CVnU: New York City

@Thunderbolt : Her skin tight leather attire compresses to her skin, acting as a second layer, the lonesome flower would soon spread word of her activities as soon as she finds the man who called to her not long ago. His bruised essence was in need of her, she was there to provide him the cure to his loneliness a way to help rid of the pains the world has set upon him. His psychic echoes brought her to a shady part of town, the slums of New York, "Generic as usual." she commented, the area was a typical palace for crime members in the making, the location was used to avoid any direct accusation towards the kidnappers as well as a perfectly cloaked area. Almost every one had the same thought impressions. "Hang in there little Noah..." reminding herself that despite the odds of this area she would find him sooner or later. Restless hours of searching brought her towards a reformer, a man dressed in spiritual garb "Where is he?" she asked nicely, "Get off me defile witch! The lord has forbidden me from spilling the gospels." his faith in god seemed to have clouded his mind into a harden victim. "Hush dear... if your lips won't talk then your mind will.". Using her telepathic gifts she snatches his mind, his very being under her grasp, his mind was now hers. As she delve deeper into his mind she was barricaded and force out by an unknown third party. Though her mind touring was not pointless, in the end she recalled one specific memory from her victim's mind, something important that would uncover something at large "Purifiers....."

@Impero: A smile stretched across her face as she saws the scars that ran across his face. Tragic yet symbolic, admirable, a tale for all men to follow suit. "It's not that bad." running her fingers on his scared patches. She used her gifts to provide them privacy from peeking eyes, moving closer with her lips she attempts to lock lips with the man she had just met. "Don't try to hide the beauty from the beasts. There's no point in satisfying them..." she said as she now left his side wandering away, but leaving a special note in his pocket.

Alastair entered a small bar at the base of an apartment building in the heart of Brooklyn. The atmosphere of interior reflected the neighborhood as it was situated within the Brownsville area, notorious for the low-income housing projects and high crime rate. Although he stuck out like a sore thumb, wearing a silk suit and dress pants, he was welcomed by the bartender and several patrons. "Hello lads and ladies." He addressed everyone before passing by the crowded tables and heading into a back room. Mostly empty, the back room contained two chairs placed across from each other with a small poker table in between. Alastair sat on the chair facing the door and took out a box containing poker chips and placed it on the table. "I'm feeling lucky tonight." He spoke out loud before taking out a deck of cards and beginning to shuffle them.

@Madame_Blossom: Groaning he glares at the possessed man as he stands from the rubble with scraps and bruises covering his body. He looks back to the woman and nods "Fine, where do we go?"

@Madame_Blossom: "Good to hear, because I am always willing to expand my knowledge as it helps me move along"

@Kratesis: "Sometimes a well placed punch to the kidney can defeat a colored belt"

@Madame_Blossom: Without hesitation, he silently accepts her romantic embrace, briefly indulging in the tender moment before she vanishes from his presence, leaving behind a specific note in one of his pockets. Calmly placing his iconic mask back on, the enigmatic Grandmaster wonders, perhaps even hopes to meet her once again.

(LOL, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what the note says :P)

@Darkchild: "Anywhere but here..." she continued. Moving along with the two others while being pursued by the psychic menace she needed to come up with something quick. This demon was a lower class compared to the other psychic beings, just a flea in power and with enough preparations she could easily disperse his essence from the physical plane leave him being as nothing from before. "So tell me, what can you do?" she asked curiously, needing to know of his skills and capabilities. It just might give her that little push for her spell.

@RumbleMan_Exe: "I'm sorry this isn't an appropriate time and place. Maybe some other time." she winked, "But we can always enjoy this scenery before us."

@Impero: (LOL! It might just be a calling card ;) I'll let you decided <3

@Madame_Blossom: "That we can, and hopefully I can be part of that spectacle dear. I bet my turn is up right around the corner" Milton wraps his tape around his knuckles and awaits the call...

