Alpha/Omega: Reallegiance

[herodofcows]

TWO WEEKS LATER

The bus station in Allentown would usually be considered picturesque in the early morning light. The autumn foliage contrasts pleasantly and calmly with the faded-red bricks of the buildings outside, and the distant noise of early traffic doesn't intrude into the silence of the streets outside the window. The area feels deserted, as though newly made.

Usually picturesque, perhaps. Right now, it just causes the sparse occupants of the station to glance all the more warily about themselves.

Kaitlyn shivers as she clutches her bag and wipes an errant tear away. Her mind flashes back unwillingly to the events of a few days ago.

A voice in her head: You need to run, they're coming. Packing up and running with Eli, leaving bewildered parents in their wake. Making it as far as Newark before the speedsters in the black masks caught up. Running while Eli held them off. Looking back and seeing . . .

Her mind blanks here. She doesn't want to remember.

The rest is a haze of bus trips and (regretful) petty theft to stay alive, with one eye over her shoulder the whole time. She doesn't exactly know who had come after her and Eli, but she can't shake the feeling that they're not done . . .

Sam and Ke'era sit as unobtrusively as possible, their backs to the wall as Sam carefully watches the window. Ke'era keeps her head low so as not to draw any undue attention.

You'd just landed at the Alpha base with Ben when you'd been informed that it wasn't safe for Ke'era and you needed to go to Roanoke. From Roanoke, Ben had been redirected to Richmond. From Richmond, Washington DC. DC had been safe for two days before black-masked thugs had tried to assault your motel room. At this point, Ben had driven you all directly to Baltimore and told you to lay low for a bit while he went to check something out.

Two hours later, you'd gotten a frantic call from Ben telling you to get out and head to Syracuse. And then, the line had gone dead.

It's been bus stations and convenience stores ever since, as you've gradually inched your way towards Syracuse, New York, in the hopes of SOME kind of answers.

Michael sits separate from everybody else, leaning against the window and suspiciously eyeing everyone.

You'd tried with those tech people. Really, you had. But the conspiracy theory obsession, the constant tinkering and waiting around, the ominous last words of the illusionist . . . you'd bugged out in a few days.

It's been more of the same for you, these past few weeks. Wandering about, digging up clues on the illusive Sorin Markov, not staying in one place for more than a few days . . . a blissful return to monotony.

Or, it would have been, had two black-masked thugs with powers not attacked you two days ago. The pyrokinetic had gone down pretty fast, but you'd traded blows with the density controller for the better part of an hour. And when she'd finally gone down, her last words had hit you like lightning.

"Markov's coming . . ."

Yes, the bus station is largely empty, but 100% of its occupants cannot but wish that it was a little bit more empty. Paranoia is running rampant within the small confines of the room.

But, you know what they say about being paranoid: Just because you are, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

*******************************

"This is, above all, about greatness," Mr. Marcus states precisely, standing nonchalantly on the edge of a rooftop.

Standing behind him, Kain and Nick exchange a nonplussed look. Things had been going well in Chicago, they'd thought. They'd made noise, made money, and seemingly made their employer happy. Why, then, had they been put on a plane to Allentown to meet up with this Mr. Steven Marcus? Why had he insisted on their getting up before dawn to tie up traffic lights around this area? Why were they standing on a friggin' rooftop overlooking a bus station?

"'Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them'. Shakespeare, Twelfth Night. This one was always a guilty pleasure of mine, but in enjoying it I came to understand that Shakespeare was wrong. Greatness is not a token, to be passed around from one person to the next. Greatness is not something you gain, or learn. Greatness is simply something you ARE."

He turns to you, leather bomber jacket slapping against his sides as he fixes you both with a steely gaze.

"Within that bus station below us, there are those who would transgress against greatness. One, who would deny it. Two, who would bestow it. And another, who was GIVEN greatness many years ago by a young fool who thought he knew better."

He snarls and turns back to the bus station. When he speaks, his voice is calm and cold.

"You two will go down there and show these pretenders what it is to be great. Show them your power, your ferocity. Beat it into them. And at the moment when they begin to rally, when they believe their wills can overcome the natural order . . . I will BREAK them."

[redzimmer]

Miroslav Zhenevsky aka Michael Stern aka Resolute (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18940330&postcount=69)

It was good to be anonymous again. The encounter with the techo-suits and the illusionist illustrated just how important it was to keep out of sight and out of mind.

The warning about this "Markov" was also unsettling. Michael knew eventually he would have to face his past. But after the collateral damage the fire-tosser and the meat sponge caused, he also knew he would have to tread carefully.

Enough innocent people had been hurt because of him already.

I took the liberty of linking my character bio, since most of us are just meeting for the first time.

[Holy-hunter]

Kain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18967342&postcount=8) rolls his eyes, "Yea greatness, sure thing boss" he replies as he walks to the rooftop edge. A wicked daring grin grows across his face as he peers down at the bus stop, there's a cracking sound as he stretches his neck from side to side, rolls his shoulders and lastly crunches down on his knuckles, all in preparation for the fight ahead.

He turns back to give Nick a smile, "I'll show you greatness!"
Kain had slyly slid onto the roof top gutters, it shouldn't be able to hold his weight but through his bare feet his powers reinforced it.

He had also secretly been drawing from it, surrounding and reinforcing his legs with the cheap metal, overlapping it and compounding it into something stronger, something useful.
Then suddenly, he had taken too much of the gutter and drops from Nick and Marcus's sight.

With a hard kick he lashes out at the brick wall sending himself into a back flip and pushing himself out above the bus stop.
He lands feet first onto it with a heavy slam. He instantly sinks into it as no sooner had he made contact, he starts manipulating it. The shock hadn't even escaped his reinforced bones yet and already the bus stop was twisting and melting forming a lowering platform that brought Kain down towards the floor.

Leaving a growing hole in the tin roof, the edges drip down into long woven metal cables that suspend Kain's platform above the ground. "PARTY TIME SUCKERS" he shouts down to those below as he takes hold of the metal vines.

Soon the tinkering of what sounds like rain drops can be heard, it soon becomes louder and more clearer.
Tiny 3 pronged sharp tin caltrops were raining from the roof, littering the floor and stabbing anything they fell on.

If that wasn't enough, with a loud grunting roar he takes control of and forces a heavy beam to peel away from the roof and meld into a small wrecking ball as it comes swinging down heavily towards the unwary. Kain controls and aims it like one would with a crane, from the comforts of his little air bound stage. He lets out a mad laughter, intertwined with laboured exhausted breaths.

[Business Scrub]

The young woman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18967628&postcount=14) looks around the empty station, attempting to appear bored. She was told to seem inconspicuous, but she didn't need to be from Earth to know that others noticed. If her hair wasn't a dead giveaway the little things would have anyway.
Their language had been easy enough to learn: if there is one thing Ra'shathasans are good at, it is conveying emotion and, by extension, communicating. At least now she could pass as an English speaker without trying too hard, though Sam had informed her she had a noticeable accent.

No, much more complicated was human culture: that is a thing that cannot be learned in two short weeks. Ke'era found that very little of what was true on her home planet was still true on Earth. Centuries of technology had bred a culture that gave her very little to compare too. Even simple things that humans took for granted. For instance, clothes. Humans need clothes to brave hot or cold temperatures, but also because walking around without them is unacceptable. Why? Because... it just is. That's the best answer she received before Sam had gotten quiet and changed the topic. Apparently nudity embarrasses humans. But only in certain situations. Clothes were a status symbol; they had formality, and sometimes formality was more important than practicality. How did you know? You just knew, apparently.

But clothes were just one of the great mysteries of human culture, like jobs, homes, hobbies, food, sleep, music. But music was one of the few things she found similar between cultures. Sure the sound was different, but the idea was blissfully the same. And better, humans had found a way to get it into a tiny box. Sam had informed her there was no limit, but she had taken that as a challenge, and discovered the tiny box capped out at about sixteen thousand. Ke'era scrolled to the bottom of the list on her 'smartphone'. Sixteen thousand, two hundred and fifty four, if she was being exact about it. Sixteen thousand! And the creature that had given them to her, Sam called it 'Spotify', said she had only scratched the surface. The amount of stuff that humans had created was staggering, and the music was just a drop in a very, very large bucket.

This was all going through Ke'era's head as she attempted to appear bored with the world, listening to 'Monster' by 'Imagine Dragons' sitting at the station in her 'jeans' and 't-shirt', trying to make heads and tails of this insane culture.

Then, she felt it. There were four people in here including her, and she could smell each of them. But there was the mix of chemical and animal smell she had come to associate with humans. Different ones: three of them. One of them was wearing metal.

A moment before it happens, she whispers to Sam. "We're not alone."
Then, the wall comes crashing in, bending and twisting in the air. In an instant, the bus station had been transformed into a war zone. Thanks to their scent, Ke'era was already up and moving, knowing something was wrong. She noticed the giant sphere of metal swinging down towards her and Sam almost too late. She shoved Sam away from the path of the wrecking ball, but didn't pull her arm out in time. A loud crack resonates through the station as her arm is ripped back, and the bone inside is split apart.

She looks around frantically, stepping out of the way of the ball's return. Waving her good arm in the air, she looks at the other two in the station. "Move!!"

Anyone watching carefully notices Ke'era's dead arm begin to jerk back to a more normal angle. Instinctively, the Ra'Shathan's body exudes powerful, invisible chemicals in the air that make their way to Kain on the wrecking ball controls. The hormones are something his body may have never felt before, but their result is familiar. Fear. Panic!

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18943647&postcount=92) shifted uncomfortably on the hard chair, head bowed forward and hands nervously fidgeting. Over and over again she thought back to Eli. What had happened. And over and over again she tried to turn her thoughts away, think about where her next meal would come from instead.

The past couple of days had not been kind to her. She was cold, hungry. Alone. With the cuff of her sleeve, she wiped at her eyes. She glanced up at the bus timetable for the umpteenth time.

Why is it taking so long...

Kaitlyn did her best to ignore the other three that were waiting with her. The last thing she wanted was some well-intentioned person trying to walk her home.

Her reverie was shattered by the sudden collapse of the ceiling. Shocked, she raised her arms reflexively to ward off the falling metal and glass. Her surprise turned to horror as she saw a wrecking ball come out of nowhere and swing at the other woman in the station.

"Look Out!"

The sickening crack of the lady's arm made her yell in wordless horror. Turning her attention from the grisly sight back to the source, Kaitlyn saw the man laughing madly on his platform.

No... Not again...

Walking backwards a few steps, it wasn't until the woman yelled at her to move that she came to her senses. Turning, she took the most direct route she could to escape. She ran straight through the wall, or what was left of it, and out into the morning air. It didn't matter now if they saw, he already knew she was there. But her hunger was taking its toll. She couldn't run far before she felt like she needed to vomit. Only a dozen meters from the shelter, she was forced to slow to a walk. Stars were dancing in her vision. As she fought to regain her strength, her mind churned.

Are you really going to just leave them as well?

Coming to a stop, she looked guiltily back at the ruined bus station.

[razorfloss]

Nick (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18966638&postcount=6) just looks at Mr. Marcus says Yea greatness ok so do we have to go in their like a rampaging rhino or can go we be subtle because my powers works so much better when it is a surprise and they don't see it coming and im wasting my breath aren't I He says as Kain starts grow a wrecking ball like structure. seeing this he just shakes his head and taps Kain on the shoulder You do realize that if we would have talked this out and combined our powers we could have easily ended this in one maybe two moves. An object of that size would have lit up quite nicely and easily caused a decent sized crater when charged. he sighs Now we have to actually try. Kain would you be please grow piece of metal about fist sized.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Not again, Michael sighs inward. All these things happen so quickly.

A man who can shape matter.

A woman with oddly-colored hair who can recover from injury even faster than himself.

A young woman, wisely retreating.

Another man appearing in concert with the wrecking ball guy.

Another man with the fast-healer. He seemed associated with her.

This is no random attack, he muses as several metal burrs lodge into his shoulders. Also, ouch.

Picking out the caltrops, he looks around to gauge his surrounding and chances for survival/retreat.

Knowing full well it will hurt, he stands on the bench he was sitting, turns to the edge of the spiky carpet and jumps, rolling with the impact to avoid impaling his eyes or hands as he lands.

He tosses off his ruined coat and calls to the injured woman.

"Find safety! I will attempt to draw his attention!"

Michael hears other man from the roof speak to the wrecking ball man, confirming his theory of their allegiance.

Michael looks for and find a fire extinguisher encased in a glass box. Smashing the glass, he grabs the red metal cylinder and tosses it at the other possible assailant.

Jumps away from the caltrops, taking some puncture wounds in the process, then throws a fire extinguisher with "all his might" at Nick. Obviously a non-lethal missile, but it'll certainly sting if it connects.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18967492&postcount=10) sat in the far back of the bus station with his curious travelling companion, eyes alert and back to the wall. He scanned the room, watching for potential threats, entry and exit points, civilians to keep out of the crossfire, everything that might be important. Sam hated this. He hated being on the run. He hated how little he knew about the situation. And he hated how whoever was hunting them held all cards. He had become so used to being the one with all the information. Back in SWAT, there was always building blueprints, snipers, spotters, drones on occasion and even when he was doing his independent work he could always case the drug dens or spy on whatever gang he was targeting. Now, the absence of answers was maddening and the knowledge that an attack could now come from anywhere and anyone had set Sam more on edge than he had ever been in his life.

He watched the teenager with the bag. A runaway, looks like, shouldn't be an- He caught the look in her eyes, the tear she tried to nonchalantly wipe away. He knew the look of someone who had lost a friend. Knew it all too well. Sam decided to move along before he stirred up old memories. He knew that she was no threat.

He checked out the lone young man next. He looked like a problem. Sitting alone and apart from everyone else, eyes shifting and looking at everyone else with suspicion. That's definitely one to watch.

Sam briefly glanced over at Ke'era, reassured by her presence. He knew from the attack on the motel that her many senses were sharp enough to catch any ambusher. If nothing else we won't ever be taken completely by surprise and she's good company anyway. Her endless curiosity was a welcome distraction from all the doom and gloom, even if it was a little exhausting to answer all her questions.

"We're not alone"

Sam nodded and his hands immediately went into his long coat, searching for his pistol while all his senses searched for anything amiss.

Then all hell broke loose.

All at once the roof had opened up, revealing some young punk stood atop a platform of metal and with a wave of his arms, the room was alive with danger. Caltrops raining from the ceiling, a sizeable wrecking-ball like headed straight for-

OH S***!

Sam suddenly found himself on the floor, shoved over by Ke'era as the ball slammed into the back wall with a sound that was more felt than heard. A sickening crunch told Sam that not all was well however, but he relaxed as he saw Ke'era snap her arm back into place. Assured that his travelling companion was (mostly) unharmed, Sam turned to face their new attacker, allowing his training and years of experience to take control.

Civilians are safe, enemies still to be neutralised. Dangerous. Shoot to kill.

Sam's pistol had cleared its holster and was aimed at Kain when he noticed the lone man perform his impressive show of agility and hurl a fire extinguisher at the ambusher's new friend.

The enemy of my enemy...

Sam pulled his thick, long coat up to cover himself as best he could from the caltrop rain before he focused his attention on Kain, firing two quick shots at him.

[Holy-hunter]

Nick might notice that Kain hadn't gone ahead without giving him any consideration.
Just beside him was an array of different sized objects, all designed and suited for Nick to throw. Just like he likes.

The hurling of the fire extinguisher soon proved to be a possible life saver for both parties.
As soon as it traveled between the wire cables of the platform it came to a sudden piercing screeching halt as a deadly thin, almost invisible razor wire web dug deep into its metal exterior.

While Kain and Nick were safe from the impact, and his trap foiled, they did become under heavy spray from the extinguishers contents. As soon as the wire tore open the shell, Kain was bombarded by a explosion of fine powder causing him to drop to the floor coughing as he was clouded by the fine white concealing dust.

This explosion of dust coincided with the gun firing, and Kain, the target disappeared into the cloud, unbeknown to all if he was hit or not.

The wrecking ball continues however.

[Business Scrub]

As the fire extinguisher goes off and releases a cloud of gas, Ke'era is surprised to feel that it is nothing more than air to her. In the wake of the wrecking ball, the gas gets pulled up and disperses through the station quite quickly, giving her an idea...
Her sedative was more close-range and she had never weaponized it before, but the wrecking ball was doing a wonderful job of churning air up to the top of the station.

Feeling the sickly sweet sedative, disperse, she stepped slowly between the scraps of metal on the floor and cutting herself more than once.
If I can just get close enough to that ball...
Her hair billows in the direction of the ball's return swing as it passes inches from her face, pulling the chemicals in the air with it. She looked over at Kain and Nick once it passed to see how they reacted.
Time to see how hardy these people are.

[Comissar]

Kait's mind was made up the moment she heard the gunfire. She couldn't just leave them there, she had to try and help somehow. She approached the wall cautiously, desperately hoping that she wasn't about to walk into the site of a massacre. Stepping back into the station, she was surprised to see the fine mist that seemed to have sprung up in her brief absence. More surprising was that nobody looked like they were trying to run.

