This rpg is for character building. Try and refrain from having any major events happen in the confides of this thread. Ideally this is a place where people can come and rpg as their character. So please keep in mind that Everything here is 'In Character'. If you wish to talk out of character take it to another thread or Pm's. Want to become someones best friend? or love interest? In here you can start to build those relationships between your character and someone else's.
You can also start to establish key locations that your character might frequent. Their home, base of operations, or favorite hangout.
Everyone and anyone can jump in, just like real life. (But please be respectful if people are trying to build something. Don't just randomly jump in and try to screw things up. If you're serious pm them to make sure it's okay you pick up with what they are doing). It's very likely that multiple people will be rpging in this thread at the same time. So please mention where you are at the top of your thread. Putting the State/City/Whatever so that people can recognize where these events are unfolding.
Posts in this rpg do not have to be novel length, and do not have to be short one liners. They can be both. Depending the mood and what's called for.
- Andy
Ultimate CV Universe: Life Rpg
Rochester Castle , England
"We have reports that track codename Windsor Bravo to this location, Beta squad get to your positions we need eyes on the rooftops. Priority one target must be brought in alive all other targets are expendable. Watch yourself lads this ones a tricky bastard." Ryan smiles as he starts to put his work clothes on. These people think they can come into my grounds and capture me, they either have serious balls or no brains.Pulling his armour over his shoulder and strapping his gunbelt on. Ryan looks at his weapons The lion and Hummingbird both exquisitly designed tools of death his trade mark weapons of choice, loaded safety off. Picking up his ear piece he runs out of his hidden tunnel to the edge of the castle grounds and scales the nearest building an old book shop." No reading on thermals Sir, priority one is not in the nest confirm", "Confirmed Beta Hold position, Alpha and i will approach and clear keep thoose eyes sharp." listening in on his agressors Ryan uses his his own thermal visor which he slips out of his gun part pouch. Locating the position of the sniper nest he quickly ducks back into cover and lays out his plans.
Pulling out a flash bang grenade and a reel of trip wire Ryan lays he plan twisting the wire around the grenade pin he sets the grenade in his former roof top position and hangs the wire down to street level. Standing in an alley with one hand on the wire and the other holding his beloved Lion pistol he pulls the wire creating a flash on the rooftop. The sniper's collective vision fixes in on the roof giving Ryan the shot he needs "Bam, bam, bam" 3 snipers down now for Alpha team.
New York City
“I swear Traffic in this city gets worst and worst everyday” she said looking in her mirror whilst fixing her long black hair. Today was going to be a very long day; she had a meeting with officials from the World Health Organization as well as a Kidney transplant to perform. “How was your date last night?” her friend asked as her car spit the voice directly from its speakers. “It was sooo horrible Kitty, the guy was a 40 year old comic reader”. She said hanging a right, and accelerating faster down the city street. “and that wasn’t as bad as his obsession with woo”.
“What’s woo?” Kitty asked a bit confused. “You know that world of…whatever; anyways I’m not going on a blind date ever again”. She said finally pulling up to Lenox Hill hospital in the heart of New York City. Parking in her designated spot; she quickly tossed her purse over the shoulder and moved quickly into the building. The moment she walked through the door she was hit with a barrage of complaints and demands; but her peers knew that she wouldn’t answer any of them until after she spoke with Lilani.
Walking into her huge office, she removed her cellphone from her purse and called back home to her daughter.
HEAT BASE - present
A very high end luxury hotel room sets the scene. The top floor's first room, two blonde women lay in the bed. Satin sheets draped over there near nude bodies, "Come back to bed Jack" one of them says almost as if to place him in a trance. Jack leans onto the reinforced window, his long brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. He looks over his shoulder to see the women calling his name.
A look of disgust washes over his complexed expression, turning around from the bustling city lights and never sleeping wanderers of Las Vegas, Nevada.
"NO! NO! NO!" He shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. "They're supposed to be redheads damnit! Not that I'm complaining but...ah f#ck it. I don't have time to do this anyway."
The women digitally fade away as simply pixels in the air, the once lush scenery melts from Jack's fingertips as he walks over to the door. "Agent Six?" he calls out the name of his robot companion.
"Yes?" The seemingly disembodied voice gets closer and closer as it computes back in a monotone voice. The now ready flying saucer like robot hovers around Jack's head, ready for his every command.
"Load new recruit files." Jack smiled as just as he walked out the door into his office. His eyes lit up as several computer screens flickered brightly with a wave of new agents.
HEAT FILE LOADING
RECRUIT NAME : OB1
A stream of pictures and movies load before his eyes in thin air. Jack places his gloved hands over one of the pictures and blows it up by flicking his fingers. The movie begins to play of a completely decimated town. Every last building blown to pieces after Jacob Alvarez accidentally set off his mutant powers for the first time. He sat there, with tears streaming down his face...
Soon, Jacob would be found rocking back and forth in some back alley town... A single gloved hand placed on his shoulder, he looked behind to him to see Jack smiling down at him.
"Next file please" Jack said as he pulled out a steno pad and took notes.
HEAT FILE LOADING
RECRUIT NAME : TORCHBEARER
Matthew Drake was a man born of a long line of precursors, powerful alien beings to this world. It was his father who crash landed on this earth via a dimensional tear so many years ago. His parents old artifacts, he would discover to follow in his fathers footsteps, as it was Jack who helped Matt's father, Jason.
"Jason was a great man. Hell, my right hand man. I hope his son proves himself just like he did"
HEAT FILE LOADING
RECRUIT NAME: QUEENS HALO - NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE
"Access code: 6228" Jack says unlocking the video of a woman betrayed by the government she used to work for, currently working for HEAT as a freelancer.
A live feed of Queen's Halo's CAT SQUAD attacking a high powered drug lord shows up on the screen, "We've got him" she said cold and emotionless.
"Excellent."
Six interupts the file and informs Jack of this being the last video.
HEAT FILE LOADING
RECRUIT NAME : SCATTERSHOT
Jack smiles as the file loads of his dear friend, Blayze.
TWO DAYS AGO -
"Well? You got a f#cking plan or do we just shoot this thing at random?" Jack said as he looks over to Blayze...
_
PRESENT
"We got ourselves a group don't we SIX?"
Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, In front of Michelangelo’s Pietà
Tourist groups move like headless chickens trying not to lose their tour guide in sea of similar folk. They try to see the wonders of the church, but they are too busy moving. So they don’t see a blond tall woman, in a long white coat standing and looking the statue. Nor do they see a man in a black coat moving towards her.
“I don’t understand this statue,” she said,” I was a stupid story too, but seriously, no one looks that good at fifty. Stupid,” she turned to the man, “What have you got for me?”
“Nothing,” he answered, not looking at her.
“What!” She was mad. Well, that would be an understatement. Her voice carried right thought the entire building. It made some people stop, but they started walking again when they noticed their 50-dollars-an-hour guide moving. The blond looked around and then turned back to the man. “I pay you shit loads of money and you dare to say, you got nothing.”
“What do you expect? Whoever killed you team, cover up their tracks. I have to go I can’t be seen here.” And her left.
The man exited the Basilica and right then his phone vibrated. He picked it up: “Yeah, I handled her. She’s none the wiser.” And he ended his call.
He turned and saw the blond woman standing calmly looking at him and her long sharp nails placed on his throat.
“I guess you don’t know, that I can tell when people lie,” she slightly pressed in one nail and blood slowly moved down his neck. “You see my team counted on me, and I let them die. So do yourself a favor and tell me who…” His head exploded.
The people parted. Blood covered the ground and the headless body of a private detective entered his into death. Miranda Frost was covered in blood.
Sierra Leone, Freetown
A dark office. Ten bodies on the floor, two women standing near the door. A rich-looking man sat in a chair and Miranda Frost stood behind him and held her razor-sharp nails on his neck. Then an inactive camera on the wall lit up and moved to look at the blond and her captive.
She sighed: “ We've got him,” she calmly said. In her ear a voice expressed his enjoyment over that. And the camera stopped.
Oasis
Lillith's Diner-New York City
Steeleman Central Library, New York City
Alexandra sat in the library basement pouring over old books. The room was dark, the only light coming from a few dim candles and the light that danced in her blue eyes. The clock in the corner. A fanged smile crept across her face. She stood up and wandered over to a wardrobe situated among dusty bookshelves. Her keen eyes pierced the darkness and she opened the doors. She pulled out a black leather costume. She quickly and quietly changed.Mistress Sangria emerged from the basement into the closed library. Locked doors. Her gloved hand ran over the lock. With a thought, her body began to devolve until it was a large puddle of blood. The crimson liquid slid through the crevices under the doors. She rematerialized on the other side. Her eyes glimmered. She tapped her metal claw-adorned fingers on her sleek, shapely thigh.
"It's time for a night on the town." She strode through the dark streets towards a bustling nightclub. When her night began, someone else's ended. Her eyes flickered red.
Eyes closed, wandering deep in the world of meditation, body left behind, resting of the velvet pillows of her chair. Back to the mind, “herself”wondering through the mental mist, the hisses and slithers of various snakes. They covered the moist mud. A figure, a shadow, in the distance, in “her path”. A pull kept her moving, no fear.
The thing ,became more clear, as the steps between them lessened. A calk white, anaconda. Eyes of rubies. It rose, to tower over “her”. “She” reached out with her hand to touch it, it was slimy, it was ..familiar.
It’s tongue moved out and licked her. A childish giggle, something “she” did not do in years time. Now the anaconda’s mouth is open.
A black light shined out.
It was warm.
It was power.
It was hers.
“Lady Ubumi” Her assistant spoke in her ear. Koko’s eyes opened. It was time. Four ANBU’s took the poles connected to her throne, with a heave, it was in the air.
In the private section, sat lesser lords and ladies. All turn when the SekaiKage entered.
To the crowd. “ Allow me to introduce...Your SekaiKage,...Your Goddess Shinobi, Lady Ubumi !” The roars grew louder. She was there to watch the third stage of the Chunin Exams. No speech needed. They knew what was on the line. Promotion, pride, the cheers of spectators, lives.
