San Valentin [CVnU Location]

Overview

San Valentin is a city of massive growth and new development. While it is no Los Angeles, San Valentin could very well rival the population of San Francisco in the next 30 years.

The city has become a large tourist attraction, partly due to its beautiful beach, and is largely visited by couples curious about the city dubbed "California's City of Love". Tourists have tons of attractions to cater to their tastes, most of which are newly established for these tourists.

San Valentin shows clear signs of their history with their Spanish Mission style architecture seen in almost every building built before ten years ago, when the specific laws regarding architecture was repealed. However, most architects still use this style as they know it attracts the tourists which have become the largest interest of any business in San Valentin.

History

The city of San Valentin was founded, similarly to other cities in the area, by a group of missionaries and conquistadors. The missionaries tried to win over natives with the ideals of love, unlike others who forced natives into labor and religion, these missionaries simply preached to the natives and helped them develop technologically, eventually earning their trust and assistance. Together they drew up the original plans for the city,and each of the buildings and roads in those plans are still there today.

With the rise of the bear flag revolt, the leaders of San Valentin advised their citizens not to get involved, so as not to upset either side and cause conflicts for the small city. By some kind of miracle the ideals of love that the city had been built on remained and the people stayed out of the violence.

In 1907, a mysterious illness claimed the lives of 73 townspeople. Dr. Luthor Angstrom and the 2 other doctors in San Valentin at the time worked hard to deal with the ailments, but to no avail. Dr. Angstrom noticed that the first people who contracted the disease had been miners at a local mine; following his demands the mine be shut down, no new cases of the disease appeared. Symptoms of the disease included necrosis and physical violence.

During the 1920's, The Great Depression hit San Valentin pretty hard. Mayor Cornell established Cornell, a place of residence for the homeless, an example of San Valentin's seemingly endless compassion. In 1952, a fire raged through Cornell, utterly destroying most of it. The homeless were homeless once again, and this time they fell by the wayside.

The ideals of love and compassion eventually seemed to fall to the side. From 1976-1983 San Valentin experienced its first serial killer, a winged man by the name of Marcus T. Hadley, something the inexperienced police force was ill prepared to deal with. During the winged menace's crime spree, 19 people were murdered. With the final murder came the killer who had killed himself. After these events the city went wild, crime is now completely out of control. Organized crime has seemingly sprouted out of nothingness. While crime skyrocketed the economy plummeted. In a last ditch effort to save San Valentin, the leaders turned the town into a tourist trap.

Cityscape

A moderately sized city, San Valentin has a few different identities for each of it's districts.

CORNELL

Cornell is the largest slum in San Valentin. A wretched hive of scum and villainy, Cornell is dominated by the low level criminals, the drug dealers, and the illegal immigrants. Named for a former mayor who built it to relocate all those who had lost their homes and jobs during the Great Depression, Cornell was formerly a respectable place, until the crime wave hit the city in the 80's. The majority of the original district was burned down in a fire in 1952; what resulted looked much like a shantytown from South America.

Part of Cornell was not really affected by fire; this place is often referred to as "Upper Cornell". The Russian Mob had a foothold here, and nowhere else in the city, due to the strong Mafia presence in San Valentin. They lost control of the territory after Mayor West hired Sodra Die Mens to wipe them out.

Mens has taken over their former base of operations, commonly referred to as "The Strongbox". He is currently forming his own personal gang, and making a killing in weapons sales stolen from the Russians. The Strongbox and some of the surrounding buildings stick out due to their abandoning the general architecture archetype from constant rebuilding, and is frequently visited by taggers seeking adventure.

LONG HILL

Of course, not all of San Valentin is poor, nor is it all city. Long Hill is a shining example of the other side of social spectrum; villas everywhere, not a crime in sight.

Mayor Henry West's home is in Long Hill, looking surprisingly small compared to the massive villas owned by other residents. Armed Bodyguards are present at all times.

VALDANTA HEIGHTS

This is where the working class of San Valentin live. These homes were built in the 1890's, and apart from adding electricity and running water, they remain mostly unchanged. Beautiful scenery, this part of San Valentin stretches from the Southwest to the West, meaning you have to cross through it to get to the Marina and the Grayson Bay Ferry.

BRIGHTHOLME ISLAND

Named for Charlotte Brightholme, wife of Dr. Luthor Angstrom, Brightholme Island is a beautiful scenic island, which would have made it a beautiful place for tourists to flock to. This is not the case, as the city sold the island to the Mafia in 1996, and it has become a playground for the wealthy elite. On the north side of the island lies Sam G. N. Connor's villa, where many view that the true point of power lies in San Valentin.

OTHER LOCATIONS OF INTEREST

Abandoned Lighthouse: An abandoned lighthouse on a desert hill overlooking the ocean. Multiple gruesome murders happened here from the 1930's to the 1950's, and it has been abandoned since 1953. Thrill seekers will occasionally pop in here, but it is dangerously dilapidated on the inside. A note was once found inside, saying, "este es el Faro del espectro de la muerte".

Mission Hill: A convent established when the Spanish Missionaries first arrived, it was built onto a mountain from the east, overlooking what would become San Valentin. It can be seen when driving to San Valentin, and is always pointed out by the inter-city bus drivers. Today, it is still run by the Church, and on occasion will receive guests looking to atone for their sins. It is a difficult hike to make it there, but for those who have gone to the top of the steeple, the view is beautiful.

