Matamoros

The elite platoon left to guard the lab and, more specifically, Kashaye and Mallory, marched down the hall towards the laboratory. Their jackboots created a loud marching sound, especially since the group was moving in unison, which echoed down into the lab. The officer in charge saw that all lights were green, no one was panicking, and there were no isolation fields up. Everything seemed fine.

"Better safe that sorry," he told himself as he and his men went to check up on things.

No sooner do they walk into the entryway of the lab do they see a man clad in silver and gold armor standing in the middle of the room. Immediately they dart into the lab, jumping, tucking and rolling, and various other action movie-esque maneuvers. They take positions behind desks, containers, and anything else that offered protection, taking aim at the armored man.

The officer, pistol aimed, screamed out. "You, tin-man, down on your knees, now! I will not hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes!" The sounds of assault rifles locking and loading was heard around the room. All was tense...all depended on the action of this armored-man...

Deep beneath the secret confines beneath the Legion complex, all was silent. Two cloaked men spoke as they looked over a crippled Spaniard lying unconscious in a hospital bed, an oxygen mask strapped to his face, a myriad of IV's attached to his body.

"As you can see, he will live. His condition is still horrendous however. I do not think our warrior will be able to enter another battle for the rest of his life. He has sustained..." the white cloaked man was cut off by a man in crimson.

"No, we cannot afford to lose another elite. I also seriously doubt he will allow you to simply 'retire' him like that. You will find a way to not only return him to his prime, but make him better."

"Yes, I will use my God-like powers and he will be reborn." the man in white sarcastically replied.

The crimson-cloaked man remained silent for a moment, then continued. "We have acquired much technology over the years. Everything from biological enhancements to cybernetics that can interact with the body as if it was an organ in it's own right. I task you will collecting the technology we have gathered and make sure he is back on his feet with all possible speed. In short, you will have access to all of our resources. Do what you deem necessary to restore him."

The man in white did not immediately respond. After a moment of silence, he changed the topic completely. "How is Martel doing? Does he substitute for Matamoros well? I hope all this covert action doesn't drive him insane."

"He does well, but I assure you, he isn't being very covert. Nothing can change that man. I've heard reports that a few girls have given him trouble, but nothing The Hammer cannot handle. I've allocated more soldiers to him. Perhaps this will bring our enemy out into the open where we can crush them." He paused a moment. "Do what you will, doctor. See to it that he fights again." The crimson-cloaked man exited the room, the white-cloaked doctor remained, looking over his patient, wondering how he would pull of this miracle.


Martel had his hands full. First he had to chase down a superheroine, capture a mimic or whatever that girl was, retrieve the restraining cuffs used on her, and now it appeared that someone had kidnapped her. He had spent much of his time sending out couriers to contact headquarters and gather the necessary intelligence he needed to find the girl. Martel then received reports that three of his men, TRAINED men, were defeated handily by a mere teen girl. Then there were the reports that Trolls, Hellions, and Outcasts were harrassing his convoys for weapons and just plain "fun."

To put it simply, he went into an uncontrollable rage. "More soldiers! More choppers! Bring me the artillery!" He assembled his elite platoon and gave them orders to gather up Kashaye, Mallory, and this new 'Gwenivere' woman and keep them in the lab. "Make sure she works on...whatever the hell she's supposed to be working on!" he screamed to his men as he climbed aboard a chopper that had landed on the rooftop.

Then came the news reports. Apparently tanks and artillery were being dropped in The Hollows, accompanied by Legion's...'Death Legion'...an elite heavy assault force usually seen on the nightly news crushing 3rd world nations for 'refusing to pay debts owed'...to Legion, of course, for the weapons and mercenaries provided.

News reporters rushed to the Hollows and began to jockey for a position to interview Lt. Wincott.

"What's going on Lieutenant? Did you request Legion's assistance?" A reporter screamed.

"No, no, no," Wincott replied to the throng of reporters, "some guy in a beret came, flashed several papers from City Hall and Legion or WHATEVER and claimed he was taking control of the operation...said something about 'never having to worry about this scum ever again.'"

