Ballard of the Twin Suns [Idea / FT/Fantasy / IC]

[Orinon]

The Moyle Estate, 67km from Terrva City, Planet Terrva

Running for ones life isn't high on Joshua Moyle's list of hobbies. Which isn't surprising. It isn't high on anyone's list of hobbies (unless they are insane).
"They went that way!" came a yell from somewhere behind them. Looking behind him, Josh saw nothing, but he knew they were there. Bang! Yeap, someone was there alright. And they were shooting at him. Trying to kill him.
"This is a really bad day," Josh muttered. Right at that moment, his foot got caught on a tree root, sending him into the dirt. A moment later, as he rolled over, he heard the very distinct sound of the firing hammer on a M9 Assault Rifle being pulled back.
"Gotta, boy," said a voice, before a man appeared from the bushes. Dressed in combat armor, wearing a helmet that covered most of his face, evil looking rifle pointed right at him.

Then he fired. Josh squeezed his eyes shut...

And sighed in relief as the bullet was stopped a full foot short of its mark by a glowing curtain of orange light.
"What?" said the man, confused.
"Do your homework next time!" said a female voice, before a blue blur slammed into the poor man, knocking him into next week. the blur landed, focusing until it formed the shape of Goltia Moyle.
"Josh. Come on, we've gotta keep moving," said a softer voice. Turning, he saw another figure, one he knew very well. Grace Olivariz. She held out a hand, which Josh gladly took. As he stood, he heard a sound. Then the rapid fire noise of a assault rifle being fired. Shutting his eyes again, Josh waited for the end that never came. Opening his eyes, he saw 3 man, dressed in the same armor as the first one, staring as their bullets hung motionless in midair.
"Again, homework boys!" said Goltia, hand outstretched. She looked at them for a few moments, then flicked her hand in their direction, before turning away as their bodies fell to the ground. Looking at them for a moment, Josh then spoke.

"We need to keep moving. We need to disappear. Now."

2 Hours Later....

Markus Moyle felt sick as he walked through the halls of his family's home. Every once in a while, he would stop and straighten a photo. Photos that were knocked askew by the raid that he lead. As he looked at the photos lining the wall, his mind raced. Why was he doing this? Because your country demanded it. Was it needed? Yes. These people are a threat. Was it right? ...No.
"For Auron's sake... Why these two? Of all the children in the Colonies?" he muttered, holding a photo in his hand. In the photo, 6 people were smiling. 3 were teenagers, 2 of which looked like mirror images of each other. 2 of them were older, and smiling at the teenagers as only parents could. The last person was a younger version of himself, smiling a small smile at his younger siblings. Smiling sadly at the photo, he removed it from its frame and pocketed it. He knew the homes owners wouldn't mind at all. Speaking of which...

He entered what was the living room. There, on the couch, were the older couple from the photo. The male of the pair had Markus's eyes and hair color. The female had his face and features, and on her face bore the rage of a parent taken from her children. Not bound, she stood, crossed the room in 3 strides, and slapped Markus across the face hard. The slap rang out.
"I most likely deserve that," Markus said slowly, before turning and ordering the 2 men guarding the pair out of the room, before shutting the door.
"By Auron, Aerith and Minerva, Markus! Where are they?!" his mother screamed at him. His father was still seated and silent, but his eyes spoke for him.
"I don't know. They slipped through our net," Markus spoke formally, walking across the room and shutting another set of doors.
"Then find them!! They're your siblings for Auron's sake!" she continued, striding back up to her eldest son and going for another slap. This time, Markus caught her wrist with his left hand. The sleeve of his jacket slipped down, revealing a metallic gleam.
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" he said, still speaking formally. He released his mother's wrist after a few moments, before seating himself on a armchair a few feet away.
"By Aerith, Markus... Why did it have to be you?" his mother spoke, seating herself back down beside her husband.
"I don't know..." he said, his voice fading away.
"Markus. Please find them... don't hurt them," his father spoke up, speaking softly. Looking from his broken father, to his now crying mother, Markus sighed, then spoke.
"Trust me. I'll find them. Whether or not I'm still a ONI Agent when I do... That's the question."

Terrva Times
Raids on Empowered Shock Residents

Residents of the Colonies were shocked today as members of The Office of Navel Intelligence and Colonial Armed Forces raided the homes of Empowered. While some call the raids a outrage and a violation of human rights, many people believe that these raids are a necessary evil, as the threat of the Empowered is too great too ignore. In a press conference today, President Sarah Jusion spoke to the media and.... More on page 3

OOC: OOC and Sign up here:http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=74763

[ImperialOverLord]

Gradient Plaza, 2km from Terrva City Centre, Planet Terrva

Anton Harlequin walked solemnly down the narrow confines of an alleyway. Head down, he avoided eye contact with the slum dwellers that went about their daily business, unaware of the danger they were in. His hair was black today, his fringe flat against his hair, wet from the rain. Harlequin strode purposely, but in truth he had no destination in mind. He had been enjoying a drink at same nameless seedy bar. Minding his own business, until the telescreens started reporting on the raids. Empowered were being rounded up. Harlequin knew you couldn't keep people like him in prison, so that only left one possibility. Extermination.