Casting about the room, she saw that the two men doing what they could to fight off the mad man on the platform. The woman, on the other hand, looked like she had a death wish. Kaitlyn winced as the wrecking ball swung dangerously close to the woman's face. Rushing forward as the wrecking ball reached the apex of its swing away from them, she grabbed the woman's uninjured arm.

"Miss! We have to run, you need to get to a doctor!"

It was strange what the senses picked up at times like this. A strong, sweet smell surrounded the woman. The heady scent doing little to help Kait's dizziness.

[Holy-hunter]

Kain was still coughing out dust and keeping low while rubbing his sore red eyes when the strong sweet scent of something vaguely familiar rose to him.

"What are those freaks doing now" he mutters to himself.
There was a moment of silence, of thought, of realisation.

"Ahh Fu**! You bastards shot me! Kain screams as his regains his senses.

Enraged and pumping with adrenaline he hurriedly stands to look out over the nuisance below.
Sure enough there is a red splotch mixed with white powder on the edge of his left shoulder. (Bullet just grazed)
With a deep growl, what remains of the roof, starts raining 'kitchen knife' sized shards of sharp metal, focused around the noticeable people.

A short moment after he comes to his feet he is overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness.
A staggered step leads him towards a metal cable for support but between his hindered vision and lightheadedness his hand fails to find its mark and he tumbles into his own razor wire barrier.

"Aghh" another shout of pain.

Suddenly Kain falls from the platform, the 'twinging' sound of the steel wire can be heard as it comes following down with him.

The wrecking ball will now come to a slow stop, as will the roof spikes.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era watches with grim satisfaction as her plan seems to work, and the metal man falls. Hopefully that thin wire did not kill him, though. Death for humans was astonishingly permanent.

Not a moment later she felt a tug on her unbroken arm. It was the other girl in the station who had left. Why had she come back?

"You need to get to a doctor!" Those were the healers, right? Ke'era glanced down at her arm and remembered that such a wound was devastating for humans. It would take her too long to explain. She looked back at the girl who, now that she was paying attention, seemed to sway dizzily in place. Ke'era cut off her sedative, certain it wasn't helping the girl's condition, and put a steadying hand on her shoulder. In the panic of the fight, she instinctively switched back to her native language.
"Risei usuit kec neccum sai risei?"

Then, knifelike shards of metal rain from the sky, one of which catches her on the side, leaving a long, deep gash from the bottom of her rib to the top of her leg. She hisses in pain, then looks at the girl beside her: hopefully she wasn't hit. Ke'era knew she would heal, but she had to get this person out of here before the collapsed, or worse. With her good arm, she nudged the girl towards the doors of the station.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael sees the man in the Longmont draw a pistol and fire and seconds later a rain of blades falls. The regenerating woman says something in a language he doesn't recognize and the woman who ran has returned.

He rushes towards the gunman and two women, several blades slicing him as they fall.

"I believe we are in the "same boat," He hoped the idiom w as appropriate. "We should not remain here."

Michael knew he was in a bad way, but had no time to assess his injuries. He hoped he could last long enough to escape.

[Comissar]

Kait's mind was swimming now. The sickly smell was really starting to get to her, although now that she came to think about it, it seemed less pungent than before. When the woman put her hand on Kaitlyn's shoulder, she knew she had to be losing her grip. That was the arm that the wrecking ball had hit... But... It did still look damaged, but nowhere near as mangled as it had.

"Risei usuit kec neccum sai risei?"

Kaitlyn blinks a couple of times in confusion, "...What?"

For the second time in so many minutes, the ceiling crashes down again. Flinching, Kaitlyn looks up just in time to see the knife-like shards falling straight at her. The bladed metal passes harmlessly though her, clattering into the floor. The woman next to her is not so lucky, the hiss of pain and the sound of cutting flesh is enough to make Kaitlyn's skin crawl. The sight of one of the two men running over does little to make her feel better. He, too, has suffered multiple injuries from the blades. As distracted as she was, she failed to notice the woman's attempt to usher her back out of the station. The attempted gentle push just passing through her instead.

"I believe we are in the "same boat," we should not remain here."

Nodding in agreement, Kaitlyn glanced upward briefly. The shower of knives seemed to have ended, but there was no way she could know if it would start again. She allowed herself to become solid as she grabbed the woman's arm again.

Everything feels so far away...

"Come on," She tugs on the woman's arm, trying to steer her toward the nearest door, "You have to... Need to get out..."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam doesn't notice that the caltrops had become blades until it was almost too late. Deciding that a nasty fall would be better than death, Sam dove out of the way of the falling blades and on to the caltrops littering the floor. His vest protected his torso but he received a number of small but painful wounds to his arms and legs. Sam grits his teeth and does his best to ignore the pain and gets back up and takes in the situation.

Okay, shake it off Sam, you've had worse. Now what's going on? Looks like we got our magnet man but...
He glances back at his allies.

We're still injured. Off balance. Better to retreat than try to fight that second-

"I believe we are in the "same boat". We should not remain here."

Sam nodded to show his agreement.

"Agreed. Let's go."

[Holy-hunter]

(Throwing in for Nick)
Before anyone can get too cozy with the idea of peace now the roof has stopped raining death and the ball has come to a halt,
The other man starts throwing down these odd glowing projectiles, (and he has an good arm for throwing) a second later they begin bursting with a powerful concussive explosion. After the shock and debris of the 1st larger bombs and their devastating blasts he begins littering a trail of smaller projectiles that produce smaller but still powerful blasts.

Kain's fall would be enough to hospitalise any human, and he was no exception. But in the distraction of Nicks attack perhaps no one noticed the blood stained steel wiring coil beneath him and reach out around him like spider legs to slow his fall at the last second. He still hits the ground hard.
All air suddenly escapes his lungs and his limbs fall limp soon after.

But not all is still, the metal wire that is around him flattens and melts together as it soon starts crawling around his body and snaking its way silently across the floor. Like a predator to prey it sneaks up to the closest person to where Kain lies and will lash out trying to encircle both their legs and hold them from running.

[Business Scrub]

Moving toward the exit with the rest, Ke'era was able to side step most of the projectiles, probably because they weren't aimed at her. That's when the metal wire whips around her ankle and pulls, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She looks around, panicking. She was almost out. She was not going to be taken. Not by these people. Her good hand fumbled around blindly and grabbed one of the knives that had fallen before. She looked at it and grimaced as the metal wire tugged at her. It wouldn't be enough to break through the chain.

All at once, she brings the knife down on her ankle, severing it just above the chain with a shriek of pain. It did the job though, at she pulls her leg out of the chains, using the wall to pull herself up and lean against. She looks around, breathing heavily and trying not to think about what happened.

"Ah... Someone, help."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam moved toward the exit with the others but as explosions start going off around them, he veers off, distancing himself from the group. Over the din of battle, Sam's voice comes out in a roar:

"Separate! Don't cluster up unless you all want to be blown to pieces!"

Sam manages to dodge one of the smaller projectiles before taking aim with his pistol at their new attacker.

Too far and the angle's awkward. No way I can double tap this goon too. Suppressing fire it is.

Sam lets loose with a flurry of shots from his pistol while still moving towards the exit, attempting to get Nick to put his head down and take cover rather than trying to hit him directly. As Sam fires the last round in his magazine, he catches movement in the corner of his eye, turning just in time to see Ke'era bring a knife-shard down upon herself and hear her blood-curdling shriek of pain. As she pulls herself up and leans against the nearby wall, Sam runs over to help, reaching her just as she finishes her call for help.

"Just stay calm and hold still, you're going to be alright."

Sam did his best to stay calm himself, and began checking her wound, trying to remember his basic first aid training and hoping it would still be effective on Ke'era's alien biology.

Okay, first priority, get pressure on the wound, try to control the bleeding. God, I hope I'm remembering this right.

Sam removed his coat and used it to put pressure on the wound, revealing the bulletproof vest he wore underneath, the word "POLICE" emblazoned across the chest and on the back.

Sam's dialogue colour is now Teal.

[Comissar]

Kait recoiled in horror as the woman severed her own foot. Her vision was beginning to blur, now, eyes filling with tears. This was insane. She didn't know what to do. She'd run back in thinking she could help, but she just didn't know what to do. Fighting back the rising panic, she was caught by surprise when the explosions started to happen. She looked in horror to see a second man behind the new assault.

The other's are going to die...

Her hands flew to her head, clutching tightly as she tried to keep herself under control. She couldn't just run again.

What would Eli have done..?

She looked at the three other's. All of them looked hurt, the woman especially. A kind of terrified resolve settled over her. They had to get out. "Please, listen... Listen to me," Her voice was stuttering as she spoke, sheer terror making it difficult to get the words out, "I'm going to try and-and hold them back. I don't kn-know how long I can. You have to run."

Turning away from the group, she ran into the centre of the chaos, searching for the man who had started the attack. He wasn't hard to find, she just had to follow the wires that had held the woman's leg. She found him lying on the floor, still conscious but badly injured. Dropping into a crouch next to him, she hesitated. Could she really do this?

There's not a choice.

Gritting her teeth, she plunged her hand through the man's head, holding it there.

"Let them go, or I turn solid again."

[Holy-hunter]

Looking like he was caught in some entwining barbed wire, those witness to his earlier acts would know better. The wires that spiralled and clumped around him, tight in some places and loose in others, was thicker and more visable now.

Kain groans as he opens his eyes, "do I know you?" He nonchalantly asks Kait on laboured breaths.
Red stripes are visible across his chest beneath his tattered torn shirt.

He gives her a slight nod, no wait... It wasn't for her.
The shadow around him suddenly and quickly grows. Nick had dropped the wrecking ball right above them!!!
Before Kait could react metal pillars sprung up and caught it mid air... Without words it was clearly written by the smugness on his face, 'should he die the ball drops', and it looks ever so heavy.

"How's Faye?" Kain asks, breaking the tension with a sinister smile. His question is followed by a blood filled spluttering cough as he calls her bluff and unnaturally rises from the floor, wires supporting him like a mannequin on strings.
His limbs are all loose as he is brought upright and his head snaps into place, a maniacal glare is in his eyes as he ignores Kait and stares malevolently at the footless woman and the man frantically attempting to assist her.

An object had quickly appeared in his hand, growing from the metal around him.
It was a gun, and it was pointed at Ke'era...

Before Kait could do anything.

"BANG" he shouts loudly, but the gun does nothing.
Kain laughs to himself amused by his antics, his laugh gives way to a gurgling cough.

'KA-SWOOSH' Ke'era is splattered with little droplets of blood...

Inches from her face is a long thin blood-stained spike protruding right out of Sam's lower stomach.
His clothing grows dark around the odd protrusion.
The piercing blade can be traced behind him where it reaches to the floor and runs across the ground and back to Kain's feet.

He stops coughing long enough to softly mutter to himself "I'll show you greatness"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael sees the metal spike drive through the officer's body armour and winches. Gut wounds were definitely the worst. First he would go into shock, then the wound would probably go septic.

The healing woman severed her own foot. The metal man just had a hand plunged into his head. Michael had seen some of the worst things a person could do to another, but this...

[FOOM]

An explosive force knocked the end out of him and threw him back. At least two ribs cracked, his left eardrum ruptured.

The other one.

Michael reaches out, grabbing one of the metal blades.

Quickly, he tosses it at the attacker still standing.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era stops and blinks for a second in disbelief as the sliver of metal passes through Sam.

No... The metal man had gone down. How..?

But this wasn't the time to wonder. She had to get Sam out of here: according to K, the slightest puncture on humans could be fatal, and this was more than slight.

Assuming Sam's ok with this next part, I don't want to god mod him into anything.

Ke'era went from using Sam as a crutch to holding up the both of them, letting the wall take just about all of their weight. They were so close to the exit...

Hop, drag... hop, drag... Ke'era jumped forward slightly with her remaining foot, then pulled the man along. She winced as her broken arm scraped against the wall with every drag. Eventually, they made it to the door, and she hopped out, landing messily on the ground and breathing heavily.

"Sam... *huff* are you still... *huff* with me?"

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn tenses nervously, trying to fight her fear and worry.

"Do I know you?"

Kait breathes in sharply, the man didn't even seem concerned about her threat. She flinched at the sound of the wrecking ball dropping above her, glancing up to see it impossibly balanced above her.

"How's Faye?"

Kaitlyn felt the world collapsing around her. She didn't even realise at first that the man had simply risen away from her attempt to trap him. She took a couple of steps back away from him, looking at the man with fresh horror.

No no no no...

A horrid Schlick sound snapped her out of her brief panic. One of the men trying to help the injured woman had been badly stabbed. Why hadn't they run? She'd told them to run...

Her vision was beginning to grey around the edges as her exhaustion took its toll on her body. There was nothing more that she could do for them...

You need to run...

The memory sounded so distant, but she couldn't leave them. She made her way toward the badly injured pair clawing their way along the wall. They'd managed to make it out the door by the time she reached them. "We need an ambulance, do you have a phone?"

Her voice sounded wooly to her, hard to hear.

[razorfloss]

Nick sighs in relief as he sees Kain is not dead Always knew that he was he tough bastard. but that relief is short livef as he sees Kait approach Kain Oh crap what should I do Kain's down and I can't get to him in time crap crap crap what should I do. as he thinks this he sees Kain's wrecking ball and gets an idea got it here's hoping Kain's consicious enough to make this work. as he pushes the ball of metal over to to the edge he sees that Kain is conscious enough to see him. He points to ball and then the ground all and sees Kain nod well here goes nothing he says as the ball drops. After dropping the ball he sighs in relief as he see Kain use it to threaten Kait well that's one problem out the way now unto the next
As he says this he turns to look for the one giving orders just in time to see him throw a knife that hits him in the shoulder. Arggg. That's it you are a dead man he screams in pain. He yanks the knife out and grimaces and then smiles Thanks for the gift I'll be sure to use well. Like so as he charges the knife and throws it back only now glowing blue.

[Holy-hunter]

Kain does nothing for a 'turn' he just breathes heavily and drops to his knees. Some of the metal around him 'sheds' (becomes lifeless and out of his control)

[JohnTheSavage]

Maybe it was the adrenaline or the shock, but Sam almost didn't even feel the spike at first. He felt something hit him from behind, stumbling forward slightly and heard the wet Schlick between two tiny metallic tings of the spike shearing through his vest's front and back plates. He saw the few droplets of blood on Ke'era, and the look in her eyes. Then he looked down and saw the spike protruding from stomach. All at once he felt the pain, spreading out from the centre of his being and engulfing all of his senses. Sam was no stranger to pain, he had taken his fair share of injuries over the years, but nothing could have prepared him for this.

Sam's vision began to grow dark as his consciousness started to fail him. But Ke'era caught him as he started to fall, holding him and herself up while using the wall as support.

No...Not yet...

Even with Ke'era supporting him and pulling him along, it still took everything Sam had to stay conscious and stay moving. Left. Right. Left. Right. One foot in front of the other. Keep it together, Sam, it's not your time just yet. Eventually Sam and Ke'era made it out the door, where Sam slumped against the wall by the door and sank into a sitting position against it, both hands clutching his wound.

"Sam... *huff* are you still... *huff* with me?"

Sam opened his mouth to answer but instead found himself coughing up blood rather than speaking. His second attempt was more successful.

"For... *cough*... For now..."

Kaitlyn soon came out the door after the wounded pair, asking:

"We need an ambulance, do you have a phone?"

Sam hazily reached for his before realizing and cursing that his phone had been in his coat pocket and was thus still inside. He lifted one of his hands from his wound to gesture at Ke'era.

"She...does- *cough*"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael rolls away from the glowing missile, but shards of metal lodge into his back and thigh.

Do you heal fast, Mr. Explosions? Can you feel the fingers on your injured arm?

Oh, it hurt bad, and would hurt a lot worse later when he had to pry the shrapnel out of hard-to-reach places. He rushes away from other injured pair, trying to buy them time to flee.

[Business Scrub]

"For... *cough*... For now..."

Ke'era awkwardly shuffled close to him. "Good. Because I need you... to trust me."
She put her arm around Sam as if she was going to hug him as she spoke. Instead, she grabbed the metal spike and pulled it out in a long, ungraceful motion.

Again, only if Sam is cool with this:

Ke'era took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating and hoping Sam's pain wasn't too horrible.
She placed her fingers lightly on the edge of Sam's open wound, and quite suddenly a great many white, fibrous tendrils began growing quickly out of her fingertips into Sam's body. She concentrated for a long, quite minute, feeling out the strange human biology. Where they occasionally struck an internal nerve produced an odd tingling sensation, but never for very long. Then in perfect concert, the fibers began twining around each other and Sam's muscles and blood vessels and organs, stitching them together and filling the gaps that the shard of metal had created. The fibers work their way from Sam's back forward, eventually leaving nothing but an off-colored patch of skin-like material where the metal shard had gone through.

Ke'era opened her eyes and looked at him, seeing if he was ok. She herself looked dog tired suddenly, deep shadows under her eyes and much of the color drained from her face. Still, she gave a half smile as she pulled her hand back.

"Better?"

[Holy-hunter]

Kain looks up to Nick and as his lips curl into a smile he manages to get out two more words before collapsing into a heap on the floor.