@The_Paper_Monkey Finally navigating the crowd Jono finds the one called Paper Monkey, slowly closing in behind her he stands inches from her. He knew she knew of his presence but he chose still to give a loud cough to get her attention. "I saw you tonight, may I buy you a drink. I wish to speak with you about a delicate matter."

@Madame_Blossom: They were running for she seemed to show was their lives, suddenly the mysterious woman spun around and was inches from his face asking what he can do. Looking around he saw a cockroach on the ground. Extending his finger towards it, the cockroach trembled for a moment before bursting its life essense flowing into his finger. "I siphon life force, but I would rather not use it. More comfortable using..." With a second twitch his body transformed into a bright metallic silver. The sound of metal clanking against itself echoed and he smiled "This I like more."

@Madame_Blossom: Hehe good call letting me decide girl ;) <3

@RumbleMan_Exe: "Mhmmm your quite active I presume..." she said seductively, trying to conjure any sort of imagination he had within his mind, "Perhaps a little workout could benefit us..." it was an unsure comment, she needed approval before she could begin.

@Darkchild: "Perfect..." she said vaguely she was cooking a plan inside her head. The trio manage to run several blocks away in an alley, away from any outsiders. "He's coming... I can sense him." she said calmly, now that she knew what her new ally was capable of it was time to start a psychic trap. "I'm going to need a life..... like that roach you killed... find another quickly..." she said without further questions or comments. This was urgent and she needed everyone's full and undivided attention.

@Impero: I know I'm in good hands with you<3

@Madame_Blossom: Of course esposa <3

@Madame_Blossom:

"Let us begin then"

Setting

The slums of New York City. Filled with many types, but of late there was a rise in mutant gangs. Rejected by their own families feared by the public and shunned by government services they formed into groups for mutual protection.

Those groups became gangs, and those gangs become a problem. Filled with individuals with meta-human power, nothing to lose, and often better educated then other types of gang members they became a serious threat to law enforcement in short order.

Before long they caught the attention of the FBI Gang Taskforce. And the Taskforce gathered evidence, turned informants, and eventually called for a raid by the Cape Killers of NYC. Somehow the Court caught wind of this and sent forth what resources it could spare to aid in the defense of their mutant brothers and sisters.. and protect their own investment as well.

The Cape killers consisted of hundreds of fit, heavily armored, well armed and skilled soldiers. The best of the best. You had to be to fight capes. For heavy support they had a number of twenty five ton mechs. More agile and lighter then tanks they were more suited to support the soldiers in the brutal street to street combat.

Tiger of Babylon

Amaranth stoically pulled shards of glass from his face. The wounds were minor, inflicted as he landed on an old green glass lamp after phasing through the roof.

Tossing the bloody glass away, his face re-knitting back into its weathered countenance, he takes his collapsible sniper rifle from his back and moves to a window.

A quick look outside shows he is eight stories up in a housing project tower, and has a clear line of sight down the likely line of advance. Stepping back several feet and setting up a table to use as a rest he begins to wait with the calm of an old hunter.

"Tiger One in position." He mutters into the psyco-reactive crystal embedded in his armor. The psychic link allowing his voice to travel directly to the minds of the Strigidae.

@Amaranth_Strix: As they killers march forward, a stream of mist floated down into the middle of the squad. That mist materialized into Tanner, instantly grabbing one of the troops with his strength and sank his fangs into his neck, taking enough gulps to kill him. "Really should invest in neck brace-" Tanner quickly muttered before dodging gunfire from one of the cape killers that finished being surprised. The bullets would wind up in the troop behind Tanner, while he dashed up towards the one firing and swatted the gun out of his and and voilently snapped his neck. While doing this, he took three bullets to the shoulder, ending that by grabbing the nack snapped corpse and using it as a shield as he charged towards the two firing at his back and used the body as a distraction. While one stumbled, the other managed to fire a round into Tanner's heart with expert accuracy, shame he was a vampire. Tanner then extended his nails to use his two fingers as knives plunging through the goggles of the soldier and killing him as soon as his eyes were worked through. The stumbled troop reached down for his gun, Tanner then rolled over his back as he was bent over and used the spinning momentum to throw the man by the arm up through the window of the fellow sniper.