Los Maldad Gold Mine: A gold mine that came into operation in 1907. The miners came down with a mysterious illness, which soon was spread to the other citizens of San Valentin. Dr. Luthor Angstrom deducted that whatever caused the illness came from inside the mine, and the mine was shut down. The illness disappeared not long after, and the mine has been left alone for over 100 years. No one enters the mine; at least, no one has been ever seen leaving it.

Culture

The culture here is one revolving around the tourism, and the much hyped values of of love and compassion that have fallen by the way-side. In Cornell, much recreation revolves around prostitution and drug usage, while in the rest of the city is devoted towards keeping tourists happy.

Notable Citizens

Mayor Henry West is a very respected man, who has held office since the summer of 2005. West is well-loved by the people, be they rich or poor, as he has been working on redirecting some of the funds from the tourist trade to rebuild Upper Cornell and Lower Cornell. He is a Knight in shining armor to the poor, and is considered to be quite eccentric by the upper class, as the money he is re-routing towards the slums was from a kickback system developed by a previous mayor. He is a well-known socialite, and anyone who holds power in San Valentin deals with West. West is no pushover, and has stared down the barrel of a gun on multiple occasions. He has plans to turn San Valentin into the largest city on the Western Seaboard.

Sam G. N. Connor, the head of the San Valentin Mafia, and possibly the most powerful man in the city. He controls all business in San Valentin, apart from Upper Cornell. He owns a villa on Brightholme Island that he uses to entertain the rich and famous. Affable and witty, Connor is a polite and unassuming man, but for those who know him well, he is a ruthless, cold-blooded psychopath that would stop at nothing to get what he wants. He always has at least two dozen bodyguards around him, noticeable or not, and informants everywhere. He has also been known to keep close body doubles around, and at least two have been murdered in his place.

Dr. Luthor Angstrom was an British immigrant who arrived in San Valentin circa 1899. He married another immigrant, Charlotte Brightholme, who, along with a good portion of the townspeople, came down with a mysterious illness 1907. He and the people suffering from the illness were isolated on the then unnamed Brightholme Island. He noticed the first people to contract the disease were workers in a mine not far from the town, and so ordered the mine shut down. Those who were affected by the illness eventually died, and the heart-broken doctor was last seen in a boat rowing out to sea from the island. Legend says a gunshot could be heard coming from the sea in all of San Valentin, but there is no actual record of this.

Police Commissioner Gordon Mann is a man who hates to play by the rules. Corrupt as can be, Mann is actually in good public standing, widely supporting a charitable organization that is actually a front for drug peddling. Mayor West is aware of Commissioner Mann's various illicit activities, but can't do anything because of Mann's squeaky-clean standing in the public. With fingers in every pie, he's been always been among the crosshairs of the Russians and the Mafia. The real question is, who will kill him, and why? Whoever tries will have to get around his massive bulk, as Mann is 6'7'', and 400 pounds.

The Ex-Mayor of San Valentin, Raymond Porter, was the man who had to come to grips that San Valentin was no longer a good place. He became Mayor in 1985, during the chaos that ensued from Marcus Hadley's crimes. He decided he would make a profit from it, and not long after, following the constant crime and his embezzlement, San Valentin, was broke. Needing a way to get more cash, and his embezzlement undiscovered, he and the other community leaders hit upon the idea of turning San Valentin into a tourist trap. He was the one who hit upon the idea of building fans on the rooftops of the skyscrapers to move the car exhaust into Cornell. After embezzling pretty much any money that came into the city, he retired, and was succeeded by Mayor West, who has had to deal with his mess. Ray Porter maintains a strong friendship with Sam G. N. Connor.

A reporter for San Valentin City News (SVCN). Harris takes his job seriously, but has had difficulty gaining any respect due to his having been Cornell born and raised.

Economy

The economy of San Valentin has one of the greatest wealth divides for a city in the country. The majority of the residents reside in ghettos, and the few who don't are incredibly wealthy, the city's elite class of politicians, mobsters, and a few entrepreneurs.