Harlequin had left immediately after that, the only thing that kept him invisible from Colonial authorities was constant movement. He needed to get off planet, he needed to find-

Anton's train of thought was interrupted as he inadvertently walked into a man standing with his back to him. The man swung around angrily, colonial police badge flashing.
"Oi! watch were your going" Grunted the man giving a lazy shove in Harlequin general direction. The small incident immediately drew people's attention. Despite the rain, people were slowing down, interested in the exchange. Too many people... Harlequin didn't like the attention. He couldn't risk recognition.
"Sorry... I wasn't watching were I was going..." Harlequin mumbled, trying to seem like an absent-minded youth. Harlequin started to move around the man, but the Police officer grabbed his coat by the neck.
"Don't walk away, I haven't finished with you yet-" He didn't finish the sentence, a flash of recognition had come across his eyes. Harlequin knew that the threshold had been crossed, he had been exposed. Harlequin rushed forward, grabbed the man by chest and in a blinding flash of light, ended him. A burst of concentrated energy had come out of Harlequin's hands, throwing the man backwards into a window some 12 feet away, a gaping hole where Harlequin had held him. Before the screams could begin, Harlequin weaved into an adjoining side street, barely wide enough to fit two abreast. Anton ran, he couldn't risk flying, nor did he enjoy it. It wasn't very fast and he wasn't very good at it, no, running was better.

Anton was good at running.

[Orinon]

ONI Agent Level 3 Kara Seraern was having a bad day. Not only was her supervisor out of the city, apparently after some high level Empowered and the fact that her streaked brown and red hair wasn't behaving, but now she was called out to clean up the mess from a Empowered attack. And was there a mess. The poor man had taken what appeared to be a small scale rocket engine to the chest. In truth, there wasn't much chest left. Luckily, he was dead before he had hit the window, for there were shards of glass impaling the corpse in several places.

"Sitrep. Now," said Kara, stepping over the remains of the window and kneeling down next to the body.
"Poor bastard never stood a chance, Wildcard," spoke the man standing next to her. ONI Agent Level 3 Jason Macare. Maverick. The 5" 8' male was aptly named; he was known for losing his temper and causing damage to everything within a few hundred meters. Looking down at the small female kneeling beside him, he discarded any suggestive thoughts that came to mind and continued: "He ran into a Empowered male. About 6". Black hair. Thats all we got from witnesses."
"Put out a profile. He'll be running. Maybe we'll catch him at a spaceport," said Wildcard, standing up and punching her peer in the shoulder, hard.
"Ow. What the frak was that for?" he said, gripping his shoulder.
"For staring at my tits, you ass."

Country road, Middle of Nowhere, 89km from Terrva City

Josh winced as the pickup truck ran over another bump in the road. His sister had fallen asleep first, almost as soon as they had managed to hitch a ride. Grace wasn't far behind her, her head now resting on Josh's shoulder. Josh couldn't sleep, or even snooze. The faces of those dead men stared back at him every time he closed his eyes.
"So kid, where ya headed?" shouted the driver of the pickup, a man in his 30's.
"Kahi City. Spring Break and all," said Josh. Only the second half was a lie.
"Ah ok. Strict parents and whatnot," said the driver, evidently remembering his teenage years. Josh smiled slightly. At least the people living away from the cities were more trusting. They had to be. The twins and Grace had been forced to hitch hike a ride once they had lost the Marines following them. Traveling overland in the Spring was asking to get killed by some roaming predator. "Terrva may be our home, but she is a cruel place to call home." thought Josh, wincing as a memory flashed forward in his mind

"Josh!" Goltia had shouted, a moment before the Terrvan Boar had rammed him to the ground. The mighty boar, easily 2 meters long, gave a squeal, before charging at him, tusks forward.
"No! Get away from him!" Goltia had screamed, lashing out with her fist. It connected, and Josh had watched in amazement as the boar screamed in pain and flew into a nearby tree, its spine snapping...

Shaking his head, Josh looked at his sister. Her face was peaceful. Not for the first time, he realized that his twin sister was not at all bad looking. Shaking his head in amusement as he remembered just how many boys she had turned down or scared away, he snuggled close to Gracie, and closed his eyes.


Moyle Estate...

Markus's phone rang. Pulling the device from his pocket, he flipped it open and spoke.
"Gunslinger."
"Sir. Just reporting in. I'm at a active crime scene. Some poor frak ran into a Empowered and came off worse for wear," said the somewhat tinny voice of his partner and subordinate, Wildcard.
"Like, "worse for wear" as in our little mission in Kahi a few months back or as in FUBAR?" Markus asked, smirking.
"Markus!" Kara hissed down the phone. Even her voice seemed to blush, as she turned tomato red at the other end of the call.
"haha. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Don't go and die before I get back to HQ. Got it?"
"Yea yea. Wildcard out." The call went dead. Markus sighed. This was going to be a bad month.

He could tell already.

[ImperialOverLord]

(OOC: I mentioned Harlequin's hair was black at that particular moment, rather then it's natural white)

Too many police. Harlequin noticed that straight away when he arrived at the nearest Spaceport, he was able to observe the area discreetly due the sheer amount of people milling around the area coming and going from the planet surface. However the police were alert and out in numbers, eyes scanning the crowds. Harlequin could not get close without being detected, so a new plan was needed. He had automatically regretted killing that police officer, not only because it broke his cover, but also the amount of bodies piling at Harlequins feet were starting to affect his conscious. He couldn't dwell on it now though. Anton needed a way out, out of the city. Once away for awhile the heat would die down and he could leave this hostile planet from any spaceport he chose.

