The Beacon

@.Longshot.: "Heh, stubborn as always.." Puzzler shuts his connection down before Paxton could cut him off, in true Puzzler fashion.

@Chocolate_Thundah: "I think the arm should do it," replied the archer to the apparent government agent, "And as promised..." he cast his bow across to the agent's feet. Not like he could use it anyway. "Now... care to explain why there's a flaming satellite in my back yard?"

@The_Puzzler: "Hrm..." his eyes narrowed on the black screen. He turned and walked away into the dark. "Be seeing you, Que."

@.Longshot.: BETA sighs and rolls his eyes as he tries to recessitate the explanation his handlers gave him "During a satellite's orbit, there's an anomaly; that can occur in which it get's too close to the Earth's gravitational pull...blah blah blah resulting in the satellite in question entering the atmosphere. I was just sent here to retrieve any information that could've survived the crash, salvage any valuable materials, then blow the damn thing to smitheroons. Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe buzz a few ski lodges on the way to and from here...run over some endangered polar bears...set fire to the lakes...I don't have a signal up here because of you, so my handler's have no idea what's going on right now. I'm entirely on my own."

@Chocolate_Thundah: "Well, you know what you came to do. You have a way to get back. If you don't mind, could you take the satellite for scrap instead of blowing it to 'smitheroons', as you put it, that would be appreciated. I'm not up for containing another wildfire."

@.Longshot.: BETA frowns at the bowman's request as he reattaches his arm. "Fine...but now it's my turn to ask some questions. First off, why did you take such an interest in this satellite? Second, why escalate the matter by attacking me, and third and most importantly, why f[bleep]cking arrows?! That seems really ineffective!"

@Chocolate_Thundah: "Knocked you down." the archer replied tauntingly, "And in answer to your other two questions: I don't like flaming wreckage crashing into the earth... and I don't like to be followed."

@.Longshot.: "Fair enough...listen, I still got a few hours before the download's done, so do you mind if I just wander around with you? You seem to know what you're doing, and I'm sure you weren't going to let me firebomb those glaciers over there..."

@Chocolate_Thundah: "I make it a habit to not let anyone firebomb anything."

(Got a little impatient of waiting on the thing in Redemption Park to sort itself out. >_> )

Amelia woke up in her new quarters. She was wearing her clothes, but they smelled.. semi-clean. Or was that her body? Reaching up, she felt that her hair was damp. Looking around, she was immediately bothered by how.. plain her room looked. It had the bare necessities, and absolutely none of her stuff. Groaning, she stood up, going to the door to explore whatever it was outside.

"Fifteen minutes...Fifteen minutes before I pass out and die...I can feel it...The snow slowly burying me..." The Rumor was slowly bleeding out in the blizzard outside, after a dodgy hostage situation on a plane he was shot and fell into the wild, luckily it was close to the beacon.

@Amelia_: "Good morning." called a familiar voice from just beyond the threshold of her door. Longshot leaned against the wall with a mug full of steaming dark liquid in his hand. He offered it to her. "Coffee? The stuff stings my nostrils almost as bad as cigars, but I understand that it's good for a hangover, and that people with ordinary senses can enjoy it without at least two of their senses screaming at them to throw it against the wall.Oh, and don't worry, I'm not the one who cleaned you up, so no reason to feel uncomfortable." There was a long pause, "Okay, so maybe there IS reason to be a LITTLE uncomfortable. We only had to do it because you threw up all over yourself after the teleport. No problem, though. Happens to everyone. Melissa did it the first time she tried. The hangover just helped. Welcome to the Beacon."

@TheRumor: Longshot cut through the trees in a frantic run down through the snow. He had been up on the mountainside doing extreme weather exercises when he heard a low-flying plane over the howling winds. He saw a dark form falling through the endless gray and immediately ran after it. He had switched his eyepiece to thermal imaging in order to find the body, but it was already submerged in snow. He smelled for blood, but the wind carried away the scent so quickly that he couldn't pinpoint a location. In the end, it was Horus who guided him to the exact resting place of the body. He cast aside the snow and dug the man free, examining his injuries. He had his first-aid kit, but in this weather, with these injuries, his chances of survival were far greater inside. "Janine!" he shouted into his communicator over the frigid gusts, "I've got a patient incoming! Have a stretcher ready on the ground floor teleporter station!" With that, he typed the proper code into his teleporter console and placed his hand on the wounded man. "It's gonna be alright, man." he reassured him, "It's gonna be just fine." He waited, keeping pressure on the wounds as an aura gathered around them. It grew brighter and brighter until, finally, they both vanished, rematerializing inside the Beacon. Janine was already there, and they eased him onto the stretcher. It was a close call, but in her hands, Longshot knew he would make it.

@.Longshot.: Josh woke up with a gasp as he grabbed the nearest scalpel by reflex and wielded it in a deadly manner. He sighed with relief to see he was in some sort of medical bay, his wounds bandaged with great skill. "My sui-!" Josh looked over to see his travel bag, inside was the Rumor suit.