"My turn"

Even now, Kain still tormented Nick. Nick and only Nick would understand his meaning, after all, for a long while it had been Kain's one and only consuming thought... It was the only reason they were here...
Luca (his turn to be with her)



http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o567/Holy-Hunter/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpscrfmrxzt.jpg (http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/Holy-Hunter/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpscrfmrxzt.jpg.html)
Age: Early 20's
Name: Luca (light) Dee
Personality: Bright, strong, independent and carefree
Persona:Hippie
Occupation: Florist
Hobbies: Yoga, meditation, fire twirling, dancing, getting high.
Power: Able to astral project when either reaching a state of meditation or through specialised drugs.





Luca had chosen Nick over Kain, and he had tried to live with it on a daily basis but when Luca over exerted her astral projection and got lost from her body, leaving it in a coma, Kain couldn't deny his rivalry anymore.

Marcus now has possession of her body and keeps it alive, but recently Kain has given up hope that she is still out there and developed a bit of a death wish.

Believing to himself that he has seen her in his near death experiences, the thought that she is waiting for him on the otherside, away from all this weirdness, these super humans, these laws and rules and financial issues, behavioural etiquette's, social expectations, feelings and fears, away from all that she is waiting for him, it's a comforting call that is getting harder to ignore.

Kain grows more and more reckless and self destructive with every passing day she doesn't wake up.
Marcus is more than likely aware of this and using it to his advantage.

[JohnTheSavage]

"Good. Because I need you... to trust me."

Sam nodded as Ke'era approached.

"It's okay, I trust you."

Sam simply sat still as Ke'era drew closer and wrapped her arm around him.

"What... What are you doing to d-AAARRRGHH!"

Sam screamed in pain as Ke'era pulled on and yanked out the spike that he had been impaled on and none too gently either. Later, if someone had asked Sam which hurt more, the actual impalement or having the spike pulled out, Sam would honestly be unable to answer. Sam continued to cry out in pain for the first few seconds, but as Ke'era continued her work, the pain gradually began to lessen, going from unbearable to just excruciating. Sam sat quiet and still for the rest of the time, starting out gritting his teeth and with his breath coming out in ragged gasps. The pain began to slowly fade as Ke'era kept at it, and slowly, Sam started to relax slightly and his breathing returned to a more normal rhythm.

Finally, she was done and Sam took a deep breath and looked down at where, a minute ago, there had been a metal spike sticking out of him. What he saw was a off-colour patch of skin in the shape of the punture. Not quite believing what he was seeing, Sam reached down and felt the site of his wound. No, that's not skin, is it? I feels..off. Come to think of it, that whole area doesn't quite feel right, does it? Satisfied that, yes, he had been healed, Sam stood up, taking a deep breath as he did so. He felt winded, not quite back at 100% but still immeasurably better.

Ke'era, in contrast, looked measurably worse. She looked pale, and shadows had appeared under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in days.

"Better?"

"So much better. Thank you, Ke'era. Truly."

Sam slid a new magazine into his pistol and peeked around the door to check what had happened in the sixty seconds or so since Ke'era had started her healing.

[herodofcows]

The air is full of dust and debris as the combatants either slug it out, lie bleeding, or desperately try and put themselves back together. Coughs and wheezes spangle the air amidst the more accented sounds of bones breaking, flesh being perforated, and cries of pain. It would be a great time for the Kool-Aid man to come crashing through the wall to offer a delicious fruity beverage . . .

CRASH

Someone crashes through the wall. It is not the Kool-Aid man.

The figure strides into the room, bellowing "ENOUGH," before catching sight of Michael sprinting away. A peculiar smile creeps across his face as he leaps, springing into the air almost like a grasshopper before landing in front of Michael with enough force to put cracks in the ground beneath him.


A quick note: perspective means that a single image can mean different things to different people! Let's look at this new player from different perspectives!

Sam and Kaitlyn see nearly the same thing: a thirty-something year old man with model-esque features in a worn brown bomber jacket. He speaks in a vague accent, but it's difficult to hear within one word.

Ke'era sees another human. Another metahuman, to be precise. Humans and metahumans look similar but metahumans can do things humans cannot. She does not notice the accent, but the metahuman is wearing "jeans" and a white "shirt" under a brown "jacket" that has seen a lot of wear and tear, possibly enough to make it unusable as a status symbol, although the metahuman does not seem to notice this. He smells human . . . ish. There's something off about it, but it's difficult to distinguish.

Kain and Nick see Mr. Steven Marcus, come at last to back them up when they're on their last legs (or, in Kain's case, far past his last legs and heading towards stump territory).

And Miroslav, before the shock from the impact hits him, sees Sorin Markov come crashing down in front of him, larger than live and with some indescribable emotion blazing in his eyes.

[Comissar]

Kait waited uncertainly, the man, Sam?, had said the woman had a phone. She didn't know what the woman was waiting for, time was critical for an injury like that. Instead, she was pulling the shard out and sticking her fingers into the wound. Kaitlyn winced at that, and was about to urge her to stop when something strange happened. The woman, Ke'era, was somehow fixing the injury.

Kait felt an icy chill pass through her. Ke'era was also super-powered.

Sh*t!

"ENOUGH!"

She turned to see yet another super smash through the wall and then leap an incredible distance through the air.

Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!

She staggered to her feet, adrenaline racing through her.

You need to run...

Turning, she half ran and half staggered away from the carnage. Her limbs felt like lead, barely doing what she wanted them to. Everything turned black for a half-second and she found herself lying on the floor, painful scrapes on her hands and arms where she hit the pavement. Kaitlyn hissed in pain at the grazes. A voice in the back of her head told her she should count herself lucky that was all that had happened to her so far. She ignored it. Pushing herself up to her elbows, she looked back behind her. Frustrated that she hadn't managed to run further.

So, Kaitlyn's pretty exhausted at this point, you can only go so far on adrenaline alone when you've not eaten for a day or two.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era looked around at their situation: not particularly great, but as the morning Sun shone down on her, she started to feel better. While Sam got back up, she dug her good foot in the ground a bit, enjoying the cool dirt far more than the bus station. As she feeds off the Earth and Sun, she feels her gash close and the tendons in her arm pull the bone back to its rightful place. Her foot would take a bit more time to come back, but she knew it too would regrow soon. It was the others that worried her: that other girl looked like she was about to die any minute, and Ke'era had no idea why. And Sam... she had fixed Sam, but humans were so fragile. It's no wonder they were so paranoid about injury.

The man leaping down surprised her, but not enough to make her move. She knew the third man had to have been lingering somewhere.

"ENOUGH!"

Ke'era can't help but agree: she'd had enough as well.

"Yes! Enough, thank you. In fact, why even do this in the first place?"

Aaaand cue villain monologue!

[redzimmer]

Resolute

He's shorter than I expected...

There was too much to take in, and Michael had endured far too much damage. The unusual sensation of exhaustion washed over him, and he blacked out...

[herodofcows]

The newcomer sneers at Michael's supine form. His gaze sweeps across the room, taking in everything with a hawkish sharpness. When he fixes his gaze on Ke'era, his face drops into a neutral expression.

"This needed to be done, child," he replies grimly, with an accent that the assembled (conscious) humans will recognize as vaguely Slavic, "Overwhelming force now means that I may speak my piece without fear of rash interruption. We are, all of us, brothers and sisters in a new world, but I am the eldest here and I would have my words heard.

"Our world is about to change, child from another world," he continues, not taking his eyes off Ke'era, "You have arrived at a time when metahumans such as ourselves are a rarity. On a planet of seven billion, there are perhaps one thousand of us altogether, hiding from the hordes of lesser humans that now rule the planet by sheer strength of numbers. But that reign is coming to an end: a Third Generation of metahumans will soon come into their own, numbering in the hundreds of millions. At that time, we will take our rightful place as rulers and leaders of this world. You, child from another world . . . you could help us, or you could stand by, but you cannot be allowed to stop this."

His eyes rove about suddenly, as though daring the assembled metas to challenge his words.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn watches the man in mute terror. His insanity just confirmed her own beliefs. His rant reminded her of Arthur. Different lyrics, same tune. When his gaze falls on her, she flinches away, trying to avoid his attention.

[razorfloss]

Nick ducks behind cover after tossing the knife back to Micheal and covers his bleeding shoulder with his good hand and listens to Mr Marcus and *Hiss of pain* mutters to himself I hate being stabbed. This had better be worth it and continues to do so until he hears Mr. Marcus say to with no interruptions You mean to tell me he had us attack these ppl just so he could talk without interruptions? he groans in his head and winces in pain once again If he didn't pay so well and wasn't taking care of Luca i would have left a long time ago

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era is thankful for the reprieve from fighting, but the man's words worried her. Or rather, the other's reactions to the man worried her more. Clearly whatever the man was talking about was not something the humans regularly experienced.

Seven billion?? On such a tiny planet..? Surely they must have spread to other planets, right? There's no way you could cram seven billion people on here.

By the time Marcus has finished his speech Ke'era's arm has reattached. She wiggles her fingers experimentally, apparently satisfied.

"So that you know, if you want to speak to me you needn't make all this fuss. You people have some fascination with interrupting each other that I'll might never understand. I recommend you don't make assumptions about me simply because I look like a human; you'll only make a fool of yourself if you do."

She pauses and considers. "Ah, the right to rule. And what is it that gives you this right?" Ke'era asks him, sounding honestly curious. "The best rule is the one that the people are most willing to follow, no? Leading is, by definition, commanding others. So what puts this 'Third Generation' you speak of above the leaders in place? And please don't tell me it is power. Even with my other hand back I don't have enough fingers to point out why that doesn't, by itself, make one a good candidate.
If you want my answer, then win me over. I appear to be in a unique position and I intend to use it. Show me why you would make a good leader for these people, and if I agree I'll ally with you. But I must say, you opened with needless violence and endangered and irritated everyone in the room when a simple hello could have sufficed, so it's already 'lesser' humans one to zero..." She makes an unfamiliar gesture tapping her thumb to the side of her index finger and leaves her sentence trailing, as if expecting him to tell her what to call him.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam simply stands ready by Ke'era, pistol drawn but not raised, doubting this confrontation was going to end peacefully.

Careful Ke'era, I don't think the Omegas are the type to engage in reasoned discussion for too long.

While Marcus and Ke'era trade words, Sam's eyes scan the room while his mind works overtime to try to find a way to escape their current predicament.

[herodofcows]

Markov/Marcus nods at Ke'era's words, and begins slowly pacing the room.

"You think rightly, child from another world. Power in of itself does not make a good ruler. My strength does not make me a good leader. But the coming of the Third Generation will inevitably cause a shift in power. We believe a random sampling of people all over the world will be given powers such as all of ours. People of all walks of life, rich and poor, oppressor and oppressed, sinful and virtuous. They will burst into this new world with the power to take their desires into their own hands, free of the mutual fictions of social contracts and rules.

"The Third Generation will bring metahumanity to the foremost echelons of power in the world. This is inevitable. What is NOT inevitable is that they use this power with any degree of wisdom or compassion or responsibility. It is for US to ensure that people of wisdom and restraint will climb to the fore. Our Alpha brothers and sisters would bury their heads in the sand and dream of a world in which metahumans peacefully separate from humanity, choosing to live as equals when they could reign as kings. We Omegas are not so naive. We accept the inherent selfishness of human nature, and seek to channel it towards the creation of a just and benevolent new rule.

"And it is for THIS reason," he concludes, eyes again sweeping the room like birds of prey, "that I come to you all with such force. You might all be sources of change, of hope, of good leadership in the coming world."

Looking at Kaitlyn:

"Running from your responsibility does not make it go away,"

Looking at Sam:

"Giving up your responsibility does not absolve you of it,"

Looking at Michael's prostrate form and sighing, as though to himself:

"And taking on more responsibility should never done lightly,"

And finally, back to Ke'era:

"You are an external force from this inevitability, child from another world. By virtue of who you are and what you represent, you might deliver the impetus for a better world, or you might frustrate our designs and bring about the entirety of the chaos we hope to prevent. For THIS reason, I must be forceful. For THIS reason, I must act with urgency. So, what do you say?"

This last is said in a manner approaching "whaddayasay?".

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era takes a long time to consider Marcus. So long in fact, that for an awkward moment it seems like she isn't going to respond. Rising up a bit into a more standing position so that her foot begins growing back, she meets Marcus' gaze, and replies in an even tone.

"I see. And you believe that those deserving metahumans should 'reign as kings' as you put it? But who determines the merit of those people? Are you so confident in yourself to take that role to determine who is worthy and who is not? What place would you have for the other humans here in your world?"

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam notices Ke'era's shift in stance, and realizes that her foot had started growing back.

I see what you're doing there. Keep this wordy idiot talking while you regenerate what you can of your foot. At least I hope that's what you're doing. Ke'era's might be a bit naive but even she's got to know this guy's full of crap, right?

Sam turns back and once again focuses a predatory gaze of his own on Marcus, refusing to let himself be intimidated by this piece of garbage.

[Comissar]

Kait listens to Marcus' description in horror. The world he was describing sounded like total anarchy. Her revulsion turned to frustration with herself when the man accused her of running from responsibility. More specifically, frustration that she still felt guilty about running.

But what choice did I have?

Something that had been nagging at her came to the front of her mind at last... From another world..?

"An alien..?"

[redzimmer]

Resolute
I have taken a great many liberties in regards to both the limits of human achievement and actual medical science. Rule of drama and all that.
As he dwells in the Land of Morpheus, Michael revisits events of his past...

In early 1984 when still an aspiring medical student, he was 'volunteered' to service a Mobile Aid Station for Czechoslovakia's ally the Soviet Union. At this point in history, the Soviets were assisting in the re-establishment of the rightful government of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan...

Here Michael learned firsthand the extent of human ingenuity in the science of maiming and killing one another.

The blood, the explosions, the trauma...

His instructor/commanding officer was giving a lecture on the resilience of the human mind despite injuries which should destroy a person's mind.

"When the body goes into shock, the mind can sequester itself away, possible as a defense against the otherwise incapacitating pain. The mind shuts off to allow the body time to heal. But if the mind does not awaken, the body will die..."

If the mind does not awaken, the body will die...

WAKE UP.

Or.

You.

Will.

Die.




Michael's eyes snap open.

[herodofcows]

Markov/Marcus spreads his hands, gesturing as though to take in the room.

"Does one need to be a good ruler to know a good ruler? I say no. The masses can recognize greatness, even if they are not great themselves. The sinful can recognize virtue, even if they have no virtue themselves. By this token, we Omegas seek to find virtuous rulers and assist them in assuming their rightful place, even if we ourselves are not worthy rulers. Human or metahuman, a good ruler needs followers with power and influence; we Omegas may provide both.

"'What of humanity', you ask? 'Human or metahuman', I say. Leadership is not a quality limited to those with powers, but power will always command followers. The Third Generation will be rife with power, and this power will command followers, making leaders of those who should not lead. It is THIS that we hope to curb, with-"

Seeing Michael begin to stir, Markov/Marcus starts slightly. The corners of his mouth begin to curl downwards, as though repressing a snarl. Or a sneer. One of the two.

". . . and then, of course, there is my counterexample at my feet . . ." he mutters, as though to himself (yet speaking loudly enough to be heard by all).

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era looks around as her foot begins to grow back. The look Sam and the girl were giving this man was murderous. And yet, despite the fighting, he sounded completely reasonable...

I know humans have a stronger taboo against fighting because they're so fragile, but...

Uncertainty is clear on her face as she gets expectant glances from Marcus and Sam.

"Then... I don't know! What do you want from me?!"

For a moment her cool, poised exterior fades to show what she's been desperately trying to keep covered since she landed on Earth: she's young, desperately trying to make sense of an alien world, has no plan, and (despite Sam being nearby) is totally alone.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael stands. The wounds have already clotted, though it would take longer for the damaged muscles and bone to rebuild. His fatigue was gone, and the pain had already begun to fade.

"And once humanity knows about us, do you think they will so easily allow us to take over? are you so arrogant to believe they have no contingency prepared?"

He had been 'studied' for years in that bunker along the Kolyma River. He saw firsthand the destruction their attempts to 'duplicate' him were capable of...

"They will resist us if we just appear alongside these "Omegas" and demand fealty. And what will we do if somehow we can subdue all 7 billion of them?"

Michael walks towards the man who has haunted his thoughts for thirty years. Without realizing it, he reverts his speech to Russian.

"Re-education centers? Gulags? Death camps? Those all worked so well in the past have they not? If you want to save the world, Sorin Markov, you must make then want you to save it."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam steps forward and aims his pistol straight at Marcus.

"What he said."
He jerks his head at Michael.

"You're insane and we're not going anywhere with you. So how's the rest of this going to play out?"
Sam keeps his pistol trained on Marcus, ready to open fire if he tries anything.

[Business Scrub]

With a now fully reformed foot, Ke'era jumps up and steps in the way Sam's gun.
"Stop! We just stopped fighting! Can't we keep it that way?
Sam, I don't think he's being that ridiculous. You know, besides the part where he tried to have us killed."
She looks at Marcus. "But yes, I think it'd be best if we left for now."