The combatants readied and commenced.
Standing atop a giant redwood The Snake Hermit could see the unified ninja nation's boarders. his right eye closed only leaving the the power of the Rinnegan active. instantly images from mulitple prespectives were transmitted into his has head. it was better then have satillite feeds. "So it's that time once again..." he said shuffling through the different view points of his disguised shadow clones.
It had been some time since NeVann had given up his title as Mizukage and vanished from sight and mind. When he left the ninja was full of death, blood and vengance. But now it was brought under one banner, and a SekaiKage was crowned. He wondered how one could gather those nations into one and make them forget of all the blood that was shed by the hands of those they now called brothern?
"Well I guess it can't be helped what's been cant be undone in an blink of an eye... well not of any normal one at least. It's time to go home and see what's what?" He said as he opened his right eye and removed a mask that was covering his face and head. Long flowing raven hair whipped around his shoulder before being caught up in the breeze.
"The Chunnin Exam what better timing then now to introduce the old to the new..." as the words left his lips his body became engulfed in smoke, and as wind carried the smoke off the shinobi's body vanished with it.
Two months ago, somewhere in the world:
“You cannot escape, Connor, give it up!”
Riding a Hydra double personnel scouting motorcycle Connor was seeking to escape the base in which he had been posted. Seven patrol vehicles on his toes, soldiers shooting and only one exit.. “Its going to be harder than I thought.” Said to himself Connor as he revved the engine making the motorcycle go faster toward his goal. Looking backwards he notice the scouts were gaining on his tail. “Halt!” Yelled on the megaphone one of the patrolmen of Hydra before their vehicle bumped Connor’s cycle. Started by the event and the fact that the enemy gained on him so quickly Connor came to the understanding that: “I’m careening too much weight.. Damn.. I gotta do it.” He said as he accelerated. “Very well..” Connor reached to his poked and dropped a large explosive charge into the side car of the motorcycle. Looking behind him making sure the vehicle behind was aligned with the motorcycle Connor disarmed the sidecar which held the explosives. “Vomboyash!” He yelled before activating the exo0lisive device. The cars cash against the sidecar just before the bomb exploded. The perusing cars at the immediate rear of the exploding car lost control and crashed against it causing a traffic collision allowing keeping the others from fallowing. Finally at the gate Connor prepares for the finally. Already he can hear the bullets just zapping at near distance. It was made evident that the hydra leaders were already aware of Connor’s betrayal. But the wild card had previously reached the borders and planted a goodbye gift to the base. Connor had just returned to the base to download money into his computer from the budget and to get as many toys as he could possibly get to escape.
At the gate unbeknownst to the snipers what fate awaited them they kept shooting at the runaway. A bullet finally reaches the incoming Connor and knocks him off his motorcycle at high speed. For a second Connor appeared as just a rolling ball on the ground while the motorcycle slid on the pavement before reaching a full stop. Struggling to stand Connor gets to one knee before a second and third bullet reach his chest and head. Connor landed on his back once again. However, there was no blood at all on his body, just bullet holes on the suit and a large bump on the forehead. “Sir, target is down, awaiting for the meatwagon to clean up the field.” Reported the hydra sniper thinking he had accomplished his task to stop Connor. However, it was not the case.
A few minutes after the meatwaggon arrived and pulled over. At the same time at the gate a captain of the hydra organization demands to now how they had neutralize the target. “Sir, we shot the renegade agent three times with high caliber riffle. The body is on the field and now is been taken away--” But then the captain cut the conversation by yelling “Oh, no, no ,no! Retreat, it’s Connor! Call the meatwagon back!” But it was too late. The agents finally notice Connor was not bleeding at all “What the hel-?” Just then Connor grabbed on to the closes agent and used him as a human shield. The other two guards were cocking their guns before a dart reaches the throat of the first agent and a second reaches another agent’s eye ball. Holding a combat knife to the throat of the one alive Connor reached his motorcycle and grabbed a control which held a trigger to the bomb under the gate. Speaking into the hostage’s ear piece, which went straight to the people on the gate, Connor said: “I guess you didn’t expect that, did you? Do your homework, ladies..“ Connor pulled the trigger before he reveals “I’m bulletproof.., sweet dreams..” An explosion takes out the front gate along with the people guarding it in a large ball of flames. Disarming the living agent Connor then drops the man to the ground while aiming at him with a ak-47. “I wont kill you for one reason.. You will deliver a message to the boss.. Tell him to let me be.. Tell him to get a Hello Kitty band-aid and to get his momma to kiss it because I am out!”
NYC: Mamerow hotdog stand
“…And that’s how it happened brother, so sad, I know.” An unmasked Connor was wearing an apron with the phase [Kiss the chef] printed on it while attending his hotdog stand in NYC called [The Mamerows]. The man after processing all the information Connor had given him he looked at Connor from head to toes and ask. "If you had unlimited budget and everything you wanted.. Why did you leave it all behind just to sell enormous hotdogs in new York city?” For a second Connor stood silent but then he replied “I.. I just like it. I like talking to people for once! It sucks that they kept phrasing their organization every time they walked into through a door and when they left a room..”
[Flash back]
Hydra Connor: “Hey, Tony!”
Hydra agent Tony: “Hey there Connor! Hail Hydra, brother!”
[End flashback]
Connor then continued, "And besides I hate to be bossed around when I really don’t respect the people I’m working for. I just took the goods of my experience with the [Vietcong] and left it all behind.”
The civilian finished his huge hotdog and refreshment before paying Connor. “That was a cool story, I know it's all bullsh!t since I doubt the Vietcong would allow an American into their troops but it's better than just looking at your face all day.. Good hotdog, I’ll see you around Connor.” With a smile on his face Connor said his farewell to his client “All right, man. Good talk! Spread the word about my mamerow hotdogs!” The man walked away saying: "You bet!" before Connor continued attending his stand. Although the story had it's fat trimmed he enjoyed telling the tales of his own legend to the public masking the details and-adding some more action to the tale but keeping most of the real parts in. That's how Connor spent his days ever since he escape that dreadful organization called Hydra, hiding on plain sight.
The Oculus Charity Ball: London, England
12 hours ago
Monster Island
Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica
All the tourists of the Basilica were herded like sheep, they pumped through the museum like the blood that pumped through their veins. A strange but good looking young man with white hair and pale white skin stood in the center of the crowd, he wore a fitted leather jacket with a baseball cap pulled over his eyes so camera's couldn't see most of his facial features. He stood between the crowds of tourists as they tried, and failed, to push passed him, he held a long black suitcase. In front of Michelangelo's pieta stood a tall woman in all white along with her "informant" that was actually working for the same group as Umbra Soldier, Hydra. Her name was Miranda Frost A.K.A Queen's Halo, member of the CATS SQUAD, a group of female black ops members, a group that Umbra Soldier had snuffed out. It wasn't so long ago that he did...or was it? The days had began to melt together, a year feeling like a day, a minute feeling like an eternity. Did he even have emotions anymore?
The leader of Hydra, and the front company of Link tech, Brad Oliver Billings A.K.A BOB had taken an interest in CAT SQUAD or rather started to be annoyed by them like a fly whizzing around his head. Their missions even messed up a few of Hydra's weapons deals that had been made with militia's of smaller terrorist countries. So like every other person or group of people that got in BOB's way they were murdered by the Umbra Soldier. Why did Umbra let Miranda Frost go? because Bob thought it'd be funny, "poetic justice" he would say. Bob thought things like that was funny, Umbra didn't understood why, but really he didn't care. All he cared about was killing whoever Bob asked him too, it was his purpose, his duty.
The "informant" walked out and Miranda soon followed, like the assassin had guessed would happened. Umbra pulled out a small blade and sliced a fathers throat of a family of four. The children and wife screamed as the father held his throat, a look of utter shock met Umbra Soldiers sociopath one. As the groups and groups of people began to panic and run in all directions Umbra ran through them exiting from the back of the museum. He pulled his jacket, pants and hat off, his white long hair resting on his black highly durable and flexible stealth armor. He scaled the museum with the claws that retracted from his gloves with graceful movement and astonishing speed. as he reached the top he threw the bag on top then climbed over, he unzipped it and pulled out a high caliber sniper rifle. He walked to the edge pointing it at Miranda who was choking the informant, she had discovered his traitorous ways but not who he was working for. He pointed down the scope at Miranda's head, but moved it slightly right and shot the informant in the head instead. The blood splattered and a look of disappointment was present on the blood stained face of Miranda. He stared down on the sight at her for a moment then put the gun down, pressing a few buttons on his gauntlet and teleporting away.
Midtown High, New York City
It was the end of the school day, and a crowd was gathering in the courtyard. It consisted mostly of girls, who giggled and screamed at the spectacle, while the boys hung further back, watching with a mixture of intrigue and resentment. A particularly irritated boy was making his way over to the crowd. He turned a few heads as he walked, some of the girls even directed their full attention towards him. His dazzling blue eyes, short jet-black hair and muscular physique all combined to give the teenager a very good reputation with the girls at school. Add to that the fact that he was a transfer student with a British accent, and the boy had to fight pretty hard to keep the young ladies away. The crowd almost faded away as he made his way through them, his expression turning even more sour as he found the source of the commotion. It was another transfer student from England, only at first this one was not quite as successful in the popularity department as the other boy. With a tangled mess of dirty blonde hair and a scrawny figure, the young slacker had previously gone relatively unnoticed. Yet today, he was sat on a table, surrounded by a large chunk of the students attending Midtown, with girls falling at his feet. His name was Jason Dodd, and he was throwing electricity from his hands.
"Damian!" Jason grinned, leaping off the table to greet the dark haired boy, before turning to face his adoring public. "My apologies, ladies, I'm afraid I must be off! Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow!" He bowed dramatically and, winking at the nearest cheerleader, made his exit. But it seemed the boy had taken one step too far, and given his jealous male audience some ammunition.