@.Longshot.: "I'm fine." Two words she'd repeated over and over, that were somewhat of a lie. She walked out into the hall, blinking. "But God help you if my clothes were off for even a microsecond." Slowly, she exhaled, remembering exactly why she couldn't just go back and get her stuff. Eddie was a lot safer that way.

@Amelia_: 'I'm fine'. Longshot had heard those two words plenty in his life, mostly out of his own mouth, especially after Olivia died. It was Melissa who pulled him out of that. Whatever Amelia was going through, Melissa knew how to help her. She always knew how to help. But until she was able to get off duty, Longshot would have to do. "Only the sweatshirt and the jeans." he said, "And she's the one who undressed you." he said, gesturing over to Janine, who sat in the living room at the end of the hall. She waved to Amelia and smiled. "Anything we can get you? I know the rooms are pretty bare bones, but we can make things more livable if you want."

@TheRumor: "You took quite a hit." the archer explained, stepping out of his place in the shadows, "Then the fall broke your right femur, bruised your tailbone, cracked three ribs, and gave you a concussion I wouldn't wanna shake around too much. Just lay back."

@.Longshot.: Josh's training from the league of shadows made him feel little to no pain, he was well aware of exactly what injuries he had but he also knew that Longshot, could not know that eighteen year old Josh Mcnair was also the Rumor, and so he played along as if he was in great pain. "I was traveling alone, searching for my dog Max...I took a nasty fall down a steep hill that was covered in snow...Thanks for saving me yeah?"

@.Longshot.: "Alright. Your nuts are safe this time." The girl felt relieved that the guy hadn't been the one to undress her. Her hands slipped into the familiar sanctuary of her jeans. "Well.. it'd be nice to get my stu.. actually, nevermind. It's fine. I'll be fine with what's here."

@TheRumor: "Yeah..." the archer said casually, leaning against the table neighboring the one his guest lay on. He crossed his arms. "But there's no civilization for miles, not so much as a road. How did you and... Max, right? How did you and Max get all the way out here in three feet of snow?"

@Amelia_: "Okay," said Longshot, backing away slowly, "The kitchen's on the sixth floor, gym is on the second, and there's a nice view at the top. You can stay here as long as you like." He tried smiling under his mask, but it simply came across as awkward.

@.Longshot.: She nodded, immediately making for the elevator. Stepping into it, she disappeared behind the doors, pressing the button for the top floor. After awhile of waiting, she walked out onto the top floor. The view was indeed nice. Even better, though, she was alone. Retreating to a corner of the room, she sat down, drawing her knees to her chest.

@.Longshot.: "Heh, me and my bud like to travel the wilderness, the farther the better! it is sort of our vacation time when I am not working. But he must have saw something pretty tasty cause he ran off from a path we were following, next thing I know im trudging through the snow to keep up to him. I almost fell into a river and dropped my tent and fire gear..Again that blizzard hit just in time for me to fall.." Josh looked genuinely concerned for his fake dog Max, it was nigh impossible to tell he was acting.

@TheRumor: "Right..." Longshot said, walking over towards the door, "Get some rest. We'll talk later about getting you home. The blizzard's almost over now, so I can go look for... paw prints. Because Max is still running around out there. Don't worry, if he's out there, I'll find him." He stopped in the doorway and turned to his guest, "Sleep tight."

@.Longshot.: cough Akuba cough post cough :D

@.Longshot.: As soon as Longshot left the room, Josh activated an E.M.P charge from his suit, aimed specifically to knock out any sort of camera. He quickly got up and grunted just for a moment at the feeling of his ribs shifting. The young lad was quick to grab his bag and exit through the large window at the end of the med bay, opening it instead of just diving through it. Before he even hit the ground he was dressed in the Rumor suit. "Thanks for the hospitality.." He said with a chuckle while slipping his cowl on.

@Gambler: I'M WORKIN' ON IT, WOMAN!

@TheRumor: "You should know by now that I'm not deaf." Longshot said casually, jumping up into the trees. "A person's heartbeat is like a fingerprint. It may not be quite as incriminating, but the voice, the scent, it all comes together and proves that rumors can't hide forever."

@.Longshot.: lmao get ur as$ moving

@.Longshot.: Rumor glared at the archer and sighed, "Cut me some slack im only eighteen years old and almost as good as you" Without hesitation he threw three shurikens at him and started navigating the trees with ease.

@Gambler: Yeah, I'm really draggin' my a$$. But when my post is done, you're gonna have some new SCAR STORIES. (subtle hint is subtle)

@TheRumor: "When I was your age, I was being hunted down by murderers who were better than me," said the bowman, dodging the shuriken and jumping to the next branch with ease, "Consider yourself lucky. Now, do I get some answers, are are you gonna run on a broken leg?"

@.Longshot.:

@Gambler: If I had arrows, I'd shoot the sh*t out of you right now. Oh, wait...