A soldier appeared in front of a news camera. "People of Paragon, we at Legion know that our image isn't exactly one of nobility or righteousness, but we do care for you and your safety. That is why we are putting our lives on the line, in cooperation with your police force, to stamp out this criminal menace from your fair city, starting with the once pristine zone of Paragon now known as 'The Hollows.' That is all." The soldier waved his hands, suggesting 'no more questions' as he backed away.

What the people didn't know is that they weren't necessarily going to arrest any of the criminals.

Citizens in the safe zones surrounding the Hollows all seemed to pause simultaneously. Everyone from those stuck in traffic to pedestrians stopped as a distant thumping noise echoed across the city. As everyone silence, they realized it was actually a distant 'boom-boom boom-boom-boom' echoing their way.

The police force stood idley by as the artillery crews did their job as several tanks and infantry units moved forward towards the 'abandoned' buildings and Grendel's Gulch, which were now being battered into dust by the artillery barrage.

"Fire! Reload! Fire! Reload!" was all the reporters and police heard...albeit in various languages, everything other THAN English.

Further out, in the Gulch and in the abandoned city zone, a fierce fire-fight was occuring between the various gangs and Legion. In many places it was hand-to-hand fighting, both sides taking casualties. The gangs fought with unsual ferocity, now realizing this force hadn't come to merely arrest them...

Martel was suspiscious of this newcomer. He turned and asked one of the guards "What was her name again?"

"Lady Gwenivere, I believe she said, sir."

Martel laughed a bit, but saw that the guard was telling the truth. "Well the, call up the information we have on her then, keep her closely watched, and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I want sniper units and heavy weapons and spec ops units around her at all times."

"Yes, sir." The soldier saluted and radioed the message out to everyone concerned.

Martel signalled to one of the soldiers still standing around. "Canteen and MRE." The soldier walked over to one of the still grounded choppers and searched through a pack, producing the requested items and handing them to Martel. Martel proceeded to hand them to Kashaye.

"Looks like it's just raining heroes today," he scoffed, sheathing his sword. By now he was just listening to various standard reports coming in over the comm and waiting for a confirmation that Mallory had been secured.

Martel was indeed furious. His fair skin had turned red, both from the anger and the exhaustion of running so far unnaturally fast. He placed his hand to his headset earpiece and spoke. "This is Martel. There is another girl needing protection, an innocent. She has been placed under our protection as well. She should still be at the deli down the street. Her name is Mallory. Have someone bring her to Physiks and keep her guarded."

"Roger that." a static-riddled voice replied on the headset. The attack helicopter began to rise back into the air and go back to it's usual rounds while soldiers were already climbing back into the now grounded transports.

"You know, Ms. Parker, she could've been a decoy by Crey to separate you from us. You can't just run off chasing random pickpockets on the streets." His voice was full of disdain. He was too annoyed and angered to think about what he was saying.

Martel, by this time, was furious. "Goddammit," he yelled into the headset as he switched channels. "This is Martel. My objective is following a little girl. She won't be hard to notice. She has an afro and is running at an impossible speed. Find her and surround her. Do not harm her, she is an innocent, I repeat, an innocent." "Yeah, real innocent all right..." he thought to himself.

Almost immediately helicopters had made their way over the girl. An attack helicopter lowered itself in front of her to block her path as troops jumped out of low-flying transport choppers. All had injected themselves with the unknown boosting serum and had quickly surrounded her, raising their various weapons at her, although with no real intent to shoot. One soldier stepped forward and fired a small grenade, releasing a sort of knock-out gas. They had hoped that would be all they needed...

Martel suddenly found himself in what appeared to be an attack. He had drawn the sword from his back, but before he could react, Kashaye was blasted in the face then suddenly she leaped into the air.

"Bloody hell!" he screamed, noticing his objective had so quickly escaped him. One of his men had already reached into his pack and pulled out a small vial and injection gun. Martel immediately injected himself with the fluid, being incapacitated for a second, then took off down the street to follow Kashaye. He leaped onto several fire escapes and made his way to the rooftops so that he could keep sight of her.

"This is Martel, my target has escaped! She is to be protected at all costs! I need squads scrambled to my position immediately!" He was screaming into his headset. His position was already tracked by several central computers, so immediately soldiers were rushing down the street to secure the entire area. Even several attack helicopters that were floating around Physiks made their way to the area, the rumble of the rotors shaking the ground and glass in every building surrounding the area.