"Hey, freakshow!" A mountain of muscle wrapped in a football jacket yelled at Jason, making his way over to the two boys. "You gettin' sweet on my girl, pencil-d**k?" Before Jason or Damian could respond, the hulking football player had attempted to shove the scrawny Brit. As soon as his meaty hands made contact with Jason's chest, the jock was immediately repulsed with a sharp electrical shock. Howling with pain, the man-mountain stumbled backwards, as his cronies prepared to step forwards and finish the job for him.
By this point, both of the new kids had started to run away from the crowd, and by the time the rest of the football team had made their way past the gathering of girls, the Brits were long gone.
Later, Lilith's Diner...
"Alright, I know you're dying to nag me, so get on with it." Jason rolled his eyes, sitting down and staring into the menu.
"Enough with the bulls**t, Jay." Damian unzipped his red hoodie and lay it against the back of his own chair. "You really don't think we got these powers for some reason other than to show off and get girls?"
"Easy for you to say bro, you're a flippin' magnet for them." The scrawnier brother replied, shrugging his shoulders. "And that's on top of getting straight A's in everything."
"You know, I do have to actually work to get those grades. That's kinda the biggest difference between us. You're a slacker."
"Look, my point is... Can't you just let me enjoy this for a little while?"
"And my point is we shouldn't be using these gifts to goof off and impress a bunch of idiots at school. Didn't you listen to Grandma's stories at all? Speaking of Gran, have you not thought about her in all this?"
"Christ, D, it's not like I'm a bloody superhero! I'm just trying to work my way up the popularity scale!"
"Could've fooled me, with that shirt..." Damian muttered, referring to his brother's new clothing, a sleeveless shirt with decorative lightning bolts.
A secluded cavern thirty miles from Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church
"This is Patricia Verelda of Sky News International reporting live from Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Armagh where the corpse of Archbishop Alan Harper and several other Church Officials were found brutally murdered. Sources tell us that the Archbishop and the other Church Officials had been dead for hours when a Nun found the bodies bound to the walls by shackles and stakes. The Nun claims that the main hall of worship had been devoid of the corpses on her first trip through to retrieve some books from the far side of the Church and that it wasn't until she made her return trip through the hall that she found the...CLICK!"It worked, the summoning ritual actually worked! Our Lord has sent us a Doomherald to restore true order to the Universe!" A young rather sick-looking Cultist said, practically jumping in the air with glee while his Elders just stared at one another, silently before the sound of footsteps caused all the lights in the room to go out.
"I have always been here to restore true order to the Universe." Said a dark spectral figure now standing in the middle of the room with wordless words in a voiceless voice. "But it was not until you feasted your eyes upon The Book of Pandora that Humans were finally able to see me with their own eyes after all this time."
The boy's eyes widened with shock, awe and...fear as the entity drew closer to him. "Y...You..."
"There is, however, one thing you misinterpreted when you used The Spell of Light Cleansing to bring the wrath of our Lord against Followers of The Light..." The entity grunted as he laid his hand on the boy's shoulder as if to reassure him that everything was going to be okay before turning to "look" at the Head Priest of the tiny Cult whom had called upon him. "Followers of The Light does not translate to Men of the Cloth. The term refers to those who serve/wield The Light as either a weapon or a symbol of hope or both. It does not refer to those who serve the Creator of the Light!"
The room seemed to grow even darker than before as rage filled the creature's soul. "The eyes of The One now weigh heavily upon my Master and I more than ever before, while we are grateful that you were able to find The Book of Pandora and reopen The Gates of Eternity for my Lord and I, we cannot allow this incident to go unpunished. Our contract is ended and so are you." The elders, knowing what was to come, begged and pleaded for their lives as the entity shrouded his arm within his own dark power to form a vicious-looking dark blade with which the entity transformed their fear-laced words into blood-curdling screams in one fell swoop and then...he was gone, free of the chains those men put on him, free...to do whatever he wanted...so long as the results of his actions went towards furthering the Great Cause.
Back at the cavern, the young boy opened his eyes to find the entire room filled with blood and the remains of his Elders splattered everywhere.
New York City, Midnight
The hospital ward was quiet in the way that only hospital wards can be. The air had a tautness to it, a sense of expectation, like death was waiting patiently for life to lose it's struggle. Maggie Hall walked briskly past the empty beds, footsteps clicking and scrubs rustling, until she came to the last one in the row. She had been a nurse for a long time, longer than she cared to admit, but the sight of the bed's occupant still caused a lump to form in her throat. He was a young man, or at least he had been. Not a day past twenty, with bright blue eyes and a face that loved to smile. Even now, as he lay broken and dismembered a ghost of a smile still played across his lips and flitted up to his one remaining eye as he caught sight of her.
“It's time. Will you need my help getting ready?”
The young man shook his head.
“No thank you Maggie. If this is to be the last thing I ever do, I will do it myself.”
It broke her heart seeing him struggle upright using his one arm, the bed sheets falling away to reveal a body splashed with scar tissue. His legs were gone at the knee, the lengths uneven. His left side bearing the distinctive marks of shrapnel up to the missing arm. As he turned to pull himself into a wheelchair she caught sight of the back of his head where the surgeon had shaved the hair away. A jolt of realisation struck her.
It went right through him. Into the eye and out the back of the skull. Merciful God, how is he alive?
If he saw the horror on her face he didn’t mention it as she wheeled him to the operating theatre. He managed to get onto the table himself as the doctors set up their tools. One lent in close, a needle in his hand.
“You may feel some slight pain.”
The boy laughed at that. He was still laughing as the door closed behind her before the drugs came and took him away. Beyond the reach of the knives to a place without pain, without bombs, where he could run and laugh and love. She secretly hoped that he would stay there forever, that he wouldn’t wake. But the world was not that kind, it never was.
New York City
The trenchcoat swished in the gentle breeze as the dark-haired man looked around the outside of the airport. He saw a line of taxis, and, further away, a dark sedan. America was a strange place, far apart from the citadel he had grown up in. <<My contact, I guess.>> His words were in a deep, gravelly voice, and in Polish, one of the many languages he knew, the one he knew was his native tongue. He approached the sedan, the motor idling, and he tapped twice on the tinted window. It rolled down, and a formidable looking man stared through a pair of mirrored sunglasses at the assassin. "You lost, kid?" The man spoke English, and his voice was loud."Sensei told me to ask you if you wish to spar next time you visit our citadel." His accent was almost undetectable. The man looked around, sticking his head out of the window before opening the door and sliding across to allow Mark access. Mark slid smoothly into the car's back seat, and his contact leaned forward to the driver."Go!" The driver shifted the car into gear and pulled away. Mark sat in silence as he thought about his new occupation. "So, kid, you like being an assassin? The Guild's gotta appreciate a BAMF like yourself if the rumours are true." Mark sighed. This was going to be a long trip. "First of all, the name is Mark. Secondly, the Guild appreciates me as a member, yes, but does not treasure me above others. Thirdly, rumours are hardly ever true. And finally, I have no idea what a BAMF is." The man chuckled. He'd been drinking today, Mark could smell the whiskey on his breath. "Come on! A BAMF! A bad@ss motherf*cker!" Mark scowled. "I have not come across the term before." The man smirked. "Course. You been cooped up in that citadel all your life, ain'tcha?" Mark had not realized the time pass, but already thirty minutes had passed, and the black car slid into a parking lot. Dozens of almost identical cars waited there, like a pack of dark wolves ready to strike. The car stopped and Mark opened the door and climbed out. He had a feeling America would no doubt be indeed "the land of opportunity."
East Vine City
I live in the scum of the earth, EVC as we like to call it. A crap hole city that separates New York and Jersey. It's nothing like West Vince City over in the west coast near Vegas. This place is full of thugs and super villains that just want to break stuff and kill people. That where I come in. The boys around the force call me Detective Jayden Salvador but I am also know as Kurrent...super hero. I was what people like to call a prodigy when it came to fighting. I was part of a fighting team called the Fab 4 (notice the emblem on my chest) and we were unbeatable. Ohh Yeah, that is where my name Kurrent came from by the way...they said that when I fought I flowed like a current, I added the K because it looked cooler I guess. We would travel all over the world winning every competition. That didn't sit well with too many people and one day in the Philippines after a big fight we got ambushed by some dirt bags with machine guns. We took cover in some lab and to make a long story short I was the only one that made it. That is what I consider my greatest failure but it wasn't the last. Something happened to me though my body changed. I had the ability to stretch and do all kinds of other freaky stuff. I came home to EVC and joined the EVCPD to do my part and all that jazz. I got a pain in the ass partner that I am sure you'll hear more about later and I learned to control my new powers. Now my life is putting away dirt bags and taking on super villains."Hey Detective S" and the high voiced rookie as he held the phone to shoulder and put his hand over the mouth piece. "We are getting a call right now, it's him your old partner the spotted him in downtown"
"Did they say what he was doing" asked Kurrent as he looked at the rookie with an focused and intense look. "Turn on the TV sir" Quickly Kurrent reached for the remote and began to search for any new station. Finally he stopped see what was described as a giant green construct of a dinosaur smashing into a full bus. The screams of the people cut a hole in his heart and he saw in the distance of the camera who was controlling the diabolical monster. His former partner Leonidas Drake....the metal faced Renegade Lantern.
Washington:
A layer of frost touched the gentle blades of grass, the mid morning air caught his breath as it left his mouth. All around him stood white stone crosses for as far as the eye could see, closing his eyes he remembered how the very screams of the men landing at Normandy seemed strangle the life from the advancing allied forces, for his crimes he stood and watched as bullets tore into flesh, blood covered brothers and the unprepared where introduced to war. Many told him he did the right thing unable to act as the rest of the sixty six stood around him cheering on the slaughter and the whole time all he wanted to do was break rank and put an end to one of the darkest days the world had ever seen. To take a stand for the what was right, for what was justified. But he knew then that she would have stopped him, so he bought his time waiting and contemplating his best course of action, watching as the bodies pilled up and the slaughter burst onto those innocence. He watched with a tight fist and a tear in his eyes, letting his anger boil until it became a rage that would be uncontrollable.