@Tanner_Brenkov: Golden goggles glow from the darkness of the shadows. A graceful figure in inky black robes lunges forth, slashing preternaturally sharp claws through the throat of a Cape Killer. Crimson blood sprays.

Several killers open fire on her and she spins into the shadow of a trash filled dumpster. Gunfire riddles it.. but she is gone.

Emerging near the vampiric warrior and hurling a poisoned blade at the eye socket of another Cape Killer. A short nod to the vampire.

@Strigidae_: "Focus on the killers, I will deal with this one.." He said calmly to his accomplice.

@_Legion_: Tanner then looked over at the oncoming shield, turning his midsection to mist so it flew right through him. He then used his intense speed to meet the man's fist with Tanner's forearm. "Your not one of them, please, stand down".

@Tanner_Brenkov: @_Legion_: The body of a cape killer smashed through the window. Emerging from out of his line of sight it surprised him, and he reflexively flickered into intangibility. Flipping back to tangibility he stops on the throat of the cape with his two tons of strength, ensuring the man is dead.

Bringing the rifle back up to his shoulder he spots a man leaping out of a helicopter. The scope is enough to see the mans red, white and blue uniform.

The man or the machine? He selects the machine, it provides mobility and overwatch to his enemies. A force multiplier.

Teeth bared he draws a bead on the chopper and squeezes the trigger. A massive BOOM echos throughout the room, and a meter of fire sprays from the tip of the anti-material rifle. A fifty caliber round of destabilized molecules tears through the air, aiming to hit the chopper and destroy it in a horrific explosion of shrapnel and fire.

@Tanner_Brenkov: @_Legion_: With a silent nod the black clad killer draws a grenade from her belt and tosses it toward the advancing Cape Killers. It explodes into a cloud of thick black smoke, resistant to most types of heat vision and infrared.

"Need help, call out."

To her vampire companion, as she leaps into the cloud of smoke, bloody talons flashing in the glare of battle.

@_Legion_: Tanner jumped up and landed, taking the punch with no attempt at a defense, focusing on grabbing the shield. It made a unpleasant noise as it collided with his palm. The shield sunk into the flesh of his hand a couple of inches, but he paid no attention to it as he dropped the shield beside his feet and glared at the soldier. "Can't say I didn't try to be diplomatic..". With that statement, Tanner begun a slight speed blitz of an assault. Quickly going for a quick jab to the throat followed by a sweeping elbow aimed for the lower part of his rib cage, next Tanner attempted a razor nail slash for his stomach followed by a grab aimed for his throat.

With all the commotion down below, no one would notice the oddly dressed girl who had appeared on the roof of a nearby housing complex. It provided a perfect vantage point for everything happening down below, and the perfect location for an ambush.

A small, round and somewhat golden object sailed down below into a mass of the cape killers, tinkering lightly as it bounced a few times. Some looked down, others looked up. None moved in time to escape the fiery blast of the incendiary grenade as it detonated, sending shards of shrapnel everywhere. At that moment, Shiho jumped down from her post, landing right on top of two more cape killers, claws outstretched and and sure to shred body armor and flesh with little trouble, aided by the fall. An assessment of the situation showed they were outnumbered, but likely manageable, with what they were working with.

@_Legion_: @_Strigidae_: @Tanner_Brenkov:

The first wave begins radioing for backup as the combination of vampire and mutant begin cutting them apart.

Many of the survivors rush to the aid of Legion, his patriotic costume and visible combat skill drawing them to his leadership in the crisis.

But loud clanking and thuds can be heard, and three massive mechs stride forth from the smoke. Armored in six inch thick plates of composite armor, and armed with a massive mini-gun and self loading autocannon they send some of the local gang members fleeing in terror.

Leveling their arm based minguns they open fire, a torrent of explosive ammo that blows meter deep holes into the concrete, rips cars into scrap medal and obliterates the bodies of a few unfortunate bystanders.

The sound of further mechs and hundreds more Cape Killers can be heard in the background, but as of yet they are out of reach.