Assuming no one stops her, she walks over to Kait. "Miss, you look like you could use some sun. Are you alone? Actually, you don't need to answer that. But do you want to come with us?"

[razorfloss]

Nick looks at his boss towering over the defeated people and thinks to himself My god my boss loves to talk. Cant you see they wont join us just kill them already and lets go already my shoulder is killing me.

[Comissar]

Kait watched the scene unfolding before her. While she couldn't understand why nobody else seemed to be picking up on there being an alien in their presence, her heart still went out to Ke'era when she cried out for some clue for what she should do. She began to prop herself up on her elbows whilst the others talked, pushing herself into a kneeling position. When she next looked up, the man called 'Sam' had drawn a gun.

Kait felt a wave of panic wash over her. She had no love for the man who had attacked them, but she wasn't sure she wanted to see him shot in cold blood either. Ke'era stepping directly between them seemed worryingly dangerous. The two seemed to know one another, but still, everything Kait had learned warned her against getting involved with guns.

"Miss, you look like you could use some sun. Are you alone? Actually, you don't need to answer that. But do you want to come with us?"

Kaitlyn looked up at Ke'era from her place on the pavement. For a moment, she was torn. The woman was clearly super-powered, but Kaitlyn herself was in no shape to try and run. Besides, she seemed the most level-headed of the lot.

What was that about sun..?

She hesitated before answering.

"Yes... Please..."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam sighs and lowers his weapon as Ke'era steps into his line of fire. As Ke'era moves over to check on Kait, Sam continues to talk with Marcus, satisfied that Ke'era would take good care of the other girl.

"Look, none of us are buying what you're selling, so you can let us go or you can try to force the issue. Ball's in your court."

Sam turns away from Marcus walks over to check on Michael, offering an arm if he needed support. He looked to be in pretty bad shape.

"Hey, are you alright? You took some bad hits there."

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I... will... I will survive. It isn't as bad as it looks."

Michael briefly considers bluffing that he is worse off that he actually is, but somehow he knows Markov-Marcus is aware his abilities.

"Your 'pitch' may have worked on those two, and the others you sent after me, but I have heard it all before."

Unless he has regenerative abilities, the explosion man would need medical assistance soon. The metal man, given the right nudge may find himself crushed by his own construct. But Marcus was an untested variable, not to be underestimated.

[herodofcows]

Markov/Marcus' eyes zero in on Miroslav/Michael the second he switches to Russian. He stares for a moment and replies in the same language (in an accent Miroslav recognizes as being astoundingly provincial, despite his formal bearing).

"Do you think me an idiot, boy? I was in Kronstadt when the sailors revolted. My cousin showed me the memories of a hundred kolkhozni with her mind. We are not so stupid as to ape Mother Russia. Now pipe down, and you might learn something for once in your life."

Abruptly, he switches back to English, but the accent hovers thickly over his speech.

"Look at this one here, then," he sighs, gesturing at Michael, "HE is not like us. His power came from the work of an . . . well, an idealistic fool who should have known better. This fool believed he could level the playing field by granting powers to as many people as possible, in effect FORCING a Third Generation upon the world. But this fool . . . he learned better . . ."

He seems to spiral into a brief reverie before shaking his head and resuming a less-accented speech.

"The POINT is, the ascendancy of the Third Generation is inevitable. Nearly a billion metahumans, emerging spontaneously? They will remake the world regardless of what we will. The POINT is to guide the best of them and combat the worst. The POINT is-"

He pauses abruptly as a sound breaks through the early morning quiet that was left behind in the wake of the attack . . . a bus motor, to be specific.

People are coming.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era watched Marcus as he spoke, still paying attention despite their movement.

A billion people..? Do we even number that many to begin with?

She smells the bus before she hears it: the horrible stink of exhaust. And worse, it smelled like it was carrying tons of people. Of course, this was a meeting ground for humans. Some were bound to show up eventually.

"Fell shum kall'ia nhares sum fell..." She said, clearly irritated.

Ke'era holds Kait's hand and pulls her to her feet, then hurries across the station to pick up Simon and her bags, and Kait's if she has them. On her way back, she writes on a slip of paper a 7 digit number that Ben had told her to remember. Something about a way to instantly communicate with people, which at the moment was extremely convenient.

She hands the paper to Marcus. "I still don't know who to trust, but I don't disagree with what you've been saying. I don't know. But I should go, the humans on the bus will be scared if we're still here. I think you know how to use these numbers to talk to me, but if you don't maybe someone can explain it. Either way, don't try to kill me next time, OK?"

Without waiting for an answer, she moves back to where Sam, Kait, and Michael stand. She hands Sam his bag, carrying the other two and making sure Kait is still up and moving. She looks at Sam expectantly. "Do we have a plan?"

[Comissar]

Kait reached up gratefully to take Ke'era's hand, pulling herself back up to her feet. She balanced herself unsteadily, dividing her attention between the oncoming bus and the man 'Marcus' while Ke'era ran to grab their bags. If he was anything like the two she ran into back home, he wouldn't let them get away easily. She was somewhat surprised, then, when Ke'era seemed to just give him a phone number.

... Is that part of a plan?

It didn't matter, if it meant that he'd let them go then Kait was all for it.

[JohnTheSavage]

Without waiting for an answer, she moves back to where Sam, Kait, and Michael stand. She hands Sam his bag, carrying the other two and making sure Kait is still up and moving. She looks at Sam expectantly. "Do we have a plan?"

Sam looks around the Bus station, taking note of all the sources of light and doing his best to remember the layout. He nods at Ke'era's question.
"You could say that."

Sam addresses the whole group.
"Everyone hold hands and get ready to follow my lead. This is gonna be big."

[herodofcows]

Markov/Marcus sighs as the bus motor grinds to a halt outside. Muted gasps seem to come through, but he seems unfazed.

". . . Very well. Let me-"

"Everyone hold hands and get ready to follow my lead. This is gonna be big."

"Wait, what on Earth are you-"

[Holy-hunter]

"Very cute"
Kain's cold harsh tone rolled out on laboured breaths. At some point he had moved, and now stands leaning heavily against the bus.

Through the window the driver can be seen it a state of confusion and panic, he's pressing buttons and pushing hard on pedals but nothing. Outside the paint has swirled and warped, it's twisting a sign of Kain's manipulative power running through the metal.

"Do what ever Marcus says or I'll crush them like bugs!"
Kain roars in warning, it's followed by some deep sick coughing.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

How did he move so fast?

He numbly grabs hands, not sure he can keep up at this point.

[razorfloss]

Nick stands up from his cover with his arm covering his shoulder and yells out Hey boss when this gonna be finished my shoulder is bleeding profusely and unlike you i don't heal fast

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam stops what he was getting ready at the last second when he sees Kain.

#%£! When the hell did he- Dammit!

Sam takes a deep breath.

Let's get a little risky.

Sam raises his pistol and levels it at Kain.

""You so much as scratch anyone on that bus, and you're breathing through a new hole in your head. Let them go and you get to walk out alive."

[Holy-hunter]

Kain gives Sam a wicked smile.
"Alright, alright man, geez ease up!"
He raises his hands as he steps away from the bus with a bit of a wobble, he struggles to hold up his own weight.

That smile doesn't leave his lips though, he doesn't look defeated.

Suddenly there is a loud piercing screeching sound of metal grinding against metal, it's followed by panicked screams.
Kain only looks all to proud of himself. The bus roof has slightly fallen in on one side, many of the passengers are standing, pressing up against it with all their might.

It looks wrong, it is acting as though it is way heavier then it appears.

Kain's hand softly slap his cheeks as he feigns an over-exaggerated expression of shock.

"Oh no.. What's that, what's happening?"

He looks between the group and the bus.

"Oh that, ah you want me to get that? Can I touch it? You gonna shoot me?" He asks tauntingly while gesturing to the people struggling under the pressure of the collapsing roof.

(He has already shifted the mass/density of the metal to the roof of the bus. The frame, engine and much of the internal metals are now weaker while the dense roof is much heavier. This is a trick Marcus taught him.)

"THROW ME THE GUN AND I MIGHT JUST SAVE THEM"
he screams dryly, straining his throat.

[JohnTheSavage]

"Let me make this perfectly clear."

Sam begins walking towards Kain, the gun pointing at Kain the whole time.

"Unless you stop, I am going to shoot you. You're not going to hurt those people. Because if you harm a hair on any of their heads, you die. But I'm offering you a way out. I'm not pleading for their lives."

Sam's now close enough that the gun is now mere inches from Kain's face.

"I am pleading for yours."

Sam takes another step. The gun is now firmly pressed against Kain's forehead.

"You ever been to Atlanta? You ever hear of "The Enforcer", that big-time SWAT veteran? You think I got a nickname like that by letting myself be intimidated by scum like you? You think I'm going to hesitate to put you in the ground? I can't even remember how many people I've killed."

Sam flicks off his sunglasses with his free hand and stares directly into Kain's eyes. His stare is firm and unwavering in the extreme.

"Look into my eyes, kid. Are these the eyes of someone who's F****** AROUND!?

Sam actually shouts the last two words in Kain's face.

[Business Scrub]

"Wait."

Ke'era's voice is quiet, hardly above a whisper, but in the tense silence between Sam and Kain, she might as well have shouted.

"Don't kill these people. They have no part in this. I'll go with you; that's what you want, right? Just don't let them die."

Her voice has an unmistakable tinge of sadness. So much life to be snuffed out at once would be a tragedy. Kain didn't seem to care. Sam did, but he would just turn this place into a graveyard.

[Holy-hunter]

As Sam starts walking towards Kain, he begins shouting over the top of his words, a desperation in his dry voice grows as Sam nears.

"Look man, I'm not even touching it now BACK OFF!"
"THERE ALL gonna DIE if you don't BACK OFF!"

"Are you STUPID!? Kill me and there as good as dead FOOL!"

Sam presses the gun to Kain's head, and Kain presses back. He can feel the steel barrel against his flesh and it feels like it's burrowing a hole into his head. His knees impulsively shake and his voice cracks as he speaks, sweat perspires down his face and shades his shirt a darker colour. Despite his certain words and his stubborn fearless act, even the worst poker player would see every tell for what it was. A very afraid, scared kid.

"GO ON THEN! Just shoot me! Then no one can stop the bus collapsing in on itself! You MURDERER!"

Kain lost his voice when Sam spoke his last words, and as the man shouted in his face he backed off a little, his hand reached the bus, without much focus he stopped the gradual collapsing of the roof.

He refused to take his eyes off Sam, staring at him intensely, his lips fumble about but are unable to find any words.

"Kill me and the roof will start collapsing again." He eventually manages to softly stutter.



It was no longer a ploy to manipulate them but to try and ensure his own survival now. This man called his bluff, if he was as cold and careless as he pretends to be he should have just killed them. That would have shown them.
Kain's hatred for himself grows a little more.

Then the healing lady speaks, Kain's saving grace, his moment of redemption.

"DEAL!"

He quickly snaps, grasping the opportunity.

[Business Scrub]

With a bit of apprehension, Ke'era nods: the human signal for agreement. Before she moves, she looks at the bus to make sure Kain fixes it, and that the people aren't in danger. Once she's sure they are (assuming he does so) Ke'era takes a hesitant step forward, stepping gingerly on the new foot.

Again to Kain she says, "Alright. But you have to help me along. I had to cut off my leg thanks to you, and it's starting to hurt." A grimace of pain supports her words.

By the way that she shuffles, it's clear that this is going to take all day if she has no one to lean against.

"Do I have your word that that thing won't collapse any more? That the people inside are safe?"

[Comissar]

Kait felt her heart drop as the conflict started to escalate again. Ke'era had just helped her, and now she was going to let herself get taken away.

"You can't... You can't, they'll hurt you..."

She took a faltering step forward, "Take... Take me, you've been chasing me, I give up. Let... Let Ke'era and... And the bus go."

I can't let anyone else get hurt...

[Holy-hunter]

"Do I have your word that that thing won't collapse any more? That the people inside are safe?"

Kain grits his teeth as he stares down the barrel of the gun pointing at his head.

"Sure" he says completely relaxing. The outer of the bus ripples and swirls but there is no obvious change to the vehicle.
He removes his hand and after a still moment, nothing happens.

Then the other girl spoke.
Kain grins excitedly then glances from Marcus to Nick.

"Nick get yourself healed by the 'Alien' and help her walk. We are taking both."

Kain suddenly punches the bus. His fist melts into it as the rear end explodes open.
"GET OUT OF MY BUS" he yells at the civilians.
"Nick, blow em to pieces if anyone tries anything stupid."
As the last few go to leave the bus, the metal panel melts around their hand trapping them to it.

"Insurance"

He looks to Sam on his last words. Eyeing him daringly. 'Go on I dare you' his eyes and smile say.

"Come on pretty" Kain gestures for Kait to join him as he climbs up the bus steps. "Sorry I didn't have time to pick up a nicer ride bu..." His smart alak speech was interrupted by a wave of nausea as he almost slipped from the stairs, curling over and hurling up his stomach contents along with some blood.

He quickly regains his composure. His face noticeably paler, he silently notions for Kait to join him as he gives Sam the finger.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael was not a metallurgist by any stretch, but he knew a small bit about metal fatigue.

This Kain fellow was capable of twisting metal into new shapes, but did its very molecular core alter, or did it become warped, as with bending a spoon?

Quickly assessing the bus wrapped around the remaining innocents, he looks for any weak point.

Over the shouting of civilians he speaks to his three assailants:

"If anyone dies today, I will not rest until you are stopped."

He pops his neck as strength begins to return to his body, waiting his chance to break free the bus captives.

Does the shaped metal warp like a bent spoon, or is it malleable like play-doh when you shape it?

[Holy-hunter]

when he takes his time and is at full power it will play dough option. Completely melting and reforming, but at this stage it is a mix of old dry play dough and twisted bent spoons and poor welding.

Easy to for you to destroy but I believe Nick might interfere if you try

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era curses to herself when Kait offers to get taken as well. Please girl, you're making this so much harder... Ah well, let's keep going with the plan. She'll have to improvise.

She steps slowly and eventually stops, and looks expectantly at Nick. "Well... I need a shoulder to lean on if I'm going to get to that... whatever it's called."

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Looking to the debris all around, he finds a suitably heavy piece of cinder block to serve as a hammer. Noting its location, he waits for the metal man to shift his focus.

[herodofcows]

The people in the bus shriek as the vehicle begins to warp and compress on them. Several start pounding on the windows, not doing much good. The crush of humanity begins to get the better of the ones pinned against the walls as they all try to strain outwards . . .

And then, Kain lets them go.

Most run screaming, trampling each other in their haste to escape. Some stand, awestruck and apparently irresolute. One even pulls out a gun, but then thinks better of it and takes off after the rest.

Marcus/Markov's face is a blank mask as he takes in these events. For such a verbose man, he seems suspiciously content to let this play out. It's almost as though he'd entirely checked out of the proceedings.

And then, a hiss through gritted teeth, standing stock-still as though carved from stone.

"What . . . the HELL . . . do you think you are doing, boy?"

He begins striding over, either to roar at Kain or to hit him. At this point, his body language implies he could go both ways.

[Comissar]

Kait felt panic begin to rise when the man insisted he'd take both her and Ke'era.

That wasn't the deal...

She walked forward anyway, feeling trapped by the situation.

Please don't hurt them.

"Come on pretty," Kait cringed away from the man, "Sorry I didn't have time to pick up a nicer ride bu..." The coughing and vomiting took her by surprise. She hadn't realised he was that badly injured. When he looked up at her again, his eyes were full of cold anger. Nervously, she walked closer to him.

It was then that the man suddenly let everyone go. Confused, Kait glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone had threatened him. She saw Marcus storming forward. With the threat of hostages no longer an issue, she backed away from the approaching man a few paces. By chance, this took her closer to Ke'era.

[Holy-hunter]

A fearful Shrilling scream erupts from behind the bus. One of the four hostages, held by the twisted grabbing pannels, stumbles backwards falling onto the floor.
The old man clutches his wrist and yells with a mix of shock and pain over and over as he looks to where his hand should be but instead only sees a small fountain of blood.

"I'm not playing any more"
Kain maliciously warns as he gives an evil glare.

"I let them go now get in the bus! Or ill mess them up so bad you will be wishing I just killed them"

"And Marcus... Shut up, and don't be gettin jealous because I accomplished what you couldn't."

Kain slumps back into the drivers seat, his eyes peircing into Kaits. "C'mon hon, I'm tired, let's end all this."

He was betting Ke'era would come a lot more peacefully if Kait was in danger. Meanwhile he was hoping Nick had his back from his vantage spot.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Instinct takes over for Michael.

Pressure on the wound. Victim will likely be in shock. A clean sever may be possible to reattach.

"You!" he points at Sam. "The hand! It might be saved!"

While aware he was still in the sights of the metal guy, exploding man and Markov, the life in front of him mattered most. He takes of the tattered emains of his shirt and applies pressure to the stump.

"You'll be okay sir. You've been in a very bad accident. An ambulance is on the way."

Half-truths and outright lies, but the bleeding man needed to be kept calm now. Easing him onto his back, he elevates his legs slightly, maintaining pressure as he does.