Watching and listening, finding out Hitler’s plans and what part the Sixty Six would play and then he struck like an eruption of pure fury, killing the solider and the diplomat and leveling the east coast of Germany. Turning to those that also had the same hate and anger building inside them, seeking out the only people he could turn to and they welcomed him and his powers, the stories he had told them and for a moment the war began to change, France fell, Russia fell and Italy soon behind it. But then just as victory was within their reach Hitler set free his darkest weapon, the God Hand. Taking from this world one of the brightest lights to ever grace the face of a war zone, one of the few men who saw the Baron for what he was. A man fuel of pain and regret a man that had only one path in front of him redemption and then that man was gone, the true hero of world war two, but he took the evil with him, making the final blow as Hitler fell at the hands of his own weapon
The day after the God Hand the Baron lead the charge on Berlin, taking down the capital and thus ending the war. The Germans watched as his heat vision burnt their crimson flags, how he crushed their tanks with a single hand and for ever heart he won over that day he made another enemy. After those days he moved to America seeking only one thing to prove himself and become the hero they had lost. His greatest crime was hesitation, the world now knew him as a savoir, but he only saw pain staring back at him when he looked upon the faces he saved. His task would never be finished, his path was endless and he knew more then anyone that he could never be forgiven. The figure bent his knees taking one more moment to look at the fallen men he was responsible for and then he took to the skies, breaking past blue clouds, his red, white and blue uniform became a blur as he broke into the upper atmosphere where no one could hear his screams of pain, for heroes where never meant to cry.
Texas
The woman laying next to him woke surprised, and scared. She saw Andy sitting up in bed and moved her hand towards his lower back to comfort him. "Baby what is it.." her words were caught and hung there in the air. "Oh my god, you're.. you're shivering" she said as she felt his back drenched in sweat, goosebumps littered up and down his body as he shook, she pleaded for an answer "Baby what's wrong?".
Closing his eyes and letting her soft touch sooth his soul, his breathing slowed. "It's nothing sweetheart. Just, just a bad dream is all" he lied. Turning over to face her, he smiled down at her, slowly bending lower to kiss her gentle lips. His hand striking her soft golden locks. She knew it was a lie, but embraced him anyways. Arching up into his kiss and pressing her own against his loving care.
She would let it go. For now..
Morning lifted into the sky as the suns rays baked down on their bed. Andy stretched out wide as he yawned. But then he felt nothing beside him and his eyes shot opened worried. His eyes quickly scanned the room and only relaxed the moment he caught sight of her. There she was, standing passed the archway of the bathroom brushing her teeth. Her long blond hair was roughly tied up into a bun.
Rising out of bed he slowly walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Kissing the back of her neck as he wished her a good morning. She smiled at the touch if his kiss and closed her eyes. As the two finished their morning routine she kept glancing over towards him with a worried look on her face. She wanted to ask about last night so badly, but knew he would just avoid the truth. Anything to not make her worry.. except by doing that, he made her worry even more.
As they went to leave he opened the door and waited for her to go first. She shook her head coyly and headed on through "Always the gentleman" she teased at him. Just as she exited the room he grabbed her and pulled her back to him. His eyes never left hers, though she would never know it. For she could never see his. "I always get lost. That is until I see you each morning. Then I remember".
He let it go at that, as the silence hung between them. She waited for him to finish, but he never did and she began to wonder. "You remember what?" she asked. Now it was his turn to smile coyly at her. The tease of an answer never came as he kissed her goodbye.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pressing through the door Andy called out to his friend. "Nate, you here?I got word about a couple of girls in New York that might need our help, and I would also like to discuss one of our new teachers with you."
The diner was busy. Another day in new York, another morning rush. He bought a coffee and drank it down quickly, ignoring the bustle around him as he played a little game with himself. Remember the names of as many people as you can. John, Mike, Nancy, Franklin, Lilith, Steven, October, now there was a strange one. Pushing the thought away he stood, paying for his breakfast before heading out the door. Just one more young man in a hoodie in New York city.
Today the country mourns the loss of one of it's greatest entrepreneurs. Alex Carmichael, 33, was found dead today at his office in New York. Police are treating the death as suspicious.
He fought down a smile, remembering the feeling. Remembering how he had stalked Carmichael, how he had tricked him, how he had killed him.
Mr Carmichael was a beloved figure in New York and indeed the world. Using his hard won business empire to support a life dedicated to helping others. Indeed he had just returned from the Oculous Charity Ball, where his patronage had helped to raise 2.8 billion for various charities around the globe.
He remembered sticking his knives in that child molesting, wife beating b@stard and he remembered liking it. If only people could see, if only they could understand the joke. But only he could get the absurdity of it all, the underlying connections that hid in plain sight. Ever since that day in Afganistan it had been like his brain was lighting up. He was thinking and thinking and thinking and it was burning through his mind and he couldn’t stop but God, he didn’t want to stop and why would he? He was a mechanical toy with a wound up spring inside so he was running, running and he could never slow down, even though he was running to his death, but he didn’t care because right now he felt alive and perfect and beautiful.
On the corner of two streets, he didn’t know where, he began his act. Flipping and twirling and throwing and catching with hands and legs that weren’t his own. A crowd gathered, throwing coins that jingled on the hard street but he paid them no mind. Behind the dizzying acrobatics and the sheer fluid spectacle of his performance he began to smile. A real smile, a genuine smile, that spread out from the corner of his mouth and up, up to his eye. His real eye, the one he had been born with.
This show was just getting started.
NYC:
3:30 pm another day of success for Connor’s little business charade as a man selling hotdogs for a living. It was time now to get ready for work, real work. After emptying the wagon of all leftover liquids, and cleaning up his spot from garbage, the young man then got in his Jeep Wrangler and towed the hotdog wagon to his warehouse for storage.
After locking up the warehouse Connor entered his Jeep and drove off towards an avenue and park his car in the parking lot of a small inn. Exiting the Jeep Connor is greeted by the manager of the Inn. “Hey, Connor!” The young man quickly responded. “Hey there, George.” The man notice Connor looking somewhat tired. “Had a hard day at work, kid?” Wondered the man. “Na, it was just another day.. I feel a bit tired that’s all.” said Connor. “You took the words right out my mouth, kid. You need to catch some sleep. Don’t worry about the parking money, you can pay me later.” Said George to Connor. “Thank George, you’ the man!” Connor then turned around and walked away.
Abandoned train station:
It was dark, damped, full of spider-webs and the rats could be heard chirping in the distance. The rattling sound of the subway trembled the very ground. Light was very limited and food were all canned in order to preserve it and keep rats at bay. It was a dump, but for Connor it was home. A place no one would look for him and where he could rest without having to deal with the thought of a Hydra hit-man coming to kill him in his sleep. The station was rigged with security both made of medieval and contemporary security systems covering a mile away. If someone were to approach his perimeter, Connor would know.
An old abandoned cart served as his storage, kitchen and bedding location. It was not a comfy life but without these measures he knows he would be a sitting duck for the sore hydra organization. Connor sat on the edge of the last seat of the cart which was remodeled into his bedding. He sighed in misery as random thoughts just ran through his mind. Mostly about regret. “I should of killed him when I had the chance.” He thought to himself referring to the leader of the organization. “Maybe that way I wouldn’t be in this mess.” He added. His hand reached the sheet, which was on the seat turned bed, and pulled it on himself while he laid back. Making himself comfortable Connor looks at the roof of the cart where he keeps posters of supermodels, cars, the one that got away and a picture of his family. Slowly they boy finally fell asleep.
12 am:
The ringing sound of Connor’s old alarm clock wakes the young man. Drowsy red eyes expressed pure restlessness as he stood up to his feet. After refreshing himself Connor finally placed his game face on and headed to the storage area of the cart. Reaching deep into the control panel’s hollow inside Connor retrieved a packs of cash. He placed it on a seat and then headed to a crate. Inside the said crate he reached before extracting his suit. Red and black, cargo efficient and above all perfect for extreme Olympic level maneuvering. Connor suit up quickly realizing h was late. A pair of twin katanas decorated his back along with a pair of desert eagles on both hips and several pouches filled with goods.
Surface:
Escaping through a sewer drain the masked bounty hunter emerged to the surface. Quickly he ran to seek stealth by running towards the alley seeking anonymity in the bosom of darkness. The American ninja then reached into his pockets and found a tool he hit within his grasp. Escaping the alley he entered the very parking lot belonging to the man who had shown him hospitality earlier and hot-wired a car. “Sorry, George.” Revving the engine Connor ensures the car is able to accomplish it’s purpose. “Seems to work just fine.” Connor placed the gear in reverse and stepped in the gas gently. Shifting gears Connor then placed it on drive and drove away in someone’s 1999 black Mercury cougar. Connor was heading west towards other side of the city to meet with a contact who represents and negotiates the assassin's targets.
As he welded two wires on an electronic print circuit board sparks flew up in all directions almost setting fire to a nearby piece of cloth if he wasn’t quick enough to put it out by throwing it on the ground and awkwardly stomping on it. At first glance you wouldn’t know that behind the nerdy exterior beat the heart of hero, probably not even at the second glance.. let alone the third glance. As he fixed his glasses while sighing and placing his metal cane next to him he could hear the giggling of a student behind him. “Still not getting it to work Dr. Cross?” A slightly sarcastic girlish voice creped up behind him. “All in good time! And please.. call me Nathan, I’m not THAT old.. Am I?” He always left the door of his laboratory open for students, he loved to see their curiosity in their eyes much like he had himself when he was young.