Transportation

Recent Events

• Desmond McLeod, the assassin otherwise known as Shootout, came to San Valentin on a job. He made the mistake of invading Mathias Hadley's home, and was presumably defeated in combat.
• John Curtis, AKA The Replicator, arrived in San Valentin on a job for the CIA. Mathias Hadley made note of him as a person of interest, but Hadley was distracted and Curtis slipped away.
• The Replicator finds a sphere containing a biological weapon, and takes residence in an undisclosed location.
• The Replicator replicates a crime committed by Marcus Hadley, Mathias' grandfather, and Mathias is arrested for it.
• Mathias' extended relatives bust him out, and a family reunion begins.
• The Replicator orders for one of his allies, The Middleman, to come to San Valentin.
• Sodra Die Mens comes to the city, having been hired by Mayor West to eliminate the Russians from The Strongbox, something he does with lethal efficiency.
• Marv, a former enforcer of Sam G. N. Connor, arrives in San Valentin.
• Marv gets hired by Mayor West to wipe out the Mafia and the Hadleys, and settles in Valdanta Heights.
• Connor has some kind of plan to wipe out the Hadley clan. Commissioner Mann is working for him.
• Sodra Die Mens doublecrosses Mayor West, taking control of the Russians business in Cornell.
• The Replicator and The Middleman have some sort of plan to get more of the biological weapon out of the Los Maldad Gold Mine, but they are forced to hire local.
• Mathias discovers that he has another relative other than those involved in the breakout. Blake Hadley pledges to come to San Valentin.
• After failing to make contact with Marv, The Replicator decides to test out Sodra Die Mens efficiency by sicking him on Mathias.
• The Replicator gets through to Marv, but he has no interest on being hired as an assassin. Curtis is warned that if he gets in Marv's way that Marv will come after him.
• The Replicator succeeds in hiring Sodra Die Mens, but chooses not to tell him about the other Hadleys.
• Blake & Cascade Hadley arrive in San Valentin and meet up with the others at the Cathedral, but Sodra Die Mens shows up seconds later, ready to collect his bounty. A battle breaks out.
• The Hadleys are shown to work quite well as a unit. Blake is horrified by the violence, but knows he would do anything to protect his family. Cascade manages to damage Sodra Die Mens, but not before he manages to carry out the hit on Mathias.
• Fleeing from the carnage, Mens takes refuge in the forests, where his leg is shot off by Marv, who has been watching the entire battle. At this point Sodra Die Mens flees before Kels Hadley can track him down, and Marv charges headfirst into the fray.
• The other Hadleys working desperately to protect the San Valentin Cathedral, Blake was left to attend to his brother Mathias, who never got the chance to know him. It was Blake who brought the body to a mortician, and Mathias' death hit him hardest.
• The Replicator is summoned by Leland Owlsley during the conflict, who expresses disapproval of his behaviour and actions. Curtis proves his worth to Owlsley, but is now on very thin ice with his employer.
• Sodra Die Mens decides to get vengeance on The Replicator, but is unable to track him down. He swears vengeance on the entire city, pledging that it will burn.
• Upon seeing this, The Replicator & The Middleman decide to make another attempt at making peace with Marv, who flat out refuses.

Special Note

Some rules:

• Mayor West & Sam G. N. Connor are out of bounds for being killed. If you try to kill Connor, it will be cited as a body double.
• No blowing up massive portions of the city. A few buildings is OK, but nothing extreme. Large-scale firefights are also allowed.

@the_replicator designed most of the thread many thanks to him, however I am fairly certain he is no longer active. If you have any ideas or would like to contribute pm @mth_. I would love some help to get this going again but as I have a tight schedule I'm somewhat relying on the community's help. If you want to do something big but don't know where to do it, pm me and I'll talk it out with you. If you know someone who you think could fit the environment please recommend SV to them.

(not even close to done, will edit and complete when I can)

Nice. Looking forward to the rest you'll add.

I'm excited myself to see where this will go. I just hope it doesn't die before it ever gets to live. This is something that requires people being involved, and that isn't exactly an easy thing for me most times

Should be able to get some more up today and actually turn this into a working thread. Also @Zenobios might be helping to add some content. If anyone has any ideas just shoot me a pm and I just might throw it in who knows.

Desmond McLeod, otherwise known to the criminal underworld as Shootout, began unstrapping a duffel bag full of supplies from his back. He stood stalwart in the top floor of San Valentine's Cathedral, having earlier that week accepted a contract that would lead him to the so-called City of Love.

Bloody hell, more like the city of AIDS, he thought, taking note of what seemed at first glance to be an overtly amorous atmosphere. While his observation may not have been entirely accurate, it nonetheless amused him as he unpacked his supplies. He'd need food for an extended stakeout like this one. The interior of the Bell Tower had unnerved him; having climbed through a series of scaffolding and wooden supports. He'd chosen a time for the stakeout in which no civilians should be in the Tower, so as to afford him a clear shot at his target. He unpacked several small, empty jars. Gonna be here a while. No time for the toilet when you got a stakeout goin' on, he reminded himself. He had forgotten jars last time...

And now, his favorite part of the setup phase. C'mon, something, anything nice...something I can't buy legally...

He reached into his bag, feeling around for the handle of a gun, any gun. It was part of the Curse; he could reach into the bag looking for a weapon, and sure enough, he would find one. He reckoned he'd pulled out a laser gun from the future once, something under development at Avalon. Or Google, he remembered thinking. He hoped to acquire something as neat as that again soon. It had left quite a mark on both him and his target.

Hmm. Well, this'll do I s'pose, thought the Scottish Sharpshooter as he removed his arm from the bag to reveal a large, high-caliber sniper rifle. He inspected it, running his hands over the frame, caressing the body like a small animal. Oh, yes, an FR-F1. French. Interesting, I s'pose. Going classic tonight, aren't we, mister Devil? He loaded the gun, taking into account the time of day and the weather. 7:00 at night, all clear up top. Good night for a stakeout, yep. Good night indeedy...

Setting up his rifle from the window, he started to wait, anticipating the moment his target would show his head...

(....my character lives in that cathedral....ummm)

(You're in fact surrounded by information on my powers and family and also you clearly must've walked right through my home)

@mth_:

I know, I just had him not notice. Would it look any different than a normal cathedral? If not I'll edit it. I just figured you'd want interaction. Additionally, I figured the cathedral itself was open to the public. There's nothing that says it's closed down or anything.

@jack_: I don't understand why he doesn't just pull guns out of the bag for a full day, then sell them.

