sin was inaccessible, Daemon wasn't meeting the resistance that he had felt before in trying to cool the Emperor. It was in this calmed state that President Johnson came to Vladimir.

"Emperor Reznov, please calm down. I understand your aversion to wearing a cuff, but it's for security purposes. All super powered beings aside from our security details are wearing them. If you'd like to keep some of your HK's cuff free, you may do so as long as they stay by you." He lowered his Texas drawl to a whisper. "We already have an agreement that will help us beat Rome. But it's foolish of us to think that these other Romans couldn't help us. They know intimate details of the security networks that will minimize loss of life. Please let us keep you here so that diplomacy can get in the way. Call your men back from getting Dugal. He is up there for a reason Emperor."

While the President spoke, Daemon was working Vladimir's emotions to put him in a more agreeable state. Meanwhile Dugal was keeping a careful eye on events. His mistrust of Vladimir only grew as the events played out. He noticed the press were eating Vlad's behavior up. It made a good story, he supposed. Larry flashed him a look indicating the sword was ready. Dugal would prefer not to have to fight Vlad. They had teamed up to fight the Roman invasion of Britain, meaning Dugal was aware of Vladimir's strength. He could probably fell Vlad given enough time, but it would be difficult. He wasn't as strong as his father yet, but it would only be a matter of time. Thankfully, it seemed the Americans would try to calm down Vlad.

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:23 AM (2:23 PM GMT)

His anger, his rage...all was gone. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Vlad could think clearly. With Wrath suppressed, he no longer felt the need to fight. For once he regretted getting the Sin, the evils he had committed were not him. It pained him to think about his sister, how he made her suffer, his mother and how she cried when Cat had left. Catalina's burning gaze would haunt him forever. The empire-building he commenced, the millions killed. It was all his fault, he was to blame. Looking up at Dugal, his eyes asking for forgiveness. He was not the monster that most took him to be, at least not yet. His soul was soon to be engulfed by the evil he had let into his body, but before that happened he wanted to speak with Dugal, set things right.

"Of course Mr. President. Please forgive me for my interruption. I think we can all agree that we are in a stressful situation, these outbursts should be expected but not tolerated." Vlad bowed, standing straight he took one of the bracelets and put it on.

"Everyone here will wear one, or we will have problems." he ordered his team, looking over at Secretary Payne and smiled.

"Now please, let us sit and talk. I do ask that Mr. Cain join us though, as part of my entourage." Vlad smiled as he patted Payne on the shoulder, giving him a slight squeeze.

'IDo as I say.' was the message he hoped to send to the Secretary.

[Warhaven]

Zeta shrugged and put the Bracelet on. He was still keeping the ship trained on his location, but the crew was allowed to stand down.

Jolenta meanwhile obediently put the Bracelet on.

Zeta took a place at Vlad's right, while Jolenta opted to remain standing behind him.

[Apostledom of chaos]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:23 AM (2:19 PM GMT)

Jeremiah was not pleased. They had been waiting for 'a sensitive issue to be resolved', and he was in a hurry to get this over with. He wanted to get the confrontation between himself, Lawrence, and Louis over, get Gerald back to his forest before he set off a florageddon, and he didn't like the way Fred and the guards were eyeing each other. "Why did I bring them with me?" he wondered to himself yet again. After a few more moments of waiting, he was finally fed up. He had been patient, he had been polite, and he hadn't wanted to wait at all, to hell with the fact that it had only been a handful of minutes, he wanted to go home. "Is your 'situation' resolved yet? Can my companions and I enter the meeting now? Or is the situation still 'sensitive'?"

He was almost shouting by the time he finished and it wasn't until Fred put his hand on Jeremiah's shoulder, pulling him back into a slightly less aggressive and confrontational pose and said "You're tense Jer. Don't take it out on the guards, they're doing this for your safety," that he realized that he was letting his fears get to him, and was taking it out on the guard who was, by the sounds of things, keeping his head firmly attached to his body so that he could get through the meeting, just like he was supposed to.

And then, to his surprise, the guard said "Yes sir. The situation has been resolved, your party may now join the meeting." And stepped out of the way, permitting him to enter the room. "Finally," Jeremiah said, as he walked into the room, "I can get this travesty against human nature over with." And so saying, quietly slinked around the edge of the room, and entered his seat with his friend and brothers.