Casting a cold glance at his three attackers. They did not realize it yet, but they were now the injured man's hostages. If he died...


***
He remembered Sarajevo, 1995. The Siege had dragged into its third year, and civilian casualties mounted.
When he found the death squad about to fire of the small crowd of people rounded up for "ethnic cleansing," Michael found a very dark place in his heart, unleashing a great and terrible wrath on the soldiers.
He remembered most, however, the looks of terror on the faces of those he rescued. Times such as these made him thankful he needed little sleep.

***

"Everything will be okay. No one is going to die today." He says this last line to everyone.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam lowers his gun as Ke'era and Kait turn themselves in.

What the hell are you-

Sam sighs inwardly.

Dammit. Damn it all.

While the two girls busy themselves by getting on the bus, Sam simply gives the three Omegas a cold stare. Until Kain takes off a man's hand.

"You! The hand! It might be saved!"

Sam gives the trio of adversaries one last withering death stare before grabbing up the man's hand and rushing over to help Michael.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era let out a gasp of surprise as Kain severs the man's hand. Those don't grow back...
She had made up her mind: no way was she going with them. Not without a fight anyway. Her heart started to beat faster as she formed a plan. As Kait moved towards her, she whispered so that only she could hear. "Get ready to run. Or fight."

She pretends to use Kait for balance getting to the bus, but it's clear to Kait and any other clever observer that she's only feigning injury. When she reaches the bus, she makes sure to step in before Kait. At the top step, she pretends to stumble forward.

The next few things happen in a heartbeat: she pushes off her 'injured' foot and launches herself recklessly at Kain. As she pushes off, her body changes drastically. Most noticeably, inch-and-a-half long thorns grow out of her skin, shredding her clothes to pieces and covering her head to toe in the poisoned spines. Her legs and arms grow longer, making her almost a foot taller, and her face becomes almost unrecognizably angled and hostile looking. For the first time since her arrival, Ke'era is visual reminder of just how alien she actually is.

Then, unless he dodges, she collides with Kain. Some of the spines break off due to his metal-hardened skin, but those that don't sink in. While not big enough to cause serious damage, they certainly draw blood. Much worse, however, is the poison they deliver: Each spine carries a small paralytic, about enough to cause a mouse to freeze up. Hopefully the hundreds of spines on her body combined are enough to knock Kain out where he sits.

So, I don't know how much Kain can take, and I don't want to God-Mod him. He could be fast enough to dodge her completely, depending on how much he thinks she's actually hurt (but in the confined bus, I imagine he doesn't have anywhere to dodge to). If this were a dice-based game the spine poison would be a fortitude save, I'm not sure what Kain's fortitude is, so I didn't want decide what the result of the attack is.

In this form, she doesn't seem quite capable of words. Instead as she stands back up, she lets out only a loud, hostile, "Sciaaa!!"

[Holy-hunter]

As the girls approach a smile grows on his sickly face, this close it becomes clear just how exhausted he is. The smile wasn't one of malicious content or satisfaction like earlier, but relief.

A hand slides to the metal railing in preparation for any tricks, then she trips. Moving was a struggle but Kain quickly gets up and reaches out to Ke'era....

'What just happened?' It was written on his face, the shock, the Anger! He was thrown back into the seat, hitting the glass hard. Eyes wide with shock for the creature before him. Little spots of red started to swell all over his body and he put up a brief struggle, some minor flinching, then nothing.

He slid down awkwardly ending contorted, half in the seat.
Some sort of fluid began bubbling in his mouth as he struggled to breath or swallow. The poison was seemingly more effective then expected.

[razorfloss]

Nick looks from his roof and has a small smirk on his face that quickly turns into a grimace of pain and says aloud That's what you get Kain and as much I enjoy seeing you being hurt step away from him before this he holds up a glowing piece of metal in his bloodied right hand ends up in your skull

[herodofcows]

"ENOUGH"

Marcus' roar shakes glass panes as he strides over to Kain's supine form, brushing gingerly past Ke'era and Kait. He lifts the young man up with one hand. For a moment it looks as though he's going to throw Kain into the wall, but after a brief pause he only snarls and drops him (none too gently, at that).

He turns to face everybody else, breathing almost like an enraged bull. When he speaks, his accent has become much thicker.

"THIS is what we seek to avoid! This reactionary, incautious, GLIB use of our power that endangers the weak and diminishes the strong! This CHAOS, it is untenable. Unchecked, what might have happened? What else might have been lost? Another hand? A limb? A LIFE?"

He rounds on Kain, snarling.

"YOU will be disciplined, boy. Be sure of THAT."

He kneels next to Kain and hisses something in his ear.

You are doing very well. Play along, be furious with me. I will explain later.

To everyone else, in low tones:

"I am deeply shamed by what you have seen today. This chaos, this bloodshed: we Omegas wish to AVOID rogue metahumans doing as they please. I had hoped to convince you of our good intentions, but I can see that my words have been torn to shreds."

He stands abruptly, picking up Kain and gesturing at Nick.

"We will leave you now. Alphas will be coming soon to erase all of this from the world. I . . ."

He pauses, lost for words.

". . . I am sorry."

And he turns to go, utterly ignoring the former hostages.

[Comissar]

Kait screams in horror when the elderly man's hands are severed. Not daring to push Kain any further, she made her way onto the bus with Ke'era in tow.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"Get ready to run. Or fight."

Kait shot Ke'era a brief confused glance before fully realising she had a plan. If it was going to work, she had to keep herself calm. Desperately trying not to give away what the other woman had told her, and doing her best to not look at the unfortunate man who had been amputated, she continued up the steps onto the bus. Then all hell broke loose. Ke'era lunged forward and, for lack of a better word, transformed. She couldn't properly see what happened next, her field of view blocked by the ferocious Ke'era, but she did hear the metal man crash to the ground.

"ENOUGH"

Kait recoiled as Marcus stalked past her, stepping out through the side of the bus by accident, losing her footing in the process and falling backwards to the ground again. Fueled by adrenaline, she hurriedly pushed herself back to her feet. The Omega's were apparently leaving, but the old man was surely going to die if he didn't get medical attention.

My fault...

She glanced uncertainly at the metal man, if she tried to run would he hurt more people?

I made that happen...

Consumed by fear, she stood rooted to the ground, eyes locked on Kain.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era looks satisfied as Kain goes rigid, and takes another step back. As Marcus enters, she snaps at him but steps out of his way. She lets him go, and backs out of the bus with an unearthly crackle. (http://images.wikia.com/leagueoflegends/images/6/64/RekSai.burrow03.ogg)

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam busies himself helping Michael with the man who lost his hand but part of his attention remains on the situation with Ke'era and Kait. Wait, something's not right...

Why is she-

Sciaaa!!

Suddenly, Ke'era transforms. She's taller, covered in spikes but more than that, she's angry. She's furious. Sam had never seen Ke'era like this. He watches her pounce on Kain and he draws his pistol, ready to back her up but before he can act...

"ENOUGH"

...Marcus ends things. At least he's got some standards. Sam lets out a short-lived sigh of relief. Ke'era was still transformed and was crackling as she left the bus. Is she okay? Is she able to turn back? And the old man's still in trouble. Sam turns and looks over at where Michael is still tending to him. Well, solving one problem solves the other, right?

Sam takes a tentative step toward Ke'era.

"Ke'era? Are you alright?"

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era smells someone behind her and whips around with a snarl.

"Ke'era? Are you alright?"

She glances around, gauging the scene. Michael was tending to the wounded man. Marcus and the others were leaving. Things were going to be OK, apparently. She took a awkward step back from Sam: the last thing she wanted to do was stab him.

Ke'era backs away against a nearby tree and begins to shift back, the spines retracting and her face and body returning to normal. Her now-destroyed cloths fall awkwardly back on her, and though she looks normal she's still clearly agitated. Her breathing is rapid, her eyes dart around wildly as if looking for something. Sliding down to sit against the tree trunk, she looks down at her fingers and wiggles them, feeling them tingle.

[Holy-hunter]

Kain, well while a lot of things are racing in his head, he just lays there paralysed and gargles a little.

[razorfloss]

Nick climbs down from his roof clinching his teeth the entire way down muttering son of a mother grumble grumble grumble and walks up to Kain and nudges him with his foot You still with us Kain and then turns to Marcus walking away ignoring the former enemiesso boss we got a healer or do i have to wear a cast for a few weeks

[herodofcows]

Markov walks away, one of his associates over his shoulder while the other limps along beside him. They round a corner and disappear, leaving the rest of you in a broken bus station with the injured humans that just stumbled into all this. A heavy silence hangs over the scene. Nobody seems to know what to say.

Somehow, despite all that has happened, the morning is still fresh and new. Traffic putters along somewhere out of sight, and somewhere else, life just . . . goes on.

Except for the people that went screaming out of the bus.

Come to think of it, where are they? Why can't you hear them anymore?

************************************************** *****

Markov/Marcus' stern judging façade cracks the second you go behind the building. Concern spreads over his face as he props Kain up behind a dumpster and starts checking his vitals.

"Nick, I need you to take this phone-" (he hands Nick a battered flip phone) ""and text the words "red wine" to the second contact on the list. Hurry."

(Presuming Nick does so,) the second the text is sent, a mousy woman blinks into existence behind you and rapid-fire teleports Nick, Kain, and Marcus into a dingy bare kitchen where an elderly black man is sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. As Marcus begins talking, this man lays his hands on you both and you feel your wounds slowly knitting together.

"I realize how poor that looked, but you must understand how well that went. We caused them to wonder about the Omegas, and about what we represent. The next part . . . might be harder."

He faces you both, with the expression of one knowing he has a difficult question to ask.

"What do you two think of becoming, ah, double agents?"

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam watches Ke'era with some worry, but he's satisfied she's physically fine, at the very least. He briskly walks over their bags and fetches a new set of clothes for Ke'era, then walks back over to her. He hands her the clothes then steps back.

"I'm going to go check on the others. Find a spot to change and join us when you're ready, okay?"

[Holy-hunter]

Kain laughs aloud as he stretches his limbs and wriggles his fingers, the distress caused by Ka'era's toxin still evident on his face.

"Wait.... Oh your serious?"

He is suddenly stricken with concern.

"Look I said I would do what ever you asked, I owe you a lot.
But I really thought I would just be using my powers, non of this covert acting stuff. Besides, I don't think they'd ever take me on."

Kain is apparently a little rattled, scared even, of the idea.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era's eyes dart quickly up to Sam for only a moment, before glancing back around the area in a panic.

[razorfloss]

double agents you say. nick laughs and tries to catch his breath. haha *wheeze* you really think they will accept us after i almost blow them to smithereens and Kain stabbing one and almost killing him. I have better chance of becoming president before they even think of accepting us

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Meanwhile...

"Well if they're gone, we might as well let the proper authorities deal with the people here. I presume you are adept at lying, yes? I do not intend to say anything other than the place began to collapse and this man's hand was severed."

Luckily the rest of the story would be too hard to believe.

[Comissar]

Kait watches in mute shock as the Omega's simply leave. She found that she didn't know what to do next.

They got hurt because of me...

She picks her way through the shattered bus toward Michael.

"Is he... Is he going to live?"

[Business Scrub]

Given enough time, Ke'era come to her senses more or less, though her typical bubbly energy is absent. She swaps out her clothes for the ones Sam gave her and stuffs the destroyed ones in her backpack.

"We should go. We can regrow or reattach his hand on the way if we take him with us."
She turns to Kait. "You don't look well, but I don't know what's wrong. What do you need, and are you okay to keep moving until then?"

[Comissar]

"We should go."

Kait clutched at her sides awkwardly, arms crossed.

"We can regrow or reattach his hand on the way if we take him with us."

She felt like she should be doing something... Anything, to help. But what could she do?

"You don't look well, but I don't know what's wrong."

I lead them here...

Kait became aware that Ke'era was talking to her. Force of habit took over, she forced a smile and shook her head, "I'm ok, I just need a rest is all."

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I do not doubt your restorative powers, may I call you Ke'era? We must do this quickly, or else he may go into shock and not recover."

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era strays over to the man who is very much still in shock, clutching his arm.

"may I call you Ke'era?" She gives the man a long, curious look.
"You may. You are the first to ask that, and when we are not inside a hurry I feel I should tell you why that is so important. Anyway..."

She sighs and tries to relax and sits the man down. "Your arm, please."

She lines the hand up with the man's stump and cups her hands over it. For the third time in less than afternoon, she closes her eyes and concentrates on the endlessly complicated patters of life that formed the man's body.

This isn't so bad. At least I don't have to grow an entire new one...

For a long moment Ke'era and the man sit there as she performs her intricate surgery. The same white fibrous tendrils move with efficiency, but every time she missteps, Ke'era hisses a bit. For his part, the man is in too much shock to really do much but stare.

Eventually, Ke'era uncups her hands to reveal the man's hand, reattached. Only a thin silver line of alien cells show that the hand was even severed at all. He looks between his new hand and the person who reattached it, and mutters something that might have been a scared 'thanks' before hurrying over to the others.

Ke'era is visibly pale from the exertion, her hands shaking a bit. The first time she gets up she stumbles forward, then stands more surely on her feet.

"Can we leave? I want to leave now..."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam retrieves and dons his coat, once again hiding his vest and weapons beneath it and returns to the rest just in time to watch with no small amount of wonder as Ke'era reattaches the man's hand. I don't think I'll ever get used to that...

Sam quickly agrees when Ke'era suggests leaving.
"I've seen enough of this station to last a lifetime."

[herodofcows]

As the ragtag group heads out, the panic, danger, and strangeness of the early morning seems to fade like a bad dream. A couple of blocks away, the streets are replete with cars and busses, with people trudging to work (or home, for the night-shift workers). It's very nearly eerie, the divide between the destroyed bus station and the rest of the world going about its business without an apparent care. Nobody spares you a glance beyond the most cursory once-over.

After a while, the apparent indifference stops being nearly eerie and begins to fully fulfill the role. There is NOTHING going on. No reaction. No suspicion. Just unnatural, disquieting obliviousness on the part of every human in a six block radius.

Where did the screaming people go?

Where is the panic?

How did this pass by entirely unnoticed?

And WHERE do you go now?

************************************

Marcus doesn't say anything at first, but a slow smile suffuses his face as the old black man finishes healing you. He goes to the pantry and brings out two mugs and couple packets of instant coffee. He begins filling the mugs with water, smile firmly in place.

"You are, I presume, familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son?" he asks pleasantly. The old black man scoffs as he slowly rises from his seated position and makes his way over to the fridge. At this scoff, Marcus turns and scowls good-naturedly at the other man, "Oh please, Dmitri. You know my anecdotal personality is part of my charm."

"Wouldn't kill you to get some new anecdotes, would it?" Dmitri mutters with dry wheezing voice. Marcus continues, pointedly ignoring the interruption.

"The tale of the Prodigal Son begins with two brothers. The eldest is industrious, dutiful as a worker and a son. The youngest is lazy, discourteous, and gives no respect to his parents. One day, this second son comes to his father and asks for his inheritance early, that he might quit his life and make his own way in the world. The kindly father acquiesces, and the son sets forth. The Prodigal Son (for so we call him) spends his inheritance carelessly, and soon spends his portion entirely. Destitute and ruined, he returns to his father tearfully begging to be allowed to return home. The father welcomes him back with open arms, which perplexes the dutiful brother. When confronted by his eldest, the old man joyously replies: 'My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’"

Marcus places the two mugs in the microwave and sets them heating. Dmitri emerges from the fridge with a foil-wrapped half of a breakfast burrito and begins pecking at it, almost birdlike in his eating motions. Marcus turns back to you, a satisfied grin still firmly in place.

"People are naturally suspicious of saints. Most have been around for long enough to know that what SEEMS too good to be true, often is. But repentant sinners? THOSE they will accept. Our alien and her guards, our runaway metas . . . they have seen the façade of my saintliness, but with enough cracks to appear potentially deceitful. They have seen YOUR sins, but they have seen your youth and impressionable nature as well. So when you go to them and tell them of my manipulations, my secret bellicose nature -"

"Your loudmouth grandstanding . . ."

"- (My loudmouth grandstanding, yes, thank you Dmitri) . . . well, they will hopefully accept you as repentant pawns, who were manipulated and coerced into disreputable deeds by my double-talk and secret directions. You will tell them that I TOLD you to come in guns blazing, to demonstrate my dominance. Kain, you will say that I TOLD you to take the bus hostage, so as to give an opportunity to prove my saintliness. You will win their trust with stories of my insidious and conniving nature; how I have your fallen comrade under medical care, how I gave you poor boys hope and purpose for the first time in your lives as metahumans. You will tell them of your fear, your remorse, your desire to flee as far and as fast from the Alphas and Omegas both. You will tell them all of this . . . and perhaps they, like the old father in the parable, will welcome you as prodigal sons. Why would they suspect deceit, when you inform them that I have been deceitful?"

Marcus folds his arms proudly. Behind him, the microwave dings.

[Holy-hunter]

Kain scoffs, "yea maybe, or.....Nick will get shot in the head this time and I'll get stuck by that FREAK even worse."