Her first instinct upon the sound and of the reinforcements is to disappear in the shade of a nearby ally, and she does so just in time to avoid an incoming hail of gunfire. She makes her presence known once again, emerging on the other side of the street and making a mad dash forward at one of the mechs.

Unfortunately, the men had other plans and opened fire immediately after catching wind of her movements. Shiho is forced to fall back, though not before snatching one of the men with her and throwing down a smoke bomb. She next appears on the same roof as before, still holding onto the now deceased man. “Tiger One, I need cover on the men centered around those mechs.”

@_Strigidae_: "Copy that Strigidae One."

Slamming a 12.7mm round into the breech of his rifle and once more using the table as a rest he takes aim at the troops around the mechs. Gently squeezing the trigger the rifle slams back into his shoulder like the kick of a mule. He stoically endures the pain.

The heavy round burns through the air, destabilizing on the molecular level as it flies. Impacting the ground near one of the mechs feet it detonates in a brilliant flash of light and shower of burning hot metal fragments. The shock wave alone is lethal to an unarmed person, and the shards of shrapnel kill seven Cape killers instantly.

Windows shatter for a block, and many of the Cape Killers are rendered deaf for life. They leap into cover, and the advance of the mechs is temporarily halted as they search for the source of the shot.

@_Strigidae_: "As you wish." A quiet chuckle in his voice. Another massive round into the breech. Rolling his chiseled shoulder before once more aiming at the men around the foot of the mech.

The destabilized round causes another tremendous explosion, this time catching a group of Cape Killers huddle in cover. Literally blasting them apart in a gory splatter of gruesome body parts.

Unfortunately for the Tiger of Babylon one of the other mechs had zeroed in on his general and the flash of his rifle had given away his last position. The mini-gun begins firing, blowing skull sized holes clean through the brick walls of the building he is in and showering him with shrapnel. Taking dozens of bone deep cuts and being knocked sprawling into the drywall behind him, he struggles to his feet. A grunt as his regenerative factor beings to repair his wounds.

Keen hearing detects the sound of several squads of Cape Killers entering the building, through a side door. He cursed under his breath, realizing what had happened. "They've used this force to pin us in place, while another force outflanked us. We have to fall back now or we'll be cut off." And destroyed in detail, but he leaves that unsaid.

He curses the numerical superiority of the human, but its an old complaint. The human had always outnumbered the mutant. It was perhaps their only advantage, but it was a strong one.

@_Strigidae_: Pressing a metal stud on the side of his sniper rifle to collapse it down into its transportable form, and attaching it onto its maglock at the small of his back. Drawing his heavy magnum pistols, he shifts into intangibility.

Phasing through the floor until he reaches the bottom, then transitioning back into solidity.. behind a squad of Cape Killers.

Hardened professionals they had a rear-guard, and he opened fire with precision and speed. Several armor piercing rounds glanced off of Amaranth's nano-carbon armor even as he leveled both pistols and opened fire.

Emptying both cylinders of explosive shells, killing the entire squad within seconds, blasting away the walls around them and collapsing a section of the roof. Several rounds impacted his skull, legs and hands, and he briefly went to one knee.

Bearing the pain as best he can, yet some still carries through the transmission. "Nnnggg.. We can.. we must simply fall back to a more defensible position to.. buy time."

@Amaranth_Strix said:

@_Strigidae_: Pressing a metal stud on the side of his sniper rifle to collapse it down into its transportable form, and attaching it onto its maglock at the small of his back. Drawing his heavy magnum pistols, he shifts into intangibility.

Phasing through the floor until he reaches the bottom, then transitioning back into solidity.. behind a squad of Cape Killers.

Hardened professionals they had a rear-guard, and he opened fire with precision and speed. Several armor piercing rounds glanced off of Amaranth's nano-carbon armor even as he leveled both pistols and opened fire.

Emptying both cylinders of explosive shells, killing the entire squad within seconds, blasting away the walls around them and collapsing a section of the roof. Several rounds impacted his skull, legs and hands, and he briefly went to one knee.