He has actually redesigned the inside of the cathedral. Only part of the actual base level church is how it used to be, well spruced up a bit more cause it was abandoned for like 5 years. So you not noticing could make sense as there are pews and stuffs just bleh its a church moving on. With the bell tower it has a lot ofPapers and maps and so much stuff all over the place so idk. you decide I'm fine with you keeping it just as long as you take advantage of the fact you have info on me before you meet me or something of the sort

@_ulysses_: They disappear after a while. I should add that to the bio if I haven't...

@jack_

After a long day flying around fighting criminals, one of which he was currently holding in his left arm, Mathias headed home. The people in this neighborhood were very conflicted about anyone bearing wings after Mathias's grandfather had become the city's very first serial killer and his father had fought crime but eventually killed the majority of his family. Most of the people just felt sad for the young man who had lost everyone he loved, which allowed him to simply land in plain view in front of the cathedral he kept as his home and drag an unconscious rapist in without worrying about threats on his life. Most times he didn't even lock the door. As he walked in he heard a rustle in the bell tower, which is where he would've landed, but allowing a criminal even the smallest chance of waking up and learning everything about Mat didn't seem like the best of ideas.

Probably just birds again Mathias thought to himself but decided he may as well check. He dropped the rapist right on the front pew and wrapped rope around his arms and legs "some time in church just might be good for you." Mat said in mockery to the man who couldn't possibly hear him.

Once again Mat heard noise in the bell tower. Dammit Mat what makes you think you should alert an intruder of your presence, maybe I'll do better with the next one. Mat launched off the main level straight up to the top of the bell tower and saw a man his gun and a duffel bag....and his duffle bag. a drug dealer setting up shop in my bell tower? that'd be ironic. wait no definitely not that a dealer wouldn't keep a sniper rifle. By God....there's an assassin in my bell tower! This is so exciting once in a lifetime. okay now breath Mathias...breath

Sir....uhhh, I would like to inform you, you're set up in my residence and while I'm not going to stop you from doing your work I would like to move some sensitive documents out before we proceed here....that or I can simply try to fight you, in which case you'll win of course. And while that sounds quite entertaining, I don't feel like dying. I'm also pretty sure you would prefer not to waste time....you've probably got some things to do

(are you going to respond?)

@mth_: I'm sorry, I didn't see that I was tagged. It's late where I am, and I'm fine for chatting, but I'd rather not write at the moment. Tomorrow I'll be sure to respond. I apologize for the wait; there's a bug that sometimes pops up and prevents you from getting notifications. Ask anyone about it and they'll tell you the same thing.

Yeah CV is just packed with bugs nowadays

@mth_: This is a cool location. We should write together sometime.

@jack_Bloody hell, more like the city of AIDS

LOL, Shootout speaks the truth.

Thanks, and I would love to write with you I just want to get this thread all finished....speaking of which, would you like to help me with throwing in content and building a working thread?

Seems like a good place for spring break. :D

@travis_finch: Sure does!

Hell yes!

@mth_:

The Chance Assassin was shocked to hear a young voice from behind, babbling nervously about coming to collect papers or something. Whipping around from his position at the window, he drew a revolver from his holster, aiming it directly at the intruder.

"Hell no, lad. You sit right the hell down. And I mean right damn now." He gestured at the ground with the pistol, concealing his jaunted nerves behind an air of thuggish superiority. "You wanna stay alive, you'll do exactly as I say."

He's a kid. Bloody Hell, I can't shoot a kid...but I can't let him go, either...dammit, what do I do?

"You shouldn't have been wandering around up 'ere anyways. Liable to run into a maniac," he muttered with a wry smile, hidden behind his mask. What do I do...what do I do? I know. Rope. There's bound to be some here somewhere...

"You stay put, squirt. I'm going to get that rope over there. You're not going to move. I'm going to tie you up. And you'll keep damn quiet if you wanna stay alive, you got that?" he growled threateningly. Shootout was no child-killer, but there was no way he'd let him leave and go to the authorities.

"You're in for a long night, lad. If you need to use the jar, just say so and I'll look away." Putting down his rifle, Desmond walked over to the corner, picking up a rope, and turning his back for a mere second to his unexpected visitor...

@jack_:

As soon as the mystery assassin turned his back, Mathias took flight and hid himself in the darkness at the very top of the bell tower. This should be interesting....at least he was stupid enough to turn his back on me, now I have an advantage. Just a couple things left to do...

Mat pressed his fingers against his temples, and as he did the room went pitch black....and then suddenly there was intense light, and it returned to the darkness in a terrible cycle with each lasting less than half a second. The assassin had been blinded, an effect that would last up to about an hour. "Hey, how do you plan on restraining me, or more importantly using that sniper rifle of yours, without yourvision." he said, laughing at the man lost in darkness below.

Almost there... Mathias dropped directly onto the man, hoping to incapacitate him.

Ohhhhh great job on this!

Thanks

A sad little bump

@mth_: I will drop by some time =)

A bright city street, bustling with tourists, of various nationalities. Black, White, Asian, Latino. All from various walks of life, all with their own lives, own purposes, their own ideas. Their own identities. They walk the streets, trying not to be hit by the various cars passing by in the streets. It's a nightmare for motorists. Almost continuous traffic jam, and the occasional pile-up. Buses, somehow, be they from the city or from out of town, will find ways to be faster than the rest of the traffic. They actually get places on time. They're the only vehicles that could make it anywhere on time. So, people walk. Some take the buses, but there had recently been a scare when some nut high on PCP highjacked a bus and devoured a couple of the passengers. A bus pulled up to the stop, not the local bus, but an intercity transit bus. Off stepped a few dozen people, some Asian, others white. They met up with a tour guide who had been waiting there for them. All except one of them. An older man, with blonde hair and grey blue eyes, heavyset, but alert. He didn't join up with the group, and no attention was paid to him. As the crowd walked one way, he walked the other way. He stopped for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"Aaaahhh," he said.