Harlequin left his inconspicuous hideout and started following a young family on it's way to some mode of transport. He might be able to discretely hitch a ride with these people. They arrived at a worn looking intercontinental spaceship used for transporting cargo to other cities. It was in a poor state, but was big enough to hide Harlequin aboard without notice. Harlequin had done this before, his life had been one free ride after another. Constant movement, without purpose or time to settle and get to know people. Harlequin was independent and care-free, or at least that's what he told himself.

Getting aboard was not too difficult, the family was to preoccupied to notice him slip into the cargo bay doors. The crates inside were all labelled 'Kahi City'. Anton settled back behind these, out of sight and prepared himself for the long journey. He needed the rest and Kahi city was a lovely place this time of the year. So intent on his objective and lost in his thoughts, Harlequin hadn't thought to check if he was being monitored when he boarded.

[Orinon]

"What the frak.." muttered the security guard, watching a bank of monitors. Colonial authorities took interplanetary travel seriously, and as such there were almost a hundred cameras dotted across the Terrva City Space Port. At the moment, the guard was interested in the image of a man sneaking on-board a in atmosphere transport heading for Kahi City. Enhancing the image, he saw that the man had black hair, and was easily 6 foot. Scratching his head, the guard looked over the list in front of him. On it was the names and descriptions of the planets most wanted. Looking at it, he noticed a unnamed entry; nothing uncommon, criminals almost never had a name tied to them to begin with. But this one... it matched the man now currently climbing on-board the transport.
"Frak." said the guard, before grabbing the phone and dialing the ONI Hotline.

Ring ring. Sighing, Wildcard reached into her shirt and pulled her small mobile phone from her bra cup. Sometimes, a woman just didn't have any pockets on her clothes, as she had found out upon being sent out, and had to make do. Looking at the number, she sighed, then flicked the device open and held it to her ear.
"Wildcard speaking," she said.
"We've got a lead. TCSP security just called in. They spotted a man matching your description boarding a transport headed for Kahi about 20 minutes ago," said the voice on the other end of the call.
"Got it. Transport?"
"Overland. You'll be collecting Gunslinger on the way."
"Got it. Wildcard out." With that, Kara replaced the phone into her bra and, for the second time in the day, punched Maverick in the arm for staring. The man was lucky she didn't break his arm. Again.

"Yo. Kid. Wake up." Josh groaned, then slowly opened his eyes. The driver of the pickup came into focus, as did the sounds of the sea and a market.
"Here's your stop. Don't stick 'round, okay?" With that, the pickup owner retreated into the cab, presumably to get his wallet. Looking around, Josh saw that they were in the Kahi City main street, a vibrant and bustling market underway. Shaking his sister and Grace awake, he said: "We're in Kahi. Lets go." With that, Josh jumped off the back of the truck and helped Grace down, Goltia hopping down on her own.

"Makes me wish we had some money," Goltia said, holding a hand to her empty stomach.
"I know. Almost there," replied Josh, mentally counting the doors the three went past. Finding the one he was looking for, he nodded at the other two, then stepped to the door and knocked. There was a bang, some swearing, then thumping as the occupant walked over to the door. Sliding back the cover on the peephole, the eyes looking out at them went wide, then were covered as the slide was replaced. There was the sound of several somethings being unlocked, then the door was swung open, revealing a man in his 50's. His eyes weren't as dark, nor as sane as his brothers, and his hair was far longer, coming down to his shoulder blades, as well as being a few shades lighter, but he still looked like the nephew that now stood before him.
"Auron, Josh, you've grown!" said Jake Moyle, pulling the teenager into a hug. After some giggling from Goltia and Grace, and some tapping ont he back from Josh, he released the poor boy.
'And Goltia as well! Gods, girl, you must have guys all over you," he said, causing the girl to, uncharacteristically, blush. Goltia had a soft spot for uncle Jake, for it was him who first taught her how to fight, something she was forever thankful for.
"Don't just stand there, get your ass's inside!" insisted the uncle, pretty much pulling the three of them inside. Leading them into a messy living room, Jake sat down on a bar stool pulled from the breakfast bar turned alcohol bar, and looked at the three teenagers sitting on the couch before him. Seeing the look on their faces, he dropped the cheerful act, and said seriously: "What happened?"
The Twins looked at each other, then Josh began to speak. "Well..."

"Well shit," said Jake, looking at the three teenagers once Josh had finished his story. "I knew that ONI was rounding up Empowered, but damn... Kids too? That isn' right..." His voice trialed off.
"Yea... What about you, Uncle?" said Grace. She got away with calling him Uncle, considering that she was pretty much family.
"Me? Well... Unlike my family members, my powers aren't as... traceable," he said, his eyes flashing a deep red. "You kids can stay. For now."