Martel managed to get somewhat near Kashaye, within shouting distance at least. "What the hell are you doing! Are you crazy! I'm supposed to protect you!" He didn't even know if she heard him.

As Martel witnessed her powers first hand, he decided that Mallory would indeed need to be protected. Crey had agents everywhere watching Kashaye's every move. If they were competent in any way they would have witnessed this as well.

"I think something needs to be arranged for her as well," he said, regarding Mallory. He his gaze shifted to the young girl. "Are you staying with relatives? By yourself? I'll need information from you, too. By now Crey and God knows who else has bore witness to your capabilities. Unless you wish to be a lab monkey the rest of your life you had better place your trust in me." Martel didn't know exactly how 'trustworthy' he seemed, considering no one looked at Legion as the becon of good will in the world.

Martel sat silently. He was completely in awe at the fact this woman just laid everything out in front of him. No screaming, no arguing, no crying, no panic, nothing. He paused for a moment, then reached for his sidearm and placed it on the table directly in front of Kashaye. By now, his smart-alec persona had vanished. "Take this. I know you have powers and God knows what else, but if the worst should happen, you should at least have this. I will take the information you have given me and guard its secrets and yourself with my life for as long as I must. It is my duty." He didn't know what to say about the request for a female agent. There were no female agents to provide her with. Martel couldn't say anything, lest he reveal things to her that she shouldn't know. She seemed to be in enough trouble as it was.

Martel turned his head to Mallory. "What about the girl? Is she vital? Does Crey want her as well?" Martel needed to do some research on her, he hadn't counted on another high-priority person.

Martel was effectively silenced for a moment, but then he decided to enlighten her a bit. "You don't understand how much danger you actually are in," he said to her as they made their way down the street, "I've already spotted several potential Crey-lackeys already. See that man over there," he inquired, pointing to a casual looking man reading a newspaper, "Crey agent." The man quickly ducked his head behind his paper when Martel threw a glare his way. Martel pointed to another average looking man wearing an trenchcoat and carrying a briefcase. "That man there is hiding a sniper rifle and equipment under the coat and inside the case. They're probably listening to us right now."

They arrived in front of the deli. Several armed soldiers were already standing in front and around in several defensible positions. "I'm sure you feel you are safe because of the fact that Crey cannot afford to make a big, clumsy attack on such a high-and-mighty hero-scientist," he said, almost in a disdainful manner, "but, you fail to realize that Crey has no other options now, considering my employeers are now in on the deal with Physiks. I speak of Legion of course." He looked into the deli, making sure some of his men had already secured it, then he proceeded to open the door for Kashaye. "Now, unless you want to be a Crey guinea pig, I suggest you put more trust in me as well as comply to my requests." He smiled slightly. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing Kashaye and her new 'sidekick' to enter.

( "She sized up the man. Wiry, lithe, looked like he knew his business. Needed a better aftershave though, and to tone down on the amount, too." Oh, what, he's like that because he's French? lol Anyway, what server are you on again? Victory? I have Matamoros on Virtue...but I guess I could make "Matamoros v3.0" or something on Victory...but that would mean I'd be overwhelmingly low level. I just got the game about a month ago.)

"Could you give me the name of the deli?" After she told him he placed his hand on his earpiece and spoke into the headset, ordering some men the secure the route to the deli as well as the deli itself. "Alright, we may depart now." Martel signalled another soldier over. Two were to watch over Mallory, while one was to watch Kashaye as Martel led the way.

They passed through the security points without hassle, everyone seeing that Kashaye and Mallory were with Martel. They exited the building and made their way to the deli. Martel and the soldiers remained cautious, their eyes darting in every direction, at every bump, knock, screech, every noise that was common on a city street. Martel did not have a good feeling about any of this, but then again, he never did...

Martel's eyes widened as his face changed to an 'oh-it's-YOU' expression. "I have been informed that you are an important figure in his building and as a result, I have orders to have you guarded at all times. I was ordered to guard you personally, so if you would be so kind as to inform me of where you will be eating lunch and the specific route you will be taking, I will be able to go about my duty. We can't have our massive investments go to waste by letting the head scientist get kidnapped, killed, tortured, or maimed by Crey, now can we?" He smirked slightly in a smart-alec kind of way.