The girl giggled and rolled her eyes before answering “Not at all! Can I ask you something personal though? Why aren’t you in.. “ She swooned a little just thinking about it “.. in your transformed state all the time”. As Nathan turned around he saw the little glimmer of a crush in her eyes as she mentioned his alter ego and smiled. “Well, It’s not exactly easy fine tuning very delicate experiments if you can lift up a car with one hand and crush a wall with the other. Think of it like building a house of cards from normal paper.. it can be done, but it isn’t very easy.” He took of his glasses and wiped them clean with his lab coat. “Besides, when you have all that power continuously it changes your personality. It makes you more careless and more arrogant.. That’s part of the reason why I only use it when I have no other choice”.
“But you’re rather.. vulnerable in this form” She said looking a little confused. “And that’s what makes me human. You should never forget or try to deny who you are, I only have this power since 5 years but I’ve always committed myself to the good cause, I’ve helped build up this school together with Andy when I was still powerless and even before that I’ve helped heroes in their fight for what’s right. A hero isn’t someone who fights the bad guys.. That’s a soldier. What makes a hero is here and here” He pointed at her heart and her head “A true hero stops the fight from ever happening, and most of the time you will never even know he exists.”
She hang her head a little, feeling a little shame of thinking she wanted to be famous while playing a hero which made Nathan shoot a little wink at her. “Doesn’t mean we don’t like a little fame though, we can’t have Andy get all the glory”. With a smirk he watched her leave the laboratory with a grin on her face. “You know, I could’ve gotten that hammer of yours and play the hero” He heard the all too familiar voice of his former assistant Sharon Frost enter his ears accompanied by the bitter smell of black coffee as she carried two cups in her hands. “Yeah, but no one likes to see overly muscled women” He laughed as she punched him in the shoulder. In truth the two had been friends for ages and she helped him study the hammer that gave him his powers after he found it. And now she had found love with the man he called friend, things couldn’t have worked out any better. However, her smile quickly turned into a frown as it seemed something was heavy on her mind “You’ve known Andy longer than me right? .. He always has these nightmares at night, and never wants to tell me about them, do you know anything about it?” There was a look of worry in her face. Nathan sighed and thought for a second about what would be best to tell her “I know bits and pieces. But it isn’t my place to tell you about it Sharon. Just give him some time..” Her look of worry didn’t go away as she heard his words. “I’ll try and talk to him about it for you… but.. ermm.. you know?” He waited for her face to change with curiosity. “Those wrinkles don’t do anything for your attractiveness..” He laughed as she stood ready to punch him again until they were interrupted by a voice echoing through the speakers.
"Nate, you here? I got word about a couple of girls in New York that might need our help, and I would also like to discuss one of our new teachers with you." With a little nod to the side Nate looked at Sharon with an expression that said ‘speak of the devil’. “Will meet you in the hangar”.
Vatican City, In front of St. Peter’s Basilica
The spy stood, covered in blood. She looked blank but really her eyes were fixed on the area where the shot came from. But all she saw was a flash. Miranda tried to remove the blood of her face as much as possible. It was then when she saw a man with his throat slashed his family close by screaming in a crazed state. Screams and scream and she was gone.
One year ago: London, Kingston
Miranda gasped for air. She couldn’t move. She was in chair. But what had happened? She remembered being with the C.A.T. Squad. Try her hardest she tried to get accustomed to the darkness. First she saw only lines, but even they were clouded. She tried extending her nails but her fingers hurt. She didn’t know why. Then her leg came into contact with something or rather someone.
Then the door banged open and the light showed what was hidden – the dead. Miranda’s squad was killed, butchered. Blood covered the floor. And all of them blankly staring at her.
“She’s up,” said someone in the open door.
“Remember, he wants her to stay alive,” said another voice.
“But we can still have some fun. Call the others.”
London, One Year Ago
Mike had been pursuing the Link Tech operatives for about a week. They were operating out of an old warehouse in a poor part of London. While he'd been watching them Ozzy Winters, a notorious assassin had entered the building and left soon after a delivery truck had arrived. He had seen several people be removed from the truck from his roof top observation point. Then watched via his infrared systems as Oz knocked out one of the women and the rest were killed in a hail of gunfire. The unconscious woman was placed in a chair and left alone for several hours. He hadn't expected hostages but he'd work around it.As he was watching he overheard one of the henchmen say via a series of hidden microphones he'd placed around the building "She's up! he wants her alive but we can still have some fun.... Call the others" Mike's eyes widened Ohhell no! Mike watched the six Link Tech goons enter the room and surround her. He listened while they hurled obscenities at her. He'd had enough. Mike soared into the air, marking three of them with his targeting computer. They had their weapons but they were off to the side, sitting on a table. As he flew higher he could still hear the vulgarity emanating from the room. Suddenly Mike shut off the thrusters on his suit and began to fall back to earth, gaining momentum. He was fifty feet from the room when he grinned and said Mike smash! the suits external speakers loud enough the men in the room below would here it.
In the room the six men looked at the room "What the hell was that?" the leader looked at his men and said "Don't worry about it..." placing a finger underneath her chin and raising her head so her eyes met his "now where were we..."
Mike slammed into the room and crashed down on top of two of the men, he'd missed the third so he correct his mistake by raising a metal fist. Caving in the man's skull. The leader turned, a look of terror in his eyes "Who are you! Get the hell out of here" Mike scanned the room. Two of the men had grabbed their assault rifles and had them pointed at him, the leader he guessed stood with a pistol in his hand. Moved off to the side where the bodies of the other women. I'm your new neighbor, I'm here about a noise violation.... Mike smirked under his helmet, the suits glowing red eyes meeting those of the others in the room. Mike raised his arms, the palms facing the men with assault rifles. Suddenly twin beams of energy erupted from his hands and took each of the men in the chest. They flew back, slamming into the wall and collapsed. Dead. Lets see that's five raising his arm, making his hand into a fist, ready to strike. ... and you'll make Six.... Mike chuckled as the man fainted. He tossed the man of to the side and crouched down in front of the woman removing his helmet and smiling at her Don't worry, I'm here to help you. Mike stood and walked behind her. Can you walk? He ignited a small energy blade built into the armor and cut away her bonds....
Texas: Summers Institute
@Feniks said:With a little nod to the side Nate looked at Sharon with an expression that said ‘speak of the devil’. “Will meet you in the hangar”.As he heard his friend answer back Andy had rounded the corner. Seeing Sharon standing there next to Nate, rubbing his shoulder. He smiled and walked towards her, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "Hi baby, I didn't know you were here". "Nate" he nodded, and gave him a warm welcoming slap on the shoulder. Coincidentally the exact same one Sharon had punched just moments earlier. As the two parted ways with Sharon and glanced over his should and could tell something was wrong. With a sigh he looked over to his friend but just kept quiet.
Soon they approached the hanger bay. Andy had taken the liberty of already getting things set for take off. Packing their gear and placing it in storage. "The hanger is all set. We're headed to New York city". He tossed him a couple of case files to read on the way. "One of the girls name was Sarah Loackhart, and the other is a runaway going by October. I figure once we land you can take one and I'll take the other".
"Oh, and did you know that one of your 'students' has posters all over her wall of Feniks?" Andy then laughed and just shook his head.
@Ult_CellphoneGirl: @Andy Steven Summers:
Oh he’d pay for that slap on the shoulder.. Andy knew Nate warned him before about hitting him with his super soldier strength. Next time when he’d transform to Feniks he’d get him back, he thought to himself as he rubbed his shoulder. As they made their way to hangar he could feel that something was eating his friend but he figured that was something between Sharon and him.
“New York huh? Better pack some warm clothes then, hell of a difference from Texas. “ Clumsily catching one of the files Andy threw at him he browsed through it as he walked up to the cockpit of the plane. “October? Really.. hm.. I can make some jokes about that” He smirked at Andy, making bad jokes was always a little bit of ‘his thing’. “Jealous much?” He laughed to his referral to the posters as he fastened himself in the pilot chair. “Imagine if I walked around as Feniks all the time, you would get no attention at all”. Slowly the hangar doors opened revealing the bright blue sky. As he pushed the joystick forward the whole streamlined black jet began to tremble until a flame ignited at the back and pushed the plane forward at a blazing speed out of the hangar. The sheer G-Force of the take off forced them back into their seats as they pierced the white cloud towards their destination.
New York City
After having reached the airport the two heroes parted ways as he took a final glance at the dossier he held in his hands. A reasonably young looking girl, named October.. well that was only half of the New York stripper community.. Looking on he found her last known working place. Waitress at a diner, well at least it would be easy to make contact this way he thought to himself as he called for a taxi.
Rolling the thin file up he put it in the pocket of his coat as he sat in the taxi watching people outside living their own lives. There was something soothing about it as he watched a small child rock back and forth between his fathers and mothers hands. This is what they wanted for all the children at the institute, just a place that they could call home and a way for them to control their powers so they would never have to worry about hurting anyone. If no one ever cared for these children, why should those children care for anyone else? As the taxi pulled up in front of the diner he paid the taxi driver who didn’t even bother to reply to him and almost drove over his foot with screeching tires.. “New Yorkers…” He mumbled to himself as he pushed open the doors to the diner and was greeted by mostly friendly faces. Taking a seat at a nearby table in the corner he could see the whole diner as he scanned the place for the girl named after the month of autumn. “What can I do for you mister?” A charming young voice asked him as he placed his metal cane next to him on the table. “Just a cup of coffee please, black” He smiled at her. She looked as the one from the picture but he wasn’t quite sure… well only one way to find out.. “Soooooo… do you feel a little different lately? Maybe blew up a building, got weird lights shooting out of your body, froze something solid?” his eyes widened as he looked at her with a slight smirk as he took a sip from the hot coffee, Ok.. so it wasn’t that subtle but it got the message across.. right?
Blayze had a wide smile on his face as he walked away from the giant monster, but Angel simply stood holding his ground. His fists held up in front of him, Blayze stopped in his place and looked to Jack. He looked Jack up an down, his muscles were tense and unmoving he was bracing himself for something about to happen. Suddenly the ground beneath there feet began to shake, Blayze heard the roar of the beast behind him. Stomping the ground with his right foot he rocketed himself backwards like a missile between the beasts legs. Spinning around he skidded against the ground, kicking up dirt as he spun around stopping himself. The mighty beast turned around an followed him, its feet leaving imprints in the ground as it made its own stand against Scattershot.