[ImperialOverLord]

The gentle of humming of the engines had put Anton to sleep some hours ago, his environment would have tested the most hardy sleeper, but Anton was used to these conditions. He had to sleep when he could, wherever he could. As it was the engines turning off woke him. At first he thought they had arrived in Kahi. Looking through a rusted cooling vent at the world outside, disproved this. He could still see forest, they were at least another 10 minutes from the city. Something wasn't right.

Moving slowly, so as not to alert any careful listeners elsewhere in the ship, Harlequin manoeuvred his way to the cargo exit. The ship had touched down in what looked to be a refuelling station, for both ships and land based vehicles. It was unusually quiet. Harlequin reached into his trench coat and pulled out a handgun, he would not be so willing to use his power if worse came to worse. Stepping out of the ship, back hugged to the hull, Harlequin peered out over the clearing. The place was nothing more then an asphalt strip with a couple of buildings in the middle of an expansive forest.

The family was gone, no one else was attending to their vehicles, he was alone. It was a trap, it had to be. He had been slack. Cursing to himself for this discrepancy, Harlequin tucked his gun back securely in his coat and hands held high stepped out into the clearing. His dyed black hair was already showing his brilliant white roots, which shone in the sunlight. Taking a purposeful step forward Harlequin shouted.
"Well done, you've caught me! You may now apprehend me should you choose to reveal yourselves!"
Harlequin knew that these people had no idea who he was or what he could do, it was this factor that gave him the element of surprise...

[Orinon]

There was silence for a moment after Anton's grand challenge, then a rustling as Wildcard stepped out from the forest, her XC .74 pistol aimed squarely with two hands at the Empowered's head, a small red dot emphasizing the fact.
"You sure know how to kick up a shit storm, don'tcha?" said Maverick, stepping out next to Wildcard, aiming his pistol at Anton as well.
"Too bad, though. Only a idiot uses a ship to get around during a manhunt. Smart people go overland," said Wildcard, eyes narrowing.

Anton made to move. Wildcard aimed at the ship behind him and fire a round. The bullet tore through the hull of the ship as if the metal plating was paper.
"Now imagine one of those going through your head. cause that's where I'm gonna aim next," she said, replacing the laser dot on the Empowered's forehead.
"Alright. Name, homeworld, power. Now, or I put a round through your knee," said Maverick, his laser dot shifting to his target's knee.

OOC: Colonial worlds = http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2172#p84247

[ImperialOverLord]

There was something unnerving about Harlequin's smile. It was casual, playful and full of malice. And It only grew wider when Anton made a small movement with his hand that triggered a warning shot.
"You should be careful with that thing, you could hurt somebody... but I must ask, before I answer your question. What do you gain from insulting me?"
Anton's voice was low and it was impossible not to pick up the hint of menace in it.
"Am I the idiot for taking a ship? Or are you the idiot for not realizing why?"
Harlequin's palms still faced his aggressors, emerald green eyes flashing as he spoke.
"I'm afraid I can not answer your questions under these conditions, even to a lady as pretty as yourself. You have wonderful eyes you know, one can get lost in them if not careful. It's shame your partner doesn't seem to appreciate them."
Harlequin's tone was both classy and confusing, knowing if he didn't say something they wanted to hear soon he would be shot in the knee. He had no intention of telling them anything.

"I am but a shadow to you."
And with that Harlequin pushed forward. Two shots rung out as he moved suddenly but the wave of crystalline blue energy that erupted from Anton disintegrated the bullets before they could hit him. That burst also enabled him to flip backwards onto the roof of the grounded ship, pointing a single finger downwards, a thin beam of energy tore through the fuel canisters of the ship. The explosion threw Harlequin off the hull though using his powers to stabilize an awkward flight, the explosion propelled him some 400 meters away deep into the surrounding forest. Never his strong suit, Anton's flying was more like a superhuman jump as he soon landed, rolling heavily as he did so. The explosion was still pluming behind him throwing shrapnel and fire in all directions, the forest would soon be ablaze.
Harlequin stood slowly, wincing at the pan that emanated from all over his body. He had a deep cut on his right forearm, it was bleeding profusely. He didn't know what became of the agent, he had glimpsed them diving away from his initial energy blast, but he didn't know if they survived the subsequent explosion; he barely survived the subsequent explosion.
He shouldn't do that again. His power provided a powerful shield when timed right, though it drained him a lot and wouldn't sustain concentrated fire.

Muttering about his misfortune, Harlequin limped away in the direction of the city, black smoke and roaring flames providing ample cover for his escape.

[Orinon]

"Shit!" Wildcard hit the dirt as the ship's liquid Thyrium tanks erupted, shattering the ship into a large number of pieces and generating a massive fireball. Maverick wasn't as quick, his dive to the ground aided by a flying piece of metal to the chest. Ears ring, Wildcard waited until the fireball had faded before standing up. Looking around, she saw Maverick laying on the ground, in a lot of pain.
"Good thing I didn't like my ribs anyway..." he muttered, coughing up a bit of blood.
"Oh shut it. You'll be fine," Wildcard said, pulling out her phone and dialing. It picked up after half a ring.
"Gunslinger. Target's given us the slip."
"I heard. I'm near him. I can hear him, just not sighted him yet. You ok?"
"Maverick's ribs will never be the same, but I'm fine. Follow him, get him. Out." She cut the call short, then dialed again.
"Agent Wildcard here. I've got a man down. Look for the flaming ship hull."