After all of the troops were directed to their positions and the various security checkpoints were established, Agent 'Martel' called in to headquarters using the small headset brought to him by one of his staff.

He spoke, but mentioned no names. "Headquarters, Martel here, how is he? The idiot better not die, he owes me." he said, amusing himself. He remained silent as headquarters responded, updating him and giving new orders. "Right, I'm to pick up his mission for him while he's gone? Who's my objective? A Ms. Kashaye Parker? Right, I'm on it. When that idiot recovers, tell him he owes me again. Martel, out."

Martel walked to the secretary at the lobby desk, a smirk still on his face. "Arrogant Spanish moron," he said to himself quietly, "always biting off more than he can chew." He reached the secretary at the desk. "Excuse me miss, can you direct me to a Ms. Kashaye Parker's office?" The secretary gave him directions and the room number in a rather timid manner. "Thank you." Martel took a sub-machinegun from one soldier as another handed him his sword, which he promptly strapped onto his back. He signalled to two other soldiers to follow, then they marched off to Kashaye's office.

Martel stood in the main lobby, directing the newly arrived squads to the various parts of the building. He had spent hours analyzing diagrams of the building and new generally where everything was.

He had noticed Kashaye coming down the hall flashing a badge to everyone that asked. "Yes, ma'am," he addressed her question, "I am the presiding officer. I'm sure you're upset about the noise and commotion that we're causing, but I assure you we will be finished moving about soon enough." He signalled and directed a fresh squad that entered. Martel was busying himself with controlling the fresh troops and generally wished to avoid the prying of the Physiks employees. As far as he was concerned, he was given orders to secure the building and that's what he was going to do, regardless of the complaints of a few businessmen and scientists.

Matamoros, still unconscious, was laid onto a flat, solid table. The room around him seemed to be completely dark, with the exception of an extremely bright light directly above him. Surrounding the table he was laid on were several trays with a myriad of medical tools. Matamoros was hooked up to an endless number of monitors and other machines, barely alive.

White-cloaked figures gathered around him and operated on Matamoros for what seemed like an eternity. Several voices spoke in the darkness.

"Will he live?"
"It is uncertain. He lost copious amounts of blood. It's a miracle he isn't dead already."
"We cannot afford to lose another elite. We are vulnerable enough as it is."
"We are doing what we can, but you know our resources are no longer limitless."
"Those heretical pigs will pay. Our vengeance will be so terrible that they will beg to be sent to hell."
"You are normally a very logical and organized. Do not let recent events allow your emotions to rule you, lest we transform into the very things we combat."
A man sighs. "Do what you can with him. See that he lives."

A bright light suddenly pierces the darkness as a door opens and the silhouette of a cloaked figure walks out. The door closes, restoring the darkness.

Down the street from Physiks lab, a loud rumbling stirs the curiosity of the population. A convoy of black, armed humvees and troop transports, all bearing the logo of Legion, rolls down the street towards Physiks. As the convoy stops in front of the building, armed soldiers jump out and take up defensive positions all around the area. From one of the humvees, a rather fair skinned man steps out. He is dressed in a military combat uniform with a jungle color scheme, a bulletproof vest, tall black jackboots, shiny short leather gloves, and a crimson beret. Strangely, but hardly noticeable, all had a small set of rosary beads tied to their wrists.

The man in the beret, accompanied by an entourage of soldiers, walked into Physiks and approached a desk in the main hall. He adjusted his beret before speaking, making the patch on it highly visible. It bore a red cross, the insignia of a Templar Knight. "Legion, in the interests of safety for all of it's employess, partners, and investments, has deemed it necessary to place this building under armed guard, in light of the recent explosions and catastrophes that have occured nearby. If you have any questions, you contact me. I am Agent Martel of Legion's Security Operations Force." He had a noticeable French accent.

Martel signalled to his entourage and they entered further into the building, taking up positions throughout.

Matamoros drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like hours, but in reality only minutes have passed. Sirens echoed within the confines of his cloudy mind. He could not tell if it was imagined or not.