Hydra Base
Scorn sat quietly at the Hydra Base sharpening his blades. His eyes peered out from the darkened glass circles situated in his metal mask. He clicked the blades into their mechanical arm holsters. The blades were the length of his forearm and hidden by his sleeves. He stood up and adjusted his SS uniform. He walked quietly, his shined boots creaking slightly with each step as he made his way to the fighting quarters. He gazed through an observation window wondering if there would actually be any fighting.
"The Umbra Soldier." Scorn spoke to himself. He had heard much of his fighting prowess. Also that he was a mute. There didn't seem to be any physical cause. Perhaps psychological? He tilted his head. There was still part of the Umbra Soldier that was human, and the mind is the most delicate of matter.
Somewhere Near Langley, VA (10:37 P.M.)
After stepping inside his home, he set down the mail and hit the button to the answering machine on the kitchen phone. As he looked through the different articles of mail and listened to the messages of the day, he looked to the refrigerator and smiled a little. There, he saw a drawing that had been made by his daughter nearly twenty years earlier. It seemed as if the articles which covered the refrigerator door seemed to tell a story of how his little girl had grown up.
"Hey dad," a voice on the answering machine said. "I'm just calling you to let you know that Mom, Lucas, and I have arrived safely down here in Williamsburg. Mom's checking into the hotel right now and said to tell you that she loves you. Can't wait for you to get down here and join us. Bye."
Already, Barret's suitcase was packed. The next morning, he would drive down to Williamsburg to meet his wife, daughter, and his daughter's fiance for a short vacation - the first of many to come after his final assignment was complete and he would retire. Placing his gun down on the kitchen counter, he went over to the refrigerator and began to make himself a sandwich to eat before going to bed. Yet, just as he was about to put the mayonnaise on the bread, there was a loud knock at the door.
"Who the Hell knocks at this time of the night?" he groaned, making his way towards the door. For an instant, he thought about bringing his gun to the door with him, but decided against it. However, when he opened the door, he wished that he had brought it after all.
"Hello, Agent Barret." the dark figure in the doorway asked.
"You....." he replied. Immediately, he took a step back and glanced over at the counter where his gun rested in its holster.
"By all means," the Hunter said as he stepped into the doorway. "Please make a move.... The night is still so very young and I could use the extra challenge." His eyes flashed their feral yellow color for an instant through his mask.
"What do you want?" Barret said, slowly moving backwards.
Tracking his every move, the Hunter replied by saying, "You know why I'm here, Peter. You've been looking in all the right places on this one. I'm simply here to make sure that you look no further."
"You know," Barret said with a mild chuckle. "I always thought that the North Koreans would be the ones knocking on my door..... Now I see that they must've sent their attack dog instead."
"Oh, I actually paid them a visit last week. Didn't you know, Peter?" the Hunter replied. "But you see, that isn't important right now. All that matters is that I was given a target, and that target is YOU....... Now, to make it sporting, I will allow you three seconds to reach your gun before I make a move..... ONE......."
"If the North Koreans didn't send you, then who did?!" Barret demanded.
"TWO......."
"Dammit all to HELL!" he said, lunging over towards the kitchen counter to get his gun.
"THREE!" the Hunter roared. With that, he leaped through the air towards Barret with a savage growl. Though the years had taken their toll on his body, Special Agent Barret was still a highly-trained professional. On his worst day, he could go toe-to-toe with men half his age. In the blink of an eye, he was able to draw his pistol and send a .40 caliber bullet towards the center of his assailant's head.
However, the Hunter's animal-like agility and reflexes allowed him to tilt his head to the side at the last moment. The bullet tore through the flesh of his forehead and ripped down the side - glancing off. As he flew through the air, the lethal assassin managed to send his right fist crashing into Barret's windpipe while simultaneously bringing his left hand down across the man's right forearm - striking the firearm down. Slipping his hands down in one fluid motion, he sharply twisted the firearm to the outside and viciously broke Barret's trigger finger.
"You've gotten slower over the years..." the Hunter said in a taunting manner, ejecting the magazine, clearing the chamber, dismantling the firearm, and tossing it away. Raising his hands, he continued to taunt and said, "Come on.... Let's see what you've got left!"
Gasping for air, Barret could not even cry out when his finger was broken. All he could do was struggle to maintain his composure. The discipline and resilience that he displayed made his CIA training that much more evident. Even then, he was still prepared to fight to the end. However, that was precisely what the Hunter wanted. From there, the Cerebral Assassin went to work on his victim.
Nearly thirty minutes later, Barret collapsed upon the ground. Several vital organs had been ruptured, four ribs had been broken, several nerve endings in his arms and legs had been either slashed or collapsed, every major bone in his legs had been shattered, and the muscles in his arms had been literally ripped from the bone. He could barely breath, was paralyzed from the waist down, and he could not even raise his arms to defend himself. Yet, he was still conscious and could feel every bit of pain which the Cerebral Assassin inflicted upon him.
The Hunter finally walked over to Barret's body and knelt down beside him. "You really want to know which government sent me?" he whispered into the man's ear. ".........it was yours." As Barret's eyes widened at the Hunter's words, his neck was brutally snapped and his life ended right there. Releasing the man's limp form, the Cerebral Assassin stood up and made his way out of the house. He then reached up into an earpiece and said, "It's done..... I'll collect the payment directly."
A cold wind was blowing as Switch jumped the six foot fence and stalked through the garden, his coat tails flapping about him. Vancouver was a long way from New York, but his hand had guided him on, twitching incessantly as it unerringly lead him to this darkened house on a quiet street. Looks could be deceiving apparently, his hand was never wrong. Moving unhurriedly he walked around the house, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The door was unlocked. He smiled under his mask as he pushed it open with the lightest of touches from his gloved hand. Funny thing with these old houses, you really have to pull the door to make sure it shuts properly. The owner would have known that, which meant that someone else had been here.
Stepping inside he found himself enveloped in darkness, with only the moon giving any light at all. There was a stillness about the place, as if frantic movement had suddenly been stilled. Silently, he slid down the hall and through each of the rooms in turn, a ghost amongst shadows, until he reached the kitchen.
The body was still warm, but something told him that the killer was gone. Flicking on the light he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Clad in blue and green, with a pale mask pulling a rictus grin beneath black eyes he cut quite the figure. The flicker of a smile playing over his lips, he set to work. The man was well into middle age, with a body that had been rock hard just going flabby. So whoever he was, he was nearing retirement. There were a myriad of injuries, too many to identify which had come first except... A gun, dismantled lay near the counter where the remains of a sandwich lay scattered. So the broken finger was the first injury, whoever he was had been on his feet and armed when this fight began. Coupled with the extent of his injuries that could only mean one thing, the killer was toying with it's prey.
Noticing a pile of opened mail next to the phone he sidled over. Peter Barret, an unassuming name, but a picture was forming. He guessed CIA of FBI, probably the former, this didn’t look like a gang hit. The fridge was covered in old pictures and nick knacks, so Barret had a family yet that hadn’t been killed. Definitely CIA.
Moving back to where the pieces of the gun had fallen Switch turned, trying to recreate the scene. The fight hand taken place at the door, that mean that Barret had been caught without his weapon. So the killer had gained entry unopposed, which meant the first clash had been at the entrance to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a bullet embedded in the doorframe, a .40 by the look of it. Crouching down Switch found what he had been looking for, a splatter of blood that had fallen from a height on the trajectory of the bullet from the counter. Grinning behind his mask he went to fetch what he needed.
Placing a cotton swab from the bathroom soaked in the attackers blood on the counter he wrote a note.
The killer leaves his calling card.
In big, swirling letters. Signing it with a smiling face he left it propped in plain view, next to the swab and a few hairs he had found. Then he quietly let himself out and vanished into the night. What happened next would hopefully help him understand why Mr Barret had been killed.
the stars acted as a back drop as he listened to the people below, the cries of humanity was in some ways a blanket that comforted him. They would always need his protection, his help and his never ending trail of correcting the wrongs he had made all those years ago, sat before him. But something broke his eyes from the world below, a single voice stood out against the crowds of cries for help, one voice above all drew his eyes upon them....He was alive.
One year ago: London, Kingston
There were so many things Miranda wanted to do at that moment: scream, scream until her voice was gone; disembowel the goons moving towards her; curl up and weep for the end of days. So many things. So many…
The metal hero landed in the room and quickly removed the threat. The sound of shifting metal sent the saver as he moved towards Miranda. Another shift and the man removed his mask and leaned towards her. For some strange reason Miranda looked at him but it wasn’t stored in her memories, kind of like summer rain or the first snow, you know the feeling but you can’t remember.
“Don't worry; I'm here to help you,” he said as he removed her harnesses, “Can you walk?”
“Yes, no. They broke my legs, better now. So yes,” her voice was erratic and unfocused like she didn’t quite understand what was going on. She stood up and looked at the metal man. “You have propulsion systems in your feet, no hand. No feet, if it was in the hand you would have landed on your hands,” she looked at her watch. “We have to leave this place as it will blow in 30 seconds,” she stepped on the frame of the boot, “Now fly, Pegasus, fly!”
The armored hero flew with speed and delicacy across the street onto a roof. She stepped off and looked at the building.
BANG!
The building exploded, ruble flew everywhere, car alarms and dogs signaled their owners. But Miranda didn’t seem to notice. “I had a question, but I lost it. What? No. Why? No. Who? Yes, who are you?”