Josh and Goltia both jumped at the explosion, Grace giving a little scream. Jake ran up to the living room window and looked outside to see a small pillar of smoke rising into the air.
"What happened?" Josh asked, standing and walking over to the window.
"Dunno. I'm physic, not omnipresent. though, I would hazard a guess and say there was a fuel tank rupture," Jake said, rubbing his forehead.
"Can we go have a look?" asked Goltia, jumping up and down. Josh sighed and was about to shut her up when Jake spoke.
"Sure. Why not? No trying to save anyone, got it?" he said, looking at the three Empowered teenagers.
"Got it!" said three voices, all with varying degrees and enthusiasm. Jake grabbed his keys and lead the three teenagers out.

"What do ya mean, we can't go out?" argued Jake, at the wheel of a 4 wheel drive truck. Josh sat in the front seat, while the girls sat in the back.
"Sorry. Too dangerous. There's Thyrium tanks out there," said the police officer, shrugging. Swearing, Jake looked behind him, thinking about turning the truck around, when he spotted a dirt track heading into the bush.
"Where does that lead?" he asked, pointing.
"Well.. That goes through the local bush and out onto the beach," said the officer.
"Sweet. Wanna go camping, kids?" he asked, looking back at them. He was rewarded with a resounding chorus of "Yes!"
"Ok then. We'll head back and get some stuff, ok?" Jake said, smiling. the kids nodded. And with that, he turned their frowns of being turned away from a fire, to smiles at the thought of going camping with him. Camping with Jake was fun, mainly due to his habit of entertaining them with more then slightly illegal explosives.

Could this guy be any more noisy? thought Markus, stalking Anton thorugh the bush. It had taken him the better part of half an hour, but he finally managed to get eyes on his prey. And he used the term prey well. He was the predator, and Anton was the prey. Smiling grimly, he continued to follow the Empowered, waiting for him to drop his guard...

[ImperialOverLord]

Anton moved noisily through the undergrowth, tripping up on roots and storming through thick bush. He had sprained an ankle it seemed and his arm though now roughly bandaged was still seeping blood. He went only in the direction he assumed the city was in. He couldn't see through the trees and there was no vantage points to be seen. He didn't even consider flying again.
"I really need to work on that" he muttered to himself.
Groaning with the effort, Anton heaved himself over a fallen log. He knew he couldn't go that much further before he needed a rest, but there was nowhere...

Ahead, in the distance, was a clearing. The wind picked up a bit and the smell of the beach followed swiftly. He was close. The clearing was probably a track or campsite area, that was his best bet. Anton stumbled forward his hand fell into a puddle, the water was a brief respite as he washed his face, his hair now back to it's unnatural gleaming white. As he raised himself for the final stretch a barely audible crack was heard. It was a twig breaking and it originated somewhere behind him. Suspicious, but no less determined, Anton continued forward. He could hear a girl laugh...

[Ameriganastan]

IIslandia spaceport mid afternoon

"Look, i need passage off the planet now! Now find me something, or I'm gonna rip this place, and then you apart!"

People stared as a large man raged at the counter. He was obviously not happy, routinely banging the glass between him and the man working behind it

"I'm sorry sir, but civilian passage for the area has been halted. Apparently some empowered man killed another at a bar. They'll reinstate travel once he's been caught."

The man, Jakarta was his name, punched the glass, leaving a rather huge crack.

"Listen twiggy, get me off planet, or else"

The passage vendor simply pressed a button under his side of the counter.

"Security is on the way. I suggest you leave unless you wish to be arrested"

Jakarta snarled, but decided to cut his losses. An arrest was the last thing he needed. He ran from the counter, hiding in a nearby bathroom. He sighed and removed a glove from his right hand. It looked robotic, covered in some kind of odd metal. He strained, but he couldn't make it go away.

"Why me? Why me?"

[Orinon]

Goltia laughed as Jake finished his, rather rude, story of how he escaped a rather bad situation involving a bar, a gay couple, and several vodka shots. Besides her, Grace was giggling softly and Josh was smiling ever so slightly. In front of them burned a small fire, keeping the four of them warm and safe from the local predators.
"Well, we may not have been able to see a Thyrium fire, but we got to go camping instead. That counts for something," said Jake, rubbing his hands together.
"Yea! This is great... Although.. I wonder what happened to mum and dad," Goltia's voice became quiet, almost miserable.
"They'll be fine Goltia. Trust me, if ONI did anything to them, Markus would put whoever did through hell," said Jake, his voice soft.
"Yea. Big bro's always looking out for us," Josh said, smiling again. Suddenly, Jake and Goltia stood at the same time and spoke the same words: "Who's there?"

Markus felt sick again. From this distance, he could hear the words of praise that his siblings spoke for him. Shaking his head, he checked his pistol, then focused on the Empowered moving towards the small camp. Half of him wanted to take him down now, while the other half willed him to wait, wait for the moment to strike. he was content to wait, for the moment. Which was part of the reason why he jumped when both his uncle and sister stood and called out. His trigger finger suddenly started itching.
This won't end well.... He thought, clicking the safety of his pistol off slowly.