In downtown San Valentin, at least, in the poorer areas, smog was all-too prevalent. On this street, the first street that tourists would often set foot on, the mayor had ordered fans to be installed on rooftops to move the car exhaust into the slums. That was in 1994. Over the next 5 years, fans were installed on rooftops all over the city, in order to make sure that the tourists always had a breath of fresh air. As for those in the slums, who cared? John Curtis enjoyed San Valentin, and its history. After taking another deep breath, he continued his walk down the street. Work was to be done.

*bump*

Hmmm...soo I guess I'll just have to drop previous thing and I guess I'll respond to you replicator

@mth_: I tried to keep my description of the city quite general. If there's anything that doesn't fit your vision, let me know.

Mathias crouched next to one of the giant fans as he watched a bus come in, scanning a new batch of tourists for anything out of the ordinary. Seeing an older man he began to think on his grandfather, wondering what he was like....wishing he had been given the opportunity to get to know him. The tourists were now walking off with a tour guide, all but one. The older man who had caught his eye earlier had broken from the group. "As good a time as any to start profiling" he mumbled to himself pulling out a small notepad and a pencil, and building a template with a portrait of the man in the corner and specifically labeled space for information to be placed. He had almost no information on the man, for now he would be labeled as a person of interest.

Putting away the notebook he began to follow the man from above, silently jumping and when necessary flying from roof to roof. Looking to his left he saw about ten Hispanic men wearing bandanas and waving pistols around. "why have I been following an old man when these guys are running free?" Mat mumbled to himself again. His dagger should do good for this fight, he hadn't used it since he picked it up from his dad except rarely to dig a stubborn arrow out of a target. Dropping into a corner engulfed by shadows he grabbed the closest man and slit his throat before he could alert the others and pulled him into the dark. He then jumped to the roof with the body in his arms and flew high enough to be invisible to the gang members and at the point he shoved the body down into the crowd.

Flying back into the shadows he picked them off one by one, until only one remained. "So this is what passes for tough these days? Huh...interesting. How about we make this more fair for you, I'll let you try and kill me with the dagger. Yeah that's right here we are you can just take it right out of my hand," As the gang member grabbed the dagger, smoke began to rise and immediately he dropped the knife "Holy $#!+! Were you really that stupid to think I'd actually help you?" he said to the man who's entire body was burning without a flame. As his skin burned completely away, Mat laughed and said "Oh f*** being a hero, this s*** is way more fun."

(Replicator I have recognized your presence but will wait to make significant interaction and will instead explore my character, if you want do the same if you act it will leave room for me to act and then eventually there will be actual reason for them to meet)

Curtis continued his leisurely stroll down the street, with the vague feeling of something important having just gone on. In no way fazed or distracted, he looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing a poorly disguised beat cop. His stance, haircut, and physique gave him away. Fortunately, the cop was walking in the opposite direction, and Curtis had no worries. After another five minutes of walking, he came upon a small Chinese restaurant, the name of which was not displayed openly. Stepping through the door, Curtis was struck by the poor lighting, the smell of black powder and various other pyrotechnic materials. The old woman behind the counter gave him a curt nod, and he reciprocated. He moved to the back of the puny restaurant and stepped through a door. It was a smaller room filled with crates, all piled to the ceiling, and a strong smell of coffee grounds hit him in a wave of caffeine smell.

He stepped behind one of the towers of crates, and saw another crate that was completely out of place. He bent down on his knees and inspected the crate; blowing the dust from its surface. He felt around the top of it; feeling for the indentation that would tell how to open the crate, Curtis slipped the top of the crate off.

Inside the crate were a set of keys, a glock, and a green sphere. Putting the keys and glock into his pocket, he carried the sphere in his hand, and walked back into the restaurant. Grabbing a take-out box from the counter, he placed the green globe inside and strolled outside. He walked to the edge of the side-walk, noticing in particular a black GM C-Series 1974 van. Taking the keys from his pocket, he entered the van, turned the key, and drove off.

............................

Long since out of downtown San Valentin, and just out of the suburbs, only the desert was ahead of Curtis. He drove for about half a mile before pulling over to the side of the road, next to a dead bush. Curtis got out of the van, walked around the bush, and knelt down before the dusty crate that was almost completely obscured by the bush. Sliding the cover off, he placed the green globe inside what had previously been a completely empty box.

"Now the true work begins."

He got back into the van, and began the long drive back into town. Work still had to be done.

As night falls on San Valentin, an exhausted Mat turns off his television. Slowly rising from a tall beige wingback chair, he stretches his arms, while simultaneously extending his wings to their fullest extent. A long yawn is released as Mat moves over to a room near the front of the cathedral. Slowly pushing open the door into his personal library, Mat drags himself over to his desk and pulls a fresh journal off the shelf. Dipping his quill into black ink he begins to record the events of the day. From the moment he woke to the moment he started writing, every minute detail recorded.