@.Longshot.:Rumor easily snuck up on Longshot, he aimed to jab him in the kidneys with pin point accuracy and the surprising speed he struck with. "Did I mention I have been eighteen for a long time now? Heh"

@TheRumor: "You haven't really mentioned anything." Longshot replied, deflecting his punch. He jumped in the air and flung a gas cartridge straight at his opponent, "But I've been fighting for a long time now."

@.Longshot. said:

@Gambler: If I had arrows, I'd shoot the sh*t out of you right now. Oh, wait...

Not a bad strategy. Arrows are stylish, but not very useful against a man fast enough to dodge bullets

@.Longshot.: "I could say the same for myself!" Rumor darted out of the cloud of gas and met his opponent in the air. Again with amazing speed he attempted a very specific combo of strikes, first going for a trike to his windpipe and almost instantly followed with a strike towards his chest with his knee followed by an attempt at a headbutt to his nose.

@Gambler: Well then, perhaps I should just call up Mercy and see which one of us she hates more.

@.Longshot. said:

@Gambler: Well then, perhaps I should just call up Mercy and see which one of us she hates more.

@TheRumor: Longshot threw up his arm, causing the first blow to strike his gauntlet. The second punch landed precisely as it was intended, hitting him in the chest, bust his jacket absorbed most of the blow. As he saw his opponent's head coming, Longshot bent his knees and cocked his neck forward so that all he hit was the carbon fiber plating inside his mask, over his forehead. The archer then returned fire by aiming to swipe the stranger's feet from under him, simultaneously grabbing him by the throat and spinning around to slam him into the tree.

@Gambler: Dat's what I thought.

@.Longshot.: Rumor smirked as the padding in his cowl nulled the effectiveness of the archers defense. Rumor then crouched down to block the grabbing swipe while also blocking the swipe kick for the assassin's feet. Now that the archer's foot was halted by the block, Rumor instantly went for a palm strike to his kneecap so he could break it. Not letting him have the chance to possibly recover he flicked a small orb onto the metal plating of his chest. The orb started beeping, soon it would detonate into a concussive blast.

@TheRumor: Longshot unclipped his quiver and flung it across the forest, but not before swinging it at Rumor's head. He had no need for arrows at this range, anyway, and even with the padding in his cowl, every hit took some effect on his concussion. Even if he had sustained no other injuries, the fact that he was even standing, let alone fighting in a tree, with a concussion like that, was incredible. Longshot immediately jumped from the tree and caught the neighboring branch. He swung up and over the branch, launching himself back at the Rumor, feet first, aimed for his rib cage. If it hit didn't shut him down, the fall would. And if he managed to dodge, Longshot had his arms out, ready to catch his opponent and pull him down off the branch.

@.Longshot.: Rumor was surprised to see his persistence, as the feet came speeding towards the assassins chest he knelt down slightly and with a upwards motion with his forearms he aimed to swing the archer's legs up as they fell, if successful he went for a quick series of shattering blows aimed at his spine as the fell through the brisk air. Moments before they fell, he deployed his glider wings t completely halt his momentum and allow him to land on his feet. "If I managed to get those strikes right, it would give me the chance to walk away..I do not wish to kill this one.."

@TheRumor: The kevlar of his jacket, as well as the armor plates beneath, absorbed the blows to his lower back, but he found himself wishing he still had his quiver. As he fell, he heard a pair of wings unfurling. He spun in midair and cast six small, sharpened metal disks, about the size of nickels, at Rumor. Three were aimed for each wing, flying at an angle to cut as much of the fabric as possible. He caught a branch. It broke in his hands, but managed to slow his descent. He landed in a bank of fresh snow, slowly digging his way back out. Rumor's landing would not be as pleasant.

@.Longshot.: Rumor's enhanced senses saw the glisten of the small sharp disks, immediately sheathing his red wings he dropped through the trees as the blades flew past where the wings just were. He pulled a quick line out of his utility belt and snagged it onto a tree, his armored glove clutched onto the line and permitted a gentle descent. "If you turn your back now we can simply end this..I have no quarrel with you Archer.." Rumor said as he released the line and walked towards Longshot with a passive stance.

@TheRumor: I'm becoming a Rumor fan. You give him a lot of nuance and detail I enjoy.

@Lady_Liberty said:

@TheRumor: I'm becoming a Rumor fan. You give him a lot of nuance and detail I enjoy.

Why thank you Liberty ^_^ That mans alot from a great writer such as yourself

@TheRumor: "Then why did you seek me out in Martial City?" Longshot asked, standing his ground.

@TheRumor: Even a gif?! You do me such honor ;-)

@.Longshot.: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend Longshot...Just because I kill the evil that plagues the cities and you mend them, it is a thin line that divides us on the same cause...I wanted to show you weren't as alone as you think in the quest for true justice..." Rumor's eyes were almost, almost sympathizing.

@Lady_Liberty: But of course ;D

@TheRumor: "It's a broader line than you realize."