Bearing the pain as best he can, yet some still carries through the transmission. "Nnnggg.. We can.. we must simply fall back to a more defensible position to.. buy time."

"Oh mortals..." Tanner said as he was now standing tall over the man, his mouth and face was just drenched in blood. "Do you need assistance? I held them back as much as I could but the sun is rising, my powers are fading and I become weaker and weaker...If we just get to a dark area..".

@Tanner_Brenkov: The old warrior slowly pushes himself to his feet, willing his muscles to work even with multiple rounds embedded in them. "Yes, if you could provide a distraction while we fall back to a better position that would help. We can use that large warehouse to the east.. plenty dark in there."

@Amaranth_Strix: "Very good, you start heading there now, I will hold them back for at least another ten minutes before that sun rises and I become mortal, then these bullet wounds will not heal.." Tanner points to the wounds that were quickly sealing up. "Go, now.." Tanner nodded to him as an order almost. With that, he bounded off and transformed into a swarm of bats into the night. The aggressive troopers were drawing in, until they pointed out the swarm of bats. But their fire spread didn't manage to get enough of the bats as they materialized on top of one of the mechs. Tanner grinned as he stood atop the machine and the men turned around and fired at him, making him climb down and cling onto the back of the mech, the operator yelling at his comrades to cease fire.

Tanner ripped open the back with his razor nails and discovered the reservoir for the missiles. With a chuckle he sliced deep cut into one of them, quickly climbing further down to cut the wiring on the mech's left leg. This caused it to tumble forward onto some of the squad, eventually the fallen machine detonated and consumed at least twenty or more men in flames. Tanner walked away from the flames as he made his way towards the warehouse that his team should be at by now.

@_Strigidae_: Flipping open his pistols, spent brass clattering to the ground. He loads the pistol on the move, jogging toward the exit. "Luring it is, we're going to fall back into the nearest warehouse for our vampiric ally. He should be able to fight at greater strength inside the darkness there."

Picking up speed as his wounds begin to heal around the bullets still inside his legs. "From there we can escape through the sewers once we have done all we can."

@Madame_Blossom: He hadnt understood completely what she wanted so he searched, a rat at the end of the hallway caught his attention and he corned it picking it up by the tail "Now what?"

Stepping from the backseat of the black tinted BMW 7series as it stopped just outside the Neodell Pharmaceuticals building, Mr. LeBeau waited as his lawyer and finical adviser made his way around the vehicle before making their way towards the entrance. The suspicious and visibly valuable briefcase handcuffed to Mr. LeBeau's wrist drawing the occasional glance from rubber necking tourists and imaginative onlookers.

@Nowaiowt: She peered over her shoulder with a scowl as the imposing stranger purposely encroached her personal space. Silently she listened as a propositions were laid at her feet but still she did not speak. Instead the Little Fang apathetically nodded her head as if to tell the man to lead the way.

@Amaranth_Strix: With his monstrous chi masked through intricate metaphysical means, the mysterious Keijijo Impero manifests before the mutant extremist in an outward flailing flock of dark crows that soon dissolve into nothingness. "Calm yourself", he pre-cautiously states with characteristic composure and confidence. "I am an ally of Kratesis", his alabaster mask strikingly similar to the apparently emotionless Kratesis'.

@Impero: He nods in respectful acknowledgment. In the eternal war for his people no ally was to be turned away lightly and clearly this man had some kind of superhuman powers.

"We need to buy time for the Vampire and Strigidae to get set up inside the warehouse we're falling back to. Care to assist?" The parallels in the mask of the impero and the mask of Kratesis struck him as odd, but being a practical man he set it out of his mind for now. There was a battle to fight.

@Amaranth_Strix: His apparent role in the meticulous operation was clear to him. Briefly turning to face the controversial futurist, Impero asks, "Alright. What do you need me to do? Specifically?". With his wide array of versatile talents, there was truly much he could accomplish to accelerate the progression of their operation.