Hours later, he rinsed off his quill, having finished, and closed the journal. As he rose to place the journal on a bookshelf he heard a fluttering of wings as a two birds, one black and one white, landed on his shoulders simultaneously. "Holy f*ck, please tell me this isn't part of my powers. I don't need birds coming in hear all the time." As he tried to shoo them away the birds dug their talons into his shoulder glaring at each other, while also putting Mat into some extreme pain, "Wtf! Get OFF!" Mat was now shouting at the birds waving his arms trying to hit the birds or at least scare them. Both birds dodged Mat's swiping hands with ease. "Seriously man wtf?!?! I just want to sleeeep.... Do you want me to keep you??? Is that it??? Do I need to build a cage? I'll fckn build a cage if that's what I need to do"

Mat walked down the stairway to his underground workshop, birds perched on his shoulders journal still in hand. "Guess I'll have to use this weird metal stuff. I was going to use it for weapons but noooo the universe had other plans. Well you know what? Screw you universe I'll find a use for these birds. I will!" He turned to each bird lightly petting them, "So do you want one for both of you or individual cages?" Each bird squawked in an almost aggressive manner at the other. "So I guess its individual cages...."

Mat went to work melting metal into molds. Pulling from symbolism of light and dark he used a black metal, Chaonite, for one and a pure white metal, Ordesium, for the other. Each had special qualities which Mat had been working to figure out. As he finished the base of each he carved a symbol into the metal. For the Chaonite base he carved one wing connected to a skull and around it all an M. For the Ordesium base he carved one wing wrapped in chains and around this an H. After a long night of work Mat collapsed just as the sun began to rise. Each bird flew towards their respective cage, but each was pulled by some invisible force into the other cage, the white bird was trapped in a black cage and the black bird in a white cage.

(btw after Mat started working he lost all consciousness. On another note my crappy symbolism has made itself known)

5:20 am: The streets are foggy, filled with car exhaust and smog. San Valentin had been experienced an uptake of tourists coming to the city in their cars, and so Lower Cornell was experiencing an uptake of car exhaust. It looked like something out of a movie about Jack the Ripper. Streets made of stones, smog obscuring the view, criminals in every shadow. And a maniac on the loose.

5:25 am: A scream is heard from within the smog. It is ignored; such sounds are commonplace.

6:17 am: A prostitute from Cornell is dumped from the sky, falling onto a parked police cruiser in Valdanta Heights.

6:23 am: The first reporters arrive on the scene.

6:26 am: News about the crime hits the local news. The reporters focus on how it was so similar to a previous murder, one committed by Marcus Hadley, San Valentin's infamous winged serial killer.

............

Curtis watches the news from the sanctitude of his temporary home. He chuckled at the thought of the return of a decades-long dead winged freak. Building a mechanical set of wings had been difficult, but after having picked up a variety of parts from around town, it had merely proved an interesting engineering challenge. As for finding the hooker, it had merely been a matter of flying around long enough. Now that a murder by Marcus Hadley had been replicated, Curtis would have to focus on his work. As he settled off to sleep, Curtis wondered about whether or not Hadley had any relatives. If so, they would be hearing about this shortly......

Waking at sunset, Mat walked up the stairs to the main level and into the kitchen where he started making a cup of coffee for himself while searching for the tv remote. Finally finding it under a couch cushion he settled down on the couch and turned on his TV. The 7:00 news had just started. (I'm about to go through the news completely btw be prepared for awkward terrible boring writing)

Harold Harris, a middle aged Caucasian newscaster, bore a serious look, a clear sign that something big had happened. "Good evening folks. As you probably have heard there has been a murder in Valdanta Heights. Young Cindy Phillips was dropped from the skies where she fell directly onto a police cruiser. Her body scarred, containing wounds consistent with that of a spear. Everything seems to match up with the Marcus Hadley case from years ago. This network would like to apologize for a mistake in earlier broadcasts. The name had been mistakenly reported as Lyndon Hadley. Now we go to Paul with the weekly forecast. Paul."

Mat was in shock, how could this have happened? Mat threw his head into his lap, tears streaming from his eyes because he knew what was next. He knew the whole thing would be pinned on him. "My whole life is gone....its f*cking gone!" Mat shouted, rising to his feet. Suddenly the world went black and Mat fell to the floor.

An angelic voice called to Mat in the darkness, a voice he recognized. "Mom? Is that you? Where are you?"

Light surrounded his mother as she approached him. She reached down and pulled him up "Mathias, what are you doing? You've been given a gift. Why do you refuse to use it? All this killing criminals nonsense...it hurts to see you like this. What happened to my sweet little boy so full of love? How have you become such a hateful young man? You need to return to love. Love is the answer." She smiled as she walked away "Goodbye, my little angel"

Just then Mat woke up in a holding cell. The stench of urine filled the air. A guard walked up to Mat's cell, "So I see you've turned into the model citizen....damn Hadleys, criminals and freaks, all of em. You're just further proof that your family is a threat to safety in this city. Joe! Where are you with that sedative? Hurry up!" Another guard approached, this one had a bag of small metal containers that looked almost like soda cans. The guard reached into the bag pulled out one of the containers and tossed it into the room. As the bottle hit the floor a green gas filled the cell, stopping right at the bars. Once again Mat blacked out.

10:00 pm: The news was on. Apparently Marcus Hadley did have relatives, a grandchild in fact. And the blame was being place squarely on him. This was convenient. They were already crucifying him based on his familial connections and the fact he had wings. Curtis chuckled to himself, turned off the television, and left the room.