[Jedi8246]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:24 AM (2:24 PM GMT)
The Americans calmed a bit once Vladimir became reasonable. President Johnson smiled as Vlad patted Payne's shoulder. Payne himself seemed quite at ease. The Secret Service lowered their weapons as Johnson spoke. Meanwhile, Garrent ended the use of his power. With the cuff on, his power was no longer needed.

"Thank you Emperor. Mr Cain will have to remain up there. He is not a leader of a country and has the potential to be dangerous. I'm sure he'd prefer to stay there anyways. He can keep an eye on everything. Now your table is there."

President Johnson pointed as he and Payne returned to their seats. The Nighthawks around the British melded back into the shadows of the room. Everyone sat, waiting for the meeting to begin.

[Earth Sphere Coalition]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:24 AM (2:24 PM GMT)
The Americans calmed a bit once Vladimir became reasonable. President Johnson smiled as Vlad patted Payne's shoulder. Payne himself seemed quite at ease. The Secret Service lowered their weapons as Johnson spoke. Meanwhile, Garrent ended the use of his power. With the cuff on, his power was no longer needed.

"Thank you Emperor. Mr Cain will have to remain up there. He is not a leader of a country and has the potential to be dangerous. I'm sure he'd prefer to stay there anyways. He can keep an eye on everything. Now your table is there."

President Johnson pointed as he and Payne returned to their seats. The Nighthawks around the British melded back into the shadows of the room. Everyone sat, waiting for the meeting to begin.

"Please, I insist. While not the leader of any nation he is still going to play an important part in the war. So I will ask once more that Mr. Cain be brought to the table. As a matter of fact it demand it, he is to be at my side as a counsel. A man with his years of experience and knowledge is invaluable." Vlad responded, challenging the shorter man. His icy gaze betrayed his calm disposition. He would not take no for an answer, while his Sin was suppressed he was still a Reznov. Quick to anger and bullheaded.

[Jedi8246]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:25 AM (2:25 PM GMT)
President Johnson turned towards Vlad.

"I'm sorry, but that is not an option. You are free to go up there and speak with him if you wish. But he will stay up there for our own security. This, I insist."

Despite the fact that Vlad could easily rip President Johnson into tiny bits, Johnson responded with a steel in his eyes as well. This Texas man was not one to be intimidated, even by ones greater than himself in power. The Head of the Secret Service leaned over and whispered something to Johnson. The President nodded and sat composed. The Head turned in Vlad's direction, though his eyes were not visible under his thick shades.

---

Inside the Rockies
October 25th, 2043
3:51 PM (10:51 PM GMT)
The Agent charged right through the wall of electricity that Lucas had created. The man smirked slightly but otherwise seemed unaffected. He raised his pistol and fired at Lucas. Lucas jumped off to the side, bullets whizzing by. Dr Bishop pointed his wrist at the Agent, blasting flames all over him. The Agent staggered backwards, before jumping right at Bishop. Bishop was sent flying against the wall and slumped over.

Lucas at this point yelled out and blasted multiple streams of electricity. The air crackled with heat as the bolts struck the Agent. The flames burning on the Agent flared with the heat and the Agent finally yelled. It was the first time he had shown that he could feel pain. The shout ended quickly as the fire died down. His skin and suit was charred, his glasses melted all over his face. Yet he walked forward towards Lucas, firing. Lucas panicked and ducked down behind the pedestal the moon stone had been on. It was then he saw the stone lying on the ground. He snatched it and it crackled with electricity.

Lucas felt his power crawling throughout the stone. He didn't question why, but pointed the stone at the Agent. It glowed the eerie blue color again, before shooting blue lighting rays at the Agent. The rays cut through the Agent's body, leaving gaping holes in him. Then a small blue ball of light flew from the stone. The ball soared into one of the holes, the Agent looking down to look at it through the melted plastic. The ball then crackled and exploded outwards. Bright light filled the room, blinding Lucas. He blinked trying to clear the blur from his eyes. The light had gone. The Agent was destroyed. The only thing left was his pistol, smoking slightly. Lucas allowed the stone to fall from his hands. He felt drained. Dr Bishop stood up and turned towards Lucas.

"Hmm... that was interesting. Let's get out of here."