London, One Year Ago
Mike stood on the rooftop with the mysterious former prisoner of Link Tech and watched the explosives in the building detonate. Small pieces of debris began to rain down on them and he placed an arm over her to shield her from the brunt of it. When he entered the room he had taken a picture of her face in an attempt to match it to a number of foreign intelligence agencies. Nothing. The woman seemed a little shaken by her experience and once the debris stopped falling he removed his helmet again and smiled at her, holding out a hand. Names Mike, you looked like you could use some help and I figured it wouldn't be to gentlemanly of me to just leave you to your fate.... Mike drawled in his southern accent. The former Navy SEAL was highly intelligent but from the way he talked most people wouldn't think the armor clad merc had a thought in his head...
This cave would be the physical representation of her own journey. From earthy and human to celestial. It would be her lair, her throne, and the world her realm. Her eyes glittered red in the light as she began to formulate the adjustments to be made.
Rose unloaded the rounds from her pistols onto the table. The pistols were passed down from her grandmother, a bounty hunter and adventurer like Rose. She had died in battle like everyone had her family. She was alone, with her weapons, fists, and anyone that decided they would get between her and whatever job she had been assigned. She did most of her work from a storage barn she rented by the ocean in NYC. It was a shady part of town, but she liked it that way. If anyone tried breaking in or threatening her she had ways of making them shut up.
She set the pistols on the table as the only source of light dangled from the center of the room. The noise from the lamp that clinked back and forth and the bullets echoed across the hollow room. Rose folded her arms and leaned back in wooden chair. "Damn." She blew her bangs from her eyes, and stuck her bottom lip out in frustration. "Let another one go this week...whats happening to you Shannen?!" She rolled her eyes as she searched the ceiling for some type of answer to her rhetorical question. "I need a team...thats it I need a team. This whole lone wolf this, although it be the cool thing to do....just isn't profitable."
The crossed arms transitioned to a more comfortabled position behind her head as she gave this team idea some weight. The empty room only made her question her idea more. There was only scattered wanted ads and maps of the city everywhere. No super computer to run criminals and leads, no type of back up, heck no furniture. Except for the table and chair she was at and an office chair that was falling apart with just one arm and three of four wheels. She coaxed the idea out to see the light of reality. Picked herself out of her chair and with a sigh walked toward the door. "This is good. This will be good." She told herself as she groped for her coat in the darkness and walked out into the night.
"There it is! Kill the bloodsucking bastard in the name of our Lord!" One of the "World's Finest" Vampire Hunters roared as he and his pack bared down upon a helpless, tired and very, very old vampire. He was bald, his eyes like those of a cat, there was a chunk of flesh missing on his right ear. He was dressed in rather normal looking clothes...for someone who lived the "good" life in the 1930's that is. He was not in good health, being hunted down like this day in and day out had made it nearly impossible for him to get a good meal let alone a good day's rest. But...at least his hunters were brash, young idiots looking only for fame and glory who would inevitably screw up one day and be excommunicated from their precious church.
"Damn, that thing is fast!" One of the other hunter's shouted.
"Do not lose heart! We almost have him!" Another shouted back.
"Wait...what is that up ahead?" A third exclaimed, pointing to a rather tall, dark figure blocking the path up ahead.
The vampire's eyes widened as he got within range of the enigmatic creature and smiled so very deviously. Necrofox did the same, halted the vampire in his tracks and stepped in front of him with his arm-sword charged up and ready for a fight. The pack of hunters brought their horses to a jarring stop just a few feet from the Doomherald and their target. "He has a name, children. He has a name."
The men got off their horses and readied their "blessed" weapons, weapons they wished they could have traded in for guns and explosives, unfortunately for them that was not within the realm of possibility. "He is a monster, just like you...you...what in God's name are you?!" The leading hunter asked.
"I am He Who Heralds The Darkness. It is my duty to extinguish the auras that shine brightest in this world and in doing so...help further The Great Cause." Necrofox replied. "Auras...such as yours."
"D-Doomherald...you're a Doomherald!" The youngest of the hunters said, garnering reactions of terror from his allies.
"And he's going to kill you all!" The vampire cackled, the eyes of the hunters began widening further.
Necrofox said nothing as he lifted his arm-blade and clashed with the sword of the head hunter. The boy was lucky that he had taken sparring lessons when he was younger but it wasn't enough against something as old and as experienced as his adversary. The others made a break for it as their leaders soul was ripped from his body and consumed by Necrofox, but the vampire they had once been seconds away from slaying was now standing in their way. In rhythmic harmony, the vampire brought the men to their knees while Necrofox took their souls from them until finally...all were dead.
"Drink." Necrofox said, pointing his index finger at the vampire and then at the corpses. Not one to refuse an order from his savior, the vampire began drinking the bodies dry, refueling his lost strength and health until finally...
"I haven't had a feast like that in ages. Thank you for rescuing me...again." The vampire said as he cleaned his face off by utilizing the shirt of a hunter as a napkin.
"The world around us has changed once more. I can sense auras much brighter than those of the beings I have slain in the past. Auras laced with great power." Necrofox said as he looked directly up at a jet soaring through the night sky.
The vampire looked at him and nodded. "Superhumans and the like have just recently started coming out of the woodwork. I would steer clear of them, if I were you, at least not until you have fully synched with this plane of existence."
“Indeed. But it is because of these auras that I came to your side once again after all this time. My Lord has decreed that each Doomherald take on two apprentices to train in preparation for The Dawn of The Black. I want you to become my first apprentice.”
The vampire was taken aback by Necrofox’s offer. If he were elevated to the status of Doomherald…he could make his fantasies into a reality. “I accept, I will become your first apprentice, mighty Doomherald.”
“Then close your eyes.” Necrofox said as he placed his hand on the vampire’s face. “This will hurt beyond your ability to imagine. But with great power comes even greater pain.”
“Was it the same for you?” The vampire asked.
“It was worse. So much worse than what I am about to do to you.” Necrofox said before sending a massive pulse of Dark Matter energy into the body of the vampire, whose screams filled the night air and lasted until dawn.
One year ago: London, Kingston
„Names Mike,” the savior said. „You looked like you could use some help and I figured it wouldn't be too gentlemanly of me to just leave you to your fate...” Through the haze of PTSD, Miranda could tell he would was putting on the charm.
And for some crazy reason, the following left her mouth in rapid succession: “If you were a real gentleman you would have carried me instead of me having to ride you like a horse, but I didn’t mind, anyway I’m not sure if your armor’s flex-systems are so I can’t blame you. And you can stop scanning me as a little chip in my head is stopping you from getting am adequate picture and no database that you can access has my picture.” She stopped and looked at the sky. “My name is Miranda Frost and I believe I’m going to pass out now. I’d appreciate if you catch me and transport me to the nearest private medical establishment.” And her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
London, One Year Ago
Mike stood listening to the woman and moved quickly when she lost consciousness, catching her then lifting her into his arms. Nice to meet you to Miss Frost... With one arm he placed the helmet on his head and lifted off towards another part of London.
Mike reached his destination, a safe house he kept that not even his employers at HEAT knew of. He landed on the balcony of the top floor apartment. Checking to make sure the safe house was as he left it, sure that everything was how it had been when he departed he quickly walked across the floor and laid her on the bed gently and picked up the phone. Calling a old friend who made house calls for the right price and knew how to keep his mouth shut. Hey Winston, its Mike, You busy? I got a lady here who could use a doctor. The man on the other in said a few words and Mike sighed ... Yeah, Link Tech again. So your on your way? Good. I'll meet you in the lobby.
20 Minutes later
Mike had removed the armor, It sat in a corner, having the appearance of a normal duffle bag. He re-entered the room carrying a large box marked "Medical Equipment", an elderly man with a doctors bag accompanied him.
The man walked to the bed and sat his bag down, examining her, taking her pulse,etc.
"Ruffed her up quite a bit didn't they?"
Its not as bad as what happened to the other women that were with her...
The doctor looks around the room "Well where are they?"
Dead when I got there... They went up with the building. Mike shook his head, remember the site of the bodies callously stacked in the corner
"Real shame... But what can ye expect from Link Tech? Bloody cowards" Winston was a retired Major in the British SAS and hated Hydra with a passion.
Winston removed a small hand held scanner from the crate and held in above her Miranda's head then looked at the results on a nearby laptop.
"Well she hasn't suffered any sort of brain damage but she'll probably have a bit of PTSD... can blame her, I would too..."
Winston performed a more tests and began to pack up his equipment.
So how is she? Mike asked as he leaned against a nearby wall.
"She'll be ok, long as she gets some rest..." he reached into his bag and pulled out a pill bottle "And have her take one of these every 12 hours, it'll calm her down"
What's the matter? They don't let you prescribe Scotch anymore? the two men laughed at the statement
The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting long pale shadows, as Switch slipped over the gate of the graveyard. Still masked he trudged past the row upon row of stones that marked the final resting places of hundreds of people. Entire lives, loves, hopes, fears and dreams, reduced to stones and a few words. It was enough to make you cry, but all he could do was laugh. Kneeling by a grave he carefully placed down a bunch of wild flowers he had picked, ignoring the dew soaking through his trousers. Crouched there, listening to the wind moaning about his bleak surroundings, he didn’t feel like laughing.
“It's been a while, I know I should've come earlier but I was worried you would be angry. Stupid really, you were never angry with me.”
With a sigh he sat down cross legged in front of the grave and removed his mask.
"When Kane Hill burned down people started saying a lot of bad things. They said that it was justice. That said it was fate. They said that with all the bad things happening in the world, something had to go right eventually. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Some of the survivors blame me, they say I started the fire to escape and that I killed all those people.”
He ran his hand through his hair wearily. Feeling his flesh hand twitch again, more insistently this time.
“I wanted you to know that I didn’t do it. I didn’t need to escape, I was there voluntarily. Sure, some things went wrong with my procedure but hell, such is life. For all the people who were saved in that place, for all the pain eased and suffering averted, we choose to remember the bad. That's the real joke. Us.”
Standing once again he paused, considering what to say.
“I just wanted you to know I'm sorry. You were always kind to me. Goodbye.”
Turning from the grave he stalked away, replacing the mask over his face. Leaving behind him the simple grave with it's simple words. Maggie Hall "Nothing will come of nothing".