Kain crosses his arms, "I spent my dad's money once, when I got home his arms were open, but that was only so he could belt me around the head.... I don't like this idea but I'll do it if you keep looking after our friend."

[Business Scrub]

As they walk, Ke'era seems unworried or perhaps not noticing the lack of activity. With enough time she recovered more into her normal more energetic self, and hasn't stopped fussing over Kait, who still seems to be unwell. If she doesn't say anything about what is the matter, Ke'era will go to Sam and pester him about what might be wrong in hushed whispers.

[redzimmer]

Resolute, but you can call me Michael

Michael is amazed by the tendrils' regenerative abilities. Compared to them he is downright normal in the healing department.

"Should we take him with us? He may have seen things this Marcus may not want seen."

[Comissar]

With no other plan coming to mind, Kait followed awkwardly behind Ke'era and Sam. Her head was starting to feel muzzy again, and they seemed to have some idea of where to go. Besides, if there was trouble again...

She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. Her line of thought was interrupted when Ke'era slowed down to join her. Grateful for the distraction, she shrugged when Ke'era asked again how she was. The alien girl seemed determined to try and help, and it wasn't as though she had anyone else to turn to right now.

"I just need to get some food. I've not eaten properly for a while."

[Business Scrub]

Back at the station, Ke'era makes an unfamiliar gesture with her hands that seems noncomittal, like a shrug.
"Why don't we let him decide?" She looks at the man.

"Oh, ok."
Ke'era calms down a bit when she realizes Kait probably isn't about to die.
Right, food. That would seem so strange if the Kirquians didn't do it too. I guess we're the odd ones out. She must have just forgotten. I know I would.
"Then let's get food!" She takes a couple of purposeful steps in a seemingly random direction, then pauses.
"Erm, where do we get food?"

[Comissar]

Kait looked guiltily at Ke'era. "Umm... I normally go to one of the fast food places," She looks at the ground, "They, uh, they don't keep all of their food in freezer's, so it's, uh, quicker for me to eat it when I go in."

I'd pay them if I could, it's not like I have a lot of money...

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era is confused by Kait's look of guilt. She was still trying to nail down human facial expressions, so she gave the human what she hoped was a sympathetic smile. Between the basic psychology textbook Ben had lent her and the first week and the how Kait showed her emotions, Ke'era figured she was ashamed. But of what? Maybe it was a symptom of not having food.

Ke'era breaths in deeply, taking in the wild aromas in the surrounding area. Some good, many bad. There was a whirlwind of pleasant, exotic smells around the corner. Many of them she didn't recognize, but some were similar enough: tree sap, fruit, wheat-flour, milk. The psychology book had said that smell and taste were linked in humans. Ke'era had no idea how to conceptualize 'taste', but if things in there smelled good, perhaps they tasted good? Of course her sense of smell 'goodness' could be completely different from a human's.

Ke'era grabs Kait's hand and pulls her a bit, just enough to motivate her to follow her hurried pace.
"I don't know what fast food or freezers are, but I think we should go to the place around the corner."

Whether or not Kait joins, Ke'era turns the corner at looks curiously at the large Cracker Barrel signs around the corner. She turns around to see if the others are following.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam follows Ke'era's hurried pace and motions for Kait and Michael to do the same.

"Come on, we'll have breakfast, introduce ourselves properly and decide what we should do next. Sound good?" Sam asks. Picking up on the implications of what Kait had said, Sam adds "No need to steal this time. My treat." in a hushed tone to Kait.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael followed closely. In truth he rarely ate, but this last few minutes left him wanting some mutual disclosure. And he would never pass up a cup of coffee.

[Business Scrub]

I have a feeling none of this is directly going to be plot relevant, so I'm going to do some stuff. If Herod has any issue with this, feel free to tell me to delete my post.

Ke'era smiles widely when she sees the others following her. She rushes forward and pushes open the door, to be met with a whirlwind of senses: dozens of people: she could smell and hear them all individually. But more overpowering was the vivid array of scents coming from the kitchen in back and from the things on the tables. It was everywhere, almost cloying. It was like being buried under too many blankets: not exactly bad, but you wouldn't want to live your life like that.

She takes a couple steps too close to a waiter and smells eagerly at the tray of butter, eggs, tree sap that he carries.

"Kemmelin sha it smells wonderful in here!"

The hostess who Ke'era almost completely ignored laughs nervously, and looks the alien woman over a couple times.

"Haha... first time at Cracker Barrel, huh. How many?"

Ke'era just looks at her blankly. How many what?
"Umm..."

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam swiftly steps in to rescue Ke'era from the devilishly difficult trials of speaking to the wait staff.

"I apologise for my niece, she's European. Everything over here is a bit new, so she can get a bit excited over it all, you know how it is." Sam explained with the practiced efficiency of someone with a prepared cover story. Hadn't been the first time he had to explain Ke'era's behaviour to a befuddled stranger.

"Just the four of us this morning" Sam said, gesturing to his companions.

[Comissar]

"I don't know what fast food or freezers are, but I think we should go to the place around the corner."

Kait almost felt wrong-footed by Ke'era's upbeat response to her confession. She'd been expecting recriminations, a disapproving sigh. Even just some kind of pitying look. The simple statement, and her eagerness to get to an eatery, just served to make her feel as though her guilt-ridden admission hadn't even happened.

"No need to steal this time. My treat."

Ah... There's the guilt...

She gave Sam and awkward smile and muttered "Thanks..." in return.

When she entered the diner, the smells almost immediately set her mouth watering. When was the last time she'd had a proper hot meal? It felt like a life time ago. She watched Ke'era's struggles with the waitress with some bemusement.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Taking a seat, Michael enjoys the coffee before trying to break the tension.

"It seems we have somethings in common. My name is Michael Stern. As far as I can tell, I don't age, I need little sleep, and this is the first food I've needed in almost a month."

He takes another sip and invites the rest to pipe in.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era starts taking cues from the others when they start to sit down. She sits, but doesn't stop looking curiously at the various knickknacks on the walls. Michael speaking reigns in her attention.

"Hello Michael." She makes a complicated gesture with both hands. "You don't age? I don't understand. Don't all people age?"

Keeras accent (as I've finally decided) could be mistaken for some abiguous middle European accent. Something like Romanian.

[Comissar]

Kait's attention keeps flickering between the conversation at hand and the movements of the waitress. The food constantly passing the table was almost maddening. When Michael had ordered his coffee, she'd ordered the full fry-up breakfast, but it was taking forever to arrive. Due to her distraction, she was only half-paying attention when Michael made his revelation.

Not needing to eat sounds handy...

She shrugs in response to Ke'era's question, "I guess not? It's not like it's the weirdest thing going on right now."

She glanced away as she saw the waitress heading toward them with another tray of food. With some disappointment, she watched her turn away at the last moment to another table.

"Umm..." She hesitated as she tried to pick up her line of thought again, "I mean, I didn't think there were alien's on Earth until today. But... I guess there are?"

Kait brushed a strand of hair out of her face, giving Ke'era an awkward smile.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era looks uncertainly between Kait and Sam, not sure what she should share. Ever since her arrival he and Ben had stressed the need for her to keep quiet about herself, but she had always had trouble understanding why.

[herodofcows]

Marcus turns to you and slowly walks over to you, hands spread in a conciliatory manner.

"Kain, Kain, Kain . . . I want you to understand something important, Kain. You and Nick? You are part of something greater now. You are no longer dogs, to be unleashed or tethered on command. You are great, the both of you, do you understand that? You were born into greatness, but now you have begun to OWN it. That move with the bus? Sublime. It showed initiative, an ability to think on your feet and a WILL to power. This is how the great should act. Hiding our merit helps nothing. Fretting lest our actions taint us in the eyes of the lesser is no way for us to live. We are great, and it is our obligation to BE great.

"We do not trade in orders given and followed anymore. Your friend? I give you my word, she is safe and she will be taken care of. I do not do this because I expect your unquestioning obedience, but because it ennobles me to do so. And you? You may reject or pursue my suggestion as you think best, because it is for you and ONLY you to decide what ennobles you. But as you make your decision, consider this . . ."

He turns from you and begins pacing the room.

"That alien . . . she could change EVERYTHING. Is she alone? Are there others she might contact? What forces might she command or encourage, and how much could they affect the coming of the Third Generation? We simply do not know. And not knowing the answer to so many important questions is dangerous not just for us, but for the course of the entire world. And so, while I do not command, I STRONGLY urge that you find a way to get these answers. Everything might very well depend on it . . ."

And then, a smile snaps on his face.

"But of course, no pressure."

OOC: I apologize, I just realized I'd given the Omega boys nothing to go on. My bad!

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam ordered coffee (black, of course) and some pancakes for his breakfast. Not as hungry as Kait, Sam easily maintained his usual intensity while taking short sips of his coffee and participating in the conversation.

Picking up on what Ke'era was asking with her uncertain look, Sam nodded and said:
"Don't worry, we can tell them. They both deserve to know everything we know about what's going on."

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era shrugs, a very human gesture to agree with Sam. Then, she responds to Kait.

"Well... Surprise!
My friend said you should know what's going on, but your guess is as good as mine. Ever since I landed here, my friend insisted we keep on the move. Now I see why, but I don't understand... Well I don't understand a lot of things about you people, but that event in the... What's the word? Train station. That event in the train station felt different even for humans."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn shakes her head, "It's not. Most people are just, uh..." She waves her hand around in front of her as she tries to find the right word, "People..." She finishes lamely.

As she watches the waitress pass by again, it occurs to her that Ke'era might need a bit more than that.

"Like, normal people can't do anything out of the ordinary. They, uh..." Realising she was about to run down the same track again, Kait casts about for an example and her eyes settle on Michael, "Like, normal people would need to eat every day. Or they wouldn't be able to move metal with their hands or... Or grow body parts back. That kind of thing."

She rubs the back of her neck as she thinks.

"I was told that there are these two groups, all made up of people who aren't normal, and they're trying not to change the world, or something? Or they want to, but they need to keep it quiet or something, they weren't really clear..." She trails off, frowning as she tries to remember how it was explained to her, "Umm, ok, think about fireworks. There's loads of fireworks everywhere on July fourth, right? And that's, like, all the people who can do stuff like not eat, or make metal move and all that. Except there are some fireworks bigger than others, and they're normally all the same ones, so they're like the people leading the two groups. And they want to make sure all the other fireworks know what they're doing. And then there's going to be all these extra fireworks going off that the other fireworks need to make sure are going to be launched properly, because otherwise people could get burned..."

Kait's frown never leaves her face as she speaks.

Was that right? There was something about the founding father's too, wasn't there?

She gives the others around the table a confused look, "I think there's meant to be a new country in there somewhere, too..."

[razorfloss]

Nick just looks at Marcus *Sigh* Fine I'll think of something but if this will work I have a better chance at doing this alone after all I didn't threaten a bus full of innocent people and so in their eyes I'm the least monstrous and I did look slightly disgusted at Kain

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era nods, seemingly listening intently. When Kait finishes, Ke'era inhales deeply aroma coming from the coffee.

"I don't know what a firework is, and I feel like that really ruins the metaphor..."

Ke'era looks to the others for some help.

[JohnTheSavage]

"A firework is an coloured explosive we humans shoot into the air at celebrations."

Sam then addresses the rest of the table.

"What we..." Sam motions to himself and Ke'era. "...were told sounds quite similar. Turns out superpowers exist and have for a very long time. The people with powers seem to be split between two big factions, the Alphas, who want keep people with superpowers, or as they call them, metahumans, secret for both their safety and the safety of everyone else. The other faction's the Omegas, nasty characters who figure that since they've got the power, they should be in charge, so the two groups have been waging war on each other for some time. Especially recently, since, according to this one future-seeing meta who showed up, there's going to be a big increase in the number of metahumans very soon, a "third generation", I think they called it. We're all second generation and the first generation were some guys back in the 1930s or something. Anyway, point is, both factions are apperently trying to recruit as many new members as possible so they're prepared for the arrival of this new third generation, which they predict will be the biggest of them all. I think that about covers everything... Any questions?"

[Holy-hunter]

Nick just looks at Marcus *Sigh* Fine I'll think of something but if this will work I have a better chance at doing this alone after all I didn't threaten a bus full of innocent people and so in their eyes I'm the least monstrous and I did look slightly disgusted at Kain

"Don't you worry about me. I'll make 'em let me in their little freak show!"
Kain's lips curl into a sinister smile as his words fills the air with an arrogant, devilish confidence.

"I'll need a new card and id, got a little bit of traveling to do.
Don't worry, you do your thing, 'n' I'll do mine.
I'll be in touch in a couple of days."

Kain flips them both off as he turns and walks out the nearest door. He was trying to look cool but truthfully had no idea where he was.

(OOC: I won't be posting again untill atleast a week of in game has passed.)

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael absorbs all this, waiting until he has heard everything to continue.

"I was 22 years old in 1986, born in what was then called Czechoslovakia. That year I stumbled across a facility that had been abandoned since the last days of World War 2. Some sort of chemical compound came into contact with me, turning me whatever is it I am today."

He pauses, knowing his speech patterns often need deciphering.

"The facility then exploded, and I soon found myself in a lab in the far east of the Soviet Union. Before this happened, I came across documents naming a "Markov". Through the years I have chased this name over two continents. A few weeks ago I finally found a face to the name. The man who accosted is, he now calls himself Marcus. By this estimation, he has been around at least since the days of the Third Reich. And from his words, it sounds like he has been party to artificially making more like me."

He stopped and sipped his coffee. Some days he forgot to even breathe, but he knew it could unnerve others and tried to pause when talking whenever he remembered.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era listens back and forth, doing her best to keep up even though it sounded like they were entrenched deep in human culture. But World War II, that was a phrase she had read briefly about, and moreover was one of the few things she had some reference on.
Ke'era nods knowingly.
"Yes. World War Two. I remember watching that."
She taps the coffee in her cup, enjoying the way the dark water ripples.
"On the journey we called it Nashaam Yai: the... The Fight of Two Lights."
She gives Michael a curious look. "'Whatever you are' is Human. It does not matter if you don't eat or sleep. What is human is your..." She gestures vaguely, looking for the word. "Smell? Aura? Soul! It seems to me like you have a very human soul."
She shrugs: one of the human gestures she had grown most accustomed to.
"But I have been here a short time. It is not my place to say.
Marcus... He is a strange human. His mind and hostile mind are..." She makes her hands into fists and butts them together. "What is the expression? At odds. The people that follow him are reckless, and I don't know if that is their fault or his fault, but if he cannot reign them in then he is dangerous to you humans. You're so fragile."
She says the last bit gently and quietly.

[Comissar]

Kait grimaces at Ke'era's description of the man behind the Omega attack, but shakes her head and turns to Sam. "No, that sounds like the same story that they told me."

She fidgets in her seat, anxiety beginning to nudge aside her hunger as she thinks back to that day.

Kait, you have to...

"Full Breakfast?"

Snapped out of her brief reverie, Kait looked up to see the waitress giving the table a questioning look.

"Yes. I mean, uh, yes, thankyou."

Gratefully taking the food-laden plate, she glanced at the others. "If you guys don't mind, I'm just going to eat."

[Business Scrub]

Not really understanding that you can't talk and eat at the same time, Ke'era tries to keep Kait talking.
"Who is they?"

[Comissar]

Kait paused with a fork-full of food halfway to her mouth.

"Who is they?"

Laying it carefully back on her plate, she replied "The, uh... The people that came to me and Eli a couple of weeks back..."

Eyes downcast, it looks like she isn't going to say anything else for a few moments.

"There were two of them. They came to my home... They'd come to me before, I told them then that I didn't want to go with them. But they came again anyway." Kait prods at her food as she talks, still not meeting anyone elses eyes, "They tried to trick me that time. One of them pretended to be Eli, tried to take me away that way. They did the same with him, one of them was pretending he was me." She shudders involuntarily, "Then they tried to pretend like they wanted to help us, just trying to get us under their control. They left us alone for a few minutes, so we ran."

Putting the fork down, Kait pushed the plate away from her. The food no longer appealing to her.

"They caught up with us. We thought we wouldn't get caught. I can pass through things if I want to, and Eli is... Was... Really really fast. We'd stopped to rest for a bit, and then they were just... There. Eli... He..." Kait swallowed, wiping at her eyes with her cuffs, "Eli made me run... Tried to hold them off... I think... I think they killed him... And all I could do was run away."

The bustle and press of people all around the table the group were sitting at was starting to feel oppressive. The buzz of other's conversations turning into an incessant droning noise.

This was a bad idea.

"I hate all of this. I just want to go home, and I can't." She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, "I don't want my family getting hurt because of me. And I can't even tell them why I ran..."

She lapses into silence again.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era listens attentively to Kait's story. She had been on Earth long enough to recognize the emotions. Sorrow. Guilt. Fear. Lonliness. A lot of those feeling Ke'era was having trouble with herself.
She reaches across the table and holds her hand lightly.
"Where I am from, we have a saying... Fellaum rai maura fellaum. The stars will witness me. Your family does not know what you did for them, but the stars do...