[ImperialOverLord]

As Anton neared the campsite he became dizzy and his eyes kept going in and out of focus. The shrapnel in his arm was causing more trouble then Anton was giving it credit for. It was now leaving a small trail of blood droplets behind him. Just a few steps before he entered the clearing, Anton stumbled again. This made the occupants of the campsite all too aware of his presence. He couldn't help but groan this time, but he did well to keep his posture straight as he stepped into clear view. A man sat at the campfire with three youths, a boy and two girls, all on the cusp of adulthood. Two of them could have been twins.

Harlequin gave a lopsided smile and in slightly slurred speech announced:
"Good evening, I think I may require some assistance if you would be so kind-" He collapsed in a bloody heap before he could finish, the blood loss finally taking it's toll. As he slipped into unconsciousness he saw figures running towards him and vaguely recalled the disturbance he had heard some way back. Possibly delirious, Harlequin managed to mutter "Look out..." before everything went black.

[Orinon]

"Holy frak... " Josh muttered as the bloodied man staggered into the campsite and promptly collapsed. Jake rushed over and checked him over.
"Shit. Ok, Goltia, in the back of the truck there's med kit," said Jake. Goltia nodded, then bolted to the truck to get it. "Josh, help me move him closer to the fire." Josh nodded, then stood and helped Jake move the man closer to the fire, so he wouldn't freeze. Goltia then returned, holding a case with a white cross on it. Taking it, Jake opened it and took out a pair of scissors, then proceeded to cut off the sleeve of the man's jacket that was coated in blood. Looking, he took a pair of tweezers out and started carefully looking for something in the wound. After a few moments, he pulled out a rather large shard of metal. tossing the piece of metal away, he grabbed out a Bioform nozzle, attached it to a canister, and injected the white expanding form into the wound. Within a few seconds the wound was sealed, and the man's body would already be healing the wound. Grabbing a bandage, Jake wrapped the wound, then sat back and sighed.
"Ok... I think we should make sure that he's warm, then we best be heading to bed... " Jake's voice trailed away as he kicked another log onto the fire, then headed off to his tent. The twins looked at each other, shrugged, then got a blanket for the man, threw it over him and headed to their tent, yawning.

Markus clicked the safety on his pistol back on. The man had passed out, most likely from blood loss, before he could say anything of meaning. Sighing, he sat down underneath a tree a short distance away and let himself fall into a light sleep.

[ImperialOverLord]

Where am I? mused Harlequin as his brain rumbled into a working state. His eyes were still closed and he was warm. The pain in his arm was reduced to a dull throb and he no longer felt blood running freely. He moved a fraction and though sore, felt his strength had returned. Opening his eyes, Harlequin was greeted by the rising sun, just after dawn. Sitting up, Harlequin inspected his wound. It was well bandaged, he had received first aid by someone quite skilled in its use. Harlequin's hand instinctively went to the inside of his jacket, his gun had been left untouched.

Rising slowly to better understand his surroundings, Harlequin heard a slight noise and spun around. Gun leveled at small tent, the person inside still asleep. Anton lowered the gun, who ever these people were, (judging by the number of tents there were at least three) they had helped him. It was an extraordinary act, at least to Anton. Why hadn't they phoned authorities? Called the police? He had just blundered into their camp covered in blood. It struck a chord deep within Anton. He had to thank these people and the best thank you would be to leave now and to save them from the troubles he experienced. He didn't want his problems to be laid upon these innocents. He had to go.

A another noise, this one coming from behind made Harlequin turn to face it, his gun once again aimed squarely at the persons head...

[Orinon]

... to find Markus standing behind him, pistol leveled directly at Anton's nose. He clicked the safety off.
"You're far too much trouble then you're worth," he said, looking Anton over. "Hmmm. Seems like Jake hasn't changed one bit."
"You have no idea," said a voice nearby. Markus and Anton turned their heads to find Jake standing a few feet away. Pressed against his shoulder, and aimed directly at them, was a Gnarlar 12 gauge lever action shotgun.
"Gnarlar. Nice. Good to see your taste is guns hasn't changed," said Markus, doing the smart thing and tossing his pistol to Jake's feet. "Where did you get that from, anyway? Its military."
"Lets just say I have friends," said Jake, kicking the XC .75 out of reach of all three of them.
"No, I meant just now," said Markus, amused.
"Oh. I keep it in the back of the truck," said Jake, before looking at the tent containing the three teenagers. Markus was thinking along the same lines.
"Well, if we're gonna kill each other, lets not get the kids involved," he said, helping Anton to his feet. Jake looked at Anton, and saw he still had the gun. He frowned, then spoke.
"Anton, drop the gun." To Markus, it sounded as normal as a command from a man with the means and will to kill them would. To Anton, it sounded as if Jake had invaded his skull and overridden his brain. The gun fell to the ground a few seconds later.
"Good," he said normally, before gesturing for them to start walking.

Josh laid still, not wanting to get involved in the exchange happening a few feet away. He heard his brothers voice, but didn't feel anything good about it. Something told him that his brother was not here to help them. He wanted to stand up and walk out, to break up the impending firefight. But he knew better.
At least, he thought he did. For now he followed the three adults like a shadow. A teenaged, superpowered shadow. He just hoped that Jake was too busy making sure that either of his prisoners weren't going to turn around and attack him.