10:27: Curtis had been thinking. He didn't get to do too many ritualistic killings, and the flying apparatus was truly an unique experience. But they had already arrested the Hadley boy, which meant that his one scapegoat had been used up. If he did anything while this Mathias Hadley was jailed, then they would know he was innocent, and begin looking at artificial methods of constructing wings. That could easily get annoying. And so Curtis realized, that if he were to enjoy the styles of Marcus Hadley, Mathias Hadley had to roam free.

10:34: Curtis made a phone call to an associate. "I find myself in need of your services, old friend."

10:44: The phone call had concluded. Curtis knew the situation would be handled. Not by him of course, that would be too risky. In order to get this done, he would need someone else to represent his interests. A broker, some would say. Others knew him by his name, The Middleman.

(@mth_: Let me know when you want out of prison)

(bump)

(also I've got the getting out of prison thing covered....perhaps they will encounter the middleman who knows)

@mth_: The night had fallen on Sal Valentin, Engel and Kels had a short discussion of details before both departing into the starry night. Spear in hand, and a mission in his heart as he soar towards the police station holding Mat Hadley. Family comes first, is how Engel has always felt. This holds true to the laws of man in his eyes as well, being called a freak by most Engel shows honor now to those like him or those who have proven to his family their loyalty.

Thoughts of his family being in danger sent a sense dehumanizing through out his mind, seeing them as now obstacles to clear to grant freedom to his mentor. The station was now visible from the sky above and search lights were blazing into the air as if expecting company. He aims for the lights one by one blackening the station throwing spear after spear, each striking their target and vanishing. The station was in darkness, and now came the night vision swat team scanning the skies, but Engel had some flash bangs and tossed them while throwing on protective shades. Then swooping down to grab the men one at a time soaring high into the sky and releasing them, again and again til finally a helicopter arrived.

Sparing no expense it seemed these people wanted to keep their prize. Flying head on with the copter Engel strung a few flash bangs together and pull the pins allowing him to reach face to face with the cockpit. Then the blinding light, silhouetting him high above, as the driver loses control seeing nothing but bright stars.

The copter fell directly above the station causing an explosion below as Engel now watching above waited for Kels part of this rescue attempt.

(Open rp to whom ever wants to tag along.)

"I-I don't know. I want this city to thrive and be known around the globe...but to have you do that." Mayor West runs his hand through his hair. His eyes are tiery, his skin pale. He is leaned against his desk. Facing the window he talks to the man who will help clean up his city. But for a large price, of course.

"You're a realistic man Henry, so what if a few thugs die. Cornell gets cleaned up, I get paid, we all walk away happy." Sodra Die Mens taps his metallic fingers on the mayors leather couch, leaving small holes on the arm rest.

"A few die to help purge this city." scoffing as Sodra Die Mens gets off the couch and walks to the flimsy man. The mayor's knees begin to shake a little as the tall cyborg walks to him slowly.

"I-I guess. I just want to do this the right way. Send them to jail, let the legal system take care of them." Henry proclaims.

"It won't matter, the have lawyers lined up ready to get them out of this kind of stuff. Give me what I want and I'll make sure their lawyers will be useless." Sodra Die Mens says grinning at him, placing his cold machine hand on Henry's shoulder. "So pay up, and we both get what we want."

---

The next night, Sodra Die Mens is leaping roof top to roof top till he arrives to the location. He stands looking over the Strongbox. Eight guards patrol the outside. Three on the roof with AKMs, the rest are all walking around in various spots, looking out into the streets, watching cars go by,four have pistols, the other has a shotgun.

"Eerder nie so veel energie op die ouens more nie"(Rather not waste so much energy on these guys:Translated from Akrikaans)

He licks his lips and smiles, as he extends his right arm out. His pointer and pinkie finger both turn into small barrels. Sodra Die Mens takes aim for the three guards on the roofs.

*Bang, Bang, Bang*

The sound of .45s going off echos through the ghetto slums. The first guard receives an ear full of lead, the second his hit in the lungs and begins to die on the floor, his moans of pain can't be heard over the ac unit roaring next to him. Luckily for the third is only hit in his upper thigh. The pain makes him pull the trigger and a small burst is let off as he lands behind cover.

"Aaahh! Damn it!" Sodra Die Mens shouts to himself.

The guards on the ground begin to rally up and scan the area together.

"Might as well just go all in now." Chuckling to himself.

Sodra Die Mens runs off the roof and leaps at the group of men. Landing 25 yards away from the Russian goons, one shouts

"Chto yebat' eto!?" (What the F%ck is that?!) as they all point their guns at half man half robot. Grinning Sodra Die Mens runs at the group of Russians as they begin firing at him.

Bullets ping off of Sodra Die Mens robotic legs and arm, one manages to graze his human arm, while the other hits the flesh on the upper part of his cybernetic arm(half is robotic). He lean readies his claws and jumps over head of the group.

...

Will continue some time tomorrow night.