[Warhaven]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:26 AM (2:26 PM GMT)

Zeta started chuckling.

"And what damage, pray tell, could he possibly cause, powers restrained like the rest of us? Pull a sword that could be held by a trusted third party? Pull out some unarmed fighting skills? One man, against the secret service, Assorted Bodyguards, and Rogue Inquisitors? Your actions make him out to be some sort of God of War. We both know there is no such thing as God. As such, he is only truly an easily overpowered man.

Be realistic. You know full well Dugal truely poses no threat. It's abundantly clear your motives for keeping him away lie elsewhere, a secret your afraid of revealing. It is simple logic. It's too late, it is already revealed, solely by your refusal to have Dugal in the same room. If you truely wished to remain secret, you would've allowed him to remain in the same room as the rest of us.

What are you, Free Masons? Illuminati? The only possible explanation there could be for keeping Dugal away, knowing full well he would be equally non-threatening as the rest of us, is if he were somehow key to revealing your secret. As if he might recognize one of you. Tell us your secret, the real reason you want him up there. Security isn't it. That is a bald faced lie, and remained such from the very instant you chose to have powers restrained." Zeta said.

He was a man of logic, and saw through the deception easily, simply due to the fact that their reasons were too illogical in the face of present circumstances.

[Agadar]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:26 AM (2:26 PM GMT)

Something had changed in Vladimir. In everyone. A soothing calm overwhelmed them. Much to Sebastian's surprise, Vladimir submitted to wearing a bracelet. But this wasn't all that was peculiar. Sebastian's flames had vanished and he couldn't resummon them. Zabaru's spectral clone had also vanished, and the other renegade inquisitors could also no longer use their superpowers. The renegade commander briefly glanced at Bismarck, who was still sitting on Sebastian's shoulder, and who glanced back, signifying a mutual understanding of the situation. It seemed that the Americans had activated some sort of emergency system which calmed people down and disabled their superpowers. The renegade inquisitors had not been informed of this. But that was alright: the Americans' suspicion towards the renegades was healthy and understandable. Besides, Sebastian had some emergency systems in place of his own, of which the Americans had no knowledge of...

"Code Green," Annette broadcasted to all of her operatives, informing them that the situation was safe again. The renegade inquisitors began putting their weapons away and walked back to their normal positions. The female commander, relieved that everything was under control again, then joined Sebastian. As she did so, one of Vladimir's people said something very peculiar. Sebastian squinted suspiciously as he carefully listened to the man's tale. What on Earth was he talking about? The renegade commander remained quiet, awaiting a reply from the Americans.

Strategic Meeting Room
Rome
November 25th, 2043
3:26 PM (2:26 PM GMT)

Ansed pushed against the great door and walked into the room. Dacarus Bartolt and Ansed's colleagues had already taken their seats. "I'm glad you could join us, lord Booth. Was that you in the hallway?" Dacarus asked as he watched Ansed enter. Ansed's eyes briefly crossed Maximilian's as he sat down. "Yes," the winged commander replied. Dacarus did not further question Ansed: he just briefly stared at him for a moment, seemingly contemplating something, while Ansed picked up the e-reader in front of him and began to read it. "It seems you have been under a lot of stress lately. Are you still capable of doing your job, lord Booth?" Dacarus asked. Ansed laid down the e-reader in front of him and stared at Maximilian, who stared back with a grim look on his face. "I am," Ansed replied confidently as he switched his gaze to Dacarus. Dacarus leaned back and sighed. "Good. Then let us begin. Lord Booth, you had something to say about lord Theosus?" Dacarus spoke. Ansed nodded lightly. "Former lord Theosus," Maximilian corrected Dacarus. Ansed stared angrily at Maximillian for a short moment, then looked back at Dacarus. "We still don't know where he is and whether he is still alive, but one of our infiltrators recently discovered from talking to witnesses of the final battle that a renegade inquisitor by the name of Karl Bachmeier teleported lord Theosus to an as of yet unknown location right before emperor Reznov could finish him off. It is thus safe to assume that lord Theosus is in the hands of the renegade commander Sebastian Fedorov," Ansed informed. Celestia looked worryingly at Ansed. She knew that it was difficult for Ansed to talk about Alexander. "Theosus is in the hands of the inquisition's former Section 1? I'd be surprised if they haven't tortured him to death by now, knowing their reputation," Maximilian said, clearly intending to hurt Ansed. Surprisingly enough, lord Harold Montego, the host of the Will of Iscariot, quickly though somewhat apathetically replied: "The inquisition as a whole may have the reputation of being ruthless, but Section 1 has always been Bismarck's lot. They wouldn't torture a man like Theosus. Bismarck wouldn't allow it." Maximilian looked at Harold with slight surprise. The leader of the inquisition wasn't exactly known for participating verbally in these meetings. "If not to interrogate him, then what are they holding him for?" Maximilian blurted out. "Perhaps they want to use him as a bargaining chip?" Celestia suggested. Maximilian shook his head. "Then why haven't we heard anything from Fedorov? If you ask me, Theosus was probably already dead when this Karl Bachmeier teleported him away," he said. The room remained awfully silent afterwards.