[ImperialOverLord]

(Note: Anton has yet to reveal his name, so I don't think Jake would know it just yet)

Anton remained silent as Markus revealed himself and continued to remain silent as Jake appeared with the shotgun. At first he was confused, the two exchanged as if they were brothers, but the age gap was to great for this to be true. They had to be related though. When the younger man dropped his gun Anton had kept his leveled at the mans head, unwilling to drop his gun while in the presence of someone who would have willingly killed him. It could of got ugly if Jake hadn't intervened. Anton felt as if someone was drilling a hole in his head as Jake spoke the words "drop the gun". Anton's mind was strong, but even he could not stand up to such an instruction when the instructor was this close or when he was still this weak. He had met Psychics before.

Dropping the gun, Anton gave Jake a bitter look and said in an even tone "Never. Do. That. Again." Anton was fully prepared to use force should he need to, even on his apparent rescuer. Picking up a scrap of left over bandage that had been by his side, Anton fashioned a sling, tucking his injured arm under his coat. He would follow Jake's instructions for now. He was obviously not with the government and may provide useful information. Grunting compliance, Anton reluctantly introduced himself simply as 'Harlequin',first names not being important.

[Orinon]

(OOC: Jake's power isn't the easiest to control; if he enters the mind of someone, he normally finds out all sorts of things that he really wish he didn't. That is the reason behind him not frying both Markus's and Anton's brains until they passed out; It might drive him insane.)

Jake frogmarched the two a few hundred meters away from the campsite until he was saw that the kids wouldn't hear them, then spoke.
"Right. You" he pointed at Anton with the shotgun " are going to meet a few friends of mine here." At this point, Jake once again slammed into Anton's mind and forced in a address in Kahi City, along with the image of a shore-side warehouse.
"Markus, you're going to make sure that he goes there. And, after that, you are going to come back to my apartment and take the kids there as well," said Jake, ignoring the death glare that he was receiving from said ONI Agent.
"You know I can't do that, Uncle," said Markus, spitting out the last word like poison.
"You can, and you damn well will, unless you want your brain dripping out of your ears," snapped Jake, who was, at this point, seriously considering shooting both of them. The fact that he levered the shotgun proved it.

Markus almost flinched when Jake levered the shotgun. At this range, if he fired, both he and the man beside him would be shredded. He was seriously regretting following the man now. And his hand was itching to go for the second pistol that was sitting on his hip, and covered by his jacket.
"Look. Ok, I'll do it. just don't kill me. I doubt that it'll make you popular with the kids," he said, trying his best to control his twitching right hand.
"Really? I wonder why," said a young male voice from behind them, layered in sarcasm and something bordering between rage and sadness. Jake spun to find Josh standing about 20 feet away, the young man shivering in anger.
"Josh... This isn't what it looks like..." said Jake, watching the boy with a wary look on his face.
"Then what the frak is it then?" said Josh. As he spoke, a crackle of energy shot from him and vaporized a nearby tree, reducing it to a small pile of ashes.
Jake and Markus had the same thought at the same time:

Oh, shit.

[ImperialOverLord]

Rather bizarrely, at the exact same time Jake and Markus despaired at the kid's arrival, Anton rejoiced. Perfect
The boy identity and purpose was not important, his power was interesting though. Almost exactly the same as Anton's own. The distraction was masterfully timed, even if the boy had no idea.

Even as the beam of energy reduced the tree to ashes, Anton was moving. Backflipping from his standing position, aided somewhat by the manipulation of the energy around him, Anton's foot lashed out mid way through the move catching the shotgun Jake held. The gun flew from the mans grasp, Jake too distracted by his nephew to hold on to it. The gun flew up into the air even as Anton was still flipping. As He stood up right he caught the gun as it fell down with his one good arm, it was too heavy for one hand so he used it's own momentum to swing it up again and rest it on his injured arm. The gun now pointed squarely at the two men.

"I thank you the address, it might be useful. But I warned you to stay out of my mind. The agent is going to leave or die and you Jake will turn around and go back to your camp. They are simple enough instructions, I have no intention of hurting anyone unless I need to. Especially since you all seem to be so well acquainted with each other."

Anton poked the gun menacingly at Jake. "Don't try and convince me to hand over the gun, do not try to pierce my mind or you will die."

The only thing Anton hadn't spoken of was the teenagers, he was curious as to what would happen to them seeing as Jake wanted them to go to the same address. Though Anton was injured, it was obvious that he was dangerous. The fact that he was calm and collected told everyone he had done this before.

[Orinon]

Jake and Markus stayed with still. They both knew, for different reasons, that Anton had evidently done this before. Josh, however, was still for a different reason. Mainly, the fact that more and more energy was lancing from his body. Two more trees were vaporized, as was a small patch of ground near the three.
"Leave... My family alone..." he managed to get out, staring at Anton with a look of rage, the normally white streaks in his hair turning a malevolent shade of red. A bolt of energy lanced from the teenager's body and impacted about a foot away from Anton.

Jake and Markus looked at each other. This was about to get ugly. they both knew when Josh was about to lose it, and he was about to lose it. They both tensed to get out of the way as quickly as they can.

OOC: Sorry if its crap. I'm tired and sleepy, and I really am looking forward to the 3ish months of holiday that my school just gave me. sleep ins, here i come!