I can't go home either. Not for a long time, any way. Our families are work differently than yours on Earth, but I didn't tell them that I was leaving either. I wonder if they know where I am... Maybe when I meet the others we will be able to set us some message system. It seems we're both away from our families. Until then, will you be my sister here on Earth?"
She asks with a kind smile. Humans were strange but people were similar. It seemed to Ke'era that Kait needed someone to stand by her. Someone to sympathize with.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael took this all in. Other world, a separate race of people with abilities beyond any human capability, none of this shocked him, though something in the back of his mind screamed that this was impossible.

He was impossible.

[Comissar]

Kait starts in surprise when Ke'era takes her hand. As the alien girl talks, she finds herself drawn close to tears again. She turns her hand round and squeezes Ke'era's as she nods, too choked up to speak properly.

She manages a hoarse "Yeah... I... I can do that..."

Letting go of Ke'era's hand, Kait breathes out softly, trying to re-center herself. She starts to eat her food again during the break in conversation.

[Business Scrub]

The road to the City isn't long, at least not by Ke'era's standards. The plethora of sights as they travelled were entertaining enough to pass the time, and in the mean time, Ke'era began writing in a light blue notebook. Anyone unfamiliar with her language would have seen just nonsensical alien writing...

The following pages tell of my time on the planet known as Earth. They should serve as a traveller's guide to the planet for other Ra'shathansans, as well as a place to record my impressions of the planet.

Life on Earth
The first and most noticeable difference about Earth from Se'shaharna is its star. Earth has just one star, not two, though it does seem to be slightly larger and brighter. Because of the way the planet spins, the star is only in the sky for about half of a day (a day being the complete passage of their one star instead of two. It seems to take about half the time of a Se'Shaharnan day). During the other half, the planet is thrown into a horrifying state of existence that the life here calls 'The Night'. The Night is a phenomenon that lasts about half their day (one quarter of a day on Se'Shaharna), in which the planet is thrown into complete darkness. This is, obviously, terrifying and deadly if you are unprepared for it.
Luckily, there are some ways to survive during The Night. First, Earth is orbited by a featureless (and lifeless) planet they call The Moon. Some light reflects off of their star ('The Sun') during the night, and illuminates the Earth. The illumination is not strong and probably not enough to live by, but I will say that the moonlight is beautiful. The humans have circumvented the terrifying problem of The Night by 'sleeping' (which I will write about later, since it is more entrenched in human culture). I cannot stress this enough: If you are vising Earth, make plans to survive the night!
The planet is quite small, probably half the size of Se'Shaharna. It has drastic temperature swings towards the top and bottom but the majority is a stable, comfortable temperature. Like Se'shaharna, more than half of Earth is covered in water. Earth is perhaps more mountainous that Se'shaharna, but the differences in the planets are surprisingly slight. The defining feature of the planet is undeniably the intelligent life on the planet: the Humans.
For now I have to leave, but the next portion of this record will describe the Humans in detail.

[herodofcows]

The bus ride out of Allentown is largely uneventful. Unlike the PUBLIC terminal, the Greyhound station is quite unexploded and serviceable. A few odd looks at Ke'era notwithstanding, you manage an easy ingress into the bus, whose long winding route is enough to relax you all substantially after the oddities and perils of the day. You transfer from there to a train (again, a few glances at Ke'era, but most are too self-absorbed to really scrutinize) And then . . .

New York City!!!

Even to the most seasoned citygoers among you, the hustle and the bustle is a little bit awe-inspiring. THIS is the Platonic ideal of "a city". There is a certain kind of angry, purposeful electricity in the air, as though everyone here is driven to excel, excel, excel, and has no time for your shenanigans.

You all alight in Penn Station, which resembles nothing so much as an enormous tidal system of people flooding through a greasy shop repository. The smells are a strange cocktail of nastiness and filth with a few jiggers of comfort. There's a constant clamor, existing almost independently of any sort of actual input of the crowds themselves.

And, within your heads, there is suddenly a (suspiciously ebullient yet undeniably crusty) voice:

Heyyyyy, you made it! I see we've got the Code Gray (and bodyguard), the Scion, annnnd the one that got away! Good stuff, good stuff. If y'all wanna walk over to the Pollo Tropical to your right, I've got us a corner booth!

Glancing over, you see the aforementioned restaurant. It's reasonably crowded, but one booth is solely occupied by a gaunt Indian man in a worn brown suit picking at what looks like a bowl of pork and brown rice. He gives you all a cheery wave as you notice him.

You recognize Rashawn sitting at a table nearby the Indian man, ostensibly paging through 50 Shades Darker. Occasionally he grimaces. He doesn't appear to have noticed you.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam stops dead when he hears the voice in his head.

"So, the rest of you heard that, right? I'm not going crazy?"

[Comissar]

Kait spent much of the bus ride asleep, thoroughly exhausted by recent events. When she woke, she found that they'd already arrived at the train station. Rousing herself, she followed the others on. She watched Ke'era's writing with mild interest, wondering if she was just doodling to pass the time. Eventually they arrived. The crush of bodies was incredible, nothing like she'd ever experienced before. Personal space seemed to be at quite a premium here.

Heyyyyy, you made it!

Kait felt her blood run cold as the voice sounded in her head. She turned to look over at the restaurant. Her eyes drawn not to the man waving, but to another, unassuming, Indian man a couple of tables over.

No... How did he..?

She glanced briefly at her travelling companions.

Would they have? They all got really hurt...

Trapped by indecision, she settled on a compromise. When Sam spoke up, she tapped Ke'era on the arm and muttered urgently, "He's one of the ones that came to my house!"

[Business Scrub]

As soon as the bus doors open at Penn Station, Ke'era feels an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. The lack of light in the bus had begun to make her feel sick, and the station wasn't much better. So many people! Oh god, they're all over the place. Then she hears the voice in her head and really begins panicking. She tries responding to the voice if she can. Who are you? Get out of my head! Get out get out get out!
She feels Kaitlyn tap her shoulder, and grabs her hand instinctively for comfort amidst the sea of people. She whispers back to Kait. "Don't worry, they won't take you." She sounds less sure of herself than normal though.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael frowns as he exits the bus. Rome, London, Paris, Moscow, the big cities were more like nations unto themselves. It was hard to get lost in them despite claims to the otherwise. A city this big had ears and eyes everywhere.

Then he heard a voice.

"No, I hear it too Sam," in the time since they first met, first names were an accepted address. He was not happy. If they found them so easily, other Alphas were probably aware of them.

[herodofcows]

The Indian man continues to peck at his food, but his voice (presumably, anyway) still continues to slide into your heads.

Woooaaah nelly! Nellies! My nellies! My nellies from other wellies! Please, no freaking out is needed here! I promise you, I'm not about to hurt you or brain-bugger you or or take you or any other thing like that! I just wanna talk is all. Our friend Rashawn here is just helping me talk to you all without making it obvious. Say hi, Rashawn!

You all receive a terse wave from a built-looking black guy at another table who appears to be leafing through Fifty Shades Darker in what might best be described as a desultory and reluctant fashion. The voice in your head continues to chatter away.

Alright, I know you all have had a heck of a time getting here and weren't expecting this, so let me get down to brass tacks: You can call me Agent Chatter. I'm from the government, and I'm here to talk to you about . . . The Avengers Initiative!

A brief pause, and then . . .

Except we're not gonna call it that, since it's trademarked. We've got some top PR guys thinking up new names, though. Trying to evoke a sort of comic-book-brought-to-life sensibility without getting too campy. And wait till you see the uniforms! Anyway, you get the idea. The Avengers-Initiative-but-not-trademark-infringing. Interested?

[Comissar]

Kait felt as though a rug had been pulled out from under her.

"... What?"

If nothing else, though, it took a lot of her tension away. If he was talking about something that childish, how bad a threat could he really be?

[Business Scrub]

I am very confused... But I also do not like that you can hear what I think. Ke'era responds to the eccentric man, then turns to Kait.

"I don't understand. What is the 'Avengers Initiative'..? What do you think? If you don't trust this man we can just turn around and get right back on that bus."

[Comissar]

Kait shakes her head doubtfully in response to Ke'era's questions. "I... Don't know." She gives Ke'era a confused look, "The 'Avenger's' was just some comic book movie. This doesn't make any sense, though. Last time he tried to kidnap me," She points over at Rashawn, "And when he couldn't we were attacked."

She shakes her head again, her anxiety once again starting to build, "He can make you see stuff that's not really there. I don't know if he'll try anything with everyone here, but I don't trust him."

[herodofcows]

It's a reference, darling, just a reference to a popular piece of entertainment. Just trying to give people a quick and easy idea of what I'm here about.

A sound rings in your heads, as though Chatter were sighing into a microphone.

Look, kiddos, Rashawn here was sent over to pick you all up for the Alphas. Lucky for you, he's working for Uncle Sam on the hush-hush. I'm here to talk to you about coming in from the cold, getting you guys working for a good cause, and above all getting ready to handle the absolute CRAZY that's waiting in the wings as soon as the Third Generation pops up. This isn't about metas vs. humans, or metas separating from humans. This is about recognizing metas AS humans. You feel me? Please say yes, cuz I can only futz with my chicken for so long without it looking weird.

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam turns to the rest.

"Look, I think we should take up his offer, at least for now. What alterative do we have? Wander around waiting for Marcus and his cronies to find us again? We've got nowhere else to go."

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael considered his options before he spoke.

"Every person I have encountered since I was 'blessed' with these abilities, people have wanted to study me, copy me, exploit me, weaponize me or kill me. I am sick of running and hiding and seeing innocent people hurt that come between me and them."

Speaking to others was not something Michael enjoyed, but he felt he must press on.

"So which one are you, Agent Chatter? Study? Kill? You want me to wear a flag and call myself "Commander Freedom" or "Special-Man" or "Resolute"? Who will you hurt if I say no? Will you project horrors into my mind?"

Michael had experienced many such in his long life: Afghanistan, Bucharest, Sarajevo, Oklahoma City. He projected these thought at the man.

"But enough posturing. You seem assured of yourself. Convince me."

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era warily follows Sam and the others over to the telepath's table. This thing still reeked of bad news, and she had no real idea what was going on. Comics were stories told in pictures. Movies were similar, but were like bubbles of real life somehow captured. 'Comic book movies' made no sense to her. What made less sense is what this had to do with them.

Sam's right. Clearly you found us and were waiting for us. Which mean if we run you'll just show up somewhere else. God, you're just as bad as that Marcus fellow. Fine, speak your piece. But first you have to explain why you tried to kidnap Kait.

[Comissar]

Kait followed the others to the table with more than a little trepidation. As she sat, she made sure that she could see Rashawn as well, splitting her attention between him and 'Agent Chatter'. As she was watching, she found Michael had already asked the question that was first on her mind.

What will he do if I say no?

[herodofcows]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeesh, tough crowd up in here . . . Chatter hums as y'all sit down. Once everyone has taken a seat, he begins talking in a normal voice. Or, rather, normal for HIM. His voice flows like water and rasps like sandpaper, managing to be cosmically world-weary, bitingly cynical, and supernaturally driven all at once. It's a cacophonous melodic staccato in oratory, and you find it hard to not listen.

"All right, cards on the table. Number one: you guys wanna walk? You walk. This is a job offer, not an abduction. Number two: I have no idea what you're talking about vis a vis Kait. You want us to look into it, we'll do our best, but I'm gonna be straight with ya here: we're keeping a low profile right now, even among the Alphas and Omegas. We're lean, we're mean, but we're not ready for a knock-down-drag-out with either of those just yet.

"So, what's our deal? Basically, we've only been around since the past decade. After the Seer War (y'all know about that?) tore up the Middle East, we went deep underground so the Alphas couldn't wipe all knowledge of metas out of our noggins. We've been working to put together a real means of metahuman coexistence and governance, not this ad-hoc bulls*** that the Alphas and Omegas are peddling. We've been doing media blitzes, covert ops, making and breaking cultural shifts . . . everything to make the idea of metahumans as funky-fresh fantastic to the average schmuck on the street as we can. When the Third Generation comes, it'll come to a world that's ready and eager to receive it, we hope.

"But preparing the ground is only step one, obviously. We gotta have something to roll out as soon as the Third Generation hits: something for law-abiding metas to aspire to, something for the crazy ones to fear. We need an organization FOR metahumans BY metahumans. It needs to provide jobs, care, security, and above all be a symbol for metahumanity to rally around. No two ways about it, y'all: when the Third Generation comes, they'll need to be coming into a world with superheroes.

"We've got a group together, of course: hand-picked and highly trained folks ready to put on capes and tights to wow the public. And, don't get me wrong, having folks like you in the mix isn't out of the question. But right now, we're trying to stabilize, dig? We've got not one but TWO extranational organizations with divisive and dangerous goals that've been running about for who-KNOWS-how-long with who-knows-WHAT goals. They're organized, they're powerful, and they're damn near impossible to get to. And THAT'S where you guys come in: you could help us bring some real stability to this situation. You tell one or both of these groups that you're ready to come in from the cold. You observe, you report, and when the time is right you spearhead the charge to take these sons-of-mothers down, dig?"

Chatter pauses and takes some deep breaths, having just spoken a BUNCH. He looks at you all expectantly as he gasps.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael is surprised to find this pitch is convincing.

If I find one of these people are using mind control on me, I will commit the entire Textbook of Traumatic Brain Injuries]i\ upon them.[/i]

After thinking it over for a minute, he sighs.

"Very well. But I refuse to wear a cape and will never answer to Commander Freedom."

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era takes a seat and hears Chatter out. She folds her hands together like she had seen humans do in movies.

"We have spent dozens of days avoiding these people, and now you want us to trust you and go run into them? What's in it for us?"

[JohnTheSavage]

Sam chimes in too.

"I have a question too; why us? Surely you have your own agents?"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I have been running from people like these all my life. This way I at least can put a name to some of them. And then I I have to, I know who to destroy."

[herodofcows]

"Ha-haaa, I LOVE it!" Chatter giggles like an eager first-grader, clapping his hands, "You're some sharp sumb*tches! Now, THAT'S what we're looking for! Allow me to finish my tasty beverage and retrieve some props and I'll answer!"

So saying, he takes a leisurely chug of his diet soda, and blindly fishes around in his bag from which he produces:

1. A DVD of The Wolf of Wall Street.
2. A DVD of Dallas Buyers Club.
3. Another soda.

"First things first!" he begins, popping open the second soda, "'Commander Freedom' has been ix-nay'd by our focus groups. So too have all 'Captain America', 'Admiral Liberty', and Military Title dash First Amendment Reference names. It's a cynical and jaded generation out there, Mikey. They want sleek betrenchcoated fellows with punchy one-word names. Trust me, as the father of two teenage girls, I know of what I speak.

"Secondly! There's plenty in it for you. Benefits, pensions, a secure base of operations, and best of all? Moral security. I can tell you right now, working for us means that you're not on the meta side, or the human side. You're on EVERYONE'S side. We're not working to split the world, or dominate it for one group. Crazy though this sounds, my agency really wants nothing more than to make sure that as many people can share this blue-and-green rock as possible without resorting to world-breaking fisticuffs. Nuts, right?

"And FINALLY! Why you? Well, let's put it this way: we're an unknown quantity. The Omegas don't know about us at all. Some Alphas MIGHT suspect, oh sure, but nobody can prove anything. We're a ghost story to them, and sending some of our best into their waiting arms is a great way to get pushed out into the light. That's why Rashawn over there is such an asset. But you? They want you. We KNOW they want you. But you have all kept your own counsel. None of you have gone the whole hog one way or another. And that's HUGE. So huge, in fact, that I've been sent to give you all this crazy pitch!"

Chatter burps abruptly, and then spreads his hands.

"OR, maybe I'm just a lone looney and there IS no agency! Who can say?"

[Comissar]

Kait listened to the conversation quietly, absorbing what 'Chatter' was telling her. It didn't all make sense.

I thought Rashawn and Arthur were with the Alpha's...

She watched the back of Rashawn's head carefully as she thought. She hated the idea of going to war. The idea that she had to pick a side. She shuddered as she involuntarily remembered her escape from her home.

I could stop that from happening to anyone else... Work to keep them safe...

Kait took a deep breath, letting out slowly.

"Before I say yes or no... Will my family be safe?"

[Business Scrub]

It was hard not to hear Chatter out. Even if Ke'era had objections to the man, she found herself listening to his rapid, laid back speech anyway. Still, she had questions. She picks up the Wolf of Wall Street case off the table, turning the glossy cover over. After a moment of deliberation and letting Kait speak, Ke'era's words are sudden.

"I don't care about pensions. Or benefits. Here's what I want: I want my friends found. Quietly. You found us, so I know you can find them. And if possible, bring them to me. If you promise to do that, I'll be your spy."

[herodofcows]

Chatter looks at Kait sympathetically and pats her arm.

"Ah, I know how that is. Trust me, I've got my family buried in so much security that God himself couldn't find 'em and I STILL wake up in cold sweats. We can protect them, absolutely: have a team of agents on them at all times, keep an eye out on psycasts, obscure your connection to them . . . all that stuff. But sister, let me tell you: the fear never quite goes away. I'm sorry.