[Jedi8246]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:27 AM (2:27 PM GMT)
President Johnson turned towards Professor Iam Boring with an eyebrow raised. Cold flint was in his eyes. The Romans watching would see a cold anger there.

"Emperor Reznov, I am disappointed that you keep conspiracy theorists as your nation's scientists. Free Masons? Illuminati? Ha! I've only seen such ludicrous bull-crap from people on the internet. For your information Professor, Dugal was one of the world's greatest assassins. Yes, he couldn't cause too much harm without powers but he is quick enough to bring harm to someone here. It's not a risk I'm willing to take. This conversation is at an end. If you want to talk to Dugal so bad, then go do it."

With that, President Johnson turned back around and looked down at the table. His anger was genuine for he knew nothing of Payne's true identity or of the Order of the Four Temples. He was just a politician, honestly elected, who wished to serve his country in the highest place.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:27 AM (2:27 PM GMT)

Milus watched the short discussion between Vladimir Reznov, his guest Iam Boring and President Johnson with a bored expression as he remained around Daemon, or rather, Prime Minister Anderson and his entourage, slightly intrigued by the reasons Vladimir would have wanted Dugal by his side and impressed by the deduction of Iam Boring but otherwise rather uninterested in the small exchange.

During the small stand-off between Vlad's Hunter Killers and the Secret Service and Roman Inquisitors, Milus had simply been watching, moving his feet ever so slightly to position himself at a more battle-ready position and raising his eyebrow at how suddenly the events unfolded in such a way that everyone who had weapons was pointing them at each other, but otherwise not too worried. Vladimir's men were outnumbered and the Inquisitors could use their powers as well, after all. And his lack of worry was justified, for instead of an explosive fight breaking out, he felt the wave of soothing calmness washing over him and apparently everyone else present at the room, almost instantly defusing the situation satisfactorily.

After that, Milus relaxed again and continued watching, soon witnessing the exchange between the President, Vlad and Boring. He looked around and noticed what seemed to be a plant-man walking into the hall, and raised his eyebrow again before turning his attention back to Johnson.

[Earth Sphere Coalition]

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:27 AM (2:27 PM GMT)
President Johnson turned towards Professor Iam Boring with an eyebrow raised. Cold flint was in his eyes. The Romans watching would see a cold anger there.

"Emperor Reznov, I am disappointed that you keep conspiracy theorists as your nation's scientists. Free Masons? Illuminati? Ha! I've only seen such ludicrous bull-crap from people on the internet. For your information Professor, Dugal was one of the world's greatest assassins. Yes, he couldn't cause too much harm without powers but he is quick enough to bring harm to someone here. It's not a risk I'm willing to take. This conversation is at an end. If you want to talk to Dugal so bad, then go do it."

With that, President Johnson turned back around and looked down at the table. His anger was genuine for he knew nothing of Payne's true identity or of the Order of the Four Temples. He was just a politician, honestly elected, who wished to serve his country in the highest place.

Chamber of the House, U.S. Capitol Building
Washington D.C.
November 25th, 2043
10:30 AM (2:30 PM GMT)

Vlad sat down, glaring at everyone who looked his way. He just wanted to get the meeting done and over with. His empire was calling and he had to finish up preparing for the counter-attack on Rome. His forces had been quickly built up and he was nearly ready to strike. All he needed was the Americans to strike them as well to get them off balance.