[ImperialOverLord]

OOC: No problem, my own post isn't that detailed either)

Anton did not change stance. He didn't want any more blood to be shed, least of all a kids but neither was he going to be told what to do. It was not stubbornness that drove Anton, it was logic. Logic dictated that he was better off being in control, where the outcomes of his actions were his alone to deal with. They were in some form of stalemate. Anton would not wait long for the two men to move, yet they seemed to be frozen to the spot or at least ready dive out the way.

"Listen kid, use your head. No one gets hurt if we all calm down. We can be civilized if we so choose, your next action will determine the fact of all our lives here. For better of worse. If you blow it, then someone is likely to die here. And afraid to say that it won't be me. You have an amazing power, and we empowered are on the same side here."

This was the first time Anton had alluded to the fact he was an empowered. Only Markus knew he was and Jake may have suspected, but no one knew what his actual power was. Harlequin was hopeful that the young man was smart, he'd met too many idiots in his time, it would be refreshing to find rational people again.

[Orinon]

Josh's response was to send a lance of energy at Anton, missing him by about 20 centimeters.
"And I say that if you even touch that trigger, you'll live just long enough for your brain to register your atomic makeup being ripped apart at the subatomic level," he growled.
"I would say that Josh is pretty far gone, at this point," said Jake, talking more to Markus then Anton.
"Agreed. Shall we?" asked Markus.
"Yes we shall," said Jake.

And with that, the two of them dived out of the way, not wanting to either be shot or vaporized at the atomic level.

Goltia knew that her brother was about to blow. And she knew how dangerous Josh was when he blew. Which was the reason why she had Grace in a bear hug, holding back the younger girl.
"No Grace. You'll get killed," she hissed, struggling to hold back the spirited girl in her arms.
"I don't care. He'll kill Josh if we don't do something," Grace hissed back, a hint of desperation in her voice.
"Look. If you want to help him, you'll stay still, ok?" said the twin.
"Ok ok... What should I do?" asked Grace.
"Well...."

[ImperialOverLord]

(OOC: I tried to avoid a fight... but hey! It's on! )

Anton thought about firing then and there. The gun had been pointing at Jake which at this range would have probably cleaved him two. Anton, however, knew that it wouldn't help him in anyway. He had tried to reason with the boy, to get him to calm down or his family would be killed. The kid just won't listen Anton mused. It was not healthy for some one to think they're invincible, to think that they could do anything they wanted because they were powerful. Anton had thought the best example would be to kill either Jake or Markus and let that hang on the boy's consciousness. But even that was too cold hearted for Anton. On the outside Harlequin appeared to be nothing more then a selfish calculated killer, on the inside, Harlequin was a desperate and lonely soul, lashing out at the world.

Anton did not want this fate for the boy. No, no one else could teach him. It was up to Anton to pull him back from the brink. He only wished people would see that and not think Anton was just bloody-minded.

"Listen, had I not been in such a pleasant state of mind your uncle would be nothing more then a smear on the ground. As such, I am willing to let my threat go."

With that Anton disarmed the gun, keeping the ammo and throwing the remains aside.

"You have tested my patience, and sadly, I have none left."

Anton's coat started whipping around him, caught in an infernal wind that stemmed from the man himself. His white hair flicking to and fro, while his eyes were set with grim determination on Josh.Jaw clenched, Anton seemed to make the space around him glow as the surrounding area darkened. Energy crackled madly around him, similar to Josh's demonstration before save that it was thinner, more precise and under complete control of the user. The build up was merely for show, the last attempt to spook Josh into standing down.

Anton stood upright, one arm in a fist, the other still limp in a sling. He looked passive, betraying no sign of anger or frustration. If anything, his eyes looked sad. Anton did not want to make the first move. It would be Josh's choice and his alone.

[Orinon]

(OOC: My characters don't fight fair. As you will see. Just a warning.)

Josh matched Anton's look. Then smiled. A wicked, twisted smile. Suddenly, the aura surrounding Anton began fading, as Josh's grew brighter.

The teenager was stealing the veil of energy surrounding Anton.
"Pretty lights won't do much," said Josh, grinning, his own aura growing brighter every second, until it almost engulfed Anton's.

"This is gonna get nasty, quick" observed Markus, from his hiding place behind a fallen log.
"Agreed," said Jake, a few feet away. "Hey Markus?"
"Yea, Jake?" said Markus, looking at the older of the two.
"Sorry for trying to kill you."
"It's ok. I would of done the same thing."
"You gonna call for backup?"
"Already did. They'll arrest anyone who's here in 20 minutes."
"Shit. So, we have to break up a fight between two obviously powerful Empowered, make sure they won't kill each other, AND get the hell out of dodge, all in 20 minutes?"
"19 now."
"Great. Just when I was hoping for a holiday, too..."

[ImperialOverLord]

(OOC: They don't fight fair? That's kind of counter productive. If our characters don't fight fairly then there is no point fighting...)

Anton was not one for small talk. As soon as Josh grinned, Anton lashed out with a powerful burst energy, Josh's own energy would only add to it's effect. The burst was not entirely straight, it was not visible and it was barely controlled. How could a human control such things? While Josh seemed to have control over the sub-atomic, Anton merely destroyed it...