"As for your friends . . ." here Chatter steeples his fingers, "Trust me, we want to. In fact, we'll probably be looking whether you say yes or no. You're BIG NEWS. It's in our best interests to find them, trust me."

He takes another glug of his soda and turns to you all.

"So? Am I recruiting you all, or am I gonna be a lone crazy?"

[JohnTheSavage]

"Considering we're going into deep cover, I'd say you'd still be a lone crazy if we said yes..." Sam replies wryly.

Then he nods. This was a chance to do some good again, and Sam wasn't going to miss it.

"...And I am saying yes. I'm in."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn fidgets uncomfortably. That wasn't quite the answer she'd been hoping to hear. All the same, it reinforced what she had already been thinking. She glanced at Sam as he pledged his support.

At least I'll know someone, I guess...

"Ok... Ok, I'll join you, but not to recruit for you. I just want to make sure people can keep living normal lives."

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era sighs, knowing by now the human need to claim things. She had no doubt people would try to claim her friends if no one stopped them.

"Very well then, it seems I am yarned into this as well."

[herodofcows]

Chatter claps his hands like a child getting an awesome toy for Festivus.

"Wonderful! Now I don't have to shoot Rashawn and commit suicide by cop! Ha-ha! Much love, Rashawn. Follow me!"

Walking like Willy Wonka on PCP, Chatter guides you through Penn Station and out to 34th Street and 8th avenue. In under ten seconds, a beat-up old Camaro comes swerving recklessly through the already-reckless New York traffic. There is a college-aged young woman behind the wheel, drinking tea out of a tall can and steering with one hand.

"Hurry up, let's go," she growls. Chatter turns to you all and beams.

"C'mon folks! This . . ." he says, easing into the front seat while you all SQUEEZE into the back, "Is Agent Arizona. She's gonna be your liaison while we get you prepped for your work! Say hi, Arizona!"

"F*** you."

"Delightful!"

Arizona zooms through traffic, eventually rounding her way down to head south. Chatter continues to live up to his name.

"Now, y'all had best brace yourself, because this next bit can freak people out sometimes. Think of it like this: remember that time in Harry Potter when-"

Chatter is cut off as Arizona suddenly swerves into a dead-end alleyway. She drives headlong into the wall and then . . .

BAMF

You're zooming down a long white corridor, gradually decelerating. Chatter whoops gleefully, and Arizona is smiling a snarly smile. You coast to a halt at the end of the corridor, which is adorned only with a black door. Arizona gestures you all out of the car, walks up to the door, and pulls it open.

You all step out onto a mist-shrouded seashore. The water is slate-gray and exudes chilliness. Behind you, there are sheer brown-gray cliffs. There is no evidence of the door.

There is a moment of silence. Chatter, unsurprisingly, breaks it.

"Welcome to the Department of Superhuman Affairs! Arizona, please go get our-"

BAMF. Arizona is suddenly gone. Chatter shrugs.

"So! Let's talk turkey. What do you want, and what are you willing to do in exchange?"

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"I will 'make our presence known' only by saving lives or subduing others like us who would do harm. I will not commit murders or attacks against innocents, be they superhuman or not."

He shakes his head. The sudden teleportation left him disoriented.

"I want nothing more than your guarantee on this."

He pauses a moment.

"Also, if you have information networks out there, see what you can discover about a World War II Nazi program called "Project Overman." The man who attacked in Pennsylvania was somehow linked to it."

[Business Scrub]

There were many people on Earth that Ke'era didn't have much trouble following when they spoke. Chatter wasn't one of them. Every word out of his mouth seemed to be a metaphor or hyperbole. Or at least Ke'era hoped.

Turning on to New York was mind boggling. Those massive man-made trees were everywhere. Sky Scrapers she reminded herself. People as far as the eye could see. Hundreds. Thousands? Could there be a million people in this one city? She had never seen so many people in one place. Little did the alien know there were more people in this one city than her entire planet. But more than that, the smell of the city was borderline hypnotic. It was equal parts good and bad. A lot of human scent mixing with industrial glass and metal and gas, permeated with the aroma of human food. To Ke'era, the feeling was similar to a hundred people shouting at once.

She can't help but make a scene as they walk. If not for keeping a hand on Kait's shoulder, she would have been swallowed by the crowd in an instant. Instead she desperately tries to dodge people, not understanding the flow of foot traffic and cutting off a kid on a bike. Then she lets out a panicked gasp, and whispers quickly to Kait.

"You let your exiles just wander around in public like that??"
She points incredulously to a man crossing the street. He looks pretty normal: a white man in his mid thirties, bald and wearing a sharp blue suit, carrying a coffee.

Not long after, Chatter gets them all into the back of Arizona's car. She's about to ask a question about who Harry is, and if he's the same one as the king, but the car vanishes with a bamf. Suddenly, things are much less chaotic. She steps out of the car, thoroughly confused and overwhelmed by the past few minutes. She reaches down and feels the soft sea-side earth.
"Where are we? I've been thinking about what I want, since you're already looking for my friends. I want you to help me send a message back home.
"What will I do?" Ke'era shrugs. "I'm not sure I understand humans enough yet to really answer that. But if humans do not come back after death, then I don't think I'd like to kill anyone either. But I don't know, I suppose it depends on the situation. You humans seem to have no problem killing one another. Is that because there are so many of you, that you think each one is less important?" Her tone seems devoid of judgment: just as if it is something she's been wondering about for a while now.

[Comissar]

Keeping 'Chatter' between herself and Rashawn, Kait followed the talkative agent out into the streets of New York. The press of people was incredible, and the scale of the buildings was enormous. The combined effect left her feeling very small indeed. She glanced back as she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder, Ke'era looked like she was clinging on for dear life. The feeling was understandable, the sheer number of people did feel almost overwhelming.

Walking with Ke'era hanging onto her was hard, though. The alien girl kept trying to walk the wrong way, ending up walking into people more often than not. More than a few of those she bumped into shouted angrily, too. Able to do little more than wince and apologise, she forged on, hoping they wouldn't have to go much further. When Ke'era abruptly stopped and gasped, Kait's heart froze. Were they about to be attacked?

"You let your exiles just wander around in public like that??"

It took Kait a few seconds to realise who she meant, in which time they drew many strange glances. Eventually, she spotted the blue-suited man Ke'era was meaning. "Umm... What?" She became aware of the attention they were starting to gather, though mercifully not from Ke'era's subject of fascination, "Umm... Sorry, she's, ah... She's not used to..." Helplessly, she glanced back in the direction Ke'era had indicated, vainly hoping to see something that would save her from the situation, "She's... Cosplaying... A time-traveller who's never seen... Starbucks."

Cheeks burning in embarrassment, mostly at just how poor her cover had been, she dragged Ke'era onward to catch up to the others. Clambering into the Camero, giving her a concerned look, she muttered "Is everything ok? What did you mean by 'exile'?"

The ride was unpleasant to say the least. The rapid swerving left her feeling uncomfortably motion sick. As the van rapidly approached the wall, she flinched away, just about to try and phase free...

BAMF

... And was relieved she didn't. Getting left alone in New York would not have been good. As soon as the van pulled to a stop, she jumped out, glad to be standing on solid ground again. She followed Chatter and the others through the doors, taking a moment to appreciate the beach and cliffs.

She listened uncomfortably to Ke'era's statement. "... I don't want to kill anyone..."

She shuffles awkwardly, crossing her arms in front of herself, "I... I just want to help people like me, stop them having to leave their lives. Having to run. And I just want my family to be safe..."

[Business Scrub]

Back in the car, Ke'era puts on a troubled expression.
"That bald man. Wasn't he..? *Sigh* I guess this is just another difference. Back at home... What's a good way to describe it? Plants get energy from the sun, right? That's what their leaves are for. Our hair does the same thing. I'm guessing it does not serve the same purpose for you. But if you were to cut off the leaves of a tree, it would wither and die slowly, over time." She shudders. "It is the same with us. A horrible situation. The hair grows back, but slowly. Most times too slowly, since the body is being destroyed at the same time. Such is the fate of the worst criminals of my planet. The mark of a shaven head indicates that you are... beyond hope. Infectious. Will only spread sorrow to those around you. Does that not have the same meaning on Earth?"

[Comissar]

(Driving Scene)

Kait gives Ke'era a surprised look, "Oh! Uh, no, hair is just... Hair... For us. I mean, you can make it look nice, and some people take it really seriously, but it's not like you can't do what you want with it. I think that guy just went bald. It happens to a lot of guys." She grimaced as she fought against a hard corner, being pressed up against Michael. Once the van straightened out again, she continued, "I guess you don't cut your hair, then? If it's that important, I mean."

[Business Scrub]

(Driving scene)

Ke'era looks horrified at the concept, then calms down before speaking. "Cut it? Willingly? No, gods no. Wouldn't that hurt? I guess not for you..." She looks a bit more closely at Kait's hair. "Yes, it looks like you might have cut it. I guess yours is numb then? For us it is nervous. I mean... very feely. Sensative, that's the word. It picks up on scents in the air. Sometimes we wear hair in different fashions, but never cut."

She looks out the window briefly, apparently in a bit of awe at the concept of a person 'going bald'.

[Comissar]

(Driving Scene)

Kait's hand rises to her hair when Ke'era takes a closer look, absent-mindedly touching the ends of it. Her face furrowed into a frown as Ke'era talked about how she could sense her surroundings with her hair.

"That sounds really strange... Almost like... Like..." She hesitated, trying to think of a good analogy that Ke'era would understand, "Like being able to feel stuff with your clothes, I guess. Or... Or having the same sense of touch through gloves as without, maybe?"

Kait shrugged, shaking her head as she did so, "I don't know... It sounds so different to our hair, it's hard to imagine..."

[herodofcows]

(Present)

"Okeydoke, no killing the innocent? We can get behind that! No killing in general? Noted!"

You notice Chatter avoids replying to Ke'era's question about human-on-human violence. Probably just as well.

"So onto the subject of-"

BAMF

Arizona is back abruptly, holding a yellow file that she quickly tosses to Chatter. Chatter, in turn, opens the file and shuts up for a moment.

"Alright scrubs, here's what we're gonna do: Omega's too f***in' hot right now. You're gonna go back to NYC, and Rashawn is gonna pick you guys up, ostensibly for the Alphas. Once there, you do whatever it takes to gain their trust: whatever they ask you to do, you do it. Should be easy, they're not gonna want to scare you off with wetwork or anything nuts. Above all, you're lookin' for recruitment centers: places they take in metas just like y'all to indoctrinate. Rashawn assures us that he can keep your heads safe from any telepathic scanning, so no problem there-"

"And we'll be keeping an eye out for that stuff you mentioned! The other Code Grays! Project Overman! All that jazz!" Chatter comments brightly, still turning pages in the file.

"Questions?" Arizona grunts at you all, in a manner suggesting that she's asking only out of obligation and that if it were up to her you would all be mute.

[redzimmer]

Resolute

Michael tentatively raises his hand.

"What is a 'scrub'? I have always wanted to know."

He felt silly asking, but the only scrubs he knew of were the hospital fatigues he often wore.

[Comissar]

Kait grimaced and pulled her arms tighter. She was about to make a comment about having Rashawn in her head again, but 'Arizona's' body language made it pretty clear she wanted none of it.

"What is a 'scrub'? I have always wanted to know."

I guess he doesn't watch many movies?

"Umm... I think it's just a way of saying 'newbie', or something like that."

[herodofcows]

"Oh, for the love of f***-"

BAMF

You're all suddenly back in the alleyway that Arizona had sped down not a few minutes ago. Beyond, you can see people striding through the streets, going about their obviously-busy days and entirely ignoring you.

In a matter of seconds, a battered SUV pulls into the alleyway. Out steps Rashawn, looking somewhat apprehensive.

"I suppose Chatter's got you convinced? Uh, get in, I guess . . ."

He nods at Kait, somewhat sheepishly.

[Comissar]

Kait didn't want anything to do with the man, but she felt torn. On the one hand, she saw him as the man who helped to ruin her life. She desperately wanted to scream and shout at him, truly make him understand what he'd put her through. But at the same time, he terrified her. She had no way to escape or avoid his telepathy, except by running from him. And now she was expected to just cheerfully work with him.

She flinched as she heard Rashawn's voice in her head, getting into the van without so much as glancing at him. She sat in the back, silently watching out the window, just waiting to be taken onward.

[Business Scrub]

Ke'era blinks several times as the discussion goes back and forth. There were still so many little phrases she didn't understand, and the way Arizona speaks didn't help much.

"Isn't a scrub a... small bush?"

Then in the blink of an eye, literally, they are back out in the sunlight in the massive city. All this teleporting around was getting jarring. Idly, Ke'era wondered how much distance they were crossing in each jump. Then again, to someone who had no understanding of the landscape, it really didn't matter. She follows Kait into the vehicle.

"Telepathic scanning?"

[Comissar]

Kait glanced at Ke'era as she clambers in after her, "Mind reading," She gestures at Rashawn, "He can make people see what's not really there, I guess that includes protecting against mind reading."

Explanation given, she fidgets uncomfortably in her seat, turning her attention back out the window again.

[herodofcows]

Once everyone piles into the car, Rashawn begins to drive slowly into New York traffic. His voice thrums in your heads.

All right, I'll be taking us in a nice circuitous route. Keep Alphas nice and relaxed. They're expecting you to need a little convincing. Questions?

I . . . we should probably clear the air a little, huh? I'm sorry you're caught in this. Can I ask what happened to your friend?

[redzimmer]

Resolute, But you can call him Michael

Should we speak in your mind, or shall we speak aloud?

All the head-talking made Michael a bit dizzy. And he was always afraid speaking directly with his mind might allow unwanted (or unspoken) thoughts to trickle into the discussion.

[Comissar]

Kait abruptly tenses in her seat as Rashawn's voice sounds in her mind.

Unbidden memories flash through Kait's mind, jumbled and confused. The terror of having to run from her home, pursued by masked monsters masquerading as men. Having to watch the only friend she could trust get brutally beaten and being forced to leave him too. Weeks of isolation and hunger. Overlaying it all the repeated phrase...

Really? Are you going to make me chase you?

Clenching her fists tightly, she muttered "I had to leave him behind..."

[herodofcows]

Speaking mind-to-mind is probably best. I don't expect anyone to be listening in, but . . .

Rashawn takes a moment to flip off someone who just swerved in front of him without signalling.

. . . but one can never be too cautious, after all.

. . . I am sorry. Truly, I am. I have to play a very specific part while I'm undercover with the Alphas. They're not BAD people, but they take things very seriously. But that wasn't us, and it certainly wasn't ME. Black masks? I don't know WHO that is . . . Have you spoken to Chatter about this?

[Comissar]

Kait shakes her head slowly.

Kait's thoughts take on a steadier stream. Confusion, then realisation. Of course he can read minds too. Being stupid. Of course he can...

Realisation flashed again, he'd still be reading her mind right now. Embarrassment.

I haven't... I thought they were... I haven't told him. He doesn't know, I thought they were with you...

[herodofcows]

There is a moment of silence within your psychosphere, and then . . .

I've just told him. This is troubling to me too, Kait. I promise you, we will investigate this as best we can, but there is only so far that we can extend ourselves. Once we have dealt with the Alphas, we can turn to this . . .

Now, I imagine there's been plenty of talk of intention, but precious little of a plan. May I ask HOW you intend to go about bringing down the Alphas?

[Comissar]

Kait was momentarily lost for words.

Don't they have..? Why send us if there's no plan... Psychic link! Face turning red from embarrassment, she turned her eyes out of the window again, I don't know, didn't think about it. Not the first thing on my mind. Can't we just talk normally?

[redzimmer]

Resolute

"Attack us. Hurt me badly. Let them see it. Make them believe it."

[Comissar]

Kait gives Michael an alarmed look. "I thought we were trying to stop people from getting hurt?"

[redzimmer]

Kait gives Michael an alarmed look. "I thought we were trying to stop people from getting hurt?"

Resolute

"I know, but you and I, we can recover quickly. We need to be convincing... and from what I surmise, you have had a run in with this man before. It may add to our credibility."

[Comissar]

"But..." Kait starts to fidget again, not sure what it is she wants to say. Her gaze falls, "You shouldn't have to get hurt..."

Pinching her nose, she slowly breathed out, "What then? When they think we're hurt?"

[Business Scrub]

"I don't think simply to maim us would suffice. Rashawn and your people don't seem like the type to strike out randomly like that, so these 'Omega's would be suspicious."

From Ke'era's voice it's clear she's more comfortable speaking out in the open again.

"What kinds of people do the Omegas take in? Broken, lost folk with nowhere else to turn to, correct? It is my understanding that the third group, the Alphas, are friendly with neither us nor the Omegas. What if we tell the Omegas they learned of our hiding place and struck? Kait got us out, but now we want revenge on the Alphas for destroying our friends..?"

She looks back out at the crowded streets, idly watching the people and buildings go by.

[Comissar]

Kait lapses back into silence, Ke'era's off-hand comment about lost friends hitting a bit too close to home for her. Looking over at the alien girl she comments "I don't know how safe that would be. You saw what they did to the bus station, they might try and get us to do the same thing..."