New York city bay:
The black mercury cougar is parked across the street from what is the entrance of the contact’s meeting point. Exiting the car wearing his red and black suit the ninja assassin then proceeds to walk towards an alley which was located before the bay. It soon became evident why the location was perfect for a meeting. the fact that it was located between two foundations which had gone out of business. Folding his ,mask to rest above his nose bridge Connor whistled twice and then whistle a third time indicating his arrival. “I am here.” Said a voice which came from the deeper end and already Connor knew something was just not right. The crimson assassin looked over his shoulder an notice that at the entrance of the alley two sentinels had post themselves on guard holding guns at hand. Connor notice the black Mercury was been trashed deeper into the background. Connor reached to his folded mask and before he pulled it down his skin began to change to a deeper color. Connor knew his contact would answer by whistling three times back otherwise it meant the cost was not clear.
“Williams!” Yelled Connor seeking for his contact. Turning the corner a few thugs jumped the assassin grabbing him seeking to disarmed him. Connor quickly sought to defend himself by using his martial art take down skills, but then a single shot is heard and Connor’s attention is driven towards where it came from. At the end of the alley he saw four toughs dressed in black lounge suits. Between the four blocks was Connor’s contact, Williams. “Enough!” Yelled the leader of the group after witnessing Connor taking down the pack of toughs. The guns been held by the leader was placed on the temple of Williams: which caused Connor to stand down. “So, Superman does have a weak spot.” Said the leader of the group. “Let him go.” Demanded Connor. “Clearly you don’t know your current position in the food chain, son.” Said the man. “Disarmed him, bring him towards me.” The four toughs attempted to do as told but Connor refused by once again performing a takedown maneuver. “Hold it!” Yelled the leader before cocking the gun and placing it once again against Williams’ temple. “Don‘t test me, boy. Another move against my toughs and Williams is a goner.” It was frustrating to the core for Connor, but he had no other choice. Glaring at the mob boss Connor had no other choice but to place his hands behind his head. “Good boy.” Said the boss to the submitting Connor while the toughs removed all weapons from the assassin.
After the weapons were removed the assassin was brought forward and kneeled before the boss right next to Williams. “Are you okay, Williams?” Inquired Connor to his contact. “Why did you come here? You should of run while you had the chance, Bandit.” But the boss was not happy about the gossip between the pair and quickly sought to silence Williams. “Enough. Benny, put his sock into his mouth.” As commanded Benny forced Williams to eat his own sock. Connor’s cold eyes didn’t left the sight of the boss. “You keep glaring at me and I will personally castrate Williams and feed him his own children.” The eyes of Connor drifted away from the Boss just before the man started talking. “Now. A little bird told me that you were hired a couple of weeks ago to whack tree scars Jackie. I thought “Whack Jackie? Who’d be stupid enough to go after Jackie? Jackie doesn’t go to a toilet without his ten men crew, it be foolish to go after him.”” A mild pause in between serve long enough time for the boss to grab the new York times and to throw it before Connor. Looking down Connor notice the news paper headlined: [Red devil little Italy massacre]. It reported the death of dozen armed men belonging to the Jackie Gigante familia. The boss continued: “That’s your handy work isn’t it?” Rhetorically inquired the boss. “Nicely done.” Said the man. “But now the word on the street is that you’re coming for me.” The boss then grabbed Connor by the collar and place the gun on the assassin‘s temple. “Here I am..” Said the boss to Connor. It was true Boss Manetti had Connor by the balls having Williams under his custody.. But with enough patience Connor’s questions were all answered by the boss himself. “..And I’m glad.” Said Connor before grabbing the hand with the gun and raising it above high. Several detonations come from the gun before Connor broke the boss‘ fingers with it‘s own gun’s trigger guard. “Gaaaaaaahhh!“ The assassin took possession of the Boss’ gun before grabbing the man in a reverse-headlock. “What are you doing, you buffoon! Release me or Williams is dead!” Connor responded “Allow me to do it for you.” Connor aimed the gun and shot Williams’ head off. The toughs couldn’t believe their eyes, they were reaching for their guns but Connor was already on to them. “Hold it, or I’ll break your pay-check’s neck.”
“Why? How could you betray your own friend?” Connor responds “Williams clearly was not my friend.. He was one of you.” Stated Connor. “Boss Manetti, you really need to watch your mouth.. I told only one man of my intentions to get rid of you.. One.. Man.. only. Fool, you sold your buddy, Williams, the moment you talk about the word on the streets. The word came from Williams, didn’t it?”
Connor then looked at the toughs. “Weapons down or the Italian wannabe-turd gets it!” The tough having no choice do as the assassin said. Connor then pistol whips Boss Manetti breaking his teeth. The boss spat his bleeding teeth on the ground and dragged himself slowly away from the assassin. “Please! Don’t kill me! I have children!” Pleaded the boss. Meanwhile: Connor grabbed his effects from the floor. “Men and women are children of other men.” Said Connor. “Three scars Jackie was someone’s child, just like Williams was someone’s child, Mr. Manetti.” Connor then pulled one of his needles from one of the pockets of his belt. “Now I ask you, Manetti. How many parents with children have you killed? How many daughters of a father have you toyed with in your clubs?” Manetti panting in fear he listen to the words of the man casting his judgment. “You are nothing but scum Manetti.. Just like Jackie was” Suddenly several needles were thrown by Connor all hitting a man. Manetti and the men panicked. “You deserve your fate.”
Hours later:
The assassin watched from the roof as Manetti and his crew were taken by police. The chief notice the mob members having seizure like symptoms. “What happened to them?” Asked the chief of police. “I don’t know chief, but they can’t even talk right.” Each of them were taken on a stretcher to the hospital and then to jail before been most likely accused for the death of Williams and possession of illegal weapons.
One year ago: London, Kingston
“Break her legs” she heard it so clearly but she couldn’t move. They came closer and closer and the hammer went down.
One year ago: London, Unknown Area
"NO!" Miranda screamed as propelled up in the bed. She started to hyperventilate, sweat tripped of her forehead. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there. All around her, new things, belonging to someone else. “Calm, calm,” she kept saying to herself and soon her breathing slowed.
Then she quickly started to look for something. She took from her pocket a slightly broken phone. She started to scroll through The C.A.T. Squad’s assets:
First the safe houses: London, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio, New York, Washington, LA – all destroyed. Transports – destroyed, weapon stashes – destroyed, bank accounts – emptied. All of it was gone.
“This can’t be happening,” her voice crackled. And so did something behind her. Her nails extend to 20 cm, she flung her hand towards the sound and expelled the shape nails towards the sound.
The Vatican:
With a subtle gesture of his hand Jean Luc levitated the delicately preserved scroll known as the Parchment of Chinon. An original document containing the absolution of Pope Clement V of the leading members of the Templars. It was a compelling piece of history that had remained in the Vatican secret vault for centuries, regularly visited by Jean Luc. His usually unwavering composure would slightly fade each time he read over the scandalous allegations once levied against the infamous Templars. However his train of thought was suddenly disrupted as two modestly dressed members of the clergy entered the chamber. "Sapere Che Siete Vietato di Essere Giù Qui"(you know you are forbidden to be down here) One of them protested while angrily gathering the scroll and placing it back in its rightful station. "He wishes to see you" added the other. "He's waiting for you in thee Gregorian Etruscan Museum." Without a word the Vatican Assassin took his leave. Finding the man who had summoned him finishing the traditional prayer of the holy trinity. "Ah, welcome Jean, please, come stand next to me. We've all enjoyed a pleasurable period of peace have we not? But what I must ask of you now will surely weaken that peace at its very foundation. There are rumors springing forth from Romania that can no longer be ignored. The Societas Draconistrarum (Order of the Dragon) have reemerged. And they claim to have uncovered the last known bloodline to the Impaler." he paused allowing his understudy to absorb the potential repercussions. "If an heir to the House of Basarab is indeed alive we have no other option but to impose our father's will upon thee with extreme prejudice. We can not allow this child to serve as a beacon of hope for the remaining Pure Blood clans. Another war with the Vampires is not an option. Do you understand?" Placing his sword tip first into the ground Jean Luc knelt before responding, "Yes Cardinal, I understand."
Mike's Safe House, London
Mike ran into the room, turning the light on. As he entered he managed to side step some sort of projectile Miranda had launched towards him. He quickly made his way over to the bed and sat beside her, attempting to calm her down. Miranda! Miranda calm down! As he tried to keep her from clawing at his face Damn it Miranda calm down! He placed his arms around her, holding her tightly in an effort to get her under control, he lowered his voice Your safe now, don't worry... Link Tech won't find you here. Miranda stopped shaking so he released her. Here, take one of these. It'll calm you down. He smiled at her and handed her the pill bottle. She hesitated for a moment. Its alright, they're a mild sedative to help you relax. Mike stood and went to lean against a nearby wall. You want anything? Some lunch? pulling back a curtain slightly to show her it was already mid-day. Maybe a glass of water?
One year ago: London, Unknown Area
The spy in Miranda kicked in. While moving the pills towards her mouth, she released them into her suit’s sleeve. “No, I don’t drink liquids I haven’t prepared myself.” Her voice was almost distracted. “I have to go. People to notify, things to do.” She stopped and looked around. “Where the hell are we? If this is Croydon, I will kill you. Better not be Hackney either. Oh, and I'm not a cow."
One Year Ago, London, Mike's Safe House
One year ago: London, Knightsbridge
“I heal fast,” Miranda said with a tone of slight superiority, “as evident from my projectile fingernails. And as for the pills, it’s the same that applies to my drinks, as well as food and television shows.”
Miranda looked at the laptop and then closed it: “I can’t use this. I can’t be sure of the security of this network. But I do appreciate the help.” She got up from the bed. Her broken legs had healed, but still she felt a drag when stepping. But instead of going to the door, she went to the window. Miranda pulled it open and sat on the windowsill: “Lost my thins, lost my friends and lost my job all in less than six hours. Must be a record. Well MI-5 always needs people.”
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