Several police, fire, and medical units were on there way. A combination of panicked 911 calls and the sheer size of the explosions had gotten the attention of the local officials. The news media was probably on its way as well.

A loud rhythmic 'thud-thud thud-thud' of rotors rumbled the ground and the surrounding buildings. Several black helicopters rose over the buildings and settled to a hover over Matamoros. One helicopter dropped a line and a small ground of men, wearing similar armor to Matamoros, rapelled down. They immediately attended to Matamoros, waiting for the helicopter to lower a stretcher. Orders were being barked over the comm links in various latin-based languages. Some bystanders could distinctly remember hearing Spanish, French, and Italian being spoken.

Finally, the stretcher was lowered. and Matamoros was carefully and delicately placed onto the stretcher and raised to the helicopter. The police, fire, and medical units had finally arrived and were immediately thrown into confusion, seeing as some strange entities had arrived before them.

The armored men drew their weapons to keep the local units at bay, causing the police to respond with their own weapons. Suddenly, the armored men fired their grenade launchers, panicking the police. They were merely smoke grenades, but they stunned the police momentarily and created a smokescreen to cover their escape. The rotors of the helicopters blew the smoke directly into the surrounding police ranks as the armored men grabbed onto the line and were drawn back into the helicopter. They then flew off into the distance.

Matamoros was anticipating a fight with whoever was on the rooftop, but a loud impact caught his attention. He quickly darted towards the edge of the rooftop and gazed over. Apparently it was just a car wreck. No, it wasn't. There was a mangled car and a girl that had been knocked back...but remained seemingly unscathed. The girl slowly got up, but quickly recovered. She dashed off into the distance.

Matamoros didn't have the time to deal with this. He would find out what happened later...he felt the presence of someone behind him. He turned, his assault rifle raised, only to see a blur of movement. His vision followed the insanely fast blur and it's haphazard movment, barely able to keep the assault rifle aimed at it, even with his speed enhancements he injected earlier. Finally, the blur stopped in one position, revealing itself to be a young man in a trenchcoat and beret.

"Was this the agent they spoke of?" Matamoros thought to himself.

"You're rather quick," the young man said rather mockingly, "but I wonder if you could keep up without that little injection of yours. Tell me, what is it? Superdyne, venom, 'super-soldier serum?'" The young man laughed to himself a bit. Immediately the man bursted forth with immense speed, almost instantly upon Matamoros. His arm drawn back, he thrusted his fist towards his enemy's helmed face.

Matamoros was ready. He swung his assault rifle, almost throwing the butt of the rifle forward with the force of his entire body. Too slow. Although he caught the young man square in the face with the gun, the punch still got through. The momentum knocked both combatants back, both fell flat on their backs.

Matamoros was the first to rise to his knees. He was a bit dazed and annoyed that this 'kid' managed to get to him. His helmet was slightly dented on the side and within his helm is visor was displaying a lot of static. After a few moments, the static was corrected and Matamoros stood, stumbling a bit. "This ends here. Kill him now, ask questions later." he thought to himself as he raised 'Torquemada'

The young man heard the 'click' of the gun and immediately flipped up to his feet. He managed to jump and roll to the side just as the gun let loose a burst of lead. Several rounds managed to slash the side of his leg. He stood after rolling to avoid the burst and pulled out a metal orb, which immediately began to glow. He hurled it at Matamoros with great force, but in this instance, luck wasn't on his side.

The glowing orb caught the eye of Matamoros and he managed to lean and turn his body to the side, barely avoiding the ball. It hit an air duct several yards away, exploding upon impact, annihilating the duct and nearly everything around it, and flinging bits of shrapnel everywhere. Knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion, Matamoros stood, feeling a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down and saw a large metal shard jutting out of the side of his thigh. He was beginning to bleed profusely.

The young man, by this time, had noticed the damage he had done. "This was easier than I thought it would be," he said to himself. He rose from the ground and dashed forward with his signature speed, knowing for sure that Matamoros was too stunned by the blast to react quickly enough. "Not this time," the young man thought to himself. "It's over!" he exclaimed, just as he was upon Matamoros...but he noticed Matamoros had leveled the gun at his chest...and was pulling the trigger.