@palidan: Kels idled her car about five blocks away from the police station, window down and blaring Fall Out Boy, waiting for Engel to enact his part of the plan. A minor distraction, some kind of signal. Then she'd swoop in and rescue Matthias. Simple, clean, efficient, that was the plan.
Unfortunately, plans rarely survived first contact with the enemy, and even more rarely survived contact with this family. An explosion rocked the area, eliciting a string of swearing from the punk that was luckily enough drowned out by the music. Shifting into gear, Kels tore off down the street towards the source, which unfortunately was the police station.
"God damnit Engel, you fucking asshole," she muttered, stopping the car about half a block away. She cut the engine, muted the music, and rolled up the window to block out the sound of sirens and fire, concentrating her thoughts. After about ten seconds, she opened the door and stepped out, pulling off her shirt just in time for the bulging flesh on her back to explode, revealing bloody, dripping bat wings.
"Fuck that hurts," she groaned, hissing as the newborn flesh touched air for the first time, again, then folded them up as the wounds rapidly healed and slipped her shirt back on, dashing towards the station as fast as she could.

Inside the station was chaos, everyone running around, trying to figure out what was going on. No one noticed a young lady slip right past, into the cell block.
"Yo, Matthias!" she called out, speeding down the hall. "Where you at? Break out time!"

Mat woke to chaos. Explosions, gunfire, and the sound of heavy footsteps running down the hall towards his cell. Then a voice, a voice he almost recognized but couldn't quite figure out. Then her saw her. A girl with bleeding bat wings wearing almost exclusively black, panting as he reached his cell.

"Well who might you be? Not too often a cute stranger comes to rescue you from prison...." and then his face went completely red, as he realized she was family....he had just hit on family. "umm....that never happened...lets get outta here I've had enough of this place. I do have to ask how many of us are there? Are any more here?"

"actually lets just get out, we can figure out the rest later. Umm one thing, I don't have any drugs so I guess you're flying me around, 'less you got any"

@darkfeather21:

(Recommendation: censor the more coarse language. It's not too strict around here, but mods are mods, and better hear it from me than them)

@vici_aurelius: (Sorry about that. I'll keep an eye on the language.)

@mth_: "Ugh," Kels made a face and grabbed the bars of the cage, forcing them apart with relative ease. "My sex life may spit in the face of tradition in a variety of ways, but "incest" is where I draw the frelling line. Now get your butt out here so we can leave." So far so good.
Of course, as she thought this, several police officers entered the cell block and started shouting. "Dren," she swore, then pulled out her combat knives. "Okay, new plan. Get out to the yard and make yourself visible. Engel should be outside and might be able to get you out." She had to deal with these frellers. Without a backward glance to Mathias, she charged down the hall, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"f*ck that!I'm fighting its been like a week sitting there not doing anything. I'm ready for a fight" he said, cracking his neck and reaching into a box containing his possessions. "finally got my baby back! F*ck yes! Definitely ready for a fight!" He exclaimed.

Mat pulled an arrow back to his shoulder and picked a target. The arrow split the air and eventually the guard's wrist. "I'd just like to say that wouldn't even be incest." A guard ran at Mat, who swung his leg out knocking the guard on the ground before sticking an arrow in his abdomen. "I mean not that the technicality changes anything, just you know making a statement. The whole incest thing disappears after a certain level of genetic separation." Finally Mat filled the room with a black cloud blinding everyone in the room including Kels. He then nailed each to the walls and scooped up Kels, before sticking a syringe in his arm. Mats strength came back, something he'd definitely need with a blind girl to be carrying around. "Now....now we can leave"

@darkfeather21:

(It's cool. Not my rules. It doesn't bother me personally. I usually just add ****s whenever I write one. Preserves an element of realism)

@mth_: Kels leapt onto a guard and stabbed him in the chest with both knives, twisting to maximize damage. The guard fell to the floor, Kels still on his chest, and she pulled the blades out in order to hamstring a guard who tried to sprint past.

While she was doing this, several did make it by towards Mathias, who took two of them out in stride using his holy weapon.

"Listen, Mathias," Kels replied. "I really don't even care if it'd be incest or not. You're not my type anyway." As she spoke, the area was filled with an inky blackness that not even her enhanced eyesight could pierce. Luckily, her ears were just fine, and she could hear the arrows fly through the air to take out the rest of the guards.

"So this is that blackout I heard about," she said, then shouted as Mat scooped her up with ease. "For a 16 year old, you're really damn strong to be carrying me around with one arm," she added, then placed her hand on his shoulder. "And I appreciate the sentiment, but blinding me doesn't render me 100% helpless like most people. I can still hear just fine."

@vici_aurelius: (What can I say, I really like Faarscape.)

Mat took off anyway"I dont care if you can hear, you can't see. That's too big of a risk I'm taking you. I don't care about your comfort right now you're the first Hadley I've seen since my dad....well I just haven't. So I'm not willing to let the first one I meet get hurt because she could 'still hear just fine'. I'm gonna take you to my home. Maybe we can work out a way to get this stuff outta your eyes"

"It's called echolocation," Kels growled. "If I can hear, I can get around. And what the hell do you mean, work out a way? I swear, if this dren frells up my contacts, it's gonna be your arse." However, she didn't squirm too much. Her wings were still sore from their birthing and she didn't exactly trust them to catch her if she fell.
Speaking of wings, actually, she might as well call off her powers. Didn't seem like she'd need them much again for the rest of the night, and calling them off early would actually reduce the limit of time before she could actually use them again. She held her breath for a moment and concentrated until she could feel her senses dulling back to normal.
"Okay, don't freak out," she announced to Mat, just as her wings started to turn into a bloody, flesh colored past and began to drop off. "This is supposed to happen."

(One more post, maybe, then I'm off to bed.)