@Impero: Knowing little of the elusive mans combative abilities, save for the faint memory of whispered rumors.. legendary martial arts skill, superhuman capabilities, and impossible feats of environmental manipulation. What was true and what false was unknown to Amaranth but a lifetime of battles allowed him to adapt near instantly to changing battle field conditions.

This was a prime opportunity to inflict damage, cause confusion in the enemy and buy his vampire ally and Strigidae valuable preparation time. He was confident they could transform the warehouse from a solid defensive position into a virtual death trap.

"Join me in a counter attack. We should cause as much chaos and confusion as possible, to keep our true numbers and future trap a mystery. They have located us here in this building, let us move to the building in front of this one, behind their lines and flank them. This will slow their advance, and as we shall attack from behind them it will buy us some time before they turn their mechs upon us." And further time before the mechs could turn around again and engage the warehouse upon which he had pinned his hopes for a successful delay.

@Amaranth_Strix: Quite a strategic course of action to take, one that is heavily favored by the legendary martial arts veteran. However, perhaps there was a different plan that could be utilized, one that would consume less collective energy. "An effective plan, but perhaps I have something better", he paused, directing his attention to the multitude of chi-signatures spread in the area. "Our enemies, they do not have any significant skill with their chi and chakras.. correct? If so, then causing confusion will be an easy task for my esoteric powers. You will not have to lift a finger", he proposed.

@Impero: If true that would indeed be effective. "By all means." He nods in agreement, using the brief respite further recover from his earlier wounds.

Checking his supplies of ammo, grenades, and condition of the golden hilt attached to his utility belt by reflex, as he took a pair of steps back to observe the mystical mastery of the masked Impero.

@Amaranth_Strix: Directing his focus to his targets, he rapidly memorizes their chi and instantly resorts to his immense Eikyo prowess. Quickly, the iconic enigma's multi-colored eyes darken completely as eerie red hypnotic rings replace his irises. Metaphysically disrupting the flow of chi in the chakras of his targets, he quickly causes severe sensory confusion, inducing powerful illusions, turning friend against friend as their enemies begin to slaughter themselves in mass illusionary confusion. "Tis a pity when one disregards the development of their chakras. Few realize it, but the vulnerabilities left unchecked are immeasurable".

@Impero: Moving to a window he watches the chaos and bloodsoaked confusion. Machine guns mow down dozens of their comrades, grenades rip apart formations. It is madness and carnage on a massive scale.

His features chiseled from stone, as stoic as a statue, but the sight of slaughter never pleases him. It is necessary, but not something he takes pleasure in. Better the humans then his mutant brothers.

"Impressive." With an effort of will he forces the thoughts from his mind. Many more moral sacrifices would have to be made to free his people. This was not first. And it would not be the last.

"Better then I had dared to hope." A nod of genuine respect toward the enigmatic Impero. "If you have time to join me, I am going to lure what re-enforcements I can into a trap inside a warehouse to our west." The last stage in his plan, he hopped it would provide enough of a delay for the escape of the mutant street gang they were defending against the forces of human law and human dominated order.

@Amaranth_Strix: "I will only be able to help a little longer. I have some things to take care of", he admitted, "Lead the way". In an effort to utilize maximum precision and efficiency, the enigmatic Impero will potentially resort to his trademark deadly Eikyo-shuriken combination.

@Impero: "Understandable." Any aid was better then none.

"I believe there is a mech between us and my goal, could you assist me in disabling it?" The explosive loads of destabilized molecule rounds in his pistols were powerful, but the mechs had exceptionally thick titanium ceramic plating as armor, and he had concerns about wasting more valuable rounds when it was not necessary Resources were not unlimited after all.

Solidifying his acquisition of Neodell Pharmaceuticals had signified the stage one completion of a multi-layered plan set in motion long ago. And with the mysterious briefcase still cuffed to his arm, Charlemagne LeBeau had one more stop to make. "Where to next sir?" Questioned the portly driver as Mr. LeBeau stepped back into the parked BMW. "The Federal Bureau of Investigation's field office, and do hurry, I would hate to be late."