Matamoros smirked under his helm just as he pulled the trigger. A loud, solid 'bang' echoed throughout the rooftops of Paragon as a large caliber depleted uranium slug exited the barrel. His smirk immediately turned to a frown as he noticed his foe was not knocked back.

The young man had managed to qucikly turn his body to the side as he rushed forward....but not quick enough. The slug tore through his shoulder and taking a lot of flesh with it. He was unable to stop his forward movement now, his consciousness fading. His body slammed into Matamoros, knocking the armor-clad man back into the pile of rubble created by the earlier explosion.

Matamoros, dazed, tried to stand, but to no avail. He stumble back, falling near the edge of the roof. His consciousness was fading too, for the metal shard was still jammed in his leg and he was losing blood. He noticed the young man slowly reaching for something in his coat. Matamoros smirked, noticing how pale the man was and the amount of blood on the ground. "I got the [censored]," he said to himself.

The young man laughed maniacally as he pulled a small bag from his coat. A red glow suddenly illuminated the bag as he tossed it towards Matamoros. It hit the floor and dozens of small, glowing red metal balls rolled towards Matamoros.

An expletive was the only thing that popped into Matamoros' head. The small orbs rolled into him and immediately exploded. The entire rooftop was engulfed in flames and brick, mortar, steel, and glass flew into the air. Matamoros was hurled from the rooftop like a rag doll and fell towards the street below for what seemed to be ages. His body slammed into the ground, smashing the pavement with the force of his armored impact. His helm was blown apart in places, half of his face revealed and half remained covered. The signature red and gold armor was cracked, dented, and shattered all over, bits of steel lodged in many places. Luckily, it held, protecting his chest and vital organs. However, glass and metal bits tore through his unarmored legs and the blood was pooling around him. He slipped in and out of consciousness. He managed to press several, miraculously intact, buttons on his wrist...a distress signal to headquarters...before blacking out.


A later investigation failed to find the body of his adversary...

A man clad in red and gold was perched upon a rooftop overlooking Physiks lab, his similarly colored cape whipping in the wind. His gaze was focused on the people below, particularly several strange people walking in and out of the building. He also had a strange feeling someone else was watching, but he had been unsuccessful in detecting the person so far.

"I don't like stepping out blindly like this," he said to himself, "and I especially don't like these new complications." He zoomed in closer with his helmet visor.

From his belt he pulled two objects: a small vial and a small injection gun. He unlatched a plate of armor from his arm and injected the liquid into himself. Almost immediately his body tensed, then every muscle tighten in a sort of body-wide cramp. He collapsed to the rooftop and crumpled up, twitching slightly, then almost as instantly as it started, it stopped. He breathed heavily and deeply, the pain fading away. His muscles felt stronger and slightly more bulky. Re-latching the plate on his arm, Matamoros darted across the roof and leaped onto the Physiks lab building. Quickly his eyes darted around, searching for anyone watching. His perception, strength, and speed were now enhanced and he hoped it would be enough to fight the coming threats.

As he searched the area he caught something quickly in the corner of his eye. His gaze shot towards the person or object, but it was gone. He slowly pulled forward 'Torquemada.' "We're not alone."

The elevator decended quickly. Deeper and deeper into the ground, below the lowest foundations and sewer systems of Paragon City. Victor stood, a dim light casting a weak glow over him and his cloaked companion.

The man that stood with him was covered in a crimson cloak, a hood covering and darkening his face. The cloak was trimmed with gold and a golden belt was strapped across his waste, pristine white gloves covered his hands, and black, shiny boots extended to his knees. They both stood silent as the hum of the elevator echoed within, the lights flickering occasionally.

Finally, the hum deepened and Victor felt the elevator coming to a stop. The hiss of exhausted steam echoed within the elevator and the doors opened, screeching initially. A large, cavernous laboratory is revealed, rough nature intertwined with modern technology. Computers, electrical equipment, reactors, monitors, etc. stood next to stalagmites and rock formations.

Victor stepped out of the elevator and into the laboratory. As he walked past, similarly cloaked figures in white that weren't already occupied stopped and saluted, receiving a quick salute in return. Victor and the crimson cloaked man stepped down the concrete walkway towards a large glass case. Hung within the case: a set of red and gold armor and a large assault rifle. Victor looked up at the case as several red-cloaked figures quickly moved about, dialing on keypads and accessing various computers.

Steam quickly rushed out from the vents beneath the case as it opened. Large tables and racks of various gadgets and weaponry rose upward from the ground, forming a circle of equipment racks around the case.

Several brown-cloaked, cleric-like figures approached Victor and assisted him in removing his coat as others delicately removed the armor from the case. Within minutes, Victor had donned the red and gold armor, along with a pair of shiny, black jackboots. Four clerics completed the uniform, two buckling the utility belt around his waist, two others bringing him the assault rifle..."Torquemada."

His crimson-cloaked companion spoke. "Matamoros, I advise you to prepare for the worst. If the enemy we face is indeed Illuminati or even a Fallen One, it could turn out to be a desperate struggle." He gestured towards the weapons and gadgets racks that surrounded them and the armor case. "We have prepared many pieces of equipment for you. Take what you will."

Matamoros moved to the racks, his eyes darting around quickly from beneath his helmet, taking pieces here and there and placing them within various utility compartments in his belt or attaching them to his gun.

"I will continue our inquiries," the crimson-cloaked man continued, "until then, may God be with you," he said, extending his hand forward and placing rosary beads into the gloved hand of Matamoros.

Matamoros wrapped them securely around his wrist and darted off towards one of the many exits that led to all parts of Paragon City.

(( Sorry I haven't posted for a few days...been busy with some stupid crap...it's mostly out of the way now, though. ))

Victor had climbed into a black SUV that awaited him outside, which promptly made its way towards the new Legion building blocks down the road from Physiks. Legion had 'conveniently' managed to acquire some land close to Physiks.

The interior of the SUV was quite spacious and was equipped somewhat like a limo, with a phone, drinks, etc., without the stretched out spaces, of course. The phone rang and Victor quickly answered.

"What is the situation," he inquired.

"An unknown agent has been detected within the proximity of Physiks. The 'unknown' has also been detected around Legion on several occasions."

"What have initial analyses said? Is there reason to believe it is a Crey agent?"

"No. We're searching through our databases and we have also began to search the files of several major governments. So far we have come up with nothing."

Victor paused a moment. This almost never happened. His information network was unable to identify this potential enemy. Very few things caused fear withing him. Going against something without proper preparation and without knowledge of the full capabilities of what he had to fight was one of those few things. "Illuminati," he questioned, "or perhaps a Fallen One?"

There was a pause on the other end. "With such cloud of darkness surrounding this enemy, you may be correct. Prepare for the worst."

"Understood. I'm on my way." Victor hung up. He lowered his head and stroked his chin, going into a deep thought as he traveled towards the new Legion building.

Victor smiled slightly, one that wasn't actually forced for once. "I hail from Spain. I originally worked with a main office in Madrid, but I was transferred here to Paragon recently as a result of current events." He paused for a moment, trying to think of a 'business reason' as to why Legion opened up shop in Paragon and why he had been sent. "We had heard of your research back before Crey had, to put it bluntly, screwed you. We were pleased to see you employed by Physiks, as we have much respect for them, and we decided on this partnership. We would love to make sure your work is a success because there's a myriad of things that can be done with a practical 'muonic energy' device."

He felt a vibration against his hip. It was his cell phone. "Excuse me for a second, Ms. Parker, I apologize." He took several steps away as he answered. Victor heard the familiar 'dark voice' respond.

"Prepare for battle. The moors conspire." The voice hung up.

Victor turned back to Ms. Parker. "Excuse me, Ms. Parker, something's come up and I must be on my way." He bowed slightly and left the room.

Victor forced another smile. "Our company is opening another location. More specifically, here in Paragon City. It appears that the Paragon police and heroes are in dire need of weaponry and defense systems to combat this plague of corruption and villainy that has ensnared this city." He paused, realizing that his tone was beginning to sound a bit fanatical and he didn't want to make her more suspsicious than she already probably was.

Victor turned his head slightly, hoping Masterson had left. Apparently he was still there. He turned his head back to Ms. Parker.

"Since we're starting operations in this city, which includes a corporate office as well as a weapons manufactury, we have been on the lookout for the best and brightest people in Paragon. Physiks has caught our eye. Your research could possibly help us complete some of our own projects, and hence we have extended an offer of partnership with Physiks. Perhaps your technology will replace the current project we've been having problems with. We've been working on shield technology as well and it's similar to yours except that it's pathetically bug and error ridden and the project is about to be scrapped. In light of this, we'll be transferring all equipment, expertise, and funding to your project...that is, if your boss, Ms. Feynman, agrees to the partnership." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Has she mentioned anything to anyone about an interest in this?"

Victor, unsurprised by Angelstryke's sudden introduction, casually turned to him and stood up, giving a firm handshake. He, in return, introduced himself. He knew of this man and knew that he could possibly botch the entire operation...or inadvertantly help it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr., Masterson was it? Allow me to introduce myself as well. I am Victor Jaramillo de Vivar, head of applied sciences at Legion Technology and Defense Systems." He forced a smile from himself. He hated doing it. "What exactly about our company has intrigued you? Considering you're a man in the 'protection' business, I assume it would be my department. We have plenty of new gadgets and weapons about to come out. I'm sure you've heard of a few models." Another thing he hated was pretending small-talk.

"Anyway, I wouldn't call the people at Physiks jokers. They're quite the intelligent bunch. Perhaps Legion might want to join Physiks in its endeavours." He really wanted to get away from this guy. He didn't like the way he came out of nowhere. Victor knew this Masterson was trying to get at something. He would give him nothing. He reached into his coat and pulled out a card and handed it to Mr. Masterson. "Here, our card. Actually, the number on there is for our Madrid office, considering our Paragon office is incomplete. Now, if you excuse me," Victor turned and walked towards Ms. Parker, hoping to start a conversation just to look more casual. He had a nasty habit of looking like a brooding tyrant instead of a businessman.

Two men dressed in black suits, obviously employees of Legion, sat in the back of the room, listening to Ms. Parker speak. They had made no elaborate, armed entrance, they were legitimately and legally attending the conference. Little did Ms. Parker know that Legion had put forth a large sum of money to fun the laboratory, as well as using corporate might to make sure Crey could not and would not interfere. Physiks and, even worse, Legion having access to her experiments was the last thing Crey wanted.

When Ms. Parker had finished speaking, the Legion attendants clapped accordingly, along with everyone else. They spoke between each other about the future possibilities of such technology. Their accent was undeniably Spanish...

"Just think about it. Think of the weapons and defense system applications of such technology. We could make shielding systems that can stop enemy rounds mid-air. It could grant controller-like powers, allowing you to stop the enemy in his tracks." The man speaking turned his head and faced another Legion attendant, one with a unique scar across his face. "This would help you especially. It could give you an edge over the registered heroes."

The scarred man turned to his associate, "That isn't the primary reason we're here, Alejandro. You know that. You authorized this action."

"Yes, Victor, that may be true, but you can't ignore the fact that we're getting an added bonus here, both for you and our operations."

'Victor' had his arms crossed and did not reply. His gaze was fixated on Ms. Parker. Alejandro, too, changed his tone to a more serious one.

"Your analysis was correct. She is indeed an innocent. She has no idea what's going on. It does not appear she wishes for power, but instead just vengeance against Crey. See to it she is unharmed. We cannot allow Crey and their masters have her." The man known as 'Alejandro' stood up. "Victor, I shall take my leave now. I trust you will keep order." He received a nod from 'Victor' and walked out of the room.

Victor remained in his seat, seemingly in deep thought. He, too, was now seeing the possibilities of this technology. It could serve him well in his 'mission.'

((Legion would like to see the lab too and is very interested in your research...for possible weapon system applications! And who is the mysterious scarred 'business man?' I'm sure you all have an idea who it is ... Anyway, the bomb must remain in the apartment...Matamoros left it there in case he fails to protect you and the only way to stop Crey is to eliminate you...the ultimate and least desired solution. Will Soul stop fighting crime, in fear that the criminals she deals with will end up dead before she has a chance to arrest them? Will Clarisa respond to Legion in a hostile manner, provoking a corporate war or something more dastardly? Are they all under surveillance of an unknown power with a hidden agenda? Find out on the next episode of DRAGON BALL...er, "Heroism is Good Business"!))